A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 13, n. 50)
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time and Weekday 32: November 8-14, 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: November 1-7, 2015, please go to ARCHIVES Series 13 and click on “All Saints/Week 31”.
(Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: November 8-14, 2015.)
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November 8, 2015: THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to a Total Self-Giving”
BIBLICAL READINGS
I Kgs 17:10-16 // Heb 9:24-28 // Mk 12:38-44
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
One grace I have experienced as a missionary and consecrated person is the opportunity to see inspiring acts of self-giving everywhere in the world. When I was enrolled at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome, I used to volunteer to help our Sisters working in the souvenir shops at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Pilgrims from all parts of Italy and from all over the world would come to our place for religious objects and souvenirs to bring back home to their loved ones. In carrying out this service to the pilgrims, I had a chance to witness memorable acts of goodness, generosity, and self-giving. During a Jubilee year celebration when I was assisting a group of pilgrims from Bergamo, I met a pleasant-looking, elderly peasant from the hometown of Pope John XXIII. His resources were very limited, so he bought only two small holy cards worth 500 liras. I wrapped his purchase in a nice little paper bag and gave it to him with a warm smile. After receiving it with gratitude, he fell into deep thought. Then he dipped into his pocket and handed me 10,000 liras as a donation for candles. What an act of kindness and generous giving!
Our bible readings for this Sunday give us a lesson on total and wholehearted giving. Today’s Gospel (Mk 12:38-44) depicts the fascinating figure of a destitute but extremely generous widow. Observing the devout act of the poor widow who is putting two small coins into the temple’s treasury, Jesus calls the disciples to himself in order to let them see the profound contrast between complete and incomplete giving. The one who teaches the meaning of total giving is himself “the Gift: and “the Giver”. Jesus, the Servant-Son of God is the ultimate self-giving Lord – the only true Poor One who gives everything back to God, including his very own life upon the cross. Christ offers his life “once and for all” in order to redeem us. In union with him, our lives become capable of total self-giving. In the footsteps of the Divine Master, the true Anawim of Yahweh, our lives are transformed into a totus tuus – a wholehearted gift to God.
We are almost at the end of the liturgical year. As we are completing the Church’s year of grace, it is fitting to meditate upon the totus tuus quality of God’s relationship with us, as well as, the totus tuus character of the response he demands from us. The biblical scholar Eugene Maly remarks: “Totus tuus … “totally yours” … Such total self-giving is characteristic of biblical religion. It is not to be understood as a purely human initiative. Rather, it is the expected response to the redemptive love of God. It is he who loves first. Then empowered by that love, we can love God and neighbor in turn…God’s initial love is always a presupposition. Our lives are, or should be, one large thank you to a loving God. And the thank you must be expressed wholeheartedly.”
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The Old Testament reading (I Kgs 17:10-16)) is about the pagan woman who gives all - the little she has. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, remark: “What a marvelous story! The most admirable part is not the miracle itself, but the faith of the protagonists, especially the poor widow’s. Elijah, of course, believed in the Lord; but the Lord had spoken to him and, by the bank of a stream, had just given him a signal proof of his power and solicitude. But this woman was a pagan. She believed God’s word – an unlikely promise – transmitted by an unknown person, a stranger who spoke to her in the name of a God locked in combat with the baal she served. On this word, she risked her life and her son’s life. This is an admirable faith on the part of a simple and poor woman, and it reminds us of all those who, forgetting themselves, accomplish the acts of mercy that God expects.”
The story of the poor widow of Zarephath delineates the depth and power of faith that is the font of total giving. The poor widow - a pagan - does not hesitate to part with her remaining meager provisions for the benefit of a needy stranger - Yahweh’s prophet. The Old Testament backdrop of the impoverished, but faith-filled and generous widow of Zarephath reinforces and vivifies the fascinating figure of the destitute, but extremely generous widow of this Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mk 12:38-44). The widow at the Jerusalem temple wholly entrusts herself to God and in her generous offering, Jesus sees the total gift of himself that he is about to make in his paschal sacrifice on the cross.
The following account of my cousin Belen Papina Villaluz gives an example of a wholehearted gift to God.
A few years ago, our parish church in Guinobatan, Albay in the Philippines was down for a major renovation. The condition of the church was so bad that, except for the walls and the belfry, everything had to be torn down. This big undertaking was in anticipation of the centennial foundation of our parish. Solicitation letters were sent out to parishioners who were deemed able to contribute to make the project successful. Donations poured in from within the parish and beyond, that is, from town mates living abroad. Some gave a good portion of their salaries or bonuses. Others willingly shared their retirement benefits, while some found ways and means to convince other people to contribute. Those who could not give in kind or cash, rendered their services.
In a matter of two or three years, the church renovation project was accomplished and it was a complete success. During the feast day in honor of our patroness, Our Lady of the Assumption, a grand celebration was held to thank everybody and most especially those who have supported in making the endeavor a success. People from everywhere came to celebrate with us on that most special day. A bountiful feast and a sumptuous meal were prepared for everyone to enjoy. Certificates of recognition and plaques of appreciation were given to all those who have given much of their time, talent and treasure. And their names were posted on the bulletin board for everyone to see.
However, during that time when the church was being renovated and even until I left for the States, I always see this man who, during the offertory, goes up to the altar to offer what I found out later was handful of coins wrapped in newspaper. He heard Mass almost every day and without fail continued his practice come offertory time. I came to know that this man is a baggage boy who works in the public market. He makes a living by carrying anything and everything anybody could not carry. For his service he is given whatever amount his clients find appropriate … which most of the time is a few coins. He could not afford to buy anything for himself for he went to Mass in a very old t-shirt, short pants and a pair of worn-out rubber slippers. Every time I see him, I could not help but admire and envy him for his selfless giving.
I was one of the recipients of a plaque of appreciation but seeing this man, I realized that he gave more than I did.
When judgment day comes, who will be the first to enter the Kingdom of God? Will it be the person who gave a big amount with his name announced to everyone or the man who gave everything he had without even first thinking of his needs?
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The reading (Heb 9:24-28) is very significant for it underlines the courage and generosity of Jesus in giving his totus tuus to the Lord. The total offering of the poor widow witnessed by Jesus (Mk 12:38-44) evokes Christ’s total, sacrificial gift of himself for the forgiveness of our sin and the redemption of all. The annual religious ritual of the high priest in Jerusalem temple on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is inadequate to bring reconciliation. Instead, it is Christ’s totus tuus on the cross and his complete surrender to the divine saving plan that brings about total reconciliation with God.
Harold Buetow comments: “Jesus did not offer sacrifices daily or annually, but once. That sacrifice was the total self-giving of his life. He took away the sins of all people by taking those sins upon himself. The blood of the sacrifice was his own – ineffably more effective by reason of his worth than the previous sacrifices of animals. Rather than entering the sanctuary of the Temple, which was only a man-made construction, he entered heaven itself that he might now appear before God on our behalf.” Moreover, at the parousia or second coming, Jesus Christ will gather and bring to full salvation those who wait for the advent of his kingdom.
Our priests of today are called to make present in the “here and now” Christ’s totus tuus to the Father. They are called to incarnate Christ’s sacrificial gift of himself on behalf of God’s universal people. An example of a priest whose life is a totus tuus is Father Yan Mangun, whose total self-giving is extolled by seventh-grader Gina Escandon in her prize winning essay, “God’s Representative” (cf. Maryknoll, May/June 2009, p. 33-34), which we report below.
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. Over 250 million people live there. Most of them are Muslim, and only 3 percent of them are Roman Catholic. My name is Gina Escandon and, along with my family, I was an expatriate in Indonesia for almost eight years. My parents wanted me and my brother to grow up going to Mass every Sunday. But living in Indonesia made it kind of hard to do so. Thanks to Father Yan Mangun, it was made possible.
Excuse me. I think I should introduce Father Yan to you. Father Yan Mangun is part of the Dayak people. The Dayaks are a native group of Borneo. Prior to their conversion to Christianity, they were headhunters and believers of animism. Father Yan was very proud to be the first Dayak ordained as a Catholic priest. Being a Christian in a majority Muslim country is difficult and at times dangerous. It was a struggle for Father Yan and other Indonesians to live as proud Catholics. Father Yan set an example for the Indonesian Catholics as well as the international community of Catholics of what living our faith as followers of Christ truly means. For many years before he retired, Father served as a chaplain in the Indonesian Navy, where he learned English. Once he retired, he came to live and work among the very poor in a parish in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
We expats used to attend his Masses in a nice open-air church building. But during that time, there were bombings going on in Indonesia. Some of the extreme Muslims who believe that Indonesia should be 100 percent Muslim were bombing Catholic churches. Many innocent Indonesian Catholics were killed, some even on Christmas Day. It was because of this that we started holding our Masses on the secure compound in which we live. It was thanks to Father Yan that we had our own little parish so far from our home countries. Our new parish being made up of Catholics from around the world was really a “catholic” church. We had members from the United States, Australia, Ireland, Nigeria, Malaysia, Holland, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand and many more countries than you can imagine. The weekly offering that was collected from his international parish was more than his local parish collected in a year. Father Yan would use all the money to help his Indonesian parishioners.
Father Yan, or Pak Yan, as he was called in Indonesian, was a very humble man. He had holes in his shoes, but if you give him money to get new ones, he would just give the money to someone who needed it more. I am so blessed that I have had Father Yan in my life. If it weren’t for him, I would not have made my First Communion until I moved back to America when I was in fifth grade. I would not have been able to go to church every Sunday and understand what was being said. He heard God calling him above everything, and he answered. That’s why Father Yan Mangun is a witness to Christ.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How do we react to situations of extreme vulnerability, insecurity, and poverty? Do we take the generous stance of the faith-filled widows of Zarephath and of the Gospel? Do we allow ourselves to be configured into the self-giving Lord Jesus, the true Anawim – the ultimate Poor One of Yahweh? Do we trust that in the act of total self- giving and surrender to the divine will we shall experience the true beatitude and the fullness of life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
the generosity of the poor are known to you.
Your Son Jesus sees the heart of the poor widow
who offers two little coins – her “everything”.
You embrace those who have “nothing”
according to the world’s standards,
but are rich in faith.
Your eyes look kindly on the lowly
who, like Jesus, are capable of total self-giving.
Help us to be poor in spirit
but abundant in the gift of grace.
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.
“She, from her poverty, has contributed all she had.” (Mk 12:44)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the spirit of totus tuus or total giving may animate our life of Christian discipleship and service. Pray also that the unjust structures that lead to destitution and greater abuse of the poor and needy in today’s society may be rectified. Strive to offer the gifts you have received from the Lord for the good, and at the service of the community.
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November 9, 2015: MONDAY – THE DEDICATION OF THE LATERAN BASILICA
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Healing Stream
from the Temple”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 // I Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17 // Jn 2:13-22
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, which is the “cathedral” of the diocese of Rome. It is the official seat of the bishop of Rome, who happens to be the Pope. The original basilica was built in the fourth century when Emperor Constantine gave Pope Sylvester I the property, originally owned by the Laterani family, upon which it was constructed. The Lateran Basilica was built shortly after Emperor Constantine had legalized Christianity, which was a persecuted religion. From then on, many Christian places were built and the Church put down roots and spread throughout the world. The Lateran Basilica was dedicated on November 9, 324. The anniversary of its dedication expresses the communion of each Christian community with the universal Church, founded by the apostles Peter and Paul, with the Pope as the head of the college of bishops, which presides over the charity of all the churches throughout the world.
The Old Testament reading (Ez 47:1-2, 8-9, 12) is one of the most picturesque and consoling passages in the Bible. It depicts Ezekiel’s vision of the healing and life-giving stream flowing out from the renewed temple in Jerusalem. The prophet saw water flowing with increasing quantity, depth and efficacy. All who were touched by it were regenerated, becoming abundantly fruitful. Ezekiel’s vision of regeneration through the life-giving water flowing out from the temple symbolizes the healing and salvation that would result from the new covenant promised by Yahweh in the messianic future.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 7, comment: “When the sanctuary of the Lord was profaned by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar who besieged the city in 597 B.C., he was deeply distressed. Carried off into exile in Babylon, it was on the banks of Kibar canal that he received his mission as a prophet … In 587 B.C. Ezekiel learned that the second taking of Jerusalem ended with the total destruction of the venerated Temple. With this catastrophe, all seemed lost. But God announced to his priest and prophet that there would soon be a miraculous restoration of his people. He will bring them back to their country and will live again in their midst, in a reconstructed Temple … Ezekiel was taken in a vision to the top of a mountain from which he contemplated Jerusalem being rebuilt (Ez 40:1-2). A mysterious surveyor appears to the prophet. He shows him around the Temple, giving measurements in detail, and dictating to him precise rituals that are to be followed (Ez 40:5-46:24). At the end of the guided tour, the prophet is led back to the entrance of the Temple, and there he has an extraordinary vision: waters flowing out from beneath the threshold of the Temple toward the east. This stream that keeps increasing in volume makes salt waters fresh, allows animals to live and multiply, and makes the earth so fertile that wonderful fruit trees grow on its banks. Each month they bear different fruit, and their leaves have healing properties. The stream becomes a mighty river and flows down into the Dead Sea – well-named, since its extremely salty waters allow no animal or vegetable life – and it sweetens its waters too (…) His eyes were finally opened to a radiant future brought about by the purification of suffering.”
Ezekiel’s vision of “living water” gushing forth from the temple of Jerusalem would be radically fulfilled by Jesus Christ in the messianic age. In today’s Gospel passage (Jn 2:13-22) we hear that the “temple” - to be destroyed and raised on the third day - is Jesus himself. Indeed, through the paschal mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, his disciples came to experience that he is the true Temple. Jesus Christ, whose side was pierced by a lance and from which poured forth blood and water, is the font of salvation. The “healing stream” of the world’s salvation flows from the ultimate Temple - Jesus Christ glorified, who renews us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Through the aftermath of the Easter event in which the Risen Lord poured forth upon the community of Christian believers his gift of the renewing Spirit, the Church also became God’s temple. According to St. Paul (cf. I Cor 3:9c-11, 16-17), we are the temple of God, the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Jesus Christ is the foundation stone of this new temple, the community of faith.
The biblical scholar Eugene Maly concludes: “The Risen Jesus is the focus of the gathering of all peoples … The glorified Body of Christ is the focal point of all worship of the Father. It is through him, with him, and in him that all honor and glory are given to the Father. He is the new temple and all who accept him as Lord form a new temple since they are in him. The material church building, then, takes on a new significance in the Christian dispensation. It is the place where the Eucharistic Body is most often made present and offered to the Father. It is the gathering of the new temple that is the Church, the temple of God. It is a sign, therefore, of a deeper spiritual reality, of another temple not made by hands. It is for this reason that we celebrate the dedication of the material church building.”
The Church, the spiritual temple comprised by Christian believers, is a source of “healing waters” today. I have experienced this and here is my personal account.
On September 18, 2008, my younger brother Gisbert, who was residing in Toronto, Canada, underwent an “open and close” surgery. The medical team discovered that the cancer in the stomach had spread to the liver and they could not do anything more. It was devastating! Mercifully, however, in the midst of this “purification of suffering” there were waters of consolation. The charity and prayers of the family and friends, both in Canada and abroad, became a source of “spiritual healing”. The PDDM sisters and his own “Born Again” group enfolded him with the comfort of their prayers.
On October 15 I went to Canada to visit him. I was very much touched by the sensitive kindness of the parish community of St. Anthony of Padua where I went for Mass. When a parishioner learned about my brother’s sickness, she spontaneously offered prayers for him at the Prayer of the Faithful. Ezekiel’s vision of a healing stream that enables fruit-laden trees with medicinal leaves to grow is accomplished anew in today’s new “temple” - the community of Christian believers. When we sustain each other in faith and when we comfort each other in the midst of affliction with the consolation we have received from the Risen Lord, “spiritual healing” takes place.
My brother succumbed to cancer and died on May 20, 2009. But our pain and suffering, united with Jesus, the font of salvation, were mitigated and became redemptive. When, through death, my brother finally completed his paschal journey, we believed that he is now experiencing the “fullness” of life and the “glorification” of his “body” in the bosom of God.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does Ezekiel’s vision of regeneration, healing and salvation impact you? How does the image of healing waters, fruitful trees and renewed creation affect you personally? Are you grateful for the promise of plenitude and fruitfulness given by the Lord God to Ezekiel with the coming of the new covenant?
2. Why is Jesus Christ the new and ultimate Temple from whom the waters of salvation flow out to the peoples of the earth and to the entire creation? Are you grateful for the gift of the holy Temple Jesus Christ and for having outpoured upon us the gift of the Holy Spirit, his Easter gift?
3. Are we deeply aware that we are the new temple of God? Do we endeavor to live fully the dignity of our being “temple of God” – the “dwelling of God in the Spirit”? What do we do to make the celebration of the feast of the Lateran Basilica more meaningful?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
We bless you, loving Father,
for the vision of hope you gave to Ezekiel.
By the rivers of Babylon where your people were exiled,
he sat and wept
for the devastation wrought by foreign invaders on Jerusalem.
There he grieved for the destruction of its temple.
You consoled your priest-prophet Ezekiel
with the promise of a new covenant.
You gave him a glimpse of the life-giving Temple in the messianic age,
with healing waters flowing from it.
Oh, merciful God,
we thank you for having accomplished your promise
in your Son Jesus Christ.
In him you ratified the new covenant.
Jesus is the ultimate Temple
from which flowed out blood and water
for the world’s healing and salvation.
We give you praise for the Church,
your spiritual temple in the here and now.
By the Easter event of Christ’s death and rising,
we have been transformed into your holy temple,
the place where you dwell in the Spirit.
Help us to bring the healing waters of your grace
to our anguished world.
Enable us to share the medicinal leaves of the cross,
the tree of life,
with those who are spiritually, morally and physically sick.
May all those who participate in your Son’s sufferings
for the world’s salvation
bear abundant fruits of love, joy and peace.
Loving God, we thank you for gathering us
to celebrate the anniversary of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica,
the Pope’s cathedral church.
We thank you for the life-giving Holy Spirit
you have poured upon the universal Church.
We are called to be channels of “healing waters” in the world today.
Gracious Father,
may you be praised in the true Temple, Jesus Christ,
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“They shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.” (Ez 47:12b)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your kind words and charitable deeds on behalf of the poor, the sick and suffering, enable the “healing waters” from the true Temple, Jesus Christ, to bring them peace, consolation and salvation. Endeavor to make the church building in your parish community a more conducive place for Christian worship. To help us live our dignity us “temples of the Holy Spirit”, make an effort to spend some time in quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
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November 10, 2015: TUESDAY – SAINT LEO THE GREAT, Pope, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to a Total Dedication …
He Is the Destiny of the Just”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 2:23-3:9 // Lk 17:7-10
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In my brother’s home in Cebu (Philippines), there are three domestic helpers. Each one has a particular task, but all can multi-task. Hence, the gardener can also clean the house if the cleaning boy is not around. The helpers have a food allowance in addition to their monthly salary and are not expected to join the family at table. At meal time at least one of them has to wait at table. They are very dedicated and are treated respectfully and justly. But I suppose none of them would expect to be thanked or praised every time for the work they do since they are paid workers.
Today’s Gospel (Lk 17:7-10) speaks of the personal dedication expected of a multi-tasking servant who can plow the field, tend the sheep and wait at table. A servant must not indulge in self-gratification nor give in to arrogant presumption that the master owes it to him. A servant is expected to carry out his duties humbly and faithfully. If such faithful service and total dedication are expected of a domestic servant, how much more Jesus Master demands them from his followers. The Christian disciples are wisely reminded that they can never stop and rest in the belief that they have worked enough. Immersed into the life of Christ, the Servant of Yahweh, they are “servants” for the kingdom. They are called to be totally, and devotedly, at the service of the Father’s saving will. True servants do not seek themselves. Their humble attitude makes them avow: “We are merely servants and we have done merely our duty!”
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The reading (Wis 2:23-3:9) reflects on what seems to be the failure of the just and the triumph of the wicked. Daily experience shows a cruel reality: the wicked boast of their power while the just become objects of persecution and violence. The author of the Book of Wisdom asserts that the suffering of the just is temporary. The death of the righteous is not a disaster. They are in peace and full of hope of blessed immortality. At the judgment they shall enjoy the kingdom of God. Their sufferings are minor in comparison with the blessings they will receive. The final destiny of the just will be radiant and glorious in sharp contrast with the dismal end of the wicked, Indeed, those who have been faithful to God will live with him in love. God’s grace and mercy are with his holy ones and his care is with his elect.
The life of Saint Josaphat, circulated on the Internet, illustrates that the souls of the just are in the hands of God.
SAINT JOSAPHAT: Archbishop and Martyr (1584-1623)
Born in 1584 in Vladimir, a city of ancient Poland, Saint Josaphat was the son of Gabriel Kuncewicz. His was from a family of honorable Christians of the Greco-Slavic rite, in use among the Russians. His mother took care to raise him in the fear of God, and in his tender heart formed the first longings for virtue. He was never in any way lighthearted, but separated willingly from the games of his companions to pray. He made excellent progress in his duties, always preferring the sacred branches to the profane, and for thirty years he recited each day, without ever failing once to do so, a large section of the Divine Office which he learned by heart.
At twenty years of age Josaphat deplored the situation of religion in Poland. In 1596, the Rutherian Church was divided into two contending parties – the Unionites and those who persevered in schism. He saw divisions growing in the Church and that few were remaining faithful to the Holy See, to safeguard the true orthodoxy and their eastern rites. He studied philosophy and theology under two famous Jesuits, and decided to enter religious life. When his employer, who was childless and wished to keep him, offered him his commerce as his adopted son, he declined that offer without hesitating and entered the Convent of the Trinity at Vilna, where Basilian religious submissive to the Holy See were residing. He received the religious habit and was professed in 1604.
Saint Josaphat was ordained a priest and began to preach in various churches of the city, bringing back many dissidents to the Unionites. He was invited also to preach and govern in various regions of the land; he accepted to become head of a monastery at Bytene. He restored there celebrated sanctuaries, built a convent, and converted among others, one of the most zealous of the dissidents. In 1614 Josaphat’s friend Joseph Routski became Archbishop of the city of Vilna, and recalled his holy former companion to that city, confiding the monastery of the Trinity to him. Saint Josaphat never made harsh reproaches, but corrections warmed by a wholly paternal affection. The conversion of the separated brethren continued through the preaching of the one called by the Unionionates “The Scourge of the Schamatics”, whereas the latter called him “The Ravisher of Souls”.
He became the Archbishop of Polotsk in 1617 at the age of thirty-eight, on the very day when, six years later, he would earn the consecration of blood, November 12th. He restored five major cathedrals and several lesser ones; he aided the poor, stripping himself of the most necessary objects or funds. He maintained total frugality in his residence; he recovered certain properties retained unjustly by powerful lords of the region, through his mildness of language in the law courts, to which he had recourse for that purpose. But he was soon to acquire, in a certain Melece Smotriski, a formidable enemy, who had himself consecrated in Russia, Archbishop of the same city as Josaphat, with other aspirants to like authority. Despite the opposition of King Sigismond of Poland, which forbade all subjects to have any communication with the usurper, the latter won adherents. The people of the city of Vitebsk, a little like those of Jerusalem, who in week’s time changed their hosannas into “Take him away”, turned toward the newcomers in large numbers and in an uprising succeeded in giving eighteen wounds to the head of the Archdeacon of the church, and leaving for dead another official bathed in his blood.
When their Archbishop went there to calm the tumult in 1623, knowing well that his hour had come, in effect he was most cruelly assassinated and his body profaned; he was in his forty-fourth year. His mortal remains were recovered after five days from the waters of a river, and exposed for nine days, constantly emitting a fragrance of roses and lilies. A councilor of Polosk, where his body was returned, abandoned the schism merely at the sight of the Archbishop’s beautiful countenance. Many of the parricides struck their breasts, and did likewise. The Archbishop had gone gladly to his death, offering his life that the schism might end; he had said as much beforehand. Four years after his death, the author of the troubles Smorski, the false archbishop, after many combats made a decisive step and consecrated his life to penance, prayer and the defense of the Union. Such changes of heart are indeed the greatest miracles won by the sanctity of the true servants of God.
About five years after Saint Josaphat’s martyrdom, his body was found intact, though the clothing had rotted away. Again in 1637 it was still white and supple. A beautiful reliquary was made for it, with a life-size image of the reclining Saint surmounting it. The body was again exposed in 1767. It was eventually taken to the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. Pope Leo XIII canonized Saint Josaphat in 1867.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our attitude as servants of the Lord? Do we fully commit ourselves to the task of building up God’s kingdom? Are we fully configured to Jesus, the Servant of Yahweh?
2. Do we believe that the passing of the just is not an affliction but a purification and means to glorification? Do we trust that God’s grace and mercy are with the holy ones and his care is with his chosen ones?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus, Divine Master,
you are the Servant Yahweh
and in you, we are “servants” for the kingdom.
Help us to be faithful cultivators of the seed of the kingdom,
loving shepherds of God’s flock and
humble waiters at the Eucharistic banquet.
We love you and praise you.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
Your grace and mercy are with your holy ones.
We believe that we are in your hand.
We may suffer for a while for the sake of truth and justice,
but we are anointed by your balm of peace
and have the confident hope of immortality.
Let us abide in your love, 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.
“We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we are obliged to do.” (Lk 17:10) //“But the souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them.” (Wis 3:3)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the spirit of service may live on intensely in the Church. By your personal dedication to your daily tasks, let the work you do be a means of sanctification and building up of God’s kingdom. // In today’s secularized and increasingly hostile world, be ready to suffer chastisement and contradiction for the sake of our Christian faith.
*** *** ***
November 11, 2015: WEDNESDAY – SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS, Bishop
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Object of Thanksgiving … He Exhorts Us to Be Ministers of the Kingdom”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 6:1-11 // Lk 17:11-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Gospel story of the healing of the Ten Lepers (Lk 17:11-19) acquires deeper meaning when seen against the sinful reality of human ingratitude that warps our filial relationship with God. In his book, Ode to Joy (New York: Alba House, 1997, p. 237), Harold Buetow observes that too often we’re like the doting grandmother who was walking with her young grandson along the shore in Miami Beach when a huge wave appeared out of nowhere, sweeping the child out to sea. The horrified woman fell to her knees, raised her eyes to heaven, and begged the Lord to return her beloved grandson. And, lo, another wave reared up and deposited the stunned child on the sand right in front of her. The grandmother looked the boy over carefully. He was fine. But then she stared up angrily toward the heavens. “When he came,” she snapped indignantly, “He had a hat!” Like the ingrate grandmother, we presume that God is the service-giver and that he owes it to us. We, therefore, fail to acknowledge our debt of gratitude to God.
Jesus Master responds compassionately to the ten lepers who call out to him with an intense invocation. The Old Testament cry of despair, “Unclean, unclean” is transformed into a new “prayer” in the presence of Jesus, who is on his paschal journey to Jerusalem. Instead of warning, “Unclean, unclean” to isolate their wretched selves from the society, the ten lepers boldly appeal to him for mercy and compassion. They shout a new “prayer”: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Jesus Master orders them to show themselves to the priests. On their way they realize they have been healed.
The grateful Samaritan, healed of his infirmity, returns to Jesus Master, the font of compassion and healing. The return of the grateful Samaritan marks a new life of faith and worship centered in the person of Jesus, the true object of praise and thanksgiving. The healed Samaritan glorifies God, not in the Jewish temple, but in the person of Jesus. The Gospel account of the healing of the Ten Lepers presents us not only with another benevolent ministry of Jesus, but also an example of a faith that is transformed into glory and praise. The return of the Samaritan illustrates the intimate connection between faith and “thanksgiving”. Faith becomes “Eucharist” - an act of thanksgiving and worship in Jesus Master.
***
The reading (Wis 6:1-11) presents a remarkable doctrine about political power. There is only one source of power: the Lord God. Kings, governors and the like are only ministers of the Kingdom of God. Today’s bible passage is a call to accountability and a reminder of the responsibility of the rulers of the earth. If the rulers do not govern justly and if they do not live according to the will of God, they will suffer terrible punishment. Judgment is especially severe on those in power. The words of the Book of Wisdom are addressed to kings, rulers and the like that they may know how to act wisely and avoid mistakes. They ought to treasure this teaching that they may be able to defend themselves at the judgment.
The following story illustrates the need to educate the rulers of the world on the ways of God’s wisdom (cf. Msgr. Owen Campion, “Church Never Gives Up” in Our Sunday Visitor, October 6, 2013, p. 30).
Archbishop, later Adam Sapieha of Krakow, Poland, is in history books because, in 1946, he ordained to the priesthood Blessed John Paul II. It was a great distinction, but the archbishop had to be remembered for his heroic, bold confrontations with the German invaders who occupied Poland beginning in 1939.
The occupation was hell on earth. Directing it was the German governor, Hans Frank. His rule was unspeakably cruel. At the height of the occupation, the archbishop invited Frank and his wife to dinner in the archbishop’s residence. Assuming that the invitation meant that Archbishop Sapieha’s determined condemnation of German atrocities was relenting, Frank and his wife immediately accepted.
The archbishop met them cordially and escorted them into his residence’s grand dining room. The table was set with sparkling crystal and fine china. The Franks were seated, and waiters appeared with plates beneath silver domes. Everything suggested that an elegant meal was to be served.
The plates were set before the Franks, and the domes were lifted. On each porcelain plate rested a small piece of stale barley bread. Stunned, the German governor and his wife looked at the archbishop who said, “Your occupation has so impoverished my people that this is all many of them have to eat. I eat what my people eat – and so do my guests.” Furious, the Franks left.
Starving the Polish people by diverting everything edible to Germany was just one of Frank’s outrages. His rule resulted, historians say, in the murder of millions of Poles. When the war ended, the allies captured Frank and charged him with crimes against humanity. He was one of Hitler’s subordinates tried at the Nuremberg trials. As the trial was being organized, the allied officer in command appointed to two German-speaking American Army chaplains to the contingent overseeing the prisoners. One was Franciscan Father Sixtus O’Connor from New York.
Many of the prisoners refused to see the chaplains. Frank, however, did meet with Father O’Connor. In time, the priest had an effect on Frank. Frank began to pray. Then he began attending Father O’Connor’s Mass. Eventually, he admitted his terrifying deeds in Poland, and he repented.
The trial ended with death sentences being delivered for most of the prisoners, including Frank. They were hanged. When Frank went to the scaffold, Father O’Connor walked beside him. Of all the condemned men, only Frank asked God’s forgiveness. He died praying, “My Jesus, mercy!” and with Father O’Connor’s blessing.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What are the occasions in our life when we pray most intensely, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”? In what way are we the grateful, healed Samaritan leper? In what way are we the healed lepers who did not return to Jesus? Do we allow ourselves to be heartened by Jesus’ words: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you”?
2. How do we help our world leaders and civil authorities to walk on the path of wisdom and to be instruments of the Kingdom of God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
We cry out to you, Jesus,
the font of compassion.
Have pity on us and take away our infirmities.
Restore us to health and take away the leprosy of sin.
We thank you for your healing word.
In you is true wholeness.
Let us rejoice in you,
now and forever.
Amen.
***
Almighty God,
all power comes from you
and you have given rulers, kings and the like
authority to govern for the common good.
Let them govern with wisdom
and help them to be humble ministers of your kingdom.
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 fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.” (Lk 17:16) //“Authority was given you by the Lord.” (Wis 6:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for all the marginalized and distressed people in today’s world. By your acts of charity, alleviate their suffering and help them to be grateful to God “no matter what”. // Pray for world leaders and civil authorities that they may govern conscientiously and with wisdom. Be concerned with social issues and promote the teaching of the Catholic Church concerning vital social issues.
*** *** ***
November 12, 2015: THURSDAY – SAINT JOSAPHAT, Bishop, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches that the Kingdom of God Is Among Us … He Is Wisdom Incarnate”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 7:22b-8:1 // Lk 17:20-25
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel (Lk 17:20-15), the Pharisees ask Jesus when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus answers, “The kingdom of God is among you.” The messianic kingdom has been ushered in by Jesus and is deeply palpable in his compassionate ministry to the poor and suffering. It is silently growing and flourishing, but it cannot be perceived by those who reject the person of Jesus. Hence, for the unbelieving Pharisees it is futile to search for the kingdom here and there and presumptuous to demand spectacular “signs” to know when and where it will come.
Jesus then speaks to his disciples about the definitive fulfillment of the Kingdom that is already at work among them. But before this happens, Jesus must first undergo great suffering and rejection. During the ad interim time, even the disciples will be desperate for the glorious coming of the Son of Man, and this could lead them to succumb to follow false prophets and devious theories about his definitive coming. If only they would give their full attention to the kingdom that is already at work in them, then they will be ready for the glorious return of the Son of Man at the end time. Jesus assures his disciples that his day of glory is unmistakable - it will be as vivid and powerful as the lightning that flashes and lights up the sky.
This happened in 1984. After attending a memorial Mass in Bombay (now Mumbai) for the deceased Italian soldiers who died during World War II, Mother Dorothy and I hitched a ride. Also hitching a ride were two Italian youths - members of the Focolare Movement founded by Chiara Lubich. The two young men were residing in the slums of Bombay and ministering to the poor. A Sister who was with us in the car was reciting a litany of woes. She demanded: “Now tell me: where is the kingdom of God?” The Focolare missionary answered: “The kingdom of God is within you!” The Sister sobered up. When we promote justice and peace in today’s world, when we lovingly care for poor and needy, and when we zealously build a more harmonious world – then we can perceive the kingdom that is within us. Indeed, the kingdom of God is an “already but not yet” reality which we must nurture and treasure.
***
The reading (Wis 7:22b-8:1) is a poetic praise of wisdom and describes its nature. Like individual colors in a painting, it gives an overall picture of wisdom as holy, all-present and all-knowing. The attributes of wisdom are “3" (divine number) times “7” (perfection) which equal “21” (absolute perfection). The qualities enumerated are: intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly, firm, secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-seeing, pervading all spirits. The activity of wisdom among creation and history is awesome. She is a breath of God’s power – a pure and radiant stream of glory from the Almighty. She is a reflection of eternal light, a perfect mirror of God’s activity and goodness. She makes everything new and forms the souls of holy people into God’s friends and prophets. There is nothing that God loves more than people who are at home with wisdom.
Inspired by the Book of Wisdom and referring to Jesus Christ, the author of the letter to the Hebrews asserts: “He reflects the brightness of God’s glory and is the exact likeness of God’s own being. Indeed, Jesus - the Son of God – crystallizes the awesome qualities of wisdom and is the “wisdom of God” incarnate.
Wisdom continues to manifest itself in the here and now. The life of actress Dolores Hart and her journey from “Hollywood to Holy Vows” is filled with the wisdom of God. The following is an excerpt from a highly recommendable book (cf. Mother Dolores Hart, OSB, and Richard DeNeut, The Ear of the Heart, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2013, p. 256).
Eight months into my canonical year – and for the next two years – the Community took on the grueling work of turning a forest into a roadway. In fair weather or foul, we women cleared the land with clippers, shovels and our bare hands to make it ready for the heavy machinery to lay the asphalt.
All emotions – joy, sadness, fear – were present, as were most of the women, led by Mother Stephen and Father Prokes manning tractors and Reverend Mother swinging an axe. I remember mostly gray, damp days that drew the color out of everything. I remember callused hands, bleeding knees, scuffed toes. And mud. Not only earth and water mud. Mud of dust and sweat, too.
At the end of each workday, I would stand on the edge of the road that was not yet a road but, like an eager child, stretching into growth. Although it was the dirtiest, hardest, most exhausting slave labor I could ever imagine, it was also a very real experience in corporate collaboration. It offered a new analysis of contemplative life and I found that exciting …
Reverend Mother fervently believed that, from the very beginning, Saint Benedict intended that each monastery would be a center of holiness where monks could live contained lives, built around the recitation throughout the day and night of the Divine Office, but which also could provide all the other necessities of daily life. Thus, throughout history, each monastery has been a self-contained entity. In chapter 48 of the Rule, Saint Benedict states: “Idleness is the enemy of the soul. The brethren, therefore, must be occupied at stated hours in manual labor … for then they are truly monks when they live by the labor of their hands.”
Envisioning that the monastery would become an abbey one day, Reverend Mother foresaw a place with land and animals, a place of green that by the mid-twenty-first century might be the only conservation land left in our area of Connecticut.
During the work on Robert Leather Road, on one of those mud-encrusted days when dog-tired and hungry, I took my usual place in line for supper in the refectory; all at once my attention was taken by the water pitchers on the shelf. They were all lined up with handles facing the same direction and made a sparkling, beautiful tableau. A small thing, I suppose, but I hadn’t noticed it before, and it made me realize that someone had made the effort to make our lives more pleasant.
I soon began to notice other small things that made our life together more comfortable, a little more serene. From time to time, notes appeared in my place at table – notes of encouragement, with bits of grass and flowers glued to the paper – from sisters who recognized and perhaps shared what I was feeling and cared enough to offer support. Each time I was confronted with a new grace. I was reminded of my trip on the Dutch barge when I saw my first windmill: “There’s one!”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe that the kingdom of God is within us, and is growing towards completion? What do we do to hasten the definitive advent of the kingdom of God?
2. Are we truly aware of the beauty and awesome nature of the wisdom that God shares with us? Do we allow divine wisdom to be at work in our lives?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Master,
we truly believe your words:
“The kingdom of God is among you.”
When we dedicate ourselves
to works of justice, peace and compassion,
we feel the kingdom power within us.
Give us the grace to be faithful
so that at your glorious coming at the end time,
we may rejoice with you in the heavenly kingdom.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Almighty God,
your gift of wisdom is the refulgence of eternal light.
Your wisdom incarnate Jesus Christ
is the image of your power and goodness.
Grant us the grace to be embraced
by the radiant light of truth.
Let us dwell in wisdom
and bask in its radiant glory, 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.
“The kingdom of God is among you.” (Lk 17:21) //“Wisdom is the refulgence of eternal light.” (Wis 7:26)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your works of mercy and compassion, by your peace-making efforts, hasten the definitive advent of the kingdom of God. // Be deeply aware of the spirit of wisdom that manifests its presence in your daily life. Endeavor to be a breath of wisdom for others.
*** *** ***
November 13, 2015: FRIDAY – SAINT FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI, Virgin (USA)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be Ready for His Final Coming … He Teaches Us How to Regard God’s Handiworks”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 13:1-9 // Lk 17:26-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Many years ago I saw a movie entitled “The Bad Seed” about a young girl who was very wicked. Twice she committed murder without compunction. One evening she put on a raincoat and, with a flashlight, calmly walked into the rain towards the river to fish out some evidence of her crime. While she was doing that a powerful lightning bolt struck and killed her. That was a brutal end to a “bad seed”.
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 17:26-37) we hear Jesus talking about his Second Coming as an encounter either with destruction or salvation. For those who have trusted in him and have prepared for his coming, it will be an event of salvation. For those who have rejected him and have been preempted by earthly concerns, it will be an ominous condemnation and self-destruction. Jesus mentions Noah and Lot as examples of those prepared to encounter the divine judgment with integrity. Around them were people who were not prepared for the flood, and the threat of destruction. Worldly pursuits and sinful deeds have prevented them from welcoming the judgment of the Lord as a gift of salvation. Lot’s wife failed to experience the divine offer of salvation because she kept turning back toward the sinful city Sodom.
In his lesson on preparedness, Jesus depicts the opposite fortunes of two people in one bed and of two women grinding meal together: one is taken, the other left. This impressive imagery illustrates the suddenness of the coming of Christ and the readiness, or un-readiness, he will find at his “coming”. Those who are ready to sacrifice even their life for the Lord Jesus are most ready to welcome him at his coming. The call to readiness is reinforced by the image of vultures gathering where there are carcasses: for the impious and the wicked, the coming of the Lord is their destruction.
***
Today’s First Reading (Wis 13:1-9) underlines the foolishness of nature worship. Foolish are those who fail to know God from studying his handiworks and who thought that these things must be gods. They ought to learn from them that their maker is more powerful. The handiworks are great and mighty, but the God who created them is exceedingly so. When we realize how vast and beautiful creation is, we are learning about the Creator at the same time. Nature worshippers are well intentioned, but because of the superficial use of their intelligence, they are not to be excused entirely. If they had enough intelligence to speculate about the nature of the universe, why did they never find the Lord of all things?
For the Hebrews, they know that God exists not from rational arguments, but from their personal experience of God’s saving acts on their behalf. The Greeks strive to know God in a philosophical manner. The author of the Book of Wisdom acknowledges this approach as a valid way to know the true God. The following article illustrates a young lady’s journey to faith also through an intellectual-philosophical approach (cf. “Darwin’s Descendant Tells of Her Evolution to Catholicism” in Alive! September 2013, p. 9).
Laura Keynes, an English writer and a direct descendant of Charles Darwin, is to the surprise of many a Catholic. It was while at Oxford University, doing a doctorate in philosophy, that she discovered the Church’s meaning of life and became a committed Catholic. “That I freely chose to be a Catholic after much thought and analysis, and wasn’t brainwashed into it, baffles my friends and family alike”, she says. “I overheard one comment: ‘But she seemed like such an intelligent girl’.”
Keynes has also joined Catholic Voices, a group which provides speakers for the media to give the Church’s position on various issues. In a recent piece for the Catholic Herald Darwin’s great-great-great granddaughter told how it was the search for answers to the questions raised by the atheist Richard Dawkins that led her to the Church. (…)
Her mother converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism shortly after Laura was born but had become a Buddhist by the time the young girl reached her teens. Her father, having attended the same school as Christopher Hitchins, was an atheist, “a product of the same cultural forces that formed Hitchin’s brand of atheism.” (…) Her last link with Catholic faith ended, however, when she left school at sixteen to go to college. “Away from any contact with the Church, secular values prevailed and I drifted to agnosticism”, she wrote.
But in her mid-20s, while a student at Oxford, she had to face the issues raised by relationships, feminism, moral relativism and the value of human life. The God Delusion by Dawkins, and the debate it triggered, caught her attention. She read the key texts on both sides and found the arguments for God more convincing. “New Atheism seemed to harbor a germ of intolerance and contempt for people of faith that could only undermine secular humanist claims to liberalism”, she wrote. Nor could it give an adequate account of morality without ending up contradicting itself.
Facing the issues head on, Keynes was drawn back to faith, “as much a movement of the heart as a thorough-going intellectual inquiry. It had to be both.” Many of those she now meets are surprised that being a “Darwin” she is also a Catholic. “They expect an understanding of science and philosophy to be incompatible with religious belief. Inevitably, that makes me a target and people want to argue.”
She doesn’t always find this pleasant, “but abdicating responsibility for answering those difficult questions is not an option for a baptized Christian”, she says. Her attitude now is greatly inspired by the famous remark of St. Catherine of Siena: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What do we do to prepare ourselves for the Second Coming of Christ? Do we live in a spirit of detachment, and endeavor to focus on doing the divine saving will?
2. Do you allow reason and the power of observation to help deepen your faith in God? By contemplating the vast and beautiful creation, do you perceive the presence of God and give praise to him?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you will come again on the last day.
Help us to be ready
so that our final encounter with you
will be an experience of salvation,
and not of condemnation.
Give us the grace to nurture the kingdom of God
that is already within us.
We look forward to the end time
when you will restore all things
and you will be the king of all nations
and the Lord of all creation.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
the whole universe is charged with your beauty.
How marvelous you are and your handiworks!
You are the creator of beauty
and all things that exist.
You are our God and in you we live and move.
Grant that our lives may be a perennial praise to your glory,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.” (Lk 17:30) //“How far more excellent is the Lord than these.” (Wis 13:3)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an effort to focus your attention on the “last things” and let the thought of the Lord’s Second Coming shape your daily life. // Take time to behold and delight in the beauty of creation and give the Lord God glory and praise for his marvelous handiworks.
*** *** ***
November 14, 2015: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (32); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Does Justice … He Guides His People with Wisdom”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 18:14-16; 19:6-9 // Lk 18:1-8
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
At times, the power of evil is so overwhelming that even persons of faith begin to falter. This is evident in the following account:
Archbishop Romero offers her a chair. Marianela prefers to talk standing up. She always comes for others, but this time she comes for herself. Marianela Garcia Vilas, attorney for the tortured and disappeared of El Salvador, does not come this time to ask the archbishop’s solidarity with one of the victims … This time she has something personal to say to him. As mildly as she can, she tells him that the police have kidnapped her, bound, beat, humiliated, stripped her – and they raped her. She tells it without tears or agitation, with her usual calm, but Archbishop Romero has never before heard in Marianela’s voice these vibrations of hatred, echoes of disgust, calls for vengeance.
When Marianela finishes, Archbishop Romero, who always gives advice and comfort, is weeping like a child without mother or home. He who always gives assurances, the tranquilizing assurance of a neutral God who knows and embraces all – Archbishop Romero doubts. He weeps and doubts.
Against the backdrop of today’s painful human realities experienced by those whose faith is severely tested, today’s Gospel (Lk 18:1-8) becomes relevant and meaningful. Jesus comforts those in distress with the following truth: God secures the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him in faith. The evangelist Luke explains that the parable of the unscrupulous judge and the importunate widow, which Jesus addresses to his disciples, is about the need to pray always and never lose heart. The widow pursues relentlessly the dishonest judge and pesters him to render a just decision on her behalf. To get rid of the importunate widow, he finally grants her request.
In the Gospel parable, the perverse judge acts as a foil for God, who will, at the end-time, see to it that justice is done speedily for those who persist in faith and prayer. The loving and compassionate God does justice for the poor and the oppressed. Indeed, if the persistent pleading of the helpless widow triumphs over the unjust judge, guided by neither divine nor human law, how much more will the persistent praying of Christian disciples achieve true justice! If an unjust judge yields to the entreaties of a pestering widow, how much more will a gracious God come to the help of his disciples who cry out to him for help. The decisive question, therefore, is the one raised by the Lord Jesus: “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Will the disciples remain faithful to Jesus during the long haul caused by the delay of his return? The true issue is faith, which must always be reawakened in us without losing heart.
***
Today’s First Reading (Wis 18:14-16; 19:6-9) depicts the suicidal stupidity of the Egyptians in chasing the Israelites whom the Lord God chooses to liberate from slavery. The pursuing army meets a strange death in the roaring waters while the chosen people continue their miraculous journey through the Red Sea. God guides and protects his people, making it possible for them to reach their destiny. The author of the Book of Wisdom highlights the vocation of Israel, radically “summoned” by God for his kind purpose. The trials and duress of the Exodus experience are forging them for an intimate covenant relationship with the liberating God. Through the saving waters, Israel is being formed into a holy, priestly and kingly people consecrated to Yahweh. Indeed, the Passover or “transitus” has made Israel experience the power and the wisdom of God.
In our personal relationship with God we too experience the “dark night of the soul’ - the awesome trial through the Red Sea. The following excerpt from the life of the former Hollywood actress Dolores Hart, as she answers God’s call, gives a glimpse into it (cf. Mother Dolores Hart, OSB, and Richard DeNeut, The Ear of the Heart, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2013, p. 201-202).
Mother Miriam escorted me to my cell and said good night. I was finally alone. For the first time I walked through the Great Gate, I thought about Mom and the deep pain she must be feeling, and I couldn’t pick up a phone and comfort her. I undressed and got into bed. Suddenly I was consumed with overwhelming loneliness.
All through the hectic months of preparation, I was being held to my decision by a life source far beyond my own self. My experience of God ever since my conversion to the Church had always been intensely personal. From the moment I accepted as a child on my “death bed” that I had God’s favor to speak directly to Him, I came to depend on His abiding presence. That presence disappeared when I walked through the gate.
I knew absolutely that everything that had ever happened to me had not been a result of luck or coincidence or my own doing. Everything had resulted from the presence of God in my life. When I told the sister at school that I wanted to have bread with the other children, and she mistook my request for a desire to receive the Eucharist, that was God’s will. When I stood unmoving, on that Manhattan corner and felt compelled to go to Regina Laudis, that was His will. And when I stopped Mother Placid in the refectory that evening, that too was His will.
But God, who had nurtured me all along the way to this very moment, was no longer there. I could not feel His presence. Had I been childish in my awareness of God’s omnipotence and fatherly protection?
I lay awake on the cot for a long time. I reached out my arm in the darkness. I could touch the opposite wall with my hand. I lay there, terrified by the enormity of the step I had taken. I began praying as hard as I could that, in spite of the isolation engulfing me, the love in my heart was God himself trying to strike, if not lightning, at least a match.
I cried myself to sleep that night. I would cry myself to sleep every night for the next three years.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our attitude towards the Lord’s exhortation about the necessity of persevering prayer and the need to pray without losing heart? In light of today’s situations and the unmitigated cry of Yahweh’s anawim for justice, do we truly believe that he will secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him in faith? What is our personal response to the Lord Jesus’ decisive question: “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth” (Lk 18:8)?
2. Do we believe that in situations of distress and duress, the loving God is present to liberate and fulfill his saving will?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father in heaven,
at times the force of evil is so strong that our faith is shaken.
We doubt and falter.
We lift up our hands in supplication
for justice in today’s fragmented world.
Together with the importunate widow we pray for justice.
Strengthen our faith and hope
so that when our Savior comes at the end-time,
he will find us engaged in promoting your kingdom
and fighting for the cause of justice and right.
We love and glorify you, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
you have called us from slavery to sin
to bring us into your kingdom of light and love.
Save us from all that could harm us.
Lead us through the raging waters that threaten to engulf us.
Unite us with Christ in his Passover
and grant us a glimpse of light
as we endure the “dark night of the soul”.
Let us rejoice in your saving love, O Lord.
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 will see to it that justice is done for them speedily.” (Lk 18:8) //“Over this crossed the whole nation sheltered by you hand.” (Wis 19:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the victims of violence and injustice in today’s world, and for those who fight for the cause of justice and right. Read your diocesan paper and/or parish newsletter, and see how you can respond to the appeal of the poor and needy and do justice as part of the diocesan-parish community. // When you cross through the raging waters of life’s trials and afflictions, fear not and renew your trust in the Lord. Be of assistance to the people around you in their moments of difficulty.
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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