A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 13, n. 17)
5th Sunday of Lent and Lent Weekday (5): March 22-28, 2015 *****
(N.B. The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year B from three perspectives. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 1. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 4. For reflections based on the Second Reading, open Series 7. Please go to Series 10 - Series 13 for the back issues of the Weekday Lectio. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: March 15-21, please go to ARCHIVES Series 13 and click on “Lent 4”.
(Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: March 22-28, 2015.)
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March 22, 2015: FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Grain of Wheat that Falls to the Ground and Dies”
BIBLE READINGS
Year B: Jer 31:31-34 // Heb 5:7-9 // Jn 12:20-33
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
News reports and footage of war and civil disturbance in different parts of the world are very distressing, but I make them objects of intense prayer. One person who helps me in praying for world peace is a modern-day peacemaker who radically followed the life of Jesus Christ. Her life as witness for peace is recorded in the book, PEACE PILGRIM: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words (Hemet: Friends of Peace Pilgrim, 1991). Not revealing details of her life that she considered unimportant, such as her original name, age and birthplace, she wanted to be known simply as “Peace Pilgrim”. After a rigorous spiritual preparation that led her to experience a deep inner peace, she vowed to be “a wanderer until mankind has learned the ways of peace”. Alone, penniless, and with no organizational backing, she walked more than 25,000 miles, carrying in her blue tunic her only possessions: a comb, a folding toothbrush, a ballpoint pen, copies of her message and her current correspondence. She crossed America for nearly three decades, from January 1, 1953 until her death on July 7, 1981, bearing the simplest of messages: “This is the way of peace – overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.”
Like Jesus, the little “grain of wheat” that falls to the ground and dies to produce abundant fruit, she lived out the message of peace and sacrificial love to the full. One day, a hefty teenage boy, with a violent streak and emotional illness, beat her. Even while he was hitting her, she could only feel the deepest compassion toward someone who was so psychologically sick that he was able to hit a defenseless old woman. She bathed his hatred with love even while he hit her. As a result, the hitting stopped and he wept: “You didn’t hit back! Mother always hit me back!” Peace Pilgrim remarked about the incident: “What are a few bruises on my body in comparison with the transformation of a human life? To make a long story short, he was never violent again. He is a useful person in the world today.” Indeed, Peace Pilgrim is a modern response to the Christian challenge: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be” (Jn 12: 25-26).
Living today in this time of crisis in human history and confronted with the brutal truth that war is not the way to peace, we need to steep ourselves in the purifying water of the living Word. Jesus Christ exhorts us to enter into the paschal process of liberation from a purely selfish existence towards a life of loving service for others. Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 12: 20-33) speaks of the “hour” in which Jesus would be “glorified”, which means, God would reveal his radical power in the saving event of his Son Jesus. The “hour” of glorification would entail a death and birthing process similar to that of a germinating seed. Jesus affirms: “Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” In today’s Gospel passage, the paschal image of a germinating and fruitful seed is reinforced and clarified by a reference to the suffering that Jesus would endure on the cross: “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” The season of Lent is an opportune time to be intimately united with Jesus in his sacrifice on the cross and to incarnate in our life the miracle of the “little grain” that dies in order to bear abundant fruits.
***
In the March 17, 2006 issue of The Tidings, Southern California’s Catholic Weekly, page 5, I was greatly impressed by an announcement made by QueensCare, a faith-based public health care charity that follows the healthcare directives of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops: “QueensCare is pleased to announce its program for free hospital care for qualified low-income persons … Between now and 06/30/06 QueensCare will spend $5,000,000 on hospital care for low-income medically uninsured residents of Los Angeles … People meeting the qualifications may register at one of the listed churches during normal office hours. You do not need to be a church member, but you must visit in person … Immigration and citizenship status are not considered in determining eligibility for care.” There is something very refreshing in the QueensCare healthcare initiative to help the poor and needy. One can feel the spirit of love and compassion that animates this endeavor. There is a breath of “newness” in this Christian ministry. As a community of believers, we are heartened by this new, spirit-filled approach to a pressing social problem of today’s world.
This Sunday’s liturgy also speaks of “newness” – the radical newness of the New Covenant offered to us by Jesus Christ, the “little grain of wheat” that falls to the ground and dies in order to produce abundant fruit. Indeed, our spiritual journey during this Lenten season puts us in contact with fascinating Old Testament readings that enable us to glean wonderful insights regarding our covenantal relationship with God. On the First Sunday of Lent, we perceived the basic content of God’ inchoative covenant with Noah: his benevolent permission to continue the history of humanity (cf. Gn 9:8-15). On the Second Sunday of Lent, we were enthralled with the sacrificial character of God’s covenant relationship with Abraham, the father of faith (cf. Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-12, 15-18). On the Third Sunday of Lent, we realized that the purpose of the Decalogue – the Ten Commandments, the fundamental law that regulates the people of Israel - is to deepen God’s covenant relationship with them and protect their identity as a people consecrated to him alone (cf Ex 20:1-17). On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, we experienced the pathos of a broken covenant relationship and commiserated with the Jewish people, wallowing in the pain of their self-inflicted misery and weeping by the waters of Babylon, where their conquerors had driven them into exile. But in the wreckage of their sin and humiliation, the mercy of the God of the covenant is greatly revealed.
Today, on the Fifth Sunday of Lent and at the threshold of the Holy Week of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection, the Old Testament reading (Jer 31:31-34) invites us to focus our prayerful meditation on the promise of the New Covenant, announced by the prophet Jeremiah to an obdurate people at the brink of a violent catastrophe: “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah … I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people … All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.”
The promise of the New Covenant is radically actualized and perfectly fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the Son of God himself. Jesus is the New Covenant, and in his love, forgiveness, concern for others, unmitigated compassion, and above all, in his sacrificial offering on the cross, he becomes the head of the people of the new and eternal covenant.
***
The Second Reading (Heb 5:7-9) intensifies our contemplative gaze upon the passion of the Christ for it gives us a remarkable insight into the priestly character of his sufferings. This reading helps us to appreciate the life-giving meaning of the Servant-Son’s obedient stance. It inspires us to a spirit of conversion and thankfulness for the infinite goodness and eternal salvation that flow forth from the priestly sacrifice on the cross. This remarkable text expresses the paschal glorification of Christ with new depth because its shows its connection to priestly mediation.
The Jesuit biblical scholar, Albert Vanhoye, a foremost authority on the letter to the Hebrews, comments: “For Christ the path leading to the priesthood was a path of humility and suffering, a path of effective solidarity with human weakness. His priestly office consisted of prayer and supplications emerging from a situation of distress, and they were accompanied by a loud cry and tears. In this way Christ’s whole passion is presented as a priestly action that assumes human anguish in the presence of death and transforms it into an offering of prayer. This prayer was offered to God with reverent submission. Jesus did not pretend to impose his own will on God; instead, he let his Father choose the best solution. This is the reason why he was heard. The divine solution did not consist in preserving him from death; it transformed his sufferings and death into the instrument of definitive victory over evil and over death itself. Distorted by sin, human nature had to learn obedience so that it could forever be reintroduced into God’s intimacy. Since Christ was a Son he did not need this painful learning for himself, yet he accepted it because of his generous solidarity with us. Thus he became the perfect man, fully worthy of being accepted and even enthroned at God’s right hand, and he did that for the sake of all since perfection was the fruit of his complete solidarity with us.”
The following charming story circulated through the Internet illustrates the great consequence of a sacrificial act. “The Necklace” gives us a glimpse of the positive value that resulted from Christ’s priestly act of self-giving sacrifice and the abundant grace poured upon those who obey the Father’s benevolent will.
The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. “Oh, Mommy, please, Mommy! Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?” Quickly the mother checked the price of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl’s upturned face. “A dollar ninety-five. That’s almost $2.00. If you really want them, I’ll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday’s only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma.”
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her piggy bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny has a very loving Daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, “Do you love me?” “Oh, yes, Daddy. You know that I love you.” “Then give me your pearls.” “Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She’s my favorite.” “That’s okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night.” And he brushed her cheek with a kiss. About a week later, after the story time, Jenny’s Daddy asked again, “Do you love me?” “Daddy, you know I love you.” “Then give me your pearls.” “Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.” “That’s okay. Sleep well. God bless, little one. Daddy loves you.” And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her Daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. “What is it, Jenny? What’s the matter?” Jenny didn’t say anything, but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, “Here, Daddy; this is for you.” With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny’s Daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny.
He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. So it is, with our heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Like the life-giving “grain of wheat”, Jesus Master, are we willing “to die” in order to grow and be fruitful? Are we willing to use our abilities, our talents and our lives for the service of others and risk the sacrifices that this entails? Are we willing to follow the way of peace and non-violence of the “grain of wheat”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Adapted from the Prayer of St. Francis)
“If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces much fruit.”
Make me a channel of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me bring your love. Where there is injury, your pardon, Lord. And where there is doubt, true faith in you. Make me a channel of your peace. Where there is despair in life, let me bring hope. Where there is darkness, only light, and where there sadness, ever joy.
“If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces much fruit.”
O Master, grant that I may never seek so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved, as to love with all my soul.
“If a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it produces much fruit.”
Make me a channel of your peace. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, in giving of ourselves that we receive, and in dying that we are born to eternal life.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“If a grain of wheat dies, it produces much fruit.” (Jn 12:24)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When confronted with a violent situation, respond to it with non-violence in a spirit of Christian love. Through word, example and deed, and through daily dying to self, contribute to the Christian imperative of building a more peaceful world.
***
March 23, 2015: MONDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (5); SAINT TURIBIUS OF MOGROVEJO, bishop
“JESUS SAVIOR: “He Is the Ultimately Accused and the Rescuer of the Accused”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 13:1-9, 5-17, 19-30, 33-62 // Jn 8:1-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The movie, “The Accused”, for which Jodie Foster won an Academy Award for her performance as Sarah Tobias, a rape victim, is based on actual events that took place in Massachusetts, U.S.A. Sarah Tobias, a working-class waitress who lived with a man outside of marriage, sought to unwind in a bar after a fight with him. Three young men raped her while the patrons of the bar looked on and did nothing to help her. Kathryn Murphy, the assistant district attorney appointed to prosecute the case against the men, seemed at first committed to winning the case against them. But, when faced with the fact that Sarah would not make a sympathetic case because of her behavior the night of the assault when she drank, smoked pot, and dressed and acted provocatively, Kathryn let the rapists plea to a lesser charge. Sarah felt betrayed because she was not given a chance to tell her story in court. She was deeply pained and humiliated. Though not impeccable in her behavior, she was truly a victim of sexual violence. She practically became “the accused”. Sarah Tobias is like the woman presented in today’s Gospel reading, a woman in need of justice and mercy, a woman in need of redemption.
The Gospel reading (Jn 8:1-11) continues to underline the radical nature of God’s compassion and forgiving love. The scribes and Pharisees bring a woman to Jesus. The scribes and Pharisees are pointing their fingers at the adulterous woman as “the accused”, but their real intent is to build a case against Jesus, the one they truly wish to accuse. The sinful woman is being used as the main element in their ploy to trap Jesus in a very difficult case, in which any solution he would give will work to his disadvantage. Indeed, a decision to stone her will be an indictment against Jesus’ stance of mercy and compassion; a resolution to release her will convict him of a lack of justice and righteousness. The malice of the scribes and Pharisees is viciously directed, not at the adulterous woman, but at the greater “accused”, Jesus Christ. From the perspective of salvation history, the one ultimately “accused” and condemned is Jesus, in whom the mercy and justice of God have met. Falsely accused and punished for carrying humanity’s sins, he dies for us on the cross, becoming the font of justice, mercy, and healing for all.
***
The Old Testament reading (Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62) presents the gripping story of the chaste Susanna, a very beautiful and God-fearing Jewish woman residing in Babylon, falsely accused of adultery. Two very wicked old judges try to blackmail Susanna (her Hebrew name means “lily”, symbol of purity) to give in to their passion. She resists, preferring to be condemned to death rather than to sin before the Lord. She entrusts her fate to God and her prayer is heard. God stirs up the holy spirit of a young boy named Daniel who confounds the false accusers with his wisdom. The two lecherous elders are punished with the fate they meant for their innocent victim. Susanna’s moral integrity makes her a sterling example of a heroic love for God and complete trust in him. Susanna’s youthful savior, Daniel, is a powerful figure of Jesus Savior, the Son of God.
The saving intervention of Daniel on behalf of the innocent Susanna and the liberation that Jesus has wrought on behalf of a culpable adulterous woman continue to be replicated in today’s world. The following testimony tells about a woman’s “spiritual rescue” (cf. Maryanne Gogniat Eidemiller, Our Sunday Visitor, January 13, 2012, p. 12).
Tammy Pagels was 17 when she became pregnant from a rape and her mother forced her to have an abortion. (…) She told her future husband Darrell about it early in their dating, and he supported her journey of healing. “He is the one who taught me that God is the one who will be there for you”, she said. “Everything is possible as long as God is the center of your life.” The couple has now six children, seven months to 13, and Darrell, 40, was ordained a deacon four years ago. They are both coordinators of the Culture of Life in the Diocese of Pueblo, Colo., and are promoting the abortion healing ministry of Project Rachel. (…) Pagels came to a “different place” in her life through confession and Eucharistic adoration, and was able to forgive the man who raped her, her mother, and herself.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Did we ever falsely condemn anyone and “cast the first stone”? How can we make amends? Do we acknowledge our own personal participation in the condemnation and punishment of the ultimately “accused”, Jesus Christ, our redeemer? In what way are we like the adulterous woman, the object of Christ’s forgiving and redeeming love and set on the road of renewal and restoration?
2. Like the Old Testament heroine Susanna, are we willing to suffer adversity and a cruel fate rather than sin against the Lord and disobey him?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your beloved Son Jesus, our redeeming Lord,
was falsely accused.
He suffered the pain of injustice on the Cross.
Forgive us for, like the adulterous woman,
we have turned away from your love.
We were unfaithful to the quiet callings of your Spirit.
Forgive us for our hypocrisies.
We have ignored the afflictions
of those yearning for your redeeming love.
Forgive us for crucifying Jesus on the Cross by our cruelties.
We have failed to love the wounded of this world.
Forgive us for our indifference.
We have not protected the “Susanna” of today’s society.
Forgive us for not showing Christ’s mercy to the condemned.
May we allow ourselves to be renewed
and restored by the healing power
of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross.
May we imitate his life-giving ministry
to the poor, the outcast, and the accused.
We thank you and bless you, gracious God,
for giving us Jesus Christ, our font of love and justice,
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.
“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” (Jn 8:11) // “Thus was innocent blood spared that day.” (Dn 13:62)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In your daily life, try to resist coercive forces and evil influences, especially through the misuse of the mass media, and imitate Susanna’s moral integrity and her complete surrender to God. In any way you can, participate in the Christian task of liberating the victims of false accusations and injustice.
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March 24, 2015: TUESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (5)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Saves Us by Being Lifted Up
on the Cross”
BIBLE READINGS
Nm 21:4-9 // Jn 8:21-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
(Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Martha Bruan, PDDM)
In the Gospel, Jesus refers to Himself as “I AM,” an expression that late Jewish tradition understood as Yahweh’s own self-designation (Is. 43:10). He draws a contrast: His enemies belong to the earth, He is from heaven. They are of the world; He is not of the world. Jesus came from heaven into the world. He was sent by the Father into the world, “Kosmos,” the object of God’s love. When the hour comes He has to depart from this world. The death of Jesus is destined by God. It is when Christ is lifted up on the cross that we really see “who” and “what” He is. It is there we see Jesus’ self-oblation done for His great love for humankind. There on the cross we see the extent of His obedience to the will of the Father, “I always do what is pleasing to Him” (Jn 8:29).
God was always gracious and forgiving to the Israelites who journeyed in the desert for forty years. During the Lenten Season we journey for forty days towards Easter. Lent is indeed the favorable time for us to fix our gaze, not on the bronze serpent but, on Jesus on the cross in order not to be distracted by the allurements of modern technology and the strong upsurge of materialism as we go on journeying hand in hand with Him and each other. This is the opportune time for us to reciprocate God’s immense goodness in love and do solely whatever is in accordance to His will, but how?
We have to discipline ourselves, intensify our prayers, fast and cease to do whatever pleases our appetite, our eyes, all our senses and break through our human shelter so as to reach out to our needy brothers and sisters with relentless care. More importantly we are to believe and participate in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus to be with Him in the place where He is going.
***
The lifting up of the bronze serpent that we hear in today’s Old Testament reading (Nm 21:4b-9) is fascinating and illumines the mystery of the cross that we venerate as Christians. The bronze serpent on the pole that brings healing to those bitten by venomous seraph snakes is a symbol of God’s benevolent saving will. Jesus, like the serpent, is lifted up on the pole of the cross, and whoever looks to him in faith will be saved. This is the triumph of the cross. Indeed, in the light of the joyful Easter event of Christ’s resurrection, the cross becomes a throne of glory.
The following story illustrates the participation of Christian disciples in the mystery and triumph of the cross (cf. Full Sail with the Wind of Grace: Peter Kibe and 187 Martyrs, written and edited by “Martyres” Editorial Committee, Tokyo: Don Bosco Sha, 2008, p. 44-46).
Genka’s daughter Maria was married to the son of Kondo Kisan, the commissioner of Tachiura (Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture). Kondo was a devout Buddhist. He tried to convert his daughter-in-law and make her give up her faith. Maria always responded with the same words: “I was baptized by my father and have always walked the way of God that was taught to me. I cannot give up my faith.” “If you do not renounce your faith, we cannot keep you in our household. Think well and choose either my son or your faith.” Kondo oppressed Maria with these harsh words. After two years of struggling with the situation, Maria told her husband of her decision, and returned to her father Genka.
“It must be Genka who encouraged her to leave. He must pay for this!” Kondo discussed the matter with his friend, a Buddhist monk in Hirado, and appealed to Shigenobu to punish Genka. Shigenobu was furious with Genka who not only disobeyed his orders and continued to practice his faith, but also worked as a Christian leader. Shigenobu ordered the execution of Genka together with his wife Ursula and their eldest son John Mataichi.
Genka was handed over to the commissioner of Yamada (Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture), Inoue Umanojo to be executed on 14 of November 1609. To Umanojo, Genka was a friend for whom he had a great respect. Genka told him of his only wish. “Lord Inoue, could you do me a favor and perform my execution at the Kurusu (cruz = cross) Trail? “Why the Kurusu Trail?” “Once a cross stood there, and my parents and friends are buried there, too.”
Umanojo nodded and they started to walk toward the Kurusu Trail. When they arrived at the spot, Genka said to Umanojo, “Lord Inoue, it was my heart’s desire to offer my life here. None of this is your fault. Please be at peace.” Genka knelt down, raised his tied hands toward heaven and silently bowed his head. Umanojo, choking down his tears, performed the execution with one stroke of his sword so that Genka would not suffer too much.
Genka’s wife Ursula and their son John Mataichi were also beheaded about the same time at a place nearby. Gaspar Nishi Genka and his wife Ursula were both 54 years old. Their oldest son John Mataichi was 24 years old. Their remains were buried at the Kurusu Trail. The Christians secretly planted a pine tree on the spot.
In 1992, the Christians of Ikitsuki built a large cross on the Kurusu Trail. It is to remind them of the importance of faith strengthened in the family, a precious heritage of Gaspar Nishi Genka.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. In this Lenten journey, do we fix our gaze on Jesus to really see “who” and “what” he is? How does his self-oblation on the cross affect us personally?
2. Are we eager to fix our gaze on Jesus Christ crucified and seek healing from him?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
the mounted bronze serpent
that saved the ancient Israelites from sure death
prefigures your crucifixion and redeeming death at Mount Calvary.
Thank you for your obedient sacrifice.
Above all, we render praise and thanksgiving to God the Father
who loved us so much that he sent you, his Servant-Son,
to be lifted up on the cross.
Now in faith we look upon the cross of your sacrifice
and see in it the source of healing and the font of eternal life.
Through your cross, O loving Jesus,
our hope is strengthened
that we will not die from the snares of sin, but live.
We adore you.
We worship you, Lord.
We venerate your cross.
Through your cross you brought joy to the world
and for this, we revere you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent and he lived.” (Nm 21:9) // “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM.” (Jn 8:27)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your compassion and charity, allow others to experience the healing and saving love of Christ on the cross.
***
March 25, 2015: WEDNESDAY – THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD
“JESUS SAVIOR: The Angel Announces Him to Mary”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 7:10-14; 8:10 // Heb 10:4-10 // Lk 1:26-38
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today the liturgical assembly listens devoutly to the Gospel proclamation of the annunciation of the birth of our Lord Jesus (Lk 1:26-38). The first recipient of this Good News is Mary, the virgin maiden of Nazareth, chosen to be the Mother of Jesus. The annunciation of the Lord brought about the dawn of salvation and this joyful message brings hope and consolation to people through the ages. The Church writer, Venerable Bede, remarks: “Today’s reading of the Gospel calls to mind the beginning of our redemption, for the passage tells us how God sent an angel from heaven to a virgin. He was to proclaim the new birth, the incarnation of God’s Son, who would take away our age-old guilt; through him it would be possible for us to be made new and numbered among the children of God. And so, if we are to deserve the gifts of the promised salvation, we must listen attentively to the account of its beginning.”
On this feast of the Lord’s Annunciation we marvel at the immensity of God’s love and his saving design. We are awed by the vital role of Mary in salvation history – as the mother of Christ the Savior, the Son of God. We are also grateful for her maternal intervention in our life. The following article on the Internet is a beautiful example of a Marian “miracle”.
Benedictine College’s consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8, 2013, is just the most recent chapter in the story of the school’s relationship with Mary. “Our Lady’s intercessions date as far back as 1856 when she saved the founder of St. Benedict’s Abbey – Fr. Henry Lemke’s life during a torrential thunderstorm and flood. (…) Fr. Henry Lemke wrote in his diary about an 1856 incident where he was lost in a storm and prayed for Mary’s intercession. As soon as he said the prayer, a light appeared on the horizon. He stumbled toward it and found that it was a lantern hanging in the window of a cottage.
The mother and daughter who lived in the cottage sheltered him and told him that a lady dressed in white appeared to the child in the night. This had awakened the mother who hung the lantern. Wrote Lemke: “O you dearest Mother of God, it was through the pure and unsullied soul of a child that you effected that the mother would place a lamp in the window just about the very time when I was calling out for help because I feared for my life. The Mother of God worked a miracle.”
Two years later, Benedictine College was founded and the “lady dressed in white” appeared to another girl in a small town – St. Bernadette of Lourdes, France.
***
Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 7:10-14; 8:10) speaks of a prophetic sign directed to King Ahaz, who is anxious and trembling for the imminent siege of Jerusalem in 735 B.C. by the kings of Syria and Israel. Confronting his lack of trust in the Lord, the prophet Isaiah declares: “The Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” With the sign of the conception and birth of a child, God wants to manifest to King Ahaz that the Lord Yahweh is in perfect control of human history and destiny. Indeed, God is with us and intimately involved in our affairs. The “sign” announced by the prophet Isaiah is an invitation to Ahaz to trust in God alone – in the realization of the Covenant and his continual protection. King Ahaz ought not to rely on the political and military interventions of the Assyrians for salvation from his enemies. The conception and birth of a child by the king’s young wife is meant to indicate Yahweh’s abiding presence and merciful intervention on behalf of his people. The weakling ruler, however, does not accept the birth of his son, Hezekiah, as a “sign” of salvation and of God’s solicitude for the house of David. Trusting more in political security, Ahaz sends gold and silver to the King of Assyria and woefully becomes Assyria’s vassal.
The “sign” of a child used by the prophet Isaiah to challenge the feckless Ahaz is surpassed and radically fulfilled in the mystery of the Lord’s Annunciation. It is through the message of an angel that we learn of the incarnation of the Son of God. It is not a sign among many, but THE sign of God par excellence. The feast of the Annunciation celebrates the mystery of the Son of God conceived by the Blessed Virgin Mary in her womb in order to give him a body. This body, formed from the flesh and blood of the Virgin Mother by the power of the Holy Spirit, is the “body” that brings salvation to all through the paschal event of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
The Indian Nobel laureate poet, Rabindranath Tagore, remarks that the birth of every child is a sign that God has not given up on the world. God continues to surround us with “signs” of salvation and of his care and love. The following story narrated by Sue Monk Kidd in an old issue of GUIDEPOSTS magazine illustrates how the appearance of a child in the languishing church community of Melba becomes a sign of the divine will to bring life and salvation.
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.
***
Today’s Second Reading (Heb 10:5-10) gives us a profound insight into the “why” of the Lord’s incarnation. The Son of God became man so that through his “body” he could offer a sacrifice of perfect obedience to the Father’s saving will. The effect of Christ’s perfect sacrifice is our salvation and redemption. Through the offering of the body of Christ for all, we have been sanctified and consecrated to the loving, merciful God the Father.
The following AOL news report gives insight into the sacrificial-saving aspect of the Lord’s incarnation.
An 8-year-old helped rescue six of his relatives from a fire at their mobile home, but sadly he wasn’t able to make it out himself. Brave Tyler Doohan was laid to rest with a special title: honorary firefighter.
CNN says Tyler was able to wake up 6 people to alert them of the fire and get them out safely. He then ran back inside the mobile home to try to save his disabled grandfather. Fire Chief Chris Ebmeyer explained what happened next. “By that time, the fire had traveled to the back of the trailer”, Ebmeyer said. “Unfortunately, they both succumbed to heat and smoke.
The boy and his grandfather were found together on a bed in the back room. It appears Tyler had been trying to lift him. With this comes the example that even though he was 8 years of age, he was able to display that amount of courage that most people can’t in their entire lives.”
The funeral for Tyler, his grandfather and step-grandfather was held Wednesday, January 29, 2014 … Since the tragedy, Tyler’s neighbor has started a fundraiser for the family who lost everything in the fire. As of January 30th, supporters have donated more than $60,000 – far exceeding the $15,000 goal.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we imitate Mary’s “Yes” to the saving will of God? In what ways do we live out our openness to divine grace?
2. What is the personal significance of the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God in our life? Are we ready to welcome the Lord’s annunciation and incarnation as a saving sign that transforms our life?
3. Do you imitate Christ in his total submission to the Father’s saving will? Do you declare “through Christ, with Christ and in Christ” with a receptive heart: Behold, I come to do your will, O God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(cf. Alternative Opening Prayer of the Mass of the Annunciation)
Almighty Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
you have revealed the beauty of your power
by exalting the lowly virgin of Nazareth
and making her the mother of our Savior.
May the prayers of this woman
bring Jesus to the waiting world
and fill the void of incompletion
with the presence of her child,
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.
“May it be done to me according to your word.” (cf. Lk 1:38)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Any time today pray and meditate on the beautiful prayer, “The Angelus”. By your acts of kindness and charity, enable the people around you to welcome and experience God’s ultimate sign of love in Jesus Christ.
***
March 26, 2015: THURSDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (5)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Ratifies the New Covenant by His Blood”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 17:3-9 // Jn 8:51-59
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
(Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Martha Bruan, PDDM)
The Jews are taken a back and incredulous when Jesus tells them that “if anyone keeps his words, he will never see death.” As usual the Jews take Jesus’ words literally and think He is merely talking about physical life and death. This obstructs them from seeing that Jesus is leading them to understand that whoever accepts Him enters into a relationship with Him and goes, not from life to death, but from life to life. These unbelieving Jews see Jesus as someone who is possessed and claims to be greater than Abraham.
The incredulity and literal-mindedness of the Jews does not prevent Jesus from making a further statement, “all true honor comes from God.” Only eternity can reveal this true honor. In our time we find it easy to honor oneself and dwell on the satisfaction of exposing oneself to the warmth of self-conceit. The Jews certainly do not know God as Jesus knows Him, for the latter has the unique knowledge of God. He knows God and is faithful in keeping His word. The only way to know God totally is through Jesus - the fullness of truth. In Jesus alone, the obedient and beloved Son, we see the perfect image of God.
Jesus is bent on helping the Jews open their minds and hearts to Him, so He goes on saying, “Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” Abraham, ever faithful to God, enters into a covenantal relationship with Him and He makes him the “father of a host of nations.” Here Jesus claims deliberately who He really is, the Messiah. He is the Messiah Abraham saw in his vision. The Jews, even if they know that Abraham had a vision of the coming of the Messiah, remain obstinate and persist in their unbelief. It is impossible for Jesus to have seen Abraham for He is still young. To their incredulity Jesus’ response is a self-revelation, “Before Abraham came to be, I AM.” This calls to mind the time when Moses asks Yahweh for His name. Yahweh makes a clarion declaration, “I am who am” (Ex. 3:14).
Jesus is at the beginning with God. He is timeless and exists even before Abraham came into being. He is equal with God and therefore, above Abraham. This is too much for the Jews and they can no longer take this blasphemy. They were very angry with Jesus, even to the extent of throwing stones at Him. Fully aware that it is not yet His time, Jesus inevitably hides and silently leaves the temple area. The “hour” has not yet come for Jesus’ passion, death and glorious resurrection.
In the midst of varied noises, distractions and the humdrum of daily life Jesus, the timeless God who always is, invites us to make the most of this Lenten Season and go deeper into our contemplation of His paschal mystery. In contemplating Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection we need to be in silence, have time for our being, listen to and keep His words alive in our hearts today and continue to cling tenaciously to our Lord and Master who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
***
In today’s Old Testament reading (Gn 17:3-9), God makes an everlasting covenant with Abraham, who is ninety-nine years old. The patriarch “Abram”, called by God from the land of Ur when he was seventy-five, receives the new name “Abraham” to indicate that he would be the ancestor of many nations. The change in the patriarch’s name signifies his new relationship with God and the new life granted by the covenant. The Lord God says to him: “I will be your God and the God of your descendants.” The covenant treaty that God initiates with him includes the promise of the land of Canaan for Abraham’s descendants. On the part of Abraham, he and his future descendants must agree to keep the covenant throughout the ages. Circumcision of Abraham and his male descendants represents a sign of commitment to the covenant. Jesus Christ is the most illustrious descendant of Abraham’s covenant relationship with God. In Christ Jesus, the new Covenant in the Spirit is sealed.
The concept of a covenant treaty continues to be experienced in the here and now - particularly in the life of the Pauline Family, founded by Blessed James Alberione. The meaning of his “pact with the Lord” can be gleaned from the following words written on January 7, 1919, by Blessed Timothy Giaccardo, the first priest in the Pauline Family (cf. Luigi Rolfo, James Alberione: Apostle for Our Times, trans. Salvatore Paglieri, New York: Alba House, 1987, p. 121).
Last night our dear father invited all of us to make a pact with the Lord, the pact that he himself had made: to study for one and learn for four. This morning in the meditation he repeated to us the importance, the basis, the condition and the invitation. His words were full of fire, full of conviction and very persuasive. The basis is: faith in God who has promised to grant wisdom to those who ask Him for it … The pleasure of God that we confide in Him. The will of God that this House exist and that it prosper: and the impossibility we find ourselves in to study as much as would ordinarily be necessary in order to learn … Faith is the first means for learning: with it we, who study only one-fourth of the time, can even challenge all the other students and seminarians.
The importance of the pact: it has to be done seriously, otherwise it loses its value, like using gold to make nails to mend one’s shoes. It will give our studies a lift which has now fallen so low; with it progress will be made and miracles performed. It’s true: God does not disappoint. It’s true: practice proves it. We believe that it is so.
The conditions: (1) Faith in God and good use of time. He who has enough faith to believe that he will do four with one should make the pact. If not, he should not make it. But then neither should he study in the House. (2) Make good use of the time set aside for study. Promise this and do it, otherwise the pact is null and void. (3) Promise to make use of whatever is learned solely for the Good Press and the glory of God. This promise is a serious one to be kept even at the cost of sacrifice and little gain. Without these conditions being taken seriously, the pact would be worthless and should not be made.
He invited everyone to enter into this pact which he himself had made with God, but he left us absolutely free. God would be faithful. On our part, we must not fail, no matter what.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we make a serious effort to delve into the Christ mystery and his profound self-revelation?
2. Do we take our baptismal covenant with the Lord God seriously? How does the covenant relationship between God and Abraham, our father in faith, inspire you?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are holy and immortal.
You are true God and dwell in the bosom of the Most Holy Trinity.
Abraham rejoiced at your coming.
Grant that your profound revelation as one being with God
may touch us to the core.
You are the true Master of our life.
You are the Lord of history and creation.
May we love and serve you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Abraham rejoiced to see my day.” (Jn 8:56) //“You must keep my covenant throughout the ages.” (Gn 17:9)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your daily choices show to the world that Jesus is the Divine Master and the omnipotent Lord of history and creation.
***
March 27, 2015: FRIDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (5)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Takes Refuge in the Lord”
BIBLE READINGS
Jer 20:10-13 // Jn 10:31-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
(Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Martha Bruan, PDDM)
The moment the Jews hear Jesus telling them that He and the Father are one, they become all the more hostile. The Jews immediately draw a rash conclusion that Jesus commits blasphemy by claiming He is the Son of God. The penalty stipulated in Jewish law for blasphemy is none other than stoning. They are ready to stone Jesus with rocks. Jesus meets their hostility calmly and reminds them about the good works he has done for them. He is going around preaching, feeding the hungry, comforting the desperate and sorrowing, curing the sick, casting out demons and performing other signs and wonders very revealing of God’s power. The works that Jesus does out of His great love for humankind are indeed so noble and beautiful that they can only come from God. He is consecrated by God for a mission. God consecrates Jesus, makes Him holy and sets Him apart from the rest of the people for a special mission. He is sent by God into the world. He came to put into realization the mission God entrusts to his care.
Seeing that the Jews are not open to believe His words, Jesus appeals to them to accept His deeds. As the One sent by God, he does not base His claims on what He says, but on what He is and does. The Jews have to judge Him according to His works and not according to what He says, for what He is doing are the works of the Father. Whatever Jesus does reveals that He and the Father are one. Faced with the growing hostility of the Jews who tried to arrest Him, Jesus deemed it necessary to flee. Before the human eye, fleeing is a cowardly act but, what Jesus did is not cowardice. He is not afraid of the Jews, but He knows that His “hour” has not yet come. He wants to be in silence and solitude with God when it finally comes. He is preparing himself for the full realization of His mission to the point of expending His life for all. He wants to be in communion with the Father. This is the reason why he decided to go to the other side of the Jordan, a very significant place for Jesus. This is where He was baptized by John the Baptist and His identity and mission as the Beloved Son of the Father was confirmed. There, on the distant side of the Jordan, the Jews followed Jesus and remembered John the Baptist. John spoke to them as a prophet but did not perform signs and wonders like Jesus. They regarded John as a prophet, and with their own eyes saw that everything He said about Jesus was true.
To believe in God is not mere lip service. Whatever we say has to be accompanied with good deeds. Our words should be in consonance with the works we do if we want to be credible in following Jesus and in communicating Him to contemporary men and women. Let us hold on to the sublime reality that our Lord and Master is with us. His obedience to the Father’s plan culminated in His death on the cross. Jesus’ death on the cross is the supreme proclamation and greatest act of His love for humanity that is acceptable to the Father.
***
Suffering seems to be an integral element of a God-given mission. Some suffering is inevitable for those called by God for a special ministry. The pathos and intense pain of the prophet Jeremiah illustrate this reality. Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 20:10-13) depicts the drama of a persecuted prophet and illustrates the triumph of faith in the divine presence and intervention. Jeremiah lamented to God that his enemies were closing in on him, for he had obeyed God’s promptings and had prophesied that Judah, on account of its infidelity and social injustice, would be destroyed and its people led away in captivity.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, comment: “But after this profoundly human cry of distress, faith prevails, stronger and more tenacious than the fear that would submerge the prophet: But the Lord is with me: like a mighty champion; my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph … Thanks to this surge of trust, Jeremiah foresees that he will conquer overwhelmingly … It is to God that Jeremiah entrusts his cause, and it is upon him that he places the too heavy burden which overwhelms him. This cry toward God is prolonged by a thanksgiving in which we all are invited to share, each of us, personally and as a church. Jeremiah is really the father of this spiritual posterity of the poor, those dependents of God who in their material and spiritual distress place their cause in God’s hands.”
The Kingdom message that we – Christian disciples – are called to proclaim is “good news”, but at the same time confrontational and explosive, for it impeaches a world based on false values. Conflicts are thus unavoidable. Indeed, a Gospel proclamation that is innocuous - bothers no one - and questions nothing is no longer a Gospel. The Church is experiencing intense trial as it fights social injustice and testifies to the Gospel values.
The passion of Christ continues to be the passion of the Church and of every Christian disciple. The martyrdom of Fr. Thomas Pandippall, a Carmelite of Mary Immaculate priest from India, is an example. He was brutally murdered on August 16, 2008, on his way from a mission in Burgida, Andhra Pradish, by a group of Hindu extremists who broke his hands and legs, tore out his eyes, beat him with sticks and stabbed him repeatedly (cf. “Catholic Martyrs a Daily Reality” in L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO, September 3, 2008, p. 5-6). Archbishop Joji Marampudi, Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Andhra Pradesh, gave the following statements in an interview granted to L’Osservatore Romano journalist, Roberto Sgaramella:
They killed Fr. Thomas for three reasons: because he was a religious, because he was a Christian and because he was charitable to the poor. His attackers were waiting for him on his way home from one of our missions in Burgida. He was probably waylaid at about 10:00 o’clock in the evening, not far from the village of Bellampally, an area unfortunately known for acts of violence perpetrated there by groups of Hindu fanatics. They stopped him while he was returning on his motorcycle and clubbed him with sticks. They then ferociously slashed his body with knives. I myself went there the following morning and saw his blood mingled with the dust. I saw the mess they had made of his body.
He was killed because Catholic missionaries take the side of the poor in this region where, in fact, a rigid form of slavery still exists, linked to farming the land. The landowners do not recognize that the peasants have any rights and use bands of Hindu fanatics to thwart anyone who attempts to improve the standard of living of the rural population. (…)
To be a Christian and, in particular, a Catholic, is a very courageous choice, but a choice that puts one’s own life and that of one’s relatives at risk … I would like to call the authorities’ attention to our men and women missionaries. Various groups of Sisters work constantly for the needy in relatively isolated localities where there are absolutely no policemen. They work at a serious risk to themselves. They work for children and the elderly. They help mothers and the sick. They organize classes for illiterate youth. They work trusting in God’s protection alone. They do their utmost to help their neighbor and thereby bear witness to the Gospel. I am thinking of these absolutely heroic missionary Sisters. I am thinking of the missionary priests who never fail to go to the help of the lowly as, precisely Fr. Thomas. I am thinking of our little Church of Hyderabad. It is a small Church because of the number of the faithful but certainly large from the point of view of their heroism – heroism because of their constant witness to faith in God and in the Gospel.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe in Jesus’ works and do we acknowledge that his compassionate acts of love and mercy testify that he is the Son of God?
2. What were the conflicts and sufferings that the prophet Jeremiah was experiencing? How did the reality of the Lord’s protective presence strengthen him in moments of distress and trials? Do we experience in our own life the convergence of mission and suffering?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for Jeremiah,
your faithful persecuted prophet.
You are his “mighty champion” and protector.
In his painful experience as prophet of truth,
Jeremiah had recourse to you.
Most of all, dear Father,
we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ,
the ultimate suffering prophet and the incarnate word of truth.
Jesus taught us to trust in you.
In our mission of proclaiming the Kingdom value
in today’s society,
help us not to be overcome by fear.
Let your beloved Son-Servant
give us the courage to speak your prophetic word
and to confront social injustice
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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 escaped from their power.” (Jn 10:39) // “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion” (Jer 20:11a).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In any way you can, support the missionary endeavors of the Church, especially where there is violent conflict and persecution.
***
March 28, 2015: SATURDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (5)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Will Gather the Scattered Children of God”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 37:21-28 // Jn 11:45-56
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
(Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Martha Bruan, PDDM)
The gathering together into one of the dispersed children of God in today’s Gospel is prophesied by Caiaphas, the High Priest, during the meeting of the chief priests and the Pharisees in the Sanhedrin. Many of those who witness Jesus raising Lazarus to life believe in him. When the news of this sign and wonder that Jesus performs reaches the Pharisees it disturbs them. Feeling threatened by the growing popularity of Jesus, because of his preaching and the miracles he continues to perform, they are compelled to convene the Sanhedrin. The chief priests and the Pharisees, anxious that Jesus might have a large number of followers strong enough to cause chaos and social unrest, ask the question, “What are we going to do?” It appears that this question concerns the common good, but underneath is their intention to protect their own interests. The chief priests and Pharisees are obsessed with preserving their social status, political power and prestige at the expense of another person - Jesus.
Caiaphas, the High Priest, proposes without any qualms “that one man should die instead of the people so that the whole nation may not perish.” For Caiaphas, the death of Jesus will bring no trouble from the Romans. The death of Jesus is the only answer to their present dilemma. Jesus is going to die for the nation, and not only for the nation, but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God. The Jews believe that God speaks through the High Priest and so those in the Sanhedrin take the words of Caiaphas as prophetic. From that day onwards they conspired to kill Jesus who, for them, is becoming more and more dangerous.
From the very beginning Jesus knows very well that it is His mission to lay down His life for the salvation of all peoples. The culminating point of the obedience of Jesus to the will of the Father is His death on the cross. This He has to do according to God’s plan when His “hour” comes. Faced with the danger of the conspiracy of the chief priests and Pharisees to eliminate Jesus, He retires to Ephraim, a town near Bethel in the northern part of Jerusalem and stays there with His disciples. In silence Jesus waits for the “hour” to come when He has to die and unite all nations into one people of God. With His death Jesus restores our dignity as God’s children.
Journeying together for forty days during this grace-filled Lenten season, let us keep gazing upon Jesus. Let us allow ourselves to be grasped by Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Let us live in solidarity with one another even if this means going against the current of division and fragmentation, caused by the culture of materialism, secularism and consumerism.
***
The Old Testament reading (Ez 37:21-28) presents Ezekiel’s prophecy about when God will bring the scattered tribes of Israel from foreign lands and make them “one nation upon the land”. Ezekiel hopes not only for the restoration of the Judean exiles in Babylon, but also for the reassembly of the exiles of Israel who were deported by the Assyrian invasion in 721 B.C. The restored people will be cared for: “there shall be one shepherd for them all”. God promises to dwell among his people and he will make an everlasting “covenant of peace” with them. The Lord God will be their God and they shall be his people.
In the morning of March 13, 2013, our community in Fresno was summoned to go to the television with the big news that “We have a Pope!” We saw the impressive image of thousands and thousands of people converging into Saint Peter’s Square. People from all nations … from all races and cultures … full of energy and excitedly rejoicing! It was a young and energetic crowd rejoicing for the gift of the Pope-Shepherd in the person of Pope Francis. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, continues his pastoral ministry in the person of the newly elected Pope Francis. The Ezekiel prophecy becomes a reality once again.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we commit acts of injustice because we rationalize that it is better for one man to die rather than allow a bigger group to perish?
2. How does the Ezekiel prophecy “There shall be one shepherd for them all” affect you? What is your response to God’s gift in the person of Pope Francis?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(From the Masses and Prayers for Various Needs and Occasions: For the Pope)
God our Father, shepherd and guide,
look with love on Pope Francis, your servant,
the pastor of your Church.
May his word and example inspire and guide the Church,
and may he, and all those entrusted to his care,
come to the joy of everlasting life.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“And there shall be one shepherd for them all.” (Ex 37:24) // “He prophesied that Jesus was going to gather into one the dispersed children of God.” (Jn 11:52)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Offer special prayers and sacrifices for Pope Francis and continue Christ’s pastoral mission by extending the Good Shepherd’s peace and compassion to the people around you.
***
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