A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 14, n. 11)
5th Sunday and 5th Week in Ordinary Time - Lent: Feb.7-13, 2016
(The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY & WEEKDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year C from various perspectives. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: January 31 - February 6, 2016, please go to ARCHIVES Series 14 and click on “4th Sunday & 4th Week in Ordinary Time”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: February 7-13, 2016.)
*** *** ***
February 7, 2016: FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Made Them Fishers of Men”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Is 6:1-2a, 3-8 // I Cor 15:1-11 // Lk 5:1-11
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 5:1-11): “They left everything and followed Jesus.”
One moonlit evening our class at Maryhill School of Theology celebrated the “Misa ng Bayang Pilipino”, the Filipino inculturated form of the Roman Mass, with the barrio folks of Talim, a lake island in the Philippines. The following day, we went to the beach to pray the Morning Prayer. We sat on the sand, enchanted by the beauty of that fishing village. The gentle sound of the water lapping against the shore gave us a sense of harmony and peace. Small boats, called “bancas”, were lying upturned on the sand. Fishing nets were draped on bamboo poles and fences to dry. Indeed, the “bancas” and the nets were the life-blood of the fishermen and their families in that village. In light of this experience, I can easily understand the meaning of Simon Peter and the other fishermen leaving their boats and nets to follow Jesus.
The mission of Jesus is to save us all, according to God the Father’s compassionate plan. Today’s Gospel episode begins with a description of Jesus, standing by the lake of Gennesaret, proclaiming the word of God. Eager to listen, the people press around him. In order to minister more effectively to the enthusiastic crowd, Jesus gets into Simon’s boat and asks him to put out a little distance from the shore. Jesus then teaches them from the boat. Seated on that improvised pulpit, his voice, as a true Teacher, resounds. The people listen attentively to the saving word. Jesus is the Divine Master who imparts truth with authority and integrity. He is the origin of our prophetic mission to share the word of God with all.
The next scene portrays the power of the word. Jesus commands the fisherman Simon to put out into the deep water and to lower his nets for a catch. If the night fishing for Simon was so unprofitable, the daytime fishing would be even more so. Hence, the command of the carpenter-turned-prophet to a professional fisherman seems preposterous. Simon, however, acts upon Jesus’ word. In doing so, he and his companions catch such a great number of fish that the nets begin to tear. They have to signal to their partners in the other boat to help them. All are astonished by the “awesome” catch. Simon falls to his knees. Overwhelmed by his unworthiness, he asks Jesus to depart from him. The Lord, however, does not let him go but encourages him not to be afraid. Jesus then gives him the great commission to be fishers of men. Peter will be catching men and women with the bait of God’s word and will be bringing them to the ark of salvation.
Today’s Gospel passage concludes with an inspiring image of radical commitment: “When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him.” The radical response of Peter and his companions is a paradigm of our own total commitment to Christ. We must launch into the deep waters of his paschal destiny and renounce whatever impedes God’s plan of salvation. We must leave everything behind and follow Jesus.
B. Old Testament Reading (Is 6:1-2a, 3-8): “Here I am! Send me.”
I made my annual retreat in January 2005 at our convent in peaceful Monrovia, which is in the foothills of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains. The topic of my meditation was part 2 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church entitled “The Celebration of the Christian Mystery”, one of the richest and most comprehensive documents we have on Christian worship. One of the themes I focused on was the reality of the Eucharist as a foretaste of heavenly glory. On the Sunday Mass that I attended in our parish in Monrovia during my retreat, I received a special gift – a tremendous experience of the nearness of the all-holy God and the community of the angels and saints in heaven. While the choir and the assembly were singing the Sanctus, at one moment I felt the overwhelming presence of the heavenly court, the saints and the faithful departed. The liturgy of the Eucharist celebrated right there and then at the Parish of Immaculate Conception gave me an intimate foretaste of the heavenly liturgy and an incredible glimpse of cosmic worship. As I continued my prayerful contemplation after that Mass, I realized that I had often taken things for granted with regards to the tremendous gift of Christian sacraments, especially the Eucharist. I became greatly cognizant of my mediocre response to the grace that I have received as a disciple and apostle of the Eucharist. I was deeply sorry for not having lived to the full my religious vocation as a Pious Disciple of the Divine Master called to the service of the Eucharist, the Priesthood and the Liturgy. I therefore begged God to purify my motivations and to help me in my resolve to commit myself more totally to his love and the service of my neighbors. That profound religious experience challenged me to recommit myself more deeply to my apostolic mission. My experience of the sacred replicated to some degree that of prophet Isaiah in this Sunday’s Old Testament reading (Is 6:1-2a, 3-8).
Isaiah is confronted by God’s holiness. Holiness, as God’s essential quality, indicates his utter transcendence, his complete apartness from anything sinful, and his utter power and grandeur. The triple-holy God initiates his love-service relationship with Isaiah by giving him a sacred experience of his glory, which is the radiation of his holiness upon the world, especially his own people. The experience of God’s holiness and awesome grandeur entails an invitation to mission, Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? (cf. Is 6:8). It involves an appeal to total surrender and a submission to his baffling, mysterious command: Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch (Lk 5:4). Like prophet Isaiah, the experience of the sacred and divine power calls us to plunge more deeply into the awesome mystery of his divine life. It purges us of our unworthiness and fickleness, making us partners in his mission to save and bring back humankind and the entire creation to his kingdom of love, beauty and grace. Indeed, God’s holiness cleanses and makes us partners in the saving mission.
C. Second Reading (I Cor 15:1-11): “So we preached and so you believe.”
Each of the readings of this Sunday’s liturgy depicts a profound religious experience and the conversion-transformation it brings about in the person. The three personages - Isaiah, Simon Peter and Paul – have experienced the mysterium tremendum et fascinans – a terrifying and fascinating mystery, wholly other, yet compassionate and generous. All have encountered deeply the awe-some grandeur of God and his loving mercy. And all have received a call to divine service and mission.
In today’s Second Reading (I Cor 1:1-11), we realize that by the grace of God, Paul becomes what God intended him to be – totally conformed to Christ. Through divine encounter, Paul becomes a zealous, faithful apostle and preacher of the Good News to the nations. Animated by the power of God, Paul preaches and the people believe. God’s favor at work in Saint Paul makes the latter’s apostolic ministry to the Gentiles fruitful. People from many nations and cultures are brought to the love of God, enabling them to participate in the passion, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. Paul’s intense religious experience and his unconditional response to the grace of God make him a true and efficacious apostle.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is our personal response to the Master’s command to put out into the deep water and lower our nets for a catch? Do we ever allow our human unworthiness and insufficiency to daunt us? Do we imitate the radical faith-response of Peter and his companions? Are we ready to let go of “everything” in order to follow our Lord and Master in his destiny? Are we committed to our Christian vocation of being “fishers of men”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Master,
you proclaimed the word of God to the eager crowd
by the peaceful lake of Gennesaret.
You also challenged Simon Peter
to put out into the deep water
and lower his nets for a catch.
The hard-working fisherman
responded with faith and trust.
Help us to imitate his obedient response
and experience the marvel of the miraculous catch.
Do not let poverty and insufficiency ever daunt us.
May we follow you unreservedly
and never balk at any sacrifice.
Bless us in our ministry as “fishers of men”.
We love and serve you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“From now on you will be catching men.” (Lk 5:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for all Christians that we may realize the greatness of our vocation as “fishers of men”. Offer special prayers for the holiness and perseverance of the ministerial priests and for an increase of priestly vocations.
*** *** ***
February 8, 2016: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (5); SAINT JEROME EMILIANI, Priest; SAINT JOSEPHINE BAKHITA, Virgin
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is God’s Healing Power … We Come to Worship Him”
BIBLE READINGS
I Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13 // Mk 6:53-56
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:53-56): “As many touched it were healed.”
(Gospel Reflection by Fr. Steve Coffey, OSB, San Luis Obispo, CA-USA)
Today’s Gospel story (Mk 6:53-56) follows upon the weekday lectionary’s omission of St. Mark’s narratives of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand and walking on the water. The story of the feeding is most probably omitted because on Saturday we will hear the similar story of the feeding of the four thousand. However, there is a big difference in these two feeding stories. The feeding of the five thousand takes place on the Western shore of the Sea of Galilee, that is, in Jewish territory, while the second feeding takes place on the opposite side in Gentile territory. This section of Mark’s Gospel beginning with the Jewish feeding and culminating in the Gentile feeding forms a typical Markan “sandwich,” and is often referred to as the “Bread Section.” So this week we feed on the bread of God’s Word while contemplating the words and actions of Jesus, the Bread of Life.
Today’s story of the healings at Gennesaret, on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, is intimately connected to the story of the feeding of the five thousand. The bounty first exhibited in the feeding is now exhibited in the lavish gift of healing that takes place not only at Gennesaret, but in whatever “villages or towns or countryside he entered.” Gennesaret, and its environs, is totally unlike Nazareth, where lack of faith caused major interference in the healing process. Nazareth’s stance is even unlike the faith of the hemorrhaging woman who reaches for the tassel of Jesus’ cloak. Here in Gennesaret “as many as touched it were healed.” In the story of the healings at Gennesaret, the Lord of the new covenant enters into the place of his activity, the activity of unbounded mercy which affords rest to the multitude.
B. First Reading (I Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13): “They brought the Ark of the covenant into the holy of holies and a cloud filled the temple of the Lord.”
The reading (I Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13) describes the dedication of the Temple built
by King Solomon. The principal element of the dedication ceremony is the
entrance of the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple. Solomon and all the
people of Israel assemble in front of the Ark to sacrifice countless number
of sheep and cattle. Then they watch the priests march in procession with
the Ark to bring it to its resting place in the
“Holy of Holies” of the Temple. As the priests are leaving the Temple, it is
suddenly filled with a “cloud” shining with the dazzling light of the Lord’s
presence. The cloud of glory symbolizes God taking possession of the Temple
and indicates divine pleasure in Solomon’s initiative to build the Temple
for the worship of the Lord God. Thus the Lord’s promise to David, “Your
son, whom I will make king after you, will build a temple for me” is
fulfilled. Moreover, the Lord has also promised that if Solomon would obey
his laws and commands, God will live among his people Israel in the Temple
that he us building and will never abandon them.
A sacred space or a sacred building is a special place of encounter with the Lord’s presence. The following article shows how students in today’s various Catholic universities connect with the sacred through the help of sacred space and sacred building (cf. Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller, “Students Connect with the Sacred” in Our Sunday Visitor, September 22, 2013, p. 25).
Students find quiet spaces on campuses for meditation, prayer and inspiration in candlelit chapels and tree-lined paths leading to grottoes. They can sit on benches near a statue of Mary, kneel before a tabernacle surrounded by sacred art or pause to pray at an outdoor crucifix.
The following four college students share what those opportunities for quiet prayer on campus mean to them.
Alyssa Terry, 20: “Sacred spaces allow me to grow in my experience and understanding of who God is and who God is calling me to become. I have discovered that my sacred spaces are not always going to be churches and they might always be changing. Being able to expand my prayer in different places is just a small way I can come to know a small slice of the diversity the Divine brings.” (…)
Vince Roach, 20: “I go to Mass at the Chapel of St. Basil as often as I can, whenever I feel I could use a recharge, when I need to pray or reflect on my day. Whenever things get too hectic, I will head over there to clear my head and have some peace. The chapel is shaped like a tent, and you enter through the tent flap. Inside, the Stations of the Cross are carved into the wall, and there is a large bronze statue of Our Lady recessed into the opposite wall. There are no lights inside the chapel, so it is lit by lights shining through the outside windows at the top of the dome. I love the solitude. Every time I visit, there is a reverential silence that draws you to prayer. The tabernacle (and monstrance, when present) is directly in front, so God is always there with me.” (…)
Kathryn Smolko, 19: “I also like the Mini Quad, which is right in front of campus. It’s usually quiet, and although there are usually people walking, no one really stops. There are benches, grass and some really beautiful trees. I love being outdoors and feeling the sun on my skin. It really helps me appreciate what God has given me, and when I’m there, I want to give thanks to him. As a student, life gets really hectic and I forget that God is there to help me through it all. It is really important for me to have a sacred space to remind me that I’m not alone, and to know I have somewhere specifically where I can remember God and feel close to him. Sacred spaces are important to my faith because faith is something that needs to be practiced, and those spaces make it so much easier and more convenient to get that practice in.” (…)
Michael Peyko, 20: “I like to go to the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers. The ceiling and pillars are all white and beautifully hand crafted and designed. From the very moment the sun comes up to when it sets, there is constant sunlight pouring through the stained-glass windows, which gives a very warm and welcoming feeling. I often go there when I want to get away from everything … It’s very important for students to have sacred places. Having a place to go when things get tough is comforting.” (…)
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we have faith in the healing power of Jesus? Do we reach out to him to touch him and be healed?
2. Do we see and experience the importance of sacred space/sacred building/sacred objects in our life as a believer?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we thank you for your unbounded mercy
and the healing power you bring to us.
We lay before you the sickness of our heart,
the misery of our people
and the fragmentation of today’s society.
We beg you to allow us to touch you
– even just the tassel of your cloak –
knowing that we will be healed.
You bring us wholeness, joy and comfort.
Let us enter into the place of rest and quiet
where your loving comfort reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Lord Jesus,
you are the true temple radiant with divine glory.
We enter into your courts singing your praise.
Let us give you glory and praise by the life that we live.
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.
“As many as touched it were healed.” (Mk 6:56) //“The cloud filled the temple of the Lord.” (I Kgs 8:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the sick may find strength and healing in the Lord. Like the caring people of Gennesaret, and by your ministry on their behalf, bring the sick closer to Jesus, the ultimate healing. // Be aware of the positive role of sacred space/structures/objects in connecting us with the sacred and utilize them to deepen your relationship with God.
***
February 9, 2016: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (6)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Means to Communion … He Shows How to Pray and Worship”
BIBLE READINGS
I Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30 // Mk 7:1-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 7:1-13): “You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
(Gospel Reflection by Fr. Steve Coffey, OSB, San Luis Obispo, CA-USA)
The connection between today’s Gospel story (Mk 7:1-13) and yesterday’s (Mk 6:53-56) may not be immediately apparent until we view it in the context of Mark’s whole “Bread” section on which we are feasting this week. The geographic movement from one shore to another represents more than a sail across the lake. It represents Gentile inclusion in the Eucharistic feast. Today’s Gospel addresses what, in Jewish tradition, represents an obstacle to this communion at the table.
Thus today we see Jesus embarking on a mission that has this unity in Eucharistic communion in mind. The Pharisees and scribes in this story represent those who would be opposed to eating with Gentiles based on what Jesus clearly categorizes as “human tradition.” The scribes and the Pharisees here “nullify the word of God in favor of tradition.” They do this specifically here in their neglect of parents by declaring something has been set aside for God. What has ultimately been set aside, however, is the very word of God which calls Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians into communion at the table of the Lord. So the prophet Isaiah’s maxim is invoked against them: “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”
B. First Reading (I Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30): “You have said” My name shall be there to hear the prayers of your people Israel.”
The reading (I Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30) presents Solomon’s prayer to the Lord at the dedication of the Temple. King Solomon extols the singularity of the Lord God. He thanks him for the blessings bestowed on the chosen people, especially for the covenant of mercy granted to them. He then prays for the Temple and for those who pray in the Temple: “Watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have chosen to be worshiped … Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people when they face this place and pray.” God is transcendent. Even the highest heaven cannot contain God. But God, in his goodness, chooses the Temple built by Solomon to be a special place where the people can connect with him. The Lord is determined to hear the prayers of those who worship in that sacred place, of which he promised, “My name shall be there!”
The omnipotent and omnipresent God continues to manifest his saving power through time and space. Though not bound to any physical space/place, by divine will, there are some “sacred” places of intimate encounter with divine grace. One of these special places is the Marian sanctuary in Lourdes, a haven where people can experience healing through Mary’s intercession. The following article on the Internet is very inspiring.
In 1858 in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes, France, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year old peasant girl. She identified herself as “The Immaculate Conception”. She gave Bernadette a message for all: “Pray and do penance for the conversion of the world.” The Church investigated Bernadette’s claims for four years before approving devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. Lourdes has since become one of the most famous shrines, attracting more than a million pilgrims each year. There had been thousands of miraculous cures at this shrine. (…)
No one leaves Lourdes without a gain in faith. Moral and spiritual cures are more marvelous than physical cures. Some go to Lourdes with lifetime prejudices, yet their minds are cleared in a sudden manner. Frequently skepticism gives way to faith; coldness and antagonism become whole-hearted love of God. Again and again those who are not cured of bodily pain receive an increase of faith and resignation – true peace of soul …
The Story of Gabriel Gargam: The case of Gabriel Gargam is probably one of the best known of all the thousands of cures at Lourdes, partly because he was so well known at the Shrine for half a century, partly because it was a twofold healing, spiritual and physical. Born in 1870 of good Catholic parents, he gave early promise of being a clever student and a fervent Catholic. The promise was not fulfilled in the most important respect for, at 15 years of age, he had lost his faith. He obtained a position in the postal service and was carrying out his duties as a sorter in December of 1899, when the train on which he was traveling from Bordeaux to Paris collided with another train, running at 50 miles per hour. Gargam was thrown fifty-two feet from the train. He lay in the snow, badly injured and unconscious for seven hours. He was paralyzed from the waist down. He was barely alive when lifted onto a stretcher. Taken to a hospital, his existence for some time was a living death. After eight months he had wasted away to a mere skeleton, weighing but seventy-eight pounds, although normally a big man. His feet become gangrenous. He could take no solid food and was obliged to take nourishment by a tube. Only once in twenty-hours could he be fed even that way. (…)
Previous to the accident Gargam had not been to Church for fifteen years. His aunt, who was a nun of the Order of the Sacred Heart, begged him to go to Lourdes. He refused. She continued her appeals to him to place himself in the hands of Our Lady of Lourdes. He was deaf to all her prayers. After continuous pleading by his mother, he consented to go to Lourdes. It was now two years since the accident, and not for a moment had he left his bed all that time. He was carried on a stretcher to the train. The exertion caused him to faint, and for a full hour he was unconscious. They were on the point of abandoning the pilgrimage, as it looked as if he would die on the way, but the mother insisted, and the journey was made.
Arrived at Lourdes, he went to confession and received Holy Communion. There was no change in his condition. Later he was carried to the miraculous pool and tenderly placed in its waters – no effect. Rather a bad effect resulted, for the exertion threw him into a swoon and he lay apparently dead. After a time, as he did not revive, they thought him dead. Sorrowfully they wheeled the carriage back to the hotel. On the way back they saw the procession of the Blessed Sacrament approaching. They stood aside to let it pass, having placed a cloth over the face of the man they supposed to be dead.
As the priest passed carrying the Sacred Host, he pronounced Benediction over the sorrowful group around the covered body. Soon there was a movement from under the covering. To the amazement of the bystanders, the body raised itself to a sitting posture. While the family members were looking on dumbfounded and the spectators gazed in amazement, Gargam said in a full, strong voice that he wanted to get up. They thought that it was a delirium before death, and tried to soothe him, but he was not restrained. He got up and stood erect, walked a few paces and said that he was cured. The multitude looked in wonder, and then fell on their knees and thanked God for this new sign of His power at the Shrine of His Blessed Mother. As Gargam had on him only invalid’s clothes, he returned to the carriage and was wheeled back to the hotel. There he soon dressed, and proceeded to walk as if nothing had ever ailed him. For two years hardly any food had passed his lips but now he sat down at table and ate a hearty meal.
On August 20th, 1901, sixty prominent doctors examined Gargam. Without stating the nature of the cure, they pronounced him instantly cured. Gargam, out of gratitude to God in the Holy Eucharist and His Blessed Mother, consecrated himself to the service of the invalids at Lourdes. He set up a small business and married a pious lady who aided him in his apostolate for the greater knowledge of Mary Immaculate. For over fifty years he returned annually to Lourdes and worked as a brancarrier … His last visit to the Shrine was in August 1952: he died the following March, at the age of eighty-three years.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we guilty of disregarding God’s commandments but clinging to human tradition?
2. Do we trust in the power of prayer and in the importance of prayer and the sanctuaries for prayer?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus, Divine Master,
you are the way, the truth and the life.
Forgive us for the times we have disregarded God’s commands
in order to cling to mere human traditions.
You are the teacher of communion and true tradition.
You revealed to us the Father’s saving plan
that includes all peoples and cultures,
all nations and creation.
Help us to overcome our prejudices and misconceptions
that we may share fully in the infinite expanse
of your Father’s all-inclusive love.
We love you, adore you and serve you,
now and forever. Amen.
***
O Jesus Divine Master,
you teach us the meaning of prayer.
You are the true Temple
through which we offer worship and praise to the Father.
Let our prayers rise up through you
and be blessed by the heavenly Father.
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.
“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Mk 7:8) // “Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel which they offer you in this place.” (I Kgs 8:30)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that we may overcome our unhealthy parochialism and vicious legalism. By your acts of justice and charity, promote unity in diversity and the Church’s true tradition of universal love. // Be thankful for the sacred space/place of prayer and use it wisely to deepen your personal relationship with God.
*** *** ***
February 10, 2016: ASH WEDNESDAY
ANNIVERSARY OF THE PDDM FOUNDATION (Feb. 10, 1924)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Guides Our Lenten Journey”
BIBLE READINGS
Jl 2:12-18 // II Cor 5:20-6:2 // Mk 6:1-6, 16-18
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:1-6, 16-18): “Your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”
With Ash Wednesday we begin the Lenten season. Lent is a sacramental sign of our conversion and participation in the sacred mystery of Christ, who fasted, was tempted and remained victorious over temptation. Today we are signed with ashes, symbol of penance and mortality, as well as of our hope and desire for renewal in Jesus.
The sacred season of Lent is specially marked with prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18) invites us to a genuine practice of these traditional works of piety and to reject hypocritical practices. Jesus criticizes pious self-display but not the pious actions themselves. He upholds public prayer, but not religious showiness. He does not object to fasting, for he himself fasted forty days, but its spurious practice to gain self-recognition.
The Lenten works of prayer, fasting and alms-giving enable us to participate more intimately in the life of Christ, who fasted, prayed and gave himself totally to the Father’s saving will. We exercise fasting for a new beginning and to open ourselves to God’s vision, to express our penance, invoke God’s mercy, and to obtain greater self-control. Physical fasting, though a typical expression of the Lenten practice, does not exhaust its meaning. It includes other forms of salutary abstinence in every sector, e.g. fasting from criticism, reduced use of electronic media, etc. True prayer is personal communion with God and the “full offering” of ourselves to him. Prayer attunes us to listen to God and prepares us to do his will. Real fasting and true prayer lead to charity and service … to alms-giving. Fasting and prayer inspire not only alms-giving but above all personal self-giving and community-communion.
The following account gives insight into the laudable spiritual practice of prayer, fasting and alms-giving (cf. Flavio Rocha, “Missioner Tales” in Maryknoll, April 10, 2010, p.7).
Good Friday is a day of prayer and fasting for all Catholics, but people understand this in different ways. In the town of Duas Estradas, where I grew up in northeastern Brazil, poor people go from house to house asking for their “fasting”. The food that they collect will nourish their families for a couple of weeks. A similar tradition is to exchange the “fasting” of fruits, sweets or fish with families and friends. One year my mom used this ritual of reconciliation. She and her sister-in-law hadn’t talked to each other in more than a year after a dispute. One Good Friday morning, my mother took fruit to her sister-in-law and said, “Here is your fasting.” My aunt thanked her and later that day brought my mom’s fasting and they were reunited. Fasting is more than not eating; it is the cleansing of our hearts of anger and stubbornness to embrace the promise of the Resurrection.
B. First Reading (Jl 2:12-18): “Rend your hearts, not your garments.”
Today’s celebration of Ash Wednesday fittingly begins with a clarion call to conversion (Jl 2:12-18). The prophet Joel first depicts the imminent invasion of locusts and a devastating drought in Palestine as events that point to the coming “Day of the Lord” in judgment. In the face of these catastrophes, the prophet conveys to the people God’s call to conversion. Conversion is the only possible response to a compassionate God who comes to the people offering hope and salvation. Conversion indicates a turning toward God with one’s whole being, the complete re-orientation of thoughts and decisions toward God. The outward expression of fasting, weeping and mourning are only signs of a deeper reality – returning to God with all our heart. Issuing a series of imperatives, the prophet Joel urgently convokes the people that they may offer God a prayer of lamentation. God answers the heartfelt cry of the people and blesses the land with the gift of salvation.
C. Second Reading (II Cor 5:20-6:2)): “Be reconciled to God. Behold, now is the acceptable time.”
Today’s Second Reading (II Cor 5:20-6:2) asserts that we are ambassadors for Christ. Through Jesus, we become ministers of reconciliation and agents of “new creation”. The biblical scholar Mary Ann Getty explicates: “God overcame the obstacles of our transgressions so that we are enabled to become partners in the ministry of reconciliation. And not only the apostle, but all who are in Christ, have been sent out into the world with a single message: Be reconciled! This is both imperative and empowerment. For our sakes God made the sinless one sin so that redemption could penetrate the darkest, most forbidding, isolated, and inhuman part of our human experience. This was so that God, in Christ, could bring us to holiness.”
The season of Lent is a privileged time to answer God’s call to conversion offered to us in Jesus Christ. It is also an opportune time to resound in the world the divine call to conversion. Conversion is an encounter with a gracious and compassionate God, who is slow to anger and full of love. The life of Matt Talbot illustrates that this conversion experience is at work in the here and now (cf. Bert Ghezzi article in Our Sunday Visitor, December 2, 2012, p. 22).
Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925): For 16 years, Venerable Matt Talbot was a daily drunk. Then one day, an unanticipated conversion transformed him and he became a model penitent.
As a child of a poor family in Dublin, Matt had to forgo school for a job. After a year of basic education, he started working for a wine seller. And Matt started drinking heavily at the early age of 12. His father beat him and made him change jobs – but nothing could stop Matt’s habit. He said that when he was intoxicated, he occasionally thought about the Blessed Mother and prayed an off-handed Hail Mary. Matt speculated later that she had something to do with his conversion.
One day in 1884 everything suddenly changed. Matt had been out of work several days and expected his buddies to take him drinking. When they snubbed him, he made a decision that transformed his life. When he arrived at home, his mother said, “You’re home early, Matt, and you’re sober!” He replied, “Yes, mother, I am and I’m going to take the pledge.” The next day he went to confession and took the sobriety pledge for three months.
But Matt extended the three months into 41 years. In 1891, Matt found community support by joining the Franciscan Third Order. He lived the rest of his life quietly, working and praying. Pope Paul VI declared him venerable in 1975.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we experience temptation? What do we do in moments of temptation? Do we look upon Jesus as model of faith and surrender to the divine saving word? Are we ready to fast and respond with docility to the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the Lenten season,
sacramental sign of our conversion.
We praise you for deliverance from enslavement
and making us your holy people.
United with Jesus Christ,
victorious over temptations,
we render you true worship
and obey your saving will.
Help us to respond generously
to the needs of the poor and the needy,
to the defenseless and the suffering in our land.
We love and serve you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil.” (Lk 4:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
As part of your spiritual itinerary in this Lenten season to combat temptations and evil inclinations, fast from the excessive and abusive use of the mass media and dedicate yourself to daily nourishment on the bread of the Word.
*** *** ***
February 11, 2016: THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY; OUR LADY OF LOURDES
WORLD DAY OF THE SICK
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Take Up Our Cross … He Urges Us to Choose Life”
BIBLE READINGS
Dt 30:15-20 // Lk 9:22-25
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 9:22-25): “Whoever loses my life for my sake will save it.”
Lent is a favorable time to discover what Christian discipleship means. The Gospel reading (Lk 9:22-25) gives beautiful insight into it. Discipleship is to take up the cross and follow Christ through the narrow path that leads to life. Lent is a privileged time to follow Christ through the rigors of discipline, sacrifice and self-denial to the joy of Easter.
At the beginning of our Lenten journey, let us remember the words of St. Andrew of Crete: “Had there been no cross, Christ would not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself would not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. Therefore, the cross is something wonderfully great and honorable. The cross is called Christ’s glory; it is saluted as his triumph.”
The following charming story shows how to bear the cross of mutual charity in our daily life (cf. Fr. Rich Broderick, “Missioner Tales” in Maryknoll, May/June, 2010, p.7). With a spirit of love, fraternal service becomes a life-giving “cross” that is possible to bear and easier to carry.
As a diocesan priest in Albany, N.Y., I also serve a few months a year in Guatemala. One day, three women from the States accompanied me for Mass in an indigenous hamlet in the Guatemalan hills. Although one of the women, Arlene, used a wheelchair, I saw no problem, as the church was only a 20-minute drive away. But when we got to the church, we learned that Mass would be at a home more than a half mile away – on foot down a steep dirt and rock footpath. Clearly, Arlene’s wheelchair wasn’t going to make it.
Knowing the men of these rural communities regularly carry their sick to the road on their backs, I squatted down like a frog and Arlene climbed aboard. My knees felt as if they would buckle! Yet I was able to ease us down one step and one breath at a time. We celebrated a joyful Mass with about 75 Mayan people.
Then the dreaded return. This time a Mayan man said, “Padre, just put her on my back.” We did as instructed and up the hill he went with no stops. He didn’t even break a sweat and was waiting by the car with Arlene still on his back when we caught up!
A profusion of thanks drew only a humble “No es nada” (It’s nothing) from our Good Samaritan, while I wondered if I might find a chiropractor in one of the villages.
B. First Reading (Dt 30:15-20): “Behold, I set before you the blessing and the curse (Dt 11:26).”
Our Lenten journey is marked by the presence of Moses speaking to the people of Israel as they are about to cross the Jordan River to take possession of the Promised Land (cf. Dt 30:15-20). The “testament” of Moses is his advice to the Chosen People to heed the lessons of the past if they are to secure their future. Their journey through the desert after their departure from Egypt has made them experience, again and again, that loyalty is rewarded and infidelity is punished. God expects complete obedience from Israel. The dying Moses tries with all his might to move the people to that kind of obedience, loyalty and commitment that would secure their future in the Promised Land. The great patriarch sets before the people a dramatic choice: life and prosperity, or death and doom. It is up to Israel to make one of the two choices: life with God which brings blessings and good, or life apart from God which would be a curse of death. Israel will find its true self only in their fundamental choice to obey and to live in the Lord. Passionately concerned for Israel’s future, Moses virtually commands the people of Israel to choose life by living in total obedience to God.
Jesus Christ, the “new Moses”, sets before us this fundamental choice: life and death, the blessing and the curse. He urges us to heed the voice of God and to hold fast to him. To choose God is to choose life. Men through the ages have to make the choice. The following story shows that our core decisions vary (cf. “Two Tales of a City” in Poverello News, February 2012, p.3-5).
Last November, a tourist took a photograph in New York and posted it online, and it soon went viral. It was a picture of a New York policeman stooping down to give a homeless man a pair of socks and boots on a frigid night. Officer Lawrence DePrimo had spotted the homeless beggar, Jeffrey Hillman, who was sitting on a chilly sidewalk barefoot.
Officer DePrimo then went to a store, and with his own money, bought a pair of heavy socks and good boots that cost over $100. He presented them to Hillman and squatted down to help the homeless man put them on.
In a nation wearied by a troubled economy, a polarizing presidential election and bad news both at home and abroad, people were riveted by this simple story of compassion. It was an uplifting tale fit for the holiday season.
The second story, which also took place in New York, was in stark contrast to this one. It was a shocking tale of urban violence and apathy. Fifty-eight-year-old Ki Suk Han was pushed into the path of an oncoming subway train by an apparently mentally ill panhandler. For over one minute, Han tried desperately to scramble back to the platform, screaming for help. At least eighteen people stood by refusing to intervene, including a New York photographer, who snapped pictures of the desperate man’s last seconds. Han was hit and killed by the train. Afterwards, several bystanders took camera-phone pictures of the dead man as a doctor performed CPR on him, and the newspaper callously ran a front-page picture of his hopeless attempt to escape death.
In the same city, two completely opposite acts are separated by only a few days; one of tremendous kindness, the other of wanton cruelty and indifference to suffering. What are we to make of these incidents? (…)
Humans are capable of great compassion, but also great evil. Officer Lawrence DePrimo and the heartless subway bystanders snapping pictures all belong to the species homo sapiens, but their actions make them seem to be creatures of a different order. The world inhabited by a New York street cop is full of cruelty; police daily witness the very worst acts of humanity. Nevertheless, this officer transcended the evil he sees all around him and went out of his way to help someone who seemed utterly helpless. He made a choice to do and be good; the subway bystanders, on the other hand, made a choice to participate in an evil act by refusing to help, and then by voyeuristically photographing the resultant tragedy for some bizarrely selfish and perverse reason, known only to themselves. (…)
God sees all, the good and the bad, and no matter the end result, Officer DePrimo’s gallant gesture of kindness has been recorded for eternity. (…) Officer DePrimo offers us the important reminder that in spite of demonic wickedness, intractable poverty and baffling social problems, there exists in the soul of mankind the great potential for triumphant, noble goodness.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus on the narrow road that leads to life? How do we bear the cross in our daily life?
2. What is our fundamental choice to what God sets before us: life with God with its blessings and good, or life without God, which is death and doom?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
we thank you for the sacred season of Lent.
We pray that we may follow you faithfully
and bear the life-giving cross with joyful courage.
Help us to walk in your ways
and embrace your life-giving commands.
Be with us in our fundamental choice for you
with all its challenges and blessings.
Let us never negate your goodness and love.
Grant that all may choose the fullness of life
and follow Jesus on the way of the cross that leads to life.
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.
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23) // “Choose life.” (Dt 30:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for those who find the cross of their daily lives overwhelming and burdensome. In your own way and doing the best you can, try to alleviate the sufferings of the people around you. Resolve that your thoughts, words and actions be perfectly aligned with your fundamental choice for God.
*** *** ***
February 12, 2016: FRIDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives True Meaning to Our Fasting”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 58:1-9a // Mk 9:14-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:14-15): “When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast.”
Unlike the Pharisees and John’s disciples, the disciples of Jesus do not have the ascetic discipline of fasting. In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 9:14-15), Jesus explains to the followers of John, who raise the issue, that for the Christian disciples it is not yet opportune to fast. Guests at a wedding party do not fast, but rejoice in the presence of the bridegroom. In the same way, the sojourn of Jesus with his disciples is a time of intimate bonding and not of mourning. Hence, fasting, or other symbols of grief or mourning, is out of place. In his public ministry, Jesus uses every moment to lead his disciples to an intimate participation in his paschal destiny. When his paschal mystery is brought to completion and radical salvation achieved, then his disciples would fast. And it is for a very special reason … a Christ-centered reason. Christian disciples, through time and space, would fast that they may become more sensitive to the face of Christ present in the plight of the poor, the needy and the weak. During the Lenten season, they especially dedicate themselves to fasting that they may become more receptive to the saving will of God and efficaciously participate in the compassionate works of Christ.
The following excerpt gives suggestions on meaningful ways of doing the Lenten fast (cf. Jeanne Hunt, “Cleaning Our Spiritual Closets” in St. Anthony Messenger, February 2012, p. 36-40).
MY FAVORITE LENTEN FASTS
* Proclaim an electronic fast on weekends. That means no iPad, iPod, Blackberry or computer until Monday morning. Then spend the resulting free time visiting people you love and spending quality time with your spouse and children.
* Stay out of unnecessary stores during Lent. Anything beyond the grocery store, pharmacy, etc. is off-limits. Instead of adding more stuff during Lent, give away or throw away three things each day before Easter.
* Go green in a big way. Every day perform a Lenten “random act of kindness for the earth”. Keep a journal of your green project work, and after Easter do these acts regularly.
* Fast from media during Lent. Stop watching TV or Internet news or even listening to the radio. For 40 days, turn your thoughts to God. Choose to spend your time reading a book or magazine that feeds your soul.
* Walk everywhere you can. Limit gas usage to a certain amount and make it last all week. Each day, walk with God. Simply imagine that you and Jesus are running or walking side by side. Talk to him and listen to him.
These are only a few suggestions that can impact your life. We need to look at our lives objectively, honestly recognizing our weaknesses. Design a fast that responds to those weaknesses. And, most of all, don’t do something that comes easily. Your Lenten workout should hurt a little. We will know when we are changing for good when it takes effort to do the deed.
B. First Reading (Is 58:1-9a): “Is this the manner of fasting I wish?”
In today’s Old Testament reading (Is 58:1-9a), the prophet Isaiah conveys God’s long invective denouncing the hypocrisy of false fasting. To fast while neglecting and oppressing the poor is an ugly form of deceit. People thus complain of not being heard by God who detests hypocritical prayer. Worship without justice has no value. Fasting without concern for the poor is bereft of meaning. The kind of fasting that the Lord God desires is this: free the oppressed, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, etc. In doing this, the Lord God will respond with blessing and protection and to their cry for help, he will say: “Here I am!”
In the same vein, Christian disciples must fast, but for a spiritual motive. They fast that they may be more sensitive to the presence of Christ in the plight of the hungry poor, the needy and the weak. During the Lenten season, they especially dedicate themselves to fasting that they may become more receptive to the saving will of God and efficaciously participate in the compassionate works of Christ.
The following article gives an insight into Friday abstinence, an ascetical practice related to Lenten fast, that likewise has a Christ-centered motive (cf. Greg Erlandson, “Meatless Fridays” in Our Sunday Visitor, November 25, 2012, p.22).
Once upon a time, Catholics abstained from meat on Fridays as a small act of penance. Not just Fridays during Lent, but all Fridays. Friday was the day of the Lord’s death on the cross, and throughout the year, not just on Good Friday. Catholics would commemorate that day in a special way. One still finds this practice in religious communities like monasteries, and the British bishops restored the practice last year.
In general, however, meatless Fridays disappeared after the Second Vatican Council, despite the fact that canon law (Canon 1251) still asks us to abstain from meat or other food on Fridays subject to the requirements of the local conference of bishops. The irony is that of all the many changes when the Church windows were opened to the fresh wind of aggiornamento, this one may have been more significant. It was a small act of penance that was thoroughly integrated into everyone’s lives. (…)
Yet when Friday abstinence was done away with, it had a rather oversized impact on Catholic identity. It turned out it was a significant public acknowledgment of one’s faith, like ashes on the forehead. The bishops hadn’t meant for such small acts of penance to go away. They had intended to open up other options for sacrifice. But, of course, they weren’t. (…)
However, the Church may get a chance to try again. In his speech to his fellow bishops on Nov. 13, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, suggested that it might be time to return to the practice of Friday abstinence. “The work of our Conference during this coming year”, he said, “includes reflection on re-embracing Friday as a particular day of penance, including the possible reinstitution of abstinence on all Fridays of the year, not just during Lent.”
Now to be fair, he did not specifically mention giving up meat. And, of course, one could give up television screens, or dessert, or a hundred little pleasures we all enjoy. But I hope we do go back to those meatless Fridays. There is something to be said for Catholics knowing they are all in it together. This time, maybe we will not put the focus on the threats of punishment, but use this as a teaching moment and a positive reinforcement of our Catholic identity.
My real hope is that we will also keep in mind why we are doing it. To remember Someone who gave up a lot more for us.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What forms of Lenten fast do I resolve to do this year? How can I derive the best fruits from my Lenten fast?
2. What is the personal meaning for us of fasting and abstinence? Does the kind of fasting and abstinence we practice correspond to the divine saving will?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus Savior,
when you sojourned on earth with your disciples,
you did not require them to fast.
But now that your paschal mystery is complete,
we need to fast so that we may have clearer vision
and be more ready to follow your call.
Help us to perceive your presence in the poor and the weak
and attend to their needs.
Grant that our discipline of fasting
may bear fruit in concrete works of charity and justice.
Let our Lenten sacrifice
hasten the coming of your kingdom.
We love you and serve you.
We bless you and glorify you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless ...” (Is 58:6-7) // “They will fast.” (Mt 9:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let the fruits of your Lenten fast and renunciation be destined for the victims of natural and man-made calamities and/or the needy people in your local community.
*** *** ***
February 13, 2016: SATURDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Cares for Us … He Invites Us to Feast at His Table”
BIBLE READINGS
I Kgs 3:4-13 // Mk 6:30-34
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 5:27-32): “I have not come righteous to repentance but sinners.”
In his public ministry, Jesus does not impose fasting on his disciples though he himself has fasted for forty days in the wilderness. In today’s Gospel (Lk 5:27-32), we see Jesus feasting! He joins an awesome party celebrating Levi’s conversion and new-found calling. The feast includes a large number of tax collectors and other guests. The Pharisees and scribes complain that Jesus eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners. But Jesus defends his table fellowship with sinners and outcasts. They need him and he comes to call them to repentance and healing. The “righteous”, however, do not need a savior just as the healthy do not need a doctor. With Jesus present, the banquet hosted by Levi becomes a feast of God’s kingdom … a joyous celebration of conversion and coming home … a figure of the supper of the Lamb at the end time. The season of Lent invites us to a deeper fellowship with Jesus and with one another at the table of the Word and the Eucharist.
Like the feast-loving Jesus Savior, Mike McGarvin, the founder of Povereelo House in Fresno, knows the importance of table fellowship and meal ministry. Following the “Iron Chef” competition between the cooks in the drug rehab program and the chefs-in-training at the Institute of Technology, “Papa Mike” treated the resident cooks to a breakfast at his favorite diner, Café 309. That experience broadened the addicts’ perspectives and helped them see that there is so much to admire and enjoy in a world of sobriety. The following is an account of Doug, one of those who joined the breakfast (cf. “The Simple Joys of Food and Fellowship” in Poverello News, February 2011, p. 3-4).
The 309 Café had a home-like atmosphere that was inviting to people that liked to be regulars somewhere. The restaurant was old-looking, but very, very clean. The walls weren’t marked up and all the tables and chairs were very, very shiny … The food was hot and great-tasting and I liked that they had no problem with me ordering something odd, like rye toast.
The waitress was good and very friendly and made me feel at ease. I was impressed by her. I wasn’t surprised when she patted Papa Mike’s back, because you could tell she knew him well as a regular customer, but I was wowed when she put her hand on Anthony’s shoulder, who was a first-time customer. That type of caring is probably why they are doing well in the restaurant business.
B. First Reading (Is 58:9b-14): “If you bestow your bread on the hungry then light shall rise for you in the darkness.”
The Old Testament reading (Is 58:9b-14) underlines the blessings that God bestows on those who live with integrity and act with compassion: God will turn their darkness into light; he will water the parched land of their hearts; he will guide them always and renew their strength; he will help them rebuild their homes. Those who keep the Sabbath sacred and do not defile it with selfish pursuits will experience the joy that comes from serving the Lord God.
The Catholic Relief Services make present in today’s world the compassion of God and the saving work of Jesus (cf. “Being Catholic in the World Today” in Our Sunday Visitor, December 16, 2012, p. 15).
Before he was 10 years old, Thomas Awiapo was orphaned and left to survive and struggle on his own in Ghana. School was certainly the last thing he dreamed of. Today, he has a master’s degree from California State University – Hayward. How did Thomas get a fresh start at life?
It happened through contributions to Catholic Relief Services’ Humanitarian work in Africa. Thomas was motivated by food provided by CRS to the children in his village who went to school. He was hungry for food, not education. Eventually, though, Thomas developed a strong personal interest in school. His new life, deep abiding faith in God and spiritual determination propelled him to a renewed dignity, hope and academic achievements.
Thomas told CRS representatives in Ghana, “By offering me an education, Catholic Relief Services empowered me for life. Believe me, there are millions of people in Africa who are doing better today because of the help provided by CRS through the generosity of people in the United States.”
Since 1943, in nearly 100 countries, Catholic Relief Services has given help and hope where they are most needed, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we realize the importance and beauty of Jesus’ table fellowship and meal ministry? Do we imitate his tender loving care for the needy, the sinners and the marginalized?
2. Do we endeavor to bestow bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted? Do we have compassion and care for the poor and needy? Do we uphold the sacred meaning of the Sabbath?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you feasted with joy at the table
of a “sinner” turned disciple.
By your presence at Levi’s house,
you turned his party into a celebration of homecoming.
Help us to seek the lost
and lead them to the supper of the Lamb.
Let us bestow bread on the hungry
and minister to the afflicted.
We adore and bless you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“They were at table with Jesus.” (Lk 5:29) // “The Lord will guide you always.” (Is 58:11)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let the meals that you share be as pleasant and spiritually rewarding as possible and an occasion for healing and bonding. During the Lenten season, offer alms to the poor and give quality time to family meals.
***
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