A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 20, n. 43)
25th Week in Ordinary Time: September 18-24, 2022
(The pastoral tool BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY & WEEKDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy from various perspectives. For the Lectio Divina on the liturgy of the past week: September 11-17, 2022 please go to ARCHIVES Series 20 and click on “Week 24 Ordinary Time”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY:
September 18-24, 2022.)
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September 18, 2022: TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Wants Us to Be Enterprising”
BIBLE READINGS
Am 8:4-7 // 1 Tm 2:1-8 // Lk 16:1-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 16:1-13): “You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
This experience is told by a teenager writing in a Filipino national magazine. A Chinese family moved into their neighborhood. The local Filipino families considered their new neighbors “aliens”. They did not have much sympathy for them. The Chinese immigrants are good businessmen and generally have more resources than the local folks. Their business acumen and financial success sometimes generate a feeling of resentment among the natives. One day, the poor neighbors heard much bustling and activity from the rich Chinese home. They heard pigs being butchered and saw domestic helpers moving about laden with groceries. Enormous vessels of food were cooked outdoors. The aroma of delightful dishes stimulated not only the neighbors’ appetite, but also their curiosity. In the evening, the domestic helpers of the Chinese scurried through the neighborhood, lugging a gift for each poor family: a big wicker basket filled with a mouth-watering dinner to satisfy their hungry stomachs: “adobo” – a spicy pork dish, “pancit” – made of egg noodles and stir fry vegetables, and “leche flan” – a special creamy custard. There was also nicely cooked white rice and delicious, ripe fruits to make the meal complete. Instead of hosting a party for their relatives and friends, the Chinese family creatively celebrated the birthday of their daughter by preparing food baskets for the poor. The enterprising character of their charity slowly demolished the resistance of the local folks who eventually became their friends.
This Sunday’s Gospel reading is composed of the parable of the crafty steward and several of Jesus’ sayings about the right use of money. In the parable of the wily manager is Jesus’ invitation to his disciples to be enterprising in the pursuit of the kingdom of God. At the conclusion of the parable, Jesus says to his disciples: “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light”. In it is a powerful appeal to Christian followers, not only to be creative in the ways of kingdom stewardship, but also to be radically decisive when confronted with a crisis situation concerning God’s reign. Robert Karris remarks: “The steward was decisive when faced with a crisis, so too should Jesus’ listeners who are wavering in their decision to follow him and his kingdom message.”
An enterprising kingdom stewardship entails prudent use of wealth, day-to-day fidelity and trustworthiness in the management of earthly goods, and putting absolute priority on the spiritual reality over material goods. Jesus exhorts his disciples: “I tell you, make friends for yourself with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings”. The disciples of Jesus are to convert material wealth into heavenly capital by sharing them with the poor and needy. Indeed, there is only one honest and prudent way of using material goods: helping the poor.
Jesus also counsels his disciples to be trustworthy. Trustworthiness in small things leads to a greater trust in the realm of physical stewardship as well as spiritual realities. If we do not share our material and spiritual possessions, we will not be entrusted with the true, heavenly reality. If we share our material wealth and spiritual goods, we will receive the ultimate treasure of heaven – the love of God and full communion with him in eternity. Trustworthiness in dealing with material goods means daily faithfulness in using them with prudence and restraint in order to promote the advent of God’s kingdom on this earth.
Jesus Master reminds his disciples: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon”. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6, explain: “To serve with respect to God, has a strong significance; it implies an engagement of the whole person, an absolute preference, an undivided love … Serving amounts to adoring, worshipping. Applied to money, the term means the same thing, for Jesus speaks of money as an idol. The Gospel here calls it mammon, a name that personifies it as a power that rules the world. We see all too often that money can be an idol to which everything is sacrificed … In short, one must choose: God or the god Money. It is impossible to serve both at once. No compromise may be made between them. One is faced with an unavoidable choice.”
B. First Reading (Am 8:4-7): “Against those who buy the poor for money.”
The article “Struggle for the Soul of Pakistan” in the September 2007 edition of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine (cf. p. 32-59) tells of injustice inflicted upon the poor, which is a trans-cultural and universal reality. The article’s author Don Belt narrates:
Highways in Pakistan are a kind of national theater, in which throngs of people, nearly all men, hunker down on the roadside like spectators at a cock-fight, keenly observing all that passes with an air of amused expectation. Stop along the roadway for a cup of tea, and you hear things. You hear people talk about chronic injustice. They tell stories of people losing their land, their lives, their honor, with no recourse. It is easy to think they exaggerate. And then you meet someone else who changes your mind. A girl called Najma, who is 16, speaks in a cautious monotone, and it is difficult to know, after what happened, whether she will ever speak naturally again. She still wears the delicate ring in her nose that signifies virginity. On this day she also wears a pink head scarf wrapped around her face, pretty and round with high cheekbones and wide-set eyes, though now dull and without expression, like a captive… She sits next to her mother on the bed where the incident occurred and tries to talk without crying.
Two weeks ago, at one in the morning, five men, maybe six, burst through the door of the family’s mud-brick home, which sits on a tiny plot of land in the village of Nizampur in southern Punjab. They identified themselves as police and said they were searching for weapons. One held a pistol to her mother’s chest while another pinned her nine-year old brother, Rizwan, to the floor. And then two men held Najma down on the bed while a third raped her. The leader masked his face with a scarf, her mother says, but she recognized the raspy voice of their neighbor, a police constable, who lives 200 yards away and wants the plot of wheat that Najma’s family moved here to farm 40 years ago. According to the complaint Najma’s father filed with the police, the attack resulted from his refusal to vacate the land. After the rape, the men spent a few minutes ransacking the house. As they left, they delivered a warning: Leave this place, or we’ll be back for your other daughter.
The violence and injustice experienced by young Najma and her family evokes the sickening crimes committed against the poor that the eighth-century prophet Amos indicts in this Sunday’s Old Testament reading (Am 8:4-7). From the small Judean village in Tekoa, among the hills of Jerusalem on the edge of the desert, Amos - a courageous shepherd and dresser of sycamore trees – prophesies against the northern kingdom of Israel. He powerfully denounces the social injustice in the land and riles against the raw exploitation of the poor. In today’s scripture passage, Amos exposes the appalling connection between contempt for religious festivals and the exploitation of the poor. The prophet assails the inordinate attachment to money and material goods by the rich and powerful, for it closes their hearts to the needy and goads them to commit brutal crimes against the poor, impoverishing them even more. Such greed and selfishness turn them away from the Lord and make them worship the material possessions as their own gods.
Amos speaks of social injustice as being a blasphemy against God. Indeed, Amos is a prophet for all time, especially for our modern society that is convulsed with subtle but more sordid forms of social injustice. Our poor do not always have the chance as others of experiencing true justice. Moreover, the rich and powerful of today would exploit them with a vise grip through legal cloak, control of courts, intimidation and coercion. Against the backdrop of a social situation reeking with injustice, the prophecy of Amos offers Yahweh’s strong promise of retribution. Yahweh’s declaration is both a condemnation for the greedy rich and a consolation for the vulnerable poor: “Never will I forget a thing they have done” (Am 8:7).
C. Second Reading (1 Tm 2:1-8): “Let prayers be offered for everyone to God who wills everyone to be saved.”
The Second Reading (1 Tm 2:1-8) invites us to a ministry of prayer to God who wills everyone to be saved. Prayer is a means of accomplishing the divine plan of salvation. The liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent comments: “We are urged here to pray for all men so that they may be saved. Such prayer is efficacious, but its efficacy derives from Christ Jesus, who gives himself as a ransom for all. The apostle’s role is to bring this gift to men. The Christian community is meant to be a community of prayer, and Paul asks that in every place Christians should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling. This is to say that their intention must be upright; they do not pray to draw down wrath from heaven on their enemies or to further their personal ambition … Paul is here urging us to frequent prayer that is not limited to the time of liturgy. We are to be really preoccupied with the salvation of all men, for we share responsibility for them with Christ.”
Let us offer our prayers for all: for civil authorities and for everyone that all may be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. Let us pray for those who aid the world’s poor and work to bring God’s saving compassion, especially in today’s distressed society. The following prayer of Bishop Helder Camara, a modern day believer, underlines a resolve to uphold the Christian prophetic stance on behalf of the world’s poor, while trusting in the help and grace of God.
Allow me, Lord, a special intention for my people, the world of the silenced. There are thousands upon thousands of human creatures – in poor countries and in the poor areas of rich countries – without the right to lift their voices, to shout and protest, however just the rights they seek to defend may be: those without homes, food, clothing, health, a minimum of education; those without work, future, or hope. They will fall into fatalism; they are discouraged; they lose their voice; they fall silent.
If we believe in you, and in various religions, help our rich and privileged brethren – opening their eyes, rousing their conscience – injustices could not increase, the distance between the poor and rich would not be glaring, not only between individuals and groups of individuals, but between countries, and even between continents. Do, Lord, what we did not and still do not know how to do.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Do I belong to “the children of light”? If so, do I respond positively to Jesus’ challenge to be creative and enterprising in promoting God’s kingdom? How do I manage material and spiritual goods? Is it with prudence, trustworthiness and personal dedication? Or is it with undue attachment to possessions? What is my decisive response to Jesus’ assertion: “You cannot serve both God and mammon”? What is my fundamental choice and primary directive?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
grant us the grace to be enterprising
in the pursuit of your kingdom.
Help us to use creatively
the spiritual and material goods you have given us
by sharing them with the poor and needy.
May we be faithful and trustworthy in managing the goods
you have entrusted to us, your children.
Above all, may we love and serve you alone,
our true treasure and absolute good
for we have gleaned the truth of Jesus’ saying:
“You cannot serve both God and mammon”.
As the lowly stewards of your gifts,
we adore you, love you and praise you,
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.
“You cannot serve both God and mammon.” (Lk 16:13).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray in supplication for those who find themselves tempted with the cult of mammon and have fallen victim to this terrible temptation. With the aid of material and spiritual possessions given you by the Lord, minister to the needs of the poor. Find a creative and enterprising way of relieving the plight of the poor.
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September 19, 2022: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (25); SAINT JANUARIUS, Bishop, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Radiate the Light of God’s Word … He Teaches Us to Tread the Path of Wisdom”
BIBLE READINGS
Prv 3:27-34 // Lk 8:16-18
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 8:16-18): “A lamp is placed on a lamp stand so that those who enter may see the light.”
Today’s Gospel reading (Lk 8:16-18) helps us to understand the role of Christians in the world. We are to shine and manifest to others, by the way we live, the light of God’s word. Just as a lamp is intended to give light, so the word of Jesus is to be received and become a light for our soul and irradiated to others. We are the light of the world. Our Christian discipleship involves public witnessing of the spiritual light received from God. We reflect the light of Christ in the same way that a glowing bride reflects the radiance that comes from love. In order that those who are entering God’s kingdom may continue to see the light and be channels of that light, we need to be receptive to his word. Jesus exhorts us: “Take care, then, how you hear.” When we open our hearts to the word of God, we become richer and richer in the life it engenders and nourishes. When we do not listen to the word of God and fail to act upon it, the spiritual life that has earlier germinated withers away.
The following article illustrates the beauty and power of spiritual light that fills our heart and the tremendous value of personal receptivity that enables us to experience the true “gift of sight” (cf. Marilyn Morgan King in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 387).
As highly as I value the faces of the people I love, vibrant colors, the beauty of the mountains and the mystery of night, there is one thing I love more. It’s an un-nameable splendor, a mystery far greater than I, not personal to me, and it lives in the heart of every being. Now and then I’ve caught glimpses of it in silent prayer, and I’ve come to know it as vast and boundless, all-loving and ablaze with the light of the Spirit.
Though I may someday lose my physical sight, I’ll be okay, because I’ll remind myself of Helen Keller’s words: “The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched. They must be felt with the heart.”
And I’ll pull up some of the many inspiring images I’ve stored in my heart to feed my soul when it’s hungry for beauty. Often, as I’m falling asleep or waking up, images appear behind my closed eyelids - of wisteria flowers, or the sad-glorious stained glass window by Marc Chagall; or a twenty-foot-high rhododendron bush with my love smiling in front of it; or of a sometimes flaming, sometimes softly glowing Nebraska sunset.
Sometimes I have even seen an image of Jesus holding a little lamb snuggled against His cheek. That’s when I remember my Aunt Alta’s words as she was dying: “Oh! He is beautiful!” Now I think I know Who she saw with her blind eyes.
B. First Reading (Prv 3:27-34): “The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked.”
For three days, starting today, some passages from the Book of Proverbs will be proclaimed as the liturgy’s First Reading. The Book of Proverbs is a collection of moral and religious teachings in the form of sayings and proverbs. Much of it has to do with practical, everyday concerns. It speaks not only of religious morality, but also of common sense and good manners. The Book of Proverbs depicts the universal wisdom or common sense that allows individuals and communities to conduct their lives reasonably and responsibly. This wisdom, however, is brought under God’s guidance.
Today’s passage (Prv 3:27-34) reports five sayings about being a good neighbor: doing good to those who need it; not delaying a charitable deed; not plotting evil against a trusting neighbor; not to pick a quarrel with an innocent one; not to imitate the violent. These “wisdom sayings” are reinforced by delineating the Lord’s twofold ways: The Lord hates people who do evil but gives his friendship to the righteous; the Lord puts a curse on the homes of wicked men, but blesses the home of the righteous; the Lord is stern with the arrogant, but shows favor to the humble. Indeed, we are being invited to tread the path of wisdom, together with the community of the anawim or the poor of Yahweh. True knowledge of God steers us away from the path of evil and violence and leads us into the path of life and communion with God.
The following modern day account illustrates the benevolent, or wicked ways, of dealing with one’s neighbors (cf. Karen Valentine in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 357).
When my parents moved from New York City to Florida, they left their spacious rent-controlled apartment a block from Central Park. I was living in the Bronx at the time and the lease on my apartment had a while to go, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to live in Manhattan.
A young woman whom I knew and trusted was interested in subleasing my Bronx apartment, and I wrote an enthusiastic letter to the landowner, who agreed to the arrangement with no problem. I breathed a sigh of relief and moved to Manhattan worry-free.
Some months later I was shocked to learn that the woman whom I thought I could trust owed thousands of dollars in rent and, without a word, had fled to another state. Since the lease was under my name, I was left holding the bill. I felt betrayed, foolish and terrified by the thought of having to pay back the rent. Because I didn’t want my family to worry, I kept the problem to myself. Most of all, I felt alone.
The one place I did turn to was my church. I needed a shoulder to cry on and lots of prayer. As I expected, my friends listened to my troubles and prayed with me to repair the damage done. What I didn’t expect was by the next day my church had cleared the debt. I couldn’t believe it.
Grateful is a pale reflection of how I felt. By lifting my burden, they showed me that I was family. I had no need to feel alone.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How do we respond to the light of God’s word? Do we allow this light to fill our hearts and allow its radiance to enlighten the morbid shadows around us? Are we channels of God’s light for others?
2. Do we treat our neighbors reasonably, responsibly and compassionately?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we thank you for the light of God’s word.
Your light shines in the world’s darkness,
but the darkness has not overcome it.
Help us to light the lamp of truth
so that those seeking to enter your kingdom
may see your life-giving light.
Teach us to listen to your word.
By our responsible and compassionate acts,
may we be good neighbors to others,
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.
“He places the lamp on a stand so that those who enter may see light.” (Lk 8:16) // “The dwelling of the just the Lord blesses.” (Prv 3: 33)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By our daily acts of charity and compassion to our brothers and sisters, let us help overcome the shadows of sin and death that darken our world.
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September 20, 2022: TUESDAY – SAINTS ANDREW KIM TAE-GON, Priest, AND APUL CHONG HA-SANG, AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Family Hears and Acts on God’s Word … He is the Just One”
BIBLE READINGS
Prv 21:1-6, 10-13 // Lk 8:19-21
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 8:19-21): “My mother and my brother are those who hear the word of God and act upon it.”
Today’s Gospel (Lk 8:19-21) continues to challenge us to respond fully to the word of God. The mother of Jesus and other relatives come to see Jesus, but are prevented by the thick crowd. They stand outside and call for him. The Divine Master wisely uses the occasion of their visit to assert that the fundamental relationship to him lies not through blood ties or other earthly connections, but through hearing and acting upon the word of God. While his kin are waiting, Jesus delineates what constitutes his spiritual family – those who hear and obey the divine word are the authentic family members. In light of Mary’s response at the Lord’s annunciation, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word”, the mother of Jesus passes the criterion with flying colors. Mary is the supreme model of one who hears and acts upon the word. Mary is the exemplar of receptivity to the divine word. In her womb, the word of God becomes flesh and she brings forth the Savior of the world. Mary is truly the mother of Jesus and is thus the most privileged member of the “family of God”.
In a humorous vein, the following story gives insight into the meaning of “family” (cf. Davida Dalton, as told to Jo Ellen Johnson, “In His Mother’s Footsteps” in Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1997, p. 108-109).
It was a busy day in our Costa Mesa, California home. But then, with 10 children and one on the way, every day was a bit hectic. On this particular day, however, I was having trouble doing even routine chores – all because of one little boy.
Len, who was three at the time, was on my heels no matter where I went. Whenever I stopped to do something and turned back around, I would trip over him. Several times, I patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. “Wouldn’t you like to play on the swing set?” I asked again.
But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, “Oh, that’s all right, Mommy, I’d rather be in here with you.” Then he continued to bounce happily along behind me.
After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I began to lose my patience and insisted that he go outside and play with the other children. When I asked him why he was acting this way, he looked up at me with sweet green eyes and said, “Well, Mommy, in Primary my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But I can’t see him, so I’m walking in yours.”
I gathered Len in my arms and held him close. Tears of love and humility spilled over from the prayer that grew in my heart – a prayer of thanks for the simple, yet beautiful perspective of a three-year-old boy.
B. First Reading (Prv 21:1-6, 10-13): “Various proverbs.”
The following modern day account helps us understand how God proves man’s heart and how he comes to the aid of those who cry out to him for help (cf. William Joseph, “The Fix” in Guideposts, September 2014, p. 48-52).
Near my church, I found a supermarket that sold doughnuts by the half dozen. A package of those always perked me up. Temporarily, anyway. Then I’d have to give a sermon or run a Bible study, and I’d buy another package. One was never enough. I didn’t want anyone to notice how many doughnuts I ate. It was none of their concern. I scoped out other doughnut shops in town. Before long, I knew where every Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts was and could vary my visits. Now I needed a whole dozen to feel satisfied. I’d ditch the boxes in a garbage can on the street, not at home or at church, where someone might get suspicious. I felt ashamed, and shame made me want to eat more doughnuts. (…)
At least I’m not like Dad, I thought, sitting in the Krispy Kreme parking lot that morning. I glanced at the four boxes on the passenger seat. I’d done all I could to live an upstanding life. I was married, had kids, a wife I adored. I was a pastor and led a congregation. I was doing God’s work. I could always scale back on the doughnuts if I wanted to. Eat just one or two, the way I used to. But could I? (…)
Now, three of the boxes lay empty. I opened the fourth and crammed another doughnut into my mouth. I could hardly taste it, yet I couldn’t stop. My eyes welled with tears of shame and helplessness. I felt sick to my stomach, the way I usually felt these days. Sluggish, moody and constantly stressed. Kim worried about my lack of energy, and my doctor had warned me to watch my weight, which had ballooned from 210 to 290. Nobody knew the real reason, except me. I’d kept my doughnuts a secret from everyone. Why was I doing this to myself? I was acting just like … Dad?
I shook my head. It was too scary to think about. There’s a big difference between doughnuts and booze, I told myself. Deep inside a little voice whispered, Yes, but an addiction is an addiction.
The next morning I woke up dizzy. Aches and pains coursed through my body, like I had the flu. I stayed in bed all week and missed giving my next sermon. I’d never done that before. I missed the one after that too. Finally, Kim begged me to see my doctor. “You’ve got an infection in your blood”, he said, “from untreated diabetes.” He prescribed an antibiotic and shot me a grave look. “If you hadn’t come in for treatment today, you would have been in a very serious trouble. Maybe even life-threatening.
I’d heard words like that before. Your father had so much alcohol in his blood; he’s lucky to be alive, his doctor had said. Now mine said the same. I’d lost control, just as Dad had. I thought I would never understand him. Now I did. I was an addict, just like him.
Back home, I worked up my courage, picked up the phone, and called the only person who could help me. The only one who would understand. “Doughnuts?” Dad asked, chuckling. “Let me guess. You feel powerless. Not able to stop once you start. Going on even after you’ve lost the taste. You feel shame and remorse.” He cleared his throat. “Well, I was exactly the same way, son. Then I started going to those meetings I told you about. Sharing my story and my pain with others. I’ve been sober ever since.”
I swallowed hard. “How did you make the cravings go away?” “You turn it over”, he said. “You give it up to God. You pray and you fight for sobriety every day. Honesty is the key. And you know what? It gets better. In fact, it gets better. In fact, it gets great!”
For the first time, I understood those years Dad had spent himself drinking into a stupor, hiding from the family. Both of us had been chasing after something you can’t put in a bottle or bake into a doughnut. We were trying to fill a hole in our lives, to satisfy a spiritual longing. I’d felt helpless when it came to Dad’s alcoholism and I’d turned to my own addiction to cover up that feeling. I’d stopped trusting God. I’d put my faith in doughnuts to make me feel whole.
Dad had gotten better, and I could too. Prayer was the first step. I asked God for strength, not to stop eating doughnuts but to get honest about my situation. (…)
It wasn’t easy, but prayer and honesty, love and understanding saw me through. I haven’t touched a doughnut in over 20 years – I’ve been “clean” all that time. Dad stayed sober till the end of his life. He was my hero and inspiration. I saw how much we were alike, and that drew us closer, both to each other and to God.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I truly hear the word of God and act upon it? Do I look upon Mary as the model of hearing and acting upon his word?
2. Do I believe that God is in absolute control of our destiny and that he proves the depths of man’s heart? Do we turn over to God our miseries and pains, our enslavements and helplessness, our need for direction and meaning in life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
we thank you for giving us
the true criterion of kinship with you.
Help us to look upon Mary
as the supreme model of hearing and acting upon the word
so that we may truly belong to your family.
In your name,
let us be brothers and sisters to one another.
We bless and thank you
for making us a part of the family of God.
Guide us constantly in the way of God’s commands.
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.
“My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Lk 8:21) // “It is the Lord who proves hearts.” (Prv 21:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your prayers and concrete acts of charity, be a brother or a sister to those in need. Let the good Lord prove the deepest motives in your heart and purify your thoughts, actions and intentions.
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September 21, 2022: WEDNESDAY – SAINT MATTHEW, APOSTLE, EVANGELIST
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Matthew to Follow Him … He Is the Source of Gifts to Build Up the Church”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 4:1-7, 11-13 // Mt 9:9-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:9-13): “Follow me. And standing up, he followed him.”
The Fresno-based Poverello House is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization whose mission is to enrich the lives and spirits of all who pass their way, to feed the hungry, offer focused rehabilitation programs, temporary shelter, medical, dental and other basic services to the poor, the homeless, the disadvantaged, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex or disability through Providential and community support. Its founder is Mike McGarvin, a man who had experienced God’s mercy and transforming compassion through a saintly Franciscan priest, Fr. Simon Scanlon. They met at the “Poverello Coffee House” which Fr. Simon opened in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, notorious for its poverty, prostitution and violence. Mike narrates: “Gradually my life of self-indulgent destruction was being replaced by a life of service … I began seeing people through Father Simon’s eyes. He, in turn, saw people through Christ’s eyes, and he deeply believed that Jesus walked among the poor and the outcast. It was a revelation to me. The more I got to know the people who came to Poverello, the more compassion I felt for them.”
Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 9:9-13) is not only a concise presentation of Matthew’s vocation story, but also a powerful theology of the Christ, as full of compassion and mercy. The liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent explains: “St. Matthew records his own calling in a simple, straightforward way … Christ chooses and calls; the person chosen and called immediately leaves everything and follows Jesus … Jesus comes to dine with Matthew and the other disciples in Matthew’s house at Capernaum; they are joined at table by many tax collectors and sinners, to whose ranks Matthew belonged until now. It is easy to see the point Matthew wants to make, namely, that Jesus has come into the world to save not only the Jews but others as well, including sinners. When Jesus is challenged for eating with sinners, we observe that he does not justify himself but simply speaks of himself as a physician. A physician does not have to justify his presence among the sick; neither does Jesus. Matthew is thus, once again, offering us a theology of the Christ. Jesus is characterized by mercy, because his Father is mercy itself and he, Jesus, has been sent in order to communicate God’s mercy.”
B. First Reading: Eph 4:1-7, 11-13: “It was his gift that some should be apostles, others evangelists.”
Today’s First Reading (Eph 4:1-7, 11-13) is about the unity and growth in the Body of Christ and the various gifts received from Christ for the building up of the Church. Saint Paul urges the believers to live a life worthy of their Christian calling. The Holy Spirit, the single inner source of Christian life, moves all members toward what promotes peace and harmony. Within this basic unity, there are gifts from the Risen Christ so that each member may contribute in a unique way to the growth and progress of the Church. The one who “gave gifts to mankind” has appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. Saint Matthew is an example of those whose roles are essential to the life of the Church. The giftedness of the Church is in view of the unity in our faith and the growth in the knowledge of Christ. We endeavor to become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ’s stature.
The following profile of a parishioner shows how one’s “gifts” are used for Church ministry and the building of the Body of Christ (cf. Jessi Emmert, “Francis O’Brien: Constant Fixture at His Parish” in Our Sunday Visitor, December 30, 2012, p. 12).
Francis O’Brien, a retired military officer, is a vital part of St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Roswell, Georgia. He leads the Rosary before the 8:00 a.m. daily Mass, serves as a lector when needed and is secretary of the parish’s pro-life committee. “He’s the type of person who is quiet”, said Yakaly Fernandez, a fellow parishioner. “He will do things without anybody knowing, and that’s what I think is amazing.” O’Brien is a fixture in the parish. “He’s there every single morning”, Fernandez said.
O’Brien loves his parish because of its active and vibrant culture. “We have perpetual Eucharistic adoration, which is a great thing for a parish”, he said. “I take part in that.”
O’Brien’s wife, Judy, is also involved at St. Peter Chanel and serves on the pro-life committee with him. The parish is the closest one to the couple’s home, and they have been attending since the parish began in 1998. O’Brien described how they have seen the church grow throughout the years. “In the beginning, Mass was being held in school gymnasiums and so on, then to the temporary sanctuary, and now we’re in the permanent church”, he said.
O’Brien is also involved in a Catholic outreach, “The Society of St. Francis and St. Therese” that sends out postcards to the public, offering a free course in Catholicism. He has used his retirement in a beautiful way that gives back to the Church. His passion for stewardship, evangelization, service and commitment to life represent the qualities of a strong and focused parishioner.
O’Brien is a symbol of the countless men and women who serve in parishes around the world. While they may not have an official title in the Church, their dedication and servants’ hearts make the ministry of the Catholic Church possible. Their silent but steadfast work may often go unnoticed, but they deserve a standing ovation for their loyalty and love.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. What is our response to Jesus’ call addressed personally to each of us, “Follow me”? Are we willing to welcome fully into our hearts Jesus and the gift of divine mercy that he brings?
2. How do we promote the unity and vitality of the Church? What are the “gifts” we have received from the Risen Christ and how do we use them for the building up of the Church?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are kind and merciful.
In calling Matthew,
and in dining with sinners and tax collectors,
you reveal that you are truly the divine physician
who comes to heal our sickness and infirmities.
Help us to cling to your words:
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
we are many parts of the one body.
We thank you for the oneness and fullness that you give us
through Christ in the Spirit.
May the “gifts” we have received
be wisely used for service
and to build up the Body of Christ.
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.
“Follow me.” (Mt 9:9) //“But grace was given to each of us.” (Eph 4:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your vocation, ministry and compassionate acts of mercy, resound in today’s world God’s call to Matthew and to us all: “Follow me!” // Identify your “gifts” received from the Risen Christ and, in imitation of Saint Matthew, put them to use for the building up of Christ’s Body, the Church.
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September 22: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (25)
“JESUS SAVIOR: Herod Wants to See Him … He is the Wisdom Incarnate
BIBLE READINGS
Eccl 1:2-11 // Lk 9:7-9
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 9:7-9): “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?”
In India I was struck by a powerful image given to us by a priest in a retreat conference. A stone is submerged in the bottom of a river – for days and days, for months and months, for years and years, for ages and ages – but never soaked and drenched. It is impervious. At the core it remains dry and lifeless. The impenetrable stone surrounded by clear waters is a pathetic image of Herod Antipas who is resistant to grace. He is licentious and feckless. He lives in incestuous union with Herodias. John the Baptist censures him severely for taking his brother’s wife. Herod retaliates by having him arrested and imprisoned. On account of a senseless oath to a stepdaughter who delighted him with a sensuous dance, he has John the Baptist beheaded. Herod is also superstitious.
In the Gospel reading (Lk 9:7-9), the wild news about Jesus of Nazareth being John the Baptist raised from the dead baffles Herod. He keeps trying to see Jesus. But when he finally sees Jesus in a mock trial before the latter’s passion and crucifixion, he would want to see him perform some miracle and be entertained with religious prodigies. Jesus however would not respond to his frivolous questions and requests. The Son of God would remain silent. Too sated with self-centered pleasure-seeking, Herod would not able to recognize the presence of grace standing before him. Herod would not be moved to repentance conversion by the Word of God. Respecting his fundamental choice, the incarnate love would have difficulty penetrating his heart wholly taken up by frivolity and corruption.
The following story illustrates the tragedy of making evil choices and of being impervious to divine grace (cf. David Schantz, Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 22).
My minister-father was a storyteller, and the best part of Sunday was listening to his stories from the pulpit. One of my favorites was about an exceptional contractor who built beautiful homes. There was always a long waiting list of customers.
One day the contractor told his foreman, “I need to go East for a few months, and while I’m gone I want you to build this house for me.” He showed the foreman the plans. “I want this to be the best house you’ve ever built for me. Spare no expense. I want it done right.”
When his boss left, the foreman got to thinking, “This is a big project. I could make some extra money on it by substituting grade-B materials where they won’t show. I could pocket the difference.”
When the boss returned, he was impressed. “The house is beautiful!” He put his arm around the foreman’s shoulders. “The reason I wanted you to make this house special is that I want you to have it as an expression of my gratitude for your years of service to me.”
The foreman’s face fell, knowing that he had cheated only himself.
B. First Reading (Eccl 1:2-11): “Nothing is new under the sun.”
For the next three days we shall be hearing from the book of Ecclesiastes. The title “Ecclesiastes” given to the book is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name “Qoheleth”, which means “one who convokes the assembly”. The purported author is “Qoheleth, David’s son, king in Jerusalem”. Qoheleth is not to be identified with King Solomon. The unknown author who presents himself as “Qoheleth” uses the fiction of a wise and rich king, for wisdom is usually associated with royalty and the riches enable him to conduct his examination of life’s realities. Qoheleth lived sometime between 300 and 200 B.C. He was probably a teacher in Jerusalem and one of the more honored members of the Jerusalem academic community.
Today’s passage (Eccl 1:2-11) asserts that all things are vanity. The relentless monotony - in the world of toil, in the sun that rises and sets each day, in the wind that keeps on blowing in one direction and in the other, and in the rivers that keep on flowing into the sea without ever filling it – symbolizes man’s failure to accomplish anything. We keep on explaining, but we never really say anything. We keep seeing and hearing, but we never know what it is all about. We pride ourselves with new achievements, but they are not really “new”, they have simply been forgotten and are destined to be forgotten. Qoheleth’s ritornello is “vanity” (in Hebrew, hebel), something that is transient, worthless and empty.
The Book of Qoheleth presents a totally negative portrayal of life and an assessment that all things are vain and futile. But this is so in order to give priority to the service of God. Qoheleth’s fairly well organized series of reflections on life is a good backdrop for the radical revelation about the meaning of life that the Son of God would bring in the fullness of time.
The following “wisdom stories” illustrate a basic approach to life that surpasses Qoheleth’s principle “all things are vanity” (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 32). Reality is not “vanity”. There is meaningfulness in reality to which we can respond positively and graciously.
A Rabbi once asked a pupil what was bothering him. “My poverty” was the reply. “So wretched is my condition that I can hardly study and pray.” “In this day and age”, said the Rabbi, “the finest prayer and the finest study lie in accepting life exactly as you find it.
***
On a bitterly cold day a Rabbi and his disciples were huddled around a fire. One of the disciples, echoing his master’s teaching, said, “On a freezing day like this I know exactly what to do!” “What?” asked the others. “Keep warm! And if that isn’t possible, I still know what to do.” “What?” “Freeze.”
***
Present Reality cannot really be rejected or accepted. To run away from it is like running away from your feet. To accept it is like kissing your lips. All you need to do is see, understand, and be at rest.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we make habitual and chronic evil choices so that we become impervious to God’s grace? Are we like Herod Antipas in our behavior and choices?
2. How does Qoheleth’s observation “all things are vanity” impact you?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus, the incarnate Wisdom of God,
you preach the Good News
and call people to conversion.
Please help us to listen to your voice
and make a fundamental choice for you.
Help us to avoid the tragic choices of Herod.
Do not allow us to pursue mere “vanities”.
Teach us to respond to divine grace
and let us be filled with the love and blessings of God.
You are our glorious Savior, 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.
“And Herod kept trying to see him.” (Lk 9:9) // “All things are vanity!” (Eccl 1:2)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that our daily choices might be responsible and in accordance to the will of God. Make an effort to enlighten the people around you in making the “right” choice for our Savior Jesus. Pray to the Holy Spirit so that you may discern what is vain and what is truly meaningful in life.
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September 23, 2022: FRIDAY – SAINT PIUS OF PIETRELCINA, Priest
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Predicts His Passion and Glorification … He Is the Lord of Time”
BIBLE READINGS
Eccl 3:1-11 // Lk 9:18-22
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 9:18-22): “You are the Christ of God. The Son of Man must suffer greatly.”
I visited the California State Fair for the first time on August 29, 2003. I had a great time at the Fine Arts section of the Expo Center Building where I saw a painting entitled “Napping in the Garden”. The body of Christ, stretched in the form of a cross, is sleeping peacefully in a cosmic garden of incredible beauty. Jesus Christ is surrounded by ministering angels and created beings. The artist’s message for me is incisive. The one “napping in the garden” is the Servant of Yahweh, who offered his ultimate service on the cross. The “Messiah of God” is now at the center of adoration and ministry of the entire cosmos.
Jesus, acknowledged by Peter as the “Messiah of God”, presents himself to his disciples as the Suffering Servant. In today’s Gospel (Lk 9:18-22), he predicts his passion and glorification. The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will be raised to life. Although Jesus speaks of suffering and death, what triumphs ultimately is the power of life. There is redemption in his total self-giving.
The following story gives us a glimpse of the saving glory that comes in living out our paschal destiny (cf. Roberta Messner in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 27).
For forty years I suffered with head and mouth pain from tumors caused by an incurable disorder. I lived from moment to moment and went to great lengths to get my mind off the relentless pain. Then a curious thing happened: I began to notice that whenever I turned my thoughts to others instead of dwelling on myself, I experienced an incredible sense of well-being. Whether I was planning to give, anticipating the act of giving or doing the giving myself, I could feel my entire body change.
One of the most difficult aspects of living with intractable pain is getting started in the morning. So before turning in each night, I placed a gift for someone at work alongside my car keys. It might be as simple as an article clipped from a magazine or coupons for laundry detergent or a tea bag in a new herbal flavor. Or it might be a pair of earrings I really wanted for myself that God nudged me to give away.
I mentioned my newfound approach to my physician, Dr. Brownfield. He told me that my discovery was supported by both the Bible and medical science. “Giving releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, Roberta. Studies have actually shown that volunteers, some of the most devoted givers of all, lead happier, healthier and longer lives.” He closed our time together that day with a prayer that God would continue to bless me with the abundant life He promises in His Word, the giving life.
Since that day I’ve continued to give in the ways God directs. And I hadn’t needed a single dose of breakthrough pain medicine. I’ve come to understand that giving is a God-given tool – like exercise and a balanced diet – that helps us to live the full life He has in mind for us.
B. First Reading (Eccl 3:1-11): “There is a time for everything under the heavens.”
Today’s Old Testament reading (Eccl 3:1-11) is a piece of poetic beauty. It depicts the vicissitudes of life, which are totally under God’s control. There is “a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot the plant …” God rules over these events and the succession of these events. He runs things off according to his own time and at the right time. Man cannot even dispose of such time as planting, much less of birth and death. Life and death lie beyond human control. Indeed, what can we get from our human toil if it is not done in accordance with God’s will … if it is not done at the “right time”? God has set the right time for everything. The Lord God has also put within us the desire for eternity (the “timeless”), but we can never fathom his absolute dominion of eternity and infinity. Qoheleth thus advises us just to do the best we can while we are still alive. In the midst of a temporal existence, he also advises us to eat and drink and enjoy what is God’s gift.
The following modern day account gives insight into how we can we live our life reasonably and more consonant with “God’s time” (cf. Michelle Mach, “The Lunch Hour” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Cos Cob: CSS, 2009, p. 309-310).
I clutched a yogurt in one hand as I tried to eat and catch up on customer e-mail during the noon hour. Even fifteen minutes in the employee lunchroom seemed too much of a luxury. My company, like many companies, had cut costs by mot replacing people as they left. The survivors are expected to take up the slack. For me, this meant no lunch hour, plus taking work home in the evening or on the weekend. (…)
I felt trapped. Then a chance conversation with a stranger’s six-year-old daughter changed my outlook. The young girl was positively bouncy, standing in line with her mom at the grocery store. “Good day at the school?” I asked. A nod. “What’s your favorite subject?” “Lunch.”
I smiled at the answer. I remembered when that had been my answer. At lunch, there were no adults to tell you what to do and when to do it. You could sit and talk with your friends or play an exuberant game of four-square. You could draw pictures or swing on the monkey bars. The time was yours to do whatever you wanted. Sometimes we planned our time, bringing stickers or Chinese jacks for a weeklong tournament. Sometimes we were more spontaneous, only deciding what to do while we were eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and slurping our little paper cartons of milk.
The brief encounter left me wondering: What had happened to lunch?
I knew that by law I was entitled to a lunch break at work. So I decided to simply start taking it. The office was located in the downtown area of a small town and I set out to explore it. A few blocks away was a local art museum with free admission. At the end of another street, I was startled to discover some horses grazing in a field. A cute gift boutique made for pleasant and sometime humorous browsing particularly looking through the leftover holiday items and laughing at the sometimes funny things, like jack-o’-lantern sunglasses and temporary Santa tattoos that no one had the foresight to buy. (…)
When I decided to take back my lunch hour, I braced myself for catty remarks or stares from my co-workers, but they never materialized. I watched in amazement as some of my co-workers started to drift away occasionally from their own desks during lunch. We started inviting each other out for walks during good weather and discovered that we had other topics of conversation beyond the now common complaints about work.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. How does Jesus’ pronouncement of his passion impinge on us? Do we see the intimate connection between Jesus’ self-giving passion and his glorification?
2. Do we trust that in the midst of life’s continuous changes, God is in control? Do we surrender our plans and our entire selves to God who makes things work for good “in his time”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for your beloved Son, the Suffering Servant.
Give us the grace to be Christian disciples marked by self-giving.
Help us to trust in you, the Lord of time and history.
You are in control of the past, the present and the future.
We dwell in “your time”.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly … and on the third day be raised.” (Lk 9:22) // “There is an appointed time for everything.” (Eccl 3:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Through concrete acts of charity to those experiencing fears and difficulties, manifest your intimate participation in the paschal destiny of Jesus, our self-giving Lord and the “Messiah of God”. Try to be more “patient” and learn to do things in “God’s time”.
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September 24, 2022: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (25); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches the Disciples the Meaning of His Death … He Helps Us to Face the Last Things”
BIBLE READINGS
Eccl 11:9-12:8 // Lk 9:43b-45
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 9:43b-45): “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men. They were afraid to ask him about this saying.”
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 9:43b-45), Jesus speaks again about his death. The response of the disciples to the Divine Master’s patient effort to make them understand his messianic mission is bewilderment. They fail to grasp what Jesus means and they are afraid to question him. It is because they do not want to be confronted with the painful element of Christ’s paschal destiny. They are afraid to stare at the specter of Jesus’ impending death. In the first prediction, Jesus has underlined the harsh implications of his passion for his disciples. To be true followers of Jesus they too need to carry their cross. This is an aversive proposition for the disciples. Hence, when the Master brings out the issue again, they remain silent. They willfully choose not to understand. Bereft of the paschal vision, their personal concerns degenerate into authority issues and power struggles.
The following story presents in a humorous vein what it means “to refuse to understand” (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 172).
A bishop had decreed that woman housekeepers for priests should be at least fifty years of age. He was startled, in the visitation of his diocese, to discover a priest who thought he was observing the law by keeping two housekeepers, each one of whom was twenty-five years of age.
B. First Reading (Eccl 11:9-12:8): “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the dust returns to the earth, and the life breath returns to God.”
In today’s Old Testament reading (Eccl 11:9-12:8), Qoheleth advises young people to enjoy their youth, while exhorting them to remember their Creator. Youth is fleeting and soon it will give way to the winter of life and, eventually, death. Old age is presented allegorically: the idle “grinders” are the few teeth left in the mouth of the old person; the closed “doors to the street” are the deaf ears, and the blossom of the almond is his white hair. Death is depicted in haunting images as the snapped silver cord, the broken golden bowl, the shattered pitcher, and the broken pulley. These various poetic images prepare for Qoheleth’s climactic description of death: “Our bodies will return to the dust of the earth, and the breath of life will go back to God who gave it to us.” Qoheleth concludes with his signature theme: “Vanity of vanities, all things are vanity!” Qoheleth does not see any lasting gain in human life. When everything has been said, what matters alone is to reverence God and keep his commandments. For God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret.
In a humorous vein, the following story gives insight into the preparation for the “last things” (Florence Littauer, “Cramming for Final” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 274).
A ninety-six-year-old lady was a faithful attendant at my women’s club Bible studies. She came with her lessons prepared and knew all the answers. One day a tactless member asked her, “Why do you work so hard on these lessons when you’re so old and it doesn’t matter?” Little Bess Elkins looked up and said confidently, “I’m cramming for my finals.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we willing to understand the meaning of the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ and their personal implications for our life?
2. How do we prepare for the “last things”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you speak to us about your passion.
Help us to listen with the heart
and understand what it means to be your disciple.
Do not let us be trapped by the vanities of today’s world.
Give us the grace to prepare for the “last things”
and for the moment when we will return to dust
and when our life-breath will return to you.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” (Lk 9:44) // “The life breath returns to God who gave it.” (Eccl 12:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the grace of a happy death and to learn to cherish the legitimate pleasures that God gives you daily as a gift.
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Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
3700 North Cornelia Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722 (USA)
Tel. (559) 275-1656
Website: WWW.PDDM.US