A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday and Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 11, n. 34)
SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME: July 21-27, 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: July 21-27, 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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July 21, 2013: SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: “He Comes to Us in His Living Word”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 18:1-10a // Col 1:24-28 // Lk 10:38-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
One thing I have in common with our Italian-born Sr. Mary Adele, now deceased, is a love for pasta. One day as we were enjoying a plate of spaghetti cooked “al dente”, topped with rich tomato sauce and tasty Parmesan cheese, she narrated a modern version of today’s Gospel story (cf. Lk 10:38-42)
Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. Her sister Mary sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and wailed, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. A plate of pasta and a glass of wine will do.”
Jesus, in the course of his paschal journey to Jerusalem, stops to rest in the home of Martha and Mary, who receive him with hospitality. He is the Good Samaritan par excellence and the ultimate neighbor deserving the care of loving friends. Martha’s type of hospitality, however, is fretful and her intense concern misdirected. Hence, Martha’s misguided hospitality provokes a good-natured reproach from Jesus. He cautions her not to be anxious. Martha’s meticulous concern for the “details of hospitality” distracts her from what is essential: his life-giving Word.
The liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent comments: “Receiving Christ requires, first and foremost, hearing him and having the soul of a disciple. The Christian is not forced to choose between acting and contemplating. The point is rather that he must first of all listen and receive Christ with interior peace and simplicity. Any reproach of Martha is for her anxiety, not for her zealous activity in receiving Jesus. One thing is necessary. What is this one thing? In the context of the proclamation of the Gospel, and given the attitude of Mary who listens to the Lord, the one thing needed is evidently God’s word. Everything else is secondary when compared to this listening to God’s word.”
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6, point out that true hospitality is related to the Christian command of love of neighbor. They remark: “The entire Bible – Old and New Testaments – extols in countless ways the virtue of hospitality. In the guest that we welcome, it is always, in some way, God who visits us and who, through the guest, may bring us a message … The ready and active reception of a neighbor cannot, however, dispense with the need to receive the Word and open ourselves to the mystery of the coming of the Lord. It would become a deception if it is distracting from what is essential, from the only thing required: the reception of God’s gift to us of himself, of his Word, which allows us to recognize him in our neighbor.”
In the context of the total paschal event in which Jesus becomes the Bread broken and shared for the life of the world, we can perceive that the true Host in Luke’s story is Jesus Christ himself. He breaks the bread of the living Word for Mary, whose spiritual hunger is being satisfied as she peacefully sits beside the Lord at his feet, listening to him speak. Generous and hospitable, the true Lord of the banquet gently invites the hardworking Martha to sort out her priorities and examine her manifold concerns. Jesus invites her to set aside the anxieties of a fretful hostess bent on preparing a perfect meal. Rather, he challenges Martha to render the utmost hospitality that a disciple could offer, the one that her dear sister, Mary, has lavished upon him. Indeed, Mary of Bethany, an image of a true disciple, chooses the better part, which is to listen to the saving word of God in order to act upon it.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are we hospitable? Why or why not? In what ways are we Martha? In what ways are we Mary? Is our Christian discipleship characterized by receptivity and true listening to the word of God which leads us to love and serve our neighbor?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Adapted from a prayer composed by Blessed Alberione)
Leader: Come, Jesus Master,
deign to accept the hospitality
we offer you in our heart.
We want to prepare for you
the comfort and the reparation,
which you found in Bethany,
with your two loving disciples, Martha and Mary.
In the joy of welcoming you,
we pray that you may grant to us in our contemplative life
that intimacy which Mary enjoyed,
and the acceptance of our active life
in the spirit of the faithful and hard-working Martha.
Cherish and sanctify us,
as you loved and sanctified the family of Bethany.
In the friendly hospitality of that house
you spent your last days on earth,
preparing for us the gifts of the Eucharist,
of the priesthood,
of your own life.
Jesus Master, Way and Truth and Life,
grant that we may correspond to this great love
by sanctifying our apostolic services
for the glory of God and the salvation of humanity.
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.
“Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Lk 10:42)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Invite three friends to visit the PDDM Website: WWW.PDDM.US for the pastoral tool, “LECTIO DIVINA: Breaking the Bread of the Word” as a way of helping them grow in contemplative action and prayer.
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July 22, 2013: MONDAY – SAINT MARY MAGDALENE
“JESUS SAVIOR: We Proclaim His Saving Glory”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 14:5-18 // Jn 20:1-2, 11-18
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Exodus reading depicts Pharaoh and his army in pursuit of the Israelites. Pharaoh has changed his mind about the Israelites leaving Egypt. He now regrets letting them go and resents the loss of a significant slave force. The Israelites understandably react to the enemy’s pursuit with fear and are tempted to prefer the slavery in Egypt to sure death in the desert. To Israel’s cry of despair, Moses responds with an assurance: “Don’t be afraid … You will see what the Lord will do to save you today … The Lord will fight for you!” The Lord then gives directions to Moses to ensure the safe passage of the Israelites through the sea. Moses is to lift his staff, stretch out his hand, and divide the sea in favor of Israel. The consequent defeat of the Egyptians will be an eloquent witness to the power of the Divine Warrior. Thus the Lord God be extolled and glorified.
The following story gives a glimpse of the fear and danger that the Israelites went through because of the attacks by the Egyptians (cf. Lou McMurray, “A Most Unusual Vacation” in POVERELLO NEWS, March 2013, p. 3-4 // April 2013, p. 3-5).
Our group was visiting Crown Island off the coast of mainland Papua New Guinea (PNG). The island was populated by several extended families … I took a walk on a trail passing through a small family unit, unkempt gardens and rainforest. After the walk I decided to take a swim … I had swum approximately one fourth mile and was having a nice time looking at all the fish and coral formations.
I suddenly felt something big against my body and something clamped onto my right arm. I looked and saw a big crocodile with my arm in his mouth. I was immediately able to yank my arm out. I felt no pain and my body went into survival mode … This time he started snapping his jaws and caught my left lower leg. I again kicked and yanked my leg out of his mouth. He backed off and swam next to me. I was still at least 100 meters off shore. I didn’t notice the water depth. My only thoughts were to keep my eyes on the crocodile, that I was probably going to die and that I was getting exhausted from swimming and kicking him.
He came at me several more times. I can’t recall how many aggressive moves he made, probably five or six. He caught my other leg in one of the attacks and again I was able to kick free. I was now desperate. I realized that if he kept at me I wouldn’t make it to shore. It was all I could do to keep swimming and kicking at him. The croc was getting wise to my kicks and starting to lower his approach so I couldn’t get my feet under his jaws to kick him. He seemed to have no inclination to leave me.
I lost track of the crocodile and looked under water to see where he was. Before he stayed on top of the water and I could see him. My last view of him was underwater swimming away. But I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t come back, so getting on the boat was a high priority. The problem was that the ramp was narrow and about a foot above the water. I didn’t have the strength to lift myself in. I was totally exhausted. With the help of Dan, the boat hand, I finally got on board.
It was on the short boat ride back to the ship that I realized I was injured. I couldn’t evaluate my situation but could only feel overwhelmed with my good fortune that the rescue boat came when it did. Apparently, Steve, one of the boat hands on shore saw me struggling and splashing. As I was a good one fourth mile away he did not know I was being attacked. Thinking something was wrong Steve called the ship and requested a rescue boat to come to investigate. Had Steve not made that call, it’s doubtful I would have survived.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What do we do when fear assails us and when we are the object of an enemy’s attack? Do we hold on and allow the Lord to defend and fight for us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
All-powerful God,
like the Israelites in the desert pursued by the Egyptians,
we too suffer attacks from death-dealing forces.
Let us be comforted by your assurance:
“Do not be afraid … The Lord will fight for you.”
Be our defense and protection.
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.
“Fear not … The Lord himself will fight for you.” (Ex 14:13-14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When assailed by temptations and dangers, stand your ground and fear not, believing that the Lord himself will fight for you.
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July 23, 2013: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (16); SAINT BRIDGET, religious
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Victorious in His Exodus”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 14:21-15:1 // Mt 12:46-50
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Exodus reading recounts the awesome manifestation of divine power at the crossing of the Red Sea. This confirms the reality that the God of Israel is the Lord of all. As commanded, Moses stretches out his hand over the sea, resulting in a very special miracle. The water is divided, and the Israelites go through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on both sides. At this point, the Egyptian forces pursue the Israelites on the dry land. Moses then stretches out his hand over the sea and the returning waters engulf the Egyptians. This victory at sea enables the Israelites to acknowledge God’s saving intervention on their behalf. Moses and the Israelites thus sing the following song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.” The Lord’s deliverance of Israel at the Red Sea has clearly proved his dominion over all forces and manifests that he is the singular savior of Israel. By his passion, death, and glorification, Jesus Christ has brought to fulfillment the saving event of the Israelites’ crossing of the Red Sea, which prefigures it.
The “victory” that the Israelites experience at the crossing of the Red Sea continues to surface in our daily life as the following story shows (cf. Sabra Ciancanelli, “July 5 Reflection” in DAILY GUIDEPOSTS 2010, p. 212).
My son Solomon was afraid of getting his head wet. Last summer when I signed him up for swim lessons, my husband and I spent many nights reassuring Solomon that he’d be fine.
On the morning of his first lesson, Solomon and I waited outside the community swimming pool. I gave him a hug and whispered, “You can do it!” Solomon put on a belt with floats and climbed down the ladder. He followed the instructor’s words carefully. When she asked him to blow bubbles in the water, without hesitation, he leaned in and blew.
In the following days Solomon learned to float and paddle. By the second week my concern eased, and I read a magazine as they practiced. At one point I looked up to check on Solomon and didn’t see him. I raced to the pool’s edge and fearfully searched the bottom. I was about to yell out to the instructor when I noticed the boy in front of me swimming gracefully with his face in the water. He was wearing the same kind of swimsuit as Solomon. Wait, that is Solomon! Look how beautifully he glides! I clapped and cheered, and my eyes filled with tears as Solomon reached the edge of the pool.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we trust that the Lord is with us to protect us as we cross the raging waters of our life? Do we acclaim his saving power in our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
God our Father,
the exodus of the Israelites through the Red Sea
manifests your saving power.
Let your marvelous power guide us
as we attempt to cross the desert of temptations
and to traverse the raging seas of our life.
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.
“I will sing to the Lord, for he is gloriously triumphant.” (Ex 15:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be attentive to the many “victories” in your daily life that you experience through divine grace and be thankful to the Lord for them.
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July 24, 2013: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (16); SAINT SHARBET MAKHLAF, priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Bread from Heaven”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 16:1-5, 9-15 // Mt 13:1-9
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading depicts God’s act of graciousness upon the hard-headed Israelites. It is the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from Egypt and the people wandering in the desert are given to despair. They express a death wish that is tantamount to a rejection of God’s saving plan: “Would that we had died at the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!” Their grumblings manifest their lack of trust in the God who desires to lead them into the Promised Land. The Lord God, however, responds to their despair with an act of mercy. To the people’s complaint and hunger pangs, the Lord God promises relief and nourishment. God rains down bread from heaven that they may have their fill. He also sends quails from the sky to provide them with meat to eat. God’s gracious care of the people in the desert prefigures the ultimate care he gives to his people by sending his beloved Son Jesus Christ, the bread of life come down from heaven.
The following story illustrates the enormous care of God, especially for those who trust in him (cf. Lalia Winsett, “Baptist Minister” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, at. al. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc. 1997, p. 197).
I have a cousin who is a Baptist minister. When we were growing up, we only saw each other a couple of times a year. Now we see each other even less.
A few years ago, when I hadn’t seen him for some time, I suddenly began thinking about him and his family. I just couldn’t get them off my mind. And for some reason, I felt compelled to send him a check for $100. I thought about it for a few days and made more than one aborted trip to the post office. I finally mailed it with a letter saying I hope I wasn’t offending him, but I believed the Lord wanted me to do this.
A couple of weeks later I received a reply. My cousin said it never ceased to amaze him how God worked in his life. And now God had once again shown him, through us, that he will always meet our needs. My cousin said the only concern he had was that I sent too much. All he needed was $97.56.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we ever grumble and complain to God about anything? What does this say with regards to our faith relationship with God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty God,
how gracious you are
and how marvelous is you saving plan!
You responded with care and kindness
to the hunger pangs of the Israelites.
You have provided for their needs.
You rained down bread from heaven
to satisfy their hunger.
We too are hungry for spiritual food
and you send Jesus Christ,
the bread of eternal life.
We thank you for this marvelous gift.
Grant that, in being nourished by this gift,
we may be transformed
and become living “Eucharist”.
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.
“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.” (Ex 16:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Today when you are tempted to complain against God and grumble, keep in mind how good and gracious he is. Resolve to trust him in your deep needs.
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July 25, 2013: THURSDAY – SAINT JAMES, APOSTLE
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Treasure in Earthen Vessels”
BIBLE READINGS
II Cor 4:7-15 // Mt 20:20-28
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s First Reading from Saint Paul is very appropriate to describe the paschal mystery lived fully by Saint James, the first apostle to die. Like Paul, he is an earthen vessel that holds the glory of Christ. In his weakness and poverty, Saint James manifests that the supreme power belongs to God and that he is merely a divine instrument. In his mortal body he continually experiences the life-giving death of Jesus. Although as an apostle of Christ, he has been afflicted, perplexed, persecuted and struck down, the ultimate word of his apostolic experience is resurrection in Jesus. His courage and strength come from the hope that “the one who raised the Lord Jesus” will raise us also with him. In the arduous but fruitful ministry and martyrdom of James, Paul, and the other apostles, God’s grace reaches more and more people and thankful praise is offered by them.
The following biography of Saint James, circulated on the Internet, gives us a glimpse into the mystery of treasure-bearing “earthen vessels” and the mystery of life at work in a body that carries the dying of Jesus.
St. James the Greater was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, a son of Zebedee. He and his older brother John were called by Jesus while fixing their nets at the Lake of Genesaret. They received from Christ the name "Boanerges," meaning "sons of thunder," for their impetuosity. The gospel relates that James was present for the miracle of Jairo's daughter, the Transfiguration, and later with Jesus during His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The Acts of the Apostles relates that the Apostles dispersed to different regions to take the Good News to the people of God. Sister Maria de Jesus de Agreda was a Franciscan religious who received revelations from Jesus. It was revealed to her that St. James the Greater went to Spain to evangelize. He went first to Galicia, where he established a Christian community, and later to the Roman city of Cesar Augusto, today known as Zaragoza. It is believed that on January 2nd, in the year 40 A.D., St. James and his disciples were resting on the shore side of the Egro river when they started to hear sweet voices singing. They saw the sky fill up with light and many angels coming near them. The angels were carrying a throne on which the Queen of Heaven and earth was sitting. This was extraordinary, for Mary was living at that time in Jerusalem, making her appearance to them in Spain a bilocation. The Blessed Virgin told St. James to build a sanctuary where God would be honored and glorified, and gave him a pillar with her image to be placed in the sanctuary. The Blessed Virgin also told St. James that the sanctuary would remain until the end of time and that she would bless all the prayers offered devoutly in this place. At the end of the apparition, Our Lady said to St. James that when the sanctuary was finished, he should return to Palestine where he would die.
St. James fulfilled the desires of the Blessed Virgin Mary and constructed the first Christian Church in the entire world. St. James returned to Palestine, where he was decapitated by order of Herod on the 25th of March during a persecution of the Church in Jerusalem. According to tradition, the accuser of St. James, who led him to judgment, was so moved by St. James’ confession before his death that he converted and was willingly beheaded with the Apostle. His disciples recovered his body and transported it to Galicia without anyone’s knowledge in a miraculous boat guided by God.
In the Old Testament, Jacob constructed an altar for God naming it Bethel, which means "House of God" (Gen. 35:7). Jacob is a Greek name, and translated to Spanish, the name means James. Jacob constructed the "House of God” and St. James parallels his namesake with the construction of the first "House of God” of the New Covenant.
St. James' tomb was forgotten for over 800 years. Under the rule of Alfonso II (789-842), a hermit named Pelagio received a vision revealing the tomb of St. James. On July 25th, 812, the spot where the tomb was revealed to be was filled with a bright light. Because of this, it has since been known as Campostela, which means "Field of Light." The bishop of Iria Flavia, Theodomir, after investigating, declared that these were truly the remains of St. James in the tomb. In 1884 Pope Leo XIII, in a Papal Bull, declared that the remains of St. James were at Campostela.
St. James the Greater is also known as "Matamoros," Spanish for “killer of the Moors.” It is known that his intercession helped the people in various occasions against the threat of the Moors, especially in 1492 when Spain was re-conquered.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How does the image of a treasure-bearing “earthen vessel” impact you personally? What does “carrying in our mortal body the death of Jesus” mean to you?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Opening Prayer of the Mass – Saint James the Apostle)
Almighty Father,
by the martyrdom of Saint James,
you blessed the work of the early Church.
May his profession of faith give us courage
and his prayers bring us strength.
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 day. Please memorize it.
“We hold this treasure in earthen vessels that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.” (II Cor 4:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When discouraged by weakness, poverty, and trials, enable this experience to let the light of the Gospel and the glory of Christ to shine forth and bring forth a rich harvest of praise and thanksgiving to God.
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July 26, 2013: FRIDAY – SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANNE
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Rule of Life”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 20:1-17 // Mt 13:16-17
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
MARYKNOLL magazine, published by Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, never fails to inspire me. In its March 2006 issue, Sean Sprague presents the laudable work of Christine Bodewes, a Maryknoll lay missioner in Kenya (cf. “Sowing Seeds in the Slums”, p. 32-34). Eight years ago, Christine left her Chicago law firm and went to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi to run a legal aid clinic. Many of her cases involved defending the slum dwellers’ right to their land. Four years later, she responded to an invitation from the Mexican Guadalupe Fathers to set up a human rights office in Christ the King parish, in the heart of Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi.
Christine narrated, “I spent a year trying to understand the complex ethnic, political, social and economic issues of Kibera. I didn’t have a strategy, but I spent a lot of time listening to people. I saw that human rights education was the key to the ministry.” She therefore networked and pulled together a part-time team of volunteering professional Kenyan lawyers, who created a curriculum to teach civic education to people who were ignorant of their rights. Later she was able to hire four full-time, paid employees, all Kibera residents, and they broadened their civic education curriculum to include the teachings of the Church. The recent addition to the team is a full-time Kenyan lawyer, Dorothy Ombajo.
Christine remarks: “Christ the King office of human rights is one of the best human rights groups in Kenya. The people feel blessed having a lawyer who understands their problems. There has been a huge increase in people coming to the office, especially children, about rape, sodomy and being thrown out of school … I also feel great pride in our human rights team. My goal has been to plant the seeds. These people can change the world.” Christine Bodewes is aglow with joy because, through her ministry as a lawyer, she was able to harness the spirit of the civil law to promote human rights and serve the good of people, especially the poor.
The first reading of today’s liturgy (Ex 20:1-17) is also about the law – the divine law given through Moses. It is about the Decalogue – also called the Ten Commandments - the fundamental law that regulates the moral life of the people of Israel. This rule of life, an expression of Yahweh’s passionate love for his chosen people, is meant to deepen his covenantal relationship with them and protect their identity as a people consecrated to him alone. The purpose of the Ten Commandments is to establish a righteous relationship between God and his people, and between the various members of his people. The God who delivered his people from oppressive slavery in Egypt had given them this moral code as an opportunity to love him and their neighbors, not just in words, but above all, in deeds.
In an astounding revelation of divine love, the new and everlasting covenant would be inaugurated by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross and by his glorious rising to life. One characteristic of this new covenant in the blood of Christ is the “interiorization” of religion: the Law is no longer to be a code regulating external activity, but an inspiration working on the heart of man, under the influence of the spirit of God, - the spirit of Love - who gives us a “new heart”. Indeed, though the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 1:16) - the ultimate Rule of Life.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is our attitude to the Ten Commandments given to us by God? Do we consider it merely as a moral code, or do we treasure it as a gift of covenantal love? What do we do personally to help “interiorize” the spirit of the Ten Commandments? What is our response to Jesus Christ, who has ratified the new and everlasting covenant in his blood? How do we follow and reverence him as the total and ultimate Rule of Life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Gracious Father,
your commands spring forth from covenant love.
You have the words of everlasting life.
In the death of your Son Jesus Christ,
your definitive saving word,
you have revealed the depths of your love.
Help us to follow unreservedly your Son,
the Rule of Life.
By the gift of his life on the cross,
which brought forth the new covenant,
cleanse us from what draws us away from you.
You live and reign,
forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“For I, the Lord, your God, bestow mercy down to the thousandth generation on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Ex 20:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the conversion and enlightenment of those who disregard the commandments of God, either willfully or through ignorance. Study the incredibly enriching and inspiring chapters of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Ten Commandments.
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July 27, 2013: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (16); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Is the Blood of the New Covenant”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 24:3-8 // Mt 13:24-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
When I was a student in elementary grades, one of my favorite subjects was Social Studies. I enjoyed Philippine History and was enthralled when I saw a painting entitled, “The Blood Compact”. It showed the Spanish conquistador, Legazpi and a local chieftain, Rajah Lakandula seated at a table, with a cup and a knife lying on top of it. Their arms were bleeding. According to the explanation of our teacher, they were having a blood compact. They were sharing a drink, mixed with each other’s blood, from a common cup to ratify a compact or a covenant. They were to treat each other as blood brothers and share a life at the level of intimate friendship. The succeeding events of Philippine history, however, would show that the meaning of the blood compact they had made was not really respected. Spain subjugated the Philippines and made it a colony.
The Church invites us today to focus our attention on the meaning of the new and eternal covenant that Christ ratified with his sacrificial blood. The Old Testament reading provides us with a deeper perspective on the meaning of the new, definitive and everlasting covenant in his blood. The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly comments: “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you … When Moses pronounced those words at the foot of Mt. Sinai, they must have struck an awesome note in the minds and hearts of the Hebrew people standing about. They had just seen Moses splash half of the blood of the young sacrificed bulls on the altar that symbolized God. The rest of the blood he sprinkled on them. That strikes us as a strange rite, indeed. But it had a powerful meaning for those people. The blood, as always in the Scriptures, symbolized life. Sprinkled on the altar and on the people, it symbolized a community of life shared by God and Israel. God, moved only by love, was making a covenant with them. He shared his life; they responded by keeping his law. The religious experience was what constituted Israel as a unique people, God’s special people. Though they did not realize it at the time, that covenant was an anticipation of another and new covenant, whereby a new people of God would be constituted, this time with no restrictions as to race or nationality. Blood was to be a symbol of the new covenant, too. The new covenant is, of course, the one made by God through Jesus Christ with all people. And the blood of Christ, shed on Calvary, symbolizes the new life God shares with us.”
Blood is life in its most elemental form. The Italian-born, liturgical theologian Romano Guardini explains: “Blood belongs to God, the Lord of all life. The flowing of the sacrificial blood in the Old Testament is an acknowledgment of His sovereignty … It is simply the recognition and prayerful acknowledgment that God alone is Lord! Upon the conception of streaming blood as an expression of ultimate obedience, then, God places His covenant … We are Christians because of a covenant. This thought must complement the other, more familiar concept of rebirth and the new creation. Covenant and rebirth: individual dignity and responsibility, and the abundance of the new life. The two great concepts belong together, for they mutually sustain one another.”
Romano Guardini concludes: “Holy Mass is the commemoration of God’s new covenant with men. Awareness of this gives the celebration an added significance that is most salutary. To keep this thought in mind is to remind ourselves that Christ’s sacrificial death opened for us the new heaven and the new earth; that there exists between Him and us a contract based not on nature or talent or religious capacity, but on grace and freedom; that it is binding from person to person, loyalty to loyalty. At every Mass we should reaffirm that contract and consciously take our stand in it.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do I try to glean the true meaning of God’s covenant love for us? Do I render praise and thanksgiving for the saving blood of Christ that constituted us into God’s holy people? How does the reality of God’s gift of forgiveness of sins and the eternal inheritance of his kingdom shape my daily life as a Christian? What are concrete implications for me as a participant in the blood of the new eternal covenant?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Father,
you have brought to fulfillment the work of our redemption
through the paschal mystery of Christ your Son.
May we who faithfully proclaim his death and resurrection
in the sacramental signs
of “bread broken and shared” and of “the cup of eternal covenant”
experience the constant growth of your salvation in our lives.
May the Eucharist be for us
the sign of unity and the bond of charity.
By the body and blood of Christ
join all peoples of all races and diverse cultures in brotherly love.
May we be faithful to your covenant love
and observe your law and commands which lead to everlasting life.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you.” (Ex 24:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Endeavor to protect the rights of all people for whom the blood of Christ was poured out. When you receive communion from the cup make an effort to appreciate the covenant dimension of our being the people of God.
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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