A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday and Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 11, n. 12)
LENT WEEK 1: February 17-23, 2013 *** **
(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 C from three perspectives. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 2. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 5. For reflections based on the Second Reading, open Series 8. Please go to Series 10 and Series 11 for the back issues of the Weekday Lectio.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: February 17-23, 2013. The weekday reflections are based on the First Reading. For the weekday reflections based on the Gospel Reading, please open Series 10.)
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February 17, 2013: FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Victorious Over Temptation”
BIBLE READINGS
Dt 26:4-10 // Rom 10:8-13 // Lk 4:1-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A young mother wanted to quit smoking. She knew it was bad for her health and the people around her. For her, it had been a vicious cycle of quitting and restarting. Each relapse was inflicting a heavier toll on her body and self-esteem. One tension-filled day, while on a busy run to do the shopping, the urge to light up a cigarette was overpowering. Without knowing why, she pleaded to her three-year old son, seated beside her on the car’s front seat, to do something. He answered with disarming seriousness, “All right, Mom! But please do not look.” She peeked anyway. The little boy was bowing his head in prayer, with the palms of his hands joined. The mother knew that she could not betray the faith of her praying son. The desire for a cigarette left her. From then on, she had more strength to cope with her weakness. Her little son had helped her to overcome temptation and addiction.
Today as we journey toward the Easter Triduum of our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection, we are asked to contemplate a decisive moment in the life of Jesus: his experience of temptation and subsequent victory over evil. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly remarks: “That Jesus was tempted and tempted severely tells us that temptation to evil is one of the most radical elements of human nature. The Word of God took on human flesh precisely so that he could experience the deepest realities that we experience. And to be human is to be tempted … Temptation is the measure of human freedom. That we can be tempted means that we can make a decision. We can say yes or no. Only the slave acts out of necessity. The free person has a choice. If there were no choice, there would be no responsibility. No wonder Jesus had to undergo temptation.”
The temptations that Jesus experienced in the wilderness were typical of the temptations that Jesus was subjected to throughout his life and the temptations that his followers would undergo. Satan’s temptations were meant to mislay Jesus from the path of filial obedience, to instigate him to false worship, and to induce him to put to the test the Father’s fidelity. In all these, Jesus remained faithful as God’s Servant-Son. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the ever faithful and obedient Jesus committed himself to his Father, his sustenance, the sole sustainer of life and the object of his absolute love and worship.
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.
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February 18, 2013: MONDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us Love of Neighbors”
BIBLE READINGS
Lv 19:1-2, 11-18 // Mt 25:31-46
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The living Word proclaimed in the liturgy challenges the faith community about the demands of Christian discipleship. Jesus teaches love for neighbors, which entails serving and caring for them in their need. The Old Testament reading (Lv 19:1-2, 17-18) provides a beautiful background to the Divine Master’s teaching to love our neighbors. True holiness demands that we be holy as God is holy by loving our neighbors in his “magnanimous” way. Listening to the voice of the Lord, we thus realize what holiness entails: overcoming hatred, wholesome fraternal correction, taking no revenge, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Indeed, the merciful God gently guides his chosen people on the path of holiness.
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent explains: “In this passage from the Book of Leviticus, an attempt is probably being made to establish proper social relations between members of the same clan … When all is said and done, we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The point of this saying is not that we are to cultivate similar emotions, but that we are to acknowledge our neighbor’s rights just as we want others to acknowledge ours, to respect others as we want others to respect us. The person who wishes to obey the Lord must be involved with his neighbor and must recognize the bonds that unite him to others.”
The following story gives insight into the meaning of Christian service of love and the social responsibility it entails (cf. Tammy Justice, “Sister” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, Llc, 2009, p. 1981-1982).
I don’t remember her name and would not recognize her if I were to pass her on the street. I don’t know if she is still living, as she was already elderly when I was a ten-year-old child some thirty years ago. But I do remember the kindness bestowed upon a group of underprivileged children by a stranger and the difference it has made in the life of one of those children. Me.
I remember the first time I saw her standing in the doorway of our small apartment. She was a petite, elderly woman who wore a long skirt, long wool coat and what I thought at the time was a hat reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties with its circular brim that lay flat against the head.
I could not hear what was being said as my stepfather, a man who liked no one, listened to her plead her case with such determination that I knew it had to be something she found of great importance. I was not told what was to happen that following Sunday.
A half hour before she arrived that Sunday, I was told to dress in my best clothes for I was going to church. She smiled brightly as I got into her car, the car of a complete stranger. I did not even know her name, but here I was, along with four others I recognized from our low-income neighborhood, on our way to church.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I remember how beautiful the old stone building was with its tall steeple and stained glass windows. The service seemed long, and not accustomed to the rituals of the Catholic Church, I felt out of place. But even as a child, I held a strong belief in God and felt at peace within those walls.
Once the service had ended, I expected to be taken home, but instead we headed in the opposite direction. We were taken to a small apartment with meager furnishings that portrayed a simple, unspoiled lifestyle. Two tables were set up with large boxes containing puzzles. As she made us hot chocolate, we were instructed to begin working the puzzles. It was a quiet time, free from the turmoil and constant criticism we would encounter when we returned home. And the soft words spoken by the woman we came to know only as “Sister” (I think she may have been a nun at one time) were a welcome comfort.
I came to look forward to Sundays. To hot chocolate, to puzzles that remained where we had left off the week before, and to the love I felt whenever Sister smiled at me.
Once our 1,000-piece puzzles had been completed, Sister no longer came to pick us up on Sundays. I was told she was ill and no longer able to travel. However, I wondered if perhaps it was time for her to “rescue” the next group of children. To give them hope that kindness still exists and can be found within those we call strangers.
I am forty-four years old now and have made it a point to show kindness to strangers when given the chance. I am told I am crazy and too trusting, but I know God will watch over me. I know Sister may not move amongst us now, but I hope she smiles when she sees that her efforts to reach out to those less fortunate continue in those whose lives she touched in that special way.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do I endeavor to be holy as God is holy? Do I strive to love my neighbor as myself? Do I respond fully to the Christian call to holiness?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving God,
you are exceedingly holy.
You are full of power and glory
and perfect in your love.
Thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ.
He showed us the way of holiness
by his passion and death on the cross.
He challenges us to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Give us the strength to love unconditionally
and to care for our brothers and sisters in their need.
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 shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” (Lv 19:18)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the Christian call to holiness may be fully expressed in the service of love to our neighbors. By an act of kindness and compassion to a needy person or a lonely stranger, or by a forgiving stance to an injury suffered personally, enable the Gospel of saving love to spread.
***
February 19, 2013: TUESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Keep Faith in the Word”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 55:10-11 // Mt 6:7-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The prophet Isaiah uses the image of the rain and snow that water the earth as a symbol of the efficacious power of God’s word. Indeed, the beautiful nature event of the rain and snow coming down from heaven to bring forth new life enables us to perceive the all-embracing providence of God. It inspires us to trust in the fruitfulness and vitalizing power of his saving word. In the context of the yearning of the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and their longing for freedom that was as intense as a parched land, the word of God promising their return to Judah and the city of Jerusalem has a vitalizing power and efficacy that could be compared to the rain and snow watering the earth.
The following humorous experience illustrates how the word of God is present, alive and active in our life and reminds us that openness to divine grace should be our basic stance (cf. Rosanne McDowell in “Everyday Miracles”, COUNTRY WOMAN, June/July 2008, p. 57).
Some years ago, I was brushing my teeth and discovered a cavity in my wisdom tooth. In those days, my menus included more peanut butter than steak, so my budget simply had no room for a trip to the dentist. I trusted the Lord would help, but hoped He’d do it before my tooth became an emergency. Wistfully, I opened my Bible and read a passage at random. It was Palm 81:10: “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Thanks to an unexpected gift, I was soon able to visit the dentist. That experience taught me that God not only meets our needs, He does it with a sense of humor!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What are the feelings and insights evoked in you by the rain and snow watering the earth to make it fruitful? Do you trust in the providence of God and the efficacy of his saving plan?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the rain and snow that water the earth.
They are a symbol of your benevolence
and the power of your Word.
In your Son Jesus, the incarnate Word,
you have watered the world with life and love.
Enable us to receive your Word
and make our hearts a “good soil” to make it fruitful.
We adore you and love;
we thank you 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.
“Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth making it fertile and fruitful … so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth.” (Is 55:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the apostolate of Christian preachers that they may sow the seed of the Word of God effectively and bring about a harvest of goodness and conversion. By your deep spirituality and sense of mission, especially to the poor and the needy, allow the seed of the Word of God to bear abundant fruits.
***
February 20, 2013: WEDNESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls All to Conversion”
BIBLE READINGS
Jon 3:1-10 // Lk 11:29-32
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The Old Testament reading (Jon 3:1-5, 10), about the mission of the reluctant prophet Jonah to the “doomed” Ninevites, provides a meaningful backdrop to better understand Jesus’ messianic ministry. The Bible scholar Jean McGowan comments: “The very structure of the Book brings out the irony of a Prophet who benefits from the Lord’s mercy only to rebel because his mercy is extended to others. In the person of Jonah, the author satirizes those narrow-minded Israelites who, despite their long experience of the Lord’s mercy to themselves, begrudge the extension of his mercy to others. The author writes for those of his own day who yielded to the temptation of a covenanted people to limit God’s freedom. The application to our day is obvious.”
Against the somewhat comic background of the reluctant, obstinate prophet Jonah, the figure of the obedient Jesus as the true prophet, sent by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit to bring good news to the poor, becomes even more appealing. Totally committed to the Father’s will, Jesus Christ - the incarnation of the Gospel of God, is absolutely greater than the protesting Jonah, who was marked with parochialism and exclusivity. Inwardly hoping that the Ninevites would remain in their evil ways and thus receive their just punishment from God’s wrath, the extremely prejudiced Jonah couched his message as a prophecy of doom: “Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed” (Jon 3:4) and willfully omitted any reference to God’s mercy in his preaching lest those wicked people repent. In contrast, Jesus, who preached throughout Galilee, is not a bearer of doom, but of “good news” – the fulfillment of the divine saving plan and the coming of the kingdom of God.
The Christian disciples are called to be like prophet “Jonah”, that is, to be a means of conversion for the “Ninevites” in our midst. The life of Blessed Anne Mary Taigi (1769-1837) shows how she became an instrument of conversion for the people around her (cf. “Blessed Anne Mary Taigi” in Our Sunday Visitor, December 2, 2012, p. 23).
A model woman, Blessed Anne Mary managed a large household in Rome for nearly five decades. She handled finances with little money, patiently cared for a difficult extended family and entertained a constant stream of guests. She did all this full of faith and good cheer.
At age 21, Anne Mary married Domenico Taigi, a servant in a Roman palace. They had seven children, two of whom died at childbirth. Early in her marriage Anne Mary experienced a religious conversion. She simplified her life, initiating practices of prayer and self-denial that she pursued the rest of her life.
Anne Mary took the spiritual lead in her family. The day began with morning prayer and Mass and ended with reading the lives of the saints and praying the Rosary. The Taigis had little of their own, but she always found ways of providing for those who had less. She also took in hard-to-get-along-with parents and her widowed daughter, Sophie, with her six children.
Domenico’s violent temper often disrupted the family. But Anne Mary was always able to calm him and restore peaceful relationships. In his old age, Domenico gave a touching tribute to his wife: “With her wonderful tact she was able to maintain a heavenly peace in our home. And that even though we were a large household full of people with different temperaments. I often came home tired, moody and cross, but she always succeeded in soothing and cheering me. And due to her, I corrected some of my faults. If I were a young man and could search the whole world for such a wife, it would be in vain. I believe that God has received her into heaven because of her great virtue. And I hope that she will pray for me and our family.”
We may imagine that becoming a saint requires heroics like founding a religious order or converting an aboriginal tribe. But Blessed Anne Mary shows us that the daily faithful care of a family requires more than enough heroism to make us holy.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What does the conversion experience of the Ninevites and the Christian disciples tell me? What are its implications? How do I compare the prophetic task of Jonah with that of Christ? How do I assess my prophetic ministry in light of the work of Jonah and that of Christ? How do I share the message of the Gospel with others? What help do I extend to those who are especially dedicated to the ministry of evangelization in today’s world?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(“For All Who Preach the Gospel” by Henri Nouwen)
Dear Lord,
many people experience our era
as an apocalyptic time full of dangers and threats.
I pray now for all who witness for you in this time –
ministers, priests, and bishops,
men and women who have dedicated their lives to you,
and all those who try to bring the light of the Gospel
into the darkness of this age.
Give them courage, strength, perseverance, and hope;
fill their hearts and minds with knowledge of your presence,
and let them experience your name as their refuge from all dangers.
Most of all, give them the joy of your Spirit,
so that wherever they go and whomever they meet
they will remove the veil of depression, fatalism, and defeatism
and will bring new life to the many who live in fear.
Be with all who bring the Good News into this present darkness.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“The people of Nineveh believed God … They turned from their evil way.” (Jon 3:5, 10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray in thanksgiving for the gift of the Gospel and the message of reconciliation that God continually offers us with love and grace. Pray for the conversion of sinners that they may renounce what is evil and turn to God in a spirit of repentance. Like the prophet Jonah, be a means of conversion for your family and all the people in your midst.
***
February 21, 2013: THURSDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (1); SAINT PETER DAMIAN, bishop, doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Trust and Pray”
BIBLE READINGS
Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25 // Mt 7:7-12
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Lent is a time for confident prayer. Jesus encourages us to approach God, our heavenly Father with trust and confidence. God the Father is always ready to give the blessings of the kingdom to those who seek him. The Divine Master teaches us the importance and efficacy of prayer. His lesson on prayer finds a beautiful backdrop in today’s Old Testament reading about a valiant Jewish woman who has recourse to God in prayer. Queen Esther is depicted as prostrate on the ground, from morning until evening, praying for the salvation of her people. The prime minister, Haman, has plotted a pogrom against the Jews in the Persian Empire. Faith in God triumphs and Queen Esther’s willingness to lay down her life eventually saves her people from destruction.
The prayer of Queen Esther is a confession of her total dependence on God as well as an avowal of divine righteousness. Her trust in God as her only help and protector buttresses her with courage to face even the ultimate sacrifice of laying down her life for her people. The courageous “even if I must die” stance of Esther continues to live on through history. The Irish martyr, Blessed Margaret Ball is a sterling example (cf. “Lives of the Saints: The Irish Martyrs” in ALIVE! January 2013, p. 15).
Margaret Bermingham was born about 1515 and grew up near the village of Skreen in Co. Meath. In 1830, aged 16, and six years before Parliament declared Henry VIII to be the supreme head of the Church of Ireland, Margaret married a Dublin merchant, Bartholomew Ball. A happy couple, they had many children, although, as was common in those times, only five survived into adulthood. Bartholomew, prosperous and influential in the city, was elected mayor of Dublin for the year 1553-1554. He died in 1568 leaving his widow and her children to look after his business and large household. The family retained its prominent and influential status. But trouble loomed.
Margaret was a devout and courageous Catholic and times were not only tough but also dangerous, given the hostility that now raged against the old faith. The Elizabethan reformers were relentless and ruthless in their zeal, and when Margaret’s eldest son, Walter, abandoned the Catholic faith, her heart was broken.
Then, in the 1580’s, came the Desmond Rebellion which cost the lives of the baker, Matthew Lambert, and his six companions, and Bishop Patrick O’Healy and Fr. Conn O’Rourke. It coincided with the election of Margaret’s apostate son Walter as Mayor of Dublin.
Margaret was wealthy and trained many young men and girls as servants. Many of them went into service and were in demand by other big households in the city. Margaret also gave shelter to priests who came into the city secretly to say Mass and administer the sacraments to the faithful Catholics who remained there. One of these, Fr. John Howlin, said of Margaret’s servants: “They were like students graduating from the best of schools. They won over for Christ not only their fellow men-servants and maid-servants, but very often their masters and mistresses as well.”
But all this was too much for Walter Ball. While he was no more than a businessman he tolerated his mother’s “illegal” activities. However, as Mayor, in the very year that the Desmond Rebellion spread into Leinster and erupted in Wicklow, on Dublin’s doorstep, he led the onslaught against the Catholics in the city.
Since his mother was one of the best known he mercilessly decided to have her arrested and thrown into prison. Margaret was now well into her sixties and suffering from severe arthritis. Unable to walk the streets to prison she was put on a hurdle and dragged there, subject to the ridicule of the crowds. She was imprisoned in the damp underground cells of Dublin Castle – where the young sons of the Northern chieftains, Red Hugh O’Donnell and Art O’Neill would be held hostage a few years later.
Every effort was made to persuade her to abandon her faith and sign the oath to the Queen. Had she done so she could have returned to the peace and comfort of her own home. They were wasting their time. Margaret was steadfast to the end. In 1584, after about three years in prison, she died from illnesses brought on by the conditions there.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we trust in the power of prayer? Like Queen Esther and Jesus, do we trust that God alone is our help and protection against adversity?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving Father,
you are our help and protection.
Help us in our difficulties.
Protect us from all adversities.
Turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrow into wholeness.
You are our almighty God and compassionate Lord,
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.
“Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord, my God.” (Est C:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When trials and adversities come, especially with regards to the Catholic faith we profess, celebrate and live, turn to God in confident prayer and ask for courage to overcome them.
***
February 22, 2013: THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER THE APOSTLE
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives the Flock a Shepherd’s Care”
BIBLE READINGS
I Pt 5:1-4 // Mt 16:13-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The feast of the Chair of Peter, apostle, underlines Peter’s special role among the apostles and in the first generation Church, as well as the pastoral role of his successor, the Pope – the Bishop of Rome. In today’s first reading, Saint Peter presents himself as a fellow elder and as a witness of Christ’s sufferings and sharer in the glory to be revealed. He exhorts his fellow elders to be true shepherds of God’s flock in their midst. Their mission is to give it a shepherd’s care. Their ministry is to be carried out with eager service, with noble and never selfish, mercenary motives. In their exercise of leadership, they should be supportive and not authoritarian. They should be models of devotion, service and generosity so that when the chief Shepherd comes they will share in his eternal glory.
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI from the Petrine ministry has greatly surprised the world. But after the initial shock, we realize that the Pope’s radical decision is deeply pastoral. Pope Benedict has wisely used the possibility of resigning provided in Canon 332.2 of the Code of Canon law: “Should it happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns from his office, it is required for validity that the resignation be freely made and properly manifested, but it is not necessary that it be accepted by anyone.” The declaration of his resignation is a radical expression of his selfless and sacrificial love for God’s flock. Here are the words of Pope Benedict.
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, have deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to my by the Cardinals on April 19, 2005, in such a way, that as from February 28, 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect a new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.
Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How do I express my love and respect for the Pope and the other pastors of the Church? Do I pray for them and collaborate with them in caring for God’s flock?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord,
cover with your protection our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
Be his light, strength and protection.
We pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
upon the forthcoming conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff.
Let everything be done according to your divine will
and for your greater glory.
You are our eternal Shepherd and Guide.
Grant your Church a shepherd
who will walk in your ways
and whose watchful care will bring us blessing.
You live and reign,
forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“God’s flock is in your midst; give it a shepherd’s care.” (I Pt 5:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let your pains, trials and sacrifices of these days be offered for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the forthcoming Conclave.
***
February 23, 2013: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY LENT (1)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Establishes a New Covenant”
BIBLE READINGS
Dt 26:16-19 // Mt 5:43-48
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading is about the covenant relationship that God establishes with his people Israel. A distinguishing element of the covenant is the Chosen People’s wholehearted observance of God’s commandments, statutes and decrees. The Lord and Israel are now bound to each other by a treaty. Israel believes exclusively in the Lord God and the Lord makes Israel as the only treasured people of God, holy to the Lord. The people assert their allegiance to God. Through Moses, God assures them of the blessings that come to the obedient. The Old Testament covenant will be superseded by the New Covenant that Jesus would inaugurate by the sacrifice of his body and the pouring out of his blood on the cross
As Christian disciples, we need to live by the covenant that he has ratified by the Lord Jesus’ life-giving sacrifice. Mary McEvoy, 17, a former Irish Dancing World Champion, shares her experiences of living up to the challenges of the covenant relationship with God (cf. “What God Means to Me!” in ALIVE! January 2013, p. 13).
I grew up in a Catholic family, learning the virtues and values that came with my faith. Like any other Catholic child, I was baptized, made my First Confession, First Communion and my Confirmation, aged 11. I’d say that my relationship with God began with my birth and was strengthened by these sacraments.
I’d like to think that I am your typical teenager who goes to school and likes to socialize with her friends. However, on the 16th November 2012 I went to Corrymeela in north Antrim with the Search youth organization for a retreat. I really feel my relationship with God came to the forefront of my life with that retreat.
In our secular society, driven by materialism, it is easy to forget God and our faith. With atheism growing and religion being pushed aside, many people, young and old, are disregarding their faith altogether. Unfortunately, I was beginning to do this myself, and so I believe that the Search weekend could not have come at a better time for me. With the help of the leaders and our spiritual director for the weekend, who gave some inspirational talks, my relationship with God was renewed and rejuvenated. I was reminded of how important my faith is to me, especially in this society when God is so easily forgotten. And I did forget him.
With school and my hobby, Irish Dancing, taking up so much time of my life, I drifted away from my faith and forgot the values that were important. During the weekend, I learnt so much. I learnt that being a Catholic is nothing to be ashamed of; that it is a privilege to have religious faith and to be a Catholic, especially in today’s society when those with faith are mocked. Because of this and the anti-faith movement that seems to be developing, I was beginning to lose my faith.
But over the course of the weekend I learnt that we all have a “God-shaped” hole in our hearts and that we have an infinite capacity for joy and happiness that can be filled only by God. I also learnt that faith is knowledge; it is not an alternative to knowledge. Jesus sacrificed his life so that we could live ours to the full, and as my relationship with him has strengthened, I realize this more and more. He is the center of our lives and at the heart of our faith and I now learn from his example of how to live. (…)
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How do we live out our covenant relationship with God? Do we realize that we are a people holy and consecrated to the Lord?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we believe in your covenant love for us.
Help us to follow your marvelous saving will
and to trust in the wisdom of your guidance.
Make us realize that we are consecrated to you
and that we are a people of the new covenant.
Help us to be faithful.
You are our compassionate God,
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.
“You will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God, as he promised.” (Dt 26:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
During this Lenten season, give quality time to meditate on the Ten Commandments so that you may better put them into practice.
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Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US