A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 23, n. 41)
Week 23 in Ordinary Time: September 7-13, 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 31 – September 6, 2025, 2025 please go to ARCHIVES Series 23 and click on “Ordinary Week 22”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: September 7-13, 2025.)
*** *** ***
September 7, 2025: TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR C
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Lays Down the Cost of Discipleship”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 9:13-18b // Phlm 9-10, 12-17 // Lk 14:25-33
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 14:25-33): “Anyone of you who does not renounce all possessions cannot be my disciple.”
I was a novice when I saw the film, “Brother Sun, Sister Moon”, produced and directed by Franco Zeffirelli. That movie - a powerful idyll on Christian discipleship - touched me deeply. It transported me to a fascinating world of beauty and grace. It evoked in me a great desire to pursue the Kingdom of God and give myself totally to Jesus. In the life of Francis of Assisi I saw a full response to Christ’s challenge, “If you wish to be my disciple …” The two most powerful images of discipleship that I saw in Zeffirelli’s movie were: when Francis, overcoming his revulsion, kissed a leper and when he stripped off all his clothing to give it back to his father. However, the scenario that greatly delighted me was Francis prayerfully contemplating in a field of poppies (papaveri), in an Umbrian countryside ablaze with thousands and thousands of reddish-orange flowers. When I was assigned in Italy years later, the sight of a field of poppies would always make me rejoice and remind me of a disciple’s call to deep communion with God.
St. Francis of Assisi epitomizes the true and courageous response to the challenges of discipleship uttered by Jesus and reported in this Sunday’s Gospel reading: “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple … Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple … Anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple” (Lk 14:26-27,33). Having made a radical choice for Christ as the ultimate and absolute value, all other realities became relative and secondary – including family relations, material possessions, and even his very life. St. Francis thus showed us what it means to be a Christian disciple.
This Sunday’s Gospel passage is an incisive instruction on Christian discipleship. The followers of Christ should not entertain illusions, but rather grasp the real demands of Christian life. One radical demand of discipleship is an unconditional preference for Christ that would enable the disciple “to hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life …”. The Christian challenge “to hate” should not be understood in its narrow literal sense, but as a Semitic way of saying “to love less”. It indicates a preference for Christ that is deliberate, absolute, total and complete. The liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent comments: “Jesus is speaking of a value judgment and a freedom from ties that have nothing in common with a refusal of fraternal love or with self-centeredness. He is demanding an unconditional love of himself that gives priority to everything that concerns him and makes everyone and everything else secondary. He is asking for a preferential love that entails the leaving behind of all else. Human affections are legitimate, but they are subordinate to love of Jesus … the other objects of our affection, even, our own life, take second priority.”
The second radical demand of Christian discipleship enunciated in today’s Gospel is “to carry the cross and come after Christ”. This entails self-surrender to the divine saving will and total participation in the paschal destiny of Christ.
The third radical demand of discipleship mentioned in this Sunday’s Gospel reading is “to renounce all possessions”. Our choice for Christ calls for the reassessment of our relation to every type of goods. It invites us to evaluate our priorities. It challenges us to cultivate a spirit of detachment, an essential mark of Christian followers. The goods that preempt our loyalty and devotion are to be renounced.
Every Master worthy of the name lays the cards on the table and presents to those who desire to follow him the radical implications of being united with him. The honest and sincere leader gives fair warning of the price of discipleship. With the parable of the man who wishes to build a tower (Lk 14:29-30) and the parable of the king who intends to wage a war (Lk 14:31-32), the Divine Master asserts that we should consider carefully the cost of a venture before embarking on it. Indeed the “price of grace” is costly. The price of discipleship is dear.
On the “costly grace”, the theologian D. Bonhoeffer remarks: “Costly grace is the gospel that must ever be sought; it is a gift for which one must ask; it is the door at which one must knock. It is costly because it calls for obedience; it is grace because it calls for obedience to Christ. It is costly because it may cost a man his life; it is grace because only thus is man brought to new life. It is costly because it condemns sins; it is grace because it justifies the sinner. It is costly grace most of all because it has cost God dearly, because it has cost God the life of his Son – You have been bought at a great price – because what has been costly for God cannot be cheap for us. It is grace most of all because God did not regard his Son as too precious for our life, but gave him for us. Costly grace is the incarnation of God.”
B. First Reading (Wis 9:13-18b): “Who can conceive what the Lord intends.”
In order to have the courage to confront and respond to the “price of grace”, we need to be filled with the wisdom of God (Wis 9:13-18a) – the “Holy Spirit from on high” who would enable us “to conceive what the Lord intends”. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6, remark: “We know perfectly well that we do not have enough to pay the price, to go the distance, nor the strength needed to deflect the adversary. But we also know the Spirit is given to us, and thus the grace that leads to doing good, to hold fast till the end of our vocation, to meet all requirements: to bear the cross of the disciple and renounce all our goods. The designs and secrets of God have been revealed by the gift of Wisdom and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Knowing what is pleasing to God, we know the paths that lead to salvation.”
An example of a disciple who has been enlightened and strengthened by the Holy Spirit for his Christian witnessing is Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe. He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1941 for his tireless work against the Nazi forces. The founder of the Militia of Mary Immaculate was sent to the infamous death camp of Auschwitz where he served in slave labor. He was frequently beaten and subjected to humiliations. On August 14, 1941 he was granted the crown of martyrdom when he offered his own life in place of another prisoner. Indeed, Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe exemplifies a disciple’s heroic response to the challenges posed by Christ.
C. Second Reading (Phlm 9-10, 12-17): “Receive him no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother.”
In his loving letter to Philemon, Saint Paul, an exemplary Christian disciple and a “prisoner for Christ”, illustrates that absolute preference for Christ and immersion into his paschal destiny lead to transformation and new relationships. Onesimus’ new birth in Christ through baptism establishes a new kinship with the saving Lord and with other Christians. Though Saint Paul does not directly challenge the institution of slavery, he exhibits a humane attitude that would eventually guide Christianity to abhor that system.
Considering the historical background, it seems that Philemon has responded to Paul’s revolutionary challenge to freely love Onesimus and respect him with dignity and respect as a “brother” in Christ. Philemon freely renounces his legal right to his slave Onesimus, who is eventually returned to Paul to be the latter’s co-worker in the Gospel. The former slave Onesimus becomes in time a bishop of a vibrant Christian community in Ephesus. Following the inspiration of Saint Paul, Philemon has wonderfully embraced the liberating new vistas of Christian discipleship that enables him to embrace an escaped slave, to give opportunity to a forgiven slave and a “brother” in Christ to realize his full possibility, and to transcend personally the flawed structure of a civil society based on slave ownership.
The following article gives insight into Paul’s assertion that he is a “prisoner for Christ Jesus” (cf. Fr. Kevin O’Neill, “A Bishop’s Story” in L’Osservatore Romano, July 28, 2010, p. 3).
The first time I saw 86 year old Bishop John Baptist Wang was during the Easter Vigil Mass in the cathedral of his diocese. It was a moving Easter ceremony. There was a large fire outside the church followed by a procession into the church with lighted candles. Primary school children read the readings with gusto. Just before the Gloria was sung a huge banner of the risen Jesus was unveiled over the main altar accompanied by a fanfare of trumpets followed by fireworks outside the church.
The symbol of water was in the form of a waterfall set up on the right side of the sanctuary. The congregation shouted aloud in one voice their renewal of faith while holding high their lighted candles. This was very powerful. Just before the liturgy of the Eucharist, Bishop Wang was ushered to the altar with assistance. He sat in a chair beside me so I assisted him with his standing and sitting during the Eucharistic prayer. In 2008 he had a number of minor strokes that affected the feeling in his hands and his ability to walk unaided. A few days later I had the opportunity to talk with him. He was still quite frail then, lying in bed with a drip, nevertheless he graciously met with me.
He was ordained a priest in 1951 at the age of 28. In 1999, at the age of 76 (normally Bishops resign at 75 years of age), he was ordained Bishop by the former Bishop of his neighboring home diocese. He pointed out the needs of his diocese as the formation of priests, sisters, seminarians and catechists. The sisters work in parishes, clinics and an orphanage. The priority of the diocese is mission outreach. The diocese is one of the poorer dioceses in China that gets some financial assistance from Rome.
A few months later I had the opportunity to return to his diocese. This time the Bishop was in better health but still unable to walk unassisted. He shared with me a little of his experience in detention and prison.
In 1965, at the age of 42, he spent 11 years in detention and nine years in prison. It took the officials 11 years to charge him with being an “anti-liberationist”. He said life in detention was tougher than life in prison though life in prison was also difficult. While in prison he shared a small room with seven other men. There was one bed for them to share. If they all slept on their side they could manage to fit onto the bed. If anyone needed to use the toilet at night his space on the bed would be gone. The toilet was in the corner of the room.
They were allowed to leave their room for 20 minutes once per week. Food was passed into the room through a small hole in the door. Meals consisted of soup and a little vegetable. They had a change of clothes once a week. He did not wash his body for the 20 years he was incarcerated! He said the smell in the prison cell was terrible. He was released from prison in 1985 and for political reasons had to leave his home diocese and work in the neighboring diocese where he is now a Bishop. When he was in prison his family sent him a dictionary and the book Tale of Two Cities. He used these to study English. He added a few sentences of English when he spoke to me saying, “Can I now practice my English with you?” A good grasp of Latin helped him in learning English.
It was hard for me to fathom how an old man who had experienced so much suffering could be so serene. He didn’t even have a bad word to say about those who kept him captive all those years. I think deep down he has forgiven them though of course I imagine he could never forget what they did to him and others. Serenity is so obvious in his face, his gestures and speech … Though old and frail; he is strong in mind and spirit.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are we ready to respond continually and progressively to the demands of Christian discipleship? How do the parables of the tower builder and the war-waging king impact us? Do we dedicate adequate reflection and consideration to the price of discipleship? Why is the price of discipleship costly? Are we thankful to the Lord for the gift of discipleship and are we ready to pay the price?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your Son Jesus Christ calls us to be his disciples.
But the price of discipleship is dear
and the grace that is offered to us is “costly”.
We open our hearts
to the tremendous challenge of Christian discipleship.
We humbly welcome the “costly grace” offered to us in the name of Jesus
and by his paschal sacrifice.
Send forth upon us the “wisdom from on high”
that we may discern with sensitivity your saving will.
Renew the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us.
Give us the strength to renounce
what impedes us from following Christ, our supreme good.
Help us to follow Christ on the path that leads to life.
We praise and bless you,
in the name of Jesus and in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit,
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.
“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Lk 14:27).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that those who wish to follow Christ may respond to his radical demands with generosity, integrity and total dedication. In your detachment from temporary goods and total attachment to the absolute treasure, Jesus Christ, be open to share generously with the poor and the needy the talents and resources you have received from God.
*** %%% *** %%% *** %%% ***
September 8, 2025: MONDAY – THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Mother Mary’s Birth Is a Prelude to Salvation”
BIBLE READINGS
Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30 // Mt 1:1-16, 18-23
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today we celebrate the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her birth means that the coming of Jesus Savior is near. Her coming into the world is the dawn of salvation. Saint Andrew of Crete, bishop, remarks: “This radiant and manifest coming of God to men most certainly needed a joyful prelude to introduce the great gift of salvation to us. The present festival, the birth of the Mother of God, is the prelude, while the final act is the foreordained union of the Word with flesh. Today the Virgin is born, tended and formed, and prepared for her role as Mother of God, who is the universal King of the ages … Therefore, let all creation sing and dance and unite to make worthy contribution to the celebration of this day … The creature is newly prepared to be a divine dwelling for the Creator.”
Just like the Christ Child, the Child Mary is a promise of salvation. The birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary is likewise a sign of salvation. In view of the redemptive mission of the Christ Child, Mary’s birthday ushers in the fulfillment of the divine promise. The following story narrated by Sue Monk Kidd in an old issue of Guideposts magazine gives us an idea of the redemptive role not only of the Christ Child, but also of the Mother of God, who also became a child for us.
In 1977, the Baptist Church in Melba, a rural American town, was about to close its doors forever. Over the years, churchgoing had dropped off alarmingly. Some hurts and misunderstandings had divided and shattered the congregation. All that remained was about a dozen people on the verge of giving up. That handful of people gathered in the church one Sunday to vote whether to continue services or close down for good. Their meeting was interrupted when a child appeared – a child of only seven years – who wanted to join the Sunday school and the church service. Angela, for that was her name, returned the next Sunday, and the next and the next. That child became the reason for the Melba Baptist Church to go on. They struggled to live in order to nurture a young spirit from one Sunday to the next. Angela was their glimmer of hope. She was their future. The child’s appearance saved the congregation from extinction and sure death. The Melba Baptist Church has become renovated and increased in membership. As far as they are concerned, the little girl who came alone to the church that long-ago Sunday was sent by God.
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 1:1-16, 18-23): “She has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit.”
Steven Gemmen’s story, “Where Love Grows” in Guideposts magazine (October 2004, cf. p. 44-48) is a touching account of how he welcomed into his life the child conceived by his wife, Heather, a victim of sexual assault. Steve narrates how his anger at the rapist found its outlet in the baby. In the sixth month of his wife’s rape-pregnancy, however, Steve was given the grace to understand that the little creature in his wife’s womb had nothing to do with the crime of the father, an unidentified African-American young man who broke into their home. Steve accepted the baby as his own although there were bad times. Steve remarks: “Our lives haven’t been the same since that terrible night. They never will be. I’d thought nothing could make me love this child. That’s true. Nothing can make us love anyone or anything. Love is not a choice. It is the sovereign gift of God. And it was his gift that the child who stirred within Heather would make the unbearable not just bearable but miraculous.”
Steve’s compassionate stance towards his wife and the baby gives insight into the goodness of Joseph, foster-father and guardian of Jesus, born of Mary. Today’s Gospel story concerns the birth of Jesus (Mt 1:18-24) and delineates the important role of Mary and Joseph in salvation history. In the fulfillment of the messianic mission and divine saving plan, Mary and Joseph, the righteous man to whom she is betrothed, play a vital part. Joseph of Nazareth enables Jesus to be born into the royal line of David by assuming the legal obligations of paternity. Mary’s virginal conception and birth of Jesus underlines the divine origin of the Son and of the absolute newness that now breaks forth in the history of human beings.
The Venerable Bede (c. 673-735) contemplates the role of Mary as the ever virgin mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: “It is indeed fitting in every respect that when God decided to become incarnate for the sake of the whole human race none but a virgin should be his mother, and that, since a virgin was privileged to bring him into the world, she should bear no other son but the son who is God …And so Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, the child of her own flesh and blood. She brought forth the God who had been born of God before creation began, and who, in his created humanity, rightfully surpassed the whole creation.”
B. First Reading (Mi 5:1-4): “This is the time when she who is labor is to give birth.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Mi 5:1-4) helps define the character of the child that is in Mary’s womb – the ruler of Israel of which she is the bearer. Micah foretells of an ideal messianic king who will inaugurate a new era after Israel’s period of exile. The mission of this highly idealized ruler is characterized as a good shepherd who protects his flock and keeps them from being scattered. This new king will be great and he himself will be peace. Prophesying in the late eighth century at about the same time as Isaiah, Micah pronounces an oracle that seems to identify Bethlehem as the city of a yet unborn ruler’s birth. This fascinating oracle contributes to a profound vision of Jesus as Messiah. As we celebrate the nativity of Mary, we extol her as the one who gives birth to Jesus, the King-Shepherd of the house of David who will bring justice and peace. The Blessed Mother is an intimate collaborator of the divine Savior in bringing forth a new people of God.
The following story of a young wife’s journey to the Catholic faith helps us appreciate the role of Mary in the divine work of salvation (cf. Rebecca Lengenfelder, “One in Faith” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 70-72).
Little by little, the Catholic faith started to make sense to me … There was still one major hurdle I could not get over – Mary. I longed to be completely one with Kris, but I could not fully share his faith if it meant idolatry. I understood that Catholics ask Mary to take their intentions to her Son, Jesus, who is the one they worship, but years of having it impressed upon me that this was idolatry, blocked me from accepting a devotion to Mary.
I was raised with the idea of putting out a fleece. (Gideon does this in Judges 6:36-40) as a way of asking for a sign. Whether or not there was dew on the fleece in the morning determined his answer from God.) So I said: “OK, Lord, I want you to send me an unmistakable sign that could only come from you, that this Catholic devotion to Mary is right and that the Catholic religion is the true faith.” If he sent me that sign, I would become Catholic.
Two weeks before my due date, I began praying this daily. Instead of another long labor, the scheduled C-section would be more predictable. I was given an epidural in the delivery room. While lying on the table after the epidural, I suddenly felt very sick. Darkness clouded my brain as if I was on the verge of losing consciousness, and there was ringing in my ears. I gasped for breath, but I felt like a two-hundred-pound weight was crushing my lungs. Everyone was busy around the room, not noticing my crisis. Suddenly, my mind flashed to the doctor’s dire prediction that both the baby and I would likely die.
I tried to tell someone that I could not breathe, but no words came out. The only thing that came was tears. One of the student nurses, Risa, a friend from nursing school, noticed me crying. I finally expressed to her that I could not breathe. My heart rate skyrocketed, and the monitors started going crazy. This is it, I thought, I’m dying. All of a sudden, I started praying the Rosary. One mystery after another, I knew them and prayed out loud. Kris entered the room after washing up and putting on a gown. I had an oxygen mask on by then. He could tell I was praying, but did not realize it was the Rosary.
Once I started praying the Rosary, a restful calm surged through me and vanquished all fear. The tears kept streaming, but now they were tears of joy. It was my sign! I had never learned how to pray the Rosary! I never read about it or listened to one being prayed. I always left the room when Kris or his family began the Rosary. But suddenly, as if through a divine infusion, I knew each mystery from the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries, just as they are taken from the life of Jesus in the Gospel.
My spirit soared! God had answered my prayers and let me know that I could become a Catholic. It was okay to honor Our Blessed Mother and ask for her intercession. As my second baby daughter, Alexandria (Ali), was lifted up for me to see, I was giddy with excitement and joy. Ali, my little girl, was joining a family that would be completely one. (…)
On April 15, 1995, three days before Ali’s first birthday, I was confirmed and welcomed into the Catholic Church. Kris bought me a new diamond for my wedding ring and we had it blessed to mark this occasion. When we look back, Kris and I still felt dumbfounded that we ever gave each other a chance but now, we thank God that we did.
C. Alternative First Reading (Rom 8:28-30): “Those whom God knew beforehand and predestined.”
In the alternative reading (Rom 8:28-30), Saint Paul assures the Romans that all things work for good for those who love God. He stimulates their zeal and enthusiasm in the midst of difficulties and persecution by reminding them that God’s plan of salvation leads to the glory that is their destiny. Called to be conformed to the image of his Son, nothing will ever happen to them that has not been foreseen by God and directed to their greater good from all eternity. God is in control of everything. The ultimate goal is to be configured to Jesus Christ, who in his paschal sacrifice, is totally glorified. On this feast of the birthday of Mary, we contemplate the Virgin Mother as one whom God has set apart, called for a specific purpose and glorified with and in her Son Jesus Christ.
Immaculee Ilibagiza, a great Marian devotee, survived the genocide on her native Rwanda. In the following incident, we realize the truth that all things work for good for those who love God (cf. Immaculee Ilibagiza, “The Road to the Rebels” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 40-41).
“Dear God”, I prayed, walking as fast as I could and holding my father’s rosary tightly in my hand. “Only You can save me. You promised to take care of me, God – well, I really need taking care of right now. There are devils and vultures at my back, Lord. Please protect me. Take the evil from the hearts of these men, and blind their hatred with Your holy love.”
I walked without looking at my feet, not knowing if I was about to stumble over rocks or bodies, putting all my trust in God to guide me to safety. We were moving very briskly, but the killers were all around us now, circling us, slicing the air with their machetes. We were defenseless, so why were they waiting to strike?
“If they kill me, God, I ask You to forgive them. Their hearts have been corrupted by hatred, and they don’t know why they want to hurt me.”
After walking a half a mile like that, I heard Jean Paul say, “Hey, they’re gone … they’re gone!”
I looked around, and it was true. The killers had left us. Jean Paul said later that it was probably because they knew the RPF soldiers were close by, but I knew the real reason, and I never stopped thanking God for saving us on the road. A few minutes later we saw an RPF roadblock and several dozen tall, lean, stone-faced Tutsi soldiers standing guard. I broke into an all-out run and dropped to my knees in front of them. I closed my eyes and sang their praises.
“Thank God, thank God, we’re saved! Thank God you’re here. Bless you! Bless you all!”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is the meaning of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Why is her birth a sign of salvation? Just like Jesus and Mary, are we willing to be “signs” of God’s love and compassion in today’s world?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Opening Prayer of the Mass “Birth of Mary”)
Father of mercy,
give your people help and strength from heaven.
The birth of the Virgin Mary’s Son
was the dawn of salvation.
May this celebration of her birthday
bring us closer to lasting peace.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“This child has been conceived in her.” (Mt 1: 20)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
To celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday, thank God immensely for her deep collaboration in salvation history and offer acts of mercy and kindness in her honor.
*** %%% *** %%% *** %%% ***
September 9, 2025: TUESDAY – SAINT PETER CLAVER, Priest (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Spends the Night in Prayer …
He Is the Fullness of Life”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 2:6-15 // Lk 6:12-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:12-19): “He spent the night in prayer. He chose Twelve whom he also named Apostles.”
The night is fascinating. It can be a moment of deep commune with God and a time of profound prayer. In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:12-19) we hear that before choosing his apostles, Jesus spends an entire night on a mountain in prayer. Once again, before making a decisive decision crucial to his messianic mission, he prays. When the day comes, he calls his disciples to himself and chooses the twelve apostles, who represent the “twelve” tribes of the New Israel, the Church. Like Moses descending from the mountain to deliver the Law to the people, Jesus comes down from the mountains to share with them the word of life and his touch of healing. On the plain, people crowd around him to hear the word of God and to experience his healing touch.
Prayer is a very important element in the life of Jesus and his disciples. Harold Buetow remarks: “It’s in prayer that we learn the mystery of Christ and the wisdom of the cross. In prayer we perceive in all their dimensions the real needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world; in prayer we find the strength to face whatever lies before us; in prayer we get the strength for the mission which Christ shares with us.”
The following account in the life of John Michael Talbot, a modern day disciple-apostle and a “troubadour for the Lord” gives us a glimpse into the role and importance of prayer in the Christian vocation (cf. Dan O’Neill, Signatures: The Story of John Michael Talbot, Berryville: Troubadour for the Lord, 2003, p. 43-45).
It happened in 1971 in a hotel in mid-America. “Things now rush together in my memory about those years, probably the endless touring and performing lulled me into a stupefied indifference about where I was or when I was there, and, of course, there were far more important matters on my mind at that time”, John points out. “All I remember about the general circumstances is that we were in the middle of a tour, probably somewhere in the Midwest, and spending this particular night at Holiday Inn. I had my own room – the walls I recall as being blue – probably matched my disposition at the time.”
The other band members and road crew were checking into their rooms down the hall as John closed the door and collapsed on the double bed, turning his tired gaze toward the window. The soft eerie glow of the neon hotel sign filtered softly through the drawn blue drapery, bathing him in a pattern of light and shadows. As had become his custom when there were quiet, restful moments at hand, John began to pray to a God he did not know deeply but had come to believe in. Almost imperceptibly, his silent, interior meditation became an audible, vocal question: “Lord, who are you?”
Then it happened. Light seemed to fill the room, gradually intensifying to a mind-bending brilliance. Startled, John sat up, blinking his eyes to behold the figure of a man in white robes, arms outstretched, with long hair and a beard. “I saw an image”, John says, “that looked like Jesus – it was a traditional Christ-figure – an incredible sight.” A surge of adrenaline tore through his body like a hot rushing current, yet there was no fear or panic.
“I looked up out of my prayer and saw Christ bathed in light before me”, says John Michael. “He didn’t say anything. He didn’t give me a ‘great commission’ or anything like that. He was simply present. His love poured over and through me – it even seemed to emanate from me. In that experience I knew that my prayer for God to reveal himself to me was answered in the person of Jesus. I didn’t understand any Christian theology. I just knew that God loved me through this revelation of Jesus, and that any of my past sins or failings were forgiven. He stood before me, somehow almost around and within me, in infinite greatness yet total humility. I felt compassion. And I felt acceptance. I had been reading about Jesus and feeling him in my heart, but at that moment I actually experienced his touch. I knew it was Jesus. From that point on, I begin calling myself a Christian again.” (…)
As they say, “the real test is in the fruit”, and the fruits of John’s life were definite changes for the better. John’s band-mates said that he became a more mature and well-balanced person. His newfound faith was making him a better human being. He was nicer to be around. The photos of Mason Proffit show the change. The early ones show a dull-eyed, aimless teenager. After the Christ experience John Michael Talbot looks like a young man with a vision about the direction of his life.
B. First Reading (Col 2:6-15): “God brought you to life along with Christ having forgiven us all our transgressions.”
In today’s First Reading (Col 2:6-15), Saint Paul exhorts the Colossians to live in union with Christ and to remain faithful to the apostolic teaching. He advises them to be on guard against those who deceive them with human wisdom and false teachings about “the ruling spirits of the universe”. Paul thus underlines the pre-eminence of Christ. The full content of divine nature lives in Christ, who is supreme over every spiritual ruler and authority. In union with Christ through baptism we have received the fullness of life. Those who through sin are spiritually dead have been brought to life in Jesus Christ. God has done away with their spiritual debts by nailing them to the redemptive cross together with Christ. Through the cross, Christ subjected all rulers and authorities.
The following story gives an insight into Saint Paul’s assertion that God has brought us to life in Christ and that in him our sins are forgiven (cf. Anne Caron, “My Own Disbelief” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament if Reconciliation, Sister Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 208-209).
A few years ago our parish held a Lenten Mission. I was not planning to go, but a friend didn’t want to go alone, so I went to accompany her. I think God used her to get me to go!
The Passionist priest giving the mission was very fervent and very much in love with the Lord. I drank in every word he said and thrilled to the truth of it. It had been awhile since I’d gone to confession because I felt very unworthy. I had feelings that God loved everyone else more than he loved me. Sometimes I would imagine that God was impatient with me for repeating the same sins over and over.
At one point during the mission, the priest pointed to the crucifix. He said to us in a firm and solemn voice, “If you don’t think this is enough to forgive what you’ve done, then there’s no way you can be forgiven.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks! My feelings of unworthiness could prevent Our Blessed Lord from forgiving my sins? Not because Jesus was unwilling, but because of my own disbelief! I was stunned. Could I actually prevent God from forgiving me?
I approach the sacrament of reconciliation very differently now. It’s still not easy. It’s still humiliating to admit my faults and deliberate actions, but knowing that there is an ocean of mercy that I can throw those sins into fills me with deep gratitude.
Now I know that God’s loving heart is always there to lean on and whisper my sorrows to. I haven’t yet been able to live up to my desire to live the perfect life out of love for Him, but I know that this is where I receive the grace to keep trying.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What role does prayer play in our life, and especially in our Christian vocation? Do we give fundamental importance to prayer and contemplation? Do we see the intimate connection between prayer and deep commune with God and the call to mission and service of the Kingdom?
2. How does Paul’s assertion that God has now brought us to life with Christ and that God forgave us all our sins impinge on us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you spent an entire night in prayer
to discern the divine will
with regards to your mission
and the future leaders of the Church.
Help us to perceive
the great importance of prayer in our life.
Grant us the strength
to carry out our mission
on behalf of your kingdom of justice, peace and love.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving and merciful God,
you have brought us to life with Christ
and upon the cross, our debt of sins is forgiven.
Help us to accept your gift of forgiveness.
Let us live in union with Jesus
and build our lives on him.
Strengthen our faith
and fill us with thanksgiving
for freeing us from the power of the sinful self.
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.
“He spent the night in prayer to God.” (Lk 6:12) //“But God has now brought you to life with Christ.” (Col 2:13)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Tonight spend quiet moments in prayer to God. Allow your prayer to be transformed into acts of self-giving and service to the needy. // Be aware of the beauty and power of the sacrament of reconciliation. Help your friends and loved ones to appreciate this God-given gift.
*** %%% *** %%% *** %%% ***
September 10, 2025: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (23)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Blesses the Anawim … In Him We Have Put On the New Self”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 3:1-11 // Lk 6:20-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:20-26): “Blessed are you who are poor. Woe to you who are rich.”
In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:20-26), Jesus blesses the anawim (from anawah = humility). They are a people - humble and lowly - who find their well-being in God. These humble believers are eager to welcome God and ready to do his will. They put their hope and trust in God alone. Formed by his mother Mary, the Lord’s humble handmaid, Jesus is the ultimate anawim. As the Servant-Son of Yahweh, he is meek and humble of heart. In his inaugural discourse as Divine Master, Jesus declares that the anawim – the poor, the hungry, the grieving and the persecuted - are blessed by the Lord. They are recipients of salvation and of God’s infinite favor. Immersed into the baptismal waters of his paschal destiny, the Christian disciples in today’s world are the anawim. Like Jesus and Mary, they are called to proclaim the beatitudes of God’s anawim.
Instead of beatitudes, woes are to fall upon the rich who do not use their wealth to help the needy, hoarding it for themselves. Woes are to fall upon the well-fed who are oblivious to the hunger pangs of the poor, not sharing with them the bounty from their table of plenty. Woes are to fall upon those who seek the joys of the world, not commiserating with the grieving and the afflicted. Woes are to fall upon the false prophets, basking in the adulation of friendsmade complacent by their false words of comforts.
But what does it mean to live the spirit of the anawim today? This personal account can give an insight.
A few years ago, I conducted a liturgy class at Maryhill School of Theology in Metro Manila, Philippines, that included the topic “Liturgy and Creation”. I invited an ecology team from Barrio Ugong to share their endeavors with my students. The team was composed of enterprising housewives. None of them had a college or even a high school degree, but they became a leaven of transformation for their local community. Speaking in Tagalog, for none of them was proficient in English, the medium of instruction in higher Filipino schools, the housewives conducted the seminar on waste management, recycling, composting, organic gardening, etc. in very simple terms, but with expertise. They also shared the initial resistance of some people to their community project. The “macho” men in the neighborhood were hostile. But the women steeled themselves from their unjust attacks and persisted with single-hearted devotion and courage. Their humility and prophetic stance paid off. Barrio Ugong was judged the best barrio in the Philippines!
B. First Reading (Col 3:1-11): “You have died with Christ; put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly.”
In today’s First Reading (Col 3:1-11) Saint Paul exhorts the Colossians to seek out the matters that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Their “old self” has died and they have been raised to life with Christ. Now their life is hidden with Christ in God and this will be made manifest in glory on judgment day. This dying with Christ involves absolute separation from the former sinful life. They must put off the old self with its habits and put on the new self that is being renewed into the image of the Creator. Christ is the perfect image of God and the perfect pattern of life for the baptized. In Jesus Christ, the great social barriers of race, culture and states of life are broken down. “Christ is all and in all.” These social distinctions are non-consequential when we consider the truth that Jesus Christ is really all that matters.
Mike McGovern (“Papa Mike”) and his conversion story illustrate, in a social context, Saint Paul’s insight about a worldly life that leads to self-destruction and a spiritual life that leads to salvation (cf. Poverello News, July 2013, p.2-3).
In the 1960s I was an eager participant in the hippie movement: free love, drug experimentation that soon led to dependency, openness to a hodge-podge of strange spiritual beliefs, and advocating for the expansion of the welfare state as a way of addressing poverty. I marched in anti-war and anti-poverty marches (when I wasn’t too drunk to march), took LSD, smoked marijuana, and practiced sexual liberation with a vengeance. And guess what? I became poor, miserable, spiritually empty, and got to the point where I wanted to kill myself.
As much as I hate to admit it, it’s when I embraced those hated middle-class values that I found meaning and happiness. Middle-class value number one: old-fashioned Christianity. My conversion to Catholicism gave me a new direction and a purpose for living. Middle-class value number two: I got married, and I stayed married, taking seriously that “until death do we part” business. Middle-class value number three: I worked my way up from an apprenticeship to a full-time job as a photoengraver, learning good work habits and providing for my family. Finally, Middle-class value number four: I started giving back to others less fortunate than me, which is how Poverello House started.
Granted, Poverello House isn’t the usual career path of an up and coming bourgeoisie fella, but then, I didn’t follow the typical middle-class blueprint for successful living until I’d already messed things up pretty well. The point is, even though I gravitated toward the counterculture of the 1960s and continued to view myself as part of that culture, and even though I still have some euphoric recall of those days, I can see now that it was utterly destructive. The only way I escaped was to embrace those boring middle-class values … Drugs, uncommitted sex, irresponsibility, and dependency became permanent features of urban poverty, and this cultural dysfunction led to widespread despair.
When we take a homeless drug addict into our program, in most cases we’re not only dealing with the personal wreckage of his life, but also the leftover cultural debris from the 1960s. Our solution is so middle-class that it almost makes the old hippie in me want to cry: get clean and sober, get God, work hard, be responsible, get a job, and take care of the messes you’ve made, and then go out and help someone else in need. It’s a far cry from “Turn on, tune in, drop out”, and certainly more humdrum, but it means the difference between a horrible life of squalor and having a chance at achieving lasting joy.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does Jesus’ proclamation of the Beatitudes impinge upon us? Do we accept his declaration that the anawim are indeed blessed by the Lord? Do we try to live out in our life the beatitudes of the anawim? Do we look upon Jesus as the ultimate anawim and imitate Mother Mary who has lived the spirit of the anawim?
2. What does it mean personally for us that “we have died with Christ” and that “we need to put to death, then, the parts of us that are worldly”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
you are the true anawim.
In Galilee, you taught us the beatitudes of the anawim.
Help us to live the spirit of the anawim
and total dependence on God.
We adore you, Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
Live in us, Christ our Lord, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
we thank you for uniting ourselves into the death of Christ.
Help us to put off the old self with its sinful habits
and to put on the new self that shares in the glory of Christ.
Teach us to cherish the new being
that is constantly renewed in your image.
In our life of holiness and service to the Gospel,
let us no longer be concerned with false distinctions
based on race, culture and various states of life.
We believe that Christ is all
and that he is in all.
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.
“Blessed are you who are poor.” (Lk 6:20) //“Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly.” (Col 3:5)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Meditate on the Beatitudes and our identity as Christian anawim. In your service to the poor, those who mourn, the victims of injustice and violence, etc., endeavor to be an instrument of God’s beatitude for them. // Make it a point to make an examination of the heart at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. Examine how you respond to the grace of God calling you to live to the full the “new self” in Christ. If you have failed, consider the possibility of approaching the sacrament of reconciliation.
*** %%% *** %%% *** %%% ***
September 11, 2025: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (22)
N.B. Today is the anniversary of the tragic events of 11 September 2001. A “Blue Mass” may be celebrated sometime this week to honor all firefighters, police officers and emergency medical technicians who serve the local community, as well as to remember those who have died this year.
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Radical Forgiveness and Mercy … He Wants Us to Put on Love”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 3:12-17 // Lk 6:27-38
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:27-38): “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:27-38), Jesus challenges us to be radically God-like in extending forgiveness, love and mercy to all. Jesus’ exigent demands resound: “Love your enemies … Do good to them … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” The words of Jesus on forgiveness and compassion, however, should not be falsely interpreted. His words on non-retaliation and forgiveness do not promote passivity nor permit us to succumb to evil and injustice. Rather, Jesus’ words are a call to radicality. Aelred Rosser asserts: “It’s about being radical: radically loving, radically generous, radically God-like. All the kinds of behavior that Luke records here are summed up in one kind of behavior: God-like behavior. To what extent can we behave like God? To a far greater extent than most of us do. The bottom line may be put this way: if there is no difference between how Christians behave and how non-Christians behave, where’s the evidence that Christianity is different?”
Indeed, Jesus challenges us anew. He who invites us to this radical expression of God’s benevolence and compassion will also give us the grace and inner strength to be radically loving and forgiving. In the case of someone who loves God and Christ, everything is possible. Trusting in the grace of God, the Christian disciple is able to say: “In him who is the source of my strength, I have strength for everything” (Phil 4:13).
The following two stories illustrate what it means to live the challenge of forgiveness and mercy. The first story is about radical forgiveness (cf. Mary Brown in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 270) and the second is about radical compassion (cf. Brenda Wilbee in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 271)
Story 1: I’ve been deeply concerned for my friend. Her teenage daughter has moved in with her older boyfriend and his dad. The boyfriend and his dad treat my friend with hostility. To make matters worse, my friend’s ex-husband has joined them in their anger at her. Together they’ve leveled false accusations against my friend and have alienated her daughter from her.
Over the past months my friend has poured out her despair to me. Tonight, however, when I phoned her, I heard an amazing change in her voice. “I feel as though a huge weight had been lifted off me”, she said. “What happened?” I asked. “Well, when I heard the Gospel reading at church this morning – to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you – I knew that somehow I had to do what Jesus said, even though it seems impossible.” “Considering how you’ve been treated, it does seem impossible to respond that way.” “I felt that I couldn’t but that God could. For the rest of the service, I prayed for them. When I came home, I still felt overwhelmed by my hurt and anger, so I prayed more. Instead of praying for them to change, I simply asked God to do good to them. Suddenly, everything inside me changed, I felt a lightness I’ve never felt before. I know that somehow everything will work out. I’ll keep praying for them and trusting God. I finally have peace.”
***
Story 2: David Denny founded the city of Seattle in 1851. I know the man well; I wrote six books about him and his Sweetbriar Bride Louisa. With only twenty-five cents in his pocket, he went on to become the city’s third richest man. With assets of three million dollars. In the panic of 1893, his brother begged that he shut down his enterprises to weather the terrible recession.
“I can’t”, he replied. “A hundred families will starve.” David instead mortgaged everything, and the recession rolled in. He and Louisa celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary in an empty mansion and then moved on to a log cabin he’d once given his daughter Abbie. He died ten years later with less than twenty-five cents to his name but with a reputation worth more than gold. Seattle loved Honest Dave.
Before he died, he wrote: “If I could live my life again, I’d still come West, I’d join the same church and marry the same woman. But I’d endeavor to be a better Christian.”
B. First Reading (Col 3:12-17): “Put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.”
Today’s First Reading (Col 3:12-17) is a prescription for an ideal relationship among Church members. Taken from the section of Colossians which urges the members of the body of Christ, the Church, to live according to the values of the community, it encourages works of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and love in Christ’s name. In the faith community and in its individual members, the peace of Christ must reign. Moreover, they should be filled with praise and thanksgiving. Saint Paul teaches us how this could be done: letting Christ’s word dwell in us, teaching with all wisdom according to apostolic understanding, admonishing one another, worshipping and singing to God with grateful hearts, doing everything in word and deed in the name of Christ Jesus. The biblical scholar Ivan Havener remarks: “Seen in this light, thanksgiving to God the Father through Christ becomes a whole way of life. Christian life is eucharist, that is, thanksgiving.”
The following story, circulated on the Internet, illustrates how inspiring and awesome it is when people put on love, the bond of perfection.
In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at the 6-year-old son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible! The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son’s dream to come true.
She took her son’s hand and asked, “Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grow up? Did you ever dream and wish what would you do with your life?”
“Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grow up.”
Mom smiled back and said, “Let’s see if we can make your wish come true.”
Later that day she went to her local Fire Department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son’s final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, “Look, we can do better than that. If you have your son ready at seven o’clock Wednesday morning, we’ll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you give us his sizes, we can get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat – not a toy – one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They’re all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast.”
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic’s van and even the fire chief’s car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.
The chief replied, “We can do better than that. We’ll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It’s the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?”
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy’s third floor open window --- 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy’s room! With his mother’s permission they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.
With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, “Chief, am I really a fireman now?”
“Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand”, the chief said.
With those words, Billy smiled and said, “I know. He’s been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing.” He closed his eyes one last time.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does today’s Gospel on forgiveness and mercy challenge me? What is my response to the command of Jesus: “Love your enemies and do good to them … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”? Do I use Christ’s teaching on forgiveness and compassion as an excuse to hide the absence of justice and to acquiesce to the onslaught of injustice and evil?
2. How do we endeavor to put on love, the bond of perfection?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord God,
you are merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
We thank you for your Son Jesus Christ
who incarnated the meaning of forgiveness and mercy.
He calls us to be forgiving and merciful.
Give us the grace to show to the world
that “love builds up”.
Do not let us commit scandal
that will cause others to sin.
O loving Father, you live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
we are your chosen ones.
Give us the grace to live fully our vocation to holiness.
Help us to be compassionate, patient, gentle and kind.
Teach us to be forgiving
and to put on love, the bond of perfection.
Let the word of Christ dwell in us
and may we do everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through him 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.
“Love your enemies … Be merciful.” (Lk 6:35 - 36) // “Put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.” (Col 3:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Name someone who has hurt you. Pray for that person for a period of time and offer him/her your gift of forgiveness even from afar. Offer an act of compassion and mercy for someone in deep need. // Today resolve to show your kindness and concern for a needy person.
*** *** ***
September 12, 2025: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (23); THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Condemns False Condemnation … He Mercifully Treated the Apostle Paul”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Tm 1:1-2, 12-14 // Lk 6:39-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:39-42): “Can a blind person guide a blind person?”
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 6:39-42), Jesus, the son of a carpenter, uses carpentry images to deliver the irony of hypocrisy and false condemnation: the righteous with a wooden beam in the eye wants to remove the sawdust in another’s eye. In the biblical world, the “eye” represents a person’s attitude and understanding. Indeed, our pride obstructs the light of compassionate understanding and blinds us to our own faults and the duty of charity. Jesus warns against exaggerating our neighbor’s faults and minimizing our own. He wants us to remove the “wooden beam” of our hypocrisy and pride that we may be able to remove charitably the “splinter” that hurts our neighbor’s eyes. He does not condemn fraternal correction, but false condemnation. Jesus Master counsels true compassion in dealing with our brothers and sisters.
In a funny vein, the following story illustrates how prejudice could pervert our judgment (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 122).
Two Irish laborers were working on the road outside a house of prostitution. Presently the local Protestant minister came along, pulled down his hat, and walked into the building. Pat said to Mike, “Did you see that? What can you expect? He’s a Protestant, isn’t he?
Soon after, a rabbi arrived on the scene. He pulled his collar up and walked in too. Said Pat “What a terrible example for a religious leader to give his people!”
Finally, who should pass by but a Catholic priest. He drew his cloak around his head and slipped into the building. Said Pat, “Now isn’t it a terrible thing. Mike, to think that one of the girls must have taken ill?”
B. First Reading (1 Tm 1:1-2, 12-14): “I was once a blasphemer, but I have been mercifully treated.”
Today we begin reading from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. A young Christian from Asia Minor, Timothy is the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. He became a companion and assistant to Paul in his missionary work. The letter contains instructions concerning the Church and its leaders as well as personal instructions to Timothy on how to be a good servant of Jesus Christ and how to carry out his responsibilities to the believers.
In today’s reading (1 Tm 1:1-2, 12-14), Paul identifies himself as an apostle as well as a recipient of God’s mercy. Saint Paul is a model and limpid example of a sinner saved by grace. He had been a blasphemer, a persecutor of Christ and his Church, and an arrogant man. But God pours out his abundant grace upon him and gives him the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Paul is totally grateful to Jesus who has appointed and strengthened him for the apostolic ministry.
Saint Paul’s experience of being mercifully treated by God continues to be felt by people even in the here and now. The following is an example (cf. Leodone Yballe, “A Heavy Burden” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament if Reconciliation, Sister Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 29-30).
As I write this, I have tears streaming down my face; these are tears of joy and gratitude.
Reconciliation? The Lord had been working overtime on me for the last several years. But my addictions to pornography, lies, and self-importance – won me back almost every time.
On the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul two years ago, He did to me what He did to Saul. God knocked me down from my high horse. My marriage was in trouble.
Driving to my office that morning, I was listening to the radio and happened to tune in to a Catholic radio station, The Station of the Cross, in Rochester, New York. EWTN’s Mass broadcast had just started. As I listened to the readings, the Lord touched my heart. He helped me to see my life and how far I was from Him. I cried like a child in my car. As I was parking, sobbing like an infant, I resolved to find my Ananias.
Father Peter Abas, a priest at St. Anne’s in Rochester, was the first and only priest I could think of. I left voice and E-mail messages asking if he could see me that night. We played phone tag throughout the day. Father Peter thought if the Holy Spirit wants it, he will come. At six-thirty that night, I got into my car trusting the Lord would lead me to see Father Peter. At seven o’clock, I drove into St. Anne’s parking area. Father Peter was waiting and hoping that I would come.
We went into one of the small private rooms in the rectory, and I knelt down and asked Father Peter to hear my confession. I started by telling how heavy the burden was on my soul. My tears were a cleansing flood, as I recounted, amidst sobs, all my sins. It seemed as if my confession lasted almost an hour. Like the Prodigal Son, I told my Father I was not worthy to be called His son.
Father Peter took a clean sheet of paper, crumpled it in his hands, opened it, and said, “See how ugly this is?” I responded, “Yes, it is a very messy looking paper.”
Opening it up, he said, “Look at the lines here, and here, and here – don’t they look nice? This is how God sees you – so pleasing to Him that He can only love you.” And of course, I cried some more, a mixture of joy and shame in my tears. Joy because He did love me and did not throw me away from His sight, and shame for rejecting Him from my life.
When I received the absolution, my soul felt light, and I started to see a new path. Unlike Saul, my eyes did not see everything immediately. But He showed me enough to help me walk home to Him.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I give in to a righteous tendency to judge my neighbors and condemn their “faults”? Do I endeavor to remove the “wooden beam” in my eye in order to help my brother remove the “sawdust” in his eye?
2. Do we realize that we are recipients of divine mercy and that we have been mercifully treated by God? What is our response?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you are God’s compassion and righteousness.
Help us to stop judging harshly that we may not be judged.
Help us to be compassionate.
Deal kindly with us.
With true seeing “eye”,
may we perceive the beauty of charity
and embrace our duty to care for our brothers and sisters.
Teach us to imitate Saint Paul
in his zeal to proclaim the Gospel to all.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
you are loving and merciful.
In your Son Jesus Christ,
we have experienced what it means
to be an object of divine grace.
We give you thanks and praise for your saving mercy.
Teach us to cherish and bring to fruition
the grace of mercy you have poured out upon us abundantly.
Let us live faithfully in the faith and love of our Lord Jesus,
who lives and reigns with you, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first.” (Lk 6:42) //“I have been mercifully treated.” (1 Tm 1:13)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Before making a judgmental remark, hold your tongue and pray to God for the spirit of compassion and the grace not to make false judgments. To help you make life-giving choices that are pleasing to God, make the examination of the heart a part of your life. // In your dealings with persons whom you find troublesome, make an effort to treat them with patient mercy remembering how God has treated you with kindness and love.
*** *** ***
September 13, 2025: SATURDAY – SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, Bishop, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be His Disciples in Word and in Deed … He Came to Save Sinners”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Tm 1:15-17 // Lk 6:43-49
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:43-49): “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord’, but do not do what I command?”
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 6:43-49) Jesus uses fruit-tree images to underline the source of a person’s actions. Just as the fruit tells us whether or not the tree is healthy and from what variety of tree it comes from, so the words and deeds of those who claim to be his disciples manifest the quality and reality of their relationship with Jesus. They can be true disciples of Jesus if they will be able to hear his words and put them into practice.
Using the powerful image of a solid foundation, Jesus likewise urges his disciples to build their lives upon his words, which are life’s sure foundation. We must not simply proclaim in words that Jesus is Lord and call upon him as our Lord Savior. We must act in a way that corresponds to the inner strength of our word. Our actions must give witness to the faith we profess. Our worship of God must be incarnated in the life we live.
The following story of Jo Dee Baker from Slidell, Louisiana, whose lovely house and beautiful garden were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, tells of a community of believers whose efficacious faith is founded on a solid foundation (cf. “Angels on the Move” in Guideposts, Large Print Edition, March 2006, p. 5-9). Both Jo, the victim of a natural calamity, and the caregivers from the Baptist Church illustrate how wonderful and marvelous is a faith that is put into practice.
My beautiful yard was a mess of uprooted trees and debris; the salt water had burned the grass a sickly brown. My lovely white picket fence lay on its side, and shingles from my roof littered the ground like fallen leaves. Inside, slimy mud covered the floors, and water from the storm surge had tossed all my furniture upside down. The walls were caked black with mildew. Practically everything I owned was ruined. How could I ever come back from this? How could anyone? (…)
So many people needed help, and help was spread thin. “Lord”, I prayed, “I need some divine intervention here.” The next day, I pulled up to my house just as a man with a pickup truck was slowly passing by. He stopped, rolled down the window and leaned out. “Do you need any help?” he shouted. I laughed halfheartedly. “Help? I need an army,” I said. “I’m Brother Johnny from First Baptist Church of Pontchatoula.” He wrote down my name, address and number. “We’ll be in touch, Ma’am.” Then he drove off. But after two weeks I still hadn’t heard from him.
One Monday morning, lugging another bag of my ruined treasures to the curb, I stared down the street at the mountains of trash and destroyed homes. “So many people have lost so much,” I thought. Just then, my cell phone rang. Service was still spotty, but the voice on the other end was loud and clear. “Hello, it’s Brother Johnny. I’ve got some people who want to volunteer to help you. They’ll be calling you.” That was it. He hung up. Then the phone rang again. “Jo Dee? This is Jimmy Brown. I’m from the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Rives, Tennessee. We need to know what you need, exactly.” Where to begin? I told him about the mildewed floors, the torn up roof. “Don’t worry, Ma’am. We’ll be there. See you next Tuesday morning.” (…)
Nineteen people had traveled all the way from Tennessee just to help little old me. They spent three days cleaning the rot and grime and putting on my new roof. Two weeks after they left, about 40 more, from an association of 45 churches, came to finish the job! They ripped out and replaced the flooring, repainted the house, put in new shelves and cabinets, installed a stove and a water heater. By the time they were done, the house looked better than ever!
B. First Reading (1 Tm 1:15-17): “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
The reading (1 Tm 1:15-17) delineates the picture of Saint Paul as model and limpid example of “a sinner saved by grace”. Paul’s personal experience of the Risen Lord that transformed him from a persecutor into a zealous apostle solidifies the faith statement that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “Saint Paul lets us know here his own personal experience: he had been a sinner, and yet God chose him as a minister. God chose to trust him. Paul’s case interested the entire Church. The other apostles had been chosen by the earthly Jesus and had lived with him; now Paul, who persecuted the others, saw himself overwhelmed by grace and chosen to be Christ’s servant no less than the other apostles. (…) Paul reminds us that conversion in Christ Jesus is always possible through faith and love. More than that, he believes that his sins and his conversion are part of a providential plan: he, a sinner, was chosen for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. Paul thus regards himself as the first of sinners but also as the foremost witness to the long-suffering patience of God.”
Paul has experienced to the full that “Christ came to save sinners”. Together with Jesus Christ and in the spirit of Saint Paul, we must mirror the benevolent effort of our loving God to seek the lost. The following story dramatizes the miracle of the “lost and found … strayed and returned … sinned and forgiven … estranged and reconciled” (cf. Stephen Covey, “I Found My Son Again” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: CSS, 2009, p. 295-298). May this awesome miracle come to life again and again!
I have a dear friend who once shared with me his deep concern over a son he described as being “rebellious”, “disturbing”, and “an ingrate”. “Stephen, I don’t know what to do”, he said. “It’s gotten to the point where if I come into the room to watch television with my son, he turns it off and walks out. I’ve tried my best to reach him, but it’s just beyond me.
At the time I was teaching some university classes around the 7 habits. I said, “Why don’t you come with me to my class right now? We’re going to be talking about Habit 5 – how to listen emphatically to another person before you attempt to explain yourself. My guess is that your son may not feel understood.” “I already understand him”, he replied. “And I can see problems he’s going to have if he doesn’t listen to me.” “Let me suggest that you assume you know nothing about your son. Just start with a clean slate. Listen to him without any moral evaluation or judgment. Come to class and learn how to do this and how to listen within his frame of reference.”
So he came. Thinking he understood after just one class, he went to his son and said, “I need to listen to you. I probably don’t understand you, and I want to. His son replied, “You have never understood me – ever!” And with that, he walked out. The following day my friend said, “Stephen, it didn’t work. I made such an effort, and this is how he treated me! I felt like saying; ‘You idiot! Aren’t you grateful for what I’ve done and what I’m trying to do now?’ I really don’t know if there’s any hope.” I said, “He’s testing your sincerity. And what did he find out? He found out you don’t really want to understand him. You want him to shape up.” “He should, the little whippersnapper!” he replied. “He knows full well what he’s doing to mess things up.”
I replied, “Look at the spirit inside you now. You’re angry and frustrated and full of judgments. Do you think you can use some surface-level listening technique with your son and get him to open up? Do you think it’s possible for you to talk to him or even look at him without somehow communicating all those negative things you’re feeling deep inside? You’ve got to do much more private work inside your own mind and heart. You’ll eventually learn to appreciate him and to love him unconditionally just the way he is rather that withholding your love until he shapes us. On the way, you’ll learn to listen within his frame of reference and, if necessary, apologize for your judgments and past mistakes or do whatever it takes.”
My friend caught the message. He could see that he had been trying to practice the technique at the surface but was not dealing with what would produce the power to practice it sincerely and consistently, regardless of the outcome. So he returned to class for more learning and began to work on his feelings and motives, particularly the need to appreciate, respect and empathize. He soon started to sense a new attitude within himself. His feelings about his son turned more tender and sensitive and open. He became profoundly grateful for his son, simply because he sincerely wanted to understand and appreciate his son.
He finally said, “I’m ready. I’m going to try it again.” I said, “He’ll test your sincerity again.” “It’s all right, Stephen”, he replied. “At this point I feel as if he could reject every overture I make, and it would be all right. I would just keep making them because it’s the right thing to do, and he’s worth it. I feel so grateful for him and for the hard learning.”
That night he sat down with his son and said, “I know you feel as though I haven’t tried to understand and appreciate you, but I want you to know that I am trying and will continue to try.” Again, the boy coldly replied, “you have never understood me”. He stood up and started to walk out, but just as he reached the door, my friend said to his son, “Before you leave, I want to say that I’m really sorry for the way I embarrassed you in front of your friends the other night.” His son whipped around and said, “You have no idea how much that embarrassed me!” His eyes began to fill with tears.
“Stephen”, he said to me later, “all the training and encouragement you gave me did not even begin to have the impact of that moment when I saw my son begin to tear up. I had no idea that he even cared, that he was that vulnerable. For the first time I really wanted to listen. My gratitude grew immensely.” And listen he did. The boy gradually began to open up. They talked until midnight, and when his wife came in and said, “It’s time for bed”, his son quickly replied, “We want to talk, don’t we, Dad?” They continued to talk into the early morning hours.
The next day in the hallway of my office building, my friend with tears in his eyes, said, “Stephen, I found my son again.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do our words and actions manifest the fruitfulness of the seed of the Gospel in us? Is our faith solidly built on the word of God? Is it efficacious and operative? How do we translate our faith into action?
2. How does the reality “Christ came to save sinners” impact our personal life? Together with Jesus Christ and in the spirit of Saint Paul, do we mirror the benevolent effort of our loving God to seek the lost?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
help us to trust in the saving word of Jesus.
May our faith be true and shown by our actions.
By the strength of the same Spirit help us to pursue what is good
that we may bear abundant fruits of holiness and good works.
As living and active members of the Body of Christ,
let us always be nourished at the table of the Word and Eucharist.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O Father,
you are loving and forgiving.
Christ came into the world to save sinners.
Gracious Father,
you have treated us mercifully.
In Christ your Son, you have saved us.
With the community of the redeemed,
we cry out with festive joy:
“To the king of ages,
incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory, 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.
“I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words and acts on them.” (Lk 6:47) //“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Tm 1:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When life’s trials seem to submerge you, pray to God that he may strengthen your faith. Extend your helping hand and share the Word with those whose faith is wavering. // By your life of charity, service and peacefulness, let the world know that “Christ came into the world to save sinners” and that he is the joy of salvation. Assist the Church’s pastoral ministry of seeking the lost through your spiritual, moral and material contribution.
*** *** ***
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