A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 14, n. 38)
Week 20 in Ordinary Time: August 14-20, 2016
(The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY & WEEKDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year C from various perspectives. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: August 7-13, 2016, please go to ARCHIVES Series 14 and click on “Week 19 in Ordinary Time”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: August 14-20, 2016.)
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August 14, 2016: SUNDAY – TWENTIETH SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Ultimate Sign of Contradiction”
BIBLICAL 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.
Today’s Second Reading (Heb 12:1-4) presents running in the race as a metaphor for Christian life. We must get rid of whatever impedes us as we run in the spiritual race. Above all, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, “the leader and perfecter of faith”. He is the foundation of our faith having imaged what true faith means. He endured the opposition of sinners and the pain of the cross. He went to the extreme in putting up with so much hatred from sinners. On account of his faith and fidelity, God has glorified him. His glorious passion allows believers to have access to “full assurance of faith”. The awesome example of Jesus sustains the Christian disciples in their struggle against sin. We should therefore not let ourselves be discouraged and we should not to give up in our “struggle against sin”.
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 15, 2016: MONDAY – THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Mother Mary Is Raised to Heaven
Body and Soul”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab // I Cor 15:20-27 // Lk 1:39-56
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today’s feast of the Assumption celebrates the fruit of Christ’s paschal sacrifice - eternal life and joy in God’s kingdom - bestowed upon his mother Mary in fullness. The Blessed Mother Mary points to our own glorious destiny with God. The French liturgical scholar, Louis Bouyer, remarks: “Mary should be looked on as the living pledge of Christ’s promises to the Church: that where he is, we also shall be; then the glory given him by the Father, he will give to us, as he received it.”
The First Reading (Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab) depicts a “great sign in the sky” – a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. The image of a woman in childbirth is used to describe creative acts that involve time and sacrifice in order to be brought to full maturity. The heavenly vision of the woman in labor in the Book of Revelation evokes the painful and challenging process of the birth of Christ in the hearts of the faithful, as well as Mary’s vital role in the birthing of the Church.
From the Second Reading (I Cor 15:20-27a) we can deduce that the power of Christ’s own resurrection makes the mystery of Mary’s assumption possible. Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the “firstfruits” of those who have fallen asleep. In Jewish cultic terms, the offering of “firstfruits” symbolizes the dedication of the whole harvest to God. As “firstfruits”, the Risen Lord Jesus pledges the resurrection of us all, of which Mary is the exemplar of a promise fulfilled. Indeed, God triumphs over death. Death is ultimately vanquished through the power of Christ’s resurrection. It is no longer a dismal end. In Christ, the “firstfruits”, death becomes a passage or passing over to eternal life. Though Christ’s victorious Passover is complete, ours is not yet. As Church, we need to open ourselves to the effects of Christ’s saving works and offer the “fruits” of redemption to the fragmented humanity of the “here and now”.
Mary’s assumption is a powerful sign that in our intimate union and full response to Christ, the Paschal Mystery is brought to fruition. Likewise, Mary, in her Magnificat (cf. Lk 1:39-56), invites us to praise the Lord for the great things he has done for her and to proclaim with her the final victory of God, of which she is a full recipient. With Mary assumed into heaven, we glorify the Lord!
The following story inspires us to have recourse to Mary, assumed into heaven, as a patroness of a happy death (cf. Susan Mountin, “Homecoming” in America, February 15, 2010, p. 19).
On the day my mother died, she entered into a state that hospice caregivers know well – the body’s oxygen supply diminishes. She was unable to communicate with us from about noon that day until about 3. Then, to our amazement, she calls for my dad and reached out to hold his hands. She became quite anxious and thrashed about (another expected pattern in the death process).
But what happened next will be etched in my heart and soul forever. About an hour before her death she reached out her arms and began distinctly saying, “push me, pull me, push me, pull me”. Mom was not speaking to any of us in the room. I had no doubt that she was being greeted by angels and her deceased sisters and brother, whom she missed so much (she was the oldest of eight children born in close succession, and they were very close).
Those were her last words, “push me, pull me”. Then she became quiet. I felt her soul slipping from her body. We gathered my siblings and dad around the bed and began to pray: Our Father; Hail Mary. We all touched her. I put my arm around dad’s shoulder as he sat on his walker next to the bed, and had one hand on mom’s foot. I instinctively began praying the Memorare, a prayer that had been renewed as a deep part of my own spiritual journey when I struggled with some issues years earlier. Then from the deepest recesses of my memory I prayed aloud the novena prayer to the Mother of Perpetual Help. Mom took five or six deep breaths and died. If there is such a thing as a peaceful death, we were blessed with one for mom … I remember and relive day after day the journey to my mother’s death because it brought all of us closer to our own destiny and to God.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How did Mary participate in Christ’s paschal sacrifice as well as in the victorious event of “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep”? How do you participate in these saving events, personally and as a community? How does the meaning of the Blessed Mother’s assumption into heaven affect you personally?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
in Mary’s assumption into heaven,
body and soul,
we see our own beauty and glorious destiny in Christ.
But the Blessed Virgin is also a model
of intimate participation in Christ’s paschal mystery.
Her Son Jesus Christ rose from the dead
and became the “firstfruits” of those who have fallen asleep.
She is the exemplary recipient of the “fruits” of redemption.
Teach us to be receptive to grace.
Grant that we may truly experience the power of the resurrection
and relish the “firstfruits” of salvation.
United with Mary assumed into heaven,
we glorify you and exult in your goodness,
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.
“He has lifted up the lowly.” (Lk 1:52)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that Mary, assumed into heaven, may intercede for us as we endeavor to spread the “firstfruits” of Christ’s redemption to the fragmented humanity of our modern society. By our preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, let us allow the people of today to have a glimpse of our glorious destiny in heaven.
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August 16, 2016: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (20); SAINT STEPHEN OF HUNGARY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Pursue the Kingdom of God … He Invites Us To Depend on God”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 28:1-10 // Mt 19:23-30
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 19:23-30): “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
The kingdom of God is an incomparable treasure that surpasses all earthly goods. It makes everything else relative and secondary. Jesus Master teaches us to discern what is true, just, and good. He comes to reorient our lives toward God and empowers those with receptive hearts to choose the heavenly kingdom. Those who fail to respond to Jesus’ radical challenge to follow him feel despondent, just like the rich young man who walks away sad - impeded by his possessions from pursuing wholeheartedly the heavenly kingdom.
The Danish theologian, Soren Kierkegaard, underlines the meaning of Christian discipleship: “To follow Christ means denying one’s self, and hence it means walking the same way as Christ walked in the humble form of a servant – needy, forsaken, mocked, not loving worldliness and not loved by the worldly-minded … He who in self-abnegation renounces the world and all that is the world’s, forsakes every relationship which otherwise tempts and holds captive … He who, if it becomes necessary, certainly does not love his father or mother or sister or brother less than before, but loves Christ so much more that he may be said to hate those others: he walks absolutely alone, alone in the whole world … Eternity will not ask about what worldly possessions you left behind in the world. But it will ask you what treasure you have accumulated in heaven.”
In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 19:23-30), having seen the rich young man walk away from the offer of heavenly treasure, Jesus exclaims: “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” But he also asserts that with God all things are possible. The Drexel family illustrates what it means to pursue the heavenly kingdom in today’s world (cf. Patricia Treece, God Will Provide, Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2011, p. 38-39).
There are people who live in well-decorated mansions who also never let their enjoyed possessions come between them and God. Consider the parents of St. Katherine Drexel (d. 1985), the American heiress. Katherine’s father, Francis Drexel, and her mother, Emma Bouvier Drexel, were one of the richest couples in America. They used their money to do immense good as philanthropists, while they enjoyed a town mansion (with a chapel), a country estate (where their daughters ran catechism classes for the workers’ children), trips to Europe, and the best teachers for their children’s private education.
Reared to do good, the Drexel girls in turn lived exemplary lives, making praiseworthy use of enormous inherited incomes (to ensure that no one married any of his girls for money, Francis Drexel left all his wealth to charities, allowing his daughters to enjoy the interest on the immense sum during their lifetimes). Katherine, becoming a nun, dedicated herself and her riches to helping raise black and native Americans out of poverty through education. She became so detached from her resources – as the longest-lived she inherited from her sisters, each childless – that she never tried to break her father’s will; that upon his last daughter’s death left the fortune to charities named almost a century earlier, some of which no longer needed help.
Katherine’s order founded several schools – elementary, high, vocational, and even a university – that relied heavily on this money. But if God wanted the schools to continue, she believed, God would provide for them. And he did.
B. First Reading (Ez 28:1-10): “You are a mortal and not God, however you may think yourself like a god.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 28:1-10) is an oracle of judgment against the city of Tyre, a rival-ally of the kingdom of Judah. Tyre is built on an island very near the coast. At the time of Ezekiel, it is the center and symbol of Phoenician political-economic power. Tyre rejoices at the destruction of Jerusalem, cheering that is does not have any longer a commercial rival. Puffed up with pride for its riches, the king of Tyre claims himself to be a god. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord God condemns Tyre: “You think you are wiser than Daniel … Your wisdom and skill made you rich with treasures of silver and gold … How proud you are of your wealth … Because you think you are as wise as god, I will bring ruthless enemies to attack you.”
Against the backdrop of Tyre’s pride and foolish use of wisdom, the following modern day accounts of humble trust in divine providence becomes more meaningful (cf. Patricia Treece, God Will Provide, Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2011, p. 130-131).
As a young fellow, George Muller (d. 1898) was not particularly devout but eventually he surrendered to God. This German landed in Bristol, England, where – now a Protestant clergyman – he pushed to the maximum the scriptural promise “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mt 6:33). First he stopped taking a regular salary for his preaching. Then he sold all he had and gave what he received to the poor. With his wife’s agreement, they gave away their household goods and furnishings.
Yet they got along. Muller then felt led to open an orphanage that he ran on the following principles: he made the financial needs known to God, but to no one else. He forbade all his helpers to tell anyone but God as well. He never sought credit or borrowed. He never used money that was donated for anything other than what the giver specified. Thus, if there was no food, but money had been given for coal, for coal it went. It is no exaggeration to claim that the Protestant clergyman spent a lot of time in prayer. Occasionally he was praying right up until the meal the food was needed for. But the meal’s provisions always arrived.
George Muller’s whole life became a witness to the absolute reliability of divine providence – as were the experiences of the earlier Catholic priest St. Joseph Cottolengo (d. 1842), who ran a hospital and a whole complex of shelters in Turin, Italy, for every type of impoverished unfortunate from the blind, insane, deaf, and crippled to wayward girls. Cottolengo called his whole undertaking simply The Little House and, like Muller, looked completely to divine providence to meet the huge and varied needs of such a place. In fact, Cottolengo turned down a subsidy offered by a king because “we are cared for by the King of kings”. Now, if one or two of these two men’s needs were met but not all, and if this happened once or even a few times over a long period, it would be reasonable to cite coincidence or luck. They had huge needs and those needs were indeed met day after day, year after year. Who or what met them? Divine providence.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does the Lord’s challenge to the rich young man affect me? Am I willing to renounce earth’s goods for the sake of the kingdom of God? How do I give witness to my fundamental choice for Jesus Christ? Do I believe that with God everything is possible and that with divine grace we gain eternal life?
2. Do we rely on our own powers? Do we believe that our accomplishments are due to our efforts and merits? Do we allow divine providence to enter our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the challenge of Jesus Christ,
the wisdom from on high.
Help us to respond fully to Christ’s call
to embrace radically the Kingdom value.
Be with us as we hold on to his words
that with your grace everything is possible.
Never let us trust in our merits and power.
Grant us the gift of eternal life in your kingdom
where 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.
“They will inherit eternal life.” (Mt 19:29) // “You are man, not a god.” (Ez 28:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When you are in crisis with regards to your basic needs, affirm your trust in divine providence. Make an effort to share the gifts and resources God has given you with the poor and the needy.
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August 17, 2016: WEDNESDAY (20)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Reveals God’s Generosity … He Will Shepherd God’s Flock”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 34:1-11 // Mt 20:1-16
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 20:1-16): “Are you envious because I am generous?”
Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 20:1-16) is about a landowner who went out at various hours of the day to the market place to hire laborers for his vineyard. At the end of the day all the laborers, including those who were hired at the last hour, were paid a full day’s wage. The bible scholar Eugene Maly explains: “Jesus was telling a simple agricultural story whose meaning was not in details but in the story itself. In the Father’s kingdom all are equally loved and human standards are not to be used to measure God’s generosity. God forgives and loves as the world does not know how to forgive and love. The Church must do likewise.”
The following modern day story by Marc Levy and published in Fresno Bee (August 17, 2008, p. A3) gives a glimpse into the immense love of God and his generous stance.
MARIETTA, Pa: A former tough-on-crime Pennsylvania lawmaker has adopted a new and unpopular cause, taking into his home three sex offenders who couldn’t find a place to live – a stand that has angered neighbors, drawn pickets and touched off a zoning dispute. As cities across the nation pass ever-tighter laws to keep out people convicted of sex crimes, Tom Armstrong said he is drawing on his religious belief in forgiveness and sheltering the three men until he can open a halfway house for sex offenders … Nearly 100 Pennsylvania municipalities have ordinances restricting where sex offenders may live. The ordinances generally bar them from moving in next to schools, playgrounds or other places where children might gather.
In early June, Armstrong quietly allowed a rapist and two other sex offenders who had served prison time to move into his 15-room century-old home 75 miles west of Philadelphia after another town blocked his plans for another halfway house … A Republican, Armstrong served 12 years in the Legislature before he was defeated in a primary in 2002. He was known for taking conservative positions on abortion, taxes and crime but also for his role in later years supporting prisoners’ rights. Over the past two decades, he also took in homeless veterans, and more recently he has been a mentor to ex-cons.
B. First Reading (Ez 34:1-11): “I will save my sheep that they may no longer be food for their mouths.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 34:1-11) is an indictment against false and wicked shepherds. They have failed in their responsibilities to God’s flock: they have not taken care of the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the wounded, and sought the lost sheep. The false shepherds have taken care only of themselves and have cruelly treated the sheep. God will take over the shepherds’ tasks. God himself will be the good shepherd tending the sheep, rescuing the scattered flock, seeking the lost and leading them to green pastures. God will not allow false shepherds to pillage the sheep.
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux is a sterling example of one who follows the heart and the ways of the Good Shepherd. The following notes on Saint Bernard, circulated on the Internet, give insight into his life.
SAINT BERNARD: Born in 1090 at Fontaines, near Dijon, France; died at Clairvaux, 21 August 1153. His parents were Tescelin, lord of Fontaines, and Aleth of Montbard, both belonging to the highest nobility of Burgundy. Bernard, the third of a family of seven children, six of whom were sons, was educated with particular care, because while yet unborn, a devout man had foretold his great destiny. At the age of nine years, Bernard was sent to a much renowned school at Chatillon-sur-Seine, kept by the secular canons of Saint-Vorles. He had a great taste for literature and devoted himself for some time to poetry. His success in his studies won the admiration of his masters and his growth in virtue was no less marked. Bernard’s great desire was to excel in literature in order to take up the study of Sacred Scripture, which later on became, as it were, his own tongue. “Piety was his all”, says Bossuet. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin and there is no one who speaks more sublimely of the Queen of Heaven. Bernard was scarcely nineteen years of age when his mother died. During his youth, he did not escape trying temptations, but his virtue triumphed over them, in many instances in a heroic manner, and from this time he thought of retiring from the world and living a life of solitude and prayer.
St. Robert, Abbot of Molesmes, had founded in 1098 the monastery of Citeaux, about four leagues from Dijon, with the purpose of restoring the Rule of St. Benedict in its rigor. Returning to Molesmes, he left the government of the new abbey to St. Alberic, who died in the year 1109. St. Stephen had just succeeded him (1113) as third Abbot of Citeaux when Bernard, with thirty young noblemen of Burgundy, sought admission into the order. Three years later, St. Stephen sent the young Bernard at the head of a band of monks, the third to leave Citeaux, to found a new house at Vallee d’Absinte, or Valley of Bitterness, in the Diocese of Langres. This Bernard named Claire Valee of Clairvaux on the 25th of June, 1115, and the names of Bernard and Clairvaux thence became inseparable.
The beginnings of Clairvaux were trying and painful. The regime was so austere that Bernard’s health was impaired by it, and only the influence of his friend William of Champeaux and the authority of the General Chapter could make him mitigate his austerities. The monastery, however, made rapid progress. Disciples flocked to it in great numbers, desirous of putting themselves under the direction of Bernard. His father, the aged Tescelin and all his brothers entered Clairvaux as religious, leaving only Humbeline, his sister, in the world. And she, with the consent of her husband, soon took the veil of the Benedictine Convent of Jully. Clairvaux was becoming too small for the religious who crowded there, it was necessary to send out bands to found new houses.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Have we tried to shrink God to our size and wanted to make our thoughts his thoughts and our ways his ways? Do we avail ourselves of the compassionate love of God that transcends our painfully limited ways and thoughts? Do we ever begrudge God’s generosity? Or instead, do we rejoice with God in his infinite goodness for all his people and creation?
2. Do we try to imitate the heart and the ways of the Good Shepherd?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Almighty God,
you are our loving Father.
You showed justice to laborers of the first hour
and kindness to workers of the later hour.
Help us to imitate your benevolence and generosity
so that no one among us would lack the basic necessities of life.
We are laborers in your vineyard
and we need personal dedication as farmhands
in the great field of your kingdom.
In every way and in all our thoughts,
let us live by the spirit of the Gospel
and follow your heart and ways as the Good Shepherd.
We give you 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.
“I am generous.” (Mt 20:15) // “I myself will look after and tend my sheep.” (Ez 34:11).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for greater personal dedication of all laborers in God’s vineyard and a deeper insight into the infinite mercy of God. By your acts of charity and solidarity with those who are experiencing the various hardships in today’s society (unemployment, poverty, insecurity etc.), let them experience the immense love of the Good Shepherd.
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August 18, 2016: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (20)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to the Banquet of Salvation … He Gives Us a New Heart”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 36:23-28 // Mt 22:1-14
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 22:1-14): “Invite to the wedding feast whomever you find.”
Today’s Gospel parable (Mt 22:1-14) underlines the need for a positive and total response to the feast of the kingdom. The banquet of salvation is abundant and gratuitous, but it demands personal commitment and the daily weaving of the “wedding garment” of integrity and holiness by the way we live. The Church, which has a foretaste of the heavenly banquet, must go to the crossroads in order to invite everyone to the wedding feast. The community of believers has the duty to communicate to all peoples the superabundant riches of the banquet of salvation as well as the demands of the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, the Church needs to help unbelievers realize that it is a great misfortune to reject the bounteous feast of God’s kingdom and that it is a great tragedy to willfully exclude oneself from participating at the end-time “banquet of salvation”.
The Eucharist is the celebration and anticipation of the heavenly banquet. The Christian disciples who partake of the Lord’s sacramental meal on earth believe that on “that day” of his definitive coming, they shall take their place at the stupendous banquet of the victorious Lamb. In participating at the Lord’s Supper, they have the serious responsibility of manifesting to others the real nature of the true Church as the Bride of Christ - enrobed in a garment of salvation and covered with a mantle of justice.
The Gospel parable’s lesson on the necessity of wearing a “wedding garment” at the Lord’s banquet of salvation inspires me to do little good deeds with deeper meaning and greater spiritual intention. I was assigned in Los Angeles from 2007-2009. Our convent is located in downtown Los Angeles, which is within walking distance from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. When I go for the morning mass, I carry a plastic bag and pick up the trash strewn carelessly along the way. It is perplexing why there is so much litter when the city government provides trashcans in strategic places. Moreover, when I use a public restroom, I clean it up and make it ready for the next user. I feel that through these small acts of service, I am building a better world. Indeed, through little good deeds I am slowly weaving the “wedding garment” that enables me to participate more fully at the Eucharist and at the “banquet of salvation” at the end time.
B. First Reading (Ez 36:23-28): “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 36:23-28) depicts God’s promise of a regenerated people. Because of their reprehensible idolatry and defilement, the chosen people has been exiled and scattered. But now God intends to demonstrate to the nations the holiness of his great name by recreating his people. He intends to gather them from the nations and bring them back to their own land. He will purify them from their all their idols and defilements. And the climax of divine action: God will make them radically new and transform completely his chastised people. He will give them a new heart and a new mind. He will take away their stubborn heart of stone and give them an obedient heart. God will put his spirit in them and it will give them an inner abiding power to follow his life-giving commands. Then Israel will truly be his people, and he will be their God.
The following story of a forty-four-year-old former world champion steer wrestler on the rodeo circuit gives insight into the meaning of a “new heart” … “a new spirit … a “new creation” (cf. John Patterson, “A Heart to Give” in Chicken Soup for the Soul” Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: CSS Publishing, 2008, p. 28-31).
(…) Finally, the doctor recommended a heart transplant, even though my medical problems posed a great risk. Having been a gambler in my rodeo days, I didn’t like the odds they were giving me, but I saw no other option. Being accepted by a transplant team was no easy task. As a diabetic and double amputee, some teams wouldn’t even consider me. And even if I was accepted, I would have to go on a waiting list, which could take months or years. Even if I got lucky and received a heart, there were no guarantees that the surgery would work.
When I had the bypass surgery years earlier, I was put on a heart-lung machine to keep my heart pumping during surgery, and then an electrical impulse restarted my heart to function on its own. But this time, someone else’s heart would be placed in my body. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the only One who could make a brand new heart start beating was Almighty God, and I figured I had alienated Him completely the day I cursed Him. I was tired of the anger and bitterness, and I didn’t want to live what life I had left tugging against my circumstances. So, I made my peace with God.
Eventually, I was accepted as a transplant candidate, and on the day after Christmas, I went into the hospital with hope and apprehension to wait for a new heart. It was like living with life and death at the same time. One minute I thought of being healthy again; the next minute the reality surfaced that I might die. Finally on January 22nd, the doctor told me a heart had been located. I gathered my family together. As they prepared me for surgery, I felt complete peace.
Suddenly, the doctor came and told us there was a problem. Hesitantly, he said, “We have a seventeen-year-old boy on a ventilator who probably won’t make it through the night without a heart.” He paused awkwardly: “I don’t know how to ask you this, but would you consider giving him the heart?” He emphasized that the heart was originally intended for me, and it was my choice. I could keep it, since there was no way of knowing when another heart would become available or how long my body would make it without one.
From the moment I was notified a heart had been donated, I had gone from disbelief to elation, from apprehension to acceptance, and now I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. How do I choose who lives or dies? The tough part was knowing what my family would go through if I didn’t receive another heart. I didn’t want to make my wife a widow. I wanted to live and see my grandchildren grow up. The easy part was knowing who needed the heart most. It was the toughest and the easiest decision I ever made.
The young man survived the surgery, and one week later I received my new heart, an even better physiological match for my body than the previous one. Several months later, one of the doctors told me that he knew no one in medical history who had chosen to give up a donor heart to someone else.
That was seven years ago. Today, it takes extra energy for me to walk, but I enjoy going places and meeting people. I wear shorts everywhere I go, no matter what the season or weather. I want people to see my prostheses and ask questions, so I can tell them about my medical miracles. When they ask, I tell them that God gave me new legs so I could walk with Him. Then, I explain how He gave me two new hearts – this physical heart transplanted into my chest cavity and a spiritual one deep in my soul, which overflows with His love.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our response to the Lord’s invitation, “Come to the feast”? What is the symbolism of the “wedding garment” mentioned in today’s gospel and its significance for us?
2. What does it mean for us personally to have a “new heart” … a “new spirit” … a “ new creation”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving God,
we thank you for the “feast of rich food and choice wines”
you have prepared for us on your holy mountain.
The “banquet of salvation” at the end time
celebrates the definitive triumph of your kingdom
and the glory of your Paschal Lamb.
In our daily celebration of the Eucharist,
we have a foretaste of the eternal joy
and the bounty of that heavenly feast.
Grant us the grace to weave a “wedding garment” of integrity and holiness
that we may be ready to participate fully and joyfully
in the eternal “banquet of salvation”.
Above all, grant to us, O Lord, a heart renewed
and recreate in us your spirit.
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.
“Many are invited, but few are chosen.” (Mt 22:14) // “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you.” (Ez 36: 26)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your small acts of charity and good deeds, strive to weave a “wedding garment” of integrity and holiness that will enable you to participate fully at the heavenly feasting. Animated with a new heart and new spirit give thanks for all the goodness that God continually does for us.
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August 19, 2016: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (20); SAINT JOHN EUDES, Priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Meaning of Love … He Calls Us to Rise from the Grave
of Sin and Despair”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 37:1-14 // Mt 22:34-40
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 22:34-40): “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself.”
(By Warren Padilla: Member: Pastoral Assistance and Community Education Mission)
Can you still remember your emotions when you first fell in love? What was your reaction? Didn’t you feel so excited and high, thinking about your beloved? You spent sleepless nights dreaming of being with your sweetheart. Oh, how love can be the most exciting thing in the world! If there is anything that makes a person so excited, it is love.
In like manner, there is nothing in the Christian life that is as exciting as the life of holiness. It can be said that the holiest people are the most excited people in the world. Wouldn’t you like to be excited, the way saints are? Well, be in love. If you love your fellowman the way Christ loves, you will be amazed how interesting life can be. Then the other blessings of God that you need will flow like a river into your life. That is why in today’s Gospel Jesus was asked by the Pharisees, “Teacher, which commandment of the law is the greatest?”
Jesus answered: “You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it; you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole law is based, and the prophets as well.”
A Christian can be considered obedient to God only if he obeys first and foremost, the greatest commandment of God. This is the foundation of holiness, the first thing that makes him pleasing to God. On the other hand, the unwillingness of a person to live up to this great commandment equally becomes the basis for his condemnation – the greatest failure he can ever commit.
It is impossible for a Christian to reconcile hatred and ill-feeling with his/her love of God and neighbor. You can never be with God if you have in your heart feelings of remorse, indifference, resentment and jealousy. You can never please God while trying to avoid somebody who has caused you trouble. There is no such thing as loving the Lord, when at the same time you bear grudges towards a certain person. The happiest people in the world are those Christians who are in love with God and with their fellowmen. In other words, loving God and hating your fellowman can never go together. You have to be filled with love towards one another in order to be with God. A Christian then is a person of love. The more in love you are, the holier you become.
B. First Reading (Ez 37:1-14): “Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. I will bring you back from your graves, O my people Israel.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 37:1-14) is fascinating, evocative and beautiful. Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones takes place in Babylon where Ezekiel is led out by the spirit of the Lord into a plain in which the remains of those who have perished in battle are unburied. By speaking the word of God, the dry bones take on flesh. By invoking the spirit from the “four winds” to come, the dead bodies are brought back to life. Ezekiel’s mystical vision symbolizes his mission to the exiles. Through his prophesying, the despairing will receive a new spirit that will enable them to rise from their lost hope and to lead a new life in the land of Israel. Indeed, the origin and future of Israel are found only in God. Israel has existed and can exist only by the action and grace of God. It is so for its birth and it is also for its rebirth. The Lord alone has the power to bring Israel back to life, to its own self and to its own land. Ezekiel’s vision of hope thus plays a vital role in the rebirth of Israel as a people after the exile.
The following modern day account is very inspiring and, like Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones being raised to life, brings hope to a despairing world (cf. http://www.faith2share.net).
JOHN TAE-SUK LEE (1962-2010): The Unknown Korean “Saint” of Sudan: John Tae-Suk was a South Korean missionary to southern Sudan, who was a medical practitioner before he became a Roman Catholic priest. He died on 14 January 2010 at the age of 48 from colon cancer but not before leaving behind a truly wonderful legacy and motivating thousands of people to do the same as he did; mainly, to feel and show unconditional love towards those less fortunate and to know that happiness exists everywhere, even in a country suffering from war, poverty and disease.
After his ordination in 2001, he traveled to Tonj, a town in southern Sudan deeply affected by war. He provided medical services, built a medical clinic with his own hands, established a school, gave music lessons, created a brass band with the children, and much more. However, the most touching mission he did was his tender ministration at the Tonj leper colony. Leprosy (or, rather, Hansen’s disease) is prevalent in that particular region and John Lee spent countless hours cleaning wounds, bandaging rotting limbs, driving out to make personal visits to those who could not move, and procuring medicine to alleviate the patients’ pain. He worked tirelessly to save the lives of those others had abandoned, while giving the people of Tonj hope through music and education.
John Tae-Suk was known to have a special way with the young people of Tonj. They were drawn to his winning personality and radiant smile. The locals knew the gentle confessor as “Fr. Jolly” – a name that stuck. He built the local school with the help of students and taught math and music. John Lee also started the Don Bosco Brass Band and found that music lifted up the youth, who were in dire circumstances. The Brass Band is now the most famous music group in southern Sudan.
John was extremely bright and had a joyful temperament. His, all too brief, life shows the great feats just one missionary can accomplish. As a result of his work there is now an infinitely higher standard of care for the victims of Hansen’s disease in southern Sudan.
After his death a Korean television documentary about Fr. John’s life in Tonj was adapted into a powerful film, “Don’t Cry for Me Sudan”. Within 10 minutes of watching him most people are reduced to tears. Some 120,000 people have watched the film in Seoul alone. Members of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest Buddhist denomination in South Korea, were greatly moved by the scenes depicting Fr John tending the lepers. Venerable Jaseung, the head of the order admitted that he was unsure whether to show it to Buddhist monks and lay people for fear they would convert to Catholicism after seeing it. “It depicts the good life of a Catholic missioner and I was worried some of us would convert to Catholicism after being moved by the film”, he said, but he went ahead because he believed that Fr. John was a good role model for Buddhists. “If we could have one Buddhist cleric like him, the better it would be for Buddhism”, he said.
Meanwhile, Catholics who are devoted to John Tae-Suk Lee are becoming greatly dissatisfied with his nickname, “the Schweitzer of Sudan”. For in some respects John Lee was an even better missionary than the Franco-German doctor and theologian. Albert Schweitzer was a great man, but is often charged with having held a snooty, superior attitude towards Africans. This could never be said of John Tae-Suk Lee, who is regarded by the southern Sudanese as a healer, friend and now an intercessor in heaven.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind? Do we love him with everything we have: a love that is whole-hearted, dynamic, and carried out with conviction, courage and commitment?
2. How does Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones taking on flesh and coming to life by the breath of the Spirit impact you? What are the various desperate situations you are experiencing that need the consoling message of the prophet Ezekiel?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind …You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39).
“This is my prayer to thee, my Lord – strike, strike at the penury in my heart. Give me strength never to disown the poor or bend my knees before insolent might, and give me the strength to surrender my strength to thy will with love.” (Rabindranath Tagore)
Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind …You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39).
“Grant me to recognize in other men, Lord God, the radiance of your face.” (Teilhard de Chardin)
Jesus said: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind …You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22:37, 39).
“Give us patience and fortitude to put self aside for you in the most unlikely people: to know that every man’s and any man’s suffering is our own first business, for which we must be willing to go out of our way and to leave our own interests.” (Caryll Houselander)
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.
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind …You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mt 22:37, 39) // “O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them.” (Ez 37:12)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Offer a concrete act of charity on behalf of the poor, the marginalized and the lonely, and the victims of man-made and natural calamities. That we may experience hope in the midst of despair and discouragement, make an effort to spend some quiet time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
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August 20, 2016: SATURDAY – SAINT BERNARD, Abbot, Doctor of the Church
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Practice What We Preach … He Is the Glory of God
Dwelling in Our Midst”
BIBLE READINGS
Ez 43:1-7b // Mt 23:1-12
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 23:1-12): “They preach but do not practice.”
(By Rodelio F. Paglinawan - Member: Society of Mary Queen of Apostles)
In today’s Gospel, we can learn two things that may be beneficial for our day-to-day living. These are (1) the practice of what we preach and (2) the virtue of humility. Although these two can be taken separately, they are closely intertwined in this gospel.
I remember a story about a teacher who taught her pupils to keep themselves and their surroundings clean and neat at all times. She even taught them how to help clean their houses. She told them how she hated the sight of a dirty house and its filthy surroundings. Her pupils were happy about the lesson, but hated the way it was taught to them. They thought that their teacher was conceited. One day, her pupils visited her in her house. To their disgust, they saw a lot of spider webs in her house. The floors were littered with so many things and a few cats feasted at the table on the leftover food. The teacher was so embarrassed when she saw her pupils’ reaction at what they had witnessed.
This story is told and retold in so many ways in our lives. We may be bragging about something that we have done and keep to ourselves the things that we failed to do. We may be bragging about a noble idea, which we cannot do ourselves. In both cases, traces of the story could be figured out. It will then be very embarrassing for us to face our own challenge and fail to meet the standard we ourselves have set. Humility is the best weapon we could have to counter this. Humility enables us to be what we should be, say only what we must say, and do only what we can, accepting our human limitations in the process. It is better to be humble than to be humiliated.
Trying our best to be Christ-like every day of our lives is the goal of every Christian. Saying what we mean, and meaning what we say could help us a lot. It would be better for us to avoid saying great things, which we ourselves cannot do. Now, I remember how most of my classmates in the seminary would put it: “the more we speak the more mistakes we commit; no talk, no mistake!” I am not promoting a speechless society here though. What I would like to underline is that we should only speak of the things that could add to the glory of God and his Church. Anything that would demean anyone in our community could also hurt the One whose image and likeness resides in them. Practicing what we preach … will make us humbler. Humility makes us nearer to the Almighty.
B. First Reading (Ez 43:1-7ab): “The glory of the Lord entered the temple.”
We end the series of readings taken from the Book of Ezekiel on a very positive note. Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 43:1-7ab) tells us of the return of the glory of God in the renewed temple. Led by a guide, the prophet Ezekiel sees the reconstituted temple being filled by the glory of the Lord. Ezekiel is overwhelmed and falls to his face. The spirit takes him to the inner court where God speaks to the prophet promising to make his reconstituted people his eternal dwelling place: “I will live here among the people of Israel and rule them forever.” Through Ezekiel’s prophetic vision, God assures us that he will dwell in our midst forever. This promise is accomplished in Jesus Christ, the true temple of God as well as the ultimate manifestation of divine glory.
The following story gives insight into the spiritual presence of God in a people who care for each other’s needs (cf. Richard Bauman, “The Tablecloth” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Cos Cob: CSS Publishing, 2008, p. 69-71).
A young minister had been called to serve at an old church that at one time had been a magnificent edifice in a wealthy part of town. Now the area was in a state of decline and the church was in bad shape. Nevertheless, the pastor and his wife were thrilled with the church and believed they could restore it to its former magnificence.
When the minister took charge of the church early in October 1949, he and his wife immediately went to work painting, repairing and attempting to restore it. Their goal was to have the old edifice looking its best for Christmas Eve services. Just two days before Christmas, however, a storm swept through the area, dumping more than an inch of rain. The roof of the old church sprung a leak just behind the altar. The plaster soaked up the water as if it were a sponge and then crumbled, leaving a gaping hole in the wall.
Dejected, the pastor and his wife looked at the defaced wall. There was obviously no chance to repair the damage before Christmas. Nearly three months of hard work had been washed away. Yet the young couple accepted the damage as God’s will and set about cleaning up the damp debris.
It was a depressed minister and his wife who attended a benefit auction for the church youth group that afternoon. One of the items put up for a bid was an old gold-and-ivory-colored lace tablecloth, nearly fifteen feet long. Seized with an inspiration, the pastor was the high bidder at $6.50. His idea was to hang the ornate cloth behind the altar to cover the ragged hole in the wall.
On the day before Christmas, snowflakes mingled with the howling wind. As the pastor unlocked the church doors, he noticed an older woman standing at the nearby bus stop. He knew the bus wouldn’t be there for at least half an hour, so he invited her inside to keep warm. She wasn’t from the neighborhood, she explained. She had been in the area to be interviewed for a job as a governess to the children of a well-known wealthy family. She had been a war refugee; her English was poor and she didn’t get the job.
Head bowed in prayer, she sat in a pew near the back of the church. She paid no attention to the pastor, who was hanging the tablecloth across the unsightly hole. When the woman looked up and saw the cloth, she rushed to the altar. “It’s mine!” she exclaimed. “It’s my banquet cloth!” Excitedly she told the surprised minister its history and even showed him her initials embroidered in one corner. She and her husband had lived in Vienna, Austria, and had opposed the Nazis before the Second World War. They decided to flee to Switzerland, but her husband said they must go separately. She left first. Later she heard that he had died in a concentration camp.
Touched by her story, the minister insisted she take the cloth. She thought about it for a moment but said no, she didn’t need it any longer, and it did look pretty hanging behind the altar. Then she said goodbye and left.
In the candlelight of the Christmas Eve services, the tablecloth looked even more magnificent. The white lace seemed dazzling in the flickering light of the candles, and the golden threads woven through it were like brilliant rays of a new dawn. As members of the congregation left the church, they complimented the pastor on the services and on how beautiful the church looked.
One older gentleman lingered, admiring the tablecloth, and as he was leaving he said to the minister: “It’s strange. Many years ago my wife – God rest her – and I owned such a tablecloth. She used it only on very special occasions. But we lived in Vienna then.” The night air was freezing, but the goosebumps on the pastor’s skin weren’t caused by the weather. As calmly as he could, he told the man about the woman who had been to the church that very afternoon. “Can it be”, gasped the old man, tears streaming down his cheeks, “that she is alive? How can I find her?”
The pastor remembered the name of the family who had interviewed the woman. With the trembling old man at his side, he telephoned the family and learned her name and address. In the pastor’s old car they drove to her home on the other side of the town. Together they knocked on her apartment door. When she opened it, the pastor witnessed the tearful, joyful and thrilling reunion of husband and wife.
If one link in the fragile chain of events had been broken, the husband and wife might never have found each other. If the rain hadn’t come, if the church roof hadn’t leaked, if the pastor decided not to go to the auction, if the woman hadn’t been for a job or standing on that corner at just the right time … The list of ifs is virtually endless.
It was simply God’s will. And, as it has been said many times, He works in mysterious ways.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Like some scribes and Pharisees rightly castigated for their vanity and hypocrisy, are we also guilty of these faults? If so, what do we do?
2. Do we believe that the glory of the Lord dwells in Christ’s temple, his body the Church? Do we welcome the mystery of the divine indwelling in the people redeemed by Christ’s blood?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
O loving God,
deliver us from falsehood and deception.
Give us the grace to imitate Jesus the Divine Master.
Teach us to follow his humble ways.
May his mind enlighten us,
his will strengthen us,
and his heart enflame us.
Let his glory dwell in us
and let us see his presence
in the living temple, the 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.
“You have but one teacher.” (Mt 23:8) // “The temple was filled with the glory of God.” (Ez 43:5)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for all teachers that they may always be limpid, credible and authentic in the way they teach. Practice daily examination of conscience to help you imitate the Divine Master in his humility and integrity and have the grace to practice what you preach. // Be attentive to the indwelling of God in the new temple of Christ, the Church.
***
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