A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 13, n. 48)
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time and Weekday 30: October 25-31, 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: October 18-24, 2015, please go to ARCHIVES Series 13 and click on “Week 29”.
(Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: October 25-31, 2015.)
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October 25, 2015: THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
(N.B. In the Pauline Family, the Solemn Feast of Jesus the Divine Master)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Makes the Blind See”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Jer 31:7-9 // Heb 5:1-6 // Mk 10:46-52
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The need for true spiritual sight is the subject of this Sunday’s Gospel reading, which narrates the healing of the blind beggar Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46-51). The Gospel passage begins with an interesting geographical reference and a touch of local color: “As Jesus was leaving Jericho, with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging” (Mk 10:46). The main road to Jerusalem ran right through Jericho, which is 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem and 5 miles west of the Jordan River. The messianic journey of Jesus that began in Caesarea Philippi (Mk 8:27-30) is reaching its destination: Jerusalem. The departure of Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, from Jericho evokes the movement of a large group of pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem for the Passover. The crowd that is moving towards Jerusalem, the place of sacrifice, does not, however, comprehend the meaning of Jesus’ paschal destiny. The disciples and the crowd are figuratively “blind” with regards to the destiny of this remarkable man who had just avowed: “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45). Indeed, it is more convenient to see him as a wonderful miracle worker, a powerful political ruler and a generous breadbasket king. In comparison to the blind beggar Bartimaeus, they seem to be fortunate for they could see with their physical eyes. But there is a deeper reality than physical sight.
Mark portrays Bartimaeus as sitting by the roadside begging. With undaunted hope, the blind beggar resolutely cries out his invocation, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me” (Mk 10:47). Ignoring the rebuke of the many unsympathetic people who are trying to silence him, he keeps calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me” (Mk 10:48). Bartimaeus’ use of the expression “Son of David” is the first public application of that messianic title to Jesus. The title “Son of David” designates Jesus as the heir of the promise made to David through Nathan (cf. II Sam 7:12-16). The biblical scholar Philip Van Linden remarks: “The title Bartimaeus gives Jesus, ‘Son of David,’ indicates that he, a blind beggar, actually sees who Jesus is more clearly than the disciples and crowd who have been with him all along!”
Jesus responds with compassion to Bartimaeus. Hearing his vigorous plea and witnessing his pitiful plight by the road of Jericho, Jesus stops and orders, “Call him” (Mk 10:49). Mark narrates that the crowd becomes involved in the compassionate act of Jesus and becomes an instrument of the divine call. They tell the blind man to take courage, get up, and meet Jesus who calls for him. Bartimaeus responds with alacrity. According to Mark’s account: “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus” (Mk 10:50). The “cloak” that he throws may have been used formerly to receive the people’s alms. Indeed, the many references to garments in Mark’s Gospel suggest that Bartimaeus is leaving behind the “old order” and embracing a new life.
When the blind beggar comes up, Jesus’ question to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” echoes the earlier question he addressed to James and John. The sons of Zebedee were bent on appropriating for themselves a glorious place in the messianic kingdom (cf. Mk 10:35-40). Whereas the appeal of James and John was tainted with an ambitious streak, the petition of the blind man comes from a humble heart that puts its trust in Jesus. The question becomes an occasion for Bartimaeus to profess his faith in the power of Jesus to heal. The blind man addresses Jesus with sure hope and confident trust: “Master, I want to see” (Mk 10:51). Bartimaeus is the one and only person in Mark’s Gospel who calls Jesus “Master”. Jesus is veritably the Master who enkindles in him the light of faith. The words of Jesus are magnanimous: “Go your way; your faith has saved you” (Mk 10:52). Jesus does not need to touch Bartimaeus, whose prayer and actions reveal deep faith. Philip Van Linden remarks: “Jesus is his Master! It is just such profound trust in Jesus that Mark wants to elicit from the Christian recipients of his Gospel.”
The Gospel reading of this Sunday ends with a joyful note of healing and a decisive movement of discipleship: “Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way” (Mk 10:52). The one who used to sit by the roadside or “the way” is healed by Jesus and makes a radical choice to follow him on the way of discipleship. According to Virgil Howard and David Peabody, “Bartimaeus is intended to serve as an example of a person with ‘sight’ and such a person follows Jesus into his passion.” His response to Jesus’ command, “Go your way” is to embrace the way of the Divine Master, a way that leads from Jericho to Jerusalem, and ultimately – the way of the Cross. His response challenges the community of Christian believers today.
Like Bartimeaus, Sam Vaughe experienced a faith journey to healing (cf. Sam Vaughe, “Healed” in Heaven Sent: More Than Coincidence, New York: Guideposts, 2015, p. 92-94). Sam had suffered an occlusion that left him blind in the right eye. The doctor told him that macular degeneration would cause his left eye to go blind as well. The possibility of getting blind blotted out his soul and what he hoped to be the “golden” years of his life in retirement had turned “black”. In the town’s annual ramp festival he attended, he met a blind woman who had accepted her blindness joyously, gratefully and with grace. Inspired by the blind “seeing woman”, he allowed himself to be healed of the darkness that blotted his soul. He started to sing at churches and nursing homes. He savored the sounds, the warmth of a touch, the sweetness of smell, and a world that is rich, full and beautiful as any he could see. One evening at church the congregation prayed over him. Two weeks later as he and his wife Shirley were driving down the highway, suddenly the road, the cars and the trees became crystal clear – on either side of them. Sam regained the vision of his blind right eye!
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Our dear friend Marietta came to visit us in our convent in Cebu Island, in the Philippines. With her was her ten-year old nephew, Philip who was sick with brain tumor. The malignant disease took his sight away and stunted his growth. The incredibly handsome blind boy looked about six years old. His face was innocent and trusting, his sightless eyes fascinating, and his disposition very lovable. I took his little hands and led him up the stairs to our refectory on the second floor. When we reached the top, he asked me how many steps there were. Greatly amused by his keen sense of observation, I confessed with some embarrassment that I never paid attention to the number of steps on the stairs. He laughed good-naturedly and brightly told me the answer. He then played the organ for us. Since his legs were too short to reach the pair of bellows to pump air, one Sister did it for him as his nimble fingers ran across the keys, producing harmonious sounds. The blind boy also played the guitar like a virtuoso, with the body of the guitar resting on his lap since he was too small to hold the guitar properly. A priest, who came to our Liturgical Center that morning, spent some few precious moments with little Philip. With tears in his eyes, he told the blind boy to remember him when he would “see” Jesus – for Philip knew that he would soon be with Jesus in heaven. Notwithstanding his blindness and sickness, Philip felt loved and marvelous. Indeed, he had received from God the grace of consolation and a special gift of spiritual vision. When the blind boy bid us goodbye, I was overwhelmed with emotion. I had witnessed in Philip a spiritual vision, more perspicacious than I could ever imagine.
This Sunday’s Old Testament reading (Jer 31:7-9) fills us with the warmth of consolation. It depicts the triumphal march of “the remnant of Israel” through the desert, for Yahweh had bestowed salvation on his suffering and chastised people. The privileged group of returning exiles includes the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child. The caravan of weak people is an eloquent sign of the magnificent and miraculous nature of God’s saving intervention in the lives of his chosen people.
Harold Buetow comments: “Jeremiah’s first 25 chapters represent a message of doom against his people for their dried-up hearts that refused to listen to God’s word. But God wanted Jeremiah also to build and to plant. Today’s passage is taken from the section that represents the ‘sunny side’, Jeremiah’s ‘Little Book of Comfort’. Jeremiah’s warning had gone unheeded, and the destruction he had foretold had come true. Addressing the people of Judah who were exiled to what is the north of modern Iraq, Jeremiah now optimistically looked to future days when his people would come back to the land (30:3). Today’s central theme is the exuberant joy of the return – of an odyssey from spiritual blindness to sight. Opening with a solemn call to joy, the hymn uses strong words like shout, proclaim, and praise. Jeremiah speaks of the remnant (v. 7). In this case the term remnant referred to the small number of those who escaped the calamity of defeat and exile and had been purified to constitute the new Israel, faithful to her God. The term has, however, referred ever since to all those small numbers who remain faithful through all calamities. The returning caravan will consist of the blind, the lame, mothers, those with child, and other physically vulnerable people. The return would be a new exodus, but in a much more glorious form. By saying that they departed in tears (v. 9), Jeremiah begins with allusions to the first Exodus. Unlike the incident in the first Exodus, however, in which water came from a rock, the desert will see brooks of water constantly flowing; unlike the rough going of the first Exodus, here God will lead them on a level road, providing an easier march … Jeremiah had the mission of leading his people along a journey to God, and Jesus had the same mission. Jesus, however, eclipsed Jeremiah in many ways.”
In the light of the prophet Jeremiah’s vision of the gathering of the exiles, the Gospel episode of this Sunday (Mk 10:46-52) concerning the healing of the blind Bartimaeus underlines the great truth that Jesus is our light and salvation, the font of consolation and healing – the restorer and re-newer of all things. Jesus is the great deliver and the leader of the ultimate Exodus. He gathers the great assembly of those who have faith in him and initiates the great paschal journey towards eternal light. He is the way to be followed - the way to salvation – for he is the truth that leads to life. Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way – the way of the cross, the way of love and service to others, the way we must travel as his disciples. We too must follow Jesus on the way, just like the restored and healed Bartimaeus.
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In our paschal journey to eternal life, no one is excluded. Jesus, the Priest forever and for all, leads the way in this voyage of return to the Father (Heb 5:1-6). Sharing our human weakness, except sin, and chosen by divine will, he is our sterling and exquisite representative before God the Father. Prefigured by Melchizedek, the mysterious priest of Salem who offered Abraham bread and wine and blessed him after a victorious battle, Jesus Christ transcends and surpasses human priesthood. By sacrificing his own body and blood, Jesus atones for our sins and brings us back to God. All the finest qualities of priestly ministry are summed up in Jesus Christ: total identity, compassion and divine vocation-origin.
Aelred Rosser remarks: “The most compelling aspect of Jesus is his total identity with the people for whom he functions as a priest. He has shared their weakness; the ultimate offering of his body on the cross was a sin offering for himself as well as for the people. Now enthroned at God’s right hand, this priest is patient in dealing with others in their sins, for he knew full well the struggles they face.”
Here is a beautiful story of how a Vietnamese priest led an anguished and guilt-laden war veteran to experience the peaceful light of forgiveness and grace (cf. “Confession Heals a Vet” by Joan Broussard in St. Anthony Messenger, August 2009, p. 25-27). Father Vu helped Brad Broussard dispel the dark memory of the Vietnam War by advising him to put it in God’s hands. Through the sacrament of reconciliation, the compassionate priest led Brad in the latter’s return journey to God – into the light of life.
I recall an instance when Brad was awakened by a nightmare. He was terrified. He could not speak about it aloud, so he whispered the story to me, even though we were the only ones at home. He told me there was belief among the Viet Cong that a human body must remain intact after death for the deceased to rest in peace. If any part of the body were missing, the deceased would never be at peace. So, to express their hatred for the Viet Cong, some soldiers in Brad’s squad would decapitate their enemies with a shovel. Brad did not want to participate in this gruesome practice, but he was pressured to do so by members of his squad. Though it was dark in our room, I knew Brad was crying as he expressed remorse and guilt over having taken part in this barbaric act. He prayed for forgiveness from God and from the men he and his comrades had mutilated.
Brad was a sniper in the war, and a very accurate one, from what he told me. He killed quite a number of the enemy – from a distance. He would shoot and they would drop. He never got close to the bodies to confirm the kill, but he knew they were dead from the way they went down. I don’t think he felt a lot of remorse about killing the enemy. After all, it was a war. But I do believe he lived with a nagging fear that he might have shot some innocent civilians. It was difficult to distinguish a Viet Cong combatant from a civilian because the Viet Cong didn’t wear uniforms. Brad explained to me that a sniper’s targets aren’t always clear, but when his superior ordered him to shoot, he shot. Just the possibility that some of the people he killed could have been civilians was one of the things that burdened Brad; that weighed heavily on his conscience. (…)
About two and a half years after Brad had forced himself to stand near the Vietnamese priest for our son’s wedding, I again found myself turning to this very same priest for his help on a family matter. This time, however, was not a happy occasion. It was Saturday, October 23, 1999. As I dialed Father Vu’s numbers, I was hoping he wouldn’t remember the wedding and how Brad seemed to ignore him the whole time. “Good morning, Father. This is Joan Broussard”, I said. “Yes, Joan, how are you? What can I do for you today?” he answered in his usual cheerful voice. “Father, my husband, Brad, would like you to hear his Confession. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor yesterday and will undergo surgery next week. We’ve been told the tumor is most likely malignant and the surgery is very risky. Brad asked me to call you to see if he could come for Confession before going to surgery”, I said. “Why, of course. When would he like to come?” Father Vu replied. “Actually, he is ready right now. If you are free this morning, we would come right over”, I said, hoping he didn’t have any other commitments. “Yes, I am free all morning. You can come now. I’ll be waiting.”
We drove to St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Youngsville, which is less than a mile from our house. The church staff does not work on Saturdays, so it was quiet and peaceful when we arrived to find Father Vu waiting at the door. We exchanged greetinga and I quickly excused myself to wait outside to allow Brad and Father Vu their privacy. I walked every sidewalk in the church cemetery several times over. I circled the church grounds numerous times, all the while praying that Brad’s confession would be satisfying and nourishing to his mind and his soul. I also prayed for myself that I would not fail him. Nearly two hours after they went into the rectory, Brad and Father Vu came out. Brad was smiling from ear to ear. His Confession was complete and God’s forgiveness total. The look of exhilaration on his face was matched only by the spring in his step, knowing that he was forgiven for all the things he’d ever done that offended God and other people.
Brad’s joyful mood was contagious. We said good-bye to Father Vu and were both smiling as we walked, hand in hand, to the car. “Hey, sweetie, I think I made Father Vu’s eyes pop out”, Brad said, still smiling. “Why is that?” I asked. “Because of some of the stuff I confessed to him. I am finally able to start telling it. I am really glad I came today. I feel good inside. Father Vu is a really good man. I like him.” Brad held his head high as we walked. I sensed confidence in his step. I knew he was ready for surgery. (…)
Brad’s attitude toward Father Vu had come full circle. It had gone from distrust and avoidance to respect and true friendship. Brad had developed a sense of brotherly love for this gentle man from Saigon. Brad died on May 3, 2000. He lost his battle with cancer, but received the peace he had longed for all his adult life.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we recognize and identify the blindness within us that needs to be healed? Do we turn to Jesus and say, “Master, I want to see”? In our experience of blindness and hopelessness, do we have the courage and the faith to cry out with Bartimaeus: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me”? When Jesus sees us by the wayside and calls us to himself, what is our response? Do we throw aside the cloak of our old habits, get up, and run to meet him? Do we follow him on the way?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus, we are blind.
We close our eyes to our paschal destiny
and the radical demands of discipleship.
We turn to you for inner healing
and for the light of faith.
You are good and compassionate,
the healer of our infirmities.
You are the Divine Master,
the kindly Light to lead us to Jerusalem,
to the saving way of the Cross.
We put our trust in you
for you are the font of light and healing.
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 received his sight and followed him on the way.” (Mk 10:52)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray in thanksgiving for the many good people who endeavor to relieve the painful and difficult situations of the vision-impaired. Offer some help to various institutions for the blind.
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October 26, 2015: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (30)
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Compassion Surpasses the Sabbath Law … By His Gift of the Spirit We Cry, Abba! Father!”
BIBLE READINGS
Rom 8:12-17 // Lk 13:10-17
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
My cousin, a pharmacist, belongs to a medical mission team that goes to Vietnam to assist the sick. She suggested to their Franciscan director that since almost 75% of the team is of Filipino origin, it might be a good idea to do a medical mission also in the Philippines. The suggestion was well taken, but on account of the excessive red tape imposed by the Philippine government, they were not able to carry out their mission to the Filipinos.
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 13:10-17), the ministry of compassion of Jesus is also threatened by a legalistic bind. A woman is crippled by a malady that makes her incapable of standing erect. Jesus releases her from her bondage while teaching at the synagogue on a Sabbath. The ruler of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus has broken the Sabbath rule but not daring to rebuke him directly, addresses the crowd: “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the Sabbath day.” The woman has suffered for 18 years, and the ruler wants Jesus to wait one more day to cure her. But the compassionate ministry of Jesus cannot be bound nor postponed. The eruption of the kingdom of God cannot be suppressed by a faulty, legalistic interpretation of the Sabbath law. Jesus exposes the hypocrisy by arguing from the lesser to the greater: If you loosen animals on the Sabbath to refresh them, why not loosen a suffering “daughter of Abraham” from a crippling bondage. The kingdom of God is superior to the Sabbath law. The meaning of the Sabbath is fulfilled by works of compassion to those who yearn for the comfort and peace of God and a “rest” from their anguish.
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In the Second Reading (Rom 8:12-17), Saint Paul exhorts us to put to death, by the Spirit, our sinful actions that we may live. Moreover, the great apostle asserts that we have been adopted and chosen in love by a divine being so loving that we can respond with the intimate term “Abba”. And we can do so by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Easter gift of our Lord Jesus Christ. As adopted children or “heirs”, we have a right to inherit the promised reign of God just as Christ did through his obedient suffering. The Spirit enables us to bear the suffering that leads to glory. If we share Christ’s suffering and allow ourselves to be totally configured to the divine Son’s obedient and saving death on the cross, we too will share in his eternal glory with the Father and the Son and with the boundless blessings of the kingdom of heaven.
The death of my dear younger brother Gisbert has touched me deeply. The experience of accompanying him in his terminal illness and in the painful process of dying was poignant and transforming. The presence of the one and triune God was especially revealed to me in the terminal illness and passing to eternal life of Gisbert. In his bout with a vicious cancer, he was journeying home to God the Father, his Creator and ultimate destiny. Moreover, he was deeply united with the redemptive suffering of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was for him the Good Shepherd leading him to the green pastures of eternal life. Finally, the Holy Spirit was the Consoler giving him patient endurance. The power and energy of the Holy Spirit enabled him to bear the suffering that led to glory.
Gisbert died in Toronto, Canada in the evening of May 20, 2009. I was with him in his last ten days at the hospital. Together with his wife, Veron, and his six-year old daughter Nicole, I was beside his bed when he expired. I could not attend the funeral rites of my brother, but I composed a eulogy that was read by my niece Erica at his wake. The following excerpt gives insight into the Trinitarian dimension of the paschal experience of death and rising.
“SURELY GOODNESS AND KINDNESS SHALL FOLLOW ME”: In the hospital room where Gisbert spent his last days (exactly, one month), there were many signs of God’s favor and grace.
WATER: There was the sound of gurgling water. It was coming from a hospital water-based mechanism that the nurses used to administer oxygen to Gisbert to ease his breathing problem. That peaceful sound of streaming water evokes the passage from the Book of Revelation: “I am the root of Jesse and David’s son, the radiant star of morning and God’s own light. The Spirit and the Bride say ‘Come.’ Let him who hears their voices say, ‘Come.’ He who has thirst let him come and he who has desire let him drink from the waters of everlasting life. ‘Yes, I come very soon.’ Amen. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:4-5). The Good Shepherd finally answered Gisbert’s Advent expectation and led him to the font of everlasting life.
SUNSET: Gisbert’s hospital room was facing directly toward the west, which has a splendid view of the setting sun in its colorful, splendid glory. Gisbert died at 6:55 P.M. (DST). As the family and friends paid homage to Gisbert’s mortal remains, the dying sun made me remember some intuitive message from the Book of Revelation: “They shall see the Lord face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. The night shall be no more. They shall need no light from the lamps or from the sun, for the Lord will give them light. And they shall reign forever” (Rev 22:16-20).
GROWING PLANT: Gisbert’s six-year old daughter Nicole, as part of her school project, planted a seed in a plastic cup filled with soil. She brought the plant to her dad and it was placed on the window sill. Nicole’s sprouting plant is very suggestive of new life and the resurrection of our body. Saint Paul writes: “What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies … So also is the resurrection of the dead … It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (I Cor 15:36, 42, 44). Like the seed that is buried and dies in the ground, the mortal body of Gisbert dies, but his spirit lives forever and on the last day, even his mortal body will be brought to life.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we truly persons of compassion or do we allow ourselves to be crippled by faulty, legalistic interpretations? Are we totally “free” to carry out works of compassion to those who yearn for the comfort and peace of God?
2. Do we allow the Spirit of God to lead us and enable us to have an intimate filial relationship with God? Are we able to relate to God personally and call him, “Abba, Father”? Do we allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen us for the suffering that leads to glory?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for Jesus Master, the Lord of the Sabbath.
He teaches compassion
and the wisdom to surpass faulty, legalistic interpretation.
Help us to be “free” to carry out works of compassion
for those who are seeking “rest” from their anguish
and are yearning for your comfort and peace.
We love you, dear Father, and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
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Almighty God,
we are led by the Holy Spirit, your Son’s Easter gift.
Through the same Spirit we are able to cry out to you, Abba! Father!
We believe that in Jesus Christ
and by the power of the Holy Spirit,
we shall attain our eternal destiny
and experience the plenitude of blessings
in your everlasting kingdom.
We adore you and bless you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Ought she not to have been set free on the Sabbath day from this bondage?” (Lk 13:16) // “We received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” (Rom 8:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your kind words and charitable deeds, alleviate the suffering of the afflicted and enable them to experience “rest” from their anguish. // Be deeply grateful that through the Spirit we are able to cry out to God “Abba! Be an instrument of the Father’s presence and benevolence for the needy and the suffering.
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October 27, 2015: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (30)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Blesses Small Beginnings … He Guides Us toward the Integration of Creation”
BIBLE READINGS
Rom 8:18-25 // Lk 13:18-21
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The first parable in today’s Gospel reading (Lk 13:18-21) is about the mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world. Planted in the ground, it grows and becomes a large bush. Birds come and make their nests in its shady branches. In this parable, Jesus contrasts the insignificant beginning of the extremely small seed and the enormous size of the full-grown bush. The image of a tiny mustard seed growing into the grandiose bush underlines the universal expanse of God’s kingdom that would encompass all nations, as well as Israel. The second parable is about the yeast’s leavening force that makes the dough rise. Even a minimal amount of yeast has a natural tendency to expand, producing a great change in the dough to make it fit to be baked into a loaf of bread. Likewise, there is something inherently dynamic in the kingdom of God. Its power of good is transforming.
Jesus invites us to extol the power of small beginnings. We are called to sow the seed of the kingdom in today’s world as well as to trust in the power of the Holy Spirit who animates the growing kingdom. Let us do our part in sowing the seed and in manifesting to the world the dynamic and transforming power of the heavenly kingdom. We are to be seeds of the kingdom and to exhibit the transforming power of good in today’s world. The experience of Mike McGarvin, the founder of the Poverello House in Fresno, gives insight into the mustard seed beginning and the dynamic power of his compassionate ministry to the poor and needy (cf. Mike McGarvin, PAPA MIKE, 2003, p. 73-74).
My job was with a local newspaper, the Fresno Bee … There was a void in my life, because I had been so used to serving the Pov, and now I wasn’t doing anything. It was this restlessness, and the unbearable heat in our trailer, that compelled me to start checking out Chinatown. Fresno’s Chinatown is a tiny area southwest of downtown proper. It was near to where the Fresno Bee building was located, and it piqued my interest. In many ways, it reminded me of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. There were small struggling businesses, a lot of cheap bars, single room occupancy hotels, prostitutes, and homeless people everywhere. It had a few mysterious and charming street names, such as “Fagan’s Alley” or “China Alley”, but it was dreary and gritty rather than romantic.
It was 1973, just a few months after we had moved back to Fresno. I went to a day-old bread store, loaded up on loaves, got some peanut butter and jelly, and went to work. I took it all back to our trailer, and Mary and I made up a bunch of sandwiches. I got some disposable cups, a jug of ice water, and drove the short distance to Chinatown. I was working nights, so I had days free, and I started going to Chinatown daily, taking the sandwiches and the water, walking and giving them out. People were suspicious at first, but as time went on, they started warming up to me. It helped that I was big, had a black belt in judo, and wasn’t intimidated.
The homeless people I encountered had no place to go. There was a rescue mission in town, but at that time it didn’t have a day program. Most of these folks were typical skid row types – older alcoholics and drug addicts, worn-out prostitutes, and poor, disabled men. They hung out on the streets in the summer heat and the winter cold because there was nowhere to turn. They weren’t wanted by anyone. The businesses didn’t want them around, because they scared customers away and littered the area. The police didn’t want them around, because they were nothing but trouble. I had stumbled onto a whole community of outcasts. That old Poverello spirit was starting to take hold of me again. I loved going out and seeing the smiles on the faces when I handed out sandwiches. I enjoyed the jokes and stories I’d hear. I liked getting to know people by name, and many of them seemed to crave not only the food, but also the attention.
My routine in Chinatown started out just a few days a week, but like the Pov up in San Francisco, it slowly became a bigger part of my life. It wasn’t long before I was going seven days each week. It was getting a little pricey on my new salary, so I started hitting up my church, Mount Carmel, to donate some money to buy bread and the peanut butter. That got some people interested. I figured out pretty quickly that I might be able to get more than money out of the church. I was meeting some good-hearted people and some of them wanted to join me. After about a year, I was ready for help, although I wasn’t sure how these church folks would react to some of the hardened street characters. There weren’t many who hit the streets with me, but quite a few helped by preparing the food.
***
In today’s First Reading (Rom 8:18-25), we glean an important insight: our connectedness with the entire creation. Harold Buetow remarks: “Paul sees all of creation as joined to humankind in being wounded by sin and in its present misery. We are God’s representatives in his marvelous creation, and human destiny is intricately interwoven with the world we live in: its sufferings, corruption and agony. That means that we carefully nurture not only our personal moral growth, but also that of nature. (…) At present, though, both humanity and nature suffer. This suffering is a sign of how much all creation is damaged by sin. Even so, we have received help: redemption by Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the principle of our new life.”
The present time, which is pregnant with glory, is a painful birthing moment. The integration of creation will be achieved and our glorious destiny fully revealed. But we need to continue to sow and nurture laboriously the seeds of God’s kingdom. Likewise, we need to promote the integrity of creation, care for the earth and be careful stewards of all God-given gifts and resources in the here and now.
The following newspaper article gives us a glimpse of how to promote the integration of creation and to make the living word of God fruitful through loving concern for others (cf. Tovin Lapan, “Organic Farm Gives Back, Aids Hundreds of Groups” in San Jose Mercury News, December 18, 2010, p. 2 of the Home and Garden Section).
When UC Santa Cruz graduate Drew Goodman and his wife, Myra, took over a 2½ acre raspberry farm in Carmel Valley in 1984, they were too busy learning how to farm to think about ways of giving back to the community. “Once we got to the farm, we got a one-day tutorial from the owner, who was moving on, and we woke up the next morning as farmers”, Goodman says. “Other than knowing how to drive the tractor, we didn’t have any skills or experience growing anything … We had to figure it out from scratch. You couldn’t just log on to Google and learn about growing organic raspberries.
Today, Earthbound Farm is the largest grower of organic produce in the United States, with 150 growers farming 35,000 acres, and the Goodmans have set up a variety of ways to give back to the community as the company has grown. In recognition of their charitable work, Earthbound Farm was named the Central Coast’s 2010 philanthropic organization of the year. The company supports a wide array of charities, including more than 350 non-profits a year, ranging from a monthly donation to an employee nominated charity. It has helped offset its carbon emissions by planting 50,000 trees with American Forests. Earthbound Farms sponsors student scholarships, including a graduate student fellowship in environmental studies at UC Santa Cruz.
“The business emerged with no concrete plan and no upfront capital”, Goodman says. “We wanted to pay employees as much as we could afford, and a lot of the philanthropy started out with offering the employee-influenced programs. We started out with scholarships for children of our employees, and then also scholarships for UCSC and CSUMB (Cal State Monterey Bay). Now we have the program where employees nominate a charity monthly, and a donation is made in their name to something they support.”
By growing organically, the farm avoids the use of more than 338,000 pounds of toxic pesticides and over 11.2 million pounds of synthetic fertilizers. In his book, “Omnivore’s Dilemma”, Michael Pollan said Earthbound Farm “arguably represents industrial organic farming at its best.”
Drew, who got a degree in environmental studies, and Myra, who studied political economy of industrial societies at UC Berkeley, both grew up in Manhattan. After some time with their hands in the soil cultivating raspberries, they decided to start growing salad greens. Every day they worked dusk to dawn on what, at first, was supposed to be a one-or-two-year venturous experiment. “We were growing great organic food outside of the house and we weren’t eating it ourselves. Our diet was frozen pizza or anything we could heat up after a long day of work”. Drew Goodman said. “Every Sunday we would harvest and wash greens so we could have salads for the whole week.”
They noticed how well the greens were keeping, which eventually led to selling pre-washed salad in a bag. Soon, the markets for organic produce and pre-prepared salad would take off, and Earthbound Farm grew as well.
The company kept an eye on sustainable practices the whole way, using recycled materials for packaging and converting to bio-diesel fuel in the majority of its farming machinery.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe in the power of small beginnings and in the transforming power of the kingdom of God? Do we trust greatly in God who can do all things in us?
2. Do we cherish the first fruits of the Spirit and unite ourselves with the entire creation awaiting the revelation of the children of God? What do we do personally and as a community to promote the care of the earth and the integration of God’s creation?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we are fascinated how a mustard seed,
can grow into a large bush to shelter the birds of the sky.
We are awed
by the leavening power of a small amount of yeast.
We thank and praise you
for the miracle of the mustard-seed beginning of your kingdom,
which continues to extend its life-giving fruitfulness
to all peoples of the earth.
We thank you for the dynamic power
of the heavenly kingdom.
Help us to appreciate small beginnings
and to believe in the dynamic power of the Gospel.
You are our hope and our joy, now and forever.
Amen.
***
O loving Father,
all creation is groaning in labor pains.
United with the Divine Word,
we give birth to new creation
and yield fruits of the Spirit.
In the name of Jesus,
help us to liberate creation from destruction and sin
and promote its healing and integrity.
With the entire creation,
we look forward to the final revelation of our glorious destiny
and our marvelous freedom as children of God.
We adore you and praise you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“What is the kingdom of God like?” (Lk 13:18) //“All creation is groaning in labor pains even until now.” (Rom 8:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that people who sow the seed of the heavenly kingdom in today’s world may be blessed by the Lord. By your compassionate acts of love and service, and by trusting in the dynamic power of the Gospel, do your part in making the kingdom of God come. // In any way you can, promote the healing of Mother Earth and the integration of creation. Pay particular attention to waste management and give your support to organic and sustainable farming.
*** *** ***
October 28, 2015: WEDNESDAY – SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Chooses the Apostles … He Builds the Church upon the Apostolic Witnessing”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 2:19-22 // Lk 6:12-16
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel (Lk 6:12-16), we hear that Jesus goes up to the mountain to pray and he spends the night in prayer to God. The night is fascinating. It can be a moment of deep commune with God and a time of profound prayer. Once again, before making a decisive decision crucial to his messianic mission, Jesus prays. When the day comes, he calls his disciples to himself and chooses the twelve apostles, who represent the “twelve” tribes of the New Israel, the Church. Among the “Twelve” are Simon called the “Zealot” and Jude Thaddeus. Prayer is likewise an important element in the life of the apostles. By the help of prayer, they are able to learn the wisdom of the cross and to fully embrace Christ’s paschal mystery.
As we celebrate the feast of Saints Simon and Jude, apostles, today’s First Reading (Eph 2:19-22) underlines that we are built upon the foundation laid down by the apostles and the prophets whose saving message is centered on the Christ-event. Through the power of Christ, we grow into a spiritual temple sacred in the Lord. We are no longer strangers or sojourners. Because of the reconciling activity of Jesus Christ, we have become fellow citizens with God’s people and his family members. The Gospel proclamation and apostolic witnessing are very important for the growth of the Church, whose glorious capstone and binding force is Jesus Christ himself.
The apostolic message goes out through all the earth. Saints Simon and Jude have carried the “light of faith” to the ends of the world, as the following biographical sketches show (cf. Wikipedia in the Internet).
Simon the Zealot is one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Little is recorded of him aside from his name. The name of Simon occurs in all of the synoptic gospels and Acts that give a list of apostles. He is called “zealot” because, in seeing the miracle at Cana, Simon left his home, parents and his bride and followed Christ. It is also said that after Pentecost, his mission was in a place called Mauretania in Africa.
In later tradition, Simon is often associated with St. Jude, as an evangelizing team. They share their feast day on 28 October. The most widespread tradition is that after evangelizing in Egypt, Simon joined Jude in Persia and Armenia or Beirut, Lebanon, where both were martyred in 65 A.D. This version is found in the Golden Legend.
He is buried in the same tomb as St. Jude Thaddeus, in the left transept of the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, under the altar of St. Joseph. In art, Simon has the identifying attribute of a saw because according to legend, he was put to death by a saw.
***
Jude was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He is generally identified with Thaddeus. The Armenian Catholic Church honors Thaddeus along with Saint Bartholomew as its patron saints. In the Roman Catholic Church he is the patron saint of desperate cases or lost causes.
Saint Jude’s attribute is a club. He is also often shown in icons with a flame around his head. This represents his presence at Pentecost, when he received the Holy Spirit with the other apostles. Another common attribute is Jude holding an image of Jesus Christ. In some instances he may be shown with a scroll or a book or holding a carpenter’s rule.
The legend reports that Saint Jude was born into a Jewish family in Panea, a town in Galilee later rebuilt by the Romans and renamed Caesarea Philippi. In all probability he spoke both Greek and Aramaic, like most of his contemporaries in that area, and was a farmer by trade. According to the legend, Saint Jude was a son of Clopas and his wife Mary, a cousin of the Virgin Mary. Tradition has it that Jude’s father, Clopas, was martyred because of his forthright and outspoken devotion to the Risen Christ.
Tradition holds that Saint Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. He is also to have visited Beirut and Edessa. The apostles Jude and Bartholomew are traditionally believed to have been the first to bring Christianity to Armenia, and are therefore venerated as the patron saints of the Armenian Catholic Church. In his History Ecclesiastica, Eusebius relates that King Abgar of Edessa (now Sanhurfa in Turkey) sent a letter to Jesus seeking a cure for an illness afflicting him. With the letter he sent his envoy Hannan, the keeper of the archives, offering his own home city to Jesus as a safe dwelling place. The envoy painted a likeness of Jesus with choice paints (or alternatively, impressed with Abgar’s faith, Jesus pressed his face into a cloth and gave it to Hannan) to take to Abgar with his answer. Upon seeing Jesus’ image, the king placed it with great honor in one of his palatial houses. After Christ’s execution, Thomas the Apostle sent Jude to King Abgar and the king was cured. Astonished, he converted to Christianity, along with many people under his rule.
According to tradition, after his martyrdom, pilgrims came to his grave to pray and many of them experienced the powerful intercession of Saint Jude and thus the title, “The Saint for the Hopeless and the Desperate”. Saint Bridget of Sweden and Saint Bernard had visions from God asking each to accept Saint Jude as “The Patron Saint of the Impossible”.
Here is a novena to Saint Jude: “O Holy Saint Jude! Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor for all who invoke you, special patron in time of need; to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart, and humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, to come to my assistance; help me now in my urgent need and grant my earnest petition. I will never forget thy graces and favors you obtain for me and I will do my utmost to spread devotion to you. Amen.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What does it mean personally to be a community of faith based on “the foundation of the Apostles and the prophets?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(cf. Opening Prayer of the Mass – feast of Sts. Simon and Jude)
Father,
you revealed yourself to us
through the preaching of your apostles Simon and Jude.
By their prayers,
give your Church continued growth
and increase the number of those who believe in you.
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.
“You are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and the prophets.” (Eph 2:20)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Continue the apostolic witnessing and the Gospel proclamation in today’s world by living a life of Christian charity that is manifested in compassion and care for the poor and vulnerable.
*** *** ***
October 29, 2015: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (30)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Resolves to Journey to Jerusalem … Who Can Separate Us from His Love?”
BIBLE READINGS
Rom 8:31b-39 // Lk 13:31-35
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Gospel reading (Lk 13:31-35) is filled with pathos and drama. Tension mounts as Jesus continues his journey to Jerusalem. Some Pharisees bring the word that Herod wants to kill him. Marked by hostility, their intent is to daunt rather than to help him. But Jesus does not flinch in the face of danger. He remains firm on the course of his divine mission. In accordance with God’s saving plan, it is necessary that Jesus must continue his journey toward Jerusalem and embrace his paschal destiny of passion, death and resurrection. Jesus, however, will not go to Jerusalem before the allotted time. In the meantime he continues his public ministry of healing and exorcism. When eventually he enters the walls of Jerusalem, the praises “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” will resound within the city in his honor. Sadly, the “Hosanna” praises will turn into a note of rejection.
The inevitable suffering Jesus will endure does not cancel his tender love for Jerusalem, which symbolizes the heart of the chosen people. He laments: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You stone the messengers God has sent you! I wanted to put my arms around all your people, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you would not let me!” Jesus bemoans the destruction that will come upon the obstinate people. However, at the end of his Jerusalem journey – after treading the way of the cross – Jesus Life triumphs!
The following modern day story gives a glimpse into Jesus’ resolve to embrace the paschal mystery (cf. Elizabeth Sherrill in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 390).
Dr. Li, Chinese Physician: We’d gone to China in 1981 to investigate a rumor that churches were reopening. In Shanghai, sure enough, we attended Sunday service in a redbrick church with a standing-room-only congregation. Afterward, we talked with an elderly physician who’d studied in the United States in the 1930s. For two decades, Dr. Li said, this church had been boarded up. Three months before our visit, it had reopened. “Our first service in twenty-two years.”
The first service, that is, inside … The first Christmas Eve after the church closed in 1959 was just an ordinary night shift at the hospital for Dr. Li. It was cold and drizzly when he returned to his apartment at 10:30. He took off his damp coat – then, suddenly, put it back on. His wife put hers on too, and followed him outside. Through the icy drizzle they walked, left at the corner, across a square, turn right … headed to church. As they drew closer, they became aware of other silent walkers. From every side-street they came, alone or in twos or threes, until hundreds were standing shoulder to shoulder before the locked door. For two hours they stood in the rain. No hymns. No sermon. “But it was Communion all the same.”
For twenty-two years, this was their Christmas service. No one planned any of it. “Just, that night, year after year, we put on our coats and came.”
***
Today’s First Reading (Rom 8:31b-39) is a triumphant hymn to the love of God that is made manifest in Christ Jesus. We hear the forceful expression of the hope and faith of Saint Paul: in Jesus Christ, God has given us everything and in the future nothing can separate us from God. Indeed, the love of God is the unshakable foundation of Christian life and hope. God, who did not spare his own Son for our sake, has already pronounced sentence in our favor and there is no reason to expect anything different from him here after. His Savior Son, who died and was raised to life, continues to intercede for us. Hence, none of the dangers and troubles of life can make the true Christian forget the love of God, revealed to us in the sacrificial death of his Son Jesus Christ.
The martyrdom of the Japanese martyrs of Yatsushiro illustrates Saint Paul’s contention that neither death … nor life … nor present things … nor future things … nor principalities … nor powers … nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (cf. Full Sail with the Wind of Grace, ed. “Martyres” Editorial Committee, Tokyo: Don Bosco Sha, 2008, p. 17-20).
Yukinaga was a devout Christian. During his rule he recommended that all the people in the towns and villages become Christians. Through his influence the church in South Higo counted as many as 30 to 40 thousand faithful in their flock. South Higo had become a region where one could everywhere voices in prayer and the chant of hymns, and people lived peaceably helping one another.
Immediately after the defeat of Yukinaga, his enemy Kato Kiyosama, the lord of Higo, sent many troops to South Higo with the command to tear down the churches. “We have lost our lord and they are destroying the churches! What will become of us? cried the people. They were fearful for their future. In the Christian town once filled with prayers and kindness, the storm of persecution had started to blow …
“The Christians in South Higo have the choice of immediately giving up their faith or leaving the territory!” When Kiyosama decreed this order, the higher ranking warrior classes escaped to Satsuma (Kagoshima) or Arima (Shimabara, Nagasaki). The young warrior class who were only recently baptized and the poor peasants were left behind to brave the storm.
Kiyosama pursued the Christians relentlessly to force them to give up their faith. “All Christians in the territory under my rule must immediately register as members of the Buddhist Nichiren sect.” Kiyosama was a fervent follower of the Nichiren sect. The Christians became like small branches swaying and about to break in the violent storm. Brokenhearted, some of the Christians went to register their names at the Nichiren temples saying, “We can’t give up our lives for the Faith. This is too much!”
But there were others who bravely withstood the storm of persecution … These courageous Christians said to Kiyosama, “Please ask yourself this question, is it right to offend God in order to comply with the wish of a mere human. But Kiyomasa didn’t answer. Unable to make them budge, in the end he gave the final order. “Those who do not give up the Christian faith must be executed.” Thus, Yatsushiro became the land of the first martyrs in the Tokugawa period.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Like Jesus, are we resolved to go on a spiritual journey that will bring to completion the Father’s saving plan?
2. Do we have faith that God is absolutely committed to us and that we have complete victory through him who loves us? Are we prepared to allow nothing to separate us from the love of God that is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Heavenly Father,
your Son Jesus journeys resolutely toward Jerusalem.
Totally committed to your saving will,
no threat of death can deter him.
Unite us to Jesus
that we may be strengthened in our paschal journey
and in our spiritual warfare against the forces of evil.
He lives and reigns, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving God,
how marvelous is your benevolence and faithfulness!
You are so absolutely committed to us
that you did not even spare your Son
but handed him over for us all.
In you we conquer all things.
Let nothing separate us from your love
revealed fully through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus,
who lives and reigns, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! I yearn to gather you together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” (Lk 13:34) //“Neither death … nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.” (Rom 8:35)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be deeply aware that in our ongoing paschal journey a spiritual warfare is involved. Commit yourself to daily prayer in order to be strengthened spiritually by God’s mighty power. // When adversities and afflictions come, strengthen your resolve that nothing will be able to separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
*** *** ***
October 30, 2015: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (30)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Heals Our Infirmities … He is a Child of Israel”
BIBLE READINGS
Rom 9:1-5 // Lk 14:1-6
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Gospel episode (Lk 14:1-6) underlines that Jesus’ compassionate stance cannot be hindered or obstructed by false legalism. One Sabbath Jesus goes to the home of a leading Pharisee to dine. The people there watch him closely and some of them, no doubt, with an intention to entrap him. A man suffering from dropsy, a disease in which the body swells up with excess fluid, comes to Jesus. The Divine Master raises the issue: “Does our Law allow healing on the Sabbath or not?” The scholars of the Law and the Pharisees keep silent. Their silence is ominous and hostile. Jesus immediately heals the man whose legs and arms are swollen and sends him away. Jesus then prods the Pharisees and the scholars of the Law with a question: “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” They are unable to answer. Just as Jesus is compassionate to the man with dropsy, he likewise shows concern for the Pharisees and the scribes by trying to open their minds to the absurdity of denying healing to a suffering person on the basis of a law of the Sabbath, the day given as a gift by God to refresh his people. Jesus teaches them and us not to postpone a good deed for someone in need. Jesus shows us that love for neighbor transcends false constraints.
Here is a news report I read in the Fresno Bee (July 24, 2006) about the rescue of a young boy from India, trapped for two days in a 60-foot deep irrigation shaft. The story broke into international prominence after the private Zee News channel lowered a camera into the pit and captured haunting images of a child crying helplessly in the dark. The news report helps us appreciate the logic of Jesus’ contention that if a son or ox falls into a cistern, we would immediately pull him out.
Prince fell into the freshly dug hole Friday evening when he was playing in Aldeharhi, a village in the northern state of Haryana. The shaft, covered only with an empty jute sack, was just wide enough to fit the boy and too narrow for an adult. When villagers and local police could not pull him out, they sought the help of the army. Over two days, soldiers from an engineering regiment scooped out drums of mud from an abandoned well 10 feet away from the hole, taking care not to use heavy machinery so soil would not cave in on the boy. Oxygen was pumped into the pit and rescuers talked to the boy to keep his morale up. Rescuers and TV viewers alike could watch the boy looking around timidly, munching on chocolate and biscuits and drinking milk from a can that had been lowered in by rope. With their bare hands, soldiers then created a pipe-reinforced connecting passageway to the irrigation shaft. One soldier reached Prince and, along with four others, took him back through the pipe and up the abandoned well. Making a gripping story even better, Prince was rescued on his birthday. Prince turned 5 on Sunday.
***
The Second Reading (Rom 9:1-5) delineates the apostolic anguish of Saint Paul. He is overwhelmed with sorrow for the rejection of the Gospel of Christ by the chosen people Israel. By recalling God’s irrevocable gifts to Israel, Paul’s faith is strengthened. The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “They have been given the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the law, the worship, and the promises of God. The patriarchs belong to them, and above all, it is from their race that the Christ has been born. Israel has all it needs in order to understand the word of God and to become part of Christ’s new people. Yet all that has not kept them from not receiving Christ. For Paul, this is reason for an immense feeling of sadness. The Christian cannot refuse to acknowledge the riches of the Jewish people, whom God has so loved, and to be saddened, with Paul, that they have not believed in Christ. We must be united with them at least through love and prayer.”
Paul’s sorrow for his fellow Jews is intense. He is willing to be accursed, that is, to undergo the worst possible fate, in imitation of Christ’s suffering, so that the obstinate chosen people may experience life and salvation. Harold Buetow remarks: “Why did the Jews reject Jesus as Messiah? In part, at least, because they had their own preconceived ideas of how God should act; they especially could not accept the scandal of the cross. Paul’s reaction, like God’s most likely, was not one of anger, but of heart-broken sorrow over the people’s rejection.”
The following story, circulated through the Internet, gives us an idea of the graciousness of God, as well as the awfulness of ingratitude and of our ugly refusal to embrace fully the love of God manifested in his Son Jesus Christ.
There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, “If I could only see the world, I will marry you.”
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
He asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn’t expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying, “Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I procrastinate with regards to acts of charity and delay for no valid reason the help urgently need?
2. Do we have compassion for others and experience sorrow and anguish on their behalf? Do we take into our hearts the need for inter-religious dialogue between the Jews and Christians?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Jesus,
your love is abounding.
You answer the cry of the poor.
Help us to compassionately serve
our needy brothers and sisters.
Teach us to respond immediately
to their urgent needs.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving Father,
the children of Israel are your chosen people
and you have filled them with abundant blessings.
In Jesus Christ, we become the new Israel.
Let the Jewish people and all of us
come to the fullness of redemption.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“He had healed him.” (Lk 14:4) //“From them according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all.” (Rom 9:5)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be deeply aware that the little kindness, caring and acts of charity that you do are a vital part of God’s saving plan. // Pray for a more efficacious inter-religious dialogue between the Christians and the Jews. Promote the spirit of harmony and concern for others in your daily living.
*** *** ***
October 31, 2015: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (30); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Blesses the Humble … His Blessing Is Irrevocable”
BIBLE READINGS
Rom 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29 // Lk 14:1, 7-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In 2003 Mike McGarvin wrote a very interesting book, “Papa Mike”, about his conversion and his service to the poor, the marginalized and the homeless. After reading the book, I concluded that Mike McGarvin is a living example of one who had humbly recognized his human frailty and weakness and turned to God for salvation. He is a realization of the words of Jesus: “The one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11b). The following anecdote that Mike wrote in his book made me chuckle for it fittingly illustrates the other aspect of Jesus’ lesson on humility: “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled” (Lk 12:14a).
At St. Boniface and Poverello, I got a real slice of life. The Tenderloin was the bottom of the social barrel, and all sorts of desperate cases drifted in and out …There was a regular at Poverello who was exceptional. He looked like a typical street person: dirty, a ratty beard, deteriorating, mismatched clothes. One day someone told me that he had once been a chess champion, ranked eighth in the United States. He had been involved in a love relationship that didn’t work out, and it had taken him over the edge. He started drinking too much, and eventually landed on the streets in San Francisco.
One evening, a volunteer, who was a lawyer, looked out over the coffeehouse and said, “I’ll bet these people aren’t smart enough to play chess.” I was offended by his remark, but immediately thought of a way to cool this guy’s arrogance. I pointed to the chess champion, and said, “I’ve seen that guy play a little chess; why don’t you try him out?” The lawyer played three games with him, and the old wino beat him resoundingly every time. The attorney fancied himself an excellent chess player, so he was devastated. He came back up to the counter, and kept saying over and over, “I can’t believe that old drunk beat me three times.”
Today’s Gospel reading (Lk 14: 1, 7-11) tells us that on a Sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of a leading Pharisee. Jesus noticed how the guests were choosing the places of honor at table. In this meal setting populated with “social climbers”, the Divine Master narrated to the guests a parable that ends with a powerful dictum: “For everyone who exalts himself with be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11). The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly explains the faith context of this parable: “Jesus is not concerned with ordinary social etiquette. He has more in mind than that … This is a Kingdom talk. This is the way it is in the Kingdom of God. A presupposition of the saying is that God issues the invitation to the Kingdom banquet. And he issues it to the lowly, the humble, those who recognize their total dependence on God’s salvation. These are the ones who will be exalted. But those who say, ‘Look at me, Lord! See my strength, my wealth, my influence’, are the ones who will be humbled. This humility, this total openness to the strength of God, leads to greatness.”
Indeed, the kingdom parable of Jesus underlines the meaning of humility, which is basically a total dependence on God who wills our salvation. The Divine Master took the way of humility in his pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bring to fulfillment his life-giving paschal destiny on the cross. Jesus crystallized the meaning of humility in his very person. He is the Servant-Son totally consecrated to the saving will of God. With deep humility as faithful servant and in filial obedience, Jesus humbly pursued the Father’s saving plan and fully committed his entire being to God. The lowly one of Yahweh trusted in the marvelous action of God – he who humbles and exalts. St. Paul and an early Christian hymn acclaim: “Jesus humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him” (Phil 2:8-9).
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In the reading (Rom 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29), Saint Paul vehemently asserts that God has not rejected Israel, God’s chosen people. Paul points to himself as an example – “a child of Israel, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin”. He is a living proof that God’s benevolence to Israel endures. Indeed, Israel’s disbelief is partial, not total. Though the rest failed to respond to God’s interventions and now has hardened their heart to Jesus as the Messiah, a Jewish “remnant” has believed. To the unbelieving Jews, Jesus Christ is a stumbling block that provoked their “fall”. But Paul explains that Israel’s “fall” and rejection allow the Gospel to be preached to the Gentiles who welcome its gift of salvation. If Israel’s failure to accept Jesus Christ has unwittingly brought such a blessing, imagine the result when they all accept Jesus! Indeed, the gifts and call of God are irrevocable. God does not change his mind about whom he chooses and blesses. Moreover, Paul believes that the stubbornness of the people of Israel is not permanent. When the number of Gentiles determined by God will be saved, then all Israel will be saved.
The fact that all groups have been disobedient to God at one time or another, Jews and Gentiles alike, makes us appreciate that God’s mercy is all-inclusive. The following modern-day account gives insight into a merciful stance we should have with regards to the Jews (cf. “Email says: ‘I was one of those children’” in Alive! December 2-14, p. 5).
In June last year L’Osservatore Romano published an article about a convent of nuns, Sisters of Jesus the Redeemer, who helped Jewish children being hunted by Nazi-Fascists in Florence during the war.
Recently the author was surprised to receive an email from an elderly lady in Marseille who told him, “I was one of those Jewish children who was housed in the sisters’ institute on Via del Guarlone.” Yvette Haim explained that for a long time she had been searching for traces of her time in Florence when she came across the article by chance.
“It helped me to clarify many details of my past”, she wrote. She, then aged 6, and her four and a half-year-old brother Maurice escaped the Nazi roundup in the middle of 1943 by hiding inside the convent. They remained there until the end of the German occupation a year and a half later.
Led by Sr. Rosaide Olando, the nuns gave a home to 130 children and several adults including women whom they dressed as nuns, who would otherwise have ended up in a concentration camp.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What does Jesus’ teaching on humility mean to us, personally and concretely? Are we willing to replicate in our life the humble stance of Jesus, the Servant of Yahweh and the Son of God?
2. What do we do to promote inter-religious dialogue with the Jews and a merciful stance to the people around us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your only begotten Son Jesus is the humble Servant
in whom you are most pleased.
We praise and thank you for the mystery of his kenosis and self-emptying.
Help us to realize more and more that the feast of your kingdom is for all.
Fill us with zeal and apostolic strength
to spread your gracious saving invitation to all peoples,
especially the poor and lowly.
We ask this through Christ our Lord
who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
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(Cf. Jewish Community Prayer: Interreligious Prayers for Peace (June 8, 2014, Vatican Gardens)
God who is peace, bless us with peace!
Grant peace, goodness, blessing, grace, loving kindness and mercy
on us all and all your people Israel and on the world.
Bless us all as one by the light of Your countenance, our Father.
For by the light of Your countenance,
You have gives us, O Lord our God,
a Torah of Life, loving kindness, and righteousness and blessing
and mercy and life and peace.
May it be Your will to bless us all with Your peace.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:11) // “But through their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles.” (Rom 11:11)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In a spirit of humility, renew your total dependence on God and his saving will. When you suffer some “humiliation” be gracious and make it an occasion to exercise the virtue of “humility”. // Pray that our Jewish brethren may come to the full knowledge of truth. By your merciful stance to the people around you, promote the integration of all peoples in Jesus Christ.
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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