A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday & Weekday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 14, n. 49)
Week 31 in Ordinary Time: October 30 – November 5, 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 23-29, 2016, please go to ARCHIVES Series 14 and click on “Week 30 in Ordinary Time”.
Below is a LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY - WEEKDAY LITURGY: October 30 – November 5, 2016.)
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October 30, 2016: SUNDAY – THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Comes to Seek the Lost”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Wis 11:22-12:2 // II Thes 1:11-2:2 // Lk 19:1-10
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 19:1-10): “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”
One of the most inspiring books I have ever read is Papa Mike, written by Mike McGarvin, the founder of Poverello House, which serves the poor and the homeless in Fresno. In this delightful book, the author narrates how he rescued a drunken man from a gutter, covered with leaves from sycamore trees. In the spirit of the Son of Man who came to seek and save what was lost, including an irrepressible tax collector perched on a sycamore tree, Papa Mike also readily saved an unconscious drunk smothered with sycamore leaves from perishing. Here is Mike McGarvin’s amusing account of the rescue.
One of the more disturbing events took place about half a block from Poverello. It was winter and raining hard. The streets in that part of town often had poor drainage, and our block was exceptionally bad. I don’t remember why, but I was walking along F Street that day. I passed by a huge puddle that had formed in a gutter. It was clogged with leaves from the sycamore trees in the neighborhood, and for some reason I glanced down at the puddle. When I did, I spotted some bubbles coming up in the water. On closer inspection, I saw they were coming from a small fleshy object sticking out of the water. With a shudder, I realized that the object was the very tip of someone’s nose.
I reached down in the puddle and pulled a man’s head out, grabbed the shoulders, and pulled him onto the sidewalk. The standing water had been so deep that he had been completely submerged except for his nose. He was covered with leaves, so that he was invisible to any passerby. He was still alive, but I couldn’t wake him up. I ran to the Poverello and called 911. He had apparently got drunk, passed out in the gutter and stayed there all night. As the rain began to pour down, he slept right through it. The water kept rising, and if I hadn’t seen him, he would have been completely under water in a few minutes. When the paramedics came, they took him to the hospital. He survived, but he had hypothermia.
Today’s Gospel reading (Lk 19:1-10) presents the lovable figure of a small, energetic tax collector. Despised and ostracized by others on account of his despicable trade, Zacchaeus is curious and eager to see the celebrity miracle-worker, Jesus. Short in stature, he is impeded by the jostling crowd from seeing the Divine Master. He overcomes the difficulty by climbing a sycamore tree. When Jesus reaches the spot where Zacchaeus is waiting, he looks up and speaks to him: “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house”. The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “Zacchaeus’ conscious motive is probably simple curiosity, yet hidden within that is a secret desire to meet Jesus and enter upon a new kind of life … Zacchaeus’ motives, such as they are, are enough for Jesus, and the latter now takes control of the situation. God has patiently waited for Zacchaeus; Zacchaeus has taken a first step; the Lord now reaches out to him.”
Responding to the Divine Master’s self-invitation to be at his house, the irrepressible Zacchaeus hurries down and welcomes him joyfully. The astounding joy that invades his formerly miserable self is a sign of salvation. Indeed, we experience the joy of salvation when we respond to God who reaches out to us often in a surprising manner. Divine mercy is first offered to Zacchaeus perched precariously on a sycamore tree. The tax collector responds to Jesus’ initiative, not only by climbing down from the sycamore tree and offering him a banquet at his house, but more radically by renouncing half of his possessions and by making a promise of a four-fold restitution to anyone he has defrauded.
Not to be outdone in generosity, Jesus says to the impetuous, but lovable tax collector: “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost” Divine mercy is throughout the Bible. It is one of the themes of today’s First Reading. But the acceptance of that love and mercy, the recognition of what it really is, that is where the miracle lies. Indeed, the genuinely receptive and transformed Zacchaeus epitomizes the model response to the saving initiative of the Son of Man who has come to seek and save the lost.
B. First Reading (Wis 11:22-12:2): “You have mercy on all because you love all things that are.”
The account of Curt Klueg, a Lay Maryknoll Missioner in Kenya, illustrates the message of this Sunday’s liturgy: To the bountiful mercy of God who loves all his creatures, we are all called to respond with faith and love (cf. “Missioner Tales” in MARYKNOLL magazine, July/August 2007, p. 6).
Recently I went to the Catholic baptism of eight condemned prisoners in Mombasa, Kenya. I serve all condemned prisoners in a social service capacity regardless of their religion, but knowing that I’m a Catholic missioner, these men asked that I be present. The baptism took place in the courtyard outside the “death row” cell block where they live. When I arrived, the Giriama men from a large tribe on the coast were doing traditional songs and dances. Nearby, the Pentecostal prisoners were praying and singing. The Mass was celebrated in simple fashion, yet so genuine, so lacking in pretense. The priest spoke of the unconditional forgiveness of God, saying, “While we may be surrounded by prison walls, no walls separate us from God.”
The prisoners asked me to say a few words at the end. In my broken Swahili, I told them how moved I always am to see the faith of Christians and Muslims alike in the prison – how deep and honest their faith seems to me. Then I reminded them that they experience Christ in a way that most other people cannot – as men condemned to death as common criminals just as Jesus was. Upon leaving I heard a loud “Allah Akbar” as the Muslims in the block began their midday call to prayer. What a blessing to experience the profound depth of faith and spirituality of all these men awaiting execution.
The passage from the Book of Wisdom, the latest of the books of Old Testament, dating between 50 and 30 B.C., is a beautiful meditation on the all-powerful God who is full of love and mercy for his creation (Wis 11:22-12:2). Overwhelmed by the great might of God, the author of the Book of Wisdom declares that the Creator God, who is powerful enough to do anything, chooses to be merciful to everyone. He overlooks our sins and gives us time to repent. He gently corrects those who sin against him. How could such a powerful Lord God, for whom the whole universe is as a drop of morning dew, be so caring and magnanimous toward his sinful creature?
The liturgical scholar, Adrian Nocent comments: “The text emphasizes the lengthy and un-wearying patience of God, who does not abandon the fellow sinner but little by little corrects him and brings him back. The Lord does not act in a brutal manner; he respects his creature, even when it is faithless … God respects even the man who has been unfaithful to him; he does not punish brutally. In fact, God’s first reaction is not to punish at all, but to convert. He warns men and reminds them of their sinful state. He wants them to turn away from evil and believe in him.”
C. Second Reading (II Thes 1:11-2:2): “May the name of Christ be glorified in you and you in him.”
The Second Reading (II Thes 1:11-2:2) illustrates the ongoing pastoral care for the early Christian community. The divine mercy continues to be manifested in the loving concern of the apostle Paul for a greatly disturbed community in Thessalonica. The apostle Paul seeks to pacify the agitated hearts of those fearful of “the day of the Lord” and those troubled by false reports that the end time had come. Like Jesus the Divine Master – the Way, Truth and Life – Saint Paul diligently guides the community of believers on the path of truth and salvation
Aelred Rosser explicates: “Paul lovingly assures the Christians at Thessalonica that they have the constant support of his prayers – specifically so that every good impulse will redound to the glory of the Lord and to their own sanctification. It is the most pastoral of prayers. In the second paragraph Paul is eager to quiet their hearts with regard to rumors or mistaken notions about the return of Jesus in glory. The best position to take with regard to the end of the world is one of calm and hopeful vigilance, expressed in loving and humble service to one another.”
The following modern day experience gives an insight into Paul’s pastoral spirit and what he means concerning the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ(cf. Roberta Messner in Daily Guideposts 2015, p. 325).
Recently I visited my dear friend Susan’s charming cottage in Louisville, Kentucky. When I arrived, there was a Welcome Home! Sign in her front yard. As I drove up her long driveway, I spotted Susan peeking out of the kitchen window. She’d placed a basket of toiletries and potted pink miniature roses on the dresser in the guest room, and there was a set of new sheets on the bed in a delightful cabbage rose pattern, topped by an exquisite white coverlet.
After I got settled, it was time for dinner in front of the television. Susan had found me a wonderful TV tray featuring a cottage with pots of pink geraniums on each concrete step. For dinner, she’d prepared a delicious chicken salad made with grapes and pecans and served it on buttery croissants. Then there was dessert, a chocolate torte she had spent hours perfecting.
All weekend long I had never felt so cared for in my life, Susan knows I love shopping for antiques, and she’d mapped out a day chock-full of antique malls and estate sales. She even found a flea market in a nearby town, where I bought a gray graniteware pitcher for my sister and a double wedding ring quilt to add to my collection.
When I left, I couldn’t help but think of the soon-approaching Advent season. If Susan could so meticulously prepare for my visit, how much more could I ready my heart for the arrival of Jesus?
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Are there moments in our life when we undergo the Zacchaeus experience and have tried to climb the “sycamore tree”? Identify them and relive the intense feelings and the challenges of these experiences. In responding to the Son of Man who comes to seek and save what was lost, are we ready to imitate the wonderful, radical response of Zacchaeus? Personally and as a Church, in what ways do we participate in the saving mission of Jesus, the Son of Man who comes to seek and save what was lost?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you allow us to experience moments of truth and healing light.
We thank you for the Zacchaeus experience within us.
With eagerness and a sense of hope,
we climb a spiritual “sycamore tree” to have a glimpse of Jesus
who comes to seek the lost.
In our precarious perch on our “sycamore tree”,
Jesus calls us to come down toward his welcoming heart.
We rejoice that the divine love
is bigger than our frailties and desolation.
Like the radically transformed Zacchaeus,
let us be marked by the joy of salvation.
We love you, Father.
We adore 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.
“The Son of Man has come to seek and save what was lost.” (Lk 19:10)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Contribute in any way you can to alleviate the sufferings of those in prison and those who despair on account of a marginalized and sinful situation. Strive to bring God’s tenderness to the various images of “Zacchaeus” in our society today.
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October 31, 2016: MONDAY – WEEKDAY (31)
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be Hospitable to All … He Teaches Us to Care for Others”
BIBLE READINGS
Phil 2:1-4 // Lk 14:12-14
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 14:12-14): “Do not invite your friends, but those who are poor and crippled.”
I grew up in a Filipino culture of reciprocity. One day when I was a teenager, I baked a delicious “Devil’s Food” cake and shared it with the family next door. Sure enough, they reciprocated. When their daughter baked a fantastic orange chiffon cake, they shared it with us. Indeed, when someone does something good, we have a feeling of indebtedness. The Filipinos call that sense of obligation “utang na loob” (debt of gratitude). With my cultural background of “utang na loob”, it is easy for me to understand the reciprocal relationship in the Jewish world.
To seek or give recompense is an honorable way of behaving, especially if it is meant to strengthen friendships, deepen family bonds, increase our potential, etc. But Jesus goes beyond mere human reciprocity. In today’s Gospel (Lk 14:12-14), he advises his host Pharisee that when he holds a banquet he should not invite his friends, brothers, relatives or wealthy neighbors lest he will be invited back and be repaid. He urges him instead to invite the poor, the crippled and the blind – those unable to reciprocate. Jesus’ perplexing advice should not be taken literally. The “radical” advice is a hyperbole – a Semitic exaggeration to teach a new way of behaving. He invites us to welcome and be hospitable to the unfortunate – not just to those who can reciprocate our good graces. He wants us to be good in a totally disinterested fashion – to be generous without expecting a reward. We must show concern for the poor and needy. In sharing God’s blessings with them, we mirror his compassion. Jesus teaches us that the kingdom of God is for all. Hence, our hospitality must likewise be all-inclusive – embracing all – especially the poor and vulnerable who are neglected by those who act merely reciprocally and with selfish motives.
Our friend Rosel is a member of the Holy Family Institute, founded by Blessed James Alberione. I am deeply touched by her compassion for the poor. When she celebrates her birthday, or that of her daughter, she does it in a very “Christian” way. Instead of hosting a party at their home in San Jose (CA-USA) she will send her hard earned dollars to her hometown in Cebu, Philippines to feed the poor. Hundreds and hundreds of poor, hungry children are able to enjoy a delicious meal on account of her generosity. Rosel follows literally the words of Jesus: “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor …”
B. First Reading (Phil 2:1-4): “Complete my joy by being of the same kind.”
In today’s First Reading (Phil 2:1-4), Saint Paul exhorts the Philippians to community harmony and humility. The apostolic exhortation begins with four premises: “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy …” These conditions are real: they have been strengthened by Christ, comforted by his love, shared in the fellowship of the Spirit, and are the objects of God’s kindness and compassion. Since the Philippians are the beneficiaries of this grace-filled reality, they ought to live in harmony and humility. In this way, they will complete Paul’s joy – for they will be of one mind with Paul and one another and possess the same love. Consequently, they will look out for one another’s interests, not just for their own. They will not treat each other selfishly nor boastfully, but with care and great regard for one another.
The following report on an Ebola survivor, circulated on the Internet, illustrates what it means to regard the other as more important and to care for one another’s needs
Dr. Kent Brantly, one of the two US doctors who contracted the Ebola virus in Liberia, has spoken out for the first time. He released a statement from his isolation room at Emory University in Atlanta where he’s being treated after he was flown out of Liberia last week.
He is the first Ebola patient to receive the experimental serum, ZMapp. Below is the statement Brantly released:
“I am writing this update from my isolation room at Emory University Hospital, where the doctors and nurses are providing the very best care possible. I am growing stronger every day, and I thank God for His mercy as I have wrestled with this terrible disease. I also want to extend my deep and sincere thanks to all of you who have been praying for my recovery as well as for Nancy and for the people of Liberia and West Africa.
My wife Amber and I, along with our two children, did not move to Liberia for the specific purpose of fighting Ebola. We went to Liberia because we believe God called us to serve Him at ELWA Hospital.
One thing I have learned is that following God often leads to unexpected places. When Ebola spread into Liberia, my usual hospital work turned more and more toward treating the increasing number of Ebola patients. I held the hands of countless individuals as this terrible disease took their lives away from them. I witnessed the horror first-hand, and I can still remember every face and name.
When I started feeling ill on that Wednesday morning, I immediately isolated myself until the test confirmed my diagnosis three days later. When the result was positive, I remember a deep sense of peace that was beyond all understanding. God was reminding me of what He had taught me years ago, that he will give me everything I need to be faithful to Him.
Now it is two weeks later, and I am in a totally different setting. My focus, however, remains the same – to follow God. As you continue to pray for Nancy and me, yes, please pray for our recovery. More importantly, pray that we would be faithful to God’s call on our lives in these new circumstances.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
Does your behavior go beyond the bounds of human reciprocity? Do you imitate the generous stance of Jesus, who empties himself for others without counting the cost? Do you endeavor to live a life of harmony and humility within the community?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Master,
you teach us the way of hospitality and generosity.
You call us to be united with you,
and thus live in harmony and with humility.
Help us to open ourselves
to the needs of the poor and the unfortunate.
Teach us to care for the needs of others.
Fill our table with your blessings
that we may share them with our brothers and sisters
who do not have.
Lead us all to the heavenly feasting
where we will rejoice with you, 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.
“Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind …” (Lk 14:13) // “Look out for one another’s interests, not just your own.” (Phil 2:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Eliminate “unnecessary” spending and look into the possibility of donating your resources to help feed the world’s poor and alleviate the sufferings of the needy. Continue to pray for the sick and the afflicted and those who take care of them directly.
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November 1, 2016: TUESDAY – ALL SAINTS
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the King of All the Saints”
BIBLE READINGS
Rv 7:2-4, 9-14 // I Jn 3:1-3 // Mt 5:1-12a
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
Today is the Feast of All Saints. The saints are people who have given intense and incisive witness that salvation comes from God and from the Paschal Lamb, Jesus Christ. The Beatitudes have animated and shaped their lives. Single-heartedly, these exemplary followers of Christ have pursued the goal of holiness to which all are called by God. Through this joyful feast, we celebrate the holiness of God manifested in the lives of the saints. We also thank the Lord for the triumph of righteousness. Today we proclaim our communion with the saints and invoke their intercession for us.
The saints are myriads – from every nation, race, people, and tongue (Rv 7:2-4, 9, 14). But all have trod the path of the Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-12a). As children of God, we too are called to be holy. Like the saints, we strongly hope “to see God as he is” in our glorious destiny in heaven (I Jn 3:1-3).
The biblical scholar Eugene Maly comments: “On this Solemnity of All Saints, Matthew, I John, and Revelation remind us that this is our day. We are to be joyous as we celebrate the solemn festival here below. Our lifetime is a pilgrimage to the heavenly city above. Yet it is only in the total commitment of our personality to Christ that we can make our robes white in his lifeblood and can have the total fulfillment of our hopes. It is in him that we live – and hope to die. We are pilgrims on our way home. The path is found in the beatitudes, and the end is found in heaven. Happy Feast Day!”
The following story, “What Goes Around Comes Around” illustrates the moral fiber and the spirit of sainthood. It gives us a glimpse of “heaven”. It also shows how wonderful our world could be if we live out fully the Gospel spirit of mercy and of the entire Beatitudes.
One day a man saw an old lady stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with a smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so! Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you. He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.” Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hand hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nut, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid. Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that would have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she would give that person the assistance needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.” He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road, the lady saw a small café. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan. After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything … I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.” Under the napkin were four more $100 bills. Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day …
That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard … She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything is going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”
Here is another example that holiness and sainthood continue to grace our life today. Ted Wojtkowski, as a young man, was privileged to witness one of the greatest acts of saintly heroism of the twentieth century. His encounter with Father Maximilian Kolbe changed his life and enabled him to be a man of hope (cf. Jay Copp, “Inspired by a Martyr” in Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p. 26-29).
The year was 1939. In September, German tanks rumbled into Poland. The first village attacked by the Nazis was the home of Wojtkoswki, then a 20-year-old student. A patriot, Wojtkowski went underground. He and his buddies manned a shortwave radio to gather war news from London and then secretly printed leaflets to let villagers know what was occurring. Before long, Wojtkowski hopped on his father’s bicycle and headed toward Hungary. His destination was France, where he hoped to join the Polish army. The Nazis caught him at the border, jailed him, and sent him to Auschwitz on May 1, 1939.
Auschwitz was not a killing ground for Jews yet; the Nazis were using it for criminals and for foes of their regime, including priests and activists. Wojtkowski, living with eight-hundred men in a two-story barracks, was put to work building more barracks. The Nazis treated the prisoners brutally. Priests were especially singled-out for punishment – guards kicked them in the face and stomach and clubbed them over the head. When a prisoner escaped, all the others were ordered to stand in the sun for days, hands on their heads. After a second escape, ten prisoners were machine-gunned. The third escape occurred on or about July 28, 1941. One hundred members of Wojtkowski’s barracks were forced to stand in rows of ten. Ten of them would die. Wojtkowski stood in the eighth row. The camp commander ordered each row, one after the other, to step forward. He began a random selection. One, two, three were pulled from a group. Wojtkowski hoped that ten would be singled out before his row was reached.
A fourth, fifth, and sixth were picked. The sixth broke down. “My wife, my children …” he sobbed. “Who will take care of them?” A prisoner from the sixth row turned to the commander, “I will take the place of this man with the wife and children”, he said. Most remarkable of all was the volunteer’s demeanor. “His expression was so serene, so peaceful, not a shadow of fear”, Wojtkowski recalls. The commander, however, was not impressed. “You must be some kind of (expletive) priest”, he snarled. But he accepted him as one of the ten. The volunteer and nine others were locked in a bunker. The Nazis would not waste bullets on them. They would be starved to death. The man was indeed a priest, but not just any priest. He was Franciscan Father Maximilian Kolbe. Poles considered Kolbe a saint. His personal assistant Jerome Wierziba, once said of him: “He had something good in his face that emanated God. Just looking at him gave you peace of mind.”
Kolbe published religious magazines and newspapers read by more than one million Poles. He was widely admired, running the largest Catholic religious house in the world. Intensely devoted to the Blessed Mother, Kolbe supervised six-hundred-fifty friars at his City of the Immaculata, an evangelization center near Warsaw. The Nazis naturally regarded Kolbe with suspicion after they invaded Poland. When he resisted pressure to apply for German citizenship for which he was eligible, he was arrested on February 17, 1941.
When the guards were out of earshot, the prisoners shared information with one another about the fate of the ten in the bunker. Kolbe was leading the doomed in prayers and hymns, and a piece of bread had been smuggled in to be used in a Mass. After three weeks, Kolbe was the last to die. The Nazis, impatient to use the bunker to punish others, had a doctor inject poison into Kolbe to finish him off.
The more Wojtkowski thought about Kolbe’s self-sacrifice, the more astounded he was. Francis Gajowniczek, whom Kolbe had saved, was a peasant farmer. Kolbe, forty-seven, was one of the most accomplished men in Poland, a priest with many plans. Already he had begun a missionary center in Japan and was determined to open an evangelization center in each continent. And Kolbe, who possessed great drive and ambition, had given up all his dreams in a moment. He truly was a man of God, Wojtkowski realized. Kolbe saved not only Gajowniczek, but also Wojtkowski. Years of deprivation awaited Wojtkowski. There would be backbreaking labor and physical abuse. But Wojtkowski never lost his will to survive. “Father Kolbe inspired me”, he says. “After his sacrifice, I never thought I would die at Auschwitz. Someday I would be liberated and tell what happened.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
How does the vision of the great multitude of the redeemed and the beauty of the heavenly liturgy presented in the Book of Revelation affect you? Do you imagine your favorite saints to be participants in this heavenly worship? Do you wish to be united with the saints in their divine worship? What is the personal implication of the Gospel Beatitudes for you? Do you allow yourself to be inspired by the saints in the way they live the spirit of the Beatitudes? Are you deeply aware of our Christian identity as children of God? Do you look forward with hope to our glorious destiny of eternal life with God, with all the saints in heaven?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the supreme gift of your Son Jesus Christ
whose glory is reflected in the lives of the saints.
The myriads of saints
“from every nation, race, people and tongue”
have trod the path of the Beatitudes.
Each saint has participated fully and uniquely
in the saving passion of your Son on the cross.
Let our lives be inspired
by their total configuration to Christ Redeemer.
In communion with the saints,
may we pursue our Christian vocation to holiness
and attain their glorious destiny with you in heaven.
Together with the multitude of the redeemed
and with all the saints in heaven,
we exclaim:
“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power and might be to our God, forever and ever.”
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.
“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” (Mt 5:12a)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that we may respond fully to our Christian call to holiness. By incarnating the spirit of the Beatitudes, allow our fragmented world of today to have a glimpse of God’s infinite beauty and truth. Let those in need experience “a touch of the saints in heaven”.
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November 2, 2016: WEDNESDAY – THE COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED (ALL SOULS’ DAY)
“JESUS SAVIOR: In Him They Shall Be Greatly Blessed”
BIBLE READINGS
Wis 3:1-9 // Rom 5:5-11 // Jn 6:37-40
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In the 9th century Amalareus of Metz (ca. 780-850 A.D.) suggested a day of commemoration for all the dead, similar to the consecration of a day in memory of all the saints. But it was only after many years that his wish would be fulfilled. The commemoration of all the faithful departed was first celebrated on November 2, 998 through the initiative of St. Odilo (ca. 962-1049), the fifth abbot of Cluny, and approved by Pope Sylvester II (ca. 940-1003). The Pope’s successors continued to favor the celebration of this feast in numerous Cluny monasteries, which in turn contributed to the diffusion of this feast throughout the Latin churches.
There is an intimate connection between the feast of All Saints (November 1) and the feast of All Souls (November 2). Both celebrate the paschal mystery of Christ, which is the basic foundation for the Christian vision of death and life after death. Our contemplation of the saving event of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection, in which the saints intimately participated on earth and continue to share gloriously and eternally in heaven, leads us naturally and spontaneously to the prayer for all the departed. We pray that our beloved dead, by the mercy of God, may also share fully and intimately in Christ’s paschal victory and in his gift of eternal life in heaven.
On the feast of All Souls, no particular biblical readings are prescribed, in contrast to other feast days. But there is a wide range of lectionary texts proposed from the Masses for the Dead. One favorite text is Wisdom 3:1-9, which offers consoling words about the eternal destiny of our faithful departed: “They are in the hand of God … they are in peace … their hope is full of immortality … chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed.” Combined with appropriate New Testament readings (e.g. Rom 6:3-9 and Jn 6:37-40, etc.) that avow the divine saving plan and the final destruction of death through Christ’s death and resurrection, this Wisdom text is very appropriate for the liturgy of All Souls Day. The insightful readings from the Masses for the Dead help Christian believers come to grips with the mystery of death that leads to eternal life
Our commemoration of the faithful departed should take into consideration the human experience of loss, hurt, and grieving, as well as our faith in Christ’s paschal mystery. With our faith and hope in the victorious death of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord, we are heartened that death does not have the ultimate word and is not a total destruction. Death is merely a “transitus” or passing over – the enigmatic door that leads to eternal life.
St. Augustine recognizes the human need to mourn for the dead and the Christian faith that mitigates our sorrow. He remarks: “It is inevitable that we should be sad when those we love depart from us by dying. Although we know they are not leaving us forever, that they have but gone a little ahead of us, that we who remain will follow them, nevertheless our nature shrinks from death, and when it takes a loved one we are filled with sorrow simply because of our love for that person. That is why the Apostle did not tell us that we should not be saddened, but that we should not be saddened in the same way as those who have no hope (…) Faithful hearts should be allowed, then, to mourn for their loved ones, but with a grief that can be healed; let them shed over our mortal condition tears that can be wiped away, tears that can be quickly checked by the joy of that faith which assures us that when believers die they go but a little distance from us that they may pass to a better state.”
Moreover, St. Augustine counsels us what to do on behalf of our beloved dead: “There is no doubt that the dead are helped by the prayers of holy Church, by the saving sacrifice, and by the alms dispensed for their souls; these things are done that they may be more mercifully dealt with by the Lord than their sins deserve (…) Due attention should be paid to the burial and construction of tombs for the dead, according to our means, for these are counted as good works in the scriptures. But people whose love for their dead is spiritual as well as physical should pay much greater, more careful and more earnest attention to those things – sacrifices, prayers, and almsgiving – which can assist those who though their bodies may be dead are still alive in spirit.”
On the feast of All Souls we are greatly reminded of our duty to offer suffrage for the poor souls in purgatory. The following excerpt from the life of Padre Pio could inspire us to pray more intensely for the souls in purgatory (cf. “Padre Pio and Purgatory” in the booklet Padre Pio: A Catholic Priest Who Worked Miracles and Bore the Wounds of Jesus Christ in His Body by Bro. Michael Dismond, OSB, New York: Most Holy Family Monastery, p. 55-56).
One night Padre Pio was sitting alone in a room absorbed in prayer when an old man entered and sat next to him. “I looked at him but never thought of how he managed to get in the friary at that hour. I asked him: ‘Who are you? What do you want? The man answered: ‘Padre Pio, I am Pietro di Mauro, nicknamed Precoco. I died in this friary (in a fire) on September 18, 1908, in room number 4. I am still in Purgatory, and I need a Mass to free my soul from it. God has given me permission to come to you and ask for your prayers.’ After I had listened to his story, I said: ‘You can rest assured that I will celebrate Mass tomorrow for your liberation.’” Padre Pio then said that the Mass he celebrated the next day freed the man’s soul from Purgatory. One of the other priests at the friary later on checked the village records and found that such an individual had indeed died under the circumstances described by Padre Pio.
One day, some of the friars saw Padre Pio abruptly leave the table and begin to speak, as if he were speaking to someone. But no one was around Padre Pio to whom he could have been speaking. The friars thought Padre Pio was going crazy, and they asked him who he was speaking to. “Oh don’t worry, I was talking to some souls who were on their way from Purgatory to Heaven. They stopped here to thank me because I remembered them in my Mass this morning.”
Padre Pio said: “More souls of the dead from Purgatory than of the living climb this mountain to attend my Masses and seek my prayers.”
One time someone asked Padre Pio how Purgatory could be avoided. He replied, “By accepting everything from God’s hand. Offering everything up to Him with love and thanksgiving will enable us to pass from our deathbed to paradise.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What is the meaning and importance of the Church’s feast of All Souls? What is the personal significance of this feast for us? How do we affirm the importance of Christ’s paschal elements in our celebration of the feast of All Souls? How does the human aspect of grieving enter into our celebration? How do we offer suffrage for our beloved dead and the poor souls in purgatory? In our memorial of the deceased, do we offer “sacrifices, prayers and almsgiving” on their behalf? Do we endeavor to visit the cemetery in November as part of our love and suffrage for our beloved dead?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Cf. Blessed Alberione’s Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory)
Lord, my Creator and Redeemer,
I believe that in your justice,
you established purgatory for those souls who pass into eternity
before having totally paid their debts of sin or punishment.
I also believe that in your mercy you accept suffrages,
particularly the holy sacrifice of the Mass,
for their relief and liberation.
Stir up my faith
and infuse in my heart sentiments of pity
toward these dear suffering brothers and sisters.
Lord, Jesus Christ, King of glory,
through the intercession of Mary and all the saints
free the souls of the faithful departed
from the punishments of purgatory.
And through the intercession of St. Michael,
standard-bearer of the heavenly army,
guide them to the holy light
promised to Abraham and to his descendants.
I offer you, Lord, sacrifices and prayers of praise.
Accept them for these souls and admit them to eternal joy.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. 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 souls of the just are in the hand of God … Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed.” (Wis 3:1, 5)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
By your “sacrifices, prayers and almsgiving”, assist the poor souls in purgatory in their journey to heaven. In your daily endeavor to surrender to the saving will of God and to live a life of justice and charity, continue to manifest the communion of the Church in today’s world with the saints in heaven and with the poor souls in purgatory.
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November 3, 2016: THURSDAY – WEEKDAY (31); SAINT MARTIN PORRES, Religious
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Rejoices at Finding the Lost … He Is Our True Value”
BIBLE READINGS
Phil 3:3-8a // Lk 15:1-10
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 15:1-10): “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.”
This happened many years ago. My dad was sick with cancer and emotionally sensitive. My brother, Diko Pito, who was undergoing the development throes of teenage life, was also sensitive. My sick father and Diko Pito had an argument. The disagreement escalated to the point that my brother packed some belongings. He ran away from home weeping. My mom was not around when this happened. When she realized that my brother ran away, she immediately went to look for him. All of us were distressed. We could only hope and pray that he may be found. Finally, my mom came back with my “lost” brother. My mom found Diko Pito in the home of his best friend Augusto. My brother was intending to take the evening train to our province in Bicol to take refuge in the home of my Dad’s sister. We greatly rejoiced that Diko Pito was found … that he came back home, safe and sound.
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 15:1-10), Jesus underlines the heavenly rejoicing when the “lost” is “found”. A sheep has gone astray. The shepherd leaves the ninety-nine secure in the fold and searches diligently for the lost sheep. Because of the value of every single sheep, his is not merely a token search. When he finds the sheep, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy. Upon his arrival, he calls together his friends and neighbors to celebrate. In the same way, there is great rejoicing in heaven over a repentant sinner. Jesus reiterates his message by narrating a domestic parable. A woman loses one of her ten precious coins. A drachma coin is worth a day’s wage for a laborer, and is extremely valuable to the woman. She lights a lamp and sweeps the windowless room, searching diligently until she finds it. She rejoices when the lost coin is found. In just the same way there is great rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents.
Today’s parables contain a distilled essence of the Gospel: about a loving God who treasures us infinitely. Because of our extreme value, he patiently seeks us out when we are lost. He wants to bring us back close to his heart. God cares for sinners and rejoices at their conversion. In contrast, the Old Testament reluctant prophet Jonah was upset when the people of Nineveh heeded the warning of doom that God commissioned him to preach. He sulked when the people of Nineveh turned their hearts to God in repentance and averted self-destruction. Instead of rejoicing that the sinners were saved - that the “lost” were “found” – the punitive Jonah was angry at God for his mercy. But God is not Jonah and does not act like Jonah. Our loving and forgiving God rejoices when a sinner repents. When the “lost” is “found”, it is an experience of resurrection … it is new life!
B. First Reading (Phil 3:3-8a): “But whatever gains I had, I even consider as a loss because of Christ.”
In today’s First Reading (Phil 3:3-8a), Saint Paul asserts that Christ is the true value. Contesting the false teachers who wish to impose physical circumcision upon the Philippians, the apostle remarks that the Christian believers have received the “true circumcision” for they worship God by means of his Spirit and rejoice in their life of union with Christ Jesus. Indeed, the Christians are “the seed of Abraham” – the “sons of Abraham – because of their faith in Christ Jesus. They do not put their confidence in physical circumcision, which is not a guarantee for salvation. If there is any reason for confidence in Jewish “merits”, such as the physical sign of circumcision, Paul, as a Christian of Jewish background, can claim them as well as the Jews. He lists his Jewish pedigree and elite background as a member of the tribe of Benjamin. Moreover, he was a Pharisee so zealous that he persecuted the Church and kept the law blamelessly. But in comparison to having gained Christ, all these can be counted as “loss”. Paul’s encounter with Christ has completely changed his scale of values. All that seemed to be his advantage before now means nothing to him. The knowledge of Christ, with the life and love it entails, makes everything else relative and of less importance.
The following modern day testimony gives insight into Paul’s experience of Christ as the central value that “relativizes” all things (cf. Anne Nolan, “From Catwalk to Confession” in Alive! September 2014, p. 6).
After all the summer’s footballers, fashion models seem to be in the news this month. Like Amada Rosa Perez. Having grown up in a small village, Amada Rosa was “discovered” when she walked into a gym in Bogota, aged 18, and she went on to become one of Colombia’s top models and film star.
A charismatic queen of the catwalk in Europe and the US, she was a regular on magazine covers. Then she disappeared from the public eye. Five years later she reappeared, a very different person. Call it a religious conversion or simply a decision on her part to seek happiness in a very different direction.
Because behind all the glamour, her life was a serious mess. Desperately she turned to Yoga, Reiki, Feng-Shui, Tarot, without suspecting the hidden price she was paying: “The Devil always wants something in return”, she says. Deeply wounded by her experiences, she felt unsatisfied, directionless, submerged in fleeting pleasures, and at one point was so depressed she considered suicide.
Then, just like she had walked into a gym, one day she walked into a church. There she read, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I shall give you rest.” With that a light went on in her head. She went to confession and found the peace she had been longing for. Then a little bit of Ireland touched her life; she discovered the Legion of Mary and became a member.
Now, besides going to Mass daily, she prays the rosary, says the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3pm and goes to confession frequently. But she also wants to share the peace and joy of her faith with others. For her, that’s part of being a Catholic. “Being a model means being a benchmark”, she says, “being someone whose beliefs are worthy of being imitated.”
“I grew tired of being a model of superficiality. I grew tired of a world of lies, appearances, falsity, hypocrisy and deception; a society full of anti-values that exalts violence, adultery, drugs; a world that exalts riches, pleasure, sexual immorality and fraud.”
“I want to be a model that promotes the true dignity of women, and not their being used for commercial purposes”, she says.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
What does it mean to be lost and found? Are you willing to experience the joy of a loving God who rejoices when one sinner repents? With Saint Paul, will you be able to declare: “But whatever gains I had these I have come to consider loss because of Christ?” Do you consider Christ as the true value?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you are gracious and forgiving.
Your Son Jesus is the Good Shepherd
who seeks the lost sheep.
His diligence is akin to a woman
who carefully sweeps her house
to find a lost precious coin.
There is great rejoicing in heaven
over one sinner who repents.
This is awesome!
We are grateful that you care for us
and love us, O Father.
And because Christ is our ultimate value,
we consider whatever gains we had as “loss”
and of secondary value.
We praise and thank 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.
“There will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk 15:10) // “But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ.” (Eph 3:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the conversion of those who have gone astray, and by your kind words and deeds, be an instrument to bring them back home to God. Do what you can to help those who are searching for “lost” family members or friends. Every day be thankful to the Father for Jesus Savior, our true value.
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November 4, 2016: FRIDAY – SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO, Bishop
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be Enterprising … He Is the Principle of Our Transformation”
BIBLE READINGS
Phil 3:17-4:1 // Lk 16:1-8
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 16:1-8): “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.”
This experience was narrated by a teenager writing in a Filipino national magazine. A Chinese family moved into their neighborhood. For the local Filipino families there, the new neighbors were simply “aliens”. They did not have much sympathy for them. The Chinese immigrants are generally very good businessmen and often acquire more material resources than the local folks. The business acumen of the Chinese and their financial success sometimes generate a feeling of resentment among the natives. One day, the poor neighbors heard much bustling and activity from the 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 newcomers scurried through the neighborhood, lugging a most welcome gift for each poor family: a big wicker basket filled with delectable dishes 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 were also some nicely cooked white rice and delicious, ripe fruits to complete the treat. Instead of hosting a party for their relatives and friends, the well-to-do Chinese family celebrated the daughter’s birthday by preparing food baskets for their poor neighbors. The enterprising character of their charity slowly demolished the resistance of the local folks who eventually became their friends.
In today’s Gospel reading (Lk 16:1-8) Jesus narrates the parable of the crafty steward. According to the biblical scholar, Eugene Maly: “In the parable the manager, about to be dismissed, calls in the master’s debtors and reduces their bills (probably by renouncing part or all of his own commission) in order to gain their good will for the future. The lesson intended by Jesus is simply that we should be as enterprising about our future in the Kingdom as was the manager about his future. No judgment, good or bad, is made on the possession of goods.”
Indeed, 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 said 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.”
B. First Reading (Phil 3:17-4:1): “We await a savior who will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body.”
Today’s First Reading (Phil 3:17-4:1) helps us to delve into our own vocation of transformation. The Christian journey of transformation is radically initiated at baptism, but needs to be perfected day by day, until the end time when “Christ will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body”. Saint Paul, responding so fully to the gift of baptismal transformation that he could truthfully confess: “It is no longer I who live; Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20), presents himself as an “imitator of Christ” – a model to be emulated by the pledging Philippians. Paul’s journey of configuration to Christ was not without difficulties and sacrifice. But remaining steadfast in his faith, he exhorted the Philippians to stand firm in the Lord.
The biblical scholar Adrian Nocent comments: “Saint Paul develops the thought that all who are baptized will share in the glory of the transfigured Christ. He urges the Philippians to follow his own example and not let their hearts become attached to earthly things. They are already citizens of heaven. How, then, could they glory in what is really a cause for shame or make anything earthly the goal of their life? The Christian is constantly confronted with choices he cannot evade. He must choose, and he must keep on choosing, since, though already a citizen of heaven, he still lives in that form of a servant which Christ himself assumed and in which he was humbled even to the point of dying (Phil 2:6-11). But the day of the Lord’s return will be the day when his fidelity will be rewarded: he will be transformed and become like the glorious Christ … We must change our ways, we must choose and follow the Apostle, that is, in the last analysis we must follow Christ on his paschal journey so that with him we may finally be transformed and glorified.”
We present below the inspiring profile of Jean Vanier, a modern-day example of a full response to the divine “gift of transformation” (cf. “Jean Vanier’s Gift for Living” by Carolyn Whitney-Brown in America, December 22-29, 2008, p. 22).
In August 1964, Jean Vanier was a 36-year-old former naval officer seeking to follow Jesus and the Gospels in a new way. He invited two men who had been living in an institution for people with intellectual disabilities to share a house with him in a French village. Since then, more than 132 similar communities, called L’Arche (the Ark), have developed in over 34 countries, welcoming people of all faiths and traditions. Its related network, called Faith and Light, included more than 1,500 communities. Jean Vanier has become internationally recognized for his profound reflections on social inclusion, peace, forgiveness and what it means to be human.
A celibate spiritual leader who is not a priest, a philosopher with a doctoral degree who is not a professor, Vanier is not easily categorized. When he turned 80 in the fall, the Canadian Globe and Mail newspaper commended his peacemaking, ecumenism and humanitarianism. The editorial endorsed Vanier as a worthy candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, created to honor those who have “greatly contributed to fraternity among human beings across the world”. Jean Vanier was born into a distinguished Canadian family. His family was the last of Canada’s diplomats to flee Nazi-occupied France when he was 11. At age 13, Vanier decided to join the British Navy and again crossed the dangerous North Atlantic. In his early 20s, after reading Thomas Merton, getting to know Daniel Berrigan, S.J., visiting Friendship House and the Catholic Worker in New York City, and completing a 30-day Ignatian retreat, Vanier resigned from the Navy. For the next 14 years, he studied and prayed, became leader of an innovative community of international students near Paris, wrote a well-received doctoral thesis on Aristotle’s understanding of happiness, and was invited to teach at the University of Toronto.
In 1964 his long search to follow Jesus came into focus in a new way, when with Philippe Seux and Raphael Simi, he moved into a small house in Trosly, France. Within a year the community had grown, because Vanier was asked to take on the directorship of a local institution. A trip to India in 1969 deepened Vanier’s understanding of the spirituality and vision of Gandhi and expanded his critical understanding of poverty and community. Around that time L’Arche communities began to grow rapidly around the world, including 16 in the United States. If Vanier had any tendency to romanticize handicaps or spiritualize weakness, that changed when he himself became weak and dependent from a prolonged tropical infection in 1976 and endured a long recovery. He wrote to friends, “After twelve years at L’Arche as an assistant, I am now experiencing what it is like to be on the other side.”
His self-understanding deepened in 1980, when he spent a year living with people with more severe handicaps, whose pain touched his own anguish and even hatred. In learning to recognize his own hidden places of pain, Varnier learned to befriend weakness not just in others but in himself. “Let’s stop running away from ourselves and from the deepest part of our beings,” he encouraged people on retreat. “Let us simply stop and start listening to our own hearts. There we will touch a lot of pain. We will possibly touch a lot of anger. We will possibly touch a lot of loneliness and anguish. Then we will hear something deeper. We will hear the voice of Jesus; we will hear the voice of God: I love you. You are precious to my eyes and I love you “
For Vanier, movements inward and outward follow naturally like tides. He learned not to be an enemy of his inner contradictions and pain and began to speak more about “the teaching of Jesus that, if it had been followed, would have changed the history of the world – Love your enemies.” Love is about coming out from behind barriers, he observed. “Do we want to win, or do we want to be in solidarity with others?” he asked a Harvard audience in 1988.
After September 11, 2001, Vanier participated in gatherings where people reaffirmed their vision of mutual acceptance, but he found that those evenings of prayer left him uneasy. “I felt as though people were not praying for a new just order between people and nations, but, motivated by fear, were praying to keep the status quo – no change, no insecurity …” In words that sound especially resonant now, as the economy dominates headlines, Vanier wrote that perhaps “certitudes will crumble, and stock exchanges will wobble again before more of us truly begin to search for new ways of living.” Vanier’s life offers one example of a new way of living. For him, life’s work is not simply internal growth or accepting one’s humanness. We each have something to offer. “The fundamental principle of peace is a belief that each person is important,” writes Vanier. “Even if you cannot speak, even if you cannot walk, even if you’ve been abandoned, you have a gift to give.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. 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?
2. How do we respond to the gift of baptismal transformation? Does our life witnessing catalyze the Christian transformation of others?
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.
Let the grace of transformation we have received
be turned into a “gift for living” for others.
May our transformation be complete.
Let it be a sign that our commonwealth is in heaven.
We praise and thanks 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.
“The children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.” (Lk 16:8) // “He will change our lowly body to conform to his glorified Body.” (Phil 3:21)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
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. Through your work of active charity for the weak, the handicapped and the vulnerable, allow the grace of transformation to become a “gift of living” for others. Be attentive to the various signs of the Lord’s transfiguration in your life and all around you.
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November 5, 2016: SATURDAY – WEEKDAY (31); BVM ON SATURDAY
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Use Our Goods Wisely … He Strengthens Us in All Things”
BIBLE READINGS
Phil 4:10-19 // Lk 16:9-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Lk 16:9-15): “If, therefore you are trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?”
In the Gospel (Lk 16:9-15), Jesus teaches us to use our goods wisely. He wants us to convert the earthly goods into heavenly capital by sharing with others. Jesus calls us to give exclusive loyalty to God and not to succumb to the enslavement of earthly goods. One shows loyalty to God by sharing goods and resources with others, especially the poor and the needy. The Pharisees, who love money, sneer at his teaching. They regard wealth as a sign of God’s blessings or righteousness, which is not necessarily the case if their hearts are full of avarice. However, earthly wealth can be put to good use for God’s kingdom. Given as alms to the poor and needy, the benefactors obtain a place in the heavenly kingdom.
One day Sr. Mary Clare, a member of our community in Fresno, shared with us a tidbit at table. A rich British man sold his companies, his mansion and his beautiful car to share with the poor. He is now in Japan ministering to the homeless. The British benefactor remarked that houses and cars are meant to serve human needs, but they are not “important”. He believes what is really “important” is that we have Jesus in our lives … that we have love and respect for others.
The hurricane “Sandy” that devastated New York in 2012 brought about experiences of misery as well as compassion (cf. Fresno Bee, November 1, 2012, p. A1, A7).
In Manhattan at night, it was possible to walk downtown along an avenue and move in an instant from the mostly normal New York scene – delis open, people milling outside bars – into a pitch-black cityscape with police flares marking intersections.
People who did have power took to social media to offer help to neighbors. “I have power and hot water. If anyone needs a shower or to charge some gadgets or just wants to bask in the beauty of artificial light, hit me up”, Rob Hart of Staten Island posted on Facebook.
A respected New York steakhouse in the blackout zone, Old Homestead, realized its meat was going to go bad and decided to grill what was left and sell steaks on the sidewalk for $10. A center-cut sirloin usually goes for $47. “Give back to the people of New York”, said Greg Sherry, the steakhouse’s co-owner. He said it had served nearly 700 people on Wednesday.
B. First Reading (Phil 4:10-19): “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.”
In today’s First Reading (Phil 4:10-19) Saint Paul expresses his gratitude for the aid sent to him by the Philippians through Epaphroditus and for their concern for him. Though the apostle has learned to be satisfied in all circumstances, he is grateful for their help and their sharing in his ministry. Indeed, he has learned to be satisfied with what he has. He knows how to live in poverty and in abundance. This “sufficiency” is founded on the Lord. Saint Paul asserts: “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” He recalls, moreover, how the Philippians were the only church to help him in the early days of preaching the Good News and how they sent help to him when he was in Thessalonica. Their gifts are a sweet smelling sacrifice pleasing to God. Indeed, their generosity redounds to their benefit on a spiritual level. Saint Paul assures them that God will supply whatever they need in accordance with the glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
The following modern-day account gives insight into Paul’s assertion that the Lord aids us with his power and strength (cf. “Brosnan: Catholic Faith Got Me Through Troubles” in Alive! September 2014, p. 2).
In his new film, “A Long Way Down”, Pierce Brosnan plays a depressed TV personality who contemplates suicide. At the recent New York premier of the movie he was asked by a journalist from the NY Daily News how he had coped with the various tragedies of his own life. Without hesitation he replied, “I would say faith, being Irish, being Catholic; it’s ingrained in my DNA.”
The actor lost both his first wife and his adopted daughter to ovarian cancer. His wife, Cassandra Harris, died in 1991. On 28 June 2013 he announced, “my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life”. Aged 41, she was the mother of two children; a boy aged 8 and a girl of 14. Her husband and children were with her when she died.
Brosnan, most famous for his role as “James Bond”, has spoken frankly about his Catholic faith before. “Prayer helped me with the loss of my wife to cancer and with a child who had fallen on tough times. Now prayer helps me to be a father, to be an actor and to be a man”, he told RTE.ie in March 2011. “It always helps to have a bit of prayer in your back pocket. At the end of the day, you have to have something and for me that is God, Jesus, my Catholic upbringing, my faith.”
He added: “God has been good to me. My faith has been good to me in the moments of deepest suffering, doubt and fear. It is a constant, the language of prayer. I might not have got my sums right from the Christian Brothers or might not have got the greatest learning of literature from them but I certainly got a strapping amount of faith.”
He also revealed to the NY Daily News that he is quite good at painting. “I paint landscapes, figurative. I painted all my life”, he said. “In fact, I started as a commercial artist.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO
1. Are we faithful stewards of the goods God loaned to us? Are we willing to share our earthly goods and personal resources with others, especially with the poor and needy?
2. Are we thankful for the graces we received from God and the help that other people extend to us? Do we rely on the strength of God in all things?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you gave us the goods of the earth not to enslave us,
but to use them to minister to the needs of others
and to open for us the way to the heavenly kingdom.
Help us to use the earthly goods wisely
and to yearn for the truly “important” treasure
of your kingdom.
We love you, dear God,
our one and supreme good.
Help us to be thankful and to rely solely on your strength.
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 cannot serve God and mammon.” (Lk 16:13) // “I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me.” (Phil 4:13)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Make an inventory of your material and spiritual resources. Ask God for the grace to use them wisely and the opportunity to share them with others. Express your gratitude to God and others for the benefits and help received from them.
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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