A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 13, n. 27)
The Most Holy Trinity and Weekday 9: May 31 – June 6, 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: May 24-30, 2015, please go to ARCHIVES Series 13 and click on “Week 8”.
(Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: May 31-June 6, 2015.)
***
May 31, 2015: THE MOST HOLY TRINITY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Sends Us to Baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Dt 4:32-34, 39-40 // Rom 8:14-17// Mt 28:16-20
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Our life is deeply permeated by the Blessed Trinity, but we can be oblivious to this reality. A little story reported by Anthony de Mello in his book, The Song of the Bird, can give us an idea of this unfortunate situation.
“Excuse me,” said one ocean fish to another. “You are older and more experienced than I, and will probably be able to help me. Tell me; where can I find this thing they call Ocean? I’ve been searching for it everywhere to no avail.” “The Ocean,” said the older fish, “is what you are swimming in now.” “Oh, this? But this is only water. What I’m searching for is the Ocean,” said the young fish, feeling quite disappointed as he swam away to search elsewhere …
Stop searching, little fish. There’s nothing to look for. Just be still, open your eyes, and look. You cannot miss it.
Indeed, we are immersed in the life of the Blessed Trinity. We are enveloped and drenched in the creative power, redeeming sacrifice, and sanctifying love of the One and Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, number 261: “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of the Christian life. God alone can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” By his actions in history and in our lives, God wills to reveal himself to us in his inmost being.
The Gospel reading (Mt 28:16-20) contains the Risen Lord’s Easter command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The apostolic mandate to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” signifies that the person baptized belongs to the Trinity of persons and enters into an intimate relationship with them. According to St. Isidore of Seville, the sacrament of baptism is the “sacrament of the Trinity” for it makes us share in the life of the one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the baptismal waters, we are immersed into the life of the Blessed Trinity and consecrated to the Triune God: to the Heavenly Father as his adopted children; to the Son of God as his brother/sister and disciple; and to the Holy Spirit as his holy temple.
For the members of the early Christian community, the Paschal Mystery is the basis of Trinitarian revelation. The saving events surrounding Jesus of Nazareth were the basis of their belief and confession that he was the Son of God. They had grasped not only Jesus Christ’s incomparable, singular rapport with God, but also his special and astounding relationship with the Spirit. The community of believers perceived the Spirit as the one who makes Christ’s saving event present in the “here and now” of the universe and history. From the experience of the Paschal Mystery, the Church would come to a profound understanding that the one God, in his most intimate nature, is Trinitarian:
- as the loving Creator Father, the source of our redemption;
- as the obedient Son who accomplished the Father’s saving plan by his death on the cross;
- and as the Spirit of love, proceeding from the Father and the Son, who witnesses to our being God’s children and enables us to call him, “Abba, Father!”
***
Here is a charming story for Trinity Sunday: A priest went into a second-grade classroom of the parish school and asked, “Who can tell me what the Blessed Trinity means?” A little girl lisped, “The Blethed Twinity meanth there are thwee perthonth in one God.” The priest, taken aback by the lisp, said, “Would you say that again? I don’t understand what you said.” The little girl answered, “Y’not suppothed to underthtand; ‘t’th a mythtewy.” The little girl is right: we cannot grasp with our mortal minds the infinite mystery of God, but we can try to “stand under” the mystery of the loving triune God.
The reading (Dt 4:32-34, 39-40) speaks resolutely of the unique character of Israel’s God and asserts that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on the earth below, and there is no other. Eugene Maly comments: “This reading from Deuteronomy does not, of course, speak of Trinity. But it does lay down the foundation for such truth … This says monotheism, one God. Without that conviction the later revelation of three Persons in the one God would make no sense. Polytheism, or many gods, would exclude a Trinity. But notice how the uniqueness of this one God was made known. It was by the things this God did for his people, in leading them out of the land of Egypt by testing, by signs and wonders, by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm …Did anything so great ever happen before? This God is unique; he is one; he is the only one.”
Through the Paschal Mystery and consequential events, the Church came into contact with the stupendous revelation that the “one” God is a “trinity of persons” in his deepest nature: the loving Creator Father, the font of redemption; the obedient Son of God who accomplished the Father’s saving plan by his death on the cross; and the Spirit of love, proceeding forth from the Father and the Son, who powers and energizes the Church in its life of mission and service in the world. Indeed, Trinity Sunday invites us to celebrate the marvelous work of the triune God in salvation history, through every time and space. Moreover it helps us to reflect on our vocation to live in intimate relationship with the triune divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
***
In the Second Reading (Rom 8:14-17), the great apostle Paul declares that we have been adopted and chosen in love by a divine being so loving that we can respond with the intimate term “Abba”. We can do so by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Easter gift of our Lord Jesus Christ. As adopted children or “heirs”, we have a right to inherit the promised reign of God just as Christ did through his obedient suffering. The Spirit enables us to bear the suffering that leads to glory. If we share Christ’s suffering and allow ourselves to be totally configured to the divine Son’s obedient and saving death on the cross, we too will share in his eternal glory with the Father and the Son and with the boundless blessings of the kingdom of heaven.
The death of my dear younger brother Gisbert has touched me deeply. The experience of accompanying him in his terminal illness and in the painful process of dying was poignant and transforming. The basis of the Trinitarian revelation and confession of the Church is the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection-glorification. In the same way, the presence of the one and triune God was especially revealed to me in the terminal illness and passing to eternal life of Gisbert. In his bout with a vicious cancer, he was journeying home to God the Father, his Creator and ultimate destiny. Moreover, he was deeply united with the redemptive suffering of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was for him the Good Shepherd leading him to the green pastures of eternal life. Finally, the Holy Spirit was the Consoler giving him patient endurance. The power and energy of the Holy Spirit enabled him to bear the suffering that led to glory.
Gisbert died in Toronto, Canada in the evening of May 20, 2009. I was with him in his last ten days at the hospital. Together with his wife, Veron, and his six-year old daughter Nicole, I was beside his bed when he expired. I could not attend the funeral rites of my brother, but I composed a eulogy that was read by my niece Erica at his wake. The following excerpt gives insight into the Trinitarian dimension of the paschal experience of death and rising.
“SURELY GOODNESS AND KINDNESS SHALL FOLLOW ME”: In the hospital room where Gisbert spent his last days (exactly, one month), there were many signs of God’s favor and grace.
WATER: There was the sound of gurgling water. It was coming from a hospital water-based mechanism that the nurses used to administer oxygen to Gisbert to ease his breathing problem. That peaceful sound of streaming water evokes the passage from the Book of Revelation: “I am the root of Jesse and David’s son, the radiant star of morning and God’s own light. The Spirit and the Bride say ‘Come.’ Let him who hears their voices say, ‘Come.’ He who has thirst let him come and he who has desire let him drink from the waters of everlasting life. ‘Yes, I come very soon.’ Amen. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:4-5). The Good Shepherd finally answered Gisbert’s Advent expectation and led him to the font of everlasting life.
SUNSET: Gisbert’s hospital room was facing directly toward the west, which has a splendid view of the setting sun in its colorful, splendid glory. Gisbert died at 6:55 P.M. (DST). As the family and friends paid homage to Gisbert’s mortal remains, the dying sun made me remember some intuitive message from the Book of Revelation: “They shall see the Lord face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. The night shall be no more. They shall need no light from the lamps or from the sun, for the Lord will give them light. And they shall reign forever” (Rev 22:16-20).
GROWING PLANT: Gisbert’s six-year old daughter Nicole, as part of her school project, planted a seed in a plastic cup filled with soil. She brought the plant to her dad and it was placed on the window sill. Nicole’s sprouting plant is very suggestive of new life and the resurrection of our body. Saint Paul writes: “What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies … So also is the resurrection of the dead … It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (I Cor 15:36, 42, 44). Like the seed that is buried and dies in the ground, the mortal body of Gisbert dies, but his spirit lives forever and on the last day, even his mortal body will be brought to life.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
As persons baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”, do we truly believe that we have been born to a new life, that of the three Persons of the Trinity? How do we carry out today Christ’s apostolic command to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(“Prayer to the Holy Trinity” by Blessed James Alberione)
Divine Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
present and active in the Church
and in the depths of my soul,
I adore you, I thank you, I love you!
And through the hands of Mary most holy, my Mother,
I offer, give and consecrate myself entirely to you
for life and for eternity.
To you, heavenly Father,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
as your son/daughter.
To you, Jesus Master,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
as your brother/sister and disciple.
To you, Holy Spirit,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
as a “living temple” to be consecrated and sanctified.
Mary, Mother of the Church and my Mother,
who dwells in the presence of the Blessed Trinity,
teach me to live through the liturgy and the sacraments,
in ever more intimate union with the three divine Persons,
so that my whole life
may be a “glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.”
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.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
This week offer three good deeds and acts of kindness in honor of the most Holy Trinity.
***
June 1, 2015: MONDAY – SAINT JUSTIN, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Beloved Son Finally Sent”
BIBLE READINGS
Tb 1:3; 2:1b-8 // Mk 12:1-12
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Gospel (Mk 12:1-12) presents the drama of man’s wickedness and God’s faithful and patient love. A “parable of contention”, it is directed against the smugness, vanity and self-seeking of the religious leaders of Israel. They have failed in their mission as stewards. They have persecuted and even killed those whom the Lord sent them. As a last resort, God sent not only his servants the prophets, but his own Son. But the wicked tenants seized his “beloved son” and put him to death, throwing his body “out of the vineyard”. The “beloved son” finally sent is Jesus, put to death outside the walls of Jerusalem. Cardinal Jean Danielou remarks: “God’s patience has been strained to its farthest limit in this tragedy of Christ, the Lord of the vineyard’s son, rejected by the tenants, crucified, treated by his own people as a stranger and an outcast. But from the lowest depths arises a sudden hope. He will let out the vineyard to other vinedressers, who will pay him his due when the season comes.” In this parable of the wicked tenants, we see God’s first covenant with his Chosen People Israel being transferred to all peoples of faith. As a result of the sacrificial death of the Son, peoples of all nations become tenants-producers in God’s vineyard.
We are called to be a productive part of the Lord’s vineyard. As workers in his harvest, we need to be responsible, dutiful and faithful. We need to overcome human tendencies to mediocrity, indifference and sloth in our service of God’s kingdom. The following story by Papa Mike McGarvin (cf. Poverello News, November 2011, p. 1-2) gives insight into some of the foibles and counterproductive attitudes that we need to overcome in our daily life.
Several years ago, just before Thanksgiving, someone donated a turkey to us that was over fifty pounds. It was an absolute monster, the biggest gobbler I’d ever seen. I figured that meat from that bird would take care of several families on Thanksgiving Day. We made a big deal about it; we thanked the donor, of course, but we also mentioned the turkey to some of the news outlets that make their way down here on the holidays, and at least one station took some footage and showed the prize turkey on the air.
We were curious to discover just how much meat this big boy would provide, so it was with great anticipation that it was prepared and placed in the oven. Later that day, I went to our chef to ask how it came out. He looked at me and sighed. “Well … the boys burned it.” “Whaddaya mean they burned it?” I asked stunned in disbelief. “They just … burned it up. Nothing salvageable. I guess they weren’t paying attention.”
This wasn’t the first time that our drug program cooks had done something like this. I remember one time when lettuce prices were sky-high, and we received several crates of lettuce as a donation. I was elated, because it meant plenty for salads and hamburger trimmings at a time we couldn’t afford to buy this produce item. Our program cook at the time was a man who claimed to be a professional chef. I walked through the kitchen, and saw him happily washing the lettuce – in scalding water. By the time I caught him, he had washed over three-quarters of the supply, rendering it wilted and useless.
***
This week’s Old Testament reading is taken from the Book of Tobit, originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic. It is a religious story that tells of miraculous help to God’s faithful people and teaches Jewish piety and morality. The author depicts the faithfulness of Tobit, a Jewish exile in Nineveh. He is an honest man who tries to do what is right in the sight of God. He is marked with virtues, foremost of which is charity. Tobit is a model of the exiled Israel who expresses his faith by serving the needs of others. He feeds the hungry, clothes the naked and buries the dead, a charitable act that once put him to flight and in danger of death during the time of King Sennacherib. Returning to Nineveh during the time of King Esarhaddon, Tobit is not daunted. He continues to exercise his charitable works.
Today’s reading (Tb 1:3; 2:1a-8) tells us that on a Pentecost festival Tobit sends out his son Tobiah to find a poor kinsman with whom he could share a fine dinner. The son finds, instead, a murdered man in the market place. Tobit springs to his feet, leaves his dinner untouched and retrieves the dead body so that he might bury him after sunset. The neighbors mock his folly. He has been hunted down once for burying the dead and now he is doing it all over again. Tobit is a sterling example of how to be imbued with charity as a principle of daily life, and not merely as an occasional diversion. He is likewise a figure of Jesus Christ, the faithful one, who walks on the path of truth and righteousness. Tobit’s selfless compassion also inspires us to commit ourselves to corporal works of mercy for the needy.
The reverence for the dead that the Jewish faithful Tobit showed can be verified in other cultures. Here is an example in the Japanese culture (cf. Arthur Gordon, Memoirs of a Geisha, New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 1997, p. 102-104).
And then Auntie interrupted my thoughts. “Chiyo, I’m going to read you something from a man named Tanaka Ichiro”, she said in a voice that was strangely heavy and slow. I don’t think I breathed at all while she spread the paper out on the table.
Dear Chiyo:
Two seasons have passed since you left Yoroido, and soon the trees will give birth to new generation of blossoms. Flowers that grow where old ones withered serve to remind us that death will one day come to us all.
As one who was once an orphaned child himself, this humble person is sorry to inform you of the terrible burden you must bear. Six weeks after you left for your new life in Kyoto, the suffering of your honored mother came to its end, and only a few weeks afterward your honored father departed this world as well. This humble person is deeply sorry for your loss and hopes you will rest assured that the remains of both your honored parents are enshrined in the village cemetery. Services were conducted for them at the Hoko-ji Temple in Senzuru, and in addition the women in Yoroido have chanted sutras. This humble person feels confident that both your honored parents have found their places in paradise. (…)
Most sincerely yours,
Tanaka Ichiro
Long before Auntie had finished reading this letter, the tears had begun to flow out of me just like water from a pot that boils over. (…) When I was finally able to speak, I asked Auntie if she would set up the tablets someplace where I wouldn’t see them, and pray on my behalf – for it would give me too much pain to do it. But she refused, and told me I should be ashamed even to consider turning my back on my own ancestors. She helped me set the tablets up on a shelf near the base of the stairwell, where I could pray before them every morning. “Never forget them, “Chiyo-chan”, she said. “They’re all that’s left of your childhood.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we carry out our task as “tenant farmers” in God’s vineyard? Do we try to overcome counterproductive tendencies and attitudes such as irresponsibility, indifference, incompetence, sloth, etc.?
2. Like Tobit and Jesus Christ, do we endeavor to walk in the paths of truth and righteousness, and do we show our fidelity to God by our compassionate acts of charity to the needy?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you call us to be the new “tenant farmers”
in the Lord’s vineyard.
Give us the grace
to work with personal dedication and loving responsibility
so as to produce a rich spiritual harvest.
Bless all our toils and labors
for the coming of God’s kingdom.
We love and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Almighty God,
we thank you for your faithful and merciful love.
Let us be imbued by your own mercy and faithfulness.
Help us to share our table with the hungry,
to defend the oppressed,
to give tithes generously,
to assist the poor,
and to bury the dead and show them due respect.
You care for us and guide us in your ways.
Help us radiate your saving love to all.
We adore and serve you.
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 had one other to send, a beloved son.” (Mk 12:6) //“I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my life on the paths of truth and righteousness.” (Tb 1:3)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Today carry out your daily tasks with a greater spirit of love and personal dedication and with deeper awareness that we are called to be fruitful “tenant farmers” in the Lord’s vineyard. // When you attend a funeral service, be deeply aware that you are carrying out a corporal work of mercy.
***
June 2, 2015: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (9); SAINTS MARCELLINUS AND PETER, Martyrs
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls us Repay to Caesar What Belongs to Caesar and to God What Belongs to God”
BIBLE READINGS
Tb 2:9-14 // Mk 12:13-17
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Gospel (Mk 12:13-17) presents an insidious trap concocted by some Pharisees and Herodians against Jesus. Recognizing their hypocrisy and evil intent, Jesus eludes the trap by asking them to bring him a denarius. When they hand him the Roman coin, he asks them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They reply “Caesar’s”. Jesus then confounds them with a masterly retort: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”.
The great preacher, Fulton Sheen, comments on today’s Gospel episode: “Our Lord took no sides, because the basic question was not God or Caesar, but God and Caesar. That coin used in their daily marketing showed they were no longer independent from a political point of view. In that lower sphere of life, the debt to the government should be discharged … Once again he was saying that his kingdom was not of this world; that submission to him is not inconsistent with submission to secular powers; that political freedom is not the only freedom. To the Pharisees who hated Caesar came the command: Give unto Caesar; to the Herodians who had forgotten God in their love of Caesar came the basic principle: Give unto God. Had the people rendered to God his due, they would not now be in their present state of having to render too much to Caesar. He had come primarily to restore the rights of God. As he told them before, if they sought first the kingdom of God and his justice, all these things such as political freedom would be added unto them.”
Today we are reminded of our primary duty to render to God his rights as well as our obligation to render our due to the civil society. Jesus challenges us to be observant in paying our debts to God and to fulfill our duties to one another and to a larger society. I am a Filipino citizen, but because of the particular work that I do – spiritual ministry – I am not a wage earner. I do not pay income tax since I practically do not have any income. But I know the importance of paying taxes to the Philippine government. Taxes are needed to fund its community services and public works. Hence, I contribute my “little” to the civil society by paying my resident’s tax, travel tax, etc. not grudgingly but joyfully, and above all, by conducting myself in a manner that befits a citizen of our beloved nation.
***
The reading (Tb 2:9-14) portrays Tobit as a very unfortunate victim of an accident. On the very night he performs a corporal work of mercy for the dead, misfortune comes to him. Droppings from birds nesting above settle on his uncovered eyes while he is resting in the courtyard and would cause him later on to be totally blind. It seems incomprehensible how God could allow a charitable man like him, who feeds the hungry and buries the dead, to suffer senselessly. Tobit’s reward for righteousness seems to be suffering rather than blessing. His affliction is exacerbated by his scrupulosity. He wrongfully accuses his wife Anna of stealing the young goat that was given to her by her customers as a bonus. His wife’s retort cuts deep into the heart of the matter: “Your true character is finally showing itself!” In the heat of anger, Anna calls into question her husband’s charitable deeds and virtuous acts. Tobit is deeply chastised and heart-broken and would pray to God for death.
Tobit’s affliction will turn eventually into an occasion for blessing. In the life of Tobit, of Jesus Christ and his disciples, good could spring forth from suffering. This can be gleaned from the following testimony (cf. Julie Evans, “Out of the Dark” in Saturday Evening Post, Sep/Oct 2012, p. 24-26).
Virginia Jacko was going blind. She knew it, but not everyone else did. Since the mid-1990s, her vision had been steadily deteriorating. Though capable of seeing people and objects in front of her, she might not recognize a person standing at her side. Finally, in 1998, then in her 50s, Virginia was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an irreversible disease affecting about 1 in 4,000 people in the United States. The disease attacks the cells controlling the night vision, eventually leading to blindness. (…)
She needed to learn to live as a blind person if she was going to succeed in a sighted person’s world. (…) One of her three children, Julie, urged her to check out the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Virginia and Bob owned a condominium in Miami, so she would have a place to stay. Once there, Virginia immersed herself in the world of the blind, honing skills she once took for granted, such as baking oatmeal cookies and sewing buttons on clothes. She soaked up everything she could learn about computer programs for the blind, including programs that convert text to speech. After a three-month program, Virginia felt a renewed sense of confidence. “I learned that a blind person can do anything a sighted person does. They just have to learn to do things differently”, she says.
At the end of her medical leave, Virginia was at a crossroads. She could return to her job at Purdue and continue to advise the president and provost on financial affairs. Or she could continue her efforts to regain mobility by enrolling in a one-month, 24/7 intensive training program with a guide dog. She chose the latter.
By then, not only was Virginia completely blind but for the first time in her life, she was stepping into the future without a clear career path. Yet she was at peace with her decision. “I had changed. Walking out the doors of Miami Lighthouse as a graduate of the program, I realized that my passion was helping the blind”, she says.
Virginia’s husband Bob spent three months with her in Miami while she completed the program but, as a tenured professor, he had to return to Purdue for the new school year. Virginia would stay in Miami with her new guide dog Tracker, immersing herself in work at the Miami Lighthouse. She began as a volunteer, but such was her financial experience – and drive – that she soon became treasurer and a member of the board. (…)
In early 2005, the president and CEO of Miami Lighthouse left unexpectedly for personal reasons. The chairman asked Virginia to serve as president and CEO on an interim basis until a permanent replacement could be found. Following a nationwide search, the board selected Virginia, making her the first blind president and CEO in Miami Lighthouse’s 81-year-history. Virginia wasted no time in growing the organization. (…)
Virginia’s disability has never slowed her down. “Virginia is such a determined person. Having a deep faith, supportive family, and positive, can-do attitude are at the core of her success”, says Doug Eadie, co-author of Virginia’s autobiography, The Blind Visionary.
“I am so blessed”, Virginia says today. Her blindness, she feels, was a gift that allowed her to find a new mission and purpose in life. “We transform people’s lives at Miami Lighthouse every day. I lost my vision and I found my passion.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I render to God his rights as well as my duty of service to humanity? Am I animated with love and zeal as I carry out my obligation to God and neighbors?
2. When we are totally grief-stricken, what is our attitude and course of action? Do we rely on ourselves or do we allow God to achieve his compassionate plan in our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving Jesus,
you came into the world to uphold the divine majesty
and to promote the total integrity of the human person.
Help us to be totally dedicated to God
and fully involved
in the pursuit of justice and peace in today’s world,
in giving preferential care for the weak and vulnerable,
and in promoting the good of individuals and the society.
Bless our endeavors
to “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God”.
Make us channels of your peace and healing love.
We love you and serve you;
we glorify you and give you praise, now and forever.
Amen.
***
My God,
at times and many times, we are lost.
Our grief overwhelms us.
Please do not let us lose hope.
Give us light and show us the way.
Let our hurts be turned to good
and our pain into healing.
Let the heart of the just trust in the Lord
and grant salvation to your servants, 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.
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” (Mk 12:17) // “I was deprived of my eyesight.” (Tb 2:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Participate actively, consciously and fruitfully in the Sunday worship and be honest and responsible in paying your dues to the State. // Help the blind to perceive God’s beauty in the beloved creation and his goodness in every human person.
***
June 3, 2015: WEDNESDAY – SAINT CHARLES LWANGA AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Faith in the Living God”
BIBLE READINGS
Tb 3:1-11a, 16-17a // Mk 12:18-27
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
This story is told by one of our Italian Sisters. Her father died of a massive stroke. Her mom was crying heartily at the funeral. She tried to console her with the thought of the final reunion in heaven. Her mom wailed: “But Jesus said in the Gospel that in the next life we will be like angels … no more matrimony. In heaven, I will no longer be your dad’s wife!” Of course, the widow’s fear of losing her husband in heaven is unfounded. True love never ends and nuptial love is perfected in heaven.
Today’s Gospel passage (Mk 12:18-27) introduces us to the Sadducees, a group of religious leaders who deny the existence of resurrected life. They are bent on engaging Jesus in a reduced-to-absurdity argument against bodily resurrection. The Divine Master’s first rebuttal to the scheming Sadducees also uses a reduced-to-absurdity tactic. He argues that in the next existence, which has no place for death, the issue of marriage is irrelevant. Jesus refutes the basic premise of the Sadducees that the life of the age to come is a continuation of this life and therefore needs human propagation lest it die out. The second rebuttal of Jesus is derived from the Torah. Since the Sadducees hold only to the Law of Moses, Jesus utilizes it to bolster his argument about the resurrection. The opponents of the resurrection have quoted the Torah to justify their case, but Jesus also quotes the Torah (Ex 3:6) to prove that death does not end human existence. When God says: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” this implies that the patriarchs are living.
The main object of human existence is to live for God and God’s glory. It is through the resurrection of the Son of God that we are brought to true and eternal life. Our belief in our resurrection is based on our faith in the resurrected Christ. Harold Buetow remarks: “Christian belief in immortality is unique and special. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News of fullness of life in this age, and of the resurrection in the age to come … Someone has compared death to standing on the seashore. A ship spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the open sea. She fades on the horizon, and someone says, ‘She’s gone.’ Just at the moment when someone says, ‘She’s gone’, other voices who are watching her coming on another shore happily shout, ‘Here she comes’. Or to use another metaphor, what the caterpillar calls ‘the end’, the butterfly calls the ‘beginning’.”
***
The reading (Tb 3:1-11a, 16-17a) is a powerful assurance that God is in control and he hears our prayer. The author presents us with parallel lives that are interconnected in the divine plan. Both Tobit and Sarah, driven by despair, wish to die and be released from suffering. With regards to Tobit, it seems ironic that the more he tries to live a good and holy life, the more he suffers. He becomes blind through a bird droppings accident. Moreover, his commitment to integrity leads to a quarrel with his wife, who understandably reacts with a verbal attack. To Tobit’s contention that she stole the goat that was given to her as a bonus, Anna counters by impeaching his moral integrity: “Now I see what you are really like.” Tobit is deeply humiliated. Choking back tears he prays that he would rather die than live in misery and face such cruel insults.
In the distant city of Ecbatana in Media, Sarah, the daughter of Tobit’s relative Raguel, is likewise overwhelmed with tribulations. She is afflicted by a demon, who desires her. Wanting her for himself, the demon keeps killing off her intended bridegrooms. Asmodeus, which means “demon of wrath”, kills each of her seven husbands before the marriage could be consummated. An abusive servant taunts her with the accusation that it is she who kills them. She is so depressed that she intends to hang herself. Sarah reconsiders, however, for the love of her father and instead raises her arms to God in prayer.
Tobit and Sarah, both victims of senseless and cruel situations, turn to God in prayer. Faith impels them to cast themselves upon God’s mercy and seek his saving will. Tobit’s plea for oblivion is accompanied by the words: “Now treat me as you please.” Sarah’s prayer for death is likewise accompanied with openness to divine grace: “But if it is not your will to take my life, at least show mercy to me.” God hears their prayers and sends his angel Raphael to help them. The name Raphael, which means “God heals”, aptly describes the angel’s role to be the instrument of healing for these two faithful ones who have opted to put their trust in God. Tobit will be able to see and Sarah will be liberated from demonic oppression. She will be espoused to Tobit’s son, Tobiah.
The story of Tobit and Sarah illustrates that God vindicates our faith and that suicide is a false solution to human misfortune. The experience of Tobit and Sarah has great relevance for the “suicide crisis” in today’s world. The following article published in an Irish Catholic newspaper gives insight into the modern society’s “self-destruction” phenomenon (cf. “Flaws in Effort to Tackle Suicide Crisis” in Alive! May 2013, p.7).
Paul Kelly of Console notes some of the trends in society that contribute to the terrible crisis of youth suicide. He points out the need for “sensitive criticism of the act”, and warns against “unintentionally legitimizing” it. The national media RTE in particular, have already done immense harm in this regard, pushing for the acceptance of voluntary mercy killing and assisted suicide. This is part of their wider, socially destructive, amoral agenda – the idea that each person is simply an individual and should have maximum “autonomy” or freedom.
Mr. Kelly stresses the need to teach children and young people how to cope with big disappointments in life. But how is this to be done?
We are talking here about suffering, how to cope with it and above all, how to make sense of it. For Christians it is the issue of the Cross. Again, inability to cope with failure may be an even bigger issue for adults – they often have less hope for the future, indeed, less future.
Kelly is right to link this problem with the desire for happiness. He speaks of “young people who cannot cope with the fact that they will not get what they want.” But the issue of happiness goes much deeper than getting what we want or being liked by others. This is the deepest yearning in every heart, yet our society seems to be utterly incapable of dealing with it in a serious way. It’s like we’re afraid of something.
Kelly briefly says that young people need to be told that suicide is “innately wrong” and never the “correct solution” to their problems. Despite first impressions, however, this appears to be simply a pragmatic rather than a moral statement.
And here we come to the most serious and undermining flaw in attempts to tackle the crisis – the refusal or inability to consider the religious and moral dimensions. But, whether we like it or not, these are fundamental in dealing with the issue of suicide. We need to face it.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our concept of death and dying? Is this concept illumined by faith in the living God, in whom all are alive?
2. Do the tribulations and trials of daily life overwhelm us? Do we ever despair and lose hope? In our painful experiences do we trust in God and have recourse to his saving help?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you are the God of the living, not of the dead.
In Jesus, your Son and our Savior,
we live and move.
We love you and your only begotten Son
for he is the way to eternal life.
We believe that death
is a door to infinite beauty and wondrous glory.
We proclaim in the great assembly
and in our life of service to the poor and needy
that you are indeed the font of life.
May the Risen Christ whom we celebrate in every Eucharist
bring about more and more
our daily resurrection and transformation.
In our work for justice and truth in today’s wounded world,
may we always give glory and praise to the triumph of life.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
God of mercy,
when trials and misfortunes overwhelm us,
be with us and help us to cling to you.
Strengthen us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Please join the sacrifice of our being
to that of Jesus, our infinite Savior,
that we may be touched by your healing hand
and experience your saving power.
Blessed are you, O Lord, merciful God.
And blessed is your holy and honorable name.
Blessed are you in all your works forever and ever!
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“He is not God of the dead but of the living.” (Mk 12:27) // “The prayer of these two suppliants was heard in the glorious presence of Almighty God.” (Tb 3:16)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for widows/widowers who have lost their partners and are grieving for them. Pray for the grace of a happy death and a deeper experience of trust in Jesus’ almighty Father, the God of the living. Unite the struggles and challenges of your daily life into the great Christian paschal mystery of dying that leads to eternal life. // By your word and example, by your testimony of trust in divine mercy, enable the despairing to turn to God in prayer and supplication. If it is possible, join a support group assisting the family members and friends of suicide victims.
***
June 4, 2015: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (9)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Love God and Neighbor”
BIBLE READINGS
Tb 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a // Mk 12:28-34
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The social ills of our time that cry out for healing challenge us to incarnate the love command presented in today’s Gospel reading: (Mk 12:28-34): “Love the Lord your God with all your heart … Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus Christ’s assertion of the primordial importance of the twofold love-command can be understood in the light of the Old Testament reading (Dt 6:2-6), which underlines the obligation of the people of Israel to love God wholeheartedly. But Jesus imbues the “love of God” command with a new meaning by adding “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, from the Book of Leviticus (19:8).
Harold Buetow explains: “What is new is that Jesus went further: For him there’s an extremely intimate bond between love of neighbor and love of God. In Christian charity, people and God are not merely side by side; they are inseparably one. That idea was new. Another facet of newness was that Jesus gave a completely new interpretation of neighbor. In the time of Leviticus it meant Hebrews only. By the time of Jesus, it included resident aliens as well. For Jesus, the word has the widest meaning possible: It includes every member of the human race: He died for all of us. This was a much greater depth and breadth than ever before imagined.”
The true meaning of love of God and neighbor is crystallized in the very life and person of Jesus, especially in his self-gift and sacrificial love on the cross. Because God, in his Son Jesus has loved us so much, we too are empowered to love. The commandment to love God and neighbor flows from the love that the Lord has for us. In accepting God’s love, it is possible to love God and neighbor in a wholehearted way.
The life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta exemplifies what love of God and neighbor means in our world today (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 20-23). The following thoughts from her are very insightful.
Sometime back, a high government official said, “You are doing social work and we also are doing the same. But we are doing it for something and you are doing it for somebody.” To do our work, we have to be in love with God.
***
Charity begins today. Today somebody is suffering; today somebody is in the street; today somebody is hungry. Our work is for today; yesterday has gone; tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today to make Jesus known, loved, served, fed, clothed, sheltered. Do not wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will not have them if we do not feed them today.
***
I ask you one thing: do not tire of giving, but do not give your leftovers. Give until it hurts, until you feel the pain.
***
The sisters care for forty-nine thousand lepers. They are among the most unwanted, unloved, and neglected people. The other day one of our sisters was washing a leper covered with sores. A Muslim holy man was present, standing close to her. He said, “All these years I have believed that Jesus Christ is a prophet. Today I believe that Jesus Christ is God since he has been able to give such joy to this sister, so that she can do her work with so much love.
*** *** ***
The reading (Tb 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a) narrates the wedding of Tobit and Sarah and the prayer of deliverance that the newlywed couple offers on the night of their honeymoon. This prayer is preceded by a ritual of incense burning. Together with the incense, and in accordance with the suggestion of the angel Raphael, Tobiah burns the liver and the heart of the fish that they have caught during their journey to Media. The intolerable stench drives the demon away to Egypt. That the demon flees to distant Egypt implies total defeat for the jealous demon that has tormented the bride Sarah. The angel Raphael, God’s minister of healing, immobilizes Asmodeus, the agent of death. Sarah’s total deliverance occurs through prayer and ritual. Tobiah’s wedding prayer is not just to invoke divine protection, but also to invoke God’s blessings upon him and his bride. The newlyweds have entered into a nuptial and covenant love relationship with one another. Tobiah’s prayer considers marriage as a gift of God. He also makes reference to Adam and Eve who were created for each other as mutual help and support and from whom the human race descended. Tobiah asks God that he and Sarah may be like them and may live together to a happy old age and be blessed with children. Sarah joins Tobiah in the “Amen” and the marriage is consummated. God looks kindly on their wedding prayer and blesses them.
The marriage of Tobiah and Sarah is an image of the relationship between God and his chosen people Israel and also prefigures the love relationship between Christ Spouse and his Bride the Church. Indeed, in his life-giving sacrifice on the cross, Jesus Christ shows us the meaning of nuptial love and covenant. The beauty and the joy of a marriage blessed by God can be gleaned from the following stories (cf. Wilda Worth, “The Honeymoon Cottage” in Country, February/March 2012, p. 50 // Cathy Myers, “Plumber’s Helper” in Country, April/May 2010, p. 66).
During the housing shortage of World War II, two brothers in Muenster, Texas, converted their backyard chicken coop into a rental home. Newlyweds rented the little house, which became known as the Honeymoon Cottage, until they could find and afford larger homes.
In January 1954, I moved into the Honeymoon Cottage with Gene after my college graduation and our wedding. The cottage was the only furnished lodging available, and the monthly rent was just $30 including utilities. (…)
I had a lot of time on my hands during our first months in the cottage, so I turned my attention to creating a home. I learned to keep house, cook and garden. Using the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, I experimented with recipes and became a better-than-expected cook. Even when Gene complained that his clothes were getting too tight, I tempted him with fresh-baked bread, pies and cakes, and I secretly enjoyed watching him struggle with passing up dessert.
I planted a garden behind the house in spring. After stretching and straightening the wire fence into an upright position to keep out neighborhood dogs and kids, I dug, prepared the ground and planted tomatoes, bell peppers, beans, corn, cucumbers, potatoes, squash and pumpkins. On hot afternoons, I spread a blanket beside the garden to sunbathe, read and admire my growing garden.
As a first home, the Honeymoon Cottage was truly unique and original. And though it’s no longer a rental, the cottage still stands as an unlikely tribute to the hopes, dreams and determination of small-town America.
***
When my husband set out to repair a leak under our kitchen sink and asked me to help, it promised to be an interesting experience. (…) “Did you find the leak?” I finally asked. “’Bout got it finished now”, he said. “Dispose of the water while I finish removing the broken drain line. Then we’ll put it all back together.” Great! I was getting tired of holding the light, and it was almost time to cook supper. “Will do”, I said, pleased to be useful. I propped the light up against the cabinet and reached for the bucket. It was almost full, and I had to balance carefully to keep from spilling it
My husband continued to work, pulling in air through his teeth to whistle a tune. Imagine his surprise when he got a face full of water. Yes, I had poured the water down the broken sink. “Oops, sorry.” I held my breath.
My husband laughed and shook his head as I handed him a towel. He wasn’t angry or upset, or even surprised. He’s learned over the years to expect the unexpected. And now he had a good story to share with family and friends for years to come.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our response to Jesus’ great command: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … You shall love your neighbor as yourself”? How do we try to put this twofold command into practice? Are we capable of wholehearted love and service? If not, what do we do to improve our capacity for loving and giving?
2. Do we see marriage as a gift of God and a vital element in salvation history? What do we do to promote the sanctity and integrity of marriage and family life in the world today?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you loved the Lord your God with all your heart
and loved your neighbor as yourself.
In the Eucharist you are present to us
as the One who loved his own “to the end”.
O Divine Eucharist,
flame of Christ’s love that burns on the altar of the world,
make the Church comforted by you,
even more caring in wiping away the tears of suffering
and in sustaining the efforts of all who yearn for justice and peace.
Let your love triumph,
now and forever.
Amen.
***
God our Father,
you created man and woman
to love each other
in the bond of marriage.
Bless and strengthen husband and wife.
May their marriage become an increasingly more perfect sign
of the union between Christ and his Church.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mk 12:30-31) //“Allow us to live together to a happy old age.” (Tb 8:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that Jesus’ twofold love-command may truly impact and shape our daily lives. Let the words of Jesus and his Eucharistic sacrifice challenge you to love and embrace the poor and vulnerable in today’s fragmented and wounded world. // By word and example, by catechesis and social action, promote the sanctity and integrity of Christian marriage in today’s society.
***
June 5, 2015: FRIDAY – SAINT BONIFACE, Bishop, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Son of David and His Lord”
BIBLE READINGS
Tb 11:5-17 // Mk 12:35-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
We hear in the Gospel (Mk 12:35-37) that after being interrogated by his opponents on such issues as paying taxes to Caesar, on the doctrine of the resurrection, and on the greatest commandment, it is Jesus now who poses a question: how can the Messiah be a son of David, if David himself acknowledges him as his Lord? No one in the crowd answers. Jesus himself doesn’t answer his own question about in what sense the Messiah could be David’s descendant. The purpose of raising the question is didactic. Jesus wants to underline that the title “son of David”, with which he was acclaimed by the welcoming crowd in his triumphant entry to Jerusalem, is not adequate to describe his nature as Messiah. Christ Messiah, on account of his exalted, transcendent origin, is more than just a “son of David”. Although a descendant of David, Jesus the Messiah is the Son of God. His divine character surpasses the nobility and regality of his ancestor David. By his paschal mystery of passion, death, and glorification, Jesus Savior proves that he is indeed the son of David and wields lordship over David and all his ancestors. Indeed, the glorified Jesus is Lord of the peoples of the earth and all creation.
I read a charming story about Pope John XXIII. After he became Pope, his relatives from Bergamo came to have an audience with him. A bunch of rural, humble folks, they were timid and overwhelmed to be received by the Supreme Pontiff. The good, jolly old Pope extended his arms to the intimidated group and coaxed them warmly, “Come; it is only me!” I fancy that King David is likewise overwhelmed by the glory of his illustrious progeny, Jesus – son of Mary and Joseph. But on the day of resurrection, the Risen Lord invites and assures his ancestor David, “Come; it is only me!”
***
The reading (Tb 11:5-17) is a joyful account of the homecoming of Tobit’s beloved son Tobiah and the healing of the blind, long-suffering Tobit. Upon the instructions of the angel Raphael, Tobiah smears the fish gall into the eyes of Tobit and removes his father’s cataracts. Tobit’s joy is unbounded in seeing his son and embraces him whom he calls “the light of my eyes”. The prayer of gratitude that comes forth from Tobit’s lips manifests the extraordinary faith of this God-fearing man. He avows the mysterious working of the God who has scourged him with affliction and who now grants him mercy, grace and salvation. The bitter gall has provided the cure. But a deeper healing occurs. Tobit’s “eyes of faith” have been opened through suffering and his obedient stance to the divine saving will. God has turned his affliction into joy and Tobit is filled with praise and thanksgiving. Together with the daughter-in-law Sarah who, like Tobit, has experienced the torments of suffering and the joy of salvation, Tobit and his family have cause for celebration.
Tobit’s experience of spiritual healing, that is, the healing of “the eyes of faith” – which may or may not include physical healing – is replicated in the following personal testimony (cf. Marilyn Morgan King in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 93)
During a routine eye exam three years ago, Dr. Bode noted that my right eye had the beginnings of macular degeneration. (…)
Now I have the beginning to this incurable disease. My left eye was still clear, but the doctor said macular degeneration usually starts in one eye and then moves to the other. The diagnosis meant that, if I lived long enough, I would eventually lose the sight of both eyes. I will be blind! I could hardly let the thought in.
Then one evening an idea came to me during my silent prayer time: I couldn’t know how much time I had left to see, but with God’s grace I could use my eyes to gather and savor as much beauty as I could while I could. I couldn’t take a camera with me into blindness, but I could “breathe in” images of beauty and light to carry with me, if the path should become dark before I reached home.
“O Holy One, lead me into the path of beauty while I see, and I will trust Your perfect vision to lead me safely home.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of David and his Lord and that he wields lordship over us all?
2. Do we trust in the mysterious loving plan of God who could allow us to experience joy and salvation through the rough road of affliction?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
by the Holy Spirit,
you are incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.
You are a descendant of David.
The holy carpenter Joseph of Nazareth,
of the royal line of David,
is the foster father who cared for you.
We bless and thank you for being our Savior.
By the paschal events of your death and rising
and through the power of the Holy Spirit,
it has been revealed to us
that you are not simply the Messiah.
You are the “Son of God”
and not merely the “son of David”.
You are exalted above all.
You transcend the nature of a mere liberator.
You are God – our one Lord Jesus Christ!
We believe in you.
We submit to you our entire being
- our mind, heart and will.
We thank you for your gift of eternal life.
We love you and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Merciful Father,
you are infinite Wisdom and Love.
In trials and afflictions,
help us to see with “the eyes” of faith.
Let us experience the joy of your presence.
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.
“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand.’” (Mk 12:36) // “It was he who scourged me and it was he who had mercy on me. (Tb 11:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Meditate on the Nicene Creed and savor the beauty of the goodness of God who sent his only Son into the world to redeem us. In your daily life, endeavor to mirror the dignity and humility of the Son of God who became man to save us. // Relish the beauty of creation around you and the beauty of life within you.
***
June 6, 2015: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (9); SAINT NORBERT, Bishop; COMMON OF BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to a Total Self-Giving”
BIBLE READINGS
Tb 12:1, 5-15, 20 // Mk 12:38-44
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Gospel (Mk 12:38-44) is a lesson in wholehearted giving. Jesus contrasts the sterling quality of an extremely generous widow with the greediness of scribes who “devour the houses of widows”. Observing the devout act of the poor widow who puts two small coins into the temple’s treasury, Jesus calls the disciples’ attention and teaches them the difference between complete and incomplete giving. The rich honor God with a portion of their wealth, but the poor woman gives from her very livelihood. As a consequence of her self-emptying, she entrusts herself wholly to God. The widow’s offering evokes the total gift that Jesus would make of himself on the cross. The Son of God is the ultimate self-giving Lord. He offers his life “once and for all” in order to redeem us. In union with him, our lives become capable of total self-giving. Together with Jesus, the “poor one” (anawim), we become a gift to God.
The generous stance of the Gospel’s poor widow is replicated by the beggar in the following story narrated by Mother Teresa (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 21).
A beggar one day came up to me and said, “Mother Teresa, everybody gives you things for the poor. I also want to give you something. But today, I am only able to get ten pence. I want to give that to you.” I said to myself. “If I take it he might have to go to bed without eating. If I don’t take it, I will hurt him.” So I took it. And I’ve never seen so much joy on anybody’s face who has given his money or food, as I saw on that man’s face. He was happy that he too could give something. This is the joy of loving.
***
The reading (Tb 12:1, 5-15, 20) delineates the role of the angel Raphael in carrying out God’s providential design in the life of Tobit, Tobiah and their kin. True to their noble character, Tobit and Tobiah try to offer a generous compensation to Azarias for having made possible the incredibly successful outcome of Tobiah’s journey to Media. Azarias does not accept the offer, but responds with a divine revelation. He reveals himself as the angel Raphael, “one of the seven angels who stand in the glorious presence of the Lord, ready to serve him”. He is the one sent by God to guide and protect them, to instruct and test them, and to mediate their prayers. He is the one who brought the prayers of Tobit and Sarah into the divine presence. It is he who lifted up Tobit’s generous deeds to God. It is he who tested and confirmed their faith. The angel Raphael, whose name means “God heals”, has been sent by God to heal Tobit and to liberate Sarah from demonic affliction. As a ministering angel, Raphael exhorts Tobit and Tobiah to praise God and to give witness concerning God’s goodness to them. He also declares the benefits of caring for the poor. He reiterates the need to do good and to avoid evil. His mission accomplished, the angel Raphael ascends to the one who sent him and vanishes from their sight.
Tobit, Tobiah and Sarah have experienced the awesome action of the angel Raphael in their lives. With regards to Jesus Christ, the angels are at his bidding and minister to his needs. Likewise for us, the angels continue to be agents of God’s saving will. The following story gives us further insight (cf. James Pruitt, “The Voice of an Angel” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1997, p. 377-374).
Among the U.S. Marines who fought against the Japanese in World War II was 21-year-old Corporal William Devers, who considered himself an agnostic. No amount of arguing, Bible-quoting or coercion by his fellow Marines or chaplain could sway him. During the company’s first major encounter with the Japanese, a number of the unit were killed and the chaplain was wounded. In great pain, the chaplain called to Devers, “My … left pocket … take it … please … Last night I had a dream. In the dream an angel appeared and told me that I had to make you take the Bible. Take it, son … please.” Devers shoved the Bible into his shirt pocket to satisfy the wounded man.
Twenty minutes later, Corporal Devers’ squad stumbled right into a Japanese patrol, and before he knew what had happened he was on the ground, his mind fading into the darkness, certain he was dying. When he came to, he felt a ripple of pain shoot through his chest, but there was no blood.
The bullet had torn into the Bible he carried in his pocket, ending its journey at the book of Psalms, which read: “A thousand shall fall at thy side; and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we react to situations of vulnerability, insecurity and poverty? Do we take the stance of the generous widow? Do we allow ourselves to be configured into the self-giving Lord Jesus, the true Anawim – the ultimate Poor One of Yahweh?
2. Do we believe in the existence of angels and in God’s compassionate love in sending them into our lives? Are we sensitive to the promptings of our guardian angel?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Lord Jesus,
you are the anawim - the poor one of Yahweh.
You praised the self-giving widow at the temple treasury.
Her self-gift anticipates your self-sacrifice
on the wood of the cross.
Fill our hearts with your love
so that we too may be a total gift offered to God
and for the good of others.
Your life in us is our greatest treasure.
We are happy and content to possess you
and to be possessed by you.
We love you and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
(From the Prayers of the Pauline Family)
All you angels of the Lord,
you are called to pay noble homage,
give praise and incessantly bless the august Trinity,
to make reparation for our negligence.
You are true lovers of God and of souls,
and you continue to sing “Glory to God in the highest
and peace on earth to men of good will”.
We beseech you on behalf of humanity
that all may know the one true God,
his Son whom he sent,
and the Church, the pillar of truth.
Pray that the name of God may be held sacred,
the kingdom of Jesus Christ may come,
and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Extend your protection
over civil authorities, working people and those who suffer.
Obtain blessings and salvation
for all those who seek truth, justice and peace.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“This poor widow put in more than all the others … She, from her poverty, has contributed all she had.” (Mk 12:43) //“I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord.” (Tb 12:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the spirit of total giving may animate our life of Christian discipleship and service. Pray also that the unjust structures that lead to destitution and greater abuse of the poor and needy in today’s society may be rectified. Strive to offer the gifts you have received from the Lord for good at the service of the community. // Be sensitive to the presence of the angels in our life and allow yourself to be “touched by an angel”. By your kindness and loving service to the poor and the needy, let them experience being “touched by an angel”.
***
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