A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 14, n. 46)
Week 28 in Ordinary Time: October 9-15, 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: October 2-8, 2016, please go to ARCHIVES Series 14 and click on “Week 27 in Ordinary Time”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: October 9-15, 2016.)
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October 9, 2016: SUNDAY – TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Our Healing Lord,
Worthy of Praise and Thanksgiving”
BIBLICAL READINGS
II Kgs 5:14-17 // II Tm 1:8-13 // Lk 17:11-19
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 17:11-19): “None but this foreigner has returned to give thanks to God.”
This Sunday’s Gospel story of the healing of the Ten Lepers (Lk 17:11-19) acquires deeper meaning when seen against the sinful reality of human ingratitude that warps our filial relationship with God. In his book, Ode to Joy (New York: Alba House, 1997, p. 237), Harold Buetow observes that too often we’re like the doting grandmother who was walking with her young grandson along the shore in Miami Beach when a huge wave appeared out of nowhere, sweeping the child out to sea. The horrified woman fell to her knees, raised her eyes to heaven, and begged the Lord to return her beloved grandson. And, lo, another wave reared up and deposited the stunned child on the sand right in front of her. The grandmother looked the boy over carefully. He was fine. But then she stared up angrily toward the heavens. “When he came,” she snapped indignantly, “He had a hat!” Like the ingrate grandmother, we presume that God is the service-giver and that he owes it to us. We, therefore, fail to acknowledge our debt of gratitude to God.
The Gospel account of the healing of the Ten Lepers presents us not only another compassionate act of Jesus’ act of healing, but also an example of a faith that leads to gratitude, glory and praise. The remarkable attitude of the grateful Samaritan illustrates the intimate connection between faith and “eucharist”. Faith is expressed in an act of thanksgiving and worship.
The evangelist Luke describes the healing miracle of Jesus in these words: “As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, the lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!’ And when he saw them, he said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ As they were going they were healed” (Lk 17:11-14). The misery of the lepers and their invocation for help are to be seen in the light of the regulation for lepers found in the book of Leviticus: “A man infected with leprosy must wear his clothing torn and his hair disordered; he must shave his upper lip and cry, ‘Unclean, unclean’” (Lev 13:45-46).
The Old Testament cry of despair, “Unclean, unclean”, is transformed into a prayer of invocation in the presence of Jesus who is in his paschal journey to Jerusalem. Instead of warning, “Unclean, unclean” in order to isolate their wretched selves from Jesus, the ten lepers boldly appeal to him for mercy and compassion. They shout a radically new prayer invocation: “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” Jesus Master responds compassionately to their poignant cry and orders them to show themselves to the priests. As they are going they are cleansed. Indeed, the instantaneous healing of the ten lepers is brought about by their personal, active response to Jesus’ word.
The next part of this Sunday’s Gospel story depicts the return of the grateful Samaritan who is healed of his infirmity (Lk 17:15-19). One of the ten returns to express gratitude. He falls at the feet of Jesus and thanks him. The return of the grateful Samaritan marks a new life of faith and worship centered in the person of Jesus, the true object of praise and thanksgiving. The faith of the healed leper has been transformed into a spirit of thanksgiving or “eucharist”. Indeed, the true temple where we carry out our vows of thanksgiving to God is the person of Jesus. He is also the true priest who actuates and confirms our healing.
B. First Reading (II Kgs 5:14-17): “Naaman returned to the man of God and acknowledged the Lord.”
Dr. Beth Baxter’s article, “Journey From a Dark Place” (cf. GUIDEPOSTS: Large Print Edition, October 1999, p. 28-42) tells of the anguish of her mental illness and her journey to healing and redemption. She studied medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical School and was accepted for a residency in psychiatry at the University of Rochester in New York. Toward the end of her residency she was hospitalized twice for psychotic breaks and was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. One winter evening in 1994 she decided to put an end to her failures, agony and despair. She tried to commit suicide by cutting her throat, but on account of some last minute intervention, she survived. Dr. Beth Baxter narrates her beautiful story of healing.
My parents, grandparents, my whole extended family pooled their resources so I could be treated at a renowned mental hospital in Massachusetts. One morning I wandered into the greenhouse there. A power failure had caused a freeze, and most of the plants lay withered, un-revivable. Aimlessly, I was plucking away the brown leaves on a dead fern when at its base I spotted a tiny shoot of green. “There is life here after all,” I marveled, surprised at my own insight. It had been years since I felt the merest glimmer of hope. But I made little progress. One afternoon, curled up in a chair in my room, I felt that old despair settle over me like a cold winter fog. I still hadn’t found a way to make sense of my illness, of the wreck that remained of my life. What was the use? The doctors were wasting their time. My family and friends were wasting their prayers. To me God seemed on the other side of an unbreachable gulf of darkness.
“God, if you’re out there” I pleaded, “give me a reason to live.” A short time later my mother called. I blurted out what was on my mind: “Mom, I just can’t find a reason not to end it all.” There was a long pause. Then my mom said softly, “Beth, I love you. Can’t you make that one reason?” “I’ll try, Mom,” I whispered. “For you, I’ll try.” Later that week Jeff and his wife Nikki, called. “We miss you, Beth,” they said. “Everyone at our church is praying that you’ll come home soon. We love you.” Love. Did I even know what it meant anymore? Was that, ultimately, the cruelest toll my disease had taken? Tearing me from the redemptive healing power of love. Blocking me from feeling my friend’s love, my family’s. God’s love … Love. Wasn’t that, ultimately, what God was giving me?
Mental illness was a part of me, but so was the inner strength that had gotten me through medical school and residency despite it. So were the doctoring skills I’d learned, the understanding I’d developed of people’s suffering, the devotion of my friends, the support and prayers of my family. Above all, it was love that held the pieces together, through which God bridged the gulf of darkness with hope. That was a beginning.
Eventually, after continuing my treatment at two other hospitals, I went home to Nashville. I found a doctor who put me on a new medication that controlled my symptoms. I began going with Jeff and Nikki to their church. It became mine as well. I felt comfortable there because the people had been praying for me. Opening up about my illness and recovery, I grew closer to my friends and my family than ever before. I worked as a mental-health advocate for several years before I came to my current job as a psychiatrist at Nashville’s Mental Health Cooperative, a clinic for people with severe mental illnesses.
Schizoaffective disorder, it turned out, started me on a journey, leading me to a place where I can achieve my goal of making people’s lives better, where I can do good, helping others see that they too can overcome the pain of mental illness and fulfill their true promise. That is the most powerful of all medicines – hope.
Like the story of Dr. Beth Baxter, this Sunday’s liturgy presents us with two magnificent cases of total healing. The “leprous” Syrian general Naaman and the Samaritan leper experienced the healing power of God. Both Naaman and the healed Samaritan leper embarked on a journey of healing that led them to embrace the love of God – a miraculous moment that filled them with hope, faith and thanksgiving. The gift of healing received by them involved returning to the living God and acknowledging the divine benevolent action in their lives. Indeed, their conversion and transformation resulted from being “touched” by the healing grace of God.
The biblical scholars Mark O’Brien and Anthony Campbell remark on how the miraculous cure of Naaman, who traveled from his native Aram to seek the healer-prophet in Samaria, led him to confess his faith in the God of Israel and to a new form of worship (cf. II Kgs 5:14-17): “A profound transformation follows the healing of Naaman’s leprous flesh. He returns to Elisha professing that Israel’s God is the only God and, in a surprising reversal, refers to himself as the prophet’s servant (v. 15). When Elisha refuses a gift Naaman requests a gift from him – a load of earth. Before his cure Naaman despised the waters of Israel, now he seeks the soil of Israel, presumably on which to offer sacrifice to the God of Israel (v. 17). The barriers between Syrian potentate and Israelite prophet, between master and servant, have been broken down. The nationalism that expresses contempt for other countries has changed. One barrier remains: religion. Naaman is now a YHWH-worshiper in a society that worships Rimmon. Elisha’s Go in peace implies that this is no barrier to the peace that the Lord brings.”
The prophet Elisha’s word of command to Naaman to immerse himself seven times into the River Jordan carried the healing power of God. In obedience to the prophetic word, Naaman was healed of leprosy. His physical cure became the basis of his faith in the God of Israel and his inmost healing. He became a believer in Yahweh and avowed: “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel … I will no longer offer holocausts or sacrifice to any other god except to the Lord.” Indeed, the power of God’s dabar or word can bring about cleansing, healing, rejuvenation, conversion and transformation.
C. Second Reading (II Tm 1:6-8, 13-14): “If we persevere we shall also reign with Christ.”
The Second Reading (II Tm 2:8-13) is marked with tenderness and pathos. The passage highlights the intense suffering of Paul for the sake of the Gospel. It contains his vehement exhortation to be conformed to Christ’s paschal mystery so as to share his victory. Citing a baptismal hymn, Saint Paul declares: “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him.” Reinforcing the meaning of these statements with his life witness, Paul - the great apostle to the Gentiles - suffered for others: that they may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and share his eternal glory. In his spirituality and mission, Saint Paul thus crystallizes the truth that participation in the paschal suffering is redemptive.
Together with the healed lepers, Naaman and the unnamed Samaritan, and in the spirit of Saint Paul and our beloved Savior Jesus Christ, let us regard pain and suffering as fonts of blessing and grace. Through the power of God, they can be causes for praise and gratitude – they can be elements for “Eucharist”! Indeed, in moments of suffering is the miraculous presence of God. His saving power is exquisitely revealed in our weakness and helplessness.
The following story illustrates the presence of God who gives healing and consolation in our afflictions (cf. Julie Garmon, “Fearless: What Prayer Can do” in GUIDEPOSTS, June 2010, p. 86).
I couldn’t believe what my doctor was telling me. “I need to monitor you closely, Julie, for whatever might come next.” I had just been diagnosed with two autoimmune disorders – celiac disease and Sjogren’s Syndrome. What more could happen? “I wish I could be more definite, Julie”, my doctor continued. “But autoimmune illnesses cause the body to attack healthy tissue. They are really quite unpredictable.”
As I let his office, I felt a cold rush of fear. How could I live like this? The minute I got home, I went looking for help on the internet. The information there was even more vague and frightening. By bedtime, my mind was whirling with negative thoughts. My body was under attack from itself. How could that be? I couldn’t close my eyes until I’d said a prayer. Oh. God, I feel so alone. So vulnerable. Help me know that you are with me.
In the morning I was still so preoccupied with worry that I barely made it to my yoga class in time. I walked in, took a swig from my water bottle and tried to calm down. As Velda, our instructor led us through the poses, I breathed deeply to clear my mind. Today, that was impossible.
At the end of the class I lay tense on my mat, my mind racing. All was quiet. Then Velda did something totally unexpected, something she had never done in the year I had been taking her class. “Our Father, who art in heaven …” she began to recite. She was ending the class with the Lord’s Prayer! Others soon joined in. The sound of those voices praying soothed me deeply. My mind cleared. The tension in my shoulder eased. The knot in my stomach disappeared. Peace filled me.
I made sure to thank Velda. “I needed that prayer more than the yoga today”, I told her. “You know, I didn’t plan to do that”, she said. “But something told me I just had to say it.” Or Someone.
I rolled up my mat and headed home. I knew that no matter what the future held, it would be God not fear leading me through it.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What are the occasions in our life when we pray most intensely, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”? In what way are we the grateful, healed Samaritan leper? In what way are we the healed lepers who did not return to Jesus? Do we allow ourselves to be heartened by Jesus’ words: “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you” (Lk 17:19)?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
We cry out to you, Jesus,
the font of compassion.
Have pity on us and take away our infirmities.
Restore us to health
and cure us of the leprosy of sin.
We thank you and love you
for your all-powerful healing word
that touches us to the depths of our soul.
In you is true wholeness.
May we fully respond
to your acts of mercy
and marvelous saving deeds.
By committing ourselves
to be instruments of your love,
may the triune God be glorified,
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.
“Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” (Lk 17:19).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Be thankful for all the good gifts God has bestowed. Endeavor to bring the healing power of God to the sick in your family and community and to a wounded society that greatly needs God’s healing. To help develop a stronger faith in Jesus Healer, make an effort to spend some moments of quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
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October 10, 2016: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (28)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives Them the Sign of Jonah … He Has Set Us Free”
BIBLE READINGS
Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1 // Lk 11:29-32
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 11:29-32): “This generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.”
I have a beautiful statue of the Holy Child Jesus (known in the Philippines as Santo Niño). It is enthroned in a prominent place in my room. Every morning and evening I kneel before him and offer special prayers for vocations. One day in 2012 I received a new assignment. From our convent in San Jose I was to be transferred to Fresno. But I was not sure whether I would bring the statue with me or leave it at our San Jose convent. I prayed to the Santo Niño to give me a “sign” where he wanted to be. By chance, I mentioned to Sr. Mary Lucy that I was praying for a “sign”. She spontaneously remarked: “Leave the Santo Niño in San Jose. I will keep it in my room.” That was the “sign” I was waiting for!
In today’s Gospel episode (Lk 11:29-32), the adversaries of Jesus ask for a “sign”, but he refuses to oblige to their terms. It is futile to give a further sign to an “evil generation” that chooses not to believe. His opponents have accused him of driving out demons by the power of Beelzebul. They have also demanded from him a sign of divine authority - proof that his authority comes from God and not from the prince of demons. Jesus counters that they will not be given any sign, except the “sign of Jonah”. Jonah was a prophet sent by God to the Ninevites to move them to conversion. Just as Jonah became a sign and means of salvation for the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be the sign and means of salvation for all generations and creation.
The pagan Ninevites and the Queen of the South are models of receptivity to the Word that summons us to conversion. Jesus is the incarnate wisdom and, as the Word of God, he is more than Jonah. Hence, the “paschal sign” of Christ is infinitely more powerful and efficacious than the “sign of Jonah”. Through Jonah, God generously extended forgiveness and salvation to the Assyrian Ninevites, a Gentile nation. But through the “Son of Man” Jesus Christ, God extends forgiveness and salvation to all nations.
B. First Reading (Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1): “We are children not of the slave woman but of the freeborn woman.”
In today’s First Reading (Gal. 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1), Paul continues to underline the status of liberty already acquired by the Galatians when they received the Christian faith. Those who are in Christ are no longer subject to the Law. In the new life in Christ, there is no place for slavery. Using the allegory of Sarah and her children of freedom, in contrast to Hagar and her children of slavery, Paul refutes the Judaizers’ contention that Christians must follow the Torah’s legal prescriptions. Hagar represents the Sinai covenant that “enslaves” the children to the Law. Sarah represents the Abraham covenant, a context entirely free from the Torah’s legal prescriptions. For the apostle Paul, the example of Sarah and Hagar supports the reality that in Christ, God’s new freedom reigns. Paul’s statement to the Galatians is emphatic: “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” Indeed, to return to “circumcision” is to fall into slavery; to adopt the practices of the Judaizers is to forfeit Christian freedom.
The following story illustrates what it means to live Christ’s gift of “freedom” (cf.
Elizabeth Sherrill in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 317).
Dick Riley, Accountant: It was twelve-year-old Liz’s turn to go with me on an interview. But, oh dear, I thought as we set out in the car for Pennsylvania, how would she react when she saw Dick Riley?
Sixteen years earlier, an ambitious young man with a wife and a baby on the way, Dick had fallen from a ladder. Paralyzed except for partial use of one arm, his legs had been amputated so he could turn himself in bed.
“You mustn’t cry”, I coached Liz. “You mustn’t act sorry for him.”
Dick’s wife led me to the room where he sat in a motorized bed surrounded by the files of his accounting business. I wrenched my eyes from the sheet – too flat where his body ended at the hips – and met a pair of smiling eyes. “I didn’t use to smile”, he told me. “All I cared about was getting rich fast.” Too fast to follow tedious safety rules for ladder use. As for smiling: “Only at someone who could help me get ahead.”
After the interview, Dick turned to Liz. Who was her best friend? What was her hardest class? “I’ll pray at exam time.” When teenage Dicky came home, his father asked after an ailing schoolmate. A client phoned. “I won’t charge him”, Dick said afterward. “He’s struggling to keep his kid in college.”
And that self-absorbed young man he used to be? “He was a lot more handicapped than I am. Sure, I’m trapped in thus useless body, but when you’re wrapped up in yourself, that’s the real prison.”
Grant me the true liberty, Father, of self-forgetfulness.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we receptive to the grace of God and his living Word calling us to conversion? Do we greatly welcome the “sign of Jonah” into our lives?
2. Do we believe that Christ has set us free? How do we live out our freedom as children of God? Do we allow ourselves to be subjected to various “enslavements”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Master,
we thank you for being the “sign of Jonah” par excellence.
Help us to welcome the “paschal sign”
of your death and resurrection into our life.
Let not the pagan Ninevites and the Queen of the South condemn us,
but let their positive response be our own inspiration.
For freedom, your Son has set us free.
Do not allow us to become slaves again.
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.
“No sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” (Lk 11:29) // “For freedom Christ set us free.” (Gal 5:1)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for those who have difficulty perceiving and welcoming the “sign of Jonah” and the “paschal sign” of Jesus Christ into their life. By your acts of charity enable the people around you to relish the “paschal sign” of Christ who calls us to salvation and sanctification. By your daily self-renunciation, endeavor to live the freedom of the children of God.
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October 11, 2016: TUESDAY – WEEKDAY (28); SAINT JOHN XXIII
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches the Importance of Almsgiving ,,, He Shows Us that Faith Works through Love”
BIBLE READINGS
Gal 5:1-6 // Lk 11:37-41
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 11:37-41): “Give alms and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
When I was a young girl, I was trained to scoop up a cup of grains from the rice bin whenever the “alabado” (a beggar) knocked at our door. I would solemnly offer it to him. He would pour my offering in his woven basket and utter words of blessing. That childhood formation on almsgiving had a great effect on me. It helped me to be more compassionate and caring for the poor and needy.
Today’s Gospel (Lk 11:37-41) contains a revolutionary statement of Jesus about almsgiving. In the context of his polemic with the Pharisees, who are more concerned with ritual cleanliness than with cleanliness of the soul, Jesus asserts: “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” Indeed, almsgiving is purifying. It liberates us from evil tendencies that lead to self-destruction. Jesus teaches the ritually conscious Pharisees and all of us that charity is above hand-washing rules and other humanly contrived regulations that are hard to bear. Jesus motivates his disciples to be deeply concerned with the needy and vulnerable. To take a legalistic stance and a hypocritical attitude would seriously compromise the meaning of Christian discipleship, which is deeply animated by love of God and neighbor.
The following article, circulated on the Internet, gives insight into the importance of almsgiving in the Christian life.
“Alms” is a word from Old English that refers to something, like food or money, given to the poor. As a practice, almsgiving can include many things, such as making a donation to a charitable organization or tithing to a religious institution (that is, giving one-tenth a part of something). Almsgiving is part of our baptismal calling, as it is one way to take care of our brothers and sisters, both locally and globally, and to provide for the needs of the “least of these.” In a sense, almsgiving is putting money where our mouths are, that is, giving a material gift as a sign of our commitment to follow in the steps of Jesus.
Like fasting, almsgiving is a practice that encourages us to think about our lives and ourselves in new ways. Almsgiving encourages focusing on what we have to give, rather than on what we can get for ourselves. It also can help correct our attitude toward material possessions. Rather than hoarding our things out of fear that we may not have enough, almsgiving encourages us to express gratitude for all that God has given to us by giving some away. Small acts of almsgiving help us to grow in charity, leading toward recognition of Jesus Christ in the poor of our world. Almsgiving takes us beyond an attitude of “it’s just me and God,” as we respond to the needs of others, of those who participate in the Body of Christ with us. (…)
Almsgiving and tithing do not have to involve money. Take a look at your closet and what is in your room. Could you donate 10% of your clothes, items that are in good condition that you do not use but that someone else could? Do you have books in good condition that could be donated to a homeless shelter or school? Think about how many hours of “free time” you have each week. Could you donate 10% of that time to charity or justice work — serving lunch at a soup kitchen, writing letters for Amnesty International, joining Big Brother/Big Sister?
B. First Reading (Gal 5:1-6): “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”
In today’s first reading (Gal 5:1-6), Saint Paul underlines that justification in Christ produces a new Christian identity. The Christian believers are now righteous and free. Paul authoritatively exhorts the Galatians to remain free. He warns them that to return to circumcision is to be obliged to observe the entire Law. The real issue, however, is not circumcision or non-circumcision. The fundamental opposition is between the justice sought in the fulfillment of the Law and the justice caused by God, that is, the salvation won for us by the innocent crucified Jesus Christ. The justice through legal observance “enslaves” while the justice through faith in Christ frees, produces life and saves. Our hope of righteousness is based not on the Law, but on Christ’s redeeming act. Moreover, when we are in union with Christ Jesus what matters is faith that works through love. Freedom in Christ is manifested in communitarian and disinterested love.
The following modern day account gives insight into “the faith that works through love” (cf. Rebecca Ondov in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 80).
Unrelenting screams drifted down the Jetway and through the plane as I searched for my seat. Scooting next to the window, I stuffed my long legs in place and looked up to see a mother wrestling with a three-year-old boy – the source of the screams – into the seat next to mine. I closed my eyes. God, this must be a mistake.
In spite of the mother’s trying to comfort her son, the screams escalated when the plane lurched back from the gate and rumbled down the runway. My ears throbbed. Staring out the window, I whined, God please shut him up. Yet in spirit I heard, “Help him.” But, God, I don’t have anything to offer. “Show him My mercy.”
I groaned. A white jet stream zigzagged across the sky. I looked at the boy. “Can you see that cloud?” Tears streamed down his face. I continued, “That’s a jet.” The boy’s brow furrowed. I asked, “Do you ever watch jets fly overheard?” He sniffed and nodded. I managed a smile. “Did you know that there are little boys watching us fly over? Let’s wave at them.”
His face brightened as he peered out the window, waved, and said, “Hi, little boys.”
The rest of the trip he waved while his mother and I chatted. When we deplaned his mother said, “I sure am glad that you sat next to us.”
I grinned. “Me, too.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do we realize the importance of “almsgiving” in the practice of Christian discipleship and in the cleansing of evil tendencies that lead to self-destruction? Are we guilty of concerning ourselves with external observances but not with inner attitudes and personal integrity?
2. Do we manifest our living faith through works of love?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus,
we thank you for calling us to personal integrity
and for teaching us
that charity preempts mere legal observance.
Help us to appreciate
the power and beauty of almsgiving.
Grant us the grace
to exercise almsgiving creatively and efficaciously.
Let us manifest our living faith through works of love.
You are our self-giving Lord, 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.
“Give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” (Lk 11:41) // “What matters is faith that works through love.” (Gal 5:6)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Practice almsgiving creatively and with personal dedication. In your daily life manifest your faith through works of love.
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October 12, 2016: WEDNESDAY – WEEKDAY (28)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Denounces the Pharisees and the Lawyers … He Teaches Us How to Live by the Spirit”
BIBLE READINGS
Gal 5:18-25 // Lk 11:42-46
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 11:42-46): “Woe to you Pharisees! Woe also to you scholars of the law!”
A religious habit, the special dress worn by Sisters, is a sign of religious consecration and a witness to poverty. To wear a religious habit entails blessings as well as responsibilities. People have high expectations of those wearing a religious habit. They are deluded when a Sister’s behavior does not conform to the high ideals they profess. Once, I was at a crowded boarding area in the Houston airport, trying to catch my connecting flight to San Jose. Since I was eager to board immediately and find a space for my bulky carry-on luggage, I unwittingly cut into the passengers’ line. One disgusted lady muttered: “How shameful!” I felt very sorry and ashamed. The irked passenger was justified in chastising me. I therefore resolved to be more attentive and respectful of the rights of other passengers.
In today’s Gospel episode (Lk 11:42-46), Jesus is fully justified in chastising the Pharisees and scribes for their lapses and hypocrisy. They have distorted their priorities and have neglected the essentials. They pay tithes meticulously, but fail to pay the debt of justice and charity. They seek recognition in synagogues and marketplaces, but fail to give honor to God through integrity of heart. They are to lead the people on the right path, but by their hypocrisy and false teachings they lead them astray instead. Hence, his description of them as “unseen graves” is very fitting. Jesus likewise admonishes the scholars of the law for imposing on people heavy burdens which they themselves do not wish to carry. They use the law to punish the people instead of interpreting it for them as a gift of God. The Pharisees and scribes, having studied the Torah and the prophetic writings, should have set their priorities right. With all the special resources and tools they have received, they should have known better. On account of the greater graces they have received, they have greater accountability and responsibility.
B. First Reading (Gal 5:18-25): “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.”
We conclude the liturgical reading of Saint Paul’s letter to the Galatians on a positive note. Today’s passage (Gal 5:18-25) underlines that the Christian has died not only to the Law but also to his “self” (sarx), with all its earthbound, limited and degrading tendencies. The lifestyle of a Christian is characterized by vitality, that is, by a living relationship with Christ in the Spirit. Those who live by the Spirit bear the “fruit of the Spirit”, which is love, joy, peace, patience kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is to be contrasted with the deeds of the “flesh”, which can be clustered into four groups: sexual aberrations (immorality, impurity, licentiousness); heathen worship (idolatry, sorcery); social evils (hatred, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy) and intemperance (drinking bouts, orgies and the like). Although the tendencies of the flesh do not disappear in human beings, Saint Paul reminds us that those who belong to Christ have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. Moreover, if we live in the Spirit and follow the lead of the Spirit, we prevail over the power of the flesh.
The following personal account illustrates a Christian’s struggle to live by the lead of the Spirit (cf. Debbi Macomber in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 135).
My husband and I both grew up in small towns. Colville, Washington, Wayne’s hometown, had the only stoplight in the entire county when we got married. Twenty-four years ago, when we moved to Port Orchard, there was only one stoplight in town. Even now neither of us is accustomed to dealing with a lot of traffic. We know we’re spoiled, and that’s the way we like it.
When Jazmine, our oldest granddaughter was around three years old, I picked her up in Seattle and drove her to Port Orchard. As luck would have it, I hit heavy traffic. For what seemed like hours we crawled at a snail’s pace toward the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. In order to keep Jazmine entertained, I sang songs and made up silly stories. She chatted away happily in her car seat. Not so with me. My nerves were fried.
Finally I couldn’t stand it any longer. “Jazmine, just look at all these cars”, I muttered as I pressed on the horn. What’s the matter with these people anyway? Obviously, they don’t realize I have places to go and people to see. Normally the drive took forty minutes, and I’d already been on the road an hour.
“Grandma”, Jazmine asked from the backseat, “are we in a hurry?”
Oh, Father, thank you for my sweet granddaughter and the reminder of what is really important: spending time with her.
Here is another beautiful story. It is about an experience of the “fruit of the Spirit”, a marvelous gift (cf. Tim Williams, Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 206).
Dianne, my wife, can tolerate a lot of pain, but her arthritic hip finally forced her to accept that it was time for surgery. She was in the hospital for three days after her hip-replacement operation. I was with her most of the time, but several dedicated nurses were with her all the time.
Yes, we are grateful for the skills of the surgeon and for nurses who can expertly find a vein when inserting a needle for an IV. And, yes, competence should be the tenth fruit of the Spirit. But in the course of the minute-by-minute duration of recovery, there is nothing more important than kindness, one of nine spiritual gifts listed in Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
“I’m just doing my job”, Nurse Kelley gently chided me after I thanked her more than once for taking care of my wife. How wrong she was! Kindness is a gift, not an obligation. Kelley, Bonnie, James, Lisa, and others whose names I’ve forgotten gave us that gift, again and again, until Dianne was able to come home.
Thank You, God, for the kindness of others. Please bless those who share such a precious gift.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Do I behave in ways that deserve censure and condemnation? What do I do to rectify the awful things I have done?
2. Do we live by the Spirit and follow the Spirit’s lead? Do we manifest the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Heavenly Father,
we thank you for Jesus, the Divine Master.
He exposes our hypocrisy and duplicity
that we may rectify our evil ways.
He leads us on the road to wholeness and personal integrity.
Help us to love God wholeheartedly
and serve our neighbors devotedly.
Let us always live by the Spirit
and follow his lead in our daily Christian life.
Fill us the “fruits of the 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.
“You pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.” (Lk 11:42) // “If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.” (Gal 5:25)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
When you receive some chastisement for a failure or a misdeed, do not react negatively, but humbly welcome it. Resolve to rectify your actions so as to become a better disciple of Christ. Pray for the grace to always manifest in your daily life the “fruit of the Spirit”.
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October 13, 2016: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (28)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Suffered Persecution … He Calls Us to Holiness”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 1:1-10 // Lk 11:47-54
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 11:47-54): “The blood of the prophets is required, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah.”
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 11:47-54), Jesus calls the scribes or teachers of the Law to accountability. They build fine tombs for the prophets their ancestors murdered. But their hostility and resistance to Jesus’ prophetic words replicate the very actions of their ancestors who persecuted and killed the prophets. Moreover, the Divine Master lambastes them for “taking away the key of knowledge”. They have distorted the true understanding of God and salvation. By perverting and misusing the Law, they are not able to enter God’s kingdom and stop others who are trying to come in. Today’s episode ends ominously. When Jesus leaves, the scribes join the Pharisees in criticizing him bitterly. Moreover, they lay traps for him, intending to catch him saying something wrong.
The following modern day account gives insight into the hostility and persecution that Jesus suffered (cf. Elizabeth Sherrill in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 220).
Rebmann Wamba, Presbyterian Pastor: It was a typical noisy market scene in Kenya, except for the sudden silence surrounding the stall where Rebmann Wamba had stopped to bargain over a stalk of matoke bananas. It was the same at the poultry vendor’s, where he purchased a chicken (live), and the tea seller’s, where he counted out the copper for two tea bags.
My husband and I were interviewing Wamba about his transformation from violent Mau Mau chieftain to ordained Presbyterian pastor. Once hailed as a freedom fighter, he’d told us, he’d become a despised outsider. We saw this now ourselves as hostile eyes followed him on his errands.
The chicken and tea were luxuries in our honor. Wamba had invited us to Sunday dinner with his wife and eight children in their mud-and-wattle home in Ngecha, and afterward to the service at his church. Walls were all it had. No roof. No floor. But a congregation overflowing the wood-plank benches. A drummer beat out the rhythm of a joyous opening hymn. For two hours, Wamba preached in Kiswahili while we watched the rapt faces of this embattled minority.
With the closing hymn, a collection was taken. The congregation’s offerings, Wamba has told us, were the church’s only support. I looked into the basket, which held a few penny coppers, two eggs, and an ear of corn. How long, I wondered, till a roof rose over these walls? And how long had I taken for granted the roof over our lovely stone church at home? How long had I tranquilly called myself a Christian and never encountered the hostile gaze of a neighbor?
Remind me, Lord, of all those who have paid the price for following You.
B. First Reading (Eph 1:1-10): “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
We begin the semi-continuous reading of Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In today’s reading (Eph 1:1-10), we are invited to contemplate the comprehensive character and vast horizon of our vocation as Church. The author of the letter to the Ephesians makes us relish the following heart-warming reality: God chose us in Christ. God has bestowed upon us every spiritual blessing in Christ. One of the most remarkable blessings for which we render the almighty God thanksgiving and praise is our vocation to be holy and our destiny to become his adopted children through his beloved Son, who redeemed us by his blood.
By the paschal sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the mystery or the marvelous plan of the Father to unite all things in his Son is wisely and fully revealed. God destined people of all races, both Jews and Gentiles alike, to share in this plan of total restoration in Jesus Christ. Moreover, the heavenly Father gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit as a pledge of this universal integration and cosmic unification. Our ultimate Christian vocation then, which has its origin from God even before the world began, is to participate in the divine saving plan “to restore all things into one in Christ, in the heavens and on earth” (Eph 1:10). In Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we look forward to be united with God the Father forever and with all creation.
The following story is a beautiful example of a person who played a wonderful part in God’s plan of salvation (cf. “ErnstT” by Mary Chandler in The Way of St. Francis, March-April 2009, p. 12-20). In his unique and humble way, the Swiss-born American, Ernst Belz embraced his call to holiness and played an important role in restoring all things in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes a small body contains a heart as big as the whole outdoors. My friend, Ernst Belz, had such a heart. Standing four feet four inches tall, he refused to be hampered by his physical limitations. He hiked. He skied. He was a mountaineer. He lived life fully – and he touched the lives of all he met. Encouraged by our writing class, Ernst collected some of the stories he had read to us into a book, which he called Glimpses of My Life. The youngest of five children, Ernst grew up in a remote area in the Swiss mountains. His life was never easy; but at an early age he showed compassion for the needs of others. During the harsh winter months, he put hay in crib-like stalls for the elk and deer so they wouldn’t starve. He split wood for his mother’s cooking stove and her bread-baking oven, while at the same time mourning the loss of the beloved tree that had been his friend. In one chapter in his book he talks with a spruce that had to be cut down. The tree convinced Ernst that its sacrifice would benefit the family as firewood and by opening up more space and sunlight for other trees. Ernst’s final request to the spruce was simply: “May I embrace you once more?” (…)
In 1934, Ernst immigrated to the United States on the Queen Mary. He disembarked at New York Harbor, wobbly and unsteady on his feet after four days of being seasick, and was welcomed by his sponsors, a young Swiss couple who had immigrated earlier. “As we left the pier”, Ernst said, “it saddened me to notice some lonely and rather bewildered immigrants whom nobody had welcomed. Did they know where they would spend their first night on American soil?” A month later, he left his friends’ home in Connecticut to live in a hostel-type facility, the Sloane House, in New York City. Ernst was determined to “make it”. Every day he went job hunting. American slang proved to be a challenge. One morning a student waiter asked him how he wanted his eggs. Ernst wondered how to order “sunny-side up”. He asked for “two eggs looking at me”, which made the waiter roar with laughter. One morning at Sloane House, a well-dressed gentleman joined Ernst at breakfast and asked if he had a church home. He didn’t. Ernst joined the group, made friends, and for the next four and a half years these young men and women, he said, put meaning and purpose into his life. Ernst landed his first job with a food importer and manufacturing company, where he was expected to keep track of raw materials from the time of shipping until the shipment arrived. He processed the documentation, particularly the proper handling of the bill of lading and the negotiations of the letters of credit. During the job interview, Ernst said, he was touched by his boss’ sensitivity “when he was wondering if the chair would be comfortable because of my height”. Three months after his arrival in the United States, Ernst had a job as the assistant to the vice president. (…)
The final years of Ernst’s active life were spent with the Franciscans. A Benedictine priest invited Ernst to the San Damiano Retreat House in the hills near Danville in Northern California to visit his Franciscan friends. Ernst learned that the Franciscans were beginning the “Franciscan Covenant Program” for lay people, which meant that single men, women, or retired married couples would commit themselves to live and work with the Franciscans for a period of time and share their spiritual life. Ernst decided to leave his position at the University of the Pacific to join the program three years before his scheduled retirement. (…) During his time in the Franciscan Covenant Program, Ernst served, for a few weeks each year, at the Paz Y Bien Franciscan orphanage in Guaymas, Sonora Province in Mexico. “What a privileged opportunity it was! This time I was working and living in the midst of about seventy children between the ages of three and a half and eleven years. Although some of them were the poorest of the poor, their happy and cheerful little faces seemed to light up the whole world … I doubt that there could have been a more meaningful way for me to end my active life than to serve in the midst of those dear, innocent little orphan children.” In the picture he brought to class, Ernst blended in so well with the children that he had to point himself out to us. (…)
Eventually, Ernst stopped coming to the writing class. The trip became too much for him. He spent the last few months of his life in a care facility in Oceanside, California, where he recently passed away. Long ago, Ernst came to the conclusion that “economic success does not necessarily bring personal contentment”. The orphans, “some of them the poorest of the poor, have nothing, yet their happy, smiling and contented faces light up an otherwise dark and hopeless world like little candles.” Because of his tender heart, his quest for knowledge, and his loving outlook and philosophy, I was not surprised when a friend from Oceanside, California sent me a clipping from the San Diego Union-Tribune, dated May 12, 2006. At the dedication of a special Heritage Room, the library director announced that the late Ernst Belz has bequeathed $67,667 to the Oceanside Public Library. Somewhere, my small friend with his big heart is smiling.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Have you ever met hostility or persecution for proclaiming the Christian faith? How did you respond to it?
2. What is the personal meaning and implication for you of Paul’s affirmation, “God chose us in Christ”?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we praise you for the bounty of your spiritual blessings,
especially our vocation to holiness
and our pre-destiny as your beloved children in Christ.
By the strength of the Holy Spirit,
help us to participate fully in your saving plan
to unite all peoples and restore all things in Christ.
Strengthen us when we suffer persecution and hostility
for being true to our faith.
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.
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for today’s persecuted Christians and see in what way you can help Christian refugees. By your commitment to the dignity of the human person and the care for God’s creation, endeavor to promote the divine saving plan “to restore all things in Christ”.
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October 14, 2016: FRIDAY – WEEKDAY (28); SAINT CALLISTUS I, Pope, Martyr
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Encourages Us Not To Be Afraid … He Continues to Unite All Things”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 1:11-14 // Lk 12:1-7
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 12:1-7): “Even the hairs of your heart have all been counted.”
The central message of today’s Gospel reading (Lk 12:1-7) is: do not be afraid to speak out for Jesus and proclaim his kingdom of justice and right. The kingdom of God message, proclaimed once by Jesus, must be repeated to every generation as a fearless witness to truth. The all-knowing and compassionate God who cares for the sparrows has even greater care for the faithful disciple who sacrifices his life for the spread of the Gospel. Jesus argues that enemies may destroy the body, but not the soul. The worst aggressions against the body do not always succeed in reaching the person’s inner core where true dignity and greatness reside. God, who knows when a small bird dies and perceives the destiny of each creature, is mindful of the trials and anguish endured by the disciples on behalf of God’s kingdom. His Son Jesus therefore encourages us not to be afraid.
Blessed Pedro Calungsod of the Philippines was canonized on October 22, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. The following, circulated on the Internet, is an account of his martyrdom.
Pedro Calungsod (c. 1654 – 2 April 1672) was a young Roman Catholic Filipino migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist, who along with Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious persecution and martyrdom on Guam for their missionary work in 1672. Through Calungsod and San Vitores' missionary efforts, many native Chamorros converted to Roman Catholicism. Calungsod was beatified on 5 March 2000 by Blessed Pope John Paul II. On 18 February 2012, Pope Benedict XVI officially announced that Calungsod will be canonised on 22 October 2012
Calungsod (spelled Calonsor in Spanish records) was born ca. 1655. Few details of his early life prior to missionary work and death are known. It is probable that he received basic education at a Jesuit boarding school, mastering the Catechism and learning to communicate in Spanish. He likely honed his skills in drawing, painting, singing, acting, and carpentry as these were necessary in missionary work. Calungsod would have been expected to have some aptitude in serving in the Tridentine Mass (now known as the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite).
Calungsod, then around 14, was among the exemplary young catechists chosen to accompany the Jesuits in their mission to the Ladrones Islands (Islas de los Ladrones or “Isles of Thieves”). In 1668, Calungsod travelled with Spanish Jesuit missionaries to these islands, renamed the Mariana Islands (Las Islas de Mariana) the year before in honour of both the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the Queen Regent of Spain, María Ana of Austria, who funded their voyage. Calungsod and San Vitores went to Guam to catechise the native Chamorros. Missionary life was difficult as provisions did not arrive regularly, the jungles and terrain was difficult to traverse, and the islands were frequently devastated by typhoons. Despite all these, the mission persevered, and was able to convert a significant number of locals. A Japanese merchant named Choco began spreading rumours that the baptismal water used by missionaries was poisonous. As some sickly Chamorro infants who were baptised eventually died, many believed the story and held the missionaries responsible. Choco was readily supported by the macanjas (medicine men) and the urritaos (young males) who despised the missionaries.
In their search for a runaway companion named Esteban, Calungsod and San Vitores came to the village of Tumon, Guam on 2 April 1672. There they learnt that the wife of the village chief Mata'pang gave birth to a daughter, and they immediately went to baptise the child. Influenced by the calumnies of Choco, the chief strongly opposed to give Mata'pang some time to calm down, the missionaries gathered the children and some adults of the village at the nearby shore and started chanting with them the tenets of the Catholic religion. They invited Mata'pang to join them, but he shouted back that he was angry with God and was fed up with Christian teachings.
Determined to kill the missionaries, Mata'pang went away and tried to enlist another villager, named Hirao, who was not a Christian. Hirao initially refused, mindful of the missionaries' kindness towards the natives, but when Mata'pang branded him a coward, he became piqued and capitulated. Meanwhile, during that brief absence of Mata'pang from his hut, San Vitores and Calungsod baptised the baby girl, with the consent of her Christian mother.
When Mata'pang learnt of his daughter's baptism, he became even more furious. He violently hurled spears first at Pedro, who was able to dodge the spears. Witnesses claim that Calungsod could have escaped the attack, but did not want to leave San Vitores alone. Those who knew Calungsod personally meanwhile believed that he could have defeated the aggressors with weapons; San Vitores however banned his companions to carry arms. Calungsod was hit in the chest by a spear and he fell to the ground, then Hirao immediately charged towards him and finished him off with a machete blow to the head. San Vitores absolved Calungsod before he too was killed. Mata'pang took San Vitores' crucifix and pounded it with a stone whilst blaspheming God. Both assassins then denuded the corpses of Calungsod and San Vitroes, tied large stones to their feet, brought them out to sea on their proas and threw them into the water. In the Roman Catholic Church, Calungsod's martyrdom is called In Odium Fidei or In Hatred of the Faith, referring to the religious persecution endured by the person in evangelisation.
B. First Reading (Eph 1:11-14): “We first hoped in Christ, and you were sealed with the Holy Spirit.”
In today’s First Reading (Eph 1:11-14), Saint Paul illustrates God’s plan to restore all things in Christ. The Jews were first chosen by God as his chosen people in accordance with his saving plan, based on what he had decided from the very beginning. In the messianic time, God makes it possible – in Christ – for all peoples to be integrated into God’s people. In hearing and responding to the Gospel of salvation, the Christian community in Ephesus becomes part of the “the people of God”. They believe in Christ the Savior and the Holy Spirit is the guarantor of their faith. The Spirit guarantees that the divine plan of salvation will be realized in us all. Confronted by God’s grandiose and magnificent plan of uniting all peoples and creation in Jesus Christ, Paul invites the Ephesians and all believers through time and space to give glory and praise to God.
The following modern day account gives insight into Christ as the principle of unity and integration of the human person and creation. Indeed, in Jesus Christ all things hold together (cf. Melody Bonnette Swang in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 14).
We’d rushed my son Christopher to the emergency room with a serious back injury. They took him in quickly for X-rays. I was directed to a crowded area where other families anxiously sat, waiting for news from doctors. There was not an empty seat in the room.
An elderly lady with the word Volunteer embroidered on her white lab coat motioned me over. “Honey, there’s a place in the back that I can offer you to sit if you’d like.” “Yes, thanks”, I said. I followed her to a tiny room and sat down in a chair. I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.
I reached for the tiny silver cross hanging on a thin chain around my neck. “Please take care of Christopher”, I prayed, “and, Lord, could You take care of me too? Because right now, I feel like I’m falling apart.”
Just then the volunteer came back into the room. “Doing okay?” she asked. “Better now”, I said, still touching my cross. I looked down at it. “This is what’s holding me together right now.” She smiled and sat down next to me. “Have you ever heard of laminin?” I shook my head. “My husband is a retired doctor”, she explained, “and it’s something that he still marvels at. Laminin is a molecule that helps our cells stick together. Without these molecules, we would literally fall apart.”
She pointed at my cross and continued: “Interesting, isn’t it? When looked at under a microscope, the laminin molecule is shaped just like a cross.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. In our Christian mission, are we brave and fearless in proclaiming the truth that is Jesus? Trusting in the irresistible power of the Kingdom of God, do we respond positively to Jesus’ exhortation not to be afraid in the face of trials and persecutions?
2. Do we give glory and praise to God for his marvelous saving plan to restore, or recapitulate, all things in Christ? How do we collaborate in promoting God’s compassionate and loving will?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus, you assure us: “Do not be afraid.”
Make us courageous witnesses of your Gospel.
We trust in the heavenly Father’s care for us,
knowing that we are worth more than sparrows
and that the hairs of our head have all been counted.
Loving Jesus,
you are the principle of restoration.
In you, all things hold together.
Let us promote in our daily life
the Father’s compassionate plan to unite all things in 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 day. Please memorize it.
“Do not be afraid.” (Lk 12:7) // “You have heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation.” (Eph 1:13)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for Christian missionaries who promote the Kingdom value with courage and conviction. Pray for those who have been persecuted, tortured and killed. In your daily acts of charity and faith, be deeply aware that you are promoting the “restoration of all things in Christ”.
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October 15, 2016: SATURDAY – SAINT TERESA OF JESUS
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Trust in the Holy Spirit … He Is Head Over All Things”
BIBLE READINGS
Eph 1:15-23 // Lk 12:8-12
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 11:27-28): “The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”
In December 1989 I was to make a public defense of my doctoral dissertation, “James Alberione and the Liturgical Movement” at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of St. Anselm in Rome. I was anxious and distressed, but the Gospel reading at Mass during the day of the thesis defense gave me strength: “Do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.” The Holy Spirit truly came to my aid. Everything went well and I even got a “ten out of ten” for my oral defense.
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 12:8-12), Jesus assures his followers through time and space that they have the Holy Spirit to speak for them in times of trial. Christians subjected to persecution have the Holy Spirit as their teacher and defender. They need not worry how to defend themselves or what words to say when they are brought to court. The Holy Spirit will give them strength and wisdom to witness to their faith in Jesus. But they need to be receptive to the Spirit and allow him to work in them. To reject the Holy Spirit who offers forgiveness, repentance and renewal is to reject salvation. Jesus’ contemporaries who rejected him during his earthly ministry would have another chance through the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. But to resist the Holy Spirit, the Easter gift, is to refuse deliberately the Father’s saving will. To close oneself to the Spirit is to negate the experience of God’s peace and reconciliation.
B. First Reading (Eph 1:15-23): “He gave Christ as head over all things to the Church, which is his Body.”
According to St. Paul, the Church, whose head is the One seated at the right hand in the heavens, is the fullness of Jesus (Eph 1:23). Just as Jesus is the fullness of the Father, so the Church is the fullness of Jesus. Each one of us, as members of the Church, is called to attain the full stature of Christ (Eph 4:13) and his fullness. As baptized Christians we are all invited to attain personally to the full stature of Christ. To us is given the mandate to proclaim the Gospel to every creature, so as to achieve the cosmic fullness willed by God and hoped for by us.
The following family experience gives insight into what it means growing into the full stature of Christ (cf. Scott Walkers in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 126).
How do you express gratitude to someone who has shaped your life? I pondered this recently when I attended the seventy-fifth wedding anniversary of my uncle Clarence and aunt Shirley Walker.
My grandfather Eddie Walker was a successful rancher on the high plains of eastern Colorado. One day in 1933, he asked my father, Al. to ride with him to pick up supplies. Walking into a store, my grandfather suddenly collapsed. His stomach ulcer had perforated in an age prior to antibiotics. Within three days. he was dead, leaving his wife, Callie, a sixteen-year-old son, Clarence, and my fourteen-year-old father to run a ranch at the height of the Great Depression. It seemed an impossible challenge.
However, Clarence dropped out of high school and poured his energy into saving the ranch, insisting that my father remain in school and help only as time permitted. Later, Clarence encouraged him to attend college. Over the next eight years, my father earned a PhD in theology and became a minister, teacher, and missionary.
As I flew to Colorado, I promised to say thank you. Clarence and Shirley are frail and live in an assisted-living facility. Both are deaf, and there would be few private moments for conversation. However, the time came on the evening following the anniversary celebration. Sitting quietly by Clarence’s bed, I placed my hand on his and quietly said a simple prayer of thanksgiving for a good and loving man. I know he heard me and God did too.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. In moments of trial and persecution do you call upon the Holy Spirit to give you courage and strength? How do you manifest your trust in the Holy Spirit?
2. Does the quality of my service promote a person’s growth in the full stature of Christ and help achieve his fullness in all creation?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
help us to acknowledge you in today’s world
so that on judgment day,
you will acknowledge us before God’s angelic court.
In times of persecution and trials,
send us your Holy Spirit
to defend, teach and speak for us.
Help us always to be receptive
and obedient to his promptings.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
***
Loving Father,
you have given your Son rule over the works of your hands.
Grant us the spirit of wisdom resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened
that we may know the riches of glory in his inheritance.
We glorify and serve 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 day. Please memorize it.
“The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.” (Lk 12:12) //“He put all things beneath his feet.” (Eph 1:22)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
In your resolve to give an authentic Christian witness invoke the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and strength. // Using a map or a globe, offer a prayer for the Church’s mission to spread the Good News to all creatures and do what you can to promote this Christian mandate.
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Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US