A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 20, n. 18)

Lent Week 4: March 27 – April 2, 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: March 20-26, 2022 please go to ARCHIVES Series 20 and click on “Lent Week 3”.

Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: March 27 – April 2, 2022.)

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March 27, 2022: FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Prepares the Feast of Homecoming”

BIBLE READINGS

Jos 5:9, 10-12 // 2 Cor 5:17-21 // Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Lk 15:1-3, 11-32): “Your brother was dead and has come back to life again.”

Some years ago, I participated in a course entitled “Liturgical Dance and Drama”, offered at the Pope Paul VI Liturgical Institute in Malaybalay, Bukidnon in the Philippines. The culminating event of the course was a Eucharistic Celebration in which elements of dance and drama were used to highlight the important parts of the Mass. At the Gospel proclamation, the parable of the Prodigal Son was mimed by an excellent cast, which made us feel the saving message and understand Jesus’ teaching on God’s concern for the lost. After the presiding priest had finished the reading and declared solemnly, “The Gospel of the Lord”, the prodigal son and the servile brother gently placed their heads on the bosom of the welcoming father, whose arms enfolded them both in a joyful embrace. My eyes welled with tears. The actors had put an appropriate resolution to an open-ended story. The “coming home” of the two lost sons is the best ending of all.

Today’s parable is commonly called, “The Parable of Prodigal Son”, which is a misnomer. The popular name fails to indicate that the father has two lost sons, not one. The resentful elder son, however, does not know that he is “lost”. Though physically near, he is just as lost as the one who has set off for a distant country, squandering his inheritance in a dissolute life.

Others prefer to call this story, “The Parable of the Prodigal Father”. The father is generous, excessive and extravagant with his love both for the wayward younger son and elder son who is unable to love with similar prodigality. In order to experience real joy and inner peace, we must participate in the Father’s compassionate mercy and saving love with a generous and humble heart. Self-righteousness prevents empathy with the compassion of God and thus, cuts us off from the joy resulting from his forgiving love. This is the case of the “lost” elder brother.

The parable of the Father’s prodigal love finds its completion in Jesus Christ, God’s beloved Son. In taking on human nature, he becomes totally identified with the pathetic experience of the wayward son and of every sinner. In his paschal offering on the cross, Jesus experiences the pain of alienation caused by our sin. When he breathes forth his last on the cross, crying out in a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46), Jesus radically experiences humanity’s “homecoming”. In that unique saving event, Jesus Christ makes possible the “homecoming” of the lost children of God and their reconciliation with the Father who is so prodigious with his saving plan.

B. Old Testament Reading (Jos 5:9a, 10-12): “The people of God entered the promised land and there kept the Passover.”

The hard-working Carmelite priest Fr. Bing was my classmate at Maryhill School of Theology in the Philippines. He was sent to Kuwait as a missionary. When Sadam Hussein’s Iraqi army invaded Kuwait, there was a frantic report from Filipino foreign workers that Fr. Bing was one of those rounded up and killed. The Carmelite community and his family deeply mourned the death and loss of Fr. Bing. On the 30^th day of his purported death, a memorial celebration was made for him. What a shocking but pleasant surprise when Fr. Bing appeared in the flesh – breathing and alive – safe and sound! The unfortunate report on his death in Kuwait was rash and unfounded – to their great joy and relief. I could just imagine the great celebration and feasting they prepared at his “homecoming”.

The feast at the “homecoming” of the prodigal son is a celebration of new life. After an unfortunate sojourn in a “distant” land symbolizing sin and depravation, the repentant son returns to his ultimate home and is reconciled with his father. A spirit of paschal joy pervades the prodigal son’s homecoming which overflows into a celebration and a banquet. The feasting is meant for all. The banquet of life in the Father’s house is for everyone – for those who wish to share in his inmost sentiments and loving compassion.

The joyous feast organized by the benevolent Father to celebrate the homecoming of his repentant prodigal son can be understood better in the light of today’s Old Testament reading (Jos 5:9a, 10-12). The celebration of the Passover banquet by Joshua and the Israelites while encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho marks the “homecoming” of God's people to the Promised Land. God has removed the “reproach of Egypt” from them, liberating Israel and his descendants from a situation of slavery and bondage in Egypt. Their paschal banquet at Jericho marks the beginning of new life as God’s liberated and covenant people. The ritual celebration highlights a time of dramatic change, i.e. of “coming home” into the land of promise – in a newly established relationship of intimacy with the Lord Yahweh, their Father and God.

C. Second Reading (2 Cor 5:17-21): “God reconciled us to himself through Christ.”

The Second Reading of this Sunday’s liturgy (2 Cor 5:17-21) invites us to focus on a very special “son” – Jesus Christ, the incarnation of the Father’s tremendous love for all. Like our heavenly Father, Jesus is prodigal and sacrificial in his love. Through Jesus, God reconciled the whole world to himself. In his beloved Son, we are a “new creation”. Through Jesus, we become ministers of reconciliation and agents of “new creation”. We are sent into the word with a single message: “Be reconciled!”

In the following excerpt from the vocation testimony of Sr. Helen Prejean, the author of Dead Man Walking, she illustrates her deeper journey into God’s renewing, reconciling love and the expansion of her ministry: initially, for the prisoners on death row and belatedly, also the families of their victims (cf. AMERICA, April 13, 2009, p. 36-37).

In my life I have ridden the current (of my true calling) as a Sister of St. Joseph, and as it turns out, the vessel of Sisterhood has proved a trustworthy vessel for me. I was carried a while, seeking to mold myself as an exemplary nun, until the current caught my boat to follow Christ in a very particular, unique work: accompanying death row prisoners to their deaths, being there for them faithfully; visiting, supporting, serving, praying, comforting and confronting, loving, writing and enlisting others to write and visit. Always seeking to show them the face, even as others strap them down to kill them – even when, as a service to society, the state disposes of their lives in a way that’s legal and approved with opinion polls backing it up, shoring up that yes, this is what the people want: your death. And being there to be the face, to be the presence, to assure them, tell them, witness to them even in the last moments of their lives: “You are a child of God, you have a dignity that no one can take from you. Look at me, look as they kill you, look, and I will be the face of Christ for you.”

Then, like St. John in his First Epistle, writing, speaking, traveling, proclaiming what my eyes have seen and my ears have heard and my hands have touched – the trembling shoulders of the condemned, led into the room where the gurney waits – that is, the Word of Life.

This is the amazing journey into the heart of the Gospel of Jesus: to love, to forgive, to allow no one to be enemy – at least for long – to feel the sufferings of others as our own and then to drop the stones at our feet, powerless now to hurl them at another. The call, I hear it, keep hearing it, to teach the people, to keep getting on planes to reach out to the people, to help them navigate the greatest heart journey of all: from vengeance to compassion, right straight into the heart of a merciful Savior: “Go and learn what this means. It is mercy I desire, not sacrifice.”

My own heart traveled first to the condemned, then belatedly to the families of their victims. Belatedly, because at first I did not get it, did not hear the call that I must not choose sides, that I must reach out in compassion to the families of perpetrators and victims alike. After Patrick Sonnier’s electrocution in 1984, the very first man I accompanied, I read with distress the angry letters to the editor in the New Orleans paper about me. My soul was untouched by their anger that I was coddling a cruel, cold-hearted monster. On that score my soul felt pure, untarnished by guilt. They just did not understand. They had not witnessed the torture, the anguish, the futility of his death.

No, the guilt came from my neglect of the victims’ families. “She didn’t throw us a crumb”, bereaved parents told reporters. They were right; I was wrong. I had not reached out to them. I was afraid. I was cowardly. I was afraid of their anger, their scalding rejection. So I had stayed away. But I was wrong. Guilt was salutary. The new call of God was in the guilt. I heard my own heart’s anguish. Guilt shoved my boat out onto new waters.

I reached out to victims’ families – even if they scorned me, rejected me, hurled insults at me. My suffering was nothing, piddling nothing, next to their great sorrow in the violent, tearing, irrevocable loss of their loved one.

Grace was waiting for me.

First it came in the compassionate, wide, loving heart of Lloyd LeBlanc, whose only son David had been killed by Patrick Sonnier and his brother. We prayed together, Lloyd and I, and soon I was seated at his kitchen table, eating with the family, they forgiving my terrible mistake, taking me in like a lost daughter.

As I write this, my heart still resonates with gratitude. Lloyd LeBlanc was my first teacher. Through him I got a peek into the chasm of suffering that families endure, who wake up one morning and everything is alive and humming and normal and by evening face the unalterable fact of the death of a loved one.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

In what way am I the lost wastrel son? In what way am I the lost, elder brother? In what way am I the compassionate Father prodigal in love?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Father, you are full of mercy and compassion.

Forgive us for having chosen our own way, independent from you.

Forgive us for having wasted

the spiritual riches and gifts you have bestowed on us.

We wanted to build our lives outside of your loving plan.

We were eager to taste the thrill of death-dealing adventures

and relish the recklessness of false freedom.

We also drank the dregs of sinful pleasure

and indulged in selfish satisfactions.

Now that we are done, we feel degraded, isolated, and empty.

Please help us for we are broken and our life is shattered.

Father, we have sinned against heaven and against you.

We no longer deserve to be called your children.

By the loving passion of our brother Jesus

and his sacrificial death on the cross,

we return to you, laden with tears of repentance.

The compassionate Father says, “We must celebrate and rejoice, because the dead has come to life again; the lost has been found.”

Father, your merciful love is abounding.

Forgive us for being self-righteous.

Our brutal sense of justice and unwarranted indignation

made us resent your kindly embrace for those in need.

Forgive us

for treating harshly our brothers and sisters who have erred,

but are humbly seeking to return to your loving embrace.

Father, our pride has alienated us from you.

We are “lost” and are in need of healing.

In the name of our brother Jesus, your beloved Son-Servant,

we turn to you with filial love and tears of repentance.

Gracious Father, your joy is our joy.

Everything you have is ours to share with those in need.

The compassionate Father says, “We must celebrate and rejoice, because the dead has come to life again; the lost has been found.”

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 now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come back to life again; he was lost and has been found.” (Lk 15:32)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Make a step toward reconciliation involving a person you have hurt and/or offended. Do this in the spirit of the repentant “lost” son and the compassionate forgiving Father.

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March 28, 2022: MONDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (4)

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Font of Life and Joy”

BIBLE READINGS

Is 65:17-21 // Jn 4:43-54

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Jn 4:43-54): “Go your son will live.”

In today’s Gospel (Jn 4:43-54) Jesus heals a royal official’s dying son. This miracle of a “long distance cure” is brought about by the Lord’s spoken word. Jesus does nothing but speak a life-saving word. He tells the distraught father whose son in Capernaum is in near death: “You may go; your son will live.” The man believes what Jesus said to him and goes home to his son who indeed has been healed. The word spoken by Jesus at Cana, where he previously changed water into wine, is redemptive and life-giving. The Gospel episode focuses not on physical healing but on the powerful, efficacious word of Jesus. We are called to contemplate the deeper meaning of this healing “sign” and to believe that Jesus is the Messiah-Savior. Indeed, we need to be receptive to his very person and to welcome his life-giving word into our lives.

The following modern-day healing story gives insight into the various stages of a faith journey (cf. John Briley, Jr. M.D., “Medically Impossible” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 13-16).

I remember it was almost Christmas because carols softly played on the radio in the nurses’ station. I walked into Jimmy’s room. A small seven-year old, he seemed dwarfed by the big, indifferent, mechanical hospital bed with its starchy sheets. He looked at me through suspicious eyes, hidden in a face puffed up from the use of steroids to control his kidney condition. “What are you gonna do to me now?” they seemed to ask. “What blood tests are you gonna order? Don’t you know they hurt, Doc?”

Jimmy has a disease called nephritic syndrome, and it was not responding to any therapy we had tried. This was his sixth month with the illness, his second week in the hospital. I was feeling guilty – I had failed him. As I smiled at him, my heart felt even heavier. The shadow of defeat had dulled his eyes. “Oh no”, I thought, “he’s given up.” When a patient gives up, your chances of helping that patient lower dramatically.

“Jimmy, I want to try something.” He burrowed into the sheets. “It’s gonna hurt?” “No, we’ll use the intravenous line that’s already in your arm. No new needles.” What I planned I had tried a few weeks earlier without success. I gave him intravenous Lasix, a drug that is supposed to “open up” the kidneys. This time I planned a new twist, which the nephrologist said probably would not work but was worth the try. A half hour before I injected the Lasix I would inject albumin, a simple protein that would draw water from the bloated cells into the bloodstream. Then, when I gave the Lasix, the water flooding the bloodstream might flow into and open up the kidneys. The problem was, if it didn’t, the “flooded” blood vessels could give Jimmy lung congestion until his body readjusted. I had discussed this with his parents. Desperate, they agreed to try.

So I gave albumin into his intravenous line. A half hour later I came back to give the Lasix. He was breathing harder and looked scared. I had an idea. I never believed in divine intervention, but Jimmy came from a very religious family. “You pray a lot?” I asked. “Yes”, he answered. “I pray every night. But I guess God don’t hear me.” “He hears you”, I replied, not knowing in all honesty if God did or didn’t, but Jimmy needed reassurance. And belief. “Try praying as I give this medication to you. Oh, and I want you to pretend you see your kidneys – remember all those pictures of them I showed you awhile back?” “Yes.” “Well, I want you to picture them spilling all the extra water in your body into your bladder. You remember the picture of your bladder I showed you?” I figured I might as well try visualization. This was in the early 1970s. Some articles had been written about visualization and some evidence existed that it worked – in some cases, anyway. “Yeah.” “Good. Start now. Concentrate on your kidneys.” I placed my hands there and shut my eyes, concentrating – just to show him how, you understand. Then injected the Lasix. Jimmy closed his eyes and concentrated, and mouthed a prayer.

What the heck. I also prayed, even though I knew it wouldn’t work. I did not believe in divine intervention. When I died I would have a few choice questions for God about why he allowed certain terrible things to happen to certain children. One of my friends suggested that when I did die, God would probably send me the other way to avoid me. But in for a penny, in for a pound.

“How long will it take to work?” the nurse asked as she adjusted the dripping intravenous line. I motioned to her to step from the room. “In a person with normal kidneys, maybe twenty minutes – fifteen minutes tops”, I replied. “With Jimmy, I’m hoping a half hour. But I have to tell you, it’s a real long shot. Stay with him. If he has trouble and needs oxygen, call me. I’ll be at the nurses’ station writing all this down.”

I sat down and opened Jimmy’s cold, metal-jacketed chart, almost cursing the irony of the Christmas carol on the radio: “Oh Holy Night”. Before I had scribbled one sentence, the nurse stuck out her head from Jimmy’s room. “A half hour to work?” she asked. “That’s what I said.” “Well, the floodgates have opened. He’s urinating like crazy. Within just two minutes he asked for the urinal. I’ve got to go to get another.”

Two minutes? Impossible. I went to the room as fast as my cane would allow me to walk. Jimmy had already filled the plastic yellow urinal. The nurse rushed in with another two. He grabbed one and started filling that one, too. He grinned at me, the light back in his blue eyes.

I left the room, a numbness coursing through my mind and body. It couldn’t be. If he diuresed – if his kidneys opened up – he was on a way to cure. No, it just could not happen that fast. Impossible – medically impossible. And yet … Was it sheer pharmacology and physiology breaking the rules? Was it the visualization?

I could clearly hear a fragment of a carol on the radio. I felt goosebumps. “Fall on your knees, oh hear the angel voices …” A paraphrase of the last line from Miracle on 34^th Street came to me: “And then again maybe I didn’t do such a wonderful thing, after all.”

B. First Reading (Is 65:17-21): “No longer shall the sound of weeping or the sound of crying be heard.”

The Old Testament reading (Is 65:17-21) depicts the restoration of Jerusalem as a new creation. The prophet Isaiah transmits to the suffering chosen people the consoling words of God about the salvation of the remnant. The world will not be destroyed but transformed into “new heavens and a new earth”. The creative action of God is the font of joy. The Jerusalem he will “create” will be full of joy and its people will be happy. What he creates is the fullness of life. Babies will no longer die in infancy, and all people will live out their life span. This idyll of joy and peace gives delight both to God and his people. In Jesus Savior who saves the dying son of a royal official, the word of God once again calls “new heavens and a new earth” into being. The creative love of God at work in Jesus is font of life, healing, and joy.

We too are called to be a part of this idyll of love, joy, and peace. The following story, circulated on the Internet, gives us an insight into how we can be an instrument of the “new creation” and a font of joy.

There was once an elderly woman who lived in a violent, drug-ravaged, crumbling neighborhood in an old city. Her children had died before her. Time had left its mark on her too. She was no longer pretty in the eyes of the world. She had become wrinkled, stooped, thin and hollow-eyed. Her body was now half crippled with arthritis. Still, this little old lady continually brought joy to the community around her. Everyone called her "Granny" and she was a loving Grandmother to all. As she moved slowly down the street she would sing hymns and share smiles. She had a kind word for everyone. She gave her gentle laughter as a free gift to all. She offered encouragement, said prayers for, and brought hope to the disheartened. She went about doing good every chance she could. No one, after meeting her, left without the heart feeling lighter and the smile shining brighter. Her serenity and tranquility remained a mystery to the neighborhood, though. No one could figure out how someone who had lost and suffered so much could live so beautifully.

One day a curious little girl ran up to the tiny old woman shuffling along with her walker and called out to her. "How do you do it Granny?" she asked. "How do you love so freely? How do you live so happily? How do you give so much to all of us every day?" Granny just smiled at her and said, "Because God loves me child! Because He loves me, I love Him and you and everybody else!”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we commit ourselves in faith to the person of Jesus and believe in his efficacious, life-saving word?

2. Do we open our hearts to God’s creative action and the idyll of a “new creation”? Do we strive to be a font of joy, peace and healing for the people around us?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving God,

how wonderful you are!

You have forgiven our disobedience and infidelity

and make of us a “new creation”.

In Jesus Savior,

we experience what joy and peace there is

in your gift of life.

Help us to be open to that gift.

You are kind and merciful.

We adore and praise you, now and forever.

Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“Your son will live.” (Jn 4:50) // “Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth.” (Is 65:17)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your words of kindness and act of charity, lift up the spirit of a despondent person and allow him to experience the joy of God’s “new creation”.

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March 29, 2022: TUESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (4)

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Font of Healing”

BIBLE READINGS

Ez 47:1-9, 12 // Jn 5:1-16

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Jn 5:1-16): “Immediately the man became well.”

Our Lenten journey to Easter glory is full of signs of God’s life-giving power. In today’s Gospel (Jn 5:1-16), Jesus stands by the Sheep Gate at a pool called Bethesda. He sees a paralytic in a pitiful predicament. He has been ill for thirty-eight years and is unable to access the pool’s therapeutic waters. Jesus, the font of ultimate healing, commands the paralyzed man, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately, the man becomes well; he takes up his mat and walks. Jesus’ healing power surpasses the famed curative waters of Bethesda. From his very person springs forth true healing; his all-powerful words are sufficient to enable the paralytic to rise. He is freed from the illness that held him down for a lifetime. Moreover, Jesus invites the cured paralytic to make a total journey from brokenness to wholeness by inviting him to sin no more.

Lent is a privileged time to encounter Jesus, the wellspring of healing. Like the helpless paralytic of Bethesda, we, too, are objects of his concern. Jesus asks us, “Do you want to be well?” We thus present to him our helplessness and need for healing. By the power of his healing words, we who are broken become whole. We who are shackled by the effects of evil and sin are able to rise. Restored to health and the freedom of the children of God, we walk with Jesus along the narrow path that leads to eternal life.

The following story illustrates that miraculous healing continues to be experienced in the here and now (cf. Leti Martelli, “When You Walk Again” in Guideposts, February 2012, p. 50-54). The 15-year-old Lenny broke his neck in a snowboarding accident and was paralyzed from the chest down. His mom, Leti, prayed lengthily for his healing.

Maybe it was time for me to pray for something else – for fortitude to walk whatever path the Good Lord set for us and thank him for my son’s life. I looked down at my hand. I was clutching a prayer card that someone had given to us. On it was a picture of Padre Pio, an Italian friar born in the nineteenth century who went on to become a saint. Padre Pio’s simple advice to believers was: Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry. But how could I not worry? I tried everything and my son was not recovering. A bit of light filtered into Lenny’s room from his window and I held the card up to read the prayer printed on one side.

At the end of the prayer I was supposed to state what I was asking for. “I confidently beseech you, Lord, to grant me the grace of healing for my son.” I said those words over and over. The prayer was short. It seemed tiny compared to the monumental miracle we needed. I said the prayer until it seemed that I was saying it in my sleep.

I sat up with a jolt. I was awake now, because I realized that Lenny and I weren’t alone in the room. A figure stood by the door. I squinted to try to see more clearly. It wasn’t a doctor or a nurse. It was a man wearing a long robe made of rough fabric and tied around the waist by a rope. Okay, I thought, this is weird. There’s a friar in the room with me. I should have been freaking out. But I wasn’t. The figure radiated peace and calm. He walked slowly to Lenny’s bedside and stood looking down at my son. He then laid his hand on Lenny’s right leg, the one that always gave him the most trouble in therapy. The hand rested there for a moment, then the figure backed out of the room.

I let out a long breath. What on earth had just happened? I looked at the prayer card again. Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry. Relief began to trickle through me, then surged, as mysterious as the figure of the old friar who had just visited. For the first time in ages I did not feel worried. I leaned back, closed my eyes and dropped back to sleep.

The next day in the therapy room, two therapists put their arms around Lenny’s waist and shoulders. He stood, able to put weight on his legs. “Let’s try something new”, they said. “Okay”, said Lenny. “What do you want me to do?” “Walk.” Lenny took a step with his left foot, then another with his right. All of a sudden, before any of us quite realized what was happening, he was walking. Supported by the two therapists, he made it to the end of the hallway and then turned around. “Whoa”, he said, looking startled. “How did I get here?” A huge grin and he answered his own question. “I walked!” He headed back up the hall toward me. “Mom!” he cried. “I’m walking!” (…)

I still can’t say for certain what really happened that night in Lenny’s hospital room. Obviously God performed a miraculous work of healing. (…) Maybe Padre Pio did visit us that night, not so much to heal Lenny, as a reminder from God that healing was underway.

B. First Reading (Ez 47:1-9, 12): “I saw water flowing from the temple, and all who were touched by it were saved.”

When my dad was sick with cancer, my family would go in pilgrimage to a Marian shrine in Novaliches, Philippines, where a devotee, grateful for the healing received, had built a poor man’s replica of the Grotto in Lourdes, France. We would attend the Mass, pray the rosary and the novena, and make the Stations of the Cross. My dad was too weak to make the Stations of the Cross spread throughout a grassy hillside, but he would take a bath at the springs. Water from the Grotto in Lourdes, France, had been poured into the wellspring of the local Grotto, which greatly comforted the sick devotees. Bathing in that water was, for my dad, an act of faith in the healing power of God and a sign of total surrender to the divine saving will. I also remember the delicious, sweet guavas and the bottles of fresh milk (from carabao, a water buffalo) that the farmers were selling outside the shrine. We would buy bunches of guava fruits and some bottles of carabao’s milk. We would boil the milk until a creamy stuff formed. My sick dad loved to eat that creamy stuff and drink the pasteurized sweetish milk, which I believe is the best in the world.

This teenage experience enables me to savor vividly the beauty and the hope that today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 47:1-9, 12) offers. God’s life-giving power is imaged in the flowing temple water that purifies and makes the trees fruitful. The prophet Ezekiel has a series of visions of the restoration of a new Israel to its homeland. The vision of the healing and life-giving waters that flow from the temple is the climax and a fitting conclusion to his visions. New life flows from the presence of God forever in the midst of his people. The vision of abundance and plenitude that was given to the prophet Ezekiel finds fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ, the healing water of salvation. Our Lord Jesus is the font of healing and of joy. In him is the life-generating and healing river of the Spirit.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What is our response to Jesus’ question, “Do you want to be well”? Do we allow his healing words to touch us and heal us of our infirmity?

2. Are you willing to open your heart to the healing and life-giving waters that flow from God’s temple?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Father,

we thank you for the wellspring

that flows from your temple.

It revitalizes the dead desert sea

and makes the trees on the river banks sturdy and fruitful.

Your Son Jesus is the new font of life.

In him is the healing river of the Spirit.

Let our life be steeped in the water of life he brings.

We bless and adore you, dear Father, 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 want to be well?” (Jn 5:6) // “They shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.” (Ez 47:12)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for God’s healing grace for you and the people in your midst. Be an instrument of God’s healing for them by your kind deeds, consoling words and inspiring actions. Do something for the infirm, especially those who are unable to walk.

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March 30, 2022: WEDNESDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (4)

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Incarnates God’s Faithful Love”

BIBLE READINGS

Is 49:8-15 // Jn 5:17-30

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Jn 5:17-30): “As the Father raises the dead and gives them life so also does the Son give life to those whom he chooses.”

In the Gospel reading (Jn 5:17-30) we hear that Jesus is the object of contention. The Jewish authorities begin to persecute Jesus because he healed the crippled man at Bethesda and thus broke the Sabbath law. Moreover, he claimed that God is his own Father and thus made himself equal to God. Jesus does not deny the accusation, but reiterates his filial connection with God. He answers them, “My Father is always working, and I too must work.” The unceasing work of God is to give and sustain life. As the Son of God, Jesus cannot do otherwise. Hence, the Sabbath law does not have authority to prevent Jesus from healing a paralytic. His compassionate “work” on behalf of the sick is grounded in God’s nature as life-giver. The Jews believe that God rested from work on the Sabbath, but that he never rested from the work of giving life to creation, since creation would cease to exist had God done so.

The season of Lent invites us to embrace the life-giving work of the Father and the Son. We are invited to gaze more intently on the ongoing miracle of life, which results from their creative activity. Jesus continues to dispense to us the gift of life that comes from the bosom of God. Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, in the same way the Son gives life to those he wants to. We are recipients of the gift of “new life” not only on the day of resurrection, but even in the “here and now”. We simply have to be receptive. We ought to be thankful for all the gifts that our gracious God continues to bestow on us in his Son Jesus.

The following story inspires us to be receptive to the miracle of life and the unceasing creative activity of God (cf. Brian Doyle, “March 15 Reflection” in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 86).

I was visiting a grade school, as is wont, on the general theory that these are the beings who are going to own the world pretty soon and I want to stay on their good side. And as a salty, testy, thankful older man, it’s my duty and joy to try to connect to as many kids as possible and remind them that we are inundated by the profligate generosity of the Maker. Maybe we all don’t celebrate that quite enough, being also inundated by worries and bills and car troubles and back pains.

In this classroom I was blathering on and on about the sea of miracles, and a girl – it’s always girls who ask the piercing questions – raised her hand and said, “Yes, sir, but have you personally experienced miracles? Or is this just a lecture?”

There was a long pause, and I said with dawning wonder, “Oh, child, yes; oh, dear Lord, yes, yes, yes! I have seen bears the size of cars. I have heard whales moaning in dark oceans. I have had a child say, “I love you more than I could ever figure out words for my love, Dad.” I have been graced by burly brothers. I have had sicknesses that looked to be the cause of gravestone engravings, but here I am, cheerfully mumbling in your classroom. Here I am and that is a miracle beyond accounting, and here you are and that is even a cooler miracle, because you are young and strong and possible in ways that I am not any more. Yes, my young friend, I have seen miracles. Every moment of every day. Every breath. Yes. Any more questions?”

B. First Reading (Is 49:8-15): “I have given you as a covenant to the people, to restore the land.”

Today’s Old Testament Reading (Is 49:8-15) depicts with poignant beauty God’s protestation of love to a people crying out in despair that they had been abandoned and forsaken. To his anguished people exiled in Babylon, the Lord God spoke these consoling words: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” The love of God surpasses that of a mother for her child. God would never forsake his Chosen People, though they themselves had forsaken him. Deeply chastised and painfully humbled by the Exile experience, they would become the object of divine mercy that transcends anything we could ever imagine.

The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “God has always been faithful to his people; he had never forgotten them. Our first reading presents God in the tender image of a mother, and the people of God in the image of a nursing infant. Isaiah makes it clear that God’s love is ever greater than the image presented … While the people of God were in exile in Babylon, God still loved them; their release was a sign of compassion. He had never abandoned them, and they had no reason to lament … All through their punishment, God had remembered them and had now liberated them from bondage. Isaiah’s message is that we are to trust God even when the days are darkest, for God does not abandon his people.”

Jesus Savior incarnates the Father’s love that is beyond telling. The Christian disciples continue to make present in today’s world God’s tenderness and faithful love. Through them the Lord God comforts his people and shows mercy to the afflicted. The following story of Sr. Mary Rose of the Covenant House, America’s largest shelter for homeless and runaway kids, gives insight into this (cf. Sr. Mary Rose McGeady, Sometimes God Has a Kid’s Face, Covenant House, 2010, p. 35-38).

Finally, the tears began to form in her eyes, and she decided to take a chance. Dana decided to trust in us. “I used to live in a real house”, she said. “I had a mother and a father and five brothers”, she said. “That was a long time ago”, she said. “Then, last year, my dad decided to leave. He just walked out one day … he didn’t even tell me he was going anywhere … he just left. My mother … my mother couldn’t take it anymore. She tried to get a job … but it all got to be too much. About two months ago, she sat me down and told me I had to leave. ‘You’re 16, Dana’, she said. ‘You’re the oldest … I can’t afford all of you … you’re going to have to leave.’ I looked at her like she was kidding. I mean, leave for what, Sister? Go where? I’m 16 … it’s not like I know a million places to go. But my mother kept telling me I had to get out. ‘You can make it, Dana’, my mother said. ‘You’re strong like me. Pack up your things. I’m sorry, you have to go.’”

As she poured out her story, the tears began rolling down Dana’s cheeks in streams. They were angry, pained, disbelieving tears of a 16-year-old girl who suddenly found herself all alone, on the street, by herself. I grabbed her hand and told her again how glad I was she had found us. (…)

I made sure our staff took extra special care of Dana tonight. We got her some brand-new pajamas, and I made sure she got a room right near one of her counselors, so she could see someone by her all night. (…) I do know one thing. We’re going to do everything humanly possible to help her, and try to rebuild her life (and as we’re doing all we humanly can, I’m going to be praying extra hard to God for His help too).

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we believe and trust in the ceaseless life-giving activity of God? Do we wish to embrace the life-giving work of Jesus, the Son of God?

2. In moments of despondency or distress, do I ever cry out with reproach: “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me”? What do I do to trust in God’s faithful love?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving God,

you love us tenderly and constantly,

as a mother loves the child in her womb,

but with a love that surpasses all we could ever imagine.

We are your chosen people.

You will never forget or forsake us.

We thank you for your Son Jesus Christ,

the full revelation of your saving love.

He trusted in you even in the face of the “gathering storm”.

Help us to trust in you and to rely on the name of Christ.

He lives and reigns, forever and ever.

Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.” (Jn 5:17-30) // “Even should a mother forget I will never forget you.” (Is 49:15)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Today take time to see the miracle of life within and around you. Pray that by our life of loving service we may clearly image the faithful love of God. Be attentive to the urgent needs of our brothers and sisters and assist them in any way you can.

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March 31, 2022: THURSDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (4)

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Our Mediator and We Are His Witnesses”

BIBLE READINGS

Ex 32:7-14 // Jn 5:31-47

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Jn 5:31-47): “The one who will accuse you is Moses in whom you have placed your hope.”

In the Gospel (Jn 5:31-47) we hear that as Jesus comes closer to the end of his life, the Jewish authority’s hostility grows fierce and the opposition is more threatening. Basically, the issue is whether Jesus is truly God-Messiah. Jesus responds by presenting astounding witnesses on his behalf. John the Baptist is the burning lamp that points to him as the true light. The Baptist testifies about Jesus, “He is the Son of God!” Though John is a significant witness, Jesus has an even greater witness: God the Father himself. The deeds that Jesus carried out in obedience to the Father manifest that he truly comes from God. Moreover, the Father gives further witness to Jesus by an inner voice that is discovered by those who are responsive to divine grace. Those who oppose Jesus are spiritually blind. Their understanding is so warped that they are unable to perceive the witness of God in the Scriptures and Moses. It is ironic that they reject Jesus as God-Messiah, but easily accept charlatans whose credentials accord with their preconceived ideas. There is no need for Jesus to condemn them. They stand self-denounced by their hardness of heart.

The following story shows that a simple, receptive heart is necessary for truly knowing Christ (cf. Anthony De Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 112). We are witnesses of Christ. Our personal transformation testifies to his saving presence in our life.

A dialogue between a recent convert and an unbelieving friend:

“So you have been converted to Christ?”

“Yes.”

“Then you must know a great deal about him. Tell me: what country was he born in?”

“I don’t know.”

“What was his age when he died?”

“I don’t know.”

“How many sermons did he preach?”

“I don’t know.”

“You certainly know very little for a man who claims to be converted to Christ!”

“You are right. I am ashamed at how little I know about him. But this much I know. Three years ago I was a drunkard. I was in debt. My family was falling to pieces. My wife and children would dread my return home each evening. But now I have given up drink; we are out of debt; ours is now a happy home. All this Christ has done for me. Thus much I know of him!”

To really know … That is, to be transformed by what one knows.

B. First Reading (Ex 32:7-14): “Relent in punishing your people.”

Today’s Old Testament reading presents Moses as a mediator who intercedes for the erring Israelites. His mediation is meant to turn the divine wrath away from the chosen people. Rescued by God from slavery, they now have become idolatrous. They have foolishly built a gold bull-calf to worship in place of the true God. The Lord God intends to wipe them out and begin a new nation from Moses. The ministry of mediation of Moses is courageous and persuasive. He asks God to change his mind and not to bring disaster up on the people. Moses carries out his role of mediation by appealing to the honor of God’s name before the pagan nations. To have the Israelites die in the wilderness would only provoke the ridicule of the Lord’s enemies in Egypt. Likewise Moses reminds God of his promises to the patriarchs. To abandon the Israelites now is to renege on the promises he made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to make of them a great nation and to lead them to their eternal possession. So the Lord relented and did not bring upon his people the punishment he had threatened.

The ministry of mediation of Moses finds exquisite fulfillment in Jesus Christ who reconciled men with God. The Christian disciples are also called to a life of mediation and intercession on behalf of today’s world. They are called to be peacemakers and to help people evade the path of evil and self-destruction. The following story gives us a glimpse into what we can do (cf. Mike McGarvin, Papa Mike, Fresno: Poverello House, 2003, p. 74).

There weren’t many who hit the streets with me, but quite a few helped by preparing the food. Two of these early volunteers were John Graham, a man who would later become a board member, and his wife Barbara, who would cook chili to hand out.

Another volunteer, Frank Stommel, came from the local Newman Center. Frank was originally from Holland, and he spent a good part of World War II dragging his family all over Europe as he fled the Nazis. He’d seen a lot of hard things in his life, but a more loving man you couldn’t find anywhere. Frank was one of those unique people who overflow with warmth.

Frank came along about the time I was starting to burn out. If he hadn’t shown up, I may not have been able to keep it going. He had a thick accent, and half the time the street guys couldn’t understand him. But they understood that he accepted them and cared about them. Frank’s a big bear of a man with a twinkle in his eye, and he threw himself into the work. He’d scare me sometimes, because he was absolutely fearless. He trusted God to take care of him, but my faith wasn’t as deep as his. I worried about him.

One time a big melee started near where he was serving. Frank waded into the middle of it, saying something like, “Friends, friends, de gude Lord vants you to love each other, not fight. Let’s settle down, now.” Amazingly, they did. I think they were stupefied by this big Dutchman who boldly stepped between them and spoke in what surely seemed to be a language from outer space.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we truly accept the presence of Jesus in our life as true God and Savior? How do we give witness to Jesus?

2. What does the ministry of mediation and intercession of Moses say to you? Did you ever carry out this ministry on behalf of others?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving Father,

we thank you for the gift of the mediation of Moses.

Above all, we give you thanks for your Son Jesus Christ

who brought to fulfillment

this role of covenant mediation upon the cross.

Teach us to love

and to intercede for the people

who foolishly refuse your love.

You are merciful and compassionate.

We adore and praise 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.

“The Father who sent me has testified on my behalf.” (Jn 5:37) // “So the Lord relented in the punishment he had threatened to inflict on his people.” (Ex 32:14)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Commit yourself to the study of the Scriptures and to acquire a deeper understanding of the presence of Christ in your life. // Open up today’s newspaper and, after reading some of the local, national, and world events, lift up your hands in prayer for the people and the world that need to be brought back to God.

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April 1, 2022: FRIDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (4)

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Just One”

BIBLE READINGS

Wis 2:1a, 12-22 // Jn 7:1-2; 10:25-30

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Jn 7:1-2; 10:25-30): “They tried to arrest him, but his hour had not yet come.”

Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30) depicts another conflict situation in the life of Jesus. The Jews celebrate the feast of Tabernacles or Sukkoth, an annual autumn celebration of thanksgiving for the yearly harvest and for the historic Exodus miracles of the water and the pillar of fire. Jesus, the font of living water and the light of the world, makes a private appearance in Jerusalem for this festival. Though he wants to be incognito, people recognize him just the same and a controversy ensues. Since they know his family origin, they doubt whether he is the Messiah. Their superficial knowledge of his person prevents them from recognizing the astounding truth that he is truly the one sent by God as the Savior of the world. Jesus is the “hidden” Messiah. His divine origin could be perceived only by “believers” who trust in him.

The adversaries try to seize him, but cannot since his “hour” has not yet come. At the autumn festival in Jerusalem, the “gathering storm” quickens. The mounting hostility precipitates him closer to his passion and death on the cross. As his disciples, it is our duty to stand by him and endure the “gathering storm” that will break loose on Good Friday.

The “gathering storm” of hostility continues to accompany the Christian disciples in today’s world. Our commitment can be a reproach to the world and our moral principles can generate opposition. The following news article gives us a glimpse into the “gathering storm” that we must endure (cf. San Jose Mercury News, March 6, 2012, p. A2).

Cameron creates controversy by stating views on gay rights: Kirk Cameron, the star of the 1980s sitcom “Growing Pains”, told Piers Morgan in an interview broadcast Friday, that homosexuality is “unnatural … I think that it’s detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization.”

Well, it’s a good thing for civilization that homosexuality has only been around for a couple of years, or we’d be in real trouble by now.

Cameron said, “Marriage was defined by God a long time ago. Marriage is almost as old as dirt, and it was defined in the garden between Adam and Eve – one man, one woman for life till death do you part. So I would never attempt to try to redefine marriage. And I don’t think anyone else should, either. So do I support the idea of gay marriage? No, I don’t.”

When asked what he would do if one of his six kids told him, “I’m gay”, Cameron responded, “I’d sit down and I’d have a heart to heart with them, just like you’d do with your kids.” Morgan retorted, “I’d say, ‘That’s great, son, as long as you’re happy.’ What would you say?” Cameron said, “I wouldn’t say, ‘That’s great, son, as long as you’re happy.’ There are all sorts of issues we need to wrestle through in our life … Just because you feel one way doesn’t mean we should act on everything we feel.”

Herndon Graddick of gay rights group GLAAD, said Cameron “sounds even more dated than his 1980s TV character” and he “is out of step with a growing majority of Americans, particularly people of faith who believe that their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters should be loved and accepted based on their character and not condemnation because of their sexual orientation.”

Morgan defended Cameron to TMZ saying that he was “pretty brave” for speaking out. “I felt that he was honest to what he believed”, Morgan said, “and I don’t think he was expecting the furor that it created.”

B. First Reading (Wis 2:1a, 12-22): “Let us condemn him to a shameful death.”

I was born in the Philippines, in a small town near the slopes of the majestic Mayon Volcano that is renowned for its perfect cone. When I reminisce about the little town where I was born, I also remember our hardworking houseboy named Julian. A no-nonsense orphan, it was his dream to go to school. My parents made arrangements so that he could be a working student. One day, when he was going to school to pay his tuition, his half-brother accosted him, asking for money. The half-brother grew up with bad companions and was involved in gambling and drinking. He detested Julian’s clean character. For him Julian, the “good boy”, was obnoxious. When he threatened Julian with a gun, the latter refused to give up his hard-earned money and his dream of a better future. The half-brother shot him to death. Our quiet neighborhood was convulsed by the dreadful violence inflicted on an innocent lovable boy.

The conflict between good and evil is verified again and again in human experience. The life of Julian gives insight into the “just one” referred to in today’s Old Testament reading (Wis 2:1a, 12-22). The life of the “just one” is a reproach to those who do evil. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, comment: “Those who do evil are intolerant of contradiction, whatever its form. They strive to silence it. But nothing is more unbearable to them than the living reproach and permanent challenge of the life of just persons in their midst … By not living like everyone else, the just become marginal … Through their very lives, led in conformity with God’s law, the just denounce the misconduct of the impious.” The unmerited injustice suffered by the “just one” mentioned by the Book of Wisdom adds poignancy and intensity to the figure of Jesus, the Suffering Servant-Messiah. While the figure of the “just one” who patiently withstands insults and torture points to Jesus, the wicked ones who sought the destruction of the “just one” anticipate those who seek the suffering and death of Jesus.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I stand by Jesus in the “gathering storm” of controversy that his person and teaching generate?

2. How do we respond to the permanent challenge of the just persons in our midst? Is the life of the “just one” a reproach to our sinful ways, or is it an invitation to conversion? Are we ready to embrace the paschal destiny of the “Just One” par excellence?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Lord,

we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ,

the “Just One” par excellence.

He is a living reproach to our evil ways.

He invites us to conversion.

Give us the grace to welcome him

so that we may have the wisdom and strength to return to you,

our loving and merciful Father.

Help us to be united

with the paschal destiny of Christ, our Savior.

He lives and reigns, forever and ever.

Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“They tried to arrest him.” (Jn 7:30) // “Let us beset the just one.” (Wis 2:12)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for the just whose life of integrity is a living reproach to those who do evil. Nurture the Christian call to goodness and justice by getting acquainted with the life and sacrifices of today’s persecuted Christians. Be ready to make your own courageous stand for the Christian faith.

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April 2, 2022: SATURDAY – LENTEN WEEKDAY (4); SAINT FRANCIS OF PAOLA, Hermit

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Was Persecuted”

BIBLE READINGS

Jer 11:18-20 // Jn 7:40-53

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Jn 7:40-53): “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?”

In today’s Gospel (Jn 7:40-53), the controversy continues to swirl around Jesus as to whether he is the Messiah. The crowd is divided. Some enthuse that he is the Prophet. Others believe he is the Messiah. But others refute this, arguing that the Messiah will not come from Galilee, but from David’s line – from Bethlehem. Others want to arrest him, but no one lays a hand on him. As the “storm” of hostility gathers, we see some people making an effort to defend him. The temple guards ordered to arrest Jesus come back empty-handed because his words touched them. They report to the chief priests and Pharisees, “Never before has anyone spoken like this one.” The religious leaders scorn them for being so easily deceived. Encouraged by the action of the guards, the “closet Christian”, Nicodemus, made an effort to defend Jesus by reminding the chief priests and Pharisees that according to the law, they cannot condemn a person before hearing him and finding what he has done. His honest effort to protect Jesus, however, is of no avail.

Lent is a time to delve into our Christian duty to make a defense for Jesus. Courage and fortitude are given by God to those who opt to stand by Jesus Christ when our faith is challenged. The following article gives insight into the courage of those who choose to stand by Jesus (cf. Jon Sweeny, “March 17 Reflection” in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 88).

St. Patrick is one of the handful of saints that everyone seems to know by name. We all know about the parades, concerts and parties that are held today to commemorate him and celebrate the Irish heritage, and most of us know that, according to legend, he drove the snakes out of Ireland. But the stories that have come down about him are much richer than that.

His life was full of contests with the Druids, the Celtic magician-priests who opposed his attempts to spread Christianity in Ireland. In one story, Patrick resolved to celebrate Easter on the hill of Slane in what is today County Meath. He climbed to the top of the hill and lit the paschal fire. The king of Ireland was holding a festival in his palace across the way, and it was the custom that no fire should be lit unless one was first seen lit at the royal house. So when the king’s Druids saw Patrick’s fire, they said to the king, “Unless this fire is quenched tonight, it will never be quenched. And the one who kindled it will seduce all the people of your realm.” So the king took nine chariots and drove to the hill of Slane.

When Patrick saw the chariots, he quoted Psalm 20:7. The Druids challenged Patrick, but Patrick was up to the task and he converted at least one of them on the spot. Then, at Patrick’s prayer, darkness fell and the earth quaked and the Druids and the chariots fled.

What stands out for me in this story is Patrick’s confidence, his assurance that no matter what the challenge, he would prevail. It was a confidence that rested not on any abilities of his own, but on his faith in God, who is always able to do the unexpected.

B. First Reading (Jer 11:18-20): “I am like a trusting lamb led to slaughter.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 11:18-20) presents the persecuted Jeremiah entrusting his cause to God. Jeremiah was appalled to realize that his enemies were making plots against his life. They wanted to kill him so that he would stop proclaiming God’s message and thus be forgotten by all. He was as vulnerable as a trusting lamb taken out to be killed. Jeremiah therefore prayed to God, who is a just judge and who probes one’s thought and feelings, to vindicate him. This death threat caused the suffering Jeremiah to reflect on the meaning of life and his mission as a prophet. The figure of Jeremiah as a rejected and persecuted prophet points to Jesus, the Suffering Servant of Yahweh.

The disciples of Jesus Christ continue to live out the pathos of persecution and rejection. The modern-day martyrs, like Jeremiah and Jesus, place their cause in the hands of God (cf. Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Testimony of Hope, Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2000, p. 113).

Martyrs for the Faith: The Armenian Catholic bishop of Mardin, Monsignor Maloyan, a man of peace, was unjustly accused, arrested, and forced to march at length with a contingent of Christians. Some proposed that he renounce his faith in order to save himself. He responded: “We will die, but we will die for Jesus.” He died a martyr with his faithful in 1925.

Martyrs for ethnic hatred: At the seminary of Buta in a Burundi tormented by ethnic wars, forty Hutu and Tutsi seminarians were massacred together on April 30, 1996, by Hutu guerrillas. They had been told to divide themselves into two groups – Hutus and Tutsi. By doing so, the Hutus would have saved their lives, but they refused to separate themselves from their companions and all were killed.

We cannot describe the wonders of grace in so many of our brothers and sisters whose suffering is known only to God. Brothers and sisters, we will not forget you!

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Am I ready to stand by Jesus and make a defense for my faith?

2. What experiences do you have of being persecuted for the sake of your faith? What does it mean to entrust one’s cause to God?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus,

help me to stand by you.

Give me strength to make a defense for my faith

and to defend the weak and defenseless.

Help me to trust in your power.

In the hour of darkness, please give me light.

In the hour of fear, be my comfort and protection.

Grant me the voice of truth and the power to speak for justice.

Teach me to share your saving Word to the nations.

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.

“Does our law condemn a person before it hears and finds out what he is doing?” (Jn 7:51) // “To you I have entrusted my cause.” (Jer 11:20)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your self-giving and personal dedication to daily duties, replicate in your life the loving sacrifice of Jeremiah and Jesus.

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