BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD

A LECTIO DIVINA Approach to the Weekday Liturgy CYCLE 2

ORDINARY TIME: WEEK 10-18

Tenth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 64) Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time (n. 65) Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 66) Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 67) Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 68) Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 69) Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 70) Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 71) Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 72)

Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang, PDDM

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A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 64) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 10

MONDAY: TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Shows the Way of Beatitudes … He Shows the Power of God’s Word”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 17:1-6 // Mt 5:1-12

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:1-12): “Blessed are the poor in spirit.”

In today’s Gospel episode (Mt 5:1-12) Jesus proclaims the Beatitudes which are a “summary” of the meaning of Christian discipleship. In the Beatitudes, Jesus – the new Moses teaching on the new mountain of revelation - offers us the foundations of the law of the Kingdom. He shows us the path of Christian perfection. The Beatitudes are a description of Christ as well as a portrait of the ideal Christian. In order to experience fully God’s beatitudes, the Christian disciples are called to live intensely the life of Jesus, as one who is poor, lowly, merciful, single-hearted, peaceful, persecuted, sorrowful, hungry and thirsty for holiness.

The following story illustrates the spirit of the Beatitudes in a modern setting (cf. Dale Galloway in Stories for the Heart, ed. Alice Gray, Sisters: Multnomah Publishers, Inc., 1996, p. 65).

Little Chad was a shy, quiet young fella. One day he came home and told his mother he’d like to make a valentine for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, “I wish he wouldn’t do that!” because she had watched the children when they walked home from school. Her Chad was always behind them. They laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other. But Chad was never included. Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son. So she purchased the paper and glue and crayons. For three whole weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made thirty-five valentines.

Valentine’s Day dawned, and Chad was beside himself with excitement! He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mom decided to bake him his favorite cookies and serve them nice and warm with a cool glass of milk when he came home from school. She just knew he would be disappointed … maybe that would ease the pain a little. It hurt to think that he wouldn’t get many valentines – maybe none at all.

That afternoon she had the cookies and milk on the table. When she heard the children outside, she looked out the window. Sure enough here they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear. He walked a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he got inside. His arms were empty, she noticed, and when the door opened she choked back the tears. “Mommy has some warm cookies and milk for you.” But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow, and all he could say was: “Not a one … not a one.” And then he added, “I didn’t forget a one, not a single one!”

B. First Reading (I Kgs 17:1-6): “Elijah stands before the Lord God of Israel.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (I Kgs 17:1-6) depicts a prophet named Elijah, from Tishbe in Gilead, confronting King Ahab of Israel with the power of God’s word. Ahab is one of the most notorious kings of the Northern Kingdom. His father King Omri aroused the anger of the Lord God by his sins and by leading the people into sin and idolatry. But his son, King Ahab, surpassed him in wickedness. Ahab sinned against the Lord more than his predecessors. He married the Baal-worshipping Jezebel of Sidon. He built a temple to Baal in Samaria and made an altar for the idol and put it in the temple. He did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than all the kings before him.

The prophet Elijah suddenly appears and announces to King Ahab the coming of a drought. Speaking in the name of the Lord, he tells the idolatrous king that there will be no dew or rain – so vital for the fertility of the parched land of Israel – for the next two or three years until he says so. Elijah’s claim is a challenge to Ahab and Jezebel who follow Baal as the god of fertility. Elijah asserts that the word of God he proclaims will be fulfilled. The prophet Elijah is depicted, moreover as faithful to God’s word. He obeys God’s command to take refuge by Cherith Brook where there is water and ravens bring him bread and meat every morning and every evening.

The drought experienced in various parts of the world evokes the image of the drought that plagued Israel during the time of King Ahab, who reigned from 874 B.C. to 853 B.C. Instead of being defiant and recalcitrant like Ahab, we need to present ourselves humbly before God in the face of this natural calamity. The following prayer is very significant (cf. “Prayer for Rain” from the National Catholic Rural Life Conference: Rural Life Prayer Book)

Almighty God, we are in need of rain. We realize now, looking up into the clear, blue sky, what a marvel even the least drop of rain really is. To think that so much water can really fall out of the sky, which now is empty and clear!

We place our trust in you. We are sure that you know our needs. But you want us to ask you anyway, to show you that we know we are dependent on you.

Look to our dry hills and fields, dear God, and bless them with the living blessing of soft rain. Then the land will rejoice and rivers will sing your praises, and the hearts of all will be made glad. Amen.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What are our experiences of joy and difficulty in living out the Beatitudes? Among the Beatitudes mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew, which ones challenge us with greater intensity today?

2. What is our response when confronted with the challenge and power of the word of God? Are we defiant and resistant; or do we respond with grace and humility?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus poor, help us to be poor in spirit and to trust in your divine assistance and strength that the kingdom of Heaven may be ours. Jesus, man of sorrows, help us to mourn and to surrender to the divine will that our grief may be transformed into joy and consolation. Jesus, most gentle, help us to be meek and humble that peace may reign in our hearts and upon the earth. Jesus, yearning for love, help us to hunger and thirst for holiness that we may satisfy our deepest longings. O most merciful Jesus, help us to be merciful that we may relish your mercy and compassion. Jesus, chaste and loving, help us to be pure and single-hearted that we may see God in the daily events of our life and be admitted into his eternal Kingdom.

Jesus, our peace, help us to be peacemakers that we may build a world of harmony and beauty and be called children of God. Jesus Savior, help us to welcome persecution for the sake of justice that we may be rewarded greatly in heaven. Jesus, Risen Lord, make us the people of the beatitudes. Help us to trust in the power of your Word. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Loving Father, Creator God, your word is refreshing, life-giving and efficacious. We long for your word to take root in our hearts and bear abundant fruits. Let our thirst for eternal life be quenched by the living water that gushes from the wounded side of your Son Jesus Christ. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“Your reward will be great in heaven.” (Mt 5:12) // “He did as the Lord had commanded.” (I Kgs 17:5)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Give thanks to the Lord for the gift of the Beatitudes in the Church. Choose a Beatitude as a moral-spiritual program and try to live this out in a more intense way this week. // Pay special attention to the word of God proclaimed in the liturgy. See what you can do for the victims of drought in various parts of the world.

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TUESDAY: TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to be the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World … We Trust in His Word”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 17:7-16 // Mt 5:13-16

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:13-16): “You are the light of the world.”

Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 5:13-16) presents the role of the disciples of Jesus using the images of salt and light. The biblical scholar, Daniel Harrington, gives a concise, but insightful explanation: “In Jesus’ time, salt was used not only to improve the taste of food but also to preserve meat and fish. When Jesus compares his followers to salt, he says that they improve the quality of human existence and preserve it from destruction. In Jesus’ time, the only lamps available were small dish-like devices in which oil was burned. By our standards these lamps did not give off much light, but in the time before electricity their light must have seemed very bright. When Jesus calls his disciples the light of the world, he says that their actions serve as a beacon of light in a dark world. The disciples are challenged to let their light shine as a witness to their fidelity to Jesus and his heavenly Father.”

Against this backdrop, I find the article of Robert Rodriguez on the De Alba Family, the co-parishioners of our PDDM Sisters in Fresno, very interesting (cf. The Fresno Bee, Dec. 25, 2004, p. A11). Remembering its roots in the fields, the family has fed farm workers in the central San Joaquin Valley for many years. It is their way of thanking them for their hard work in harvesting the region’s fruits and vegetables. It is also a reminder of how far this family of twelve has come from their own days of picking cherries, tomatoes and grapes in Valley fields and orchards. The De Alba Family also has held very successful canned-food drives for the poor and strongly supports St. Mary Queen of Apostles Church to which they belong. Rev. Pat McCormick, a former parish priest, testifies: “They have really been a unifying factor for the church. They are a great family.” Indeed, this wonderful De Alba family of Fresno is an inspiring example of what it means to be “the salt of the earth … the light of the world” in today’s world.

B. First Reading (I Kgs 17:7-16): “The jar of flour shall not go empty as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.”

The reading (I Kgs 17:7-16) narrates that the prophet Elijah obeys the word of the Lord and goes to Zarephath of Sidon. The Cherith Brook, where he used to drink, has dried up because of the lack of rain. God commands him to stay in Zarephath, assuring him that a widow will feed him there. The widow, who is preparing the last meal for herself and her son, gives Elijah water to drink and shares with him the little and the last resources she has. The prophet speaks to her the divine promise that the jar of flour and the jug of oil will not be empty until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth. Indeed, as the Lord has promised through Elijah, the flour and the oil are not depleted.

The miracle of the multiplication of the flour and oil underlines the power of God and the efficacy of his word. King Ahab’s sin brings suffering for the people of Israel. In contrast, Elijah’s fidelity to the word and the faith of the widow enable them to experience God’s providence and loving care. It is significant that the prophet lodges in Zarepahth of Sidon that is the territory of Baal, the god of Ahab’s ruthless wife Jezebel. In the perilous homeland of Baal and in the face of death-dealing situations, God preserves the life of the faithful and the “anawim”.

Like the generous widow of Zarephath, we too are called to share our resources and to be instruments of God’s providence. The following testimony gives insight into this (cf. Tim Anderson, “My Momma Always Knew” in Coutry, August-September 2013, p. 12).

When I was growing up in Nathalie, Virginia, everyone was friendly with the neighbors. And if someone was in need, it seemed that my Momma always knew. I especially remember a single mother who had cancer and no way to provide for her little daughter. So Momma, who was a great baker, got busy. She baked two cakes and decorated them beautifully.

There are two large country stores in town, and Momma asked permission to place one cake at each store. She raffled them off at 50 cents a chance. Now, you may not think that would add up to much, but there were 1,000 chances taken on those two cakes. Momma collected $500 for this mother and her child.

Momma and Daddy, the three sisters and I went down to where the woman lived, and Momma gave her the envelope of money. I still remember the happiness and gratitude that shone on her face. She and her daughter thanked Momma and hugged her, and we all had tears in our eyes.

Momma taught us many lessons at our country home and farm through the years. We learned that no matter how little anyone had, they could still help out a friend or a family in need. A little sometimes means a lot.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Are we “the salt of the earth … the light of the world”? Is the heavenly Father being glorified by our daily acts of Christian witnessing?

2. Are we afraid that the little we have is too “little” to share? Are we ready to trust and obey the word of God? Are we ready to be instruments of the divine providence?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, you call us to be “the salt of the earth … the light of the world”. As “salt of the earth” and by the zest of our Christian witnessing, we strive to uplift human dignity and help our brothers and sisters relish the joy of salvation. Moved by the Holy Spirit to proclaim your saving love, we wish to be “the light of the world … the city on the mountaintop”. Amen.

*** Loving and merciful Jesus, make us instruments of God’s compassion. Help us trust that “the jar of flour” and “the jug of oil” will never be empty. Give us the courage to share especially when what we have is too little. Grant us the grace to surrender to the divine providence. 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 are the salt of the earth … You are the light of the world.” (Mt 5:13a, 14a) //“The jar of flour did not go empty.” (I Kgs 17:16)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By aiding the poor, the marginalized and the suffering members of the local and world community, strive to be “the salt of the earth … the light of the world”. // Do not be afraid to share with others the resources and talents you have, no matter how “little”.

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WEDNESDAY: TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Meaning of the Law … He Shows that God Alone Is Our God”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 18:20-39 // Mt 5:17-19

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:17-19): “I have come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.” (Gospel Reflection by Richard Noack, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)

Sweating the Small Stuff in Faith: In his 1996 book, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff,” Psychologist Richard Carlson writes that we spend too much time, energy, and stress focused on minutiae. The “small” stuff, suggests Carlson, will take care of itself if only we focus on the big stuff, such as our lives, relationships, and families. But in today’s Gospel, Matthew 5:17-19, Jesus tells us that He has come as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, not to abolish them. Not only must we love God and follow Jesus, the “big” stuff from our Christian perspective, we must also abide by all of the law and prophets, to the smallest part of the smallest letter, careful not to break the least of these commandments. When it comes to our faith, it seems, we must sweat the “big” stuff and the “small” stuff.

Over time, we Christians have gradually marginalized many of the strict Jewish laws in Deuteronomy, as well as those given by the prophets, as “small” stuff. Some of those laws such as circumcision, dietary restrictions, and Sabbath observance, were viewed as anachronistic, often as an accommodation for the assimilation of non-Jewish converts. But that legacy of not sweating the “small” stuff extends to the present day. There are those in our communities who view some of our faith practices, disciplines, and doctrines as “small” stuff that need not be sweated, such as regular Sunday Mass attendance, appropriate and respectful attire while attending Mass, arriving on time for Mass and staying until the end of the closing hymn, participating in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, meatless Fridays during Lent, and respecting the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.

But these things aren’t “small” stuff. They are a part of who we are as a faith community and they define us as the People of God. As Catholic Christians, we consider our call to love God with our entire beings and to love our neighbors as ourselves to be our “big” stuff. Our faith practices, disciplines, and doctrines are signposts that point the way to the “big” stuff and that sustain, strengthen, support, nourish, guide, prepare, and affirm us along the Way.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” (Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

B. First Reading (I Kgs 18:20-39): “Let it be known this day that you, Lord, are our God.”

The reading (I Kgs 18:20-39) highlights that the Lord alone is God and that Elijah is God’s faithful prophet. Today’s episode tells us that in the third year of drought, a showdown on Mount Carmel between the prophets of Baal and Elijah, the prophet of the Lord God occurs. In obedience to God’s prompting, Elijah encounters the idolatrous King Ahab and arranges with him a contest that will oblige the fickle Israelites to choose between Yahweh and the idol Baal. Through the miracle of fire from heaven (a “lightning”), the prophet of the Lord triumphs over the 450 prophets of Baal. The power of the Lord God is revealed and the authority of Elijah as God’s prophet is confirmed. The people thus assert their choice for the one true God over the “non-god” Baal. The false prophets are punished in accordance with the Dt 13:5 injunction: to put to death a prophet who teaches the people to rebel against the Lord and leads them astray from the life that God has commanded them to live.

The following article gives insight into marvelous works that the Lord God continues to carry out in today’s world through his modern day prophets and on their behalf (cf. “A Sign from Heaven” in Maryknoll, September/October 2015, p. 30-31).

As some 300,000 faithful crammed the Divine Saviornof the World plaza in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, for the beatification of Archbishop Romero in May, the overcast sky suddenly opened and the sun appeared surrounded by a circular rainbow. For many, it was a sign from God. Maryknoll Father Roberto Rodriguez and Maryknoll Sister Norma Pocasangre, both Salvadorians, were present for the beatification liturgy concelebrated by 1,400 priests from around the world. Following are the two Maryknoll missioners’ reflections.

Roberto Rodriguez, M.M.: The beatification of Oscar Romero was beautiful, solemn and filled with the presence of the Holy Spirit. A special blessing occurred right after Archbishop Romero was proclaimed “blessed in the altars of God” when a rainbow appeared around the sun in the sky overhead. People fell to their knees; others began to cry from emotion at seeing this sign from heavens. For me, it affirmed the correctness of recognizing the sanctity of Oscar Romero. He was a good-hearted, humble and simple man, a priest of profound faith and prayer, selfless in service of others. Romero fought for the poor and the most needy in my country during one of the darkest periods of her history. Oscar Romero is a martyr and a saint in the strictest Christian sense of these words. (…)

Norma Pocasangre, M.M.: There were people from all over the world, young and old and some in wheelchairs. I felt that God was saying, “It is not only in antiquity that I had such faithful followers, but in modern times too there are people like Romero and like you, who can be faithful servants.” The most moving part was when they read Pope Francis’ letter announcing Archbishop Romero as Blessed. Incredibly, a great halo appeared in the sky! The people stared, surprised at what I call confirmation that God was celebrating with us. (…) We have the archbishop as an example of service to God, especially among the most marginalized and forgotten people.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I strive to act in accordance with the spirit of love that animates the law and the prophets? Do I value and carry out the “small” stuff that leads to the “big” stuff?

2. Do we resolve to choose the Lord God over the false idols of today’s world? Like the prophet Elijah, do we trust that God will prove his holiness and will manifest his power and truth?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Father, you form us into a covenant people through the law and the prophets. Let your spirit of love animate us. Help us to transcend the letter of the law and to act by the love of the Spirit. With Christ in the Spirit, let us perceive the meaning of the law and the prophets and lovingly fulfill it with devotion. We bless and praise you, now and forever. Amen.

*** O most powerful Lord, you alone are God! We resolve to renounce the false idols that tantalize and seduce us. Let your power and truth shine forth and give us the courage to follow you as the one true God. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Mt 5:17) // “Let it be known this day that you are God.” (I Kgs 18:36)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Carry out your duties to God as well as the greater society, e.g. social service, paying taxes, etc., with personal dedication. // In your daily witnessing to truth and in your life of integrity, let is be known that our compassionate Lord is God.

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THURSDAY – TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Manage Anger … He Reveals the Power of the God of Creation”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 18:41-46 // Mt 5:20-26

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:20-26): “Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” (Gospel Reflection by Bong Tiotuico, ASSOCIATION OF PAULINE COOPERATORS- Friends of the Divine Master, Antipolo Unit, Philippines)

Anger, Hatred and Reconciliation: According to the Jews at the time of Jesus, righteousness is equated to one's ability to follow the law. Scholars of scripture describe the attitude of Jesus regarding the law. He rejects erroneous interpretations of the law while he holds firm to its original intent, i.e. the practice of a greater justice which is love. In this gospel, Jesus teaches a higher standard of adherence to the law that is more stringent than the "Thou shall not kill; whoever kills will be liable to judgment" commandment handed down through Moses.

Jesus denounces murderous anger and hatred as immoral. From this, the Church teaches, if anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity although it is also praiseworthy to impose forms of restitution to correct vices and maintain justice. Yes, there is such a thing as righteous anger when we face oppression, greed, corruption and other forms of injustice. But most people are not righteously angry: most of the time they are "sinfully" angry. We experience deliberate hatred toward other human beings because of wounded pride. We want to get even from a perceived hurt.

Husband: When I get mad at you, you never fight back. How do you control your anger? Wife: I clean the toilet. Husband: How does that help? Wife: I use your toothbrush.

We always need to teach the usual suspects a lesson they will never forget. Like when you get seriously angry with that colleague who, due to a misunderstanding, starts spreading lies behind your back. And there were moments when you secretly wished that neighbor down the corner bad fortune because you were simply envious of his brand new red Porsche.

From human experience we learn that anger, like sin, grows like a seed in our hearts, then becoming like a weed that chokes and displaces love, kindness, patience and other virtues, ultimately leaving no room for God. It is likewise compared to an acid which does more harm to the container in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. What is the antidote to these commonly occurring but overpowering feelings? Long before anger management therapy was invented, St. Paul (Eph. 4:31-34) advises, "Get rid of all bitterness, all passion and anger, harsh words, slander and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another; be compassionate and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ." With our human weaknesses and limitations, how do we follow these prescriptions? With God's grace, nothing is impossible. We pray for patience, humility and for God to fill our hearts with love and forgiveness so we can better deal with that obnoxious next-door neighbor. In the same light, as they say in another part of the world: "If you are right, there is no need to be angry. If you are wrong, you have no right to be angry. Jesus tells us not only to reconcile with the subject of our anger but to do it without delay so that we can proceed to an authentic and perfect form of worship. Furthermore, to paraphrase St. James (Jas 1:19-20) "Let every person be quick to hear and listen, slow to speak, slow to anger like the heavenly Father, for anger does not fulfill God's justice."

B. First Reading (I Kgs 18:41-46): “Elijah prayed and the sky gave rain (Jas 5:18).”

In today’s episode (I Kgs 18:41-46) Elijah commands King Ahab to eat and drink in joyful anticipation of the coming rain. While the king nourishes himself, the prophet prays intensely on top of Mount Carmel, where his servant can look out over the Mediterranean and see the first approach of the rain-bearing clouds. At the seventh time, the servant reports a little cloud rising. In a little while the sky is covered with dark clouds, the wind begins to blow and a heavy rain begins to fall. Elijah commands Ahab to go to Jezreel by chariot, but the power of the Lord comes upon the prophet who runs and overtakes the chariot-riding king. Through the exploits of Elijah, the Lord God manifests that he is indeed the true God – the almighty Lord of creation who wields power over the land and the sky, the fire and the rain, the wind and the clouds, the animals and vegetation, and the people he has shaped from the dust of the earth.

Writing to the Christian community, Saint James presents Elijah as a figure of the power of prayer. Saint James comments: “The prayer of a good person has a powerful effect. Elijah was the same kind of person as we are. He prayed earnestly that there would be no rain and no rain fell on the land for three and half years. Once again he prayed and the sky poured out its rain and the earth produced its crops” (cf. James 5:18).

The following article gives insight into the humble stance and prayerful attitude that we should have as part of God’s beloved creation (cf. Mildred Wickson, “Life on the Land” in Country, June/July 2011, p. 56).

Ask a rancher or farmer why he continues in the face of endless adversity, and he’ll probably shift to the other foot as a slow, thoughtful smile creases his weathered face. Chances are he’s thinking of the wobbly calf or lamb he helped into the world only yesterday, or the velvety nose of his favorite mare as she nuzzles her greeting.

He knows the overwhelming peace that comes from watching the sun rise and set on his little domain, and the wonder of being part of God’s divine plan. He treasures the freedom to walk through a meadow of wild flowers, sit by the creek, daydream on the porch, or just rest on a bale of hay. He lives by his own clock, not someone else’s.

He remembers the thankfulness he feels as the rain falls right after a long dry spell, and the brilliance of a rainbow that arches across the sky as the clouds move on. Come bedtime, he’s in awe of the oversized moon that turns the night into a molten silver landscape.

His eyes light up proudly as he thinks of his wife, who is truly his helpmate in every way, and his children, who have gained maturity on the back of a horse and the seat of a tractor. Then there’s the parade of faithful pets that have been part of their lives over the years.

Ask a farmer or rancher why he keeps on keepin’ on, but don’t get your hopes up. Unless you’ve smelled the dampness of the soil or felt the kiss of a cool breeze on your face as it blows across your land, you really wouldn’t understand his answer anyway.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What do I do to manage my anger and to seek healing for sinful attitudes that lead to violence and acted-out anger?

2. Do I recognize the power of the compassionate God, the Lord of creation? Do I care for God’s beloved creation? How do I show my concern for drought-stricken land and the scarcity of water supply?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, heal us of sinful attitudes and unbridled emotions that disturb our peace, harmony and dignity. Give us the grace to pacify vengeful anger. Let your Holy Spirit anoint the violent with the balm of peace. Give us the grace to choose God and life. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Loving God, Creator of heaven and earth, we thank you for the gift of life and the beauty of creation. Make us good stewards of your creation and to care responsibly for the earth. 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.

“Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” (Mt 5:22) //“The hand of the Lord was on Elijah.” (I Kgs 18:46)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By putting greater trust in Jesus, meek and humble of heart, strive to manage anger whenever it surfaces from your heart. Be a peacemaker to the people around you. // Do what you can to promote good stewardship of God’s creation.

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FRIDAY – TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Integrity … He Gently Comforts Us”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 19:9a, 11-16 // Mt 5:27-32

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:27-32): “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 5:27-32) Jesus continues to interpret the Law and the Prophets. He delves into the meaning of the command “Do not commit adultery” and asserts that as anger is at the root of murder, so lust lies at the root of adultery. It is not just the act of adultery that breaks the Law, but also thoughts and desires that lead to it. Deeply aware of our frail and fallen humanity, Jesus exhorts us to eliminate what corrupts our personal integrity and vitiates our covenant relationship with God. The salvation of the whole person is of more value than anything or anyone that could lead to sin. Lust is an “implicit” adultery that compromises our eternal beatitude with God. Divorce is a “legalized adultery” that militates against faithful husband-wife relationship, the basis of a healthy family life and society.

Lust leads to crime and death. Faith in God leads to life. The following article gives insight into how to embrace Jesus’ teaching on the total integrity of the person and our need to trust God who has covenanted himself to us (cf. “God Put Me Here To Do Great Things” in Alive! April 2014, p. 9).

An American Beauty queen has hit the headlines by revealing that she was conceived as a result of a violent rape. But strong in her faith and despite her far from promising start in life, Valerie Gatto is immensely grateful for her existence and believes that God has put her on earth “to do great things”. (…)

Gatto’s mother was a 19-year-old student when she was raped at knife-point. The assailant intended to murder her but was distracted by a strange bright flash of light. “He got scared and didn’t want any onlookers to see her and what he was doing to her.” This gave the young woman the opportunity to break free and escape. “I like to think of that light as my mother’s and my guardian angel”, said the beauty queen.

Some weeks later the assault victim realized that she was expecting the rapist’s child. She decided to keep her pregnancy a secret and to put her baby up for adoption when it was born. But after the birth her mother encouraged her to keep her baby daughter, explaining to her that “God does not give us more than we can handle.”

Relying on family support and on her strong faith, the young woman put aside her plans to attend law school so that she could mind her baby. It was a decision she never regretted. Gatto was told as a child about the assault on her mother but was able to deal with it thanks to her faith.

She explained: “I’ve always been a positive person, and I went to church all the time when I was little. I think it was more about having religion and Christianity a lot of my life. So I knew that God put me here for a reason and, although my circumstances weren’t the same as a traditional family with the perfect white- picket fence, he gave me to my family and my mother for a reason.” (…)

As Miss Pennsylvania 2014 she hopes to inspire people and to show them that “no matter where you come from, you can achieve your dreams. But you need to make sacrifices, work hard and stay positive.”

B. First Reading (I Kgs 19:9a, 11-16): “Stand on the mountain before the Lord.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (I Kgs 19:9a, 11-16) is fascinating. The Lord God manifests his saving presence to Elijah, a persecuted and fugitive prophet. Elijah is in full flight from the enraged Jezebel, the wife of Israel’s King Ahab. Queen Jezebel vows to kill Elijah for publicly embarrassing her and her pagan god Baal and for the killing of Baal’s prophets. The fearful, despondent Elijah escapes southward to Judah where he begs God to take his life. An angel of God appears to nourish and protect him. Just as the Israelites wandered forty years in the desert, Elijah journeys through the desert forty days and forty nights toward Mount Horeb (also known as Mount Sinai, the place where Moses had an intimate encounter with God and where the covenant with the Israelites was sealed). The Lord God reveals his loving presence to the beleaguered prophet, not in the fiery manifestation of heavy winds, earthquake or fire, but in a “tiny whispering sound” – in the soft voice of a gentle breeze. The perils and dangers of his prophetic vocation seem less foreboding and menacing in the context of the gentle and reassuring presence of God. Indeed, the soft whisper of the almighty God is more powerful than the ferocious threats of wicked Jezebel. The saving God, who called Elijah to proclaim his word, energizes him anew for his prophetic ministry.

The gentle comfort that Elijah experienced from the loving God evokes the various memories of goodness and kindness in daily life (cf. “Whew, It’s Hot!” in Country, June/July 2011, p. 14-15).

“Exhaustion Almondine” by Charlotte Huenergardt: Years ago we lived on a 20-acre farm in Ceres, California, with 15 acres planted in almonds. At harvest time, machines swept and blew the almonds into rows. It got most of them, but there were always plenty of stray nuts for us to rake and shovel into rows for the machines to pick up. And temperatures often exceeded 100 degrees! After one particular day of raking and shoveling, my husband and I were so hot and tired we could hardly move. Filthy from head to toe, we grabbed a foam rubber mattress and an old sheet and collapsed on the patio in exhaustion. Our daughter brought us drinks while we cooled off in the shade.

“Sip and Smile” by Kathy Smith: It took a lot of hay to fuel our 100-acre Wisconsin dairy farm, and even with 12 of us, haying still took several weeks of long, hard days. What I remember most is when dad called a break and we’d gather under a shade tree for a drink of Coca-Cola. Two would share a bottle, carefully making sure each got the same amount. It tasted like pure heaven going down our dusty throats. This was such a special treat that I’ll remember it always. Soda has never tasted as good as it did then.

“Sheets to the Wind” by Norma Cook: In the 1930s, when I was a child in hot, dry, dusty western Kansas, we did as everyone else around us did and opened windows for cross ventilation to cool our old farmhouse. But when the south wind got hot enough to make us miserable by lunchtime, Mother pulled a trick from her sleeve. She pinned bed sheets to the curtain rods, then sprinkled water from a pan to dampen the sheets. We cooled off in no time with the wind blowing through those wet bed sheets. I thought that it was magic, and that Mother was the smartest woman in the world!

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we endeavor to be chaste and to promote the dignity of our human person? Do we reject any form of “adultery” within us and outside us?

2. Do we savor God’s gift of “gentle silence”? Do we perceive his gentle presence within us and about us?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, we thank you for teaching us integrity of heart and faith in God who has bound himself to us in covenant love. Help us to perceive your gentle presence everywhere. Give us the grace to extend your loving comfort to others. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out …” (Mt 5: 29) //“There was tiny whispering sound.” (I Kgs 19:12)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for all those in adulterous situations that God may give them the grace to follow his saving will. // Spend some time in quiet adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and savor his gentle but real presence.

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SATURDAY – TENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be Truthful … He Calls Us to Service”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 19:19-21 // Mt 5:33-37

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:33-37): “I say to you do not swear at all.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 5:33-37), Jesus teaches us that truthfulness is assured by the inner integrity of the person. The biblical scholar Adrian Leske comments on the reading: “The practice of making oaths or vows had become so commonplace by the time of Jesus that the rabbis spent much time discussing valid and invalid forms. Originally oaths were made before the altar in the presence of God, when the truth of a matter could not be substantiated, by witnesses or documents. Included in such an oath was the invoking of a curse if the oath was false. Later in order not to take the name of God in vain it became a practice to use circumlocutions for God’s name, and even beyond that, in popular practice, to swear by anything of value. Jesus points out that no matter how one words that oath, it is still an oath before God … Those who belong to the kingdom will speak in sincerity and faithfulness, so their simple yes and no can be accepted as trustworthy before God and people. While oath-taking today may be required by courts and other institutions, the essential point here is speaking with utter honesty and sincerity.”

The following story gives insight into the value of a man’s word – if he is a person of integrity (cf. Iris Deurmyer, “Let’s Shake on It” in Country, April/May 2014, p. 51).

On a spring day when I was 6, I rode to town with Uncle Art to buy seed for planting gardens and fields and get feed for the calves. As a young girl growing up in the heartland, I found a special joy spending time with him. As we traveled in the pickup truck, Uncle Art made up silly rhymes and we sang them together. He patiently taught me to say the ABCs backward.

After loading supplies at the feed store, Uncle Art visited with the owner outside and then pointed at the truck. “I forgot to sign for this”, he said. The owner said, “Arthur, let’s shake on it. Your handshake is worth more than most men’s signatures.”

Later, I asked him what the owner had meant. Uncle Art explained that if a man gave his word, it should be dependable as money in the bank. He said a trustworthy man’s handshake was like an unwritten promise to keep his word.

In the half century since that day, I’ve reflected on Uncle Art’s words and his reputation. I can still picture that handshake; it’s a permanent reminder that the word should be as good as money in the bank. Oh, and one other thing has stuck with me. I can still rattle off the alphabet backwards.

B. First Reading (I Kgs 19:19-21): “Then Elisha left and followed Elijah.”

In today’s Old Testament reading (I Kgs 19:19-21) we hear the vocation story of Elisha and his positive response to the divine call to be a prophet. The call to prophetic ministry comes from God who ordered Elijah “You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, as prophet to succeed you” (v. 16b). Elijah carries out the Lord’s command. He comes upon Elisha, a prosperous farmer, plowing the field with a team of twelve oxen. The biblical author narrates that Elisha is “following” the twelfth oxen. That day is truly significant for henceforth he would no longer be following “oxen”, but the Lord. Elijah throws his cloak over the toiling farmer, and the latter understands what the symbolic gesture means. The mantle symbolizes the personality and rights of the owner, and since the hair-shirt mantle of the prophets is part of their official dress, casting Elijah’s mantle on Elisha indicates an invitation, an investiture and an initiation to the prophetic ministry.

Elisha’s response is immediate. He abandons the oxen he was “following” and runs after Elijah, the instrument of God’s call. Elisha requests permission from the master-prophet to kiss his father and mother goodbye and manifests to him his resolve, “I will follow you”. Elijah does not object to the legitimate request for a devout, filial leave- taking. Elisha then shows his unreserved response to God’s plan by slaughtering his twelve oxen. He burns the plow as fuel to cook the oxen and serves the boiled meat as food for his people. His acceptance of the prophetic call is unreserved. In destroying the tools of his trade, he makes himself vulnerable, and in a no “fall back” position. He loses security. Elisha is an eloquent model of a total response to the call of God, who destines us for a special service to his people.

Sr. Mary Alba Scellato, one of our most inspiring and dynamic Sisters, illustrates the dynamics of God’s call and the person’s total response. Sr. Mary Alba turned 90 years old last June 3, 2014.

Vocation Story: Sr. Mary Alba Scellato (First Profession: Mary 25, 1943 – Final Profession: March 25, 1948)

My family was a fervent Christian one that observes the Sunday law and the precepts of the Church. My father died when I was eleven years old. A mule kicked him in the stomach. He was brought home in terrible pain. No means was found to save him. He died after three days. He was a Franciscan tertiary. A Capuchin father came to bless him.

My elder sister Felicia was learning tailoring. My mother had been sick in many ways. She wanted us to learn anything that would enable us to take care of ourselves. She thought she would die soon. All of us attended the church. We were close to a church and the hospital where the Sisters of St. Anne served and taught catechism. It was proposed to us to learn 100 questions and answers on catechism without mistakes. The benefits were many: to know Christian life and the Eucharistic presence with a few gifts besides, including a photo. Eight of us won!

At that time I was going to an embroidery class. The weekly catechetical instruction and the music rehearsal left a deep impression in me about the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The Sisters of St. Anne had a blind musician who played the organ. He taught us to sing a song I would never forget: heaven and earth exult on the day we receive Jesus in the Eucharist … we need to adore him present on the altar.

When I turned fourteen, my mother became sicker. Doctors suggested bringing her to Catania. My aunt Paula knew where to go and whom to contact. It was February 19, 1939. They took a rental car to go to Catania. In that car, there was an extra seat. Aunt Paula asked me if I wanted to go. She would visit the PDDM sisters in Catania because she used to give them hospitality when they were going to our native town of Nicosia for the ministry. We went to Catania and met the Sisters. Mother Pia Dogliani told us that if I wanted to stay with them, I was welcome. So when my mother was in the hospital, I stayed with them for nine days

When my mother was ready to return to Nicosia, I told her that if the Sisters would be willing to keep me, I would remain with them. Then my mother said, “You must come with us; we will prepare the dowry and bring you back.” But I said, “If I go home, I would not have the courage to leave home. But now that I am here, I am happy to remain.” My mother said “Yes” to me with tears in her eyes. I remained there and was very happy. My mother immediately gave part of the dowry and would settle the rest in the near future.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Am I trustworthy? Do my words have integrity?

2. Am I willing to follow Christ unconditionally?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Lord Jesus, you called me. Help me to say “yes” and to follow you with integrity. Make me a servant of your word and make me trustworthy. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’.” (Mt 5:37) //“I will follow you.” (I Kgs 19:20)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Resolve to be faithful to the demands of Christian discipleship. Make every effort to be honest and truthful.

*** Text of 10th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 65) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 11

MONDAY: ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Counters Evil with Good … He Has Suffered Injustice”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 21:1-16 // Mt 5:38-42

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:38-42): “But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.”

The law of retaliation contained in the Old Testament (that is, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”) is meant to moderate vengeance and to keep violence within limits. It restricts the punishment inflicted by the avenger to injury proportionate to the damage done by the aggressor. In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 5:38-42), we hear Jesus’ radical teaching on non-retaliation, which seeks to break the cycle of revenge. The righteous man is called not just to respond with proportionate vengeance to an injury inflicted by an aggressor, but to take no vengeance at all. Jesus teaches us “to offer no resistance to one who is evil”. The Divine Master’s teaching of non-resistance to an evildoer is not an invitation to suicide, or to let true justice be trampled upon, but a call to counter evil with good, hatred with love, vengeance with forgiveness. Love, though vulnerable and paradoxical, is the only force capable of overcoming evil. By his passion and death on the cross, Jesus showed how forgiving love can overcome the ugly forces of evil and sin that lead to violence. With his life of non-retaliation and reconciliation, a new world order has begun.

The following story gives us insight into the ways of the non-vengeful who seek to overcome evil with good (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 65).

A traveler was walking along the road one day when a man on horseback rushed by. There was an evil look in his eyes and blood on his hands. Minutes later a crowd of riders drew up and wanted to know if the traveler had seen someone with blood on his hands go by. They were in hot pursuit of him. “Who is he?” the traveler asked. “An evil-doer”, said the leader of the crowd. “And you pursue him in order to bring him to justice?” “No”, said the leader, “we pursue him in order to show him the way.”

Reconciliation alone will save the world, not justice, which is generally another word for revenge.

B. First Reading (I Kgs 21:1-16): “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

Today’s Old Testament Reading (I Kgs 21:1-16) depicts the criminal acts of the idolatrous royal couple Ahab and Jezebel. King Ahab wants to possess Naboth’s vineyard next to his palace to make it into his vegetable garden. Naboth the Jezreelite does not want to part with his ancestral heritage and refuses the king’s offer to barter or to buy it. The disappointed Ahab is sullen and angry. His wife Jezebel plots the death of Naboth using false charges and witnesses so that they can seize the property. The innocent Naboth is stoned to death. Jezebel’s infamous strategy and Ahab’s tacit acquiescence illustrate the pervasive and destructive power of the state when it moves against its own citizens.

The suffering of the innocent goes on through history. One case in Sudan is an example (cf. “A Christian Woman in Sudan Sentenced to Death” in L’Osservatore Romano, 23 May 2014, p. 3).

In Sudan last week, a court sentenced a Christian woman, who is 8 months pregnant, to death on charges of apostasy. 27-year old Meriam Yeilah Ibrahim, a doctor, has a 20-month-old child in prison with her. The judge of a court in Khartoum concluded that the woman had abandoned her faith, as her father was a Muslim. She was also sentenced to 100 lashes on charges of adultery for having married a Christian.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights protection group, the woman is a daughter of a Muslim Sudanese man and an Orthodox Ethiopian mother. After her father abandoned her at the age of 6, Meriam was raised in the Christian faith. But because of her father, Sudanese law considers her a Muslim by birth. This would make marriage to a non-Muslim invalid. According to the group’s spokesman, Kiri Kankhwende, in similar cases in the past, the Sudanese government had waited for the woman to give birth before proceeding with the death sentence.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I strive to conquer vengeful instincts and to overcome evil with good? Do I practice the ethic of non-violence and the Christian way of forgiving love?

2. Are there evil streaks in me that could lead to acts of injustice against my neighbors?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, your example transcends the ugly ways of the violent. By your life of forgiving love and reconciliation, you show us how to break the cycle of vengeance in this world. Give us the grace to be peaceful. Let your love be upon us that we may respond to evil with good, to hatred with love. Lead us on the path of true justice and peace. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“Offer no resistance to one who is evil.” (Mt 5:39) //“Naboth had been stoned to death.” (I Kgs 21:14)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

If someone offends you, put into practice the teaching of Jesus of non-retaliation and reconciliation through the power of good. // Pray to God for forgiveness for all the innocent victims of injustice in today’s world and see in what way you can help them concretely.

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TUESDAY: ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Love Our Enemies … He Calls Us Away from Our Wicked Ways”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 21:17-29 // Mt 5:43-48

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 5:43-48): “Love your enemies.”

Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 5:43-48) contains the Divine Master’s radical teaching on magnanimous love even of enemies. Harold Buetow comments: “Jesus teaches largeness of heart and mind … Our love for our enemies – those we do not like or who do not like us – is not of the heart but of the will. Therefore, to love them need not be an emotional experience, but must be a decision to commit ourselves to serve the best interests of all other people … We see that the apex of God’s kind of perfection is compassion, a willingness to suffer for others. Those who love in such an unconditional and non-selective way are true children of the God of limitless love … In our dealings with other people, both friends and enemies, we are to be magnanimous: large-minded, wide open, generous – and holy.”

The Amish community’s compassionate act to reach out to the family of Charles Roberts, the suicide-attacker of 10 Amish girls, illustrates the grandiose love that forgives and embraces all (cf. Internet article of Daniel Burke, Religion News Service).

It was October 2, 2006, and Charles Carl Roberts IV had just shot 10 Amish schoolgirls before turning the gun on himself. Five girls died. Five others were seriously wounded. The shooting shocked this quiet, rural county and horrified countless outsiders glued to the nonstop media coverage. “Not only was my son not alive, he was the perpetrator of the worst crime anyone could ever imagine”, Terri Roberts said. After the shooting, the world was riveted by the remarkable display of compassion shown by the Amish, as the quiet Christian sect embraced the Roberts family and strove to forgive the troubled sinner. (…)

On the day of the shooting, Terri crawled into a fetal position, feeling as if her insides were ripped apart. Her husband Chuck, a retired policeman, cried into a tea towel, unable to lift his head. He wore skin off his face wiping away his tears. Family and friends poured into the Roberts’ home in Strasburg, Philadelphia, a small town about six miles from Nickel Mines, where the shooting occurred. No one knew what to say. “What do you say, ‘At least it’s not as bad as so-and-so’? There was nothing that anyone could imagine that would have been worse than that day”, she said.

Later that evening, an Amish neighbor named Henry, whom Terri calls her “angel in black” arrived at their house. Chuck had begun a second career as an “Amish taxi”, driving families to destinations farther away than horses and buggies could carry them. After the shooting, Chuck feared he could never face the Amish again. “Roberts, we love you”, Henry insisted and continued to comfort Chuck for nearly an hour. Finally, Chuck looked up. “Thank you, Henry”, he said. “I just looked at that and said, ‘Oh Lord, my husband will heal through this.’ I was just so thankful for Henry that day”, Terri said.

B. First Reading (I Kgs 21:17-29): “You have provoked me by leading Israel into sin.”

In today’s Second Reading (I Kgs 21:17-29), God sends Elijah the Tishbite to confront and condemn King Ahab for the murder of Naboth and for stealing the victim’s ancestral heritage. The prophet speaks God’s word of condemnation. The murderous, covetous and idolatrous couple would suffer the same fate as Naboth even to the goriest detail: the dogs shall lick up their blood too. In II Kgs 9:30-37 we learn of the horrible end of Jezebel who instigated her husband Ahab to idolatry and sin. The palace officials threw her down from the window and her blood scattered on the wall and the horses. Jehu, the new king of Israel, drove his chariot and horses over her body. The men who are to bury her find nothing except her skull and the bones of her hands and feet.

Hearing the words of divine judgment, King Ahab is remorseful. His humble stance before the forthcoming punishment wins for him a reprieve. The destruction of his house is postponed to the next generation. Ahab, however, is “not-so-totally-converted”. The king will be wounded by an arrow in his future battle with the Syrians and die. The chariot drenched by his blood will be cleaned up at the pool of Samaria. There the dogs shall lick up his blood as the Lord has said will happen.

By speaking God’s word, the prophet Elijah continues to be an instrument of the divine saving will. The following story, “A Speeding Ticket Lesson”, circulated on the Internet, illustrates a “prophetic” way to confront an evil situation.

Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often? When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with the mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in his hand.

Bob? Bob from the church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow. Jumping out of the car, he approached the man he saw every Sunday, a man he’d never seen in uniform.

“Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this.” “Hello, Jack.” No smile. “Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids.” “Yeah, I guess.” Bob seemed uncertain. Good. “I’ve seen some long days at the office lately. I’m afraid I bent the rules a bit – just this once.” Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. “Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?” “I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct.” Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics.

“What’d you clock me at?” “Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?” “Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65.” The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket. “Please, Jack, in the car.”

Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window. The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad. Why hadn’t he asked for a driver’s license? Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the window jerked his head on the left. There was Bob, a folded paper in hand. Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him his slip. “Thanks.” Jack could not keep the sneer out of his voice.

Bob returned to his police car without a word. Jack watched him retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost? Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read.

Dear Jack, Once upon a time, I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it – a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters, all three of them. I had only one, and I’m going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Jack, my son is all I have left. Bob

Jack turned around to see Bob’s car pull away and head down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I strive to conquer the vengeful instincts and to overcome evil with good? Do I practice the ethic of non-violence and the Christian way of forgiving love?

2. Do I believe in divine justice and retribution? Do I make an effort to renounce my wicked ways?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Father, in you mercy and justice have embraced. Thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ. Through his self-giving, we realize that Christian holiness demands compassion. It challenges us to love our neighbor as ourselves. Give us the strength to love unconditionally and to learn the ways of justice and peace Let us draw courage from the truth that we belong to Christ and that he leads us on the right path. You live and reign, 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.

“Love your enemies.” (Mt 5:44) //“He has humbled himself before me.” (I Kgs 21:29)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By an act of kindness and compassion to a needy person or an offensive person, or by a forgiving stance to an injury suffered personally, enable the Gospel of saving love to spread. Help people to understand the meaning and implication of divine justice and the necessity of responding to the Word of God calling us to conversion.

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WEDNESDAY: ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Do Good Deeds … He Ensures Prophetic Succession”

BIBLE READINGS II Kgs 2:1, 6-14 // Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18): “And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”

From today’s Gospel reading (Mt 6:1-6, 16-18), we realize that doing the right deed for selfish reasons is “phony” and not commendable. Jesus takes up three traditional Jewish good deeds: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. While encouraging his disciples to practice them, he warns about the manner of practicing them. These traditional acts of righteousness are meaningless when done hypocritically and in view of self-seeking. Jesus criticizes pious self-display and not the pious actions themselves. Almsgiving, prayer and fasting are meaningful only when they are motivated by a sincere and faithful relationship with God and one’s fellow human beings. The Father of Jesus – our own Father too – who sees acts hidden from human sight will surely reward good deeds done for the glory of God and the good of others. God the Father rewards good deeds, both those done in secret and those carried out in public witnessing, as long as they are properly motivated, i.e. to secure God’s glory and to promote the well-being of our brothers and sisters. While teaching his disciples not to be hypocrites and self-seeking, Jesus Christ also encourages them to let their light shine before others so that those who see their good deeds may glorify the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:16).

After the 8:00 A.M. Easter Sunday Mass at our parish of St. Christopher in San Jose (CA-USA), our community of three, plus a friend, went for breakfast at a nearby restaurant in our Willow Glen neighborhood. We enjoyed freshly brewed coffee and placed our order. Mine was a bowl of fresh fruit and Eggs Benedict. Easter joy was in the air as we shared the meal. When we asked for the bill, the waiter told us that an “Easter bunny” took care of it. We greatly appreciated the kindness of our secret benefactor. We prayed that God the Father, who sees good deeds done in secret, may reward and fill him with Easter blessings.

B. First Reading (II Kgs 2:1, 6-14): “A flaming chariot came between them and Elijah went to heaven.”

Today’s Old Testament reading II Kgs 2:1, 6-14) depicts the ascension of Elijah into heaven and the prophetic succession of Elisha. Elijah has responded to a series of commands from God that progressively separated him from his people and his land. Today’s episode narrates the final separation. Obeying God’s command, Elijah goes to Jordan. The devoted and determined disciple Elisha follows him and witnesses the parting of the Jordan River which the prophet Elijah effects using his mantle. Elisha begs the master for a “double portion” of his spirit. The eldest son in Israel generally receives a double share of the paternal inheritance. Elisha’s request means that he be recognized as the spiritual heir of the master. He is begging to receive a share of the power that will enable him to succeed the prophet. It is a difficult request because Elijah may have extraordinary powers, but he cannot create prophets. The master tells him that if the disciple sees him being taken up to heaven, his wish will be granted. Suddenly a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire comes between them and Elijah is taken up to heaven. Elisha receives the prophetic power. The repetition of the miracle of the parting of the Jordan water using the master’s “miraculous” mantle confirms Elisha as Elijah’s successor. The fifty prophets from Jericho see him strike the water and divide it. They acclaim: “The power of Elijah is on Elisha.”

The following article gives insight into the “prophets” and witnesses in the modern world (cf. Judith Sudilovsky, “Argentina Priest Caters to Spiritual Needs of Poor” in Our Sunday Visitor, January 12, 2014, p. 6).

At the entrance to Villa Carcoba, on the outskirts of the city of Buenos Aires, sit piles of rubbish and construction waste. Perched on this pile is a group of young boys armed with homemade slingshots taking aim at the windows of a building that looms above them. All the windows are covered with bars and netting.

“This is how they pass their time”, said parish priest Jesuit Father Jose Maria di Paola, 51, who is known to everybody – not only in this poorest of parishes but in the entire country – as “Padre Pepe”. He swings his beat-up white Fiat sedan down onto the street that leads from paved roads and grassy parks into the chaos of rutted dirt roads, roaming bands of mangy dogs and groups of loitering youth.

Two years ago Father di Paola – who belongs to the group of priests of the villas beloved and supported by Pope Francis, when he was archbishop and cardinal of the city – voluntarily left another slum, Villa 21-24, known as the most dangerous villa in Buenos Aires proper. This was after numerous threats against his life by drug traffickers who had become rampant in the rambling shanty town of 40,000 inhabitants, mostly immigrants from Paraguay and Bolivia.

As the economy and social conditions of neighboring countries continue to deteriorate, immigration to Argentina increases and the population and distress in these densely populated centers of poverty, family violence and drug crime continue to grow, noted the Jesuit.

Having grown up in a working-class neighborhood to immigrant parents, Pope Francis always has been close to the common people, especially the most poor. “Pope Francis gave a new presence to the villas”, said Father di Paola. “Before, in a sense, they had been orphaned. When then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio came he gave special attention to the villas. There was not a week that we did not speak with him telling him our problems and giving suggestions.”

Funding for programs in the villas comes from international bishops’ conferences as well as some local Church funds. Father di Paola counts as one of his successes a spiritual retreat he was able to organize for 700 men from Villa 21-24 – an almost unheard of number.

“There is the problem of addiction … but the crux of the problem is spiritual - it is an unresolved spiritual question in each person”, he said. “We have to help them find a place for their own spiritual path so they can find … a meaning in their life.

For 14 years, Father di Paola served in the villa parish of Caacupe in Villa 21- 24, leading a team of four other priests and numerous professionals and volunteers who worked also in three other neighboring villas to keep youths away from drugs by providing them with social activities and emotional support. They created a home for street children as well as rehabilitation programs for drug addicts and a small farm, breaking through the state bureaucracy with little or no support from state agencies. It was only in 2009, after he and the other priests of Villa 21-24 came out with a declaration denouncing the growing drug trafficking in the villa, that threats against his life became more menacing. (…)

Following the threats in Villa 21-24, together with then Cardinal Bergolio, Father di Paola decided to leave for a northern rural parish in the province of Santiago del Estero, not merely for his own safety, but for the safety of the people with whom he was working.

Eight months ago Father di Paola was ready to come back to his work with the marginalized youth of the villas and was given responsibility over Villa Carcoba – one of the oldest slums outside Buenos Aires – and three other slums encompassing a population of 35, 000.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we do our “good deeds” with proper motivation, or do we carry them out as an occasion for self-seeking? Do we believe that God the Father who sees in secret will reward us for all good deeds done for his glory and the salvation of his people?

2. Do we imitate the prophetic spirit of Elijah and Elisha on behalf of God’s people? Do we ask the Lord for the grace of prophetic witnessing?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for you see all our humble efforts to love and serve you. You search the secrets of our heart and all our actions are known to you. Teach us always to work with supernatural intentions. Deliver us from self-seeking and hypocrisy. May our prayer, fasting and almsgiving be done always for your greater glory and the good of souls. Grant us the prophetic power of Elijah and Elisha. 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.

“Your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” (Mt 6:4) //“Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” (II Kgs 2:11)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

In every good you do and in your pain and suffering, give glory and praise to God and seek the salvation of souls. Emulate the wholehearted prophetic witnessing of Elijah and his successor Elisha.

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THURSDAY – ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Pray … He Is Prefigured by Elijah and Elisha”

BIBLE READINGS Sir 48:1-14 // Mt 6:7-15

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 6:7-15): “This is how you are to pray.”

When I was a postulant, we had a retreat with an Irish Carmelite priest. To help us understand better the meaning of prayer, he narrated a story about two hermits. Each one planted a papaya and took care that it should grow well and be fruitful. They even prayed for the papaya. One hermit tried to make God understand what needs to be done for the papaya: “Lord, please send some rain today for the papaya”; “The sun is too hot; please send some cool breeze for the papaya;” etc. But his papaya was unhealthy and scrawny. When he visited his friend, he noticed that the papaya he planted was sturdy and extremely fruitful. “What is your secret?” he asked. The other hermit responded, “I prayed and asked God, Please take care of the papaya!”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 6:7-15), Jesus teaches us the true meaning of prayer and how to pray. God our Father knows our needs even before we make our request. But he wants us to ask in confidence and trust. In prayer we do not so much inform God of some situation or micromanage him, as express our dependence and faith in him. The “Lord’s Prayer” that Jesus teaches us is a model of total surrender to God: “Your will be done …” Mother Teresa of Calcutta remarks: “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at his disposition, and listening to his voice in the depths of our hearts.”

B. First Reading (Sir 48:1-14): “Elijah was enveloped in a whirlwind and Elisha was filled with the twofold portion of his spirit.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Sir 48:1-14) gives a summary of the exploits of Elijah and Elisha, great prophets of the northern kingdom of Israel. Both are obedient instruments of God’s word and they stand up to wicked kings and authorities. Their prophetic careers underline the destruction and devastation that await those who forsake God. Indeed, the prophet Elijah and his successor Elisha, are God-fearing men of principles, in marked contrast to the kings of Israel, among whom the author of the Book of Sirach finds none to praise.

The sterling quality of the prophetic careers of Elijah and Elisha can also be verified in the following clergy who have inspired hearts, formed lives and brought the faithful closer to Christ (cf. “We Love Our Priests” in Our Sunday Visitor, June 1, 2014, p. 10-11).

FATHER MATTHIAS CREMER, Priests of the Sacred Heart Monastery, Hales Corners, Wisconsin: Rarely in life do we meet someone who makes such an impression on us that even after many years we can still recall with fervor the emotion attached to such an encounter. Such was the case with Father Matthias Patrick Cremer, who taught at Priests of the Sacred Heart Monastery in Hales Corners, Wisconsin, and where I first called on him back in 1992. He was a scholar, linguist, teacher, preacher, mentor, incredible athlete and survivor. Yes, survivor.

He had escaped the clutches of Adolf Hitler, whose aides had their eye on the young Cremer as he trained in Germany with other athletes from the national team for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. Cremer had set records in the discus and javelin events and was widely considered to be one of Germany’s leading contenders. Hitler desired him for his bodyguard; however the young Cremer wanted no part of this evil, despite that it could have given him a comfortable life.

His story of survival and eventual exile is impressive in itself but only secondary to why I was drawn to this man. I heard of his great love for our Lord and His mother; his gentle nature, generosity and passion for his faith. I was determined to be in the presence of one so selfless.

During our one and only visit, I knew I’d met a true servant of Jesus. His imposing physical figure stood in stark contrast to his mild manner. And his genuine concern for me personally was my lesson in love and humility, and so much more than I could have asked for.

(By Joan Brigman Krueger: Racine, Wisconsin)

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FATHER MICHAEL J. ESSWEIN, St. Peter Catholic Church, Kirkwood, Missouri: Father Mike Esswein has been a holy inspiration to our family through his profound love of God and neighbor. His physical life is a constant challenge, but he is always a steadfast beacon of joy and grace.

While Father Mike was in the seminary, he was involved in an automobile accident that left him quadriplegic with only limited movement of his arms and hands. At the accident scene, his first prayer to God was that he could still fulfill his childhood vocation dream of becoming a Catholic priest.

During his rehabilitation, his vocation goal seemed doubtful as initially his hands were not functional enough to even grasp the host during Mass. Through constant prayer, a final surgery on his neck miraculously provided him just enough digital dexterity to grasp a host.

Even though he is confined to a wheelchair and daily carries many physical crosses, he is always thankful to God for his life as a devoted, loving priest. Our family is in awe of his humility, compassion, wisdom and joy he shares. When any of us are burdened by one of life’s challenges, we are inspired by the graceful, angelic life of Father Mike. We are blessed that he is part of our Christian family.

(By Ken and Pam Kopp: Des Peres, Missouri)

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What is the significance of prayer for me personally? What are my experiences of prayer? Do I try to glean the true meaning of the “Lord’s Prayer”?

2. How do the life and ministry of the great prophets Elijah and Elisha inspire us? Do we imitate their example of complete dedication to the word of God?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 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.

“This is how you are to pray.” (Mt 6:9) //“His words were as a flaming furnace.” (Sir 48:1)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, mean what you say. Spend more time today in silent prayer. Pray to God for the grace to be persons of integrity like Elijah and Elisha and to be totally obedient to the divine word.

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FRIDAY – ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Seek True Treasures … He Helps to Fight Evil and to Do Good”

BIBLE READINGS II Kgs 11:1-4, 9-18, 20 // Mt 6:19-23

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 6:19-23): “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 6:19-23), Jesus gives instructions on choosing between God and earthly treasures. Jesus Master counsels us not to store up treasures on earth because “earthly treasures” are fragile, alienable and perishable. There is nothing on earth that is worth putting our heart into in an absolute way. Only the Lord God is the eternal and absolute treasure. Our heart should be placed in him. He should be the object of our love, self-surrender and sacrifice. In view of this fundamental option, our principal concerns and interests are to store up treasures in heaven. Jesus also talks about the “eye” as the “lamp of the body”. In the ancient world the term “eye” is understood as expressing a person’s attitude. To say that “the eye is the lamp of the body” means that one’s attitude controls what one does or says. A healthy “eye” means that one’s personal attitude is sincere and open to God’s guidance. Hence, to make wise choices for the heavenly treasures would require a healthy “eye”, that is, a personal attitude that is enlightened by the wisdom of God. Storing up treasures in heaven needs true insight and perspective that is enlightened by the Spirit of God.

The following story, “The Seven Jars of Gold” illustrates the tragedy and misery of hoarding false treasures as well as the possibility of being “enlightened” and of rectifying our dismal acts and unfortunate choices (cf. Anthony De Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 134-135).

A barber was passing under a haunted tree when he heard a voice say, “Would you like to have the seven jars of gold?” He looked around and saw no one. But his greed was aroused, so he shouted eagerly, “Yes, I certainly would.” “Then go home at once”, said the voice. “You will find them there.”

The barber ran all the way home. Sure enough, there were the seven jars – all full of gold, except for one that was only half full. Now the barber could not bear the thought of having a half-filled jar. He felt a violent urge to fill it or he simply would not be happy.

So he had all the jewelry of his family melted into coins and poured them into half-filled jar. But the jar remained as half-filled as before. This was exasperating! He saved and skimped and starved himself and his family. To no avail. No matter how much gold he put into the jar it remained half-filled.

So one day he begged the king to increase his salary. His salary was doubled. Again the fight to fill the jar was on. He even took to begging. The jar devoured every gold coin thrown into it but remained stubbornly half-filled.

The king now noticed how starved the barber looked. “What is wrong with you?” he asked. “You were so happy and contented when your salary was smaller. Now it has been doubled and you are so worn out and dejected. Can it be that you have the seven jars of gold with you?”

The barber was astonished. “Who told you this, Your Majesty?” he asked.

The king laughed. “But these are obviously the symptoms of person to whom the ghost has given the seven jars. He once offered them to me. When I asked if this money could be spent or merely hoarded, he vanished without a word. That money cannot be spent. It only brings with it the compulsion to hoard. Go and give it back to the ghost this minute and you will be happy again.”

B. First Reading (II Kgs 11:1-4, 9-18, 20): “They anointed him and shoted” ‘Long live the king!’.”

Old Testament reading (II Kgs 11:1-4, 9-18, 20) continues to depict the struggle between good and evil that marks salvation history. Today’s episode happens in Judah where Athaliah, the daughter of the infamous King Ahab of Israel, usurps the throne of David by purging all legitimate claimants. The courageous Jehosheba, the wife of the priest Jehoiada, saves her infant nephew Joash by hiding him in a bedroom in the Temple. Queen Athaliah rules the land of Judah for six years. In the seventh year, Jehoiada stages a countercoup that defeats the power-crazy Athaliah. The priest Jehoiada crowned the seven-year old Joash as king and mediates two covenants: the first, between the Lord and the king and the people; the second, between the king and the people. The people of Judah renew their covenant with the Lord and manifest that they are the Lord’s people by destroying the cult of Baal that has been promoted by the idolatrous Athaliah. The newly crowned king is escorted by Jehoiada, the guards and the people to the palace where he takes his place on the throne. King Joash will rule the kingdom of Judah for 40 years.

The compassion and womanly instinct that prompted Jehosheba to save the life of her nephew Joash can be verified in many occasions. Richard Feloni’s article “Make A Stand Founder Vivienne Harr” circulated on the Internet gives insight into this.

Harr was only 8 when she saw photographer Lisa Kristine's image of two young Nepalese brothers carrying heavy stones down a mountain. When she learned that these boys were slaves, she immediately decided that she wanted to end child slavery. So in May of 2012, she did what many kids do, and set up a lemonade stand near her home in Fairfax, California, except the money she earned didn't go towards candy and toys. She charged "Whatever's in your heart" and gave all proceeds to charities fighting for her cause. As word got out about her mission, Harr continued to sit at her increasingly popular lemonade stand every day, and in December, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg invited her to sell her lemonade in Times Square. By the end of the day she had raised $101,320. She told her parents that she wasn’t going to stop until child slavery no longer existed.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I truly seek to store up treasure in heaven? What are my priorities, interests and choices? Do I strive to keep the “eye” – the “lamp of my body” healthy? Do I cultivate true insight and a supernatural perspective in life?

2. Do I have the courage shown by the priest Jehoiada and his wife Jehosheba to fight evil and to do good?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus Divine Master, we thank you for teaching us where to put our hearts and where to store up treasure. Help us to seek God as the only and absolute good. Let us not be tantalized by the false treasures of this earth. Give light to the “eye” of our soul. Grant us true insight that we may seek the eternal treasure in heaven with love, devotion and sacrifice. Give us the wisdom, grace and strength to fight evil and to do good. 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.

“For where your treasure is, there also your heart will be.” (Mt 6:21) //“Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord as one party and the king and the people as the other.” (II Kgs 11:17)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Get rid of superfluous goods and strive to share more fully your earthly and supernatural goods with the needy. Pray to God for the grace and strength to fight the evil influences that surround us, especially the evil caused by the misuse and abuse of the modern media.

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SATURDAY – ELEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Delivers Us from Anxiety … He Strengthens Us to Resist Evil and to do Good”

BIBLE READINGS II Chr 24:17-25 // Mt 6:24-34

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 6:24-34): “Do not worry about tomorrow.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 6:24-34), Jesus continues to shape us into disciples whose priorities are straight and who totally depend on God. He wants us to serve God and not mammon. Our possessions have a way of possessing us, but that cannot happen if we make a core decision for God. Our fundamental option for Christ and our radical choice for the kingdom values eliminate useless anxieties. Indeed, Jesus wants us to be free from excessive concern about food and clothing. What are they in comparison to the infinite value of the kingdom of God and his righteousness? He invites us to reflect on God’s care as shown in nature. The birds in the sky neither sow nor reap nor gather food into barns yet the heavenly Father feeds them. He gives color and beauty to wild flowers and clothes them with a splendor that surpasses Solomon’s regal attire. If that is how God cares for the birds and wild flowers, how much more would he care for us – more important in his sight. Jesus urges us not to worry, for worrying is unproductive and counterproductive, a vicious killer of joy in our life. If we put our heart in God and seek his kingdom and his righteousness, all other matters will be in place and our needs taken care of.

The following story gives insight into the meaning of Jesus’ exhortation not to worry about tomorrow for there is no need to add to the troubles each day brings (cf. Anthony De Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 21).

The Japanese warrior was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. At night he could not sleep for he was convinced that he would be tortured the next morning.

Then the words of his master came to his mind. “Tomorrow is not real. The only reality is now.”

So he came to the present – and fell asleep.

The person over whom the future has lost its grip. How like the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. No anxieties for tomorrow. Total presence in the now. Holiness!

B. First Reading (II Chr 24:17-25): “They murdered Zechariah between the sanctuary and the altar (Mt 23:35).”

The Old Testament reading (II Chr 24:17-25) encourages us to continue to do good and resist evil. King Joash of Judah does not persist in following the way of the Lord. After the death of his counselor and benefactor Jehoiada, the Priest, Joash falls from a good life and succumbs to idolatry. Jehoiada’s son, Zechariah prophesies that the king’s rejection of the Lord will have dire consequences. Joash’s response is to silence the bad news. On the king’s orders, the people stone Zechariah in the temple courtyard. King Joash, who has abandoned God, has forgotten about the loyal service that Zechariah’s father had given him. He, who as an infant was rescued by Jehoiada from death, instigates the killing of his redeemer’s beloved son. As Zechariah is dying, he calls out to the idolatrous king: “May the Lord see what you are doing and punish you.” Punishment is inevitable. A small Syrian army overtakes a larger Judean army. King Joash suffers the indignity of being murdered by his own servants.

Today’s Bible reading invites us to persevere in doing good and warns us not to succumb to evil. The need to persist in doing noble acts, even if unrequited, can also be gleaned in the following article (cf. “The Unseen Harvest” in Poverello News, June 2014, p. 5-6).

A police officer we know (we’ll call him Brett) was driving near Poverello one hot summer day after he had finished his shift. He saw a man dressed in dirty, ragged clothing and carrying a backpack. However, what got Brett’s attention was that the man was barefoot, and each step he took on the blistering sidewalk looked like torture. Brett had to gas up his police vehicle at the city yard nearby, but after he did so, he drove by the same area, and saw the man again. He pulled up to him and rolled down his window.

When he greeted him with a friendly, “How’s it going?”, the man immediately became hostile. “I just got out of jail! I didn’t do nothing wrong. Why are harassing me?” he shouted.

Brett tried to calm him down. “Look”, he said, “I’m not stopping you to give you any trouble. I just noticed that you didn’t have any shoes, and I thought your feet must be hurting, that’s all. I have some boots at home that might fit you.”

Brett said that the look in the man’s eye was one of absolute astonishment. It was as if he couldn’t understand that a police officer wasn’t trying to arrest or hassle him. After a long silence, he responded, “Yeah, that would be nice. Some boots would help.”

Brett replied, “Okay, I’m off duty right now. The boots are at my house. It’ll take me twenty minutes to drive there, and about twenty to thirty minutes to drive back. You go over there under the overpass where it’s shady. Stay there, and I’ll be back with some socks and boots. Got that? Stay there, okay?”

The man assured Brett that he would wait, and Brett took off. When he returned with the boots, the man was nowhere to be seen. Brett drove around for about fifteen minutes looking for him, but he had vanished.

Brett told us, “You know, I felt pretty stupid, like I had been conned. Was that a stupid thing to do?”

Not only was that not a stupid thing to do; it was a compassionate, noble act. Whenever we go out of our way to show kindness to someone in need, there is never a guarantee that we’ll get the results we expect. In fact, we are often very disappointed. In Galatians 6:9, Saint Paul tells us, “Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

If everyone who performed kind acts simply gave up because his charity was misused, there wouldn’t be anyone left to help the poor, and the world would be a much darker place. Compassion is wonderful and motivating virtue, but without the companion virtues of faith and perseverance, compassion transforms itself quickly into anger and cynicism.

In over forty years at Poverello House, we hadn’t reaped a huge harvest for our investments of love, but we know that there is a bigger picture. God sees things very differently that we do, and so we persevere in charity and faith, because we believe He knows the rest of the story, which is the harvest that we can’t see right now.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I put my total trust in God, not worrying about tomorrow and not giving in to useless anxieties?

2. Do I persevere in my resolve to fight evil and to do good? Do I continue to act charitably even if my effort is not reciprocated and does not produce the result I imagine?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Master, we trust in divine providence. We look at the birds of the sky and the immense field of wildflowers, radiant with color and beauty. You care for them. How much more will you care for us! Deliver us from useless anxieties. Give us the grace to seek you and the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Help us to persevere in overcoming evil with good. Let us live day by day in your grace. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” (Mt 6:33) //“Because you have abandoned the Lord, he has abandoned you.” (II Chr 24: 20)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

When the present socio-economic situation threatens you with fear and anxieties, turn to God and assert more strongly your fundamental option for him as the one and absolute good. Do not allow unrequited charity to discourage you.

*** Text of 11th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 66) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 12

MONDAY: TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us that God Is the True Judge … He Teaches Us to Make Life-Giving Choices”

BIBLE READINGS II Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18 // Mt 7:1-5

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 7:1-5): “Remove the wooden beam from your eye first.”

I was praying the rosary in the spacious and beautifully tended grounds of our Fresno convent. But I was perplexed when I saw a few trash items on the ground – a styrofoam cup, candy wrapper, empty bag of potato chips, etc. Who could have trashed this place of prayer? I picked them up and disposed of them in the garbage bin. Day after day, I would see trashed things here and there, not many, but enough to upset me. I complained how irresponsible and irreverent the “litterbugs” were. I fumed that some “pious” people coming to our convent for Mass were actually “litterbugs”. But the “evidence” was there – right? One morning, I took notice of a flock of crows – busy and noisy. One powerfully swept down from the sky. His beak was clutching an empty snack bag that he promptly trashed on the ground. An inner voice pierced my conscience: “Rash judgment! Rash judgment! You have been making a rash judgment!”

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 7:1-5), Jesus tells us to stop judging that we may not be judged. Against the backdrop of the hypercriticism of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus cautions against passing harsh judgment on others and denying them entry to the kingdom of God. To condemn others is not our prerogative. God alone is the true judge. We must leave judgment to the final judge. Instead of “judging” we must imitate the Divine Master’s compassionate stance and his work of healing and salvation. The measure we use to deal with others will be measured out to us. We will be judged on the basis of our own attitude – whether hypercritical or compassionate. Jesus, the son of a carpenter, uses carpentry images to deliver the irony of hypocrisy and false condemnation: the righteous with a wooden beam in the eye wants to remove the sawdust in another’s eye. In the biblical world, the “eye” represents a person’s attitude and understanding. Indeed, our pride obstructs the light of compassionate understanding and blinds us to our own faults and the duty of charity. Jesus warns against exaggerating our neighbor’s faults and minimizing our own. He wants us to remove the “wooden beam” dimension of our hypocrisy and pride that we may be able to remove charitably the “splinter” that hurts our neighbor’s eyes. He does not condemn fraternal correction, but false condemnation. Jesus Master counsels true compassion in dealing with our brothers and sisters.

B. First Reading (II Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18): “In his great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (II Kgs 17:5-8, 13-15a, 18) depicts the fall of Samaria. It presents the religious motive for the demise of the northern kingdom at about 721 B.C., under the fiery hand of Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, who deports the children of Israel to Assyria. The collapse of King Hoshea’s kingdom and the deportation of the people are a result of their idolatry and rejection of God’s covenant. The people of Israel have acted in ways that are completely contrary to God’s compassionate plan on their behalf. Their wickedness has provoked God’s anger. The people are totally culpable because of they have not heeded God’s prophets and messengers calling them to conversion. Now Israel, in exile, pays the death-dealing price of their “choice”.

The following article gives insight into Israel’s death-dealing “choice” (cf. Mike McGarvin, Poverello News, November 2013, p. 1-2).

On a warm day, I stopped at a gas station near Pov for a drink to cool myself off. As I was walking back to my car, I heard someone say, “Hey, brother, can you help me out?” I hadn’t noticed this guy because he was prone and kind of below my vision. I turned and was confronted by what looked to be an old-fashioned alcoholic, although a younger version than those I’m used to. This guy was only about twenty-five years old.

Now, for some reason, there’s a special place in my heart for drunks. Maybe because it takes me back to the old days at Pov, when there were mostly alcoholics instead of drug addicts; or maybe because winos seem so much less abrasive than hyper-vigilant, aggressive meth or crack addicts. Anyway, I immediately felt all warm and fuzzy toward this guy, but not enough to give him a buck to buy another drink.

I said to him, “I could give you some money, but Poverello House is just two blocks away. What you could use more than money is sobriety.” It was early in the morning and he already racked of booze. Yeah, I’d say he had a problem. I continued: “You know, there’s someone who got into sobriety named Bill W. (Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder). Ever hear of him?

His response was a blank stare and a simple, “No”. I then asked, “Have you ever been in a program?” Again, “No”. About this time I started smelling something other than the booze and normal human body odor. It was a familiar smell, but out of context. I couldn’t place it right away. However, I took the initiative and told him about Poverello’s showers.

That’s when he revealed what the other familiar smell was. “Yeah”, he said. “I could use a shower. I sleep in this abandoned building, and at night when I’m sleeping, the stray cats come and spray me.”

Bingo. That’s why it was a familiar smell. Every time I emptied a litter box I caught the odor. I thought I’d drive the point home now. “You know, if you got sober, you probably wouldn’t have to worry about cats peeing on you.” He seemed increasingly uncomfortable. I asked him, “Are you scared of sobriety?” He looked down and said, “Yeah”. “Well, it’s not as bad or as hard as you think. It’s only one day at a time. Most people can do anything for just one day. It’s really not that bad.”

I could tell I’d lost his interest, apparently because he could tell that he wasn’t getting any spare change from me, or maybe because I’m not good at marketing sobriety. I told him our substance abuse counselor would be glad to talk to him anytime, and I left it at that, got in my car, and came back to Poverello.

Sometimes I’m amazed at an alcoholic’s or drug addict’s tolerance for misery. I suppose the anesthetic qualities of booze or drugs help create a little numbness toward emotional distress, physical pain and normal disgust. For me, walking up soaked in cat urine would be a clear sign that I needed to make some changes, but this young man didn’t see things that way. The addiction was in such control of his judgment that to him, living free of booze and having the chance to build his life again was frightening, whereas begging, drinking until his liver hurt, sleeping in a filthy abandoned building and waking up stinking was no big deal.

In A.A. they call it insanity. That seems to be a succinct and accurate description of what the young man was struggling with.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I give in to a righteous tendency to judge my neighbors and condemn their “faults”? Do I endeavor to remove the “wooden beam” in my eye in order to help my brother remove the “sawdust” in his eye?

2. Am I culpable of death-dealing choices? Am I capable and willing to make life-giving choices?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you are God’s compassion and righteousness. Help us to stop judging harshly that we may not be judged. Help us to be compassionate. Deal kindly with us. With a true seeing “eye”, may we perceive the beauty of charity and embrace our duty to care for our brothers and sisters. Let your loving eyes be upon us. Empower us to make life-giving choices and teach us not to negate the Father’s love. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.” (Mt 7:1) // “Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes.” (II Kgs 17:13)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Resolve to avoid making rash judgment. // To help you make life-giving choices that are pleasing to God, make the examination of the heart a part of your life.

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TUESDAY: TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Abide by the Golden Rule … He Is our Deliverer”

BIBLE READINGS II Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36 // Mt 7:6, 12-14

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 7:6, 12-14): “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 7:6, 12-14), Jesus counsels discernment and discretion in dealing with those who are hostile to the message of salvation he brings. When our work for the Good News is rejected by those who impose rash judgments and are averse to the kingdom, he advises us not to get into a dispute. They lack understanding and refusing to understand, they will use what we say to condemn. The kingdom of God and its way of life are holy. They are like pearls of great price. The gift of salvation cannot be squandered and forced on anyone who resists them. It is sheer grace and an act of divine predilection to which we can freely respond.

Jesus Master tells his disciples to abide by the Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” This wisdom saying can be verified in the Jewish tradition. Rabbi Hillel, who died when Jesus was about ten years old, was asked by a scoffer to teach him the whole Torah while he stood on one foot. Rabbi Hillel answered: “What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor; that is the whole Torah; go and study it.” Jesus Master likewise uses the principle of mutuality, but on a higher level: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”; “Stop judging and you will not be judged”; etc. By putting positively the wisdom saying “What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor”, Jesus transforms a prescription of self-preservation into an action of love. A negative counsel becomes pro-active. Jesus’ Golden Rule, “Do to others whatever you would have them to you” is in deep affinity with the great command, “Love your neighbor as yourself” on which depends all the law and the prophets”.

Jesus Master exhorts his disciples to enter by the narrow gate. This is an exhortation to become part of the pro-active faithful and not simply to follow the crowd or abide by social pressure. He sets before his disciples the two ways: the broad way that leads to doom and destruction and the narrow way that leads to life. The narrow way is that of the cross. With Jesus, we travel through the way of the cross to eternal life and the light of glory.

The following story, circulated on the Internet, illustrates how we can incarnate in our daily life the teachings of Jesus: the Golden Rule, choosing the narrow way, holiness, caring for those in need, etc.

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 the 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 that 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 hands hurt. As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed the 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 could 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 could 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 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 even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had 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 her change for her hundred-dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out of 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, 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’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”

B. First Reading (II Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36): “I will shield and save this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”

The reading (II Kgs 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36) depicts the threat of Assyrian invasion of Jerusalem and the faith response of King Hezekiah of Judah to the crisis. The message sent by King Sennacherib of Assyria seeks to undermine the trust in God of Hezekiah and the people. He taunts them that God has deceived them with empty promises of deliverance. The Assyrian king brags that he has never been overpowered by any god and surely their God will not be able to save them. Confronted by the taunt that his God is powerless and that their trust is in vain, King Hezekiah remains faithful. He “spreads out before the altar” the letter from the presumptuous king. Hezekiah’s action is a striking and touching demonstration of his belief in God. His heartfelt prayer for deliverance is answered. The prophet Isaiah communicates God’s comforting message to him: “I will shield and save this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” Jerusalem will be delivered from the present threat and the kingdom of Judah will be saved. Through divine intervention, a pestilence decimates Sennacherib’s army and compels him to retreat to Assyria. His own sons murder him as he worships in the temple of his god Nisroch. Whereas the Lord’s temple has been a source of deliverance for King Hezekiah and the kingdom of Judah, Nisroch’s temple becomes the site of King Sennacherib’s bloody death.

The following article circulated in the Internet illustrates that the divine intervention continues to be at work. And in God’s saving plan, Mary, the Mother of Christ, plays an important part.

The Rosary Frees Austria from Communist Rule in 1955: For three years, Catholic Austria went under the tyrannical rule of communist Russia after World War II. A Franciscan priest named Father Petrus remembered the story of how Christians in the sixteenth century had defeated the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto through the rosary, despite being greatly outnumbered.

Father Petrus launched a rosary crusade and 70,000 people pledged to say the rosary daily for the intention of Austria becoming free from Russian rule. Although Austria was valuable to the Soviets because of its strategic location and rich resources, on May 13, 1955, the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, the atheistic Russian regime, in a completely unprecedented move, signed the agreement to leave Austria. Not one person was killed, and not even one shot was fired. Today, historians and Military strategists still cannot explain how or why the Russians pulled out of Austria.

Those devoted to the rosary of Our Holy Mother know exactly the reason. Pray the rosary for world peace!

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I believe in the positive value of the Golden Rule? Do I practice the Golden Rule in the spirit of Jesus’ love command?

2. Do we put our trust in God who delivers us from evil and sin? Do we have recourse to him in trial and affliction?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, we thank you for teaching us about the great value of the kingdom of God. The heavenly kingdom is a pearl of great price that must not be lost or squandered. Thank you for calling us to holiness and for consecrating us for your service. Help us to put into practice the Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” Give us the grace to enter the narrow way that leads to life. Grant us the grace and strength to be pro-active in our ministry of love. You are the way, truth and life. We bless you and adore you, now and forever. Amen.

*** O loving God, you are all-powerful and immortal. Confound the proud and put to flight all that could harm us. You are our refuge and strength. Deliver us from evil and sin. Bring us close to you and let us rest safe in your care. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” (Mt 7:12) // “I will shield and save this city for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” (II Kgs 19:34)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Living by the Golden Rule, do an act of kindness for a needy person and be patient and kind to one who challenges your patience and provokes your anger. // In today’s secularized world when Christian values are brutally attacked and threatened, pray for God’s deliverance and confidently assert: “In God we trust.”

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WEDNESDAY: TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Tells Us to Beware of False Prophets … He Teaches Us to Be Faithful to the Covenant”

BIBLE READINGS II Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3 // Mt 7:15-20

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 7:15-20): “By their fruits you will know them.”

This happened in Antipolo, Philippines in the ‘70s. The Sisters welcomed into our convent a young priest who introduced himself as the Vocation Promoter of the Rogationist Fathers. He was offered a fine dinner and given permission to enter the Sister Superior’s Office to use the only telephone in the house. After the phone call he told us that he needed to go. After he left the Sister Superior discovered that the grocery money for the week was gone. She called up his seminary to investigate. She was told that our “guest” had entered their seminary and stayed with them for a few months. After getting what he wanted, he took off. We were victimized by a bogus priest.

In today’s Gospel (Mt 7:15-20), Jesus tells us to beware of false prophets who come in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. Their evil sentiments are acted out in deceit – to the detriment of the people they claim to serve. Some of the false prophets in Jesus’ time are those who falsely claim to be spiritual leaders of the people and by their false teachings lead them to destruction. False prophets are like a rotten tree that bears bad fruit. The image of “thorn bushes and thistles” represents their grisly sin and the desolation it brings. True prophets are like a good tree that bears good fruit. Their words are true and their lives inspire people to holiness and transformation.

Papa Mike, the founder of the Poverello House in Fresno, talks about Fr. Simon Scanlon, the Franciscan priest who led him on the path of conversion, and was for him a true prophet-shepherd (cf. Mike McGarvin, Papa Mike, Fresno: Poverello House, 2003, p. 46-47).

Father Simon had once been a businessman. He and his brother owned a medical sponge business in the ‘30s and ‘40s. It was a million-dollar-a year enterprise, which was a huge amount of money back in those days. Then World War II intervened, and Simon went off to Europe. We don’t hear too much about older war veterans suffering the same sorts of symptoms as Vietnam vets, but they did. Many of the men who saw action during World War II witnessed carnage on an unbelievable scale, and Simon was one of them. The war made life as he knew it came to a halt, and he returned, not a victorious soldier, but a man whose soul had been ripped out and torn to pieces. Later in life, Father Simon told a newspaper reporter that after seeing so much bloodshed and death, nothing mattered except life. Making money no longer had any allure. He wanted to make a change, a radical change, so he signed over the business to his brother and entered the Franciscan Order of the Catholic Church. Eventually he was ordained a priest.

He ended up in a tough parish assignment, St. Boniface Church in urban San Francisco. The area was like a vast bleeding wound. It was populated by people who just barely survived, who had long ago given up on life and were now numbly eking out a daily existence on disability checks, meager old-age pensions, prostitution, or muggings. It was an area full of predators and victims.

Father Simon responded by gathering some volunteers and opening the Poverello Coffeehouse. Poverello was a safe haven, a place of refuge. It was a small storefront room where people could find acceptance, hot coffee, and a few smiles. These weren’t earth shaking things, but they were rare commodities on the streets. Father Simon was the driving force behind Poverello, but he had a small cadre of friends who aided him. Always short-staffed, he was constantly on the prowl for help. Providentially, while I was talking to him, a fight broke out between two patrons. I instinctively stepped in and broke it up. Father Simon watched with interest while I enforced peace. When everything had calmed down, I came back to chat with him some more, and he popped the question: Would I like to volunteer there at Poverello?

I hesitated. Working and partying were my priorities, and I knew I couldn’t give up work. Volunteering at Poverello would cut heavily into the time I spent smoking weed and dropping acid; but then, it felt good when I broke up that fight. For the first time in quite a while, I felt useful, and I kind of liked it. Besides, something had clicked for me with this priest guy. He intrigued me, and I thought it would be interesting to hang around him for awhile. “Yeah”, I said. “I’ll try it out.” Thus began my career as a Bouncer for Jesus.

B. First Reading (II Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3): “The king had the book that had been found in the temple read out to them, and he made a covenant before the Lord.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (II Kgs 22:8-13; 23:1-3) depicts a pleasing but rare figure of a God-fearing king. Son of the idolatrous and ruthless King Manasseh of Judah, Josiah ascends the throne at eight years old and rules for 31 years. King Josiah does what pleases the Lord and follows the example of his ancestor David, strictly obeying all the laws of God. Josiah is in the process of renovating the temple when the book of the Law is found. The book is read in the presence of the people. King Josiah and the people respond to the word of God by an act of covenant renewal, which symbolizes their recommitment to the Lord God. Josiah then purges the foreign cults introduced by his forebears, in particular Manasseh, and restores pure worship of God in the temple. A significant expression of their worship is the Passover which they celebrate in honor of God their Lord.

The following story gives us insight into the irrevocable quality of a covenant relationship with God (cf. Mary Lou Carney, “Her Spiritual Legacy” in Guideposts, November 2013, p. 62-65).

I sit in the car, staring at Mother’s house, waiting for the rest of the family to arrive. My sister, Libby. Her daughter, Carol. My own daughter, Amy Jo. The numbness is starting to wear off now, and I feel grief gripping my heart. Mother had died just a week earlier. She was only 74. (…)

Libby and the girls arrive and I step out of the car. What do I hope to find here among Mother’s possessions? The things I treasure most about her I already hold in my heart. Still, I’m her daughter. I have to do this. (…)

“Look what I found”, my niece calls from the back room. We huddle around a tiny white box Carol is holding. She lifts the lid, revealing two small circles of gold resting on white cotton. Mother’s and Daddy’s wedding rings. Mother slipped Daddy’s ring off his finger at his funeral 20 years ago, just before his casket was closed. “I’ll take Daddy’s”, Libby says, slipping the band on her index finger. “You take Mom’s.”

The gold feels solid in my palm. Mother’s marriage had not always been easy, yet she remained faithful to Daddy. To the vow she had taken when she was only 17. When Daddy was dying of cancer Mother hardly left his side, even to eat and sleep. Love? Certainly. But more than that. She would keep the promise she’d made: Till death do us part.” It took commitment to make a marriage strong. Sacrifice.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I try to be aware of false prophets and resist their destructive influence? Do I open myself up to the transforming presence of Jesus the true prophet?

2. Do I try to be faithful to the covenant relationship with our Lord God, font of life and all good?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Master, help us to beware of false prophets. Give us the light of the Holy Spirit that we may discern what is evil and detest it. By the strength of the same Spirit help us to be faithful to truth. 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.

“So by their fruits you will know them.” (Mt 7:20) //“The people stood as participants in the covenant.” (II Kgs 23:3)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Let your daily actions bear abundant fruit of goodness and holiness to benefit the people around you and the larger society. See in what way you can promote the sanctity and covenant quality of married life.

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THURSDAY – TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Build Upon the Rock … He Strengthens Us in Our Affliction”

BIBLE READINGS II Kgs 24:8-17 // Mt 7:21-29

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 7:21-29): “The house built on rock and the house built on sand.”

Outward symbols must correspond to inner reality. Pious practices and confession with the lips are laudable, but are not enough; total obedience to the will of God and right actions are necessary. In the Gospel (Mt 7:21-29), using the powerful image of a solid foundation, Jesus tells his disciples that his teaching is the only safe foundation to build one’s life. Any other foundation spells destruction. The Divine Master calls us to build our lives on the rock of his living word and put it into practice. We must not simply proclaim in words that Jesus is Lord and call upon him as our Lord Savior. We must act in a way that corresponds to the inner strength of our word. Our actions must give witness to the faith we profess. Our worship of God must be incarnated in the life we live.

The following story of Jo Dee Baker from Slidell, Louisiana, whose lovely house and beautiful garden were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, tells of a community of believers whose efficacious faith is founded on a solid foundation (cf. “Angels on the Move” in Guideposts, Large Print Edition, March 2006, p. 5-9). Both Jo, the victim of a natural calamity, and the caregivers from the Baptist Church illustrate how wonderful and marvelous is a faith that is put into practice.

My beautiful yard was a mess of uprooted trees and debris; the salt water had burned the grass a sickly brown. My lovely white picket fence lay on its side, and shingles from my roof littered the ground like fallen leaves. Inside, slimy mud covered the floors, and water from the storm surge had tossed all my furniture upside down. The walls were caked black with mildew. Practically everything I owned was ruined. How could I ever come back from this? How could anyone? (…)

So many people needed help, and help was spread thin. “Lord”, I prayed, “I need some divine intervention here.” The next day, I pulled up to my house just as a man with a pickup truck was slowly passing by. He stopped, rolled down the window and leaned out. “Do you need any help?” he shouted. I laughed halfheartedly. “Help? I need an army,” I said. “I’m Brother Johnny from First Baptist Church of Pontchatoula.” He wrote down my name, address and number. “We’ll be in touch, Ma’am.” Then he drove off. But after two weeks I still hadn’t heard from him.

One Monday morning, lugging another bag of my ruined treasures to the curb, I stared down the street at the mountains of trash and destroyed homes. “So many people have lost so much,” I thought. Just then, my cell phone rang. Service was still spotty, but the voice on the other end was loud and clear. “Hello, it’s Brother Johnny. I’ve got some people who want to volunteer to help you. They’ll be calling you.” That was it. He hung up. Then the phone rang again. “Jo Dee? This is Jimmy Brown. I’m from the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Rives, Tennessee. We need to know what you need, exactly.” Where to begin? I told him about the mildewed floors, the torn up roof. “Don’t worry, Ma’am. We’ll be there. See you next Tuesday morning.” (…)

Nineteen people had traveled all the way from Tennessee just to help little old me. They spent three days cleaning the rot and grime and putting on my new roof. Two weeks after they left, about 40 more, from an association of 45 churches, came to finish the job! They ripped out and replaced the flooring, repainted the house, put in new shelves and cabinets, installed a stove and a water heater. By the time they were done, the house looked better than ever!

B. First Reading (II Kgs 24:8-17): “The king of Babylon also led captive to Babylon Jehoiachin and the chief men of the land.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (II Kgs 24:8-17) presents a familiar picture of an unscrupulous king. King Josiah’s grandson, Jehoiachin becomes king at the age of eighteen and “does evil in the sight of the Lord”. His reign lasts only three months due to the Babylonian invasion. King Nebuchadnezzar takes him as a royal hostage and deports him to Babylon. The temple and palace treasures are confiscated and the people of Judah – the leading citizens, the skilled workers, the able-bodied men fit for military service – are brought in captivity to Babylon. The captors leave only the poorest of the people behind in Judah. Nebuchadnezzar installs Jehoiachin’s twenty-one year old uncle Zedekiah as puppet king. In the context of the sinfulness of Israel and Judah, the Babylonian invasion is an instrument of God to call the erring people on the right path.

The following story set in the Nazi-occupied Poland gives insight into the sufferings the Jewish people experienced in the hands of their Babylonian captors (cf. J.L. Witterick, My Mother’s Secret, Bloomington: iUniverse, 2013, p. 82-84).

The next morning, we are awakened by screaming and gunshots. There is a raid on the ghetto. They are rounding people up in the same trucks that took my brother. I know what this means.

I take my son and hide him in a woodshed, telling him to stay quiet until I return. Only six, he understood that his survival depends on it. My wife, sister-in-law and I, with the baby in one arm, climb a steep ladder leading to the small opening of an attic. There is pandemonium below.

Then the baby starts to cry. My wife looks at me with helpless panic. She tries to rock Biata and cradles her against her chest, but nothing works. We had moved the ladder away from the entrance of the attic to deflect attention, but someone is moving it back and climbing up – someone who speaks German. It’s a Polish officer working with a German soldier below. He looks at my terrified wife and whispers, “Do you want to go with your baby?” She only has a minute to make a decision that no one could make in a lifetime. She gives him our baby.

Descending the stairs, he says to the German soldier that he has found an abandoned baby. “Doesn’t matter”, says the soldier. “We’ll get the mother later.” I think that had it not been for our son, she would have gone with our baby. We stay hidden for a while even after the noise has died, and all the trucks have gone.

We know that you can never be too careful. How do you move when you feel like you can’t go on? You think of someone who needs you more. We find our son asleep in the woodshed, and we move on.

In the middle of the night again, I make a trip to Street of Our Lady with my wife, her sister, and my son, all so solemn now that you would think we were going to our death.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Is our faith solidly built on the word of God? Is it efficacious and operative? How do we translate our faith into action?

2. Are we aware of the death-dealing consequences of our sinfulness and evil choices? What do we do when we are the innocent victims of the sinfulness and evil choices of others?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Father, give us the wisdom of the Holy Spirit that we may make the right choices and be faithful to the kingdom values. Assist us to trust in the saving word of Jesus. May our faith be true and shown by our actions. When the rains of temptation fall and the floods of evil come, let us not yield to despair, but rather, increase our faith in Jesus. He is our refuge and stronghold, our rock of strength and true foundation, 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.

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” (Mt 7:21-29) //“He deported all Jerusalem …” (II Kgs 24: 16)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

When life trials seem to submerge you, pray to God that he may strengthen your faith. Extend your helping hand and share the Word with those whose faith is wavering.

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FRIDAY – TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Cleanses Lepers … He Experienced the Plight of the Exile”

BIBLE READINGS II Kgs 25:1-12 // Mt 8:1-4

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 8:1-4): “If you wish you can make me clean.”

It was in 1984 when I visited the PDDM Sisters in Nellore, India. To give me a chance to know more about the local Church, they brought me to the diocesan leper colony. It was situated in a vast isolated farmland, dotted with the humble dwellings of the lepers. The sun was scorching as we plodded through the dusty roads. The inhabitants were gentle and hospitable. We were conversing with them from a safe distance, when an elderly leper lady thoughtfully opened a battered umbrella and came near to shield me from the noonday sun. I politely rejected the proffered kindness, explaining that I needed the therapeutic warmth of the sun. I did not want to hurt her feelings, but I was afraid to stay close to a leper. I dreaded to touch a leper!

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 8:1-4), we have a very beautiful picture of Christian compassion. In this narrative, Jesus offers a completely new and radical response to the unmitigated human suffering personified by a leper. Breaking down the barriers of hygiene and ritual purity, Jesus does the unimaginable. Responding with compassion to the leper’s faith invocation, “If you wish, you can make me clean”, Jesus stretches out his hand and touches him saying, “I do will it. Be made clean.” He touches the “untouchable” with his healing hand. He comforts the outcast with an authoritative word that brings wholeness. Indeed, the cleansing of the leper is a victorious messianic sign that the Kingdom of God has come.

One of the exigencies of Christian life is to bring the healing ministry of Jesus to the many “lepers” of today, especially the millions of victims of Hansen’s disease all over the world who, more than all others, fit the description “the poorest of the poor”. Mother Teresa of Calcutta dedicated her ministry of charity in a special way to these lepers, impelled by the slogan that was a rewording of the ancient taboo. “Touch a leper with your compassion.” Mother Teresa, moreover, spoke of the “leprosy of the Western world”, which is, the leprosy of loneliness. In her ministry to the lonely, the unwanted, the marginalized, the rejected, the AIDS victim, etc. she had given witness that with the love of Christ, there is healing for the leprosy of our modern times. Indeed, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, together with St. Francis of Assisi, Blessed Damien of Molokai, and many other Christian disciples, had shown that it is possible to respond to the Christian missionary imperative: “Cure the sick … cleanse the lepers!” (Mt 10:8) and that it is necessary to replicate the healing gesture of Christ: “Touch a leper with your compassion.”

B. First Reading (II Kgs 25:1-12): “Thus was Judah exiled from her land (II Kgs 25:21).”

The reading (II Kgs 25:1-12) describes the ruthless destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian army and how Judah is exiled from her land. Zedekiah, the puppet king of Judah, conspires against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Zedekiah, however, is not strong enough to rebel either militarily or by way of fidelity to the Lord God. The consequence is disastrous. Zedekiah is captured and, after the captors have killed his sons before his eyes, they blind him and then deport him to Babylon in chains. The invading army breaks down the walls that surround Jerusalem. Led by Nebuzaradan, the captain of the body guard, the Babylonians burn the temple, the king’s palace and the large dwellings in the city. Then they take away to Babylon the people remaining in the city, but leave in Judah some of the poorest people to work in the fields and vineyards. Thus Zedekiah’s failure to obey the will of God, spoken to him through the prophet Jeremiah, has led to his ignominious end, the tragic deportation of the nation and Jerusalem’s total devastation.

The following excerpt from a book based on a true Holocaust story that happened in Nazi-occupied Poland gives insight into the tragic plight of the Babylonian exiles (cf. J.L. Witterick, My Mother’s Secret, Bloomington: iUniverse, Inc., 2013, p. 68-69).

Bronek’ Narrative: By September 1942, my gold is running low, and we are herded up and sent to live in a part of the city that had been sectioned off by barbed wire. We are allowed to bring one bag each. I tell everyone to bring the most practical clothes and shoes. No one will care how we look. “We will need warm clothes and good walking shoes”, I say.

Worried that they will search our bags and take our money, I have Anelie saw a false lining in the coats to hide our cash. Also, Walter’s teddy bear ahs his stuffing replaced with zlotys. Our precaution pays off when out bags are searched on arrival. The Germans take everything valuable. They are ruthless and even have a dentist on hand to extract teeth for the gold fillings. We hear people begging and crying to keep their remaining possessions. I know that it’s useless to plead with the thugs, and that’s how I see them. I could fight the bully in the schoolyard, but this is beyond anything that I can fix.

My family is given one room in an old house with seven other families. There are two small beds for the five of us. We keep a small pot under the bed for Walter who can’t wait for his turn to use the outhouse.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. How do we react to people physically and spiritually afflicted with leprosy? Do we recognize the leprous elements in our modern society who bear the detestable sores of isolation and rejection, e.g. the poor and destitute, the homeless, the unattractive, the AIDS victims, etc.? Do we come to their aid?

2. How does the experience of the Babylonian exile impact us? How does the experience of the modern day “exiles” (refugees, immigrants, etc.) affect and move us?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, if you will, you can make me clean. Touch me; heal me. Cleanse me from the “leprosy of sin”. Free me from the sores of rejection and isolation. You are the wounded healer and the bearer of new life by your passion and death on the cross

You live, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Psalm 137 By the streams of Babylon we sat and wept when we remember Zion. On the aspens of that land we hung up our harps. There our captors asked of us the lyrics of our songs, and our despoilers urged us to be joyous: “Sing for us the songs of Zion!” How could we sing a song of the Lord in a foreign land? If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand be forgotten! May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember you not, if I place not Jerusalem ahead of my joy.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“He touched him.” (Mk 1:41) // “Then he led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city.” (II Kgs 25:11)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for the victims of Hansen’s disease all over the world and all caregivers who work to alleviate their pain and suffering. Through moral, spiritual and material support, contribute to their healing and restoration. // Pray for the refugees in today’s time and see what you can do to alleviate their suffering – morally, spiritually and materially.

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SATURDAY – TWELFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Heals the Centurion’s Servant … He Is with Us in Our Lamentation”

BIBLE READINGS Lam 2:2, 10-14, 18-19 // Mt 8:5-17

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 8:5-17): “Many will come from east to west and will recline with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”

This is a true story. A small Jewish boy realized that his teenage nanny, a Catholic, wishes him well. She even accompanies him to the synagogue when his daddy is not around. There she would encourage him to get into the serious business of praying. One day his dear nanny became seriously ill. She was in the hospital dying of pneumonia. The boy requested his dad to accompany him to her parish church so that he could pray there for her healing. The Jewish dad shook his finger at him, but finally relented. They went to the Catholic parish church. The boy knelt in a pew and poured out his heart to God in prayer. The beloved nanny recovered. She continued to serve at that Jewish household for many, many years.

The reading (Mt 8:5-17) depicts one of the most lovable figures in the Gospel: the Roman centurion who approached Jesus saying, “Lord, my servant is lying home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He is a person of immense compassion for he pleaded for a suffering servant. He is mighty in military power but humble and gentle of heart. He is a foreigner, but sympathetic to the Jews. He is respectful of the Jewish culture for he does not wish Jesus to be defiled by going into his house – the house of a Gentile. Great is his faith in Jesus’ healing power for he humbly said to Jesus: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Jesus expressed surprise and delight at his request. He healed his suffering servant and praised his great faith. The Lord Jesus reminds us that faith – expressed in goodness, compassion and humility - entitles us to share in the promises God made to the patriarchs.

B. First Reading (Lam 3:1, 10-14, 18-19): “Cry out to the Lord over the fortresses of daughter Zion.”

The Old Testament reading (Lam 2:2, 20-14, 18-19) contains the prophet Jeremiah’s description of the destruction inflicted by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army upon Jerusalem. The puppet king Zedekiah of Judah rebels and breaks his treaty with Nebuchadnezzar and is summarily punished. Zedekiah disobeys the word of the Lord spoken through the prophet Jeremiah to submit to the Babylonians. He thus suffers the consequence of choices contrary to God’s saving plan. The vengeful Nebuchadnezzar destroys the Jerusalem temple, breaks down the city walls and orders the massive exile of the Jews into Babylon in 587 B.C. The text from the Book of Lamentation is a wild outpouring of grief over destroyed Zion. The horror of the siege is depicted and the consequent death, famine and desolation that ensue. The description of starving children and of starving mothers eating their offspring (cf. Lam 2:20) is horrible. Sin is revealed in its raw ugliness.

The following excerpt about the dark period of the Holocaust in the Nazi- occupied Poland evokes some of the desolation described by the Book of Lamentations (cf. J.L. Witterick, My Mother’s Secret, Bloomington: iUniverse, 2013, p. 146-147).

The landscape is grim with gray skies and trees that look like they will never be green again. Some of the buildings in town have been bombed and, with greater priorities elsewhere, they are left in this state of disrepair. There are pieces of broken glass, rubble, and brick in small tiles along the side of the streets. Any wood is quickly taken away for firewood. The beauty of the willow trees by the river is in sharp contrast to the tanks dotted in between. The land beneath our feet – cold, hard, and dry – reflects the suffering that is going on above it.

Food becomes more expensive each day. We would not have been able to feed anyone without Dr. Wolenski’s savings and Casimir’s generosity. Our neighbors are jealous that we have food, but they don’t cause trouble because they think we are connected to the commander. My mother doesn’t play chess, but if she did, it would be with many moves ahead.

The Germans have moved more soldiers across the river, and the fighting escalates. When Casimir becomes worried for our safety, I know the situation is deteriorating rapidly.

He is careful with the choice of words in his letters, but I know the underlying message. “Helena, we no longer need you in the factory. Your employment with us is terminated immediately”, really means that he thinks the factory might be bombed at any time.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I manifest the same faith, compassion and virtues as the Roman centurion who cares for a suffering servant?

2. Do we observe and/or experience the afflictions and desolation brought about by our sinful choices? How do we respond to them?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Master, we thank you for the sterling character of the Roman centurion. He is a special model of compassion, goodness, humility and faith in you. With him, we cry out to you: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.” We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.

*** O merciful God, our tears flow like a torrent for the afflictions brought about by our sins. We have turned away from you, the font of life. We have committed ourselves to self-destruction. Probed by your grace, we come to our senses. We lament and detest our sins. We pour out our hearts to you, invoking the saving sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ. For you are a loving and merciful God, we therefore give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” (Mt 8:8) //“Cry out to the Lord; moan, O daughter of Zion!” (Lam 2:18)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Show compassion, respect and caring love for the people around you, especially the subordinate, and uphold their dignity. // Be aware of the great value and the necessity of the sacrament of reconciliation and profit from the great mercy channeled by God through this healing sacrament.

*** Text of 12th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 67) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 13

MONDAY: THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Follow Him Unconditionally … He Calls Us to Social Responsibility”

BIBLE READINGS Am 2:6-10, 13-16 // Mt 8:18-22

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 8:18-22): “Follow me.” (Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Gemma Victorino, PDDM)

Jesus' invitation is not a sweet and gentle word; his is a strong challenge: "Foxes have dens, birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." To another who also wanted to follow him, but set the condition of first "burying his father and mother", he gave an uncompromising reply - "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."

What does he want to say here? There is nothing more important than following him and announcing his gospel. Such following and preaching asks unconditional detachment, clarity of priorities, total trust and utmost generosity.

I experienced this truth early in life. A month after I graduated from college, the persistent call from the Lord Jesus to follow him in consecrated religious life came back to me. When I asked permission from my elderly father to attend the discernment retreat for young ladies contemplating the religious life, he grudgingly gave me permission, coupled with an ultimatum: "Okay, you may go and stay over the weekend but if you don't return consider me dead."

I didn't return home after the retreat. Where did I get the strength to disobey my father and face the pain of detachment? Looking back after all these years, I think it is love for the Master and his Word plus the faith and conviction that his Word carries power and makes things happen.

His powerful command “Follow me” gave me the strength to get out of my comfort zone and put my most important relationships in their proper place. Nothing is more important than finding out what is God's will for me, the reason why I have been created in the first place. In being an obedient disciple, that is, a follower of Jesus, I have brought home an important message as well to my beloved father. In fact, after we had reconciled, he confessed and proclaimed, "I think I now understand your mission: when I see you, I remember God."

B. First Reading (Am 2:6-10, 13-16): “They trample the heads of the weak into the dust of the earth.”

The Old Testament text for the most part of this week is taken from the Book of the prophet Amos. Originally a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees from the Judean town of Tekoa, Amos is commissioned by God to prophesy to the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, about the middle of the 8th century B.C. It seems to be a time of prosperity, religious piety and security. On the contrary, the society’s prosperity, which is limited to the wealthy, merely feeds on injustice and on the oppression of the poor. Moreover, Israel’s religious observance is insincere. Its security is false and imaginary.

In today’s reading (Am 2:6-10, 13-16), Amos charges Israel with crimes against the Lord God and brotherhood. The rapacious rich exploit the poor, which is contrary to the conduct expected of a faithful Israelite. The weak and the lowly are victimized: “sold for a pair of sandals”. There is moral degradation: “son and father go to the same prostitute”. The people’s religious practices are empty and in reality vehicles of social injustice. In contrast to their evil crimes is the Lord’s benevolence. The Prophet Amos reminds them of God’s saving acts on behalf of Israel, in particular the Exodus from the slavery of Egypt and the entry into the Promised Land. Israel ought to respond with gratitude and obedience to God’s beneficence, but refuses to do so. On account of Israel’s repeated sins and crimes, there will be just judgment and devastating punishment.

Unfortunately, the social injustice and moral degradation denounced by the prophet Amos continues to exist in the modern world. Here is an example (cf. Araceli Lorayes, “Child Prostitution: The Tribe of Lost Souls” in Philippine Panorama, June 9, 1986, p. 5-6).

According to Justice Corazon Juliano Agrava, founder of the Tahanan Outreach Program for Boys, in the past most child prostitutes were girls kept in sex dens. Although even the number of female child prostitutes seems to have increased, what appears to be new is the greater degree of homosexual activity involving boys as young as seven and foreigners – Europeans, Americans, Arabs and Japanese. (…)

Tourism has of course exerted its own drawing factor. In retrospect, it is clear that the come-ons to promote the Philippines – beautiful smiles, the Philippines as the last great bargain in the Orient – have conveyed to many Westerners and Japanese one message only: cheap sex, whether adult or child. And, in fact, child sex is cheap; the rate for a child prostitute ranges from 100 pesos to 600 pesos, equivalent to $5 up to $30 – hardly more than the cost of a medium-priced pair of shoes in the West.

For the children, particularly in the urban areas, the great push factor is poverty – not merely the lack of money, but also its brutalizing effect on the individual and its corrosive effects on the family. The majority of child prostitutes started out as cigarette vendors to supplement family income when they were enticed into prostitution either by friends already engaged in it or by teenage pimps. Other children ran away from unbearable homes where they were maltreated. (…)

So desperate is the struggle to keep body and soul together that provision of the most basic creature needs evokes a pathetic gratitude. Agrave noted that the boys under the Silungan program, which was especially formulated for those they termed “endangered boys”, had a strong sense of loyalty to their foreign “friends”. “The children do not know that what they are doing is wrong”, she said. “So when they can get a good night’s rest, a meal, a bath, they are beholden to these people. They just tell you that their customers are foreign, but not who they are.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we respond fully to Jesus’ invitation “Follow me” and embrace the unconditional detachment it entails?

2. Are we guilty of social injustice by ignoring it, by condoning it, or by perpetuating it? What is God calling us to do?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you call us to follow you, but the cost of discipleship is dear. Give us the grace to follow you unconditionally through all the detachment and hardships it entails. You are the center of our life and the font of our joy. Give us the courage, wisdom and strength to fight social injustice and to care for the poor and the weak. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” (Mt 8:22) // “I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you through the desert.” (Am 2:10)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray that many may respond in public service to God’s call offered in Jesus’ name. Promote vocations to priestly ministry and religious life in the Church today. // Be aware of the social issues and of the Catholic social teachings in the public sector. Reinforce the Catholic social teaching by your life witnessing.

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TUESDAY: THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Masters the Raging Sea … He Calls Us to Accountability”

BIBLE READINGS Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12 // Mt 8:23-27

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 8:23-27): “Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea and there was great calm.”

One warm, beautiful morning, my Sisters accompanied me to the pier in Manila where I boarded a ship to Cebu Island. After putting my things in the cabin, I went to the upper deck and had a great time watching the activity on the pier as the crew prepared for sailing. When the ship began to move, there was the soothing sound of parting waters. I also felt the cooling sensation of the sea breeze. And then I heard something fascinating – the amplified voice of a crew in devout prayer to the Lord God who masters the storms and the raging seas, asking for blessing and protection for all of us sea travelers. I felt so peaceful and secure in that sea voyage knowing that everything had been entrusted to God who has dominion over all – even violent storms and turbulent seas.

God, the Creator of the sea and its boundaries, is the Almighty One who directs the course of each individual’s life. Everything that happens in the universe is under the power of God’s dominion and control. God has sovereign mastery over the elements, particularly over the sea, which seems difficult to control. He also manifests his power, not only over nature, but above all, over the raging inner storms in our lives.

The Gospel picture of Jesus who sleeps through a raging storm (Mk 8:23-27) is perplexing and challenging. At times we panic when we are buffeted by the storms of life, and Jesus seems asleep and unaware. At times we despair because Jesus seems to pay no heed. But the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, is in control. He is fully concerned and involved in our fear and distress. As the Omnipotent One, he can pacify the tumults and “storms” of our daily life.

Harold Buetow comments: “Life presents all kinds of storms: disease, natural disasters, epidemics, and famines; and human anger, hatred, prejudice, injustice, betrayal, and selfishness. For Christians, acceptance of Jesus is not a guarantee that we will sail on trouble-free waters. To the contrary, Jesus invites us to travel on uncharted waters and to make for unfamiliar shores – and all this as darkness falls. The risk of faith demands a radical trust that, whatever our particular storm, Jesus is present; being conscious of his presence will give us a calm peace in all the storms of our life.”

The following personal account gives insight into what trust in the Lord and a miracle of faith mean (cf. Pam Kidd in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 72).

We are on a bus driving through an off-road thicket, deep in a moonless landscape. There is no electricity for miles, and I can see nothing as I stare out the window into the darkness. The bus rumbles to a halt, and my husband David and I and our fellow passengers stumble toward a pontoon boat. Within minutes we’re anchored in the middle of a forbidding bay. “This is the strangest tourist attraction I’ve ever seen”, I whisper nervously to David.

Earlier, after we’d arrived on the Lake of Vieques for a special holiday, our taxi driver had said, “Put the Bioluminiscent Bay at the top of your agenda.” So here we are, listening to the pilot of the boat say, “To experience the miracle of the bay, you must jump into the water.”

No one moves.

This is ridiculous. The water is black as the night. We all wait.

Suddenly David stands up and jumps into the unknown. In the pool of darkness, his body takes on a bright glow. His every movement radiates a flowing blue- green light. Mesmerized, I jump in, and others follow. I wave my arms and make angel wings and then twirl and swirl in a trail of fairy dust. By now, everyone is laughing and splashing as our every move turns the night magical. The moment seems part fantasy, part science fiction as the energy of our bodies sets trillions of microorganisms aglow.

Later, back on the boat heading for the shore, I think of the fear that wrapped around us. There in a dark bay, magic was waiting – waiting for someone who believed enough to take a chance and jump in.

Father, take away my toe-first inclinations and fill me with a leaping faith.

B. First Reading (Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12): “The Lord God speaks – who will not prophesy!”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Am 3:1-8; 4:11-12) gives insight into the role of Amos, called by God to prophesy against Israel. Amos puts in proper perspective Israel’s privilege as God’s chosen people. Election entails greater responsibility and a harsher punishment. Through the prophet Amos, God excoriates Israel: “Of all the nations on earth, you are the only one I have favored and cared for. That is what makes your sins so terrible, and that is why I must punish you for them.”

In today’s passage, we hear a series of rhetorical questions taken from the animal world and human daily life. The rhetorical momentum makes us realize that nothing happens by chance. Israel’s impending doom is not without cause. The catastrophic events to which Amos alludes happen for a reason. Moreover, there is a reason for the prophet’s intervention: the divine call. Indeed, when the Lord God speaks – who will not prophesy? Amos must proclaim Israel’s doom because God wills him to do so. He is seized by an inner compulsion to speak the truth – even if it is detestable and unwelcome.

Like the prophet Amos, Pope Francis courageously challenges the structuralized violence and injustice of today’s society. At the risk of his life, he denounces the Mafia, an organized crime syndicate (cf. Associated Press, “Pope Denounces Mafia in Jail Visit” in Fresno Bee, June 22, 2014, p. A27).

Cassano all’Jonio: Pope Francis journeyed Saturday to the heart of Italy’s biggest crime syndicate, met the father of a 3-year-old boy slain in the region’s drug war, and declared that all monsters are automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church. During his one-day pilgrimage to the southern region of Calabria, Francis comforted the imprisoned father of Nicola Campolongo in the courtyard of a prison in the town of Castrovillari. In January the boy was shot, along with one of his grandfathers and the grandfather’s girlfriend, in an attack blamed on drug turf wars in the nearby town of Cassano all’Jonio. The attackers torched the car with all three victims inside. (…)

Calabria is the power base of the “ndrangheta”, a global drug-trafficking syndicate that enriches itself by extorting businesses and infiltrating public works contracts in underdeveloped Calabria. During his homily at an outdoor Mass, Francis denounced the “ndrangheta” for what he called its “adoration of evil and contempt for the common good”.

“Those who go down the evil path, as the Mafia do, are not in communion with God. They are excommunicated”, he warned. (…)

The Pope, who met with nearly 1,000 members of families of Mafia victims at the Vatican earlier this year also stopped to pray at a spot in a small town where a priest was beaten to death earlier this year in a botched extortion attempt.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we feel abandoned and neglected by Jesus when the life-storms are violent and he seems to be “sleeping”? Do we panic? Or rather, do we believe in faith that God is in control? Do we place our trust in Jesus whom even wind and sea obey?

2. Do we realize that our evil choices have negative consequence and that our negation of God’s loving plan is death-dealing?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving God, your Son Jesus Christ slept through the raging sea. When life-threatening storms buffet us, help us to call on Jesus our Savior. He is the powerful Lord who masters the winds and the raging seas. May our faith be steadfast and strong. May we hold on to you and to Jesus as we journey through the turbulence and the violence of this world. Help us to be accountable and teach us to make the right choices. 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.

“Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.” (Mt 8:26b) // “The Lord God speaks – who will not prophesy!” (Am 3:8)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray to God that we may be able to feel his presence and serenity even in the midst of life’s storms. Offer comfort and assistance to those whose faith is wavering and whose lives are deeply upset by trials and difficulties. // Pray for the grace to be socially involved and engaged in promoting the common good.

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WEDNESDAY: THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Fight the Spiritual Warfare … He Calls Us to True Worship”

BIBLE READINGS Am 5:14-15, 21-24 // Mt 8:28-34

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 8:28-34): “Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” (Gospel Reflection by Phil McCarty, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)

In today’s Gospel (Mt 8:28-34) we read of Jesus casting out demons - demons so savage that no one dared to approach the demoniacs. I am struck by the fact that the demons immediately recognized Jesus as the Son of God, and they were threatened by Him. In the constant struggle of good versus evil, do we recognize that goodness is a threat to evil? Evil seeks to intimidate goodness, for evil cannot flourish when encountered by goodness.

We all encounter evil in one form or another in our daily lives, whether in news reports of violent acts carried out in our community and around the world, or on a more personal level as we are tempted and sin. As faithful Christians we are strengthened by our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We are called to be a force for good in the face of evil. When we encounter an unjust act, do we stand up for justice? Do we pray that those who choose a path of evil will turn to the Lord, repent, and be saved? Do we seek the sacrament of reconciliation to cast the demons of sin from our own lives?

***

The following excerpt from “Deliverance and Healing Ministry: Battle Between Good and Evil”, an article by Fr. Mike Lastiri (cf. Central California Catholic Life, February 2015, p. 11) gives deeper insight into the meaning of today’s Gospel episode (Mt 8:28-34).

Demonic possessions of human persons have long been a part of tradition in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions. These, the largest and greatest of the world’s religions, have long held that demons have the power to overtake the will of a person, provided they are open and willing. Exorcisms are ritual actions used by the different religious tradition to exorcise demons from a person. The Gospels have many stories, i.e. Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20; Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-39). Jesus has command over the demons, which causes fear in them, and even fear among those not possessed. In our Catholic tradition, the Rite of Exorcism has been utilized for centuries to expel demons. Bishops have authorized special priests that were especially trained to do exorcisms.

Recently, the Vatican’s Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship revised the Rite of Exorcism for use in the modern day. While the rite itself has changed little since the earlier rite used before Vatican II, the rite allows the bishops to choose diocesan priests to celebrate the exorcisms. The rite demands before anyone is considered possessed by a demon, that a full psychological evaluation is completed, and that medical professionals have rendered that they can do nothing more. The bishop is to be fully aware of every step of the process before the actual exorcism is ever authorized. As the Chief Shepherd of the local Church, representing Christ the High Priest, the role of the diocesan bishop is paramount in these matters. (…)

Should we live in fear? No. Most of us, if living a good life, regularly receiving the Sacraments, having a deep love of Jesus, and being people of prayer and charity, have nothing to fear. Demons are terrified of faithful Christians, Jews and Muslims. If one ever wonders about such things, remember that power of the name of Jesus! He is the ultimate enemy of Satan and his armies. His name is feared and cannot be touched. The name of Mary, our Blessed Mother, is also feared by the evil one.

B. First Reading (Am 5:14-15, 21-34): “Away with your noisy songs! Let justice surge like an unfailing stream.”

In today’s Old Testament reading (Am 5:14-15, 21-24) God, through the prophet Amos, calls the erring people of Israel to conversion. He condemns their false security and invites them to adhere to godly ideals: “Seek good and not evil … let justice prevail”. If Israel changes its corrupt lifestyle and loves what is right then, and only then, there might be some hope for the “remnant of Joseph”. The Lord God likewise condemns false worship and religious formalism. Their religious rites do not correspond to their personal integrity and interior morality. Their worship is empty and divorced from life. Their liturgy substitutes for social responsibility. That is why God hates their religious festivals, their burnt and cereal offerings, their noisy songs and the melodies of their harps. God exhorts them: “Let justice surge like water and goodness like an unfailing stream.”

The following story helps us understand God’s call to true worship (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1990, New York: Image Books, 1990, p.3-34).

There was once a woman who was religious and devout and filled with love for God. Each morning she would go to church. And on her way children would call out to her, beggars would accost her, but so immersed was she in her devotions that she did not even see them.

Now one day she walked down the street in her customary manner and arrived at the church just in time for service. She pushed the door, but it would not open. She pushed it again harder, and found the door was locked. Distressed at the thought that she would miss service for the first time in years, and not knowing what to do, she looked up. And there, right before her face, she found a note pinned to the door.

It said, “I’m out there!”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Are we aware of the constant struggle of good versus evil? Do we recognize that goodness is a threat to evil? In the spiritual warfare, which side are we on?

2. Is our worship a true expression of inner reality and spiritual sacrifice to God? Are we guilty of substituting social responsibility with external religious practices?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO (By Phil McCarty, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)

Lord Jesus, grant us the wisdom and courage to face the evil we encounter, whether great or small, so that the goodness that comes from you will prevail. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“The whole town came out to meet Jesus.” (Mt 8:34) // “Let justice surge like water and goodness like an unfailing stream.” (Am 5:24)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Let us resolve to fight the evils and injustices in today’s society. By our life and example, let us promote the meaning of true worship.

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THURSDAY – THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Has Power to Heal … He Is the True Prophet”

BIBLE READINGS Am 7:10-17 // Mt 9:1-8

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:1-8): “They glorified God who had given such authority to men.” (By Mario Domino, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)

Matthew’s description of the healing of the paralytic is not as elaborate as Mark’s (2:1-12). Matthew was more intent on proving Jesus’ messianic fulfillment: the establishment of a new kingdom. In order to do that, Jesus proves that he has power and authority.

Matthew shows that Jesus cures not only physical ills but, most significantly, spiritual ills. First, he tells the paralytic that his sins are forgiven him. Then, showing he can discern people’s thoughts, he rebukes the scribes by telling the paralytic to take up his stretcher and walk.

In a very convincing manner, he shows us that just as he has the authority to forgive sins, he also has the power to cure physical ills.

From this reading, we should take solace in the restorative powers of Jesus. He can indeed alleviate our physical ills but, more importantly, he does forgive our sins

***

Jesus Christ is the “holistic healer” par excellence. In imitation of Christ, his disciples endeavor to heal broken lives through “holistic” ways as illustrated in the following account (cf. Gladys Gonzales, M.M., “Healing Broken Lives” in Maryknoll, July/August 2014, p. 24-28).

Much of Tanzania’s landscape is surrounded by large boulders, which entrepreneurs are removing to construct buildings. The process is leaving huge holes, like craters, rendering the land unusable, causing massive erosion, and pushing out wildlife, flora and fauna. Added to that is the plight of the women who labor to break the stones to construct the buildings. (…)

Many of the women have lung problems. Many are completely blind or have impaired vision caused by the stone chips, particles and dust covering not only their faces but their whole bodies as they work day after day under a blazing sun. They have no hope of ever leaving this work until their bodies completely give out. I am working to help them holistically, that is, restoring their whole being, body and spirit, to health.

During my 18 years as a missioner in Tanzania I have discovered the importance of holistic healing working not only with women’s groups but also youth groups and children with HIV … I came to understand that the whole person is involved in any activity. That is what is meant by holistic. So I moved from formal teaching to informal teaching and the art of holistic healing. I believe that through nurturing, listening and responding to the deeper wisdom of our whole being, we can heal ourselves and the world. (…)

As a Maryknoll Sister, I am committed to carry on our charism: “to be an active participant in the mission of God: a mission of peace, healing, wholeness and love.”

B. First Reading (Am 7:10-17): “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”

Rhoel Gallardo, a member of the Claretian missionary congregation, and Raul Ventigan, a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), a missionary congregation founded in Belgium, were my students at Maryhill School of Theology in Metro Manila, Philippines. After his ordination, Fr. Rhoel was sent to work in the predominantly Muslim-populated Basilan Island, in southern Philippines, where he died a martyr’s death. The notorious Abu Sayaf Islamic rebel group kidnapped and tortured him. Fr. Rhoel was ordered to rape the catechists who were captured with him. But he refused to obey their sadistic command. He defied their mockery and brutality by turning to God in prayer. They eventually shot him to death. Fr. Raul was a young medical doctor when he entered the seminary. As part of his missionary training, he worked for four years in Haiti. He then returned to the Philippines to finish the last year of his group’s theology program. After ordination, he was sent back to Haiti, his mission land. His medical expertise helped him greatly in his pastoral ministry to the poor and the sick. A few months after his return to Haiti, he succumbed to a health condition and was found dead on his bed. Fr. Rhoel and Fr. Raul - two young Filipino missionaries sent out by our Lord Jesus to minister to his people – exemplify God’s gift of missionary vocation to the Church and to the world.

The missionary and prophetic vocation is God’s initiative. The Old Testament reading (Am 7:12-15) reinforces the reality that an apostolic and prophetic vocation originates from God alone. Amos is a prophet through God’s personal intervention. A shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees, the prophet Amos, from the village of Tekoa – some ten miles south of Jerusalem – in the southern kingdom of Judah, is called by God to prophesy in the more economically prosperous Israel, the northern kingdom of the Hebrew people, during the time of “the schism of Israel” in the eighth century B.C. The name “Amos” means “burden” and the name “Tekoa” probably means, “to sound the ram’s horn”. Carrying a burden of destruction, his prophetic message is sounded loud across the northern kingdom and reverberated long afterward in Jerusalem. Preaching at Bethel, the elite spiritual center of the northern kingdom, Amos causes intense disturbance and annoyance when he inveighs against the immorality, sacred prostitution, social injustice at the shrine and the detestable corruption of Israel’s political and religious institutions. The priest Amaziah of the Bethel temple, who sees him as a threat to the unity and integrity of the Israel kingdom, tries to evict him: “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”

The response of Amos to the greatly outraged Amaziah gives us a glimpse of the vocation-mission of a prophet as one called directly by God and sent out to declare the divine message. Amos denies that he is a member of a band of prophets who earn their living by foretelling oracles or visions. He does not belong to a group of “professionals”, but is chosen from obscurity and commissioned by God himself for a special task. Summoned by God to speak, it is his absolute responsibility to declare the divine word that both summons and judges the people of Israel. Indeed, the coming of a prophet is a grace since it attests to a faithful and loving God who never abandons his own.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we turn to Jesus Lord and seek healing? Do we help our sick brothers and sisters to come to Jesus and be healed? Do we care for their spiritual-physical needs?

2. Do we believe that as Christian disciples immersed into the paschal destiny of Christ the prophet we too are prophets? How do we carry out our prophetic ministry?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, we turn to you and seek total healing. Forgive us our sins and heal our weary soul and broken spirit. Let our ailing bodies be restored to health, according to the Father’s compassionate will. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Lord Jesus, give us the grace to speak your word: a word of life and truth as well as a word of justice and judgment. You word is living and active. It strikes to the heart and pierces more surely than a two edged sword. Help us to be true prophets of your word. We serve and glorify 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.

“Your sins are forgiven … Rise and walk.” (Mt 9:5) // “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” (Am 7:15)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for a sick person and, if possible, assist that person to have access to the sacraments of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick. // Pay particular attention to the word of God proclaimed in the liturgy and find concrete ways to introduce your family and friends to the bread of the Word offered in the Eucharist.

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FRIDAY – THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Comes for Our Healing … He Satisfies Our Hunger for the Word”

BIBLE READINGS Am 8:4-6, 9-12 // Mt 9:9-13

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:9-13): “Those who are well do not need a physician. I desire mercy not sacrifice.” (Gospel Reflection by Rosemary Farrell, St. Christopher Parish, San Jose, CA-USA)

This short passage (Mt 9:9-13) contains the heart of the gospel message, the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is LOVE. The calling of Matthew to discipleship is of great significance to us all. As a tax collector, Matthew belonged to a highly disreputable profession and would have been regarded as a social outcast by his fellow Jews. The prior calling by Jesus of the fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James and John would not have excited public interest, but Matthew was conspicuous because of his despised profession and because of the other outcasts who associated with him. However, all were called by Jesus in their failings and imperfections, whether these were highly visible and open to public scrutiny, as in the case of Matthew, or not; so too have we all been called in our imperfections, whether they have received public scrutiny, if we happen to be politicians or celebrities, or are known only to ourselves and to God. Do not be afraid, I am with you. I have called you each by name. Come and follow me, I will bring you home; I love you and you are mine. (David Haas)

This is the love of God, calling us just as we are, to be illumined in the light of His love; to be healed and transformed and to become His love to the world. Even if your sins are scarlet, they can become snow white; even if they are as wool dyed crimson, they can be white as fleece. (Isaiah 1:18)

While dining with Matthew and others who are deemed outcasts, Jesus overhears the skepticism of some of the Pharisees. He refers them to the scripture that says, “It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices” and tells them to go and find out what that means. Here, Jesus is referring to the words of the prophet Hosea: What I want from you is plain and clear: I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me. (Hosea 6:6)

Hosea was not alone in uttering words like these; we hear them also from his contemporary, fellow prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Micah who completes his exhortation with the famous dictum: The Lord has told us what is good. What He requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God. (Micah 6:8)

How do these words resonate with us today? Kindness, justice, humility and above all, love, we can certainly understand. We have each been called to know and love the God who is love, and to become His love for others; through this love, all the fruits of the Spirit will grow in us.

Hosea and the other prophets spoke out against animal sacrifice which was still practiced in the Temple in Jerusalem as atonement for sin in Jesus’ time and would continue until the Temple’s destruction in 70 AD. The Pharisees, who were critical of Jesus dining with tax collectors and sinners, would have zealously performed the Temple sacrifices, but in referencing Hosea Jesus tells them that external duties and observances are inferior to Knowledge of God and the love and compassion that emanates from that Knowledge. We may be tempted to dismiss the word “sacrifice”, in the prophetical writings that Jesus referred to, as something belonging to the distant past and not applicable to us today as long as we do not allow external religious observances to take precedence over compassion, kindness and mercy towards our brothers and sisters. Perhaps we should contemplate the suffering of animals in factory farms and the billions of God’s creatures who are still sacrificed each day, no longer as sin offerings but to provide us with food that we do not need; it is easy to survive and be healthy on foods from purely non-animal sources. Our task must be to widen the circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. (Albert Einstein)

B. First Reading (Am 8:4-6, 9-12): “I will send famine upon the land: not a famine of bread or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Am 8:4-6, 9-12) is a prophetic judgment against Israel and is preceded by Amos’ vision of a basket of fruit. The Hebrew words for “end” and “fruit” sound alike. Making use of a pun, the prophet indicates that the “end” of unrepentant Israel is definite.

The vicious plans of corrupt merchants to make more money at the expense of the poor prove that their impending doom is merited. Instead of heeding the call to conversion, they intend to cheat, to overcharge and “to buy the lowly man for silver and the poor man for a pair of sandals”. As a consequence of Israel’s evil deeds, there will be darkness and lamentation, and there will be famine in the land. But for Israel, the greatest anguish is not for physical bread or water, but the longing for the word of God. They will hunger and thirst for a message from the Lord, but to no avail. Indeed, it is not possible for Israel to presume and decide on its own terms when and how to return to the Lord – as if God were at its disposal. The conversion journey can be undertaken only in response to God’s mercy and loving initiative.

On July 4 the American people celebrate Independence Day. This civic observance is an occasion for the Americans to commit themselves to God and to the works of justice and freedom for all. Like the prophet Amos, the words of the various statesmen and founding fathers of the U.S.A. remind us that God is at the root of the nation’s existence and destiny. The following statements they made are insightful (cf. “In God We Trust” in Fresno Bee, July 4, 2013, p. A19).

George Washington: Commander-in-Chief in the American Revolution; Signer of the Constitution; First President of the Unites States: “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”

John Adams: Signer of the Declaration of Independence; One of Two Signers of the Bill of Rights; Second President of the United States: “We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

James Madison; Signer of the Constitution; Fourth President of the United States: “Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the universe.”

Thomas Jefferson: Signer and the Principal Author of the Declaration of Independence; Third President of the United States: “And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever?”

John Quincy Adams: Diplomat; Sixth President of the United States: “Is it not in the chain of human events, the birthday of the nation is indissolubly linked with the birthday of the Savior? – that it forms a leading event in the progress of the Gospel dispensation? Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the foundation of the Redeemer’s mission upon earth? – That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?” (…)

Benjamin Franklin: Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution: “I’ve lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: That God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We’ve been assured in the sacred writings that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”

John Jay: Co-Author of the Federalist Papers; First Chief-Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court: “The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.” // “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. How does the call and response of the tax collector Matthew impinge on you? Do we put our trust in the Divine Physician who calls us to be healed and transformed and to become his love in the world?

2. Do we hunger for the word of God, heed it and act upon it?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving Jesus, Divine Physician, you did not come to call the righteous but sinners. You call us just as we are. Your healing love transforms us that we may become in turn your healing love to the world. We hunger for your Word. Speak, Lord, and we listen with loving heart. We give you thanks and praise, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mt 9:13) // “A famine for hearing the word of the Lord” (Am 8:11)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Meditate on the graciousness of God’s call and of the ongoing response we need to give to him. Through your compassionate ways, let the healing love of Jesus be felt by the persons close to you. Be thankful for the blessings God has bestowed upon the American nation and endeavor to share these blessings with the less fortunate.

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SATURDAY – THIRTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the New Wine and Bridegroom … He Is the Promise of Restoration”

BIBLE READINGS Am 9:11-15 // Mt 9:14-17

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:14-17): “Can the wedding guests mourn a long as the bridegroom is with them?”

In the reading (Mt 9:14-17), John the Baptist’s disciples, probably prompted by the Pharisees, ask Jesus why they and the Pharisees fast, but his disciples do not. Jesus retorts with a rhetorical question: “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?” In today’s Gospel, Jesus underlines a deeper truth that goes beyond the question of fasting. In the Bible, the marriage feast is a symbol of the kingdom of God. Jesus - the Bridegroom – invites us into the fullness of the kingdom, depicted as a marriage feast. As the Bridegroom of the Church, he brings in the radical newness of the reign of God. The radical newness is depicted in the image of “new wine” in fresh wineskins and of a “piece of unshrunken cloth” that will tear an old cloth if patched into it. Elements of Judaism that were either a temporary dispensation (e.g. the animal sacrifice) or a mere preparation for something better are surpassed by the Bridegroom Jesus Christ. He blesses us in a new way that shatters old categories and conventions. In his public ministry, Jesus did not require his disciples to fast the way the Pharisees and the disciples of John did. In the post-resurrection Church, “fasting”, with its many expressions, is still appropriate as long as it looks forward to the culmination of the kingdom. Fasting is done in the spirit of the Church-Bride waiting for Christ- Bridegroom’s return at the end time.

The radical newness of the kingdom and the “fasting” it entails can be perceived in the life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, ed. Carol Kelly-Gangi, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 97, 69, 64).

My sister and I used to read the same books. One day my sister read a book and passed it to me. As soon as I read two pages, I felt it would be a sin to read that book. Later I asked my sister whether she had read the book. She replied that she had and had found nothing wrong in it. There was no sin in my sister reading the book, but in conscience I could not read it. (…)

By our vow of chastity we renounce God’s natural gift to women to become mothers – for the greater gift – that of being virgins for Christ, of entering into a much more beautiful motherhood. (…)

I can’t bear being photographed but I make use of everything for the glory of God. When I allow a person to take a photograph, I tell Jesus to take one soul to heaven out of Purgatory.

B. First Reading (Am 9:11-15): “I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel. I will plant them upon their own ground.”

The Book of Amos ends positively with a joyful glimpse of the restoration of Israel (9:11-15). The earlier threats and oracles of doom are counterpoised by the overwhelming reality of God’s mercy and fidelity. The kingdom of David will be rebuilt and the nations finally reunited. A picture of abundant fruitfulness deepens the promise of the nation’s restoration: the grain will grow faster than can be harvested; the vine will grow faster than the wine can be made; the mountains will drip with sweet wine; etc. The entirety of Amos’ prophetic proclamation, that is, the threats of just punishment and the promise of restoration, reminds Israel that sinfulness is death-dealing and that conversion to God is life-giving.

Israel’s experience of death and grace, of punishment and hope of tomorrow, of raw ugliness and awesome beauty, can also be gleaned in our daily life. The following article gives insight into this (cf. Amy Bunt, “Beauty beneath the Surface” in Country, February/March 2013, p. 16).

I live in the Arizona desert, where flowers are sparse, rocks and bushes replace green grass, and the four seasons are more likely one long summer with a few cold December and January days. But the desert had such an abundance of rain one year that I was determined to see how it affected the landscape. Surely there must be something wonderful under all that dirt.

I used to think that to see anything beautiful, I had to get as far away from the desert as possible. But I was wrong. The desert often seems harsh and void of life, but below the surface is a kind of beauty that will come to life if enough rain falls from the heavens.

During that one rainy season, I went hiking in Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, which is reputedly the site of an elusive gold mine. I didn’t go to the park that day looking for a gold mine, but I found one among the acres of golden flowers that surrounded my every step. The abundance reminded me of a Midwestern spring; the only dirt I saw was on the dusty path I was following.

Life often seems like a dusty path that we walk day in and day out. But instead of being surrounded by flowers in bloom, we often find ourselves surrounded by heartache, disappointment and sadness. Maybe it’s the loss of a job, a wayward child, or the death of a loved one that leaves a void so big and so painful you wonder if anything beautiful can ever come out of it.

I don’t know what surrounds your dusty path, but I know that God surrounds mine. He is kind enough to send rain and bring forth such beauty that I am left in awe and wonder. He has proven to me that beauty can come from ashes.

Life gives joy and sometimes takes it away. In moments of sadness, I look long and hard at the dry ground and wonder if life will ever spring from it again. It is then that I realize that God gives me a hope that doesn’t fade. Through faith he tells me to keep walking on my dusty path and to look for beauty, because it will surely come again.

Will my path always be lined with flowers? No. They will fade and be replaced by heartaches and disappointments of life, but those won’t last forever, either. Spring will come again and flowers will return. Someday I will walk among the fields of gold once more and will smile and say that life is good because God is good.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I realize the radical newness of the kingdom of God that Jesus brings? How do I live out the radical newness of the kingdom?

2. Do I allow myself to be shaped by visions of hope, beauty and grace; or do stubbornly cling to the shadows of sin, fear and death?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you are the Bridegroom of the Church. You call us to share in the feast of your kingdom. You offer us to savor the “new wine” in fresh wineskins. Teach us to practice true “fasting” on behalf of your kingdom. Help us to express in our life the beauty of the Gospel and the radical newness that your life brings. Let us welcome the hope of tomorrow. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“Pour new wine into fresh new wineskins.” (Mt 9:17) // “I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel.” (Am 9:14)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Examine the actions and choices in your life that are not “new wine” in new wineskins and ask the Lord for the grace to overcome them. With the strength of the Holy Spirit, carry out the “fasting” (e.g. from excessive use of digital media, etc.) that will benefit you spiritually and promote the kingdom of God. // Be deeply aware of the “touches” of beauty, joy and goodness in your life.

*** Text of 13th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 68) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 14

MONDAY: FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Lord of Life … The Church Is His Bride”

BIBLE READINGS Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22 // Mt 9:18-26

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:18-26): “My daughter has just died, but come and she will live.”

Today’s Gospel (Mt 9:18-26) is a glorious celebration of life. It tells of the restoration of the fullness of life to a hemorrhaging woman and to a young dying girl. To both, Jesus brings life and brings it gladly. The woman healed of her bleeding and the little girl whom Jesus raised from the dead will die again. But because of Jesus’ benevolent actions on their behalf, their chances for eternal and unending life are enhanced. Their contact with Jesus is transforming and radically life-giving. In the same way, we are being challenged today to improve and enhance the quality of our own life and that of others. The Lord Jesus wants to give life and build a new world through us.

The following story testifies to the endeavors of Christian disciples of today to bring life to a death-dealing situation (cf. Deacon Darrell Smerz in “Missioner Tales” in Maryknoll, May-June 2012, p. 10).

A few years back, St. Mary’s Parish in Tomahawk, Wis., passed a resolution to adopt a sister parish. I contacted Father Leo Shea of Maryknoll and we were assigned a parish in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. A year later, our pastor and I visited that city, where Maryknoll Father David La Buda hosted us around many of the barrios. What a revelation! Of the many experiences, one stands out the most.

A 15-year old girl lay on a worn mattress on a dirt floor with one leg swollen three times the size of the other. The following day in the rain we placed her on a flat board in the uncovered back of a pickup truck to take her to the hospital 13 miles away. I held an umbrella over her head as we made the journey with her father. She was diagnosed with cancer and our parish paid for the amputation.

Months later the girl died, but she had remarked that the months after the amputation had given her great relief from pain. I’ll never forget that journey in the rain in the back of the open truck with the open umbrella over our heads.

B. First Reading (Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22): “I will espouse you to me forever.”

This happened in Manila years ago. Our neighbor came for a chat. She informed us about an uncle who was a contract worker in Saudi Arabia earning a living for his family. After several years of hard work in that distant land, he discovered when he returned to the Philippines that the fruit of his sacrifice was squandered by his wretched wife who was running around with four different men. Enraged and hurt, he almost killed his wife who had prostituted herself with numerous partners. Deeply humiliated and despondent, he tried to alleviate his misery by getting drunk.

The plight of this aggrieved spouse is similar to the experience of the Old Testament prophet Hosea. The Jerusalem Bible gives a commentary on this pathetic prophet and his work: “Hosea, a native of the Northern Kingdom, was a contemporary of Amos, since his ministry began under Jeroboam II, though it continued through the reign of his successors; Hosea may even have lived to see the fall of Samaria in 721 B.C. It was a somber period for Israel with the victorious advance of Assyria (734-732 B.C.), internal rebellions (four kings assassinated in fifteen years), religious and moral corruption. Of Hosea’s life during those turbulent times we know nothing beyond his own domestic troubles, but these were to condition his ministry as a prophet … Hosea has married a wife whom he loves but who deserts him; his love remains however, and, having put her to the test, he takes her back. The prophet’s sad experience becomes a symbol of Yahweh’s dealings with his people … Israel, the bride of God, has become a faithless harlot and has aroused the anger and jealousy of her divine husband. God’s love remains; he will punish her, but only to bring her back and restore her to the joys of their first love.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Hos 2:16, 17c-18, 21-22) is one of the most beautiful passages ever proclaimed in the liturgical assembly. It is a tender appeal for a renewed love relationship. The Lord Yahweh seeks to renew the nuptial bond adulterated by Israel’s apostasies. As the loving, faithful spouse of Israel, God seeks to revive the spark that once characterized their covenant relationship. He desires to restore their bond as spouse-Lord and bride-people.

The magnanimous character of Yahweh can be easily gleaned in the following declarations he made to his chosen people: “I will espouse you to me forever: I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and mercy. I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord” (Hos 2:21-22). The covenant bond is to be lived in righteousness and justice, in steadfast love and mercy. God’s relationship with his people is marked with integrity and faithfulness, with tenderness and abounding compassion. The response expected of Israel is to live in justice, mercy and fidelity. Then the bride- people Israel would have the pleasure of coming to “know the Lord” in an all-embracing way that entails obedience to the divine saving will.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we trust in Jesus, the Lord of life? What do we do to promote life in death-dealing situations?

2. How do the pathos and deep agony of the abandoned spouse, Hosea, impact us? What feelings are evoked in us by Israel’s betrayal of her spouse, the Lord God? In what ways are we the unfaithful spouse of Yahweh? How do we respond to God’s forgiving love and his gracious invitation to renew our nuptial covenant?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Dear Jesus, you are the Lord of Life and the Bridegroom of the Church. Animated by the Holy Spirit, we choose to tread the path of love and to affirm the power of life. Help us to promote life in death-dealing situations and to respond fully to your unending love. With you we celebrate the triumph of life and love. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“The woman was cured … the little girl arose.” (Mt 9:22, 25) // “I will espouse you to me forever.” (Hos 2:21).

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your charitable actions and care for the sick and suffering, let the healing power of Jesus prevail over death-dealing situations. // Pray especially for those who are experiencing the anguish of a betrayed nuptial relationship – for those whose marriage bond has been adulterated and shattered. Promote the beauty and integrity of the sacrament of matrimony.

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TUESDAY: FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Work in God’s Harvest … He Leads Us to Conversion”

BIBLE READINGS Hos 8:4-7, 11-13 // Mt 9:32-38

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 9:32-38): “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”

Today’s Gospel episode (Mt 9:32-38) presents Jesus as having power to exorcise demons and to heal speechlessness. The people respond to his miraculous intervention with amazement, but the unbelieving Pharisees claim that Jesus works by demonic power. It is unfortunate that the Pharisees, who have witnessed the miracles, have closed their hearts to Jesus as the one sent by God. In spite of their resistance and defiance, Jesus continues to fulfill his saving mission in word and deed. He teaches in the synagogue, preaches the Good News about the Kingdom, and heals people of every kind of disease and sickness.

Jesus’ compassion is full of concern for the negligence and harassment to which the people are subject. The lowly ones are troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. They are an “abundant harvest” that needs to be gathered and brought into the Father’s kingdom. They need the care of good shepherds and the service of harvest workers. God is the ultimate Shepherd and Harvest Master, but he needs the collaboration of those who accept Jesus’ invitation to discipleship. Like Jesus, his followers need to shepherd the sheep and to help gather the Father’s “harvest”. Indeed, Christian discipleship entails pastoral activity and service.

The following vocation story of Sr. Mary Tiziana Dal Masetto, PDDM, gives insight into a disciple’s response to God’s call to work in his harvest and to care for his sheep.

My vocation came at an early time in my life. It dawned on me at my First Communion at age seven. I also asked myself, "What can I do to help Jesus?"

The question "What can I do for Jesus?" kept blossoming as my teenage life developed. Everything took place gradually and gently. I experienced wanting to spend time with Jesus. I was blessed with a grandmother who attended Mass every day; I would join her walking to the church. During winter, it was dark, and at times it was snowing. During summer, the light of the sun gave us a delightful and enjoyable time.

My desire to stay with Jesus grew further when my grandmother joined a prayer group whose members took turns praying the Rosary. The members of the group also had turns at night, so when my grandmother got sick, she asked me to take her turn. By this time, I already had my Confirmation at age eight. I continued to participate in the daily Holy Mass, going by bicycle and then keeping my turn to pray at night. I was so faithful to kneel on the bed and gaze at the picture of Jesus on the wall above my bed.

One day, when I was age twelve, our pastor read the Gospel of Matthew and explained how this tax collector was very prompt and generous in leaving behind all his business to follow Jesus. This story kept my mind and my heart occupied in imagining how this could have happened.

My turn for the night vigil came again. There I was at 1:00am when, while saying the Rosary, I stopped, and the whole scene of Matthew and Jesus came before me. I could hear the sweet voice of Jesus enlightening Matthew about what is important in life and how urgent it was for him to leave everything behind and to follow Him in love.

I remember feeling my heart throbbing. From kneeling on my bed, I found myself standing on it, as if Jesus were there in front of me, beckoning. I wanted to follow Him so much. Entranced, I walked towards the door of my room until I realized I was really in my room and had to go to bed. This experience was so sweet and attractive, and since I was already thinking about my life and my future, I felt that this was the answer to who I would be in life: a close follower of Jesus. This experience never left me even up until now.

Later, when I was fourteen years old, as my mother groomed me into becoming a young lady, I was already praying in the secret of my heart for a concrete way to enable me to follow Jesus more closely, more devoutly, and more exclusively. My grandmother had many books on the saints. I became a voracious reader and was figuring out the lives of the saints – what part of each life was feasible for me to imitate. I also had the invitation to participate in the social life, like the celebration of marriages with all its day-long banquets, dancing, and music. I remember being familiar with father's polkas, tangos, mazurkas, and waltzes, and how enjoyable the time was. This social life was part of my life, and often this kind of celebration was done in our home, where relatives, neighbors, and friends gathered for singing, playing, dancing, talking, and eating. I also experienced the gaze of a nice young man admiring me, and I felt very proud and happy about it. But the gaze of Jesus upon Matthew on that night when I was twelve kept coming back and attracting me, showing me how I could be united with Him in doing good around the world.

In the 50s, Italy experienced a strong wave of emigration to different parts of the world, and I was envisioning myself with Jesus and doing good everywhere. There were talks about Australia, Argentina, USA, Germany, France, and many other places. These were familiar in my town; even my father considered leaving Italy. I just wanted to go with Jesus everywhere in the world to do good. So I had this great desire, this opening to follow Jesus as a missionary. That night, when the story of Matthew came alive for me for the first time, was the foundational experience of the Call of God for me.

At fourteen, I left home with the intention of studying and preparing myself to become totally consecrated to God. In my youthful ardor, I did not hesitate to express to Mother Mary Lucia my missionary dream, and with pleasure she said, "I will keep this in mind." In fact, throughout my formative years, she provided me opportunities for studies, travels, and the most varied experiences. My heart and mind were shaped into that missionary spirit of St. Paul. And at the age of twenty- seven, Mother Lucia sent me first to Brazil for the work of formation of young women aspiring for Religious Life. Then I was sent to the Philippines and to many other countries until I reached the USA, where I find myself still with that passion burning within me to help "Jesus Master" in drawing to Him new Pious Disciples who will adore, celebrate, and serve Him in the Eucharistic, Priestly, and Liturgical Ministries in the contemplative style of Divine Beauty.

And what I now enjoy in my heart is this prayer: "One thing I ask of the Lord, all the days of my life: that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His temple." – Psalm 27:4

B. First Reading (Hos 8:4-7, 11-13): “When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Hos 8:4-7, 11-13) asserts that Israel’s sinful actions are self-destructive. The people choose kings on their own and appoint leaders without divine approval. Moreover, they fashion idols from their silver and gold which they adore. Like the farmers who reap what they sow, in sowing the evil wind they reap the violence of the whirlwind. They reject the Lord’s teachings and prefer to appease him with idolatrous sacrifice. They are precipitating to destruction. Their punishment will come through the hands of the Assyrian oppressors. Indeed, their affliction is the natural consequence of sin and not God’s arbitrary judgment.

Anne Nolan writes on the tragic death of Peaches Geldof (3 March 1989 – 7 April 2014), an English journalist, television presenter and model who died of substance abuse. Her reflection gives insight into the tragedy of today’s society that “sows the wind and reaps the whirlwind” (cf. Anne Nolan, “So Many Others Are Like Peaches” in Alive! June 2014, p. 6).

Peaches Geldof had such an anguished, tragic life. May God grant her eternal rest. She wanted to get her life in order, and tried hard to do so, especially for the sake of her children. She told Elle magazine about her first child: “His birth was like a rebirth for me. I honestly never thought anything in my life would ever be good. I’m obsessed with getting it right.” She added, “Even if it’s an archaic idea, I want Astala to have a mummy and daddy together forever. It’s a commitment. I want to be a good wife, a good mother, a good person.”

Sadly the task was too much for her. Deprived of a religious formation, she also felt she was “lacking something” and she sensed the need for “a spiritual path”. But without wise guidance she ended up in the Scientology cult.

Peaches was, to a large extent, the victim of her upbringing and of the circles in which she moved. “The very worst thing that happened to me started with my parents’ divorce; it really affected the rest of my life”, she said.

But who cared? Divorce is now “my right” and despite all the evidence we convince ourselves the kids will be ok. And it’s just tough if they are not! Peaches was high profile, but millions of other children are suffering because of their upbringing in a crazy society that can no longer tell right from wrong. But of this we can be sure: without God and the Church in our lives none of us can get it right.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we try to live out the compassion of Jesus who was moved with pity because the crowds pursuing him were like sheep without a shepherd? Do we pray that the master of the harvest may send out laborers for his harvest?

2. Did we ever try to sow the evil “wind”? What did we reap from sowing the evil “wind”?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, you pity the hapless crowds who are troubled and abandoned. They are like sheep without a shepherd. Give us the gift of compassion that we may respond in service to the needs of the poor and vulnerable. Together with you, we pray that the Lord of the harvest may send out laborers for his harvest. We love you, dear Jesus. Please never allow us to sow the evil wind and thus reap the violence of the whirlwind. 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.

“His heart was moved with pity for them.” (Mt 9:36) // “When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind.” (Hos 8:7)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your words and actions, bring the compassion of Jesus to the people around you. Pray the following invocation: “O Jesus, eternal Shepherd of our souls; send good laborers into your harvest.” // By the grace of God, avoid self-destructive actions.

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WEDNESDAY: FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Summons and Sends His Disciples … He Invites Us to Seek the Lord”

BIBLE READINGS Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 // Mt 10:1-7

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 10:1-7): “Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Anthony E. Basa, PDDM)

Jesus called the twelve disciples and sent them on a mission to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. The foundation of the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master in Iligan City in Mindanao was on June 26, 2011. I remember very well the time when the three of us (with Sr. John Paul and Sr. Elizabeth) were called to be the first Sisters in the new foundation. Iligan is a place that I do not know much about and, though I can understand a little, I do not speak the language. It is also a place where the peace situation is not very stable. How can one assigned in the liturgical and biblical ministry cope with the limitations of language? When one animates a liturgical celebration and shares the Bible, it should be in the vernacular.

As we begin our mission, I have experienced how the grace of God works. I have realized that serving others is not just about knowing the language or being familiar with the place. The message of God’s reign is preached in loving deeds and compassion. More than anyone else, I am the one who is formed and moved to conversion as I tend to the people of Iligan. When the city was hit by typhoon “Sendong”, thousands of people lost their homes, loved ones and properties. The call to reach out to the lost sheep became a real mission and a pastoral challenge for us as Sister Disciples. When God calls us for a mission, we need not fear because He will bless us with all the graces we need most in order to fulfil that mission.

B. First Reading (Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12): “It is time to seek the Lord.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12) continues to underline the guilt that leads to Israel’s destruction. The nation has prospered materially like a fruitful vine, but the economic well-being has merely corrupted the people and led them away from God. The more prosperous they are, the more idolatrous they have become. Their hearts are deceitful and, as divine discipline, they are to suffer for their sin. A new and more serious invasion from the Assyrians will obliterate their land, their leaders and their sacrilegious altars. The destruction will be so cruel that no one will want to survive. They will cry to the mountains and hills “Cover us … Fall upon us” to express their longing for death to end it all and to be buried in the land.

But the final words of God to the erring people, communicated to them by the prophet Hosea, are a plea for conversion: “It is time to seek the Lord!” Instead of seeking the fruits of false prosperity, leadership and worship, they must seek the Lord God. They must plow the field of their obdurate hearts, sow the seeds of justice, and cultivate true piety and righteousness. Then the forgiveness of God will be showered upon them and they will reap the rich harvest of divine benevolence.

The following story illustrates that conversion is a true blessing (cf. Virginia Heim, “I Want to Come Back” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ed. Sr. Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 64-65).

I truly believe that God, in His wisdom, at some time and in some miraculous way, uses each of us as His instruments.

After my younger sister left home and married, she had a very difficult life. She had one son, the light of her life, but lost another son shortly after his birth. She was always strong, keeping her trials inside, but always there for me and our brood of six children.

As the years passed and our children grew up, we both decided to move upstate for our retirement years. I had been blessed over the years to continue practicing my faith and attending Mass in a regular basis. My sister, unfortunately, had been away from the sacraments for many years, but she always graciously drove my husband and me to our small parish. She would attend Mass with us, but did not partake of Holy Communion. I could see how sad she was and how much it troubled her, but I did not know what to do about it except pray.

A few years ago, on the Monday after Easter Sunday, my sister suggested we drive up to Stockbridge, Massachusetts to the Divine Mercy Shrine. First, we visited the church and then we walked about the grounds. As we strolled along, enjoying the day and each other’s company, suddenly we came upon a giant trailer with big black letters on the side that spelled out one single word: “Confessions”!

My sister stared for a moment and then said, “I’d love to go to confession, but I wouldn’t know what to say.” God must have leaned close to my ear because I heard myself saying, “Just say, ‘I’ve been away so long. I’m sorry. I want to come back.’” It must have been just what she needed to hear. She nodded, took a deep breath, and went inside the trailer.

From that moment forward, my sister’s faith blossomed until it became even stronger than mine. Two years ago, my sister died and though I miss her very much, I am consoled with the knowledge that she has returned to the fold of the Good Shepherd.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we thank Jesus for calling his disciples in order to send them out and become his loving compassion for others?

2. Do we believe that at this very moment Jesus is telling us: “It is time to seek the Lord!”?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, you exhort us: “It is time to seek the Lord!” We thank you for calling us to conversion. You send us to the “lost sheep” that we may proclaim the transforming good news: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Grant that we may be faithful to the grace of conversion. Help us to correspond to the beauty of our vocation-mission as Christian disciples in today’s world. 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.

“Jesus summoned his twelve disciples … Jesus sent out these twelve disciples.” (Mt 10:1,5) // “It is time to seek the Lord.” (Hos 10:12)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Let us thank the Lord for our vocation and mission as Christian disciples in today’s world. Let us discover meaningful ways to live out fully this gift of discipleship. // Let us be intent in inviting those who have gone astray, “It is time to seek the Lord!”

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THURSDAY – FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Sends Them to Proclaim the Kingdom … He Assures Us of God’s Unfailing Love”

BIBLE READINGS Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9 // Mt 10:7-15

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 10:7-15): “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

The Burnham couple, Martin and Gracia, who were serving in the Philippines as missionaries, was captured by the dreaded Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group in Southern Philippines, whose primary activities were kidnapping and extortion. Gracia survived 14 months of terror in the jungle. On June 7, 2002, Martin died and Gracia was wounded in the shootout that resulted from the rescue attempt made by the Philippine Army. Gracia’s testimony revealed that Martin had been a missionary through and through. Thousands of people – including senators and ambassadors - attended Martin’s funeral at Wichita, Kansas. Gracia remarked: “They admired him most, perhaps, for what he stood for, what we all try to stand for. Nothing complicated. Just a simple, whole-hearted goodness. His death had not been in vain. He showed me what strength was. Faith. Faith in yourself, in those you love, and in God to be present in every moment of your life.” The missionary Martin Burnham is a modern-day example of a disciple sent by Jesus, one who had kept faith in him and had shown the world that faith is the inner strength to conquer evil.

Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 10:7-15) is about the Lord who sends and the mission of the disciples he sent. The origin of the missionary vocation is Jesus who prepared the apostles for this important moment. It was Jesus who called them personally; it was he who selected the Twelve to be his companions and to be sent out to preach with the power to cast out devils. Taught by Jesus and present with him as he healed many from sickness and evil, the Twelve were sent out with tremendous healing power bestowed upon them. The task of those sent by Jesus is to bring the healing balm of peace and forgiveness to those wounded by sin and to drive out the power of evil.

The missionaries of Jesus are to keep a simple lifestyle, bereft of material comforts and financial security. The Divine Master counsels the virtue of detachment, for without detachment the missionary’s attention cannot be centered on the Good News. Indeed, the life of missionaries is absolutely oriented to the task of preaching God’s kingdom. The missionaries must also contend with the possibility of not being welcomed and of not being listened to. In this case, they are simply replicating in their lives the destiny of the sending Lord who was rejected even by his neighbors in Nazareth. Indeed, the missionaries of all ages will be subjected to all kinds of trials. Their option is not violent reprisal, but humility and kindness. They accept the indignities of rejection and the painful process of “birthing” in order that the saving word of the Gospel may reach the ends of the earth.

B. First Reading (Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9): “My heart is overwhelmed.”

Today’s Second Reading (Hos 11:1-4, 8c-9) is a masterpiece of beauty and grace. Hosea’s description of God as a doting parent is one of the highpoints of revelation of divine love in the Hebrew Scriptures. Israel can self-destruct by her evil choices, but God is a loving parent. He does not give up on a wayward child. God has cared for his people since he called them out of Egypt and continues to teach them to walk in his ways. God cares for Israel like a mother who tenderly draws her child with love and affection. Israel however is an ungrateful child who needs to be disciplined and brought to his senses. The disobedient people may be subjected to a rigorous divine pedagogy, but God’s basic and ultimate stance is loving mercy: “My heart is overwhelmed … my pity is stirred … I will not give vent to my blazing anger … I will not destroy Israel again … for I am God and not man.”

The following story illustrates a remarkable response to God’s forgiving and unmitigated love (cf. Anne Nolan, “Just When We Think All Is Lost” in Alive! June 2014, p. 6).

On 1st October 1957 Jacques Fesch, the son of a wealthy banker, was guillotined for killing a policeman in Pairs. The police officer, aged 35, was a widower with a 4-year-old daughter. But in a strange twist, it’s the murderer who could end up being declared a saint.

Born in April 1930, the son of an atheist father and Catholic mother, Fesch idled his way through school, spent a short time in the army, then in a bank, before adopting a playboy lifestyle, living off his parents’ wealth.

At the age of 21, in a civil ceremony, he married a neighbor’s daughter who was expecting his daughter. Yet he continued to see other women. With one of these he had a son, whom he abandoned to state care. Soon after, he and his wife separated, but remained friends.

At this point he decided to buy a boat, sail off to the South Pacific and begin a new life in the sun. Tired of his antics, however, his parents refused to fund his venture. Fesch then came up with the idea of robbing a currency dealer, Alexander Silberstein. On 25 February he and a friend arrived at the dealer’s office. He pointed a gun at the dealer and demanded the cash from the till. His companion, meanwhile, has fled.

Silberstein tried to reason with him, but Fesch hit him twice across the head with the revolver butt, grabbed a small amount of cash and ran. Outside he tried to calmly mingle with the passers-by, but Silberstein arrived, shouting that he has been robbed.

Chased by the crowd Fesch was cornered. A policeman, Jean Vergne, drew his revolver and ordered him to raise his hands. Instead Fesch pulled out his own gun and shot the officer through the heart and wounded one of his pursuers in the neck. But the crowd overcame him. He knew he would face the guillotine.

Having abandoned his faith when he was 17, he mocked the many efforts to bring God back to his life. “No need to trouble yourself about me”, he told the prison chaplain. But one year after the murder, on the night of the 28 February 1955, Fesch experienced a dramatic change of heart.

“I was in bed, eyes open, really suffering for the first time in my life”, he wrote shortly before his death. “Then a cry burst forth from my breast, an appeal for help, ‘My God’, and instantly, like a violent wind which passes over with nobody knowing where it comes from, the spirit of the Lord seized me by the throat. It was a feeling of infinite power and kindness and, from that moment, I believed with an unshakable conviction that never left me.”

The experience changed the remaining two and a half years of his life. He apologized for all the suffering he had caused and led a holy, prayerful life. To a young Benedictine he wrote: “In prison there are two possible ways: You can rebel against your situation, or you can regard yourself as a monk.”

In the journal which he now kept he wrote: “The last day of struggle, at this time tomorrow I shall be in heaven! May I die as the Lord wishes me to die … In five hours I shall see Jesus.”

When his journal and letters were published after his death they created widespread interest in France, touching young people especially. Not everyone, however, wants him to be canonized: “a patron saint for gunmen”, said one newspaper.

But in 1987, Cardinal Lustiger of Paris explained: “Nobody is ever lost in God’s eyes, even when society has condemned him.” He believed that Fesch as a saint would “give great hope to those who see themselves irredeemably lost.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. As Christian disciples today, do we trust in God who is lovingly involved in our lives? What is the specific apostolic mission addressed to us by Christ today?

2. Do we trust in our parent God who gives his wayward child a second chance to be loved?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you have called us and entrusted to us the Gospel with its power to overcome evil. You commission us to overcome the death-dealing situations of today’s world by the strength of your Holy Spirit. You send us to touch the wounded with the healing power of your love. Help us to share with them the image of a compassionate and merciful God. 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.

“Go and make this proclamation.” (Mt 10:7) // “I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks.” (Hos 11: 4)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for all missionaries that they may carry out their mandate with absolute trust in God and apostolic zeal. Be a missionary to a person close to you and in need of the healing power of the Gospel. // Let the people around you experience the forgiving love of our parent God.

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FRIDAY – FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Strengthens Us in Persecution … He Summons Us to Go Back to God”

BIBLE READINGS Hos 14:2-10 // Mt 10:16-23

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 10:16-23): “For it will not be you who speak, but the Spirit of the Father speaking through you.” (Gospel Reflection by Sr. Mary Mercedes Pineda, PDDM)

Many say that it is not easy to follow Christ or to be a good Christian. Our Lord himself did not promise wealth, comfort, prestige, or power to those who have followed him. Rather, in today’s Gospel, Jesus made his chosen disciples aware of what awaits them once they accept Him as their Lord and Master; for example, rejection, opposition, persecution and discrimination.

As we journey through life and grow in our faith, we encounter these sad realities in various ways and degrees. We might experience them from people we love, from friends and associates, from strangers, from the community to which we belong, or in our workplace.

Rejection, opposition, persecution and discrimination are experienced due to differences in religious, political, cultural background and beliefs, perceptions and even sexual orientation. The Gospel values that as Christians we try to live in fidelity to God, are opposed to the values of the world and this could give rise to the harsh realities in families, communities and in society.

How do we react to persecution, opposition, discrimination and rejection? Is our response “flight or fight?” How do we bear with them?

I remember when I joined a pilgrimage to the Holy Land coming from Rome. In Tel-Aviv airport, I was segregated from the rest of our group, invited to go to the immigration office to be interrogated, simply because I was carrying a Philippine passport. Our group included priests, religious men and women, and families. I was the only one from Asia. The rest were Europeans and Americans, who passed immigration without any difficulty. It was indeed a humiliating and painful experience of rejection and discrimination. However, I remained calm and composed, talking to the Lord in silent prayer: “Lord Jesus, this is an unpleasant joke! See, I’m not welcome in your country. But thank you for this unexpected experience, because this is a chance to practice patience and humility. Amen.”

Jesus promised to give us the inner strength to endure such occurrences and to persevere in following him whatever the cost. We have only to trust and believe that He is always with us and in us.

In this Gospel text (Mt 10:16-23), we are invited and challenged to learn to accept these negative realities as occasions for growth in faith, in our maturity to follow Christ and lastly, an opportunity to renew our commitment to Jesus our Lord.

B. First Reading (Hos 14:2-10): “We shall say no more ‘Our god’ to the work of our hands.”

In today’s Old Testament reading (Hos 14:2-10) we hear a beautiful text that concludes the Book of the Prophet Hosea. The mood is upbeat and the message is replete with hope, based on God’s merciful love for his people. Today’s Hosea text is composed of three parts. The first part contains the prophet’s plea to Israel to return to the Lord. The erring people must confess their infidelity. They must renounce idolatry, false security based on military-political alliances, and empty worship. The second part delineates God’s promise of new life to a repentant people. God will heal their iniquities and the contrite people will once more experience the life-giving character of God’s love. Israel will flourish in beauty and plenty. The Lord God will renew the people and make them fruitful. The conclusion exhorts the wise to take to heart what the prophet Hosea has written. It is a final reminder that the righteous people walk in the paths of the Lord, but the sinners who ignore the Lord’s ways stumble and fall.

The following excerpt from a story of a stage actor-turned-priest gives insight into the dynamics of conversion (cf. Father Benjamin Francis, “All the World’s a Stage” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 56-58).

Over the next two years, my life went through an amazing transformation. I quit all acting and started living in a little rooming house next to the Church of Saint Francis. I determined that I was not ever going to leave God again. I helped out at the church in any way I could and attended daily Mass. During this time, I thought back to my childhood dream of being a priest. No, I thought, remembering my sinful past. There’s no way I could be a priest after all the things that I have done.

After two years without slipping back into sin, I was still uncertain about what I should do. I stopped off at the bank one day, to see how I was doing financially. With the amount of money I had, I would be set for a least another two years of indecision. On the way back from the bank on the outskirts of Chinatown, I stopped by a church called St. Mary’s. On the lectern there was Bible sitting open. My eyes fell on the verse in Luke that says, “So therefore, no one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his possessions … Sell your possessions and give to charity, make yourselves purses which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven.”

Since I had just come from the bank, I knew to the cent how much money was in my account. I thought about my unsure future and looked to Jesus in the tabernacle. “Okay”, I prayed, “if I do this, you are going to take care of me from now on.” I took out my checkbook. “You get me to Rome, Jesus.” Slowly, I wrote a check to the parish for every cent I had, and I put it into the locked collection box. I was in God’s hands now.

I walked back to the house I was rooming in by the parish with a total dependence and trust in God. “I’m in your hands now”, I said again and again. I arrived back at St. Francis Church, and the little Filipino priest, Father Paul, came up to me enthusiastically. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you all day!”

At the same time I was praying at Saint Mary’s, a woman had visited Father Paul and had given him an envelope. “This is for the young man who is going to Rome to study to be a priest.” “I don’t know any young man going to Rome”, Father Paul had responded, confused. “Yes, you do”, the woman said. “He’s the one who reads the bingo numbers.”

Inside the envelope was exactly enough money to pay for a plane ticket to Rome. It wasn’t long after this, just after Christmas of 1975, that I found myself as a seminarian studying to be a priest in Rome. Every day in that seminary was an overwhelming gift for which I thanked God. It was hard to believe that I, Mr. Showbiz, was going to soon be a priest of God. To many, it may have seemed that I once lived an exciting life, but I knew that nothing was more blessed than the opportunity to serve God as a priest.

When I was ordained to the diaconate, my mother came to Rome. I asked her to consecrate me, her son, to the Blessed Mother. She smiled and said, “I already did that, long ago.” Then, for the first time, she told me that when I was very young, I had come down with a high fever. When the doctor told her that I might not live, she had relinquished all of her motherly rights to the Blessed Mother. I had been dedicated to my mother in heaven, and it had been she who had directed my road to Rome to be one of her Son’s priests. (…)

The Blessed Mother had kept calling me, and despite my failings, she had cleared the path to her Son and then worked tirelessly to put me on it. (…)

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What is our response to persecution? Do we trust in divine assistance when faced with rejection and persecution?

2. Do we respond to Jesus who calls us to walk on the road of conversion? Are we a means of salvation for others?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus, font of strength, you send us like sheep in the midst of wolves. You counsel us to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves in the midst of a troubled world. We trust in your saving help. We trust that the Holy Spirit will put his words into our mouth and will defend us from all evil. You have summoned us to tread the path that leads to life. Let us be faithful to the ways you have shown us. 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.

“Whoever endures to the end will be saved.” (Mt 10:22) // “Return to the Lord.” (Hos 14:2)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

When experiencing rejection, trust in Jesus and pray for help and protection. When persecuted on account of your fidelity to Church teaching, ask the Lord for strength and endurance and the grace to refrain from a violent response. // Be deeply aware that conversion is an ongoing process and that you need to respond to the grace of God day by day.

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SATURDAY – FOURTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Exhorts Us Not to Fear … He Helps Us Experience the Holy”

BIBLE READINGS Is 6:1-8 // Mt 10:24-33

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 10:24-33): “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.” (Gospel Reflection by Dr. Rachel Quinto, Holy Family Institute, Fresno, CA-USA)

Many years ago and for a very long time, I had a recurrent nightmare that would wake me up in the middle of the night in cold sweat. I dreamed that someone or something was chasing me in the dark shadows. I was alone and feared for my life. No matter how fast I ran or imagined hiding places where I would not be seen, I sensed that I could never escape this thing’s sinister grip. Strangely enough, even when I was paralyzed with fear and could not move, I was not overcome by my pursuer. When I finally managed to wake up, I would find myself exhausted, as if from an actual ordeal.

Back then, I understood healing to be physical or psychological and via human intervention. Using my background in psychology and medicine, I tried to analyze the origin of this unsettling subconscious experience in order to hopefully resolve it. But my intellectual efforts met with failure. The nightmares managed to come back over and over again to haunt me.

My breakthrough came in a most unusual manner. As I grew in faith, I began to know the healing power of the Word of God. After reflecting on this very same passage (Mt 10:24-33), I decided to take Jesus at his word. With all the conviction I could gather consciously, I resolved that when the chase happens again in my sleep, I will not run away. In fact, I am determined to turn around and face my pursuer unafraid. I am totally convinced that the Lord will protect me from all danger. In fact, with the Lord beside me, not a single hair on my head will be touched by this evil that has been after me for a long time. After all, am I not worth more than many sparrows?

Miraculously, just like that, the nightmares ended.

B. First Reading (Is 6:1-8): “I am a man of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” I made my annual retreat in January 2005 at our convent in Monrovia, in the foothills of the scenic San Gabriel Mountains. The theme of my annual retreat was the Eucharist. During the Sunday Mass with the parish community I received a special gift – a beautiful experience of the nearness of God and of the community of the angels and saints in heaven. While the choir and the assembly were singing the Sanctus, I was overwhelmed by the presence of the heavenly court, the saints and the faithful departed. The liturgy of the Eucharist celebrated right there and then at the Parish of Immaculate Conception gave me a foretaste of the heavenly liturgy. Indeed, it was a grace to have a glimpse of God’s “holy” presence. Likewise, that religious experience renewed my personal commitment to my Eucharistic mission as a PDDM sister.

Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 6:1-8) is about Isaiah’s spiritual experience and his vocation as a prophet. Isaiah experiences the awesome “holiness” of God. This indicates God’s transcendence, his complete apartness from anything sinful, and his infinite power and grandeur. The triple-holy God initiates a love-service relationship with Isaiah by giving him an intimate experience of the divine life. Isaiah’s experience of God’s grandeur is a personal invitation to mission: Who shall I send? Who will go for us? It involves total surrender to God. Indeed, like the prophet, we too are given glimpses of the sacred. These spiritual experiences call us to immerse ourselves into the mystery of the divine. God helps us by purging our unworthiness and fickleness and thus we become a “living” part of the saving mystery. Indeed, by his grace we become instruments of his loving plan to restore all creation through Jesus Christ.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we believe that God cares for us and that we are worth more than many sparrows? Do we try to overcome useless anxieties by putting our trust in the God who loves us?

2. Are we sensitive to various religious experiences that the loving God is giving us as a gift? What have I learned from the religious experience of the prophet Isaiah? Like Isaiah, are we willing to have our “unclean lips” purged and thus experience a deep spiritual cleansing that would prepare us to be mission partners in God’s plan of salvation? How do we respond to the triple holiness of God?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you care for us and assure us that we are worth more than many sparrows. Deliver us from evil and useless anxieties. Help us to trust in you. Grant us the grace to respond to the holy presence of God and his call to share in his plan of salvation. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Mt 10:31) // “And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’” (Is 6:8)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

When anxieties come, remember the words of Jesus: do not to be afraid for we are worth more than many sparrows. Spend some quiet time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, drawing strength from the Eucharistic Master. // Pray that the people of today may be deeply grateful for the experience of the sacred and be utterly sensitive to the call to mission.

*** Text of 14th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 69) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 15

MONDAY: FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Way of Peace … He Teaches Us True Worship”

BIBLE READINGS Is 1:10-17 // Mt 10:34-11:1

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 10:34-11:1): “I have come to bring not peace, but the sword.”

I was in my third year of high school when I came across Leo Tolstoy’s novel, “War and Peace”. It was irresistible. I did not go to school for three days to read it from cover to cover. I love the works of Tolstoy. I am fascinated by this Russian “prophet”. I am awed by his commitment to Christ’s teaching on love, compassion and non-violence. Peter White’s article, “The World of Tolstoy”, in the June 1986 edition of the National Geographic (cf. p. 758-791) contains interesting insights which I share here.

Count Tolstoy was deeply inspired by Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, especially his moral exhortation, “Resist not evil” (cf. Mt 5:39), but instead, “Return good for evil”. This would be at the heart of Tolstoy’s doctrine on universal love, moral self-improvement and non-violence, as eventually expressed in his work, “The Kingdom of God Is Within You”. India’s Mahatma Gandhi was greatly influenced by Leo Tolstoy. He avowed that, when he read Tolstoy’s work, “The Kingdom of God Is Within You”, he was overwhelmed. Having exchanged correspondence with Tolstoy, Gandhi was cured of his skepticism and became a firm believer in ahimsa, nonviolence. Through Gandhi’s program of nonviolent struggle, India would later be free from British rule.

Leo Tolstoy, however, was a “sign of contradiction”. His radical view on non- violence was greatly opposed. While praising Tolstoy as a genius who drew incomparable pictures of Russian life and castigated social falsehood and hypocrisy, the communist leader Lenin considered his advocacy of nonresistance to evil as “crackpot preaching” and deplored his inability to understand the class struggle – that a better life could be achieved through the violent overthrow of capitalism by the proletariat.

In his novel, “Resurrection”, Tolstoy indicted the tsarist courts and prison system. The Russian Orthodox Church was angered by his comments in this book against the state religion. The Holy Synod declared Count Tolstoy a false prophet, accusing him of undermining the faith. He was excommunicated, but there was an outpouring of sympathy from other segments of Russian society.

Conscience-stricken and upset by the plight of the poor, Count Tolstoy opted for a simplified life and dedicated more greatly his literary pursuits to socio-religious themes. His wife Sonya did not share his zeal for reform and for his new lifestyle that was simple and austere – for example, making himself a brew of barley and acorns because coffee was a luxury! She was chagrined that he chose to work on pugnacious tracts that put people off, when he could be producing wonderful novels that would bring in lots of money. Tolstoy did not care about money, but she had to, otherwise what would become of their children? Unable to bear any longer the divisive and oppressive situation at home, and detesting the luxury found in his estate, Yasnaya Polyana, the 82-year-old Tolstoy, left home on November 10, 1910, accompanied only by his doctor. He fell ill on a southbound train and died at a stationmaster’s house on November 20, 1910. Indeed, Leo Tolstoy is a fascinating figure – a modern day example of a prophet of contradiction.

Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 10:34-11:1) presents the divisions that Jesus’ mission creates, even in families. His way catalyzes separations and provokes conflicts between those who have made a radical choice for him and those who have not. Jesus’ gift of peace comes from God. It is a result of his immersion into the bloodbath of paschal sacrifice and is therefore not a facile kind of peace. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 6, explicate: “To welcome the peace of the kingdom which Jesus gives and which is only attained through the cross, places believers in a situation where they are sometimes set in conflict with others. For this peace rests on faith, the choice for Christ and the kingdom, which necessarily involves detachment from, if not rejection of, all that is opposed to Christ and the Gospel or that is incompatible with the choice one makes for it … Every human life is confronted, at some point or another, with choices that in some instances demand real heroism. The situation becomes particularly distressing when one finds oneself torn between faithfulness to God, faith, and the gospel, and on the other hand, to family, friends, and country.”

B. First Reading (Is 1:10-17): “Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 1:10-17) comes from the first part of the Book of Isaiah (chapters 1-39). Here the prophetic words are directed to the kingdom of Judah to make the beleaguered people realize that the real threat to the nation is not Assyria, but rather their sin and disobedience. Today’s passage is an oracle delivered on a feast day before a throng of worshippers. The prophet Isaiah inveighs against false and hypocritical worship. Sacrifice is worthless without the proper interior dispositions. God detests the people’s ritual sacrifices, offerings, and the observance of new moons and Sabbaths because of the violence of their lives. God hates their gesture of prayer with hands extended and palms open toward heaven because their hands are bloodstained with crimes. God wants them to wash themselves clean, not in a purely exterior ritual, but in an interior cleansing of the heart. Through the prophet, God calls them to stop doing evil and to do right: help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights and defend widows. True worship is linked with justice and right.

Pope Francis, in a courageous move that could even mean his death sentence, denounces those who worship evil, such as members of the mafia, and calls the people to true worship. Here is an excerpt from his homily on the feast of Corpus Christi, during the Mass that concluded his visit to Cassano all’Jonio, in the region of Calabria, Italy (cf. “No to Those Who Worship Evil” in L’Osservatore Romano, 27 June 2014, p. 9).

On the feast of Corpus Christi we celebrate Jesus “the living bread which came down from heaven” (Jn 6:51), food for our hunger for eternal life, strength for our journey. I thank the Lord who today allows me to celebrate Corpus Christi with you, brothers and sisters of this Church in Cassano all’Jonio.

Today is the feast in which the Church praises the Lord for the gift of the Eucharist. While on Holy Thursday we commemorate its institution at the Last Supper, today is for giving thanks and adoration. And in fact, there is a traditional procession with the Most Holy Sacrament on this day. To adore the Eucharistic Jesus and to walk with him. These are two inseparable aspects of today’s feast; two aspects that characterize the entire life of the Christian people: a people who adore God and a people who walk; who do not stand still, who journey!

First of all we are a people who adore God. We adore God who is love, who in Jesus Christ gave himself for us, offered himself on the Cross to atone for our sins, and by the power of this love rose from the dead and lives in his Church. We have no other God but He!

When adoration of money is substituted for adoration of the Lord, this pathway leads to sin, to personal interest and exploitation; when God the Lord is not adored, we become adorers of evil, like those who live by dishonesty and violence. Your land, so beautiful, knows the signs and consequences of this sin. This is ‘ndrangheta: Adoration of evil and contempt for the good. This evil must be fought; it must be cast out! One must say “no” to it! The Church, which I know is so committed to raising awareness, must be ever more concerned that goodness prevail. Our kids demand it; our youth, in need of hope, demand it. Faith can help empower us to respond to these needs. Those who follow this evil path in life, such as members of the mafia, are not in communion with God: they are excommunicated!

Today let us confess it as we turn our gaze on the Corpus Christi, the Sacrament on the altar. And by this faith, we renounce Satan and all his machinations: we renounce the idols of money, vanity, pride, power and violence. We Christians don’t want to worship anything and anyone in this world except for Jesus Christ, who is present in the Holy Eucharist. Perhaps we don’t always understand the full meaning of our profession of faith, what consequences it has or should have.

This our faith in the true presence of Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, in the consecrated Bread and Wine, is authentic, if we commit ourselves to walk behind Him and with Him. To adore and to walk: a people who adore are a people who walk! Walk with Him and behind Him, as we seek to practice His commandments, the one he gave the disciples precisely at the Last Supper: “Even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (Jn 13:34). People who adore God in the Eucharist are people who walk in charity. To adore God in the Eucharist, to walk with God in fraternal charity. (…)

I encourage all of you to witness to concrete solidarity with brothers and sisters, especially those who are most in need of justice, hope and tenderness. The tenderness of Jesus, Eucharistic tenderness: that love so delicate, so fraternal, so pure … The Lord Jesus never ceases to inspire acts of charity in his people journeying along the path! (…)

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Why does the peace that Jesus brings lead to division? Do we welcome the peace of Christ and his example of total commitment to the kingdom? Are we willing to embrace the detachment, renunciation and opposition that the peace of Christ entails? Are we willing to be fully united with Christ and become, in him, a “sword of division” in today’s world?

2. Do we offer to God true worship, or are we simply engaged in mere external rituals that do not correspond to holiness of life and total obedience to God?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: “I leave you peace, my peace I give you.” Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom. Jesus, sword of division, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Make us walk in the ways of peace and help us to worship in spirit and in truth. We love and praise you, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” (Mt 10:34) // “Make justice your aim.” (Is 1:17)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

While avoiding facile compromises and easy tradeoffs, endeavor to bring the peace of Christ to a distressing situation that needs healing and reconciliation. Be courageous to be a “sword of contradiction” when the situation calls for it. // Endeavor to offer “true worship” in your daily life and in liturgy.

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TUESDAY: FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Reproaches Them for Their Unbelief … He Exhorts Us to Be Firm in Faith”

BIBLE READINGS Is 7:1-9 // Mt 11:20-24

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:20-24): “It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon and for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Today’s Gospel (Mt 11:20-24) teaches us that repentance is a key dimension of Christian discipleship. Those who hear Jesus’ words and witness his mighty deeds, but do not repent, will suffer the same fate as those of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, the epitome of lack of repentance. The mission of Jesus in Galilee produces only a few disciples. Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum are recipients of his teachings and miracles. But there are those unmoved by his proclamation. Those with hardened hearts refuse to respond to the miracles that reveal his tender solicitude and compassion. Like the inhabitants of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, we are free to make choices and respond to God’s word. But we are ultimately responsible for what we are: our sins, failures, shortcomings, imperfections, the dismal acts that precipitate us to destruction. Jesus calls us to conversion. We must open up to the grace of repentance. Those who have been gifted with much have greater liability and accountability on judgment day.

The words of Mother Teresa contain a tinge of reproach for those who have received much spiritual enlightenment, but fail to respond fully to the gift (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, ed. Carol Kelly-Gangi, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 117-118).

How is it that nowadays, all over the world, so many priests and nuns abandon their calling? Did they not commit themselves to follow him after long and mature reflection? How then can a nun pronounce perpetual vows, and some years later give up the religious life? Are married people not bound to remain faithful to each other until death? Then, why should the same rule not apply to priests and nuns?

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Many congregations have discarded this vow of obedience. They don’t have superiors anymore. Each member makes her own decisions. They have discarded obedience completely. Do you know what has happened because of that? In the United States alone fifty thousand nuns have left the religious life. The destruction of religious life comes mainly from the lack of obedience. Sheer negligence destroys religious life completely.

B. First Reading (Is 7:1-9): “Unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 7:1-9) contains prophet Isaiah’s remarkable message to Ahaz, king of the southern kingdom Judah: “Unless your faith is firm you shall not endure.” The military coalition between Syria and the northern kingdom Israel has thrown Judah in a state of panic. When word reaches King Ahaz that the armies of Syria are already in the territory of Israel ready to attack, he and all his people are so terrified that they tremble like trees shaking in the wind. God commands Isaiah to meet King Ahaz, who is apparently checking his water supply in anticipation of a siege. The advice of the prophet is startling: to stay calm and not to be frightened or disturbed because the attack will not succeed. Moreover, the renegade Israel will be shattered. Isaiah summons King Ahaz to believe in God’s promise to preserve the Davidic dynasty. God will protect and save Judah, provided total trust must be present and merely human strategies be rejected. The divine commitment to make the Davidic line “firm” is conditional on the faith of the king and the people. There is no hope for Judah apart from complete reliance upon the Lord God.

The following modern-day testimony illustrates that by the grace of God and with faith in him, it is possible to “stand firm” (cf. Laura Archuleta, “A Doctor and a Catholic” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et.al. West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 128-134).

I often wondered how my Catholic faith could impact my medical practice. Was it okay to give “the pill” to other women, as long as I did not use it myself? The answers did not come easily. (…)

Yet, a doctor could not survive if she does not follow the mainstream. How could I survive as a family practitioner and still follow God without compromise? God if you want me to do this, you have to make me stronger, I prayed.

After three years in practice, it seemed my prayers were answered. I accepted a position in Bismarck as a primary care physician affiliated with St. Alexius, the area’s Catholic hospital. It was a perfect opportunity to make a break with contraceptive practices.

I began my new practice, finally ready to stand by my values. This is a Catholic facility, I reasoned. It should be simple to avoid birth control. It is never that clear cut, though. God had given me a supportive environment, but the final step was up to me. Soon, a patient came in for birth control. OK God, I thought, Let’s do this.

“I’m sorry”, I said, “I don’t prescribe birth control.” I forced the words out of my mouth in a voice that sounded firmer than I felt. The patient accepted that, and decided she wanted to complete her exam anyway. I told her she would need to find another physician to get the prescription. After she left the examining room, I heard from her mother, who was a friend of mine. “Where is she supposed to go?” the mother asked. “She does not know anyone else.” She was not angry – it was an honest question. I caved in and wrote the prescription. But this time was different. I felt horrible. I had moved to a new community for a new job and had been determined to start afresh, without compromise. But at the first challenge, I had failed.

I do not know if I was looking for a sign, or advice, or what, but I got onto the Internet. I landed on the Catholic Medical Association website. There, I stumbled on a familiar name. Dr. John Breheny was an ethicist I had met during my residency in Sioux City. We attended the same church, and I had great respect for him. Thanking the Holy Spirit for this “coincidence”, I quickly sent him an e-mail about my moral dilemma. Dr. Breheny responded right away, making some very strong arguments:

“You know that the Church teaches that contraception is wrong … In fact, it is harmful to women (Physically, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually), and harmful for men, families and society as well. If something is seriously wrong, then it is wrong to participate in it or facilitate the action … If something is wrong and harmful to women, then it is not a good way to practice medicine. In fact, it is possible to survive and thrive without prescribing contraception. I hope you can come to see that. I’m not making it up. Again, I have met physicians who have gone down this same path, and more continue to come along.”

“In short, I am arguing that not prescribing is not only the right thing to do; it is a good thing for your patients. Having said that, I know that this is not an easy decision. It clearly is easier to stay with the status quo. Going against the current is always hard, and our modern American culture has a lot invested in medical control of women’s fertility. It isn’t just the personal and social values, the medical ‘standards of care’, etc.; there is a lot of money invested as well. But I am convinced that it is important and necessary if we are to transform our culture with the Gospel and necessary to serve women’s health effectively.”

As I read his words, tears filled my eyes. Each line was filled with the arguments I had hidden from for so long. I felt liberated. I can only describe it as the power of the Holy Spirit. I had finally found the strength I needed. Within a week, I went from saying: “I do not want to do this” to clearly stating: “I am not doing this.” The more I said it, the stronger I felt. Now, after a year in my new practice, my resolve is firm. My practice is growing, and I love going to work every day, I’ve finally learned that I can be a good doctor and a Catholic.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we respond fully to the grace of God in our lives? Are there times when we are unrepentant and unresponsive to the word of God and his miracles in our life?

2. Do we ask God for the grace to stand firm in faith?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, our disobedient hearts merit your reproach. Forgive our wicked ways. Help us to be receptive to your grace so that we may rejoice in your benediction. Teach us to be responsible in making life choices that we may no longer deserve your just reproach. Give us the grace to be firm in 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.

“Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented.” (Mt 11:20) // “Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!” (Is 7:9)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Spend quiet moments with the Scriptures and/or the Blessed Sacrament. Examine your conscience and see what in your life deserves Jesus’ just reproach. // Pray for the grace of conversion and to be strong in faith.

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WEDNESDAY: FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Comes for the Little Ones … He Teaches Us to Be Humble Instruments of God’s Plan”

BIBLE READINGS Is 10:5-7, 13b-16 // Mt 11:25-27

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:25-27): “Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.”

Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 11:25-27) reinforces the truth that the meek and humble Messiah comes for the “little ones”. Jesus Christ, who exemplifies the anawim, or the lowly ones of God, invites us to assume his basic stance as the meek Servant-Son of Yahweh. He exhorts us to participate in his intimate and loving relationship with God the Father. Those who are childlike and trusting, like Jesus, become the recipients of divine revelation. They are able to relish deeper intimacy with God. Indeed, Christ’s saving message about the Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, could only be grasped by “the childlike” and not by “the wise and the learned”. In order to receive fully the refreshing peace and the restoration of soul that Jesus brings, we need to follow him who is the Servant-Son. We need to learn from him the humble ways of the anawim and the “little ones”. Jesus Christ teaches us how to be receptive to grace and submit to the benevolent plan of God. Through his compassionate ministry we are filled with divine wisdom and experience the joy of being God’s children.

The following story illustrates that the grace of God and his benevolent hand surround the “little ones” (cf. “An Extraordinary Daughter” by Mary Kay Kusner in St. Anthony Messenger, January 2008, p. 23-26).

I knew that something was wrong when I first laid eyes on my newborn daughter. Anna’s tiny forehead looked misshapen, and she was listless. As I held her and scanned her with my eyes, I noticed that her skin looked ashen. Minutes later, she was taken from me, rushed to the intensive care unit and put on a breathing machine. Within four days, the genetic tests were back: Anna had a chromosome abnormality … The doctors weren’t sure what this meant for Anna’s development but told us not to expect much. They predicted her I.Q. would be low – between 30 and 70. I was devastated. God had betrayed me. How could I ever believe again? Through all the sleepless nights and tears, I questioned: “Why? Why would God have kept nudging me to have a disabled child?” It made no sense. Just when I thought I had my life back under control, the rug was pulled out. I felt like a fool. All my life, I had been faithful, trusting. I thought Anna would be an answer to my prayer. Now none of that mattered. (…)

When Anna was about six weeks old, a strange incident occurred. She was lying on her back on our bed while I gently massaged her after her bath. Suddenly, I felt as if we were not alone. Anna looked past me, over my shoulder, to Someone who clearly adored her. My daughter smiled and I became almost bashful in the face of such love. I couldn’t see anything but felt the presence melt through me as I realized that Anna was seeing more than I did, that she was inviting me to see more too. After about a minute, the presence left and Anna looked right at me as if to say, “Why do you doubt, Mom?” I promised her to try to be more open after that.

Our boys adored their new sister from the start. They loved to make her laugh. David taught her how to burp and Jon wrestled with her on the floor. Matthew insisted that I never cut her curly hair. They didn’t notice her differences. When others stared at Anna, the boys got annoyed. “How do they know she’s different?” they asked me. Even though her eyes bulge and her forehead is flat, they don’t see it themselves. But I did. I was painfully aware of how different Anna looked. Sometimes I was embarrassed to take her out in public. Once, while riding in the van with the boys, I said out loud, “I wonder why God made Anna like she is.” After a few moments of silence, Matthew, who was almost 11, said, “Well, Mom, if God didn’t make her like she is, then she wouldn’t be Anna.” It took my breath away. “You’re right,” I said. “Thank you, Matthew.” It was a lesson of faith that made me begin to think twice. I loved Anna, but not as freely as a mom should. My boys were teaching me how unconditional love can be. (…)

One day at church, the fuller meaning of Anna finally hit home. Lorraine, a longtime friend, spotted us and waved from her pew. Anna, who was almost three, waved back, and I saw Lorraine laugh. When church ended, we were walking down the aisle toward the door. Lorraine was making her way toward us. “Hi, Anna, I saw you waved at me,” she said to Anna. Anna smiled and said, “Hi. Hi,” over and over. Then Lorraine looked at me and said with such directness, “Thank you for having Anna for all the rest of us.” Her comment brought tears to my eyes. I realized that Anna is a gift to others. She is her own person with her own worth, her own way of contributing to the world … Anna had taught me to be more open, to allow life to become what it can be, not to force it to be what I think it should be.

B. First Reading (Is 10:5-7, 13b-16): “Will the axe boast against the one who hews it?”

In today’s Old Testament reading (Is 10:5-7, 13b-16), the prophet Isaiah announces an oracle against Assyria. Chosen as an instrument to chastise God’s erring people, the arrogant king of Assyria fails to recognize that he is being used to attain the divine plan of salvation. Following his own violent plans and not God’s, the Assyrian king exterminates many nations, boasting, “I have done it all myself.” He gloats that the nations of the world are like a bird’s nest and that he gathers their wealth as easily as gathering eggs. Indeed, the plundered nations are too terrified to resist Assyria’s military might. Using rhetorical questions, the Lord mocks the presumption of Assyria: “Can an ax claim to be greater than the man who uses it? Is a saw more important that the man who saws with it?” For their haughty pride, the Assyrians will be brought down and punished.

The following is an excerpt from an account of a man who saved the life of a victim trapped in a burning vehicle. It gives an idea what it means to be a humble instrument of God’s saving plan (cf. Chet Czubko, Jr., “Everyday Hero” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al. West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 29- 33).

As I was being bandaged up, a doctor came and shook my hand. “I wanted to shake the hand of a hero”, he said. I looked at him, shocked. I did not think of myself as a hero. The hospital in Jackson made an appointment for me at the University of Michigan burn center because the doctors thought I should go in to have my burns looked at.

Since I had left my car at the side of the interstate, my wife drove me to my parents’ house so that they could take me to my car. I told them the story of what had happened. “Why did you do this?” they asked. “Didn’t you know that you could have been hurt?” I considered this, but realized I was not thinking about my own safety at the time. All I was thinking was that if that had been me in the car I would have wanted someone to be there to try his or her best to help me.

At the accident scene, a policeman had been posted to keep people away. My dad and I drove up with my head all bandaged and explained to him that I had been there earlier in the day and that I had come to get my car. “Yes, I know”, he said. “Do you know you are a hero?” This was the second time I had been called a hero that day, and it made me uncomfortable. After the accident, I was interviewed by the local news, and later that year, along with some other men who helped, I received the American Red Cross’ award for Everyday Heroes. (…)

As a life-long Catholic, I have always had an appreciation and reverence for life in all its stages … A hero is someone who lives life, and when the opportunity to help someone continue living is presented, will do everything in his power to preserve life.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we trust in Jesus as the true revelation of the Father? Are we the “little ones” who are willing to savor the rich and life-giving revelation of Jesus?

2. Are we willing to be humble instruments of God’s saving plan?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Father, you reveal your great love for Jesus, the anawim and the other “little ones” who are meek and humble. In your Servant-Son, teach us the way of “littleness” and complete surrender to your saving will. Help us to be humble instruments of your saving plan. We praise and bless 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.

“You have revealed them to the childlike.” (Mt 11:25) // “Will the axe boast against him who hews with it?” (Is 10:15)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray meditatively the thanksgiving prayer of Jesus to the Father and make it your own. Alleviate the suffering of a person who is deeply afflicted and ease the burden of the poor and destitute in the local and world community. // Be attentive to the daily opportunities given you by God to be instrument of his saving will.

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THURSDAY – FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Comes for the Weary and Heavily Burdened … He Teaches Us to Have Confidence in God”

BIBLE READINGS Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 // Mt 11:28-30

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 11:28-30): “I am meek and humble of heart.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 11:28-30) we hear that Jesus is meek and humble of heart. He fulfills the Father’s saving plan by “humbly” and “meekly” undergoing the paschal mystery of his passion and death and glorious resurrection. By his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as the meek and humble Messiah, Jesus inaugurates God’s kingdom of justice and peace. He offers to all – especially to the poor and the lowly - the radical salvation he merited on the cross. Jesus, who comes for the “little ones” to reveal the truth about the compassionate Father, also comes to refresh the labor-weary and heavily burdened. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” is his compassionate cry. To turn to him is true consolation. Jesus assures us that his “yoke” is easy and his “burden” light. The “yoke” of love that he puts upon our obedient heart becomes “easy”. He gives us the grace and strength to bear it. The “burden” that faithful Christian discipleship entails becomes “light”. He fills us with the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to follow him through the way of the cross to eternal glory.

When my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer when I was a teenager, my mother responded fully to Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”. She turned to Jesus in trusting prayer. Her favorite praying stance was kneeling - arms outstretched in the form of a cross. Her eyes were closed to focus more intently on Christ crucified. In Jesus, meek and humble of heart, she found solace and strength to cope with life’s trials. My father eventually recovered and lived thirty more years.

In the Prayer Notes series published by the Abbey Press (St. Meinrad, Indiana), Joel Schorn has an article entitled “Comforting Prayers for Times of Pain and Suffering”. He writes: “For Christians, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus testify to the fact that God knows your pain and suffering and promises you relief from your fears.” From the Book of Common Prayer (1979), he cites the following comforting prayer.

Lord Jesus Christ, by your patience in suffering you hallowed earthly pain and gave us the example of obedience to your Father’s will. Be near me in my time of weakness and pain. Sustain me by your grace that my strength and courage may not fail. Heal me according to your will. And help me always to believe that what happens to me here is of little account if you hold me in eternal life, my Lord and my God. Amen.

B. First Reading (Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19): “Awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 26:7-9, 12, 16-19) is a prophetic vision of the Jewish people singing a psalm of lament in the land. It is a song of contrition and an expression of their trust in God who gives victory. The people remember contritely their vain works. They have accomplished nothing at all and whatever they seem to have achieved is the result of God’s benevolence. They express their longing for the salvation that can never be attained by them and which God alone can give. Confident in their revival as a nation and as persons, they declare: “Those of our people who have died will live again! Their bodies will come back to life. All those sleeping in their graves will wake up and sing for joy. As the sparkling dew refreshes the earth so the Lord will revive those who have long been dead.”

The Jewish people’s longing for renewal and experience of restoration give greater depth to the following modern day account (cf. Susan Brinkman, “God Hears a Mother’s Prayers” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al. West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 168-171).

Cruz Maria Cumba came to the U.S. from Puerto Rico. With her husband, Pedro Juan, they raised three sons. Pedro, the oldest, was five when the family moved from New York City to Philadelphia. He graduated from a Catholic high school, married at nineteen, fathered two children, and was divorced seven years later. Pedro became involved in the drug culture that would hold him captive for the next twenty years. (…)

After a night of drugs, Cumba woke up with a splitting headache. “I looked in the mirror and one eye was completely shut and my mouth was turned funny. I thought it was from the air conditioning. He walked around for a week in this condition before collapsing in someone’s car. The emergency room doctor told him that he had suffered a brain aneurism. One vessel had exploded, and another vessel had a bubble on it the size of a dime. “If that one explodes”, the doctor told Cumba, “I can’t save you.” The only hope was an emergency surgery, but Cumba wanted no part of it. He attempted to leave the hospital but the doctor told him, “If you walk out of here, you’re going to die.”

“I burst into tears and went into the bathroom of the emergency room. I had seven rocks of crack cocaine in my pocket, and instead of throwing them down the toilet like I should have done, I decided to end my life right there by smoking all seven rocks back-to-back.”

He smoked them, but did not die. “There I was trying to kill myself and I still could not die.” At some point, he realized that maybe God did not want him to die because He had something for him to do. Maybe it was something worth living for. “OK”, he told the Lord. “I’m going to put my life in your hands. If it’s your will that I make it through the operation, if you give me a second chance, I promise I’ll turn my life around.” (…)

That’s exactly what he did. After regaining his sight and hearing, which doctors never expected to happen, he started singing in the choir at the prayer group. Then, he learned how to play bass guitar. From there, he joined the Spirit of the Lord street ministry that reaches out to the very people Cumba knew best – troubled souls on drugs. Headed by Nestali Montes, the ministry sets up their band on drug-infested corners, plays gospel music, and preaches the word of God. Prostitutes and drug addicts have fallen on their knees right in the street and given their hearts to Jesus Christ.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we give heed to Jesus’ invitation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”? Are we ready to take up the yoke of the Father’s saving will and learn from him, who is “meek and humble of heart”? Do we relish and look forward to the gentle promise: “you will find rest for yourselves”?

2. Do we trust that if we turn to God with a contrite heart, he will raise us up from the grave of sin and despair?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, meek and humble of heart, we turn to you with trusting hearts. We bring to you the world’s afflictions. Restore our weary souls. Raise us up from the grave of sin and despair. My Lord and my God, you love us beyond death. 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.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) // “Awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.” (Is 26:19)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

That we may appreciate more deeply the promise of comfort of Jesus, the meek and humble of heart, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. // Pray and give encouragement to those who are in the grave of sin and despair that in Christ they may experience “resurrection”.

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FRIDAY – FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Lord of the Sabbath … He Is the Font of Healing”

BIBLE READINGS Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8 // Mt 12:1-8

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 12:1-8): “The son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.”

The Gospel (Mt 12:1-8) tells us that seeing Jesus’ disciples plucking heads of grain on a Sabbath and eating them, the Pharisees raise the issue of lack of Sabbath observance. According to them, the disciples are harvesting on a holy day and transgressing the law of Sabbath rest. Jesus’ defence of the disciples manifests his compassionate stance. For him, human need takes precedence over the law. People are more important than rigid legal observance. In a case of proportionate necessity, positive law may be rightly dispensed with. The Pharisees have wrongly hedged the Sabbath law with unnecessary prohibitions. Those who have God’s law in their hearts know how to act with compassion, even on the Sabbath. Jesus is the supreme interpreter of the Law and he does so in humanitarian terms. As Lord of the Sabbath, he calls for steadfast love rather than ritualism or false sacrifice.

An ex-seminarian committed suicide by hanging himself in the shower room using a bandanna. The parish priest denied him a Christian burial. He belongs to an old tradition that interprets rigidly the canon law concerning “those to whom ecclesiastical funeral rites are to be granted or to be denied”. A priest from the seminary, together with a group of seminarians, went to visit the grieving family and celebrated the Funeral Mass before the coffin of the deceased. He did so in the compassionate spirit of Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath.

B. First Reading (Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8): “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Is 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8) is about King Hezekiah’s recovery from a mortal illness by the grace of God who heard his prayers and saw his tears. The rescue of the benevolent king from the claws of death parallels Jerusalem’s rescue from the Assyrian invasion led by the presumptuous King Sennacherib. An angel of the Lord annihilates 185,000 soldiers in the Assyrian camp. The Assyrians are forced to withdraw and return to Nineveh. The prophet Isaiah, as God’s intermediary, assures him that he will be healed and the “sign” of the receding shadows confirms the prophet’s message. Restored to health, King Hezekiah offers to God a hymn of thanksgiving: “Lord, you have healed me. We will play harps and sing your praise, sing praise in your temple as long as we live.” The faithful Hezekiah confesses God’s goodness through this prayer.

The wholehearted piety of King Hezekiah has favored his healing. The following excerpt illustrates how God answers even our “raging” prayer (cf. Todd Burpo, Heaven Is for Real, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010, p. 84).

I didn’t feel good about having been so angry with God. When I was so upset, burning with righteous anger that he was about to take my child, guess who was holding my child? Guess who was loving my child, unseen? As a pastor, I felt accountable to other pastors for my own lack of faith. So at Greeley Wesleyan during the conference, I asked Phil Harris, our district superintendent, if I could have a few minutes to share.

He agreed, and when the time came, I stood before my peers in the sanctuary that on Sunday mornings held around a thousand people in its pews. After delivering a brief update on Colton’s health, I thanked these men and women for their prayers on behalf of our family. Then I began my confession.

“Most of you know that before everything happened with Colton, I had broken my leg and gone through the kidney stone operation, then lumpectomy. I had such a bad year that some people had started calling me Pastor Job.” The sanctuary echoed with laughter. “But none of the stuff hurt like watching what Colton was going through and I got really mad at God”, I continued. “I’m a guy. Guys do something. And all I felt like I could do was yell at God.”

I described briefly my attitude in that little room, blasting God, blaming him for Colton’s condition, whining about how he had chosen to treat one of his pastors, as though I should somehow be exempt from trouble because I was doing “his” work.

“At that time, when I was so upset and so outraged, can you believe that God chose to answer that prayer?” I said. “Can you believe that I could pray a prayer like that, and our God would still answer it ‘yes’?”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What is our attitude in regard to the law? Do we try to live by the letter of the law or by its spirit? Do we follow the compassionate stance of the Lord of the Sabbath? Do we allow the spirit of love to permeate our legal and religious observance?

2. Do we believe that God answers our prayers? Do we turn to him and humbly ask for healing? Do we have faith in his power of healing?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O merciful Jesus, you are Lord of the Sabbath. Your compassionate ways and fidelity inspire us to live by the divine law. Deliver us from false piety and teach us to walk by your ways. You, likewise, are the font of healing. Free us from our infirmities and restore us to good health. 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.

“For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.” (Mt 12:1-8) // “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears.” (Is 38:5)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Reflect on the meaning of law in the Church. Try to perceive its significance and abide by the spirit of the law, and not by the letter. // By your prayer, words and actions, promote the healing ministry of the Church.

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SATURDAY – FIFTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Will Not Break a Bruised Reed … He Shows Us the Way of Justice”

BIBLE READINGS Mi 2:1-5 // Mt 12:14-21

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 12:14-21): “He warned them not to make him known to fulfill what had been spoken.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 12:14-21), we continue to witness the “meek and gentle” ways of Jesus. He is the chosen and beloved Servant of the Lord, filled with his Spirit. He is destined to proclaim salvation to the nations and bring healing to the bruised and the weak. Jesus is the harbinger of God’s mercy to Jews and Gentiles. Fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the Servant of the Lord, the non-violent Jesus does not “contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets”. He avoids useless confrontations with the Pharisees by withdrawing quietly. He avoids self-aggrandizing publicity by ordering those cured not to make public what he has done. His care for the weak, the discouraged and the marginalized is captured in the beautiful words of Isaiah: “A bruised reed he will not break; a smoldering wick he will not quench.” Far from rejecting sinners and morally weak people, Jesus encourages them to greater efforts and leads them to repentance. He is not a conquering political Messiah, but a Servant Lord who heals and treats mankind with great compassion. His loving heart is open to all. His “meek and gentle” heart can sense the longing for conversion that lies deep in every person.

The ministry of Poverello House, founded by Mike McGarvin (“Papa Mike”) in Fresno, gives us a glimpse of how to incarnate the mission of the Servant of the Lord in today’s world. From the incident he relates below, we are challenged not to give up on the “bruised reed” (cf. Poverello News, December 2011, p.1-2).

People in line for food in our dining room queue up on the southern wall as they come through the door. Here, they wait to move up to the serving window. This places them in close proximity to tables where people are already eating. Often, to pass the time while they wait, those in line exchange pleasantries with friends who are already served. Occasionally, an argument will break out between someone in line and someone seated, but that is, thankfully, a very rare occurrence.

One day recently, a “Code Red” call crackled across our walkie-talkies. Code Red is never good news; it means that there is a fight taking place, or that someone is having some kind of medical emergency, and all the available staff need to rush to the scene to assist. Over the years, Code Reds have been invoked for seizures, fainting, one-on-one fights, melees involving many people, car accidents, stabbings, and shootings. A Code Red is guaranteed to make one’s adrenaline start pumping.

This time, the Code Red was for a man seated near the line on the south wall. He had tried to swallow something too large, and it became lodged in his throat. He started choking severely, his face turning purple, and the people around him began panicking.

The men on security duty knew they needed help, so they immediately put the call out on the radios. Just as they did, a homeless man in the food line observed what was happening. He quietly walked over to the distressed man, and proceeded to do a textbook Heimlich maneuver on him. After a few abdominal thrusts on the choking victim’s diaphragm, the food rocketed out of the victim’s mouth, and he could breathe once more.

As nonchalantly as he left the line, the rescuer walked back over and resumed his place. He was a hero, but he nevertheless didn’t seem to want much attention, nor did he want to miss his meal.

This action surprised many of us, but it shouldn’t have. Sometimes, we make the mistake of thinking far too negatively about our homeless guests, based on the action of a few. In reality, there is a sense of community and helpfulness among many of the homeless.

Around here, the old saying, “There is no honor among the thieves”, sometimes get paraphrased as, “There is no kindness among homeless addicts”. Addictive behavior is often quite predictable, but, because we are dealing with individual human souls, our predictions are never the last word. Even people in the throes of this extremely self-centered affliction are capable of rising above their circumstances and aiding someone else.

Those of us who labor trying to help the homeless are also human. That means that, in spite of our good intentions, we sometimes lapse into negative attitudes, stereotyped thinking, and low expectations. Occasionally, God sends a small miracle our way, like the homeless hero described above, to remind us that people are every bit as capable of saintly behavior as they are of selfishness.

B. First Reading (Mi 2:1-5): “They covent fields and seize them; houses they take them.”

The Old Testament reading (Mi 2:1-5) is now taken from the prophet Micah, a contemporary of Isaiah. Micah comes from a country town of Judah and is convinced that Judah is about to face the same kind of national catastrophe that Amos had predicted for the northern kingdom. Micah prophesies that God will punish the hateful injustice of the people. Today’s passage attacks the capitalists who are guilty of exploitation and corruption. They dispossess the poor by illegal means. They plot evil deeds in the night and shamelessly carry them out in broad daylight. Their plans will be frustrated by God’s counter-plan. The prophetic words threaten: “I am planning to bring disaster on you, and you will not be able to escape it. You are going to find yourselves in trouble and then you will not walk so proudly anymore.” Their punishment will take the form of enslavement and exile.

The unjust capitalists of Micah’s time have put their happiness upon their possessions. The following incident involving the Dalai Lama helps us realize that the quest for happiness does not rely on material possessions (cf. Douglas Preston, “Skiing with the Dalai Lama” in The Week, May 2, 2014, p. 36-37).

We rode the lift down and repaired to the lodge for cookies and hot chocolate. The Dalai Lama was exhilarated from his visit to the top of the mountain. He questioned Abruzzo minutely about the sport of skiing and was astonished to hear that even one-legged people could do it.

As we finished, a young waitress with tangled, dirty-blond hair and a beaded headband began clearing our table. She stopped to listen to the conversation and finally sat down, abandoning her work. After a while, when there was a pause, she spoke to the Dalai Lama. “You didn’t like your cookie?” “Not hungry, thank you.” “Can I, um, ask a question?” “Please.”

She spoke with complete seriousness. “What is the meaning of life?”

In my entire week with the Dalai Lama, every conceivable question had been asked – except this one. People had been afraid to ask this one – the really big – question. There was a brief, stunned silence.

The Dalai Lama answered immediately. “The meaning of life is happiness.” He raised his finger, leaning forward, focusing on her as if she were the only person in the world. “Hard question is not ‘What is meaning of life?’ That is easy question to answer! No; hard question is what make happiness. Money? Big house? Accomplishment? Friends? Or …” He paused. “Compassion and good heart? This is question all human beings must try to answer: “What makes true happiness?” He gave this last question a peculiar emphasis and then fell silent, gazing at her with a smile.

“Thank you”, she said, “thank you.” She got up and finished stacking the dirty dishes and cups, and took them away.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. How does the following description of Jesus impinge on us: A bruised reed he will not break; a smoldering wick he will not quench”? Do we imitate the gentle ways of Jesus and his compassionate stance?

2. Are we guilty of injustice and of lack of compassion for the poor and the needy? Do we seek our happiness in wealth and material possessions?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you are the beloved Servant of Yahweh. The Lord God delights in you. He anoints you with his Spirit. Help us to be channels of your peace to the heart-broken and bearers of grace to the hopeless. Give us the courage to be peaceful in a violent world and the faithful love to care for the needs of the weak. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“A bruised reed he will not break; a smoldering wick he will not quench.” (Mt 12:20) // “Woe to those who plan iniquity.” (Mi 2:1)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Manifest the compassionate stance of Jesus to the people around you. Pray for the grace to overcome negative attitudes and prejudices so as to avoid breaking a “bruised reed” and quenching a “smoldering wick”. // Be an instrument of God’s peace and justice for the poor and needy.

*** Text of 15th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 70) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 16

MONDAY: SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives the Sign of Jonah … He Calls Us to Conversion”

BIBLE READINGS Mi 6:1-4, 6-8 // Mt 12:38-42

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 12:38-42): “At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it.”

The Gospel (Mt 12:38-42) tells us that the scribes and Pharisees demand to see a “sign” from Jesus – a flashy miracle that will convince them he is truly the Messiah. The “sign” they want is one that fits their notion of a triumphant political Son of David. Jesus has given enough signs in his public ministry, both in word and deed. But their prejudice prevents them from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. He obliges by giving them the ultimate sign: Jonah in the belly of the whale three days and three nights. The mind- baffling “sign of Jonah” refers to the paschal event of his death and resurrection. Failure to accept this sign is unfortunate and merits condemnation. The people of Nineveh, who responded with repentance to Jonah’s proclamation, and the Queen of the South, who yearned to hear the wisdom of Solomon, stand in sharp contrast to their unbelief. Indeed, Jesus is “something greater” than Jonah or Solomon. More than Jonah who preaches repentance, Jesus is our peace and reconciliation. More than Solomon and his wisdom, Jesus is the incarnate wisdom of God. He is the fullness of truth - the absolute revelation of the heavenly Father’s love.

Jesus continues to offer the “sign of Jonah”, and those who are sensitive to grace can perceive it. The paschal sign of his death and resurrection enfolds us. We are called to an intimate participation in it. The following story circulated on the Internet gives insight into this.

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Very quietly the doctor said, “I don’t know.” “You don’t know? You’re a Christian man and don’t know what’s on the other side?” The doctor was holding the handle of the door. On the other side came a sound of scratching and whining. And as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here. And when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death. But I do know one thing … I know my Master is there and that is enough.”

B. First Reading (Mi 6:1-4, 6-8): “You have been told, O man, what the Lord requires of you.” One of the most touching songs that I learned to sing when I entered the convent is the “Reproaches”, sung at the veneration of the Cross during the celebration of the Lord’s passion on Good Friday. Composed by the Benedictine Fathers of the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat in Manila, the music, which has an indigenous tone, is haunting. The refrain of the song is incisive: “My people, what have I done to you or in what have I grieved you. Answer me.” This refrain is taken from the prophet Micah and we hear it proclaimed in today’s Old Testament reading.

Today’s reading (Mi 6:1-4, 6-8) begins with a summons. The Lord invites the mountains and hills, and the foundations of the earth to witness the case he raises against Israel. In the indictment we glimpse God’s personal agony over Israel’s apostasy. The Lord reproaches his people and challenges them to answer in what way God has wronged them. God continues his reproach by enumerating the mighty saving acts he carried out on Israel’s behalf: from the Exodus to the conquest of the Promised Land.

Israel, the defendant, is culpable and does not refute the accusation. Feeling guilty, the people ask God what they can do to appease him: burnt offerings, peace offerings, or even human sacrifice. But God rejects their empty ritual sacrifices and reiterates what the Lord requires of them: “to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with God”. Indeed, the culpable people are required to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with God.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What is our response to the “sign of Jonah” that Jesus continues to offer us in our daily life?

2. Do we give heed to God’s exhortation: “to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with God”?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for the paschal “sign of Jonah”. Please give us the grace to respond in faith to this “mystery” and revelation of love. Teach us to make a quest for you, the eternal wisdom that leads to eternal life. Loving Lord, help us to do what is required of us: “to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with God”. We love you and praise you, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“No sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” (Mt 12:39) // “Only to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Mi 6:8)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Be receptive to the “sign of Jonah” that surrounds us in daily life. By consciously participating in the paschal sacrifice of Christ, let the people around you realize that the “sign of Jonah” is a sign of salvation. // Every day make an effort to do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with God.

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TUESDAY: SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: His Family Obeys the Will of God … He Casts Our Sins into the Depths of the Sea”

BIBLE READINGS Mi 7:14-15, 18-20 // Mt 12:46-50

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 12:46-50): “Stretching out his hands toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.”

The Gospel (Mt 12:46-50) tells us that Jesus continues to suffer unbelief and rejection. The hostility of the Jewish religious leaders is mounting. The mother and relatives of Jesus are deeply concerned. They want to speak to him. They probably intend to take him away from danger. But Jesus makes use of the presence of his mother and kinsmen to define the true nature of his family. The true family of Jesus is constituted by those who follow the will of God – of which Mary is the model. Jesus does not reject the bond of blood kinship, but his commitment to the reign of God leads him to affirm the new and higher bond of spiritual kinship. Those who, in faith, submit to the will of God the Father are brothers and sisters and mothers to Jesus. They are true members of God’s family.

The following story, circulated on the Internet, shows how Mother Teresa of Calcutta testifies to how we can live in today’s world as true members of God’s family.

Jim Castle was tired when he boarded his plane in Cincinnati, Ohio, that night in 1981. The 45-year-old management consultant had put on a week-long series of business meetings and seminars, and now he sank gratefully into his seat, ready for the flight home to Kansas City, Kansas. As more passengers entered, the place hummed with conversation, mixed with the sound of bags being stowed. Then, suddenly, people fell silent. The quiet moved slowly up the aisle like an invisible wake behind a boat. Jim craned his head to see what was happening and his mouth dropped open. Walking up the aisle were two nuns clad in simple white habits bordered in blue. He recognized the familiar face of one at once, the wrinkled skin, and the eyes warmly intent. This was a face he’d seen in newscasts and on the cover of TIME. The two nuns halted, and Jim realized that his seat companion was going to be Mother Teresa!

As the last few passengers settled in, Mother Teresa and her companion pulled out rosaries. Each decade of the beads was a different color, Jim noticed. “The decades represented various areas of the world”, Mother Teresa told him later and added, “I pray for the poor and dying on each continent.”

The airplane taxied to the runway and the two women began to pray, their voices a low murmur. Though Jim considered himself not a very religious Catholic who went to church mostly out of habit, inexplicably he found himself joining in. By the time they murmured the final prayer, the plane had reached cruising altitude. Mother Teresa turned toward him. For the first time in his life, Jim understood what people meant when they spoke of a person possessing an “aura”. As she gazed at him, a sense of peace filled him; he could no more see it than he could see the wind but he felt it, just as surely as he felt a warm summer breeze. “Young man”, she inquired, “do you say the rosary often?” “No, not really”, he admitted. She took his hands, while her eyes probed his. Then she smiled. “Well, you will now.” And she dropped her rosary into his palm.

An hour later, Jim entered the Kansas City airport where he was met by his wife, Ruth. “What in the world?” Ruth asked when she noticed the rosary in his hand. They kissed and Jim described his encounter. Driving home, he said “I feel as if I met a true sister of God.”

Nine months later, Jim and Ruth visited Connie, a friend of theirs for several years. Connie confessed that she’d been told she had ovarian cancer. “The doctor says it’s a tough case”, said Connie, “but I’m going to fight it. I won’t give up.” Jim clasped her hand. Then, after reaching into his pocket, he gently twined Mother Teresa’s rosary around her fingers. He told her the story and said, “Keep it with you, Connie. It may help.” Although Connie wasn’t Catholic, her hand closed willingly around the small plastic beads. “Thank you”, she whispered. “I hope I can return it.”

More than a year passed before Jim saw Connie again. This time her face was glowing. She hurried toward him and handed him the rosary. “I carried it with me all year”, she said. “I’ve had surgery and have been on chemotherapy, too. Last month, the doctors did second-look surgery, and the tumor’s gone. Completely!” Her eyes met Jim’s. “I knew it was time to give the rosary back.”

B. First Reading (Mi 7:14-15, 18-20): “He will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.” Today’s Old Testament reading (Mi 7:14-15, 18-20) contains a prayer to God for the restoration of the good old days. The Lord is invoked to shepherd his chosen people in the fertile land of Carmel and to feed them in the rich pastures of Bashan and Gilead. They plead: “Work miracles for us, Lord, as you did in the days when you brought us out of Egypt.” To reinforce their prayer, the people declare God’s incomparable mercy and steadfast love. The emphasis on God’s incomparability is Micah’s signature: “Who is like Yahweh?” (mi-ka-yahu). Indeed, God’s loving mercy is unique and his constant love unsurpassable. The chastised people thus pray: “You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea.” Recalling the covenant promise, the people trust that the Lord who has pledged his “faithfulness” (emet) and “grace” (hesed) to the Israel of old will not revoke them.

God’s forgiving love which has been lavishly bestowed upon us needs to be shared and “given” (cf. Corrie ten Boom, “Love Your Enemy” in Chicken Soup for Christian Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1997, p. 2-5).

It was in a church in Munich that I saw him – a balding, heavyset man in a gray overcoat, a brown felt hat clutched between his hands. People were filing out of the basement room where I had just spoken, moving along the rows of wooden chairs to the door at the rear. It was 1947 and I had come from Holland to defeated Germany with the message that God forgives.

It was the truth they needed most to hear in that bitter, bombed-out land, and I gave them my favorite mental picture. Maybe because the sea is never far from a Hollander’s mind, I liked to think that that’s where forgiven sins were thrown. “When we confess our sins”, I said, “God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever. And even though I cannot find a scripture for it, I believe God then places a sign out there that says, ‘NO FISHING ALLOWED’.”

The solemn faces stared back at me, not quite daring to believe. There were never questions after a talk in Germany in 1947. People stood up in silence, in silence collected their wraps, in silence left the room.

And that’s when I saw him, working his way forward against the others. One moment I saw the overcoat and the brown hat; the next, a blue uniform and a visored cap with its skull and crossbones. It came back with a rush: the huge room with its harsh overhead lights; the pathetic pile of dresses and shoes in the center of the floor; the shame of walking naked past this man. I could see my sister’s frail form ahead of me, ribs sharp beneath the parchment skin. Betsie, how thin you were!

The place was Ravensbruck and the man who was making his way forward had been a guard – one of the most cruel guards. Now he was in front of me, hand thrust out: “A fine message, Fraulein! How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea!”

And I, who had spoken so glibly of forgiveness, fumbled in my pocketbook rather than take that hand. He would not remember me, of course – how could he remember one prisoner among those thousands of women? But I remember him and the leather crop swinging from his belt. I was face-to-face with one of my captors and my blood seemed to freeze.

“You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk”, he was saying. “I was a guard there.” No, he did not remember me. “But since that time”, he went on, “I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein” – again the hand came out – “will you forgive me?”

And I stood there – I whose sins had again and again needed to be forgiven – and I could not forgive. (…) And I still stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion – I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. Jesus, help me! I prayed silently. I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm and sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

“I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we truly belong to the family of God by our faith response and obedience to the Father’s will? By our work and deeds, do we strive to be a mother, brother or sister to Jesus present in today’s poor and needy?

2. Do we believe that God will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins? Are we willing to share his forgiving love with other?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, you are the beloved son of God. Baptized into the community of faith, we become members of God’s family. Help us to live our baptismal consecration and obediently follow the Father’s saving will that we may truly be a part of the divine family. Give us the grace to be a mother, brother or sister to the poor and needy in today’s world that we may merit your gift of spiritual kinship. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** O merciful God, you delight in clemency. Forgive our disobedience and offenses. Please cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. We give you glory and praise for your forgiving love, 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.

“For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Mt 12:50) //“You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.” (Mi 7:19)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your witness of charity and service to the people around you, let them know that you truly belong to the community of faith and that you are a brother, sister, or mother to Jesus. // Pray for persons who have hurt you, and whom you find difficult to forgive. Make an effort to bring God’s forgiving love and the good news of Christ’s resurrection to them.

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WEDNESDAY: SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Sows the Seed of God’s Word … He Appoints Us Prophets to the Nations”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 1:1, 4-10 // Mt 13:1-9

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:1-9): “The seed produced grain a hundredfold.”

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 13:1-23), the impressive image of the fruitful seed that yields a hundredfold underlines the mighty power of God’s saving plan. The Word of God, prefigured in the “seed” sown liberally by the sower, is Jesus Christ whose favorable saving action on our behalf is total and efficacious. The fruitfulness of the seed of the Word, however, involves not only the graciousness of the divine initiative but also the receptivity and personal response of the recipient.

The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, comment: “The word attests to God’s faithfulness, long patience, and assiduous labor for the unfolding of salvation offered to all humankind. This word comes from God, who created human beings free, and who made with them a covenant of love. Efficacious, indescribably fecund, this word demands from human beings a willing response made of openness, conversion, and ever- renewed trust in him who speaks it … Thanks to the generous manner in which it is sown, we see the extraordinary fecundity of a single seed encountering a bit of good soil; it gives fruit a hundred or sixty or thirty fold. Are these different yields due to chance or luck? Absolutely not, for it is in the human heart that the word is sown … If the word is not fruitful, it is due to the listeners’ poor disposition. The urgent appeal to each one’s responsibility must be welcomed with immense hope.”

The following gives insight into the dynamics of the sowing of the Word and the reaping of a fruitful harvest (cf. Harold Hostetler‘s April 15 Reflection in Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 120).

When I was a boy getting ready for school each morning, I often found my mother sitting at the kitchen table, reading her Bible. After seeing my father off to work in a Pennsylvania coal mine, she turned to the Good Book before making breakfast for her three children. I can still visualize her bowing her head over her well- worn King James Bible, eyes closed, chin resting on a half-clenched hand, probably praying for each of us.

It took twenty years from the time I left home before I gave my heart to Jesus, but when I did, the first thing I wanted to do was read the Bible. In nearly four decades since that eye-opening moment I’ve read God’s Word from cover to cover almost every year, in more than a dozen different translations. My favorite is the New International Version, maybe because I spent a year working for the International Bible Society during the time it was producing the NIV Study Bible and I was able to contribute some thoughts for its footnotes.

And today, as I finish yet another reading of Psalm 119, I can’t help but remember one of the reasons I feel do drawn to the Good Book.

Thanks, Mom.

B. First Reading (Jer 1:1, 4-10): “A prophet to the nations I appointed you.” We start today the semi-continuous reading of the book of Jeremiah. The prophet Jeremiah prophesied from 626 B.C., during the time of King Josiah of Judah, until the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. and the Babylonian exile. During his ministry he warned of the disaster that would come upon God’s people because of their idolatry and sin. But he also foretold the eventual return of the people from exile and the restoration of the nation. Jeremiah was a sensitive man who deeply loved his people and, therefore, hated pronouncing judgment against them. But the word of the Lord was like a fire in his heart that could not be contained. He had no choice but to speak the word of God – whether for judgment or for consolation.

Today’s reading (Jer 1:1, 4-10) narrates the call of Jeremiah, destined from birth to be God’s prophet. That God “knows”, “dedicates” and “appoints” Jeremiah to be a “prophet to the nations” indicates that Jeremiah has a role to play not only in the history of Israel, but also in the history of the gentile nations as well. Aware of the difficulties of the prophetic office and attempting to escape the commission, Jeremiah declares that he does not know how to speak; he is too young. God overrides his objection and assures him of his help and presence. God then touches Jeremiah’s mouth to show that the prophet’s word is truly the word of God. Jeremiah is called “to root up and to tear down … to build and to plant”, that is, he will be an instrument of God’s judgment as well as consolation.

The following modern-day story becomes more meaningful against the backdrop of young Jeremiah’s call to serve God’s saving plan (cf. Paula Ciniwas, “The Baby Who Would Not Die” (as told to Rob Staples) in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 216-217).

In my hometown of Sighisoara. Romania, lives a woman named Magdalena … When Magdalena became pregnant with her fourth child, a fierce battle erupted in the extended family. The grandparents and other family members wanted the child to be aborted because there was no enough money coming in to feed and clothe the children they already had. Magdalena’s mother-in-law said, “She had no skills to enable her to earn income; all she can do is to have babies.” Magdalena desperately wanted to keep the child, but finally, with deep sorrow, she relented to keep peace in the family. (…)

On the table, during the procedure, she lost a lot of blood and fainted. The unskilled abortionist became frightened and ran away for fear she would go to prison if caught. Magdalena’s friend came into the room and took her to a hospital and to a doctor who knew the family. Learning that no one in the extended family wanted the child and that Magdalena had agreed to an abortion to keep peace, he agreed to do it in spite of his fear of what might happen if anyone found out. He tried different procedures, including shots, to make the baby come.

After two days in the hospital, Magdalena became very weak. Finally, the doctor said to her, “This baby will not die; she wants to live.” But because he did not know what the abortionist had done, he told her the baby might be physically handicapped, with no fingers or toes or possibly missing an arm or leg, and it might be mentally retarded.

The family decided to keep the baby.

A faithful member of the Orthodox Church, Magdalena believed in God. She made a covenant with God that if he let the baby be born healthy, she would give the child back to him to use in any way he chose. The tiny girl, born a month prematurely and weighing little more than four pounds, was kept in an incubator for two weeks. But as she grew, she was obviously quite normal. (…)

The girl is now twenty years old. Magdalene had named her little girl Paula. I am that Paula. Magdalena is my mother. I am now a student preparing for a life of Christian service.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Are we thankful for the goodness and generosity of Jesus the Sower, who casts the seed of the Kingdom everywhere and brings the Good News to all? Do we endeavor to be the rich, welcoming soil that will make the seed of the Kingdom grow and bear abundant fruit?

2. Do we thank the Lord for the beauty of our Christian vocation? Do we realize that we too have been chosen by Christ to be prophets to the nations?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, you have sown the seed of the living Word. Let it find a fertile ground. You have called us to broadcast the saving Word. We trust in the power of your Word. Let the sown seed produce a hundred-fold. Make us faithful prophets and servants of the Word. 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.

“Some seed fell on rich soil.” (Mt 13:8) // “A prophet to the nations, I appointed you.” (Jer 1:5)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

To help appreciate more deeply the generous kindness of Jesus, the Sower of God’s Kingdom, make an effort to spend some moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. // Pray for ministers of the Word that they may have the grace to touch people with the healing power of God’s love.

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THURSDAY – SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Speaks in Parables … He Teaches Us to Choose the Source of Living Waters”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 // Mt 13:10-17

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:10-17): “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them t has not been granted.”

In the Gospel (Mt 13:10-17) we see that Jesus uses stories to communicate the kingdom values. He speaks to people in parables to reveal the mysteries of the reign of God. The Gospel message demands a positive response and necessitates openness of heart. The parables and stories are meant to be meditated upon and “interiorized”. Teaching in parables is a compassionate act of the Divine Master to reach out to those in need of salvation. The simple and childlike are able to glean the life-giving wisdom of Jesus’ parables. Those who have deliberately closed their heart to Jesus are untouched by the power of the parables. Since their heart is gross, they look but do not see; they hear but do not understand. They are oblivious to the saving message and are not moved to conversion and transformation. Their lack of understanding results from their prejudice that Jesus does not meet their criteria of the Messiah.

The following story illustrates that to glean the life-giving meaning of stories and parables, the heart must be at work (cf. Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 1).

A disciple once complained, “You tell us stories, but you never reveal the meaning to us.”

Said the master, “How would you like it if someone offered you fruit and masticated it before giving it to you?”

No one can find the meaning for you. Not even the master.

B. First Reading (Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13): “They have forsaken me, the source of living waters’ they have dug themselves broken cisterns.”

In today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13), Jeremiah begins his ministry as a prophet. The Lord God asks him to proclaim to Israel a message of accusation, which becomes poignant against the background of God’s care for his people: “Israel, you belonged to me alone; you were my sacred possession. I sent suffering and disaster on everyone who hurt you.” God has brought them into a fertile land to enjoy its harvests and riches, but the chosen people are ungrateful. They have forgotten the great things God did for them from the Exodus to the conquest of the Promised Land. God thus accuses them of a twofold crime: they have abandoned God and have worshipped useless idols. They have turned away from God, “the source of living waters” and dug themselves “cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water”. Infidelity and idolatry are Israel’s detestable crimes against the true God of Israel. It is shocking that Israel chooses the “broken cisterns” of death-dealing idolatry and rejects God, the font of eternal life.

The following article gives insight into the pathos of being forsaken (cf. Dr. Ray Guarendi, “I Failed Parenthood” in Catholic Digest, June/July/August 2014, p. 13-15).

Recently a mother of three children, ages 28, 23, and 15, told me that her oldest child has left the Church. The middle is lukewarm about religion, and the jury is still out on the youngest. She said that she and her husband tried hard to teach and live the Faith, but they both feel like failures. (…)

Young adults are moving away from the Church in swelling numbers. The soul- misshaping forces of our secular society – media, television, movies, music, celebrities, academics, advertising – are everywhere and relentless. Even when homes try to lock the ugliness out, it can seep in like a vapor and form the way someone inside thinks, feels, and believes – often quite counter to what the home is teaching.

Of course, not all young people are so influenced. God’s grace, one’s free will and personality, circumstances – all interact to help a child hold tight to the Faith. Nonetheless, many fine parents are feeling: at the least, a profound disappointment, but more often failure at not passing on to their offspring a sense of God and his presence. (…)

Many, if not most, parents did little or nothing “wrong”. They imparted the Faith as best they knew. Not having God’s omniscience, they lived and taught as limited humans. (…)

At parent presentations, I often ask the audience to answer a series of questions with a simple “yes” or “no”. Is there s God? Yes. Was Christ God? Yes. Could he perform miracles? Yes. Did he have a perfect understanding of human nature? Yes. Slowly and deliberately, I then ask: Could he get most people to follow him? At this, a pensive silence drifts through the group before it answers: No. My last question: “If the God-man himself didn’t convert most, why do we think we can do better?” (…)

He told you to raise them in the Faith, and you have done so. Now it is their life and their free choice to believe. To repeat Mother Teresa, God asks us to be faithful, not successful.

Though you have no assurance that all your devoted years will add up to a religious young adult, you do have other assurances. One, the more faithful a parent, the more likely the kids will follow. And two, of those who leave or outright reject the Faith, some will one day return, often more believing than ever. They were given truth to return to.

For now, you may have given yourself a D-, but the semester is far from over.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we make a personal effort to deepen our faith by prayerful reflection on the word of God? Do we continue to value the life-giving meaning of Jesus’ parables?

2. Do we prefer the “source of living waters” or do we choose to dig ourselves “cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water”?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you spoke in parables to reveal to us the mysteries of the kingdom and to manifest the state of our heart. Help us to be receptive to your word. Give us the grace and wisdom we need to delve into the meaning of your parables. Let your life-giving message transform us. Help us to prefer the “source of living waters” and never choose to dig ourselves “cisterns, broken cisterns that hold no water” 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.

“Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you.” (Mt 13:11) // “They have forsaken me, the source of living waters.” (Jer 2: 13)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pay particular attention to Jesus’ parables, especially when they are proclaimed in the liturgical assembly. Make a special effort to glean their message for you and the community. Learn to savor and tell stories. // Be deeply aware that the liturgy is the “font and summit” of Christian life and make special effort to participate consciously, actively and fruitfully in the Church’s liturgy.

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FRIDAY – SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Helps Them Understand … He Calls Us to Conversion and Promises Restoration”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 3:14-17 // Mt 13:18-23

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:18-23): “The one who understands the word and understands it will bear much fruit.”

The Gospel (Mt 13:18-23) tells us that without spoon-feeding them, the Divine Master helps his disciples delve into the meaning of the parable of the sower. He underlines that the growth of the seeds of the kingdom depend on various factors. But the clincher is the fruitful result of the seeds that fall into good soil. This refers to authentic disciples of Jesus who hear the word of God, make an effort to understand and glean its personal implication, and let the Gospel bear abundant fruit in their life.

The miracle of the fruitful seeds lives on through the work of Christian disciples who sow and promote the spirit of the Gospel in the here and now. The story of Papa Mike, founder of the Poverello House in Fresno, gives insight into this (cf. Poverello House, May 2012, p. 1-2).

A man named Ed was the victim of growing neighborhood violence. An older man who had been on the streets for many years, he recently got a place to stay. He still comes here to eat, and as he was leaving one day, two young men accosted him not too far from Poverello. They beat him, knocked out a tooth or two, and took his money.

When he told me about it, he was understandably angry. He wanted to get his gun and take his revenge. In his younger days, I have no doubt that Ed would have done just that. However, I was able to talk him down and help him try to see the big picture, how shooting these men would cause him even more grief. Thankfully, Ed listened to me. (…) I believe that I’ve done at least a little of what the Good Lord put me here to do.

B. First Reading (Jer 3:14-17): “I will appoint over you shepherds after my own heart; all nations will be gathered together at Jerusalem.”

The reading (Jer 3:14-17) is a post-Exilic composition, that is, after 587 B.C. Jerusalem has already been destroyed by the Babylonians and the Ark of the Covenant has disappeared, never to be replaced. The prophet’s message offers hope to the Jewish people in Exile living in a distressing situation. Today’s reading starts with God’s summons to conversion: “Return, rebellious children for I am your Master …” The call to repentance is accompanied with a promise of blessing. The Lord God promises to bring back the dispersed people to Jerusalem which, by its new splendor, will become the center where all nations gather. Jerusalem will replace the “ark of the covenant” as “the Lord’s throne” and all nations will stream toward it to honor “the name of the Lord”. Moreover, God promises to give them “shepherds” who are after his own merciful heart. They will shepherd the people wisely and prudently. Their compassionate pastoral ministry will promote the gathering of nations in the renewed Jerusalem.

The following modern day account illustrates that God’s promise of “shepherds after his own heart” and the “gathering of the nations” in the new Jerusalem, the Church, continues to happen through salvation history (cf. Elmer Wurth, M.M. in Maryknoll, May/June 2015, p. 9).

One day in Hong Kong, a fellow called me up and asked if I would come to see his mother, who wanted to be baptized. I went and found that she was 96, nearly deaf and nearly blind. When I asked her why she decided at her age to seek baptism, she told me a fascinating story.

“I was the second of three wives of a wealthy business man”, she said. “He and the other wives have died. I have just this one son, the greatest son in the world. When I die, I want to go to the same heaven he goes to, not to the one where the other wives and their kids go. They were constantly fighting over my husband’s money and life was not pleasant at all. When can I be baptized?”

Our pastoral Sister taught her each week and I went a couple of times, too, but the woman couldn’t remember anything from one week to the next. I asked the Sister to try to teach her just the basics of the sacraments. After two months we decided she was ready as she would ever be. She was almost radiant and couldn’t thak us enough as her son, his wife and son, and a couple of friends joined her. She’s the oldest person I’ve ever baptized in 54 years as a priest, and perhaps one of the most inspiring.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I intend to be good soil that promotes the growth and fruitfulness of the seeds of God’s kingdom?

2. How do we respond to God’s call to conversion and to a deepening of the covenant commitment? Do we allow ourselves to be guided by “shepherds” he has given us on our behalf?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving Jesus, you sow the seeds of God’s kingdom. Let me be like the good soil that promotes their growth and fruitfulness. Teach me to open myself to the miracle of life that you bring. Give me true understanding of the message of salvation. Help me to sow the seeds of your saving word in the here and now. We love you and praise you, now and forever. Amen.

*** O loving and merciful God, thank you for calling us back to you. Let us be guided by shepherds who are after your own heart. Let them shepherd us wisely and prudently. Help us participate in the “gathering of the nations” and inspire others to honor your name. We praise and glorify 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.

“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit.” (Mt 13:21) // “All nations will be gathered together to honor the name of the Lord.” (Jer 3:17)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Reflect on what you can do to share the word of salvation with the people around you. Do what you can to make the Internet a forum of evangelization. // By your acts of charity and true piety, inspire the people around you to honor the name of the Lord.

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SATURDAY – SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Will Separate the Weeds from the Wheat … He Calls Us to True Worship”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 7:1-11 // Mt 13:24-30

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:24-30): “Let them grow together until harvest.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 13:24-30) we hear the parable of the weeds among the wheat. It underlines that those who endeavor to live faithfully in this world are surrounded by those who do not. But Jesus, the sower of the good seed and the Lord of the harvest, wants us to trust that the wheat can withstand the weeds and even be stronger for it. The parable also tells us about the patience of God, who is compassionate. He allows the weeds to grow with the wheat until harvest time, when the weeds will be separated and burned and the wheat stored and treasured in the barn. He does not easily condemn, but rather, is kindly disposed to give us a chance to prove our true worth. The society in general and the Church in particular have a “mixed bag” quality. They contain side by side the best and the worst as well as the sinners and the saints. The Jesuit bible scholar Fr. Nil Guillemette comments: “Let us not forget, too, that the mixture of good and bad is not only in society at large and in the Church in particular; it is also in our own hearts. We ourselves are a mixture of weeds and wheat. By admitting this to ourselves, we can become less judgmental and more compassionate about our neighbors’ weeds.”

The following stories about “streaky people” are funny, but give us idea of the need to be less judgmental and more compassionate in dealing with the people around us (cf. Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 129).

A preacher put this question to a class of children: “If all the good people were white and all the bad people were black, what color would you be?”

Little Mary Jane replied, “Reverend, I’d be streaky!”

So would the preacher. So would the mahatmas, popes, and saints.

***

A man was looking for a good church to attend and he happened to enter one in which the congregation and the preacher were reading from their prayer book. They were saying, “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.”

The man dropped into a seat and sighed with relief as he said to himself, “Thank goodness, I’ve found my crowd at last.”

Attempts to hide your streakiness will sometimes be successful, always dishonest.

B. First Reading (Jer 7:1-11): “Has this house which bears my name become in your eyes a den of thieves?”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 7:1-11) is a part of Jeremiah’s Temple Sermon, dated early in the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah (609-598 B.C.). Commanded by the Lord to stand near the temple gate, Jeremiah calls to the people: “Hear the word of the Lord!” and speaks to them God’s message of condemnation. The prophet upbraids the Jews for their presumption that they are secure notwithstanding their crimes. They claim: “We are safe! This is the Lord’s temple, this is the Lord’s temple, this is the Lord’s temple.” Naively trusting in the temple as the guarantee of God’s protection, they commit crimes with impunity. They steal, murder, commit adultery, seek other gods, etc. But God’s protection is conditional on covenant fidelity, not on the physical temple itself. Indeed, the Lord God hates their false worship and their hypocritical conviction that they can turn the temple into a “den of thieves” and still escape punishment. Jeremiah thus exhorts them: “Change the way you are living and stop doing the things you are doing!”

The following story gives insight into the ugliness of crimes committed by “religious” people in “the temple of the Lord” and into the healing warmth of charity and true worship (cf. Carmen Creamer, “One Bad Apple” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ed. Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 65).

I have had many wonderful experiences when going to confession: however, my first time was not great at all.

It happened in the city of Caico, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Padre Deoclides, a priest of the Diocese of Caico, came to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary to listen to our confessions. While each of us was in the confessional, he touched each of us little girls in a very inappropriate manner. I can never forget that first experience.

It was traumatic, but with God at my side, I continued to pray and went back to confession the following month. I remained a Roman Catholic, faithfully devoted to the Church, except for two years after finishing college in 1964. In 1966, I met my husband, an American, who was in Brazil on duty. I learned that he was a convert Catholic, and with him I started going back to the Church I love.

We were married in the Church and have had a wonderful marriage for forty years. My husband passed away this year, and if it weren’t for my faith and the wonderful people in my Church, I don’t know what would have happened. All of our children came home for their dad’s last days and were amazed at my church community. They saw how fortunate I was to have two wonderful priests and a great nun to support me with love and compassion through those days of grief.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we try not to be judgmental, but to be patient and compassionate with the weeds and the wheat that grow side by side within our world, our Church and ourselves?

2. Is our ritual worship a true expression of our covenant fidelity and obedience to God?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you are patient and kind. You let the weeds grow with the wheat until harvest time. Help us to manifest the beautiful qualities of the good wheat. Judge us favorably and bring us home. Gather us into the barn of your kingdom that we may render fitting worship to God with all the saints in heaven. We love 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 week. Please memorize it.

“Gather the wheat into my barn.” (Mt 13:30) // “Reform your ways and your deeds.” (Jer 7:3)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Be patient with the foibles of the people around you. In your dealings with them, manifest the good qualities that will inspire them to be better persons. Let your ritual worship be a true expression of the inner worship you render to God. // Pray for the victims of the false “ministers of Christ”.

*** Text of 16th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 71) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 17

MONDAY: SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: His Kingdom Is Like a Mustard Seed and a Transforming Leaven … He Teaches Us to Cling to the Lord”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 13:1-11 // Mt 13:31-35

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:31-35): “The mustard seed becomes a large bush and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 13:31-35), Jesus uses the figure of a mustard seed that grows into an enormous “welcoming” tree to symbolize the hidden power of the kingdom of God. The tiny mustard seed, with its dynamic character, represents the kingdom, which has humble beginnings but is destined for universal greatness. Jesus, moreover, depicts the transforming character of the kingdom by using the image of yeast which a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch is leavened. The kingdom of heaven is hidden in the world like yeast and will transform the world with radical newness. We are “leaven” in the world, vibrant and acting as ferment in the society, on account of Jesus who powers our witnessing and activity.

I went to the Sacramento State Fair in 2012. It was an awesome experience of America’s noble spirit. I muttered: “How come we always hear the bad, and very little of the good?” I had a great time at the livestock pavilion, horticulture pavilion, county pavilion, etc. At the end of the day I was tired. I found a bench near a plot of beautiful flowers and relaxed. A beautiful lady sat beside me and started a nice chat. Her disabled husband in a wheelchair also came. As ministers in their church, they help “at-risk” youth and guide them on the right path. One way is to bring them to the State Fair, which is very educational and inspiring. When I bid them goodbye, I was full of gratitude to God for their ministry and for all the wonderful works I witnessed that day. They all have “mustard seed” beginnings and testify that the “leaven” of God’s kingdom continues to be at work in today’s world.

B. First Reading (Jer 13:1-11): “This people shall be like a loincloth which is good for nothing.” Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 13:1-11) is a parable in action. Its purpose is to dramatize the prophetic message and to impact the hearers. God asks Jeremiah to buy a linen loincloth and to wear it on his loins. Then God asks him to go by a Judean stream, whose name evokes a river in Babylon and the threat of Exile. The Lord commands Jeremiah to bury his loincloth in a hole in the rocks. After some time when the Lord commands him to retrieve it, the loincloth is rotted, good for nothing. The message of the parable in action is clear: God wants his people to cling to him in an intimate loving relationship; to refuse to cling to the Lord is self-destruction. God intends all the people of Israel and Judah to hold tightly to him so that as his chosen people they may give praise and honor to his name. Sadly, like the rotting loincloth, they refuse to cling to him and to obey him. They resort to idolatry, rather than fidelity to God. Thus specter of the Babylonian Exile looms ahead.

In our modern time, Pope Francis - like prophet Jeremiah - sounds a voice of condemnation against the grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse. The perpetrators of these crimes are like a “rotting loincloth” that refuses to cling to God. Here is an excerpt from the Pope’s homily given on July 7, 2014 in a morning Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he addressed six victims of sexual abuse: three men and three women from Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom, accompanied by a few family members and loved ones (“I Humbly Ask Forgiveness” in L’Osservatore Romano, July 11, 2014, p. 5).

For some time I have felt in my heart deep pain and suffering … This is what causes my distress and pain at the fact that some priests and bishops, by sexually abusing minors, violated their innocence and their own priestly vocation. It is something more than despicable actions. It is like a sacrilegious cult, because these boys and girls had been entrusted to the priestly charism in order to be brought to God. And those people sacrificed them to the idol of their own concupiscence. They profane the very image of God in whose likeness we are created. Childhood, as we all know, young hearts, so open and trusting, have their own way of understanding the mysteries of God’s love and are eager to grow in the faith.

Today the heart of the Church looks into the eyes of Jesus in these boys and girls and wants to weep; she asks the grace to weep before the execrable acts of abuse which have left life-long scars.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we treasure the miracle of small beginnings and the transforming power of the kingdom of God? Do we allow ourselves to be a part of the miracle of the heavenly kingdom?

2. Are we like a “loincloth” that clings to the Lord or are we a “rotting loincloth” alienated from God by our sins of idolatry?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, we thank you for the grandiose destiny of your kingdom. Help us to embrace the challenge of its “mustard seed” beginnings. Let us be leaven of transformation in today’s world and instruments of the radical newness your salvation brings. Give us the grace to cling to you always and to be faithful to our loving God. Teach us to reject idolatry of any form. We love and adore you; we praise and bless 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 kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed... like yeast that a woman took …” (Mt 13:31,33) // “The wicked people shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.” (Jer 13:10)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Be responsive to the challenge of small beginnings. Use the resources you have, however small, to promote justice and peace in society and the integration of creation. // Pray for the victims of clerical sexual abuse and for the perpetrators of these crimes.

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TUESDAY: SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Judge at the Harvest … He Calls Us to True Repentance”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 14:17-22 // Mt 13:36-43

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:36-43): “Just as the weeds are collected now and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.”

The Gospel (Mt 13:36-43) tells us that in response to his disciples’ request, Jesus Master gives them tools to help them understand the parable of the weeds in the field. The “sower” of the good seed is the Son of Man, the judge at the harvest. The “good seed” are those who have been receptive to the divine word and have borne abundant fruit. The “bad weeds” are the evil ones who reject God’s offer of salvation. The “harvest” is the judgment at the end time. The judgment will determine the final destiny of the righteous and the wicked, and will purify the kingdom entirely. The wicked and the perpetrators of evil will be thrown into the “fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth”. The righteous will shine like the sun in the heavenly kingdom, for God’s brilliant presence will permeate them. Jesus’ parable invites us to be patient with the wicked and likewise assures us that unending doom is the lot of the unrepentant wicked. As Christian disciples in today’s world, we have a duty to catechize people about the “last things”: death, judgment, heaven, hell.

George Alford, a 67-year old surfer in New Smyrna, Florida, counts his mission to surfers and beachgoers as a very important ministry. When he goes to the beach, he plants a cross in the sand in front of his SUV to remind beachgoers that God loves them. On special occasions, he will hoist the 12-foot cross on his shoulder and carry it up and down the beaches. He testifies how God makes his ministry fruitful (cf. Kathy Alford, “Surfing for God” in St. Anthony Messenger, July 2012, p. 33).

One spring break, while George was carrying the cross down the beach, an inquisitive young man with multiple face piercings came walking toward the cross with a cigarette lighter in his hand. He asked, “Can I burn your cross?” “Why do you want to burn the cross?” George asked him. “He said, ‘Because I worship Satan.’”

“The young man wasn’t angry or hostile”, George says. “He just wanted to talk.” “That’s bad news, dude”, George replied. “No, Satan speaks to me in my mind”, the young man said. “Satan hates you. He wants to drag you into hell.” “Oh, that would be great – going to Satan’s house”, the young man responded. “No, hell’s a horrible place, full of anguish and suffering forever. You don’t want to go there.” At that point, the young man started backing away from George, and then he turned and walked away.

A year later, George was carrying the cross down the beach again during spring break, and he saw a young man who smiled at George and nodded. “He looked like he wanted to say something. I slowed down to give him a chance to talk, but he just smiled. I noticed that the young man had scars where piercings used to be. Later, as I walked down the beach, it occurred to me: that was the young man with the lighter!”

“His look had meant, ‘Look at me; I’ve changed. We’re brothers.’ I’ve prayed for another opportunity to see him again, but it didn’t happen. I still continue to pray that the Lord will bless him and help him grow in his faith.”

George pauses, then sums up his passion. “Changing lives: that’s the power of the cross!”

B. First Reading (Jer 14:17-22): “Remember, Lord, your covenant with us and break it not.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 14:17-20) depicts the “great destruction” that overwhelms the people of Judah. The military onslaught of the Babylonians has filled the fields with dead bodies. A terrible drought in the land exacerbates the misfortune. There is no rain and the ground is dried up. There is no water in the cisterns and their jars are empty. The farmers are sick at heart and people are starving to death. On account of the famine, even prophets and priests forage in a land they know not

The people thus make a plea to the Lord. A collective lament rises up to him: “We have sinned against you … Remember your promises and do not despise us … Do not break the covenant you made with us.” But they continue to be filled with wrongdoing as they attempt to manipulate God’s benevolence. They try to shame him into acting in their favor. Their plea for mercy is rejected because, in their hearts, there is no repentance. They have turned away from the covenant by their idolatrous actions. And yet they expect God to continue to protect them. They even attempt to con God into ending the drought by evoking his immense power over nature: “None of the idols of the nations can send rain; the sky by itself cannot make showers fall.” But God is adamant. The idolatrous people of Judah are doomed to die in war and from starvation. Moreover, some are doomed for exile.

The present day drought in California gives us insight into the death-dealing situation that afflicted the people of Judah during the time of prophet Jeremiah (cf. Robert Rodriguez, “Small Farmers Losing Hope” in Fresno Bee, July 20, 2014, p. A1, A10).

This time of year, May Vu’s farm in Sanger should be carpeted with blooming flowers and a bounty of vegetables. But a failing irrigation pump and a nearly empty well have dried up Vu’s farm and with it, her source of income.

The 58-year-old Vu knows she is up against major obstacles as California struggles through one of the worst droughts in history. Still, she carefully walks the trellised rows, hunting for vegetables to harvest. The summer heat and lack of water have shriveled her crop of bitter melon, turning the Asian vegetables from a bright green to a yellow-orange color. “This is not what it should be like”, Vu says, plucking the vegetables and tossing them on the ground. “You get no money for this, no money.”

Across the state, the drought has put tremendous pressure on large and small farmers such as Vu, who increasingly are relying on ground water to sustain the crops. The spike in ground water use has caused water levels to drop below the reach of irrigation pumps. (…)

For now, with her pump pulling out just a fraction of water it normally provides, she is doing what she can to keep her plants alive. She has seen a severe drop in production. Instead of 125 boxes of vegetables a week, she is harvesting about two boxes a week. She estimates she has lost thousands of dollars in the sales.

Her flower garden succumbed to the dry conditions about two weeks ago. A field that once was blanketed with lilies, daisies, tulips dahlias, sunflowers, carnations and peonies is dry. Stubborn weeds have taken over, choking out what few flowers remained.

Vu, known for her flowers, sold them at several farmers markets including Hanford, Clovis and Fresno. She grows them in honor of her husband who died in 2006. “The flowers always made me feel happy”, Vu said. “But now, there isn’t a lot to be happy about.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we believe that at harvest time we will be judged? How do we prepare for this deep encounter with God’s grace?

2. Is our prayer to God properly motivated or is it just a selfish way to con him to grant us favors?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, we thank you for your patient love and great justice. You are the sower of good seed and the judge at the final harvest. May we bear abundant fruit and be counted as precious in your sight. Bring us into your heavenly kingdom where the presence of God will make us shine with splendor and glory. We pray for those who reject your saving love. Give them light and show them the way. Let this interim time be an occasion of healing and conversion for us all so that we may be spared from eternal doom. We love you, Jesus, for you are kind and merciful. Glory and praise be yours, now and forever. Amen.

*** Our loving and forgiving God, we have been unfaithful. We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness. For your name’s sake spurn us not. Remember your covenant with us; break it not. We promise to turn away from sin and to follow you with our whole heart. You are just in all your ways. Hence, we resolve to 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.

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Mt 13:43) //“Remember, Lord, your covenant with us and break it not.” (Jer 14:21)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

When the world events tend to depress you, find strength and comfort in the reality of the “last things”. Let the Church teaching on the final judgment be a guidepost on your spiritual journey to God. // Conscious of the critical situations in drought-stricken countries/states/areas, pray for God’s blessing of the life-giving rain. Be sparing and judicious in the use of water.

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WEDNESDAY: SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: His Kingdom Is a Treasure … He Strengthens Our Prophetic Vocation”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 15:10, 16-21 // Mt 13:44-46

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:44-46): “He sells all he has and buys the field.”

Jesus’ parable of the treasure hidden in the field and the parable of the finest pearl (Mt 13:44-46) underline the absolute value of the kingdom of God, the joy it brings and the total commitment it entails. The response of the treasure finder and the pearl merchant who sold all they had to buy the greatest treasure of their life is an example of how we should pursue the heavenly kingdom. It is the chance of a lifetime. It must be pursued at any cost – without regret or hesitation. The heavenly kingdom deserves our deepest love and concern. It is our utmost treasure and absolute good.

The following story, circulated on the Internet, gives insight into what must be our stance in order to achieve our true treasure.

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times. The King's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.

One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, "I now have four wives with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone." Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart. The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!" His heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave." Her answer struck him like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated. Then a voice called out: "I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was very skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

In truth, we all have the 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die. Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others. Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. And our 1st wife is our Soul, often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of us that will follow us to the throne of God and continue with us throughout Eternity.

B. First Reading (Jer 15:10, 16-21): “Why is my pain continuous? – If you repent, you shall stand in my presence.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 15:10, 16-21) depicts the vocation crisis of Jeremiah. His prophecy of doom to the people of Judah has made him “a man of strife and contention”. On account of his unwelcome message, he has to quarrel and argue with everyone in the land. This unfortunate situation leads him regret the day of his birth. With bitter sarcasm, Jeremiah complains to the Lord: “I have not lent any money or borrowed any, yet everyone curses me.” He asserts that he is faithful to his prophetic ministry and because of his single-hearted devotion he does not even indulge in a good time. He whines: “Why do I keep on suffering? Why are my wounds incurable?” The disgusted prophet suspects that he could no longer rely on the Lord who must have forsaken him. Jeremiah completes his tirade: “You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook whose waters do not abide.”

God replies with a rebuke that Jeremiah himself needs to be converted. Indeed, Jeremiah ought to return to God and repent of his rebellious thoughts. Moreover, if instead of talking nonsense he proclaims a worthwhile, constructive message to the people, then Jeremiah will be God’s prophet again. In humbly returning to God, Jeremiah will experience anew the divine presence and protection. The Lord thus assures the prophet: “For I am with you to deliver and rescue you.”

The following modern day account, circulated on the Internet by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and dated July 8, 2014, gives insight into the contentious situation that Jeremiah experiences as a man of God.

Court Rules against Seal of Confession: Bill Donohue comments on a ruling made by the Supreme Court of Louisiana.

In 2008, a fourteen-year-old girl alleges that she told her parish priest that she was being abused by a now-deceased lay member of their parish. The girl alleges the disclosures came during the Sacrament of Confession. Now her parents are suing the priest and the Diocese of Baton Rogue for failing to report the alleged abuse. The State’s Supreme Court has ruled that the priest, Fr. Jeff Bayhi, may be compelled to testify as to whether the Confessions took place, and if so, what the contents of any such Confessions were.

Confession is one of the most sacred rites in the Church. The Sacrament is based on a belief that the seal of the confessional is absolute and inviolable. A priest is never permitted to disclose that an individual did seek the Sacrament. A priest who violates that seal suffers automatic excommunication from the Church.

As a result of this ruling, Fr. Bayhi may now have to choose between violating his sacred duty as a priest and being excommunicated from the Church or refusing to testify and risk going to prison. The Diocese said Fr. Bayhi would not testify.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the free exercise of religion. Just as government cannot compel anyone to follow a particular religion, it likewise cannot prevent anyone from exercising the tenets of his faith. By deciding that Fr. Bayhi must choose between his faith and his freedom, the Louisiana Supreme Court has endangered the religious liberty of all Americans.

The Catholic League supports Fr. Bayhi and the Diocese of Baton Rouge.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we pursue the kingdom of God with the creative zeal of the treasure finder and the diligence of the pearl merchant? Do we consider the heavenly kingdom, fulfilled by Jesus Christ, our ultimate treasure and utmost good?

2. When things go wrong and we suffer trials and difficulties, do we whine and complain to the Lord? Or do we humbly turn to God and beg him for help and protection?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, you invite us to pursue the kingdom of God. Grant us the creative zeal of the treasure finder and the diligence of the merchant searching for fine pearls. Help us to make the right choices. Be our help and protection in contentious situations and difficulties. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“He sells all that he has and buys the pearl of great price.” (Mt 13:45) // “For I am with you to deliver and rescue you.” (Jer 15:20)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

In your daily choices, be conscious of what brings you closer to the kingdom of God and what draws you away from it. // In fulfilling your prophetic ministry, resolve to turn to God and humbly beg his help when faced with difficult, contentious situations.

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THURSDAY – SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: His Kingdom Is Like a Dragnet … He Teaches Us to Be Docile to the Divine Potter”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 18:1-6 // Mt 13:47-53

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:47-53): “They put what is good into buckets, what is bad they throw away.”

In today’s Gospel (Mt 13:47-63), Jesus gives us the parable of the dragnet. The dragnet, hauled to shore by fishermen, brings with it all the fish of the enclosed area. Some of the catch are inedible and some unclean according to Jewish law, and these will have to be thrown back into the sea. The good edible fish will be separated and put into buckets. The parable of the dragnet underlines the same point contained in the parable of the weeds growing among wheat: the good and bad exist together until the end of the age, when the Son of Man will make the final judgment.

At the conclusion of his series of parables, Jesus asks his disciples a significant question: “Do you understand all these things?” The disciples answered an emphatic “Yes”. The Divine Master has been helping them delve into the meaning of the kingdom of God with the use of parables. The disciples are like “scribes” who study the divine word. The “storeroom” of their lives contains what is “new” – the teaching of Jesus – and what is old – the law and prophets. They are called to see the radically new act of God in Christ in the light of the Old Testament tradition. They realize that Jesus’ message of the kingdom now takes precedence over the old and gives it new meaning.

The following story gives insight into how we will be judged at the end time (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 137-138).

An old woman died and was taken to the Judgment Seat by the angels. While examining her records, however, the Judge could not find a single act of charity performed by her except for a carrot she had once given to a starving beggar.

Such, however, is the power of a single deed of love that it was decreed that she was to be taken up to heaven on the strength of that carrot. The carrot was brought to court and given her. The moment she caught hold of it, it began to rise as if pulled by some invisible strength, lifting her up toward the sky.

A beggar appeared. He clutched the hem of her garment and was lifted along with her; a third person caught hold of the beggar’s foot and was lifted too. Soon there was a long line of persons being lifted up to heaven by that carrot. And strange as it may seem, the woman did not feel the weight of all those people who held onto her; in fact, since she was looking heavenward, she did not see them

Higher and higher they rose until they were almost near the heavenly gates. That is when the woman looked back to catch a glimpse of the earth and saw this whole train of people behind her.

She was indignant! She gave an imperious wave of her hand and shouted, “Off! Off, all of you! This carrot is mine!” In making her imperious gesture, she let go of the carrot for a moment – and down she fell with the entire train.

There is only one cause for every evil on earth: “This belongs to me!”

B. First Reading (Jer 18:1--6): “Like the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you I my hand, house of Israel.”

In today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 18:1-6), God commands Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and there a message is given to him. Just as the potter must work with the clay and shape it until a useful and good vessel is obtained, so the Lord acts with Judah. The Lord shapes and disciplines his people in the same way the potter patiently moulds an earthen vessel from the clay. God is the potter and the people of Judah are the clay that he shapes into his saving design. But the clay needs to be docile and responsive to the deft hands of the potter. Indeed, the God of Israel recognizes the people’s freedom to choose good or evil. Just like the potter who re-shapes imperfect pottery into something else, God plans to chastise a people who stubbornly cling to evil. Indeed, through the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah, God is calling his people to conversion and to be open to grace.

The following excerpt, from the story of a heartbroken mother who hunts down her drug-addicted daughter to save her life by bringing her home, takes on special significance against the backdrop of Jeremiah’s parable of the potter and the clay (cf. Margaret Williams, “Just Come Home” in Amazing Grace for Survivors, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2008, p. 161-167). Like a lump of clay in the potter’s hands, human conversion needs docility and openness to the dew of divine grace.

We arrived at Marie’s and could see through the mail slot that she was sleeping on the couch. “Marie, get up!” I called. She later said it was like a flashback from school days as she got up half asleep and opened the door. Seeing us, she became angry. Marie had made up her mind that she did not want to go back to Michigan. She decided her life was with these people and it was her mission to stay and help them.

I told her that I loved her and wanted her to come home with me. She told me she loved me but she was not going. Meanwhile, in the other room, Marie’s siblings Mark and Gloria proceeded with the plan to call the police. It was about 10:30 a.m. One of the neighbors came to the house to see what was going on. Marie overheard Mark tell the neighbor she should leave because the police would soon be there. With that, Marie called out and said that if that’s the way we wanted it, that was all right with her. At least she would get some rest in jail. I broke down and cried. At that point, I gave up all hope of her coming home with me.

As Marie walked out of the bedroom, the police arrived. Two young officers came through the living room. They began to question her as she walked back to the bedroom to put on her shoes. Mark sat back on his heels, put his head in his hands and cried. The three of us gave up all hope. Suddenly, one of the other officers came out of the other bedroom and said, “Marie, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to arrest you for possession of rock” (the slang term for crack cocaine). We all looked shocked!

The officer walked into the front room holding a large rock in his hand – an actual fieldstone. It was a joke! Suddenly, laughter burst out, cutting all the tension. Then the other officer turned around and said, “Marie, why don’t you go home with your mom?”

To our amazement she answered, “All right.” We could hardly believe it. They never even mentioned the tickets. I thanked them profusely. It was like something right out of the movies.

Once Marie made up her mind to go home with us, the struggle was over. We went to Mark’s to pick up my luggage and still had enough time to stop for lunch before getting dropped off at the airport. On the plane ride home, Marie said that there was a saying back in the neighborhood when someone had some crack that “you gotta break me off some of that good stuff”. She looked at my rosary and said, “You gotta break me off some of that good stuff.”

Marie spent one year in a rehabilitation program at Dawn Farms. She has been sober for close to fifteen years now, and we are very happy and grateful to see what a wonderful person she has become.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do I prepare myself for judgment day with acts of charity so that I may become an object of God’s mercy and saving grace? Do I treasure the radical newness of the Christ event and see it against the backdrop of the Law and the prophets?

2. Are we like clay docilely responding to the deft hands of the Divine Potter? Or are we stubborn and unyielding clay?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, at the end time, let us be the object of your saving grace. When the dragnet of our destiny is hauled into the eternal shore, please count us among the redeemed. Grant us divine wisdom so that, as scribes of the kingdom, we may delight in the radical newness of your saving work and see the depth of its meaning against the backdrop of the Law and the prophets. Help us to be docile and responsive to the deft hands of the heavenly Father, the Divine Potter. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.” (Mt 13:47) // “Like the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” (Jer 18:6)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your acts of mercy and kindness, prepare for the definitive encounter with God’s mercy and justice at the hour of death and at the end time. // Resolve daily to be open and responsive to the saving will of the Divine Potter.

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FRIDAY – SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Experienced Rejection and He was Persecuted … He was Persecuted”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 26:1-9 // Mt 13:54-58

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 13:54-58): “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?”

In today’s Gospel episode (Mt 13:54-58), we come face to face with the mystery of a resisting and unbelieving heart. One can close one’s heart and mind to the Prophet of truth and Savior of the world. The townsfolk of Jesus are prejudiced by the utter ordinariness of his background. Jesus is amazed by the lack of faith that he found at Nazareth. The popular proverb he cites, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house”, situates him in line with all the prophets who were subjected to rejection by their co-citizens. Jesus is affected by the power of their unbelief and is not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. Jesus respects human freedom. The decision of an unbelieving and resisting heart, which negates the gratuitous offer of his love, is respected.

The Lord’s frustrating experience of “rejection” also surfaces in our daily life, in one way or another. This can be verified in Papa Mike’s ministry to the homeless (cf. Mike McGarvin, Poverello News, May 2012, p.1).

When homeless people tell me about the difficulties of their lives, I tend to be a good listener, which is why they talk to me, I suppose. However, I also have a habit of jumping in and giving them my opinion. Sometimes, it’s because I think that I can actually help them; other times, I see someone “stuck on stupid”, and I want to give him a reality check.

Like Rodney Dangerfield, it seems that when I offer my two cents’ worth, I don’t get any respect. It’s a little frustrating, because here I am, freely giving this person bits of McGarvin wisdom achieved through that famous School of Hard Knocks, and he completely ignores my advice. You’d think I’d learn to just shut up, but I guess I can’t help myself.

One woman approached me during a lunch meal and, talking very fast, told me how bad things were getting “out there”. She said she doesn’t drink or use drugs anymore, but she doesn’t seem to get away from those who do. I suggested she stay at Naomi’s House, a suggestion that was quickly rejected. This woman suffers from schizophrenia, which may account for her reluctance to accept help, but it was yet another case where I gave someone a good suggestion that was ignored.

B. First Reading (Jer 26:1-9): “All the people gathered about Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 26:1-9) depicts Jeremiah’s fearless ministry of the Word and the condemnation it has brought upon him. Soon after King Jehoiakim became king of Judah, God commands Jeremiah to stand by the Temple court to speak to the worshippers about the impending doom to fall upon them if they persist in their evil ways. Through the prophet, God continues to appeal to the people to obey his life-giving words and thus avert self-destruction. But the people of Judah react angrily to the words of Jeremiah. His preaching the wrath of God provokes a general scandal. Instead of repenting, the people accuse him of blasphemy. They crowd upon him intending to kill him. They shout: “You ought to be killed for this!”

The following modern day account gives us insight into Jeremiah’s predicament as God’s faithful prophet.

June 18, 2014: Bill Donohue comments on San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone's response to those protesting his participation in the March for Marriage; it is being held tomorrow in Washington. A motley group of public officials, community activists, religious leaders, and gay advocates are upset that Archbishop Cordileone supports marriage, properly understood. It is a striking sociological moment when elites stage a protest of an archbishop in the Roman Catholic Church simply because he believes—as the whole world has believed for thousands of years—that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. It is not a good cultural sign that this commonsensical position is considered controversial, even hateful.

Those who are quick to brand support for traditional marriage hateful need to look in the mirror. As Archbishop Cordileone said in his excellent response to his critics: "For those who support the conjugal understanding of marriage, the attacks have not stopped at rhetoric. Simply for taking a stand for marriage as it has been understood in every human society for millennia, people have lost their jobs, lost their livelihoods, and have suffered other types of retribution including physical violence.” The archbishop, who is chairman of the bishop's Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, offered to meet with those offended by his participation in the march. He asked “before you judge, get to know us.” But will they? Kudos to Archbishop Cordileone for standing on principle. Let's also give a shout-out to his courageous spokeswoman, Christine A. Mugridge, for exclaiming, "We don't hate-monger, we don't pander to bigots." We are not accustomed to such straight talk coming from those in her position.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. What is our response to experiences of rejection? Are we gracious, or do we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by frustration?

2. How does the predicament of the faithful prophet Jeremiah inspire us or daunt us? Are we ready to be persecuted for the word of God?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, your co-citizens were scandalized by your humble “roots”. You were not able to perform many mighty deeds in Nazareth for the people’s lack of faith. Help us to believe in you. You are the true prophet who speaks the word of life. Grant us the strength and the courage needed to be true prophets like 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.

“And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.” (Mt 13:58) // “You must be put to death!” (Jer 26:8)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

In reparation for the rejection suffered by Jesus from his neighbors, do not react negatively to someone who treats you with hostility, but rather, respond to him/her with an act of kindness. // Pray for today’s persecuted Christians all over the world.

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SATURDAY – SEVENTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: The Baptist Shared in His Paschal Destiny … He Is Our Defender”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 26:11-16, 24 // Mt 14:1-12

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 14:1-12): “Herod had John beheaded. John’s disciples came and told Jesus.”

In the Gospel (Mt 14:1-12) we hear that in upholding the integrity of moral truth against the malice of King Herod and his partner Herodias, John suffered martyrdom. His death was an intimate participation in the paschal destiny of the Messiah, of whom he was the precursor. In sharing intimately the universal work of salvation of Jesus Christ, the words of Yahweh in the Second Servant Song, could also be applied not only to Jesus but also to John: “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth” (Is 49:6).

The courageous stance of John the Baptist in defense of truth and justice lives on in the Christian disciples of today’s world. This is marvelously illustrated in the lives of Fr. Gregory Schaffer and Fr. Rother (cf. Kayla Ann Smith, “Standing for Guatemalans” in Maryknoll, May-June 2005, p. 19-21). Kayla, a Minnesota teen inspired by those who champion oppressed Central Americans, writes:

Father Schaffer’s true courage to stand up for the poor of Guatemala was put to the test when, in the 1980’s, there were armed campaigns pointed at the natives of Guatemala. Even though the priest from the New Ulm Diocese knew he could be killed at any time for helping the indigents of Guatemala, he remained with the people he had come to love. He was in an especially dangerous position, since he was aiding the innocent of Guatemala as well as being a Catholic priest. Through his many acts of charity, he spoke plainly and boldly that the poor cannot be ignored, and that we are called to help the less fortunate.

Soon Father Schaffer found that he had been put on a death list. Although the fact of possible death would have scared many people to leave the terrorized country, Father Schaffer remained in Guatemala. He barely saved his life by convincing a military commander that he was not an ally of the guerrilla terrorists. Father Rother, who was a priest in the neighboring town, Santiago de Atitlan, was not as fortunate as Father Schaffer. Father Rother was murdered by the death squads. The farmer’s son turned priest from Okarche, Oklahoma, paid the ultimate price for being a soldier of Christ.

The loss of Father Schaffer’s fellow priest friend saddened him almost to the point of anger until he realized that Father Rother’s passing would be a powerful event that united all the people.

B. First Reading (Jer 26:11-16, 24): “For in truth it was the Lord who sent me to you to speak all these things for you to hear.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 26:11-16, 24) underlines God’s protection upon Jeremiah. The words spoken by the Lord to Jeremiah are true: “I will rescue you from the power of the wicked and violent men” (cf. Jer 15:21). Jeremiah risks his life by speaking “in the name of the Lord, our God”. Faithful to his ministry as a prophet, he confronts the people of Judah: “For in truth it is the Lord who sent me to give you this warning.” He challenges his persecutors: “Do with me whatever you think is fair and right. But be sure of this: if you kill me, you and the people of this city will be guilty of killing an innocent man.” The civil leaders and the people who believe that Jeremiah speaks in the name of the Lord defend him. And because Jeremiah has the support of a powerful friend Ahikam, the faithful prophet is not killed. Ahikam is the son of Shaphan, the royal scribe who helped promote the word of God during the reform of King Josiah. Indeed, God continues to stand by Jeremiah – to protect him and keep him safe.

God’s rescue of his faithful Jeremiah gives depth and perspective to the modern day account, circulated on the Internet, of the rescue of a “faithful” Christian.

ROME (AP) - Pope Francis met privately Thursday with a Sudanese woman who refused to recant her Christian faith in the face of a death sentence, blessing the woman as she cradled her infant born just weeks ago in prison. The Vatican characterized the visit with Meriam Ibrahim, 27, her husband and their two small children as "very affectionate." The 30-minute encounter took place just hours after the family landed at Rome's Ciampino airport, accompanied by an Italian diplomat who helped negotiate her release, and welcomed by Italy's premier, who hailed it as a "day of celebration." Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the pope "thanked her for her faith and courage, and she thanked him for his prayer and solidarity" during the half-hour meeting Thursday. Francis frequently calls attention to the suffering of those persecuted for their religious beliefs. Lombardi said the presence of "their wonderful small children" added to the affectionate tone of the meeting. Ibrahim was presented with a rosary, a gift from the pope. Ibrahim held her sleeping infant as she stepped off the plane from Sudan, which had blocked her from leaving the country even after the country's highest court overturned her death sentence in June. An Italian diplomat carried her 18-month-old son and they were followed by her husband, Daniel Wani, who is a citizen of the United States and South Sudan. Ibrahim and her family are expected to spend a few days in Rome before heading to the United States. Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but whose mother was an Orthodox Christian from Ethiopia, was sentenced to death over charges of apostasy. She married her husband, a Christian, in a church ceremony in 2011. As in many Muslim nations, Muslim women in Sudan are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, though Muslim men can marry outside their faith. The sentence was condemned by the United States, the United Nations and Amnesty International, among others, and both the United States and Italy - a strong death penalty opponent with long ties to the Horn of Africa region - worked to win her release. Sudan's high court threw out her death sentence in June, but she was then blocked from leaving the country by authorities who questioned the validity of her travel document. Lapo Pistelli, an Italian diplomat who accompanied the family from Sudan, said Italy was able to leverage its ties within the region. "We had the patience to speak to everyone in a friendly way. This paid off in the end," he said.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Like John the Baptist, are we prophets of truth and are we ready to undergo sacrifice for the sake of truth?

2. Do we believe that if we are faithful to God, he will be for us our help and defender?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

God our Father, you called John the Baptist to be the herald of your Son’s birth and death. As he gave his life in witness to truth and justice, so may we strive to profess our faith in your Gospel. When persecuted for our faith, let us feel your saving power. Grant this through Christ our Lord. 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.

“Herod had John beheaded in the prison.” (Mt 14:10) // “For in truth it was the Lord who sent me to you.” (Jer 26:15)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for Christian disciples who promote God’s kingdom of truth and justice. In your daily life, endeavor to be a prophet of truth. // Pray for the persecuted Christians in various parts of the world and pray to God for the courage to be peaceful.

*** Text of 17th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***

A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 72) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 18

MONDAY: EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Multiplies the Five Loaves and Two Fish … He Upholds His Prophet”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 28:1-17 // Mt 14:13-21

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 14:13-21): “Looking up to heaven, he said the blessing and gave the loaves to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds..”

The Gospel episode (Mt 14:13-21) depicts Jesus’ “banquet” of the loaves and fish in a deserted place in Galilee near the sea. The miraculous banquet laid out by Jesus the Master-Shepherd points to the Eucharistic feast and the dawning of messianic salvation. In the superabundance of the multiplied loaves and the twelve baskets filled with leftovers is a sign of the copious spiritual nourishment and the unfailing Eucharistic food that Jesus offers to hungry crowds over the course of centuries. Our sense of faith is heartened by the remarkable quality of Jesus’ banquet of the loaves and fish, especially of what it prefigures – the Eucharist. Moreover, in the miraculous event of the multiplication of the “five loaves and two fish”, Jesus is forming his disciples’ faith in preparation for their role as pastors and givers of nourishment to the ecclesial community.

The Lord of the feast and Eucharistic banquet is Christ Jesus, who invites us to share at the table of the Word and Sacraments. As his beloved and privileged disciples, he summons us to bring his spiritual nourishment to the “hungry” crowd of today’s world. He is the gracious host who transforms our paltry, humble supply of “five loaves and two fish” into a table of plenty. In our vocation as Christian believers in the modern world, he assures us that with only “five loaves and two fish” and by his grace, we will be able to respond to the “hungers” of today’s anguished and restless modern society. If only we turn to Jesus Host in faith, our poverty will be transformed into spiritual riches for the benefit of the world’s poor and their salvation. Indeed, the miracle of “superabundance” begins with “little”. In his compassion, the power of God – through Christ and the Holy Spirit - is actively and marvelously at work in us, embracing our poverty and multiplying the meager resources we lovingly place at his disposal.

The following modern day account teaches us that with God we can do all and that the miraculous sign of “multiplication” can be experienced even now (cf. Lisa Beech, “A Lesson in Multiplication” in Guideposts, March 2014, p. 23).

Last year I joined San Francisco’s City Impact, a nondenominational group doing outreach to inner-city residents. This was my first day visiting a public housing complex. The leader put me and another newbie in charge of handing out groceries. My partner and I agreed we had the best job. Who didn’t love food, especially when they couldn’t afford much of it?

“Not everyone will need some”, our leader reminded us. “We’re also just here to talk, check in with people, pray with them if they want. It’s about showing love.”

The people on our assigned floors seemed happy to see us and our big box of supplies when we knocked – all except one. “I have company”, he said. “Sorry. I have to go.” He shut the door before we’d even had time to offer him anything. Which might have been for the best. Our box is almost empty. “We’re going to run out of food!” I said. “We must be giving people too much.”

My partner and I looked at each other in alarm. Had we messed everything up? We had a whole floor of apartments left to visit! Lord, I said silently, you fed the five thousand. Could you multiply this food the way you did the loaves and the fishes?”

“I asked God to multiply the food”, I whispered to my partner. “Me too!” he whispered back. Visit by visit our supplies dwindled. We still had quite a few apartments left when I checked the box again: one lime and a can of soup. Soon those were gone. “We’ll have to tell people we ran out”, I said. “We really miscalculated.” No way is God going to bail us out, I told myself miserably.

Just then someone came running down the hall. It was the impatient man from the floor above. His arms were full of groceries: cereal and cans of soup. “Here”, he said, putting them in the box. “Thought some of the other residents could use them. I’ve got plenty this month. Gotta run!”

We had just enough for the apartments we still had left to visit. God had multiplied our groceries – and multiplied our faith too.

B. First Reading (Jer 28:1-17): “The Lord has not sent you and you have raised false confidence in this people.”

In today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 28:1-17), there is face-to-face confrontation between Jeremiah, the true prophet, and Hananiah, the false prophet. Jeremiah wears a wooden yoke, urging the people of Judah to submit for now to the king of Babylon to avert total destruction. Hananiah, a charlatan, paints a rosy picture. Indeed, his empty promise of peace suits God’s chosen people in denial. Using a symbolic action, Hananiah breaks Jeremiah’s wooden yoke and predicts that God will break the Babylonian rule within two years. After some time the Lord commands Jeremiah to replace the wooden yoke with an iron yoke and to refute the false prophecy. Jeremiah reiterates his message of doom and complete subjugation for the rebellious people of Judah. Moreover, Hananiah who predicts success and not humility, the one “not sent” by God, is to be “dispatched” that very year. Two months later, Hananiah dies! The fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prediction authenticates Jeremiah’s mission as true prophet.

Lionel Bottori’s story “The Uninvited Guests” (cf. Bostoniano, July 2014, p. 30- 31) is very entertaining. It is about two charlatan monks who presented themselves as devotees of the Order of St. Bulbous. They said they were on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and asked shelter from the hospitable archpriest Papa Galeazzo. Brother Mangiatutto (= Brother “He Eats All”) and Brother Berfinafondo (= Brother “He Drinks Till He Empties the Cup”) ate everything that was put in front of them and were not shy to ask for more wine when the first pitcher was emptied. In no time, Papa Galeazzo became suspicious. The following account of the showdown between the two fraudulant monks and their gracious host Papa Galeazzo evokes, in a humorous vein, the victorious struggle experienced by Jeremiah in today’s Old Testament account.

(…) Resolving to learn more about these dubious fellows, he prepared a quiz on religious doctrine to see if he could expose them. But, as luck would have it, he happened upon an open window behind some heavy drapes just as the pair walked by. Unaware of his presence, the pair spoke freely. “Ha, ha”, they both laughed, then the man who called himself Mangiatutto said: “That ‘Papa Gallo’ is such a fool! As soon as we’re rested, we’ll get a couple of big sacks and clean out all those gold and silver antiques from the church, and have a proper party when we get back home!”

If they weren’t a pair of devils, they were at least thieves and charlatans, thought Galeazzo. They obviously had told him a pack of lies, up to and including inventing their own saint. The archpriest had no means to evict these frauds, so he decided that he would use a real saint to beat them at their own game.

That night at dinner, he announced the news that the Feast of St. Celestino il Quinto would be celebrated in the most traditional manner. All the “religiosi” in the “canonica” were asked to respect this observance, which would last for a week or so, said the priest who stood before the two so-called monks. Fearing they’d lose the opportunity to burglarize the church, they nodded their affirmation.

“This daily repast will consist of a piece of bread and a cup of water”, said Papa Galeazzo, eliciting a pair of loud gasps. The archpriest had all other food removed from the building, and the doors of the wine cellar locked. Soon, the two false monks found few occasions to call down the blessing of St. Bulbous. Then Papa Galeazzo told his guests they would have to stay in unfurnished cells and sleep on the hard stone floors. He explained that St. Celestino was famous for abnegating the world and its sins by means of the mortifications of the flesh, and so he expected his fellow clergy to set the same example for the laity as the saint himself had done.

As they listened, their faces slowly reddened and changed from expressions of expectation to those of exasperation. They began whispering to one another. The archpriest was now convinced that these were common thieves, and not the Devil and a demon in disguise. So he decided to take a chance by inventing one more lie of his own. He announced that on the third day, the ritual of flagellation would commence, and that members of the Order of St. Celestino il Quinto would come and beat them for an hour or two in order to cleanse them of all sin and help them focus their thoughts on the afterlife as the saint himself had done. He went on to describe the heavy horsewhips and large physiques of the volunteers who were coming to so generously assist in this ritual blessing.

“Diavolo!” exclaimed the pair in unison. “Better to suffer a bit in this short life than to burn in eternal damnation, don’t you think?” asked the archpriest, relieved that they had not disappeared in a cloud of sulfurous smoke only to reappear as bright red demons intent on carrying him to hell.

Just then, Brother Mangiatutto announced that it was their sacred duty to leave immediately, since their pilgrimage was a higher obligation than celebrating St. Celestino’s rituals. When they asked for a letter of introduction, the archpriest presented them with a copy of a grocery list, asking them if something like that would suffice. They carefully looked it over and stated that it was quite adequate.

Armed with the knowledge that the two could not read, he told them that he’d be nothing less than truthful in this recommendation. He wrote: “These men are neither monks nor devils, but incorrigible liars and thieves. Anyone who meets them should beware.” Then they departed to “Jerusalem” as fast as they could.

When Papa Galeazzo met his bishop again, his superior asked him how he handled the situation with the demons in disguise. “Well, they left! Apparently the threat of penance can scare off even the Devil!” answered Papa Galeazzo.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we see the miraculous possibility of the “five loaves and two fish” that are available to us in our ministry to the poor? Do we trust that Jesus will multiply our resources? Do we allow ourselves to be filled by the superabundant riches of God?

2. Do we trust that God will give us the grace to overcome threats and conflicts brought about by false prophets?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving Father, your Son Jesus, our Master-Shepherd, multiplied the “five loaves of bread and two fish”. He is both the host and the fare. He is the bread of the Word and the bread and wine of the Eucharistic sacrifice on the cross. . Strengthened by the bread of life, help us to overcome all kinds of trials, difficulties and distress through the love of God in Christ Jesus. He is our Lord and he lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Loving Jesus, deliver us too from raging storms created by false prophets. We love you for you are kind and merciful. You come to our aid always. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“They all ate and were satisfied.” (Mt 14:20) //“You have raised false confidence in this people.” (Jer 28:15)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Seek to alleviate the hunger of a needy brother and sister in any way. Contribute to the local Church’s effort to provide bread for the poor in your community. // Pray that we may be delivered from the evil influence of today’s false prophets.

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TUESDAY: EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Saves Us from the Raging Waters … He Gives Us Hope of Restoration”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22 // Mt 14:22-36

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 14:22-36): “Command me to come to you on the water.”

The need for deeper faith permeates the Gospel reading (Mt 14:22-36). Peter, impetuous as ever, asks to come to Jesus on the waters, but his faith fails him. After a tentative beginning, he begins to sink. Jesus saves him, but rebukes him for his feeble faith. Even Peter, the “prince of apostles”, wavers in his faith.

St. Augustine exhorts us to contemplate this Gospel episode so that, when beset with the turmoil of temptations, we can put our faith Jesus, who for our sake suffered death in order to save us: “Look at Peter, who in this episode is an image of ourselves; at one moment he is all confidence, at the next all uncertainty and doubt; now he professes faith in the immortal One, now he fears for his life … Think, then, of this world as a sea, whipped up to tempestuous heights by violent winds. A person’s own private tempest will be his or her unruly desires. If you love God you will have power to walk upon the waters, and all the world’s swells and turmoil will remain beneath your feet. But if you love the world, it will surely engulf you, for it always devours its lovers, never sustains them. If you feel your foot slipping beneath you, if you become a prey to doubt or realize that you are losing control, if, in a word, you begin to sink, say: Lord, I am drowning, save me! Only he, who for your sake died in your fallen nature, can save you from the death inherent in that fallen nature.”

The following lovely story illustrates that those who love God and have faith in him have power to walk upon the waters (cf. Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 72-73).

When the bishop’s ship stopped at a remote island for a day, he determined to use the time as profitably as possible. He strolled along the seashore and came across three fishermen mending their nets. In pidgin English they explained to him that centuries before they had been Christianized by missionaries. “We Christians!” they said, proudly pointing to one another.

The bishop was impressed. Did they know the Lord’s Prayer? They had never heard it. The bishop was shocked. “What do you say, then, when you pray?” “We lift eyes in heaven. We pray, ‘We are three, you are three, have mercy on us.’” The bishop was appalled at the primitive, the downright heretical nature of their prayer. So he spent the whole day teaching them the Lord’s Prayer. The fishermen were poor learners, but they gave it all they had and before the bishop sailed away next day he had the satisfaction of hearing them go through the formula without a fault.

Months later the bishop’s ship happened to pass by those islands again, and the bishop, as he paced the deck saying his evening prayers, recalled with pleasure the three men on that distant island who were now able to pray, thanks to his patient efforts. While he was lost in the thought he happened to look up and noticed a spot of light in the east. The light kept approaching the ship and, as the bishop gazed in wonder, he saw three figures walking on the water. The captain stopped the boat and everyone leaned over the rails to see this sight.

When they were within speaking distance, the bishop recognized his three friends, the fishermen. “Bishop”, they exclaimed. “We hear your boat go past island and come hurry hurry to meet you.” “What is it you want?” asked the awe-stricken bishop. “Bishop”, they said, “we so, so sorry. We forget lovely prayer. We say, ‘Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom come …’ then we forget. Please tell us prayer again.”

The bishop felt humbled. “Go back to your home, my friends”, he said, “and each time you pray, say, ‘We are three, you are three, have mercy on us!’”

In imitation of Jesus Christ, who walks on the water, the beloved St. John Mary Vianney, whose memorial we celebrate on August 4, saves many people from the raging waters of evil and sin (cf. The Word Among Us, June 2008, p. 54-57).

Jean-Marie had very little education and did poorly in class. No matter how hard he studied, he couldn’t remember his Latin grammar. Just when all seemed lost, Fr. Charles Balley – a far-seeing pastor who recognized Vianney’s potential – decided to tutor him. Vianney passed the required tests, was ordained in August 1815, and served as Fr. Balley’s assistant for two and a half years, until his assignment to Ars. (…)

Vianney set to work. Very early each morning and very late each night, he spent hours before the altar in the dilapidated church. Face down on the floor, he begged God – often with tears – to change the people’s hearts. A curious parishioner who once followed him inside was surprised at what his new pastor was praying out loud: “My God, grant me the conversion of my parish. I am willing to suffer all my life … I am prepared to endure the sharpest pains even for a hundred years. Only let my people be converted. (…)

In time, the people of Ars began to heed their pastor’s exhortations to stay out of the taverns and come to church, to refrain from work on Sundays, and to end the wild dances. They came to love the religious processions and pilgrimages that Vianney organized to help them know that God was among them. Many learned to pray and grew close to God themselves … As Vianney’s fame grew, pilgrims began showing up – twenty a day at first, then over the next three decades, up to eighty thousand each year. Often they waited for days, crowded together in the church, awaiting their turn in the confessional … Young people flocked to him to help them discern whether they had a religious vocation. The sick came to be prayed over for healing. (…)

For forty-one years, Vianney persevered as the pastor of the little village … He died on August 4, 1859, at the age of seventy-three. Already acclaimed a saint by the people, Jean-Marie Vianney was canonized on May 31, 1925, and later named the patron of parish priests. His life can be summed up by one of his sayings: “To be loved by God, to be united with God, to live in the presence of God, to live for God. Oh! What a beautiful life and what a beautiful death!”

B. First Reading (Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22): “Because of your numerous sins, I have done this to you. See! I will restore the tents of Jacob.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22) is from Jeremiah’s oracles of salvation in which the prophet declares God’s intention to restore the chosen people Israel. The first part of today’s text is a vivid description of the sufferings and miseries of Israel due to her sins. Her wounds are incurable; her injuries cannot be healed; her pain is without relief. The Lord asserts that this is because of Israel’s great guilt and her numerous sins. The second part depicts the reversal of fortune, which is God’s gracious work. The Lord promises to restore his people to their land. Jerusalem will be rebuilt and the people who live there will sing his praise. The Lord offers a beautiful vision of the future: “They will be my people and I will be their God.”

The interplay of judgment and salvation in today’s oracle helps us understand better the following words of Pope Francis during the Mass that he celebrated on July 7, 2014, for six victim of sexual abuse (cf. Pope Francis, “I Humbly Ask Forgiveness” in L’Osservatore Romano, July 11, 2014, p. 5).

(…) I feel the gaze of Jesus and I ask for the grace to weep, the grace for the Church to weep and make reparation for her sons and daughters who betrayed their mission, who abused innocent persons … For some time now I have felt in my heart deep pain and suffering. (…)

Today the heart of the Church looks into the eyes of Jesus in these boys and girls and wants to weep; she asks the grace to weep before the execrable acts of abuse which have left lifelong scars. I know that these wounds are a source of deep and often unrelenting emotional and spiritual pain, and even despair. Many of those who have suffered in this way have also sought relief in the path of addiction. Others have experienced difficulties in significant relationships, with parents, spouses and children. Suffering in families has been especially grave, since the damage provoked by abuse affects these vital family relationships. Some have even had to deal with the terrible tragedy of the death of a loved one by suicide. (…)

Before God and his people I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes of clerical abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask forgiveness. (…)

Dear brothers and sisters, because we are all members of God’s family, we are called to live lives shaped by mercy. The Lord Jesus, our Savior, is the supreme example of this; though innocent, he took our sins upon himself on the cross. To be reconciled is the very essence of our shared identity as followers of Christ. By turning back to him, accompanied by our most holy Mother, who stood sorrowing at the foot of the cross, let us seek the grace of reconciliation with the entire people of God. The loving intercession of Our Lady of Tender Mercy is an unfailing source of help in the process of our healing. (…)

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. When we are buffeted by howling winds and violent storms in the sea of life, how steadfast is our faith? Do we dare to walk on the “raging waters” on the basis of our faith in Jesus? When we sin and falter, what do we do? Do we have recourse to Jesus and cry out: “Lord, save me”?

2. When we are overwhelmed by miseries created by evil and sin, do we allow ourselves to be strengthened by the promise of restoration and the hope of salvation?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, you walk on the water and you master the raging sea. When we are buffeted by howling winds and violent storms in the sea of life, help us to have steadfast faith in you. Hold us by the hand and we too will walk with you upon the raging sea. But when our faith falters, save us and do not let us perish. Deliver us too from raging storms created by false prophets. We love you for you are kind and merciful. You come to our aid always. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Loving Father, our pain is great and our wound incurable on account of our great guilt and numerous sins. By your tender mercy restore us to your friendship. Grant that we may always follow the promptings of your Son Jesus, the Divine Master. In him, we become your people and we acknowledge you as our compassionate God. who leads us to eternal life. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

“He came toward them, walking on the sea.” (Mt 14:25) //“See! I will restore the tents of Jacob.” (Jer 30:18)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for those whose lives are in a “raging sea” and beset with trials and difficulties. Assist them in any way you can. Pray for fishermen and seamen and all those engaged in ministering to their material, moral and spiritual needs. // Pray for the victims of sexual abuse and the conversion of the perpetrators of this violent crime. Assist them in any way you can.

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WEDNESDAY: EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Extols the Woman’s Faith … He”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 31:1-7 // Mt 15:21-28

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 15:21-28): “O woman, great is your faith!”

Today’s Gospel episode of the healing of the non-Jewish woman’s daughter (Mt 15:21-28) contains the fascinating dialogue of faith between the Gentile mother and Jesus. Indeed, this faith encounter between an irrepressible intercessor and the source of healing would encourage the Church in its mission to the Gentiles after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Although, in the divine plan of salvation, pride of place belongs to the Jews, the “bread of salvation”, that is Jesus, would be offered to assuage the hunger of all nations, prefigured in the faith-filled Canaanite mother. The universal mission to the Gentiles would primarily be the work of the Spirit-propelled missionary Church, born in the wake of the Easter event.

The Canaanite woman epitomizes the remarkable attitude of the recipients of the Good News through time and space. The faith of the Filipino people is of the same sterling quality as the Canaanite woman. As recipients of the Church’s evangelizing work they show what great things can be achieved through faith in Jesus Christ. The following “Open Letter of Steve Ray to the Filipino People” is a tribute to their Christian faith. Steve Ray authored many best-selling books, among which are Crossing the Tiber (his conversion story), Upon This Rock (on the papacy), and just recently John's Gospel (a comprehensive bible study guide and commentary).

We stepped into the church and it was old and a bit dark. Mass had just begun and we sat toward the front. We didn't know what to expect here in Istanbul, Turkey. I guess we expected it to be a somber Mass but quiet and somber it was not - I thought I heard angels joyously singing behind me. The voices were rich, melodic and beautiful. What I discovered as I spun around to look did not surprise me because I had seen and heard the same thing in other churches around the world. It was not a choir of angels with feathered wings and halos but a group of delightful Filipino Catholics with smiles of delight and joy on their faces as they worshiped God and sang His praises. I had seen this many times before in Rome, in Israel, in the United States and other countries.

Filipinos have special traits and they are beautifully expressed as I gazed at the happy throng giving thanks to God. What are the special traits which characterize these happy people? I will share a few that I have noticed - personal observations - as I have traveled around the world, including visits to the Philippines.

FIRST, there is a sense of community, of family. These Filipino Christians did not sit apart from each other in different aisles. They sat together, closely. They didn't just sing quietly, mumbling, or simply mouthing the words. No, they raised their voices in harmony together as though they enjoyed the sense of unity and communion among them. They are family even if they are not related.

SECOND, they have an inner peace and joy which is rare in the world today. When most of the world's citizens are worried and fretful, I have found Filipinos to have joy and peace and a deep sense of God’s love that overshadows them. They have problems too, and many in the Philippines have less material goods than others in the world, yet there is still a sense of happy trust in God and love of neighbor.

THIRD, there is a love for God and for his Son Jesus that is almost synonymous with the word Filipino. There is also something that Filipinos are famous for around the world - their love for the Blessed Mother. Among the many Filipinos I have met, the affectionate title for Mary I always hear from their lips is "Mama Mary". For these gentle folks, Mary is not just a theological idea, a historical person, or a statue in a church - Mary is the mother of their Lord and their mother as well, their "mama".

The Philippines is a Catholic nation -- the only such nation in Asia -- and this wonderful country exports missionaries around the world. They are not hired to be missionaries, not official workers of the church. No, they are workers and educators, doctors, nurses and housekeepers that go to other lands and travel to the far reaches of the earth, and everywhere they go they take the joyous gospel of Jesus with them. They make a somber Mass joyful when they burst into song. They convict the pagan of sin as they always keep the love of Jesus and the Eucharist central in their lives.

My hope and prayer, while I am here in the Philippines sharing my conversion story from Baptist Protestant to Roman Catholic, is that the Filipino people will continue to keep these precious qualities. I pray that they will continue loving their families, loving the Catholic Church, reading the Bible, loving Jesus, His Mother and the Eucharist. As many other religions and sects try to persuade them to leave the Church, may God give the wisdom to defend the Catholic faith. As the world tempts them to sin and seek only money and fame and power, may God grant them the serenity to always remember that obedience to Christ and love for God is far more important than all the riches the world can offer. May the wonderful Filipino people continue to be a light of the Gospel to the whole world! Be a proud Filipino and forward this to friends!

B. First Reading (Jer 31:1-7): “With age-old love I have loved you.”

Today’s reading (Jer 31:1-7) is a beautiful prophecy of hope. The Lord God announces the good news of the return of Israel from Exile, emphasizing his great and enduring love for his people: “With age-old love I have loved you, so I have kept my mercy toward you.” God’s covenant love for Israel is said to be “age-old” or “eternal” for it originates from the desert period of the Exodus from Egypt and will never cease. The return of Israel’s “remnant” from Exile is a “new Exodus” but in a more glorious form. It is a cause of joy for the repatriates and the foreign nations that the Lord God has bestowed salvation on his chosen people. There is exuberance as the nations are called to sing with joy for Israel. There is a rhapsody of joy as God assures Israel that they will take their tambourines and dance and that they will plant vineyards and eat of their produce.

The following article gives insight into the meaning of God’s “age-old love” for Israel and for us, the new Israel (cf. Karen Valentin in Daily Guideposts 2016, p. 342).

I rummaged through hundreds of family photos in boxes and picture albums. My mother and father were about to celebrate their forty-fiftieth wedding anniversary, and I was making a video of their journey together. The first pictures were frail black-and-whites of a nervous bride and groom, the exchange of rings, and smiles near a tall wedding cake. The honeymoon followed and they looked like movie stars.

I scanned each picture, focusing only on the two of them. They had the same look of love in their eyes in each one. I couldn’t contain me emotion as I completed the video and played it over and over. The music in the background vowed “I will be here” as I watched my parents grow old together in less than four minutes.

Their testament of love and commitment has been remarkable. Though it’s beautiful it pales in comparison to the greater love God has promised to me, to all of us. It also helped me to understand an even greater love. Through the years of joy and pain since I said yes to the Lord, His promise of “I will be here” has never faltered. It’s one I can count on for a lifetime.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Is our faith as steadfast as that of the Canaanite mother? Does the faith of others move us to positive and compassionate action? In light of the Easter event, do we commit ourselves to share the saving work of Jesus, the “bread of salvation”, with all peoples of the earth?

2. Do you trust in God’s “age-old” or eternal love for you? Do you rejoice at the gift of restoration and new beginning?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, you extolled the faith of the Canaanite mother. Help us to imitate her steadfast faith. We thank you for revealing to us that you are the “bread of salvation” for all nations. Give us the grace to share the bread of your Word to all peoples of the earth. You are the universal Savior and giver of life. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Almighty God, you have loved us with an everlasting love. We rejoice at the gift of restoration and treasure the beauty of new beginning. Rejoicing at the marvels of your love, we sing festive songs and dance merrily for the grace of salvation. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“Great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” (Mt 15:28) // “With age- old love I have loved you.” (Jer 31:3)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for Christian missionaries who spread the Gospel beyond ethnic and cultural boundaries. Bring the healing touch of Jesus to the sick and needy. Contribute to the ecumenical effort of the Church and the task of inter-religious dialogue. // Manifest the joy of salvation and your response to God’s age-old love, by participating actively and meaningfully in Church worship.

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THURSDAY – EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives Peter the Keys to the Kingdom … He Calls Us to a Committed Covenant”

BIBLE READINGS Jer 31:31-34 // Mt 16:13-23

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 16:13-23): “You are Peter. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.”

Today’s Gospel reading (Mt 16:13-23) is about the investiture of Peter with the keys to the kingdom. In response to Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus, whom he acknowledges as “the Christ, the Son of the living God” – a spiritual truth revealed by the heavenly Father – Jesus establishes him as the “rock” of the Church. He presents to him the “power of the keys”. The commissioning of Simon Peter is part of God’s benevolent plan for his chosen people. It is an important step in the realization of his saving design to provide them with trustworthy stewards and spiritual shepherds. Indeed, the “power of the keys” is a pastoral power meant to benefit God’s people.

Through time and space, the Church – the community of faith founded on the Risen Lord Jesus Christ and ministered to by Peter and his successors – experiences various crises, persecutions and trials. But the “gates of the netherworld” do not prevail against the Church because Christ is its leader. He has radically conquered the power of sin and death. He remains with his disciples until the end of time.

The ministry of the Pope is a vital expression of the pastoral office of Jesus who lives on in the Church. The following account of John Thavis, Catholic News Service (CNS) Rome Bureau Chief concerning Benedict XVI, illustrates the Pope’s effort to live up to the challenge of his pastoral ministry and as Christ’s trusted steward of faith for today’s society (cf. Carrie Swearingen’s “PAPA-RAZZI: Following the Man who Follows the Pope” in St. Anthony Messenger, July 2008, p. 16).

John Thavis found it stunning to see the Pope, during his tour of a Turkish mosque, turn toward Mecca and pray alongside his Muslim host. “In one gesture, he bridged the gap of misunderstanding that had arisen after his Regensburg lecture several months earlier”, says Thavis. “Of course, Christians and Muslims pray to the same God, so there was nothing really revolutionary about it. But after some media had labeled him ‘the Pope against Islam’, this was a clear illustration that Benedict was not about to play the role of anti-Islamic crusader.”

Thavis has been moved by Pope Benedict XVI’s simplicity and clarity when speaking to foreign groups. In May of 2007 the Pope and the press corps took a long bus ride through picturesque hills in central Brazil. “He addressed recovering drug addicts. It was a rousing welcome by a mostly young group of people and, when the Pope ended, they kept chanting his name. When he was getting into the pope-mobile, his aides telling him they had to hurry up and leave, he suddenly stopped, got out of the vehicle and walked back on the stage. He waved and gave them one last greeting. It was just a small kindness, but it meant so much to these people.” (…)

Thavis knew that this Pope would want to make an effort to be more engaging. “And he does. He makes eye contact, is always kind, and says a few words to each person he meets. The world had known him as a doctrine enforcer, but that was not on his mind as Pope.” The Pope’s main goal, Thavis explains, is to reawaken a sense of God in society and a deeper faith in Christ and the Catholic Church.

B. First Reading (Jer 31:31-34): “The days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and I will remember their sin no more.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Jer 31:31-34) invites us to meditate on the promise of the New Covenant announced by the prophet Jeremiah to a disobedient people at the brink of disaster. A catastrophe will ensue, leaving only a remnant of the nation. And then an everlasting covenant will be made, a covenant as in the days of Noah. The covenant is “new” in three respects: God’s spontaneous forgiveness of sin, individual responsibility and retribution, and the interiorization of religion. The Law is no longer a code regulating external activity, but an inspiration working on our heart, under the influence of the spirit of God. It is the Spirit who gives us a new heart, capable of knowing God. This new and eternal covenant will be inaugurated by the sacrifice of Christ. The apostles and followers of Christ will proclaim its fulfillment.

The following testimony of a 22-year-old youth gives insight into the “new Covenant” that is our work in our daily life (cf. Karen Ferris, “What God Means to Me” in Alive! July/August 2014, p. 13).

I was born a cradle Catholic, the youngest of five children and the only girl. (…) At secondary school I slipped away from God. None of my friends spoke about him, so I didn’t. Social media, gossip and parties became more important.

At this time my father, having become a lay Dominican, went back to church and began speaking about God and the Divine Mercy. I never had any interest as I was so unfamiliar with the subject. (…)

I constantly fought with my parents, teachers and with myself. I felt angry and didn’t know why. When I began college peer pressure wasn’t so strong, and I wasn’t a sheep anymore. I wasn’t afraid to express my feelings or thoughts. I began to notice a change in my father; he seemed happier with life and with himself, like an inner peace. I was amazed by this. I love being around him because it made me feel happy. When my father spoke about God I was genuinely interested and it brought me peace. I started asking questions and eventually it became a daily thing. (…)

Recently I attended the Divine Mercy conference and while I was meditating with my mother and close friend I got an overwhelming sense of happiness and peace. I had to hold back my tears. I felt warmth in my heart that I only heard or read of in books. It was wonderful.

I used to be too embarrassed or shy to talk about God, but no more. I feel as if I’m keeping great news from people if I don’t tell them how I feel about God and our Savior Jesus. That God loves us so immensely and gives us such comfort and strength when needed. (…)

I have been told countless times that I only have faith for comfort, or that I have been brainwashed. It’s so sad to think that younger people don’t have faith today. They are not happy with the latest trends, clothes, electronics but I will be happy with my faith alone. Hopefully I can lead as example. (…)

My relationship with God has just been renewed and is growing. I now understand that you need to have your heart open to receive God’s love. I found a great friend in God and I will trust in him.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. How does Peter’s confession of faith affect us? Do we make an effort to understand the role of Peter and his successors in salvation history? Do we pray for the Pope and lovingly sustain him in his pastoral ministry and as “steward” of faith?

2. Do we treasure the New Covenant that God establishes with us through his Son Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O God, our Father, we thank you for Peter’s faith confession that Jesus is indeed “the Christ, the Son of the living God”. We thank you for the Church, the community of believers founded on the faith of the apostles. We thank you for Peter’s successors, whom you have established as stewards of Christian faith. May they all be trustworthy and faithful! O compassionate God, help us to be faithful to the new covenant established in the blood of Jesus Christ. We give you praise, now and forever. Amen.

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the CONTEMPLATIO

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the day. Please memorize it.

“I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 16:19) // “I will make a new covenant.” (Jer 31:31)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for the Pope that he may be strengthened in his pastoral ministry as chief steward of Christian faith. By your service to the poor and the needy, and through a life of holiness and personal dedication, let the love of Christ Shepherd touch a world in need of healing. // Be thankful for the gift of the new covenant ratified in Christ’s blood.

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FRIDAY – EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Meaning of Discipleship … He Teaches Us to Overcome Violence with Peace”

BIBLE READINGS Na 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7 // Mt 16:24-28

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 16:24-28): “What can one give in exchange for one’s life?”

In today’s Gospel reading (Mt 16:24-28), Jesus challenges us to take up our cross. After prophesying his paschal destiny on the Cross, Jesus delineates the meaning of the discipleship: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it”. Jesus thus connects the fate of his disciples with his own. Christian discipleship involves a share in his paschal sacrifice on the cross. Only in letting go of self and in letting God realize his mysterious, saving plan in us, can we achieve true life and happiness. Indeed, taking up one’s cross is a badge of discipleship.

The following personal reflection of Eli Doroteo, one of our dear friends and benefactors in the Philippines, is likewise insightful.

The call to discipleship entails suffering. Jesus himself, in his words to his disciples, asserts: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

As we heed the call to follow the will of God and Jesus who has shown us the way, at times, there are obstacles. Sometimes they are our attachments. They could be our families, our possessions and even our friends. In Jesus’ case, Peter – a disciple and a friend – tried to obstruct Jesus on his way to Jerusalem, which eventually led to Calvary. For Jesus, the way of suffering and death has a different meaning. It is a service and an offering of self to fulfill God’s saving plan. But Peter, seeing it in the context of the world’s desires, would not allow any evil or disaster to happen to his friend. His was a genuine, fraternal concern, which shows that our ways and thinking are far different from God’s. From a human perspective, Jesus’ way of suffering and death was futile and needless, but from the viewpoint of God and Jesus, it was a “necessary fault”.

Our attachments tend to blur our vision in fulfilling the calling we have received. The Gospel affirms that what could derail us in following the will of God must be cut off at once. We should and must resist the temptations of the devil and the evil designs of this world.

In our journey of faith, we make choices. This is where the challenge lies. At times, we take the shorter, easy way, and avoid the long, winding way. More often than not, the easy way out, the practical one, is the way of the world, and not of God. Jesus has shown us the way - the way of the cross – and no other. His death is the truth that brings life to the Church.

B. First Reading (Na 2:1,3; 3:1-3, 6-7): “Woe to the city of blood!”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Na 2:1,3; 3:1-3, 6-7) is from the prophet Nahum, whose name means “consolation”. Nahum “consoles” Judah: Assyria is destroyed and Judah will no longer be invaded. The Book of Nahum celebrates the fall of Nineveh, the capital city of Israel’s ancient and oppressive enemy, the Assyrians. The fall of Nineveh, near the end of the 7th century B.C., is seen as the judgment of God upon a cruel and arrogant nation. By cunning and unscrupulous strategies Assyria has lulled many nations into relaxing their guard, and then forced them to do her bidding by bloody campaigns. Ever rapacious, she has filled her coffers with plunder. But the Lord will bring retribution on Nineveh, which will be filled with disgrace and treated with contempt. With irony Nahum poses the question: “Nineveh lies in ruins! Who has any sympathy for her? Who will want to comfort her?”

The sinful crimes associated with Nineveh, “the bloody city, all lies” evokes some of the detestable violence in today’s society. Here is an example (cf. “Sick in Belgium? They’re Coming to Get You!” in Alive! July/August 2014, p. 2)

A doctors’ professional body in Belgium has told its members that killing off terminally ill patients without their consent is acceptable and, in some cases, to be recommended. The Belgian Society of Intensive Care Medicine revealed its views in a statement drawn up by its members and published in its journal. Whether sick people or their families desire it or not, and whether the patient is in pain or not, the Society holds it is acceptable for a doctor to intentionally “shorten the dying process”. The policy also applies to sick children.

The document makes clear the issue is not simply “about giving sedatives to combat pain, nor about the so-called double effect”, when pain-killers “may have the adverse effect of shortening the dying process.” Rather, the issue is about giving drugs “with the direct intention of shortening the process of terminal palliative care in patients with no prospect of meaningful recovery.”

In other words, it’s about doctors deciding, regardless of the wishes of an individual or family, to execute a patient who is not dying quickly enough. Killing patients who desire it is already legal in Belgium, but the latest development would considerably extend the power of doctors to decide who is to be terminated. The statement tries to reassure intensive care doctors that giving a lethal injection, for example, is “not to be interpreted as killing but as a humane act to accompany the patient at the end of his or her life.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. How do we actualize in our daily lives the discipleship of the cross? How do we translate into concrete reality the Christian challenge: “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mt 16:24)?

2. How do we respond to the many threats of violence and the many structures of violence in today’s society?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

(From “Suffering with Jesus”, a prayer composed by Francois Fenelon) O crucified Jesus, in giving me your cross, give me too your spirit of love and self-abandonment. Grant that I may think less of my suffering than of the happiness of suffering with you. What do I suffer that you have not suffered? Or rather what do I suffer at all, if I dare to compare myself with you? O Lord, grant that I may love you and then I shall no longer fear the cross.

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.

“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mt 16:24) // “Woe to the bloody city, all lies!” (Na 3:1)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for those who find the cross of their daily lives overwhelming and burdensome. In your own way and doing the best you can, try to alleviate the sufferings of the people around you. // Be an instrument of peace to help overcome the violence in today’s world.

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SATURDAY – EIGHTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Power of Faith … He Teaches Us that the Just Live by Faith”

BIBLE READINGS Hab 1:12-2:4 // Mt 17:14-20

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mt 17:14-20): “If you have faith, nothing will be impossible for you.

Today’s Gospel (Mt 17:14-20) tells us that after the Lord’s transfiguration on the mountain, he comes down with Peter, James and John. The father of a self-destructive “lunatic” approaches him prayerfully. Kneeling before Jesus, he pleads mercy for his suffering son. The Divine Master is exasperated at the inability of his disciples to help the boy. He berates them for their unbelief: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you?” Jesus uses the same phrases that Moses had used, coming down from Mount Sinai, to describe the faithlessness of Israel. Jesus drives away the demon and the boy is healed. When the disciples come to Jesus in private to ask why they were not able to drive the demon out, Jesus answered that they did not have enough faith. True faith in Jesus, even if it is the size of a mustard seed, is efficacious and can move mountains. The Divine Master thus teaches us the power of faith and affirms that with faith, nothing will be impossible for us.

The following account concerning Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini illustrates the power of trusting faith in today’s world (cf. Patricia Treece, Brewster: Paraclete Press, 2011, p. 64-66).

Picture Mother Cabrini in a strange land where she knew no one but the only One you have to know to go into a city and penniless and soon put up a hospital (she did that in New York, Chicago, and Seattle), an orphanage (in Colorado, New York, and Los Angeles, to mention three), dozens of schools in various countries throughout the Americas and Europe, and other institutions to bring God’s loving care to others. She kept them running for decades too. At night she has to sleep in a room alone because the glory of God tends to light up the space and wake companions, which is of course offensive to the humility of one who no longer thinks of herself at all, so madly in love is she with Jesus.

Mother Saverio De Maria, assistant, secretary, and constant companion on Mother Cabrini’s travels for these undertakings, wrote a life of the saint. Mother Saverio recalls that many people offered Mother Cabrini financial help, but she accepted from very few. Among the reasons she did so is this utterly delightful one: “Her trust in divine providence was so limitless that it seemed unfair [to her] to seek other support.”

Now picture a day like many when this consummate businesswoman (as people who had dealings with her described Mother Cabrini) is told a tradesman is at the door, seeking payment of his bill. The saint hands to another of the sisters the key to the desk money drawer. “Empty!” she reports back to Cabrini.

Mother De Maris writes: “Mother [Cabrini] concentrates a moment, then, with serene tranquility said, ‘You did not look well, look again’. Sister opened the same drawer and found a small package of brand new bank bills – the exact amount required to pay the bill. Our dear Mother, while recounting this fact (just to her daughters) many years later with eyes full of gratitude and love used to add: ‘How many of these occurrences I could tell! Truly the Lord overwhelmed us with his benefits.’”

Another time a sister needed to pay off a bill, but there was no money. “Why don’t you put your hand in your pocket?” Mother suggested. Without thought, the sister did so. There, as before, was the precise amount needed.

B. First Reading (Ha 1:12-2:4): “The just, because of their faith, shall live.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (Hab 1:2-3; 2:2-4) is about a faith that is tested and God’s gracious help to make that faith endure. With a vision of hope, the Lord tries to reinforce the faith of the prophet Habakkuk, deeply distressed at the misery, destruction and violence all around him. Bewildered by God’s seeming indifference to the anguish of a deeply persecuted and tortured nation, he demands an explanation for God’s silence and inaction.

Harold Buetow comments: “Habakkuk’s times were as internally wicked and internationally threatening as any before or since. It looked as though nothing would stand in the Assyrians’ way to conquer more of the world, including the Jews’ southern kingdom of Judah, where Habakkuk lived. Meanwhile, Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian armies became the new mighty world power to contend with. Unfortunately, Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, had backed the Assyrians, the losing side. Habakkuk was a deep thinker and, according to the picturesque phrase of St. Jerome, a wrestler with God. A faithful man, Habakkuk is all the more real to us because he knew what it is to experience temptations to faithlessness. Daringly but respectfully in today’s dialogue with God, he wanted to know some of the same things we would like to know. Why, for example, is God so silent while the faithless conquers and the wicked devours the good? Why does not God intervene in the world – especially when suffering and evil seem to be triumphing? Why does God tolerate the wicked? The Judeans had sinned, to be sure, but why should God choose to punish them by means of a monstrous people who were more wicked than themselves?”

God does not disdain, but rather looks kindly upon the question and complaints of Habakkuk for the prophet’s intense cries are not expressions of lack of loyalty and trust, but an agonized plea for divine intervention. The cries of Habakkuk are actually a prayer that seeks courage in the face of the triumphant appearance of evil. God’s magnificent response is both an affirmation of his loving faithfulness and a call to patience and greater trust on the part of the threatened “believer”.

The following article illustrates a steadfast and enduring faith that does not succumb to defeat and suffering (cf. Frank Maurovich, “Celebrating and Remembering” in Maryknoll, July/August 2007, p. 18-19).

Many of the faithful who filled the Catholic cathedral in Seoul, South Korea, on March 18, were among the thousands who fled their homes when the communist government in the North began severe persecution of Christians in the late 1940s. Those older refugees were very much in the mind of Maryknoll Superior General John Sivalon when he spoke at the Mass of “Celebration and Remembrance”. The Archdiocese of Seoul, under Cardinal Nicholas Cheong, was celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Pyongyang in 1927, at that time a Maryknoll mission in the North, and remembering the tragic suffering.

“This is really a celebration of the Korean people, and the Korean Church, and of your deep faith and history of suffering and martyrdom,” Sivalon said. Many of those refugees had been taught and baptized by Maryknoll missioners, who had served in northwest Korea until they were forced out by World War II and blocked from re-entering afterwards by the new communist regime in the North. Two Maryknollers, Bishop Patrick J. Byrne and Sister Agneta Chang, were among the estimated 10,000 who died at the hands of their oppressors. Korean Bishop Francis Hong of Pyongyang died in prison.

Although the communists had effectively shut down the Church in North Korea, the Vatican honored it in 1962 by raising the vicariate of Pyongyang to a diocese, making it a full-pledged local church. The Holy See placed the diocese temporarily under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Seoul. “We especially look forward to the day when we might join you in returning and taking up where we left off.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO

1. Do we trust in the power of faith that can move mountains? How do we cultivate that faith?

2. How do we relate to the feelings voiced by the prophet Habakkuk to the Lord? Are there times when we complain to God: “I cry for help but you do not listen”? What is God’s response to Habakkuk? How does God respond to our cries of distress?

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Jesus, we are a “faithless and perverse generation”. We are afraid to let go and trust in you. We hesitate to exercise the efficacious power of faith that is your gift to us. Teach us to submit to you in a loving personal response. Help us to believe that true faith can move mountains. With faith in you, nothing is impossible for us. Let us proclaim to the nations that the just, because of their faith, shall live. We love you, praise you and extol 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.

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed … nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mt 17:20) // “The just man, because of his faith, shall live.” (Hab 2:4)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

In every trial that comes your way, have faith in God. Believe that he is in control and ask him for the grace to bring about the divine saving will. // Continue to affirm in every death-dealing situation that the just, because of their faith shall live.

*** Text of 18th Week in Ordinary Time ends here. ***