A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday and Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 11, n. 35)
SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME: July 28-August 3, 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 28 - August 3, 2013. The weekday reflections are based on the First Reading. For the weekday reflections based on the Gospel Reading, please open Series 10.)
***
July 28, 2013: SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: “He Teaches Us to Pray”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 18:20-32 // Col 2:12-14 // Lk 11:1-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Greg Hefernan’s article, “John Wayne’s Grandson Reflects on His Priesthood” (cf. St. Anthony Messenger, June 2004, p.36-40) contains Fr. Matt Wayne Munoz’s account of the confident and persevering prayer of his grandmother, Josephine Saenz. Like St. Monica, Josephine never stopped praying for John Wayne, one of the greatest actors of all time. She was married to him from 1933 until 1945. He later remarried and fathered additional children. The Oscar-winning actor became a Catholic shortly before his death and was buried with the prayers and rites of the Church in a private family funeral. Fr. Matt, who is assigned to our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Orange County, California, testified: “My grandmother was very devout and so was my mother … In fact, my grandfather, John Wayne, was very true to God, but he wasn’t much of a church attendee … Maybe it took 40 years to sink in … He had cancer in the last days. And his dear friend Bishop Clavell, of Panama City, asked him if he wanted to be baptized. I wasn’t there when it happened, but I was at the hospital frequently to visit him with my mother. I really think my grandfather’s admiration for my grandmother is what made him take the spiritual step and say yes. I also believe my grandmother’s prayers were heard. Jesus doesn’t let us down.”
Last Sunday’s Gospel reading on the visit of Jesus, the Divine Master, to the house of Martha and Mary underlines the preeminence of listening to his saving Word. Listening to his Word in order to act upon it is the most intense expression of love and hospitality we can show to Jesus, the sweet guest of our soul. Today’s Gospel reinforces the importance of listening to Jesus and contemplating the Word he speaks to us so that it may be transformed into prayer. Indeed, prayer is a response to God’s Word. It entails an attitude of receptivity on the part of the disciples. Prayer involves attentive listening to Jesus, who communicates to us his life-giving Word. The Word of God we receive is then transformed into prayer. The praying Christian disciple listens attentively to the words of Jesus, the Master of prayer par excellence.
In today’s Gospel account, the evangelist Luke records the beautiful image of Jesus as the Orante – the Master in prayer - and the reaction of his disciples to this contemplative act. The disciples know he draws strength from prayer and so it is natural for them to request him to teach them the Christian way of praying. The Lord’s Prayer is the Christian prayer par excellence and the model of all prayer for his disciples. In forming his disciples in the spirit of prayer, Jesus teaches them to address God as Abba – a very intimate word for “father”.
After teaching his disciples the content of the model prayer, Jesus delineates the goodness and the magnanimity of the Abba by means of stories and figures of speech. He narrates the parable of the importunate friend who is able to obtain, in the middle of the night, the three loaves of bread needed to serve an impromptu guest by knocking incessantly at the door of his neighbor already in bed. He also appeals to the common experience of a father who will never give his son a serpent if he asks for a fish or a scorpion if he asks for an egg. By using the dynamics of contrast and the power of exaggeration, Jesus reinforces his message concerning the Father’s graciousness in responding to the needs of his children who are united with Christ’s paschal journey. If a reluctant friend obliges to help an importunate friend, if a human father provides for the needs of his child, how much more will God care for his very own. Indeed, the Abba Father who loves us always responds to our prayer in ways that we may not expect, but are best for us.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How does the image of Christ the Orante impact our spiritual and apostolic life? Do we treasure the Lord’s Prayer, the Christian prayer par excellence? How?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
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.
“Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray …’” (Lk 11:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray the Lord’s Prayer, using Luke’s version, slowly and meditatively. Pause after each petition and let its meaning sink into your heart. Teach the Lord’s Prayer to someone who does not know it.
***
July 29, 2013: MONDAY – SAINT MARTHA
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Intercedes for His People”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 32:15-24, 30-34 // Lk 10:38-42
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading depicts the apostasy of Israel and Moses’ intercession on their behalf. God again summons Moses up the mountain and entrusts to him the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments as well as instructions on worship. As Moses encounters God on the mountain for forty days and nights, the people left under the care of Aaron and Hur apostatize. They instigate Aaron to fashion a gold bull-calf. They worship it, saying “Israel, this is our god, who led us out of Egypt.” Their festival to honor the bull-calf degenerates into an orgy of drinking and sex. Coming down from the mountain and confronted with the people’s idolatry, Moses is furious and smashes the tablets of the divine commands. The people have turned away from God and their sinful action has ruptured the covenant. The breaking of the tablets signifies the destruction of their covenant relationship with God. After subjecting them to a punitive action, Moses goes up once more to the mountain to intercede for them. Moses, a self-sacrificing mediator whose prayer of intercession eventually leads to a covenant renewal, prefigures Jesus Christ, the ultimate mediator between God and people.
The following article gives insight into the meaning of “idolatry” or the seeking of false gods in today’s world (cf. Gerard Murphy, “Special Feature” in ALIVE! January 2013, p. 4).
Last month we reflected a bit on the notion of freedom that dominates in today’s world. It is a simplistic notion that resents all limits, whether they come from other people, the law, nature or even God. The individual should be allowed to make virtually any choice he or she wants, so long as it doesn’t “harm anyone else”.
At its extreme we have demands that two people of the same sex be allowed to “marry” each other – human nature shouldn’t be allowed to restrict marriage to a man and a woman. If a woman wants to abort her unborn child, that should be her choice, and if we want help to kill ourselves, the law should permit it.
Ireland recently voted to allow parents to hand over any of their children to be brought up by the State. Even rearing their own children has become a matter of choice for parents.
When people still believed in God, the Commandments saved us from the most absurd and destructive extremes of this understanding of freedom. But with the loss of religious faith and with growing indifference to God, all barriers are being torn down – pure whim rules.
The decision of the strongest, or of the best manipulator, is the only rule now. No wonder bullying is such a huge problem in society. And government is becoming little more than the exercise of naked power.
***
Today, the memorial of Saint Martha, the following poem composed by Angela O’Donnell gives important insights into the saint’s personality (cf. AMERICA, February 9, 2009, p. 35).
ST. MARTHA
“She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.” (Lk 10:39)
A silly child she ever always was –
our mother said so a thousand times –
her quick eye caught by the flight or buzz
of some pretty creature’s mastering wings.
Lazarus tried to keep her out of sight,
to spare his clever sister women’s tasks.
I hauled the water, rose before first light,
set bread upon the board before they asked.
The day You came to us our prayers were granted.
My hands obeyed the rhythms of my labor
while Mary sat beside You like a man,
embraced within the circle of Your favor.
I stood apart, Your beauty kept from me,
and only when You left us did I see.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How does Israel’s sin of idolatry and unfaithfulness impact us? How does the figure of Moses and his ministry of intercession inspire us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
All-powerful God,
you are loving and forgiving.
You heeded the ministry of Moses
on behalf of an idolatrous and unfaithful people.
We, too, lift up our hands in union with Jesus Christ,
the ultimate Moses-mediator,
for the people of today
who have made a false “idol” of their self-will.
Have mercy on us, Lord,
and bring us back to you.
Let us live under the protective shadow
of your saving will.
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.
“This people has indeed committed a grave sin in making a god of gold for themselves.” (Ex 32:31)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In reparation for the sins committed through the mass media and digital media, resolve to fast from the excessive and abusive use of these media.
***
July 30, 2013: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (17); SAINT PETER CHRYSOLOGUS, bishop, doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Speaks To Us Face To Face”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 33:7-11; 34:5b-9, 28 // Mt 13:36-43
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading is about the intimate relationship of God with Moses and how the mediator’s intercession leads to a covenant renewal. Moses is indeed God’s intimate friend. At the Tent of the Meeting, the Lord speaks to Moses “face to face, as one man speaks to another”. At Mount Sinai where he summons Moses once again, God reveals himself more intimately to Moses as “the Lord, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity”. In the awesome presence of a forgiving God who does not declare guiltless the unrepentant guilty, Moses begs for clemency: “If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company. This is, indeed, a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own.” Moses stays again at Mount Sinai for forty days and nights, at the end of which the covenant with God is renewed and the words of the Ten Commandments are inscribed once more on stone tablets. Indeed, Moses’ prayer for forgiveness is based on his intimate relationship with God as well as his sympathetic identity with the people of Israel. The salvation of Israel hinges in no small amount on this unique mediation of Moses, who prefigures the perfect saving mediation of Jesus Christ on the cross
The following story gives us an idea of what a “face to face” relationship with the Almighty God means (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 163).
There was an old Sufi who earned his living by selling all sorts of odds and ends. It seemed as if the man had no judgment because people would frequently pay him in bad coins and he would accept them without a word of protest; or people would claim they had paid him when they hadn’t and he accepted their word for it.
When it was time for him to die, he raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Oh, Allah! I have accepted many bad coins from people but never did I judge them in my heart. I just assumed that they were not aware of what they did. I am a bad coin too. Please do not judge me.”
And a Voice was heard that said, “How is it possible to judge someone who has not judged others?”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How does God’s intimate relationship with Moses impact us? Do we long to have an intimate relationship with God? What do Moses and Jesus Christ teach us about personal relationship with God and the ministry of mediation?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord God,
you used to speak to Moses
“face to face, as one man speaks to another”.
You revealed yourself to him
as “a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness”.
His loving intimate relationship with you
brought healing to a contrite Israel
and the restoration of the ruptured covenant.
Help us to trust in the saving mediation of Jesus,
whose perfect prayer of intercession is offered on the cross,
the point of encounter between heaven and earth.
Restore us to your grace,
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.
“The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face.” (Ex 33:11)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Resolve to spend some quiet moments during the day with the Lord and allow him to speak “face to face” with you.
***
July 31, 2013: WEDNESDAY – SAINT IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Splendor of God”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 34:29-35 // Mt 13:44-46
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading is about the radiance of Moses’ face that results from his intimate encounter with the Lord. As he goes down from Mount Sinai carrying the Ten Commandments, his face shines because he has been speaking with the Lord. The radiance of Moses’ face reflects the divine glory that he has contemplated and experienced on the holy mountain. Moreover, his shining face is a symbol of the authority he has received from God. Indeed, Moses’ face becomes radiant when he communes with God and when he fulfills his ministry of mediation on behalf of the people. The one who has been challenged and rejected by the Israelites as mediator now restores them in covenant. Moses, a figure of Jesus Christ, the splendor of God, is imbued with divine glory as he continues to participate faithfully in the divine saving plan.
In Moses’ selfless “self” the divine glory shines through. The radiance of the spirit shines when the “self” is overcome through contemplation and deep communing with the Absolute. We can glean this in the following story (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 138).
A woodcarver called Ching had just finished work on a bell frame. Everyone who saw it marveled, for it seemed to be the work of spirits. When the Duke of Lu saw it, he asked, “What sort of genius is yours that you could make such a thing?”
The woodcarver replied, “Sire, I am only a simple workman. I am no genius. But there is one thing. When I am going to make a bell frame, I meditate for three days to calm my mind. When I have meditated for three days, I think no more about rewards and emoluments. When I have meditated for five days, I no longer think of praise or blame, skillfulness or awkwardness. When I have mediated for seven days, I suddenly forget my limbs, my body; no, I forget my very self. I have consciousness of the court and my surroundings. Only my skill remains.
“In that state I walk into the forest and examine each tree until I find one in which I see the bell frame in all its perfection. Then my hands go to the task. Having set myself aside, nature meets nature in the work that is performed through me. This, no doubt, is the reason why everyone says that the finished product is the work of the spirits.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Have you experienced divine glory shining through you? What does it mean to be filled with the splendor of God’s glory? What are its implications?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty God,
your glory shines through in the face of Moses
after an intense commune with you.
His face also shines
as he carries out his ministry of mediation
on behalf of your people.
But the full splendor of your glory
rests upon your Son Jesus Christ.
Help us to be totally configured to Jesus
so that we, too, may share in your divine glory,
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.
“His face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord.” (Ex 34:29)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Resolve to be faithful to the practice of meditation and contemplation. Allow this to shape you into persons capable of radiating the glory of God, just like Moses and Jesus, the Mediator par excellence.
***
August 1, 2013: THURSDAY – SAINT ALPHONSUS LIGOURI, bishop, doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: In Him the Divine Glory Dwells in Us”
BIBLE READINGS
Ex 40:16-21, 34-38 // Mt 13:47-53
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading is about the preparation and the dedication of the “Tent of the Lord’s Presence” (also called the “Tabernacle” or the “Dwelling”). Moses meticulously follows God’s commands regarding the Tabernacle, the vesture and the anointing of priests. The Lord God then takes possession of the sanctuary and his glory fills the “Dwelling”. Israel’s care for the elements of worship is salutary. It enables Israel to experience the “divine beauty and glory”. Cultic elements are linked to, and manifest, the presence of the Lord among his people. The Book of Exodus concludes with a very consoling note of divine indwelling. As Israel journeys to the Promised Land, the cloud of the Lord’s presence covers the Tabernacle and the dazzling light of divine glory fills it.
Israel’s experience of “divine beauty and glory” through cultic and artistic elements gives them hope. In the same vein, Pope Benedict XVI, in his address to artists, gathered in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican in 2009, underlines how the experience of “divine beauty and glory” through the work of artists leads to hope (cf. Our Sunday Visitor, February 5, 2013, p. 12).
Dear friends, let us allow these frescoes to speak to us today, drawing us toward the ultimate goal of human history. The Last Judgment, which you see behind me, reminds us that human history is movement and ascent, a continuing tension toward fullness, toward human happiness, toward a horizon that always transcends the present moment even as the two coincide. Yet the dramatic scene portrayed in this fresco also places before our eyes the risk of man’s definitive fall, a risk that threatens to engulf him whenever he allows himself to be led astray by the forces of evil. So the fresco issues a strong prophetic cry against evil.
For believers, though, the Risen Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. For his faithful followers, he is the Door through which we are brought to that “face to face” vision of God from which limitless, full and definitive happiness flows. Thus Michelangelo presents to our gaze the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of history, and he invites us to walk the path of life with joy, courage and hope. The dramatic beauty of Michelangelo’s painting, its colors and forms, becomes a proclamation of hope, an invitation to raise our gaze to the ultimate horizon.
The profound bond between beauty and hope was the essential content of the evocative Message that Paul VI addressed to artists at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council on December 8, 1965: “To all of you”, he proclaimed solemnly, “the Church of the Council declares through our lips: if you are friends of true art, you are our friends!” And he added: “This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair. Beauty, like truth, brings joy to the human heart, and is that precious fruit which resists the erosion of time, which unites generations and enables them to be one in admiration. And all this through the work of your hands … Remember that you are the custodians of beauty in the world.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How does the expression “the glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling” impact you? What are your experiences of “divine glory and beauty”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty Father,
you are the font of beauty.
You fill with your glorious presence
the Tabernacle of the Ten Commandments tablets.
The works of Israel’s artists and craftsmen
adorn the Tabernacle of your divine presence.
Dwell in us with your beauty and grace
for we, too, are “tabernacles” of your Holy Spirit.
Transfigure us into the image of your Son Jesus Christ,
the Beauty that saves the world.
Let the works of artists and artisans
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.
“The glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling.” (Ex 40:34)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for artists that through their gifts and ministry the people of today may experience the divine beauty and glory. Do what you can to make the church where you worship conducive to prayer and a true dwelling place of the glory of God.
***
August 2, 2013: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (17); SAINT EUSEBIUS OF VERCELLI, bishop; SAINT PETER JULIAN EYMARD, priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to a Sacred Assembly”
BIBLE READINGS
Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37 // Mt 13:54-58
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
We begin today the readings from the Book of Leviticus. It is a call to a life of holiness founded on the presence of the “Holy One” dwelling among his Chosen People. Today’s Old Testament reading presents the liturgical calendar of Israel. It is a schedule of important feasts to be celebrated with a holy assembly. God himself calls his people to assemble and celebrate these festivals: the feast of the Passover and Unleavened Bread, the feast of Weeks (Pentecost), the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Booths (called also Tabernacles, Tents, Ingathering, or Sukkot).
The feast of Passover celebrates Israel’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt through God’s mighty hand. The Jewish pastoral rite of Passover becomes enriched with the springtime agricultural feast of the Unleavened Bread (Massot), which honors God, as the Lord of the harvest and of new beginnings. The feast of Weeks (also known as Pentecost) is celebrated seven weeks after the feast of the Unleavened Bread and marks the conclusion of the wheat harvest and the offering of the first fruits. The feast of Pentecost becomes a fitting commemoration of the gift of the Torah at Mount Sinai and of the spiritual gifts that result from it. The Day of Atonement is a day of fasting and sacrifice in atonement and reparation for the sins of the people. The feast of Booths, celebrated at the autumn harvest, commemorates the “booths” made from branches and the tent dwelling of the Israelites in their desert sojourn. This feast reminds God’s people that they are still on pilgrimage.
These annual festivals celebrated with a “sacred assembly” (that is, with the active participation of God’s people) help them to be attuned to God’s word. In these festivals and in their religious observance of the Sabbath, they are able to focus their attention on the Lord and discover more deeply that he alone is God. They empower them to contemplate the saving events in their life as God’s Chosen People and “to remember” the transforming marvels God has done.
The freedom to worship and to come in a “sacred assembly” ought not to be taken for granted. The following story illustrates this (cf. Rhoda Blecker, January 30 Reflection in DAILY GUIDEPOSTS 2010, p. 35).
Saturday morning services had become kind of routine. We sang the same songs; we said the same prayers. Some of the joy and mindfulness had gone out of worship, and most of us hadn’t actually noticed that we were only going through the motions.
Then one Saturday a woman we had never seen before came to a service with our social action chairwoman Clara. The new woman seemed nervous, despite the welcome we gave her. Clara explained that she had recently come over from the former Soviet Union, where she had not been allowed to attend a synagogue or even to admit openly that she had a religion.
Instead of having the Torah carried through the congregation before it was read, our rabbi created a ritual of passing it from person to person. Each of us took the velvet-covered scroll from the person on one side of us and passed it to the person on the other. It all went as usual until Clara held out the Torah to the Russian woman.
For a moment she was just frozen, staring at it. Then she reached out, hands shaking, and let Clara put the scroll into them. She slowly lowered her head over the Torah, cradling it, and silently she began to cry. Several minutes went by before she could turn and let the person on her other side take the Torah from her.
We were stunned, and as the Torah made its way through the rest of us and up the platform for reading, our surprise became excitement. The Russian woman had reminded us of how precious the freedom to worship together was and that we must never let it become routine.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is our attitude toward “sacred assembly” and the call to worship as members of God’s people?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Gracious Father,
great are your works.
How gracious you are
in calling us to celebrate your saving marvels
in a “sacred assembly”.
Let our festivals be life transforming
and help us to be thankful
for the freedom to worship as Church.
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.
“These are the festivals of the Lord which you shall celebrate at their proper time with a sacred assembly.” (Lv 23:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be mindful of the great gift to freely assemble to worship. Resolve to participate more actively, consciously and fruitfully in the Church liturgy.
***
August 3, 2013: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (17); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Proclaims the Great Jubilee of Salvation”
BIBLE READINGS
Lv 25:1, 8-17 // Mt 14:1-12
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s First Reading taken from the Book of Leviticus, God establishes in Israel the observance of the Jubilee. This fiftieth year, announced on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), is to be a sacred time proclaiming “liberty” for all. The goals of the Jubilee Year are human liberation (releasing captives and so curbing the institution of slavery), economic liberation (restoring land to its original owner and so controlling the distribution of wealth), and ecological liberation (respecting the earth and the animals on it by allowing them to rest and replenish themselves).
The biblical scholar Armando Levoratti comments: “The legislation associated with the Year of Jubilee presents the most radical program for continuous social reform to be found in the Old Testament. The main purpose of these laws is to prevent the utter ruin of debtors. People who incurred debts they could not repay could be forced to sell off their land or even their personal freedom by becoming slaves. When left unchecked this process leads to serious social division, with a class of rich landowners exploiting a mass of landless serfs. Leviticus 25 prohibits all the people of Israel from selling themselves or their land permanently. Therefore Israelites may only rent out their land or their labor for a maximum of 49 years. At the end of that period those who have been enslaved return to their families, and the land sold during the preceding years was to be returned to the original owners or their descendants.
Israel’s Jubilee celebration prefigures the day when God’s reign would be finally and fully revealed. In the fullness of time, Jesus Christ proclaims the great Jubilee of salvation and by his paschal offering on the cross makes it operative for all peoples and creation. The Church’s “Great Jubilee of Redemption” at the beginning of the new millennium fosters the salutary effect of the “Jubilee of salvation” ushered in by our Lord Jesus Christ. The following song composed by the Filipino priest Carlo Magno S. Marcelo captures the meaning of the Christian Jubilee.
THE JUBILEE SONG
It’s a time of joy, a time of peace,
a time when hearts are then set free,
a time to heal the wounds of division.
It’s a time of grace, a time of hope,
a time of sharing the gifts we have,
a time to build the world that is one.
Refrain:
It’s a time to give thanks to the Father, Son, and Spirit,
and with Mary, our Mother, we sing this song.
Open your hearts to the Lord
and begin to see the mystery
that we are all together as one family.
No more walls, no more chains,
no more selfishness and closed doors
for we are in the fullness of God’s time.
It’s the time of the Great Jubilee!
It’s a time of prayer, a time of praise,
a time to lift our hands to God,
a time to recall all our graces.
It’s a time to touch, a time to reach
those hearts that often wander,
a time to bring them back to God’s embrace. (Refrain)
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What does the Jubilee Year, established by the Lord for the observance of Israel, mean to us? What does the Great Jubilee of salvation ushered in by Jesus mean to us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Father,
in your great compassion you establish the Jubilee Year
for the observance of Israel.
This is meant to bring liberation
to people, the land and all that dwell therein.
And for this we greatly thank you.
Above all, we give you glory and praise for Jesus Christ
for his “Great Jubilee of salvation”.
Help us to treasure the spirit of the Christian Jubilee
and let it transform 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 week. Please memorize it.
“It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property.” (Lv 25:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your act of compassion and Christian charity, help those who are enslaved by any form of addiction to be set free.
***
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