A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy

 

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 20, n. 30)

Corpus Christi – 12th Week in Ordinary Time: June 19-26, 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: June 12-18, 2022 please go to ARCHIVES Series 20 and click on “Trinity - Week 11 Ordinary Time”.

 

Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:

June 19-26, 2022.)

 

 

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June 19, 2022: THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS CHRISTI)

N.B. Today is Father’s Day (USA).

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Satisfies Their Hunger”

 

BIBLE READINGS

Gn 14:18-20 // 1 Cor 11:23-26 // Lk 9:11b-17

 

 

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

 

A. Gospel Reading (Lk 9:11b-17): “They all ate and were satisfied.”

 

        Our religious community in Antipolo, in the Philippines, wanted to make the celebration of Corpus Christi during the Great Jubilee 2000 more meaningful. We invited our neighbors to join us for the Eucharistic adoration and procession in the afternoon of Corpus Christi. Many children from our low-income neighborhood attended the ceremony. Unfortunately, it rained and we were forced to improvise a short route for the Eucharistic procession within the convent. We served a simple but nourishing meal after the prayer service. The rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd as they partook of the abundant servings of “pancit”, a tasty noodle dish garnished with chicken and stir-fry vegetables. We also prepared delicious rice cakes and flavorful fruit juice for them. There was great delight etched on their faces as they shared our meal. A scriptural quotation from today’s Gospel reading may be used to describe aptly that heart-warming scene: “They all ate and were satisfied” (Lk 9:17a).

 

            The Gospel proclamation of the Corpus Christi celebration (Lk 9:11b-17) presents Jesus as the gracious host of a miraculous, bountiful meal. Today’s beautiful story of the multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of the multitude is preceded by Luke’s description of the return of the apostles who give Jesus an account of all they have done. According to the evangelist’s account, Jesus then takes the apostles with him and withdraws to a town called Bethsaida where they could be by themselves. But the crowd gets to know about his plan and pursues him. Instead of resenting the infringement on his privacy and the obstruction of his plan to give a well-deserved rest to his apostles, Jesus warmly welcomes the crowd and preaches to them about the kingdom of God. He also cures those in need of healing.

 

At the end of the day, the Twelve approach Jesus and request him to dismiss the crowd so that the latter could go to surrounding villages and farms to find lodging and provisions. Jesus does not accede to his apostles’ legitimate suggestion, but rather, challenges them to do something for the hungry and needy throng. He says to them, “Give them some food yourselves” (Lk 9:13) for they have a vital role in relieving the needs of his most welcomed guests. The disciples acknowledge that they have some food: five loaves of bread and two fish, but they are absolutely inadequate to feed the massive crowd. Jesus orders the disciples to have the crowd seated for the outdoor banquet in groups of about fifty. What followed in Luke’s narration is the miraculous act of Jesus, the gracious Lord of the banquet: “Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, Jesus said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets” (Lk 9:16-17).

 

The multiplication of the loaves and the feeding of the crowd with abundant food indicate that the messianic times have come. This miraculous event wrought by the messianic Jesus in the green meadows for the hungry crowd that flocks to his care introduces us to the mystery of the Eucharist, which fulfills our spiritual hungers abundantly. Indeed, the outdoor feast that Jesus serves with the help of his disciples prefigures the abundant nourishment that the community of believers would receive from the Eucharist. The Christian believers are nourished by the bread of the Word and by the Eucharistic bread of Christ’s body, broken for the salvation of the world, and the Eucharistic wine of his sacred blood, poured out to seal our covenant relationship with God as his own people. The Lord of the banquet, Jesus Christ, nourishes us with the bread of the living Word and with his own body and blood through the Eucharistic bread and wine.

 

 

B. First Reading (Gn 14:18-20): “Melchizedek brought out bread and wine.”

 

In 1984, after my studies at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute at St. Anselm University in Rome, I volunteered to serve in Africa. But our Mother General sent me to India. During the time I was in Bangalore, Sr. Mary Juliana, the Regional Superior in India, accompanied me to visit Fr. Luke Chengalikavil, a professor at St. Anselm. We boarded a bus and then walked through a scenic rural landscape before reaching the “ashram”. Fr. Luke opened the door and graciously led us to the chapel. He invited Sr. Juliana and me to gather around the ambo where an imposing Bible was enthroned. Fr. Luke explained that in the Benedictine Rule the virtue of hospitality requires them first to share the “bread of the Word” before nourishing the guests with material food. Fr. Luke thus read a passage from the Bible and nourished us spiritually by helping us reflect on the Word and pray over it. The sharing of the “food of truth” around that table of the Word was very touching. Fr. Luke then led us to the refectory where he served us bread pudding and hot tea with milk. Our shared meal at that Benedictine “ashram” in Bangalore, India is worth reminiscing. I had experienced the goodness of Jesus, the Lord of the Eucharistic banquet, through Fr. Luke’s hospitality.

 

The Risen Jesus Christ - the Lord of the banquet – provides the grace and opportunity for bonding, intimacy and communion in the sacred meal “here and now”. We are united not only with God, but with one another. In the celebration of the Eucharist, which makes present the paschal event of Christ’s passion, death, resurrection, one is drawn into the open arms of the glorified Savior and Redeemer and inserted into his “one and undivided Body” – the Church. The Holy Eucharist is thus truly a sacrament of love and communion. Pope Benedict XVI in his Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis (February 22, 2007) asserts: “The sacrament of charity, the Holy Eucharist is the gift that Jesus Christ makes of Himself, thus revealing to us God’s infinite love for every man and woman. This wondrous sacrament makes manifest that greater love which led Him to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus did indeed love them to the end … In the same way, Jesus continues, in the Sacrament of the Eucharist to love us to the end, even to the offering us His body and His blood” (art. n. 1).

 

The “offering of the body and blood of Christ” in his paschal sacrifice on the cross, a saving event made present anew in the celebration of the Eucharist, has a biblical antecedent. Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of the Most High God (cf. Gen 14:18-20) blessed Abram, victorious in battle over the four kings who captured Lot, Abram’s nephew who was living in Sodom. The just king, Melchizedek, who brought forth a gift of bread and wine, offered a prayer of blessing and Eucharistic praise: “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, the creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your foes into your hand.” The Church regards Melchizedek as a figure of Christ, the eternal High Priest and the “bread and wine” that he brought forth as “a prefiguring of her own offering” in the Eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass. Like Melchizedek, we use bread and wine and like him, we bless the God of Abraham in every Eucharist.

 

 

C. Second Reading (1 Cor 11:23-26): “For as often as you eat and drink, you proclaim the death of the Lord.”       

 

Today’s Second Reading (1 Cor 11:23-26) contains the oldest written account of the institution of the Eucharist. Saint Paul was dealing with an unfortunate situation of disunity and selfish behavior within the Corinthian community and was presenting the idea of self-sacrifice as a corrective. Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, which the Eucharist actualizes and makes present, is all-inclusive and meant for all – including the poor and the marginalized.

 

Graziano and Nancy Marcheschi explain: “Saint Paul writes to the Corinthians to correct certain abuses that had crept into their celebration of the Eucharistic meal. To impress upon them the sacredness of what they were doing each time they gathered to bless the bread and wine, he repeats Jesus’ words that so clearly express the sacrificial nature of Eucharist. Paul begins by naming the night of the Last Supper as the night Jesus was handed over. Immediately the shadow of the cross looms over the Eucharistic meal. Then, to ensure his readers have not misread the past, Paul drives it home saying that every time they eat and drink the meal they proclaim the death of the Lord. As we celebrate today’s solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Paul’s words help us understand the ongoing significance of the Eucharist in the life of the Church. What we commemorate is a supreme act of self-giving.”

 

Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist and communicate with his body and blood through the sacramental species of bread and wine, we experience the “real presence” of our Lord Jesus. Under the signs of bread and wine, the Eucharist is truly and really the body of Christ broken for our salvation and the sacred blood outpoured to seal the New Covenant by which we become God’s holy people.

 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1374-1375, asserts: “In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really and substantially contained. This presence is called real – by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be real too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present. It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in this sacrament. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion.”

 

The following story illustrates a “conversion” experience of a lady who returned to her Catholic roots through the transforming power and influence of the Eucharist (cf. Christine Trollinger, “One Last Mass” in Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al. West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p. 247-249). It is a beautiful story to inspire us today – the feast of Corpus Christi.

 

On my journey back to God and religion, I attended a candle lighting service with my husband, Gene, at his Baptist church a few days before Christmas. It seemed right to stick together in this journey, to find a common ground in one denomination. And I knew, with his strong Baptist upbringing, that Gene was not about to become Catholic.

 

That night in the Baptist church just happened to be one of the rare occasions where they celebrated what they term “The Lord’s Supper”. My husband reminded me that the Eucharist was just a symbol and that I could not partake until I became a Baptist. That was fine with me, of course, because I had long forgotten anyone mentioning the Church’s belief in Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist. An usher began passing the plate of little symbolic bread across from the left … the side I was one. As the man at my side prepared to hand it off to me, the plate literally flew out of my hands, into the air. Gene scrambled to catch it. Just as he caught the plate, the little cubes of bread fell back onto it. Needless to say, I was so embarrassed I wanted to crawl under the pew. It disquieted me so much that I could not shake the feeling that just maybe I should attend one last nostalgic midnight Mass just to be certain I should become a Baptist.

 

The following Saturday was Christmas Eve. From childhood memories I knew there was always confession on Saturday afternoon. I decided I should go to confession as I had been taught to do growing up. I wanted to properly prepare for this “last Mass”. As I entered the church, there was no one around but a workman putting up decorations. I could not figure out where the confessional was and he evidently saw my confusion. When he asked if I needed help, I explained I was there for confession. Giving me a strange look he replied: “Confessions have already finished today. We are getting ready for midnight Mass.”

 

My face flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry”, I said. “I’ll just be going. Thanks so much for your help!” I was pretty sure the man must have pegged me correctly as what my father called “A Christmas Cactus and an Easter Lily”. I turned to leave as fast as I could, deciding to forget the whole thing and just get on with becoming a Baptist. As I rushed toward the side door, I ran smack into what I assumed another workman. He grabbed my arm to keep me from falling and asked, “Can I help you?” “Oh! No, I was leaving”, I stammered. “I thought there were confessions at 4 p.m. I’ll just be on my way.” Then, out of his back pocket came a Roman collar. “Come on”, he said directing me to confessional. “I’m Father Mike.” I was too dumbfounded to do anything other than follow through with my original plan.

 

That night at the Mass, I was filled with such peace. As I joined the communion line, I truly felt God was blessing my sincere seeking His will. All the way toward the front of the church, I concentrated on how to receive the Eucharist. Things had changed a lot over the past twenty years. I was a bit nervous about the fact there was no longer an altar rail. I was very busy trying to listen and learn the seemingly new rubrics from those ahead of me in line. I did not want to be embarrassed again. I thought: “That looks easy … place one hand on the other … say ‘Amen!’ to whatever the priest is saying to you … take the host, eat and off I go … No problem!”

 

As I placed my cupped hands to receive the host, I had the overwhelming feeling that this little host was not just a bread cube. It felt extremely heavy in my hand. I stumbled and hit the floor on my knees. I was once again so embarrassed and confused I wanted to disappear. Until, that is, I heard a still, small Voice say to me, “It is I, your Jesus. I was not in 'The Lord’s Supper'. I am here. Welcome home!”

 

I returned to my seat very spiritually shaken. The rest of Mass was a blur to say the least! I felt very confused, blessed and very unworthy. And my journey home began. God writes straight on crooked lines and in the following days, weeks and years I would learn just how faithful and loving He is. I now knew without any doubt, that as unworthy as I might be, I was called home to my Catholic roots.

  

 

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

 

Are we ready to incarnate in our lives the compassionate and generous spirit of Jesus who welcomed the crowd who sought him and hosted a messianic banquet for them? In our apostolic ministry, are we ready to offer our “five loaves and two fish”, that is, all that we have, for our pastoral ministry with Jesus? Does the enormity of the world’s hungers daunt us; if so, do we turn to Jesus that he may miraculously multiply the little that we have? Are we thankful to God that he nourishes us at the table of the bread of the Word and at the altar table of his Eucharistic sacrifice? 

 

 

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

 

Lord Jesus, Lord of the banquet,

we come into your presence today

with our deepest hungers for things beyond food:

for forgiveness, reconciliation, and kindness,

for restoration in relationships,

for justice and freedom,

for joy in place of bitterness and cynicism,

for peace and unity,

for spiritual and physical healing.

Help us to eat at your table and be satisfied.

As we partake at your Eucharistic banquet,

let us be transformed into your own presence,

as bread broken for the life of the world.

Nourished at the table of your living Word

and the altar table of your Eucharistic sacrifice,

grant us the grace to be personally involved

in alleviating the hunger pangs of the people of the world.

We love you and serve you,

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 all ate and were satisfied.” (Lk 9:17a)

 

 

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

 

As a special homage to the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharistic Mystery, spend some quiet time of prayer and meditation before the Blessed Sacrament. If the opportunity occurs, join a Eucharistic procession as a public manifestation of your faith in Jesus, present in the most holy Eucharist. Feed the hungry and share your resources with the needy.

 

 

 

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June 20, 2022: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (12)

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us that God Is the True Judge … He Teaches Us to Make Life-Giving Choices”

 

BIBLE READINGS

2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18 // Mt 7:1-5

 

 

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

 

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 7:1-5): “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first.”

 

I was praying the rosary in the spacious and beautifully tended grounds of our Fresno convent. But I was perplexed when I saw a few trash items on the ground – a styrofoam cup, candy wrapper, empty bag of potato chips, etc. Who could have trashed this place of prayer? I picked them up and disposed of them in the garbage bin. Day after day, I would see trashed things here and there, not many, but enough to upset me. I complained how irresponsible and irreverent the “litterbugs” were. I fumed that some “pious” people coming to our convent for Mass were actually “litterbugs”. But the “evidence” was there – right? One morning, I took notice of a flock of crows – busy and noisy. One powerfully swept down from the sky. His beak was clutching an empty snack bag that he promptly trashed on the ground. An inner voice pierced my conscience: “Rash judgment! Rash judgment! You have been making a rash judgment!”

 

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 7:1-5), Jesus tells us to stop judging that we may not be judged. Against the backdrop of the hypercriticism of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus cautions against passing harsh judgment on others and denying them entry to the kingdom of God. To condemn others is not our prerogative. God alone is the true judge. We must leave judgment to the final judge. Instead of “judging” we must imitate the Divine Master’s compassionate stance and his work of healing and salvation. The measure we use to deal with others will be measured out to us. We will be judged on the basis of our own attitude – whether hypercritical or compassionate. Jesus, the son of a carpenter, uses carpentry images to deliver the irony of hypocrisy and false condemnation: the righteous with a wooden beam in the eye wants to remove the sawdust in another’s eye. In the biblical world, the “eye” represents a person’s attitude and understanding. Indeed, our pride obstructs the light of compassionate understanding and blinds us to our own faults and the duty of charity. Jesus warns against exaggerating our neighbor’s faults and minimizing our own. He wants us to remove the “wooden beam” dimension of our hypocrisy and pride that we may be able to remove charitably the “splinter” that hurts our neighbor’s eyes. He does not condemn fraternal correction, but false condemnation. Jesus Master counsels true compassion in dealing with our brothers and sisters.

 

 

B. First Reading (2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18): “In his great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left.”

 

Today’s Old Testament reading (2 Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18) depicts the fall of Samaria. It presents the religious motive for the demise of the northern kingdom at about 721 B.C., under the fiery hand of Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, who deports the children of Israel to Assyria. The collapse of King Hoshea’s kingdom and the deportation of the people are a result of their idolatry and rejection of God’s covenant. The people of Israel have acted in ways that are completely contrary to God’s compassionate plan on their behalf. Their wickedness has provoked God’s anger. The people are totally culpable because of they have not heeded God’s prophets and messengers calling them to conversion. Now Israel, in exile, pays the death-dealing price of their “choice”.

 

The following article gives insight into Israel’s death-dealing “choice” (cf. Mike McGarvin, Poverello News, November 2013, p. 1-2).

 

On a warm day, I stopped at a gas station near Pov for a drink to cool myself off. As I was walking back to my car, I heard someone say, “Hey, brother, can you help me out?” I hadn’t noticed this guy because he was prone and kind of below my vision. I turned and was confronted by what looked to be an old-fashioned alcoholic, although a younger version than those I’m used to. This guy was only about twenty-five years old.

 

Now, for some reason, there’s a special place in my heart for drunks. Maybe because it takes me back to the old days at Pov, when there were mostly alcoholics instead of drug addicts; or maybe because winos seem so much less abrasive than hyper-vigilant, aggressive meth or crack addicts. Anyway, I immediately felt all warm and fuzzy toward this guy, but not enough to give him a buck to buy another drink.

 

I said to him, “I could give you some money, but Poverello House is just two blocks away. What you could use more than money is sobriety.” It was early in the morning and he already racked of booze. Yeah, I’d say he had a problem. I continued: “You know, there’s someone who got into sobriety named Bill W. (Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder). Ever hear of him?

 

His response was a blank stare and a simple, “No”. I then asked, “Have you ever been in a program?” Again, “No”. About this time I started smelling something other than the booze and normal human body odor. It was a familiar smell, but out of context. I couldn’t place it right away. However, I took the initiative and told him about Poverello’s showers.

 

That’s when he revealed what the other familiar smell was. “Yeah”, he said. “I could use a shower. I sleep in this abandoned building, and at night when I’m sleeping, the stray cats come and spray me.”

 

Bingo. That’s why it was a familiar smell. Every time I emptied a litter box I caught the odor. I thought I’d drive the point home now. “You know, if you got sober, you probably wouldn’t have to worry about cats peeing on you.” He seemed increasingly uncomfortable. I asked him, “Are you scared of sobriety?” He looked down and said, “Yeah”. “Well, it’s not as bad or as hard as you think. It’s only one day at a time. Most people can do anything for just one day. It’s really not that bad.”

 

I could tell I’d lost his interest, apparently because he could tell that he wasn’t getting any spare change from me, or maybe because I’m not good at marketing sobriety. I told him our substance abuse counselor would be glad to talk to him anytime, and I left it at that, got in my car, and came back to Poverello.

 

Sometimes I’m amazed at an alcoholic’s or drug addict’s tolerance for misery. I suppose the anesthetic qualities of booze or drugs help create a little numbness toward emotional distress, physical pain and normal disgust. For me, walking up soaked in cat urine would be a clear sign that I needed to make some changes, but this young man didn’t see things that way. The addiction was in such control of his judgment that to him, living free of booze and having the chance to build his life again was frightening, whereas begging, drinking until his liver hurt, sleeping in a filthy abandoned building and waking up stinking was no big deal.

 

In A.A. they call it insanity. That seems to be a succinct and accurate description of what the young man was struggling with.

  

 

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

 

1. Do I give in to a righteous tendency to judge my neighbors and condemn their “faults”? Do I endeavor to remove the “wooden beam” in my eye in order to help my brother remove the “sawdust” in his eye?

 

2. Am I culpable of death-dealing choices? Am I capable and willing to make life-giving choices?

 

  

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

 

Jesus Lord,

you are God’s compassion and righteousness.

Help us to stop judging harshly

that we may not be judged.

Help us to be compassionate.

Deal kindly with us.

With a true seeing “eye”,

may we perceive the beauty of charity

and embrace our duty to care for our brothers and sisters.

Let your loving eyes be upon us.

Empower us to make life-giving choices

and teach us not to negate the Father’s love.

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.

 

“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.” (Mt 7:1) // “Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes.” (2 Kgs 17:13)

 

  

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

 

Resolve to avoid making rash judgment. // To help you make life-giving choices that are pleasing to God, make the examination of the heart a part of your life.

 

 

 

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June 21, 2022: TUESDAY – SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, Religious

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Abide by the Golden Rule … He Is our Deliverer”

 

BIBLE READINGS

2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36 // Mt 7:6, 12-14

 

 

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

 

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 7:6, 12-14): “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”

 

In today’s Gospel (Mt 7:6, 12-14), Jesus counsels discernment and discretion in dealing with those who are hostile to the message of salvation he brings. When our work for the Good News is rejected by those who impose rash judgments and are averse to the kingdom, he advises us not to get into a dispute. They lack understanding and refusing to understand, they will use what we say to condemn. The kingdom of God and its way of life are holy. They are like pearls of great price. The gift of salvation cannot be squandered and forced on anyone who resists them. It is sheer grace and an act of divine predilection to which we can freely respond.

 

Jesus Master tells his disciples to abide by the Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” This wisdom saying can be verified in the Jewish tradition. Rabbi Hillel, who died when Jesus was about ten years old, was asked by a scoffer to teach him the whole Torah while he stood on one foot. Rabbi Hillel answered: “What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor; that is the whole Torah; go and study it.” Jesus Master likewise uses the principle of mutuality, but on a higher level: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”; “Stop judging and you will not be judged”; etc. By putting positively the wisdom saying “What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor”, Jesus transforms a prescription of self-preservation into an action of love. A negative counsel becomes pro-active. Jesus’ Golden Rule, “Do to others whatever you would have them to you” is in deep affinity with the great command, “Love your neighbor as yourself” on which depends all the law and the prophets”.

 

Jesus Master exhorts his disciples to enter by the narrow gate. This is an exhortation to become part of the pro-active faithful and not simply to follow the crowd or abide by social pressure. He sets before his disciples the two ways: the broad way that leads to doom and destruction and the narrow way that leads to life. The narrow way is that of the cross. With Jesus, we travel through the way of the cross to eternal life and the light of glory.

 

The following story, circulated on the Internet, illustrates how we can incarnate in our daily life the teachings of Jesus: the Golden Rule, choosing the narrow way, holiness, caring for those in need, etc.

 

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

 

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you. He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”

 

Well all that she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

 

Bryan just smiled as he closed the trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.” He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed home, disappearing into the twilight.

 

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small café. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

 

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred-dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get her change for her hundred-dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out of the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.” Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

 

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”

   

 

B. First Reading (2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36): “I will shield and save this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

 

The reading (2 Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36) depicts the threat of Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem and the faith response of King Hezekiah of Judah to the crisis. The message sent by King Sennacherib of Assyria seeks to undermine the trust in God of Hezekiah and the people. He taunts them that God has deceived them with empty promises of deliverance. The Assyrian king brags that he has never been overpowered by any god and surely their God will not be able to save them. Confronted by the taunt that his God is powerless and that their trust is in vain, King Hezekiah remains faithful. He “spreads out before the altar” the letter from the presumptuous king. Hezekiah’s action is a striking and touching demonstration of his belief in God. His heartfelt prayer for deliverance is answered. The prophet Isaiah communicates God’s comforting message to him: “I will shield and save this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” Jerusalem will be delivered from the present threat and the kingdom of Judah will be saved. Through divine intervention, a pestilence decimates Sennacherib’s army and compels him to retreat to Assyria. His own sons murder him as he worships in the temple of his god Nisroch. Whereas the Lord’s temple has been a source of deliverance for King Hezekiah and the kingdom of Judah, Nisroch’s temple becomes the site of King Sennacherib’s bloody death.

 

The following article circulated in the Internet illustrates that the divine intervention continues to be at work. And in God’s saving plan, Mary, the Mother of Christ, plays an important part.

 

The Rosary Frees Austria from Communist Rule in 1955: For three years, Catholic Austria went under the tyrannical rule of communist Russia after World War II. A  Franciscan priest named Father Petrus remembered the story of how Christians in the sixteenth century had defeated the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto through the rosary, despite being greatly outnumbered.

 

Father Petrus launched a rosary crusade and 70,000 people pledged to say the rosary daily for the intention of Austria becoming free from Russian rule. Although Austria was valuable to the Soviets because of its strategic location and rich resources, on May 13, 1955, the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, the atheistic Russian regime, in a completely unprecedented move, signed the agreement to leave Austria. Not one person was killed, and not even one shot was fired.  Today, historians and Military strategists still cannot explain how or why the Russians pulled out of Austria.  

 

Those devoted to the rosary of Our Holy Mother know exactly the reason. Pray the rosary for world peace!  

 

 

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

 

1. Do I believe in the positive value of the Golden Rule? Do I practice the Golden Rule in the spirit of Jesus’ love command?

 

2. Do we put our trust in God who delivers us from evil and sin? Do we have recourse to him in trial and affliction?

 

 

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

 

Loving Jesus,

we thank you for teaching us

about the great value of the kingdom of God.

The heavenly kingdom is a pearl of great price

that must not be lost or squandered.

Thank you for calling us to holiness

and for consecrating us for your service.

Help us to put into practice the Golden Rule:

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”

Give us the grace to enter

the narrow way that leads to life.

Grant us the grace and strength

to be pro-active in our ministry of love.

You are the way, truth and life.

We bless you and adore you, now and forever.

Amen.

 

***

O loving God,

you are all-powerful and immortal.

Confound the proud

and put to flight all that could harm us.

You are our refuge and strength.

Deliver us from evil and sin.

Bring us close to you and let us rest safe in your care.

We give you glory and praise, now and forever.

Amen.

 

 

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

 

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

 

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”  (Mt 7:12) // “I will shield and save this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” (II Kgs 19:34)

 

 

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

 

Living by the Golden Rule, do an act of kindness for a needy person and be patient and kind to one who challenges your patience and provokes your anger. // In today’s secularized world when Christian values are brutally attacked and threatened, pray for God’s deliverance and confidently assert: “In God we trust.”

 

 

 

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June 22, 2022: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (12); SAINT PAULINUS OF NOLA, Bishop; SAINT JOHN FISHER, Bishop, AND THOMAS MORE, Martyrs

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Tells Us to Beware of False Prophets … He Teaches Us to Be Faithful to the Covenant

 

BIBLE READINGS

2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3 // Mt 7:15-20

 

 

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

 

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 7:15-20): “By their fruits you will know them.”

 

This happened in Antipolo, Philippines in the ‘70s. The Sisters welcomed into our convent a young priest who introduced himself as the Vocation Promoter of the Rogationist Fathers. He was offered a fine dinner and given permission to enter the Sister Superior’s Office to use the only telephone in the house. After the phone call he told us that he needed to go. After he left the Sister Superior discovered that the grocery money for the week was gone. She called up his seminary to investigate. She was told that our “guest” had entered their seminary and stayed with them for a few months. After getting what he wanted, he took off. We were victimized by a bogus priest.

 

In today’s Gospel (Mt 7:15-20), Jesus tells us to beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. Their evil sentiments are acted out in deceit – to the detriment of the people they claim to serve. Some of the false prophets in Jesus’ time are those who falsely claim to be spiritual leaders of the people and by their false teachings lead them to destruction. False prophets are like a rotten tree that bears bad fruit. The image of “thorn bushes and thistles” represents their grisly sin and the desolation it brings. True prophets are like a good tree that bears good fruit. Their words are true and their lives inspire people to holiness and transformation.

 

Papa Mike, the founder of the Poverello House in Fresno, talks about Fr. Simon Scanlon, the Franciscan priest who led him on the path of conversion, and was for him a true prophet-shepherd (cf. Mike McGarvin, Papa Mike, Fresno: Poverello House, 2003, p. 46-47).

 

Father Simon had once been a businessman. He and his brother owned a medical sponge business in the ‘30s and ‘40s. It was a million-dollar-a year enterprise, which was a huge amount of money back in those days. Then World War II intervened, and Simon went off to Europe. We don’t hear too much about older war veterans suffering the same sorts of symptoms as Vietnam vets, but they did. Many of the men who saw action during World War II witnessed carnage on an unbelievable scale, and Simon was one of them. The war made life as he knew it came to a halt, and he returned, not a victorious soldier, but a man whose soul had been ripped out and torn to pieces. Later in life, Father Simon told a newspaper reporter that after seeing so much bloodshed and death, nothing mattered except life. Making money no longer had any allure. He wanted to make a change, a radical change, so he signed over the business to his brother and entered the Franciscan Order of the Catholic Church. Eventually he was ordained a priest.

 

He ended up in a tough parish assignment, St. Boniface Church in urban San Francisco. The area was like a vast bleeding wound. It was populated by people who just barely survived, who had long ago given up on life and were now numbly eking out a daily existence on disability checks, meager old-age pensions, prostitution, or muggings. It was an area full of predators and victims.

 

Father Simon responded by gathering some volunteers and opening the Poverello Coffeehouse. Poverello was a safe haven, a place of refuge. It was a small storefront room where people could find acceptance, hot coffee, and a few smiles. These weren’t earth shaking things, but they were rare commodities on the streets. Father Simon was the driving force behind Poverello, but he had a small cadre of friends who aided him. Always short-staffed, he was constantly on the prowl for help. Providentially, while I was talking to him, a fight broke out between two patrons. I instinctively stepped in and broke it up. Father Simon watched with interest while I enforced peace. When everything had calmed down, I came back to chat with him some more, and he popped the question: Would I like to volunteer there at Poverello?

 

I hesitated. Working and partying were my priorities, and I knew I couldn’t give up work. Volunteering at Poverello would cut heavily into the time I spent smoking weed and dropping acid; but then, it felt good when I broke up that fight. For the first time in quite a while, I felt useful, and I kind of liked it. Besides, something had clicked for me with this priest guy. He intrigued me, and I thought it would be interesting to hang around him for awhile. “Yeah”, I said. “I’ll try it out.” Thus began my career as a Bouncer for Jesus.

      

 

B. First Reading (2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3): “The king had the book that had been found in the temple read out to them, and he made a covenant before the Lord.”

 

Today’s Old Testament reading (2 Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3) depicts a pleasing but rare figure of a God-fearing king. Son of the idolatrous and ruthless King Manasseh of Judah, Josiah ascends the throne at eight years old and rules for 31 years. King Josiah does what pleases the Lord and follows the example of his ancestor David, strictly obeying all the laws of God. Josiah is in the process of renovating the temple when the book of the Law is found. The book is read in the presence of the people. King Josiah and the people respond to the word of God by an act of covenant renewal, which symbolizes their recommitment to the Lord God. Josiah then purges the foreign cults introduced by his forebears, in particular Manasseh, and restores pure worship of God in the temple. A significant expression of their worship is the Passover which they celebrate in honor of God their Lord.

 

The following story gives us insight into the irrevocable quality of a covenant relationship with God (cf. Mary Lou Carney, “Her Spiritual Legacy” in Guideposts, November 2013, p. 62-65).

 

I sit in the car, staring at Mother’s house, waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. My sister, Libby. Her daughter, Carol. My own daughter, Amy Jo. The numbness is starting to wear off now, and I feel grief gripping my heart. Mother had died just a week earlier. She was only 74. (…)

 

Libby and the girls arrive and I step out of the car. What do I hope to find here among Mother’s possessions? The things I treasure most about her I already hold in my heart. Still, I’m her daughter. I have to do this. (…)

 

“Look what I found”, my niece calls from the back room. We huddle around a tiny white box Carol is holding. She lifts the lid, revealing two small circles of gold resting on white cotton. Mother’s and Daddy’s wedding rings. Mother slipped Daddy’s ring off his finger at his funeral 20 years ago, just before his casket was closed. “I’ll take Daddy’s”, Libby says, slipping the band on her index finger. “You take Mom’s.”

 

The gold feels solid in my palm. Mother’s marriage had not always been easy, yet she remained faithful to Daddy. To the vow she had taken when she was only 17. When Daddy was dying of cancer Mother hardly left his side, even to eat and sleep. Love? Certainly. But more than that. She would keep the promise she’d made: Till death do us part.” It took commitment to make a marriage strong. Sacrifice.

 

 

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

 

1. Do I try to be aware of false prophets and resist their destructive influence? Do I open myself up to the transforming presence of Jesus the true prophet?

 

2. Do I try to be faithful to the covenant relationship with our Lord God, font of life and all good?

 

  

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

 

Jesus Master,

help us to beware of false prophets.

Give us the light of the Holy Spirit

that we may discern what is evil

and detest it.

By the strength of the same Spirit

help us to be faithful to truth.

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.

 

“So by their fruits you will know them.” (Mt 7:20) //“The people stood as participants in the covenant.” (2 Kgs 23:3)

 

 

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

 

Let your daily actions bear abundant fruit of goodness and holiness to benefit the people around you and the larger society. See in what way you can promote the sanctity and covenant quality of married life.

 

 

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June 23, 2022: THURSDAY – THE SOLEMNITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

“JESUS SAVIOR: John the Baptist Is His Precursor”

 

BIBLE READINGS

Is 49:1-6 // Acts 13:22-26 // Lk 1:57-66, 80

 

 

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

 

A. Gospel Reading (Lk 1:57-66, 80): “John is his name.”

 

This happened on June 24th – a hot sunny day - many years ago. I was riding in a “jeep”, the most popular form of public transportation in the Philippines. I was on my way to visit my parents and have lunch with them. The route of the “jeep” would take me through San Juan, in Metro Manila, which was celebrating the feast of its patron saint. The town has a unique fiesta tradition – water dousing! When I boarded the “jeep”, I noticed that the plastic window curtains to protect passengers from rain were rolled down. The driver explained: “I don’t want you to get wet. It’s fiesta in San Juan.” When we were there, the “jeep” got stuck in the traffic. We saw some teenagers by the road ready with water ammunition, but they were totally ignoring us. Their attention was focused on passersby. When the vehicle started to move, there was a vigorous splash through the door. An abundant douse of water hit us. After the initial shock, we started to laugh. Thank God! It was clean water. We were wet, but it was fun. The water dousing steeped us in the fiesta spirit – we felt that John the Baptist had baptized us!

 

The universal Church celebrates today the nativity of John the Baptist, the Messiah’s precursor. The Gospel (Lk 1:57-66, 80) describes the marvelous circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist. Elizabeth, the wife of the temple priest, Zechariah, gives birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives hear how the good Lord wonderfully has bestowed his mercy upon her. They all rejoice with Zechariah and Elizabeth. The joy is even greater on account of Elizabeth’s lifelong barrenness and the advanced age of the couple. In the biblical mentality, fecundity is a sign of divine blessing and childlessness a disgrace or a curse. The name given to the child by God and announced to Zechariah by the angel at the temple is truly significant: “JOHN” – which means “Yahweh has shown favor” … “Yahweh is gracious”. Indeed, the joy brought about by Elizabeth’s motherhood is a foretaste of the messianic joy that the birth of Jesus will bring to the world.

 

The following story gives a glimpse into the joy that motherhood entails (cf. Shawnelle Eliasen in Daily Guideposts 2015. P. 180).

 

“I have a surprise”, my son Samuel said. “What’s that?” I asked. His hand came forward, and his fingers uncurled. In his palm lay a few wadded, crumpled dollar bills and an assortment of change. “Wow!” I said. “What are you going to do with it?”

 

“What I’d like to do is take you for a ride on that.” A street fair had come to our small town, and Samuel turned toward the Ferris wheel curving just over the trees in our front yard.

 

“But that’s your Tooth Fairy and birthday money, Samuel. Are you sure you want to spend it like that?”

 

“I’m sure”, he said, but as we waited in line, I began to feel guilty. Maybe I should have offered to pay.

 

“C’mon up!” the man on the platform called. We headed straight for the sky. Around and around we went, in and out of the blue. We held our breath on the way up and giggled like mad on the way down.

 

“Are you having fun, Mon?” Samuel asked the final time we went around. “I am”, I said. “Thank you for the gift.”

 

Samuel nodded. His hand wrapped around mine. His smile came straight from his heart. I didn’t need to feel guilty. My little boy was learning to give.

 

 

B. First Reading (Is 49:1-6): “I will make you a light to the nations.”

 

The liturgy’s First Reading (Is 49:1-6) comes from the Second Servant Song, which describes the commissioning of a mysterious personage - the Servant of God - as a prophet. The identity of the Servant is not specified and since the reference is open-ended, it is easily appropriated. On account of the versatility of its image, the figure of the Servant has been applied to various personages in salvation history, foremost of whom is Jesus Christ, the ultimate Servant of Yahweh. Today’s liturgy, however, applies the Second Servant Song to John the Baptist, whose birthday we commemorate today. Called from birth and given a name from his mother’s womb, the remarkable child will grow and be honed into a “sharp-edged sword”. He will be transformed into an effective prophetic instrument of God’s word. Like a “polished arrow” hidden in God’s quiver, John is to become an incisive weapon to be used at the right time to proclaim the judgment of God. Concealed for a time, the prophet John will appear in the desert to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom and prepare the way for the public ministry of the Messiah. An enigmatic ascetic and a compelling figure in the wilderness of Judea, the Precursor will exhort the people tensed with messianic expectation: “Turn away from your sins and be baptized, and God will forgive your sins.”

 

In bearing witness to the person of the Jesus Christ, the true Light that enlightens the world, and in upholding the integrity of moral truth against the malice of King Herod and his partner Herodias, John suffers martyrdom. His death is an intimate participation in the paschal destiny of the Messiah, of which he is a precursor. In sharing intimately the universal work of salvation of Jesus Christ, the words of Yahweh in the Second Servant Song, could also be applied not only to Jesus but also to John: “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Is 49:6).

 

In sharing Christ’s saving work in the “here and now” we continue to incarnate the Word of God and make his love real and tangible. In doing so, we too become a “light to the nations”. Here is a modern-day example (cf. Pam Kidd in Daily Guideposts 2015, p. 201).

 

Years ago, I was called to Zimbabwe on assignment to write about the street children. I didn’t plan on becoming involved beyond that, but it became abundantly clear that God’s call was for my family to get involved, and soon the children of this AIDS-ravaged country became our passion. Village Hope was born.

 

Now, standing amidst pots boiling on open fires and the delicious smell of bread baking in cast-iron ovens, I see children, once orphaned and alone, working alongside the local couple we partnered with, Alice and Paddington. They’ve been up since dawn, preparing for guests. Today is the dedication of their new church.

 

But for me, the anticipated visit by an important official of Zimbabwe’s presbytery touches the day with apprehension. Church executives can be stuffy and self-important, and I didn’t want to see the enthusiasm over this happy event dampened.

 

At the appointed hour, a big black car drove through the gates and an immaculately dressed man emerged. I kept my distance, waiting for Alice and Paddington to meet the dignitary and take him on a tour of the little farm. Finally, they appeared in the cooking hut, and I was surprised to see the tears in the man’s eyes. He looked at us and what he said melted our worries, clarified our struggles, and opened our eyes: “The Word made flesh”.

 

     

C. Second Reading (Acts 13:22-26): “John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance.”

 

The Second Reading (Acts 13:22-26) contains Paul’s speech to the Israelites and other worshippers in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia. In this apostolic preaching, he underlines the mission of John with regards to the Messiah. According to Saint Paul, Jesus is the Savior whom God has brought to Israel from David’s posterity. The prophet John heralds the coming of the Savior by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. The baptism of repentance performed by John at River Jordan is a powerful call and an intense symbol of turning to God and reconciliation with him, a saving event to be completely achieved in the paschal sacrifice of the Messiah Jesus Christ.

 

Like John the Baptist we can be instruments of conversion and “heralds” of Christ’s coming into the life of a person. The following personal testimony is insightful (cf. Mike McGarvin, Papa Mike, Fresno: Poverello House, 2003, p. 59-60, 64).

 

Like Father Simon, Brother Kurt was a mystery to me, but in a different way. Father Simon was a pillar of strength, a wise, loving example, and very much a loner. I marveled at his energy, his intelligence, and the depth of his sacrifice, and I wondered how he did it, day after day, year after year.

 

Brother Kurt impressed me in many of the same ways. However, I saw more of his flaws up close, and it made him very accessible. Father Simon taught me that God is love, and that loving people directly translated into loving people. Brother Kurt taught me that God loves us just as we are, warts and all. Perhaps more than anything, his humanity endeared him to me. (…)

 

Kurt was just as tenacious in the various tasks he performed as a Franciscan. He loved people, and he kept plugging along in his difficult lonely vocation of service. God had called him to the Franciscans, and he was there to obey the call. He was full of human frailty, but he knew it and didn’t let his imperfections deter his dedication to his calling.

 

In some ways, he was the perfect friend for me at the time. Even thought I was big and rough, I was emotionally and spiritually fragile. Christianity was new and in many ways frightening, and Kurt put me at ease. He had many shortcomings, but I wouldn’t felt comfortable with someone who had it all together, or who was spiritually lofty.

 

Without Father Simon, I might have eventually destroyed myself. His life reflected the shining light of Jesus, and guided me out of a terrible darkness. Without Kurt, I might have fallen away from the faith in despair, because I would have become so discouraged about my sins and inadequacies. Each man reflected a different aspect of the Christian faith, and I neede both to continue being healed of my past. (…)

 

God was transforming my life through Poverello. Joining the Catholic Church gave me a new outlook, and my life had new meaning now. (…)

  

 

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

 

1. How does the vocation and consecration of John the Baptist inspire us? Do we believe that we too have been called by God from birth and entrusted with a prophetic mission in today’s world?

 

2. What is the meaning of the birth of John the Baptist and the name “JOHN” given to him by God from his mother’s womb? How did the neighbors and relatives respond to the saving event experienced by Elizabeth and Zechariah? Like them do we allow ourselves to be filled with joy in the Lord?

 

3. Do we contemplate devoutly the meaning of the Lord’s baptism and the role of John the Baptist as the precursor of the Messiah? Do we imitate John the Baptist in his mission to point to the Messiah and to bear total witness on his behalf, even to the point of death?

 

 

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

 

We bless and praise you, O Lord, the God of Israel.

As we give you thanks for Jesus, the Day Spring,

we also thank you for his cousin John,

the prophet of the Most High.

He prepares the Messiah’s way

and disposes our hearts for the forgiveness of sins.

O loving God,

help us to imitate John’s faithful messianic ministry

and his personal integrity.

As we celebrate today his marvelous birth,

grant us the grace to imitate him

in his courageous witnessing on behalf of truth.

You live and reign,

forever and ever.

Amen.

 

 

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

 

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

 

             “The hand of the Lord was with him.” (Lk 1:66)

 

 

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

 

Pray that the Christian disciples of today may truly understand the great role of John the Baptist in preparing the way and in bearing witness to Jesus Christ. In the surroundings where you live, endeavor to be like the Baptist in giving witness to truth and in your prophetic stance against the culture of death and falsehood of today’s society.

 

 

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June 24, 2022: FRIDAY – THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE SANCTIFICATION

OF PRIESTS

“JESUS SAVIOR: With Tender Heart, He Tends the Sheep”

 

BIBLE READINGS

Ez 34:11-16 // Rom 5:5b-11 // Lk 15:3-7

 

   

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

 

A. Gospel Reading (Lk 15:3-7): “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.”

 

This story took place when I was a teenager.  My father, who was seriously ill, emotionally vulnerable and exceedingly sensitive, had an argument with my brother who was going through the pains of a teenage crisis. I do not remember what the conflict was about, but the mutual hurt it generated is forever etched in my memory. My weeping brother packed up his clothes and, before running away from home, advised me to take care of our beloved father and mother. A sense of sadness pervaded each family member. In the afternoon, my mother went to look for my brother. After many moments of anxious searching, my mother finally found him. She pleaded and prevailed upon him to come home. My father was very relieved to see him again safe and sound. My brother was equally happy to be home. It was a moment of joy for all. Indeed, the grace of reconciliation is a cause for rejoicing.

 

Today’s Gospel reading (Lk 15:3-7) highlights the joy of finding the lost one and assures us that God is eager to find, to forgive and to save. Indeed, these parables of mercy reveal that God’s love is wider and deeper than anyone could ever imagine. Jesus, with his most compassionate Sacred Heart, challenges us to share in the task of finding the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost children. As his beloved disciples, it is our pastoral ministry to make sure that no sheep in Christ’s sheepfold be lost. In case a precious brother or sister is lost, we must diligently seek and find him/her, and thus celebrate as Church the joy of salvation.

 

 

B. First Reading (Ez 34:11-16): “As a shepherd tends his flock, so will I tend my sheep.”

 

The prophet-priest Ezekiel lives in Babylon during the period before and after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. His message is addressed both to his disheartened co-exiles in Babylon and to the distraught people left in Jerusalem. Ezekiel emphasizes the need for inner renewal of the heart and spirit, and the responsibility of each individual for his own sins. Moreover, he also proclaims hope for the renewal of the life of the nation. God himself would shepherd Israel and heal the wounds and misery inflicted on his people by bad rulers and foreign invaders. Under the staff of God, the benevolent Shepherd, a happy future is possible for the distressed and grieving people! Ezekiel’s prophecy of God himself tending his sheep is radically fulfilled in Jesus Christ. With tender heart, the Son of God seeks out the lost, brings back the stray, binds up the injured and heals the sick.

 

The pastoral ministry of Christ and his compassionate “sacred heart” are exemplified today by Pope Francis (cf. “LA Prisoners Write to the Pope” in ALIVE! May 2013, p. 6).

 

In washing the feet of young prisoners on Holy Thursday Pope Francis showed his love for young people. In a tiny chapel in the detention center in Rome, Francis celebrated the Mass with 40 young offenders. Among those whose feet he washed were two young women, one a Catholic, the other a Serbian Muslim. He wants to reach out with love to everybody.

 

In a simple homily the Pope asked the young people to help each other. “This is what Jesus teaches us”, he said. “This is what I do. And I do it with my heart. I do this with my heart because it is my duty. As a priest and bishop I must be at your service.” But he added, “it is a duty that comes from my heart and a duty I love. I love doing it because this is what the Lord has taught me. But you too must help us and help each other always.”

 

When the young men in a detention facility in Los Angeles heard what the Pope was doing, many of them expressed a desire to share in it from afar. Some of these youth will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Others, after release, will be back there in a short time. But they have been touched by the Pope’s love. And have written to him to say so, to assure him of their prayers and to ask that he pray for them.

 

A number of these prayers were read out at the Holy Thursday Mass in the LA juvenile prison. Here are some passages from them.

 

·       Dear Pope Francis, thank you for washing the feet of youth like us in Italy. We also are young and make mistakes. Society has given up on us; thank you that you have not given up on us. (…)

 

·       Dear Pope Francis, I have grown up in a jungle of gangs and drugs and violence. I have seen people killed. I have been hurt. It is hard to be young and surrounded by darkness. Pray for me that one day I will be free and be able to help other youth like you do.

 

·       Dear Pope Francis, I do not know if Rome is near Los Angeles because all my youth I have only known my neighborhood. I hope one day I will be given a second chance and receive a blessing from you and maybe even have my feet washed on Holy Thursday.

 

·       Dear Pope Francis, drugs have been part of my life for so long. We all struggle to be sober. But you inspire me and I promise to be sober and help others with the cruel addiction of crystal meth.

 

 

C. Second Reading (Rom 5:5b-11): “God proves his love for us.”

 

The Second Reading (Rom 5:5-11) is a meditation on God’s gratuitous and ineffable love for us. God has shown how much he loves us by the death and rising of his Son Jesus Christ. It is God’s love that is poured out “through the Spirit” and is now radically revealed in the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. The death of Jesus brings about reconciliation, which is the restoration of estranged and sinful man to union and companionship with God. We were God’s enemies, but God has made us his friends through the death of his Son. The Heart of Jesus is the font of reconciliation. The love of God, moreover, enables us to share in the risen life of Christ and to experience the gift of salvation. Reconciled and redeemed through the death and rising of Jesus Christ, we can rejoice at the very thought of God – for all what he has done for us!

 

The martyrdom of persecuted Christians is not a tragedy. The modern day Christian martyrs continue to manifest that the blood of Christ brings about reconciliation and salvation. The following article is insightful (cf. Manuel Nin, “An Ecumenism of Blood: The Power of the Name” in L’Osservatore Romano, February 27, 2015, p. 1).

 

One afternoon, strolling through Rome, I was searching for a flower vender. I have always loved the cactus, that lovely sober plant; adapted to an ascetic life on the desert. This plant is austere even in its flowering, which is few and far between but whose flowers are uniquely beautiful. The search led me to a florist from the Middle East. A tattoo on the back of his hand caught my attention. It was a small cross. So I asked him if he was a Christian. He told me he was an Orthodox Copt and his name was Shenute.

 

After the martyrdom of the 21 Copts in Libya, the Pope has once again raised his voice to proclaim, almost as it were a profession of faith, the ecumenism of blood: “They said only: ‘Jesus help me’. They were assassinated for the sole fact of being Christian.” In this way Francis has again set forth the path of Christians of different confessions, not centered around one bread and one chalice but on the blood poured out for Christ,  in order to bear witness to the one Lord.

 

The Pope recalled that the only words on the martyrs’ lips, at the moment of their witness, were “Jesus, help me”. These words echo the prayer that stands at the heart of many traditions, a prayer that has been repeated ceaselessly through the centuries and is continued by Christian men and women, nuns and monks, pilgrims and martyrs: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner”. (…)

 

And new martyrs like these, from Iraq and from Syria, from Asia to Africa, write their names with blood in the Synaxarium and martyrology of all who invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the life and salvation of martyrs.

 

A few days after the attack in Libya, having finished Lenten Matins at the Greek College, I went to find that florist Shenute to tell him that I was close to him in spirit. Sharing with him the ecumenism of blood, I gave him the words of Pope Francis: “blood is one” and “it bears witness to Christ”.

 

 

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

 

Do we open ourselves to the saving love of the Good Shepherd and allow ourselves to find home in the most sacred heart of Jesus?

 

 

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

(Cf. Opening Prayer, Mass of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus)

 

Father,

we have wounded the heart of Jesus your Son,

but he brings us forgiveness and grace.

Help us to prove our grateful love

and make amends for our sins.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, 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.

 

“I myself will look after and tend my sheep.”  (Ez 34:11)

 

 

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

 

With material, moral and spiritual help and with the compassionate Sacred Heart of Jesus the Good Shepherd, assist the poor, the marginalized and the victims of today’s economic depression.

 

 

*** *** ***

 

June 25, 2022: SATURDAY – THE IMMACULATE HEART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

“JESUS SAVIOR: A Sword Pierced His Mother’s Heart… He Is with Us in Our Lamentation”

 

BIBLE READINGS

Lam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19 // Lk 2:41-51

 

   

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

 

A. Gospel Reading (Lk 2:41-51): “Your father and I have been looking for you.”

 

When I was in India, I gained an insight into the “sword” that pierced Mary’s heart as indicated in the reading (Lk 2:41-51). I came into contact with the pain and anxiety of a parent who lost a child. The Italian lady, Sarah, and her adopted girl, Saraji, the six-year old daughter of a leper couple, were guests at our convent in Bangalore, India. One afternoon, they went downtown to shop. An hour later a very distraught Sarah came back. Saraji had wandered away and was lost. We prayed in earnest for her return. The deeply anxious Sarah, accompanied by some Sisters, searched for her. They found Saraji at the police station calmly eating an ice cream cone. Sarah was overjoyed to find her again.

 

            The first words of Jesus ever recorded in Luke’s Gospel are full of meaning. To his mother Mary’s legitimate reproach: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety?” the boy Jesus responds: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” With these astonishing words Jesus makes a pronouncement about the meaning of his life and mission. He declares that the heavenly Father’s will is his priority. His life and mission transcend the relationship of his human family. This episode confirms Simeon’s prophecy of a sword piercing Mary’s heart. The bible scholar Carrol Stuhlmueller reflects on this Gospel episode: “Mary finds Jesus at his work; he is not simply her son, but the heavenly Father’s Son, sent on a mission in which she finds him totally involved; at this she sorrows for it means separation.”

 

 

B. First Reading (Lam 3:1, 10-14, 18-19): “Cry out to the Lord over the fortresses of daughter Zion.”

 

The Old Testament reading (Lam 2:2, 20-14, 18-19) contains the prophet Jeremiah’s description of the destruction inflicted by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army upon Jerusalem. The puppet king Zedekiah of Judah rebels and breaks his treaty with Nebuchadnezzar and is summarily punished. Zedekiah disobeys the word of the Lord spoken through the prophet Jeremiah to submit to the Babylonians. He thus suffers the consequence of choices contrary to God’s saving plan. The vengeful Nebuchadnezzar destroys the Jerusalem temple, breaks down the city walls and orders the massive exile of the Jews into Babylon in 587 B.C. The text from the Book of Lamentation is a wild outpouring of grief over destroyed Zion. The horror of the siege is depicted and the consequent death, famine and desolation that ensue. The description of starving children and of starving mothers eating their offspring (cf. Lam 2:20) is horrible. Sin is revealed in its raw ugliness.

 

The following excerpt about the dark period of the Holocaust in the Nazi-occupied Poland evokes some of the desolation described by the Book of Lamentations (cf. J.L. Witterick, My Mother’s Secret, Bloomington: iUniverse, 2013, p. 146-147).

 

The landscape is grim with gray skies and trees that look like they will never be green again. Some of the buildings in town have been bombed and, with greater priorities elsewhere, they are left in this state of disrepair. There are pieces of broken glass, rubble, and brick in small tiles along the side of the streets. Any wood is quickly taken away for firewood. The beauty of the willow trees by the river is in sharp contrast to the tanks dotted in between. The land beneath our feet – cold, hard, and dry – reflects the suffering that is going on above it.

 

Food becomes more expensive each day. We would not have been able to feed anyone without Dr. Wolenski’s savings and Casimir’s generosity. Our neighbors are jealous that we have food, but they don’t cause trouble because they think we are connected to the commander. My mother doesn’t play chess, but if she did, it would be with many moves ahead.

 

The Germans have moved more soldiers across the river, and the fighting escalates. When Casimir becomes worried for our safety, I know the situation is deteriorating rapidly.

 

He is careful with the choice of words in his letters, but I know the underlying message. “Helena, we no longer need you in the factory. Your employment with us is terminated immediately”, really means that he thinks the factory might be bombed at any time.

 

 

  

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

 

1. Do we truly appreciate the vital role of Mary in salvation history? Do we treasure her immense love for Jesus and for us? Do we have devotion for the Immaculate Heart of Mary and imitate her loving compassion?

 

2. Do we observe and/or experience the afflictions and desolation brought about by our sinful choices? How do we respond to them?

 

 

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

 

A Prayer to the Blessed Mother (by Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

Mary, mother of Jesus, be a mother to each of us,

that we, like you, may be pure in heart,

that we, like you, love Jesus;

that we, like you, serve the poorest

for we are all poor.

First let us love our neighbors

and so fulfill God’s desire

that we become carriers of his love and compassion.

Amen.

 

***

O merciful God,

our tears flow like a torrent

for the afflictions brought about by our sins.

We have turned away from you, the font of life.

We have committed ourselves to self-destruction.

Probed by your grace, we come to our senses.

We lament and detest our sins.

We pour out our hearts to you,

invoking the saving sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ.

For you are a loving and merciful God,

we therefore give you glory and praise,

now and forever.

Amen.

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

“His mother kept all these things in her heart.” (Lk 2:51) //“Cry out to the Lord; moan, O daughter of Zion!” (Lam 2:18)

 

 

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

 

When you experience some trials and difficulties, present them to Mary and unite them with her most Immaculate Heart for the salvation of souls. // Be aware of the great value and the necessity of the sacrament of reconciliation and profit from the great mercy channeled by God through this healing sacrament.

 

*** *** ***  

 

 

Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang  PDDM

 

 

PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI

SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER

3700 North Cornelia Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722 (USA)

Tel. (559) 275-1656

Website: WWW.PDDM.US

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