A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 19, n. 34)
Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time: July 18-24, 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: July 11-17, 2021 please go to ARCHIVES Series 19 and click on “Ordinary Time Week 15”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
July 18-24, 2021.)
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July 18, 2021: SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Our Master-Shepherd”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Jer 23:1-6 // Eph 2:13-18 // Mk 6:30-34
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:30-34): “They were like sheep without a shepherd.”
In 1995 I traveled about eight hours by bus from Manila to San Antonio to give a seminar on liturgical music. This scenic town is situated at the foot of Mount Pinatubo, a volcano that violently erupted on July 16, 1991, after five hundred years of dormancy. The people suffered great devastation. The town I saw was still full of sand and other debris spewed out by the volcanic eruption. The people narrated how they scrambled in all directions to save their lives. They were dispersed like sheep without a shepherd. My heart was filled with pity as I listened. In a mysterious way, I was reliving the compassion of Christ for the hapless crowd that pursued him.
The focus of today’s Gospel (Mk 6:30-34) is the Lord Jesus who shepherds. He shepherds the weary disciples who return from their missionary ministry, reporting to him what they had done and taught. His care for his tired and labor-spent disciples is heart-warming: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mk 6:31). He invites them to a well-deserved respite and quiet. Indeed, the disciples-apostles who have completed their first mission of preaching repentance, driving away demons and anointing the sick need some quiet rest with their Master-Shepherd.
The Lord Jesus likewise shepherds the pursuing crowd who hunger for the bread of the Word. His response is beautifully described in the Gospel: “His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them with many things” (Mk 6:34). Jesus accomplishes his pastoral care for them by teaching, that is, by nourishing their hungry souls with the bread of the Word. His service of teaching is a “nourishing ministry”. It is an important task in shepherding God’s people. He nourishes those who seek spiritual strength and solace by proclaiming the Gospel. The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “It is by teaching the sheep that Jesus gathers them together … His teaching is filled with power and creates a new people. The crowds gather around him and share his teaching with one another by telling one another of their impressions; slowly they form a united flock on which Jesus bestows his love and for which he prepares future shepherds.”
B. First Reading (Jer 23:1-6): “I will gather the remnant of my flock and appoint shepherd for them.”
I watched intently the gripping movie, “Hotel Rwanda”. The chaotic scenes and the footages of the atrocious genocide brought about by the Hutus against the Tutsis evoke the biblical scenarios of “the sheep without a shepherd”. As I watched the movie, I was moved to pity. I also remembered a priest friend from Rwanda – my classmate at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of St. Anselm University in Rome in the early 1980’s. Very tall, like a pine tree and strong as an oak tree, when he was climbing with me the Aventine Hill going to our school at the Benedictine abbey, he would make his naturally long stride very, very, very slow. I, in turn, would double pace my stride in order to catch up with him. I lost contact with him after graduation from the Liturgical Institute. As I watched the movie, “Hotel Rwanda”, I could not help but wonder whether he – a Tutsi - was one of the “tall trees” cut down by the Hutus. Deep in my heart, I was also sure that just like the benevolent and kind-hearted Paul Rusebagina, the hero of the “Hotel Rwanda”, he played the part of a true “shepherd” sent by God on behalf of the troubled and hapless people of Rwanda.
The Old Testament reading (Jer 23:1-6) offers a good background for the Gospel episode concerning Jesus’ care and concern for “the sheep without a shepherd”. Susan Myers remarks: “In the decades preceding the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, the kingdom of Judah was a vassal state, subject alternately to Egypt and Babylonia. Kings ruled in quick succession, often installed by the foreign nations in power at that time. At one point, there were even two kings, one in exile and one in Jerusalem. In this chaotic situation, Jeremiah proclaims the oracle we read today. The false shepherds are those rulers who are responsible for the scattering of the people in exile. Beginning as an oracle of judgment, today’s passage quickly turns to provide hope for those exiled in Babylonia. God promises to take care of the remnant of the people which remains faithful, bringing them back home again. The prophet further predicts that God will raise up one from the lineage of David who will rule with justice.”
The promise of a future ideal king, described as “a righteous shoot of David” is fulfilled and crystallized in Jesus Christ, the ultimate Shepherd sent by God to nourish and care for his flock. The Good Shepherd is the Divine Master who nourishes with “the bread of truth”. His love and care is meant not only for a chosen few, but for God’s entire flock – the pitiable crowd who, in their brokenness, have a claim on the care and ministry of the Master-Shepherd.
C. Second Reading (Eph 2:13-18): “Christ is our peace who made both one.”
In the second reading (Eph 2:13-18), we hear again of the redemptive and unifying work of Jesus. He brings peace and reconciliation and makes the Jews and Gentiles one people. He unites people of all races and brings them back to God through his paschal mystery, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the pastoral ministry to the people of Israel, and especially through his sacrificial act on the cross by which he accomplished the fullness of his service as Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ leads the dispersed flock back to God the Father.
The life-giving sacrifice of the Good Shepherd on the cross is in accord with the divine plan “to restore all things”. Every Christian disciple, by virtue of baptismal consecration and configuration to Jesus Shepherd-King has a duty to seek peace and to work for reconciliation in our fragmented world. As Christians, we have a tremendous responsibility to promote unity within us and to bring healing to our wounded society and our deeply afflicted world. God calls us to incarnate in our lives the pastoral mission of Jesus. Our loving God the Father entrusts us with the ministry to shepherd his flock and to “restore all things in Christ”, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
R.W. Dellinger’s article, “GRYD: A More Comprehensive Anti-Gang Strategy” in The Tidings, Southern California’s Catholic Weekly, is very inspiring (cf. p. 4 of the July 10, 2009 issue). It illustrates the laudable efforts of today’s concerned and responsible citizens to eliminate violence and crime in our society. Capt. Mark Olvera, of the Los Angeles Police Department, and Father Stan Bosch are examples of those who continue the pastoral mission of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in the here and now.
With more than 400 street gangs and 40,000 gang members – resulting in some of the nation’s worst youth-on-youth violence – the City of the Angels has the dubious distinction of being the gang capital of the U.S.A. Through the police department, Los Angeles has long tried to arrest and suppress its way out of this deadly urban dilemma. (…)
LAPD Capt. Mark Olvera – a classical Flamenco guitarist who, with wife Sylvia and sons Garrett, 17, and Joseph, 15, comprise the music ministry for the Saturday vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Lincoln Heights – is on the front lines of the city’s new anti-gang strategy. The outwardly calm commander of what is euphemistically called “Shootin’ Newton”, part of which has been designated a gang-reduction GRYD (Gang Reduction and Youth Development) zone, is sitting at a round table in his back office of the grey-stone station on Central Avenue at 34th Street, right across from St. Patrick Church. Three paintings hang from the back wall, including an expensive Japanese watercolor. On top of a glass-front bookcase, an army of knick-knacks stand guard. An acoustic guitar rests nearby in a corner. The 52-year-old policeman born and raised in East L.A. explains that his wife, who decorated his office, wanted to make it as comfortable as possible as he was going to spend so much time there working – often 12-hour days that stretch from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Most Saturdays, after the evening Mass, he comes in to catch up on paperwork.
“It’s probably not written down anywhere, but the main thing with GRYD and its gang interventionists is to stop the retaliations. Once there’s a shooting, stop pay-backs by being on the scene. That’s the first goal,” Capt. Olvera explains. “The second goal is to let us know where there are hot spots so we can deploy for them. “But at the same time, the interventionists should be working to: ‘OK, let’s be preventive. Let’s make sure there is no shooting to begin with.’ And that’s where Father Stan Bosch (GRYD supervisor for both the Newton and 77th division areas, who is a Trinitarian priest as well as a trained psychotherapist) comes in with his counseling and wraparound services. He deals with the healing part at the scene and then after counseling families and gang members. “There’s also the reentry part – Who’s coming out of the probation camps?” he adds. “We can work with the probation and then connect the youths to services and Father Stan right away to get them out of harm’s way.” (…)
Still, Olvera admits that GRYD, which has only been in operation in the Newton area since April 1, is a work in progress. He and his staff are examining different ways of doing things and making changes based on what works. There’s one factor, however, that has really helped the team make inroads with certain gangs so far – Father Bosch’s connection with gang members through a shared Catholic faith. “The power of the symbolism of a Catholic priest working with these kids meant a lot,” he says. “I think we can really do things with that in terms of dealing with the violence. “Also, it’s a matter of tolerance,” the LAPD commander adds. To those who think it’s OK for a gang member to be killed, he replies, “That’s not the Christian way. None of these killings is OK. And that’s what we have to change. I think with GRYD we’re on the verge of changing that attitude.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your Son Jesus Christ is the Master-Shepherd.
He feeds us with the bread of the Word
and nourishes us with hope
by witnessing to your unconditional love.
By his blood on the cross,
Jesus gathers the scattered sheep into one flock.
Through his teaching ministry and work of evangelization,
the Good News of salvation becomes a reality.
O loving and gracious God,
we thank you for Jesus, our Master-Shepherd!
Through him,
peoples from all races and nations
are gathered into your presence
and rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We praise you and love 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.
“They were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” (Mk 6:34)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Spend some moments of peace and quiet solitude with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Relish the beautiful experience of “coming away with him to a deserted place to rest awhile”. With the compassionate heart of the Shepherd, welcome those who are “like sheep without a shepherd” and share with them the bread of God’s Word.
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July 19, 2021: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (16)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives the Sign of Jonah … He Is Our Saving Glory”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 14:5-18 // Mt 12:38-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 12:38-42): “At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it.”
The Gospel (Mt 12:38-42) tells us that the scribes and Pharisees demand to see a “sign” from Jesus – a flashy miracle that will convince them he is truly the Messiah. The “sign” they want is one that fits their notion of a triumphant political Son of David. Jesus has given enough signs in his public ministry, both in word and deed. But their prejudice prevents them from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. He obliges by giving them the ultimate sign: Jonah in the belly of the whale three days and three nights. The mind-baffling “sign of Jonah” refers to the paschal event of his death and resurrection. Failure to accept this sign is unfortunate and merits condemnation. The people of Nineveh, who responded with repentance to Jonah’s proclamation, and the Queen of the South, who yearned to hear the wisdom of Solomon, stand in sharp contrast to their unbelief. Indeed, Jesus is “something greater” than Jonah or Solomon. More than Jonah who preaches repentance, Jesus is our peace and reconciliation. More than Solomon and his wisdom, Jesus is the incarnate wisdom of God. He is the fullness of truth - the absolute revelation of the heavenly Father’s love.
Jesus continues to offer the “sign of Jonah”, and those who are sensitive to grace can perceive it. The paschal sign of his death and resurrection enfolds us. We are called to an intimate participation in it. The following story circulated on the Internet gives insight into this.
A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Very quietly the doctor said, “I don’t know.” “You don’t know? You’re a Christian man and don’t know what’s on the other side?” The doctor was holding the handle of the door. On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining. And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here. And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death. But I do know one thing … I know my Master is there and that is enough.”
B. First Reading (Ex 14:5-18): “They will know that I am the Lord when I receive glory through Pharaoh.”
The reading (Ex 14:5-18) depicts Pharaoh and his army in pursuit of the Israelites. Pharaoh has changed his mind about the Israelites leaving Egypt. He now regrets letting them go and resents the loss of a significant slave-labor force. The Israelites understandably react to the enemy’s pursuit with fear, and are tempted to prefer the slavery in Egypt to sure death in the desert. To Israel’s cry of despair, Moses responds with the assurance: “Don’t be afraid … You will see what the Lord will do to save you today … The Lord will fight for you!” The Lord then gives directions to Moses to ensure the safe passage of the Israelites through the sea. Moses is to lift his staff, stretch out his hand, and divide the sea in favor of Israel. The consequent defeat of the Egyptians will be an eloquent witness to the power of the Divine Warrior. Thus the Lord God will be extolled and glorified.
The following story gives a glimpse into the fear and danger that the Israelites went through because of the attacks by the Egyptians (cf. Lou McMurray, “A Most Unusual Vacation” in Poverello News, March 2013, p. 3-4 // April 2013, p. 3-5).
Our group was visiting Crown Island off the coast of mainland Papua New Guinea (PNG). The island was populated by several extended families … I took a walk on a trail passing through a small family unit, unkempt gardens and rainforest. After the walk I decided to take a swim … I had swum approximately one fourth mile and was having a nice time looking at all the fish and coral formations.
I suddenly felt something big against my body and something clamped onto my right arm. I looked and saw a big crocodile with my arm in his mouth. I was immediately able to yank my arm out. I felt no pain and my body went into survival mode … This time he started snapping his jaws and caught my left lower leg. I again kicked and yanked my leg out of his mouth. He backed off and swam next to me. I was still at least 100 meters offshore. I didn’t notice the water depth. My only thoughts were to keep my eyes on the crocodile, that I was probably going to die and that I was getting exhausted from swimming and kicking him.
He came at me several more times. I can’t recall how many aggressive moves he made, probably five or six. He caught my other leg in one of the attacks and again I was able to kick free. I was now desperate. I realized that if he kept at me I wouldn’t make it to shore. It was all I could do to keep swimming and kicking at him. The croc was getting wise to my kicks and starting to lower his approach so I couldn’t get my feet under his jaws to kick him. He seemed to have no inclination to leave me.
I lost track of the crocodile and looked under water to see where he was. Before he stayed on top of the water and I could see him. My last view of him was underwater swimming away. But I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t come back, so getting on the boat was a high priority. The problem was that the ramp was narrow and about a foot above the water. I didn’t have the strength to lift myself in. I was totally exhausted. With the help of Dan, the boat hand, I finally got on board.
It was on the short boat ride back to the ship that I realized I was injured. I couldn’t evaluate my situation but could only feel overwhelmed with my good fortune that the rescue boat came when it did. Apparently, Steve, one of the boat hands on shore saw me struggling and splashing. As I was a good one fourth mile away he did not know I was being attacked. Thinking something was wrong Steve called the ship and requested a rescue boat to come to investigate. Had Steve not made that call, it’s doubtful I would have survived.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our response to the “sign of Jonah” that Jesus continues to offer us in our daily life?
2. What do we do when fear assails us and when we are the object of an enemy’s attack? Do we hold on and allow the Lord to defend and fight for us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank you for the paschal “sign of Jonah”.
Please give us the grace to respond in faith
to this “mystery” and revelation of love.
Teach us to make a quest for you,
the eternal wisdom that leads to eternal life.
Loving Lord, help us to do what is required of us:
“to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with God”.
We love you and praise you, now and forever.
Amen.
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All-powerful God,
like the Israelites in the desert pursued by the Egyptians,
we too suffer attacks from death-dealing forces.
Let us be comforted by your assurance:
“Do not be afraid … The Lord will fight for you.”
Be our defense and protection.
We give you glory and praise,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“No sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” (Mt 12:39) // “Fear not … The Lord himself will fight for you.” (Ex 14:13-14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be receptive to the “sign of Jonah” that surrounds us in daily life. By consciously participating in the paschal sacrifice of Christ, let the people around you realize that the “sign of Jonah” is a sign of salvation. // When assailed by temptation and danger, stand your ground and fear not, believing that the Lord himself will fight for you.
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July 20, 2021: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (16); SAINT APOLLINARIS, Bishop, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Family Obeys the Will of God … He Is Victorious in His Exodus”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 14:21-15:1 // Mt 12:46-50
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 12:46-50): “Stretching out his hands toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.”
The Gospel (Mt 12:46-50) tells us that Jesus continues to suffer unbelief and rejection. The hostility of the Jewish religious leaders is mounting. The mother and relatives of Jesus are deeply concerned. They want to speak to him. They probably intend to take him away from danger. But Jesus makes use of the presence of his mother and kinsmen to define the true nature of his family. The true family of Jesus is constituted by those who follow the will of God – of which Mary is the model. Jesus does not reject the bond of blood kinship, but his commitment to the reign of God leads him to affirm the new and higher bond of spiritual kinship. Those who, in faith, submit to the will of God the Father are brothers and sisters and mothers to Jesus. They are true members of God’s family.
The following story, circulated on the Internet, shows how Mother Teresa of Calcutta testifies to how we can live in today’s world as true members of God’s family.
Jim Castle was tired when he boarded his plane in Cincinnati, Ohio, that night in 1981. The 45-year-old management consultant had put on a week-long series of business meetings and seminars, and now he sank gratefully into his seat, ready for the flight home to Kansas City, Kansas. As more passengers entered, the place hummed with conversation, mixed with the sound of bags being stowed. Then, suddenly, people fell silent. The quiet moved slowly up the aisle like an invisible wake behind a boat. Jim craned his head to see what was happening and his mouth dropped open. Walking up the aisle were two nuns clad in simple white habits bordered in blue. He recognized the familiar face of one at once, the wrinkled skin, and the eyes warmly intent. This was a face he’d seen in newscasts and on the cover of TIME. The two nuns halted, and Jim realized that his seat companion was going to be Mother Teresa!
As the last few passengers settled in, Mother Teresa and her companion pulled out rosaries. Each decade of the beads was a different color, Jim noticed. “The decades represented various areas of the world”, Mother Teresa told him later and added, “I pray for the poor and dying on each continent.”
The airplane taxied to the runway and the two women began to pray, their voices a low murmur. Though Jim considered himself not a very religious Catholic who went to church mostly out of habit, inexplicably he found himself joining in. By the time they murmured the final prayer, the plane had reached cruising altitude. Mother Teresa turned toward him. For the first time in his life, Jim understood what people meant when they spoke of a person possessing an “aura”. As she gazed at him, a sense of peace filled him; he could no more see it than he could see the wind but he felt it, just as surely as he felt a warm summer breeze. “Young man”, she inquired, “do you say the rosary often?” “No, not really”, he admitted. She took his hands, while her eyes probed his. Then she smiled. “Well, you will now.” And she dropped her rosary into his palm.
An hour later, Jim entered the Kansas City airport where he was met by his wife, Ruth. “What in the world?” Ruth asked when she noticed the rosary in his hand. They kissed and Jim described his encounter. Driving home, he said “I feel as if I met a true sister of God.”
Nine months later, Jim and Ruth visited Connie, a friend of theirs for several years. Connie confessed that she’d been told she had ovarian cancer. “The doctor says it’s a tough case”, said Connie, “but I’m going to fight it. I won’t give up.” Jim clasped her hand. Then, after reaching into his pocket, he gently twined Mother Teresa’s rosary around her fingers. He told her the story and said, “Keep it with you, Connie. It may help.” Although Connie wasn’t Catholic, her hand closed willingly around the small plastic beads. “Thank you”, she whispered. “I hope I can return it.”
More than a year passed before Jim saw Connie again. This time her face was glowing. She hurried toward him and handed him the rosary. “I carried it with me all year”, she said. “I’ve had surgery and have been on chemotherapy, too. Last month, the doctors did second-look surgery, and the tumor’s gone. Completely!” Her eyes met Jim’s. “I knew it was time to give the rosary back.”
B. First Reading (Ex 14:21-15:1): “The children of Israel marched into the midst of the sea on dry land.”
Today’s reading (Ex 14:21-15:1) recounts the awesome manifestation of divine power at the crossing of the Red Sea. This confirms the reality that the God of Israel is the Lord of all. As commanded, Moses stretches out his hand over the sea, resulting in a very special miracle. The water is divided, and the Israelites go through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides. At this point, the Egyptian forces pursue the Israelites on the dry land. Moses then stretches out his hand over the sea and the returning waters engulf the Egyptians. This victory at sea enables the Israelites to acknowledge God’s saving intervention on their behalf. Moses and the Israelites thus sing the following song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.” The Lord’s deliverance of Israel at the Red Sea has clearly proved his dominion over all forces and manifests that he is the singular savior of Israel. By his passion, death, and glorification, Jesus Christ has brought to fulfillment the saving event of the Israelites’ crossing of the Red Sea, which prefigures it.
The “victory” that the Israelites experience at the crossing of the Red Sea continues to surface in our daily life, as the following story shows (cf. Sabra Ciancanelli, “July 5 Reflection” in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 212).
My son Solomon was afraid of getting his head wet. Last summer when I signed him up for swim lessons, my husband and I spent many nights reassuring Solomon that he’d be fine.
On the morning of his first lesson, Solomon and I waited outside the community swimming pool. I gave him a hug and whispered, “You can do it!” Solomon put on a belt with floats and climbed down the ladder. He followed the instructor’s words carefully. When she asked him to blow bubbles in the water, without hesitation, he leaned in and blew.
In the following days Solomon learned to float and paddle. By the second week my concern eased, and I read a magazine as they practiced. At one point I looked up to check on Solomon and didn’t see him. I raced to the pool’s edge and fearfully searched the bottom. I was about to yell out to the instructor when I noticed the boy in front of me swimming gracefully with his face in the water. He was wearing the same kind of swimsuit as Solomon. Wait, that is Solomon! Look how beautifully he glides! I clapped and cheered, and my eyes filled with tears as Solomon reached the edge of the pool.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we truly belong to the family of God by our faith response and obedience to the Father’s will? By our work and deeds, do we strive to be a mother, brother or sister to Jesus present in today’s poor and needy?
2. Do we trust that the Lord is with us to protect us as we cross the raging waters of our life? Do we acclaim his saving power in our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
you are the beloved son of God.
Baptized into the community of faith,
we become members of God’s family.
Help us to live our baptismal consecration
and obediently follow the Father’s saving will
that we may truly be a part of the divine family.
Give us the grace to be a mother, brother or sister
to the poor and needy in today’s world
that we may merit your gift of spiritual kinship.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
God our Father,
the exodus of the Israelites through the Red Sea
manifests your saving power.
Let your marvelous power guide us
as we attempt to cross the desert of temptations
and to traverse the raging seas of our life.
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.
“For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mt 12:50) //“I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant.” (Ex 15:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your witness of charity and service to the people around you, let them know that you truly belong to the community of faith and that you are a brother, sister, or mother to Jesus. // Be attentive to the many “victories” in your daily life that you experience through divine grace, and be thankful to the Lord for them.
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July 21, 2021: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (16); SAINT LAWRENCE OF BRINDISI, Priest, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Sows the Seed of God’s Word … He Is the Bread from Heaven”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 16:1-5, 9-15 // Mt 13:1-9
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:1-9): “The seed produced grain a hundredfold.”
In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 13:1-23), the impressive image of the fruitful seed that yields a hundredfold underlines the mighty power of God’s saving plan. The Word of God, prefigured in the “seed” sown liberally by the sower, is Jesus Christ whose favorable saving action on our behalf is total and efficacious. The fruitfulness of the seed of the Word, however, involves not only the graciousness of the divine initiative but also the receptivity and personal response of the recipient.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, comment: “The word attests to God’s faithfulness, long patience, and assiduous labor for the unfolding of salvation offered to all humankind. This word comes from God, who created human beings free, and who made with them a covenant of love. Efficacious, indescribably fecund, this word demands from human beings a willing response made of openness, conversion, and ever- renewed trust in him who speaks it … Thanks to the generous manner in which it is sown, we see the extraordinary fecundity of a single seed encountering a bit of good soil; it gives fruit a hundred or sixty or thirty fold. Are these different yields due to chance or luck? Absolutely not, for it is in the human heart that the word is sown … If the word is not fruitful, it is due to the listeners’ poor disposition. The urgent appeal to each one’s responsibility must be welcomed with immense hope.”
The following gives insight into the dynamics of the sowing of the Word and the reaping of a fruitful harvest (cf. Harold Hostetler‘s April 15 Reflection in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 120).
When I was a boy getting ready for school each morning, I often found my mother sitting at the kitchen table, reading her Bible. After seeing my father off to work in a Pennsylvania coal mine, she turned to the Good Book before making breakfast for her three children. I can still visualize her bowing her head over her well-worn King James Bible, eyes closed, chin resting on a half-clenched hand, probably praying for each of us.
It took twenty years from the time I left home before I gave my heart to Jesus, but when I did, the first thing I wanted to do was read the Bible. In nearly four decades since that eye-opening moment I’ve read God’s Word from cover to cover almost every year, in more than a dozen different translations. My favorite is the New International Version, maybe because I spent a year working for the International Bible Society during the time it was producing the NIV Study Bible and I was able to contribute some thoughts for its footnotes.
And today, as I finish yet another reading of Psalm 119, I can’t help but remember one of the reasons I feel do drawn to the Good Book.
Thanks, Mom.
B. First Reading (Ex 16:1-5, 9-15): “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
The reading (Ex 16:1-5, 9-15) depicts God’s act of graciousness upon the hard-headed Israelites. It is the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from Egypt and the people wandering in the desert are given to despair. They express a death wish that is tantamount to a rejection of God’s saving plan: “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!” Their grumblings manifest their lack of trust in the God who desires to lead them into the Promised Land. The Lord God, however, responds to their despair with an act of mercy. To the people’s complaint and hunger pangs, the Lord God promises relief and nourishment. God rains down bread from heaven that they may have their fill. He also sends quails from the sky to provide them with meat to eat. God’s gracious care of the people in the desert prefigures the ultimate care he gives to his people by sending his beloved Son Jesus Christ, the bread of life come down from heaven.
The following story illustrates the enormous care of God, especially for those who trust in him (cf. Lalia Winsett, “Baptist Minister” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, at. al. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc. 1997, p. 197).
I have a cousin who is a Baptist minister. When we were growing up, we only saw each other a couple of times a year. Now we see each other even less.
A few years ago, when I hadn’t seen him for some time, I suddenly began thinking about him and his family. I just couldn’t get them off my mind. And for some reason, I felt compelled to send him a check for $100. I thought about it for a few days and made more than one aborted trip to the post office. I finally mailed it with a letter saying I hope I wasn’t offending him, but I believed the Lord wanted me to do this.
A couple of weeks later I received a reply. My cousin said it never ceased to amaze him how God worked in his life. And now God had once again shown him, through us, that he will always meet our needs. My cousin said the only concern he had was that I sent too much. All he needed was $97.56.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we thankful for the goodness and generosity of Jesus the Sower, who casts the seed of the Kingdom everywhere and brings the Good News to all? Do we endeavor to be the rich, welcoming soil that will make the seed of the Kingdom grow and bear abundant fruit?
2. Do we ever grumble and complain to God about anything? What does this say with regards to our faith relationship with God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you have sown the seed of the living Word.
Let it find a fertile ground.
You have called us to broadcast the saving Word.
We trust in the power of your Word.
Let the sown seed produce a hundred-fold.
Make us faithful prophets
and servants of the Word.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Almighty God,
how gracious you are
and how marvelous is you saving plan!
You responded with care and kindness
to the hunger pangs of the Israelites.
You have provided for their needs.
You rained down bread from heaven
to satisfy their hunger.
We too are hungry for spiritual food
and you send Jesus Christ,
the bread of eternal life.
We thank you for this marvelous gift.
Grant that, in being nourished by this gift,
we may be transformed
and become living “Eucharist”.
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.
“Some seed fell on rich soil.” (Mt 13:8) //“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.” (Ex 16:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
To help appreciate more deeply the generous kindness of Jesus, the Sower of God’s Kingdom, make an effort to spend some moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. // Today when you are tempted to complain against God and grumble, keep in mind how good and gracious he is. Resolve to trust him in your deep needs.
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July 22, 2021: THURSDAY – SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Makes Us Messengers of His Resurrection”
BIBLE READINGS
Sg 3:1-4a or 2 Cor 5:14-17 // Jn 20:1-2, 11-18
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene. The Gospel reading (Jn 20:1-2, 11-18) presents her as the first witness of the resurrection and as the first one commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the Easter message to his disciples. Mary Magdalene, who ministered to Jesus in his public ministry and stood by him at his crucifixion, is now depicted as weeping by the tomb and seeking for the dead body of Jesus whom she thought had been taken away. She fails to recognize the Risen Lord who appears to her, but like one of his sheep, she recognizes him when she hears him calling her name. Mary clings to him, but Jesus makes her understand that he must not be hindered from completing the full extent of his glorification. The Risen Lord assures her that from now on he and his disciples are inseparable. Through his glorification, they have become children of the one Father and God, begotten by his own blood, shed on the cross. Jesus commissions her to bear the good news of the Easter event – though she is a woman. Mary Magdalene, therefore, has the honor of being the “apostle to the apostles”.
In his apostolic letter, Mulieris Dignitatem (“On the Dignity and Vocation of Women”), Saint John Paul II wrote: “The Gospel of John also emphasizes the special role of Mary Magdalene. She is the first to meet the Risen Christ … Hence she came to be called the apostle to the apostles. Mary Magdalene was the first eyewitness of the Risen Christ and for this reason she was also the first to bear witness to him before the apostles. This event, in a sense, crowns all that has been said previously about Christ entrusting divine truths to women as well as men.” Indeed, Mary Magdalene becomes a significant part of the “new creation” that springs forth in the Easter morn. The glorification of Christ ushers in a “Christological creation” in which there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men, between men and women (cf. Gal 3:28).
Tradition and fancy have developed regarding the ministry of Mary Magdalene, a privileged witness of Christ’s resurrection. The following Wikipedia article, circulated on the Internet, gives an example.
For centuries, it has been the custom of many Christians to share dyed and painted eggs, particularly on Easter Sunday, to represent new life, and Christ bursting forth from the tomb. Among Easter Orthodox Christians this sharing is accompanied by the proclamation "Christ is risen!”
One tradition concerning Mary Magdalene says that, following the death and resurrection of Jesus, she used her position to gain an invitation to a banquet given by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. When she met him, she held a plain egg in her hand and exclaimed, "Christ is risen!" The Emperor laughed, and said that Christ rising from the dead was as likely as the egg in her hand turning red while she held it. Before he finished speaking, the egg in her hand turned a bright red, and she continued proclaiming the Gospel to the entire imperial house.
Another version of this story can be found in popular belief, mostly in Greece. It is believed that after the Crucifixion, Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary put a basket full of eggs at the foot of the cross. There, the eggs were painted red by the blood of the Christ. Then, Mary Magdalene brought them to Tiberius Caesar.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Like Mary Magdalene are we willing to stand by the cross of Christ and at the tomb of his resurrection? Are we willing to proclaim the joyful news of his resurrection?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Opening Prayer, Mass: Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene)
Father,
your Son first entrusted to Mary Magdalene
the joyful news of his resurrection.
By her prayers and example
may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord
and one day see him in glory,
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.
“Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’.” (Jn 20:18)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an effort to bring God’s forgiving love and the good news of Christ’s resurrection to them.
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July 23, 2021: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (16); SAINT BRIDGET, Religious
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Helps Them Understand … He Is the Rule of Life”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 20:1-17 // Mt 13:18-23
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:18-23): “The one who understands the word and understands it will bear much fruit.”
The Gospel (Mt 13:18-23) tells us that without spoon-feeding them, the Divine Master helps his disciples delve into the meaning of the parable of the sower. He underlines that the growth of the seeds of the kingdom depend on various factors. But the clincher is the fruitful result of the seeds that fall into good soil. This refers to authentic disciples of Jesus who hear the word of God, make an effort to understand and glean its personal implication, and let the Gospel bear abundant fruit in their life.
The miracle of the fruitful seeds lives on through the work of Christian disciples who sow and promote the spirit of the Gospel in the here and now. The story of Papa Mike, founder of the Poverello House in Fresno, gives insight into this (cf. Poverello House, May 2012, p. 1-2).
A man named Ed was the victim of growing neighborhood violence. An older man who had been on the streets for many years, he recently got a place to stay. He still comes here to eat, and as he was leaving one day, two young men accosted him not too far from Poverello. They beat him, knocked out a tooth or two, and took his money.
When he told me about it, he was understandably angry. He wanted to get his gun and take his revenge. In his younger days, I have no doubt that Ed would have done just that. However, I was able to talk him down and help him try to see the big picture, how shooting these men would cause him even more grief. Thankfully, Ed listened to me. (…) I believe that I’ve done at least a little of what the Good Lord put me here to do.
B. First Reading (Ex 20:1-17): “The law was given through Moses.”
Maryknoll magazine, published by Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, never fails to inspire me. In its March 2006 issue, Sean Sprague presents the laudable work of Christine Bodewes, a Maryknoll lay missioner in Kenya (cf. “Sowing Seeds in the Slums”, p. 32-34). Eight years ago, Christine left her Chicago law firm and went to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to run a legal aid clinic. Many of her cases involved defending the slum dwellers’ rights to their land. Four years later, she responded to an invitation from the Mexican Guadalupe Fathers to set up a human rights office in Christ the King Parish, in the heart of Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi.
Christine narrated, “I spent a year trying to understand the complex ethnic, political, social and economic issues of Kibera. I didn’t have a strategy, but I spent a lot of time listening to people. I saw that human rights education was the key to the ministry.” She therefore networked and pulled together a part-time team of volunteering professional Kenyan lawyers, who created a curriculum to teach civic education to people who were ignorant of their rights. Later she was able to hire four full-time, paid employees, all Kibera residents, and they broadened their civic education curriculum to include the teachings of the Church. The recent addition to the team is a full-time Kenyan lawyer, Dorothy Ombajo.
Christine remarks: “Christ the King office of human rights is one of the best human rights groups in Kenya. The people feel blessed having a lawyer who understands their problems. There has been a huge increase in people coming to the office, especially children, about rape, sodomy and being thrown out of school … I also feel great pride in our human rights team. My goal has been to plant the seeds. These people can change the world.” Christine Bodewes is aglow with joy because, through her ministry as a lawyer, she was able to harness the spirit of the civil law to promote human rights and serve the good of people, especially the poor.
The first reading of today’s liturgy (Ex 20:1-17) is also about the law – the divine law given through Moses. It is about the Decalogue – also called the Ten Commandments - the fundamental law that regulates the moral life of the people of Israel. This rule of life, an expression of Yahweh’s passionate love for his chosen people, is meant to deepen his covenantal relationship with them and protect their identity as a people consecrated to him alone. The purpose of the Ten Commandments is to establish a righteous relationship between God and his people, and between the various members of his people. The God who delivered his people from oppressive slavery in Egypt had given them this moral code as an opportunity to love him and their neighbors, not just in words, but above all, in deeds.
In an astounding revelation of divine love, the new and everlasting covenant would be inaugurated by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross and by his glorious rising to life. One characteristic of this new covenant in the blood of Christ is the “interiorization” of religion: the Law is no longer to be a code regulating external activity, but an inspiration working on the heart of man, under the influence of the spirit of God, - the spirit of Love - who gives us a “new heart”. Indeed, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 1:16) - the ultimate Rule of Life.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I intend to be good soil that promotes the growth and fruitfulness of the seeds of God’s kingdom?
2. What is our attitude to the Ten Commandments given to us by God? Do we consider it merely as a moral code, or do we treasure it as a gift of covenantal love? What do we do personally to help “interiorize” the spirit of the Ten Commandments? What is our response to Jesus Christ, who has ratified the new and everlasting covenant in his blood? How do we follow and reverence him as the total and ultimate Rule of Life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving Jesus,
you sow the seeds of God’s kingdom.
Let me be like the good soil
that promotes their growth and fruitfulness.
Teach me to open myself
to the miracle of life that you bring.
Give me true understanding of the message of salvation.
Help me to sow the seeds of your saving word
in the here and now.
We love you and praise you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Gracious Father,
your commands spring forth from covenant love.
You have the words of everlasting life.
In the death of your Son Jesus Christ,
your definitive saving word,
you have revealed the depths of your love.
Help us to follow unreservedly your Son,
the Rule of Life.
By the gift of his life on the cross,
which brought forth the new covenant,
cleanse us from what draws us away from you.
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.
“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit.” (Mt 13:21) //“For I, the Lord, your God, bestow mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex 20:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Reflect on what you can do to share the word of salvation with the people around you. Do what you can to make the Internet a forum of evangelization. // Pray for the conversion and enlightenment of those who disregard the commandments of God, either willfully or through ignorance. Study the incredibly enriching and inspiring chapters of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Ten Commandments.
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July 24, 2021: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (16); SAINT SHARBEL MAKHLUF, Priest; BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Will Separate the Weeds from the Wheat … His Is the Blood of the New Covenant”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 24:3-8 // Mt 13:24-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:24-30): “Let them grow together until harvest.”
In today’s Gospel (Mt 13:24-30) we hear the parable of the weeds among the wheat. It underlines that those who endeavor to live faithfully in this world are surrounded by those who do not. But Jesus, the sower of the good seed and the Lord of the harvest, wants us to trust that the wheat can withstand the weeds and even be stronger for it. The parable also tells us about the patience of God, who is compassionate. He allows the weeds to grow with the wheat until harvest time, when the weeds will be separated and burned and the wheat stored and treasured in the barn. He does not easily condemn, but rather, is kindly disposed to give us a chance to prove our true worth. The society in general and the Church in particular have a “mixed bag” quality. They contain side by side the best and the worst as well as the sinners and the saints. The Jesuit bible scholar Fr. Nil Guillemette comments: “Let us not forget, too, that the mixture of good and bad is not only in society at large and in the Church in particular; it is also in our own hearts. We ourselves are a mixture of weeds and wheat. By admitting this to ourselves, we can become less judgmental and more compassionate about our neighbors’ weeds.”
The following stories about “streaky people” are funny, but give us idea of the need to be less judgmental and more compassionate in dealing with the people around us (cf. Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 129).
A preacher put this question to a class of children: “If all the good people were white and all the bad people were black, what color would you be?”
Little Mary Jane replied, “Reverend, I’d be streaky!”
So would the preacher. So would the mahatmas, popes, and saints.
***
A man was looking for a good church to attend and he happened to enter one in which the congregation and the preacher were reading from their prayer book. They were saying, “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.”
The man dropped into a seat and sighed with relief as he said to himself, “Thank goodness, I’ve found my crowd at last.”
Attempts to hide your streakiness will sometimes be successful, always dishonest.
B. First Reading (Ex 24:3-8): “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.”
When I was a student in elementary grades, one of my favorite subjects was Social Studies. I enjoyed Philippine History and was enthralled when I saw a painting entitled, “The Blood Compact”. It showed the Spanish conquistador, Legazpi and a local chieftain, Rajah Lakandula seated at a table, with a cup and a knife lying on top of it. Their arms were bleeding. According to the explanation of our teacher, they were having a blood compact. They were sharing a drink, mixed with each other’s blood, from a common cup to ratify a compact or a covenant. They were to treat each other as blood brothers and share a life at the level of intimate friendship. The succeeding events of Philippine history, however, would show that the meaning of the blood compact they had made was not really respected. Spain subjugated the Philippines and made it a colony.
The Church invites us today to focus our attention on the meaning of the new and eternal covenant that Christ ratified with his sacrificial blood. The Old Testament reading (Ex 24:3-8) provides us with a deeper perspective on the meaning of the new, definitive and everlasting covenant in his blood. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly comments: “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you … When Moses pronounced those words at the foot of Mt. Sinai, they must have struck an awesome note in the minds and hearts of the Hebrew people standing about. They had just seen Moses splash half of the blood of the young sacrificed bulls on the altar that symbolized God. The rest of the blood he sprinkled on them. That strikes us as a strange rite, indeed. But it had a powerful meaning for those people. The blood, as always in the Scriptures, symbolized life. Sprinkled on the altar and on the people, it symbolized a community of life shared by God and Israel. God, moved only by love, was making a covenant with them. He shared his life; they responded by keeping his law. The religious experience was what constituted Israel as a unique people, God’s special people. Though they did not realize it at the time, that covenant was an anticipation of another and new covenant, whereby a new people of God would be constituted, this time with no restrictions as to race or nationality. Blood was to be a symbol of the new covenant, too. The new covenant is, of course, the one made by God through Jesus Christ with all people. And the blood of Christ, shed on Calvary, symbolizes the new life God shares with us.”
Blood is life in its most elemental form. The Italian-born, liturgical theologian Romano Guardini explains: “Blood belongs to God, the Lord of all life. The flowing of the sacrificial blood in the Old Testament is an acknowledgment of His sovereignty … It is simply the recognition and prayerful acknowledgment that God alone is Lord! Upon the conception of streaming blood as an expression of ultimate obedience, then, God places His covenant … We are Christians because of a covenant. This thought must complement the other, more familiar concept of rebirth and the new creation. Covenant and rebirth: individual dignity and responsibility, and the abundance of the new life. The two great concepts belong together, for they mutually sustain one another.”
Romano Guardini concludes: “Holy Mass is the commemoration of God’s new covenant with men. Awareness of this gives the celebration an added significance that is most salutary. To keep this thought in mind is to remind ourselves that Christ’s sacrificial death opened for us the new heaven and the new earth; that there exists between Him and us a contract based not on nature or talent or religious capacity, but on grace and freedom; that it is binding from person to person, loyalty to loyalty. At every Mass we should reaffirm that contract and consciously take our stand in it.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we try not to be judgmental, but to be patient and compassionate with the weeds and the wheat that grow side by side within our world, our Church and ourselves?
2. Do I try to glean the true meaning of God’s covenant love for us? Do I render praise and thanksgiving for the saving blood of Christ that constituted us into God’s holy people? What are concrete implications for me as a participant in the blood of the new eternal covenant?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you are patient and kind.
You let the weeds grow with the wheat until harvest time.
Help us to manifest the beautiful qualities of the good wheat.
Judge us favorably and bring us home.
Gather us into the barn of your kingdom
that we may render fitting worship to God
with all the saints in heaven.
We love and serve you,
now and forever.
Amen.
***
Father,
you have brought to fulfillment the work of our redemption
through the paschal mystery of Christ your Son.
May we who faithfully proclaim his death and resurrection
in the sacramental signs
of “bread broken and shared” and of “the cup of eternal covenant”
experience the constant growth of your salvation in our lives.
May the Eucharist be for us
the sign of unity and the bond of charity.
By the body and blood of Christ
join all peoples of all races and diverse cultures in brotherly love.
May we be faithful to your covenant love
and observe your law and commands which lead to everlasting life.
Grant 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 week. Please memorize it.
“Gather the wheat into my barn.” (Mt 13:30) //“This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.” (Ex 24:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be patient with the foibles of the people around you. In your dealings with them, manifest the good qualities that will inspire them to be better persons. // Endeavor to protect the rights of all people for whom the blood of Christ was poured out. When you receive communion from the cup make an effort to appreciate the covenant dimension of our being the people of God.
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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