A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 23, n. 5)
Christmas Octave/Season: December 29, 2024 – January 4, 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: December 22-28, 2024 please go to ARCHIVES Series 23 and click on “Advent Week 4 - Christmas”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: December 29, 2024 – January 4, 2025.)
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December 29, 2024: THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH, YEAR C
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Must Be in His Father’s House”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Sm 1:20-22, 24-28 // 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24 // Lk 2:41-52
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 2:41-52): “His parents found Jesus sitting in the midst of the teachers.”
I came into contact with the pain and anxiety of one who has lost a child. The Italian lady, Sarah, and her adopted girl, Saraji, the six-year old daughter of lepers from a leper colony where she used to work as a volunteer, were guests at our convent in Bangalore, India. One afternoon, they went downtown to shop. An hour later a very distraught Sarah came back to inform us that Saraji wandered away and was lost. We prayed in earnest for her return. Sarah, accompanied by some Sisters, searched for her and after a few distressing hours, found the little girl at the police station calmly eating an ice cream cone. The mother was overjoyed when she found her child.
Today’s Gospel passage (Lk 2:41-52) is about the finding of the child Jesus in the temple. The story of the lost and found child seems banal and commonplace, but in the editorial strategy of Luke the episode illumines the entire Gospel. Indeed, this story that concludes the Infancy Narrative gives us a glimpse of the main content of the Christ event: Jesus’ special filial relationship with God and his paschal mission on behalf of the family of God. In this account of Luke, Jesus and his parents journey to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. The next time the evangelist Luke presents Jesus as journeying to Jerusalem will be for the celebration of the Jewish Passover feast at the end of his public ministry, and this will coincide with his own Passover sacrifice on the Cross.
In the context of the Father’s saving plan, the boy Jesus is not really “lost” in the temple, but is simply obeying a divine compulsion and asserting his personal duty to his Father in heaven. The necessity to be in his Father’s house and to be busy with his Father’s affairs lies in his inherent filial relationship with God who demands from him, the Servant Son, an absolute obedience to the divine saving plan. Indeed, the “three days” that Jesus stayed in the temple is a symbolic reference to the three days of being buried in the tomb, before he would reappear as the victorious Risen Lord, accomplishing the Father’s all inclusive plan to save the human family and the cosmic family of his beloved creation.
The episode of the boy Jesus in the temple depicts him as sitting among the doctors of the Law, not with any braggadocio or pride, but “listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and answers” (Lk 2:46-47). By implication, Jesus is being presented as the true Teacher at the center of the circle of teachers. He is the Divine Master – the ultimate Teacher - who would teach the family of God about the greatest lesson of love and obedience to the Father’s saving will. In the meantime, as the evangelist Luke narrates, he goes down with Mary and Joseph to Nazareth. Obedient to them, he learns the sterling lessons of love, and service in the context of family life.
According to Luke, the parents of Jesus “did not understand what he said to them” (Lk 2:50) and Mary, his mother, is portrayed as keeping all these things in her heart (Lk 2:52). Mary, the first disciple and the first “christofora”, continues her journey of faith as she ponders the meaning and destiny of her Son, who “increased in wisdom, and age and favor before God and man” (Lk 2:52). Indeed, the full understanding of Jesus’ messianic identity and saving mission needs to await the paschal event of his death and resurrection.
With Jesus’ intimate filial relationship with the Father and his paschal destiny as a backdrop, it would be easier to understand the role of the Holy Family of Nazareth in the divine saving plan. It is the cradle of life and faith for Jesus, the beloved Son of the Father. The perfect paschal sacrifice to be offered on the Cross is being prepared silently and diligently in the home of Nazareth, under the loving guidance of Mary and Joseph. This grace-filled domestic setting is where the Son of God is loved, nourished, and formed for his mission to reunite, at the end time, the human family and the cosmic family of God’s beloved creation.
B. Old Testament Reading (I Sm 1:20-22, 24-28): “Samuel, as long as he lives, shall be dedicated to the Lord.”
On February 2,1993 – the Feast of the Lord’s Presentation in the temple – the PDDM Sisters organized in the Diocese of Antipolo (Philippines) the MARY MOTHER OF THE CHURCH: PRAYER ASSOCIATION FOR PRIESTS, composed of mothers of priests and other persons who care for the welfare of priests. In one of the prayer meetings of this marvelous group, the mother of Fr. Eymard shared her experience about him. When she would rock him to sleep as an infant, she would sing a lullaby with an improvised text that was, in fact, dedicating him to the Lord. She would pray that the gracious God would deign to choose her son, when he grew up, and ordain him to be his priest. Her son grew up to be an artist and, in answer to her devout prayers, entered the seminary and became a priest in the Antipolo diocese.
Hannah’s dedication of Samuel as a perpetual nazirite (I Sm 1:20-22, 24-28) evokes Mary’s own presentation of the child Jesus at the temple of Jerusalem. This Sunday’s Gospel episode of the finding of Jesus in the temple underlines the tremendous implication of Jesus as the totally consecrated One – fully dedicated at the service of the Father’s saving plan. After three days of anxious searching, Joseph and Mary found the twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple, sitting with the Jewish teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard them were amazed at his intelligent answers. Even in their relief, Mary could not refrain from reproaching him for his conduct: he should have realized that by staying in Jerusalem without informing them would have cause them great pain and anxiety. Jesus’ answer to their reproach was even more perplexing: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
When Jesus declared to her, “I must be in my Father’s house”, his mother Mary knew in that instant that, although he would return with her to Nazareth, he would no longer be hers. Indeed, in the episode of the loss and the finding of the boy Jesus in the temple, the Easter event of the Son of God’s total obedience to his heavenly Father and his radical submission to his paschal destiny of death and rising for the ransom of the family of nations was already in the horizon.
C. Second Reading (1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24): “We are called children of God. And so we are.”
The Second Reading (1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24) delineates the meaning and implication of being members of God’s family. We became God’s own children by the love he bestowed on us through his dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ. The biblical scholar Bruce Vawter remarks: “In the truest and most absolute sense, God’s gift of love has been the gift of his only Son as savior of the world. It is this gift that has made it possible that we be called children of God.” Indeed, the saving grace of the magnanimous God becomes present to us on the condition that we respond in faith to his Son Jesus Christ and if we love one another. By keeping the twofold commandment of faith in Jesus Christ and love of neighbor, we fully experience the presence of God, which is made evident by the gift of the Spirit.
The following Christmas story is heartwarming (cf. Kelly Stewart Harcourt, “Starring Dad” in GUIDEPOSTS, December 2009, p. 42-44). Kelly remembers the tremendous love shown to them by their parents one Christmas morning. She reminisces on the unforgettable role played on that day by their dad, famous actor Jimmy Stewart of the It’s a Wonderful Life fame, where he played the part of George Bailey in that wonderful Christmas film. The spirit of love at work in the domestic setting of the Stewart family gives us a glimpse of the awesome love bestowed by God the Father on his own children.
It was 1958. Judy and I were seven and our family was spending the holidays in Hawaii. You’d think we’d be thrilled, but we were wondering if it would even feel like Christmas so far from home. There’d be no singing carols on the piano bench next to Dad, his long fingers gracefully skimming across the keys. No Christmas dinner in the formal dining room. And what really mattered – how would Santa know where to bring our presents? We asked about it night after night in our prayers, and Mom assured us again and again that Santa would find us, even in Hawaii. But there’d be no chimney to slide down in a hotel room. How would he even get in our room?
Christmas Eve the hours dragged by. Finally, Mom announced, “It’s time for little girls to get to bed. Santa won’t come until you’re sleep.” She was already in her nightgown and Dad had on his blue-and-white-striped pajamas. Even with his long arms the sleeves fell past his wrists. Judy and I got in bed and looked at each other. We didn’t have to say a word to know we were thinking the same thing. This didn’t feel like the night before Christmas at all. There wasn’t even a place to put our stockings! Mom and Dad kissed us goodnight and for the first time in my young life I fell sleep dreading Christmas morning.
The next thing I knew Mom was shaking me, “Dad went out to get a newspaper and then there was a knock on the door,” she said. “Wake up and see who’s here.” I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. There was Santa! “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas, Kelly and Judy!” our visitor said, laughing merrily, his voice deep and powerful. It was really him. White beard, red suit, black boots and a big belly – though he was taller than I’d imagined. Santa sat down and Judy and I scrambled onto his lap. I felt so comfortable, as if I’d sat there hundred times. Everything about him felt so … familiar.
I looked closely at Santa. I didn’t recognize his face, covered by mounds of white beard. But I’d seen those hands before, those long fingers. And sticking out ever so slightly from one red sleeve was the cuff of his pajamas with those blue and white stripes. Mom and Dad were trying to fool us that Santa had come! “So, Santa, how ya doin’?” I asked, punching him playfully on the shoulder. Judy looked at me in astonishment. With a wink I shared my skepticism. She nodded – now she knew what our parents were up to. “Yeah, Santa ole boy,” Judy joined in. “Long trip, eh? How are those reindeer doing?”
“Ho! Ho!” Santa boomed. “Why they’re having breakfast. They eat hay and mangoes here in Hawaii. They sure do like soaking up some sun before we head back to the North Pole.” On and on Judy and I went. We couldn’t break him. He had an answer for everything, delivered with that jolly booming voice and twinkling eyes. By the time we hugged our visitor goodbye and he reminded us to be good girls, my stomach was churning. What if he was the real deal? What happened to little girls who were rude to Santa?
Mom told us to wash our hands before breakfast and then we’d see what Santa had brought us. She seemed irritated. In the bathroom with Judy, I was nearly in tears. “I think that really was Santa”, I whispered. “He didn’t sound like Dad at all.” “We were so mean to him”, Judy said. “She’ll tell Dad when he gets back from the store. They’ll be so disappointed in us.” But Judy thought of something far worse. “What if Santa takes our presents away? What if he leaves us with coal?”
There was no doubt what was in store for us. And we’d brought it upon ourselves by not trusting Mom and Dad. We walked out to the breakfast table quaking. There sat Dad. “Merry Christmas!” he cried, sounding just like George Bailey. “I hear Santa dropped by. Boy, I wish I’d been here.” We went to his chair and he lifted us up onto his lap, his long arms hugging us close. Soon we were telling him all about Santa and everything we’d said and done. He didn’t scold us. In fact, he laughed so hard there were tears rolling down his cheeks. Like he was hearing it all for the first time.
I’ve long forgotten what Santa brought us that year. But I will never forget the greatest gift of that Christmas – the knowledge that Mom and Dad loved us so much that they would do everything in their power to help make our prayers come true.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we try to see Nazareth as a kind of school where we may begin to discover what Christ’s life was like and understand his Gospel? Do we make of our own human family a cradle of life and sanctification? Do we try to minister to the needs of the greater families: the family of God - the Church, the family of humankind, and the family of creation?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father, the origin of all families,
in Jesus Christ your Son,
we become a part of the greater family of God, the Church.
Like Jesus, your faithful Son-Servant,
help us to be always in “your House”
and be completely dedicated to your saving work.
May we look with joy to the Holy Family of Nazareth
and learn the enduring lesson of a holy family life
that is centered on Christ
and marked by love, prayer, and service.
Nourished as beloved members of the Christian family,
help us to reach out in love and service
to the greater family of humankind and cosmic creation.
Let your beloved Son Jesus
be all and in all.
He 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 day. Please memorize it.
“Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk 2:49)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Today, pause for a moment of quiet prayer and thank the Lord for belonging to the following: your biological family, nourishing family, family of God – the Church, family of humankind, family of creation. Invite a needy family to your home for a dinner, which may be preceded or concluded with a family blessing (cf. Book of Blessings).
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December 30, 2024: MONDAY – SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Redemption of Israel”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Jn 2:12-17 // Lk 2:36-40
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s First Reading (1 Jn 2:12-17), the author, John, speaks to three age groups representing three different stages of Christian life. The “children” represent those who have been initiated into faith through baptism. Through personal experience of the Father, they are freed from sin for the sake of Christ. The “young men” are the spiritually proficient. Their strength is derived from the word of God and they are able to conquer the evil one. The “fathers” are the spiritually mature and their knowledge of the Father is secure and unmovable. They do not love the world and the things of the world. Since they do the will of God, they live forever. The qualities and destiny of the “spiritually mature” are exemplified by the Gospel personages, Simeon and Anna.
Today’s Gospel episode (Lk 2:36-40) is within the context of the presentation of the Lord Jesus in the temple and his saving “encounter” with the prophet Simeon and the prophetess Anna. The two prophets speak in glowing terms of Jesus as the salvation of every people and as the redemption of Jerusalem, which represents all the elect. Today’s focus is on the prophetess Anna, a holy widow advanced in years. She spent most of her life in the temple worshipping night and day with fasting and prayer. At the presentation of Jesus, she recognizes the infant as the gift of God. Anna gives thanks to God and testifies about the child to all who wait for the redemption of Jerusalem.
On a gloomy day in early December, safe in the car’s passenger seat, I pressed the satellite radio’s Search button. Christmas music seemed to be on every one of the four hundred channels – not celebrating the birth of Jesus, but mixing merchandise and carols together into electronic jungles. The meaning of the season seemed to slip away, drowned out by the relentless message that Christmas is about gifts and food. Loneliness seemed to be speaking out of all the good cheer.
I pushed another button, and suddenly the car was filled with glorious sounds of the last part of Ludwig van Beethoven’s magnificent Ninth Symphony, known as the “Ode to Joy”, which is also the music for Henry Van Dyke’s great hymn “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee”:
Ever singing march we onward
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward
In the triumph song of life.
Beethoven was only thirty-two and at the height of his career when he realized he was going deaf. He faced depression and loneliness. Yet some of his greatest music, including this passionate expression of joy and praise, was composed after he could no longer hear it performed.
As the music surrounded me, the irritations of the ceaseless electronic carols seemed very small. Beethoven believed in himself and in his God, and shared his gifts with countless millions of us who need to be reminded of the joy of faith.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we imitate Simeon and Anna in our yearning for the Lord and in preparing ourselves for our encounter with the gift of salvation? Are we able to perceive the presence of the Lord in our lives, and are we thankful for the Christmas gift from heaven?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are the heavenly gift awaited by Anna and Simeon,
and by all those longing for the redemption of Jerusalem and the nations.
Grant us the grace to perceive your presence
and to be ever thankful for you,
who are God’s Christmas present to us.
Help us to give witness to you as our saving Lord.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Anna gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all those who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Lk 2:38)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be perceptive and thankful for the various presences of the Lord in your daily life. Like Anna and Simeon give witness to the good news about the Lord Jesus, especially to those who have difficulty experiencing his saving presence.
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December 31, 2024: TUESDAY – SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD;
SAINT SYLVESTER I, Pope
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Word Made Flesh”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Jn 2:18-21 // Jn 1:1-18
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 1:1-18): “The Word became flesh.”
On the seventh day in the Octave of Christmas and on New Year’s Eve, we hear the deeply evocative Prologue of Saint John (Jn 1:1-18), which perceives the incarnation of the Word as God’s utmost revelation of love and glory. Christmas is a celebration of God speaking to us his most beautiful word – Jesus Christ! The Word made flesh is God’s “I love you” to us. The Word that the saving God spoke in the birth of Jesus manifests his deep compassion for us.
Saint Bernard asserts: “God’s Son came in the flesh so that mortal men could see and recognize God’s kindness … The incarnation teaches us how much God cares for us and what he thinks and feels about us. We should stop thinking of our own sufferings and remember what he has suffered. Let us think of all the Lord has done for us, and then we shall realize his goodness appeared through his humanity. The lesser he became through his human nature the greater was his goodness; the more he lowered himself for me, the dearer he is to me.”
The compassionate God continues to speak to us in the here and now through Scripture as the following testimony would show (cf. Brian Keilty, “It’s Not All About You” in The WORD Among Us (April 24 - May 31, 2011, p. 67-68).
We had just visited my wife’s oncologist, and the dreaded news he delivered initially left us quiet, reflective, and heart-broken. The doctor felt that Marybeth’s long and painful fight with cancer was, for all intents and purposes, over. The disease had progressed to the point where aggressive treatment was no longer advisable; the only remaining option was palliative care delivered through hospice. We had been married for nineteen years.
The bad news was not unique to us. Countless times that day, many thousands of other people throughout the world heard a similar message. But this diagnosis was ours. What made the trip home so extraordinary was that we talked not about the prognosis, not about our fears and anxieties, not about a future denied our young children, but about God and his speaking to us through Scripture.
Marybeth began the conversation (I remember the exact spot on the highway) by telling me of the joy, peace, and comfort she had received from God while reading Psalm 62 that very morning. She knew God was addressing her through its opening verses: “My soul rests in God alone from whom comes my salvation. God alone is my rock and salvation, my secure height; I shall never fall.”
Those words of comfort gave Marybeth peace and direction. It was God, not good health, who was to be the center of her life. His salvation was more important to her than her healing. During her final two months, those words also empowered her every day to guide and care for her children, as well as love and support her husband.
B. First Reading (1 Jn 2:18-21): “You have the anointing that comes from the Holy One and you have all knowledge.”
It is the last day of the civil year. As we bid the old year goodbye, the Church, through the proclamation of the Prologue of Saint John, gives us a glimpse of God’s deep involvement in humanity’s historical “time”. The Prologue, which is a synthesis of salvation history, traces the saving mission of the Word-made-flesh from the Father and the return of the incarnate Word back to the Father. The evangelist John also underlines the reason why the divine Word is sent to us: that those who believe in the Son may receive power to become children of God.
As we close the year, we also hear in today’s First Reading (1 Jn 2:18-21) the exhortation about the “last hour”: we must hold fast to the grace of truth and be faithful to God. The Messiah has come and will come again. The intervening period is the “last hour” in which true Christians can recognize truth for what it is, and falsehood for what it is, through “the anointing that comes from the Holy One”. Indeed, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us by Christ and we come to know the truth of God’s tremendous love for us. In spite of the deception of antichrists who have abandoned the Christian community, true believers are able to abide in the Father and the Son by the spiritual “anointing” they have received. True Christians are thus empowered by the Spirit to know and live the life of Jesus Christ, the font of saving love, and in conformity with the Father’s compassionate will.
The following story is a testimony of one who was tempted to succumb to evil but, guided by the Holy Spirit, made a fundamental choice for the power of good (cf. Kathy Collard Miller, “Desperate Hope” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 51-54).
As the train rumbled past the East Coast countryside, taking my daughter and me to New York City for a mother/daughter vacation, my thoughts were as piercing as the screeching wheels of the train. Why did he do it? Why did Greg take his own life? He was a distant relative whom I rarely saw, yet the news that Greg had committed suicide made tears spring into my eyes and a deep sadness fill my heart. Relatives asked, “How could anyone be that hopeless and helpless?
But I knew. As I glanced over at my twenty-eight-year-old daughter napping next to me on the double seat, I realized with a force I hadn’t felt for a long time that if I’d taken my life, I would not have the fabulous mother-daughter relationship I now enjoyed with my daughter. (…)
One desperate day my rage was out of control. I ran into the bedroom and slammed the door behind me … Then suddenly I remembered where Larry stored his off-duty service revolver. The gun! That’s the answer! The gun! A tiny, sinister voice in my head whispered. “Take your life. It’s hopeless. Nothing has changed for months even though I’ve prayed over and over again; it’s only gotten worse. God doesn’t care. Otherwise He would instantaneously deliver me from my anger and heal our marriage. Larry hates me. I hate him and my life.
With trembling hands, I opened the locked drawer and almost gasped when the gleam from the shiny barrel of the gun glinted at me so invitingly. Darcy is better off without a mother like me. I’m ruining her for life. Seconds clicked off and then I reached for the cold revolver. But then a new thought popped into my mind. What will people think of Jesus if they hear that Kathy Miller took her life?
My hand stopped. The faces of the women in the neighborhood Bible study I led flitted before me. My family members who didn’t know Christ came to mind. I thought of the neighbors I witnessed to. Oh, Lord, I don’t care about my reputation, but I do care about yours!
I slammed the drawer shut and fell to my knees. The concern about Jesus’ reputation saved my life that day, and I knew it was prompted by the Holy Spirit.
I didn’t have any hope at that point, but in the following months God proved Himself faithful by revealing the underlying causes of my anger, giving me a patience to be a loving mom and then healing my relationship with Larry. (…)
Yes, I understood how Greg could have felt so little hope – in fact, no hope at all. How I wish I could have shared with him that there is always hope, and God is faithful if we will hold on to His promises.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we awed by the tremendous saving event of the incarnation of the Word? How do we respond to this awesome saving mystery?
2. Do we realize that we have received “the anointing that comes from the Holy One” and the revelation of God’s saving love and that these prompt us to abide in him and to walk in the light of truth?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are the most beautiful Word spoken by God the Father.
In your birth,
we hear the voice of the compassionate God speaking to our heart,
“I love you … I will save you!”
In you is the fullness of grace and truth.
In this forthcoming New Year,
help us to become courageous heralds of your saving Gospel
and to share with all your healing word of love and forgiveness.
With all peoples and creation and all the choirs of angels
we acclaim:
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will!
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(Cf. Opening Prayer, Seventh Day of Christmas Octave)
Ever-living God,
in the birth of your Son
our religion has its origin and its perfect fulfillment.
Help us to share in the life of Christ
for he is the salvation of mankind,
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.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (Jn 1:14) //“But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.” (1 Jn 2:20)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that people may truly perceive the meaning and implication of the Word made flesh. Resolve to spend more time to read the Scripture and break the bread of the Word. By your words and deeds, enable the people around you to experience that the divine Word is truly incarnate. // Pray for those who are contemplating suicide and the victims of murder-suicide crimes. Do what you can to help them.
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January 1, 2025: WEDNESDAY – SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Born of the Virgin Mary”
BIBLE READINGS
Nm 6:22-27 // Gal 4:4-7 // Lk 2:16-21
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
On the Octave of Christmas, we celebrate the oldest Marian feast in the Church, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. In this Marian feast we celebrate her intimate role in the Christmas mystery as the willing virgin who gave birth to the Son of God. Cardinal Leon Joseph Suenens remarks: “We find Mary at the very heart of the mystery of the incarnation. She is the mother of the one who will be for all future ages the way, the truth, and the life. The threshold of the one who, above all, can introduce us to Jesus … To our contemporary world Mary offers the living and vibrant reality, the incarnate Savior of the world.”
The solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, falls on New Year’s Day (January 1), the first day of the civil year – an occasion when people look back on the past and wish each other God’s abundant blessings. It is most opportune that the Old Testament reading for the New Year’s Mass is the Priestly Blessing from the book of Numbers (6:22-27). Prayed in the context of the Christmas-Marian feast, it evokes the truth that Mary, Mother of God, is the utmost recipient of God’s blessing. In the motherhood of Mary, the icon of the blessed of God, the fullness of blessing is given to the world through her divine Child, the Savior of the world - the Priest of the New Covenant.
Combined with the Gospel episode (Lk 2:16-21) of today’s Marian feast, the Priestly Blessing from the Book of Numbers serves to interpret the Christmas mystery. From the manger, in his Son Jesus, the Lord God blesses us abundantly and protects us. In the Christ Child, the icon of the divine love, the Lord God lets his face shine upon us and enables us to experience his favor and graciousness. In Mary’s Son, the Prince of Peace, the Lord looks kindly upon us and grants us peace and total salvation. Indeed, in Jesus Christ, the Word of God incarnate, is the fullness of the Father’s benediction to humankind. Moreover, in his Son Jesus, born of Mary, the fullness of blessing and praise – the Eucharist – is rendered to God, our Almighty Father.
In his past Message for the World Day of Peace (January 1, 2014), Pope Francis asserts that fraternity is the foundation and pathway to peace. In Jesus is true fraternity. The Pope remarks: “All who accept the life of Christ and live in him acknowledge God as Father and give themselves completely to him, loving him above all things. The reconciled person sees in God the Father of all, and, as a consequence, is spurred on to live a life of fraternity open to all … All are loved by God. All have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, who died on the Cross and rose for all. This is the reason why no one can remain indifferent before the lot of our brothers and sisters.” Pope Francis concludes his Message with the following intercession: “May Mary, the Mother of Jesus, help us to understand and live every day the fraternity that springs up from the heart of her Son, so as to bring peace to each person on this beloved earth.”
The following story gives us a glimpse into how fraternity in Christ can extinguish war (cf. Brad Steiger & Sherry Hansen Steiger, Christmas Miracles, Avon: Adams Media Corporation, 2001, p. 44-46).
Five months after the start of World War I, just after midnight on Christmas morning, the vast majority of German soldiers declared a Christmas truce in the hostilities between themselves and those of the Allied troops – the Russian, French, and British. Regimental bands began to play Christmas carols and the men raised their voices in joyous celebration of the Holy Night when the Prince of Peace was born.
The Allied soldiers were understandably suspicious about the shouts of “Merry Christmas” that they heard directed at them from the German trenches. Perhaps they had snipers lined up just waiting for a curious Tommy, Ivan, or Frenchy to peek his head above the trenches. But at the end of each hymn or cheerful carol they heard the German boys from Kaiser Bill’s army calling out something about a Christmas truce. The men in the Allied trenches checked with their officers, but none of them knew anything about a truce having been declared for the holidays.
At dawn’s first light on Christmas morn, the German troops rose up out of their trenches, set down their weapons, and began to walk across “no-man’s land”, singing carols and shouting out, “Merry Christmas” in French, Russian, and English, as well as their native German. From all appearances, from everything the Allied officers could see through their field glasses and from what the soldiers were able to witness from their frontline observation posts, all the Germans appeared to be without rifles or any kind of weaponry whatsoever.
Soon the Allied soldiers crawled out of their trenches and walked toward the Germans who were so openly and trustingly celebrating Christmas. The men shook hands, wished each other a blessed Christmas, and exchanged gifts of cigarettes and food. Later, they sang hymns and carols, and those of the same faith worshipped together. Some accounts of the Christmas truce even state that opposing sides played a good-natured, but rousing, game of soccer. The remarkable unofficial “time-out” that was declared by the combat soldiers without any thought of obtaining permission from their superiors lasted for two or three days.
Sadly, the Christmas truce of 1914 was probably one of the very last examples of old-fashioned chivalry in modern warfare. Within another few weeks, the first technological war would begin slaughtering human beings on a scale previously undreamt of in any military officer’s most fevered nightmare of destruction. The employment of poison gas against the men in the trenches, the serial bombing of cities and civilians beyond the frontlines, the onslaught of armored tanks crushing men and smashing walls, machine guns mowing down ranks of soldiers, aircraft swooping down from the skies and strafing troops on the ground – all of these horrors and more would make the notion of another Christmas truce during the war an impossible dream. But the 1914 Christmas miracle created by the common foot soldiers’ declaration of peace and goodwill toward their fellow comrades-in-arms will live forever in memory as a triumph of the indomitable human spirit over the fatal disease of war.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we allow the Lord God to bless us and keep us … to let his face shine upon us and be gracious to us … to look kindly upon us and give us peace? Do we look upon Mary as model of receptivity to grace and God’s abundant blessings? Do we look forward to the gracious blessings God has reserved for us in this New Year? How can we promote fraternity as a foundation and pathway to peace? Do we call upon Mary, the Mother of the Prince of Peace, to help us in our peace-making?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
in you is the fraternity
that is the foundation and pathway to peace.
In this grace-filled New Year,
help us to become courageous heralds of your saving Gospel
and to be channels of your peace.
May your Mother Mary help us to promote the fraternity
that springs up from your heart
so as to bring peace to each person on this beloved earth.
With all peoples and creation and all the choirs of angels
we acclaim: Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of good will!
We give you thanks and praise,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you!
The Lord look kindly upon you and give you peace!” (Nm 6:24-26)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
At the family reunion on New Year’s Day, use the Priestly Blessing as part of the prayer before or after meals, or at any other appropriate occasion during the day. With the help of Mary, Mother of God, perform acts of charity and service throughout the year that will bring God’s healing and benediction to the poor, the marginalized and the victims of natural and man-made calamities.
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January 2, 2025: THURSDAY – SAINTS BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZEN, Bishops,
Doctors of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Leads Us by the Holy Spirit”
BIBLE READINGS
I Jn 2:22-28 // Jn 1:19-28
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 1:19-28): “There is one who is coming after me.”
In this Christmas season we continue to penetrate the meaning of Jesus Savior, the Father’s gift of love to us. In today’s Gospel (Jn 1:19-28), the precursor John the Baptist, proclaims the coming of the Messiah, whose sandals he feels unworthy to untie. Jesus is the light and John is the lamp that reflects it; the Son of God is the saving word and the prophet in the wilderness is the voice that proclaims it. Indeed, Christ must increase and the one who prepares his way must decrease. Jesus is “the Greater One”. Like John the Baptist, we must recognize the preeminent status of Jesus Christ and assume our subordinate position in relation to him. Jesus Christ is the holy and immortal one to whom our love, reverence and unconditional trust are due. The spirit of Christmas invites us to render our homage, adoration and service to the Son of God.
When I was assigned in India, I looked forward to the visit of a little old lady from a fishing tribe in Bombay. The Sisters fondly called her “Granny”. Like the other women of her tribe, Granny wore her “sari” in a peculiar way – one end tucked between her legs. She would be served breakfast by the kind Sisters, usually the regular fare of cooked beans and a small loaf of bread. I was fascinated by the way Granny responded to the gift of bread. She would receive and hold it with reverence. Then she would make a sign of the cross over it and lift up her gaze to pray a silent blessing. If that is how Granny responded to the gift of material bread, one could just imagine her awesome reverence before the Blessed Sacrament on the altar. Her devout expression and gestures manifested that she was truly before the sacramental presence of Jesus Christ, whose sandal strap we are not worthy to untie.
B. First Reading (1 Jn 2:22-28): “Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you.”
The great Christmas mystery of God the Father sending his Son to be our Savior is not always accepted. In Saint John’s community, there are those who reject Jesus as the Messiah. These “antichrists” reject both the Father and the Son, for whoever rejects the Son rejects also the Father. In today’s First Reading (1 Jn 2:22-28), Saint John therefore exhorts us to be faithful to the message transmitted by the apostles from the beginning. This will lead us to live in union with the Father and the Son and, consequently, to experience eternal life. Faithfulness to truth is made possible by the Holy Spirit that Christ pours out upon us.
John the Baptist, filled and guided by the Holy Spirit, proclaims the truth that Jesus is the Messiah. The Church, in time and space, struggles with “antichrists” and continues to uphold the truth that Jesus is the Savior. By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, the truth prevails.
The fight against Arianism, a heresy that denies that Jesus is the Son of God, illustrates the Church’s endeavor to defend the truth and to live in the truth (cf. Giovanni Falbo, St. Monica: The Power of a Mother’s Love, Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2007, p. 65).
These were days of great uncertainty, but also of an intense Christian experience; the faithful of Milan discovered what it meant to be a community and what their bishop meant to them. As a widow in Africa, Monica had already formed the habit of going to church each day, and she felt that she was part of the Christian community, considering it a family. With a figure such as Ambrose, she felt more intensely the joy of shared prayer and fellowship, and she even provided food for those who remained in the basilica for days at a time. To find herself in the company of Ambrose, to have the opportunity to speak with him, to profit from his profound teachings, and, together with other Christians, to fight against the excesses of imperial power, was for her a magnificent experience of the living Church.
The imperial forces made a number of efforts to dislodge the resisters, but Ambrose always responded with courage, ready to die rather than give in to intimidation. After a while, the soldiers themselves began to enter the basilica to join those who were praying and singing there. In the end, the [Arian] empress was forced to back down, and on Holy Thursday, April 2, 386, she ordered the troops to withdraw. Ambrose and the Church of Milan had won and Monica had also played her part. Their exultation was tremendous.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I truly recognize the absolute grandeur and absolute excellence of Jesus Christ, whose sandals we are not worthy to untie? How do I respond to his presence?
2. Are we willing to keep in our heart the saving message about Christ, the Son of God? Do we treasure the Christmas mystery and abide by the truth?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for John the Baptist
who witnessed that the Messiah is “the Greater One”,
whose sandal strap he was not worthy to untie.
Jesus is the refulgence of the Father’s glory
and to him we offer reverently
the homage of our love and service.
Help us imitate John the Baptist
in his serving stance to Christ our Savior,
who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
***
(Cf. Opening Prayer of the Mass, Friday, from January 2 to Epiphany)
Lord,
fill our hearts with your light.
May we always acknowledge Christ as our Savior
and be more faithful to his Gospel,
for he 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.
“There is one among you … whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” (Jn 1:27) //“Let what you heard from the beginning remain in you.” (1 Jn 1:24)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that we may always take a reverential attitude of service in relation to Christ. By your spirit of humility and service to the people around you, enable them to experience that Christ is “Greater One” who deserves the gift of our entire being. // Secure a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and/or Youth Catechism, and continue to delve into the beauty and riches of the Catholic faith.
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January 3, 2025: FRIDAY – CHRISTMAS WEEKDAY; THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Lamb of God”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Jn 2:29-3:6 // Jn 1:29-34
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 1:29-34): “Behold the Lamb of God.”
When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him, he exclaimed: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” The “Great One”, whose sandals John felt unworthy to untie, comes to the world on a compassionate mission of salvation. He is the “Lamb” who liberates from the power of evil and death. On the night of the Exodus, the Israelites smeared the doorposts of their homes with a lamb’s blood to avert the death of the first born. The angel of destruction “passed over” their homes and the angel’s “passing over” was an experience of salvation. By the blood of the sacrificial lamb the Chosen People were saved.
On Christmas night, the shepherds taking care of the flocks heard from the angel of the Lord the good news of salvation: “Christ the Savior is born”. Mary’s “first born” son would be identified many years later by John the Baptist as the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sin of the world. By the blood poured out by Jesus, the Lamb of God, the whole world is saved and the wounds caused by evil and sin are healed.
The saving work of Jesus continues in the here and now as the beautiful story of self-giving reported here will show (cf. “7 Keys to Generous Giving” in AARP Bulletin, Novembe3 2018, p. 38)
Actress Marlo Thomas, 80, grew up with charity at the center of her life. Her father, entertainer Danny Thomas, founded St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., to provide a state-of-the-art care for children with life-threatening diseases at no cost to their families. After her father’s death in 1991, Thomas became a national outreach director for St. Jude and helped turn it into one of the world’s leading pediatric cancer research centers. Over the years, she’s developed a unique perspective on the psychology of giving and what it takes to cultivate a generous heart. (…)
One of Thomas’ most moving stories is about Ira Jackson, a retiree on Social Security who managed to donate a little to St. Jude every month. Then he got a terminal illness. In a letter to the hospital during his final days, he wrote, “I’m prepared to die, but I’m concerned that the little children won’t have a chance to grow into healthy adults. My last wish is for you to use this letter to find someone to take my place.” The hospital shared his letter and got 900 new donors who gave hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Ira knew that when he died, he would leave a hole behind”, Thomas says. “He donated about $80 total. It wasn’t billions, but it was a lot of money to him. He gave us as much as he could and was worried when he left that there wouldn’t be any more. I love that story.”
B. First Reading (1 Jn 2:29-3:6): “No one who remains in him sins.”
Today’s First Reading (1 Jn 2:29-3:6) helps us to contemplate that Jesus is the Father’s Christmas gift to us. The divine gift of love is his only begotten Son, the Savior of the world. Through this gift we become the children of God. What love the Father bestowed on us in making us his own children! Holiness marks our life of belonging to God as his children. Sin is “lawlessness” – a disordered existence of alienation. It is a negation of God’s love and totally incompatible with our Christian vocation to live a life of intimacy with God. Through the Gospel (Jn 1:29-34) we behold Jesus, however, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Through him, it is possible to turn away from sin and enter a life of renewed communion with our loving God.
The Christmas season is a beautiful occasion to thank the Lord God for Jesus and the gift of salvation. It is a call to embrace our vocation as children of God and to renounce “lawlessness” and sin. The hope of conversion is most welcome on Christmas and every day of the year. The following story is inspiring (cf. Dani D’Angelo, “The Gift of Quitting” in Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p. 167-169).
On Christmas morning, my little boy asked me what I was giving the Baby Jesus for His birthday. I was crushed as I had nothing. I had not baked our customary birthday cake for Baby Jesus, nor had we stored up our good deeds to fill the manger with straw, like in years past. I felt bad but the look on my son’s face told me he felt worse. The next thing out of my mouth surprised even me.
“I know”, I said impulsively. “I am giving Baby Jesus my smoking habit. The whole thing: the cigarettes, the lighters, the cravings, the crabbiness, the ashtrays both dirty and clean, everything about smoking - is what I am giving to Baby Jesus.”
He was delighted and ran to tell his sister. They were filled with such joy while I sat stunned at what I had just done. I was obsessed with cigarettes yet I had told my son that I was giving up smoking as a gift to the Baby Jesus. Was I nuts? Could I do it? “No way”, I thought. But I knew that to break such a promise to my son would haunt us both for years to come. I needed a miracle. “Look Jesus”, I prayed. “I am sorry for jumping the gun, but I made this promise to my child. Now I need You to help me keep it.”
Suddenly I was filled with a deep sense of sureness. The kids and I had a ball going from room to room collecting everything to do with cigarettes. There were packs hidden everywhere – five in the freezer alone. We took the cigarettes, lighters, and ashtrays and either gave or throw them away. Then I went from room to room taking down curtains and cleaning them. I washed walls, ceilings, clothing and everything I could find, from Christmas morning until well into the New Year. (…) That was the year of my Christmas miracle and it changed my life completely … I gave up smoking as a gift to Baby Jesus, but in turn it was a gift He gave to me.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we welcome Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, into our life and embrace his saving power? What areas in our life need to be liberated by him?
2. How do we respond to God the Father’s awesome love in making us his children in Jesus Christ? Do we try to abide in God and to avoid sin and “lawlessness” that drive us away from experiencing eternal life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O gracious Father,
we thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus,
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
He is the savior of the world
and frees us from self-destruction
and all the evil forces that threaten us.
Teach us to be gentle and gracious to the saving Lamb.
Help us to welcome him joyfully into our life
and give ourselves to him, now and forever.
Amen.
***
(Cf. Opening Prayer of the Mass, Saturday, from January 2 to Epiphany)
All-powerful and ever-living God,
you give us a new vision of your glory
in the coming of Christ your Son.
He was born of the Virgin Mary
and came to share our life.
May we come to share his eternal life
in the glory of your kingdom,
where he 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.
“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” (Jn 1:29b) // “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.” (1 Jn 3:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that people may graciously welcome the daily coming of the Lamb of God in our life. By your acts of justice and charity to those struggling with various addictions, enable them to experience the saving power of the compassionate Lamb of God. // By your peaceful stance and works of charity, promote the integrity and holiness of the “children of God”.
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January 4, 2025: SATURDAY – SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON, Religious (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: They Followed Him, the Lamb of God”
BIBLE READINGS
1 Jn 3:7-10 // Jn 1:35-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 1:35-42): “We have found the Messiah.”
Saint John declared in the Gospel prologue: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:14). The Incarnate Word Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God” pointed out by the precursor, John the Baptist, to two of his disciples. Indeed, the title “Lamb of God” evokes images of the sacrificial lamb, the suffering Servant in whom Yahweh is well pleased, and the Good Shepherd.
Jesus Christ thus initiates the dialogue of discipleship: “What are you looking for?” The response of Andrew and his companion is not totally an answer, but a question pregnant with meaning: “Where are you staying?” Their question means, “Where can we find you and learn from you about our true home?” Jesus says in reply, “Come and see.” He offers an invitation to walk with him and learn what remaining with him entails, as well as our final destiny. Indeed, the positive and ready response of the disciples to his invitation is extremely inspiring: “They went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him.” As the Word made flesh dwelt among us and stayed with us through his eternal healing presence, so the first disciples remained with Jesus, the incarnate Word and divine Teacher.
Having experienced the life-giving intimacy and power of Jesus, the Word of life, the disciple Andrew became a sharer of the Word. His inevitable response is to find someone else to share the joy of his personal encounter with the Messiah. His effort to share the Word incarnate with his brother Simon Peter bore abundant fruit.
The following story gives insight into a disciple’s ministry of sharing the Word and of bringing the saving presence of Christ to others (cf. Chaplain Samuel Boone, “The Ministry of Presence” in Guideposts, December 2011, p. 58).
Christmas time can be lonesome for soldiers. I remember being stuck on an Army base in Germany one Christmas Eve with a case of the flu. My buddies went out partying while I could barely move from my bunk. The one person who dropped by was a chaplain. “Son”, he said, “you look like you could use some chicken soup.”
I didn’t put much stock in religion then, but the fact that this was a busy man – he had a Christmas Eve service to put on after all – made time to see me made an impression. He even brought by some of his wife’s chicken soup. That’s what military chaplains call the ministry of presence. You can’t expect the soldiers under your care to waltz into your office. You’ve got to reach them where they are: in the mess hall, at their posts, in the barracks.
That good man changed my life. I got well, dropped by the chapel, made a profession of faith and eventually became a chaplain myself.
B. First Reading (1 Jn 3:7-10): “Those who are begotten by God commit no sin.”
The Christmas mystery – his “appearing” in our time and space - continues to impact us. The Son of God “appeared” in order to destroy the devil’s deeds. He is the “Lamb of God” who takes away the sins of the world. In Jesus Christ, we become children of God. He is the Righteous One to imitate. The reading (1 Jn 3:7-10) underlines that the “righteous” children imitate the holiness of Jesus Savior. We must keep ourselves pure as Christ is pure and holy as he is holy. The “seed” of God remains in the one begotten by him. The “seed” is the living Word that brings his children into harmony with his saving will.
The following story entitled “The Seed” and circulated on the Internet gives insight into the “righteousness” that befits the children of God.
A successful Christian businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO” he said. “I have decided to choose one of you.” The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today – a very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.”
One man named Jim was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by – still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil – he so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful – in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him.
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown”, said the CEO. “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!” All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I am a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!” When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Here is your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!” Jim couldn’t believe it. Jim couldn’t even grow his seed. “How could he be the new CEO?” the others said. Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead – it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. “When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I endeavor to really follow Jesus and invite others to follow him?
2. Do we rejoice in the Christmas mystery of Christ “appearing”? Do we endeavor to imitate the righteousness and holiness of Christ and prove ourselves to be truly the children of God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty Father,
we thank you for Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
His gentle and compassionate presence
inspires love and affection.
Like Andrew and John, we are fascinated and seek him.
And so we respond to Jesus’ invitation, “Come and see”
and follow him.
Help us to bring forth his saving presence
and invite others to follow him.
Grant us the grace to remain with him, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
(Cf. Opening Prayer of the Mass, Saturday, from January 2 to Epiphany)
All-powerful and ever-living God,
you give us a new vision of your glory
in the coming of Christ your Son.
He was born of the Virgin Mary
and came to share our life.
May we come to share his eternal life
in the glory of your kingdom,
where he 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 week. Please memorize it.
“They followed Jesus.” (Jn 1:37b) // “No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him.” (1 Jn 3:9)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the increase and perseverance of priestly and religious vocations. By a Christ-centered life, marked by charity and faithful service, enable the people around you to feel the saving presence of Christ and yearn to follow him. // In your daily dealings with the people around you, let the holiness and integrity that befit the children of God shine through and inspire people to do good.
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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