A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday and Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 11, n. 25)
PENTECOST SUNDAY AND SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME:
May 19-25, 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: May 19-25, 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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May 19, 2013: PENTECOST SUNDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: “In His Spirit We Become God’s Children”
BIBLE READINGS
Acts 2:1-11 // I Cor 12:3b-7 or Rom 8:8-17 // Jn 14:15-16, 23b-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Pentecost is the crowning finale of Easter time. Originally it was a Jewish festival that celebrated both the grain harvest and the first covenant God made with Israel on Mount Sinai. Christian Pentecost celebrates the “new” harvest of the Spirit – that is, the gathering of peoples from all nations who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It also celebrates the gift of the “new” covenant ratified in the paschal sacrifice of Christ, who loved us to the end. Moreover, while the Jewish Pentecost commemorates the gift of the Mosaic Law, the “new” Pentecost – the culmination of the Easter events – commemorates the gift of the new Law - the Spirit of love – the Holy Spirit outpoured for the gathering of the Church of God.
The Second Reading (Rom 8:8-17) underlines the transforming and awesome power of the Spirit. The Spirit of the Father and the Son is the moving force in the life of the baptized. The Holy Spirit unites us to Christ the Son and enables us to enter into an intimate child relationship with God the Father. Having received this Spirit of adoption, we should act fittingly as children of God. Moreover, we are heirs of glory with Christ to the extent that we suffer, die, and rise with him.
The biblical scholar John Pilch remarks: “A very important result of being subject to the Spirit is that one becomes a true child of God … This Spirit says we are dear to God; we are his very own children. Further, not only does the Spirit make this child relationship with God possible, but the same Spirit gives each of us the power to recognize it, that is, to say ‘Abba, Father’. Yet lest anyone get too carried away with all this good news, Paul reminds the readers that we must suffer with Christ in order to be glorified with him. Suffering, of course, simply cannot compare with the glory or intimate share in God’s life, which is the destiny of each believer.”
The following story gives us a glimpse of what it means to live by the Spirit and embrace the way of love he inspires in us. To live by the Spirit of love enables us to be deeply related with one another and in a very meaningful way. We have heard many stories of people who learned to love by doing good things and of people who learned to do good things by loving. Dr. Bloomfield’s story is an example (cf. Harold Bloomfield, M.D., “The Two-Hundredth Hug” in A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1995, p. 14-15).
My father’s skin was jaundiced as he lay hooked up to monitors and intravenous tubes in the intensive care unit of the hospital. Normally a well-built man, he had lost more than 30 pounds. My father’s illness had been diagnosed as cancer of the pancreas, one of the most malignant forms of the disease. The doctors were doing what they could but told us that he had only three to six months to live. Cancer of the pancreas does not lend itself to radiation therapy or chemotherapy, so they could offer little hope.
A few days later, when my father was sitting up in bed, I approached him and said, “Dad, I feel deeply for what’s happened to you. It’s helped me to look at the ways I’ve kept my distance and to feel how much I really love you.” I leaned over to give him a hug, but his shoulders and arms became tense. “C’mon, Dad, I really want to give you a hug.” For a moment he looked shocked. Showing affection was not our usual way of relating. I asked him to sit up some more so I could get my arms around him. Then I tried again. This time, however, he was even more tense. I could feel the old resentment starting to build up, and I began to think, “I don’t need this. If you want to die and leave me with the same coldness as always, go right ahead.”
For years I had used every instance of my father’s resistance and rigidness to blame him, to resent him and to say to myself, “See, he doesn’t care.” This time, however, I thought again and realized the hug was for my benefit as well as my father’s. I wanted to express how much I cared for him no matter how hard it was for him to let me in. My father had always been very Germanic and duty-oriented; in his childhood, his parents must have taught him how to shut off his feelings in order to be a man.
Letting go of my long-held desire to blame him for our distance, I was actually looking forward to that challenge of giving him more love. I said, “C’mon, Dad, put your arms around me.” I leaned up close to him at the edge of the bed with his arms around me. “Now squeeze. That’s it. Now again, squeeze. Very good! In a sense I was showing my father how to hug, and as he squeezed, something happened. For an instant, a feeling of “I love you” bubbled through. For years our greeting had been a cold and formal handshake that said, “Hello, how are you?” Now, both he and I waited for that momentary closeness to happen again. Yet, just at the moment when he would begin to enjoy the feeling of love, something would tighten in his upper torso and our hug would become awkward and strange. It took months before his rigidness gave way and he was able to let the emotions inside him pass through his arms to encircle me.
It was up to me to be the source of many hugs before my father initiated a hug on his own. I was not blaming him, but supporting him; after all, he was changing the habits of an entire lifetime – and that takes time. I knew we were succeeding because more and more we were relating out of care and affection. Around the two-hundredth hug, he spontaneously said out loud, for the first time I could ever recall, “I love you.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we allow the Spirit of truth to guide us on the way of love and teach us to keep the Father’s life-giving word? Do we rejoice and continue to marvel at the miracle of the Christian Pentecost? Are we deeply aware that through the Holy Spirit, we have been made children of God at baptism, and are destined to share in Christ’s glory – to the extent that we suffer with him?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving God, our heavenly Father,
we thank you for the marvelous manifestation of the Holy Spirit
at the “new” Pentecost,
which gave birth to the Church.
We bless you for the fruitful harvest of believers
from all nations and peoples of the earth.
Loving Father,
the Spirit of love is always present and at work in our midst.
Help us to be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
Let him guide us on the path of love and the ways of peace.
Help us to live by the Spirit.
He unites us deeply to Jesus Christ in his paschal suffering
that we may be co-heirs with him in his heavenly glory.
We offer to you, O powerful Father, our untiring prayer:
“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”
We praise you with the Son and the Holy Spirit,
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.
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Rom 8:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your works of charity and kindness, of justice and peace, allow the people around you to experience anew the marvels of the “new” Pentecost.
***
May 20, 2013: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (7); SAINT BERNARDINE OF SIENA, priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Wisdom Incarnate”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 1:1-10 // Mk 9:14-29
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In the next two weeks, the first reading of the weekday liturgy is taken from the Book of Sirach (“The Wisdom of Jesus, Son of Sirach”). Known also as Ecclesiasticus, it was written in Hebrew by “Jesus, son of Eleazar, son of Sirach” (shortened to Ben Sira) and translated into Greek by his grandson. Ben Sira presents an abundant vision of divine action in the world and perceives within the natural world an almost endless array of God’s revelations. Ben Sira sees both Sacred Scripture and the natural world as sources of God’s revelation.
Today’s reading from the Book of Sirach invites us to contemplate God as the source of wisdom. All wisdom comes from the Lord and she is with him forever. The Lord God has filled creation with wisdom and she can thus be perceived in the universe. God gives some measure of wisdom to everyone, but she is poured out on those who love him. The author, Ben Sira, is ecstatic as he ponders the ineffable qualities of wisdom: “Who can count raindrops or the sand along the shore? Who can count the days of eternity? How high is the sky? How wide is the earth? How deep is the ocean? How profound is wisdom?” Since wisdom is from God and brought forth through the Holy Spirit, she is infinitely valuable and profound. The hymn to divine wisdom in the Book of Sirach is a good background for a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ, the Word incarnate and the wisdom of God.
The beautiful reflection of Ben Sira invites us to have a contemplative regard for creation and to perceive in nature the wisdom of God’s plan. The following story gives an insight into this (cf. J.T. Garrett, “Good Medicine” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 349-351).
As a young boy, I fondly remember my grandfather. He was tall in physical size, but he was also larger than life itself, in my eyes. As a Cherokee Indian, he loved to tell the old stories that had been passed down from generation to generation in the tribe, located in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. His zest for life and his love of nature was passed on to me through the experience there in the mountains of western North Carolina.
On a warm spring day when I was a young boy, my grandfather and I were sitting on a large rock on the edge of the Oconaluftee River in Cherokee. I was looking into a small puddle of water that was caught in an etched indentation of a rock. The large rocks were worn away by water action, and we would sometimes fish on the rocks and watch the fish travel downstream between the rocks. This particular day, I was more interested in the small minnows moving around in the puddle of water that seemed to be caught in the rocks. I must have stared endlessly at the minnows wondering how they would get back to the larger body of water and their parents for safety. After all, I had my grandfather to protect me. Who would protect them from the warm sun and from being eaten by animals, or other fish? Wow, I thought, I was glad I was not fish.
My grandfather would glance around every few minutes to see what I was doing. He saw me looking at the small fish and asked, “What do you see when you look into the water?” Always wanting to please my grandfather to show him how smart I really was, I looked quickly downstream and said, “I see the little fish swimming around, but they have no place to go.”
“Are you afraid for them, or yourself?” My grandfather would often ask two questions at once. “The sun is hot, and I am afraid they will get too hot in the shallow water. Besides, what if they don’t get back to their parents in the river?” He softly spoke, “Well, maybe they are all right in this special pool of water. They might get out into the large river and a larger fish might come by and eat them for dinner.”
“Grandfather, what will they eat to stay alive? What if they stay there and grow too big for a little pool of water?” I guess I must have learned to ask two questions, as well, from my grandfather. “Grandson”, he said, “you do not worry because Nature will take care of them. Whatever happens is all part of a greater plan of life. It is the Great One’s plan.”
I am sure I must have looked perplexed by this statement, but I didn’t really know what to ask. Even at that young age, I knew he would be quiet to allow me to respond, then he would share more with me.
“What do you see when you look into the water?” asked my grandfather. I would look closely to see the water rushing quickly downstream. My eyes would catch a glimpse of the fish, flies touching the water, the water beetles moving quickly down the river, a piece of wood floating with the movement of the water, and the beautiful green plants. I must have explained all these things to him. There was a long pause. Then he said, “What else do you see? Look deeply into the water.”
I looked as hard as I could, then he said, “What else do you see? Look deeply into the water.” I looked as hard as I could, then he said, “Now look at the surface of the water.” My eyes began to water as I stared, wanting my grandfather to be proud of my ability to see everything he saw. “Ah, I see my reflection”, I proudly responded. He quietly said, “That’s good.” A smile came across my face.
“What you see is your whole life ahead of you. Know that the Great One has a plan for you, as well as the little fish in the puddle of water. Sometimes we don’t understand why things happen the way they do, but there is a plan.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is our response to the divine wisdom revealed and at work in the universe? Are we grateful for the beauty and wisdom that enfold us day by day? Do we open our hearts to the gift of wisdom that comes from God through the Holy Spirit?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(cf. Alternative Opening Prayer – Mass of Monday, Seventh Week in Ordinary Time)
Almighty God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
faith in your word is the way to wisdom,
and to ponder your divine plan is to grow in the truth.
Open our eyes to your deeds,
our ears to the sound of your call,
so that our every act may increase our sharing
in the life you have offered us.
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.
“All wisdom comes from the Lord.” (Sir 1:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Today be particularly attentive to the beauty and wisdom that surround us every day. Be thankful to God for his gift of wisdom and let this guide us in our choices in life.
***
May 21, 2013: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (7); SAINT CHRISTOPHER MAGALLANES, priest, AND COMPANIONS, martyrs
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Made Wise in the School of Suffering”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 2:1-11 // Mk 9:30-37
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s passage from the Book of Sirach challenges the servant of the Lord to be prepared for trials. It underlines that all affliction is under the Lord’s control and directed by his providence. The suffering of the just is not a punishment, but a discipline to strengthen one’s faith. Just as impurities can be removed even from gold, so the just one can be purified and one’s true value is thereby seen. As a result of Ben Sera’s reflection and study of the “generations long past”, he concludes that the basis of our hope and faithfulness is God’s mercy and compassion. Many years after Ben Sira, Jesus of Nazareth shows what it means to be schooled in the wisdom of God. In his passion and death, Jesus is imbued with wisdom as he fulfills his mission as the Suffering Servant of Yahweh. Jesus is deeply aware that God’s servants, though tried by adversity and crushed by misfortunes, triumph in the end.
Here is a modern example of God’s faithful one who persevered to the end (cf. Lives of Saints – The Irish Martyrs: Blessed Dermot O’Hurley in ALIVE!, April 2013, p.15).
Dermot O’Hurley realized that if he did not give himself up his former host, Thomas Fleming of Slane Castle, would lose his lands and possibly his life. The Archbishop surrendered to Queen Elizabeth’s agents and was taken to Dublin. Once interrogation began it became clear he would be shown little mercy. Yet he had nothing to confess: he was simply a bishop who came to attend to the spiritual needs of his flock. But he was seen as an agent of the Pope who had come to Ireland to join forces with the rebel Earl of Desmond. If he would not tell them the truth they would torture him until he did.
And torture him they did. But he could not tell them what they wanted to hear. Eventually, and in desperation, they wrote to the master interrogator in London. Dublin Castle asked that Hurley be taken to London where he could be tried without the danger of provoking outrage and rebellion by the local population. Sir Thomas Walshingham, however, was at that time busily plotting the ensnarement which would lead eventually to the judicial murder of Mary Queen of Scots. He had enough on his hands and insisted that the interrogation continue in Dublin. It did.
This time the torturers resorted to the excruciating measure of soaking O’Hurley’s boots in oil and salt and roasting his feet in fire. The Archbishop still protested his innocence, crying out repeatedly, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Eventually it was decided that he would be tried secretly under martial law, sentenced to death, and secretly executed.
On 19 June, 1584, the order was signed for his execution. Early next morning he was brought outside Dublin city walls to a place near what is now St. Stephen’s Green. But the execution was not as secret as the persecutors had hoped. A group of merchants leaving the city came by the spot where the execution was being prepared. They had no idea who the victim was at first but he was able to speak to them.
“Be it known to you, good Christians”, he said, “that I am a priest anointed and also a bishop, although unworthy of such sacred dignities. No cause could they find against me that might in the least degree deserve the pains of death, but merely for my function of priesthood, wherein they proceeded against me in all points cruelly contrary to their own laws. I ask you, dear Christian brethren, to manifest that to the world and also to bear witness at the day of judgment of my innocent death, which I endure for my function and profession of the holy Catholic faith.”
A short time later he died a martyr’s death by hanging. Word of the execution spread but there was no rioting. His remains were taken down by Catholics and buried in the grounds of the nearby St. Kevin’s Church in Camden Row. His grave remained a place of pilgrimage for many years.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
In times of trial and adversity do we put our trust in the merciful and compassionate God who is our saving help?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(cf. Blessed James Alberione’s “Act of Surrender to the Will of God”)
My God,
I do not know what will happen to me today.
I only know that nothing will happen to me
that was not foreseen by you
and directed to my greater good from all eternity.
This is enough for me.
I adore your eternal and unfathomable designs.
I submit to them with all my heart for love of you.
I offer the sacrifice of my whole being to you
and join my sacrifice to that of Jesus,
my divine Savior.
In his name and by his infinite merits,
I ask you for patience in my sufferings and perfect submission,
so that everything you want or permit to happen
will result in your greater glory and my sanctification.
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.
“My son, when you come to serve the Lord … prepare yourself for trials.” (Sir 2:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In a secularized society whose values are increasingly hostile to the divine will, let the trials and “persecutions” you will experience be fully united with the redemptive sufferings of Christ.
***
May 22, 2013: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (7); SAINT RITA OF CASCIA, religious
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Loves Those Who Seek Wisdom”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 4:11-19 // Mk 9:38-40
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s passage from the Book of Sirach underlines the benefits of wisdom as well as the trials that are associated with it. The author Ben Sira underlines the fruits of wisdom in an effort to inspire his readers to walk on its path. In the first part of today’s Old Testament reading, Ben Sira personifies wisdom as a “mother” who instructs her children in the ways of life. The blessings of wisdom include help and instruction, honor and dignity, life and joy, and glory and protection from God. The way of wisdom, however, involves trial and discipline. The secrets of wisdom are revealed through purifying struggle. A period of testing is necessary before one can enjoy its fruits. To follow the path of wisdom is to relish its benefits; to abandon it is self-destruction. Underlying the rewards of wisdom is the conviction that its servants are the servants of the Holy One. The Lord God loves the faithful those who love wisdom.
The following story illustrates the experience of a person who allows self to be guided in the path of wisdom and the ways of love (cf. Robert Baldwin, “Mother Teresa, the Wino and Me” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 228-229).
I will never forget the day I met Mother Teresa. More than that, I will never forget what she taught me about loving other people, especially the poor. She wasn’t nearly as famous in the late seventies as she is now, but she already had hundreds of thousands of admirers around the world. I was the editor of a Catholic newspaper in Rhode Island, and when I heard she would be speaking in Boston, I decided to go.
I arrived at the auditorium to get a good seat, but I discovered that I’d already been granted a seat in the press section. As I waited for the lecture to begin, I passed the time by chatting with another reporter, who turned out to be, like Mother Teresa, a native of Albania. As we were talking, a priest walked over and said to my companion, “Mother Teresa would be happy to meet you right now.”
With uncharacteristic boldness, I rose to my feet and tagged along. So did a handful of other reporters. We were ushered into a room where a little old lady wrapped in a blue-and-white sari was chatting with the Cardinal Humberto Medeiros, then Archbishop of Boston. I couldn’t believe how tiny she was. But what I remember most is her smiling, wrinkled face and the way she bowed to me, as if I were royalty, when I was introduced. She greeted everyone that way. I thought that if Jesus Christ walked into the room, she would greet him in exactly the same manner. The way she did it conveyed a message that said, “You are holy.”
But meeting her wasn’t as memorable as what she taught me about loving people. Until that day, I had always thought of charity as simply being nice to people. For Mother Teresa it was much more. During her talk, she told us how she and the members of her order, the Missionaries of Charity, seek to recognize Christ in the poorest of the poor. She told a story of how one of the sisters had spent an entire day bathing the wounds of a dying beggar who was brought to them from the streets of Calcutta. Mother Teresa’s voice dropped to a whisper as she told the hushed auditorium that, in reality, the nun had been bathing the wounds of Jesus. She insisted that Christ tests the love of his followers by hiding in grotesque disguises to see if we can still see him.
A few nights later, I was leaving my office after dark when a drunk accosted me. He was dirty and ragged and smelled bad. “Did the bus leave yet?” he asked. The only bus that ever stopped on that corner was a van that carried street people to a soup kitchen. “You’ve missed it”, I told him. Then I thought about Mother Teresa. I didn’t exactly buy the idea that this old bum was God in disguise, but I could see a person in front of me who needed a meal. The soup kitchen wasn’t very far out of my way.
“C’mon, I’ll drive you”, I said, hoping that he wouldn’t throw up in the car. He looked surprised, delighted and a little stunned. He studied me with bleary eyes. His next words floated to me on the smell of cheap wine and they seemed to confirm everything Mother Teresa taught me. “Say”, he said, “you must know me.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are we willing to undergo trials so as to experience the fruits and rewards of true wisdom?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
God of mercy,
your gift of wisdom brings joy and knowledge,
abundant blessing and true perception.
Wisdom’s servants are your servants
and those who love her you truly love.
Allow us to be taught by her
and to follow her lead in every aspect of our life.
Then we shall be blessed and secure in your love.
We praise and glorify you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Those who love wisdom the Lord loves.” (Sir 4:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Let the spirit of wisdom guide your moral discernment and choices.
***
May 23, 2013: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (7)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Counsels Against False Security and Presumption”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 5:1-8 // Mk 9:41-50
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s reading from the Book of Sirach inveighs against false security and presumption. Ben Sira does not condemn riches as such, but points out the inherent danger of self-reliance and false security, which indicate a lack of wisdom. He warns against the pride and the sense of power earthly wealth begets. Wealth has no real power and significance in the ultimate issues of life. Indeed, presumptuous attitudes toward God must be avoided. These include denying God’s power over oneself, presuming God’s forbearance and mercy, and putting off repentance. Ben Sira asserts: “Don’t think that you can sin and get away with it … Don’t be so certain of the Lord’s forgiveness that you go on committing one sin after another.” He also urges: “Come back to the Lord quickly. Don’t think you can keep putting it off.” For one who refuses the grace of conversion, there is no escape from the “day of wrath”, which is the day of encounter with the Lord’s justice.
The following story depicts the beautiful ministry of Fr. Thomas Byles as an instrument of conversion for the doomed in the sinking Titanic (cf. “He Refused a Lifeboat” in ALIVE! April 2013, p. 3).
On 14 April 1912, at 11:40 pm, the Titanic struck an iceberg and a few hours later it sank, with the loss of 1,502 lives. Among those on board was Thomas Byles, a priest from England. Though almost forgotten now, Fr. Byles was well-remembered by some of the survivors of the tragedy.
Born in Leeds in 1870, the son of a Congregationalist minister, he studied theology in Oxford University, intending to become an Anglican vicar. In 1892, however, his younger brother William became a Catholic. Deeply affected by this, he followed him into the Church on the feast of Corpus Christi two years later. He took his examinations in theology as a Catholic – probably the first student to do so at Oxford since the Reformation.
Having acted as tutor to a German prince, he returned to Yorkshire in 1895 and began to study for the priesthood. But his health failed and he had to leave. Three years later, in 1899, he entered the Beda College in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1902. He served in several parishes until appointed to St. Helen’s, a small rural parish in Ongar, Essex. From there the priest, aged 42, left to board the Titanic at Southampton, a 2nd-class passenger to New York. He was going to officiate at his brother William’s wedding in Brooklyn. His ticket cost 13 pounds.
On 14 April, the Sunday after Easter, Fr. Byles celebrated Mass for the 2nd and 3rd class passengers, most of them Irish emigrants. He was on deck, praying the Divine Office, when the boat hit the iceberg, but thought, like most of the passengers, that there was no danger. When the scale of the tragedy became evident he went to help the poorest passengers from steerage onto the boat deck. He also assisted women and children into the lifeboats.
His brother William, shortly after meeting some of the survivors, wrote that Fr. Thomas had “moved about among the crowd from group to group giving absolution (without confessions) and starting all the Catholics on the rosary. “One girl said the sailors wanted to put him into the lifeboat, but he refused, and went on with his work.”
The New York Evening World reported how survivors told that the priest had been foremost in “keeping the religious aspect of the terrible occasion to the fore”, by leading the recitation of the rosary as he guided passengers to the lifeboats. The journalist, having described how some of the first-class passengers played cards, continued: “The poor Irish boys and girls from the steerage were more profitably occupied. They were down on their knees and praying.”
A German priest was with him. According to the report, Fr. Byles urged people to prepare to meet God and about 100 people of all religions knelt round him on the boat deck praying the rosary. As the last lifeboat left from the sinking ship, those on board could hear Fr. Byles’ voice, together with the responses of those kneeling around him.
William Byles and his bride, Katherine Russell, celebrated a quiet wedding, changing into mourning clothes afterwards.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we rely on false security, and are we guilty of presumption? Do we think that we can sin and get away with it? Do we turn to God and avail ourselves of the grace of conversion?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father and compassionate God,
forgive us for relying on false security
and for our presumptuous attitudes
that goad us to sin again and again.
Give us light and show us the way.
Let the radiance of your wisdom
reveal our folly and the danger of impenitent death.
Let us no longer delay our conversion.
Deliver us from all evil.
Grant us the mercy of your forgiveness
for we now turn to you with humble and contrite hearts.
You are truly a loving and forgiving God.
We give you honor, 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 day. Please memorize it.
“Delay not your conversion to the Lord.” (Sir 5:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make a sincere examination of the heart and see what areas in your life need to be brought to God for healing and forgiveness.
***
May 24, 2013: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (7)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Our True Friend”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 6:5-17 // Mk 10:1-12
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s reading from the Book of Sirach is one of the loveliest and the most extensive treatment of friendship in the Bible. The author Ben Sira gives practical advice about making friends and warns against “fair-weather” friends. His precious insights are a result of wisdom’s inspiration and many years of personal experience. One way of gaining friends is through polite and kind speech. But they need to be treated with caution, for false friends betray and quickly fall away in times of trouble, distress and misfortune. True friends are selfless and constant. They have something in common – they are God-fearers. They are present particularly in times of need. Even though they may not be able to provide words or solutions to the problems, they are there to stand by you. Indeed, true friends make us secure and they are life-giving. Indeed, faithful friends are beyond price. The ideal of true friendship is fully embodied in Jesus Christ, the one who laid down his life for his friends.
The following story gives us insight into what true friendship means (cf. Bryan Aubrey, “We Are All Jews Now” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 145-146).
Viewed from high on the Rimrock cliffs that run along the northern edge of Billings, Montana, the city presents an attractive sight, a thriving metropolis nestling within the great open spaces of the American West. Citizens of Billings say it’s a good, civilized place to live. They pride themselves on the quality of their schools and their strong family values.
So it came as a shock to many, when in November 1995, a series of hate crimes took place against minority groups in the city. Whoever was responsible for these acts must have thought that their victims would be easy targets. Billings is predominantly white. Native Americans, African Americans and Jews make up only a small percentage of the population. But there are just enough of them to frighten or to harass – or so the haters must have thought.
They mounted a series of nasty attacks. Graves were overturned in a Jewish cemetery. Offensive words and swastikas were scrawled on the house of a Native American woman. People worshipping at a black church were intimidated. A brick was heaved through the window of a Jewish child who displayed a menorah there.
But the white supremacists, or whoever they were, had reckoned without the citizens of Billings, who had an answer for them – and it wasn’t what the hate-mongers were expecting. An alliance quickly emerged, spearheaded by churches, labor unions, the media, and hundreds of local citizens.
The results were dramatic. Attendance at the black church rose steadily. People of many different ethnic backgrounds and faiths began to attend services there. Their message was clear: “We may be all different, but we are one also. Threaten any of us and you threaten us all.”
A similar spirit propelled volunteers to come together and repaint the house of Dawn Fast Horse, the Native American woman. This happened at amazing speed. Dawn had awoken one morning to see that her house had been defaced. By the evening, after two hundred people showed up to help, the house had been repainted.
When it came to the incident of the brick being thrown through the window of the Jewish child, an interfaith group quickly had a creative idea. They recalled the example of the Danes during World War II. When the Nazis tried to round up Danish Jews into concentration camps for subsequent extermination, the Danish people worked quickly, within a two-week period, to transport almost every Danish Jew to safety in Sweden until the end of the war.
So the people in Billings organized, and a campaign began. Everyone pitched in, including the local newspaper, which printed a Hanukkah page, including a full-color representation of a menorah. Thousands of Billings residents cut the paper menorah out and displayed it in their windows. By late December, driving around Billings was a remarkable experience. Nearly ten thousand people were displaying those paper menorahs in their windows, and the menorahs remained in place throughout the eight days of Hanukkah. It was a brilliant answer to the hate-mongers. A town that had a few Jews was saying with one collective voice, “We are all Jews now.”
The story of what happened in Billings quickly spread, inspiring a national movement called “Not in Our Town”. That Jewish child who had so innocently displayed her menorah in the window helped set in motion a chain of events that affirmed all over America the liberating principle of unity in diversity.
Not for nothing does a menorah have many candles flickering on a single stand.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
In our relationships with “friends”, do we allow the spirit of wisdom to guide us and to help us discern whether it is true and uplifting? Do we value the gift of true friendship and do we cultivate it and invest ourselves in it?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Father,
we thank you for Jesus, our true friend.
He laid down his life for us
to show the depth of his love for us.
Our friend Jesus loved us to the end.
Help us to be faithful friends
and to be always there
for those in need and in distress.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“A faithful friend is beyond price.” (Sir 6:15)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Manifest your gratitude and esteem for a “true friend” and manifest your love and concern for a friend who is in need.
***
May 25, 2013: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (7); SAINT BEDE THE VENERABLE, priest, doctor of the Church; SAINT GREGORY VII, pope; SAINT MARY MAGDALENE DE’ PAZZI; BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: We Are in His Image”
BIBLE READINGS
Sir 17:1-15 // Mk 10:13-16
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s reading from the Book of Sirach, we contemplate God’s wisdom in creation and his concern for human beings who are made in the divine likeness. Human beings have dominion over the earth, and are gifted with the power of the senses. God fills them with knowledge and understanding. He shows them the difference between good and evil. He gives them insight to let them see the marvels of his creation and they have the ability to respond in praise of the Creator. He also chooses Israel as his covenant people and entrusts them with the Law as a source of life. He warns against unrighteousness and teaches each person how to treat others. He is all-knowing. God forbids us to do evil against him and toward fellow creatures.
The following article is an example of people who opt to respect the right to life of human beings made in the image and likeness of God (cf. “To That Baby You Are Still a Whole Person” in ALIVE! April 2013, p. 9).
Which of these two human beings was conceived in rape?
The ultrasound images of two babies look routine, but it is the caption which catches people’s attention. In the first week after the picture appeared on Facebook it was shared 4,774 times and received 4,344 likes and 526 comments. Among the comments were a number from women who became pregnant who had been raped, or had been conceived through rape.
Yas wrote: “To be honest my daughter is the result of rape, but to me I look at her as a gift from God.”
Anna, 31, told how she was raped when she was 13. “The beautiful baby girl that God gave me from that has helped me to heal more than anything else on this planet could have”, she wrote. “To that baby you are still a whole person. You are not broken or damaged. You are still everything! My baby girl is 17 now, and she is absolutely amazing! I cannot imagine life without her.”
Nora reported that her best friend was the “child of rape” and she is the “neatest person I know, very caring and funny.”
Brittany told how her friend who was raped decided to keep the child, and now has a “beautiful 16-year-old daughter named Hope.”
Yoana’s friend was raped at the age of 14. “She was heartbroken, scared and pregnant”, wrote Yoana. “She never thought about abortion. She said, ‘a baby had the right to live’. Even though it was hard, she had family and friends to support her. She took therapy classes. She became herself again after the child was born. Now her baby is 10 years of age. She has no hard feelings, nor does she wish that she had never had her daughter. She loves her.”
A woman named Nicole was glad that someone convinced her mother to think of her as a gift, not merely as a product of the ordeal. “I want to just take a minute and tell you my story”, she wrote. “I was the result of a rape, and because someone talked my biological mom into not aborting, I am alive and I now have a little bundle of joy of my own. And just so you know, if my daughter ever got raped, I would tell her that that baby is a miracle …”
Julie Makimaa, who was conceived in rape and now works to defend the right to life of unborn children, commented: “It doesn’t matter how I began. What matters is who I will become.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we perceive that we are truly a marvel of creation and a miracle of God’s love? Do we thank God for the gift of life and of our being?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty Father,
we thank you for creating us.
We are truly marvelous
for we are made in your own image.
We are lovable and sacred.
We praise you for the wonders of creation
and your compassionate care for us.
Above all, teach us to avoid evil
and to make a fundamental option for you,
our absolute good.
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.
“God from the earth created man, and in his own image he made him.” (Sir 17:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Do what you can to promote the right to life and the dignity of the human person.
***
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