A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 13, n. 51)
Christ the King and Weekday 34: November 22-28, 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 15-21, 2015, please go to ARCHIVES Series 13 and click on “Week 33”.
(Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: November 22-28, 2015.)
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November 22, 2015: OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE
(LAST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME)
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Is a Sacrificial Kingship”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Dn 7:13-14 // Rv 1:5-8 // Jn 18:33b-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A, Gospel Reading (Jn 18:33b-37): “You say I am a king.”
On several occasions I have viewed the powerfully evocative movie, “The Fourth Wise Man”, which depicts the magi Atabar’s yearning and long search for the King of the Jews, the one who would give meaning to his life and joy to his soul. His compassionate act for a sick traveler detained him in the desert. Hence, he was not able to catch up with the caravan led by the three other magi – Melchor, Gaspar and Balthasar – on their journey to Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn King. Atabar, accompanied by his slave, Orantes, followed in pursuit of the infant King to Bethlehem and to Egypt, but to no avail. His odyssey led him to a leper colony in Israel that greatly needed his healing ministry. He spent his lifetime in service of the wretched poor, becoming one of them. The precious gifts that he had intended to present to the King were given away, one by one, in the process of saving the lives of the distressed and afflicted. At the end of his life, the aged and infirm Atabar finally saw the King from a distance, during his passion as the Suffering Servant and his crucifixion outside the walls of Jerusalem. On Easter morning, the King whom he had longed for and served unknowingly in the poor and outcast revealed himself to the dying Atabar in his glorified form as the Risen Lord and welcomed him into his kingdom.
The Gospel of today (Jn 18:33b-37) presents us with the true meaning of Christ’s kingship. The form of kingship that Jesus assumed is that of servitude and fidelity to truth. The King of the Jews is the beloved Servant of Yahweh who brought to fulfillment the Father’s saving plan to save the poor and the sinners. Indeed, Jesus is a King, but not of earthly origin. His kingdom is not of this world (cf. Jn 18:36), but of the spiritual order. His exercise of kingship consisted in bearing witness to the truth (cf. Jn 18: 37). He is the Messiah sent from heaven to reveal the truth about God’s love. Hence, the kingdom that Jesus inaugurated in his entire life of service and self-giving is a “kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace” (cf. Preface of the Feast of Christ the King).
The Kingdom of God is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching. The phrase “Kingdom of God” occurs 122 times in the Gospels, 90 of which are on the lips of Jesus. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly remarks: “The truth is that Kingdom of God is meant to conjure up the dynamic notion of God powerfully ruling over his creation, over his people, and over the history of both … The Kingdom of God is a total, global, and structural transfiguration and revolution of the reality of human beings; it means the cosmos purified of all evils and full of the reality of God.”
Our Redeemer Lord, Jesus Christ – “the faithful witness, the first born from the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth” – has made us into a kingdom, priests for God the Father (cf. Rev 1:5-6). Today’s solemnity of Christ the King helps us to focus not only on the greatness of his kingdom, but also on the royal dignity and responsibility he has given to his people, who are part of that kingdom. At the end of the liturgical year, which is a spiritual itinerary of “christification”, let us submit ourselves anew to the dominion of the Shepherd-King who came to seek the lost, unite all peoples of the earth and integrate the whole of creation.
Let us heed the exhortation of the Benedictine abbot, Alban Boultwood to follow the ways of sacrificial kingship of Christ in this life, sharing his acceptance of the conditions of this world, its suffering and mortality, and transforming these by that self-giving which is filled with grace. He reminds us: “All his followers in the royal priesthood must always form a serving, suffering, loving Church. We inherit the kingship of Jesus by fulfilling the mystery of his blessed Passion, death and resurrection in the witness of our own personal life … Christ’s kingship truly continues on earth in us; this is both the wonderful dignity and the tremendous responsibility of our Christian vocation.”
B. First Reading (Dn 7:13-14): “His dominion is an everlasting dominion.”
I was flipping through the pages of James Underwood Crockett’s book, “Roses” when I came upon a picture of the breathtaking and fabulous 13th century rose window of the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Tinted light glows with incredible beauty as it passes through the stained glass “petals” in the shape of a rose. The glass “petals” radiate from a central figure of Christ the King, seated on his throne. Four small “petals” border the royal image of Christ, forming a fascinating equilateral cross. On this last Sunday of the liturgical year when we celebrate the royal enthronement of Jesus Savior, who died for us on the cross, we recognize and acknowledge with reverence the sacrificial aspect of his kingship. By his redemptive suffering, Jesus is the center of history and the king of all his Father’s creation.
In the reading (Dn 7:13-14), Daniel’s vision of the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven and receiving dominion, glory and kingship originally represented the vindication of the persecuted people of Israel, bitterly oppressed under the reign of the detestable pagan Syrian king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes whose kingship was about to be shattered. The image of the human figure enthroned in glory, however, later came to be applied to the expected Messiah. Christians see the fulfillment of this apocalyptic vision in the person of Jesus Christ.
Jesus brought to perfection the enigmatic working principle, “Through suffering to kingship”. Reigning from his cross, the messianic King drew all peoples and creation to himself by the power of his self-surrendering love. The Benedictine writer, Alban Boultwood comments: “In the noblest and truest sense of all, Jesus is king of all his Father’s creation, for in him all things find their purpose, salvation, and fulfillment. The incarnate Son is the only Mediator in the plan of divine love, by which all creation attains its true end and comes to the Father. At the birth of Jesus we sang the old hymn asking What child is this and Christian faith and devotion answered This, this is Christ the King. As this same Jesus was dying on the cross, Pilate set above his head the ironic sign, more to mock the Jews than the Crucified: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. What king is this? Christian faith answers more fervently than ever that this is indeed the true King, whose cross wins redemption for sinners, and whose death wins victory over all the powers of death. Christ gained his victory and established his kingdom not through the power of worldly success, but through a love stronger than all the powers of this world. His authority was from above, from his perfect union with the Father’s will.”
The Christian disciples who are the object of the Father’s grace are called to participate in Jesus Christ’s sacrificial kingship, by living out in their own lives the mystery of his paschal destiny. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, exhort us: “To follow Christ, King of the Universe, by going against the ways of the world, brings many difficulties … But God gave to the one he made king the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for his possession. We trustfully raise our eyes toward him who, his heart opened on the cross, draws everyone to himself to lead them with him into his kingdom.”
C. Second Reading (Rv 1:5-8): “The ruler of the kings of the earth has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father.”
Today’s Second Reading (Rv 1:5-8) magnificently portrays the vast expanse of God’s Kingdom-Reign throughout all time: past, present and future. Christ’s redeeming power penetrates every moment of human history. He is “the Alpha and the Omega … the one who is and who was and is to come, the Almighty” (v. 8). The Second Reading likewise acknowledges Christ’s sacrificial love and its fruitfulness: redemption from sin and the establishment of a kingdom of priests to serve God the Father. As the faithful witness of the truth about God’s redeeming love for us, as the firstborn of the dead who guarantees our own resurrection and victory over death, and as the ruler of the kings of the earth who wields power over all peoples and creation, Jesus the Redeemer and Almighty King is sure to come at the end time: “Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him” (v. 7).
On this beautiful feast of Christ the King, we – the members of the kingly, priestly and holy people formed by his paschal sacrifice – are challenged to avow his kingship and reign over us. We must put his words of truth at the very core of our life and demonstrate our faithfulness in all situations. Our actions must mirror the compassionate and forgiving actions of Christ. In imitation of our Redeemer King, who is both priest and sacrificial victim, we must witness the Good News of salvation, even at the cost of our life. Let us therefore gaze upon Christ the King, whose heart was pierced while enthroned on the cross. On the throne of grace at Calvary, the King-Shepherd was drawing all peoples to himself and leading them into God’s eternal kingdom of love, justice and peace. Our priestly vocation in the heavenly kingdom obliges us to serve the cause of life and love, to the glory of God the Father.
The following testimony of Bill Pelke illustrates how the forgiving love of the Redeemer King on the cross transcends time and space, impelling his disciples to channel that grace into the “here and now” (cf. Jan Petroni Brown, “From Hatred to Mercy” in The Word Among Us, July 2006, p. 51-56). By imitating Christ’s compassionate acts, we promote and hasten the coming of his kingdom of justice, peace and love in today’s world.
(The) urge to extend compassion can lead to expressions of forgiveness that are more public. Bill Pelke, cofounder of Journey of Hope, helped to lead an international campaign to save the life of the fifteen-year-old girl who had killed his grandmother. As a result of Pelke’s work, more than two million people signed petitions protesting her execution in 1989, and Pope John Paul II asked that her life be spared. The effort was successful: Paula Cooper’s sentence was commuted to sixty years in prison. (…)
Only a “big God” could have brought Bill to the point of forgiving such a brutal crime. Ruth Pelke, the grandmother he knew as “Nana”, was a gentle woman who had trustingly opened her door to Paula Cooper and three other ninth-grade girls. Pretending to be interested in Bible lessons, the teens just wanted money to play arcade games. Once inside, they stabbed the seventy-eight year old woman over thirty-three times, took ten dollars, and drove off in her car.
In the months that followed, Bill felt that God was calling him to forgive the girls, especially Paula, who was considered the ringleader. It was beyond him. Painful images prevented him from feeling any compassion, he says. He kept picturing Nana “butchered on the dining room floor – the same dining room where our family gathered every year for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and birthdays.”
Bill’s moment of conversion came a year and a half later, as he began his three-to-eleven shift at work. Sitting fifty feet aloft in a crane cab, he visualized the photo of his grandmother that had accompanied the newspaper accounts of her murder. It showed a silver-haired woman with a sweet smile and wearing a light blue dress. This time, though, he saw something distinctly different in the familiar picture. Tears were flowing from Nana’s eyes and down her cheeks. “At first I thought they might be tears of pain”, he says, “but I immediately realized they were tears of love and compassion for Paula Cooper and her family.”
In his book Journey of Hope, Bill writes: “As I sat in the crane, I pictured an image of Jesus crucified on the cross. I pictured the crown of thorns dug into his brow. I envisioned his bloody hands and feet and the nails driven through them. I recalled what he said: Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing. I began to think that Paula Cooper didn’t know what she was doing when she killed Nana. A person who knows what they are doing does not take a twelve-inch butcher knife and stab someone thirty-three times.”
With tears “flowing like a river”, Bill begged for the strength he needed to forgive. From that moment on, it was as if a weight was lifted from his heart. He was finally able to picture his grandmother not as she had died but as she had lived – “what she stood for and what she believed in, and the beautiful, wonderful person that she was”.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we recognize that redemptive suffering is an important aspect of the kingship of Christ? Do we acknowledge that Jesus’ self-surrendering love is what makes for his effective rule? Do we strive to follow the ways of Christ’s sacrificial kingship that entails accepting the conditions of this fragmented world, with all its suffering and mortality? Do we try to be more receptive to the kingship of Jesus by fulfilling the mystery of his blessed passion, death and resurrection in the witness of our own personal life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for guiding us in our spiritual journey
through the Church’s liturgical year.
The year of grace 2012
is crowned with the Feast of Christ the King.
He is our Master-Shepherd and the Lord of history.
He is the Pantocrator - the almighty Lord of heaven and earth.
As we remember the past with gratitude
and live the present with enthusiasm,
we look forward with confident hope
to the final advent of Jesus your Son,
the sacrificial king ... our Redeemer King.
Bless us and strengthen us.
Form us into a serving, suffering and loving Church.
Help us to be true witnesses
of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom value.
He 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.
“My kingdom does not belong to this world.” (Jn 18:36)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that today’s Christian disciples may understand more deeply the meaning and the challenge of Christ’s sacrificial kingship. Endeavor to promote the kingship of Christ by acts of justice and peace, and by a personal witnessing of love, service, and joy in the Holy Spirit. As humble participants in his sacrificial kingdom, let us courageously promote the culture of life and resolve to fight the culture of death that takes shape in many violent forms. If possible, take part in a public manifestation of love, honor and reverence for Christ, the King of the universe.
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November 23, 2015: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (34)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Father’s Totus Tuus … He Guides Us by His Wisdom”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 1:1-6, 8-20 // Lk 21:1-4
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 21:1-4): “He noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.”
We are almost at the end of the liturgical year. Through the sacred liturgy, the Church helps us to be thankful for the divine compassion and the providence bestowed on us every moment of our life. Likewise, the bible readings in these days, especially today’s Gospel about the widow who gives all (Lk 21:1-4), invite us to respond to God with a generous and total love. As we are completing the Church’s year of grace 2014, 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 comments: “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. The Gospel reading exhibits this theme. The widow who gave her two small copper coins gave all that she had to live on. This was her version of totus tuus to God. Because it was that, it was worth much more than the huge donations of the wealthy … The emphasis is on the completeness of the human gift … Jesus is the Father’s totus tuus to us. When we respond, it must also be in the once and for all spirit of totus tuus. In Christianity, God has given his all once and for all. We are asked to respond in the same way … That is why we say right here and now to God: Totus tuus, Lord”.
Here is a daily life example of a totus tuus gift to God (cf. Rick Hamline in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 60).
In the middle of a busy morning at the office, I’d just finished a long e-mail to a colleague when the phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number but answered. A faint voice said, “I’m Bernadette.”
“I’m Rick Hamlin”, I replied, trying to remember if there was a Bernadette in any story I was working on. “May I help you?”
“I need someone to pray for me”, she said. My friend Mary is very sick from cancer. They’ve just put her on hospice care. I don’t know what to do …” Her voice broke.
They knew each other from childhood. They talked on the phone every day. The cancer had come very quickly. Bernadette was in shock. Each time she visited her friend she was afraid of dissolving in tears. “If I could just pray with someone”, she said.
I found myself asking, “Want me to pray with you right now?”
“Yes, please”, she said.
I closed my eyes and lowered my voice, hoping none of my colleagues would interrupt. I’m not sure what I said, but I trusted that the right words would come. “Be with Mary and Bernadette”, I ended. “Amen.”
“Amen”, Bernadette said. “Thank you, sir. That was nice of you.”
She hung up, and I returned to work. Maybe Bernadette was supposed to get my number. Perhaps praying for her was the most important thing I would do all day.
Dear Lord, let me know how to say yes when You call.
B. First Reading (Dn 1:1-6, 8-20): “None were found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.”
This is the last week of the liturgical year. The Old Testament readings are taken from the Book of Daniel, written when the Jews were suffering great persecution to encourage them to keep faith in the Lord. Today’s episode about Daniel and his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Dn 1:1-6, 8-20) underlines that loyalty is rewarded. Together with other selected young men from the Israelite exiles, they are being trained to serve in the royal court. The king allots them a daily ration of food and wine from the royal table. Daniel and his companions make up their mind not to be ritually unclean by eating the food and drinking the wine of the royal court. They resolve not to compromise their identity as God’s people and refuse to violate the traditional dietary laws, a distinctive mark of Jewish identity.
With the help of a sympathetic guard, the Jewish young men nourished themselves only with vegetables and drink only water. At the end of the ten-day trial, Daniel and his friends look healthier and stronger than all those who have been eating the food of the royal court. So from then on the kindly guard let them continue to eat vegetables instead of what the king provides. God rewards their loyalty with success. When King Nebuchadnezzar talks with the candidates, none are found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah in wisdom and prudence. Thus they are assumed into the king’s service.
The prayers and reflections of the writer, Flannery O’Connor, gives insight into the spiritual wisdom and sterling qualities of the Jewish young heroes Daniel and his companions (cf. Lorraine Murray, “Love Letters to God” in Our Sunday Visitor, November 10, 2013, p. 6).
“I want to be the best artist it is possible for me to be”, writes the young Flannery O’Connor in a lovely treasure of a book called simply “A Prayer Journal” … Born in Savannah in 1925; O’Connor lived most of her life at Andalusia Farm near Milledgeville, Ga. There she completed two novels, two collections of stories and numerous essays – and was honored with the National Book Award posthumously.
The intensely personal prayer journal is best described as a collection of love letters to God. Not love in the sickeningly sweet, overly flowery sense that O’Connor would have deplored, but a longing to get closer to someone and to know them better … She opens on a plaintive note: “Dear God, I cannot love Thee the way I want to.” The obstacles to loving God, as she sees them, are her aspirations to be a writer and her hope for success. As she succinctly notes, “I am in the way.” … The entries are laced with distinctly Catholic references, especially in her devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and her belief that Catholicism offers an encounter with God “as nearly as we can get to Him on earth.” (…)
Grace is a recurring topic, which is not surprising given that it played a central role in her fiction. After all, this was the woman who would later declare that her stories at heart were about “the action of grace in territory held largely by the devil”. Here she prays, “Give me the grace, dear God, to adore you”, and also acknowledges that grace often comes after suffering. As for her own suffering, the young O’Connor suggests “there’s a terrific balance due”. The sad irony, of course, is that she would get more than her share a few years later when she began showing symptoms of lupus, which eventually took her life at age 39. In an eerily prescient moment, she asks God to “give me the courage to stand the pain to get the grace”.
Given the honesty and the passionate yearning expressed here – and the stirring, deeply Catholic stories that would later proceed from this author’s pen – it seems these longings were fulfilled.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Why is the donation of the poor widow in the Jerusalem temple most valuable and significant? How does her offering evoke Christ’s total gift of himself? In what does Christ’s totus tuus to the Father consist? Why is Christ himself the Father’s totus tuus gift to us? Do we strive to make of our life a totus tuus gift to God?
2. What lesson do we glean from the life of Daniel and his companions? How do their integrity before God and courageous stance before all adversities inspire us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for creating us in your image,
for redeeming us in your Son,
and for sanctifying us through the power of your life-giving Spirit.
Jesus Christ is your totus tuus gift to us.
On the cross of sacrifice,
he was the Priest and Victim par excellence.
By his passion and death on the cross,
you revealed your unmitigated love and compassionate care for us.
Dear Lord God,
we love you.
Like the widow who offered her last two coins at the Jerusalem temple,
let us learn to give all and everything – our totus tuus –
and be sustained by faith in your providence.
Bless us, loving God.
Amen.
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Almighty God,
glorious and praiseworthy are you!
You gave spiritual wisdom and inner strength
to Daniel and his companions
to live with integrity and in purity of heart.
By their faithfulness to the holy covenant and its sacred decrees,
you rewarded them with abundant blessings and success.
Grant us the courage of their faith
and help us to follow you with undivided heart,
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.
“This poor widow put in more than all the rest” (Lk 21:3) //“He was resolved not to defile himself.” (Dn 3:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that our response to God’s compassionate love may be total, generous and wholehearted. By your personal dedication and service to the poor and needy, avow to God the totus tuus character of your love for him and your neighbors. // Be aware of examples of courage that surround us and let the “good news” mitigate the brutality that today’s mass media propagates in today’s world.
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November 24, 2015: TUESDAY – SAINT ANDREW DUNG-LAC, Priest, AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Prepares Us for the Last Things … His Kingdom Will Never End”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 2:31-45 // Lk 21:5-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 21:5-11): “There will not be left a stone upon another stone.”
The setting of today’s Gospel (Lk 21:5-11) is the Jerusalem Temple, where Jesus is teaching the people and proclaiming the Good News. A beautiful refurbishing of the Temple began about forty-six years before Jesus’ birth by Herod the Great. The Temple, though not yet complete, is already one of the wonders of the ancient world. Some of the granite stones in the Temple walls, as big as modern freight cars, are so expertly linked together without mortar that it is hard to see the joints. The magnificence of the Temple with its brilliant white marble and gold ornamentation awes the people. Today’s Gospel passage describes how some people are commenting on the Temple adorned with costly stones and votive offerings. In the midst of this enthused admiration, Jesus grimly utters a prophecy on the destruction of the Temple: “All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down” (Lk 21:6).
At his last appearance in the Temple, Jesus makes a final statement on its destruction. Indeed, there is an intimate connection between the destruction of Jerusalem and the events at the end of the world. The crisis that Jerusalem faces in Jesus’ ministry is a harbinger of the crisis that Jesus and his message, and above all, his coming as the Son of Man, will bring to all. Jesus does not give a definite date for the destruction of the Temple; neither does he give a specific time for the parousia, or his second coming. At the brink of his paschal sacrifice, Jesus asserts the faith reality that God will triumph over all the forces of evil. By predicting the destruction of the Temple and by giving warning signs of cosmic destruction, Jesus prepares his disciples spiritually for what is ahead - for the “last things”.
Harold Buetow remarks: “So what do we do now about our thoughts on the last things? For one thing, within ourselves we ought to develop a deeper spirit of responsibility so that we seek to become dependable rather than dependent, givers rather than takers, generous rather than addicted to self- interest … Outside ourselves, we are to be busy with the calamities around us; not just deplore the world’s trouble spots, but to help their victims.”
The following story is very heartening and encouraging (cf. Tom Price, “The Other Haiti” in America, October 18, 2010, p. 23-25). It is a modern day example of a responsible and creative stance in a cataclysmic situation. It inspires hope and teaches us how to promote the advent of the kingdom of God in the here and now … with toil and labor!
Try to imagine Haiti, ravaged by a massive earthquake last January, and images of rubble, masonry at crazy angles and huge homeless camps come to mind. Port-au-Prince, the capital, is still dotted with the camps that people spontaneously formed after the quake and white Land Cruisers of the United Nations and other relief agencies. While cleanup is underway, collapsed buildings and debris overwhelm the landscape. In Leogane, west of the capital and close to the center of the quake, barely a building is left standing. To see how the nation is changing and to glimpse its future, you have to take a road out of Port-au-Prince.
I recently traveled to Haiti for Catholic Relief Services to document the plight of rural Haitians. There I observed a number of projects fully or partially funded by C.R.S. that provide short-term jobs, grant micro-loans to small businesses, subsidize daily meals for Catholic schoolchildren and help local communities plant trees and grow food. A small agricultural school teaches men and women farming techniques to enrich the soil, increase crop yields and channel runoff. I also saw how the Haitian countryside has been affected by the quake.
In the southern and western departments (or provinces) island life is beginning to look more normal. The people here are poor, but the buildings are intact. Yet the quake has brought enormous pressures: Some 110,000 internally displaced people live in the Sud Department – more than the 80,000 of whom live in the two largest camps in Port-au-Prince to which the prominent visitors and film crews come. Many of the displaced people now in Sud lost their homes in the capital during the quake and have returned to their rural roots in these provincial towns to stay with family. The two neighboring departments of Grand Anse and Nippes also “host” displaced Haitians from the capital, almost 200,000 of them. With their arrival, household sizes in Sud have swelled by an average of five people. In rural areas like the small coastal town of Carrefour, I met many families who had left Port-au-Prince.
Meprilant Desire is philosophical when he talks about making ends meet with extra mouths to feed. “God gave them to us, so we make do. Some days we get enough, some days we don’t,” he smiles. Desire now supports nine children, four of his own and five who fled the quake. Recently widowed, he is caring for them alone. Straight across the dirt road that runs through the town, his neighbor Frisca Saint Juste, 23, has a similar story. He is sheltering his cousin and his cousin’s three children, plus his mother and father.
Both Desire and Saint Juste have planted seeds they received as part of a church distribution at a seed fair. They are both tending strips of peas and corn. The peas provide vital nitrogen to the soil for the next crop. Saint Juste depends on the crops he grows behind his small house. His cousin helps out, but it is backbreaking work, especially with no nearby water source to irrigate the crops. Saint Juste explains to me how bringing water close to the field, with a community water pump, for instance, would greatly help him and his neighbors. Desire is a man with a heavy weight on his shoulders. He is nevertheless optimistic about the future. He attributes his optimism to the new agricultural venture. “I got seeds at a seed fair, and I know enough not to eat them but to plant them”, he laughs. “I am stronger now, I have more energy, and I have the energy to plant more.” He has ambitions to plant peanuts next.
B. First Reading (Dn 2:31-45): “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed and shall put an end to all these kingdoms.”
There is something fascinating and awesome in dreams. Early in the morning – at around 3:00 A.M. on November 14, 2008 (Friday) – I dreamed that my 90-year old mom collapsed in my arms and that I screamed to my elder brother for help. I woke up startled. What was the meaning of the dream? After the Morning Prayer and the Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, I asked the Sisters in my community what could have been the meaning of my dream. But no one could interpret my dream. We hardly finished breakfast when I received a phone call from my younger brother in Sacramento informing me that my mom in Cebu, Philippines was seriously ill. She was in the ICU and wanted to see me. I was booked to fly to the Philippines the week after, but I was able to anticipate my flight that very Friday evening. I arrived in Cebu Sunday morning and hurried to see my comatose mom at the ICU. She passed away that very evening. Later my brother informed me that they brought my mom to the hospital on the past Friday at 7:00 P.M., which was the time I was dreaming in Los Angeles. Indeed, there was a message in my dream.
King Nebuchadnezzar, in today’s Old Testament reading (Dn 2:31-45), has a dream that worries him. He decrees that an interpreter from his kingdom should tell the details of the dream and explain its meaning. He does not trust any interpreter who cannot tell him the dream. The wise men in his kingdom argue that no human being, only a god, can tell a dream. The king is so angered that he decrees the death of all the royal advisers in Babylon, which includes Daniel and his companions. The four young men pray for deliverance. Their prayer is answered in a nocturnal vision in which God reveals to Daniel the mystery of the king’s dream. Daniel tells King Nebuchadnezzar his dream and gives the interpretation. In the dream, the king sees a huge human-like statue made of various materials that crumbled when it is struck at the feet by a mysterious stone. The symbolism of the destruction is explained as the demise of successive empires, beginning with Babylon. The smashing by the stone not cut by human hands is a sign of the end of the present age and the coming of an indestructible kingdom that the God of heaven is to establish. The heavenly kingdom will never end. In the eyes of faith, the kingdom that is symbolically presented in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dreams continue to fascinate us. Today, as we celebrate, the death anniversary of our Founder Blessed James Alberione (April 4, 1884 – November 26, 1971) it is fitting to recall a decisive dream he dreamt (cf. James Alberione, Abundates Divitiae, n. 151-158).
In moments of particular difficulty, re-examining his whole conduct to see if there were impediments to the action of grace on his part, it seemed to him that the Divine Master wanted to reassure the Institute, started only a few years previously.
In a dream which he had afterwards, he felt he was given an answer. In fact, Jesus Master said: “Do not be afraid. I am with you. From here I will cast light. Be sorry for sins.”
The “from here” came from the tabernacle; and with strength as to make him understand that from Him – the Teacher – comes all the light that has to be received.
He spoke of it to the Spiritual Director, explaining the light in which the figure of the Divine Master had appeared. He replied: “Be serene. Dream or otherwise, what was said was holy. Make it a practical program of life and of light for yourself and for all the members.”
From this he always oriented himself, and he drew all from the Tabernacle.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What message do the tumultuous events in the world, natural and man-made calamities and the threats of ecological destruction, bring to us? What is our attitude towards the “last things”?
2. Do we believe that God gives us spiritual vision to see the presence and the power of his saving plan? Do we look forward to the glorious coming of the heavenly kingdom in Jesus Christ?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your Son Jesus predicted the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple,
the jewel of the city
and the unique center of worship
for the people of the first covenant.
In his prophecy and revelation,
Jesus assures us
that your victorious saving hand is at work.
Although we do not know the hour
and the circumstances of the end time,
nor the specific moment
of the ultimate coming of Jesus in his glory,
we resolve to work perseveringly
in the final realization of his Kingdom.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
you are all-knowing.
Give us the grace to dream of the messianic end-time
where your kingdom of justice and peace fully reigns.
Like Blessed James Alberione,
the founder of the Pauline Family,
let us be attentive to the vision that comes from the Tabernacle
and the saving inspiration that flows forth from Jesus,
the Divine Master, the Way, Truth and Life.
Through him, we give you glory and praise,
now and forever
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“All that you see here – the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone.” (Lk 21:6) //“The God of heaven will build up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed or delivered up to another people.” (Dn 2:44)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the Jewish people and today’s city of Jerusalem in the Holy Land. In the Eucharistic celebration, proclaim the memorial acclamation with devotion and conviction. Allow the assurance of Christ’s coming to brighten your life and encourage you to labor mightily for the Kingdom of God. // By your acts of charity to the disheartened and those in distress, let them feel that there is hope for tomorrow and enable them to dream inspiring “dreams”.
*** *** ***
November 25, 2015: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (34); SAINT CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA, Virgin
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Wants Us to Persevere … In Him Is God’s Vindication”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 // Lk 21:12-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 21:12-19): “You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.”
The article, “A Tree Grows in Kenya” in Guideposts magazine (January 2004) deals with the inspiring effort of Wangari Maathai to fight off ecological destruction in her native land, Kenya. The author, Christopher Davis, narrates the gargantuan feat of this enterprising woman, whose perseverance epitomizes today’s Gospel exhortation: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives”.
In 1960 Wangari won a Kennedy scholarship to study in America. She earned a master’s in biology from University of Pittsburgh, then became the first woman from Kenya ever to earn a Ph.D. Wangari returned to her county in 1966 and was shocked by what she found. The forests had been cut down for lumber. Heavy rains washed most of the good soil away, since there was no longer vegetation to protect it. Rivers were silt-choked, the soil leached of nutrients. Nothing grew and nothing bloomed anymore … Worst was what had happened to Kenya’s most precious resource – people. Men abandoned farms for jobs in overcrowded cities, leaving wives and children behind. Trees in the countryside were so scarce that women walked miles to gather a few sticks for a fire – the center of village life.
“There were so many problems,” Wangari says. “I did not know where to start, except to pray.” Then she remembered what the missionaries said: Every forest begins with a single seed. She planted a tree. Then another. Then hundreds. In 1977 she founded a group called the Green Belt Movement, which promotes tree planting in rural areas and trains farmers in eco-friendly farming methods. Since the group started, it has planted some 20 million trees in Kenya and has changed the way Kenyans look at their environment.
On October 8, 2004, Wangari Maathai was announced the winner of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. The patient perseverance of the tree planter, Wangari, who did not allow herself to be overwhelmed by a disastrous situation, but exhibited creative and life-giving attitudes under duress, anticipates the victorious quality of God’s coming at the end time. Indeed, by living out the spirit of stewardship and care of God’s creation, she presents to the world of today the patient endurance that leads to life.
The biblical scholar Carroll Stuhlmueller remarks: “Christians must adjust to a long period of waiting and persecution. In doing so, they are following the sorrowful way of the cross, taken by Jesus to arrive at glory.” Indeed, the basic tone that permeates the Gospel passage concerning the Temple destruction and the end time is the absolute assurance of the Lord’s control of history and his ultimate victory. Despite all the evil that can be imagined, the hand of God that guides our personal and cosmic destiny will emerge victorious.
Today’s Gospel reading (Lk 21:12-19) concludes beautifully with Jesus’ reassuring words: “Not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your life.” The promise that no harm will come to even one hair of a Christian disciple is simply a graphic statement depicting the ultimate spiritual protection of those who endure persecution for the sake of Jesus. After giving this heartwarming assurance, Christ then exhorted his disciples to manifest the sterling quality of perseverance – the courageous attitude that will help us participate in the ultimate victory of God.
B. First Reading (Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28): “The fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the plaster of the wall.”
In today’s Old Testament reading (Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28), we hear of God’s vindication and of the swiftly punished sacrilege committed by King Belshazzar, the son of King Nebuchadnezzar. At a royal banquet, under the influence of wine, King Belshazzar orders that the gold and silver cups and bowls, which his father Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from the temple of Jerusalem, be brought in so that he, his guests, his wives and concubines can use them to toast the Babylonian gods. His desecration is dramatically halted when a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster wall of the palace that is illumined by bright lamps. The Jewish exile Daniel, who is extraordinarily brilliant and wise and who can interpret dreams, is brought to him. Daniel accuses Belshazzar for not honoring God and for acting against him. The prophet Daniel interprets the mysterious writing on the wall as a declaration of the end of the Babylonian Empire. That very night King Belshazzar is killed and Darius the Mede seizes the royal power.
The “writing on the wall” is ominous for the evil-doer. In today’s society, the witnessing of those who live their faith is like the “writing on the wall” that foretells God’s victory over evil. The following article gives an insight into what it means to uphold the sovereignty of God and to be pro-active supporters of belief in God (cf. Jonathan Luxmoore, “Secularization Taxes France’s Church-State Relationship” in Our Sunday Visitor, November 10, 2013, p. 5).
When Francois Hollande was elected France’s Socialist president in May 2012, his platform included policies to boost the flagging economy, but also featured liberalizing measures – from same-sex marriage to embryo research. Above all, Hollande promised steps to re-affirm the country’s guiding principle of laicite, excluding religion from the public sphere, which many Socialists believed had been eroded under his center-right predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy. (…)
Some observers wonder how effectively the Church can resist the Socialist onslaught. Priestly vocations have fallen sharply in France, leaving many of the Church’s 36,000 parishes without resident priests and fueling fears that a fifth of its 15,000 listed churches could face closure by local councils.
Yet Renard, the Catholic family association president, remains upbeat. “Our bishop’s capacity to talk and act is restricted by official considerations – but Catholic organizations like ours have no limitations”, Renard told the OSV … Catholic campaigners have scored some successes. France’s appeals court has rejected attempts to bar religion from state kindergartens, while a judgment requiring parishes to erase the names of apostasizing Catholics from their baptismal registers was overturned in September. And France’s main police union has regretted the violent suppression of last spring’s demonstration against same-sex marriage.
Addressing French parliamentarians in early October at Saint Clothilde Basilica in Paris, Cardinal Vingt-Trois urges against fatalist views that Christians should “abandon responsibility for care of the world to those who ignore God.” Catholics like Renard fully concur. In a recent effort, La Croix said France was seeing a “multiplication of initiatives” against Socialist government plans, with one organization, “Actors for the Future”, formed by a priest from Versailles diocese, and another, “Founding Tomorrow”, set up by young professionals to promote “long term Christian engagement in politics”. They say they’ve received pledges of solidarity not just from France, but from around Europe too, and will step up their campaign before municipal and European Parliament elections in early 2014.
“Secular principles must be respected, but not if this means you’re not even allowed to talk about religion”, Renard said. “We’re accustomed to Catholics being treated as the enemy here. But it’s tragic and shocking that many people can no longer even imagine we believe in God, and just assume the Church is some old-fashioned organization that hasn’t understood how the world works. We now need to prove them wrong by appealing to consciences and mobilizing effort.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we endeavor to persevere in the love and service of our Lord Jesus? Do we trust that though we will be hated by all because of his name, “not a hair on our head will be destroyed”? Do we dedicate ourselves, in toil and labor, to promote the advent of the kingdom of God? How do we respond to Jesus’ comforting words and vigorous challenge: “By your perseverance you will secure your lives”?
2. What relevance does the “writing on the wall” have for you? Do you resolve to be pro-active in your faith and contribute to the triumph of God’s justice in the world?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving God, victorious over all,
we reverence your name.
Teach us to love and serve you faithfully
and to trust in your protection.
Help us to act responsibly and compassionately.
Let us be creatively involved
in helping our brothers and sisters
overcome the pain and distress of today’s fragmented world.
Help us promote your kingdom of justice, peace and love.
We eagerly await
the glorious advent of your Son Jesus Christ
at the end time.
We give you thanks and praise.
We adore and glorify you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
your “writing on the wall” indicates your vindication
and the triumph of your power over evil.
Give us the grace to be significant members of the faith community
and the courage “to write on the wall”
the victory of our Christian faith.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” (Lk 21:19) //“You have rebelled against the Lord of heaven.” (Dn 5:23)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the Christian disciples may continue to promote God’s kingdom in toil and labor. Assist the victims of natural and man-made calamities to cope with the pain and hardship of their situations. // Resolve to be pro-active in your Christian witnessing and allow your faith to permeate today’s culture and society.
*** *** ***
November 26, 2015: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (34)
THANKSGIVING DAY (in USA)
N.B. DEATH ANNIVERSARY OF BLESSED JAMED ALBERIONE, FOUNDER OF THE PAULINE FAMILY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Assures Us that Our Redemption Is Near … He Rescues Us from the Lion’s Den”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 6:12-28 // Lk 21:20-28
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 21:20-28): “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
July 16, 1990: A terrible earthquake jolted the island of Luzon in the Philippines and wrought havoc and misery. People were entombed alive in the collapsed buildings. One young man was buried for two weeks in the basement of a ruined hotel in Baguio City. On the 13th day he lost hope of being rescued and decided to hasten his death. He started to bang his head viciously against a concrete slab, but a pair of invisible hands gently restrained him from killing himself. A serene feeling took hold of him and there was the assurance that redemption was at hand. He relaxed his battered body on the cold slab. On the 14th day the rescuers found him and were able to break through. He was liberated from his tomb of death. As he weakly mouthed his words of thanks (“Salamat! Salamat!”) to the rescuers, his family and friends wept for joy. The young man’s advent yearning for redemption was fulfilled.
Today’s Gospel (Lk 21:20-28) presents us with apocalyptic images: “There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and waves …”. These images are not meant to frighten us, but rather, they are an invitation for us to open ourselves to the saving intervention of Christ and the grace of his kingdom. We have nothing to dread, for in his final coming Christ will avow his victory and lordship as redeeming Master. We should look forward with expectation to his message of hope: “Your redemption is near!” In our preparation for the different “advents” of Christ in our life and history, let us strive to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father.
B. First Reading (Dn 6:12-28): “My God has sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Dn 6:12-28) continues to testify that God vindicates his faithful people. On account of an intrigue and machinations caused by some jealous officials, Daniel ends up in the lion’s den. His enemies have convinced King Darius to outlaw prayer, but Daniel continues to pray three times a day, as the Jewish piety requires. The faithful Daniel is ready to suffer martyrdom rather than give up the practice of religion. God comes to his rescue and saves him from the jaws of the roaring lions. The benevolent King Darius acknowledges the power of Daniel’s God: “He is a living God and he will rule forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his power will never come to an end. He saves and rescues; he performs wonders and miracles in heaven and on earth. He saved Daniel from being killed by the lions.” Daniel’s dramatic and miraculous rescue from the lions is a figure of resurrection.
The following story of rescue gives an insight into the mysterious ways of God and his power to save (cf. Diana Circelli, “Mysterious Ways” in Guideposts, November 2013, p. 37).
Our roadtrip started with just the two of us – my husband Phil, and me, driving from Ohio to Mexico and back again. But we’d picked up some rather colorful hitchhikers along the way, at my mother’s house in Oklahoma. Mom was moving, and the movers she’d hired refused to transfer her houseplants because their truck wasn’t climate-controlled. “I can fit the small ones in my car”, Mom told us. “Can you take the large potted plants home until you can get them to me?”
Now three blooming hoyas, two Christmas cactuses and one enormous aloe vera blocked the back window of our sedan. They did fine in the heat of Texas and Mexico, but then we turned north toward home and headed into cold weather. Frost could damage, even kill them. At midnight one evening, we pulled up to a motel in Blythebille, Arkansas, the temperature dipping into the teens. We’d have to haul the heavy plants inside with us.
“We’ll need a room for two, please”, I told the woman at the front desk, not mentioning our extra guests. She peered at her computer screen. “We have a couple of rooms left on the second floor over the restaurant”, she said, “and one on ground level, way back across the parking lot.” “Is there an elevator?” I asked. She shook her head. “Ground level”, I said. No way Phil and I were lugging those plants up a flight of stairs. It was still a hassle to get the plants inside. After Phil wrestled the last Christmas cactus through the doorway, we fell into bed, exhausted.
At 2:00 A.M., an alarm woke us, followed by pounding on nearby doors. We heard sirens. Then voices. “Police! Get out, the motel’s on fire!” The fire was in the other wing, so we had enough time to gather our things and haul Mom’s plants back out into the chilly night. We got them into the car and then climbed in ourselves, watching as flames engulfed the motel restaurant and the rooms above it. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Today, whenever Mom’s Christmas cactuses bloom, we remember how hard we worked to save them, and how they ended up saving us.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we respond to Christ’s message of hope: “Your redemption is near”? Do we allow its liberating promise to penetrate our lives so that we look critically at our present time, discern what really matters, and engage in our daily work with courage and joy? Do the convulsions of today’s distressed world lead us to dismay and fear; or do we consider them as a prelude to the redemptive final consummation of the salvation worked by Christ, the Son of Man, on the cross?
2. Do you have experiences similar to Daniel’s rescue from the lion’s den? How did you respond to the saving event?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Father,
you are the wellspring of hope.
Make us realize that the convulsions of your beloved creation
are a prelude to the Son of Man’s final coming.
In the midst of the travails and miseries of today’s world,
help us to trust in his Message:
“Your redemption is at hand.”
We praise and bless you, now and forever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
you rescued the faithful Daniel from the lion’s den.
Daniel prayed to you
and loved you with uncompromising loyalty.
Give me the grace to be faithful to you.
Rescue me from the clutches of evil
and be my redeemer in death-dealing situations.
You are victorious over death and all-powerful,
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.
“Your redemption is at hand.” (Lk 21:28) //“My God has sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths.” (Dn 6:22)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When the world events as presented by today’s mass media daunt you, trust in the Lord’s assurance that our redemption is at hand. Fast from the excessive use of digital media as a way of preparation for his advent. // Resolve to be faithful to God no matter what and be diligent in your exercises of piety. In time of need and danger, call upon him and trust in his protecting hand.
*** *** ***
November 27, 2015: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (34)
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Words Will Not Pass Away … He Is the Son of Man that Is Coming on the Clouds of Heaven”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 7:2-14 // Lk 21:29-33
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 21:29-33): “When you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.”
In today’s Gospel (Lk 21:29-33), Jesus underlines that the signs of the arrival or “advent” of God’s kingdom are as obvious as the change of season. Jesus remarks that “the fig tree and all the other trees” – when their buds open – they indicate that summer is near. The trees seem “dead” during winter, but with the annual return of sap through the bare spiky twigs, the trees burst with new life. Just as the blossoming trees in spring indicate that summer is coming, so also the occurrences of messianic “signs” and apocalyptic convulsions point to the coming of the kingdom. One “sign” is the imminent destruction of the Jerusalem temple. The Parable of the Fig Tree emphasizes the certainty of the fulfillment of salvation history. It is ongoing, but it will be completed. The “blossoming” of the tress likewise evokes the future destiny of the Church: only after the faith community has withered the storms of winter and experienced the agony of “paschal” death will the kingdom be near. The final words of Jesus are powerful: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” The words of Jesus endure because of his absolute authority. As the Son of God, he is not just a foreteller of the course of history, but its origin, meaning, purpose and goal.
Like the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, the 9/11 tragedy is an apocalyptic “sign” – not of total destruction – but of the power of life. The faith, love, prayers and heroism that emerge from the rubble and ashes of 9/11 show that evil does not have the final word. The Lord Jesus has the ultimate say for “heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will not pass away”. We believe that in the midst of tragic events the kingdom of God is near at hand and that God is in control. Here is a faith testimony about the 9/11 event (cf. Brigitte Weeks in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 279).
The elevator stopped at the twenty-second floor and I got off, just as I did every weekday. “Hey”, Elizabeth said, “I heard there’s been a plane crash somewhere downtown.” We had no information and no idea of the enormity of what was happening on that September day in 2001.
We all crowded together with questions that had no answers. There was a portable TV in the conference room, so we strained to make sense of the blurry images of what was happening only a mile and a half from our office. We were transfixed and horrified. As the truth of the disaster became clearer, those with family and friends in the financial district tried to make contact. We held hands with those who could get no response, while the sounds of police cars and fire trucks became one high-pitched wail.
As information trickled in, we began to feel panicked, helpless, unable to function. I felt a kind of unimaginably heavy responsibility because I was the boss. “Let’s go to my apartment”, I said. It was within walking distance, and we could stay together and find out more what was happening. Ten of us came together and prayed. Some prayers were simple: “Help us.” Others were the same prayer that was being said all over the city: “I am safe. Are you safe? I love you.”
As we prayed for all those who would never say those words, and for those whose lives were forever changed, we were grateful for the hands we held and the comfort we share.
Lord, comfort those who will never forget, and bring Your peace to the nations of the world.
B. First Reading (Dn 7:2-14): “I saw one like a son of man coming on the clouds of heaven.”
In today’s Old Testament reading (Dn 7:2-14), the vision of Daniel concerning the four beasts represents the rise and fall of the four major kingdoms that ruled over God’s people from the exile to the time when the book of Daniel was written in the 2nd century B.C. His vision of the “son of man” coming on the clouds of heaven and receiving dominion, glory and kingship originally represented the vindication of the persecuted people of Israel, bitterly oppressed under the reign of the detested pagan Syrian king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, whose kingship was about to be shattered. The image of the human figure enthroned in glory, however, later came to be applied to the expected Messiah. Christians see the fulfillment of this apocalyptic vision in the person of Jesus Christ. Indeed, the prophet Daniel’s fascinating vision of one like a Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, who receives the homage of all peoples, nations and languages and wields an everlasting dominion, is a prophecy par excellence of Christ’s glorious coming in judgment at the end-time or parousia. The final advent of the Messiah-Almighty King is one of restoration and communion.
Daniel’s prophecy that the Son of Man receives “dominion, glory and kingship” and that “nations and peoples of every language serve him” is a reality that we have experienced in the Walk for Peace and Vocations that we made in Fresno on the eve of Christ the King this year. The participants are from all walks of life, from all ages, speaking different tongues and proud of each one’s culture. At the end of the pilgrimage walk, we celebrated our oneness in the Lord at the Eucharistic table, extolling Christ as the King of us all and of all creation. The sense of belonging to the kingdom of Christ and the perception that “we walk by faith” with him are special graces we have received in the “Walk for Peace and Vocations” that we organized on November 23, 2013 to culminate the Year of Faith.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe in the saving power of Jesus who said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”? How do we collaborate with Jesus in bringing salvation history to completion?
2. What are the feelings and insights generated in us by the prophet Daniel’s apocalyptic vision of “one like a son of man coming on the clouds of heaven … who received dominion, glory, and kingship; all peoples, nations, and languages serve him …”? Does the figure of the “son of man” who receives everlasting dominion increase in us the conviction that the forces of evil would not prevail and that the reign of God would ultimately triumph?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are the Lord of history.
You are its origin, purpose, meaning and goal.
You bring the divine saving plan to completion.
Your word of love and Gospel of salvation will endure.
Help us to cooperate with you
in bringing forth the advent of God’s kingdom.
We trust in you who said,
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away”.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
we thank you for giving us a vision of your glory and power.
We thank you for the vision of the “Son of Man”
coming on the clouds of heaven.
He is Christ the Lord, our eternal King.
He is worthy of our love, adoration and absolute service.
Let him reign in us, 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.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Lk 21:33) //“His dominion is an everlasting dominion.” (Dn 7:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In the midst of today’s culture of death, renew your trust in God, the Lord of history. In your daily life, make choices that will promote the saving design of God. // In your daily life, let the kingship of Christ reign in your hearts, mind and will. By word and deed, let the people around you feel that you really belong to him.
*** *** ***
November 28, 2015: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (34); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Exhorts Us to Be Vigilant …
He Assures Us of Final Victory”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 7:15-27 // Lk 21:34-36
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 21:34-36): “Be vigilant that you may have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent.”
I had filed my application for a religious visa at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, and was scheduled for an interview on September 3, 2002. At 4:30 A.M. I was on my way to Manila from our convent in Antipolo City. At 6:30 A.M. I was at the gate of the Embassy patiently waiting for what I thought was an 8:30 A.M. interview. I finally realized that I belonged to a group of about 50 applicants whose papers began to be processed at 8:30 A.M. There were several groups ahead of us and other groups waiting behind us. At 10:00 A.M. we were ushered into a big room where American consuls were interviewing the applicants. It was a lengthy period of waiting. We had to stay awake, alert, and ready to be called at any time. I could not afford to doze off or take a break for fear that I would miss my opportunity for the interview. At 2:30 P.M. my name was called. After a three-minute interview my visa was approved. I went home happy and relieved. My patient waiting and vigilant expectation paid off.
The Gospel (Lk 21:34-36) proclaimed today – the end of the liturgical year - challenges us to prepare for the Lord with vigilance and renewed watchfulness. Jesus instructs his disciples how to live until the closing of the age: “Stay awake … Do not become drowsy … Be vigilant at all times … Pray that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man!” The followers of Christ are watchful to receive the Lord’s daily visitation and ready to welcome him at his glorious return in the end time. Creative and forceful vigilance is a vital characteristic of Christian discipleship. It enables us to be ready for the unforeseen but sure advent of the Lord.
B. First Reading (Dn 7:15-27): “Kingship and domain shall be given to the holy people of the Most High.”
On the last day of the liturgical year, the reading (Dn 7:15-27) assures us that “kingship and dominion shall be given to the holy people of the Most High”. The reading is about Daniel’s vision of the “fourth beast”, which symbolizes the kingdom of the Greeks. The “ten horns” of the fourth beast represent the divided Greek empire of Alexander the Great while the blasphemous “little horn” represents the ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanus, who persecuted the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea from 168 B.C. to 165 B.C. Senselessly and brutally, King Antiochus IV attempted to do away with the Jewish feasts, the Sabbath and the whole Mosaic Law. His reign lasted “a year, two years, and a half-year”, or a period of “three and a half years”, that is, half the perfect number “seven”. The duration of his reign thus symbolizes a period of intense evil and suffering for the Jews.
The angel who interpreted Daniel’s vision assures him that though the presumptuous “little horn” wars against “the holy ones of the Most High”, its power will be destroyed finally and completely. Moreover, the angel asserts that the power and greatness of all the kingdoms on earth will be given to the people of the Supreme God, whose Kingdom is everlasting and whose dominion is over all.
The following World War II account gives insight into the victory and liberation that the “holy people” would experience (cf. Diane Rondo Fanelli, “When They Saw Us, They Wept” in Reminisce, June/July 2015, p. 28).
My father, Herbert E. Rondo Jr., served as a motor machinist mate on the USS Brister from 1943 to 1946. Just days after the formal surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945, the Brister was one of the first Allied units to enter the heavily mined waters of northern Formosa (Taiwan today) to evacuate 1,200 U.S. and Allied prisoners of war from the island.
In a letter he wrote to his parents several days later, my father described the risk of maneuvering through the mined harbor, where they shelled two mines. Yet he never though he was in a real danger until the ship tied up. “We found the Japanese fully armed with swords and rifles, and we also noticed the huge shore guns trained on our ships”, he wrote. “They could have blown us out of the water, and we could have done nothing about it. But we also found out that they were plenty afraid of us. They didn’t bother us in the least, but I didn’t feel very safe walking round so many of them.”
The former prisoners were taken to the ships by train, most having been imprisoned for three and a half years. He wrote, “They were a pitiful sight physically … but spiritually they were the happiest men in the world. When they saw us, they wept.”
The Brister took aboard 180 former prisoners, who ate their first bread, butter, and meat in years. “We fed them like kings and went without ourselves.”
My brother and I did not learn of this remarkable account until we were grown.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we intent on living righteously in constant readiness for the coming of the Son of Man? What does our renewed vigilance for the Lord’s coming consist in?
2. Do we believe that the power of evil will be taken away “by final and absolute destruction” and that the “holy ones of the Most High” will savor the joy and peace in his everlasting Kingdom?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you want us to be vigilant at all times
that we may be ready for the day of your coming
and may have strength to escape the imminent tribulations.
Give us the grace to make you the center of our life
so that your final advent may be for us a day of salvation.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
O loving God,
your Kingdom is everlasting
and your dominion is over all.
Grant us faith and courage
in the threat of evil and the pain of persecution.
Let us experience your saving power
and the comfort of your vindication.
We give you glory and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Be vigilant at all times and pray.” (Lk 21:36) // “His Kingdom shall be everlasting; all dominions shall serve and obey him.” (Dn 7:27)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
With fraternal solicitude seek to alleviate the various forms of poverty and injustice in our local and world community, e.g. the tragedy of hunger, the plight of the homeless, the loneliness of the elderly, the persecution of Christians, the terror of war and ecological destruction, etc. // Thank the Lord for the blessings you have experienced in the liturgical year that is about to end and embrace with hope the new liturgical year of grace, knowing that God’s power is almighty and his Kingdom is everlasting.
***
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