A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 13, n. 41)
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and Weekday 23: September 6-12, 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 30 – September 5, 2015, please go to ARCHIVES Series 13 and click on “Week 21”.
(Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: September 6-12, 2015.)
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September 6, 2015: TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Saving and Healing Lord”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Is 35:4-7a // Jas 2:1-5 // Mk 7:31-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In the middle of the 30-day Ignatian retreat that we – silver jubilarians in religious profession - attended in 1999 in Baguio, a scenic mountain city in the Philippines, our spiritual directress gave us a break. Our group went to the Ecological Sanctuary run by the Maryknoll Sisters. After the “Cosmic Journey” tour, led by Sr. Peg Dillon, that helped us to contemplate the various stages of cosmic history, she brought us to the adjacent “Deaf Centrum”. The deaf and mute students entertained us. They danced with precision to the rhythmic beat of the drums and other ethnic musical instruments. At the end of their beautiful presentation, the deaf-mute performers tried to sound off their names. I was very much impressed by the teachers who patiently taught them to communicate through sign language and other means. They also helped them to produce sounds that approximate human speech. We were full of admiration for what the Maryknoll Sisters and the staff of the “Deaf Centrum” were doing for the deaf and mute children in Baguio City.
This sense of admiration for a job well done is likewise present in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 7:31-37). The evangelist Mark situates the healing episode of the deaf man in the context of Jesus’ journeys outside Galilee. According to the Marcan account: “Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis” (v. 31). This roundabout route of Jesus and his travels through largely Gentile territory may have been intended by Mark as an anticipation of the Church’s mission to the Gentiles. After chastising the Pharisees and scribes for their rigorous legalism that prevented them from listening to the voice of the Spirit and truly obeying God’s commands (cf. Mk 7:1-23), Jesus goes to the Gentile territory of Tyre where he hears the cry of a distraught woman, a Syrophoenician by birth (cf. Mk 7:23-30). The pagan woman begs for the healing of her daughter and fends off Jesus’ restriction for the Jewish ministry with the retort: “Even the pups under the table eat the children’s crumbs” (Mk 7:28). Against this backdrop, the cure of the deaf man in the district of the Decapolis underlines the reality that the growth of the kingdom of God beyond the local confines of Galilee is inexorable and its expansion inevitable.
Jesus’ healing ministry facilitates and enhances the growth of God’s kingdom. In this Sunday’s narrative, the people bring him a deaf man with a speech impediment that he may lay his healing hand on him. Jesus takes the deaf-mute aside from the crowd privately, puts his fingers into the man’s ears and touches his tongue with saliva. Looking up to heaven in a gesture that shows intimacy with God, Jesus breathes out a sigh, a sign of deep emotion over the man’s pitiful condition. Then he speaks a powerful, efficacious word, “Ephphatha!” (“Be opened!”). The word and gestures of Jesus are “sacramental” in that they effect what they symbolize: the opening of the deaf man’s ears and the loosening of his tongue.
Jesus’ cure of the deaf and speech-impaired man in the Decapolis region indicates that the messianic times have come. It has a vital implication even for the people of today. Harold Buetow remarks: “All those who up to the present have been deaf, can now hear his word, confess that he is the Messiah, the Son of God, and go into the world to proclaim the good news, in their turn, and sing his praises.” That healing miracle becomes a sign of new times, of radical salvation and wholeness, and of the dynamic eruption of God’s kingdom into our lives. Indeed, together with the Decapolis’ inhabitants who have witnessed the miraculous cure, we exclaim with wonder and with joy about Jesus: “He has done all things well” (Mk 7:37).
***
When I was assigned in India, I obtained a very interesting manuscript in Italian. It is a story written by a Society St. Paul priest about Sr. Maria Lucia Bouchet, who is of French-Burmese origin and one of the two first PDDM Sisters in India. When the Japanese invaded Burma at the outbreak of World War II in Asia and the Pacific, Lucia’s father joined the armed forces to fight the enemies and was killed. To avoid the horrors of Japanese occupation, the rest of the family, consisting of seven-year old Lucia, her five-year old brother and her Burmese mother, tried to flee to Calcutta, passing through the jungles of north Burma and the territories of the head-hunting tribal Nagas. In the trek through the jungles, they came across the bodies of thousands of refugees who had died from illness, hunger and sheer exhaustion. The mother, taking them by the hands, plodded through, until she herself collapsed lifeless on an isolated mountain trail. The two children were howling in desperation and fear, when two strong Naga tribesmen suddenly appeared. Each of them took a child and, with the human cargo slung over their neck and shoulders, walked side by side on the trail. When the trail diverged, the other tribesman took the other path, carrying her kid brother away. The brother and sister screamed for each other. Lucia would never see her brother again. Lucia was so traumatized by the loss of her loved ones that she became mute that very day. She remained hostage in that Naga family for almost two years, until she was rescued by the British and brought to a children’s refugee camp.
Lucia had to participate in the classes even though she was mute. One day the teacher was teaching the children the poem “Two Little Brothers Lost in the Woods” and was asking them, one by one, to read the text. Lucia was aghast – she felt that the poem told her own story. The teacher was about to skip the mute Lucia, when the latter stood up and recited the poem in perfect English. Her tongue was loosened! That day was a special moment in her personal healing. Her ability to speak was a sign of inner healing. Young Lucia would eventually meet Blessed Giacomo Alberione in Allahabad, India and enter the religious congregation (Piae Discipulae Divini Magistri) that he founded.
The phenomenon of healing is a wonderful sign of the presence of the saving Lord and the advent of the messianic times. The Old Testament reading (Is 35:4-7a) is an invitation to exaltation at the coming of the saving God and the eternal happiness that would result from his liberating action. This prophetic passage was written while God’s chosen people were in exile in Babylon. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly, comments: “All seemed lost. The people experienced the absence of God in the misery in which they lived. But our author had firmer convictions. He knew that the saving Lord was no absent God. He knew God was close at hand and that he would soon reveal his saving arm. He expresses this conviction in an outburst that surely cannot be limited to the literal meaning of the words. He is speaking of the end-time when the fullness of the divine healing will be manifest.”
Indeed, the Old Testament author encourages the people who are fearful and in need of liberation. He depicts the acts of salvation that the gracious God would accomplish for them as a phenomenon of healing – the healing of the blind, deaf, mute and lame – and as an environmental transformation – the gushing forth of the water in the parched land and the flowering of the arid desert. Harold Buetow remarks: “Today’s passage from Isaiah can be regarded as a commentary on today’s Gospel. Actually, this portion belongs to the Deutero-Isaiah, a part written toward the end of the sixth-century Babylonian captivity, which was long after the great eighth century prophet. The vision, dreamed in the midst of disaster, provided a joyful picture of confidence that new deliverance similar to the Exodus would happen. In highly poetic language that would color the hopes of the Jewish people long after Isaiah described the future return of Israel from captivity. The promise came to be applied to the age when the Messiah appeared.”
Against the backdrop of this Old Testament passage, the Gospel miracle of the healing of the deaf-mute ushers in the coming of the messianic times. The restoration to wholeness brought about by Christ’s compassionate act for the deaf-mute symbolizes the destruction of evil and the intensified presence of the saving God. Indeed, Jesus’ merciful gesture to the deaf-mute is a parable of greater healing and the marvelous sign of new times.
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In Jesus Christ, the miracle of transformation continues to unfold in each believer and in the Christian community as a whole. What impedes the movement of grace and what nips the beautiful bud of wholeness is our sinful attitude of partiality and favoritism. The Second Reading (Jas 2:1-5) confronts this problem, reminding us of God’s impartiality to us and our equal status in the Church. God’s election is to the poor as well to make them rich and equal in faith.
The biblical scholar, Cain Hope Felder, explains: “James expounds on how the standard of righteous doing applies to specific socio-economic difficulties and class conflicts within Christian communities and assemblies. The leading issue in this pericope is the blatant inconsistency of claiming to be a Christian and yet discriminating against the poor and otherwise oppressing the needy or fellow Christians of lower social class. James (2:3-4) depicts a flagrant example of class discrimination within a congregation … James’ illustration in vv. 2-4 probably was searing at that time, but it remains searing today … James 2:5 has for its essential intent a word of caution to members of the assembly who discriminate against the faithful poor in their midst. The text reminds the nominal Christians exhibiting class prejudice that they are oppressing a rich part of God’s elect … Unfortunately, the problem is worse among James’ communities.”
The letter of Saint James is a rebuke to the false standard of today’s world, which is senseless and cruel, for it is based on the values extraneous to the inner worth of the person, such as power, wealth, physical beauty, etc. In spite of our distorted values and human frailty, however, the wondrous miracle of healing, wholeness and grace continues to challenge and unfold. The following article of “Papa Mike” McGarvin illustrates the triumph of true beauty and the power of grace (cf. Poverello News, July 2009, p. 2-3).
By now, Susan Boyle, a once obscure Scottish spinster, is a household name. It seems as though every pundit in America has written about her amazing performance on the show “Britain’s Got Talent”, so I am chiming in kind of late in the game.
If you haven’t seen Ms. Boyle’s performance on TV or You Tube, here’s what happened. Forty-seven years old, never married, and with a very plain appearance. Ms. Boyle had grown up in an impoverished village. She is a faithful Christian who took care of her elderly parents until they passed away. Children and teenagers tormented her because of her looks, both when she was a child and as an adult. However, she has a glorious singing voice, and using her immense talent, she for many years performed in neighborhood churches and at karaoke sessions in local pubs.
Her opportunity to go on this show, a spin-off of American Idol, seemed particularly ill–fated. Described by many as “frumpy”, this unlikely candidate strode onto the stage to the cruel laughter of both the judges and audience. She seemed confident, but embarrassingly awkward, and the judges smirked as she described her goal of one day becoming a professional singer. To say that they didn’t take her seriously is a huge understatement.
And then, she opened her mouth and sang. A stunned panel of judges gazed, shocked and unbelieving, as the voice of an angel took command of the stage. The audience’s mockery turned to wild adulation. Susan Boyle’s magnificent contralto voice did not match their preconceived ideas of her. Her choice of songs, “I Dreamed a Dream” from the Broadway musical, Les Miserables, emotionally complimented her exquisite artistry. To a society that grossly overvalues physical attractiveness and wrongly equates it with goodness, talent, and prestige, Ms. Boyle stood as a refreshing rebuke. Jesus said that the last shall be first and the meek shall inherit the earth. Susan Boyle pretty much inherited the civilized, wired world that night as her performance spread like wildfire on the Internet. (…)
We don’t see a lot of physical attractiveness on the streets here at the Pov; but if there’s a lesson in Susan Boyle’s astonishing performance and the show’s dazzled judges, it’s that we cannot afford to dismiss people as unworthy or useless. God sees the whole person, and He sees beauty where, in our frailty and prejudice, we see none. I’ve always believed that He wants us to start viewing people with His vision of them. Our fallen human tendency is to label those who don’t meet our culture’s exacting standards as worthless; however, seeing someone through God’s eyes allows us to be open to many surprises, as well as many blessings that we otherwise would have missed.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Jesus heals us by his Word and sacraments. He opens our ears and loosens our tongue. Do we listen to his saving Word and then proclaim the Good News of Christ? How do we respond to Christ’s “Ephphatha” today? How do we spread the efficacy of Christ’s “Ephphatha” to those who are unable to hear or proclaim God’s Word? Do we know how to affirm the good deeds of others? Are we able to say with fondness and enthusiasm: “He has done all things well”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
healer of soul and body,
we have been deaf to your word.
We did not obey your saving will.
Let your healing touch and word open our ears
that we may listen to your saving word
and hear the cry of the poor.
Dear Jesus,
you have the words of eternal life.
Our tongues have cleaved to our mouths
because we were afraid to speak the truth about you.
Heal us and give us courage to proclaim the Gospel of salvation.
Open our lips that we may speak your praise to all nations,
saying: “He has done all things well!”
Let every people love and serve 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 day. Please memorize it.
“He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mk 7:37)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Ask the Lord Jesus to touch your ears and your mouth and speak his powerful command, “Ephphatha!” Present to him all the spiritual maladies that prevent you from listening to his divine will and proclaiming his divine praise, and ask for healing.
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September 7, 2015: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (23)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Does Good on the Sabbath … His Ministers Proclaim the Mystery of Salvation”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 1:24-2:3 // Lk 6:6-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
On another Sabbath, Jesus goes into the synagogue to worship and teach. The scribes and Pharisees are there to actively scrutinize him. They watch closely to see if he would cure on the Sabbath and thus find a reason to accuse him. They legally interpret healing as a medical intervention and, therefore, as a kind of “work” that transgresses the law of the Sabbath. Jesus, however, realizes how wrong they are. He, therefore, responds to the conflict situation proactively. He deliberately heals on a Sabbath day to teach them its true meaning. The law of Sabbath rest is meant for the good of people. To do a compassionate act on the Sabbath – to heal a man with a withered hand and to relieve him of suffering - is therefore “lawful”. To refuse to do the good that can be done is akin to evil. There is no “Sabbath” that restricts us from doing good to another human being. There is no “Sabbath” that prevents us from loving. Indeed, the refusal to love is a betrayal of life.
In light of today’s reading (Lk 6:6-11), we are being challenged to be courageous like Jesus in doing what is good and not allow “false restrictions” to impede us. When I was a teenager, I saw on television the movie “The Nun’s Story”, starring Audrey Hepburn. She was a missionary nun in Africa and was serving as a nurse in a hospital. The medical doctor was out of town when a bleeding patient was brought for treatment. An emergency surgery has to be done to save the injured man. Although she did not have a medical license, she took the risk and operated on him. The courageous nun saved his life.
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Today’s First Reading (Col 1:24-2:3) underlines the toil and struggle of Saint Paul as a messenger of the mystery of salvation. He asserts that the core of the “mystery” is a person – the person of Jesus Christ. As a servant of the Church, Saint Paul is happy about his sufferings. By means of his sufferings he helps to complete what still remains of Christ’s sufferings on behalf of his body, the Church. Paul does not mean that Christ did not suffer enough or that something is lacking in Christ’s afflictions to save humankind. “To fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” means that the apostolic toil and sufferings of Saint Paul are associated with and continue the saving work of Jesus in preaching the Gospel, with all the trials and difficulties it entails. Hence, the completion of the “sufferings of Christ” is intimately connected with the completion of the preaching of the Gospel. The hard-working Saint Paul continues to reveal to the Colossians and other people the divine saving mystery, which is Christ himself – the key that opens all the hidden treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge,
The following portrait of two senior priests illustrates what it means to be a servant of the Church and to toil on behalf of the saving mystery in today’s world (cf. Michelle Martin, “Older Priests Continue Ministry Long after Retirement” in Our Sunday Visitor, June 9, 2013, p. 12).
Msgr. Thomas Prendergast, a senior priest at Our Mother of Confidence Parish in San Diego, said his days are full. Prendergast is 81 and has been retired since he was 75. He was already retired when he moved into Our Mother of Confidence at the invitation of the pastor.
“I say Mass at least every Sunday and sometimes during the week”, he said. “I hear confessions every Saturday, and the sick calls, you know. We have a large parish here, a lot of seniors. I don’t do a lot of administration to speak of. Before I was retired, there was a lot of administration.”
Msgr. Prendergast said he thinks that people might like to have a younger man in the parish, but “they’re happy to have a priest.” He most enjoys visiting the sick and anointing people who are seriously ill. Asked if he intends to continue his ministry, Msgr. Prendergast said, “As long as I am in reasonably good health, yes.”
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Msgr. Francis Maniola is nothing if not a model of faithfulness. The priest, who celebrated his 100th birthday and his 75th anniversary of ordination in April, still participates at Mass every weekend at St. Symphorosa Church in Chicago, taking Communion on the same altar where he has served nearly every weekend since he became a pastor of the parish in 1968. Since then, Msgr. Maniola has baptized and married generations of parishioners, said Marge Garbacz, the parish’s pastoral associate and director of religious education. Msgr. Maniola served as the parish’s third pastor before retiring in 1981. Named pastor emeritus and asked to stay on by the next pastor, Msgr. Maniola never left.
Now he participates in Mass by watching from the sacristy door, approaching the altar for the Our Father and Communion, Garbacz said. “It’s such a witness of faithfulness”, she said. Up until this year, Msgr. Maniola blessed many sacramentals and other objects, even after he stopped celebrating Mass publicly and could no longer listen to confessions because he was too hard of hearing. “He loved to bless things”, Garbacz said. “People would stop by the rectory and we’d call him and he’d come down.”
After a brief hospitalization in January, Msgr. Maniola now has the aid of a caregiver for some daily tasks, but he still joins the parish staff for lunch every day. “When he was in the hospital, he told everyone, ‘I want to go home’,” Garbacz said. “For him, St. Symphorosa is home.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we like the scribes and Pharisees, who prevent others from doing good to the needy? Do we have a healthy understanding of the “Sabbath” that enables us to be more compassionate to our needy and suffering neighbors?
2. What do we do personally “to fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his Body” – the Church? What do we do to reveal the saving mystery, who is Christ?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for Jesus, the Divine Master.
He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
He heals even on the Sabbath
to teach us that the Sabbath is made for the good of man
and that man was not made for the Sabbath.
Help us to imitate him
in acting compassionately with the freedom of the Holy Spirit,
the principle of life and good.
Let us be convinced that refusal to do good
is a betrayal of life.
We love you, dear Father in heaven.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
we thank you for Saint Paul’s work as servant of the Church
and for revealing to the nations the saving mystery,
who is Christ.
Help us to treasure the presence of Christ in us.
He is the hope of glory.
Give us the grace to unite our apostolic endeavors and afflictions
with the saving work of Christ on behalf of the Gospel.
Let us be drawn together in love
and be filled with courage to preach Christ to everyone
and to give witness to him throughout the world.
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.
“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?” (Lk 6:9) //“I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake.” (Col 1:24)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that you may have a healthy understanding of church and civil laws. Endeavor to do charitable acts every day so that you will be ready to do good even in extraordinary situations and/or conditions. // Offer to God your trials, toil and affliction for the sake of the Gospel believing that in your very struggle the saving mystery of God’s love in Christ is revealed.
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September 8, 2015: TUESDAY – THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Mother Mary’s Birth Is a Prelude to Salvation”
BIBLE READINGS
Mic 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30 // Mt 1:16, 18-23
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today we celebrate the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her birth means that the coming of Jesus Savior is near. Her coming into the world is the dawn of salvation. Saint Andrew of Crete, bishop, remarks: “This radiant and manifest coming of God to men most certainly needed a joyful prelude to introduce the great gift of salvation to us. The present festival, the birth of the Mother of God, is the prelude, while the final act is the foreordained union of the Word with flesh. Today the Virgin is born, tended and formed, and prepared for her role as Mother of God, who is the universal King of the ages … Therefore, let all creation sing and dance and unite to make worthy contribution to the celebration of this day … The creature is newly prepared to be a divine dwelling for the Creator.”
Just like the Christ Child, the Child Mary is a promise of salvation. The birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary is likewise a sign of salvation. In view of the redemptive mission of the Christ Child, Mary’s birthday ushers in the fulfillment of the divine promise. The following story narrated by Sue Monk Kidd in an old issue of GUIDEPOSTS magazine gives us an idea of the redemptive role not only of the Christ Child, but also of the Mother of God, who also became a child for us.
In 1977, the Baptist Church in Melba, a rural American town, was about to close its doors forever. Over the years, churchgoing had dropped off alarmingly. Some hurts and misunderstandings had divided and shattered the congregation. All that remained was about a dozen people on the verge of giving up. That handful of people gathered in the church one Sunday to vote whether to continue services or close down for good. Their meeting was interrupted when a child appeared – a child of only seven years – who wanted to join the Sunday school and the church service. Angela, for that was her name, returned the next Sunday, and the next and the next. That child became the reason for the Melba Baptist Church to go on. They struggled to live in order to nurture a young spirit from one Sunday to the next. Angela was their glimmer of hope. She was their future. The child’s appearance saved the congregation from extinction and sure death. The Melba Baptist Church has become renovated and increased in membership. As far as they are concerned, the little girl who came alone to the church that long-ago Sunday was sent by God.
***
Steven Gemmen’s story, “Where Love Grows” in Guideposts magazine (October 2004, cf. p. 44-48) is a touching account of how he welcomed into his life the child conceived by his wife, Heather, a victim of sexual assault. Steve narrates how his anger at the rapist found its outlet in the baby. In the sixth month of his wife’s rape-pregnancy, however, Steve was given the grace to understand that the little creature in his wife’s womb had nothing to do with the crime of the father, an unidentified African-American young man who broke into their home. Steve accepted the baby as his own although there were bad times. Steve remarks: “Our lives haven’t been the same since that terrible night. They never will be. I’d thought nothing could make me love this child. That’s true. Nothing can make us love anyone or anything. Love is not a choice. It is the sovereign gift of God. And it was his gift that the child who stirred within Heather would make the unbearable not just bearable but miraculous.”
Steve’s compassionate stance towards his wife and the baby gives insight into the goodness of Joseph, foster-father and guardian of Jesus, born of Mary. Today’s Gospel story concerns the birth of Jesus (Mt 1:18-23) and delineates the important role of Mary and Joseph in salvation history. In the fulfillment of the messianic mission and divine saving plan, Mary and Joseph, the righteous man to whom she is betrothed, play a vital part. Joseph of Nazareth enables Jesus to be born into the royal line of David by assuming the legal obligations of paternity. Mary’s virginal conception and birth of Jesus underlines the divine origin of the Son and of the absolute newness that now breaks forth in the history of human beings.
The Venerable Bede (c. 673-735) contemplates the role of Mary as the ever virgin mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: “It is indeed fitting in every respect that when God decided to become incarnate for the sake of the whole human race none but a virgin should be his mother, and that, since a virgin was privileged to bring him into the world, she should bear no other son but the son who is God …And so Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, the child of her own flesh and blood. She brought forth the God who had been born of God before creation began, and who, in his created humanity, rightfully surpassed the whole creation.”
***
Today’s Old Testament reading (Mi 5:1-4) helps define the character of the child that is in Mary’s womb – the ruler of Israel of which she is the bearer. Micah foretells of an ideal messianic king who will inaugurate a new era after Israel’s period of exile. The mission of this highly idealized ruler is characterized as a good shepherd who protects his flock and keeps them from being scattered. This new king will be great and he himself will be peace. Prophesying in the late eighth century at about the same time as Isaiah, Micah pronounces an oracle that seems to identify Bethlehem as the city of a yet unborn ruler’s birth. This fascinating oracle contributes to a profound vision of Jesus as Messiah. As we celebrate the nativity of Mary, we extol her as the one who gives birth to Jesus, the King-Shepherd of the house of David who will bring justice and peace. The Blessed Mother is an intimate collaborator of the divine Savior in bringing forth a new people of God.
The following story of a young wife’s journey to the Catholic faith helps us appreciate the role of Mary in the divine work of salvation (cf. Rebecca Lengenfelder, “One in Faith” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 70-72).
Little by little, the Catholic faith started to make sense to me … There was still one major hurdle I could not get over – Mary. I longed to be completely one with Kris, but I could not fully share his faith if it meant idolatry. I understood that Catholics ask Mary to take their intentions to her Son, Jesus, who is the one they worship, but years of having it impressed upon me that this was idolatry, blocked me from accepting a devotion to Mary.
I was raised with the idea of putting out a fleece. (Gideon does this in Judges 6:36-40) as a way of asking for a sign. Whether or not there was dew on the fleece in the morning determined his answer from God.) So I said: “OK, Lord, I want you to send me an unmistakable sign that could only come from you, that this Catholic devotion to Mary is right and that the Catholic religion is the true faith.” If he sent me that sign, I would become Catholic.
Two weeks before my due date, I began praying this daily. Instead of another long labor, the scheduled C-section would be more predictable. I was given an epidural in the delivery room. While lying on the table after the epidural, I suddenly felt very sick. Darkness clouded my brain as if I was on the verge of losing consciousness, and there was ringing in my ears. I gasped for breath, but I felt like a two-hundred-pound weight was crushing my lungs. Everyone was busy around the room, not noticing my crisis. Suddenly, my mind flashed to the doctor’s dire prediction that both the baby and I would likely die.
I tried to tell someone that I could not breathe, but no words came out. The only thing that came was tears. One of the student nurses, Risa, a friend from nursing school, noticed me crying. I finally expressed to her that I could not breathe. My heartrate skyrocketed, and the monitors started going crazy. This is it, I thought, I’m dying. All of a sudden, I started praying the Rosary. One mystery after another, I knew them and prayed out loud. Kris entered the room after washing up and putting on a gown. I had an oxygen mask on by then. He could tell I was praying, but did not realize it was the Rosary.
Once I started praying the Rosary, a restful calm surged through me and vanquished all fear. The tears kept streaming, but now they were tears of joy. It was my sign! I had never learned how to pray the Rosary! I never read about it or listened to one being prayed. I always left the room when Kris or his family began the Rosary. But suddenly, as if through a divine infusion, I knew each mystery from the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries, just as they are taken from the life of Jesus in the Gospel.
My spirit soared! God had answered my prayers and let me know that I could become a Catholic. It was okay to honor Our Blessed Mother and ask for her intercession. As my second baby daughter, Alexandria (Ali), was lifted up for me to see, I was giddy with excitement and joy. Ali, my little girl, was joining a family that would be completely one. (…)
On April 15, 1995, three days before Ali’s first birthday, I was confirmed and welcomed into the Catholic Church. Kris bought me a new diamond for my wedding ring and we had it blessed to mark this occasion. When we look back, Kris and I still felt dumbfounded that we ever gave each other a chance but now, we thank God that we did.
***
In the alternative reading (Rom 8:28-30), Saint Paul assures the Romans that all things work for good for those who love God. He stimulates their zeal and enthusiasm in the midst of difficulties and persecution by reminding them that God’s plan of salvation leads to the glory that is their destiny. Called to be conformed to the image of his Son, nothing will ever happen to them that has not been foreseen by God and directed to their greater good from all eternity. God is in control of everything. The ultimate goal is to be configured to Jesus Christ, who in his paschal sacrifice, is totally glorified. On this feast of the birthday of Mary, we contemplate the Virgin Mother as one whom God has set apart, called for a specific purpose and glorified with and in her Son Jesus Christ.
Immaculee Ilibagiza, a great Marian devotee, survived the genocide on her native Rwanda. In the following incident, we realize the truth that all things work for good for those who love God (cf. Immaculee Ilibagiza, “The Road to the Rebels” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 40-41).
“Dear God”, I prayed, walking as fast as I could and holding my father’s rosary tightly in my hand. “Only You can save me. You promised to take care of me, God – well, I really need taking care of right now. There are devils and vultures at my back, Lord. Please protect me. Take the evil from the hearts of these men, and blind their hatred with Your holy love.”
I walked without looking at my feet, not knowing if I was about to stumble over rocks or bodies, putting all my trust in God to guide me to safety. We were moving very briskly, but the killers were all around us now, circling us, slicing the air with their machetes. We were defenseless, so why were they waiting to strike?
“If they kill me, God, I ask You to forgive them. Their hearts have been corrupted by hatred, and they don’t know why they want to hurt me.”
After walking a half a mile like that, I heard Jean Paul say, “Hey, they’re gone … they’re gone!”
I looked around, and it was true. The killers had left us. Jean Paul said later that it was probably because they knew the RPF soldiers were close by, but I knew the real reason, and I never stopped thanking God for saving us on the road. A few minutes later we saw an RPF roadblock and several dozen tall, lean, stone-faced Tutsi soldiers standing guard. I broke into an all-out run and dropped to my knees in front of them. I closed my eyes and sang their praises.
“Thank God, thank God, we’re saved! Thank God you’re here. Bless you! Bless you all!”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is the meaning of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Why is her birth a sign of salvation? Just like Jesus and Mary, are we willing to be “signs” of God’s love and compassion in today’s world?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Opening Prayer of the Mass “Birth of Mary”)
Father of mercy,
give your people help and strength from heaven.
The birth of the Virgin Mary’s Son
was the dawn of salvation.
May this celebration of her birthday
bring us closer to lasting peace.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“This child has been conceived in her.” (Mt 1: 20)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
To celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary’s birthday, thank God immensely for her deep collaboration in salvation history and offer acts of mercy and kindness in her honor.
*** *** ***
September 9, 2015: WEDNESDAY – SAINT PETER CLAVER, Priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Blesses the Anawim … In Him We Have Put On the New Self”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 3:1-11 // Lk 6:20-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:20-26), Jesus blesses the anawim (from anawah = humility). They are a people - humble and lowly - who find their well-being in God. These humble believers are eager to welcome God and ready to do his will. They put their hope and trust in God alone. Formed by his mother Mary, the Lord’s humble handmaid, Jesus is the ultimate anawim. As the Servant-Son of Yahweh, he is meek and humble of heart. In his inaugural discourse as Divine Master, Jesus declares that the anawim – the poor, the hungry, the grieving and the persecuted - are blessed by the Lord. They are recipients of salvation and of God’s infinite favor. Immersed into the baptismal waters of his paschal destiny, the Christian disciples in today’s world are the anawim. Like Jesus and Mary, they are called to proclaim the beatitudes of God’s anawim.
Instead of beatitudes, woes are to fall upon the rich who do not use their wealth to help the needy, hoarding it for themselves. Woes are to fall upon the well-fed who are oblivious to the hunger pangs of the poor, not sharing with them the bounty from their table of plenty. Woes are to fall upon those who seek the joys of the world, not commiserating with the grieving and the afflicted. Woes are to fall upon the false prophets, basking in the adulation of friends made complacent by their false words of comfort.
But what does it mean to live the spirit of the anawim today? This personal account can give an insight.
A few years ago, I conducted a liturgy class at Maryhill School of Theology in Metro Manila, Philippines, that included the topic “Liturgy and Creation”. I invited an ecology team from Barrio Ugong to share their endeavors with my students. The team was composed of enterprising housewives. None of them had a college or even a high school degree, but they became a leaven of transformation for their local community. Speaking in Tagalog, for none of them was proficient in English, the medium of instruction in higher Filipino schools, the housewives conducted the seminar on waste management, recycling, composting, organic gardening, etc. in very simple terms, but with expertise. They also shared the initial resistance of some people to their community project. The “macho” men in the neighborhood were hostile. But the women steeled themselves from their unjust attacks and persisted with single-hearted devotion and courage. Their humility and prophetic stance paid off. Barrio Ugong was judged the best barrio in the Philippines!
***
In today’s First Reading (Col 3:1-11) Saint Paul exhorts the Colossians to seek out the matters that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God. Their “old self” has died and they have been raised to life with Christ. Now their life is hidden with Christ in God, and this will be made manifest in glory on judgment day. This dying with Christ involves absolute separation from the former sinful life. They must put off the old self with its habits and put on the new self that is being renewed into the image of the Creator. Christ is the perfect image of God and the perfect pattern of life for the baptized. In Jesus Christ, the great social barriers of race, culture and states of life are broken down. “Christ is all and in all.” These social distinctions are non-consequential when we consider the truth that Jesus Christ is really all that matters.
Mike McGovern (“Papa Mike”) and his conversion story illustrate, in a social context, Saint Paul’s insight about a worldly life that leads to self-destruction and a spiritual life that leads to salvation (cf. Poverello News, July 2013, p.2-3).
In the 1960s I was an eager participant in the hippie movement: free love, drug experimentation that soon led to dependency, openness to a hodge-podge of strange spiritual beliefs, and advocating for the expansion of the welfare state as a way of addressing poverty. I marched in anti-war and anti-poverty marches (when I wasn’t too drunk to march), took LSD, smoked marijuana, and practiced sexual liberation with a vengeance. And guess what? I became poor, miserable, spiritually empty, and got to the point where I wanted to kill myself.
As much as I hate to admit it, it’s when I embraced those hated middle-class values that I found meaning and happiness. Middle-class value number one: old-fashioned Christianity. My conversion to Catholicism gave me a new direction and a purpose for living. Middle-class value number two: I got married, and I stayed married, taking seriously that “until death do we part” business. Middle-class value number three: I worked my way up from an apprenticeship to a full-time job as a photoengraver, learning good work habits and providing for my family. Finally, middle-class value number four: I started giving back to others less fortunate than me, which is how Poverello House started.
Granted, Poverello House isn’t the usual career path of an up and coming bourgeoisie fella, but then, I didn’t follow the typical middle-class blueprint for successful living until I’d already messed things up pretty well. The point is, even though I gravitated toward the counterculture of the 1960s and continued to view myself as part of that culture, and even though I still have some euphoric recall of those days, I can see now that it was utterly destructive. The only way I escaped was to embrace those boring middle-class values … Drugs, uncommitted sex, irresponsibility, and dependency became permanent features of urban poverty, and this cultural dysfunction led to widespread despair.
When we take a homeless drug addict into our program, in most cases we’re not only dealing with the personal wreckage of his life, but also the leftover cultural debris from the 1960s. Our solution is so middle-class that it almost makes the old hippie in me want to cry: get clean and sober, get God, work hard, be responsible, get a job, and take care of the messes you’ve made, and then go out and help someone else in need. It’s a far cry from “Turn on, tune in, drop out”, and certainly more humdrum, but it means the difference between a horrible life of squalor and having a chance at achieving lasting joy.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does Jesus’ proclamation of the Beatitudes impinge upon us? Do we accept his declaration that the anawim are indeed blessed by the Lord? Do we try to live out in our life the beatitudes of the anawim? Do we look upon Jesus as the ultimate anawim and imitate Mother Mary who has lived the spirit of the anawim?
2. What does it mean personally for us that “we have died with Christ” and that “we need to put to death, then, the parts of us that are worldly”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
you are the true anawim.
In Galilee, you taught us the beatitudes of the anawim.
Help us to live the spirit of the anawim
and total dependence on God.
We adore you, Jesus, meek and humble of heart.
Live in us, Christ our Lord, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
we thank you for uniting us to the death of Christ.
Help us to put off the old self with its sinful habits
and to put on the new self that shares in the glory of Christ.
Teach us to cherish the new being
that is constantly renewed in your image.
In our life of holiness and service to the Gospel,
let us no longer be concerned with false distinctions
based on race, culture and various states of life.
We believe that Christ is all
and that he is in all.
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.
“Blessed are you who are poor.” (Lk 6:20) //“Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly.” (Col 3:5)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Meditate on the Beatitudes and our identity as Christian anawim. In your service to the poor, those who mourn, the victims of injustice and violence, etc., endeavor to be an instrument of God’s beatitude for them. // Make it a point to make an examination of the heart at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. Examine how you respond to the grace of God calling you to live to the full the “new self” in Christ. If you have failed, consider the possibility of approaching the sacrament of reconciliation.
*** *** ***
September 10, 2015: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (23)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Radical Forgiveness and Mercy … He Wants Us to Put on Love”
BIBLE READINGS
Col 3:12-17 // Lk 6:27-38
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:27-38), Jesus challenges us to be radically God-like in extending forgiveness, love and mercy to all. Jesus’ exigent demands resound: “Love your enemies … Do good to them … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” The words of Jesus on forgiveness and compassion, however, should not be falsely interpreted. His words on non-retaliation and forgiveness do not promote passivity nor permit us to succumb to evil and injustice. Rather, Jesus’ words are a call to radicality. Aelred Rosser asserts: “It’s about being radical: radically loving, radically generous, radically God-like. All the kinds of behavior that Luke records here are summed up in one kind of behavior: God-like behavior. To what extent can we behave like God? To a far greater extent than most of us do. The bottom line may be put this way: if there is no difference between how Christians behave and how non-Christians behave, where’s the evidence that Christianity is different?”
Indeed, Jesus challenges us anew. He who invites us to this radical expression of God’s benevolence and compassion will also give us the grace and inner strength to be radically loving and forgiving. In the case of someone who loves God and Christ, everything is possible. Trusting in the grace of God, the Christian disciple is able to say: “In him who is the source of my strength, I have strength for everything” (Phil 4:13).
The following two stories illustrate what it means to live the challenge of forgiveness and mercy. The first story is about radical forgiveness (cf. Mary Brown in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 270) and the second is about radical compassion (cf. Brenda Wilbee in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 271).
Story 1: I’ve been deeply concerned for my friend. Her teenage daughter has moved in with her older boyfriend and his dad. The boyfriend and his dad treat my friend with hostility. To make matters worse, my friend’s ex-husband has joined them in their anger at her. Together they’ve leveled false accusations against my friend and have alienated her daughter from her.
Over the past months my friend has poured out her despair to me. Tonight, however, when I phoned her, I heard an amazing change in her voice. “I feel as though a huge weight had been lifted off me”, she said. “What happened?” I asked. “Well, when I heard the Gospel reading at church this morning – to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you – I knew that somehow I had to do what Jesus said, even though it seems impossible.” “Considering how you’ve been treated, it does seem impossible to respond that way.” “I felt that I couldn’t but that God could. For the rest of the service, I prayed for them. When I came home, I still felt overwhelmed by my hurt and anger, so I prayed more. Instead of praying for them to change, I simply asked God to do good to them. Suddenly, everything inside me changed, I felt a lightness I’ve never felt before. I know that somehow everything will work out. I’ll keep praying for them and trusting God. I finally have peace.”
***
Story 2: David Denny founded the city of Seattle in 1851. I know the man well; I wrote six books about him and his Sweetbriar Bride Louisa. With only twenty-five cents in his pocket, he went on to become the city’s third richest man. With assets of three million dollars. In the panic of 1893, his brother begged that he shut down his enterprises to weather the terrible recession.
“I can’t”, he replied. “A hundred families will starve.” David instead mortgaged everything, and the recession rolled in. He and Louisa celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary in an empty mansion and then moved on to a log cabin he’d once given his daughter Abbie. He died ten years later with less than twenty-five cents to his name but with a reputation worth more than gold. Seattle loved Honest Dave.
Before he died, he wrote: “If I could live my life again, I’d still come West, I’d join the same church and marry the same woman. But I’d endeavor to be a better Christian.”
***
Today’s First Reading (Col 3:12-17) is a prescription for an ideal relationship among Church members. Taken from the section of Colossians which urges the members of the body of Christ, the Church, to live according to the values of the community, it encourages works of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and love in Christ’s name. In the faith community and in its individual members, the peace of Christ must reign. Moreover, they should be filled with praise and thanksgiving. Saint Paul teaches us how this could be done: letting Christ’s word dwell in us, teaching with all wisdom according to apostolic understanding, admonishing one another, worshipping and singing to God with grateful hearts, doing everything in word and deed in the name of Christ Jesus. The biblical scholar, Ivan Havener, remarks: “Seen in this light, thanksgiving to God the Father through Christ becomes a whole way of life. Christian life is eucharist, that is, thanksgiving.”
The following story, circulated on the Internet, illustrates how inspiring and awesome it is when people put on love, the bond of perfection.
In Phoenix, Arizona, a 26-year-old mother stared down at the 6-year-old son who was dying of terminal leukemia. Although her heart was filled with sadness, she also had a strong feeling of determination. Like any parent, she wanted her son to grow up and fulfill all his dreams. Now that was no longer possible! The leukemia would see to that. But she still wanted her son’s dream to come true.
She took her son’s hand and asked, “Billy, did you ever think about what you wanted to be once you grow up? Did you ever dream and wish what would you do with your life?”
“Mommy, I always wanted to be a fireman when I grow up.”
Mom smiled back and said, “Let’s see if we can make your wish come true.”
Later that day she went to her local Fire Department in Phoenix, Arizona, where she met Fireman Bob, who had a heart as big as Phoenix. She explained her son’s final wish and asked if it might be possible to give her 6-year-old son a ride around the block on a fire engine. Fireman Bob said, “Look, we can do better than that. If you have your son ready at seven o’clock Wednesday morning, we’ll make him an honorary Fireman for the whole day. He can come down to the fire station, eat with us, go out on all the fire calls, the whole nine yards! And if you give us his size, we can get a real fire uniform for him, with a real fire hat – not a toy – one with the emblem of the Phoenix Fire Department on it, a yellow slicker like we wear and rubber boots. They’re all manufactured right here in Phoenix, so we can get them fast.”
Three days later Fireman Bob picked up Billy, dressed him in his uniform and escorted him from his hospital bed to the waiting hook and ladder truck. Billy got to sit on the back of the truck and help steer it back to the fire station. He was in heaven. There were three fire calls in Phoenix that day and Billy got to go out on all three calls. He rode in the different fire engines, the Paramedic’s van and even the fire chief’s car. He was also videotaped for the local news program.
Having his dream come true, with all the love and attention that was lavished upon him, so deeply touched Billy, that he lived three months longer than any doctor thought possible. One night all of his vital signs began to drop dramatically and the head nurse, who believed in the hospice concept that no one should die alone, began to call the family members to the hospital. Then she remembered the day Billy had spent as a Fireman, so she called the Fire Chief and asked if it would be possible to send a fireman in uniform to the hospital to be with Billy as he made his transition.
The chief replied, “We can do better than that. We’ll be there in five minutes. Will you please do me a favor? When you hear the sirens screaming and see the lights flashing, will you announce over the PA system that there is not a fire? It’s the department coming to see one of its finest members one more time. And will you open the window to his room?”
About five minutes later a hook and ladder truck arrived at the hospital and extended its ladder up to Billy’s third floor open window --- 16 fire-fighters climbed up the ladder into Billy’s room! With his mother’s permission they hugged him and held him and told him how much they LOVED him.
With his dying breath, Billy looked up at the fire chief and said, “Chief, am I really a fireman now?”
“Billy, you are, and the Head Chief, Jesus, is holding your hand”, the chief said.
With those words, Billy smiled and said, “I know. He’s been holding my hand all day, and the angels have been singing.” He closed his eyes one last time.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does today’s Gospel on forgiveness and mercy challenge me? What is my response to the command of Jesus: “Love your enemies and do good to them … Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”? Do I use Christ’s teaching on forgiveness and compassion as an excuse to hide the absence of justice and to acquiesce to the onslaught of injustice and evil?
2. How do we endeavor to put on love, the bond of perfection?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord God,
you are merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
We thank you for your Son Jesus Christ
who incarnated the meaning of forgiveness and mercy.
He calls us to be forgiving and merciful.
Give us the grace to show to the world
that “love builds up”.
Do not let us commit scandal
that will cause others to sin.
O loving Father, you live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
we are your chosen ones.
Give us the grace to live fully our vocation to holiness.
Help us to be compassionate, patient, gentle and kind.
Teach us to be forgiving
and to put on love, the bond of perfection.
Let the word of Christ dwell in us
and may we do everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through him 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.
“Love your enemies … Be merciful.” (Lk 6:35-36) // “Put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.” (Col 3:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Name someone who has hurt you. Pray for that person for a period of time and offer him/her your gift of forgiveness even from afar. Offer an act of compassion and mercy for someone in deep need. // Today resolve to show your kindness and concern for a needy person.
*** *** ***
September 11, 2015: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (23)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Condemns False Condemnation … He Mercifully Treated the Apostle Paul”
BIBLE READINGS
I Tm 1:1-2, 12-14 // Lk 6:39-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 6:39-42), Jesus, the son of a carpenter, uses carpentry images to deliver the irony of hypocrisy and false condemnation: the righteous with a wooden beam in the eye wants to remove the sawdust from another’s eye. In the biblical world, the “eye” represents a person’s attitude and understanding. Indeed, our pride obstructs the light of compassionate understanding and blinds us to our own faults and the duty of charity. Jesus warns against exaggerating our neighbor’s faults and minimizing our own. He wants us to remove the “wooden beam” of our hypocrisy and pride that we may be able to remove charitably the “splinter” that hurts our neighbor’s eyes. He does not condemn fraternal correction, but false condemnation. Jesus Master counsels true compassion in dealing with our brothers and sisters.
In a humorous vein, the following story illustrates how prejudice could pervert our judgment (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 122).
Two Irish laborers were working on the road outside a house of prostitution. Presently the local Protestant minister came along, pulled down his hat, and walked into the building. Pat said to Mike, “Did you see that? What can you expect? He’s a Protestant, isn’t he?
Soon after, a rabbi arrived on the scene. He pulled his collar up and walked in too. Said Pat “What a terrible example for a religious leader to give his people!”
Finally, who should pass by but a Catholic priest. He drew his cloak around his head and slipped into the building. Said Pat, “Now isn’t it a terrible thing. Mike, to think that one of the girls must have taken ill?”
***
Today we begin reading from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. A young Christian from Asia Minor, Timothy is the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. He became a companion and assistant to Paul in his missionary work. The letter contains instructions concerning the Church and its leaders as well as personal instructions to Timothy on how to be a good servant of Jesus Christ and how to carry out his responsibilities to the believers.
In today’s reading (I Tm 1:1-2, 12-14), Paul identifies himself as an apostle as well as a recipient of God’s mercy. Saint Paul is a model and limpid example of a sinner saved by grace. He had been a blasphemer, a persecutor of Christ and his Church, and an arrogant man. But God pours out his abundant grace upon him and gives him the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Paul is totally grateful to Jesus who has appointed and strengthened him for the apostolic ministry.
Saint Paul’s experience of being mercifully treated by God continues to be felt by people even in the here and now. The following is an example (cf. Leodone Yballe, “A Heavy Burden” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament if Reconciliation, Sister Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 29-30).
As I write this, I have tears streaming down my face; these are tears of joy and gratitude.
Reconciliation? The Lord had been working overtime on me for the last several years. But my addictions to pornography, lies, and self-importance – won me back almost every time.
On the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul two years ago, He did to me what He did to Saul. God knocked me down from my high horse. My marriage was in trouble.
Driving to my office that morning, I was listening to the radio and happened to tune in to a Catholic radio station, The Station of the Cross, in Rochester, New York. EWTN’s Mass broadcast had just started. As I listened to the readings, the Lord touched my heart. He helped me to see my life and how far I was from Him. I cried like a child in my car. As I was parking, sobbing like an infant, I resolved to find my Ananias.
Father Peter Abas, a priest at St. Anne’s in Rochester, was the first and only priest I could think of. I left voice and E-mail messages asking if he could see me that night. We played phone tag throughout the day. Father Peter thought if the Holy Spirit wants it, he will come. At six-thirty that night, I got into my car trusting the Lord would lead me to see Father Peter. At seven o’clock, I drove into St. Anne’s parking area. Father Peter was waiting and hoping that I would come.
We went into one of the small private rooms in the rectory, and I knelt down and asked Father Peter to hear my confession. I started by telling how heavy the burden was on my soul. My tears were a cleansing flood, as I recounted, amidst sobs, all my sins. It seemed as if my confession lasted almost an hour. Like the Prodigal Son, I told my Father I was not worthy to be called His son.
Father Peter took a clean sheet of paper, crumpled it in his hands, opened it, and said, “See how ugly this is?” I responded, “Yes, it is a very messy looking paper.”
Opening it up, he said, “Look at the lines here, and here, and here – don’t they look nice? This is how God sees you – so pleasing to Him that He can only love you.” And of course, I cried some more, a mixture of joy and shame in my tears. Joy because He did love me and did not throw me away from His sight, and shame for rejecting Him from my life.
When I received the absolution, my soul felt light, and I started to see a new path. Unlike Saul, my eyes did not see everything immediately. But He showed me enough to help me walk home to Him.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I give in to a righteous tendency to judge my neighbors and condemn their “faults”? Do I endeavor to remove the “wooden beam” in my eye in order to help my brother remove the “sawdust” in his eye?
2. Do we realize that we are recipients of divine mercy and that we have been mercifully treated by God? What is our response?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you are God’s compassion and righteousness.
Help us to stop judging harshly that we may not be judged.
Help us to be compassionate.
Deal kindly with us.
With true seeing “eye”,
may we perceive the beauty of charity
and embrace our duty to care for our brothers and sisters.
Teach us to imitate Saint Paul
in his zeal to proclaim the Gospel to all.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
you are loving and merciful.
In your Son Jesus Christ,
we have experienced what it means
to be an object of divine grace.
We give you thanks and praise for your saving mercy.
Teach us to cherish and bring to fruition
the grace of mercy you have poured out upon us abundantly.
Let us live faithfully in the faith and love of our Lord Jesus,
who lives and reigns with you, 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.
“Remove the wooden beam from your eye first.” (Lk 6:42) //“I have been mercifully treated.” (I Tm 1:13)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Before making a judgmental remark, hold your tongue and pray to God for the spirit of compassion and the grace not to make false judgments. To help you make life-giving choices that are pleasing to God, make the examination of the heart a part of your life. // In your dealings with persons whom you find troublesome, make an effort to treat them with patient mercy, remembering how God has treated you with kindness and love.
*** *** ***
September 12, 2015: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (23); THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be His Disciples in Word and in Deed … He Came to Save Sinners”
BIBLE READINGS
I Tm 1:15-17 // Lk 6:43-49
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 6:43-49) Jesus uses fruit-tree images to underline the source of a person’s actions. Just as the fruit tells us whether or not the tree is healthy and what variety of tree it comes from, so the words and deeds of those who claim to be his disciples manifest the quality and reality of their relationship with Jesus. They can be true disciples of Jesus if they will be able to hear his words and put them into practice.
Using the powerful image of a solid foundation, Jesus likewise urges his disciples to build their lives upon his words, which are life’s sure foundation. We must not simply proclaim in words that Jesus is Lord and call upon him as our Lord Savior. We must act in a way that corresponds to the inner strength of our word. Our actions must give witness to the faith we profess. Our worship of God must be incarnated in the life we live.
The following story of Jo Dee Baker from Slidell, Louisiana, whose lovely house and beautiful garden were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, tells of a community of believers whose efficacious faith is founded on a solid foundation (cf. “Angels on the Move” in Guideposts, Large Print Edition, March 2006, p. 5-9). Both Jo, the victim of a natural calamity, and the caregivers from the Baptist Church illustrate how wonderful and marvelous is a faith that is put into practice.
My beautiful yard was a mess of uprooted trees and debris; the salt water had burned the grass a sickly brown. My lovely white picket fence lay on its side, and shingles from my roof littered the ground like fallen leaves. Inside, slimy mud covered the floors, and water from the storm surge had tossed all my furniture upside down. The walls were caked black with mildew. Practically everything I owned was ruined. How could I ever come back from this? How could anyone? (…)
So many people needed help, and help was spread thin. “Lord”, I prayed, “I need some divine intervention here.” The next day, I pulled up to my house just as a man with a pickup truck was slowly passing by. He stopped, rolled down the window and leaned out. “Do you need any help?” he shouted. I laughed halfheartedly. “Help? I need an army,” I said. “I’m Brother Johnny from First Baptist Church of Pontchatoula.” He wrote down my name, address and number. “We’ll be in touch, Ma’am.” Then he drove off. But after two weeks I still hadn’t heard from him.
One Monday morning, lugging another bag of my ruined treasures to the curb, I stared down the street at the mountains of trash and destroyed homes. “So many people have lost so much,” I thought. Just then, my cell phone rang. Service was still spotty, but the voice on the other end was loud and clear. “Hello, it’s Brother Johnny. I’ve got some people who want to volunteer to help you. They’ll be calling you.” That was it. He hung up. Then the phone rang again. “Jo Dee? This is Jimmy Brown. I’m from the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Rives, Tennessee. We need to know what you need, exactly.” Where to begin? I told him about the mildewed floors, the torn up roof. “Don’t worry, Ma’am. We’ll be there. See you next Tuesday morning.” (…)
Nineteen people had traveled all the way from Tennessee just to help little old me. They spent three days cleaning the rot and grime and putting on my new roof. Two weeks after they left, about 40 more, from an association of 45 churches, came to finish the job! They ripped out and replaced the flooring, repainted the house, put in new shelves and cabinets, installed a stove and a water heater. By the time they were done, the house looked better than ever!
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The reading (I Tm 1:15-17) delineates the picture of Saint Paul as model and limpid example of “a sinner saved by grace”. Paul’s personal experience of the Risen Lord that transformed him from a persecutor into a zealous apostle solidifies the faith statement that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”
The liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent, remarks: “Saint Paul lets us know here his own personal experience: he had been a sinner, and yet God chose him as a minister. God chose to trust him. Paul’s case interested the entire Church. The other apostles had been chosen by the earthly Jesus and had lived with him; now Paul, who persecuted the others, saw himself overwhelmed by grace and chosen to be Christ’s servant no less than the other apostles. (…) Paul reminds us that conversion in Christ Jesus is always possible through faith and love. More than that, he believes that his sins and his conversion are part of a providential plan: he, a sinner, was chosen for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. Paul thus regards himself as the first of sinners but also as the foremost witness to the long-suffering patience of God.”
Paul has experienced to the full that “Christ came to save sinners”. Together with Jesus Christ and in the spirit of Saint Paul, we must mirror the benevolent effort of our loving God to seek the lost. The following story dramatizes the miracle of the “lost and found … strayed and returned … sinned and forgiven … estranged and reconciled” (cf. Stephen Covey, “I Found My Son Again” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: CSS, 2009, p. 295-298). May this awesome miracle come to life again and again!
I have a dear friend who once shared with me his deep concern over a son he described as being “rebellious”, “disturbing”, and “an ingrate”. “Stephen, I don’t know what to do”, he said. “It’s gotten to the point where if I come into the room to watch television with my son, he turns it off and walks out. I’ve tried my best to reach him, but it’s just beyond me.
At the time I was teaching some university classes about the 7 habits. I said, “Why don’t you come with me to my class right now? We’re going to be talking about Habit 5 – how to listen emphatically to another person before you attempt to explain yourself. My guess is that your son may not feel understood.” “I already understand him”, he replied. “And I can see problems he’s going to have if he doesn’t listen to me.” “Let me suggest that you assume you know nothing about your son. Just start with a clean slate. Listen to him without any moral evaluation or judgment. Come to class and learn how to do this and how to listen within his frame of reference.”
So he came. Thinking he understood after just one class, he went to his son and said, “I need to listen to you. I probably don’t understand you, and I want to. His son replied, “You have never understood me – ever!” And with that, he walked out. The following day my friend said, “Stephen, it didn’t work. I made such an effort, and this is how he treated me! I felt like saying; ‘You idiot! Aren’t you grateful for what I’ve done and what I’m trying to do now?’ I really don’t know if there’s any hope.” I said, “He’s testing your sincerity. And what did he find out? He found out you don’t really want to understand him. You want him to shape up.” “He should, the little whippersnapper!” he replied. “He knows full well what he’s doing to mess things up.”
I replied, “Look at the spirit inside you now. You’re angry and frustrated and full of judgments. Do you think you can use some surface-level listening technique with your son and get him to open up? Do you think it’s possible for you to talk to him or even look at him without somehow communicating all those negative things you’re feeling deep inside? You’ve got to do much more private work inside your own mind and heart. You’ll eventually learn to appreciate him and to love him unconditionally just the way he is rather than withholding your love until he shapes up. On the way, you’ll learn to listen within his frame of reference and, if necessary, apologize for your judgments and past mistakes or do whatever it takes.”
My friend caught the message. He could see that he had been trying to practice the technique at the surface but was not dealing with what would produce the power to practice it sincerely and consistently, regardless of the outcome. So he returned to class for more learning and began to work on his feelings and motives, particularly the need to appreciate, respect and empathize. He soon started to sense a new attitude within himself. His feelings about his son turned more tender and sensitive and open. He became profoundly grateful for his son, simply because he sincerely wanted to understand and appreciate his son.
He finally said, “I’m ready. I’m going to try it again.” I said, “He’ll test your sincerity again.” “It’s all right, Stephen”, he replied. “At this point I feel as if he could reject every overture I make, and it would be all right. I would just keep making them because it’s the right thing to do, and he’s worth it. I feel so grateful for him and for the hard learning.”
That night he sat down with his son and said, “I know you feel as though I haven’t tried to understand and appreciate you, but I want you to know that I am trying and will continue to try.” Again, the boy coldly replied, “you have never understood me”. He stood up and started to walk out, but just as he reached the door, my friend said to his son, “Before you leave, I want to say that I’m really sorry for the way I embarrassed you in front of your friends the other night.” His son whipped around and said, “You have no idea how much that embarrassed me!” His eyes began to fill with tears.
“Stephen”, he said to me later, “all the training and encouragement you gave me did not even begin to have the impact of that moment when I saw my son begin to tear up. I had no idea that he even cared, that he was that vulnerable. For the first time I really wanted to listen. My gratitude grew immensely.” And listen he did. The boy gradually began to open up. They talked until midnight, and when his wife came in and said, “It’s time for bed”, his son quickly replied, “We want to talk, don’t we, Dad?” They continued to talk into the early morning hours.
The next day in the hallway of my office building, my friend with tears in his eyes, said, “Stephen, I found my son again.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do our words and actions manifest the fruitfulness of the seed of the Gospel in us? Is our faith solidly built on the word of God? Is it efficacious and operative? How do we translate our faith into action?
2. How does the reality of the fact that “Christ came to save sinners” impact our personal life? Together with Jesus Christ and in the spirit of Saint Paul, do we mirror the benevolent effort of our loving God to seek the lost?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
help us to trust in the saving word of Jesus.
May our faith be true and shown by our actions.
By the strength of the same Spirit help us to pursue what is good
that we may bear abundant fruits of holiness and good works.
As living and active members of the Body of Christ,
let us always be nourished at the table of the Word and Eucharist.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
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O Father,
you are loving and forgiving.
Christ came into the world to save sinners.
Gracious Father,
you have treated us mercifully.
In Christ your Son, you have saved us.
With the community of the redeemed,
we cry out with festive joy:
“To the king of ages,
incorruptible, invisible, the only God,
honor and glory, 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.
“I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, listens to my words and acts on them.” (Lk 6:47) //“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (I Tm 1:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When life’s trials seem to submerge you, pray to God that he may strengthen your faith. Extend your helping hand and share the Word with those whose faith is wavering. // By your life of charity, service and peacefulness, let the world know that “Christ came into the world to save sinners” and that he is the joy of salvation. Assist the Church’s pastoral ministry of seeking the lost through your spiritual, moral and material contribution.
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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