A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 19, n. 31)
Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time: June 27 – July 3, 2021
(The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY & WEEKDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy from various perspectives. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: June 20-26, 2021 please go to ARCHIVES Series 19 and click on “Ordinary Time Week 12”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
June 27 - July 4, 2021.)
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June 27, 2021: THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives Life”
BIBLICAL 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 (2 Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15): “Your abundance should supply the needs of the poor.”
Today’s Second Reading (2 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 (2 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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June 28, 2021: MONDAY – SAINT IRENAEUS, Bishop, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Follow Him Unconditionally … He Is our Intercessor”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 18:16-33 // 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 (Gn 18:16-33): “Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty?”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Gn 18:16-22) depicts Abraham in his compassionate role as an intercessor. The Lord has chosen Abraham to be a great and mighty nation and as an instrument of blessing to the nations. Moreover, God has singled him out that he may direct his descendants to do what is right and just. The Lord God will fulfill his covenant promise if they follow in his way. Against this backdrop of God’s plan for a just nation through Abraham, the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah seems abhorrent and deserves divine retribution. Abraham, however, dialogues with a just and merciful God and presents himself as an intercessor.
The Benedictine scholar Adrian Nocent comments: “Nothing could better show that prayer is a bold dialogue with God than this passage from the Book of Genesis, in which we see Abraham speaking with the Lord and almost straining the limits of respect in an effort to catch God, as it were, in the snare of his own goodness and his own sense of justice. The whole dialogue should be read in its entirety, for in it we see the Lord being pushed to the extreme mercy. The style and manner of proceeding are truly Semitic. The appeal to God’s honor and reputation for justice might seem to us highly disrespectful; as a matter of fact, however, it shows great confidence in God and demonstrates the friendly intimacy of God with Old Testament man. Abraham makes it clear that along with Moses, Samuel, and Jeremiah, he is one of the great spiritual men of all time, one of those whose spirit of trusting prayer is an example for every generation.”
Indeed, Abraham’s example of audacious confidence in the Lord God and his prayer of intercession prefigures the saving ministry of Jesus Christ. The following story, circulated on the Internet, makes us realize that Jesus Savior is our great intercessor and defender.
After living what I felt was a “decent” life, my time on earth came to an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a courthouse. The doors opened, and I was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around, I saw the “prosecutor”. He was a villainous looking gent who snarled as he stared at me. He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. I sat down and looked to my left and there sat my “Attorney”, a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me. I felt I knew him.
The corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence as he moved across the room. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. As he took his seat behind the bench, he said, “Let us begin.”
The prosecutor rose and said, “My name is Satan, and I am here to show you why this man belongs to hell.” He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, and times when I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life, and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t look at anyone, even my own Attorney, as the Devil told of the sins that even I had completely forgotten about. As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at my Attorney who sat there silently not offering any form of defense at all. I know I had been guilty of those things, but I had done some good in my life – couldn’t that at least equal out part of the harm I’d done? Satan finished with a fury and said, “This man belongs in hell. He is guilty of all that I have charged, and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.
When it was his turn, my attorney first asked if he might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objection of Satan and beckoned him to come forward. As he got up and started walking, I was able to see him in his full splendor and majesty. I realized why he seemed so familiar. This was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Savior. He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge. “Hi, Dad” and then he turned to address the court. “Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned. I won’t deny any of these allegations. And, yes, the wage of sin is death, and this man deserves to be punished.”
Jesus took a deep breath and turned to his Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, “However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life, and he has accepted me as his Savior, so he is mine.” My Lord continued with, “His name is written in the book of life and no one can snatch him from me. Satan still does not understand yet. This man is not to be given justice but rather mercy.” As Jesus sat down, he quietly paused, looked at this Father and said, “There is nothing else that needs to be done. I’ve done it all.”
The Judge lifted his mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from his lips: “This man is free. The penalty for him has already been paid in full. Case dismissed.” As my Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, “I won’t give up. I will win the next one.”
I asked Jesus as he gave me instructions where to go next, “Have you ever lost a case?” Christ lovingly smiled and said, “Everyone that has come to me and asked me to represent them has received the same verdict as you, “PAID IN FULL”.
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. How does Abraham’s ministry of intercession impact us? Do we endeavor to dialogue with God intimately and trustingly as a true friend? How do we carry out our ministry of intercession in today’s world?
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.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
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All-powerful God,
just and true are your ways!
But you are also merciful and kind.
We have rebelled against you
and negated your love.
We have greatly sinned
and justly we merit the blow of your punishing hand.
Have mercy on us
through the merits of your Son’s saving passion.
We are deeply sorry for our sins and offenses.
Let the gift of your forgiveness be ours
through the intercession of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” (Mt 8:22) //“Their sin is so grave.” (Gn 18:20)
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. // Pray that the Christian disciples of today may have the courage and strength to follow God’s commands and reject civil legislations that are against human nature and defy God’s benevolent will.
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June 29, 2021: TUESDAY – SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Apostles Peter and Paul
are the Pillars of the Church”
BIBLE READINGS
Acts 12:1-11 // 2 Tm 4:6-8, 17-18 // Mt 16:13-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
We celebrate today the solemn feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the two great pillars of the Church. These two great apostles remind us that the cost of Christian discipleship is dear. By their pastoral ministry and self-sacrificing service to the Gospel, they have witnessed to the nations that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and the Savior of the world.
Today’s bible readings underline their intimate participation in Christ’s paschal mystery and his saving power. The Acts of the Apostles (12:1-10) narrates that King Herod Agrippa has Peter arrested and put into prison in Jerusalem so that he may be tried before the people after the Passover. Peter is under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. On the very night before Herod is to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains and sleeping between two soldiers, is rescued by an angel from imminent death. This miraculous divine intervention on behalf of Peter evokes God’s marvelous works on the night of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and at the Passover event of Jesus Christ from death to life. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 7, remark: “This was during the week of the Passover … The deliverance of Peter, whom God frees from prison at night, and precisely at this period of the year, assumes the value of a parable. For the Church, it is still the time of Exodus. During the night of this world, it prays with confidence, remembering the Pasch of Christ and giving thanks for the marvels God has accomplished, including thanksgiving ahead of time for the crowning marvel: when Christ himself, and no longer an angel, will come back to snatch her finally forever from the hands of her enemies.”
In the Second Reading (2 Tim 4:6-8, 17-18), we hear about the apostle Paul who is also a prisoner for Christ and an intimate participant in his paschal mystery. Undergoing the humiliating conditions of a captive in Rome, he entertains no illusions as to the outcome of his trial. Knowing that he would be condemned to death, he does not allow the specter of death to daunt him. Confronted by the certainty of martyrdom, he avows God’s benevolent protection and recognizes the divine saving plan at work in his life. Trusting fully in the Lord Jesus and knowing that he had done all he could to proclaim the Gospel, Paul compares his life to a spiritual sacrifice and speaks of his upcoming death as a “passage” – a Passover toward the divine kingdom. Knowing that he has competed well in his endeavor for Christ and that he has kept the faith in him, he is sure of the “crown of righteousness” that the Lord Jesus has prepared for him and all those who long for Christ’s coming.
Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 16:13-19) speaks of Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and the subsequent investiture of Peter at Caesarea Philippi with the “keys” of the Kingdom of heaven. The “keys” symbolize the authority and governance entrusted to the apostle Peter to lead the young church after Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus declares that Peter is the “rock” upon which he would build his Church. Peter will take on a role of primacy and a service of authority on behalf of the entire spiritual edifice, the Church, whose cornerstone and ultimate foundation is Jesus Christ himself. As willed by Jesus Christ, Peter’s ministry as a “rock” foundation of the Church and his service of authority as a recipient of the “keys” will live on through time and space.
In our celebration of the God-given gift to the Church of its great apostolic pillars, Sts. Peter and Paul, we are invited to consider anew our vocation and mission as Church and to pray for the Pope and all those who have received the special mission as stewards of the mysteries of salvation. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 7, conclude: “Peter and Paul, with their contrasting charisms put at the service of one and the same gospel, illustrate the nature of the Church of Christ and of the ministry entrusted to those whom the Lord chooses. Through the faith of which the apostles are witnesses and guides, the community of believers is solidly founded on Christ, the cornerstone that nothing can dislodge. Whatever may happen, despite all the trials, God delivers his friends as he freed his Christ from the power of death. Like their Master and Lord, those who exercise their responsibilities in the Christian community have only one ambition, to stay the course, to remain faithful to their mission as stewards of the mysteries of salvation, and to make themselves, without counting the cost, the servants of the servants of God, the messengers of his love.”
As we celebrate the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, I thank the Lord for the opportunity he gave me to spend several years of my apostolic life in Rome, under the shadows of Saint Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican City and Saint Paul’s Basilica on Via Ostiense. I was enrolled at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute, but it was a great joy for me to help our Sisters at the souvenir shops in Saint Peter’s Basilica during my free time. I had a chance to meet pilgrims from five continents of the world and savor the “universality of the Church”. The Sisters take daily turns for Eucharistic Adoration at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in Saint Peter’s Basilica and offer special prayers for the Church and the Pope. One Wednesday afternoon, after our work at the Cupola’s souvenir shop and while walking in the courtyard to board our van, we were asked by the Vatican police to stay put. From the other part of the courtyard, there was a tremendous activity as the Pope’s entourage arrived. When we saw Pope John Paul II, we cried out, “Viva il Papa!” Pope John Paul II, who was boarding the Pope-Mobile for his Wednesday audience with the pilgrims, turned and waved to us like a loving father. Now he is a canonized saint.
I likewise remember when I would go to the SSP Provincial House at Via Alessandro Severo, near the Basilica of St. Paul, to pray at the tomb of our Founder, Blessed James Alberione, and the first Pauline priest, Blessed Timothy Giaccardo, who were both beatified by Pope John Paul II. These two great pillars of the Pauline Family were deeply influenced by Saint Paul. The first foundation of the Pauline Family in Rome, at Via Alessandro Severo, received vital assistance from the kind Benedictines at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. In my prayer, I thank the Lord for the gift of the Pauline Family and our father Saint Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What insights does the celebration of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul give us about the nature and the ministry of the Church?
2. How did Saint Peter and Saint Paul participate intimately in Christ’s Paschal Mystery?
3. For the members of the Pauline Family: what will you do to make the celebration of the Pauline Centenary meaningful and transforming?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O gracious Father,
you fill our hearts with joy
as we honor your great apostles:
Peter, our leader in the faith,
and Paul, the fearless preacher.
Peter raised up the Church from the faithful flock of Israel.
Paul brought your call to the nations,
and became the teacher of the world.
Each in his chosen way
gathered into unity the one family of Christ.
Both shared the martyr’s death
and are praised throughout the world.
Grant us the grace to imitate
Saint Peter’s pastoral ministry to the Church
and Saint Paul’s zeal to proclaim the Gospel to the nations.
We give you glory and praise
and we pledge to love and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Upon this rock I will build my church.” (Mt 16:18)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Meditate on the marvels God has accomplished in the Church through the life witness and ministry of Saints Peter and Paul. Make an effort to read and reflect on the Pauline letters and be inspired by St. Paul’s teachings. In any way you can, enable the people of today to experience the pastoral and evangelizing ministry of Sts. Peter and Paul.
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June 30, 2021: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (12); THE FIRST MARTYRS OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH
N.B. Today the Pauline Family celebrates the Solemn Feast of Saint Paul.
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Fight the Spiritual Warfare … He Is the Fulfillment of God’s Promise”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 21:5, 8-20a // 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 (Gn 21:5, 8-20): “No son of that slave is going to share the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Gn 21:5, 8-20a) is about the birth of Isaac, the son born to Sarah in her old age in fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, and the poignant departure of Hagar and Ishmael, the son Abraham fathered through the slave girl Hagar. This story underlines Abraham’s obedience to God who directs the course of salvation history by showing his favor and compassion both to the “child of promise” and the child of Hagar. Sarah’s jealous concern for her son Isaac leads to the demand that Abraham expel Hagar and Ishmael. The distraught Abraham gives in to her demands only when God tells him to do so and when God assures him that Ishmael would also be a great nation being also Abraham’s offspring. Responding to their cry of distress in the barren wilderness, God saves Hagar and Ishmael from death by sending his messenger of salvation. God is with Ishmael as he grows up. Ishmael marries an Egyptian woman and becomes the father of camel nomads (Ishmaelites) dwelling in the wilderness between Palestine and Egypt. However, God’s promise of a covenant people comes down through the line of Isaac.
The Jews, the Christians and the Muslims are all descendants of Abraham, our father in faith. Led by Pope Francis and together with the Israeli and Palestinian Presidents, the encounter of prayer for peace on June 8, 2014 at the Vatican Gardens was an important interreligious dialogue and a significant step on the path of unity and peace (cf. L’Osservatore Romano, June 13, 2014, p. 7-9).
From the Address by Shimon Peres, Israeli President: “On this moving occasion, brimming with hope and full of faith, let us all raise with you, Your Holiness, a call for peace between religions, between nations, between communities, and between fellow men and women. Let true peace become our legacy soon and swiftly.”
From the Address by Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President: “O Lord, bring comprehensive and just peace to our country and regions so that our people and the peoples of Middle East and the whole world would enjoy the fruit of peace, stability and coexistence. We want peace for us and for our neighbors. We seek prosperity and peace of mind for ourselves and for others alike. O Lord, answer our prayers and make successful our endeavors for you are most just, most merciful, Lord of the Worlds.”
From the Address of Pope Francis: “Lord, God of Abraham, God of the Prophets, God of Love, you created us and you call us to live as brothers and sisters. Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness.”
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. Do we mirror God’s compassionate stance for all? Do we promote interreligious dialogue and peace among nations?
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) // “God hears the boy’s cry.” (Gn 21:17).
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 interreligious dialogue and peace among nations.
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July 1, 2021: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (13); SAINT JUNIPERO SERRA, Priest (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Has Power to Heal … He Is the Perfect Sacrifice”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 22:1b-19 // 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 (Gn 22:1b-19): “The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Gn 22:1b-19) is about the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith. In the Bible, testing proves the faith of God’s people. In today’s episode, God puts Abraham to the test by asking him to sacrifice Isaac, “his only son, whom he loves”. Isaac, the reward of Abraham’s inchoative faith, becomes the test of the same faith. What is demanded of Abraham is the surrender of that faith’s only basis: Isaac – his one thin line of hope on the divine promise. God’s “test” demands the complete surrender of his “beloved son”. Abraham’s obedient response does not withhold anything. He offers not only the sacrifice of his “beloved son”, but above all the sacrifice of his will. Abraham learns and relearns that only faith in God is the way to prosperity and posterity. Abraham passes the test with flying colors. God confirms anew the covenant promise of numerous descendants and his abundant blessings upon them. Abraham’s “sacrifice” prefigures the heavenly Father’s own perfect sacrifice of his only begotten Son Jesus Christ on the altar of the cross.
Abraham’s obedient faith response challenges us to trust God fully and to surrender totally to his mysterious but benevolent will. The following story illustrates what it means to surrender to the divine will in a spirit of sacrifice (cf. Teresa Anne Arries, “Place of Sacrifice” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc. 1997, p. 200-204)
(…) In the examining room, I had looked at Kim’s sweet face, distorted with pain. Her anguish wrung my heart. Holding my crying baby, I turned and faced the doctor. “If, if! That’s all I’ve been hearing for 16 months. Kim has had these painful shots every two weeks since she was born. You can see how she screams and cries. And all you can tell me is, ‘if’?”
Understanding the stress and fear behind my outburst, the doctor had not taken offense. “Her white blood cell count is the lowest it has ever been”, he said gently, holding the lab report in his hand. “The gamma globulin shots have helped her to survive her bout of illness, but her own body is not producing white blood cells in large enough quantities. I can’t give you a miracle. Kim will either start producing enough white cells or she won’t.” (…)
Tired and numb, I had returned home. Hearing Kim stir in her crib, I tiptoed in to check on her. In a deep sleep, she sobbed softly as she painfully moved her legs. The shots would bother her for several days. (…)
I went to the kitchen and began washing the breakfast dishes. The warm water felt wonderful on my cold hands as I twirled the soap suds, my mind beginning to wander. I was remembering when Kim became ill. “I wasn’t afraid, at first, I thought, as I spoke quietly in my mind to God. I knew you could heal. There is nothing you can’t do. If my baby was ill, you would heal her. Nothing more simple, right? Nothing more simple. I reached for the pan on the stove and started fiercely scrubbing it. Okay God, so what’s the deal? I know I believe and have faith in you. I have prayed. Our church has prayed. The elders have laid hands on Kim. We’ve studied your word, appropriated your promises and awaited your timing. What do you want? Why won’t you heal my baby? No answer came.
The dishes done, I dried my hands. In utter despondency, I went back to the living room. If my silent God had deserted me, where else was I to turn? My eyes fell on my Bible on the coffee table. A verse from Genesis 22 slipped into my mind, stunning me with its impact. I quickly opened my Bible to make sure that I had remembered it correctly. I had. The verse read, And he said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”
I knew then, with absolute certainty that God was asking for Kim. My mind was suddenly clear as never before, and I realized that I had been placing my love for my little girl above my love for God. I had been asking for my will. My will. Not God’s. Not his sovereign choice. A clay pot had been railing at its maker, not falling in submission at his holy feet.
Realizing that I’d been manipulating God, I saw that I’d been doing all the “right things” so he would be required to answer my pleadings. I had never really considered the possibility that he might ask for Kimmie. Surely, sweet Jesus, you’re not asking this of me? Not my baby’s life. How easy for you to heal her. Just a touch. Oh, my Lord and my God, not this!
Even as I spoke, though, I knew the answer. Only total submission to God’s sovereign will would do. In my breaking heart I built an altar. Upon this altar I placed my only, beloved child as truly and sacrificially as Abraham had ever placed Isaac on the altar of Moriah. Oh, my Lord, I place my trust in thee. If you are going to take my baby, take her. I can’t fight you any longer. Forgive me, Lord, for my lack of trust and obedience. I don’t understand why you are asking for my little girl, but I do love and trust you. Help me in the time ahead.
A profound peace filled me. The battle was over. The victory won. I let go of all the anger and fear that I’d been living with for so many months. I would rest in the perfect will of God for my life.
Six weeks later, Kim and I were at Dr. Rubinstein’s office again. Kim had not been ill during all that time. She sat up bright and alert in my arms, radiant with health. “I’ve never seen anything like this”, said Dr. Rubinstein with a puzzled look in his face. “Kim’s white blood cell count is absolutely normal. This is impossible. It couldn’t have changed so quickly.”
But it had. And in my heart I knew why. As Isaac had been returned to Abraham, so had my little girl been given back to me. My Lord was the Great Physician and a Father to be trusted.
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. Are we willing to make the Abraham-like sacrifice in our life? Do we trust the loving God enough to surrender our will to him?
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.
***
(Cf. Prayer after the Second Reading – Easter Vigil)
God and Father of all who believe in you,
you promised Abraham
that he would become the father of all nations,
and through the death and resurrection of Christ
you fulfill that promise:
everywhere throughout the world
you increase your chosen people.
May we respond to your call
by joyfully accepting your invitation to the new life of grace.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
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) //“Because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly.” (Gn 22:16)
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. // Pray to God for the grace to be able to submit to his saving will. To help you in developing this obedient stance of faith, dedicate some precious moments of the day to meditative prayer.
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July 2, 2021: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (13)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Comes for Our Healing … He Is Font of Consolation”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67 // 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 (Gn 23:1-4, 19: 24:1-8, 62-67): “In his love for Rebekah, Isaac found solace after the death of his mother Sarah.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Gn 23:1-4, 19: 24:1-8, 62-67) helps us to see the ongoing spiritual journey of Abraham, our father in faith, and his humble collaboration in the fulfillment of the divine marvelous plan. When Sarah dies at the age of 157 years, Abraham buys a field from the Hittites that would serve as a burial place, not only for Sarah, but also for Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah and Jacob. For the first time Abraham actually owns a piece of the Promised Land. Abraham’s possession of a portion of the land stands as a pledge of the future possession of the land in its entirety.
Abraham’s last task now is to ensure that his son Isaac will have a spouse and thus promote the divine promise of numerous descendants for the patriarch. He entrusts a senior servant of his household with the task of finding a wife for Isaac from among his clan in northern Mesopotamia, and not from the people of Canaan with whom they live. He also charges the servant not to bring Isaac back by any means to the land from where the patriarch migrated. Abraham makes his servant swear by his genital organs, considered the transmitters of life, and thus adds greater binding force to the oath. The servant dutifully carries out his task, confident in the faith that he witnesses in Abraham.
The good and reliable servant thus places everything in God’s hand. At the well outside the city of his destination, the servant finds Rebekah, a beautiful young girl and still a virgin, the one designated by God to be Isaac’s wife. The servant recognizes Rebekah as God’s choice when she obliges to give him a drink from her jar and then she draws water from the well for his ten camels to drink. The servant is even more certain of God’s guidance when he discovers that Rebekah belongs to Abraham’s clan. After the customary negotiation with the family, the servant brings Rebekah, Abraham’s grandniece, to Canaan to become Isaac’s wife. In his love for Rebekah, Isaac finds solace after the death of his mother Sarah. Thus the progressing line of the covenant promise and its fulfillment moves on to a further stage of development.
The love of Isaac and Rebekah is a font of consolation. It prefigures the joy and comfort that spring forth from the love relationship between Christ and his Bride the Church. As Christian disciples we too must be a source of comfort and consolation for one another. The following story, circulated on the Internet, illustrates how love brings consolation.
The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his three-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found the box was empty. He yelled at her, “Don’t you know when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside it?”
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy!” The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl and he begged for her forgiveness.
An accident took the life of the child only a short time later, and it is told that the man kept that gold box for many years, and whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
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. How do the examples of Abraham and his dutiful servant inspire you in promoting the fulfillment of God’s saving plan? Do we value the value of marriage and family life? Do we value the Catholic teaching on marriage and family life?
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 give you thanks and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
***
O loving Lord,
we thank you for guiding the life of Abraham,
our father in faith.
We thank you for your protective hands
upon Isaac and all the other descendants of our beloved patriarch.
We thank you for directing all human events
toward the fulfillment of your covenant promise.
Help us to be a vital part of salvation history
and to be a means of comfort and consolation for others.
We adore and praise 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.
“I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mt 9:13) //“In his love for her, Isaac found solace.” (Gn 24:67)
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. // Do something to console a family member, a friend, or anyone who is lonely or grieving. By word, example and deeds, promote the Catholic teaching on the sanctity of marriage and family life.
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July 3, 2021: SATURDAY – 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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Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
3700 North Cornelia Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722 (USA)
Tel. (559) 275-1656
Website: WWW.PDDM.US