A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday and Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 11, n. 13)
LENT WEEK 2: February 24 - March 2, 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 24 - March 2, 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 24, 2013: SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Transfiguration Is a Pledge of Glory”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 15:5-12 // Phil 3:17-4:1 // Lk 9:28b-36
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Mary Ann O’Roark’s article in the March 2004 issue of the GUIDEPOSTS magazine, which contains true stories of hope and inspiration, is about a hardworking mom, Oral Lee Brown, who helped poor children obtain an education and fulfill their potential. Belonging to a poor family of cotton pickers in Mississippi, she moved to California where she raised her three daughters. When they were grown, Oral Lee turned her energies to running a real-estate agency and a restaurant in Oakland. In 1987 she met a classroom of 23 first graders in Brookfield Elementary and realized that kids who are in the midst of poverty and crime-blighted neighborhoods hunger most of all for inspiration. She told the first graders in Brookfield Elementary: “If you stay in school and graduate, I’ll send you to college. That’s a promise.” Oral Lee made herself a part of the students’ lives, inspiring them with her own climb out of poverty. The kids did not disappoint their “real life angel”. Twenty of those 23 first graders graduated from high school. Oral Lee’s trust fund sent them to college. Last May, Oral Lee watched the first of her class graduate from college. Latosha Hunter got her diploma from Alcorn State University in Mississippi, which she chose in part because it’s near where her mentor grew up. “If she can make it, I can make it,” Latosha says. Indeed, Oral Lee has given these privileged kids a glimpse of their future glory and inspired them to attain their wonderful destiny.
Today’s Gospel account of the Lord’s transfiguration gives us a glimpse into the glory of Jesus as the Son of God and Servant of Yahweh. It is also a pledge of our own paschal destiny and glory. The transfiguration of Jesus is meant to strengthen the faith of the Christian disciples journeying through death to the Easter glory. With the transfiguration event, we are given a forceful direction towards the completion of the Father’s saving plan. Confirmed in faith by the vision of Christ’s glory, we can assert with courage, “If Christ can make it, we can make it.”
The transfiguration event reached its climax when a cloud came and covered Jesus and his disciples Peter, James, and John with its shadow. A voice from heaven spoke, reminiscent of those words spoken at Jesus’ baptismal consecration: “This is my chosen Son; listen to him”. The Bible scholar Carroll Stuhlmueller remarks: “This is the all-important phrase in this scene; Moses and Elijah have disappeared and heaven declares that henceforth men must listen to him, especially in what he will say of his suffering and death, the way to glory and salvation.” The mystery of the Lord’s transfiguration lives on in the Church. Only when we have listened to the saving word of Jesus Christ and have borne our share of his passion will the full splendor of his paschal glory shine in us.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we treasure the transfiguration event of Christ and its pledge of future glory? Do we allow ourselves to be strengthened by Christ for our paschal journey to Easter glory? How do we heed the Father’s voice from the cloud, saying to us: “This is my chosen Son; listen to him”? Do we believe that the mystery of the Lord’s transfiguration lives on in the Church, especially through the sacraments and through a life totally conformed to Christ who suffered, died and was glorified?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you are the God of the covenant.
Like Abraham, the “father of nations”,
we put our trust in you.
Assist us in our Lenten journey
and fill us with the faith that transforms.
At baptism,
our journey of “christification” was radically initiated.
Transform us more deeply,
as we go through the daily paschal events of life,
into the image of your Servant-Son Jesus Christ.
Let the grace of transformation we have received
be turned into a “gift for living” for others.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” (Lk 9:35)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Today pray the Rosary and contemplate the “Mysteries of Light”, focusing special attention on the fourth decade: The Lord’s Transfiguration. By your acts of kindness and charity enable the people around you, especially those who are discouraged and desperate, to have an experience of God’s promise of glory.
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February 25, 2013: MONDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (2)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is God’s Forgiveness and Compassion”
BIBLE READINGS
Dn 9:4b-10 // Lk 6:36-38
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Old Testament reading, the prophet Daniel is depicted as praying. He has been praying for enlightenment regarding the destiny of his nation, and he has been pleading to God earnestly for his people. He accompanies his prayer with fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes. He confesses to God the disobedient sinfulness of the covenant people. He acknowledges their shameful deeds and their rejection of the divine commands. They have not listened to the prophets and have been rebellious. While admitting the nation’s guilt, the prophet Daniel likewise puts his trust in divine mercy and forgiveness. He reminds God: “But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness.” Daniel’s acknowledgment of public guilt and his supplication for the restoration of God’s people is a fitting background for the person of Jesus who incarnates the divine compassion and forgiveness. Aware of our sinfulness and the undeserved mercy we have received, Jesus exhorts us: “Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
The following story gives us insight into the meaning of sin as a negation of God and his gracious love (cf. Bechkah Fink, “The Bible” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1997, p. 154).
A young man from a famous family was about to graduate from high school. It was the custom in that affluent neighborhood for the parents to give the graduate an automobile. Bill and his father had spent months looking at cars, and the week before graduation they found the perfect car. Bill was certain that the car would be his on graduation night.
Imagine his disappointment when, on the even of his graduation, Bill’s father handed him a gift-wrapped Bible! Bill was so angry, he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and his father never saw each other again. It was the news of his father’s death that brought Bill home again.
As he sat one night, going through his father’s possessions that he was to inherit, he came across the Bible his father had given him. He brushed away the dust and opened it to find a cashier’s check, dated the day of his graduation, in the exact amount of the car they had chosen together.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we have the humility and sincerity to acknowledge our sins and failings? Are we willing to confess our sins and wisely avail of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation? Do we trust in the merciful and forgiving God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving God,
you are great and awesome.
You are faithful
and show constant love to those who love you
and do what you command.
We have sinned and have done wrong.
Forgive us our sins.
You are merciful and forgiving.
Restore us in your love.
We adore and honor you.
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.
“But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!” (Dn 9:9)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be aware of the importance of the examination of conscience and be faithful to this spiritual discipline. In this Lenten season, resolve to avail yourself of the graces of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation.
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February 26, 2013: TUESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (2)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Do Justice”
BIBLE READINGS
Is 1:10,16-20 // Mt 23:1-12
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The Lord God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah, urges his people to change their lives. The rulers of Jerusalem are like those of Sodom and Gomorrah, notorious and doomed to destruction on account of their depravity. God reprimands his chosen people for their false worship and social injustice. Their hands are covered with blood not only because of the “bloody” animal sacrifices but, above all, because of the violence of their lives. God invites them to wash themselves clean, not in the sense of physical cleansing, but an interior cleansing of the heart. He exhorts them to do justice by caring for the oppressed, by giving orphans their rights and by defending the widows. Couched in stern warning, the divine message nevertheless gives his people hope. God intends and desires to forgive them, but the erring people needs to respond obediently to his saving word and be converted. And part of the conversion process is to care for our needy brothers and sisters.
Conversion is possible for the Israelites and for us in the here and now. We need to follow and obey Jesus, his voice urging us to do justice. It is urgent to make a fundamental choice for good and righteousness against that of evil. In our modern society, Mike McGarvin (“Papa Mike”), the founder of Poverello House, shows us what it means to make an option for the poor and vulnerable (POVERELLO NEWS, January 2012, p. 1-2).
Floppy isn’t a bunny. He’s a guy I nicknamed because of a distinguishing feature of his clothing ensemble. He started coming around Poverello while the weather was still warm, but as we eased into late fall, I was afraid that rain and cold would start making him especially miserable.
I called him “Floppy” because of his shoes. The soles had almost completely separated from the uppers, and when he walked, there was an audible flapping noise as the soles snapped back. What drew my attention was not only the sad state of his feet, but also the manner in which he walked. If my shoes were in that condition, every step would be a potential disaster. I took a bad fall several years ago, and the results were not pretty: they included invasive knee surgery and months of physical therapy. So I envisioned Floppy taking a dive at some point. The miracle was, he had somehow adjusted to the shoe impediment. When he walked, it was with a graceful, circular, loping stride that accommodated the unpredictable soles.
I started noticing something else about Floppy. He was a loner. There were unmistakable signs of mental illness: quirky movements, occasionally grimacing or laughing at inappropriate times, and snippets of conversations with invisible people. Also, he never smiled. I’d talk with him and try a few of my jokes that had a track record of eliciting chuckles from people, but with Floppy, there wasn’t even a slightest sign that he found anything amusing.
It got so I just couldn’t stand seeing him in those shoes. I feared that the first rain would soak his feet, or the chill of a foggy Fresno morning would make his toes ache. I approached him and asked, “How about if I get you some new shoes?” He shook his head and replied, “Nah, I can Super Glue them.” I looked down. “Man, those are beyond Super Glue”, I said. He shrugged and didn’t respond. So, I took a gamble on his foot length and went out and bought a pair of shoes. It turns out I have a good eye for shoe sizing. I brought them back and presented them to Floppy. He looked at me, then at the new shoes, and a wide grin broke out across his face. It was the very first time I had ever seen him smile.
So, what will a new pair of shoes do for Floppy? There are times that I’ve bought new desperately-needed clothes for homeless people, only to have them turn around and sell them for wine or drug money. I started this business pretty naďve, thinking that my charitable actions might actually turn lives around. It took many years of disappointments, of people abusing kindness, to force me to embrace reality.
I’m pretty sure Floppy will continue to be homeless. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came in soon with his old floppy shoes again, although, so far, he has held onto the new ones. But he’s a square peg that won’t fit in society’s round hole. He may never do better than living in a homeless shelter.
Rather than letting this reality discourage me, I choose to see things through God’s eyeglasses. In a place where happiness is hard to come by, God gave me the opportunity to do something that brought a fleeting smile to someone whose suffering I can only imagine. It makes me happy to know that a simple pair of shoes off the sales rack can work such magic.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is our response to God’s call for conversion? Do we embrace the divine exhortation to learn to do good and to make justice our aim?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
just and true are your ways.
You call us to interior conversion and newness of life.
Help us to do justice.
Be with us in our struggle to redress the wronged
and in our humble effort to care for the needy and the weak.
We love 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.
“Learn to do good. Make justice your aim” (Is 1:17)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let the fruit of your fasting be shared with the poor and needy in your local community.
***
February 27, 2013: WEDNESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (2)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Just Sufferer”
BIBLE READINGS
Jer 18:18-20 // Mt 20:17-28
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The Old Testament reading depicts the sufferings of the prophet Jeremiah, unjustly persecuted by the spiritual leaders of Judah. They intend to kill him by raising false charges against him. The death of Jeremiah is a “good riddance”. He will not be missed for, in their twisted reasoning, there will always be priests to instruct, wise men to give counsel and prophets to proclaim God’s message. Jeremiah laments the betrayal and rejection by his countrymen. He raises the ineffable issue of unjust suffering: “Must good be repaid with evil?” His adversaries have forgotten the good Jeremiah has done for the people, especially his ministry of intercession on their behalf. The prophet Jeremiah is a beautiful figure of Jesus Christ in his paschal suffering. Just as Jeremiah has turned to God in his suffering, our Lord Jesus commends himself to God the Father as he undergoes his passion and death on the cross for the salvation of the world.
The unjust but redemptive suffering of Jesus and Jeremiah lives on. The life of Fr. Aedan McGrath is a beautiful example (cf. “A Priest in China” in ALIVE!, January 2013, p. 13).
In August 1930, Fr. Aedan McGrath, a newly ordained 24-year-old priest arrived in Shanghai. The Dublin man then traveled a further 700 miles up the Yangtze River. A year later his bishop, the great Edward Galvin, a founder in 1918 of the Maynooth Mission to China, later called the Columbans, appointed him parish priest. McGrath ministered to the 25 mission villages in his parish. It took two months to make a round of the villages on foot, baptizing, instructing, hearing confessions, celebrating Mass.
After some months the young priest was emotionally and physically exhausted. He pleaded with Galvin to send him some assistance, even another priest, but there was none. Instead, the bishop sent a book, “The Official Handbook of the Legion of Mary”. This had been compiled almost entirely by Frank Duff who had founded the Legion about a decade earlier. McGrath was not impressed. But he decided to try out the Legion beginning with six uneducated peasant men. To his surprise, a week later the work given to the men as part of their undertaking had been done. A branch of the still fledging Legion had been established in China. And soon it was expanding.
But turmoil was growing in the country, torn apart by conflict between Chinese Communists and Nationalists, with the Japanese invading Manchuria, in the northeast in 1931. The atheist thug, Mao Tse Tung, was on the rise. In time he would be responsible for the deaths of an estimated 77 million people.
Meanwhile Fr. McGrath continued his normal ministry. Driven from his parish for two and a half years by the Japanese, he was given permission to return in 1941. To his amazement he discovered that the legionaries had continued to run the parish in his absence, baptizing, instructing children in the faith, witnessing marriages, everything except offering Mass and hearing confessions. Come the end of the Second World War, a new conflict broke out in China between the Nationalists and Mao’s Communists. Soon it was evident that Mao was winning. Archbishop Antonio Riberi, papal nuncio to China from 1946 to 1951, realized that all foreign priests, nuns and religious would be expelled, and that the Chinese clergy and religious would be thrown into prison. He had seen the power of the Legion in Africa and knew that it was here hope for the future of the Church in China lay.
In 1948 Fr. McGrath was enjoying some well-earned rest in Ireland when he got word from his superior: “Archbishop Riberi is looking for the Legion of Mary. He asked that you be taken out of your parish to help him establish the Legion in China. Immediately the priest cut short his holiday and returned to Shanghai. Riberi told him: “I want you, as fast as you can, to go all over China and start the Legion of Mary before it is too late. For the next two years McGrath worked ceaselessly. Duff wrote to encourage him revealing his understanding that being a Catholic naturally meant sharing in the work of evangelization. He pointed out that the priest was “placing before the people from the first moment the authentic outlines of Christianity, which necessarily includes the waging of an apostolate.”
Between 1949 and 1951, Fr. McGrath established 1,000 praesidia or groups of the Legion. Indeed, the impact of his work was such that the Communists declared the Legion “enemy no. 1”.
Then came the long dreaded knock. At 11 p.m. on the night of 6 September 1951 the Columban house in Shanghai was surrounded by dozens of soldiers. But they were after only one man. He had anticipated his arrest and had destroyed any evidence that might have incriminated anyone else. That night he was taken to a detention center, where he would be kept for several months. There he was stripped and left to stand naked for hours. Eventually he was taken to his cell. In the coming days he was deprived of sleep and interrogated repeatedly, being forced to stand still, handcuffed for hours at a time. At one point he felt terror creeping in, then remembered his consecration to the Blessed Virgin and decided he would leave everything in her hands in the future. In the cells around him he could hear the different prisoners, men, women, young boys and girls going out of their minds with fear and suffering.
Finally, after 32 months in prison, he was released and expelled from the country. He devoted his remaining years to the Legion, mainly in Asia, and died on Christmas Day 2000.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is our attitude toward persecution? Have we ever been persecuted or ever suffered for our faith? Where do we find strength to endure and to be faithful?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving God,
you are our strength in adversities.
Help us to stand for our faith
and imitate Jesus, the just sufferer, and the prophet Jeremiah
in having recourse to you.
They put their trust in you.
You are our shield and comfort,
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.
“Heed me, O Lord.” (Jer 18:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the courage to stand for our Christian faith. And when ridiculed or contested for promoting the Catholic teaching on various social issues, turn to God for help and strength.
***
February 28, 2013: THURSDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (2)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Probes Our Hearts”
BIBLE READINGS
Jer 17:5-10 // Lk 16:19-31
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading presents a contrast between those who trust in human beings and those who trust in God. Those who put their trust in mortals are like a barren bush in the desert. Nothing good ever happens to them. Those who put their hope in the Lord are like a tree growing near a stream, sending out roots to the water. Its leaves stay green and it keeps on bearing fruit. This study in contrast cuts across the heart of true religion: man’s sole refuge is God. The just trust in the Lord and their hope is in God. The human heart is devious and its secret plots are hidden to men, but everything is transparent to God. The Lord God, who probes the mind and searches the heart, rewards people according to their deeds. Jesus, the Son of God, likewise perceives the workings of the heart and the interior sentiments of his disciples. The Lord Jesus recompenses us according to our deeds.
The following two stories – circulated through the Internet - illustrate a person’s fundamental choice as well as the blessings and sacrifices that it entails.
Story Number One: Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. Capone wasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.
Capone had a lawyer nicknamed “Easy Eddie”. He was Capone’s lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie’s skill at legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time. To show his appreciation, Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.
Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object. And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn’t give his son; he couldn’t pass on a good name or a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done. He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al “Scarface” Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street. But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pocket a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.
The poem read: “The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop, at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will. Place no faith in time. For the clock may soon be still.”
Story Number Two: World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.
One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship. His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet. As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.
Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 calibers blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent. Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly. Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.
Deeply relieved, Butch O’Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. Upon arrival, he reported in and related the events surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch’s daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on February 20, 1942, and for that action Butch became the Navy’s first Ace of W.W. II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.
A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O’Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.
So, the next time you find yourself at O’Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch’s memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It’s located between Terminals 1 and 2.
SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER? Butch O’Hare was “Easy Eddie’s” son.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we put our trust in God and let our future be secured by him? Do we believe that he who searches our hearts and probes our mind will reward us according to our deeds?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving Father,
you are omnipotent and all-knowing.
You probe our minds and search our hearts.
Our core decision is for you.
You are just and merciful.
You reward us according to our deeds.
Let us always put our trust in you
for our future is in your hands.
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.
“Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord, my God.” (Jer 17:5-10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In our fundamental option to serve the Lord, let us never rely on our own powers, but always acknowledge the love and grace of God who strengthens us for charitable deeds.
***
March 1, 2013: FRIDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (2)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Was the Object of Betrayal”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28 // Mt 21:33-43, 45-46
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The violence and betrayal that Jesus experienced at the hands of the chief priests and Pharisees, as well as his own disciples, are prefigured in the Old Testament story of Joseph the Dreamer. The latter’s awesome dreams were deeply resented by his siblings as they foretell Joseph’s future dominion over them. Their dislike was exacerbated by their father’s preferential love for Joseph. Israel (or Jacob) loved Joseph more than all his other sons because he has been born to him when he was old. The jealousy degenerated into a murderous plot. Far from his father’s protection, and wearing the long tunic Israel lovingly made for him, Joseph fell into their trap. The feeble efforts of Reuben and Judah to soften his tragic fate led to Joseph being sold as a slave and into his redemptive destiny in Egypt.
The mistreatment of Joseph and the prophets of the past would fully bear upon Jesus as he undergoes his passion and death on the cross. The same violent fate is being experienced by Christian disciples today. The life of Archbishop Romero of El Salvador is an example (cf. Octavio Duran, “Archbishop Romero: Friend, Pastor, Prophet” in MARYKNOLL, March 2010, p. 18-22).
We were only a little way from the small church in the community of San Antonio Los Ranchos in Chalatenango, El Salvador, when the car carrying San Salvador Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was rudely stopped by Salvadoran army soldiers. They made us get out of the vehicle and searched for evidence to accuse us of being subversives, as happened to so many other religious and innocent people during that time. Romero was going to celebrate the corn festival with a Mass in the community of San Antonio.
At the end of the 1970s, when respect for human rights was eroding at an accelerating rate in my country, the Salvadoran government began a campaign of repression against the Catholic Church, accusing it of insurgency and killing priests, catechists and lay faithful. The people complained about the abuse to the legal aid office at the Archdiocese of San Salvador, and Archbishop Romero denounced the cases of abuse each Sunday at Mass.
On the steep road to the church in San Antonio, the local people, who had gathered to greet the archbishop with religious hymns, witnessed the affront the archbishop suffered. They watched as soldiers searched him thoroughly, along with those who were with him: myself, Father Fabian Amaya, two other Church workers and Salvador Barraza, who was Romero’s chauffeur and friend. The soldiers did not find anything to incriminate the prelate, but the real reason for the operation was more to show the army’s power and intimidate the population. At that moment, being with the archbishop and dozens of witnesses gave me some degree of security that we wouldn’t be killed. Ironically, some of the many soldiers who were also waiting for Romero had climbed the trees like Zaccheus to see Jesus, although perhaps not necessarily to seek conversion.
I was extremely nervous, in part because of a small camera hanging around my neck. I was afraid they would take it from me or remove the film and keep me from documenting another day in the life of the archbishop.
After long interrogations, we continued on to the church. The people received the archbishop happily, with hugs and music. But Romero’s uneasiness after what had happened was obvious. In the church, the archbishop, trembling and his voice cracking, asked that the Mass be held outside. He was concerned that if something worse should happen, such as shooting, the people would be able to escape into the open countryside.
Suddenly, while still in the church, a little boy and girl went up to Romero. She hugged him and the boy took hold of the cross the archbishop wore around his chest. It was like a signal that everyone needs a Simon, the Cyrenian who helped carry Jesus’ cross, in our own lives to help us carry our crosses. I took a photo at that moment that has circulated around the world in books, magazines and newspapers. In the photo, a soldier can be seen carrying his rifle – the nails of crucifixion in that era. This happened at the end of 1979, a few months before Romero was assassinated.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How do we respond to the violence that we personally, and as a community, experience? By our apathy and non-involvement, do we contribute to the perpetration of such violence in today’s society?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
like Joseph the Dreamer,
you suffered violence and betrayal.
We are deeply sorry for our apathy and non-involvement
that allow evil to perpetrate itself.
Give us the courage to embrace your paschal destiny
that we may be liberated from evil
and promote your kingdom of love, justice and peace.
We love and adore you.
We give you glory and praise,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Here comes that master dreamer! Come on, let us kill him.” (Gn 37:20)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Ask the grace of God to manage your anger and violent impulses, if there are any. Do what you can to overcome the violence that you witness and experience around you.
***
March 2, 2013: SATURDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (2)
“JESUS SAVIOR: In Him Is God’s Forgiveness”
BIBLE READINGS
Mi 7:14-15, 18-20 // Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading is one of the most beautiful passages in the Lenten readings. The Micah text consists of a prayer for the restoration of the good old days on behalf of God’s people and a hymn about God’s characteristic mercy and faithfulness. The prophet Micah prays in confidence, asking God to bring back the idyllic days when God manifested marvelous signs in the land of Egypt. The Lord is addressed as the Shepherd of his people and is requested to lead his people from the forest into the fertile pastures. The prophet is confident that God is ready to act once again. Moreover, this all-powerful God, with his marvelous deeds, has a track record of being loving and forgiving. The Lord does not persist in anger forever, but delights in clemency. Surely he will again have compassion on his erring people. He will trample their sins underfoot and cast them to the bottom of the sea. Just as he has been merciful and faithful to the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, he will again manifest his forgiving love and faithfulness anew.
The Lord has pledged his “faithfulness” (‘emet) and “grace” (hesed) to the Israel of old. He will continue to be gracious and faithful and will not renege on his promise. In Jesus Christ, the divine mercy and faithful love are made incarnate. The Christian disciples are instruments to communicate them to the people in the here and now. The experience of Corrie ten Boom exemplifies this (cf. “Love Your Enemies” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Deerfield: Health Communications, Inc., 1997, p. 2-5).
It was in a church in Munich that I saw him – a balding, heavy set man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken, moving along the rows of wooden chairs to the door at the rear. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives.
It was the truth they needed most to hear in that bitter, bombed-out land, and I gave them my favorite mental picture. Maybe because the sea is never far from the Hollander’s mind, I liked to think that that’s where forgiven sins were thrown. “When we confess our sins”, I said, “God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever. And even though I cannot find a scripture for it, I believe God then places a sign there that says, ‘NO FISHING ALLOWED’.”
The solemn faces stared back at me, not quite daring to believe. There were never questions after a talk in Germany. People stood up in silence, in silence collected their wraps, in silence left the room. And that’s when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush; the huge room with its harsh overhead lights; the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor; the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister’s frail frame ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were! The place was Ravensbruck and the man who was making his way forward had been a guard – one of the most cruel guards.
Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: “A fine message, Fraulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!” And I, who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand. He would not remember me, of course – how could he remember one prisoner among those thousands of women? But I remember him and the leather crop swinging from his belt. I was face-to-face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze.
“You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk”, he was saying. “I was a guard there.” No, he did not remember me. “But since that time”, he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well, Fraulein” – again the hand came out – “will you forgive me?”
And I stood there – I whose sins had again and again needed to be forgiven – and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place – could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could not have been many seconds that he stood there – hand held out – but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do. For I had to do it – I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses”, Jesus says, “neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses.”
I knew it not only as a commandment of God, but as a daily experience. Since the end of the war I had had a home in Holland for victims of Nazi brutality. Those who were able to forgive their former enemies were also able to return to the outside world to rebuild their lives, no matter what the physical scars. Those who nursed their bitterness remained invalids. It was as simple and horrible as that.
And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion – I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. Jesus, help me! I prayed silently. I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.
And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm and sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. “I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart.”
For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands – the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely as I did then. But even so, I realized it was not my love. I had tried, and did not have the power. It was the power of the Holy Spirit as recorded in Romans 5:5: “… because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How do we respond to the love and mercy of God who casts our sins into the depths of the sea? Are we able to forgive those who have offended us? Do we turn to God and ask for the grace of forgiveness?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving Jesus,
in you is the grace and mercy of God.
In you is the forgiveness of sins.
Give us the grace of compassion
and the strength to forgive those who sin against us.
Let our sins be cast into the depths of the sea
and let us be consoled by the divine clemency.
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 will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.” (Mi 7:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an effort to extend God’s forgiveness to a person who has offended you.
***
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