A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 13, n. 39)
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time and Weekday 21: August 23-29, 2015***
(N.B. The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year B from three perspectives. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 1. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 4. For reflections based on the Second Reading, open Series 7. Please go to Series 10 - Series 13 for the back issues of the Weekday Lectio. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: August 16-22, 2015, please go to ARCHIVES Series 13 and click on “Week 20”.
(Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: August 23-29, 2015.)
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August 23, 2015: TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Bread of the Covenant”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Jos 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b // Eph 5:21-32 // Jn 6:60-69
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Fr. Jon Sobrino, a Jesuit theologian based in El Salvador, gives us a first-hand account of an incident that illustrates Archbishop Oscar Romero’s radical response for Christ and the good of his people.
On May 19, 1977 the army went to Aguilares, expelled the three remaining Jesuits, desecrated the church and sacristy, and declared a state of emergency. After a month of the state of emergency, the army simply drove the people out of Aguilares. Archbishop Romero decided to go there at the first opportunity, denounce the atrocities that had been committed, and try to inspire a threatened, terrorized people with hope. ‘You are Christ today, suffering in history,’ he told them. After the Mass we held a procession of the Blessed Sacrament. We processed out into a little square in front of the church to make reparation for the soldiers’ desecration of the sacramental Body of Christ and the living Body of Christ, the murdered ‘campesinos’. Across the square, in front of the town hall, were armed troops, standing there watching us, sullen, arrogant and unfriendly. We were uneasy. In fact, we were afraid. We had no idea what might happen. And we all instinctively turned around and looked at Archbishop Romero, who was bringing up the rear, holding the monstrance. ‘Adelante! (Forward!)’, said Archbishop Romero. And we went right ahead.
On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Romero was shot to death while celebrating the Mass, the blood of his martyred body mixing with the sacramental body and blood of Christ on the altar of Eucharistic sacrifice. The death of Archbishop Romero sealed his fundamental option to commit himself totally to Christ and to be radically united with him, who is the Son of God, the living bread come down from heaven, the food for eternal life.
The reading (Jn 6:60-69) highlights the fundamental option and core decision of the disciples, either to break away from Christ or to reinforce their commitment to him. The focus is not on the noncommittal reaction of the cynical crowd, but on the polarized reaction of the so-called “disciples of Jesus” to the astounding self-revelation and pronouncements he makes during the Eucharistic discourse. The rejection of the uninitiated crowd is understandable. The rejection, however, of many of his close followers is lamentable and takes on a pathetic tone. Confronted with the sign of the multiplication of the loaves and fish and with the revelatory Eucharistic discourse, they refuse to make a radical decision of a faith commitment to this person who claims to be sent by God as the Bread-wisdom and as true food and drink.
Echoing the murmuring criticisms of the unbelieving Jews, many of Jesus’ disciples whine: “This saying is hard: who can accept it?” (Jn 6:60). Jesus does not attenuate his intolerable language in order to accommodate their unbelief, but insists on the necessity of grace. He asserts: “It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (Jn 6:63). Indeed, the life of which Jesus has been speaking is entirely within the spiritual sphere and only the Spirit can give an understanding of it. To this difficulty of believing Jesus as the one sent directly by the Father is added a greater challenge of faith: “What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?” (Jn 6:62). The first step of that ascent will be Jesus’ elevation onto a cross on Mount Calvary, a great mystery that can be perceived only by believing hearts. Although Jesus knows from the beginning those who would not believe, the challenge of faith is offered just the same. The evangelist John graphically records the negative reaction of the unbelieving: “Many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (Jn 6:66).
Today’s Gospel reading, however, ends on a very positive note. Addressing the Twelve, the most intimate circle of disciples, Jesus says: “Do you also want to leave?” (Jn 6:67). Simon Peter answers truthfully, vocalizing the fundamental option of the Twelve: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:68-69). Peter’s confession is a paradigm of the radical decision of the Eucharistic centered community of believers through all ages to love and follow Christ. Our fundamental decision for Christ excludes ambiguity and divided loyalty. The choice we have made must be shown in our daily life. As the biblical scholar Eugene Maly puts it wisely: “The life we live tells God which choice we have made.”
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Sr. Mary Aurora and I were surfing the channels during a break in the TV news and hit the popular show, “America’s Got Talent”. A family musical group called “Celtic Air” performed delightfully a lively Irish jig, and with virtuoso skills, also played musical instruments. Since I felt that those talented family members were sure winners, I was perplexed when an unimpressed judge gave his verdict. He challenged the lead performers in the family to axe their parents and the youngest family member if they wished to have a shot at the one million dollar prize. The youngest sister’s limpid eyes brimmed with tears. The parents were shaken, though they bravely tried to keep their dignity and composure. The eldest son explained that, like other music groups with back up performers, their parents and kid sister were their back up. The exigent judge was adamant. They would have to decide to drop their parents and sister from the group, or else, lose the million dollars. The family heroically decided to stay together. Another judge was more sympathetic. He concurred with the family’s decision to stay together. He wisely commented that breaking up the family is not worth the million dollars.
Christian discipleship is a decisive response of loyalty and a plunge of commitment into the person of Jesus, the Eucharistic Master. The faith decision made by Peter and the Twelve Apostles – the foundational components of the Church, the new Israel and the new people of God, acquires greater depth and perspective against the backdrop of the decisive choice made by Joshua and the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Harold Buetow comments: “Behind Peter’s declaration of faith were the twelve apostles, just as behind Joshua’s situation of choice in today’s First Reading were the Twelve Tribes of Israel at the ancient shrine of Shechem. Joshua had succeeded Moses in the Israelites’ painful journey out of slavery. Arrived in the Promised Land, the Israelites renewed their covenant with God and re-established their identity as God’s people. Joshua and the Twelve Tribes of Israel, like Peter and the apostles later, heard God revealing Himself in the darkness of their journey, and saw the dawn’s light of a new freedom. Joshua and his people stood up and were counted; despite past failings, they grew; they demonstrated Israel’s sense of total dedication and loyalty to Yahweh. They would serve Him and Him alone.”
The call to a core decision and faith commitment made by Jesus in his Eucharistic discourse to the Jews after the multiplication of the loaves and the challenge to covenant fidelity addressed by Joshua to the Israelites to trust Yahweh totally and completely – the Lord who brought them out of slavery from Egypt and performed saving marvels before their eyes – are directed to us anew, especially in the sacrament of the Eucharist. All Christian disciples, in the here and now, are interrogated on the personal meaning of the Eucharist for each of them and summoned to make a radical choice for Christ.
The liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent asserts: “We too are faced with a choice. When we celebrate the Eucharist, which is the sacrament of the new covenant, we are forced to choose and to say, with the faithful disciples, To whom shall we go? Or, with the Israelites, Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord. Every sharing in the Eucharist implies such a decision, for each time that the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she renews her covenant with the Lord, protests her faith in him, and draws the faithful with her in her act of unconditional fidelity.”
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The Second Reading (Eph 5:21-32) underlines that the personal relationship between wife and husband is based on Christ’s self-sacrificing love for others. Marriage between a man and a woman draws its strength and meaning from the covenantal love of Christ and his Body, the Church. The mutual submission and sacrificial aspect that animates the love relationship of spouses testify to the presence and fullness of the Spirit in their lives. Their marriage covenant is thus modeled on the “great mystery” of union between Christ, the Head, and his Body, the Church. The New Covenant ratified in Christ’s blood enhances the love relationship and nuptial bond of a man and a woman with beauty, fidelity and grace.
Moreover, the marriage of man and woman, when nurtured at the Eucharist and nourished by “the bread of the covenant”, can serve as a reflection, however imperfect, of the union between Christ, the Bridegroom, and his Bride, the Church. Such a marriage can be a model of self-giving love in today’s world and a sacrament of God’s covenant love and intimate relationship with his people on earth.
The following article in the Irish newspaper, Alive! (July/August 2009 issue, p. 6) extols the decision of a young Catholic couple to trust in God and accept the divine will. The moral commitment of Austin and Nuala Conway gives us an insight into Christian marriage as sacrament-covenant and inspired by God’s fidelity.
The parents of Ireland’s first ever set of sextuplets decided to put their trust in God rather than follow doctors’ immoral advice during their pregnancy. “These babies are a wonderful gift from God. Whatever God laid out for our lives we were taking it”, said 26-year-old Nuala Conway of Dunamore Co Tyrone. Doctors warned the married couple about the risks of a multiple pregnancy, and “more or less” advised them to have several of their unborn babies aborted. But the young Catholic couple rejected such a heartless solution and opted to trust in God and accept his will. “Doctors gave us a couple of days to think about it, but we knew without discussion what we both wanted”, said Nuala. “Whatever God laid out for our lives, we were taking it.”
The four girls and two boys, weighing between 1 lb 7 oz and 2 lb 7 oz, were delivered by Caesarian section 14 weeks early at Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital, with the aid of 30 medical staff. In an interview with the Sunday Express, Mrs. Conway said, “I prayed as much as I could for a child. I would have been happy with one, but God blessed us with six, which is amazing.” It wasn’t until just three months before the birth that a scan showed she was carrying six babies. “I’m in love with every single one of them. I fell in love when they were in the womb. When one moved they would all move and I could definitely feel 24 limbs kicking”, she said.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we realize that we are a “Eucharistic people” nourished by Christ’s bread of the Word and his “flesh and blood” given to us in the sacramental form of bread and wine? At the Eucharist do we renew our covenant with the Eucharistic Master, avow our faith in him and make an act of unconditional fidelity in him? As a people of the Eucharist, do we declare with Peter: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are the living Bread and the Bread giver.
Your words are spirit and life.
Like Peter and the Twelve Apostles,
the foundation stones of the new Israel, the Church,
we renew our commitment to you.
As we share the bread of eternal life and the cup of salvation,
we offer our whole life to you.
By the grace of the Eucharist,
the sacrament of the new covenant,
may we love and serve you alone.
We adore you as our Eucharistic Master,
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.
“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Jn 6:68)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
As we celebrate the Eucharist this Sunday, let us renew our covenant with the Lord Jesus, declare our faith in him and resolve to serve him with unconditional fidelity. Endeavor to help others to “decide today” for the Lord, whose words are spirit and life.
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August 24, 2015: MONDAY – SAINT BARTHOLOMEW
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Promises Greater Things … His Apostle Bartholomew Is a Foundation Stone of the Church”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 21:9b-14 // Jn 1:45-51
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Gospel (Jn 1:45-51) is a beautiful example of “vocation recruitment”. When Philip becomes convinced that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah foretold by the Law and the Prophets, he shares this discovery with his friend, Nathanael of Cana. Although Nathanael reacts rather cautiously by commenting “Can anything good from Nazareth?” he does not close himself to Philip’s “Come and see” invitation. When Jesus sees Nathanael coming toward him, he utters a statement of praise about his integrity: “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him”. Integrity and critical open-mindedness are the remarkable attributes of Nathanael, a man in quest of truth.
Nathanael is overwhelmed by Jesus’ power to read hearts: “Before Philip called you I saw you under the fig tree.” Jesus knows that Nathanael has been studying the Torah under the fig tree, something that a true and perfect Israelite is expected to do. Nathanael spontaneously proclaims his faith in Jesus as the Son of God and the King of Israel. Jesus responds by promising “greater things than this” to Nathanael, who will see the vision of “angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man”. In Jesus is the embodiment of salvation. In his public ministry and in his paschal mystery of death and resurrection, the glory of God is revealed. Like the angels on Jacob’s ladder, Jesus will join to himself the “above” and the “below”, that is, the heavenly and the earthly. Nathanael, who is also known as the apostle Bartholomew, will be a witness to this.
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The reading (Rv 21:9b-14) gives us a vision of the New Jerusalem, which represents the ultimate bliss. It also symbolizes the Church in its final and ultimate glory. Saint John’s end-time vision of the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God inspires us to strive for the fullness of light and life resulting from God’s presence. The wall of this city is built on twelve foundation stones, on which are written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. This detail is very meaningful as we celebrate the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. It reminds us that the Church, the New City of Jerusalem, is built on the foundation of apostolic witnessing. The preaching of the apostles and prophets constitutes the Church. Saint Bartholomew is one of the twelve foundation stones of the Church. His name is inscribed in the beautiful and radiant city of the New Jerusalem. Saint Bartholomew now participates in the glory of the eternal city of light and life together with the victorious Lamb, Jesus Christ.
The following biographical sketch gives us an idea why Saint Bartholomew is an important foundation stone of the Church (cf. Wikipedia on the Internet).
Bartholomew the Apostle: He is one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and is usually identified with Nathanael, who is mentioned in the gospel of John. “Bartholomew” comes from the Aramaic “bar Tolmay”, meaning “son of Tolmay” or “son of the furrows” (perhaps a ploughman).
In the gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip. He is described as initially being skeptical about the Messiah coming from Nazareth, saying: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”, but nonetheless, follows Philips’s invitation. Jesus immediately characterizes him as “Here is a man in whom there is no deception.” Some scholars hold that Jesus’ quote “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you”, is based on a Jewish figure of speech referring to studying the Torah. Nathanael recognizes Jesus as “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel”. He reappears at the end of John’s gospel as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.
Eusebius of Caesarea’s Ecclesiastical History states that after the Ascension, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India where he left behind a copy of the gospel of Matthew. (…) The studies of Fr. A.C. Perumalil SJ and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which may have been known as the ancient city Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew’s missionary activities.
Along with his fellow apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the first century. Thus both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis in Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. Astyages, Polymius’ brother, consequently ordered Bartholomew’s execution (…)
The existence of relics at Lipari, a small island off the coast of Sicily, in the part of Italy controlled by Constantinople, was explained by Gregory of Tours by his body having miraculously washed up there … Of the many miracles performed by Bartholomew before and after his death, two very popular ones are known by the townsfolk of the small island of Lipari.
The people of Lipari celebrated his feast annually. The tradition of the people was to take the solid silver and gold statue from inside the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew and carry it through the town. On one occasion, when taking the statue down the hill towards the town, it suddenly got very heavy and had to be set down. When the men carrying the statue regained their strength they lifted it a second time. After a few seconds, it got even heavier. They set it down and attempted once more to pick it up. They managed to lift it but had to put it down one last time. Within seconds, a wall further downhill collapsed. If the statue had been able to be lifted, all the townspeople would have been killed.
During World War II, the Fascist regime looked for ways to finance their activities. The order was given to take the silver statue of St. Bartholomew and melt it down. The statue was weighed, and it was found to be only a few grams. It was returned to its place in the Cathedral of Lipari. In reality, the statue is made from many kilograms of silver and it is considered a miracle that it was not melted down. St. Bartholomew is credited with many other miracles having to do with the weight of objects.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe that, like Saint Bartholomew, we will see the “sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”?
2. Do we value the apostolic witness and martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew? How do we imitate his commitment to Christ and his service to the Gospel?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we thank you for the apostle Saint Bartholomew,
a man of integrity and a true seeker of truth.
He followed you in your paschal destiny
and witnessed to the nations
that you are indeed the point of encounter
between God and man.
Through his intercession,
may we have the grace to go out to the whole world
and proclaim to all peoples
that you are indeed the Son of God and the Messiah.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
(Cf. Opening Prayer, Mass on the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle)
Lord,
sustain within us the faith
which made St. Bartholomew ever loyal to Christ.
Let your Church be the sign of salvation
for all the nations of the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“You will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (Jn 1:51) //“The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.” (Rv 21:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the Church in Armenia and India that it may be strengthened in its Christian witnessing. Imitate Saint Bartholomew in his quest for truth and in his integrity. In any way you can, continue to promote the Gospel witness of the apostles.
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August 25, 2015: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (21); SAINT JOSPEH CALASANZ, Priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Greater Authenticity … His Disciples Share the Gospel and Their Very Selves”
BIBLE READINGS
I Thes 2:1-8 // Mt 23:23-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel (Mt 23:23-26), we continue to listen to Jesus’ “woe” pronouncements that are meant to lead us on the path of authenticity and integrity. He laments the legalism and externalism of the scribes and Pharisees. They are preoccupied with minutiae like paying the tithe on seasoned herbs, but neglect the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. The perversion of their priorities is such that they are virtually straining out the gnat while swallowing the camel. Their concern for external observance is symbolized by vessels that are washed merely on the outside. Inner purity, however, is not obtained by external correctness in religious observance, but by cleaning up our inner dispositions. Sometimes we have moments of hypocrisy when we try to appear what we are not, especially in the area of personal worth. We also tend to have recourse to legalism because it presents the easy way out of our moral obligations. Indeed, trying to be good is more demanding than merely looking good. It is also easier to fulfill religious observances than concern ourselves with works of justice and compassion and to endeavor to translate our faith into action.
The following story gives insight into the Christian call for greater authenticity and charity (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 33-34).
There was once a woman who was religious and devout and filled with love for God. Each morning she would go to church. And on her way children would call out to her, beggars would accost her, but so immersed was she in her devotions that she did not even see them.
Now one day she walked down the street in her customary manner and arrived at the church just in time for service. She pushed the door, but it would not open. She pushed it again harder, and found the door was locked.
Distressed at the thought that she would miss service for the first time in years, and not knowing what to do, she looked up. And there, right before her face, she found a note pinned to the door.
It said, “I’m out there!”
***
In the reading (I Thes 2:1-8), we hear of the generous and selfless service of Saint Paul and his companions. The apostles share the Good News and their very selves. They evangelize by word and deed – by their life and teaching. The apostles are upright and without deception. They are men of integrity and sterling qualities. Hence, they are marvelous models for all who must transmit the Gospel through ages to come. The response of the Thessalonians to the Gospel and to the personal witnessing of Saint Paul and his companions is marvelous. They rightly discern that what they hear is the word of God and not merely human words. The apostles are grateful to God for their faith response and heartened that God works in those who believe.
The life of Saint Monica is an example of how a Christian believer shares with others, especially with her family, the Gospel of God and her very self as well (cf. Wikipedia on the Internet).
Saint Monica (AD 331-387), also known as Monica of Hippo, was an early Christian saint and the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo. She is honored in the Roman Catholic Church where she is remembered and venerated for her outstanding Christian virtues, particularly her suffering caused by the adultery of her husband and a prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son, who wrote extensively of her pious acts and life with her in his Confessions. Popular Christian legend recalls Saint Monica to have wept every night for her son Augustine.
Because of her name and place of birth, Monica is assumed to have been of Berber origin. She was married early in life to Patricius, who held an official position in Tagaste (present-day Souk Ahras, Algeria). Patricius was a pagan, though like so many at that period, his religion was no more than a name. His temper was violent and he appears to have been of dissolute habits. Consequently Monica’s married life was far from being a happy one, more especially as Patricius’ mother seems to have been of a like disposition with himself. There was, of course, a gulf between husband and wife. Her alms, deeds and her habits of prayer annoyed him, but it was said that he always held her in a sort of reverence. Monica was not the only matron of Tagaste whose married life was unhappy, but, by her sweetness and patience, she was able to exercise a good example amongst the wives and mothers of her native town. They knew that she suffered as they did, and her words and example had a proportionate effect.
Monica had three children: Augustine the eldest; Navigius, the second; and a daughter, Perpetua. Monica had been unable to secure baptism for her children and she experienced much grief when Augustine fell ill. In her distress she asked Patricius to allow Augustine to be baptized. Patricius agreed, but on the boy’s recovery withdrew his consent.
All Monica’s anxiety now centered on Augustine. He was wayward and, as he himself tells us, lazy. He was sent to school at Madaraus. Her husband Patricius subsequently became a Christian. Meanwhile, Augustine had been sent to Carthage to pursue his studies, and here he lived dissolutely. Patricius died very shortly after converting to Christianity, and Monica decided not to marry again.
At Carthage Augustine had become a Manichean and when on his return home he shared his views regarding Manichaeism, Monica drove him away from her table. However, she is said to have experienced a strange vision that convinced her to reconcile with her son.
It was at this time that she went to see a certain holy bishop, whose name is not given, but who consoled her with the now famous words, “the child of tears shall never perish”. Monica followed her wayward son to Rome where he had gone secretly. When she arrived he had already gone to Milan, but she followed him. Here she found St. Ambrose and through him she ultimately had the joy of seeing Augustine convert to Christianity, after seventeen years of resistance.
In his book Confessions, Augustine wrote of a peculiar practice of his mother in which she “brought to certain oratories, erected in the memory of the saints, offerings of porridge, bread and wine”. When she moved to Milan, the bishop Ambrose forbade her to use the offering of wine since “it might be an occasion of gluttony for those who were already given to drink”. So Augustine wrote of her: “In place of a basket filled with fruits of the earth, she had learned to bring to the oratories of the martyrs a heart full of purer petitions, and to give all that she could to the poor – so that the communion of the Lord’s body might be rightly celebrated in those places where, after the example of his passion, the martyrs had been sacrificed and crowned” (Confessions 6.2.2).
Mother and son spent six months of true peace at Rus Cassisiacum (present-day Cassago Brianza) after which time Augustine was baptized in the church of St. John the Baptist at Milan. Africa claimed them, however, and they set out on their journey, stopping at Civitavecchia and at Ostia. Here, death overtook Monica and the finest pages of Augustine’s Confessions were penned as the result of the emotion he then experienced.
St. Monica is a patroness of those experiencing difficult marriages and disappointing children, victims of adultery or unfaithfulness, victims of verbal abuse, and the conversion of relatives.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we respond to the Christian call to greater authenticity, interiority and charity?
2. Like Saint Paul, are we determined to share with others the Gospel of God, and our very selves as well?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Master,
you call us to greater authenticity, interiority and charity.
Help us to purify our inner dispositions.
Grant us honesty and integrity of heart.
Be with us, Jesus.
Let your spirit of love shape our life.
May we witness to the world
the beauty of being a true Christian.
May we hold fast to the sacred traditions handed on to us
in and through the Church.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
we thank you for the example
of Saint Paul the Apostle and all the saints
in sharing with others the Gospel and their very selves.
Help us to bring to fruition
the message of salvation you have entrusted to us.
Give us the grace
to give the light of hope to the world.
Make us true and loving disciples of Jesus Christ.
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.
“You have neglected the weightier things of the law.” (Mt 23:23) //“We were determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well.” (I Thes 2:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Open your eyes to the people around you today. Thank the Lord for the goodness you see. Beg the Lord for the grace to assist those who are lonely and needy. // Pray for greater harmony in family relationships. Be a channel of peace for feuding family members and those experiencing misunderstanding.
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August 26, 2015: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (21)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Meaning of True Religion … Working Night and Day His Disciples Proclaim the Gospel”
BIBLE READINGS
I Thes 2:9-13 // Mt 23:27-32
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 23:27-32) Jesus completes his litany of woes against the scribes and Pharisees. To pronounce a “woe” on someone or some groups is to express grief at their sorry state and to warn them of the dire consequences to follow. Indeed, it is terrible for the scribes and Pharisees because on account of their hypocrisy they are like whitewashed tombs that look fine on the outside, but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. So wide is the gap between external appearance and internal reality that Jesus’ opponents may be compared to “whitewashed tombs”, the interior of which is the supreme degree of rottenness and uncleanness. They appear righteous, but inside they are filled with wrongdoing.
In the last “woe” that Jesus pronounces against the scribes and Pharisees, he condemns their practice of building fine tombs for the prophets and of decorating the monuments of the righteous. They do not really honor them, but instead perpetuate the violence committed by their ancestors. As descendants of those who have persecuted the prophets, they do not make an effort to renounce their wicked ways. They continue to persecute and shed the blood of the innocent. This final “woe” evokes the violent death that Jesus would suffer on the cross through the instigation of the scribes and Pharisees and of the persecution that the Christian community would endure through the ages.
The following story and lesson give insight into the perversion of religion and into the meaning of true religion (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 73).
A Hindu Sage was having The Life of Jesus read to him When he learned how Jesus was rejected by his people in Nazareth, he exclaimed, “a rabbi whose congregation does not want to drive him out of town isn’t a rabbi.”
And when he heard how it was the priests who put Jesus to death, he said with a sigh, “It is hard for Satan to mislead the whole world, so he appoints prominent ecclesiastics in different parts of the globe.”
The lament of a bishop: “Wherever Jesus went there was a revolution; wherever I go people serve tea!”
When a million people follow you, ask yourself where you have gone wrong.
***
Today’s First Reading (I Thes 2:9-13) underlines the deep concern of Paul and his fellow missionaries for the Thessalonians. They are so full of love for them that they not only want to share with them the Good News from God but even their own lives. Saint Paul and his companions show concern for their converts by their working for their keep so as not to be a burden to them. It is easy to imagine Paul, the tentmaker, preaching the Gospel even while he is employed in his workshop. He toils from sunrise to sunset and he prays “night and day”. They also show their concern by their upright and blameless conduct toward the believers and by exhorting and encouraging them as a father treats his children. The Thessalonians respond positively to the work of evangelization. They have accepted the Gospel not as man’s message but as God’s message that is at work in those who believe. And for this reason they are filled with praise and thanksgiving to God.
The life of Saint Augustine illustrates both the dynamic of conversion as well as the loving concern of the apostles in their work of evangelization (cf. Wikipedia on the Internet).
Augustine was born in 354 in the municipium of Tagaste (now Souk Ahras, Algeria) in Roman Africa. His father, Patricius, was a pagan and his mother Monica was a Christian. It is assumed that his mother Monica was of Berber origin on the basis of her name, but as his family were honestiores, an upper class of citizens known as honorable men, Augustine’s first language is likely to have been Latin. At the age of 11, he was sent to school at Madaurus (now M’Daourouch), a small Numidian city about 19 miles south of Tagaste. There he became familiar with Latin literature as well as pagan beliefs and practices. His first insight into the nature of sin occurred when he and a number of friends stole fruit they didn’t even want from a neighborhood garden. This echoes nicely with his conversion which also involved a garden later in life.
At age 17, through the generosity of fellow citizen, Romanianus, Augustine went to Carthage to continue his education in rhetoric. Although raised as a Christian, Augustine left the Church to follow the Manichaean religion, much to the despair of his mother Monica. As a youth Augustine lived a hedonistic lifestyle for a time, associated with young men who boasted of their sexual exploits with women and urged inexperienced boys, like Augustine, to seek out experiences or to make up stories about experiences in order to gain acceptance and avoid ridicule. It was during this period that he uttered his famous prayer, “Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet.”
At a young age, he began an affair with a young woman in Carthage. Possibly because his mother wanted him to marry a person of his class, the woman remained his lover for over thirteen years and gave birth to his son Adeodatus, who was said to have been extremely intelligent. He abandoned her finally on his conversion in 389 when the boy was 17.
During the years 373 and 374, Augustine taught grammar in Tagaste. The following year he moved to Carthage to conduct a school of rhetoric and would remain there for the next nine years. Disturbed by the unruly behavior of the students in Carthage, in 383 he moved to establish a school in Rome, where he believed the best and brightest rhetoricians practiced. However, Augustine was disappointed with the Roman schools where he was met with apathy. Once the time came for his students to pay their fees, they simply fled. Manichaean friends introduced him to the prefect of the City of Rome Symmachus, who had been asked to provide a professor of rhetoric for the imperial court of Milan.
While still in Carthage, he had begun to move away from Manichaeism, in part because of a disappointing meeting with the Manichaean bishop Faustus of Mileve, a key exponent of Manichaean theology. In Rome he is reported to have completely turned away from Manichaeism and instead embraced Scepticism of the New Academy movement. At Milan his mother pressured him to become a Christian. Augustine’s own studies in Neoplatonism were also leading him in this direction and his friend Simplicianus urged him that way as well. But it would be the bishop of Milan, Ambrose, who had the most influence over Augustine. Like Augustine, Ambrose was a master of rhetoric, but older and more experienced.
Ambrose baptized Augustine, along with his son Adeodatus, on the Easter Vigil in 387 in Milan. A year later, in 388, Augustine completed his apology “On the Holiness of the Catholic Church”. That year Adeodatus and Augustine returned to Africa, Augustine’s home country, during which trip Augustine’s mother Monica died. Upon their arrival, they began a life of aristocratic leisure at Augustine’s family property. Soon after, Adeodatus, too passed away. Augustine then sold his patrimony and gave the money to the poor. The only thing he kept was the family house, which he converted into a monastic foundation for himself and a group of friends.
He became a famous preacher (more than 350 preserved sermons are believed to be authentic) and was noted for combating the Manichaean religion to which he had formerly adhered. In 395 he was made coadjutor Bishop of Hippo and became full Bishop shortly thereafter, hence the name “Augustine of Hippo”, and gave his property to the Church of Tagaste. He remained in that position until his death in 430.
Augustine worked tirelessly in trying to convince the people of Hippo to convert to Christianity. Though he had left the monastery, he continued to lead a monastic life in the Episcopal residence. He left a Rule for his monastery that led to his designation as the “patron saint of regular clergy”.
Much of Augustine’s later life was recorded by his friend Possidius, bishop of Calama (present-day Guelma, Algeria), in his Sancti Augustini Vita. Possidius admired Augustine as a man of powerful intellect and a stirring orator who took every opportunity to defend Christianity against its detractors. Possidius also described Augustine’s personal traits in detail, drawing a portrait of a man who ate sparingly, worked tirelessly, despised gossip, shunned the temptations of the flesh, and exercised prudence in the financial stewardship of his See.
Augustine was canonized by popular acclaim and later recognized as a Doctor of the Church in 1298 by Pope Boniface VIII. His feast day is 28 August, the day on which he died. He is considered the patron saint of brewers, printers, theologians, those with sore eyes, and a number of cities and dioceses.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we, too, guilty of some blatant hypocrisy that we could be called “whitewashed tombs”? If so, what can be done about it?
2. Like Saint Paul and Saint Augustine, do we work ceaselessly to proclaim the Gospel? Do we show true concern for the people being evangelized?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty God,
your ways are just and merciful.
Teach us the meaning of religion
and give us the grace to worship you in spirit and truth.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Lord God,
we thank you for the ceaseless toil
of Saint Paul and all the apostles
for the spread of the Gospel.
Help us to give witness to the Good News
by our pure conduct and blameless life.
Teach us to encourage
those called to share in the kingdom glory.
We thank you for the positive response
of many peoples to the Gospel,
welcoming it as your life-giving message.
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.
“Woe to you, hypocrites” (Mt 23:27) //“We proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.” (I Thes 2:9)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
At the Eucharistic celebration, participate in the ritual action consciously, actively and meaningfully so that you may be able to translate the meaning of the Eucharist into daily life. // To enhance the process of evangelization, introduce your family and friends to the practice of Lectio Divina, the prayerful reading of the Word of God.
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August 27, 2015: THURSDAY – SAINT MONICA
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Urges Us to Stay Awake … He Makes Us Abound in Love”
BIBLE READINGS
I Thes 3:7-13 // Mt 24:42-51
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
For nearly 20 years, Secret Agent Jerry Parr had guarded presidents and vice-presidents, always on the lookout for one pair of crazed, hate-filled eyes; always at the ready. He had to pass target practice every month as a requirement for his job. According to Jerry, prayer was an essential part of his life and job. In a way, Christian discipleship is similar to his job – something requiring watchfulness and constant vigilance.
Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 24:42-51) underlines the need for vigilance and watchfulness in preparation for the coming of Christ. The disciples of Jesus through all times are to keep in mind his urgent admonition, “Stay awake!” The Christian disciples are to be ready to open their hearts to the “essential One” who came to save us, who continually comes in our daily life, and will come again at the end time to restore all things. We must be prepared to welcome the kingdom of glory that he brings to fulfillment. Therefore, we must stay awake! For we do not know on which day our Lord will come.
For the Christian disciples, Advent – the time of hopeful waiting – is a year-round season and an ongoing experience. Aelred Rosser asserts: “Every task, every little job, every good word, every kind deed – all of these are the Lord at work in us, enabling us to prepare for his coming – now and finally. Blessed is that servant whom the master finds ready – busily waiting.” Indeed, the life of Christian disciples is dynamically driven by the expectation of the full realization of the kingdom inheritance and the definitive coming of our Lord Jesus. The spirit of Advent expectation helps us to carry out faithfully our task and mission on behalf of the reign of God upon earth.
***
In today’s First Reading (I Thes 3:7-13), Saint Paul, who is anxious to know how the faith of the Thessalonians is bearing up under pressure and persecution, gets Timothy’s assurance that the converts have remained steadfast. Their faith is so consoling to Paul in the midst of his own trouble and suffering. Paul is full of thanksgiving to God for the joy he has received from the Thessalonians and for the mutual encouragement. Paul prays constantly that he will be able to see them personally and thus supply them with whatever is still lacking in their faith. Above all, he prays that the Lord may make them increase and abound in love for one another and for all. As the believers flourish in love they will also grow in holiness and thus be ready to be in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all the saints in heaven.
The following story gives insight into the profound dimensions of Christian love (cf. Michael Massano, “Missioner Tales” in Maryknoll, September-October 2011, p.11).
About 10 years ago Samueli came to our House of Compassion, where the poorest of the poor are welcomed here in Musoma, Tanzania. He had been a pushcart worker loading sugar, rice and wood to be carried to local stores. When he began drinking heavily, his family abandoned him.
One of our volunteers discovered Samueli in a hospital, where he had been brought after he was found unconscious in the street. Father Godfried Biseko, founder of our home, asked the hospital to release Samueli to come and live with us.
Recently he became too weak to walk and is now confined to a wheelchair. But he loves to go outside to greet the sun. At the end of the day, as I get him ready and promise to see him tomorrow, he smiles. I smile too, having watched Samueli grow more content and self-confident as he has felt welcome.
The breastplate prayer of St. Patrick says, “Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ around me, Christ within me”. I cannot help but rejoice in the presence of Jesus shining through a man called Samueli.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we prepare for the Lord’s coming in mystery in the events of our life? How do we prepare for his definitive coming in glory? In word and deed, do we strive to enkindle the faith that the kingdom of God is come? Is our dynamic vigilance a source of inspiration for others?
2. Does our faith bear up under troubles and duress? Do we turn to God and to the community of faith for inner strength and encouragement?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we want to prepare for Christ’s coming in glory.
As we wait for his coming
you have enriched us in every way
and filled us with spiritual gifts.
Help us to stay awake
for we do not know which day the Lord will come.
Teach us to use our gifts
with love and creativity.
Bless us and make us faithful servants
who wait for Christ’s glorious return.
He lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Heavenly Father,
we thank you for the inner strength you give us
when our faith is subjected to trials.
We thank you for the mutual encouragement we receive
as a community of faith.
Lord of mercy and compassion,
make us increase and abound in love for one another.
Help us to be blameless in holiness
for the coming of your Son Jesus Christ.
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.
“Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” (Mt 24:42) //“May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.” (I Thes 3:12)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
List three events in your life for which you were prepared and three other events for which you were unprepared. Pray over these events and ask the Lord to strengthen your vigilant expectation for his coming. If possible, help an elderly and/or seriously ill person prepare to receive Jesus at the hour of death. // Resolve to bring God’s strength and consolation to a person who is deeply distressed and discouraged.
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August 28, 2015: FRIDAY – SAINT AUGUSTINE
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Wants Us to Keep the Lamp Burning … He Calls His Disciples to Holiness”
BIBLE READINGS
I Thes 4:1-8 // Mt 25:1-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, comment on today’s parable of the Ten Virgins (Mt 25:1-13): “Like many others, this parable is based on a fact, a situation of ordinary life. It tells of a custom connected with the wedding celebration … A parable is not a narrative of an event, retold with exactitude down to its minutest details. Storytellers can legitimately put in exaggerated traits that fit their purposes. This is done knowingly and fools no one. This being understood, the lesson of the parable is clear. We shall be kept waiting for the Lord’s coming; unforeseeable, it will happen suddenly. At that moment, everything will be lost for those who were taken by surprise. Others will not be able to help them. The improvident ones will find a closed door in the kingdom where the wedding of the Son of Man is celebrated.”
Today we are invited to prepare for our final encounter with God. If our eyes are focused on that glorious goal, we are more likely to keep our spiritual lamps lit for that reception. The bridegroom is on his way. We must rise to meet him. The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “Each is called, during the night of faith, to stand ready for the final encounter unto which God calls. This invitation and summons is most important. Everything else must take second place when it comes to having one’s lamp lit and trimmed.”
The following story illustrates a person’s ultimate encounter with the Lord at the hour of death (cf. Patricia Normile, “Caregivers Need Care Too” in Saint Anthony Messenger, May 2010, p. 22-26).
A hospice visitor, Deacon Amado Lim of Blue Ash, Ohio, knew Richard well. World War II veteran, great story teller, a man with a fine sense of humor, Richard (name has been changed) was a joy to visit. Then one evening Deacon Lim noted that he looked unusually sad. “I asked him why”, says the deacon. He said, “I was afraid.”
Richard continued, “I’ve shared many stories, but there’s one story I’ve not told you or anyone.” When Richard’s unit attacked a Nazi hiding place in Belgium, they met heavy fire and his best friend was mortally wounded. “I became livid”, Richard said. “I entered the building with my gun blazing. I saw two Nazi soldiers fall. I rushed toward them. They sprawled on the floor, covered with blood. I saw their faces. They were barely 12 years old – children! They didn’t say anything, just looked at me. Their faces were pleading, begging for mercy. My adrenaline pumped furiously. I shot them both. The faces of those boys have haunted me ever since. I cannot erase their images from my mind. Now I’m dying. I’m afraid to stand before God. He’ll never forgive me for what I did to those boys.”
Deacon Lim invited Richard to describe God. To Richard, God was a just God who rewards good and punishes evil. Voice trembling, Richard said that he couldn’t imagine God forgiving anyone who hurts children. Deacon Lim asked Richard to read aloud Bible stories describing God’s mercy. When the repentant criminal crucified on Calvary begged, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”, Jesus replied, “Amen I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk 23:42-43). Richard wept.
When Deacon Lim returned later, Richard smiled. “I’m no longer afraid. Jesus forgave the criminal. He forgives me because he knows how sorry I am.” Richard died two days later.
***
In today’s First Reading (I Thes 4:1-8), Saint Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to live a life pleasing to God by following the instructions he and his companions gave by the authority of the Lord Jesus. He urges them to progress even more. The will of God is their sanctification. The goal of God’s call is for them to be holy. This entails living a life of sexual restraint and fidelity in a world of immoral and godless Gentiles “who do not know God”. It calls for proper ethical behavior that rejects greed and exploitation of our brothers and sisters. God has given us the Holy Spirit that we may grow in holiness. Whoever rejects Paul’s teaching rejects God, whose word the apostle makes known.
Saint Paul’s instruction on the Christian call to holiness is even more urgent and relevant in today’s society. The following article gives us an interesting insight into the need for holiness (cf. “Sinners Set on Being Saints” in Alive! July/August 2013, p. 3).
Matthew Warner blogs about things Catholic. Recently he questioned why the world doesn’t take Catholicism seriously. The blog provided much food for thought.
“We can talk about catechesis and community and leadership and orthodoxy”, he said. “We can complain about politics and how we need more preaching from the pulpit. But here is the core of the problem, the practical reason why people are not convinced of the Catholic faith anymore. We Catholics don’t look or act any differently to non-Catholics. It’s that simple.”
He spelt it out a bit more. “If we believe our faith and action in this life have eternal consequences, why don’t we act like it? If the Creator of everything is truly present in the Eucharist, why don’t our actions show this? If our relationship with God is truly the most important relationship, why don’t our daily schedules reflect that? If our marriages and families are our greatest blessings, why do we sacrifice them for our careers?”
And there was a lot more along that line. “Not only is our religion a fraud, but so are we Christians”, he said. “That’s what Catholics as a whole communicate about Catholicism.” His parents’ generation, he argued, left the Church without leaving the pews. Now they wonder why their kids find it silly to stand in the pews of a Church they never really understood, professing creeds that they never really believed.
Warner recognized that the Church needs inspirational leadership and solid catechesis and so on. But above all the Church must focus on what she does best, her competitive advantage: creating saints. “How many saints is your parish creating? That is the ultimate metric”, he said. “A saint is a powerful weapon in this culture war. They are compelling in every age and from every angle.” But saints are made, above all, by example. “As children we learn more by what we see our parents do than any words they say. We’ve forgotten this when it comes to handing on the faith.”
Putting it simply he said, “if we want the world to take Catholicism seriously, we must first take it seriously ourselves. That means making radical changes to the way we live our lives. When the world sees you, they don’t have to see a saint, but at least let them see a sinner set on sainthood.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is the personal significance of the wedding feast of the Bridegroom mentioned in today’s Gospel? In what ways are we the foolish bridesmaids? In what ways are we the wise bridesmaids? How do we deepen our spirit of preparedness for the Lord’s coming?
2. What is the personal meaning for us of Paul’s assertion that it is the will of God that we become holy? How will this change our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
let our lamps be burning at your return.
Help us to prepare worthily for our encounter with you
at the hour of our death.
We resolve to follow
the path of holiness and righteousness.
We commit ourselves
to do acts of mercy and justice,
of goodness and love,
so that the final “hour”
will be an encounter with your saving grace
and a joyful participation in the wedding banquet.
We love and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Gracious Father,
we thank you for revealing to us your gracious will.
This is your will: our sanctification.
Help us to live a life of integrity
that befits our call to holiness.
Help us to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit
who helps us grow in holiness.
Transform us into the likeness of Christ day by day
and let us be a sign to the world of our true destiny.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“The bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.” (Mt 25:10) //“This is the will of God, your holiness.” (I Thes 4:3)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In order to keep our lamps burning for the Lord’s coming, participate actively, consciously and fruitfully in the Eucharist and offer an act of charity daily on behalf of the weak and the needy. // Pray to the Lord to help you overcome your personal defects and sinful passions. In your own little way show to the world what it means to be holy and receptive to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who transforms us into the likeness of God day by day.
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August 29, 2015: SATURDAY – THE PASSION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Death Is Prefigured in the Passion of John the Baptist … His Disciples Are to Grow in Love”
BIBLE READINGS
I Thes 4:9-11 // Mk 6:17-29
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today we recall the martyrdom of John the Baptist – his beheading by King Herod, who was tricked into it by his sister-in-law and wife, Herodias. It was made possible by her daughter Salome’s delightful dance that elicited a grandiose oath from the king, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” Through the Gospel account (Mk 6:17-29), we realize how evil gains increasing momentum in Herod’s soul, inciting him from sensuousness to murder.
John the Baptist is the precursor of Christ in birth and death. Saint Bede the Venerable comments: “There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless he died for Christ. Does Christ not say: I am the truth? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ. Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and by his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer.”
The persecution of Christians in today’s world results in the blood bath and the sacrificial passion of modern martyrs (cf. “Mob Murders Christian Couple” in Alive! December 2014, p. 3).
A Christian couple had been burnt alive by a mob in Pakistan after a Muslim mullah claimed they had desecrated the Koran. The married couple, in their twenties, had three children.
The owner of the brick factory where they worked is said to have locked them in an office so that they could not escape. Loudspeaker announcements from mosques in nearby villages branded them as “blasphemous”, saying they had burnt verses from the Koran and should be killed. A senior police officer said that at least 1,200 people gathered, broke their legs to prevent them from running away, then threw them into the factory furnace.
The killings have left Pakistan’s tiny Christian minority in fear and demanding the repeal of the “blasphemy laws”.
***
In today’s First Reading (I Thes 4:9-11), Saint Paul continues to exhort the Thessalonians to live a life of holiness through fraternal charity. They certainly know that they are to love one another. God himself has taught them through the apostles who have proclaimed God’s word among them. They have in fact responded by their love for one another and by their love for their fellow Christians in Macedonia. But Paul asserts: “Nevertheless we urge you, brothers and sisters, to progress even more.” Taking note of a problematic situation in the community where “idlers” and “busybodies” who, in expectation of the Lord’s imminent coming, neglect their own work to disturb others and live at their expense, Paul urges them to grow in love by living quietly, by minding their own affairs, and by working with their own hands. Growth in love is important not only for the Christian community itself but also for the edification of non-Christians.
The following poem “The Handwriting on the Wall”, circulated on the Internet, gives us an example of growth and progress in charity.
A weary mother returned from the store,
Lugging groceries through the kitchen door.
Awaiting her arrival was her 8-year old son,
Anxious to relate what his younger brother has done.
“While I was out playing and Dad was on a call,
T.J took his crayons and wrote on the wall!
It’s on the new paper you just hung in the den
I told him you’d be mad at having to do it again.
She called his full name as she entered the room.
He trembled with fear – he knew that meant doom!
For the next ten minutes, she ranted and raved
About the expensive wallpaper, and how she had saved.
Lamenting all the work it would take to repair,
She condemned his actions and total lack of care.
The more she scolded, the madder she got,
Then stomped from his room totally distraught!
She headed for the den to confirm her fears.
When she saw the wall, her eyes flooded with tears.
The message she read pierced her soul with a dart.
It said, “I love Mommy”, surrounded by a heart.
Well, the wallpaper remained, just as she found it.
With an empty picture frame hung to surround it.
A reminder to her, and indeed to all,
Take time to read the handwriting on the wall.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we willing to give witness to Christ even to the point of sacrifice? How does the courageous witnessing of John the Baptist impact our own witnessing in today’s world?
2. Do we endeavor to love and to progress in fraternal charity? What are the difficulties we experience? How do we overcome them?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
God our Father,
you called John the Baptist
to be the herald of your Son’s birth and death.
As he gave his life in witness to truth and justice,
so may we strive to profess our faith in your Gospel.
Help us to show to the world
that your “foolishness” is wiser than human wisdom
and that your “weakness” is stronger than human strength.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
***
Lord,
you have taught us to love in Christ.
Give us the grace
to respond to the Spirit of love at work in our heart.
Help us to progress even a little each day
that we may be able to say at the end:
“We have loved like Christ!
We have loved our brothers and sisters to the end!”
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.
“Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.” (Mk 6:20) //“You have been taught by God to love one another.” (I Thes 4:9)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Inspired by John the Baptist’s life witnessing, endeavor to live fully the Christian virtues in today’s world. Pray that the Christians in the modern world may have the wisdom, courage and strength to proclaim Christ crucified. In any way you can, assist the persecuted Christians in today’s world. // Today, endeavor to give an example of patient loving and generous giving in the spirit of our Savior Jesus Christ.
***
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US