A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday and Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 11, n. 38)
TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME: August 18-24, 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: August 18-24, 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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August 18, 2013: TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: “He Is the Ultimate Sign of Contradiction”
BIBLE READINGS
Jer 38:4-6, 8-10 // Heb 12:1-4 // Lk 12:49-53
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
I was in my third year of high school when I came across Leo Tolstoy’s voluminous novel, “War and Peace”. I found it so interesting and irresistible that I did not go to school for three days in order to read it from cover to cover. Since then, I was filled with fascination for this Russian “prophet”. I really appreciate his profound commitment to Christ’s teaching on love, compassion and non-violence. Last week I was enthralled when I found Peter White’s article, “The World of Tolstoy” in the June 1986 edition of the National Geographic (cf. p. 758-791). It contains some wonderful information on Leo Tolstoy, which I am sharing here.
Count Tolstoy was deeply inspired by Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, especially his moral exhortation, “Resist not evil” (cf. Mt 5:39), but instead, “Return good for evil”. This would be at the heart of Tolstoy’s doctrine on universal love, moral self-improvement and non-violence as eventually expressed in his work, “The Kingdom of God Is Within You”. India’s Mahatma Gandhi was greatly influenced by Leo Tolstoy. He avowed that when he read Tolstoy’s work, “The Kingdom of God Is Within You” he was overwhelmed. Having exchanged correspondence with Tolstoy, Gandhi was cured of his skepticism and became a firm believer in ahimsa, nonviolence. Through Gandhi’s program of nonviolent struggle, India would later be free from British rule.
Leo Tolstoy, however, was a “sign of contradiction”. His radical view on non-violence was greatly opposed. While praising Tolstoy as a genius who drew incomparable pictures of Russian life and castigated social falsehood and hypocrisy, the communist leader Lenin considered his advocacy of nonresistance to evil as “crackpot preaching” and deplored his inability to understand the class struggle – that a better life could be achieved through the violent overthrow of capitalism by the proletariat.
In his novel, “Resurrection” Tolstoy indicted the tsarist courts and prison system. The Russian Orthodox Church was angered by his comments in this book against the state religion. The Holy Synod declared Count Tolstoy a false prophet accusing him of undermining the faith. He was excommunicated, but there was an outpouring of sympathy from other segments of the Russian society.
Conscience-stricken and upset by the plight of the poor, Count Tolstoy opted for a simplified life and dedicated more greatly his literary pursuits to socio-religious themes. His wife Sonya did not share his zeal for reform and for his new lifestyle that was simple and austere – for example, making himself a brew of barley and acorns because coffee was a luxury! She was chagrined that he chose to work on pugnacious tracts that put people off, when he could be producing wonderful novels that would bring in lots of money. Tolstoy did not care about money, but she had to, otherwise what would become of their children? Unable to bear any longer the divisive and oppressive situation at home and detesting the luxury found in his estate, Yasnaya Polyana, the 82-year old Tolstoy left home on November 10, 1910, accompanied only by his doctor. He fell ill on a southbound train and died at a stationmaster’s house on November 20, 1910. Indeed, Leo Tolstoy is a fascinating figure – a modern day example of a prophet of contradiction.
This Sunday’s Old Testament reading (Jer 38:4-6, 8-10) depicts the story of Jeremiah – a prophet of contradiction in biblical history – a man of strife and contention to all the land. Today’s reading recounts an episode in his life when Jerusalem is under siege by Nebuchadnezzar (beginning of 588 B.C. to July 587 B.C.). As the armies of Babylon are preparing for an assault on Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah continues to speak the truth about the inner rot of his nation. Prophesying to the people of Judah, particularly the wealthy and ruling elite, he castigates their corruption, injustice to the poor, and other myriad sins that are offensive to God and would result in self-inflicted woes and disasters. Jeremiah addresses King Zedekiah and his people that unless they repent and return to God, they would be destroyed. Instead of responding positively and humbly to his appeal to conversion, the officials rebuff and reject Jeremiah. They falsely accuse him of disloyalty and treason. Prevailing upon the feckless King Zedekiah, the princes throw Jeremiah into a cistern where he sinks into the mud, almost dying from starvation and the harsh environment.
The dry well into which Jeremiah is thrown is an image of a broken covenant. The cistern without life-giving water indicates the deplorable situation of the people of Judah who have embraced other gods, turning away from Yahweh, the wellspring of life. The inevitable consequence of their alienation and turning away from God is death and destruction. In the summer of 587 B.C. the Babylonians overrun Jerusalem and Jeremiah’s prophecy of doom comes true. The destruction of the nation is complete. The prophet’s word is vindicated.
Against the backdrop of the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah who is “a man of strife and contention to all the land”, the figure of Jesus acquires greater depth and meaning. By his uncompromising obedience to his Father’s saving will and through his paschal sacrifice on the cross, Jesus becomes the ultimate sign of contradiction, surpassing Jeremiah and other faithful prophets. In the first part of this Sunday’s Gospel, we hear Jesus speaking about the deep anguish of his soul: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” (Lk 12:49-50). The “fire” that Jesus greatly desired to enkindle is the Pentecostal fire of the Spirit of God, his Easter gift to the Church. But in order for this fire to be set ablaze, Jesus needs to undergo the “baptism” and bloodbath of his paschal sacrifice. It is necessary for him to be immersed into the painful experience of passion and death that would lead to his resurrection, glorification and the sending forth of the life-giving and transforming Holy Spirit. With anguished desire, the ultimate “prophet of contradiction” Jesus Christ plunges into his saving mission and endeavors to attain its goal: to engulf the earth and entire creation with the fire of the vivifying Spirit after being submerged in the bloodbath of his passion and death.
The second part of this Sunday’s Gospel concerns the divisions that Jesus’ mission creates, even in families. The way of Jesus – the “sign destined to be opposed” - catalyzes separations and provokes conflicts among those who had made a radical choice for him and those who had not. Jesus’ gift of peace, which is a result of his immersion into the bloodbath of his paschal sacrifice, is not a facile kind of peace. It demands rejection of all that is opposed to Christ and of all that is incompatible with the Gospel.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6, explicate: “Every human life is confronted, at some point or another, with choices that in some instances demand real heroism. The situation becomes particularly distressing when one finds oneself torn between faithfulness to God, faith, and the gospel, and on the other hand, to family, friends, and country … Such was the drama of Jeremiah and so many others who, out of fidelity to the Word, preferred to hand themselves over rather than save their lives. In this they prefigure Jesus, the sign of contradiction, who had only one urgent desire: to see the fire of the Spirit come upon the earth after he had received the baptism of his passion.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Like Jeremiah, are we willing to be a “sign of contradiction” in order to uphold and proclaim the Word of God? Do we desire to be plunged with Jesus in his paschal “baptism” and be inflamed by the “fire” that Jesus enkindles in our heart? Do we contemplate the beauty of Jesus’ self-giving sacrifice and his gift of the Holy Spirit? Are we willing to embrace the detachment, renunciation and opposition that the peace of Christ may entail?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your prophet Jeremiah became a “sign of contradiction”
by proclaiming your word of truth to a feckless nation.
To complete radically your saving plan,
you sent your own Son Jesus into the world.
He is the “ultimate sign of contradiction”
when he spoke your saving word.
Let us be filled with the “fire” of the Spirit
that he has kindled on the earth.
Plunge us into his redeeming bloodbath on the cross.
Grant us the peace of Christ,
the peace that never fails.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (Lk 12:51)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
While avoiding facile compromises and easy tradeoffs, endeavor to bring the peace of Christ to a distressing situation that needs healing and reconciliation. Be courageous to be a “sign of contradiction” when the situation calls for it.
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August 19, 2013: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (20); SAINT JOHN EUDES, priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: They Did Not Listen to Him”
BIBLE READINGS
Jgs 6:11-24a // Mt 19:16-22
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
We start today the reading of passages from the Book of Judges, which is composed of stories from the lawless period of Israel’s history between the invasion of Canaan and the establishment of the monarchy. It depicts the exploits of national heroes (called “judges”) as well as the sinful tendency of Israel to idolatry. The great lesson of the Book of Judges is this: Israel’s survival depends on loyalty to God, who is always ready to save his people when they cry for help and turn to him again.
Today’s First Reading shows the tremendous apostasy within Israel after the death of Joshua. A new era has begun with a new generation of Israelites who have not experienced the Lord’s saving deeds on behalf of Israel. This post-Exodus generation tends to run after the pagan gods Baal and Astarte, the embodiment of the idolatrous cult in the land they have conquered. The gods of the native inhabitants have truly become a snare for Israel. Their sin of idolatry angers God who allows them to fall into the power of their enemies. God however is merciful. To their cry of distress God responds with compassion by sending them leaders to save them from raiders. But the Israelites do not really pay attention to their leaders. When their leaders die, they relapse and become worse than the previous generation.
The chronic instability and the stubbornness of heart of Israel can also be verified in the modern day situation (cf. “Public Being Seriously Misled by Politicians” in ALIVE! July/August 2013, p. 3). Today’s situation is similar to that of sinful Israel who quickly stray from the way of their fathers, who do not listen to their “judges” and refuse to follow their example of obedience to God’s commands.
Ireland’s Catholic bishops have flatly contradicted Government claims that the Fine Gael-led drive to legalize the killing of unborn children is about saving women’s lives. “People are being misled”, said the bishops. “We challenge repeated statements that this legislation is about saving lives and involves no change to the law or practice on abortion.” They added that “legalizing the direct and intentional destruction of the life of an unborn baby can never be described as ‘life-saving’ or ‘prolife’.”
In a strongly worded statement, the bishops argued that every citizen, not just people of faith, should be deeply concerned by the radical anti-life campaign. “The Government is proposing abortion legislation that will fundamentally change the culture of medical practice in Ireland”, said the bishops. “For the first time legislation will be enacted permitting the deliberate and intentional killing of an unborn child.” They also pointed out that attempting to legalize the killing of innocent unborn children is a huge abuse of power that goes beyond the authority of the State. “No individual has the right to destroy life, and no State has the right to undermine the right to life”, said the statement. The arrogant refusal of the Government to engage with the argument against abortion is also deepening the belief that the present anti-life campaign has nothing to do with care for expectant mothers; that this is just a smokescreen.
In a letter to the media, Dr. Therese Boyle GP of the north Dublin Dochas Center asked why the Government is not listening. “The problem with the present debate is the dishonesty of its premise – that it is about ‘saving the lives of women’,” she wrote. “How can a maternal rate that approaches zero in statistical terms be improved upon?” She noted that doctors “understand fully the various issues involved in the present abortion debate and have strongly rejected the proposed legislation especially where it involves the right to a termination of pregnancy because of the risk of suicide.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Like sinful Israel, are we guilty of straying from the ways of God and of disobeying his life-giving commands? If so, do we seek God’s forgiveness and mercy and resolve to listen to his voice and obey his saving will?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving God,
you continue to work saving marvels on our behalf.
But many times we refuse to see the goodness of your love
for the “promise” of false idols tantalizes us.
Convert us, O Lord!
Teach us to walk on the right path
and help us to listen to the modern day “judges”
that you have provided for us
in your benevolence.
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.
“They were quick to stray from the way their fathers had taken and did not follow their example of obedience to the commandments of the Lord.” (Jgs 2:17)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be deeply aware of the Church’s social teachings and by your prayer, words and actions, promote the defense of life and the integrity of the human person.
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August 20, 2013: TUESDAY – SAINT BERNARD, abbot, doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Sent by God”
(Today is the 99thanniversary of the Pauline Family.)
BIBLE READINGS
Jgs 6:11-24a // Mt 19:23-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s First Reading presents the call of Gideon and his mission as a savior. The idolatrous Israelites suffer the menace and oppression of the Midianites: camel-riding nomads whose novel method of swift travel and attack make them exceedingly dangerous. Even a strong man of Gideon’s valor has to beat out wheat in a concealed place to avoid Midian plunderers. The angel of the Lord appears to Gideon as he threshes out wheat in the wine press and greets him: “The Lord is with you, brave and mighty man!” Gideon challenges the angel’s greeting with a sarcastic remark claiming that rather than being with them, God has abandoned the people. The response to his sarcasm is a divine commission: “Go with the strength you have and save Israel from the power of Midian.” After protesting his lowliness and insignificance, the Lord assures him: “I shall be with you.” To his request for a “sign”, God obliges by transforming Gideon’s meal offering into a burnt offering. A fire comes up from the rock and consumes the meat and unleavened cakes that Gideon has prepared. Having received the sign of his election, he builds there an altar to the Lord and calls it “Yahweh-shalom” (“God is peace”), a reference to the divine assurance of peace. With a small army of three hundred men, Gideon is to defeat the Midianites because God is true to his promise: “I shall be with you.”
Today is the anniversary of the foundation of the Society of Saint Paul and of the entire Pauline Family (August 20, 1914). Our Founder, Blessed James Alberione, is a modern-day Gideon. Humble, fragile and self-effacing, he showed to the world that with God, who called him for a saving mission, nothing is impossible and that with God we can do all. Here is a biographical sketch prepared and circulated by the Pauline Family.
Fr. James Alberione’s story begins in San Lorenzo di Fossano (Cuneo), Italy, where he was born on 4 April 1884, the fifth of Michele and Teresa Alloco’s seven children.
At the age of 16, James entered the Seminary of Alba. During his Eucharistic adoration on the night of 31 December 1900, he turned his attention to what role he would play in the Church and society of the new century: “Particular enlightenment came from the Host … He felt deeply obliged to prepare himself to do something for the Lord and for the people of the new century.
8 September 1913 was an important date in the life of Fr. Alberione: on that day, Francesco Re, the Bishop of Alba, appointed him director of the weekly newspaper, the Gazzetta d’Alba. Fr. Alberione himself wrote in 1954: “When the time came to begin, the bishop struck the ‘hour of God’, charging him to devote himself to the diocesan press. This opened the way for the apostolate.”
From 1914-1960, Fr. Alberione founded a number of Institutes collectively known as the “Pauline Family”. Five are religious Congregations (Society of St. Paul, 1914; Daughters of St. Paul, 1915; Pious Disciples of the Divine Master, 1924; Sisters of Jesus Good Shepherd, 1938; Institute of Mary Queen of Apostles for Vocations, 1959); four are Secular Institutes (Jesus Priest; St. Gabriel the Archangel; Our Lady of the Annunciation; Holy Family, 1960), and one is a lay association (Pauline Cooperators, 1917).
In 1960, Fr. Alberione delineated the mission of the Pauline Family: “It has a single spirit, the one contained in the heart of St. Paul, ‘Cor Pauli, Cor Christi’; it has the same devotions, and its different ends converge in a common goal: to give Jesus Christ in a complete way, as he defined himself: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life’.”
Filled with zeal for souls, Fr. Alberione saw the instruments of communication as the most rapid and effective way of making Jesus Christ known, of disseminating the Gospel message, and of reaching all people, especially those furthest from the Faith. Thus numerous books were printed and a variety of periodicals initiated, among these: Vita Pastorale (for parish priests, 1912); Giornalino (for children, 1924) and Famiglia Cristiana (for families, 1931). The cinema apostolate was also launched. But Fr. Alberione channeled his greatest efforts into helping people get to know the Bible and Gospel, millions of copies of which were printed and disseminated throughout the world over the years. At the same time, he sent out his sons and daughters to open new communities on every continent: from Argentina to Mexico, to the United States, to Australia; from Japan to Kenya, to India, to Canada. When Fr. Alberione died in 1971, the Pauline Family was present in more than 50 nations.
An hour before his death on 26 November 1971, Fr. Albeirone received a visit from Pope Paul VI. Two years earlier, the Pope had conferred on him the high honor of “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” and sketched out a memorable profile of him: “There he is: humble, silent, tireless, ever-vigilant, always recollected in his thoughts, which run from prayer to work; always intent on scrutinizing the ‘signs of the times’, that is, the most innovative ways of reaching souls. Our Don Alberione has given the Church new instruments with which to express herself, new means for giving vigor and breadth to her apostolate, new capacities and a new awareness of the importance and possibilities of her mission in the modern world, with modern means. Dear Don Alberione, allow the Pope to rejoice in your long, faithful and timeless work and in the fruit it has produced for the glory of God and the good of the Church.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are we aware that as baptized Christians we have a special saving mission to carry out in today’s world and that it has its origin in God? Do we believe that with this divine mission we are accompanied by the divine assurance: “I shall be with you”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O merciful and loving God,
you called Gideon to rescue Israel from the Midianites
and you assured him of your presence and assistance.
Our Christian mission is to spread the Good News of salvation
to the entire world and creation.
Let us feel your assurance: “I will be with you”.
Grant us the grace to be fully dedicated to this mission
so that all peoples and all creation
may be restored to you in your Son Jesus Christ,
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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.
“The Lord is with you, O champion.” (Jgs 6:12)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray today for the Pauline Family that, like Gideon and Blessed James Alberione, they may be efficacious instruments of God’s saving plan in today’s world. By your words and actions and total service to God and neighbor, participate deeply in the divine plan of salvation.
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August 21, 2013: WEDNESDAY – SAINT PIUS X, pope
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Our True Leader”
BIBLE READINGS
Jgs 9:6-15 // Mt 20:1-16
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading presents the ambitious bid for kingship of Abimelech, a descendant of Gideon by a polygamous marriage to a servant girl from Shechem. The ruthless Abimelech becomes the king of the city-state Shechem through machination and the brutal murder of his brothers, Gideon’s seventy sons. But Jotham, Gideon’s youngest son, escapes and is not killed. He survives to address a parable of judgment against Abimelch and his Shechem conspirators. In Jotham’s fable, the only one willing to reign over the other trees is not a real tree, but a worthless and destructive thornbush. Jotham’s allegorical prophecy comes true. In crowning Abimelech through devious means and conspiracy, Abimelech and the people of Shechem incur God’s retributive judgment. Tension soon develops between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem and a military conflict breaks out. Abimelech is victorious, but it is an empty victory. In putting down the revolt he destroys Shechem and its citizens, and in the process Abimelch suffers an ignominious death. When Abimelech comes to attack the tower in Thebez, a woman throws a millstone down on his head and fractures his skull. He orders his young assistant to draw his sword and kill him. He does not want it said that a woman killed him. The story of Abimelech tells us that anything that humans achieve without the Lord God ends in disaster. Abimelech has been great in battles and has usurped the leadership of Shechem. But for all his feats, he remains vulnerable. Because of his ruthless ambition to be king and the lack of divine commissioning, Abimelech’s death is caused by a woman, a very humiliating destiny for a strong man.
Today we celebrate the memorial of Pope Pius X, an example of a Church leader that has been ordained by God and totally conformed to Jesus Christ, the true leader-shepherd of God’s flock. Here is a biographical sketch taken from the Wikipedia on the Internet.
Pope Pius X (2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914), born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in 1914. He was the first pope since Pius V (1566 to 1572) to be canonized … His most important reform was to publish the first Code of Canon Law, which collected the laws of the Church into one volume for the first time. He was a pastoral pope, encouraging personal piety and a lifestyle reflecting Christian values. He was born in the town of Riese, which would later append “Pio X” (Pius X’s name in Italian) to the town’s name.
Pius was particularly devoted to Mary. His encyclical Ad Diem Illum expresses his desire through Mary to renew all things in Christ, which he had defined as his motto in his first encyclical. Pius believed that there is no surer or more direct road than by the Virgin Mary to achieve this goal. Pius X was the only pope in the 20th century with extensive pastoral experience at the parish level and pastoral concerns permeated his papacy. He favored the use of the vernacular in catechesis. Frequent communion was a lasting innovation of his papacy. (…)
Personally, Pius combined within himself a strong sense of compassion, benevolence and poverty, but also stubbornness and a certain stiffness. He wanted to be pastoral and was the only pope in the 20th century who gave Sunday sermons every week. After the 1908 Messina earthquake he filled the Apostolic Palace with refugees, long before the Italian government acted. He rejected any kind of favors for his family. His brother remained a postal clerk; his favorite nephew stayed on as village priest, and his three sisters lived together close to poverty in Rome. He often referred to his own humble origins, taking up the causes of poor people. I was born poor, I have lived poor, and I wish to die poor. (…)
His simple origins became clear right after his election, when he wore a pectoral cross made of gilded metal on the day of his coronation and when his entourage was horrified, the new pope complained that he always wore it and that he had brought no other with him. He was well known for cutting down on papal ceremonies. He also abolished the custom of the pope dining alone (which has been established by Pope Urban VIII) and the pope invited his friends to eat with him. He was also on one occasion chided by Rome’s social leaders for refusing to make his peasant sisters papal countesses, to which he responded “I have made them sisters of the pope; what more can I do for them?”
He developed a reputation as being friendly with children. He carried candy in his pockets for the street urchins in Mantua and Venice, and taught catechism to them. During papal audiences, he would gather children around him and talk to them about things that interested them. His weekly catechism lessons in the courtyard of San Damaso in the Vatican always included a special place for children, and his decision to require the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in every parish was partly motivated by a desire to reclaim children from religious ignorance. (…)
Considered a holy person by many, public veneration of Pope Pius began soon after his death. Numerous petitions resulted in an early process of beatification.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we put our trust in God who commissions us to serve his people, or do we seek power and prestige for personal gain?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord God,
we put our trust in you
as the true guardian of your chosen people.
We thank you for Jesus Christ
whom you have anointed to pasture your flock
and to reign over us as the true king.
Help us to be docile followers of your Son Jesus
on the path that leads to eternal life.
Let world leaders and civil authorities
guide us in the spirit of justice and peace.
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.
“Reign over us.” (Jgs 9:8)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for civil authorities and world leaders that they may guide the people in the spirit of justice and peace. Be aware of social issues and be committed in helping people make the right decisions for the common good.
***
August 22, 2013: THURSDAY – THE QUEENSHIP OF MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Perfect Offering”
BIBLE READINGS
Jgs 11:29-39a // Mt 22:1-14
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The Book of Judges continues to depict the foils and foibles of Israel’s various leaders. Today’s Old Testament reading is about the senseless vow of Jephthah, who has been requested by the leaders of Gilead to lead them in the fight against the Ammonites. A natural-born negotiator, he attempts to clarify the reasons for the Ammonite hostility and discovers that the Ammonites want back the land they claim Israel took from them when they came up from Egypt. Jephthah argues that the disputed territory does not belong to the Ammonites at all and that it has been a part of the former kingdom of Sihon that the Israelites have captured under Moses. Jephthah appeals to the Lord to judge between the Israelites and the implacable Ammonites. As a divine response, the spirit of the Lord comes upon Jephthah not only to confirm him in his diplomatic negotiation, but also to help him attain a resounding victory in his military campaign against the Ammonites.
Jephthah, however, does not seem to trust completely in the grace of God. He seeks to secure his victory by making a vow to offer as a holocaust whoever first comes out of his house upon his return. On account of his irresponsible vow, Jephthah’s victory becomes a tragedy, for the first person who meets him from the house is his own daughter – his only child. He fulfills the irrevocable vow with tragic dignity. The disconsolate Jephthah offers his daughter as a burnt offering after a period in which she mourns that she is going to die a virgin and childless. This story is meant to underline the lamentable effects of not trusting in the Lord’s willingness to save Israel and of resorting to pagan practices such as human sacrifice.
In contrast to Jephthah’s senseless vow of human sacrifice, the parishioners of St. Thomas of Canterbury Church make a very inspiring spiritual “offering” in union with their beloved deceased pastor whom we know personally (cf. H. Herhold, “Cycling Priest’s Death Sets San Jose Congregation on a Quest” in San Jose Mercury News).
Well before the bicycle accident, everyone agreed that Father Mark Catalana was an unusually attentive priest. When a parishioner at his San Jose Church, St. Thomas of Canterbury, had a birthday, Father Mark called and sang “Happy Birthday”. He did the same for anniversaries. If you stopped by the parish house on McCoy Avenue in the evening, he’d ask you in for dinner. In an age when Catholic churches have difficulty finding new priests, Father Mark happily embraced the role of a vocational cheerleader for the San Jose diocese.
His main mode of transportation was a bicycle, which he rode listening to music and fingering his rosary. He kept track of distance. By his 50th birthday – July 15 – he hoped to attain a lifetime goal he set as a young man: 100,000 miles.
“He put a face of humanity on my Catholicism”, said one parishioner, Pete R. Silva, who remembered that Father Mark called his cell phone at least once a week after Silva suffered a stroke in February. “I felt a warmth and personal connection, even though I was one of a multitude.”
When Father Mark was injured on his blue Giant road bike on April 15, it didn’t seem life-threatening. On the San Tomas Expressway overpass above Winchester Avenue, a woman driving a rental car drifted across the white line and hooked his handlebars with her car mirror. Father Mark went down hard, injuring his hip and elbow. Even after he underwent surgery at Valley Medical Center – his left hip was shattered – the outlook seemed optimistic. His doctors predicted he’d be back on a bike in six months. The irrepressible Father Mark visited other patients. Nobody foresaw the blood clot that killed him on May 2, not long after he had returned home to the parish.
More than 1,000 people attended his service, a mark of devotion inspired by the St. Francis High grad who had been in his post three years. Then something extraordinary unfolded. Led by the bicyclist named Bill Wright, the congregation of 300-odd families launched an effort to complete Father Mark’s miles. The priest was about 1,400 miles short of his 100,000-mile goal when the accident happened. “I said, ‘I’d like to do the miles’,” Wright remembered. “Then, in talking with some of my friends, they said they’d like to do it, too. Then it became ‘What about the kids? What about the older people?’”
With his daughter’s help, Wright passed out copies of a simple form that allowed people to tabulate their miles walking, jogging or cycling. Silva, the stroke victim, completed 16 or 17 miles on a stationary bike. Wright alone did 800 on his road bike. As of Monday, 115 people had completed six times more than was needed. Their total of 8,611 miles included 4,952 cycling, 593 jogging and 2,621 walking. Was it just a tally? No. It was homage of sweat to a man who had touched them all. One parishioner, begging off the pun, noted that Father Mark went the extra mile for them. The “Miles for Father Mark” acknowledged the debt. In a hard time for Catholics, it might have been one congregation’s finest moment.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is our attitude to making vows? Have we fulfilled the vows we have made or have reneged on them? What kind of vows we have made to God?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your compassion for your people Israel and for all of us
is great and marvelous.
Teach us to trust completely in your saving love
and not in the security of our human efforts and achievements.
Grant that we may carry out to the full
the vow of obedience we have made
to follow your saving well.
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.
“The spirit of the Lord came upon him.” (Jgs 11:29)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the grace of fidelity to our baptismal vow to be totally consecrated to the divine saving will. In your thoughts, words, actions and deeds, endeavor to be faithful to the baptismal consecration.
***
August 23, 2013: FRIDAY – SAINT ROSE OF LIMA, virgin
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Ancestress Ruth Embraced Israel’s God”
BIBLE READINGS
Ru 1:1, 3-6, 14b-16, 22 // Mt 22:34-40
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s Old Testament reading presents Ruth, the Moabite ancestress of the Messiah, as devoted not only to her mother-in-law Naomi, but also as totally embracing Israel’s God. The beautiful story of Ruth is set in the violent period of the judges. While the stories of the judges show the disasters when the chosen people turns away from God, the peaceful story of Ruth depicts the outpouring of divine blessings upon a “foreigner” who has turned to Israel’s God and becomes a part of his people.
A famine in Bethlehem has forced Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons to live in the country of Moab. There Naomi loses her husband and ten years later her sons Mahlon and Chilion who have married Moabite women. When the famine ends in Judah, Naomi plans to return to her homeland. Deeply concerned for the well-being of her daughters-in-law, Ruth and Orpah, she advises them to go back. Orpah, a worthy woman in her own right, follows her advice. Ruth however shows uncommon loyalty to her Israelite mother-in-law and a deep devotion to the God of Israel. She declares: “Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Ruth seals her declaration with a solemn oath made in the name of Israel’s God. Naomi is overwhelmed and says nothing more. When they arrive in Bethlehem, the barley harvest is just beginning. And it is in a barley field where Boaz meets Ruth, his future wife. Through this marriage, Ruth the Moabite becomes the great-grandmother of David, Israel’s greatest king.
The selfless and loving devotion of Ruth for her kin and for the God of Israel enables her to be an important instrument of the saving plan of God. The same sterling quality may be verified in the life of Saint Rose of Lima whose biographical sketch is reported below (cf. Wikipedia on the Internet).
Saint Rose was born Isabel Flores y de Oliva in the city of Lima, the Viceroyalty of Peru, then part of New Spain, on April 20, 1586. She was one of the many children of Gaspar Flores, a harquebusier in the Imperial Spanish army, born in San German on the island of San Bautista (now Puerto Rico) and his wife, Maria de Oliva, a native of Lima. Her later nickname “Rose” comes from an incident in her babyhood: a servant claimed to have seen her face transformed into a rose. In 1597 she was confirmed by the Archbishop of Lima, Turibius de Mongrovejo, who was also to be declared a saint. She formally took the name of Rose at that time.
As a young girl – in emulation of the noted Dominican tertiary, St. Catherine of Siena – she began to fast three times a week and performed severe penances in secret. When she was admired for her beauty, Rose cut off her hair and smeared pepper on her face, upset that suitors were beginning to take notice of her. She rejected all suitors against the objections of her friends and her family. Despite the censure of her parents, she spent many hours contemplating the Blessed Sacrament which she received daily, an extremely rare practice in that period. She was determined to take a vow of virginity, which was opposed by her parents, who wished her to marry. Finally, out of frustration, her father gave her a room to herself in the family house.
After daily fasting, she took to permanently abstain from eating meat. She helped the sick and hungry around her community, bringing them to her room and taking care of them. Rose sold her fine needlework and took flowers that she grew to market to help her family. She made and sold lace and embroidery to care for the poor, and she prayed and did penance in a little grotto which she had built. Otherwise, she became a recluse, leaving her room only for her visits to church.
She attracted the attention of the friars of the Dominican Order. She wanted to become a nun, but her father forbade it, so she instead entered the Third Order of St. Dominic while living in her parents’ home. In her twentieth year she donned the habit of a tertiary and took a vow of perpetual virginity. She donned a heavy crown made of silver, with small spikes on the inside in emulation of the Crown of Thorns worn by Christ.
For eleven years she lived this way, with intervals of ecstasy, and died on August 24, 1617, at the age of 31. It is said that she prophesied the date of her death. Her funeral was held in the cathedral, attended by all the public authorities of Lima, and with a eulogy by the archbishop.
She was the first person born in the Americas to be canonized by the Catholic Church. She is the patroness of America, indigenous people of the Americas, of gardeners, of florists, of the city of Lima, of Peru, of the New World, of India, of people misunderstood for their piety and of the resolution of family quarrels.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we show the same unconditional and loving devotion that Ruth the Moabite has shown for her kin and for the God of Israel?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Gracious Father,
you blessed the foreigner Ruth
and made her a part of the covenant people.
You made her an efficacious instrument of your saving plan
by letting her give birth to Obed,
King David’s ancestor.
Grant us the same devotion and loyalty
that Ruth has shown for you and her kin Naomi.
Help us to take care
of our needy relatives and family members.
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 week. Please memorize it.
“Your God will be my God.” (Ru 1:16)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law may have a loving relationship similar to that of Naomi and Ruth. By your gentle words and acts of love promote peace and harmony within the family.
***
August 24, 2013: SATURDAY – SAINT BATHOLOMEW, APOSTLE
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Apostle Bartholomew Is a Foundation Stone of the Church”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 21:9b-14 // Jn 1:45-51
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
The passage from the Book of Revelation gives us a vision of the New Jerusalem, which represents the ultimate bliss. It also symbolizes the Church in its final and ultimate glory. Saint John’s end-time vision of the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God inspires us to strive for the fullness of light and life resulting from God’s presence. The wall of this city is built on twelve foundation stones, on which are written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. This detail is very meaningful as we celebrate the feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. It reminds us that the Church, the New City of Jerusalem, is built on the foundation of apostolic witnessing. The preaching of the apostles and prophets constitutes the Church. Saint Bartholomew is one of the twelve foundation stones of the Church. His name is inscribed in the beautiful and radiant city of the New Jerusalem. Saint Bartholomew now participates in the glory of the eternal city of light and life together with the victorious Lamb, Jesus Christ.
The following biographical sketch gives us an idea why Saint Bartholomew is an important foundation stone of the Church (cf. Wikipedia on the Internet).
Bartholomew the Apostle: He is one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and is usually identified with Nathanael, who is mentioned in the gospel of John. “Bartholomew” comes from the Aramaic “bar Tolmay”, meaning “son of Tolmay” or “son of the furrows” (perhaps a ploughman).
In the gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip. He is described as initially being skeptical about the Messiah coming from Nazareth, saying: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”, but nonetheless, follows Philips’s invitation. Jesus immediately characterizes him as “Here is a man in whom there is no deception.” Some scholars hold that Jesus’ quote “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you”, is based on a Jewish figure of speech referring to studying the Torah. Nathanael recognizes Jesus as “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel”. He reappears at the end of John’s gospel as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.
Eusebius of Caesarea’s Ecclesiastical History states that after the Ascension, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India where he left behind a copy of the gospel of Matthew. (…) The studies of Fr. A.C. Perumalil SJ and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which may have been known as the ancient city Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew’s missionary activities.
Along with his fellow apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the first century. Thus both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis in Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. Astyages, Polymius’ brother, consequently ordered Bartholomew’s execution (…)
The existence of relics at Lipari, a small island off the coast of Sicily, in the part of Italy controlled by Constantinople, was explained by Gregory of Tours by his body having miraculously washed up there … Of the many miracles performed by Bartholomew before and after his death, two very popular ones are known by the townsfolk of the small island of Lipari.
The people of Lipari celebrated his feast annually. The tradition of the people was to take the solid silver and gold statue from inside the Cathedral of St. Bartholomew and carry it through the town. On one occasion, when taking the statue down the hill towards the town, it suddenly got very heavy and had to be set down. When the men carrying the statue regained their strength they lifted it a second time. After a few seconds, it got even heavier. They set it down and attempted once more to pick it up. They managed to lift it but had to put it down one last time. Within seconds, a wall further downhill collapsed. If the statue had been able to be lifted, all the townspeople would have been killed.
During World War II, the Fascist regime looked for ways to finance their activities. The order was given to take the silver statue of St. Bartholomew and melt it down. The statue was weighed, and it was found to be only a few grams. It was returned to its place in the Cathedral of Lipari. In reality, the statue is made from many kilograms of silver and it is considered a miracle that it was not melted down. St. Bartholomew is credited with many other miracles having to do with the weight of objects.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do we value the apostolic witness and martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew? How do we imitate his commitment to Christ and his service to the Gospel?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Opening Prayer, Mass on the Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle)
Lord,
sustain within us the faith
which made St. Bartholomew ever loyal to Christ.
Let your Church be the sign of salvation
for all the nations of the world.
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.
“The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.” (Rv 21:14)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Today pray for the Christian community in India and Armenia that it may be faithful to the apostolic witnessing of St. Bartholomew. In any way you can, continue to promote the Gospel witness of the apostles.
***
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