A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 16, n. 31)
Week 13 in Ordinary Time: July 1-7, 2018
(The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY & WEEKDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year C from various perspectives. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: June 24-30, 2018, please go to ARCHIVES Series 16 and click on “Week 12 Ordinary”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: July 1-7, 2018.)
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July 1, 2018: THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives Life”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24 // 2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15 // Mk 5:21-43
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 5:21-43): “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The series on “Mysterious Healings” that is found in Guideposts magazine is very inspiring. In her article, “8:04 A.M.” (cf. p. 67-70 of the May 2006 issue), Jan LaRosa shares a tremendous experience of personal healing. At 8:04 A.M. on an autumn day in October, while herding her kids off to school, she received an urgent call from her doctor informing her that an MRI test showed an aneurysm at the base of her skull. An aneurysm is a weak spot in the artery. The artery wall stretches like a balloon until it bursts, and the patient bleeds to death internally. Her neurosurgeon scheduled a head and neck angiogram to get a better view. Jan was devastated and wept bitterly, feeling abandoned by God. Her 75-year old mother herself died of an aneurysm that burst during surgery. She lost gallons of blood before dying. While taking a bubble bath the next day, Jan’s eye was caught by a single bubble rising through the air. She thought, Is that maybe how God wants us to live? Yes, God was the same at 8:03, before the doctor called. He was the same at 8:04, when I got the news. And he was the same at 8:05. The aneurysm didn’t surprise him, just me. Trust him, Jan. He’s the same even now. See yourself in that bubble. Let go. A few days after the angiogram, the neurologist called: “I’ve been doing this for more than thirty years and I’ve never seen this happen. Jan, you had an aneurysm. Now, you don’t. I have no medical explanation. I can only tell you the word I wrote in your chart and circled: Miracle.”
Jan’s healing story acquires greater perspective against the backdrop of today’s Gospel reading (Mk 5:21-43). It focuses on the healing acts of Jesus Christ, who accomplishes the Father’s benevolent plan to bring us to the fullness of life. The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “Every day is special, a time in which unique gifts from God are always being celebrated. One of these gifts is life. While this includes our physical life, expressed in our breathing and moving about, it is also something more than that. It is a sharing in God’s own divine life. It is a symbiosis, a living with God … It is a full life, joy-filled and God-entrusted. And that kind of life is what God’s action among us is all about … Obviously not all men and women have this life. They have either a deficiency in their physical life because of some sickness or malady, and this is terminated with physical death. Or they lack God’s life; they have deliberately rejected his grace. This is a death more terrifying than the others. God’s will is for life, which was abundantly manifested in his Son’s coming that we might have it to the full … The Gospel reading is a glorious celebration of life. It tells of the restoration of the fullness of life to a hemorrhaging woman and to a young dying girl. To both, Jesus brings life and brings it gladly.”
The woman healed of her bleeding and the little girl whom Jesus raised from the dead would die again. But because of Jesus’ benevolent actions on their behalf, their chances for eternal and unending life were hopefully and happily enhanced. Their contact with Jesus was transforming and radically life-giving. In the same way, we are being challenged today to improve and enhance the quality of our own life and of that of everyone. The Lord Jesus wants to give life and build a new world through us.
B. First Reading (Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24): “By the envy of the devil, death entered the world.”
Today’s Old Testament Reading (Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24) resounds the reassuring truth that God wills life not death. Death is not his invention, nor does God rejoice in the destruction of the living. According to the Book of Wisdom, when God created us, he did not intend for us to die for he made us like himself. But it was the Devil’s jealousy that brought death into the world. Death therefore is a consequence of sin. Physical death, which is an end to earthly life, resulted from the greater “death” that issued when humankind negated God’s love. Spiritual death, which is doubly unfortunate, ruptured our intimate and filial relationship with God.
We give thanks to God who in his kindness willed to save us. He offered us the unmerited gift of eternal salvation through his beloved Son Jesus Christ. The human situation of sin and our grim experience of weakness and “death” are thus radically undone by the paschal mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. Through God’s justice, embodied in the person of Jesus, the Servant-Son of God, the fullness of life and filial communion with God are forever restored as kindly gifts to us. Indeed, it is God’s gracious will to lead us to life!
The following healing story helps us delve into the reality that God is Lord of life (cf. “Historic First: Church to Canonize Married Couple in Joint Ceremony” in Alive! April 2015, p. 5).
For the first time in her 2,000 year history the Catholic Church is to declare a husband and wife together to be saints. (…)
The miraculous healing of a baby in Valencia, Spain, in October 2008, opened the way for the joyful event. The tiny baby girl, Carmen, was born prematurely and with multiple life-threatening complications. She suffered a major brain hemorrhage, which could have caused irreversible damage. The doctors could do nothing for her, and her parents were told to prepare for the worst.
Her father and mother, “seeing the danger of death, immediately turned to God and, thanks to the local Discalced Carmelite nuns, the family and their friends started a novena to the Martin couple”, said Carmelite priest Fr. Antonio Sangalli.
Immediately the little girl began to improve and is now a healthy 6-year-old. The doctors could find no natural explanation for the cure. (…)
C. Second Reading (II Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15): “Your abundance should supply the needs of the poor.”
Today’s Second Reading (II Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15), in which Paul appeals to the Corinthians’ generosity, can be understood better if we consider his reference to the inspiring example of the church in Macedonia (II Cor 8:1-5). Paul presents the hospitable Macedonians as an example of extreme generosity. They give not only out of their abundance but out of their generosity. Their faith is expressed in astonishing liberality. After setting the Macedonians up as an example of generosity, Saint Paul explains that the spiritual motivation for almsgiving is deeply centered on Christ’s gracious act.
Saint Paul then exhorts the church members in Corinth to help those who are in need, specifically, the community of believers in Jerusalem who are suffering from persecution and poverty. The biblical scholar Mary Ann Getty comments: “One of the real effects of the gospel is that faith makes believers responsible to one another. If the gospel is really preached and really believed, it has practical effects for the betterment of all. The same faith that eliminated the spiritual barriers between Jew and Gentile now acts as an equalizer, expressing itself in acts of justice and mercy toward the poor.”
Here are modern day example of people who give not out of abundance, but out of kindness and generosity (cf. Frank Greve, “Neediest People Are Most Generous” in Fresno Bee, May 14, 2009, p. A1 & A14).
When Jody Richards saw a homeless man begging outside a downtown McDonald’s recently, he bought the man a cheeseburger. There’s nothing unusual about that, except that Richards is homeless, too, and the 99-cent cheeseburger was an outsized chunk of the $9.50 he had earned that day from panhandling.
The generosity of poor people isn’t so much rare as rarely noticed, however. In fact, America’s poor donate more, in percentage terms, than higher-income groups do, surveys of charitable giving show. What’s more, their generosity declines less in hard times than the generosity of richer givers does. “The lowest-income fifth of the population always give at more than their capacity”, says Virginia Hodgkinson, former vice-president for research at Independent Sector, a Washington-based association of major nonprofit agencies. “The next two-fifths give at capacity, and those above that are capable of giving two or three times more than they give.” (…)
“As a rule, people who have money don’t know people in need”, said Tanya Davis, 40, a laid-off security guard and single mother. Certainly, better-off people aren’t hit up by friends and kin as often as Davis said she was, having earned a reputation for generosity while she was working. Now getting by on $110 a week in unemployment insurance and $314 a month in welfare, Davis still fields two or three appeals a week, she said, and lays out $5 or $10 weekly. To explain her giving, Davis offered the two reasons most commonly heard in three days of conversations with low-income donors: “I believe that the more I give, the more I receive, and that God loves a cheerful giver”, Davis said. “Plus, I’ve been in their position, and someday I might be again.”
Herbert Smith, 31, a Seventh-day Adventist who said he tithed his $1,010 monthly disability check – giving away 10% of it – thought that poor people give more because, in some ways, they worry less about their money. “We’re not scared of poverty the way rich people are”, he said. “We know how to get lights back on when we can’t pay the electric bill.” (…)
Women are more generous than men, studies have shown. Older people give more than younger donors with equal incomes. The working poor, disproportionate numbers of whom are recent immigrants, are America’s most generous group, according to Arthur Brooks, the author of the book, “Who Really Cares”, an analysis of U.S. generosity. Faith probably matters most, Brooks – president of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington policy-research organization – said in an interview. That’s partly because above-average numbers of poor people go to church, and those who attend church give more money to secular and religious charities than non-attenders, Brooks found.
Less-religious givers such as Emel Sweeney, 73, a retired book-keeper, say that giving lights up their lives. “Have you ever looked into the face of someone you’re being generous to?” Sweeney asked with the trace of Jamaican lilt. That brought to mind her encounter with a young woman who was struggling to manage four small, tired children on a bus. They staggered and straggled at a transfer stop, along with Sweeney, who urged the mother to take a nearby cab the rest of the way. When the mother said she had no money, Sweeney gave her $20, she said. The mother, as she piled her brood into the cab, waved and mouthed a thank-you. “Those words just rested on my chest”, Sweeney said, “and as I rode home I was so happy.”
Pastor Coletta Jones, who ministers to a largely low-income tithing congregation in southeast Washington, The Rock Christian Church, thinks that poor people give more because they ask less for themselves. “When you have just a little, you’re thankful for what you have”, Jones said, “but with every step you take up the ladder of success, the money clouds your mind and gets you into a state of never being satisfied.” Brooks offered this statistic as supportive evidence: Fifty-eight percent of non-contributors with above-median incomes say they don’t have enough money to give any away.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do the following affirmations from the Book of Wisdom impact us personally and effectively: God did not make death; he does not rejoice in the destruction of the living; he formed us to be imperishable; he made us in his own image; etc.?
2. How do we respond to the miracles of healing and Jesus’ absolute stance for life that we hear in this Sunday’s Gospel reading? Are we ready to join Jesus in his ministry against death-dealing forces, in his defense and promotion of life-giving forces, and in his great celebration of life that is God’s gift to us?
3. Do we commit ourselves to God, the giver of life? Do we allow ourselves to be possessed by God who wants to give us the fullness of life? How do we imitate Christ in his healing ministry and care for life? Do we let the life of Christ take total hold of us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you are the author of life.
You fashioned all things in your great love
and made the creatures of the world good and wholesome.
You formed us to be imperishable
for you have made us in your image and likeness.
By “the envy of the devil”,
sin and death entered into the world
and we experience the fragility and brokenness
of a human existence alienated from you.
But it is your will to save.
You want to give us the gift of true life.
In your Son Jesus Christ is the healing power
that overcomes the power of sin and death.
In the healing of the bleeding woman
and in the raising to life of the twelve-year old child,
we acknowledge the life-giving strength of Jesus
that is greater than the death-dealing forces of a broken world.
In Jesus, you vanquish the effects of sin.
In him, we celebrate the power of life
for he lives and reigns, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Be cured of your affliction … I say to you, arise!” (Mk 5:34, 40)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the sick and all those who are suffering the painful effects of death-dealing forces in today’s world. Pray for doctors and all those who care for the sick. Alleviate the suffering of the sick and endeavor to share the healing love of Christ to them and to all those who need it most. Participate in laudable efforts that seek to preserve and promote the gift of life.
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July 2, 2018: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (13)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Follow Him Unconditionally … He Calls Us to Social Responsibility”
BIBLE READINGS
Am 2:6-10, 13-16 // Mt 8:18-22
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 8:18-22): “Follow me.”
(Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Gemma Victorino, PDDM)
Jesus' invitation is not a sweet and gentle word; his is a strong challenge: "Foxes have dens, birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." To another who also wanted to follow him, but set the condition of first "burying his father and mother", he gave an uncompromising reply - "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."
What does he want to say here? There is nothing more important than following him and announcing his gospel. Such following and preaching asks unconditional detachment, clarity of priorities, total trust and utmost generosity.
I experienced this truth early in life. A month after I graduated from college, the persistent call from the Lord Jesus to follow him in consecrated religious life came back to me. When I asked permission from my elderly father to attend the discernment retreat for young ladies contemplating the religious life, he grudgingly gave me permission, coupled with an ultimatum: "Okay, you may go and stay over the weekend but if you don't return consider me dead."
I didn't return home after the retreat. Where did I get the strength to disobey my father and face the pain of detachment? Looking back after all these years, I think it is love for the Master and his Word plus the faith and conviction that his Word carries power and makes things happen.
His powerful command “Follow me” gave me the strength to get out of my comfort zone and put my most important relationships in their proper place. Nothing is more important than finding out what is God's will for me, the reason why I have been created in the first place. In being an obedient disciple, that is, a follower of Jesus, I have brought home an important message as well to my beloved father. In fact, after we had reconciled, he confessed and proclaimed, "I think I now understand your mission: when I see you, I remember God."
B. First Reading (Am 2:6-10, 13-16): “They trample the heads of the weak into the dust of the earth.”
The Old Testament text for the most part of this week is taken from the Book of the prophet Amos. Originally a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees from the Judean town of Tekoa, Amos is commissioned by God to prophesy to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, about the middle of the 8th century B.C. It seems to be a time of prosperity, religious piety and security. On the contrary, the society’s prosperity, which is limited to the wealthy, merely feeds on injustice and on the oppression of the poor. Moreover, Israel’s religious observance is insincere. Its security is false and imaginary.
In today’s reading (Am 2:6-10, 13-16), Amos charges Israel with crimes against the Lord God and brotherhood. The rapacious rich exploit the poor, which is contrary to the conduct expected of a faithful Israelite. The weak and the lowly are victimized: “sold for a pair of sandals”. There is moral degradation: “son and father go to the same prostitute”. The people’s religious practices are empty and in reality vehicles of social injustice. In contrast to their evil crimes is the Lord’s benevolence. The Prophet Amos reminds them of God’s saving acts on behalf of Israel, in particular the Exodus from the slavery of Egypt and the entry into the Promised Land. Israel ought to respond with gratitude and obedience to God’s beneficence, but refuses to do so. On account of Israel’s repeated sins and crimes, there will be just judgment and devastating punishment.
Unfortunately, the social injustice and moral degradation denounced by the prophet Amos continues to exist in the modern world. Here is an example (cf. Araceli Lorayes, “Child Prostitution: The Tribe of Lost Souls” in Philippine Panorama, June 9, 1986, p. 5-6).
According to Justice Corazon Juliano Agrava, founder of the Tahanan Outreach Program for Boys, in the past most child prostitutes were girls kept in sex dens. Although even the number of female child prostitutes seems to have increased, what appears to be new is the greater degree of homosexual activity involving boys as young as seven and foreigners – Europeans, Americans, Arabs and Japanese. (…)
Tourism has of course exerted its own drawing factor. In retrospect, it is clear that the come-ons to promote the Philippines – beautiful smiles, the Philippines as the last great bargain in the Orient – have conveyed to many Westerners and Japanese one message only: cheap sex, whether adult or child. And, in fact, child sex is cheap; the rate for a child prostitute ranges from 100 pesos to 600 pesos, equivalent to $5 up to $30 – hardly more than the cost of a medium-priced pair of shoes in the West.
For the children, particularly in the urban areas, the great push factor is poverty – not merely the lack of money, but also its brutalizing effect on the individual and its corrosive effects on the family. The majority of child prostitutes started out as cigarette vendors to supplement family income when they were enticed into prostitution either by friends already engaged in it or by teenage pimps. Other children ran away from unbearable homes where they were maltreated. (…)
So desperate is the struggle to keep body and soul together that provision of the most basic creature needs evokes a pathetic gratitude. Agrave noted that the boys under the Silungan program, which was especially formulated for those they termed “endangered boys”, had a strong sense of loyalty to their foreign “friends”. “The children do not know that what they are doing is wrong”, she said. “So when they can get a good night’s rest, a meal, a bath, they are beholden to these people. They just tell you that their customers are foreign, but not who they are.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we respond fully to Jesus’ invitation “Follow me” and embrace the unconditional detachment it entails?
2. Are we guilty of social injustice by ignoring it, by condoning it, or by perpetuating it? What is God calling us to do?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you call us to follow you,
but the cost of discipleship is dear.
Give us the grace to follow you unconditionally
through all the detachment and hardships it entails.
You are the center of our life
and the font of our joy.
Give us the courage, wisdom and strength
to fight social injustice
and to care for the poor and the weak.
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.
“Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” (Mt 8:22) // “I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you through the desert.” (Am 2:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that many may respond in public service to God’s call offered in Jesus’ name. Promote vocations to priestly ministry and religious life in the Church today. // Be aware of the social issues and of the Catholic social teachings in the public sector. Reinforce the Catholic social teaching by your life witnessing.
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July 3, 2018: TUESDAY - SAINT THOMAS, APOSTLE
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Church Is Built Upon the Foundation of Apostles and Prophets”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 2:19-22 // Jn 20:24-29
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 20:24-29): “My Lord and my God!”
(Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Gemma Victorino, PDDM)
St. Thomas put conditions to the apostles before he would profess his faith in the Risen Lord. He wanted to touch and see the marks of Jesus' crucifixion and cause of death. And the Risen Lord gave in to his conditions. A week after the first apparition to the apostles, Jesus came again and invited Thomas: "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." He who wanted to touch Jesus was in turn touched by him and exclaimed: "My Lord and my God!"
There is a “doubting Thomas” in each of us. It is but normal that in our life of faith we oftentimes seek confirmation from the Lord, even through our bodily faculties. We like to see, hear, touch, even taste and smell the presence and the goodness of the Lord especially in our “down moments”. Otherwise, we fluctuate and falter in our following of the Master.
Our Lord, in his goodness, gives in to these 'faith tests' now and then. I had one such experience lately. May 31 was the opening of our new PDDM Apostolic Center in Davao City, Southern Philippines. I came all the way from Manila to participate in this joyful event but, in the rush of preparations, I had a freak accident and suffered a second degree ankle sprain which left me immobile at the moment of the blessing of the center. As I was languishing in my pain and wondering how I could proceed to the new Center and join in the celebration, lo and behold, a poor parishioner who came around in his wheelchair saw me at that very moment. He offered his "special seat" just so I could be where my heart and body wanted to be. I was so touched by the gesture that I couldn't help thinking it was Jesus himself who came to console me.
The “doubting” Thomas became a loving, committed apostle of the Lord. In John 11:16, he professed his commitment by boldly saying: "Let us also go to die with him." Indeed he followed the Lord and witnessed to his love for him to the farthest bounds of the earth. In the middle of the VI century, an Egyptian merchant wrote how in southern India he unexpectedly met a group of Christians who informed him that they had been evangelized by the Apostle St. Thomas.
B. First Reading (Eph 2:19-22): “You are part of the building built on the foundation of the apostles.”
Today’s First Reading (Eph 2:19-22) underlines the familial and harmonious character of the Church as members of the family of God and as fellow citizens with God’s people. The Church is a community of “flesh and blood” believers, that is, the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. The construction of the Church depends on Christ, first and foremost, but it also requires the apostolic witnessing and the ministry of the prophets for viability and growth. Jesus Christ is the Church’s capstone, its crowning glory. The service of the apostles and prophets make known God’s wisdom and the saving Gospel to the ends of the earth.
Today as we celebrate the feast of Saint Thomas, we are filled with thanksgiving for the marvels God has done to build up the Church through the instrumentality of this apostle. In the following profile presented on the Internet by Wikipedia, we contemplate the growth and expansion of the Church through the evangelizing work and martyrdom of Saint Thomas the Apostle.
Saint Thomas the Apostle, also called “Doubting Thomas” or Didymus (meaning “Twin”) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. He is best known for questioning Jesus’ resurrection after death when first told of it, followed by his confession of faith as both “My Lord and my God” on seeing and touching Jesus’ tangible and physical wounded body in the Gospel of Saint John (20:28). Traditionally he is said to have traveled outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel, traveling as far as India. He is often regarded as the Patron Saint of India. (…)
An early third century Syriac work known as the Acts of Thomas connects the apostle’s Indian ministry with two kings, one in the north and the other in the south. According to one of the legends in the Acts, Thomas was at first reluctant to accept the mission, but the Lord appeared to him in a night vision and said, “Fear not, Thomas. Go away to India and proclaim the Word. My grace shall be with you.” But the Apostle sill demurred, so the Lord overruled the stubborn disciple by ordering circumstances so compelling that he was forced to accompany an “Indian” merchant, Abbanes, as a slave to his native place in northwest “India”, where he found himself in the service of the Indo-Parthian king, Gondophares. According to the Acts of Thomas, the apostle’s ministry resulted in many conversions throughout the kingdom, including the king and his brother.
Remains of his buildings, influenced by Greek architecture, indicate that he was a great builder. According to the legend, Thomas was a skilled carpenter and was bidden to build a palace for the king. However, the Apostle decided to teach the king a lesson by devoting the royal grant to acts of charity and thereby laying up treasure for the heavenly abode. (…)
The Acts of Thomas identifies his second mission in India with a kingdom ruled by King Mahadwa, one of the rulers of a first-century dynasty in southern India. It is most significant that, aside from a small remnant of the Church of the East in Kurdistan, the only other church to maintain a distinctive identity is the Saint Thomas Christian congregation along the Malabar Coast of Kerala State in southwest India. According to the most ancient tradition of this church, Thomas evangelized this area and then crossed to the Coromandel Coast of southeast India, where, after carrying out a second mission, he died near Madras (= Chennai). (…)
He reputedly preached to all classes of people and had about 17,000 converts, including members of the four principal castes. Later, stone crosses were erected at the places where churches were founded, and they became pilgrimage centers. In accordance with apostolic custom, Thomas ordained teachers and leaders or elders, who were reported to be the earliest ministers of the Malabar church. (…)
Saint Thomas was killed in India in 72 A.D., attaining martyrdom at Saint Thomas Mount near Mylapore (part of Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu). He was buried on the site of Chennai’s Saint Thomas Basilica in the Diocese of Saint Thomas of Mylapore … The tradition is that Thomas, having aroused the hostility of the local priests by making converts, fled to Saint Thomas’ Mount four miles (6 km) southwest of Mylapore. He was supposedly followed by his persecutors, who transfixed him with a lance as he prayed kneeling on a stone. His body was brought to Mylapore and buried inside the church he had built. The present Basilica is on this spot. It was first built in the 16th century and rebuilt in the 19th.
Few relics are still kept in the church at Mylapore, Tamil Nadu, India. According to tradition, in 232 A.D., the greater part of relics of the Apostle Thomas are said to have been sent by an Indian king and brought from India to the city of Edessa (Mesopotamia) on which occasion the Syriac Acts of Thomas were written. On 27 September 2006, Pope Benedict recalled that “an ancient tradition claims that Thomas first evangelized Syria and Persia, then went on to Western India, from where also he finally reached southern India.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we act like “doubting Thomas” in low points of our life, and challenge the Lord God to give us a reason for belief in him? Do we surrender ourselves more deeply in faith to God and thus merit the beatitude: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”?
2. What role did Saint Thomas the Apostle play in the building up and growth of the Church? What is your personal contribution in the building up and growth of the Church?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Opening Prayer – Mass of the Feast of Saint Thomas)
Almighty Father,
as we honor Thomas the apostle,
let us always experience the help of his prayers.
May we have eternal life by believing in Jesus,
whom Thomas acknowledged as Lord,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“He said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (Jn 20:28) // “In him you are also being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” (Eph 2:19-22)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let us renew our faith in the Risen Lord, especially in the “down moments” of our life and say to him, “My Lord and my God!” Pray for the Church in India, especially the Syro-Malabar Church whose foundation is attributed to the apostolic works of Saint Thomas. Let every kind word and deed that you do be a part of the Church’s action of building together a “dwelling place of God in the Spirit”.
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July 4, 2018: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (13)
INDEPENDENCE DAY (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Fight the Spiritual Warfare … He Calls Us to True Worship”
BIBLE READINGS
Am 5:14-15, 21-24 // Mt 8:28-34
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 8:28-34): “Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”
(Gospel Reflection by Phil McCarty, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)
In today’s Gospel (Mt 8:28-34) we read of Jesus casting out demons - demons so savage that no one dared to approach the demoniacs. I am struck by the fact that the demons immediately recognized Jesus as the Son of God, and they were threatened by Him. In the constant struggle of good versus evil, do we recognize that goodness is a threat to evil? Evil seeks to intimidate goodness, for evil cannot flourish when encountered by goodness.
We all encounter evil in one form or another in our daily lives, whether in news reports of violent acts carried out in our community and around the world, or on a more personal level as we are tempted and sin. As faithful Christians we are strengthened by our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We are called to be a force for good in the face of evil. When we encounter an unjust act, do we stand up for justice? Do we pray that those who choose a path of evil will turn to the Lord, repent, and be saved? Do we seek the sacrament of reconciliation to cast the demons of sin from our own lives?
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The following excerpt from “Deliverance and Healing Ministry: Battle Between Good and Evil”, an article by Fr. Mike Lastiri (cf. Central California Catholic Life, February 2015, p. 11) gives deeper insight into the meaning of today’s Gospel episode (Mt 8:28-34).
Demonic possessions of human persons have long been a part of tradition in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions. These, the largest and greatest of the world’s religions, have long held that demons have the power to overtake the will of a person, provided they are open and willing. Exorcisms are ritual actions used by the different religious tradition to exorcise demons from a person. The Gospels have many stories, i.e. Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20; Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-39). Jesus has command over the demons, which causes fear in them, and even fear among those not possessed. In our Catholic tradition, the Rite of Exorcism has been utilized for centuries to expel demons. Bishops have authorized special priests that were especially trained to do exorcisms.
Recently, the Vatican’s Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship revised the Rite of Exorcism for use in the modern day. While the rite itself has changed little since the earlier rite used before Vatican II, the rite allows the bishops to choose diocesan priests to celebrate the exorcisms. The rite demands before anyone is considered possessed by a demon, that a full psychological evaluation is completed, and that medical professionals have rendered that they can do nothing more. The bishop is to be fully aware of every step of the process before the actual exorcism is ever authorized. As the Chief Shepherd of the local Church, representing Christ the High Priest, the role of the diocesan bishop is paramount in these matters. (…)
Should we live in fear? No. Most of us, if living a good life, regularly receiving the Sacraments, having a deep love of Jesus, and being people of prayer and charity, have nothing to fear. Demons are terrified of faithful Christians, Jews and Muslims. If one ever wonders about such things, remember that power of the name of Jesus! He is the ultimate enemy of Satan and his armies. His name is feared and cannot be touched. The name of Mary, our Blessed Mother, is also feared by the evil one.
B. First Reading (Am 5:14-15, 21-34): “Away with your noisy songs! Let justice surge like an unfailing stream.”
In today’s Old Testament reading (Am 5:14-15, 21-24) God, through the prophet Amos, calls the erring people of Israel to conversion. He condemns their false security and invites them to adhere to godly ideals: “Seek good and not evil … let justice prevail”. If Israel changes its corrupt lifestyle and loves what is right then, and only then, there might be some hope for the “remnant of Joseph”. The Lord God likewise condemns false worship and religious formalism. Their religious rites do not correspond to their personal integrity and interior morality. Their worship is empty and divorced from life. Their liturgy substitutes for social responsibility. That is why God hates their religious festivals, their burnt and cereal offerings, their noisy songs and the melodies of their harps. God exhorts them: “Let justice surge like water and goodness like an unfailing stream.”
The following story helps us understand God’s call to true worship (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1990, New York: Image Books, 1990, p.3-34).
There was once a woman who was religious and devout and filled with love for God. Each morning she would go to church. And on her way children would call out to her, beggars would accost her, but so immersed was she in her devotions that she did not even see them.
Now one day she walked down the street in her customary manner and arrived at the church just in time for service. She pushed the door, but it would not open. She pushed it again harder, and found the door was locked. Distressed at the thought that she would miss service for the first time in years, and not knowing what to do, she looked up. And there, right before her face, she found a note pinned to the door.
It said, “I’m out there!”
*** *** ***
On July 4 the American people celebrate Independence Day. This civic observance is an occasion for the Americans to commit themselves to God and to the works of justice and freedom for all. Like the prophet Amos, the words of the various statesmen and founding fathers of the U.S.A. remind us that God is at the root of the nation’s existence and destiny. The following statements they made are insightful (cf. “In God We Trust” in Fresno Bee, July 4, 2013, p. A19).
George Washington: Commander-in-Chief in the American Revolution; Signer of the Constitution; First President of the Unites States: “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
John Adams: Signer of the Declaration of Independence; One of Two Signers of the Bill of Rights; Second President of the United States: “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
James Madison; Signer of the Constitution; Fourth President of the United States: “Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the universe.”
Thomas Jefferson: Signer and the Principal Author of the Declaration of Independence; Third President of the United States: “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever?”
John Quincy Adams: Diplomat; Sixth President of the United States: “Is it not in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? – that it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? – That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?” (…)
Benjamin Franklin: Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution: “I’ve lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We’ve been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”
John Jay: Co-Author of the Federalist Papers; First Chief-Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: “The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.” // “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we aware of the constant struggle of good versus evil? Do we recognize that goodness is a threat to evil? In the spiritual warfare, which side are we on?
2. Is our worship a true expression of inner reality and spiritual sacrifice to God? Are we guilty of substituting social responsibility with external religious practices?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(By Phil McCarty, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)
Lord Jesus,
grant us the wisdom and courage
to face the evil we encounter,
whether great or small,
so that the goodness that comes from you
will prevail.
You live and reign,
forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“The whole town came out to meet Jesus.” (Mt 8:34) // “Let justice surge like water and goodness like an unfailing stream.” (Am 5:24)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let us resolve to fight the evils and injustices in today’s society. By our life and example, let us promote the meaning of true worship.
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July 5, 2018: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (13); SAINT ANTHONY ZACCARIA, Priest; SAINT ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Has Power to Heal … He Is the True Prophet”
BIBLE READINGS
Am 7:10-17 // Mt 9:1-8
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:1-8): “They glorified God who had given such authority to men.”
(By Mario Domino, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)
Matthew’s description of the healing of the paralytic is not as elaborate as Mark’s (2:1-12). Matthew was more intent on proving Jesus’ messianic fulfillment: the establishment of a new kingdom. In order to do that, Jesus proves that he has power and authority.
Matthew shows that Jesus cures not only physical ills but, most significantly, spiritual ills. First, he tells the paralytic that his sins are forgiven him. Then, showing he can discern people’s thoughts, he rebukes the scribes by telling the paralytic to take up his stretcher and walk.
In a very convincing manner, he shows us that just as he has the authority to forgive sins, he also has the power to cure physical ills.
From this reading, we should take solace in the restorative powers of Jesus. He can indeed alleviate our physical ills but, more importantly, he does forgive our sins
***
Jesus Christ is the “holistic healer” par excellence. In imitation of Christ, his disciples endeavor to heal broken lives through “holistic” ways as illustrated in the following account (cf. Gladys Gonzales, M.M., “Healing Broken Lives” in Maryknoll, July/August 2014, p. 24-28).
Much of Tanzania’s landscape is surrounded by large boulders, which entrepreneurs are removing to construct buildings. The process is leaving huge holes, like craters, rendering the land unusable, causing massive erosion, and pushing out wildlife, flora and fauna. Added to that is the plight of the women who labor to break the stones to construct the buildings. (…)
Many of the women have lung problems. Many are completely blind or have impaired vision caused by the stone chips, particles and dust covering not only their faces but their whole bodies as they work day after day under a blazing sun. They have no hope of ever leaving this work until their bodies completely give out. I am working to help them holistically, that is, restoring their whole being, body and spirit, to health.
During my 18 years as a missioner in Tanzania I have discovered the importance of holistic healing working not only with women’s groups but also youth groups and children with HIV … I came to understand that the whole person is involved in any activity. That is what is meant by holistic. So I moved from formal teaching to informal teaching and the art of holistic healing. I believe that through nurturing, listening and responding to the deeper wisdom of our whole being, we can heal ourselves and the world. (…)
As a Maryknoll Sister, I am committed to carry on our charism: “to be an active participant in the mission of God: a mission of peace, healing, wholeness and love.”
B. First Reading (Am 7:10-17): “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
Rhoel Gallardo, a member of the Claretian missionary congregation, and Raul Ventigan, a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), a missionary congregation founded in Belgium, were my students at Maryhill School of Theology in Metro Manila, Philippines. After his ordination, Fr. Rhoel was sent to work in the predominantly Muslim-populated Basilan Island, in southern Philippines, where he died a martyr’s death. The notorious Abu Sayaf Islamic rebel group kidnapped and tortured him. Fr. Rhoel was ordered to rape the catechists who were captured with him. But he refused to obey their sadistic command. He defied their mockery and brutality by turning to God in prayer. They eventually shot him to death. Fr. Raul was a young medical doctor when he entered the seminary. As part of his missionary training, he worked for four years in Haiti. He then returned to the Philippines to finish the last year of his group’s theology program. After ordination, he was sent back to Haiti, his mission land. His medical expertise helped him greatly in his pastoral ministry to the poor and the sick. A few months after his return to Haiti, he succumbed to a health condition and was found dead on his bed. Fr. Rhoel and Fr. Raul - two young Filipino missionaries sent out by our Lord Jesus to minister to his people – exemplify God’s gift of missionary vocation to the Church and to the world.
The missionary and prophetic vocation is God’s initiative. The Old Testament reading (Am 7:12-15) reinforces the reality that an apostolic and prophetic vocation originates from God alone. Amos is a prophet through God’s personal intervention. A shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees, the prophet Amos, from the village of Tekoa – some ten miles south of Jerusalem – in the southern kingdom of Judah, is called by God to prophesy in the more economically prosperous Israel, the northern kingdom of the Hebrew people, during the time of “the schism of Israel” in the eighth century B.C. The name “Amos” means “burden” and the name “Tekoa” probably means, “to sound the ram’s horn”. Carrying a burden of destruction, his prophetic message is sounded loud across the northern kingdom and reverberated long afterward in Jerusalem. Preaching at Bethel, the elite spiritual center of the northern kingdom, Amos causes intense disturbance and annoyance when he inveighs against the immorality, sacred prostitution, social injustice at the shrine and the detestable corruption of Israel’s political and religious institutions. The priest Amaziah of the Bethel temple, who sees him as a threat to the unity and integrity of the Israel kingdom, tries to evict him: “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”
The response of Amos to the greatly outraged Amaziah gives us a glimpse of the vocation-mission of a prophet as one called directly by God and sent out to declare the divine message. Amos denies that he is a member of a band of prophets who earn their living by foretelling oracles or visions. He does not belong to a group of “professionals”, but is chosen from obscurity and commissioned by God himself for a special task. Summoned by God to speak, it is his absolute responsibility to declare the divine word that both summons and judges the people of Israel. Indeed, the coming of a prophet is a grace since it attests to a faithful and loving God who never abandons his own.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we turn to Jesus Lord and seek healing? Do we help our sick brothers and sisters to come to Jesus and be healed? Do we care for their spiritual-physical needs?
2. Do we believe that as Christian disciples immersed into the paschal destiny of Christ the prophet we too are prophets? How do we carry out our prophetic ministry?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
we turn to you and seek total healing.
Forgive us our sins
and heal our weary soul and broken spirit.
Let our ailing bodies be restored to health,
according to the Father’s compassionate will.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Lord Jesus,
give us the grace to speak your word:
a word of life and truth
as well as a word of justice and judgment.
You word is living and active.
It strikes to the heart
and pierces more surely than a two edged sword.
Help us to be true prophets of your word.
We serve and glorify 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.
“Your sins are forgiven … Rise and walk.” (Mt 9:5) // “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” (Am 7:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for a sick person and, if possible, assist that person to have access to the sacraments of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick. // Pay particular attention to the word of God proclaimed in the liturgy and find concrete ways to introduce your family and friends to the bread of the Word offered in the Eucharist.
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July 6, 2018: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (13); SAINT MARIA GORETTI, Virgin, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Comes for Our Healing … He Satisfies Our Hunger for the Word”
BIBLE READINGS
Am 8:4-6, 9-12 // Mt 9:9-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:9-13): “Those who are well do not need a physician. I desire mercy not sacrifice.”
(Gospel Reflection by Rosemary Farrell, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)
This short passage (Mt 9:9-13) contains the heart of the gospel message, the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is LOVE. The calling of Matthew to discipleship is of great significance to us all. As a tax collector, Matthew belonged to a highly disreputable profession and would have been regarded as a social outcast by his fellow Jews. The prior calling by Jesus of the fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James and John would not have excited public interest, but Matthew was conspicuous because of his despised profession and because of the other outcasts who associated with him. However, all were called by Jesus in their failings and imperfections, whether these were highly visible and open to public scrutiny, as in the case of Matthew, or not; so too have we all been called in our imperfections, whether they have received public scrutiny, if we happen to be politicians or celebrities, or are known only to ourselves and to God.
Do not be afraid, I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me, I will bring you home; I love you and you are mine. (David Haas)
This is the love of God, calling us just as we are, to be illumined in the light of His love; to be healed and transformed and to become His love to the world.
Even if your sins are scarlet, they can become snow white; even if they are as wool dyed crimson, they can be white as fleece. (Isaiah 1:18)
While dining with Matthew and others who are deemed outcasts, Jesus overhears the skepticism of some of the Pharisees. He refers them to the scripture that says, “It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices” and tells them to go and find out what that means. Here, Jesus is referring to the words of the prophet Hosea:
What I want from you is plain and clear: I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me. (Hosea 6:6)
Hosea was not alone in uttering words like these; we hear them also from his contemporary, fellow prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Micah who completes his exhortation with the famous dictum:
The Lord has told us what is good. What He requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God. (Micah 6:8)
How do these words resonate with us today? Kindness, justice, humility and above all, love, we can certainly understand. We have each been called to know and love the God who is love, and to become His love for others; through this love, all the fruits of the Spirit will grow in us.
Hosea and the other prophets spoke out against animal sacrifice which was still practiced in the Temple in Jerusalem as atonement for sin in Jesus’ time and would continue until the Temple’s destruction in 70 AD. The Pharisees, who were critical of Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners, would have zealously performed the Temple sacrifices, but in referencing Hosea Jesus tells them that external duties and observances are inferior to Knowledge of God and the love and compassion that emanates from that Knowledge. We may be tempted to dismiss the word “sacrifice”, in the prophetical writings that Jesus referred to, as something belonging to the distant past and not applicable to us today as long as we do not allow external religious observances to take precedence over compassion, kindness and mercy towards our brothers and sisters. Perhaps we should contemplate the suffering of animals in factory farms and the billions of God’s creatures who are still sacrificed each day, no longer as sin offerings but to provide us with food that we do not need; it is easy to survive and be healthy on foods from purely non-animal sources.
Our task must be to widen the circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. (Albert Einstein)
B. First Reading (Am 8:4-6, 9-12): “I will send famine upon the land: not a famine of bread or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Am 8:4-6, 9-12) is a prophetic judgment against Israel and is preceded by Amos’ vision of a basket of fruit. The Hebrew words for “end” and “fruit” sound alike. Making use of a pun, the prophet indicates that the “end” of unrepentant Israel is definite.
The vicious plans of corrupt merchants to make more money at the expense of the poor prove that their impending doom is merited. Instead of heeding the call to conversion, they intend to cheat, to overcharge and “to buy the lowly man for silver and the poor man for a pair of sandals”. As a consequence of Israel’s evil deeds, there will be darkness and lamentation, and there will be famine in the land. But for Israel, the greatest anguish is not for physical bread or water, but the longing for the word of God. They will hunger and thirst for a message from the Lord, but to no avail. Indeed, it is not possible for Israel to presume and decide on its own terms when and how to return to the Lord – as if God were at its disposal. The conversion journey can be undertaken only in response to God’s mercy and loving initiative.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does the call and response of the tax collector Matthew impinge on you? Do we put our trust in the Divine Physician who calls us to be healed and transformed and to become his love in the world?
2. Do we hunger for the word of God, heed it and act upon it?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving Jesus, Divine Physician,
you did not come to call the righteous but sinners.
You call us just as we are.
Your healing love transforms us
that we may become in turn
your healing love to the world.
We hunger for your Word.
Speak, Lord, and we listen with loving heart.
We give you thanks and praise,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mt 9:13) // “A famine for hearing the word of the Lord” (Am 8:11)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Meditate on the graciousness of God’s call and of the ongoing response we need to give to him. Through your compassionate ways, let the healing love of Jesus be felt by the persons close to you. Be thankful for the blessings God has bestowed upon the American nation and endeavor to share these blessings with the less fortunate.
*** *** ***
July 7, 2018: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (13); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the New Wine and Bridegroom … He Is the Promise of Restoration”
BIBLE READINGS
Am 9:11-15 // Mt 9:14-17
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:14-17): “Can the wedding guests mourn a long as the bridegroom is with them?”
In the reading (Mt 9:14-17), John the Baptist’s disciples, probably prompted by the Pharisees, ask Jesus why they and the Pharisees fast, but his disciples do not. Jesus retorts with a rhetorical question: “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” In today’s Gospel, Jesus underlines a deeper truth that goes beyond the question of fasting. In the Bible, the marriage feast is a symbol of the kingdom of God. Jesus - the Bridegroom – invites us into the fullness of the kingdom, depicted as a marriage feast. As the Bridegroom of the Church, he brings in the radical newness of the reign of God. The radical newness is depicted in the image of “new wine” in fresh wineskins and of a “piece of unshrunken cloth” that will tear an old cloth if patched into it. Elements of Judaism that were either a temporary dispensation (e.g. the animal sacrifice) or a mere preparation for something better are surpassed by the Bridegroom Jesus Christ. He blesses us in a new way that shatters old categories and conventions. In his public ministry, Jesus did not require his disciples to fast the way the Pharisees and the disciples of John did. In the post-resurrection Church, “fasting”, with its many expressions, is still appropriate as long as it looks forward to the culmination of the kingdom. Fasting is done in the spirit of the Church-Bride waiting for Christ-Bridegroom’s return at the end time.
The radical newness of the kingdom and the “fasting” it entails can be perceived in the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, ed. Carol Kelly-Gangi, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 97, 69, 64).
My sister and I used to read the same books. One day my sister read a book and passed it to me. As soon as I read two pages, I felt it would be a sin to read that book. Later I asked my sister whether she had read the book. She replied that she had and had found nothing wrong in it. There was no sin in my sister reading the book, but in conscience I could not read it. (…)
By our vow of chastity we renounce God’s natural gift to women to become mothers – for the greater gift – that of being virgins for Christ, of entering into a much more beautiful motherhood. (…)
I can’t bear being photographed but I make use of everything for the glory of God. When I allow a person to take a photograph, I tell Jesus to take one soul to heaven out of Purgatory.
B. First Reading (Am 9:11-15): “I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel. I will plant them upon their own ground.”
The Book of Amos ends positively with a joyful glimpse of the restoration of Israel (9:11-15). The earlier threats and oracles of doom are counterpoised by the overwhelming reality of God’s mercy and fidelity. The kingdom of David will be rebuilt and the nations finally reunited. A picture of abundant fruitfulness deepens the promise of the nation’s restoration: the grain will grow faster than can be harvested; the vine will grow faster than the wine can be made; the mountains will drip with sweet wine; etc. The entirety of Amos’ prophetic proclamation, that is, the threats of just punishment and the promise of restoration, reminds Israel that sinfulness is death-dealing and that conversion to God is life-giving.
Israel’s experience of death and grace, of punishment and hope of tomorrow, of raw ugliness and awesome beauty, can also be gleaned in our daily life. The following article gives insight into this (cf. Amy Bunt, “Beauty beneath the Surface” in Country, February/March 2013, p. 16).
I live in the Arizona desert, where flowers are sparse, rocks and bushes replace green grass, and the four seasons are more likely one long summer with a few cold December and January days. But the desert had such an abundance of rain one year that I was determined to see how it affected the landscape. Surely there must be something wonderful under all that dirt.
I used to think that to see anything beautiful, I had to get as far away from the desert as possible. But I was wrong. The desert often seems harsh and void of life, but below the surface is a kind of beauty that will come to life if enough rain falls from the heavens.
During that one rainy season, I went hiking in Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, which is reputedly the site of an elusive gold mine. I didn’t go to the park that day looking for a gold mine, but I found one among the acres of golden flowers that surrounded my every step. The abundance reminded me of a Midwestern spring; the only dirt I saw was on the dusty path I was following.
Life often seems like a dusty path that we walk day in and day out. But instead of being surrounded by flowers in bloom, we often find ourselves surrounded by heartache, disappointment and sadness. Maybe it’s the loss of a job, a wayward child, or the death of a loved one that leaves a void so big and so painful you wonder if anything beautiful can ever come out of it.
I don’t know what surrounds your dusty path, but I know that God surrounds mine. He is kind enough to send rain and bring forth such beauty that I am left in awe and wonder. He has proven to me that beauty can come from ashes.
Life gives joy and sometimes takes it away. In moments of sadness, I look long and hard at the dry ground and wonder if life will ever spring from it again. It is then that I realize that God gives me a hope that doesn’t fade. Through faith he tells me to keep walking on my dusty path and to look for beauty, because it will surely come again.
Will my path always be lined with flowers? No. They will fade and be replaced by heartaches and disappointments of life, but those won’t last forever, either. Spring will come again and flowers will return. Someday I will walk among the fields of gold once more and will smile and say that life is good because God is good.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I realize the radical newness of the kingdom of God that Jesus brings? How do I live out the radical newness of the kingdom?
2. Do I allow myself to be shaped by visions of hope, beauty and grace; or do stubbornly cling to the shadows of sin, fear and death?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you are the Bridegroom of the Church.
You call us to share in the feast of your kingdom.
You offer us to savor the “new wine” in fresh wineskins.
Teach us to practice true “fasting” on behalf of your kingdom.
Help us to express in our life
the beauty of the Gospel
and the radical newness that your life brings.
Let us welcome the hope of tomorrow.
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.
“Pour new wine into fresh new wineskins.” (Mt 9:17) // “I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel.” (Am 9:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Examine the actions and choices in your life that are not “new wine” in new wineskins and ask the Lord for the grace to overcome them. With the strength of the Holy Spirit, carry out the “fasting” (e.g. from excessive use of digital media, etc.) that will benefit you spiritually and promote the kingdom of God. // Be deeply aware of the “touches” of beauty, joy and goodness in your life.
***
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