A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 20, n. 12)
Week 6 in Ordinary Time: February 13-19, 2022
(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 from various perspectives. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: February 6-12, 2022 please go to ARCHIVES Series 20 and click on “Ordinary Week 5”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
February 13-19, 2022.)
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February 13, 2022: SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
WORLD MARRIAGE DAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Proclaims the Beatitude of the Poor”
BIBLE READINGS
Jer 17:5-8 // 1 Cor 15:12, 16-20 // Lk 6:17, 20-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 6:17, 20-16): “Blessed are the poor. Woe to you who are rich”
I read with great amusement and interest the following story of Fr. Jerry Orbos, the Mission Director of the Mission Office of the Society of Divine Word, an international congregation of priests and brothers serving in more than fifty countries all over the world (cf. Jerry Orbos, Light Moments, Book IV, Manila: Logos Publications, 2002, p. 39). It is an example of what it means to be truly blessed by the Lord. The Orbos family may not have money, but in choosing to live the spirit of the Gospel, the family members experience the deep joy and the immense treasures of God’s kingdom.
My father was a lawyer, but he didn’t have money. Maybe because he was a good man and didn’t charge his poor clients. I remember how he helped many people from the barrios with their legal needs. He himself would do the typing on his old Underwood typewriter, and he would often ask me to get coffee for him and his clients. On different occasions, the people he helped would give him rice, fruits, poultry or livestock as tokens of gratitude. One time, he received two goats which he wanted to be butchered because no one could take care of them. I pleaded that I will take care of them, which I did. I would gather grass, give them water, and let them out in the fields every afternoon after classes. Soon the two goats multiplied, till I had about twelve, and felt like I was some goat magnate at the age of twelve.
Today’s Gospel passage (Lk 6:17, 20-26) depicts Jesus as coming down the mountain together with the chosen Twelve and meeting a large group of disciples and a great crowd of people from Judea, Jerusalem, and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. To these people who needed healing and were hungering for the word of God, Jesus addressed the inaugural discourse of God’s kingdom (cf. Lk 6:17-49). Instead of staying on the mountain, the evangelist Luke portrays Jesus as coming down from the mountain. Like Moses who descended to the plain to deliver the law to the people (cf. Ex 34:15), Jesus went down the mountain to speak his saving word to his people. The inaugural discourse of Jesus begins by proclaiming the beatitudes of the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the persecuted on account of the Son of Man (Lk 6:20-23). As a counterpoint to the beatitudes are the maledictions directed to the rich, the satiated, the happy, and the popular (Lk 6:24-26).
Against the backdrop of last Sunday’s Gospel reading with its climactic final sentence: “When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him” (Lk 5:11), today’s liturgical assembly is being invited to focus its attention on the contrasting pair: “Blessed are you who are poor … But woe to you who are rich” (Lk 6:20, 24). These strong words, however, should be situated in their proper context, which is that of Jesus’ consciousness of the radical eruption of the Reign of God in the here and now.
We must take seriously the exigent appeal and challenge addressed to us by Jesus as he proclaims anew in the liturgical assembly the beatitude of the poor and the woe of the rich. Indeed, the Kingdom of God is the ultimate value and in this perspective, we realize that material wealth has only a relative value and must be used to promote the Kingdom value. The Christian disciples who have made the Kingdom of God their fundamental option and absolute treasure are truly rich.
B. Old Testament Reading (Jer 17:5-8): “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings; blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.”
In our Christian challenge to alleviate the lot of the poor and in the proclamation of the Good News of salvation, the message of today’s Old Testament (Jer 17:5-8) reading is very encouraging: God is our sole refuge. The Jeremiah text is a word of wisdom inviting us to trust God in our work for the Kingdom: “Unhappy is he who trusts in man; happy the man who trusts in the Lord.” There is a dramatic contrast between the person who trusts in God and the one who trusts in merely human power. The person who turns away from God and puts his trust in man is like a desert bush that futilely struggles to stay alive. The person who puts his trust in God is like a tree growing near a flowing stream whose source of nourishment is abundant and unfailing. The vivid images prompt us to make a choice.
In our fundamental choice for the Kingdom value and in making the beatitudes a reality, the following words of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the martyr of El Salvador, remind us not to rely on our efforts and inspire us anew to trust humbly in the power of the Lord God, the Master Builder of his Kingdom.
It helps now and then to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that should be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection, no pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing that they will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the Master Builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders, ministers not messiahs. We are prophets of a future that is not our own.
C. Second Reading (1 Cor 15:12, 16-20): “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is in vain.”
The contrasting image of the blessed and the unfortunate could also be gleaned from today’s Second Reading (1 Cor 15:12, 16-20). Those who believe in the resurrection of Christ are blessed. Pitiable instead are those who deny the resurrection of the dead for they ultimately negate the Lord’s resurrection and our very own redemption. The resurrection of Jesus proves that life is stronger than death. It is also a sign of the harvest of resurrection of all believers to come.
Faith in the Risen Lord Jesus and belief in the resurrection of the dead go hand in hand. Trust in God enables us to feel tremendous comfort in the death of our loved ones. The loving God fills the weeping hearts of bereaved family members and friends with the beatitude of consolation. This was my experience when I attended on January 26, 2010 the Annual Memorial Mass at St. Christopher’s Parish in San Jose, California where we gathered together to pray for our loved ones who died in the year 2009. Hope in the blessed resurrection was likewise strengthened by the following text so kindly prepared by St. Christopher Grief Ministry.
To My Dearest Family
Some things I’d like to say, but first of all to let you know that I arrived okay. I’m writing this from heaven where I dwell with God above where there are no more tears or sadness. There is just eternal love.
Please do not be unhappy just because I’m out of sight. Remember that I’m with you every morning, noon and night. That day I had to leave you when my life on earth was through, God picked me up and hugged me and he said, “I welcome you. It’s good to have you back again. You were missed while you were gone. As for your dearest family, they’ll be here later on.” When you are walking down the street and have me on your mind, I’m walking in your footsteps only half a step behind. When you feel that gentle breeze or the wind upon your face, it is me giving you a great big hug or just a soft embrace.
And when it’s time for you to go from that body to be free, remember you’re not going alone. You are coming here to me. And I will always love you from that land way up above. We’ll be in touch again soon.
P.S. God sends his love.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we take time to join the crowd of disciples, the afflicted and the poor who hunger for the Word of God? Do we listen with receptive hearts to the challenging discourse of Jesus on the beatitude of the poor and the woe of the rich? How do we make use of the blessings given to us by the Lord? How do we use the “riches” we have received to alleviate the plight of the poor?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Leader: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” (Lk 6:20)
Assembly: We possess nothing because we are masters of nothing in our possession. All we possess is a gift. The Kingdom value possesses us. God alone suffices. We totally depend on you, O God; you are our only treasure.
Leader: “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.” (Lk 6:24)
Assembly: The moment we try to be rich by keeping something safely in our hands we become losers, for love is lost. May we use the bounty of blessings we have received from you to alleviate the plight of the poor and to promote the Kingdom value. We totally depend on you, O God; you are our only treasure.
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.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” (Lk 6:20)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that the beatitude invoked on the poor, on those who hunger and weep, on those who are excluded and marginalized in society may truly be realized in them. Endeavor to make this beatitude a reality by being an instrument of God’s compassion on their behalf. In your work for social justice and ministry to the poor, do not rely on human power and strength but on God alone.
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February 14, 2022: MONDAY – SAINTS CYRIL, Monk, AND METHODIUS, Bishop
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Refused to Give Them a Sign … His Is a Persevering Faith”
BIBLE READINGS
Jas 1:1-11 // Mk 8:11-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:11-13): “Why does this generation seek a sign?”
Today’s reading (Mk 8:11-13) is about the Pharisees who are asking Jesus “a sign from heaven” to prove that he is the Messiah. Their demand for a spectacular public display is ill-motivated. They want to discredit Jesus who, for them, is a fraud. Their hearts are warped with unbelief and their demand for a “sign” manifests their willful blindness. Indeed, according to a 16th century proverb, “There are none so blind as those who won’t see.” The compassionate works of Jesus on behalf of the sick and suffering, of the hungry poor and dejected, do not touch their hearts. They do not perceive them as messianic signs. The miracles of healing and nourishment could not force them to love Jesus, who sighs from the depths of his heart. A heavenly sign for the unbelieving – no matter how spectacular - would be an exercise in futility. Of what use is it to have signs if the heart is blind? Hence, Jesus leaves them, gets into the boat, and sails off to the other shore.
The pathetic scenario of the unbelieving and unseeing Pharisees invites us to take the opposite stance. Jesus himself is the ultimate “sign” of the Father’s redeeming love for us. We need to open the eyes of our heart to see, love and serve Jesus. We need to be sensitive and receptive to the beautiful miracles that God continues to work in our daily life.
The following story gives us a glimpse into what perceiving “a sign from heaven” entails (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book Of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books/Doubleday, 1990, p. 52-53).
A prisoner lived in solitary confinement for years. He saw and spoke to no one and his meals were served through an opening in the wall. One day an ant came into his cell. The man contemplated it in fascination as it crawled around the room. He held it in the palm of his hand the better to observe it, gave it a grain or two, and kept it under his tin cup at night. One day it suddenly struck him that it had taken him ten long years of solitary confinement to open his eyes to the loveliness of an ant.
B. First Reading (Jas 1:1-11): “The testing of your faith produces perseverance so that you may be perfect and complete.”
For the next two weeks we shall be reading from the Letter of James, a collection of practical instructions on Christian attitudes and living. Today’s First Reading (Jas 1:1-11) is a call to full maturity in faith. Trials are valuable because they lead to endurance, perfection and maturity of faith. Christians must persevere in conversion to God and growth in the living of Gospel morality. We must pray for wisdom to persevere in faith. When we pray, we must believe and not doubt at all. The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. Mature faith includes rejoicing in our poverty for God lifts up the poor. The boastful rich is like a flower of a wild plant that the sun scorches.
The following story illustrates the maturation of faith in the face of trial (cf. Beth McAllister, “Teaching About Prayer” in Guideposts, February 2014, p. 23).
When my seven-year-old son, Logan, first complained of an earache, I thought he had a routine infection. Then his hands and feet began to swell. Over the next few weeks he became desperately ill. His blood pressure and temperature shot up, reaching dangerous levels. A team of doctors determined that his illness was the result of an unchecked strep infection and his immune system was attacking his kidneys. The therapies and drugs they were using weren’t working. They were alarmed.
My husband, Timothy, and I were panic-stricken when we heard the diagnosis: “Logan’s in acute kidney failure and in danger of cardiac arrest.” The doctors started him on dialysis.
Timothy and I clung to each other and our faith. Our family and friends placed Logan’s name on several prayer chains. Apparently, our son overheard some of our conversations about this. As I tucked him into bed one night, Logan asked, “What is a prayer chain?” “That’s when a lot of people pray for the same thing”, I explained. “They tell their friends, and then those friends tell their friends, until there are hundreds – even thousands – of people praying together.” “All of those people are praying for me?” Logan asked. “Yes”, I said. “And God hears every prayer.”
Logan grew quiet and looked into my eyes. “Well, if thousands of people are praying for me”, he said, “Maybe I should pray for myself too.” “That would be a good idea”, I said. I kissed him goodnight and turned out the light. “Don’t worry if you hear me talking in here, Mom”, he called to me as I left his room. “I’m just praying.”
The next day we returned to the hospital for Logan’s dialysis. But when they drew his blood, tests revealed that he no longer needed the treatment. His kidneys were suddenly working again.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
1. Am I slow to read the “sign” of God’s love because of blindness of heart? How do I try to open the eyes of my heart to the “sign”?
2. Do we consider the various trials that come our way as means for the maturation of faith?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we are filled with wonderful signs of the Father’s love:
the beautiful sunrise and the gorgeous sunset,
the blooming of spring flowers,
the diligence of a lovely ant,
the compassionate hands
of those who care for the poor and helpless …
Above all, we are filled with praise and thanksgiving for you
– the ultimate sign of God’s compassion.
You are the radical sign of the divine redeeming love.
Grant that we may truly rejoice in you,
now and forever.
Amen.
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Lord Jesus,
you incarnate God’s compassion.
Help us to see in the various trials that come our way
The grace of divine presence
and a call to mature in faith.
Grant that we may truly rejoice in 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.
“Why does this generation seek a sign?” (Mk 8:12) //“Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials.” (Jas 1:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an effort to read the various signs of God’s love that surround us every day and be grateful for them. By your acts of kindness and compassion, strive to be a living sign of God’s caring love for the poor and needy in today’s society. // By the gracious way you respond to daily trials, give witness to the presence of God and the wisdom of his saving plan.
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February 15, 2022: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (6)
“JESUS SAVIOR: Even His Disciples Did Not Understand … He Teaches Us to Overcome Temptation”
BIBLE READINGS
Jas 1:12-18 // Mk 8:14-21
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:14-21): “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
The Gospel (Mk 8:14-21) tells us that after his encounter with the unbelieving Pharisees who demand from him a heavenly sign to prove his messianic credentials, the unscathed Jesus gets into the boat and sails with his disciples to the other side of the lake. In their hurry, the disciples have forgotten to bring bread except for one loaf. When Jesus starts to talk to them about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, they immediately conclude that it is because they did not have enough bread. Having just witnessed two miracles of the loaves in which Jesus has fed thousands in the hungry crowds, their discussion about not having enough bread is senseless and unwarranted. Their concern for material food reveals their obtuseness and lack of insight. They have not seen nor understood any more than the declared enemies of Jesus.
The barrage of eight questions that Jesus directs to his disciples is meant to rip through their blinded hearts. He is patiently teaching them to fight off the hidden corruption of self-righteousness, power and worldliness that is infecting the Pharisees and the Herodians. Jesus is warning them about the corrosive messianic expectations of the Pharisees and the inimical political motivations of the Herodians. Their corrupting influence is as forceful as the yeast that leavens the bread. The Divine Master is thus helping his disciples to overcome their hardness of heart and obduracy of mind. He is teaching them to recognize him as the one loaf that matters. Jesus Christ is evoking their faith, for he is the true Messiah – the one sent by God to feed them with the Bread of Life.
The following story can give us an idea of our own obtuseness and lack of insight, like the disciples who were in the boat with Jesus (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book Of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books/Doubleday, 1990, p. 180). We have unseeing eyes and unhearing ears. We are not able to recognize or understand the daily “miracle of life”.
The great Gensha once invited a court official to tea. After the customary greetings, the official said, “I do not wish to squander this opportunity of spending some time in the presence of so great a Master. Tell me. What does it mean when they say that in spite of our having it in our daily life we do not see it?”
Gensha offered the man a piece of cake. Then he served him his tea. After eating and drinking, the official, thinking that the Master had not heard his first sentence, repeated the question. “Yes, of course”, said the Master. “This is what it means: that we do not see it, even though we have it in our daily life.”
B. First Reading (Jas 1:12-18): “God himself tempts no one.”
The reading (Jas 1:12-18) gives an insight into the reality of temptation. If a person experiences temptation, that temptation does not come from God. Saint James asserts that God does not bring temptations upon us. A person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his desire that leads to sin and death. The person who overcomes temptation is blessed. He will receive as his reward the life that God has promised to those who love him. Saint James warns us not to be deceived or tempted by false rewards for the font of every good gift and every perfect gift is God.
The following war veteran story illustrates how a person is able to overcome temptation through the grace of God (cf. Major Edward Pulido, “A New Purpose” in Guideposts, February 2014, p. 39-42).
I’d gone into the military waiting to sacrifice for our country, to give my life even, for a higher purpose. But I wasn’t ready for this. To be crippled at 36. I couldn’t do that to my wife, Karen, and our daughter, Kaitlin, only three. I was supposed to provide for my family, not be a burden. (…)
One night, after the nurse had made her rounds, I looked over at the IV bags, the tubes that pumped antibiotics, pain meds, nutrients into my bloodstream. Everything that was keeping me alive. But for what? I should just end it. Pull out the lines. Get it over with.
My eyes moved slowly down my body, past my hips and thighs. A blanket covered the bottom of the bed, where my leg should have been. Slowly, my hand trembling, I slid the blanket to the side, then the sheet underneath. There was nothing but a stump. A thick bandage wrapped tightly around my mid-thigh. I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t live like this. Take charge. I opened my eyes, reached for the tubes, wrapped my fingers around them.
One tug and you’re done. I couldn’t look. I turned my head. There on the wall, staring back at me, was the face of Jesus, almost illuminated in the gloom. His picture was surrounded by cards, hundreds of them. They filled the entire wall. Every card sent by someone who cared. Someone who was pulling for me. An entire battalion of people I could count on. People the Lord had put into my life to help me, to love me, to give me strength.
I pulled my hand away from the tubes. Lord, forgive me, I prayed. I was so close to abandoning the life you’ve given me. But you have not left me. I know that now. You are here. I drifted off to sleep, the best rest I’d had since the explosion.
When I awoke, Mama and Karen were there. Mama took my hand, her face serious, as if she knew how close I’d come to ending my life.”Eddie, you have a choice to make”, she said. “You can stay in this bed and grieve over your lost leg or you can get up and walk.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we so preoccupied with daily cares that we are unable to see and recognize the ongoing miracle of life that comes from God? Do we have faith in Jesus as the one loaf that matters – the Bread of eternal Life?
2. What do we do when we experience temptation? Do we turn to God for help?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O Jesus Lord, forgive us!
At times we are obtuse and insensitive.
Our eyes are not able to see,
our ears are not able to hear,
our hearts are not able to feel,
and our minds are not able to understand
the greatness of your love for us.
But you are the Divine Master and the Bread of life.
You are the one loaf that matters
– the life-giving Bread that satisfies the hungers of our heart.
Give us the light of your wisdom
and the love of the Holy Spirit
so that we may live only for you.
Help us share the bread of the Word
with a hungry world that longs for God.
Save us from the leaven of corruption.
Let us live our lives
as “bread blessed, broken and shared” for others.
You are the font of blessing
and we adore and bless you, now and forever.
Amen.
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O Jesus Lord,
grant us your strength and persevering faith.
Teach us to overcome temptation
and give us the grace to trust in you.
You are the font of blessing and the source of every good.
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 day. Please memorize it.
“Do you still not understand?” (Mk 8:21) //“Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation.” (Jas 1:12)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that Christian disciples may have better insight into the compassionate ways and plan of God. Make it a daily exercise to recognize and thank God for the beauty and bounty of the “miracle of life” that daily surrounds us. // Pray the “Our Father” devoutly everyday that you may have strength to overcome the daily temptations.
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February 16, 2022: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (6)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Makes the Blind See … He Helps Us to Be Doers of the Word”
BIBLE READINGS
Jas 1:19-27 // Mk 8:22-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:22-26): “His sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.”
The healing of the blind man in Bethsaida occurs by stages. Jesus takes him by the hand and leads him outside the village. Jesus uses spittle and lays his hands on him. The blind recovers his sight partially. He tells Jesus that he can see people looking like trees and walking. At the second laying of hands, the blind man is able to see clearly. The healed man of Bethsaida is a symbol of all the disciples of Jesus, then and now, in need of his healing touch.
The gradual restoration of the man’s vision is similar to the gradual recognition of Jesus’ messiah-ship by his disciples. The healing “by stages” symbolizes the progressive healing of their spiritual blindness. The Twelve who followed Jesus have “seen” him without really seeing him. They need to undergo a conversion process that would enable them to overcome their blindness of heart and “see everything clearly”. Like the blind man of Bethsaida, Jesus would lead them by the hand. They would have a glimpse of Christ’s paschal destiny and grow progressively in faith.
The following story of the healing of a young man who became blind through an automobile accident gives us an idea of the wonderful experience of the blind man of Bethsaida healed by Jesus (cf. Joyce Stranger, “A Walk in the Dark” in Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, vol. 4, New York: 1988, p. 568-569).
It was strange to lie in a hospital bed again, aware of pain, his eyes bandaged. It brought back memories he would as soon have forgotten. They had operated on only one eye. There would be a second operation later. (…)
The days went by. Steve did not want the bandages removed. Better to hope than to know. He lay in a darkened room, shaking, when they finally unwrapped his eyes. “Open them”, the doctor said. He dared not. And then he forced himself to find out the truth. From the operated eye he glimpsed an edge of light at the window, a glint from a glass on the bedside table, the shape of a face above him. “I can see”, he whispered. The bandages were rewrapped. Steve lay, his heart pounding. Suppose it was only temporary? Suppose it lasted only a few hours?
But fate was kind, and each day revealed more of the world he had lost. He had to be careful. Bright lights hurt, and using his eyes even for ten minutes was a strain. But in those minutes he absorbed every impression he could get: the faces of the people about him, and such colors everywhere! The curtains in his room were yellow and blue. There were roses in a vase by his bed. They removed the bandages at night, and he lay like a child, staring at the shape of his hand, at the pattern on his pajamas. (…)
And then came the day when the curtains were pulled back, and he stood near the window looking out at a riot of colors dizzying his senses: bright flowers and trees, women in gay dresses, yellow against green against blue. He couldn’t bear it and had to draw the curtains again and reduce the light. Shaking, he sat in a chair, staring at the closed curtains, unable to believe his luck.
They brought him dark glasses, and with them he braved the world. He discovered that he had lost his sense of space; nothing seemed to be in the right place; distance had begun to play tricks on him. Steps were steeper and shallower than he thought; tables farther away. Perspective had vanished. He was terrified at the speed with which people walked toward him, sure they would bump into him.
At night, in his darkened room, he stood at the window and stared out at the trees bending in the wind, at the cloud banks lined with light. Light. Starlight. He was too fascinated to sleep, seeing the bright pinpoints of distant suns, the slender moon. The miracles continued. He walked in the garden, watching birds dart about the grass, seeing a cat slink out of the bushes, seeing it newly for the first time, an amazing creature. Sunlight bronzed its tortoiseshell fur. He wanted to sit and look forever.
He rediscovered shadows. He had been so used to them he rarely noticed them, but now he watched his own shadow as it stretched in front of him or suddenly dwarfed itself. But how could people live among such incredible sights and not notice them?
B. First Reading (Jas 1:19-27): “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.”
The reading (Jas 1:19-27) energizes us with Saint James’ exhortation: “Be doers of the word!” His main concern is to help the Christian community persevere in conversion to God and to make the believers grow in the Gospel life. He underlines the intimate relationship between faith in God and love of neighbor, which characterizes our covenant relationship with God. The great pastor, St. James, inspires us with his keen sense of the wholeness of Christian life. Indeed, there is an active and inseparable relationship between religion and life. For St. James, there is no fragmentation of faith and works. There is no part-time Christian in the Church.
It is our joy to present some notes concerning Alberto Hurtado, the remarkable Jesuit priest from Chile canonized by Pope Benedict on October 23, 2005, in Rome (cf. Luis Quezada, “I’m Content, Lord! I’m Content!” in THE WORD AMONG US, August 2006, p. 51-56). In his care for the needy, the orphans and the street children in Chile, St. Alberto Hurtado is an example of a disciple who is both a “hearer of the word” and a “doer of the word”.
Alberto Hurtado was born in 1901, in Vina del Mar, a port city in central Chile. By the time he was five, his father had died and his mother had moved to Santiago with her two sons, after selling the family property to pay off debts. Having no home of their own, they lived with different relatives – an experience that acquainted Alberto with the struggles of the homeless and needy. He learned compassion from his mother, too. “It is good to put your hands together to pray, but it is better to open them in order to give”, she used to say. Young Alberto did this by sharing with poor children the coins his uncle gave him. Later, as a student, he devoted Sunday afternoon to helping serve the poor in Santiago’s most blighted areas.
He also prayed. In fact, as he sensed a growing call to be a Jesuit priest, he prayed long and hard that doors would open and that his mother’s financial situation would improve. Eventually, his prayers were answered in the form of a court-ordered settlement that ensured his mother a decent income. In 1923, with a law degree in hand, Alberto entered the Society of Jesus. His long years of formation took him to Argentina, Spain, and Louvain, Belgium, where he wrote a doctoral thesis on the art and science of education. Upon being ordained a priest in 1933, he wrote a friend that he felt “completely happy” and wanted only “to live out my ministry with all the fullness of my inner life and my outer activities”.
Once back in Chile, Hurtado lost no time putting his dreams into action. He taught high school and university students, seminarians and lay people. Young people were drawn to him through the retreats he preached and the mission trips he led; it seemed that no matter what activity he was pursuing, he fired young hearts to give themselves to Christ and work for his glory. But in the midst of all these outreaches, Alberto was most concerned for the poor. He worried about the orphans who roamed Santiago’s streets and climbed onto city buses to sing for money, to beg, or to steal purses. While others ignored them, he was keenly aware of the homeless youths who spent nights around bonfires under bridges and in parks. Some, he knew, were addicted to drugs or drink and stole to support their habits; some had done jail time. What he saw broke his heart. “Every poor person, every vagrant, every beggar is Christ himself who is carrying his cross”, he often said. “As such, we ought to love him and care for him.”
In October 1944, a sick, shivering man came to Hurtado looking for a place to stay. He was the very picture of misery. Days later, still shaken by the encounter, Alberto spoke of the man’s distress at a women’s retreat. His heartfelt account of the poverty on Santiago’s streets was like seed falling on good soil. When he spontaneously suggested opening a shelter for the neediest and the street children, the women responded with generous donations of money, jewels, and land. “Christ’s Home”, the Hogar de Cristo, opened its doors the following May. Everyone was welcome, the only requirement being that they have a real need. Alberto was directly involved in the project, he recalled Maria Opazo, whose husband often accompanied him when he went out at night looking for children in need. He drove a green truck and drove it fast, slamming on the brakes when he saw a child lying on the ground. Stopping briefly on the bridge over the Mapocho River, he would blow the horn, and the children would come out yelling, “It’s Papa Hurtado!” When the truck was full, he took the children to the Hogar and then started all over again. “This would go on almost every night from 10:00 p.m. to about 3:00 a.m.”, said Mrs. Opazo.
Fr. Hurtado opened more houses, some of them rehabilitation centers and vocational schools that offered people the skills they needed to earn a living. Above all, he wanted everyone served to come to respect “their value as a person and dignity as a citizen, and more so, as child of God.” Today, the Hogar de Cristo and its many affiliates carry on their founder’s vision by caring for thousands of children, teens, and adults throughout Chile. (…)
Alberto was only fifty years old when he experienced the first symptoms of the disease that would cut his life short. A year later, after suffering a stroke, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The illness meant a reduction in the amount of work he could accomplish and, ultimately, an early death, but he received the news as a gift from God. Wanting to make the most of his last days, Hurtado kept his door always open. His room became a place of pilgrimage for people of all social conditions. He said farewells, thanked everyone for “such evidence of love and devotion” – and never forgot the poor. In his last letter, written only days before his death on August 18, 1952, Alberto charged his friends to continue his work: “As the needs and miseries of the poor show themselves, find ways to help them as you would help the Master … I confide the poor little ones to your care, in the name of God.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I experience spiritual blindness? Do I allow Jesus to lead me, touch me and enable me to see with the eyes of faith?
2. Do I endeavor to be both “hearer of the word” and “doer of the word”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
lay your healing hands upon me.
Let me see with the eyes of faith.
You are my God
and you alone I will love and serve.
Let all peoples praise you and glorify you,
now and forever.
Amen.
***
Lord Jesus,
let us give witness to your healing love and transforming power
by being both a “hearer of the word” and “doer of the word”.
Let all peoples praise 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.
“His sight was restored.” (Mk 8:25) //“Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” (Jas 1:22)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an effort to help the blind and the handicapped in your community. By your care for them, allow the word of God to bear abundant fruit.
*** *** ***
February 17, 2022: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (6); THE SEVEN FOUNDERS OF THE SERVITE ORDER
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Suffering Messiah … He Lifts Up the Poor”
BIBLE READINGS
Jas 2:1-9 // Mk 8:27-33
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:27-33): “You are the Christ. The Son of Man must suffer much.”
In the Gospel (Mk 8:27-33) we hear that to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers correctly, “You are the Messiah”. But Peter immediately reveals that his notion of the “Messiah” is as faulty and corrosive as those of the Pharisees. Influenced by popular expectation, he expects Jesus to be a religious-political savior replete with worldly power. The false notion of messiah-ship needs to be rectified. The Divine Master, who healed the blind man of Bethsaida “by stages”, manifests his continuing effort to heal the spiritual blindness of the disciples, especially Peter. He tries to enlighten them on the true meaning of Messiah. He gives them insight that the “Messiah” is the Son of Man who must suffer greatly and be rejected and killed, and rise after three days. Indeed, authentic messiah-ship and discipleship involve powerlessness and suffering rather than worldly power and might.
One of the most beautiful stories I have ever read is “To Live Again” by Harold Koenig, M.D. (cf. “To Live Again” in Guideposts, September 2006, p. 20-24). The psychiatrist, Dr. Koenig, who is the coordinator of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University in North Carolina, suffers from a crippling disease that racks him with pain. Here is an inspiring account of how he has coped with pain and suffering.
I had been diagnosed with psoriatic inflammatory arthritis. My immune system was attacking my tendons and joints. Any part of my body I used repetitively – legs, knees, ankles, hands, shoulders, back – could become inflamed. The disease could be progressive. There was no cure. Part of me was relieved to have a diagnosis – no more mystery pain. But then I saw the fear in Charmin’s eyes. I knew she was already mourning our walks together, our hiking vacations. I looked at Jordan. What kind of father will I be? Will we play baseball together? Can we even roughhouse? That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. My back was throbbing. But it wasn’t just the pain keeping me awake. Why? I asked, cycling through thoughts of patients, research, all that I felt God had called me to do. Is all this work for nothing? Is it all going to get swallowed up in some disease? What am I supposed to do?
The bedroom was dark, the pain relentless. Finally, I got up and limped to the sofa in the living room. I lay on it and found the soft cushions eased the ache. Thank you, God, I prayed. And then it hit me. It was such a simple movement, from bed to sofa. God didn’t snap his fingers and make the pain go away. He didn’t promise to cure me. But he did show me how to adapt, how to live instead of giving up. Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do, learn to follow God with the pain – and then help others do the same. Lord, that sounds hard. But if you’re with me, I’ll try.
God showed Dr. Koenig how to live with pain and how to help others cope with it. In embracing the mystery of suffering and in trusting the divine saving will, he was able to experience that God works through our weakness and our strength. Indeed, Dr. Koenig is a sterling example of how a disciple could participate fully and intimately in the paschal destiny of Jesus Christ, the suffering Messiah. Suffering is integral to Christian faith. And to follow Jesus involves redemptive sacrifice.
B. First Reading (Jas 2:1-9): “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world? You, however, dishonored the person who is poor.”
In the reading (Jas 2:1-9), Saint James confronts the problem of class discrimination. He inveighs against the blatant inconsistency of claiming to be a Christian while discriminating against the poor and oppressed fellow Christians of lower classes. He warns about dishonoring the poor in our midst. He reminds us that God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the Kingdom. Saint James exhorts us to adhere to “the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ”. True faith entails following the law of the Kingdom: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The letter of Saint James is a rebuke to the false standard of today’s world. It is senseless and cruel because it is based on values extraneous to the inner worth of the person. In spite of our distorted values and human frailty, however, the power of divine grace unfolds. The following article of “Papa Mike” McGarvin illustrates the triumph of beauty and grace (cf. Poverello News, July 2009, p. 2-3).
By now, Susan Boyle, a once obscure Scottish spinster, is a household name. It seems as though every pundit in America has written about her amazing performance on the show “Britain’s Got Talent”, so I am chiming in kind of late in the game.
If you haven’t seen Ms. Boyle’s performance on TV or You Tube, here’s what happened. Forty-seven years old, never married, and with a very plain appearance. Ms Boyle had grown up in an impoverished village. She is a faithful Christian who took care of her elderly parents until they passed away. Children and teenagers tormented her because of her looks, both when she was a child and as an adult. However, she has a glorious singing voice, and using her immense talent, she for many years performed in neighborhood churches and at karaoke sessions in local pubs.
Her opportunity to go on this show, a spin-off of American Idol, seemed particularly ill –fated. Described by many as “frumpy”, this unlikely candidate strode onto the stage to the cruel laughter of both the judges and audience. She seemed confident, but embarrassingly awkward, and the judges smirked as she described her goal of one day becoming a professional singer. To say that they didn’t take her seriously is a huge understatement.
And then, she opened her mouth and sang. A stunned panel of judges gazed, shocked and unbelieving, as the voice of an angel took command of the stage. The audience’s mockery turned to wild adulation. Susan Boyle’s magnificent contralto voice did not match their preconceived ideas of her. Her choice of songs, “I Dreamed a Dream” from the Broadway musical, Les Miserables, emotionally complimented her exquisite artistry. To a society that grossly overvalues physical attractiveness and wrongly equates it with goodness, talent, and prestige, Ms. Boyle stood as a refreshing rebuke. Jesus said that the last shall be first and the meek shall inherit the earth. Susan Boyle pretty much inherited the civilized, wired world that night as her performance spread like wildfire on the Internet. (…)
We don’t see a lot of physical attractiveness on the streets here at the Pov; but if there’s a lesson in Susan Boyle’s astonishing performance and the show’s dazzled judges, it’s that we cannot afford to dismiss people as unworthy or useless. God sees the whole person, and He sees beauty where, in our frailty and prejudice, we see none. I’ve always believed that He wants us to start viewing people with His vision of them. Our fallen human tendency is to label those who don’t meet our culture’s exacting standards as worthless; however, seeing someone through God’s eyes allows us to be open to many surprises, as well as many blessings that we otherwise would have missed.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe that suffering is an integral element of Christian faith? Do we wish to participate more fully in the paschal destiny of Christ, the suffering Messiah, as he redeems mankind and rebuilds the world?
2. Are we guilty of showing partiality to the rich and privileged and of socio-economic-racial discrimination against the poor and lowly? How do we overcome this false distinction? Do we strive to see the real worth and beauty of a person?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you are the suffering Messiah.
Help us to see the true worth
of a messiah-ship based on powerlessness and suffering.
Loving Jesus,
guide us to walk in your ways.
Inflame our hearts with love for you.
Filled with your blessings,
help us to serve you without distinction.
Help us to love inclusively.
We sing your kindness and glory.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Jesus Lord,
Fill us with your blessings.
Help us to serve you without distinction.
Teach us to love inclusively.
We sing your kindness and glory.
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.
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly.” (Mk 8:31) //“Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith?” (Jas 2:5)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that Christian disciples may have deep insight into the beauty and nobility of Christ as the suffering Messiah. // By your charity and personal dedication, enable the poor and the underprivileged to experience God’s all-inclusive love.
*** *** ***
February 18, 2022: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (6)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Take Up Our Cross … He Invites Us to Manifest our Faith in Works”
BIBLE READINGS
Jas 2:14-24, 26 // Mk 8:34-9:1
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:34-9:1): “Those who lose their lives for my sake and that of the Gospel will save them.”
In the Gospel (Mk 8:34-9:1) we hear that after prophesying his paschal destiny on the Cross, Jesus delineates the meaning of the discipleship of the cross: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it” (Mk 8:34-35). Jesus thus connects the fate of his disciples with his own. Christian discipleship involves a share in his paschal sacrifice on the cross. Only in letting go of self and in letting God realize his mysterious, saving plan in us, can we achieve true life and happiness.
Indeed, taking up one’s cross is a badge of discipleship. The great humanitarian and peace-worker, Chiara Lubich, underlines the vital role of the cross in Christian discipleship: “The cross is the necessary instrument whereby the divine penetrates into what is human, and humanity participates more fully in God’s life, entering into the kingdom of heaven already here on this earth. But we really have to take up our cross. We must get up in the morning expecting it, and knowing that only by means of it can we receive those gifts, which this world does not have – peace and joy, knowledge of the things of heaven, which are unknown to most people.”
The following account of the Japanese martyrs of Ikitsuki illustrates how they took up the cross and fully participated in the paschal destiny of Christ (cf. Full Sail with the Wind of Grace, ed. “Martyrs” Editorial Committee, Nagasaki: Don Bosco Sha, 2008, p. 44-46).
Genka’s daughter Maria was married to the son of Kondo Kisan, the commissioner of Tachiura (Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture). Kondo was a devout Buddhist. He tried to convert his daughter-in-law and make her give up her faith. Maria always responded with the same words. “I was baptized by my father and have always walked the way of God that was taught to me. I cannot give up my faith.” “If you do not renounce your faith we cannot keep you in our household. Think well and choose either my son or your faith!”
Kondo oppressed Maria with these harsh words. After two years of struggling with the situation, Maria told her husband of her decision, and returned to her father Genka.
Shigenobu was furious with Genka who not only disobeyed his orders and continued to practice his faith, but also worked as a Christian leader. Shigenobu ordered the execution of Genka together with his wife Ursula and their oldest son John Mataichi.
Genka was handed over to the commissioner of Yamada (Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture), Inoue Umanojo to be executed on the 14th of November 1609. To Umanojo, Genka was a friend for whom he had great respect. Genka told him of his only wish. “Lord Inoue, could you do me a favor and perform my execution at the Kurusu (cruz = cross ) Trail?” “Why the Kurusu Trail?” “Once a cross stood there, and my parents and friends are buried there, too.”
Umanojo nodded and they started to walk toward the Kurusu Trail. When they arrived at the spot, Genka said to Umanojo, “Lord Inoue, it was my heart’s desire to offer my life here. None of this is your fault. Please be at peace.”
Genka knelt down, raised his tied hands toward heaven and silently bowed his head. Umanojo, choking down his tears, performed the execution with one stroke of his sword so that Genka would not suffer too much. Genka’s wife Ursula and their son John Mataichi were also beheaded about the same time at a place nearby. Gaspar Nishi Genka and his wife Ursula were both 54 years old. Their eldest son John Mataichi was 24 years old. Their remains were buried at the Kurusu Trail. The Christians secretly planted a pine tree on the spot.
In 1992, the Christians of Ikitsuki built a large cross on the Kurusu Trail. It is to remind them of the importance of faith strengthened in the family, a precious heritage of Gaspar Nishi Genka.
B. First Reading (Jas 2:14-24, 26): “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
The reading (Jas 2:14-24, 26) underlines that true faith expresses itself by doing the will of God. Contesting the superficial “faith” widespread in his days, Saint James shows the intimate connection between faith and good works. “Faith” is the free acceptance of God’s saving revelation and “works” is the obedient implementation of God’s revealed will in every aspect of life. For James, true faith is practical and permeates the entire life, for faith without works is “dead” and does not lead to salvation. His great concern is to show covenant faith to all, especially the disadvantaged members. Indeed, the way we live in conformity to our faith is of vital importance. It is the criterion of our religious commitment to God.
The following account is an example of a living faith that expresses itself in concrete acts of charity on behalf of God’s poor (cf. Frank Maurivich, “Feeding God’s People” in The Anthonian, Summer 2009, p. 22-25). Faithful discipleship and authentic worship manifest its vitality in works of loving compassion for our needy brothers and sisters.
As the bell peals in the tower of St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City at precisely 7 a.m., a Franciscan friar enters the sanctuary to begin the celebration of Mass. At the same moment outside the church on West 31st Street of Midtown Manhattan, another brown-robed Franciscan friar leads three volunteers, one pulling a cart and the others dispensing hearty breakfast sandwiches to some 375 needy people. Two more volunteers pour cups of hot coffee for the homeless in what the Franciscans affectionately call the St. Francis Breadline.
Father Jerome Massimino, OFM, the pastor of the parish, sees an intimate connection between what is happening at the altar and on the sidewalk. “God’s chosen are being fed in both places”, he says. The scene outside the church began during the 1929 Depression when Brother Gabriel Mehler, OFM, established this ministry as a way to feed the hungry and the homeless. Since then, this scene has been repeated every morning for almost 80 years. Rain or shine, the friars will greet those who line up for coffee and food. “Alongside the ministry of reconciliation, the Breadline is the most beloved ministry of St. Francis Assisi Church”, the pastor says. Father Michael Carnevale, OFM, who has served as coordinator of the Breadline ministry for the past three years, says, “We have only one rule: ‘No questions asked.’ We take the people as they are – brothers and sisters in Christ. If they want to approach us, that’s a different story.”
The Breadline is inclusive – it welcomes everyone in need. The majority are male with only a handful of women. All are poor, and many are homeless. Some have or have had problems with alcohol or drugs; a few are mentally challenged. “We seldom have any trouble”, says Fred Dumas, the tall, husky security man on the parish staff. “If an occasional fight breaks out, others on the line usually break it up.” Fr. Mike estimates that some 70 percent of the people on the line are regulars. “They know one another”, the friar says. “They help among themselves. They have a sense of community.” They also appreciate Fr. Mike’s initiative in improving and varying the menu. What were once cheese or baloney sandwiches on white bread are now changed every day to roast beef, chicken cutlet, turkey, ham and cheese on a hero roll. The breakfast bag also includes a box of Juicy-Juice. “We can do this”, Fr. Mike says, “because our people, in the spirit of St. Francis, generously support this effort for people who are less fortunate.” (…)
Tony Ruba, for example, comes on the subway from his apartment in the Bronx to Manhattan at 3:30 every morning to begin bagging the sandwiches which are made and delivered from Manganaro’s Hero Boy Deli. Tony, like three others of the six volunteers on duty this day, was once on the receiving end of the line. He was homeless for eight years, but, he says, “Fr. Mike helped me get my head on straight.” The other volunteers refer to Tony as “the boss”.
“I like to get up early”, says Berkley “Burke” Stokes, who used to sleep on the church steps. Now, he has a regular job and has been volunteering every morning for 16 years. He and white-haired, handlebar mustached Frank Wallace, another regular volunteer who has been on both sides of the Breadline, each handle two large urns to dispense coffee. Burke does his job quietly, while Frank does a running commentary with his clients.
“I like to help in any way I can”, says Paul Johnson, another volunteer with experience of receiving and now giving. Friendly and loquacious, Paul serves as the cleanup man, but before attacking the refuse, he doles out the ball scores and news commentary. “How did the Rangers do last night?” a man holding a steaming Styrofoam coffee cup asks. “They won. A great hockey game”, reports Paul. “How about the Sixers?” a Philadelphia basketball fan asks. “Sorry, Bill, they lost.” Then Paul and round-shouldered Jimmy start a lively conversation on whether the city’s health department is doing enough to control the flu epidemic.
Tall, thin Erwin Schaub and curly-haired Anita Mark both volunteered after seeing a notice in the church bulletin. “I have been coming once or twice a week for four years”, Erwin says. Anita, who is also a Eucharistic minister at the church, serves on the Breadline almost every morning, but after dispensing the sandwiches, she rushes up the church stairs. “I’ve got to go inside”, the lively Eucharistic minister says, “to feed the others”.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we actualize, in our daily lives, the discipleship of the cross? How do we translate into concrete reality the Christian challenge: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”?
2. What does “faithful discipleship” mean to me personally? Do we try to be faithful and efficacious in our Christian discipleship? Does our Christian faith manifests itself in “works”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant.
He calls us to deny ourselves,
take up our cross
and follow him on the road that leads to eternal life.
In Jesus’ name,
bless us with faithful discipleship, now and forever.
Amen.
***
Lord Jesus,
may our living “faith” be manifested daily
in concrete works of charity,
especially to the poor, the marginalized and the needy.
Let our compassionate works of love
for our vulnerable brothers and sisters
be a sign of your saving love for all.
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.
“Whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.” (Mk 8:35) //“Faith without works is dead.” (Jas 2:26)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When your faith is challenged in today’s secularized world and when you are persecuted for your Christian faith, ask God for the grace to manifest the power of faithful discipleship. // In concrete works of charity to the poor and the needy, manifest the power of faith that has been given to you.
*** *** ***
February 19, 2022: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (6); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Transfigured in Glory … His Discipleship Entails a Disciplined Tongue”
BIBLE READINGS
Jas 3:1-10 // Mk 9:2-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 9:2-13): “Jesus was transfigured before them.”
One of my few prized possessions is a picture of the faces of students enrolled at Maryhill School of Theology, to enable the professors to memorize their names more easily. This particular picture contains the faces of the seminarians who participated in the course, “The Word of God in the Liturgy” which I taught in 1993. This “souvenir” is particularly meaningful for it includes the youthful face of my celebrity student, Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, a young Claretian missionary who worked in the thickly Muslim populated and rebel infested island of Basilan, in the southern Philippines. The Abu Sayaf rebels, notorious for their lawlessness and ferocity, kidnapped him, together with some female catechists, for ransom a few years ago. Fr. Gallardo was subjected to various forms of torture. His toenails were pulled out and he was commanded to rape his catechists, which he refused to do. He was humiliated for his heroic fidelity to prayer. Finally, as the Aba Sayaf rebels were retreating when the government forces attacked, he was shot in the head and died as a true pastor and martyr for the faith. I would show this “souvenir” to new students and, pointing to Fr. Gallardo’s image, proudly proclaim, “This is my beloved student!”
In today’s Gospel (Mk 9:2-13), we hear a similar acknowledgment in the authoritative voice coming from the cloud. It is the voice of the heavenly Father making the divine affirmation, “This is my beloved Son …” This affirmation echoes the acknowledgment the Father made at the baptism in the Jordan: “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased” (cf. Mk 1:9-11). In the transfiguration of Jesus, we get a glimpse of the glorious fulfillment of Christ’s paschal journey and the magnificent destiny of his covenantal fidelity to be at the complete service of God’s saving will. Indeed, the words from the cloud, “This is my beloved Son,” received their full meaning from Jesus’ willingness to be sacrificed and from the willingness of the Father “not to spare his own Son” (cf. Rom 8:32).
Indeed, Jesus, the beloved Son, is the primordial sacrament. He is the sacrament of the Father’s covenant fidelity to save us. He is the presence of the Father’s tremendous love for us. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, our Savior, his most precious One (cf. Jn 3:16). Indeed, God did not deny his own Son that we may be saved. The sacrificial aspect of the Father’s love and the beloved Son’s submission is the cause of our salvation. This is such an astounding reality that, with St. Paul, we can exclaim: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
B. First Reading (Jas 3:1-10): “No human being can tame the tongue.”
The reading (Jas 3:1-10) is a major discourse on the control of the tongue. But first, there is an introductory comment on the greater accountability and the stricter judgment that teachers face. Teaching is exercised through speech. With the teachers’ implied duty of the right use of speech as background, Saint James now enters into a lengthy admonition regarding the need of Christian disciples for a disciplined tongue. The early Church puts great premium on charity and fraternity and firmly guards against anger, factionalism, gossip and anything that militates against the Christian ideal. Saint James thus stresses the need to control the tongue, a body organ that, like a small fire that can set a big forest ablaze, can wreck great havoc in the individual person and community. Like a deadly poison, the abusive use of the tongue can “kill” and bring forth a “world of malice”. Taking into account the destruction that an unbridled tongue can bring, Saint James demands discipline in the use of the tongue. It should be controlled in the same way that a rider puts bit into the mouth of the horse to make it obey him and a pilot directs a big ship by steering the rudder. A disciplined tongue is part of a faithful discipleship. The tongue is to be used not for cursing, but only for blessing. Blessing God and cursing our fellow man who are made in the likeness of God are incompatible as finding fresh water and foul water from the same spring. Indeed, this need not be so.
Gossiping is an evil use of the tongue. The following article is very enlightening (cf. Booklet Care Notes for Teens, “Dealing with Gossip When It’s About You” by Saint Meinrad Archabbey editors, 1995, p. 2-3, 6-7).
Some people have nothing better to do than gossip. Maybe they think it gets them attention or that it’s fun to talk about others. They often don’t think about the hurt they are causing others. You may not be able to control the fact that other people gossip, but when the gossip is about you, what can you do about it? Here’s a plan to handle gossip.
Ignore it when possible: Try to let go of anything not said to your face. If you have a good self-image, you will come to understand that you cannot control the idle talk of others, but you can control the way you choose to respond. Ignoring malicious gossip is often the best response because it deprives those who gossip of what they really want – an angry an upset reaction from you. Gossip that gets no reaction is no fun. People who gossip will look elsewhere for their kicks if you are able to maintain your cool. Just remember that gossip isn’t worthy of the respect your anger would give it.
Correct it when appropriate: Sometimes harmful lies really can do damage, and you have to set the record straight. But there’s no need to talk about it to the whole school. That would only draw attention to what was said about you and cause it to seem worse that it is. You’ll keep a rumor alive if you make a big deal out of it. Instead, go directly to your best friends and tell them the truth. If they are true friends, they will believe you and support you and the rumor will soon die on its own.
Confront is when necessary: In some special circumstances, you cannot ignore a rumor and need to find its source and confront that person. The general rule is that if the person involved in the rumor is important to you, then you need to talk to him or to her. This is especially true when someone is spreading talk about you that may be true (or at least have a kernel of truth), which puts you in an unfair or unfavorable light. Although you may not be able to deny what is being said, you can confront the person about why he or she would spread such talk.
Find time to talk to that person alone. Stick to the facts and talk about how the rumor makes you feel, without condemning the other person or making him or her defensive. Look for ways to stop the talk and repair the damage that’s been done. Try to work it out with your friends quietly and privately. Don’t retaliate by starting rumors about him or her. Talking with others about problems with a friend is the source of much unfair gossip.
If you decide your friend is no longer trustworthy, or if your friend seems unwilling to work things out, you need to seriously consider your friendship. It’s good to be trusting, but it’s also wise to be a little bit careful about whom you trust. People need to earn your trust by showing you they are honest. Never tell anyone you don’t know well something that could damage you or another person.
Build your self-esteem: If someone spreads negative talk about you, let your self-esteem help you through. If you start to feel down on yourself because of what others may be saying, make a list of all your good qualities. Let your self-esteem flow from your sense of your positive characteristics, rather than being dragged down by others’ talk. Remember the goodness within you, and let yourself feel good about being who you are. Find friends to hang out with who believe in your goodness and support you. Don’t give your time to people who cut you down.
Reject gossip in all its forms: Gossip is evil because it does violence to another human being’s character. It’s really a form of verbal abuse. Don’t be a part of starting gossip, spreading it, or believing it. If people around you do nothing but gossip, try changing the subject and get them to talk about something positive. If that doesn’t work, try changing the people you hang around with.
Whoever said that “words can never harm me” was wrong. Words can hurt as much as sticks and stones – sometimes more. The best way to avoid the pain of being gossiped about is to avoid gossiping or hanging around with people who gossip. It takes courage to stand up to gossip, but it’s worth it. You will find friends who feel the same way. And people who don’t believe in gossip make the best friends in the world!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we believe that Jesus, revealed in his transfigured glory, is the primordial sacrament of God’s love and his covenant fidelity to save us? Do we allow ourselves to be transformed by this wonderful gift? How do we contribute to the healing and transformation of our wounded society today?
2. Do you believe that a “disciplined tongue” is part of Christian discipleship? What do you do to make a rightful use of your tongue?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving and merciful Father,
you have made us your sons and daughters
in your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
He is the primordial sacrament of your covenantal love for us.
Transform us; transfigure us; christify us.
Hear our humble supplications
and grant us the grace we need
in order to face the challenges
of being your own beloved children
in today’s world that needs healing.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
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O loving Father,
we thank you for the gift of human speech.
Let us never abuse the power of speech,
but rather use it to praise and bless you,
and to give joy and comfort to others,
and to build up the dignity of the human person
and the good of the Church, the community of faith.
Let every nation and tongue extol your goodness,
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.
“He was transfigured before them.” (Mk 9:2) // “No man can tame the tongue.” (Jas 3:8).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Do something for the youth, especially the most rejected, that they may experience the transforming love of God through his Son Jesus Christ. // Be resolved to use the faculty of speech for your good and the good of others. Never use your tongue to gossip or to curse.
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Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
3700 North Cornelia Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722 (USA)
Tel. (559) 275-1656
Website: WWW.PDDM.US