WEEK 1-9 - Sister Disciples Of The Divine Master

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD

A LECTIO DIVINA Approach to the Weekday Liturgy

CYCLE 2

ORDINARY TIME: WEEK 1-9

First Week in Ordinary Time (n. 46) Second Week in Ordinary Time (n. 47) Third Week in Ordinary Time (n. 48) Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 49) Fifth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 50) Sixth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 51)

Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (n. 52) Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 53) Ninth Week in Ordinary Time (n. 54)

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. 46) ORDINARY SEASON: WEEK 1

MONDAY: FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Follow Him … He Has Compassion for the Lowly”

BIBLE READINGS

I Sm 1:1-8 // Mk 1:14-20 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 1:14-20): “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Today’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:14-20) contains the inaugural words of Jesus’ public ministry: “Repent and believe in the gospel.” The reign of God has begun in Jesus, the “Good News” in person. Jesus’ Gospel proclamation is exhilarating, but it is linked to his call for a radical response. Jesus demands total conversion and faith which entails adherence to his very person. The inaugural ministry of Jesus is followed by the call of the first disciples. The vocation of the fishermen Simon, Andrew, James and John provides a model for our response to Jesus and depicts the sacrifices of Christian discipleship. Together with the first disciples, we are invited to respond, “Yes, I leave all and follow you” in a progressive conversion and self-giving until the end.

The following is an example of a modern day response to Jesus’ call to radical discipleship (cf. “Spanish Youth Lead Religious Revolution” in ALIVE! October 2014, p. 6).

Olalla Oliveros was one of Spain’s top models, a regular in TV ads such as Special K, and was recently offered the lead role in a high-budget film. But, at the top of her career, the 36-year-old stunned Spanish society by tossing it all aside in order to become a nun, and in May this year she entered the convent. She has spoken little in public about her religious vocation, but did let it be known that the change in her life began four years ago. During the visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal she had what she called “an earthquake” experience. With her faith reawakened, she got the image of herself dressed as a nun. At the time she thought the experience was “weird”, but the image stayed with her. After

much prayer and thought she decided to take the radical step. “The Lord is never wrong”, said Olalla. “He asked if I would follow him, and I could not refuse.”

B. First Reading (I Sm 1:1-8): “Hannah’s rival turned it into a constant reproach to her that the Lord had left her barren.”

Today’s Old Testament reading ( I Sm 1:1-8) provides a fitting backdrop for the

public ministry of Jesus, who incarnates God’s compassion for the needy and the lowly. Hannah is barren and despised by all except by her loving husband, Elkanah. The other wife, Peninnah, would torment and humiliate her, because the Lord has left her childless. While she bears her rival’s reproach, not even Elkanah’s patient attempt to comfort Hannah can stop her from weeping and unable to eat. Peninnah’s taunts and Hannah’s anguish continue year after year as Elkanah and his family make their pilgrimage to the sanctuary at Shiloh. But soon there will be a transformation from barrenness to fruitfulness, from despair and tears to hope and joy. The longing for Hannah for a son will be blessed by the Lord, just as Israel’s spiritual need for the word of God will be satisfied.

The following story gives a glimpse into the depths of misery of the barren wife

Hannah, and her need for help and salvation (cf. Henry Denker, Payment in Full in Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, vol. 3, 1991, p. 176-182).

Rebecca Rosen was a small woman, never quite appearing old enough to justify her thirty years. Except for her four unsuccessful attempts to bear a child, she considered herself fortunate. She lived in a free land. She was married to a fine, intelligent young man with whom she shared roots, since they both came from the same town in Poland. It was ironic that they had not met there, where the Jewish population was so small. (…) It was the eve of Rosh Hashanah. David and Rebecca made ready to welcome in the Jewish New Year. He was dressed in his blue suit, good white shirt, and blue tie. “Becca”, David called, thinking she was dallying in the bedroom for one last look in the mirror to be sure she would pass inspection by all the other women, though he knew none of them could equal her beauty. Her face was heart-shaped with the hint of dimple on her chin, and when the long golden hair hung free and caught the sun, it turned lustrous and shining. (…) “Becca”, he called a second time. “We’ll be late for the services.” Her silence drew him back to the bathroom. As he approached he heard her gasping. He rushed in to find her sitting in a corner, trembling. He took her in his arms and saw the tears on her cheeks. “Rebecca? Sweetheart? What is it? What’s wrong?” “My velvet dress … It’s too big. When I made it for the holiday, I thought I would be five months pregnant. So I made allowances, let room. Now it hangs on me like an empty sack. An empty sack …” she repeated, weeping.

“Becca, Becca, you can’t keep tormenting yourself. It is not your fault. There’s no cause for shame.” “It isn’t shame”, she protested. “It’s the other women. Some will have their children with them. Those who don’t will brag about the children they left at home – how pretty they are, or how bright. Only I will have no child to brag about.” ‘They understand”, David consoled her. “I don’t want them to understand. And I don’t want to be the subject of their pity. In the butcher shop yesterday I heard Olinsky say to two women, ‘That’s Mrs. Rosen. The pretty one.’ One woman asked, ‘Isn’t she the childless one?’ The other woman said, “That’s the one. Too bad. She’s cursed. Cursed.’” “Becca, my darling”, said David, very concerned now. “Wipe your eyes. We’ll be late for services.” “I am not going”, she declared simply. She said it with such finality that he stepped back from her and stared. This was a different Rebecca than he had ever known. He knew, too, that she would not change her mind. She heard him close the door gently. She sat alone, rocking slowly. So much to give, she thought. God may have performed a miracle for Sarah, but he had made a mockery of me. (…) David returned from synagogue two hours later to find Rebecca sitting in their dark bedroom, turned to the wall, as if to hide. When he took her in his arms, she thrust him away. For three days her condition not only persisted but worsened. David felt forced to seek out Dr. Pomerantz … The next evening Dr. Pomerantz arrived at the Rosen’s modest apartment with the air of a man who had made a grave decision. He commanded Rebecca to accompany him on what he termed a mission of mercy. She had no choice but to comply. (…) “I say expose her to children like we expose a patient when we inoculate him”, the old doctor explained. “Let her build up the ability to cope with the situation. And who knows, David? There may be some child who appeals to her in some special way. It may be a blessing to her, and some unfortunate Jewish child who needs a mother. And also a father.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are eager to follow Christ who proclaims the Gospel and calls us to speak his word and compassion to the people around us? 2. Do we ever experience torment, misery and anguish inflicted upon us by others? How do we cope with them? Do we turn to God trustingly and seek his help and comfort? Do we welcome Jesus and the Good News and the challenge he brings? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

God the Father, through the Word made flesh you manifested to us your stupendous love. Give us the grace to listen to Jesus, to repent and believe in his words. He is the living Gospel we must proclaim. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen. *** O loving God, we pray for the anguished “Hannahs” of our time. Lift them up from their misery through the life-giving ministry of your Son Jesus. 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.

“Repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk 1:15) //“Why do you weep … Why do you grieve?” (I Sm 1:8) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Resolve to spend quality time on the meditation of the Gospel and the study of the Sacred Scriptures. Be thankful for the gift of Christian vocation. // By your kind words and deeds, comfort and encourage those who feel dejected and forlorn.

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TUESDAY: FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches with Authority … He Bestows

Grace on the Lowly”

BIBLE READINGS I Sm 1:9-20 // Mk 1:21-28

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 1:21-28): “He taught them as one having authority.”

Today’s Gospel (Mk 1:21-28) continues to depict the early phase of the public

ministry of Jesus - God’s “Good News” in person. The passage portrays him in the synagogue at Capernaum on a Sabbath, speaking the saving word of God and teaching with authority. The evangelist Mark describes the impact of Jesus’ teaching-prophetic ministry on the worshipping assembly: “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes”. Indeed, Jesus speaks with authority as he truthfully and faithfully reveals God’s message to the people. Moreover, he reinforces the power of God’s saving word by performing a healing sign – by curing a man possessed by an unclean spirit. The Benedictine liturgist, Adrian Nocent, comments: “Both word and action highlight the authority – that is the point St. Mark wants to make. Jesus is manifesting himself as Messiah, and his teaching differs from that of others not only by its content but by the fact that it is linked to an effective power from on high. His teaching thus manifests his person and the fact that he has been sent from God.”

Bong Tiotuico, a member of the Association of Pauline Cooperators: Friends of the Divine Master, sends us, from the Philippines, his insightful reflection on today’s Gospel.

The crowd is amazed at the ability of Jesus to command an unclean spirit to depart from one person’s body. Jesus performs the ritual of exorcism a few times in the gospel of Mark. The Church has received this power and office from him. Exorcisms may not be commonplace in the 21st century, but as we ponder through our everyday lives, we carry with us certain mindsets and behaviors we call our “personal demons”. While they may not fall under the category of psychological illness, we need to “exorcise” them too because they bring long term harm to our health, to our relationships with others, to our careers/vocations and even draw us farther away from God’s kingdom. These are big words we often hear at Sunday homilies, but never had a chance to reflect on, like: covetousness, envy, vice, selfishness, despair, anger, hatred, impulsiveness, depression, cynicism, loneliness, blind ambition, instant gratification, indifference, conflict, violence, bigotry and others. They represent a cabal of “demons and unclean spirits” that we live with, while surviving in a very competitive and materialistic world.

We must pray to our Lord through the intercession of our Blessed Mother to help us cast out these “evil spirits” from our lives. We can start by being attentive to the reading of the word of God during the Mass and supplement it by private study. This will make the gospels more instructive in our lives. It will not be easy, as these “unclean” spirits will be convulsing and screaming as we attempt to get rid of them. Also with the help of people around us: our loved ones, close friends who care, co-workers, members of our congregation, and if necessary,

professional help – we can certainly succeed. Then we create room for the Holy Spirit to occupy our lives and produce within us, as St. Paul tells us in Gal. 5:22, his gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control: big words we also hear during Sundays, but sadly more and more alien to us these days. Amen.

B. First Reading (I Sm 1:9-20): “The Lord God remembered Hannah, and she gave birth to Samuel.”

The story of the birth of Samuel (I Sm 1:9-20) underlines the power of the

compassionate God, who sent his only Son to be our Savior. In her bitterness Hannah prays to the Lord, weeping copiously. She makes a vow that if she is given a son, she will consecrate him to the Lord as a “nazirite”: neither wine nor liquor shall he drink and no razor shall touch his head. Hannah’s offer shows considerable renunciation, for that means the child would be with her only three years. Hannah’s prayer, reinforced by the invocation of the priest Eli, is heard. Hannah becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son whom she names “Samuel”, which means “he over whom the name of God is pronounced”. After she has weaned the boy, Samuel, Hannah brings him to the temple, saying to the priest Eli: “Do you remember me? I am the woman you saw standing here, praying to the Lord. I asked him for this child and he gave me what I asked for. So I am dedicating him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he will belong to the Lord.”

The favor received by Hannah illustrates the goodness of God and the power of

trusting prayer. The same elements can be verified in the following modern-day story (cf. Alex Domokos, “The Making of a Miracle” in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Stories of Faith, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al. Cos Cob: CSS, 2008, p. 322-324).

I was a strong supporter of the Hungarian freedom fighters, and in 1956, when they were subdued by the Soviets after a spontaneous uprising, we were suddenly forced to flee. First we headed for my parent’s home to get our daughter, but our attempts to reach her failed …Despite our terrible despair over leaving our daughter behind, we had to leave. With the help of some very good people, we made our escape from Hungary to Austria and eventually to Canada and to freedom. We settled in Winnipeg and started a new life. Our beautiful little daughter was only three years old when we came to Canada and we began the process of applying for her to come join us in Winnipeg. Little did we know how many years it would take. (…) One day my wife said to me, “I’m going to pray for the intervention of St. Jude. He is the patron saint of hopeless causes.” “Fine with me”, I replied. But I had lost faith in such supernatural intervention long ago. At that time, I was working in the basement of a downtown building in the evening as a sculptor. Day after day, after finishing my regular job, I went to work for a church supplies company for a few extra dollars. The bonus was, I was allowed to use the facilities for some of my own work – and sculpture is an art from that really requires a work space.

In the church basement I was surrounded by dusty plaster figures of various saints. My job was to finish them and prepare them for painting. Hollow lifeless figures, I thought to myself. Ridiculous to expect any help from them. But what did I have to lose? Why not take a chance? One evening I made a sudden decision. I dropped my work pail and went to the heap of wood where I often chose pieces for my own carvings. There I found a nice block of basswood that seemed to offer itself up for the task I was planning. I began to envision the features of St. Jude. I had to see him first in my imagination. In a sudden flash, I saw a bearded face full of dignity and hope. That’s it! I thought. I put my chisel to the wood and started carving like I’d never carved before. The hours slipped away. Usually I arrived home at eight every evening, but on this occasion it was well past ten when I finally entered our little attic apartment. I realized immediately that my wife was very agitated. “Where have you been?” she cried. “I was anxious to reach you, but there is no phone in that basement!” “Why, what happened!” I asked. “Look!” she said excitedly. “A new response from the Canadian government. They put some pressure on the Hungarian government, and they have finally relented. They’re letting her go! Our daughter is coming to us in six weeks!” I was speechless. Suddenly feeling weak, I reached for a chair to sit down. I gently placed my new carving on the kitchen table. “What is that?” my wife asked. “Don’t you see? It’s a statue of St. Jude”, I replied. I told her then the reason why I was late, about my sudden impulse to carve and about my vision of St Jude’s face. We looked at each other. There were no words to express our emotions. Joy, disbelief, shock – all of these and more were wrapped into one. Six weeks later, my wife and I stood at the Winnipeg Airport waiting for the plane that would bring our daughter! At home to us, to Canada and to freedom … And suddenly I saw her! Our little girl – now almost ten years old … I ran to her and in one miraculous moment embraced her. My heart was overjoyed!

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we surrender ourselves to the power and authority of Jesus as he teaches us with his life-giving word and releases us from the shackles of our “personal demons”? 2. Like Hannah, do we open ourselves to the goodness of God and his marvelous works for us? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving Jesus, Divine Master, you are the holy and mighty One of God! We recognize your great power and you teach with authority. The power of your word drives away the “personal demons” within us. Cleansed from sin and evil, we turn to you in humility to receive the gifts of your Holy Spirit. Teach and reign in our life, now and forever. Amen. *** Father of love and goodness, give us the humility and the spirit of self-surrender of Hannah and, together with her, let us sing our canticle of praise to your glory. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

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


day. Please memorize it. “A new teaching with authority!” (Mk 1:27) //“The Lord remembered her.” (I Sm 1:19)

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

By your gracious words and acts of charity, be united with Jesus in his ministry of deliverance from evil. // Be an instrument of grace and peace for those who are hopeless and desperate.

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WEDNESDAY: FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Healer … He Hears and Proclaims the Word”

BIBLE READINGS

I Sm 3:1-10; 19-20 // Mk 1:29-39

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 1:29-39): “Jesus cured many who were sick with various diseases.”

In today’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:29-39), the paschal victory of Jesus Healer is

prefigured in the healing he carries out on behalf of Simon’s sick mother-in-law and many others with various diseases and those possessed by demons. The healing ministry of Jesus is a sign that the kingdom of wholeness has come. By his mission of healing, he shows that sickness, suffering and death do not have the ultimate word. The evangelist Mark narrates: “Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed”. The “dawn” of Jesus is poised in earnest towards greater intimacy with the loving Father and the proclamation of the Gospel. The saving ministry of the healing Lord is sustained by his life of prayer and personal dialogue with the Father. Hence, the restoring touch of Jesus reaches out more extensively and the Good News extends, propelled by a life of recollection and prayer.

From the Philippines, the psychiatrist Dr. Eleanor Ronquillo, a member of the Association of Pauline Cooperators: Friends of the Divine Master, sends her inspiring reflection on today’s Gospel.

These days, many people are getting sick from grave illnesses like strokes, heart attacks, cancer, AIDS, rare pneumonias. People seek many types of cures, search for doctors far and near, the latest medicines, the most advanced medical technology, herbal medicine, etc. They seek the CURE, not the HEALING. Amidst the sick person’s suffering is a big plea to God to take away this illness and this suffering. In the Gospel, as Jesus HEALS many, one is led to believe in such a “miraculous” CURE. And it is not surprising for some to turn away from God for not providing such a cure. “Why me God … why do you let me be sick like this? … I’m not a bad person … There are so many out there criminals/murderers, why don’t they get this illness? … I can’t take this anymore … You must have forgotten me Lord … I do not wish to live like this.”

It is beyond physical CURE of an illness that is the essence of the Lord’s HEALING. The Gospel says, “People brought to Jesus all the sick … Jesus healed many who had various diseases.” I recall the story of a man who was disabled and paralyzed. He continually sought cures to be able to walk again. He struggled with his condition and felt his life was full of difficulties and hopelessness because of his disability. He prayed that God might take away his illness. One time (I think it was his visit to Lourdes in the Grotto in France) after a deep prayer, he felt an aura of peace within. He began to cry, to accept what he had, to see life as God willed it to be, to find hope and meaning in his “suffering”, to embrace the Lord and find peace. Finally, when he left, he had been healed.

We must seek the Lord in our suffering, that he may heal us. For a lot of people in crisis, that is the time when opportunity knocks. The opportunity to seek and be closer to the Lord knocks on our doors in the face of crisis. And healing will come, as Jesus heals us, if we seek him and let him heal us. This healing is a process that only the suffering person can undergo. No doctor can effect a healing for the patient, a treatment perhaps, yes; but the healing, no. The person himself has to undergo the internal process of accepting his condition and surrendering to the Lord one’s suffering … and find peace and solace in his loving arms.

“And he also drove away demons.” The words tell us that the devil was at work in people. The devil works in people’s hearts and minds. The “illness” is not exactly a phenomenon of possession. It can be masked as a wonderful extramarital affair though immoral, a wealth ill gotten, a successful oppression, an ongoing sexual abuse of a child. The list is long. The many facets of evil are within and among us. But do we recognize them? Do we recognize that we spite our neighbor, endlessly criticize people, persist in being unforgiving and harboring anger, scheme and carry out revenge, plan the next move to take what is not ours? The driving out of demons is our turning away from evil and seeking Jesus to rule our hearts. That is also our process of healing.

B. First Reading (I Sm 3:1-10, 19-20): “Speak, O Lord, for your servant is listening.”

The call of Samuel that is narrated in the reading (I Sm 3:1-10, 19-20) marks a

new “dawn” in the history of Israel. The images of Samuel are all sweetness and light. Through his birth, the anguished existence of Hannah as a barren woman is ended, and through his consecration as a servant of the Lord in the temple, he becomes a source of new life. Today’s episode underlines that while young Samuel is serving the Lord under the guidance of the priest Eli, the revelation of the Lord is uncommon and visions are infrequent. The picture of Eli, now very old and practically blind, describes Israel’s state in relation to the Lord. Israel is in need of the light of the word. The lamp of God, symbol of the divine word, is almost extinguished through the sacrilegious and immoral acts of the officiating priests, the sons of Eli.

The boy attendant, Samuel, sleeps in the temple of the Lord in Shiloh where the

ark of God is located. This is to enable him to tend the lamp that burns in the sanctuary. God addresses his word directly to Samuel. There is humor in Samuel’s naïve running to Eli three times before the old priest realizes that it is the Lord calling. Upon Eli’s prompting, at the fourth call Samuel makes an eventful response: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” The Lord speaks to the young boy about the destruction of the priestly house of Eli. When Samuel opens the door of the temple in the morning light, he enacts the bursting forth of the word of God to the people of Israel after a long silence. The Lord is with Samuel who grows up to be God’s prophet. God brings to realization the word that Samuel speaks and reinforces his stature as a man of God.

The call and response of Samuel to God for a special task in salvation history is replicated through the ages. The following episode in the life o Dolores Hart, a movie actress who became a Benedictine nun, illustrates the fascinating character of God’s call and our response to it (cf. Mother Dolores Hart, O.S.B. and Richard DeNeut, The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2013, p. 176-178)

Later Dolores met with Reverend Mother Benedict. She spoke of her walk and finding herself at the crest of the hill and standing still, not knowing why she was there. The founder of the monastery told her that, years before in 1947, when she and Mother Mary Aline came to Bethlehem with the mission to found a Benedictine order, they stood at the same place, holding medals they had carried from France. They buried those medals beneath the ground Dolores had stood upon and photographed. “What is it that you want?” Reverend Mother asked me. I told her that was what I was trying to find out. I said, “I want my career, I want to get married. I want to have a home. I want most of all to do the will of God.” I think I hoped that she would not accept me but just say again that I should go back to Hollywood. “I can’t tell you what the will of God is”, she said. “You must decide what you want to do, and in your deepest desire you will find the will of God. What is it that you want?” Again I said, “I want my career. I want to marry. I want to please God and to serve Him with all my heart.” “You will find the will of God when you find what it is in your own heart that you know you must do”, she repeated. “Don’t look for God in some abstraction. The answer comes from within yourself. Dolores, what is it that you want?” In his Rule, Saint Benedict cautions against granting newcomers to monastic life an easy entry. A pilgrim must knock on the door three times to be recognized. When I got back to my room I began packing. I felt the decision had been made for me. God had not spoken. Reverend Mother had not invited me in. I was going home to pick up my life, and I was very relieved to have the whole thing off my back. That evening I went to supper in the refectory. Mother Placid was serving. She smiled and said, “Well’ Dolores, you won’t be able to chew gum when you come in.” I hadn’t realized I was chewing gum. We both laughed. “But I am not entering”, I told her. “Oh,” she said surprised. “Reverend Mother said you were. She said it was clear you had a monastic calling because you were fighting so hard. I’ll let her know she was mistaken.” She turned to leave, and I suddenly stopped her. “No, don’t.”

That was it. My answer didn’t come in a lightning bolt. I simply knew at that moment what Reverend Mother was trying to tell me when she insisted that I say what I wanted to do. If I was honest about my answer, I would give God a point of departure He could work with. This is the exact opposite of the way many people think spiritual life proceeds. (…) When Don met Dolores at LAX, he was in good spirits. Nothing in Dolores’ letters from the monastery indicated he would not have a fiancée when she returned. When he saw her, however, his mood changed. “She looked like a refugee, pale and drawn, no makeup, and her hair wasn’t even fixed. We stopped at a steak house near the airport. It was packed, and we were seated smack in the middle of the room.” Dolores hadn’t planned on telling Don her decision that evening, and she tried to keep up a conversation that, before long, gave way to silence. Don remembered, “I began thinking, ‘Where are we heading?’ I finally asked point-blank if she was entering the monastery.” Don’s perception was so strong that I knew I couldn’t put it off. I told him I was. “I just fell apart”, Don said, “right in the middle of the packed room.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do you turn to Jesus, the wounded Healer, for healing? 2. Do we listen to God as he speaks to us, and are we ready to do the divine will? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

God our Father, great is your love for us! You sent your beloved Son to save us and to heal us of all our infirmities. He was tested through what he suffered and, in solidarity with us, he remained faithful. We thank you for Jesus, our ultimate Healer. Let him bless us with complete healing of mind, soul and body. We praise and bless you, now and forever.

Amen.

*** God our Father, grant us a listening heart and the readiness to do your will. Like Samuel, help us to say to you: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Help us to follow Jesus who listens to your word. He proclaims the Gospel throughout Galilee and manifests its saving power. You live and reign, forever and ever.

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


day. Please memorize it. “He cured many who were sick with various diseases and he drove out many

demons.” (Mk 1:34a) //“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (I Sm 3:10)


Be an instrument of God’s healing love by alleviating the problems and sufferings of the people around you. // Give yourself time and leisure for some quiet contemplative prayer. Search deep within you and see the various ways God speaks to you. Make a positive effort to do his will.

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THURSDAY: FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Touches the Leper …He Helps Those in Distress”

BIBLE READINGS

I Sm 4:1-11 // Mk 1:40-45 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO

A. Gospel Reading (Mk 1:40-45): “The leprosy left him and he was made clean.” In today’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:40-45), the evangelist Mark depicts one of the

most beautiful pictures of Christian compassion. 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 cleansing word that brings wholeness. Indeed, in the Gospel accounts, the cleansing of lepers is a 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!” and that it is necessary to replicate the healing gesture of Christ: “Touch a leper with your compassion.” B. First Reading (I Sm 4:1-11): “Israel was defeated and the ark of God was captured.”

The Old Testament reading (I Sm 4:1-11) is about the defeat of the Israelites by

their most dangerous enemy, the Philistines, who are militarily and culturally superior. Greatly disadvantaged in an earlier battle by the Philistines, the Israelites attempt to use the presence of the Lord to bring about victory. Ever since their journeying in the desert of Sinai, the Israelites are accompanied by the Ark of the Covenant, the tangible symbol of the Lord’s presence among them. The Ark is a gold-plate wooden box that contains the tables of the Law given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Ark’s presence in the Israelite camp dismays the Philistines and it instigates them to fight for dear life with extraordinary bravery. The Ark is captured, and among the 30,000 Israelites slain are Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli. It is clear that because of the crimes of Eli’s sons, Israel is no longer worthy of the presence of God in the Ark. The horrible news of the capture of the Ark causes the death of the ninety-year-old Eli, and the news of the death of her father-in-law, Eli, and husband, Phinehas, induces the latter’s widow to labor and give birth to a son. The dying woman names her son, Ichabod, meaning “God’s glory has left Israel”.

The grief and the fear of the defeated Israelites are akin to the anguish that the persecuted Christians of today are experiencing. The present-day tragedy in Syrian gives us a glimpse into the suffering of the victims of violence and war, then and now (cf. “Media Silence about Anti-Christian Atrocity in Syria” in Alive! December 2013, p. 5).

Six members of one family were killed in late October when they were thrown down a well by rebel forces in the Syrian town of Sadad. Those killed ranged in age from 16 to 90, and included 18-year-old university student Ranim. They were among more than 45 Christian civilians murdered in what is being seen as the worst act of anti-Christian persecution since the war in Syria began. Thirty bodies were found in two mass graves. Speaking of the family drowned in the well, Patriarch Gregorios of Damascus asked, “How can somebody do such inhumane and bestial things to an elderly couple and their family? I do not understand why the world does not raise its voice against such acts of brutality.” Muslim rebels who captured the largely Orthodox town held 1,500 families hostage, using them as a human shield for a week, until they were driven out by government forces. Church leaders have also reported widespread looting and destruction of shops and homes, as well as of a hospital, clinic, post office and schools, during the attack. And young people have told how they were insulted and taunted about their Christian faith by the rebels. At least 2,500 families had fled to neighboring towns, and the scale of the atrocity has only come to light since they returned home. Gregorios, the Catholic Melkite Patriarch, described the massacre as “a sign of the rise of fundamentalism and extremism”. Until now the faithful had seen Sadad, where Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ, is spoken, as a safe haven. But “what happened there is very significant in that it is frightening the Christians into leaving the country”, said the Patriarch.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. A touch can be a beautiful gesture of encouragement, reconciliation and love. A touch can heal the suffering spirit of a person. When was the last time you showed your love and concern with a gentle, healing touch? 2. What do you do when totally anguished and helpless? Do you turn to God and allow him to strengthen you? Do you perceive and reverence the various modes of the presence of God within and around us? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving God,

great and compassionate are you! Fill us with tender feelings for your injured children, for a society that needs healing, and for “the holy mystery of creation” besieged by threats of cosmic destruction. Let everything we do and say in love and healing for today’s lepers become a sign of Christ’s paschal victory over sin and death and of the beauty of the resurrected world. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** O gracious Father, help us to perceive and treasure the various modes of your presence in our lives. We entrust ourselves to you and let us walk by faith with Jesus, especially in tragic moments. We give you glory and praise, forever and ever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper …” (Mk 1:41) //“It

was a disastrous defeat.” (I Sm 4:10)


By your kind words and charitable deeds, encourage those whose faith is getting weak and those who are losing hope on account of various trials. // Pray for the persecuted Christians in today’s world. By your prayers, concrete works of charity and concerted humanitarian action, enable them to experience the “gift” of survival, freedom and peace.

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FRIDAY: FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Source of Total Healing …He

Guides Us By His Wisdom”

BIBLE READINGS

I Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a // Mk 2:1-12 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 2:1-12): “The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth.”

The following story gives insight into the message of today’s Gospel (Mk 2:1-12)

about a person’s need for total healing (cf. Hal Manwaring, "Fourteen Steps" in A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1996, p. 264-267).

I became afflicted with a slowly progressive disease of the motor nerves, affecting first my right arm and leg, and then my other side … In spite of my disease I still drove to and from work each day, with the aid of special equipment installed in my car … As I became older, I became more disillusioned and frustrated. I’m sure that my wife and friends had some unhappy times when I chose to expound to them my philosophy of life. I believed that in this whole world I alone had been chosen to suffer …

On a dark night in August 1971, gusty winds and slashing rain beat down on the car as I drove slowly down one of the less-traveled roads. Suddenly the steering wheel jerked in my hands and the car swerved violently to the right. In the same instant I heard the dreaded bang of a blowout … It was impossible for me to change that tire! Utterly impossible! … Then I remembered that a short distance up a little side road was a house. I started the engine and thumped slowly along … Lighted windows welcomed me to the house and I pulled into the driveway and honked the horn … The door opened and a little girl stood there, peering at me. I rolled down the window and called out that I had a flat and needed someone to change it for me because I had a crutch and couldn’t do it myself. She went into the house and a moment later came out bundled in a raincoat and hat, followed by a man who called a cheerful greeting. I sat there comfortable and dry, and felt a bit sorry for the man and the little girl working so hard in the storm. Well, I would pay them for it … It seemed to me that they were awfully slow and I was beginning to become impatient … Then they were standing at my car window. He was an old man, stooped and frail-looking under his slicker. The little girl was about eight or 10 I judged, with a merry face and a wide smile as she looked up at me. He said, “This is a bad night for car trouble, but you’re all set now.” “Thanks,” I said, “thanks. How much do I owe you?” He shook his head. “Nothing, Cynthia told me you were a cripple – on crutches. Glad to be of help. I know you’d do the same for me. There’s no charge, friend.” I held out a five-dollar bill. “No! I like to pay my way.” He made no effort to take it and the little girl stepped closer to the window and said quietly, “Grandpa can’t see it.”

In the next few frozen seconds the shame and horror of that moment penetrated, and I was sick with an intensity I had never felt before. A blind man and a child! … They changed a tire for me – changed it in the rain and wind, with me sitting in snug comfort in the car with my crutch. My handicap. I don’t remember how long I sat there after they said good night and left me, but it was long enough for me to search deep within myself and find some disturbing traits. I realized that I was filled to overflowing with self-pity, selfishness, indifference to the needs of others and thoughtlessness. I sat there and said a prayer. In humility I prayed for strength, for a greater understanding, for keener awareness of my shortcomings and for faith to continue asking in daily prayer for spiritual help to overcome them.

Here we have the personal account of a crippled man who discovers that his need

for inner healing is greater than that of physical healing. Indeed, there is more to it than physical malady. There is more to it than a physical cure. Jesus Christ, who embodies the Reign of God, shows us that the Kingdom of wholeness involves more than just physical healing. The messianic ministry of Jesus, the Healer, includes the liberation of human beings from the bondage of sin. The Kingdom of wholeness includes the forgiveness of sins. B. First Reading (I Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a): “You will complain against the sin you have chosen, but on tht day the Lord will not answer you.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (I Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a) speaks of “power” – the

power of governance and the guidance of the people of Israel. Here we have a transition from the “period of the judges”, when charismatic heroes sent by the Lord have led the people, to the “period of the monarchy” when the nation is led by kings. Samuel, the last of the judges, stands between two periods in the history of Israel. The prophet Samuel has been a remarkable deliverer-judge whose intercession before God caused the menacing Philistines to rout. By his guidance, the Philistine threat is removed for a generation. But now that he is old, the elders of Israel are concerned that his two sons are corrupt, dishonest and self-seeking and will not assure justice for the nation. The elders therefore ask Samuel for a king. Samuel is angry on behalf of the Lord whom he recognizes as the true and only king of Israel. God bids him to listen to the people and to warn them about the implications of having a king. The people’s request for a king is not only a desire to emulate the other nations, but also to have an effective leadership to meet the challenge of other nations. They reiterate their request and after listening to them, Samuel goes to the Lord and tells him everything. The Lord commands Samuel to grant the people’s request and to appoint a king to rule them.

Monarchy brings advantages as well as burdensome and negative effects as the

following experience of Israel with King Herod shows (cf. “A Window of History: A Man of Violence” in Alive! April 2013, p. 13).

King Herod was afraid that no one would grieve when he died, so he gathered a large group of prominent men to his palace in Jericho, where he resided, and gave orders that they were to be killed at the time of his death. This would ensure that the country mourned his departure. Fortunately for the men, the king’s son Archelaus did not carry out the order. Herod the Great, as he is called, was born in Idumea, the most southern region of the Holy Land, earlier known as Edom, about 74 B.C. He was the second son of Antipater, an official who rose to power under the later Jewish kings belonging to the Hasmonean dynasty. Antipater was involved in Rome’s civil war, siding first with Pompey, then with Julius Caesar. Coming out on top, Caesar made him chief minister of Judea, and thus he became founder of the Herodean dynasty. Antipater made his second son, Herod, Governor of Galilee at the age of 25. Some years later, in 43 B.C., Antipater’s harshness in raising taxes was resented and he was poisoned. Although an Edomite, Herod considered himself a Jew, but the religious authorities didn’t recognize him as such. And already the debauchery of his court and his brutality in putting down a revolt were being condemned by the Sanhedrin. After a coup d’état in the region, Herod fled to Rome for backing. There the Senate chose him as “King of the Jews”, about 40 B.C. He returned to take possession of his kingdom, banished his wife Doris and married Mariamne, a Hasmonean princess, in an attempt to bolster his claim to the throne and gain Jewish favor. In the coming decades, Mariamne would be succeeded by another eight wives. After three years of fighting, and with the help of the Romans, Herod finally captured Jerusalem, becoming sole ruler of Judea and taking the title of King. He began a huge building program, including a complete rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem (known as the Second Temple or Herod’s Temple), referred to by Jesus in the gospels (cf. Mk 13:1). This Temple was completed in a year and a half, and about 1,000 rabbis were employed for the task as masons and carpenters, in keeping with Jewish law. It would be completely destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Herod also developed the water supply system for the city, constructed the port city of Caesarea Maritima and built the famous fortress of Masada. Considered a madman, and suffering from paranoia, he would later execute various members of his family, including his wife Mariamne. In 36 B.C., he made his 17-year-old brother-in-law Aristobulus, the high priest and, fearing revolt, had him drowned at a party the following year. Two years later he put Mariamne on trial, accusing her of adultery. Herod’s sister, Salome, and Mariamne’s own mother Alexandria, gave evidence against her and she was executed. Alexandra then declared herself Queen and stated that Herod was mentally unfit to govern. A big mistake. She too was executed. In 28 B.C. Herod executed his brother-in-

law, husband of Salome, for conspiracy. The following year he escaped unharmed when an attempt was made on his life. In 12 B.C. he provided funding for the financially strapped Olympic Games, ensuring their future. In the few years remaining before his death, Herod had, at different times, three of his sons tried for high treason and then executed. Despite all the violence, however, his long reign was a time of relative peace and prosperity for the ordinary people. He ruled for a total of 37 years, dying about the year 4 B.C., aged 70. In his will, which had had to be changed many times, he divided his kingdom among three of his surviving sons. Archelaus became ruler over the tetrarchy of Judea, his half brother Antipas got Galilee in the north, and Philip from marriage no. 5 got Peraea (Transjordan). St. Matthew (chapter 2) informs us that Jesus was born towards the end of Herod’s reign. Tricked by the magi, Herod sent his soldiers to the small town of Bethlehem to slaughter the baby boys aged 2 or under. It is estimated that, given the size of the town, about 20 children would have been killed.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we realize that a situation of sin is an illness that weakens, paralyzes and imprisons us in pain? Do we realize that being reconciled with God entails true healing? 2. Do we allow Jesus to have full authority over us, or do we seek other lords to have sway over us? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Lord, our sinful hearts are broken and we are in pain. But we believe, O Christ, that you are the “healing Physician”. Heal our hearts and make us turn back to you. Take away the “paralysis” that results from our sins. Strengthen our will and fill us with the strength of new life. May your healing hand and word of forgiveness be the source of joy for God’s injured children. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Loving Father,

we thank you for Jesus, the true King and the center of our life. He has authority to heal and to forgive sins, and for this we give you glory and praise. In Jesus we are the recipients of your love and compassion. You are our almighty God, 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.

“He said to the paralytic, ‘Child, your sins are forgiven’.” (Mk 2:5b) //“Appoint

a king to rule them.” (I Sm 8:22a)


Pray for the grace of inner healing. Extend God’s gift of healing forgiveness to a person who has offended you. // Pray for rulers of the earth that they may guide the people on the path of peace, justice and prosperity. Be pro-active with regards to social issues to help the governing body choose what is for the common good.

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SATURDAY: FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Healing Physician … He Chose

Us”

BIBLE READINGS I Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1 // Mk 2:13-17

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 2:13-17): “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Today’s Gospel (Mk 2:13-17) tells us that healing love springs forth from Christ. Jesus is the physician par excellence and he does not have to justify his presence among the sick. His presence amidst tax collectors and sinners is a mandate and a mission of mercy. He is sent by the Father to assuage suffering of every kind. The vocation to experience God’s mercy and compassion is offered to the entire Church and the challenge to incarnate the divine mercy in today’s world is directed to each of us.

The Fresno-based Poverello House is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization whose mission is to enrich the lives and spirits of all who pass their way, to feed the hungry, offer focused rehabilitation programs, temporary shelter, medical, dental and other basic services to the poor, the homeless, the disadvantaged, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex or disability through Providential and community support. Its founder is Mike McGarvin, a man who had experienced God’s mercy and transforming compassion through a saintly Franciscan priest, Fr. Simon Scanlon. They met at the “Poverello Coffee House” which Fr. Simon opened in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, notorious for its poverty, prostitution and violence. Mike narrates: “Gradually my life of self-indulgent destruction was being replaced by a life of service … I began seeing people through Father Simon’s eyes. He, in turn, saw people through Christ’s eyes, and he deeply believed that Jesus walked among the poor and the outcast. It was a revelation to me. The more I got to know the people who came to Poverello, the more compassion I felt for them.” Indeed, through the mercy and compassion of Fr. Simon, the “wayward” Mike finally experienced the healing and transforming love of Christ. B. First Reading (I Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1): “This is the man of whom the Lord spoke, Saul who will rule his people.”

The Old Testament reading (I Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a) speaks of the vocation of

Saul to govern God’s people and his anointing as ruler of the people. Saul is described as the son of Kish, a wealthy and influential man from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul is handsome and in the prime of life. He is a foot taller than anyone else and more handsome as well. He presents a very impressive figure at the onset. Saul, heeding his father’s request, searches for the missing donkeys and his obedient quest leads him to the prophet-seer Samuel. God tells Samuel about Saul: “This is the man I told you about. He will rule my people.” At dawn Samuel takes a jar of olive oil, pours it on Saul’s head, kisses him and says, “The Lord anoints you are ruler of his people Israel.

Saul, as God’s anointed, needs to respond positively to the mandate received. The

following article about a recently crowned beauty queen gives an example of a proper response to a special title or mandate received (cf. Anne Nolan, “New Miss World Is Princess of Charm” in Alive! December 2013, p.6).

When Megan Young, a Filipina American, took part in a TV reality show the viewers were so taken with her kindness and gentleness that they dubbed her “The Princess of Charm”. At the end of September, in Bali, Indonesia, 23-year-

old Megan was crowned Miss World. Born in Virginia in the US, she was aged six when her family moved back to the Philippines, which she represented in the beauty contest. An actress and model, Megan has been studying digital film-making at the De La Salle College in Manila. Charming she definitely is, but not at the price of her convictions. She is, in fact, a Catholic young lady who actually thinks and speaks like a Catholic. After her win in Bali she was interviewed on ANC, a Filipino TV news network. She was asked what she thought of the new law in the Philippines which in fact undermines respect for life. She replied, “I’m pro-life, and if it means killing one that’s already there, then I’m against that, of course, I’m against abortion.” That led the interviewer to question her about contraception. “I don’t engage in stuff like that”, she replied, explaining that sex is for marriage, that’s what I believe. It should be with your partner for life.” That led on to divorce. “I’m actually against divorce”, said Megan, “because I’ve seen that in my family. So I think if you marry someone, that should be the person you should be with forever, through sickness and health, through good or through bad.” It seemed that the interviewer was finding it hard to cope with these answers. Finally she asked, “A woman as gorgeous as yourself, how do you say no to sex?” At this Megan laughed and said, “You just say no; that’s it.” She added: “If they try to push you, then you step away because you know that that person doesn’t value you, doesn’t value the relationship as much.” On the other hand, “If the guy is willing to sacrifice that, then that means a lot.” She told how she chose to compete in the Miss World pageant rather than Miss Universe because of its principal focus. “After you win”, she said, “your main focus, your duties, will all be helping out with charities.” A princess of charm indeed.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are we willing to welcome fully into our hearts Jesus and the gift of divine mercy that he brings into our fragile, often times broken and self-destructive lives? Are we ready to incarnate God’s compassionate heart in today’s distressed world so needful of healing and mercy? 2. What does it mean to be chosen by God for a special task? How does Samuel inspire you as an obedient prophet of God? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, you are the most beautiful expression of God’s mercy. You come to us with your healing touch. You are the divine physician who assists us in all our distress. Heal us in our mind, body and soul that fully restored we may give you praise, now and forever. Amen. *** Loving Father, we thank you for Samuel’s obedient response to your word. Above all, we thank you for Jesus whom you sent to bring healing and salvation to sinners and the sick. Help us to respond fully to the gift of our vocation. Let your will be done upon us and may we be instruments of your mercy and compassion. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“I did not come to call the righteous but sinners…” (Mk 2:17) //“The Lord has anointed you commander of his heritage.” (I Sm 10:1a)


In your compassionate stance for the poor and needy, and especially for the “outcasts”, let the loving mercy of God be revealed in today’s world. // Be grateful to God for your Christian-baptismal vocation and for the specific charismatic vocation you have received for the good of the people around you. Maximize the spiritual gifts you have received for the common good.

*** Text of Week 1 in Ordinary Time ends here. ***



MONDAY: SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Bridegroom of the Church … He Is the Obedient One”

BIBLE READINGS

I Sm 15:16-23 // Mk 2:18-22 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 2:18-22): “The bridegroom is with them.”

In today’s Gospel (Mk 2:18-22), Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, invites us

to a new relationship that transcends mere legal observances and superficial piety. A loving relationship with the Bridegroom entails a radical transformation and infuses new meaning into such religious practices as fasting. The Christian disciples would fast, yes, but for the right reason. Indeed, the followers of Jesus exercise various forms of salutary asceticism, in a spirit of receptivity to the coming of the Kingdom. They carry these out in anticipation of the full joy that is prepared for them by Christ-Bridegroom in the heavenly wedding feast.

The radical newness of our relationship with Christ can be compared to a piece of

new cloth which should not be sewn onto an old cloak, for it will make the tear even greater. It can also be compared to new wine which should not be poured into an old wineskin for it will cause the skin to break and spill the wine. Indeed, the love-relationship with Christ, the Bridegroom, demands an exhilaratingly new vision and life-style, symbolically portrayed by Mark as “new wine being poured into fresh wineskins” (cf. Mk 2:22).

The following story is charming and funny, but it gives us an idea of what

“fasting” from evil thoughts and unkind words means (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 125).

There was once a priest so holy that he never thought ill of anyone. One day he sat down at a restaurant for a cup of coffee which was all he could take, it being a day of fast and abstinence, when, to his surprise, he saw a young member of his

congregation devouring a massive steak at the next table. “I trust I haven’t shocked you, Father”, said the young fellow with a smile. “Ah! I take it that you forgot that today is a day of fast and abstinence”, said the priest. “No, no. I remember it distinctly.” “Then you must be sick. The doctor has forbidden you to fast.” “Not at all. I’m in the pink of health.” At that, the priest raised his eyes to heaven and said, “What an example this younger generation is to us, Lord! Do you see how this young man here would rather admit his sins than tell a lie?”

B. First Reading (I Sm 15:16-23): “Obedience is better than sacrifice. Because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he, too, has rejected you as ruler.”

The reading (I Sm 15:16-23) depicts the downward course of Saul’s rule as the

first king of Israel. Through the prophet Samuel, Saul receives the divine order to put the sinful Amalekites under a “ban of destruction”. Like patriarch Abraham, Saul is being “tested” with a divine command. Whereas Abraham responded with an obedient faith, King Saul chooses to re-interpret the divine order. The victims of the ban, by being totally destroyed, are considered to be given over wholly to God in sacrifice. But Saul spares Agag, thwarting the divine decree of punishment. He also pounces on the spoil and withholds the best sheep and cattle for sacrifice. He probably thinks that sparing the best of the spoil as “sacrifice” would be pious and pleasing to God. Moreover, Saul has gone to Carmel to erect a monument for himself. The prophet Samuel thus utters an oracle against Saul: because he has rejected the command of the Lord, God too has rejected Saul as ruler. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Samuel compares Saul’s disobedience to the sin of divination, and his arrogance to idolatry.

Like Saul, obedience to God continues to be a challenge for us even today. But

some choose to be faithful, as the following account shows (cf. Emily Simpson, “Couples Face Cross of Infertility” in Our Sunday Visitor, November 24, 2-13, p. 6-8).

For millions of Americans – as many as one-sixth of married couples – the face of the childless life remains what it always was, with the cross of infertility weighing all the heavier in a culture that no longer recognizes it as such. That cross, in many ways, is a cross of shattered expectations … The cross of infertility also brings with it a cross of seemingly endless doctor’s visits. (…) Most couples trying unsuccessfully to conceive face those challenges. Catholic couples, however, face additional ones. First, they have to accept (then explain to others) that some options open to non-Catholics are off the table. “Everyone wants to know why we won’t try in-vitro fertilization”, said Jennifer Dornbush. “Especially when it’s the last viable medical option. They don’t understand why Catholics can’t go that route. Even when you explain, they don’t get it.” Second, they have to live the childfree (or child-lite) life in a Catholic subculture that values large families. That’s a struggle for Mary Langley. Married at 37, she was thrilled when she gave birth to two children within a few years of getting

married, and peacefully accepted her inability to conceive after that. Ten years later, however, in a Boston-area parish filled with large families, Langley often feels out of place. “Some assume we used contraception or that I waited to have children because of a career” she said. “They just have no idea. I would love to have more children. I would love to have been married earlier. It just wasn’t part of God’s plan.” (…) Despite those struggles, the cross of infertility can bring blessings of a different sort. For Dornbush, the past 13 years have taught her about trusting God and letting go of the illusion of control. Langley said she’s grateful for the schooling humility that’s come with her small family. “It’s a trap when people have too high opinion of you”, she said. More opportunities for service outside the home also can present themselves.” (…) Dornbush, who works in the entertainment industry with her husband, agrees.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are we faithful to our covenant with Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church? How? 2. Do we believe that an interior attitude of obedience is better than external “sacrifice”? How do we live out our total obedience to God in daily life? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, when you took on flesh, you made a marriage of mankind with God. Help us to be faithful to your word. Give us the grace to persevere until you call us to the heavenly marriage feast. We love you and adore you; we praise and serve you, forever and ever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, help us to give you the total obedience of our heart and life. We love you and adore you; we praise and serve you, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “New wine is poured into new wineskins.” (Mk 2:22) //“Obedience is better than

sacrifice.” (I Sm 15:22) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

When you attend a wedding, pay attention to the text and rituals used in the celebration, and see how they evoke the nuptial relationship between Christ and his Body, the Church. // When confronted with difficult choices for God in daily life, ask him to grant you the grace of an obedient heart.

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TUESDAY: SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Lord of the Sabbath … He Is God’s

Anointed”

BIBLE READINGS I Sm 16:1-13 // Mk 2:23-28

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 2:23-28): “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for Sabbath.”

The wind was howling when I opened the gate. The village leader asked shelter

for women and children from an impending typhoon. I presented the urgent request to the Superior. She acted promptly with good judgment and compassion. We prepared a place for the evacuees. This happened in the 1970s when rules for convent enclosure were strictly enforced. Indeed, we felt that in a crisis situation charity takes precedence over cloister rules.

Today’s Gospel (Mk 2:23-28) presents Jesus as Lord even of the Sabbath. Like

David, who disregarded the sanctity of the tabernacle to feed his men, Jesus manifests the same freedom and sensitivity to the needs of others. He shows that genuine human need subsumes norms governing human life and conduct. Rules are meant for the total good of the human person and the spirit of charity must prevail over all. Wisely guided by the

principle – The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath – Christians cannot be too-rigid or too-lax in the observance of rules that promote the individual and the common good. B. First Reading (I Sm 16:1-13): “Samuel anointed David in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him.”

The Old Testament reading (I Sm 16:1-13) is about the election and anointing of

an insignificant shepherd boy as the one to replace Saul as king of Israel. God has rejected the disobedient and presumptuous Saul. Following the divine order, the prophet Samuel anoints David, the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem. The least likely candidate among Jesse’s sons is God’s chosen one. At the anointing, the spirit of the Lord comes mightily upon David who is empowered to shepherd God’s flock. The God who chooses David to guide his people is the same loving God who calls forth the entire creation and all peoples into existence. The Lord God is the font of vocation. He is the author of the saving plan to redeem mankind through his Servant-Son Jesus Christ, the ultimate “Chosen One”.

The vocation and “anointing” of servants of God continue through salvation

history. Here is a modern-day example (cf. Susan Hines-Brigger, “The Iron Friar” in St. Anthony Messenger, November 2013, p. 6).

For Father Daniel Callahan, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement, exercising is a good way to connect his physical and spiritual health. He says it’s also a wonderful time to pray, pointing out that even Jesus went off into the desert to pray. “It’s my desert”, he says. “It’s a place to go and be with the Lord. I can talk to God.” In fact, it was in a swimming pool where he had his conversion experience. Father Dan began searching for his spiritual home. He visited Graymore, the home of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, in Garrison, New York, in 1978 and joined the community two years later. After six years, he professed his final vows and was ordained the following year. While he was ministering in South Central Los Angeles, his sister and brother-in-law invited him to do a triathlon. Father Dan had never done one and hadn’t trained, but figured he could swim, run, and bike, so why not? Soon after his time in Los Angeles, Father Dan was assigned as chaplain at St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment and Recovery Center in Saranac Lake, New York. It was at a triathlon in Lake Placid, New York, that Father Dan began celebrating Mass for the athletes. “I was one of the athletes and preached in a way that would bring the race into the Gospel”, he says. (…) He says running provides him with an opportunity to be accessible to people who may not connect with him on a faith level, but as an athlete. He appreciates the

opportunity “to be able to meet them and bring them around to a deeper awareness of who Jesus Christ is, and to help people wake up to the presence and reality we have so immediately available to us because of God’s love and humility.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. What is our attitude towards the rules and norms in society and in the Church? 2. Do we pray for and give our generous collaboration to those chosen and anointed by God for the service of his people? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving Father, teach us the wisdom and compassion of Jesus that we may understand the meaning of the law in the Church. Rules are meant for the well-being of the person and to promote the common good. Grant us the freedom of the spirit and the charity that never fails. We surrender to your all-embracing care. We thank and bless you, now and forever. Amen. *** O loving Father, grant your abundant blessings upon your “anointed” ones that they may faithfully serve the flock entrusted to their care. We thank and bless you, now and forever. Amen.




“The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mk 2:28) //“Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him.” (I Sm 16:13)


Make an effort to understand, memorize and put into practice the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Catholic Church. // Give a word of encouragement to your pastor and the priests ministering in your parish.

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WEDNESDAY: SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: His Healing Love Transcends Barriers … He”

BIBLE READINGS I Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51 // Mk 3:1-6

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 3:1-6): “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to save life rather than to destroy it?”

In today’s Gospel (Mk 3:1-6), Jesus is angered and grieved at the hardness of

heart of the Pharisees who object to his healing ministry on a Sabbath. Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, declares that the Sabbath is made for man and not the other way around. He performs healings even on a Sabbath for he feels it is better to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, and to save life rather than to destroy it. His saving love is totally inclusive and greatly transcending. His saving works could not be restricted by a narrow-minded view of the Sabbath observance. There is no time or day when Jesus feels restricted to heal the sick and serve the needy. Jesus breaks down false restrictions and man-made barriers that militate against human well-being and dignity.

The following story illustrates the need to follow the non-restrictive stance of

Christ and the necessity of overcoming barriers of alienation in our community (cf. Bill Zalot, “I Belong!” in The Word Among Us, Advent 2011, p. 62-65).

You Don’t Belong: Until I was twelve, I felt like a valued member of the church. This had a lot to do with the fact that my home parish was founded just before I was born and that for years, until a church could be built, we had Mass in the gymnasium of the parish school. The place was easily accessible to people like me who needed wheelchairs. I felt an intimacy and closeness to God there that I will never forget. There was no barrier, no silent sign telling me I didn’t belong. Everything changed with the opening of our new church in 1988. Suddenly, the place where I always felt accepted became the place where I felt most rejected.

This building had no way for me to get inside. There was no wheelchair ramp – just two flight of steps that said, You don’t belong. Our pastor’s attitude affirmed my sense of rejection. “There’s no need to bring him here”, he would tell my parents. Thankfully, they ignored his advice and found ways to get me to Sunday Mass. Still his words angered me. I became determined to attend Mass – both to defy him and to obey a God who I thought would condemn me if I missed. Inside, though, I grew increasingly bitter and withdrawn. Unbound! It took the help of other priests – a college chaplain, as well as those who succeeded our founding pastor – to reverse my attitude. These men were more like one of my heroes, St. Lawrence. He is the third century Roman martyr who saw the lame, the blind, and the poor members of the church as its true treasures. With their encouragement, I began to participate in parish life and to discover a God of mercy who loves me and welcomes me as I am. In the process, I came to realize that I couldn’t let physical barriers dictate my mood. It was my responsibility to determine whether I would be positive and caring or negative and bitter. It was something I could choose to do. Just as I could freely choose to use my wheelchair to get around, I didn’t have to let anger and resentment keep me from moving forward with the Lord. This realization made a huge difference in my life. For one thing, it helped me to forgive the pastor who had caused me so much pain. And as my bitterness slipped away, I felt myself grow. No longer was I content with being a Catholic who simply “follows the rules”. I wanted to embrace my faith and live it fully every day! I wanted to be near Jesus and get to know his word and his love for me – regardless of whether I felt welcome at church or was physically able to do the things that everyone else could do. It has been a pleasant surprise to discover how many things I can do. Over the years, I have used my gifts to serve the parish as a lector, sponsor, religious-education teacher, and outreach committee member. I wrote a series of parish bulletin articles on the role of people with disabilities in the church today. I have represented our parish at archdiocesan conferences. All of this has been truly healing for me. (…)

B. First Reading (I Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51): “David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone.”

The reading (I Sm 17:32-33, 37, 40-51) depicts the shepherd boy David, God’s

“chosen one”, now at work to save Israel. In the battle against the Philistines the Israelites are the underdog. Goliath, a powerful and magnificently armed giant over nine feet tall, taunts Saul and his army encamped on the opposite hill. Saul and his men are terrified.

Young David, sent by his father Jesse to bring provisions for his brothers in the Israelite camp, takes up the challenge. Trusting in the Lord, David’s fearless acceptance of the giant’s challenge shines out against the abject terror of the Israelites. David is convinced that the Lord does not need swords or spears to save his people who will be victorious. David overcomes Goliath with a sling and stone. The emboldened Israelites pursue the Philistines and rout them.

Today it is fitting to remember the many “Davids” in our society who fight

courageously against gigantic death-dealing forces (cf. Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller, “Behind the Scenes of Pro-Life Movement” in Our Sunday Visitor, November 24, 2013, p. 18-19).

The faithful are supporting the pro-life movement in many small ways. Some contribute their art, legal or medical advice, knit blankets for babies, mail out requested materials, run crisis pregnancy centers, manage websites, make phone calls and otherwise contribute to protecting the dignity of life in all stages. “It is really a movement”, said Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. (…) “The vast majority of people in the pro-life movement are unsung heroes”, Doerflinger told Our Sunday Visitor. Although many have never been heard of nor received public recognition, they continue to be “of enormous importance” with their contributions. “One of the great reasons for hope in the movement is the active involvement of so many young people”, he added. “There’s a new generation who are very enthusiastic and very committed.” And there’s no such thing as too young. “My grandchild who is 18 months old, prays with us for the babies”, said Tama Kain, who teaches religion and English at St. Patrick School in McCook, Nebraska. Kain organized students to collect diapers for an annual project sponsored by the Lincoln Diocesan Council of Catholic Women who always exceed their goal of donating 50,000 diapers to Catholic Social Services and crisis pregnancy centers. The 50 participating St. Patrick students contributed 6,056. When the collection ended in October, the students had a pro-life program and sang the song, “We Want to See the World”. The song was written by David Burke of Duluth, Georgia, a musician, composer of sacred songs and music leader at Mary Our Queen Church in Norcross. “When the melody came to me, I pictured an angel singing back and forth with children”, he said. “God sent me this sing to be heard by expectant parents contemplating an abortion.” The lyrics are a dialogue between unborn children who are asking their parents to bring them into the world. It’s the most requested song he’s ever written, and he makes the sheet music available for free to churches, schools and pro-life organizations (David-BurkeSongs.com).

When a group performed it at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., Burke said, there was not a dry eye among the thousands attending. “God is using me as a vessel to bring his voice and message to the world in song”, he said. “I have a dream that some person comes to me someday and says my song made his or her parent choose life instead of abortion.” (…)

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Is our love for our brothers and sisters all-inclusive, or do we give in to legalism, prejudices and other attitudes that create barriers and limit our care for them? 2. Do we believe that just as David slew Goliath by the power of God, we too will be victorious against the death-dealing forces in our society today through divine grace? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Thank you, loving Jesus, for your courage to do good. Give us the grace to overcome “barriers” so that your healing love may touch the afflicted at any moment and at any place. Fill us with your all-inclusive compassion and love that knows no seasons. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** Loving Jesus, make us courageous like the shepherd boy David in our fight against the death-dealing forces of today’s world. We love you, we praise you and we serve you, now and forever. Amen.




“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” (Mk 3:4) //“The battle is the Lord’s.” (I Sm 17:47)


Resolve to help the disabled and other people who are physically challenged and enable them to experience the healing power of God. // Pray for the right of the unborn and for all the victims of illegal and legalized abortion. Do what you can to promote the pro-life movement.

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THURSDAY: SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: His Touch Heals … He Is a True Friend”

BIBLE READINGS

I Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7 // Mk 3:7-12 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 3:7-12): “The unclean spirits shouted, ‘You are the Son of God’, but Jesus warned them sternly not to make him known.”

In January 2014 I was in Cebú Island in the Philippines to attend the Santo Nino

celebration. I had a chance to participate at the vigil novena in Saint Joseph’s Cathedral in Mandaue City. I was awed by the thousands of people who lined up in snake-like formation and were patiently waiting to touch the Santo Nino. At the fluvial parade the following morning, a great crowd was lined up on the seashore. Many thousands more were on the bridge. Hundreds of boats with thousands of devotees accompanied the transfer of the Santo Nino from a wharf in Mandaue to a pier in Cebu City. The number of devotees waiting by the seaside to welcome the Santo Nino was unbelievable. They want to “touch”, even if only with their gaze, the beloved Nino, who is the font of blessing and healing.

In today’s Gospel (Mk 3:7-12), a great crowd seeks Jesus. His pursuers are not

only from his native Galilee, but also from Judea and the border regions to the south (Idumea), east (Transjordan) and north (Tyre and Sidon). Pressing upon Jesus, they yearn to be healed. Indeed, with his “touch”, Jesus has healed the man with the withered hand, made the paralytic walk and forgave his sins, cured Simon’s mother-in-law of fever, liberated the demoniac, and cleansed the leper. Jesus has cured so many that the sick crowd about him. There is power in Jesus’ touch. The sick and the needy, through time

and space, would continue to seek Jesus and yearn for his touch, for all who touch him are made whole. B. First Reading (I Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7): “My father Saul is trying to kill you.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (I Sm 18:6-9; 19:1-7) depicts David as a victim of

Saul’s rage and jealousy. David’s popularity grows with his victorious exploits and women sing praises of him to Saul’s disadvantage. “All that remains for him is the kingship”, Saul grumbles and he plots to kill him. Jonathan, Saul’s eldest son and heir, takes up the role of David’s protector. Jonathan extracts an oath from his father that he will not kill David. Saul relents and David serves him as before.

Jonathan’s covenant friendship with David is worthy to emulate. A friend in need

is a friend indeed. The life of Saint Marianne Cope illustrates what it means to be a true “friend” for those in need (cf. James Breig, “Marianne Cope: America’s Other New Saint” in St. Anthony Messenger, October 2012, p. 41).

Barbara entered the convent and became a member of the Sisters of St. Francis in nearby Syracuse. Bearing her new religious name, Sister Marianne Cope taught school, was a principal, established two hospitals, and fostered medical education. Such talent and determination led to her being named Mother General of her order. In 1883, Mother Marianne received a letter from the Sandwich Islands in the Pacific, which are now the state of Hawaii. It was an appeal from a priest for the Sisters of St. Francis to send someone to oversee “our hospitals and even our schools … Have pity on our poor sick.” The “poor sick” included those suffering from Hansen’s disease, the medical term for leprosy. The job description, which involved experience in both education and health care, fit one person: Mother Marianne. She replied, “I am hungry for the work and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen ones, whose privilege it will be to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of souls of the poor Islanders … I am not afraid of any disease; hence, it would be my greatest delight even to minister to the abandoned ‘lepers’.” Mother Marianne led a delegation from her order to Hawaii and set about fulfilling the letter writer’s hopes. She told the sisters that their duty was, “To make life as pleasant and as comfortable as possible for those of our fellow creatures whom God has chosen to afflict with this terrible disease.” Up went a hospital on Maui; the care and treatment of lepers improved; a home for healthy girls whose parents had the disease was founded. Mother Marianne’s work naturally led her to meet another Catholic laboring in Hawaii: Father Damien Veuster, the Belgian priest who has been called “the Apostle to the Lepers”. After his death in 1889, Mother Marianne added his ministry to her own.

When she had left for the Sandwich Islands, Mother Marianne intended to stay only long enough to establish her order’s presence. Instead, she resigned her position with the order. Working with the victims of Hansen’s disease became her life’s mission. She died in Hawaii in 1918.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we seek Jesus and yearn to “touch” him? 2. Do I have a friend who cares for me in my need? Am I a friend to those in need? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus, your touch heals and your power drives out the evil that threatens us. You are always there for us. We extend our hand to touch you and you allow yourself to be touched. We praise and bless you for you are our Savior, now and forever. Amen. *** Jesus, help us to extend a friendly hand to those in need. Let us be true friends to the poor and forsaken. We praise and bless you for you are our Savior, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing

about him to touch him.” (Mk 3:10) //“The Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel through David.” (I Sm 19:5)


By your act of care and charity to the sick and the marginalized, let the healing touch of Jesus come to them. // By your act of care and charity to the sick and the marginalized, let the healing touch of Jesus come to them. Be a kindly friend to them.

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FRIDAY: SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Summons and Sends Them … Great Is His Generosity”

BIBLE READINGS

I Sm 24:3-21 // Mk 3:13-19 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 3:13-19): “Jesus summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.”

In yesterday’s Gospel episode we hear of the crowd pressing about Jesus, wanting

to touch him and be healed. Jesus had to withdraw into a boat to avoid being crushed by them. Against that rather chaotic setting, today’s episode of the call of the disciples (Mk 3:13-19) seems so refreshing and peaceful. Jesus goes up the mountain and summons his chosen ones. And they come to him. He designates the “Twelve” and symbolically founds the twelve tribes of the new Israel, the Church – the new people of God. Their mission is to be with Jesus. The blessed intimacy with Jesus is a formative moment to learn the mysteries of the kingdom and the demands of discipleship. But the life of intimacy is in view of mission: that he may send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

Jesus Christ lives on in the Church. He continues to call his disciples that he may

send them to preach the Gospel and exorcise evil powers. In 2003, I was in our convent in Staten Island to give a liturgy course to our novices. After the course, we went to a nearby parish to attend the concert of John Michael Talbot. His beautiful music manifests a deep spirituality and reveals his intimate communion with God. As God’s troubadour, he spreads the Gospel through his songs. During the concert, while John was singing and playing a guitar, the sound system squealed diabolically. The malfunction caused a great disturbance. John stopped singing and put down the guitar. He prayed. He invoked God to cast out the spirit of disorder and to restore the order needed to sing his praise. Immediately peace and order were restored. John continued his songs undisturbed. It was awesome. The power to cast out evil is given to Christian disciples even today.

B. First Reading (I Sm 24:3-21): “I will not raise a hand against my lord for heis the Lord’s anointed.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (I Sm 24:3-21) makes me remember an incident

that happened in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1984. A young Sister and I were walking home to our Prarthanalaya convent near the Bandra sea coast. A group of young men were sitting by the sea breakers. One of them eyed us with curiosity and called out: “Look at those girls!” His friend rebuked him: “Those are Sisters and you can’t fool with them.” I was touched by the respect he showed for us Sisters, who are totally consecrated to the Lord.

Today’s account depicts David as truly respectful and reverent with regards to

God’s anointed. He could have taken revenge upon Saul, who has been pursuing him relentlessly and unjustly, but he shows extraordinary restraint not to harm the anointed of the Lord. Since piety holds back his hand from killing Saul, David looks to the Lord to vindicate him. David humbly presents himself to the king with a skillful speech so persuasive that Saul is reduced to tears. Saul responds with a confession of sin, an acknowledgement of David’s great generosity in sparing his life, and a prophetic announcement that David will be a king. II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we treasure our vocation of intimacy with the Lord and faithfully respond to the mission we have received to preach the Gospel and cast out the power of evil? 2. Do we show respect for the dignity of every human person and especially for those who have been “anointed” or “consecrated” for God’s service? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, we thank you for calling the “Twelve” and for summoning us to a life of intimacy with you. Teach us, form us, mould us and consecrate us to your service. Give us the grace to share the Gospel with the nations. Grant us the power to cast out the power of evil in today’s world. We love you and we put our trust in you. We praise you and glorify you now and forever. Amen. ***

Lord Jesus, enable us to be gracious to those who have wronged us and to show respect for every human person, especially for God’s anointed and the consecrated. We love you and we put our trust in you. We praise you and glorify you, now and forever. Amen.


“Jesus summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him.” (Mk 3:13)

//“Great is the generosity you showed me today.” (I Sm 24:18)


Pray for greater fidelity to the Christian vocation and mission. By your spiritual, moral and material help, promote and assist priestly and religious vocations in the Church. // Be gracious and forgiving to those who have wronged you.

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SATURDAY: SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Misunderstood … He Is the Valiant

One”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27 // Mk 3:20-21

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 3:20-21): “They said, ‘He is out of his mind.’”

Jesus comes down from the mountain with his twelve disciples. As before, people

seek him for healing and crowd around him. Responding compassionately to their needs, he performs healings, especially exorcisms. The crowd is so great that Jesus and his

companions could not even manage to eat. The situation alarms his over-protective relatives. They misinterpret Jesus’ intense preoccupation with the sick as madness. They try to take control of the situation and protect him from further folly. The relatives are appalled by his exaggerated ways and perceive his behavior as bordering on insanity. Thus Jesus is misunderstood and falsely perceived by his very own. In the same way, Christian disciples would experience rejection and misunderstanding as they proclaim the Gospel and carry out the ministry they have received from Christ.

The following charming story is about a Buddhist monk who, like Christ, is

totally misunderstood and despised (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 120-121).

Gessen was a Buddhist monk. He was also an exceptionally talented artist. Before he started work on any painting, however, he always demanded payment in advance. And his fees were exorbitant. So he came to be known as the Greedy Monk. A geisha once sent for him to have a painting done. Gessen said, “How much will you pay me?” The girl happened to be entertaining a patron at that time. She said, “Any sum you ask for. But the painting must be done right now before me.” Gessen set to work at once and when the painting was completed he asked for the highest sum he ever charged. As the geisha was giving him his money, she said to her patron, “This man is supposed to be a monk, but all he thinks of is money. His talent is exceptional, but he has a filthy, money-loving mind. How does one exhibit the canvas of a filthy, money-loving man like that? His work is good enough for my underclothing!” With that she flung a petticoat at him and asked him to paint a picture on it. Gessen asked the usual question before he started the work: “How much will you give me?” “Oh, any sum you ask for”, said the girl. Gessen named his price, painted the picture, shamelessly pocketed the money, and walked away. Many years later, quite by chance, someone found out why Gessen was so greedy for money. Devastating famine often struck his home province. The rich would do nothing to help the poor. So Gessen had secret barns built in the area and had them filled with grain for such emergencies. No one knew where the grain came from or who the benefactor of the province was. Another reason why Gessen wanted money was the road leading to his village from the city many miles away. It was in such bad condition that oxcarts could not move on it; this caused much suffering to the aged and the infirm when they needed to get to the city. So Gessen had the road repaired. The final reason was the meditation temple which Gessen’s teacher had always desired to build but could not. Gessen built this temple as a token of gratitude to his revered teacher.

After the Greedy Monk had built the road, the temple, and the barns, he threw away the paint and brushes, retired to the mountains to give himself to the contemplative life, and never painted another canvas again.

B. First Reading (II Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27): “How can the warriors have fallen in battle!”

We begin reading from Second Samuel which is the history of David’s reign as

king, first over Judah in the south and then over the whole nation. Today’s reading (II Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27) contains the sad news of the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan. True to his noble spirit and remarkable reverence for the Lord’s “anointed”, David deeply grieves the fall of the great warriors, Saul and Jonathan. He tears his clothes in sorrow and, together with his army, fast for Saul and Jonathan and for the many Israelites killed in battle. Then David sings a dirge or elegy for Saul and Jonathan, extolling their courage as soldiers and depicting the union of their spirit. Above all, David laments the loss of a true friend, Jonathan, whose fraternal and sacrificial love surpasses the love of women.

The following modern day account gives insight into the deep loss and the

mourning of David for the death of Saul and Jonathan (cf. Anne Blocker, “Losing and Finding My Father” in Reminisce, June/July 2015, p. 12).

Everybody was optimistic in 1945, sure that the war was coming to an end. Mother started making plans for the day when she received notice that Dad, 1st Lt. Henry Cochran, would be coming home. A big all-day celebration would take place with family and friends. (…) On March 2, 1945, as Dad walked down a street in Dusseldorf, a sniper shot form an apartment window and killed him. Suddenly, our merry plans for a homecoming turned into a grief-stricken time of mourning. Dad was buried in Holland.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. What do we do when, like Jesus, we are misunderstood and rejected? 2. How do we deal with the pathos of losing some one dear to us? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus,

you are the most caring and compassionate person. You gave yourself totally on our behalf. You were misunderstood, rejected and despised. Help us to realize that suffering is part of our discipleship. When we are rejected, we cling to you. When we are misunderstood, we trust that in God’s time, our accusers will see the light. Bless us, now and forever. Amen. ***

Loving God, even David experienced the pathos of loss and the caring love for a brother-friend. Help us to nurture noble sentiments of love, sympathy and care for our relatives and friends. Comfort us in moments of bereavement. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“They said, ‘He is out of his mind’.” (Mk 3:20) // “They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan.” (II Sm 1:12) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

When you are misunderstood and falsely criticized, stand firm and unite your sufferings with Christ. // Pray for the soldiers who sacrificed their life to defend the nation and its ideals of freedom, justice and integrity.

*** Text of Week 2 in Ordinary Time ends here. *** A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle 2


MONDAY: THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Was an Object of Blasphemy … The Shepherd-King David Prefigures Him”

BIBLE READINGS

II Sm 5:1-7, 10 // Mk 3:22-30 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 3:22-30): “It is the end of Satan.”

In today’s Gospel episode (Mk 3:22-30), the scribes who have come from

Jerusalem to observe are vicious. Having witnessed the exorcisms performed by Jesus, they accuse him of demonic possession and collusion. The Divine Master refutes their tortured reasoning, tainted with cold venom and vitiated with jealousy. Indeed, Satan is not so foolish as to align with Jesus in destroying his very self. Rather, Jesus expels demons through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus is the “stronger one” who overpowers Satan and subdues his household. Jesus exorcises through the power of the Holy Spirit. To declare that the power at work in Jesus is “demonic” and that the Holy Spirit that animates him is “unclean” is blasphemy. The animosity of the scribes is such that they willfully reject the power of God’s saving grace to work in them. Hence, in this sense, forgiveness is not for them.

The following story could give us an idea of the misunderstanding and rejection

that Jesus suffered both from his kinsmen and opponents – the same experience that his disciples and people of good will continue to have today (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 124).

A family of five was enjoying their day at the beach. The children were bathing in the ocean and making castles in the sand when in the distance a little old lady appeared. Her gray hair was blowing in the wind and her clothes were dirty and ragged. She was muttering something to herself as she picked up things from the beach and put them into a bag. The parents called the children to their side and told them to stay away from the old lady. As she passed by, bending every now and then to pick things up, she smiled at the family. But her greeting wasn’t returned. Many weeks later they learned that the little old lady had made it her lifelong crusade to pick up bits of glass from the beach so children wouldn’t cut their feet.

B. First Reading (Heb II Sm 5:1-7, 10): “You shall shepherd my people Israel.”

The Old Testament reading (II Sm 5:1-7, 10) is about the anointing of David as king not only of the tribe of Judah, but of the united Israelite kingdom. After the death of Saul and his son Jonathan, the fight between the forces supporting Saul’s family and those supporting David goes on for a long time. As David becomes stronger and stronger, his opponents become weaker and weaker. David does not seize power, but waits for the Lord to give him the kingship. At the death of Saul’s general Abner and of Saul’s son Ishbosheth, all the tribes of Israel rally to David at Hebron and urge him to be their king, saying: “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the Lord promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler.” David makes a sacred covenant with them. They anoint him as king of Israel. After the anointing, King David captures Jerusalem, reputed to be impregnable, and makes it the capital of his kingdom. The prophetic anointing by Samuel that designates him as leader-shepherd of God’s people is politically realized in Hebron.

The shepherd-king David is a figure of Jesus Christ, the ultimate Shepherd-King.

The pastoral service and ministry of guidance of Jesus for God’s people is continued through the ages by his anointed ministers. The Irish martyr, Bishop Terence Albert O’Brien (cf. “Lives of the Saints: The Irish Martyrs” in Alive! January 2014, p. 15).

In January 1649, the forces of the English Parliament under Oliver Cromwell put King Charles to death. That settled the English Civil War on the island of Britain. In Ireland, however, some unfinished business had yet to be attended by the regicides and to this task Cromwell applied himself with murderous vigor. (…) He laid siege to Drogheda and within a short time resistance crumbled, opening the way to utter savagery. Next came Wexford and Clonmel. At that point, having set the standard for atrocity, Cromwell returned to England leaving his “bloodied” troops to finish his work under the command of his son-in-law, Henry Ireton. Ireton’s biggest challenge was Limerick, destined also to be his last, for reasons he did not expect. Limerick was a walled city, garrisoned by a force of Old English Royalists and Catholics. The gates were shut against Ireton when his army arrived to take it on 4 June 1651. Terms were offered to the defenders but under no condition would the Cromwellians concede their demand for the right of Catholics to freedom of conscience and worship. The Puritan whip was to be applied mercilessly. Priests and religious in the city were to be deported as criminals and any who had been active in the resistance were to be executed. Among the latter was the Dominican, Bishop Terence Albert O’Brien, who had been ordained Bishop of Emily some years before when hopes were high in Ireland that a new era of freedom for Catholics was about to begin. The outcome of the Civil War and Cromwell’s arrival in Ireland had changed all that and Bishop O’Brien now found himself making a last ditch stand for faith and fatherland in the besieged city.

Earlier in his career O’Brien, now aged 50, had been prior of some of the Dominican houses in Muster, and had also been Provincial of the Order in Ireland. As negotiations for surrender progressed it became clear to Ireton that O’Brien was a leader of the resistance to any agreement which would not give tolerance for Catholics. To overcome this he first tried bribery, offering him an enormous bribe of 40,000 pounds and safe conduct out of the country if he would end his opposition. O’Brien refused to abandon his position and continued to press for tolerance. The siege continued and the plight of the besieged grew worse. Starvation was followed by disease as the inhabitants and the refugees who had crowded into the city began to succumb to the dreaded bubonic plague. Bishop O’Brien’s role as a negotiator for peace now changed to that of a pastor succoring, spiritually and temporally, dying men and women while the Roundheads continued their relentless siege.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are we guilty of jealousy and unable to recognize the grace at work in other persons? What do we do about this? 2. Are we ready to share in Christ’s pastoral and guiding ministry for God’s people in today’s world? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, you were misunderstood and viciously accused. But as for us, we embrace your love. Let the power of your Holy Spirit be with us. Help us to bring order and justice to a world convulsed with the violence of evil and sin. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, let the power of your Holy Spirit dwell in us and make us share in your pastoral care and guidance for God’s flock. We adore and bless you, our saving Lord. We thank and praise you, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness.”

(Mk 3:26) //“You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be the commander of Israel.” (II Sm 5:2) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for perpetrators of blasphemy against God, especially those who do this making use of the means of social communication. Make an effort today to spread the Good News to the people around you. // Make an effort today to share the Good News and to be a shepherd for someone who needs help and guidance.

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TUESDAY: THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: His True Family Does the Will of God … His

Worship Is True”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 6:12b-15, 12-19 // Mk 3:31-35

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 3:31-35): “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

In today’s Gospel (Mk 3:31-35), the relatives of Jesus misunderstand his public ministry as “crazy” and “overdone”. They want to take charge of him. They probably have pleaded with Mary to come and see the frantic situation involving her son Jesus. They arrive when a crowd is sitting around Jesus and listening to him. The relatives send in a message, asking for him. Jesus uses the moment to declare what true family means to him. Those who do the will of God are his mother, his brother and his sister. Jesus redefines the sacred boundary of the family in a radical way. The biological family is replaced with the larger family of God, that is, those who do the will of God, of whom his

mother Mary is foremost. Jesus subordinates natural kinship to a higher bond of relationship based on the obedience of faith. Indeed, the “family of God” inaugurated by Jesus is greatly inclusive and faith-intensive.

The following missioner tale illustrates the beauty and warmth of belonging to a

spiritual family based on the love and service of God and his people (cf. Jason Obergfell, “Missioner Tales” in Maryknoll, May/June 2011, p. 11).

Recently, Maryknoll Sister Marilyn Bell passed away in Bolivia after countless years of service here. She was a tough woman who was active until a few months before her death, which is why she died in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where I serve as a Maryknoll lay missioner, rather than in the United States. Although no one from Marilyn’s biological family in the States was able to attend her funeral, her death brought together her Maryknoll family of priests, Brothers, Sisters and lay missioners who also serve in Bolivia. Just last year being in mission in Bolivia, I was unable to attend the funeral of my grandmother, but now I was able to attend Sister Marilyn’s funeral as a “grandson” in our Maryknoll family. It was an experience that revealed what we only strive to describe with words. The Maryknoll family of missioners, thrown together by chance but held together by love for one another, is a lived example of Jesus’ message – we are all family. Sister Marilyn’s family in Bolivia wasn’t just limited to Maryknollers. The church was filled with Bolivians who had become her family because of her love for them. Being a model of God’s family, bound together by our love for one another, may just be the most important thing any of us will accomplish in mission or in life.

B. First Reading (II Sm 6:12b-15, 17-19): “David and all the children of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy.”

Today’s Old Testament reading (II Sm 6:12b-15, 17-19) depicts the transport of

the ark of God from the house of Obed Edom to Jerusalem, the city of David, establishing it as the religious and political capital of Israel. The transfer of the Ark to Jerusalem by King David is one of his most important deeds. The presence of the Ark sanctifies the city and blesses the rule of David. The grace-filled event calls for a celebration. At the festal procession King David, clothed only with the linen garment used by priests at liturgical functions, dances with all his might to honor the Lord. It is a time for joy, music and gift-giving. Above all, David, as God’s anointed, is a sacred person. He can offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord and is able to bless the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.

The following story gives us a taste of the joy and gratitude that the Israelites

experienced at the transfer of the Ark to Jerusalem (cf. “A Parting Gift Brings a Long-Awaited Church” in Extension Magazine, Christmas 2013, p. 14-15).

When he was a boy, Tom Deehan emigrated from Ireland with his parents and sisters. The family settled in the Astoria neighborhood of the New York borough of Queens, where his father was a trolley car conductor and his mother was a seamstress. “They came with nothing”, said his cousin Bill O’Donnell of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Tom graduated from Fordham University in New York and entered the seminary, but he left to serve in the Army during World War II. After the war, he moved to Florida, attended law school and had a long career with Eastern Airlines. Tom spent much of his life caring for others – so much so that he delayed getting married. But later in life, he fell in love with a woman who had cancer. Despite her prognosis, the couple still wanted to get married. They had less than a year together as husband and wife. “Even though they were together for a short time, he was very devoted to her”, said Bill. After retiring in the early 1990s, Tom moved to Mountain Home, Arkansas, where he was a parishioner at St. Peter the Fisherman Church. He loved his church and attended every funeral Mass because he believed everyone deserved mourners, his cousin said. Tom also attended 7:15 a.m. Mass every day. It was on his way home from morning Mass last spring that he found himself praying about making a gift to Catholic Extension. (…) Tom knew his health was deteriorating, and he wanted to make a difference before he died, so the staff at Catholic Extension told him there was church in his own state that needed help. Holy Spirit Church had been using a run-down shack for its church building. But, with help from Catholic Extension, it had purchased the tire store and was in the process of converting it into a bigger, new church building. “He gave a generous offering to Catholic Extension to finish the project”, said Julie. “We were hoping he could be there for the dedication of the new church, but the last time he spoke to us, he said, ‘I don’t know if I’ll make it. My next stop is heaven.’” Tom died on June 18, leaving no children or relatives behind, with the exception of his cousin and his godson, Tom Devine of Laurel, Maryland. But his funeral was packed with mourners – a fitting tribute to a man who had always mourned and prayed for others. And on October 12, in a Mass celebrated by Bishop Anthony Taylor of Little Rock, the new Holy Spirit Church in Hamburg was dedicated. It includes seating for 250, along with a beautiful and spacious parish hall in what used to be oil changing pits. Said Father John Wall, president of Catholic Extension, “If only Tom Deehan could have seen the hundreds of people waiting in line for the dedication Mass. But his generosity will long be remembered, not only by this extraordinary new church, but also by the plaque inside that bears his name.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we strive to belong truly to the family of God by our life of obedient faith and serving love? 2. Do we treasure our belonging to the Church of God and offer him true worship? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus, you are our brother. You revealed to us the criterion for belonging to the family of God: by doing the Father’s saving will. We thank you for Mother Mary. She exemplifies in her life the obedient faith that makes us belong to God’s family. Teach us to be faithful children of God our Father. You live and reign, and forever. Amen. *** O dear Jesus, you teach us the meaning of true worship. Let us cherish our belonging to the Church and offer the Father a perfect sacrifice of praise. May our Church worship be transformed into daily self-giving and our charitable deeds be united with you in the Eucharistic sacrifice. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mk

3:35) //“David and all the house of Israel were bringing the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy.” (II Sm 6:15) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your acts of charity and compassion to the poor and vulnerable, prove to the world that you belong to the family of God. // By your acts of charity and compassion to the poor and vulnerable, prove to the world that you are a “living stone” in the Church of God.

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WEDNESDAY: THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Sows the Seedling of the Word … His

Kingdom Will Last Forever”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 7:4-17 // Mk 4:1-20

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 4:1-20): “A sower went out to sow.”

Today’s Gospel (Mk 4:1-20) depicts Jesus as sitting in the boat on the sea, with a

large crowd gathered on the shore. The eager crowd of country folks has the potential of opening their hearts to the word of Jesus. To them he addresses the parable of the sower and the seed. The seed sown by the sower falls on the path, on rocky ground, among thorns and on rich soil. In the first three cases nothing happens, but in the last case an abundant harvest is produced. Indeed, the coming of the kingdom of God means the abundance of all good. Jesus is the sower who sows abundantly the word of the Kingdom. The “seed” of the word is lavishly sown because the Lord wants to address all without discrimination.

Saint John Chrysostom asserts: “The sower does not make distinctions between

different soils; he simply throws the seed. Similarly, Jesus does not distinguish between rich and poor, learned and unschooled, careless and fervent, courageous and timid. His word concerns everybody.” Though the parable underscores the inherent fecundity of the seed of God’s kingdom, it also emphasizes the responsibility and the positive response to be given by the recipients of the “seed” of the divine word. We need to believe and be more open to God’s word.

The following is a testimony regarding the power of God’s word and one’s

personal response to the offer of God’s kingdom (cf. Janet Perez Eckles in Daily Guideposts 2015, p. 90). Janet lost her sight at the age of 31, when her sons were 3, 5 and 7. She uses her own example of victory to teach others to triumph over trials. She lives in Orlando, Florida, and is warmed by the love of Gene, her husband of thirty-eight years, and the joy of her two grandchildren.

“Retinitis pigmentosa”, the doctor said, and finally the dreaded day came. I awoke, held my hands in front of my face, and saw nothing. At thirty-one, I was facing the rest of my life as a blind person. It terrified me. “I can’t do this, God. I hate my life”, I whispered. How could God let a young mother go blind? Why would He refuse to answer my prayers for sight? Family and friends tried to support me, but none could understand the depth of my pain. Then a friend called. “Come to my church. You’ll enjoy the service.” A trace of hope flickered, and I went. The message of Matthew 6:33 shook me. God was asking me to seek Him first. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I soaked in God’s Word. He promised to be a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I believed it. I received it. And I applied it to my every moment as a wife and mom. My life is peaceful now. Rest comes knowing God guides my footsteps, holds my future, and erases my fear.

B. First Reading (II Sm 7:4-17): “I will raise up your heir after you and I will make his Kingdom firm.”

Susan Myers comments on the reading (II Sm 7:4-17): “Today’s passage recounts

David’s desire to build a temple for the ark and the subsequent message from God. God’s message is a promise of favor for David and his descendants, a promise that gives hope to Israel through the ages and to which Christians have also laid claim. The point of today’s reading centers on a play of words. David’s concern is to build a house for God, but God speaks of a different kind of house, promising to establish David’s lineage forever. Through the court prophet, Nathan, God pledges faithfulness to David and favor to his descendants … After the dissolution of the Davidic monarchy, the promise of God to David was understood by some to refer to a Messiah from the line of David, a savior who would restore Israel to its glory.”

The following profile of an Italian teenager illustrates that in his young life the messianic kingdom and blessing promised to David continue to live on (cf. Anne Nolan, “Teen Computer Geek To Become a Saint” in Alive! January 2014, p. 6).

Carlo Acutis was born in London on 3rd May 1991, to Italian parents who had moved to England in search of work. Some years later the family returned home to Milan. In September 2006 Carlo, aged 15, was diagnosed with leukemia, and less than a month later, on 12th October, he died. But instead of being forgotten by all but his family, his name has spread further and further afield. And an official process has now begun which, it is hoped, will lead to him being declared a saint. Carlo was a normal teenager with many friends and was exceptionally gifted in computer programming, building his own website, and in film editing. The other

side of him was his immense desire for holiness. At one point he said, “You must want holiness with all your heart. And if this desire has not arisen in your heart, you must ask insistently for it from the Lord.” At the same time he had a particular care for those on the fringes, classmates with no friends, the handicapped, immigrants, beggars and children. He worried about friends whose parents were divorcing, and invited them to his home to support them. At an early age Carlo was introduced by his parents to the lives of the saints and was greatly inspired by them, especially by St. Francis and by the children of Fatima, Francesco and Jacinta Marto. From the time he made his first Holy Communion, aged 7, he went to daily Mass and each day he recited the rosary. He would frequently say, “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven”, and from this comes the title of a new book (in Italian) about his life. His mother, Antonia, tells how shortly before he was taken to the hospital and before anyone suspected he had cancer, he spoke to his parents. He told them: “I offer all the suffering I will have to suffer to the Lord, for the Pope and the Church, for not to go to Purgatory and to go straight to Heaven.” He had a special devotion to Our Lady, and visited her shrine in Pompeii, near Naples, dozens of times with his parents. He would say, “The Madonna is the only woman in my life.” He also liked to say, “All people are born with their own originality, but many die as photocopies.” Part of his originality was his courage in defending Christian values, and a religion teacher recalled that in one classroom discussion he was the only person to oppose the killing of the unborn. Having discovered the joy of loving Jesus, he wanted others to share it. He was not afraid to speak about holiness, and he built his websites in order to lead others to the Savior. Carlo is a reminder to all of us that vibrant young people too can be holy, and that even in today’s world it is possible to be a saint.

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? Do we truly believe in the power of the word of God? 2. Do we believe that in the person of Jesus Christ, born of David’s lineage, God’s promise of faithful love and eternal kingdom is radically fulfilled? Do we trust that we too are part and parcel of this promise? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

(Cf. Prayer by Nerses Snorhali in Jesus, Fils unique du Pere in Sources chretiennes 203, Paris: Cerf, 1973, p. 133) I hardened myself like a rock; I became like the path; the thorns of the world have choked me and have made my soul unfruitful. But, O Lord, Sower of good, make the seedling of the Word grow in me so I may yield fruit in one of these three: Hundredfold, sixtyfold, or even thirtyfold. Thank you, loving Jesus, Amen.

*** (Cf. Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29) Refrain: Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord. 1. The favors of the Lord I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness. For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. (R.) 2. “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever I will confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations.” (R.) 3. “He shall say of me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.’ Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm.” (R.)



day. Please memorize it. “And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.” (Mk 4:8) //“Your house and

your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.” (2 Sm 7:16) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray that the seed of the Kingdom may find rich soil to make it grow and be fruitful. Be attentive to the word of God in the liturgical assembly and in the daily events

of life. // Endeavor to make the kingship of Christ, the Son of David, real and palpable by our works of justice and love and by our preferential option for the world’s poor.

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THURSDAY: THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Reveals the Mystery of the Kingdom …

He Is God’s Blessing to Us”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 7:18-19, 24-29 // Mk 4:21-25

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 4:21-25): “A lamp is to be placed on a lamp stand. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you .”

Jesus Master continues to reveal himself not only through miraculous deeds, but

also by his teaching. His parables were not meant to conceal the mystery of the Kingdom but to enable his audience to take his word to heart more personally and more profoundly. A lit oil lamp is not put under the bed or covered with a bushel basket, but placed on a stand to maximize its light-giving. The parables of Jesus, when received with humble hearts, are like an oil lamp that shines brightly from a stand. They shed light on the heavenly kingdom that Jesus proclaims. They challenge the audience to conversion and, when pondered dutifully and lovingly, they evoke their faith response.

Today’s Gospel (Mk 4:21-25) also contains a parable-like saying of Jesus about

the measure that is given is the measure that is received and that to one who has more will be given while the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is a powerful invitation to respond wisely and generously to the kingdom of God. The wise person who seeks to grow in the knowledge of God is fully rewarded. Those who foolishly refuse to listen to Jesus would end up terrible losers. Indeed, the Divine Master calls us to an attentive hearing and true understanding of his saving word. Jesus calls his disciples to a deep spirituality.

The following charming story gives insight into what true light means and what

deep spirituality entails (cf. Anthony de Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 161).

A Guru asked his disciples how they could tell when the night had ended and the day begun. One said, “When you see an animal in the distance and can tell whether it is a cow or a horse.” “No”, said the Guru. “When you look at a tree in the distance and can tell if it is a neem tree or a mango tree.” “Wrong again”,

said the Guru. “Well, then, what is it?” asked his disciples. “When you look into the face of any man and recognize your brother in him; when you look into the face of any woman and recognize in her your sister. If you cannot do this, no matter what time it is by the sun it is still night.”

B. First Reading (II Sm 7:18-19, 24-29): “Who am I, Lord God, and who are the members of my house?”

The reading (II Sm 7:18-19, 24-29) contains David’s prayer of thanksgiving and

intercession. In grateful response to the Lord’s benevolence, David acknowledges his own littleness to the Lord’s greatness. King David is overwhelmed that God has made promises not only about him and his family, but also about his descendants in the years to come. In his prayer, David recalls with gratitude Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and how the Lord God has made them his own people. Finally, he invokes God to bless his descendants so that they may enjoy his favor and that the divine blessing may be with them forever.

The following modern-day account of praying for a family member gives us a

glimpse into the nature of King David’s prayer (cf. Julia Attaway, Daily Guideposts 2010, p. 304).

“How’s John doing?” a woman from my prayer group asked. I hadn’t touched base with her in a while. We changed my son’s anxiety medication over the summer, and instead of improving, my twelve-year-old son spent two weeks in the hospital. “He’s up and down. Some days he seems fine, and he is. Other days, he seems fine, and a minute later we’re wondering if we should call 911.” There was a pause in the conversation. Then, gently, my friend commented, “The unpredictability must be hard.” It was my turn to pause and collect my thoughts. “Yes”, I said, “but I don’t focus as much on that now. What I’m finally beginning to grasp is that part of the point is learning to say thank you each day my son is alive.” Still another pause, “It took me a long time to get there”, I added. “How do your other kids handle it?” my friend asked. “They pretty much know to go to another room and entertain themselves when John starts to blow. They enjoy him when he’s able to be fun and keep themselves safe when he’s not.” “I’ll keep praying for you.” “Thanks. It’s hard, but it’s harder to be John. He’s a great kid with some really difficult problems. He thinks it’s horrible. I wish he could know fully just how precious he is to God – and to us.” My friend nodded. There wasn’t much else to say, but a lot to pray for.

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

1. Do I cherish the light of the Word of God and make it shine like a burning lamp on a stand? Do I dedicate myself to the meditation of God’s Word and the study of the parables of Jesus? 2. Do we respond to God’s benevolence with prayer of thanksgiving? Do we make prayers of intercession for our loved ones? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, your Word is a light that brightens our path. Help us to respond generously to your saving Word. Let it transform us and may we continue to grow in your love. You are our Divine Master, our way, truth and life. We love and adore you, now and forever. Amen. *** Jesus Lord, you incarnate God’s mercy and compassion. Teach to respond to divine goodness with thanksgiving. Help us to intercede for our needy loved ones. We praise and serve you, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “Is a lamp not to be placed on a lamp stand?” (Mk 4:21) //“Bless the house of

your servant that it may be before you forever.” (II Sm 7:29) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Make an effort to study and meditate upon the Gospel parables. // Be grateful to God for blessings received and humbly intercede for the needs of your family members and loved ones.

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FRIDAY: THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Makes the Seed Grow … He Brings

about Fruits of Conversion”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 // Mk 4:26-34

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 4:26-34): “A man scatters seed on the land and would sleep and the seed would sprout and grow; he knows not how.”

The farming images we have in today’s reading (Mk 4:26-34) are beautiful and

powerfully symbolic. The parable of the growing seed while the farmer sleeps (verses 26-29) teaches us that the growth of the Kingdom is inevitable and that it is God’s initiative. The image of the sleeping farmer shatters the illusion of those who believe that the coming of the Kingdom is under human control. The Kingdom grows by the power of God. Like a seed that breaks forth from the ground, God’s Reign has already irrupted into the world through Jesus’ ministry.

The parable of the mustard seed (verses 30-34) underlines the contrast between an

insignificant beginning and the full growth of God’s kingdom. The tiny seed grows into a full-blown tree. This symbolizes the organic continuity between Jesus’ ministry, so disappointing to Israel’s hopes, and the future of the Kingdom of God, that would encompass both the Israelites and the Gentiles – indeed peoples from all nations and cultures.

We are called to promote the growth of the Kingdom of God and the integration

of creation. The following story illustrates the value of our personal contribution to bringing about the fruition of the divine saving plan (cf. Fr. Eric Haarer, “The Old Man in the Plaza” in Catholic Digest, July-August 2011, p.66-67).

Barcelona, Spain is an amazing city … I had been walking all day and it was hot, in the 80s. I wanted a rest away from the hustle and bustle, so I ambled down a side street and sat on a low wall in a tiny plaza near the Gothic Quarter. To my right was a small fountain, basically a pipe in the wall that spilled drinking water into a cement basin. In front of me stood a sickly looking sapling. It received little light in this narrow plaza, and its leaves were drooping and discolored from thirst and exhaust. An older, well-dressed gentleman at the fountain was filling an empty plastic soda bottle. He walked over to the tree and poured the water at its base. He returned to the fountain for more, and again watered the tree. And

again. And again. I stopped counting after 12 trips and was on my way before he finished. This simple act of kindness touched me deeply. It reminded me of something Mother Teresa said about her work in India: “We don’t do great things; we do small things with great love”. (…) This gentle man was tending the Earth, and in this “small thing done with great love”, he did his part to bring hope and new life into the world. Certainly he brought it to one foot-sore pilgrim.

B. First Reading (II Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17): “You have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife (see II Sm 12:10).”

The reading (II Sm 11:1-4a, 5-10a) depicts David’s corruption and sin. While his

army is out to war, the king stays in Jerusalem. One idle afternoon after taking a nap and while walking about on the palace roof, David spots the beautiful Bathsheba taking a bath in her house. He sends for her and makes love to her. The fact that Bathsheba is the wife of one of his army officers does not deter him from possessing her. Bathsheba becomes pregnant and the king devises an elaborate ploy to cover his paternity. He sends for Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, and makes three attempts to send him to sleep with his wife. Uriah’s moral uprightness contrasts with David’s lust and evil design. When asked why he does not go home to his wife after a long absence, Uriah answers King David: “The men of Israel and Judah are away in battle and the Covenant Box is with them; my commander Joab and his officers are camping out in the open. How could I go home, eat and drink, and sleep with my wife? By all that’s sacred, I swear that I could never do such a thing!” In frustration, David devises a way out by instigating Uriah’s death under a cloak of war. David adds salt to injury by sending the “death command” to his general Joab in a letter carried by the victim himself. The crime of David, God’s anointed one, is hateful. His adultery and murder call for judgment.

David’s lust caused him to commit one sin after another. The life of Saint Mary of Egypt (died c. 421 A.D.) likewise shows the unfortunate consequences of an unbridled sexual passion (cf. “St. Mary of Egypt: A Saint to Invoke against Sexual Promiscuity” in Our Sunday Visitor Special Supplement 2013, p. 14-16)

The sexual revolution of the 1960s dramatically altered the moral landscape of the Western world. But of course, sexual promiscuity was not invented in the 1960s; it has always been with us, although it may have been more rampant in some places and some periods of history than others. St. Mary of Egypt was born into a family of Egyptian Christians. At age 12, she ran away from home and went to live in Alexandria, the most cosmopolitan, most sophisticated and in many ways one of the most corrupt cities in the Mediterranean world. She supported herself as a singer and a dancer. At some point, we don’t know when, she lost her innocence.

Mary’s sexual appetite took over her personality. She cruised the streets of Alexandria, looking for partners. Her favorite diversion was to corrupt innocent young men. But many years later, as she told St. Zosimus – the monk who wrote down her autobiography – she never accepted money from the men she slept with; she never became a prostitute. Once, while walking along the wharves at the harbor, she saw a group of men boarding a ship. She asked one of the sailors who the men were, and where they were they going. He said they were pilgrims, heading to Jerusalem to celebrate there the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. On impulse, Mary decided to go, too. By the time the ship reached the Holy Land, Mary had seduced every pilgrim and every member of the crew. In Jerusalem she continued her usual routine of looking for new partners. On the holy day, a throng of pilgrims made their way through the narrow streets of Jerusalem to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Mary, out of curiosity, joined them. But when she reached the threshold of the church, some invisible force held her back. She could not enter. All at once the wickedness of her life overwhelmed her and she began to cry. Near the door was a carving of the Blessed Virgin. Turning to the sacred image, Mary prayed for the first time in years. “Help me”, she begged our Lady, “for I have no other help.” With that, the power that had kept her from entering the church withdrew and Mary went in. She found a priest and made a full confession. After the Mass and veneration of the Holy Cross, Mary left Jerusalem, crossed the Jordan River and headed out into the desert. There she became a hermit, living a life of prayer and penance for nearly 50 years. Toward the end of her life she encountered the monk Zosimus, to whom she told her story. Then she begged him to return to her on Holy Thursday with the Blessed Sacrament – it had been decades since she had been able to receive Holy Communion. Zosimus returned, as he had promised, but he found that Mary had died. He buried her, then went back to his monastery and began to make known the story of Mary of Egypt.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we believe in small beginnings and in the power of God to make his kingdom grow and embrace all nations and creation? What do we do to promote the growth?

2. Are we aware of our human weakness and propensity to sin and of our great need for the grace of God to make us faithful? What are the crimes and sins we have committed that keep us from being the servants and children of God? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, how marvelous is the growth of the heavenly kingdom! It is a seed sown in human history by your messianic ministry. Its power irrupts into our lives and we are a part of its growth. We thank you for the power of life and the universal expanse of the kingdom of God. Grant that we may continue to give our very best – no matter how humble and insignificant – to promote the growth and fruition of God’s Reign upon earth and in all creation. We love you and praise you, now and forever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, you are our saving Lord who enabled us to experience God’s loving mercy. Deliver us from sin and wickedness and by the grace of God, make us faithful. We love you and praise you, now and forever. Amen.


“Once it is sown, it springs up.” (Mk 4:32) //“Some officers of David’s army fell

and among them Uriah the Hittite died.” (II Sm 11:17)


Pray for social justice and the integration of creation. In view of the integration of God’s creation, practice proper waste management in your household using the ecological principles: reduce, reuse and recycle. // Pray for the victims of violence and injustice and for the conversion of those who commit adultery. Make an act of reparation

for those whose sexual appetites have gone awry and beyond control and offer prayer of intercession for their spiritual healing.

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SATURDAY: THIRD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Calms the Raging Sea … He Overcomes

our Sinfulness”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17 // Mk 4:35-41

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 4:35-41): “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Gospel Reflection by Andy Ruperto, Fresno, CA – U.S.A.) Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? Lord, who are You? Is this not the question we must constantly ponder? In today’s Gospel we again see Jesus’ disciples continuing on their journey of faith and asking, “Lord, who are You? You have power over the wind and the sea!” In this event, we must place ourselves in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. The wind and waves are beginning to violently shake the boat. The disciples are stumbling around and yelling, trying to get things under control. I do not know what it must have been like being in a potentially life-threatening storm, but I do remember being in a motorboat with family on a lake. When the front of the boat took on some water, because it was too heavy, there were screams and a bit of hysteria. How much more so if we were in a violent storm? In the meantime, our Lord is asleep in the stern. So, then the disciples ask – “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” This is a question I sometimes ask in different life situations. God, do You not know what I’m going through?” “Why is this happening to me?” Sometimes I ‘feel’ like my life is ending or that I cannot go on. There are too many storms – confusion, stress, studies, relationships, finances … So I ask, “Lord, do You not care that I am perishing?” Jesus then comes in power, and stills the storms with His word and says, “Peace! Be still.” This is the peace that comes from Jesus and it is a peace not as the world gives it. Christ is the only way to true peace. Here, our Lord Jesus shows His power over the wind and sea and amazes the disciples. Jesus is GOD. He is powerful. He is mighty. He

can do anything. He can calm these modern-day storms. He is also humble and sometimes we cannot see through the veil of humanity. A friend once told me that the hard part for God is not the miracles, but changing human hearts. It seems that in this event, our Lord Jesus was using the storm to awaken the disciples’ hearts to faith. He asks them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” The “good news” of the reading today is one that was constantly repeated by our late Holy Father, John Paul II. It was the message, “Do not be afraid!” Our Lord tells us not to let our hearts be troubled. He is with us, and so what can we fear? He will take care of us. It is our faith that enables us not to fear. Let us always call on the name of Jesus in the stormy chapters of our lives. In these times let us quickly say, “Jesus, I trust in You. Jesus, I trust in You …” B. First Reading (II Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17): “I have sinned against the Lord.”

In the reading (II Sm 12:1-7a, 10-17), we hear how the prophet Nathan, the

mouthpiece of God, denounces the sins of David. Indeed, the chosen one of God, the hero of the people and the object of God’s grace, has sinned terribly. The intervention of a prophet is needed to make him conscious of his crime. The threat of God’s punishment brings David to his senses. Greatly chastised, David responds to the call to conversion. He acknowledges his personal responsibility: “I have sinned against the Lord”. Recognizing our sin and taking responsibility for it is the first step to repentance. The key to forgiveness is taking responsibility for our evil deed and being sorry for it. We need to see our anomalous situation and resolve to turn away from our wicked ways in order to experience the gift of God’s forgiveness. Confronted by the light of truth, David comes to his senses and is filled with sorrow for the awfulness and horror of his crimes. To the repentant David, the prophet Nathan communicates the gift of forgiveness from a loving and merciful God.

The merciful forgiving God continues to bring people back to him as the following account recalls (cf. Pauline Wilson, “Confession after Abortion” in 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ed. Sister Patricia Proctor, Spokane: Franciscan Monastery of Saint Clare, 2006, p. 108-109).

When I was seventeen years old, living at home, I unfortunately became pregnant. … All I could think about was getting rid of the baby so my parents would never find out … The day I went to have the abortion, I woke up and asked the Lord to please forgive me. I was scared and just wanted to get it over with. My boyfriend picked me up at the corner and we drove to the abortion clinic in silence. We walked and waited for them to call me back. I have never felt as guilty in my entire life as I did when I knew I was about to kill my unborn child.

I had the abortion and tried to forget about it as I went through life. I later married a wonderful man and had two beautiful children. Despite all this, I carried around the guilt of that day and never got over it. For more than fifteen years I was haunted with thoughts of the child I knew I would have had. I hated myself for going through with the abortion. As an infant I was baptized in the Catholic Church and now I wanted my children to be baptized as well. I also wanted to be confirmed since I had never received that sacrament. I worked toward the day that I would be confirmed and my children would be baptized. Unfortunately, the very thought of going to confession for the first time scared me, but I knew this was what I needed to do to get rid of the guilt I had been carrying around. My very first confession was made to Father Pellegrino from Saints Peter and Paul Church in West Valley City, Utah. I practiced over and over what I needed to tell him, hoping I would not feel like a complete idiot. As I drove to the church that night, I had a knot in my stomach and just wanted to turn around and go home, but something kept telling me that everything would be okay. The wait in line seemed like an eternity as the events of my past abortion flashed over and over in my mind. Father Pellegrino called me in and listened to my confession as I cried and poured my heart out to him, I asked for the Lord’s forgiveness and felt a feeling of peace as Father prayed over me. As I left to go home, the dark cloud that had been following me around for the last fifteen years finally disappeared.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we believe in faith that God is in control? Do we place our trust in Jesus whom even the wind and sea obey? Do we derive strength from the fact that the Lord Jesus masters the storms and the raging seas? 2. Are we touched by David’s acknowledgment of personal responsibility for his sins? How? What do we do when we fall into a sinful situation? Do we repent and seek out God’s forgiveness? Do we trust in the merciful love and care of God for us? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

(Prayer n. 1 by Andy Ruperto, Fresno, CA-USA) So, Lord, who are You? You are my refuge, savior and teacher in the storms. You are GOD! I have often tried to control the storms myself.

Let me learn to go through them with You, having recourse to You when I find myself in trouble. Peace! Be still my soul! Know that Jesus is GOD and that He does care and that He loves me. Mother Mary, you know our Lord so intimately. Please purify our faith in Him. Form us into His likeness and into fearless saints. Amen. *** Loving God, when the guilt of sin torments us, help us to call on Jesus. He overcomes the violence of our sinfulness. Forgive our sins by the power of his passion, death and resurrection. Let us live again in Jesus, our merciful Savior. We adore and glorify you, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mk 4:41) //“I have

sinned against the Lord.” (II Sm 12:13)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO Offer comfort and assistance to those whose faith is wavering. Share with those

who are overwhelmed in the sea of sorrows the comforting presence of Jesus who masters the winds and the raging seas. // Be an instrument of God’s forgiving love, especially where there is injustice and abuse. Endeavor to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation more meaningfully and worthily and invite others for this celebration.




MONDAY: FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Breaks the Power of Evil … He Comforts the Afflicted”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13 // Mk 5:1-20

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 5:1-20): “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”

In today’s Gospel reading (Mk 5:1-20), the description of the Gerasene demoniac

whom Jesus will exorcise is horrifying. He continually gashes himself. He breaks the chains and smashes the irons on his feet to inflict more harm upon himself. The power of evil that possesses him is a “legion” (literally six thousand foot soldiers, plus horsemen and some technical personnel). He is beyond control and is alienated. He drives himself to self-destruction. The demoniac lives in a state of death, dwelling among the tombs, the place of death, and on the hillside wilderness, symbol of desolation, loneliness and danger.

Jesus of Nazareth, who has just tamed the sea, meets the self-destructive

Gerasene. In an act of compassion, he liberates him from evil powers. The liberated Gerasene, who is not chosen to belong to the “twelve”, is sent by Jesus to his family to witness to them the kindness of the Lord. The healed Gerasene becomes a missionary to the Decapolis (“Ten Cities”), populated by the Gentiles. He prepares the place for Jesus’ return (Mk 7:31) and ministry of healing to non-Jews. Indeed, the Good News is meant for all peoples and the immense power of Jesus is for the liberation of everyone from the power of sin and evil.

The following ministry of a Franciscan priest gives a glimpse into what we can do

today to liberate our brothers and sisters from self-destruction and death-dealing situations (cf. Father Larry Dunphy, “Jail Ministry: Holiness in an Unlikely Place” in The Way of St. Francis, July-August 2010, p. 11-16).

I also found out that there was need for a Catholic priest at the county jail … I estimate that there are about 1,000 men and women in the jail … When I first

started, I only had three or four men to visit. They were not ready for Communion and it took me more than a year to get clearance to celebrate Mass. Initially we just talked. This is where I get the most satisfaction. They told me some of their stories, and they asked questions – some of which were rather challenging. I was surprised to learn that one of them had been a daily communicant “on the outside”. The numbers gradually increased. Sometimes a person on the outside would request that I visit a resident. One of the residents on my list early in my tenure was in the section reserved for those considered the most dangerous. At first I was not allowed to visit him. He was over six feet tall and very strong, and the officers were obviously afraid of him. After several requests, we finally were able to visit, while an officer stood about three feet away and watched. I discovered this man was spiritually quite hungry. He spent most of his time reading the Bible and praying. Eventually the officers allowed me to sit in a locked classroom alone with him … Though in his early twenties, he was looking at life in prison without parole. He told me that he felt he was in prison for a reason, so that he could help others spiritually. He planned to use his prison time to try to help others find a way to Christ … This man told me that he felt so much better after visiting with me, that he was able to be calmer and more able to control his tendency to violent anger.

B. First Reading (II Sm 15:13-14, 30: 16:5-13): “Let us take flight or none of us will escape from Absalom. Let Shimei alone and let him curse for the Lord has told him to”

The reading (II Sm 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13) proves that evil begets evil. King

David, who in the past wove a fabric of passion and murder in the case of Bathsheba and Uriah, is now himself a victim of evil and injustice from his own son, Absalom. No one in Israel is as famous for his good looks as Absalom. He has no defect from head to toe. His hair is thick and heavy. But Absalom is astute, aggressive and self-seeking. He launches a rebellion against David and the gravity of his threat forces King David into flight from Jerusalem. Humiliation and betrayal mark David’s sorrowful journey. Shimei, who belongs to the same clan as Saul’s family, brings on David the greatest public humiliation, but to David none of the cursing and stoning compares with the pain of Absalom’s rebellion. David, refusing Abishai’s offer to behead Shimei, accepts his lot patiently, hoping that the Lord will notice his misery and grant blessing to take the place of the curse he now endures.

The plight of David evokes the via dolorosa of Jesus and many others through the

ages. Here is an example of their ordeal (cf. Omar Periu, “Opportunity” in A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., p. 288-289).

Every fiber of my small, seven-year-old body was fearfully shaking as we walked through the Customs and explained the purpose of our trip. “We’re vacationing

in Miami” I heard my mother say as I clung to her dress. Even though I heard those words, I knew we would never be going home again. Communism was quickly tightening the noose around the free enterprise system in Cuba, and my father, a successful entrepreneur, decided it was time to take his family and flee to a land where freedom, promise and opportunity still thrived. Looking back now, it was the most courageous decision I’ve ever seen anybody make. Castro’s regime was watching my father very carefully, making it necessary for my mother to bring my brother and me first. My father met us a few weeks later. Miami International Airport overwhelmed me. Everybody was speaking in strange words that didn’t make sense to me. We had no money, no family – nothing but the clothes on our backs. Within a few months, we were on a church-sponsored flight to Joliet, Illinois, via Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. A burst of cold air greeted us as we walked out of the terminal into the still talked-about winter of 1961. It had snowed nearly four feet, and amidst the blowing drifts stood a young priest by a large International Suburban, waiting to take us to our new home. This was absolutely amazing for a Cuban boy who had never seen snow.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are there evil tendencies that possess us and prevent us from becoming the person God intends us to be? What are they, and what do we do about them? Do we pray to Jesus for liberation? 2. Do we turn to Jesus in moments of trial? Like King David in his ordeal, are we gracious in suffering? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, deliver us from evil. As you liberated the Gerasene from evil powers, free us from sinful tendencies and vicious addictions that lead to self-destruction. Let your blood-bath on the cross cleanse us. May we proclaim your mercy to all the nations. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.

*** All powerful God, you are our refuge and strength. Deliver us from evil. Like King David in his ordeal, let us be gracious in our afflictions. Grant us victory over our tormentors. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.




“The man began to proclaim what Jesus had done for him.” (Mk 5:20) //“The Lord will look upon my affliction.” (II Sm16:12) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

By your acts of compassion, bring the liberating power of Jesus to those who are in oppressive situations, e.g. those dealing with substance and drug abuse, the victims of sexual violence, etc. // Imitate King David in being gracious in his suffering.

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TUESDAY: FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Breaks the Power of Death … He

Comforts the Sorrowing”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3 // Mk 5:21-43

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 5:21-43): “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”

Today’s Gospel (Mk 5:21-43) presents two women who were in the clutches of

death: a twelve year old sick girl who died physically and a bleeding woman who died

virtually for twelve years. The woman hemorrhaging for twelve years was considered unclean by Jewish law and thus experienced a social death with all the separation and desolation it entails. The compassionate Jesus manifested great power in healing the bleeding woman and in raising Jairus’ twelve-year-old daughter to life. The two women experienced a “resurrection” event - a passage from death to life. Jesus the Healer, who broke demonic powers, has power to destroy death and raise us to new life. The courageous faith of the bleeding woman and the indomitable trust of Jairus inspire us to trust in Jesus. In every death-dealing situation, Jesus Savior exhorts us, “Do not be afraid; just have faith!”

The following beautiful story testifies that resurrection events and miracles

continue to happen if only we have faith and trust in Jesus (cf. Brian Thatcer, M.D. “The Greater the Sinner, the Greater the Mercy” in Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al. West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p. 186-190).

On September 9, 1995, the fruit of our healed marriage was born – John Paul. He was special from the start. At his birth, he struggled with life; turning blue and unable to breathe. We prayed intently and John Paul soon stabilized and fully rebounded. A friend distributing Holy Communion walked into the room and said, “Wow, what happened? I can really feel the presence of God.” I understood in my heart how God had truly blessed us. My three oldest, Andrea, thirteen, Bryan, eleven, and Patricia, eight, did not always fully understand the changes from being doctor’s kids to children of one dedicated to a simple life of service to God. And yet they surely benefited from the renewal of our marriage and my commitment to fatherhood as a holy vocation. In early November, fourteen months later, I returned home from a conference in the early morning hours. That evening a Mass was going to be celebrated in our home. In spite of very little sleep, I awoke early to take care of some outside work. I stepped onto our back patio, opened the gate to our swimming pool, and walked out to the backyard. Young Bryan suddenly yelled from the front for help starting the lawnmower. After helping him, I was reminded that it was time to drive Andrea to swim practice. We jumped in the car with Patricia and hurried off. While on our way, I received a call on my cell phone from Bryan. “Dad”, he said in a strained voice, “John Paul is dead. Someone left the pool gate open.” Susan had found John Paul lifeless; he was not breathing and did not have a palpable heartbeat. As a trained nurse, she was already administering CPR in an effort to pump life back into John Paul’s little fourteen-month-old body. I told the girls what had happened and we immediately said a Hail Mary together. The rest of the drive was spent in tears and silent prayers. “Jesus, have mercy on John Paul and me”, I cried. Guilt overwhelmed me as I envisioned my helpless little boy bobbing up and down in the pool, all because I left the gate open. John

Paul had been a part of my healing – a child promised for Susan and me. “Jesus, why would You take him from us now?” my heart cried. Then, as I frantically had to wait at a red light, I was suddenly hit with the scripture story from Genesis of Abraham being asked to offer his son, Isaac, up to God. “God, are you asking me for my son?” I asked, my heart breaking. It was the moment of truth for me. I had been preaching trust in God’s Divine Mercy for four years. God was calling me to a deeper trust. I wanted my little boy to live. I loved him with all my heart. Could I accept God’s will if it meant never holding John Paul again in my life? “Jesus”, I prayed. “I trust in You, in all situations. I submit to Your will, whatever that means.” I told God that I did not understand why He would take John Paul from us at this time, but that I offered my son back to Him. I also thanked God for the time He had given us with John Paul. I told Jesus that I placed my trust in Him and wanted only that His will be done. I reflected on the deep trust of Abraham as he was told to sacrifice Isaac. I felt a deep sense of peace after that. When we arrived at the house, the emergency squad had also gotten there. Although John Paul was bloated and unresponsive, Susan felt a slight pulse after doing CPR. I was ecstatic. There was still hope! Upon arriving at the hospital, I called my sister who lives in another town and asked her to pray for John Paul that night with her prayer group. Over the next thirty-six hours, John Paul’s mental clarity improved hourly. Within two days, he was released, totally normal!

B. First Reading (II Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3): “My son Absalom, if only I have died instead of you.”

The reading (II Sm 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3) depicts the deep mourning of

King David for the death of his son Absalom. It does not matter that Absalom has usurped David’s throne and has waged a war against him, as a lenient father he wants to spare the life of his dear son. Thick hair caught fast in the oak tree and hanging in midair, the rebel Absalom dies at the hands of Joab, David’s general. Oblivious to the king’s request and out of political expediency, Joab plunges three spears into Absalom’s heart and lets his soldiers finish killing the victim. David’s cry conveys the depths of his grief: “My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” Instead of victory songs and rejoicing, David’s victorious troops return to the city sullen and subdued. When David allows his grief to go beyond bounds, Joab rebukes him and contends that he is insulting the very people who have saved his life. David comes to his senses and responds to the threatened loss of support by forcing himself to greet the people.

King David’s deep grief at the death of a loved one is not an isolated case. But the

death of a loved one who has been surrendered to Jesus entails grace and spiritual

comfort as the following story suggests (cf. Denise Wicks-Harris, “The Courage Not to Fight” in A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., p. 174-175).

Christmas Day came. Family arrived and we celebrated. Wilson was propped up on pillows on the pullout sofa, his hand resting on one of the presents. There was a faraway look in his eyes that couldn’t be penetrated, not even by the train set we surprised him with, though he managed to smile and ran the train around the track twice. He fell asleep from the effort. I sank into a chair next to him. From the kitchen came the clatter of pots and pans, and the smell of ham, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. Wilson opened his eyes and immediately his face searched for mine, as if to confirm that he hadn’t left me yet. I finally admitted it. My son was dying. On January 12, a gray wintry day, I carried Wilson from his bed to the living room sofa. There I bundled him up for his last trip to the hospital. He looked around at each piece of furniture, each picture on the wall, the doorway, the kitchen table and the dishes drying in the sink, soaking himself in memories. “Jesus loves you”, I said, praying that Wilson would know it. Really know it. At the hospital my own strength was about gone, and as day stretched into night I felt strangely numb and detached, almost in shock. Doctors, nurses, family drifted in and out, urging me to sleep, telling me they’d wake me if anything happened – “anything” being the moment of death. The next morning came. Wilson was thirsty, but he couldn’t swallow. The soft drink dribbled out of his mouth. As the day progressed he couldn’t talk. I remembered a line from his favorite song and could still hear him at church, handsome in his suit, singing for all his worth: “When I’m sick and can’t get well, Lord, remember me … Do Lord, oh do, Lord, oh do remember me, way beyond the blue.” Please Jesus … it was dark again at a quarter to five, and suddenly Wilson became alert, opening his eyes and looking right at me. “I’m going home, Mom.” How could I explain to him that this was impossible? “Wilson, Mommy can get oxygen for you, but you can’t go home with the IV.” “No, Mom. I mean I’m going home to be with Jesus.” Home. He was calling heaven home. Gone was his dread of leaving me and all else he knew he felt connected to. Wilson’s eyes are now focused beyond me. “Jesus is coming to get me. Okay, Mom?” Jesus Himself coming to take Wilson home. “Yes, Wilson”, I said. Fifteen minutes ticked by. My son’s eyes closed. His breathing grew more labored. Then stopped. The doctor came in, leaned over and checked his pulse. “He’s gone”, the doctor said gently, touching me. Involuntarily I screamed and grabbed my son by the shoulders. Wilson opened his eyes and started breathing again, a pleading look on his face, as if to say, “Let me go … home.” In my mind I could see Jesus

waiting. “It’ okay, honey. You can go now. Mommy’s all right.” He smiled, stopped breathing and walked home with Jesus.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. In death-dealing situations, do I put my trust in Jesus and cling to his words, “Do not be afraid; just have faith”? 2. How do we react to the death of a loved one? Do we turn to God to help us in our grief? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus, we trust in you. You exhort us, “Do not be afraid; just have faith”. Strong is your love and great is your power. In death-dealing situations we turn to you for help. In our affliction, we stretch out our hand to touch you, believing that in you we will be healed. You break the power of death. You are our life and resurrection. We give you thanks and praise, now and forever. Amen. *** O Jesus, You are our merciful Savior who removed the sting of death. We pray for the faithful departed and invoke your comfort upon the bereaved. We love and adore you, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” (Mk 5:36) //“The king was grieving for his

son.” (II Sm 19:3)

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO Pray for those who are in death-dealing situations that they may courageously

trust in God. By your acts of charity to the sick and the dying, allow Christ’s power over death to shine. // Bring the comfort of the Lord to the bereaved and pray for the souls of the faithful departed.

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WEDNESDAY: FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Was Rejected by His Own … He

Suffered the Consequences of our Choices”

BIBLE READINGS II Sm 24:2, 9-17 // Mk 6:1-6

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:1-6): “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.”

The following story narrated by Anthony de Mello in his book, The Song of the

Bird, illustrates poignantly the irony contained in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 6:1-6). Nasruddin earned his living selling eggs. Someone came to his shop one day and said, “Guess what I have in my hand.” “Give me a clue,” said Nasruddin. “I shall give you several: It has the shape of an egg, the size of an egg. It looks like an egg, tastes like an egg, and smells like an egg. Inside it is yellow and white. It is liquid before it is cooked, becomes thick when heated. It was, moreover, laid by a hen.” “Aha! I know!” said Nasruddin. “It is some sort of cake!”

It is ironic. The expert misses the obvious. And it was also with irony that the neighbors of Jesus of Nazareth missed the obvious. They thought they knew every detail about him. In purporting to have complete knowledge of his personal data, they ended up showing their ignorance. Their knowledge of “the carpenter, the son of Mary” was superficial. Their prejudice prevented them from believing and responding to the Christ, the Son of God.

In today’s reading (Mk 6:1-6), we come face to face with the mystery of a

resisting and unbelieving heart. Mark’s narrative illustrates the human possibility and reality of closing one’s heart and mind to the Prophet of truth and Savior of the world. It is ironic that the saving Lord, who would be the object of Peter’s faith declaration: “You are the Christ.” (Mk 8:30) and the centurion’s climactic confession at the foot of the

cross: “Truly this man was the Son of God.” (Mk 15:39), was not welcomed by the neighbors of Jesus. According to Mark, “they took offense at him”. They were prejudiced by the utter ordinariness of his background. Disappointment and rejection are part and parcel of the mission of Jesus, as well as of his disciples and the Church. B. First Reading (II Sm 24:2, 9-17): “It is I who have sinned, but these are sheep; what have they done?”

The reading (II Sm 24:2, 9-17) should be understood against the sacred author’s

assertion that Israel’s sinfulness has provoked the wrath of God. David’s foible is a means to bring about God’s plan of chastisement and gracious mercy. King David has ordered a census of all the tribes of Israel. David is, in effect, setting himself over and against his people and is putting his trust in political-military strength and not in God. A royal census serves two purposes, both oppressive: for taxation and for military draft. The military commander Joab tries to dissuade David, but fails. Joab and his officers thus obey the king’s order and travel throughout the country, counting the total number of men capable of military service.

After the census, David’s conscience pricks him and he deeply regrets his

impulsive act. Sent by the Lord, the prophet Gad presents the king with three forms of expiation: three years of famine, three months of being pursued by enemies and three days of pestilence. David must choose one. He could have chosen being the victim of a military offense which has a lesser impact on the people, but he prefers to save his own skin. Articulating a “pious” reason, David irresponsibly chooses the pestilence which is the most intense and complete punishment for the people of Israel. At the end of the havoc, David laments: “It is I who have sinned; it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong. But these are sheep; what have they done? Punish me and my kindred.” The Lord God, speaking through the prophet Gad, orders David to offer sacrifice. The Lord answers his prayer and the epidemic in Israel is stopped. The place where David offers the sacrifice, the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite, is the place where David’ son Solomon will build the Temple.

Today’s First Reading presents David, God’s anointed one, as one with human

weaknesses like us. It recounts David’s failure as shepherd of God’s people and his remorse for having wronged them. But it also shows David’s sensitiveness to grace and his ability to recognize his faults and to do penitence.

The heroic stance of Saint Agatha is in sharp contrast to the cowardice and ill-

choice manifested by King David when confronted with aversive choices. Here is a profile of the valiant Christian saint taken from the Internet.

SAINT AGATHA – BIOGRAPHY Honored since ancient times, Saint Agatha is included in the canon of the Mass. St. Agatha’s family lived in Sicily and were very rich and important. Young,

beautiful and rich, she lived a life dedicated to God. St. Agatha refused marriage proposals from all the men who asked. Quintian the magistrate believed himself to be of high enough rank to be worthy of her affection, but she refused him also. When Decius announced the edict against Christians, Quintian tried to profit by Agatha’s sanctity; he planned to blackmail her into sex in exchange for not charging her for being a Christian. She still refused him. He then turned Saint Agatha to a brothel, but she refused to accept customers. After rejecting Quintian’s advances, she was beaten, imprisoned, tortured, and St. Agatha’s breasts were crushed and cut off. She told the judge, “Cruel man, have you forgotten your mother and the breast that nourished you, that you dare to mutilate me this way?” God gave her the relief she needed in the form of a vision of Saint Peter who then healed her wounds. Imprisoned further, then rolled on live coals, she was near death when an earthquake struck. In the destruction, the magistrate’s friend was crushed, which frightened the magistrate and he fled. Bravely, Saint Agatha thanked God for an end to her pain, and died. Catania, Sicily is the location of the martyrdom of Saint Agatha as well as her birthplace. She is their patron saint. Legend says that carrying her veil, taken from her tomb in Catania, in procession has averted eruptions of Mount Etna. Saint Agatha is the patron saint of Malta. They prayed for her intercession which saved Malta from Turkish invasion in 1551. Saint Agatha’s Feast Day is February 5. She is the patron saint of Ali, Sicily; bell founders; breast cancer; bakers; Catania, Sicily; against fire, earthquake, eruptions of Mount Etna; jewelers; martyrs; natural disasters; nurses; Palermo, Sicily; rape victims; single laywomen; sterility; torture victims; volcanic eruptions; wet nurses; Zamarramal, Spain.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. How deep is our faith in Jesus? Is it deep enough to allow him to be effective in our midst? Did we ever close our heart to his saving presence and inspiration? 2. When confronted with aversive choices are we ready to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the greater good? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, your co-citizens were scandalized by your humble “roots”.

Your neighbors were prejudiced because you were “merely” a carpenter, and they knew you “simply” as the son of Mary. You were not able to perform mighty deeds in Nazareth for their lack of faith. Lord, have mercy on us. Jesus, help us to have true faith in you. You are the true prophet who speaks the word of life. We welcome you in our hearts. Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening.

*** Lord Jesus, teach us to make the sacrificial “choices” that lead us to your kingdom. Forgive us for our wrong “choices” that have wrought suffering on others. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“He was amazed at their lack of faith.” (Mk 6:6) //“It is I who have sinned; it is I, the shepherd.” (2 Sm 24:17)


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. // Assume the practice of daily examination of conscience to help you make the proper choices for the Kingdom.

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THURSDAY: FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Summons and Sends Out the Twelve …

He Strengthens Them”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12 // Mk 6:7-13

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:7-13): “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out.”

The Burnham couple, Martin and Gracia, who were serving in the Philippines as

missionaries, were 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 (Mk 6:7-13) is about the Lord who sends and the mission of the disciples he sent. The origin of the missionary vocation is Jesus who prepares the apostles for this important moment. It is Jesus who calls them personally; it is he who selects the Twelve to be his companions. He sends them out to preach with the power to cast out devils. Tutored by Jesus and present with him as he heals many from sickness and evil, the Twelve are sent out with tremendous power bestowed upon them. The apostles respond to the sending with alacrity. The evangelist Mark narrates: “So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them” (verses 12-13). In the mission of the apostles, Mark underlines the potency of the Gospel, the power of action against the reign of evil. The task of those sent by Jesus is to bring the healing balm of forgiveness to those wounded by sin and to denounce evil, openly confronting it by appealing to the power of Christ.

B. First Reading (I Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12): “I am going the way of all flesh. Take courage and be a man.”

The reading (I Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12) depicts Solomon’s rise to kingship and David’s

last instructions to him as royal successor. David advises his son to revere the Lord and to be faithful to the covenant. Only thus can it be guaranteed that a descendant of David will remain on the throne. The continuance of the Davidic dynasty depends on covenant fidelity. On his deathbed, David exhorts the newly anointed King Solomon to “take

courage and be a man”. Solomon follows David’s counsel and ruthlessly eliminates potential conspirators. David dies and is buried in David’s city. Solomon’s royal power is established.

The courageous stance of a true man that King David wants his son successor to

exhibit is exemplified in many martyrs and saints, among whom is Saint Paul Miki, whose memorial feast we celebrate today (cf. Patricia Mitchell, “A Samurai’s Noble Death: The Witness of St. Paul Miki” in The WORD Among Us, February 1 – March 8, 2011, p. 59-64).

Paul Miki saw sparkling Nagasaki harbor coming into view. The six-hundred-mile trek from the Japanese capital of Kyoto through the cold and snow was nearly over. It had taken almost one month. Along the road, villagers jeered at him and the others who had been sentenced to die for their Christian beliefs. “Fools”, the shouted, “Renounce your faith.” Miki, who loved to preach, urged the people to believe in Jesus, the Savior who died for their sins. Not all were insulting the prisoners, however. Fellow believers encouraged and prayed for them, giving them the strength and courage to continue on. Miki thought how odd it was that he was to die before his ordination as a priest. Now thirty-three years old, he has been a Jesuit brother in training for eleven years. His eloquent and fervent preaching has led to many conversions. Yet he would never celebrate Mass; never raise the consecrated Host in his own hands. Flourishing Faith: His thoughts often turned to his family. Miki had been born and raised near Kyoto in comfortable surroundings, the son of a brave samurai. A fellow Jesuit, Francis Xavier, had come to Japan forty-eight years earlier, in 1549, and his message of a loving God had won over hundreds of thousands of Japanese. Miki’s parents converted in 1568, when Paul was four. They nurtured his faith and sent him to Jesuit schools; he never doubted his vocation to the priesthood. The seeds planted by Xavier flourished, but only when it suited the reigning ruler. The military leader Oda Nobunaga allowed the missionaries to preach because he wanted to challenge the power of the Buddhist monks and he was interested in foreign trade. But the next ruler, Toyotumi Hideyoshi, became nervous as more and more Japanese turned to Christ. Christianity was a religion of foreigners, very different from Buddhism or the native Shintoism, which enshrined numerous minor gods. Japan feared conquest by the West. So Hideyoshi worried: What if these foreign missionaries came not to bring their God but their soldiers? Blessed Are the Persecuted: In the fall of 1596, a Spanish ship crashed into the coast of Japan. While Japanese officials confiscated its cargo, an arrogant remark by the ship’s captain was interpreted to mean that missionaries intended to help Spain conquer Japan. Hideyoshi quickly ordered the arrest of several priests and laymen who had come from the Spanish Philippines to evangelize. He

was convinced that a public bloodbath would put an end to this religion of the West. Although a native, Miki was among those who would serve as Hideyoshi’s warning. On the day after Christmas in 1596, police came to the Jesuit residence in Osaka, and took Miki and two other novices. In prison, they were joined by six Franciscans and fifteen members of the Franciscan third order. A week later, the prisoners were led into the Kyoto public square, where the sentence was pronounced: death by crucifixion. Miki’s heart soared. What an honor to imitate his Lord! Each man then stood by Hideyoshi’s samurai as a portion of his left ear was cut off. It was Miki’s turn, and searing pain shot through his head – the first blood to be spilled for Christ. Then the forced march to Nagasaki began. The Road to the Cross: Under a feudal lord, Nagasaki has become a Christian town, with Jesuits running schools, churches, and homes for the poor. As the caravan entered, thousands of Christians lined the streets. For the twenty-six prisoners (two more had been added to the group), it was like coming home! If Hideyoshi had intended the crucifixion to scare people away from Christianity, his plan was having the opposite effect. On the morning of February 5, Miki and the others were led up Nishizaka Hill. One side of the road, where common criminals were executed was covered with human remains; the other was covered with new, green wheat. The government official in charge of the executions had decided to give the martyrs a more decent killing field, and the wheat would be a carpet for their crosses. Lying on the ground were twenty-six crosses, each one tailor-made for one of the martyrs. Seeing them, the prisoners began singing the Te Deum, the church’s traditional hymn of thanksgiving. Three youngsters in the group – thirteen-year-olds Thomas Kozaki and Anthony Deynan, and twelve-year-old Louis Ibaraki – raced ahead to find the crosses that fit their small frames. One by one, on their knees, the martyrs embraced their crosses – their way to perfection. Soldiers tied them on with metal bands and ropes. Then the crosses were lifted and slid into holes in the ground – twenty-six stretching in a row from the bay to the road. The martyrs raised their eyes to heaven and sang, “Praise the Lord, ye children of the Lord.” The Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus of the Mass echoed down the hill. One of the prisoners chanted, “Jesus, Mary. Jesus, Mary”. The crowds of Christians joined in. Then, one by one, the martyrs were given a chance to renounce Christ in exchange for their lives. Each one loudly answered, “No”. Song of a Samurai: Planted in front of Miki’s cross was the death sentence Hideyoshi had pronounced: “As these men came from the Philippines under the guise of ambassadors, and chose to stay in Kyoto preaching the Christian law which I have severely forbidden all these years, I come to decree that they be put to death, together with the Japanese who had accepted that law.”

Fastened to his cross, Paul Miki gave his defense and final address in the form of a samurai farewell song: “I did not come from the Philippines. I am Japanese by birth, and a brother of the Society of Jesus. I have committed no crime. The only reason I am condemned to die is that I have taught the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am happy to die for such a cause and accept death as a great gift from my Lord. At this critical time, when you can rest assured that I will not try to deceive you, I want to stress and make it unmistakably clear that man can find no way to salvation other than the Christian way. The Christian law commands that we forgive our enemies and those who have wronged us. I must therefore say here that I forgive Hideyoshi and all who took part in my death. I do not hate Hideyoshi, I would rather have him and all the Japanese become Christians.” The guards listened, spellbound. Miki had shown he could remain a faithful Japanese, adhere to the samurai code of honor, and still give glory to Christ. Looking to heaven, he said, “Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit. Come to meet me, you saints of God.” While embracing his culture and showing his warrior’s courage, he had gone beyond the samurai need to save face and avenge personal wrongs. By preaching love of enemies as his farewell, Paul Miki showed himself a faithful samurai of the greatest Lord of all. The Legacy of Resurrection Hill: Two samurai guards stood at the foot of each of the crosses at either end of the line of prisoners. In one moment, each soldier plunged his steel-tipped bamboo spear into the victim’s breast, crossing over each other’s spear in the process. A guttural yell, a sudden thrust, the gush of blood. And it was over. When the gruesome deed was done, the Christians in the crowd pressed toward the crosses, soaking pieces of cloth in the martyrs’ blood and tearing their clothing for relics. Only with difficulty did the guards manage to keep them away. A month later, a Jesuit missionary in Nagasaki wrote his superior that, even in death, the martyrs were still bearing witness to Christ: “These deaths have been a special gift of divine Providence to this church. Up to now our persecutor had not gone to the extreme of shedding Christian blood. Our teaching therefore had been mostly theoretical, without the corroborating evidence of dying for our faith. But now, seeing by experience these remarkable deaths and most extraordinary deaths, it is beyond belief how much our new Christians have been strengthened, how much encouragement they have received to do the same themselves.” Today, some four hundred years after their deaths, the twenty-six martyrs of Nagasaki continue to inspire people. They are canonized saints now, and the place is a pilgrimage destination, with a church, museum, and bronze monument. Pope John Paul II visited the site in 1981 and named it “Resurrection Hill”. On the eve of his execution, thirteen-year-old Thomas Kozaki, who was to die with his father, wrote a farewell letter to his mother. Full of simple yet steadfast faith, the power of this letter, like the power of the cross, has not diminished over

the years: “Dear Mother: Dad and I are going to heaven. There we shall wait for you. Do not be discouraged even if all the priests are killed. Bear all sorrow for our Lord and do not forget you are now on the true road to heaven. You must not put my smaller brothers in pagan families. Educate them yourself. These are the dying wishes of father and son. Goodbye, Mother dear. Goodbye.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. As Christian disciples today, are we as trusting in God as Jesus called his Twelve to be? What is the specific apostolic mission entrusted to us by Christ today? Do we believe in the Gospel – its power of action against the forces of evil? 2. Do we endeavor to be courageous and strong in the Lord? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, you have called us personally to yourself and given us the Gospel with its power to overcome the forces of evil. Give us the grace to proclaim repentance and to heal the sick with the power of your love. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Jesus Lord, Give us the grace to be faithful to God’s commands. Let us grow in full stature with you. Make us strong and courageous in serving you in our needy brothers and sisters. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out.” (Mk 6:7) //“Take courage and be a man.” (I Kgs 2:2)


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. // That you may grow steadfast in the Lord resolve to find time for quiet prayer and the examination of the heart.

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FRIDAY: FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is a Victim for Truth and Justice” …

He Is the Object of our Praise”

BIBLE READINGS

Sir 47:2-11 // Mk 6:14-29 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:14-29): “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”

The death of John the Baptist narrated in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 6:14-29)

foretells Jesus’ own death. Herodias is vengeful because John has confronted her illicit husband, Herod, with the unsettling truth: “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife”. Determined to put John to death and resorting to devious ways, Herodias instigates her daughter to ask for his head. The revenge is made possible by feckless Herod who tries to impress others during his birthday party. Though fascinated by John, whom he knows as righteous and holy, his braggadocio gets the better of him. He is deeply distressed. But because of the senseless oath he has made to the girl in front of the guests, he has to give her John’s head on a platter. Herod dispatches an executioner to behead the prophet. Herod’s birthday party thus becomes a bloody orgy. Evoking the death and burial of Jesus, the disciples of John come and take the body and lay it in a tomb.

The martyrdom of John the Baptist, which points to the ultimate witnessing of

Jesus, invites us to share deeply in the paschal sacrifice of our Savior. Like John the Baptist, we too are called to manifest to the world the passion and death of Jesus, the victim par excellence for truth and justice. The following article circulated through the

internet illustrates the need to continue our life witness for truth and justice, in the spirit of John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Phillip Andrew A. Pestano graduated from Ateneo de Manila High School in 1989, entered the Philippine Military Academy, and became an Ensign in the Philippine Navy in 1993. He was assigned as cargo master on a Navy ship. He discovered that the cargo being loaded onto his vessel included logs that were cut down illegally, were carried to the ship illegally, and were destined to be sold illegally. Then there were 50 sacks of flour, which were not flour, but shabu – worth billions. Literally, billions. And there were military weapons which were destined for sale to the Abu Sayyaf. He felt that he could not approve this cargo. Superior officers came to him and said: “Please! Be reasonable! This is big business. It involves many important people. Approve this cargo.” But Philip could not, in conscience, sign the approval. Then his parents received two phone calls, saying: “Get your son off that ship! He is going to be killed!” When Phillip was given leave at home, his family begged him not to go back. Their efforts at persuasion continued until his last night at home, when Phillip was already in bed. His father came to him and said: “Please, son, resign your commission. Give up your military career. Don’t go back. We want you alive. If you go back to the ship, it will be the end of you!” But Phillip said to his father: “Kawawa ang bayan!” (“I pity our people!”) And he went back to the ship. The scheduled trip was very brief – from Cavite to Roxas Boulevard – it usually took only 45 minutes. But on September 27, 1995, it took one hour and a half. When the ship arrived at Roxas Boulevard, Ensign Pestano was dead. The body was in his stateroom, with a pistol, and a letter saying that he was committing suicide. The family realized at once that the letter was forged. They tried desperately for justice, carrying the case right up to the Senate. The Senatorial Investigation Committee examined all the evidence carefully. Then they issued an official statement, saying among other things: Ensign Phillip Pestano did not commit suicide. He was murdered. He was shot through the head, somewhere outside his stateroom, and the body was carried to his room and placed on the bed. The crime was committed by more than one person. In spite of these findings by the Senate, the family could not get justice. The case is still recorded by the Navy as suicide. (…) Phillip Pestano died at the age of 24. He was scheduled to be married in January of 1996, four months after he was murdered. He was a martyr. A martyr is one who dies for the faith or for a Christian virtue. Phillip died for a Christian virtue – justice. It is not likely that he will ever be canonized, but he takes his place among the “unknown saints”.

B. First Reading (Sir 47:2-11): “With his every deed, David offered thanks to God Most High; in words of praise he loved his Maker.”

The reading (Sir 47:2-11) gives a summary account of the role of King David in

salvation history. The Book of Sirach highlights his election by God, his exploits as a warrior and his initiatives in public worship in Jerusalem. King David makes vast contributions to the liturgy. In everything David does, he gives thanks and praise to the Lord Most High. With his whole being he loves his Creator and daily has his praises sung. He puts singers at the altar to provide beautiful music. He sets the times of the festivals throughout the year and makes them splendid occasions. Thus the sanctuary resounds with God’s praise all day long. The Book of Sirach also gives a character portrait of David, God’s “anointed”: a “forgiven sinner” to whom God gives “a covenant of kingship and a glorious throne in Israel”.

As in the case of the patriarch David, the Book of Sirach invites us to turn away

from our sins to the practice of faith and the worship of God. Like King David, we too are called to give praise and thanks that are pleasing to God. The following modern day account gives insight into the meaning of true praise and thanksgiving (cf. Poverello News, February 2013, p. 3-4).

Founder Mike (of Poverello House in Fresno) often helps homeless people with seemingly trivial things that are nevertheless very important to them. For example, he gives out bus tokens, or occasionally money, for transportation to verified appointments. He’s been doing this so many years for so many thousands of people that he thinks very little of it. (…) Mike was surprised when one young man, who had graduated from the Resident Program, presented him with a rare gift. The participants in the program are given a small stipend to take care of needs that Poverello House doesn’t provide. Some of them buy personal items or cigarettes with the money; others use it to grab meals at fast food restaurants when they are out on pass. One of our stereotypical assumptions is that all of that money will be spent, either wisely or foolishly. When the program graduate asked to meet him, Mike was curious. His first thought was that this fellow would hit him up for a loan, or some other request for help. As it turns out, the young man returned all of the stipends he had received while in the program. Nervous about his new sobriety, during his stay here he never left the campus to go on pass, lest he be tempted to use drugs again. He saved every penny of his stipends, and returned all the money to Mike as a token of his gratitude for the help he had received from Poverello House. It was a very touching and significant gesture.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do I fight for truth and justice in the spirit of John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ? 2. Like King David, do we turn away from sins to the practice of the faith and the worship of God? Do we make an effort to make our every deed an act of praise and thanksgiving to God? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, your cousin John the Baptist fully participated in your mission of justice and truth. Give us the courage to fight for the cause of justice and right. Make us limpid and credible prophets of truth. We trust in you, O loving Jesus! We adore and serve you as our only Lord, now and forever. Amen. *** Loving Father, our Creator God, you have filled us with the abundant riches of your grace. You are the object of our praise and thanksgiving. Let our whole being bless and thank you. We adore and serve you as our only Lord, now and forever. Amen.


“It is John whom I beheaded.” (Mk 6:16) //“With his whole being he loved his

Maker and daily had his praises sung.” (Sir 47:8) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Study the “Catholic Social Teaching in the Public Square” and promote the principle of the right to life and the dignity of the human person in any way and in every way you can. // Today be conscious of the Lord’s goodness and abundant blessings he bestows and be very grateful and thankful.

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SATURDAY: FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Shepherds the Flock … His Is an

Understanding Heart”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 3:4-13 // Mk 6:30-34

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:30-34): “They were like sheep without a shepherd.”

In 1995 I traveled about eight hours by bus to the rural town of San Antonio (in

Zambales Province in the Philippines) to conduct a session on liturgical music for a parish group. San Antonio is situated at the foot of Mount Pinatubo. The volcano that was dormant for about five hundred years erupted violently on July 16, 1991. The devastated San Antonio was still full of sand and volcanic debris when I saw it. I heard vivid stories about the townsfolk’s terrible plight during the eruption. They scrambled in all directions to save their lives. They did not know where to go and were like sheep without a shepherd. My heart was moved for what they went through. In a mysterious way, I was participating in the compassion of Christ Master-Shepherd: “He took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mk 6:34).

The focus of today’s Gospel reading (Mk 6:30-34) is the Lord Jesus who shepherds. He shepherds the weary disciples returning from their missionary ministry, reporting to him what they had done and taught. Above all, he shepherds the large crowd of needy people hungering for the bread of his life-giving Word. Indeed, Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophetic promise reported in Jer 23:1-6 about God himself being the shepherd to his people.

Mark’s narrative describes the tender and loving response of Jesus to the pathetic

plight of the pursuing crowd: “He began to teach them many things” (Mk 6:34). Indeed, the primary pastoral action and care of Jesus is to teach, that is, to nourish the hungry souls with the bread of the Word of God. The teaching ministry, which is a nourishing ministry, is the first and foremost task of Jesus Shepherd. He nourishes the crowd with the bread of the Word. He nourishes them with the saving message of God’s love.

B. First Reading (I Kgs 3:4-13): “Give your servant an understanding hear to judge your people.”

The reading (I Kgs 3:4-13) tells us that Solomon’s proverbial wisdom is a gift of

God. This young ruler of Israel – son of King David by Bathsheba – accedes to the royal throne in about 961 B.C. Solomon is initially an ideal king - a humble, benevolent ruler disposed to follow the divine will. In an eventful encounter with the Lord in a dream, Solomon prays for a discerning and understanding heart to be able to govern the chosen people efficaciously. The Lord God graciously responds to his prayer with the following words: “I give you a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now; and after you there will come no one to equal you.”

The biblical scholar Alice Laffey comments: “The first part of Solomon’s reign is

characterized by covenant fidelity to the Lord, by love and obedience. He worships at the best shrine and, from the abundance of prosperity with which the Lord has blessed him, he makes generous sacrifices to Yahweh. Often, as here, dreams occasion an encounter with Yahweh … In the ensuing dialogue, Solomon perceives himself as Yahweh’s servant and requests from the Lord an understanding heart by which to govern the people and to distinguish right from wrong. Yahweh responds generously. Solomon’s request will be granted, and, in addition, he will receive the standard blessings of covenant fidelity – riches and glory and a long life … Solomon’s reverence for the Lord, proven by his altruistic request, would merit him wisdom in addition to the usual covenant blessings. Solomon awakes from his dream and again sacrifices to the Lord.”

Christian discipleship is a loving labor of wisdom and the response of a discerning heart. Sandy Whiting’s story, “Perennial Blessings” published in the magazine Country Woman (June/July 2008, p. 51) gives insight into the meaning of a wise and compassionate heart.

Grandma loved earthy things with roots – like the fragrant geraniums she loving grew and found homes for. I walked by her house everyday on my way home from school. She always had a wave and smile ready for me. This particular afternoon, however, she frowned. I backed up a few steps and asked, “What’s the matter? Did the bugs eat your flowers?” Grandma stared at her geraniums and sighed. “That new family on the other side of the square … the Dunkles. They just lost their twin baby boys.” Being 10 and knowing little about life and less about death, I shrugged. “So? We don’t know them.” “We’re neighbors … and neighbors are family”, she said firmly. Perking up, she brushed the dirt from her hands. “Go call your mother and ask if you can run an errand with me, then meet me in the shed.” Minutes later, with Mom’s approval, I shoved open the shed door. “There you are,” Grandma said. “Help me find two pots – pretty clay ones.” (…)

Handing me a trowel, Grandma led me to the garden. “Dig up that pink geranium and plant it in the pot,” she said. “Don’t forget to put a few rocks in the bottom for drainage.” In minutes, I had one pink flower safely tucked into its new home. Grandma quickly finished potting hers. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s get these to the Dunkles.” Not bothering to knock, she placed the plants on the porch, slid a blue scrap of paper under one pot and turned to go. After that errand, I began noticing something unusual about Grandma’s geraniums. I’d count them when I passed in the morning. And by my return trip, there’d be two or three less. On shopping trips with Grandma, I’d hear folks speak of flowers appearing around town and speculate on who the “Geranium Lady” might be. When asked if we had any clues, I’d shrug and Grandma would just smile. The years turned their pages … I married and moved away. Well, before I was ready, a call came with painful news that Grandma had passed. The trip back home was difficult as I wrestled with my grief, three restless children and one husband in the driver’s seat negotiating country roads. Finally, we pulled into a familiar dirt lane and rounded the curve to Grandma’s house. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Pots spilling over with red, pink, salmon and white geraniums covered the porch. Mother met me. “I don’t know who’s bringing them,” she said. “But every time I come out, there’s a dozen more.” Gently, I lifted a pot from the bottom step. Slipped beneath the sunset orange blooms was a faded blue note, written in Grandma’s own hand. “Only the body goes back to the earth. The soul blooms in greener pastures.” It wasn’t just the Dunkles who had figured out Grandma’s secret. The entire town knew. And now I did, too. Single acts of kindness are returned a thousand times over – perpetually blooming.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. How do we respond to the plight of those who are weary and heavily burdened? Do we respond to them with the heart of the Shepherd? 2. What is the stance of the young King Solomon before God? Why does he ask the Lord to give him an understanding heart? Do you pray to God to give you a wise and understanding heart? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, we respond to your invitation, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile”. You shepherd us and our cup overflows with joy. Give us your Shepherd’s heart that together with you, we may alleviate the pain of the weary and heavily burdened.

We thank you, our Master-Shepherd and follow you all the days of our life. You are our loving Lord, now and forever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, give us the spirit of compassion and a heart full of understanding that together with you, we may alleviate the pain of the weary and heavily burdened. Great is your love. We follow you all the days of our life. You are our loving Lord, now and forever. Amen.




“His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mk 6:34) //“Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart.” (I Kgs 3:9)


With the compassionate heart of the Shepherd, welcome those who are “like sheep without a shepherd” and share with them the bread of God’s Word. // Make an effort to introduce to your relatives and friends the laudable practice of Lectio Divina.



MONDAY: FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is God’s Healing Power … We Come to

Worship Him”

BIBLE READINGS

I Kgs 8:1-7. 9-13 // Mk 6:53-56 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:53-56): “As many touched it were healed.” (Gospel Reflection by Fr. Steve Coffey, OSB, San Luis Obispo, CA-USA)

Today’s Gospel story (Mk 6:53-56) follows upon the weekday lectionary’s omission of St. Mark’s narratives of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand and walking on the water. The story of the feeding is most probably omitted because on Saturday we will hear the similar story of the feeding of the four thousand. However, there is a big difference in these two feeding stories. The feeding of the five thousand takes place on the Western shore of the Sea of Galilee, that is, in Jewish territory, while the second feeding takes place on the opposite side in Gentile territory. This section of Mark’s Gospel beginning with the Jewish feeding and culminating in the Gentile feeding forms a typical Markan “sandwich,” and is often referred to as the “Bread Section.” So this week we feed on the bread of God’s Word while contemplating the words and actions of Jesus, the Bread of Life.

Today’s story of the healings at Gennesaret, on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, is intimately connected to the story of the feeding of the five thousand. The bounty first exhibited in the feeding is now exhibited in the lavish gift of healing that takes place not only at Gennesaret, but in whatever “villages or towns or countryside he entered.” Gennesaret, and its environs, is totally unlike Nazareth, where lack of faith caused major interference in the healing process. Nazareth’s stance is even unlike the faith of the hemorrhaging woman who reaches for the tassel of Jesus’ cloak. Here in Gennesaret “as many as touched it were healed.” In the story of the healings at Gennesaret, the Lord of the new covenant enters into the place of his activity, the activity of unbounded mercy which affords rest to the multitude. B. First Reading (I Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13): “They brought the ark of the covenant into the holy of holies and a cloud filled the temple of the Lord.”

The reading (I Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13) describes the dedication of the Temple built by

King Solomon. The principal element of the dedication ceremony is the entrance of the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple. Solomon and all the people of Israel assemble in front of the Ark to sacrifice countless number of sheep and cattle. Then they watch the

priests march in procession with the Ark to bring it to its resting place in the “Holy of Holies” of the Temple. As the priests are leaving the Temple, it is suddenly filled with a “cloud” shining with the dazzling light of the Lord’s presence. The cloud of glory symbolizes God taking possession of the Temple and indicates divine pleasure in Solomon’s initiative to build the Temple for the worship of the Lord God. Thus the Lord’s promise to David, “Your son, whom I will make king after you, will build a temple for me” is fulfilled. Moreover, the Lord has also promised that if Solomon would obey his laws and commands, God will live among his people Israel in the Temple that he us building and will never abandon them.

A sacred space or a sacred building is a special place of encounter with the Lord’s

presence. The following article shows how students in today’s various Catholic universities connect with the sacred through the help of sacred space and sacred building (cf. Maryann Gogniat Eidemiller, “Students Connect with the Sacred” in Our Sunday Visitor, September 22, 2013, p. 25).

Students find quiet spaces on campuses for meditation, prayer and inspiration in candlelit chapels and tree-lined paths leading to grottoes. They can sit on benches near a statue of Mary, kneel before a tabernacle surrounded by sacred art or pause to pray at an outdoor crucifix. The following four college students share what those opportunities for quiet prayer on campus mean to them. Alyssa Terry, 20: “Sacred spaces allow me to grow in my experience and understanding of who God is and who God is calling me to become. I have discovered that my sacred spaces are not always going to be churches and they might always be changing. Being able to expand my prayer in different places is just a small way I can come to know a small slice of the diversity the Divine brings.” (…) Vince Roach, 20: “I go to Mass at the Chapel of St. Basil as often as I can, whenever I feel I could use a recharge, when I need to pray or reflect on my day. Whenever things get too hectic, I will head over there to clear my head and have some peace. The chapel is shaped like a tent, and you enter through the tent flap. Inside, the Stations of the Cross are carved into the wall, and there is a large bronze statue of Our Lady recessed into the opposite wall. There are no lights inside the chapel, so it is lit by lights shining through the outside windows at the top of the dome. I love the solitude. Every time I visit, there is a reverential silence that draws you to prayer. The tabernacle (and monstrance, when present) is directly in front, so God is always there with me.” (…) Kathryn Smolko, 19: “I also like the Mini Quad, which is right in front of campus. It’s usually quiet, and although there are usually people walking, no one really stops. There are benches, grass and some really beautiful trees. I love being outdoors and feeling the sun on my skin. It really helps me appreciate what

God has given me, and when I’m there, I want to give thanks to him. As a student, life gets really hectic and I forget that God is there to help me through it all. It is really important for me to have a sacred space to remind me that I’m not alone, and to know I have somewhere specifically where I can remember God and feel close to him. Sacred spaces are important to my faith because faith is something that needs to be practiced, and those spaces make it so much easier and more convenient to get that practice in.” (…) Michael Peyko, 20: “I like to go to the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers. The ceiling and pillars are all white and beautifully hand crafted and designed. From the very moment the sun comes up to when it sets, there is constant sunlight pouring through the stained-glass windows, which gives a very warm and welcoming feeling. I often go there when I want to get away from everything … It’s very important for students to have sacred places. Having a place to go when things get tough is comforting.” (…)

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we have faith in the healing power of Jesus? Do we reach out to him to touch him and be healed? 2. Do we see and experience the importance of sacred space/sacred building/sacred objects in our life as a believer? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, we thank you for your unbounded mercy and the healing power you bring to us. We lay before you the sickness of our heart, the misery of our people and the fragmentation of today’s society. We beg you to allow us to touch you – even just the tassel of your cloak – knowing that we will be healed. You bring us wholeness, joy and comfort. Let us enter into the place of rest and quiet where your loving comfort reigns forever and ever. Amen.

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Lord Jesus, you are the true temple radiant with divine glory.

We enter into your courts singing your praise. Let us give you glory and praise by the life that we live. You live and reign. forever and ever. Amen.




“As many as touched it were healed.” (Mk 6:56) //“The cloud filled the temple of the Lord.” (I Kgs 8:10)


Pray that the sick may find strength and healing in the Lord. Like the caring people of Gennesaret, and by your ministry on their behalf, bring the sick closer to Jesus, the ultimate healing. // Be aware of the positive role of sacred space/structures/objects in connecting us with the sacred and utilize them to deepen your relationship with God.

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TUESDAY: FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Means to Communion … He Shows

How to Pray and Worship”

BIBLE READINGS I Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30 // Mk 7:1-13

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 7:1-13): “You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Gospel Reflection by Fr. Steve Coffey, OSB, San Luis Obispo, CA-USA)

The connection between today’s Gospel story (Mk 7:1-13) and yesterday’s (Mk 6:53-56) may not be immediately apparent until we view it in the context of Mark’s whole “Bread” section on which we are feasting this week. The geographic movement from one shore to another represents more than a sail across the lake. It represents

Gentile inclusion in the Eucharistic feast. Today’s Gospel addresses what, in Jewish tradition, represents an obstacle to this communion at the table.

Thus today we see Jesus embarking on a mission that has this unity in Eucharistic communion in mind. The Pharisees and scribes in this story represent those who would be opposed to eating with Gentiles based on what Jesus clearly categorizes as “human tradition.” The scribes and the Pharisees here “nullify the word of God in favor of tradition.” They do this specifically here in their neglect of parents by declaring something has been set aside for God. What has ultimately been set aside, however, is the very word of God which calls Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians into communion at the table of the Lord. So the prophet Isaiah’s maxim is invoked against them: “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.” B. First Reading (I Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30): “You have said” My name shall be there to hear the prayers of your people Israel.”

The reading (I Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30) presents Solomon’s prayer to the Lord at the

dedication of the Temple. King Solomon extols the singularity of the Lord God. He thanks him for the blessings bestowed on the chosen people, especially for the covenant of mercy granted to them. He then prays for the Temple and for those who pray in the Temple: “Watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have chosen to be worshiped … Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people when they face this place and pray.” God is transcendent. Even the highest heaven cannot contain God. But God, in his goodness, chooses the Temple built by Solomon to be a special place where the people can connect with him. The Lord is determined to hear the prayers of those who worship in that sacred place, of which he promised, “My name shall be there!”

The omnipotent and omnipresent God continues to manifest his saving power

through time and space. Though not bound to any physical space/place, by divine will, there are some “sacred” places of intimate encounter with divine grace. One of these special places is the Marian sanctuary in Lourdes, a haven where people can experience healing through Mary’s intercession. The following article on the Internet is very inspiring.

In 1858 in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes, France, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous, a 14-year old peasant girl. She identified herself as “The Immaculate Conception”. She gave Bernadette a message for all: “Pray and do penance for the conversion of the world.” The Church investigated Bernadette’s claims for four years before approving devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. Lourdes has since become one of the most famous shrines, attracting more than a million pilgrims each year. There had been thousands of miraculous cures at this shrine. (…) No one leaves Lourdes without a gain in faith. Moral and spiritual cures are more marvelous than physical cures. Some go to Lourdes with lifetime prejudices, yet

their minds are cleared in a sudden manner. Frequently skepticism gives way to faith; coldness and antagonism become whole-hearted love of God. Again and again those who are not cured of bodily pain receive an increase of faith and resignation – true peace of soul … The Story of Gabriel Gargam: The case of Gabriel Gargam is probably one of the best known of all the thousands of cures at Lourdes, partly because he was so well known at the Shrine for half a century, partly because it was a twofold healing, spiritual and physical. Born in 1870 of good Catholic parents, he gave early promise of being a clever student and a fervent Catholic. The promise was not fulfilled in the most important respect for, at 15 years of age, he had lost his faith. He obtained a position in the postal service and was carrying out his duties as a sorter in December of 1899, when the train on which he was traveling from Bordeaux to Paris collided with another train, running at 50 miles per hour. Gargam was thrown fifty-two feet from the train. He lay in the snow, badly injured and unconscious for seven hours. He was paralyzed from the waist down. He was barely alive when lifted onto a stretcher. Taken to a hospital, his existence for some time was a living death. After eight months he had wasted away to a mere skeleton, weighing but seventy-eight pounds, although normally a big man. His feet become gangrenous. He could take no solid food and was obliged to take nourishment by a tube. Only once in twenty-hours could he be fed even that way. (…) Previous to the accident Gargam had not been to Church for fifteen years. His aunt, who was a nun of the Order of the Sacred Heart, begged him to go to Lourdes. He refused. She continued her appeals to him to place himself in the hands of Our Lady of Lourdes. He was deaf to all her prayers. After continuous pleading by his mother, he consented to go to Lourdes. It was now two years since the accident, and not for a moment had he left his bed all that time. He was carried on a stretcher to the train. The exertion caused him to faint, and for a full hour he was unconscious. They were on the point of abandoning the pilgrimage, as it looked as if he would die on the way, but the mother insisted, and the journey was made. Arrived at Lourdes, he went to confession and received Holy Communion. There was no change in his condition. Later he was carried to the miraculous pool and tenderly placed in its waters – no effect. Rather a bad effect resulted, for the exertion threw him into a swoon and he lay apparently dead. After a time, as he did not revive, they thought him dead. Sorrowfully they wheeled the carriage back to the hotel. On the way back they saw the procession of the Blessed Sacrament approaching. They stood aside to let it pass, having placed a cloth over the face of the man they supposed to be dead. As the priest passed carrying the Sacred Host, he pronounced Benediction over the sorrowful group around the covered body. Soon there was a movement from under the covering. To the amazement of the bystanders, the body raised itself to

a sitting posture. While the family members were looking on dumbfounded and the spectators gazed in amazement, Gargam said in a full, strong voice that he wanted to get up. They thought that it was a delirium before death, and tried to soothe him, but he was not restrained. He got up and stood erect, walked a few paces and said that he was cured. The multitude looked in wonder, and then fell on their knees and thanked God for this new sign of His power at the Shrine of His Blessed Mother. As Gargam had on him only invalid’s clothes, he returned to the carriage and was wheeled back to the hotel. There he soon dressed, and proceeded to walk as if nothing had ever ailed him. For two years hardly any food had passed his lips but now he sat down at table and ate a hearty meal. On August 20th, 1901, sixty prominent doctors examined Gargam. Without stating the nature of the cure, they pronounced him instantly cured. Gargam, out of gratitude to God in the Holy Eucharist and His Blessed Mother, consecrated himself to the service of the invalids at Lourdes. He set up a small business and married a pious lady who aided him in his apostolate for the greater knowledge of Mary Immaculate. For over fifty years he returned annually to Lourdes and worked as a brancarrier … His last visit to the Shrine was in August 1952: he died the following March, at the age of eighty-three years.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are we guilty of disregarding God’s commandments but clinging to human tradition? 2. Do we trust in the power of prayer and in the importance of prayer and the sanctuaries for prayer? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus, Divine Master, you are the way, the truth and the life. Forgive us for the times we have disregarded God’s commands in order to cling to mere human traditions. You are the teacher of communion and true tradition. You revealed to us the Father’s saving plan that includes all peoples and cultures, all nations and creation. Help us to overcome our prejudices and misconceptions that we may share fully in the infinite expanse of your Father’s all-inclusive love. We love you, adore you and serve you, now and forever. Amen.

*** O Jesus Divine Master, you teach us the meaning of prayer. You are the true Temple through which we offer worship and praise to the Father. Let our prayers rise up through you and be blessed by the heavenly Father. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” (Mk 7:8) // “Listen to the petitions of your servant and of your people Israel which they offer you in this place.” (I Kgs 8:30)


Pray that we may overcome our unhealthy parochialism and vicious legalism. By your acts of justice and charity, promote unity in diversity and the Church’s true tradition of universal love. // Be thankful for the sacred space/place of prayer and use it wisely to deepen your personal relationship with God.

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WEDNESDAY: FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches with Wisdom … He Is Greater

than Solomon”


I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 7:14-23): “What comes out of the man that is what defiles him.” (Gospel Reflection by Fr. Steve Coffey, OSB, San Luis Obispo, CA-USA)

Today’s Gospel passage (Mk 7:14-23) concludes yesterday’s discussion between

Jesus and the scribes and Pharisees concerning “the tradition of the elders” and concludes with his characteristically Markan private conversation with his disciples. Whereas Jesus half expects the scribes and Pharisees not to “get it,” he hopes his disciples will. But such is not the case as he exasperatingly remarks: “Are even you likewise without understanding?” And the attentive reader at once realizes that s/he is being personally addressed. We are all responsible for promoting communion and “not getting it” is no excuse, especially for a disciple of any century.

And what is it that scribe, Pharisee, and even disciple fail to comprehend? It’s not about the ritual purity of eating and digestion. As a matter of fact, it’s not about ritual purity at all. The major obstacle to communion is nothing external, but it’s a matter of the heart. “From their hearts come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” These are obstacles to Eucharistic communion that cut both ways. It’s not simply Jewish purity vs. Gentile impurity; it’s about the interior impurity of both that makes such communion impossible. B. First Reading (I Kgs 10:1-10): “The Queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon.”

The reading (I Kgs 10:1-10) depicts King Solomon as an international celebrity.

Foreign dignitaries seek his renowned wisdom. Foremost of them is the Queen of Sheba. She is overwhelmed and breathless by what she sees. Solomon explains everything the Queen asks about. Indeed, the wisdom and wealth of Solomon are much greater than what she has heard. The Queen of Sheba praises the ever-loving God who has made Solomon a king to maintain law and justice among the people. In this idyllic picture, King Solomon is portrayed as pleasing to God. Wisdom flows out of him because the law of God is in his heart. As long as he is with God, he is truly wise.

The following story gives us insight into true wisdom that comes from the heart of

God (cf. Elaine McDonald, “From the Mouth of a Small Boy” in A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield, et. al., Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1996, p. 223-224).

Our friends, Reimund and Toni, live in a city in the industrial Ruhr area of Germany, which suffered heavy bombing during World War II. One evening during their week-long stay with us, my husband, who is a history teacher, invited them to tell us what they remembered about being children in Germany during the war. Reimund proceeded to tell us a story that moved us to tears. One day not long before the end of the war, Reimund saw two airmen parachuting out of an enemy plane that had been shot down. Like many other curious citizens who had seen the parachutists falling through the afternoon sky, 11-year-old

Reimund went to the city’s central square to wait for the police to arrive with the prisoners of war. Eventually two policemen arrived with two British prisoners in tow. They would wait there in the city square for a car that would take the British airmen to a prison in a neighboring city where prisoners of war are kept. When the crowd saw the prisoners, there were angry shouts of “Kill them! Kill them!” No doubt they were thinking of the heavy bombings the city had suffered at the hands of the British and the allies. Nor did the crowd lack the means to carry out their intent. Many of the people had been gardening when they saw the enemy fall from the sky and had brought their pitchforks, shovels and other gardening implements with them. Reimund looked at the faces of the British prisoners. They were very young, maybe 19 or 20 years old. He could see they were extremely frightened. He could also see that the two policemen, whose duty it was to protect the prisoners of war, were no match for the angry crowd with its pitchforks and shovels. Reimund knew he had to do something, and do it quickly. He ran to place himself between the prisoners and the crowd, turning to face the crowd and shouting to them to stop. Not wanting to hurt the little boy, the crowd held back for a moment, long enough for Reimund to tell them: “Look at these prisoners. They are just young boys! They are no different from your own sons. They are only doing what your sons are doing – fighting for their country. If your sons were shot down in a foreign country and became prisoners of war, you wouldn’t want the people there to kill your sons. So please don’t hurt these boys.” Reimund’s fellow townspeople listened in amazement, and then shame. Finally, a woman said, “It took a little boy to tell us what is right and what is wrong.” The crowd began to disperse. Reimund will never forget the look of tremendous relief and gratitude he then saw on the faces of the young British airmen. He hopes they had had long, happy lives, and that they haven’t forgotten the little boy who saved them.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we endeavor to achieve integrity and purity of heart? Do we yearn for true holiness that leads to communion with our brothers and sisters? 2. Do we seek for true wisdom that comes from obedience and faithfulness to God? Do we allow the wisdom of God to guide us and show us the way of righteousness? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, teach us integrity of heart and interior purity. Cleanse us from evil thoughts and wicked desires. The awful things that ferment within us make us “unclean” and incite us to do evil. Loving Lord, teach us true wisdom that we may reject the wickedness that draws us away from you and to disobey our gracious God. We trust in your forgiveness and bounteous mercy. You are our kind Savior, now and forever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, your wisdom is greater than Solomon. Grant us the wisdom of a loving heart. that we may serve and honor God all the days of our life. You are our merciful Savior, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “What comes out of the man that is what defiles him.” (Mk 7:20) //“The queen of

Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom.” (I Kgs 10:4)


Make the examination of the heart a regular practice to enable you to detest what

is contrary to the will of God and pursue his saving will. // Make an effort to exercise daily the wisdom of heart, for your own good and the good of others.

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THURSDAY: FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Bread of Life for All … He Is

God’s Faithful Love”


I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 7:24-30): “The dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” (Gospel Reflection by Fr. Steve Coffey, OSB, San Luis Obispo, CA-USA)

In today’s Gospel story (Mk 7:24-30), Jesus, Wisdom incarnate, recognizes the wisdom of a Gentile woman. This latter woman is not the Queen of Tyre, but a simple mother with a very sick daughter who recognizes something different about this Jewish man who has crossed boundaries and set foot in her Syrophoenician city on the Mediterranean coast. So different that she falls at his feet in an act of worship. She clearly understands worship in a way the scribes and Pharisees of yesterday could not.

His more-than-meets-the-eye rebuff to her request is not couched in delicate language. He refers to the Jewish community as children who have first access to the food. And that food is not to be thrown to Gentile pups. But what a comeback! She addresses him with the full-force of the Jewish divine title LORD. And then she drops the bomb: “Even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” How wise a saying! How unlike the scribes and Pharisees, who set up roadblocks to sharing the bread of life at one table. She found her daughter “lying in bed and the demon gone.” Really both demons were gone: the demon of sickness and the demon of division and separation. The same bread feeds both children and pups. And it is Jesus himself.

Jesus’ crossing of boundaries led him to a mission of inclusion that brought those who were excluded to the table. The desire of the woman resulted not only in the answer to her own prayer but contributed to the clearer revelation of the mystery of union in Christ.

B. First Reading (I Kgs 11:4-13): “Since you have not kept my covenant, I will deprive you of the kingdom, but I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David.”

The reading (I Kgs 11:4-13) describes King Solomon’s corruption and his breach

of the covenant with God. His heart is no longer like that of his father David, fully faithful to the Lord. Solomon’s relentless acquisition of wealth and military power manifests signs of indulgence and greed. His liking for foreign wives and his possession of an excessive large harem (seven hundred princesses and 300 concubines) gradually draw him away from God. By the time he is old, his foreign wives have led him into the worship of their gods. He who has dedicated himself to building the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem now builds altars to idols. God’s response to Solomon’s idolatry is

condemnation. The Lord thus speaks to Solomon personally and declares the future dissolution of his kingdom.

The following article gives insight into the mystery of personal degradation (cf.

Poverello News, February 2014, p. 1-2). Jimmy H. was one of those guys who had become a fixture around Poverello House. Sometimes, he’d disappear for a while, but you always knew he’d be back. That’s why it was such a shock when he was hit by a truck and killed last November. It happened on G Street, less than a block away. In the words of Marlon Brando in the movie, On the Waterfront, Jimmy “could have been a contender”. Jimmy passed through our Resident Program a couple of times. The first time, back in the 1990s, he seemed genuinely ready to make a change. He graduated, and then stayed on for several months. He had become very involved in A.A. and was starting to get back on his feet. He had a good-paying job that utilized the skills he possessed, and he had begun a relationship with a woman who was sober and successful. He seemed destined for a better life. He had a quick wit, an infectious laugh, and a smile that would light up a room. He was one of those guys who sometimes would hustle you, and even though you knew you were being hustled, you didn’t mind. He had something wrong with one eye, and when he smiled, that eye would squint like Popeye’s, which just added to his charm. Unfortunately, he also possessed the seed of self-destruction that is so common with the homeless. Maybe the lure of alcohol and crack cocaine was overwhelming; or perhaps after so many years of addiction and failure, success and sobriety was just too strange and uncomfortable. Whatever the reason, the day came when Jimmy drank and used again, and the results were predictable.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we make an effort to share the healing power of Jesus, the bread of life for all? 2. Do we recognize our human weakness and beg God to assist us to overcome our personal weakness? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you are the bread of life to be shared with all peoples of the earth.

You are the divine power that drives away the demon of sickness and the demon of division and separation. Help us to overcome the ugly forces of alienation. Let us be united with you as you cross boundaries of division in your mission to include all peoples at the table of life. Your power is awesome and we love and adore you, now and forever. Amen. *** Jesus Lord, Deliver us from following false idols. Help us to follow you unreservedly. Let us love and serve you unconditionally, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “The dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” (Mk 7:28) //“He did not

follow him unreservedly.” (I Kgs 11:4b)


Pray for the unity of Christians and all the peoples of the earth. Let your acts of

justice and peace surmount artificial barriers and be totally inclusive. // Pray to God for the grace to follow him unreservedly especially when the attraction of false idols is strong. Make an effort to spend some quiet moments of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

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FRIDAY: FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Heals the Deaf-Mute … He Overcomes Alienation and Division”

BIBLE READINGS

I Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19 // Mk 7:31-37

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 7:31-37): “He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Gospel Reflection by Fr. Steve Coffey, OSB, San Luis Obispo, CA-USA)

In this week’s Gospel stories, Jesus, the boundary crosser, is on the road. Yesterday he was in Gentile Tyre on the Mediterranean. Today he is on the Eastern Gentile shore of the Sea of Galilee in the Decapolis, the heart of Gentile territory. He encounters a Gentile deaf-mute who begs him “to lay his hand on him,” the same hand that was laid on so many of the sick in Jewish Gennesaret. Pope Benedict XVI, in a homily on Christian Unity, took advantage of the fuller sense of this passage. He said: “Is not being deaf and mute, that is, being unable either to listen or speak, a sign of a lack of communion and a symptom of division?”

Just as Jesus removed obstacles to unity on the Jewish side of the lake, today’s Gospel (Mk 7:31-37) has him removing more obstacles on the Gentile side. He “put his finger into the man’s ears, and, spitting, touched his tongue.” As God created the first human so tactilely in the second chapter of Genesis, so Jesus is recreating this Gentile, endowing him once again with the organs of speech and hearing, the organs of communion that overcome division and disunity. The action culminates in typical Markan fashion: “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” And not just in Gentile Galilee. B. First Reading (I Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19): “Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.”

The reading (I Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19) underlines the alienation and division caused

by sin. The Lord God has talked personally to King Solomon of the future dissolution of his kingdom. With a symbolic gesture, the prophet Ahijah communicates this prophecy to Jeroboam, an able and hard-working young man whom Solomon has put in charge of the forced labor. Tearing his new cloak into twelve pieces, he gives ten pieces to Jeroboam to symbolize the ten tribes of Israel that he will rule. Solomon now sees him as a threat and pursues him. Jeroboam escapes to Egypt and stays there until Solomon dies. After the death of Solomon, his kingdom disintegrates. His son-successor King Rehoboam’s brash self-confidence and authoritarianism lead to the revolt of the northern tribes. To the people of the northern tribes who ask for clemency and more humane treatment, he speaks harshly: “My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I’ll flog you with bullwhips!” The people see that King Rehoboam will not listen. So they rebel against him and choose Jeroboam, son of Nebat, from the northern tribe of Ephraim, as king.

The unfortunate consequences of sin and abuse can be verified in the following

story (cf. Susan Call, “You Don’t Have to Cry Anymore” in Guideposts, October 2013, p. 53-54).

I couldn’t believe I had been trapped in an abusive marriage, a woman like me. I had a good job with a good company. Good education. I’d come from a loving family, my parents happily married. I’d connected with a church and was no stranger to prayer, but lately all my prayers had been, God give me strength to get through the day. Joe had swept me off my feet with his flamboyant charm, flattering me, giving me presents, doting on me. It was only later, after we were married, that I discovered his other side. The drinking, the cruel verbal abuse, the threats, the affairs. He had been abused as a child and I wanted to make excuses for him, but when he told me what he’d do to me if I left him, I was terrified. I couldn’t hide my tears from my children anymore. My faith gave me courage to seek a counselor and admit to her what was happening. I talked to an attorney and made an appointment with a private investigator. On a lunch break I stayed in the office and found a website for domestic violence, looking over my shoulder as I read, as though Joe would be right behind, staring at every word. “Are you in an abusive relationship?” the site asked. “Does your spouse put you down? … Stop you from seeing your friends or family members? … Tell you that you are a bad parent? … Act like the abuse is no big deal? … Threaten to kill you?” I said yes to everything. With each answer, my denial crumbled. It was impossible to ignore what my life had become. I felt as though the site knew me, Joe, and knew the hell I was living. I clicked the header Get Help. The site mapped out all the steps to take. How to escape. How to protect yourself. How to make a file with all the necessary documents: birth certificates, passports, tax returns. I created a folder at work and drew a purple ribbon on the upper right-hand corner, purple because that was the color of domestic-violence awareness. I went to the private investigator and confided what Joe had said he’d do to me and how he’d get away with it all. The investigator took notes and promised to look into the threats. Two weeks later I returned and sat across the desk from him. He didn’t mince words. “You are in serious danger for your life”, he told me. “You need to get away and you need to take the children with you.” How would I do it? Where would I go? I prayed for wisdom, prayed for guidance, prayed for strength, a strength stronger than fear. I consulted the website. I would have to share my story with others in order to build a team, but I had to be very careful. Anybody who helped me would be taking big risks themselves. And some would probably not even believe.

I called an associate who lived 1,000 miles away. We worked closely together in the same department, only in different cities, and we were often in touch. I knew she was a woman of faith and I felt I could take her into my confidence. She listened patiently, then said, “Bring the kids here and stay with me as long as you like, as long as you need to. You’ll be safe here.” I was stunned. I never expected a reaction like that. I had my destination and I’d gathered my team angels in secret. All the documents were ready. I’d done it. Now it was just the three of us. Jennifer, Ryan and me. Leaving. Leaving for good. I couldn’t know what the future would hold, but I knew too well what it could have been if we had stayed. I pulled out a stapled set of papers that had been tucked in my purse, my legal request for divorce, and put it on the kitchen table. I said a prayer for protection and prayed too that my children would understand. Then we headed out to the car. Jennifer pulled herself up into her car seat. Ryan sank into his, looking up at me with big, brown, searching eyes. I buckled my belt around him with trembling hands. How much did they really know? How much would they ever understand? “Mommy”, Ryan said, “now you don’t have to cry anymore.” I got into the front seat and pulled out of the driveway. I turned the corner and our house quickly disappeared from view.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are we spiritually deaf by refusing to listen to the Word of God? Are we spiritually mute by refraining from proclaiming the Word of God? 2. How do we deal with the alienation and painful consequences of human frailty and sin? Do we seek help from God and others? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving God, open the ears of our hearts to listen to the Word of God. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise. *** O Lord Jesus, look kindly upon us in our trials. Heal our afflictions.

Help us to overcome the wounds of division caused by human frailty and sin. You are our Savior. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” (Mk 7:31-37) //“For the sake of

David, my servant …” (I Kgs 11:32)


Pray that people may understand the importance and necessity of Lectio Divina.

Introduce your friends and loved ones to this beautiful life-giving practice of the Church. // To help us overcome the alienation and division caused by sin and human frailty, let us commit ourselves to the practice of Lectio Divina and the Eucharistic Adoration.

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SATURDAY: FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Fed Them and They Were Satisfied …

He Guides Us in the Path to Life”

BIBLE READINGS Gn 3:9-24 // Mk 8:1-10

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:1-10): “They ate and were satisfied.” (Gospel Reflection by Fr. Steve Coffey, OSB, San Luis Obispo, CA-USA)

There in the very same Gentile district where Jesus healed the deaf-mute, in today’s Gospel (Mk 8:1-10) we have a quasi-replay of the feeding story on the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee. There is a striking similarity of details: “a great crowd without anything to eat”; the compassionate heart of Jesus “moved with pity”; the lack of

compassion and even understanding on the part of the disciples who witnessed and participated in the previous feeding. Of capital importance is the repetition of the fourfold Eucharistic action: “Taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute.”

However, there are subtle differences in the two stories. In the first they picked up “twelve wicker baskets full of fragments,” while in the second “they picked up the fragments left over – seven baskets.” Why twelve baskets in the first story? It is precisely to evoke the Jewish image of the twelve tribes of Israel. And similarly the seven baskets on the Gentile side evoke the universal number of the Gentile nations. And notice Gentiles did not insist on wicker baskets as did the Jewish community. However, despite these differences in both stories, “they ate and were satisfied.”

How favored we are in being recipients of the Eucharistic gift, the real gift that keeps on giving. In a sense, all of this week’s reflections were Eucharistic. Eucharist is the gathering of the Body of Christ in rich diversity. At Eucharist with ears wide open, we listen and feast at the table of the Word. In the Liturgy of the Eucharist we take, bless, break and distribute bread that has been transformed by the Spirit into the Body of Christ. And like the crowd in today’s Gospel, we are dismissed to go and announce the reconciling Gospel of the Lord. B. First Reading (I Kgs 12:26-32; 13:33-34): “Jeroboam made two golden calves.”

In the reading (I Kgs 12:26-32), we hear of Jeroboam’s disappointing response to

God’s conditional offer to make him ruler of the northern tribes of Israel. Through the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh, God has made a promise to Jeroboam: “If you obey me completely, live by my laws, and win my approval by doing what I command you as my servant David did, I will always be with you. I will make you king of Israel and will make sure that your descendants rule after you, just as I have done for David.” Once installed king, however, Jeroboam is overreaching and unfaithful. He tries to make his northern kingdom secure through political-social-religious manipulation. Instead of covenant fidelity, he resorts to religious innovation. Jeroboam creates false idols – “two calves of gold” – and designs a system of worship that will draw the Israelites away from the Jerusalem temple. Jeroboam causes Israel to sin and brings about the ruin and total destruction of his dynasty.

Jeroboam’s fatal sin is tragic and teaches us to surrender to God’s ways. The

following story, in a humorous vein, gives an insight into what it means to be led by God (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books, 1988, p. 126).

The Master was in an expansive mood, so his disciples sought to learn from him the stages he had passed through in his quest for the divine.

“God first led me by the hand”, he said, “into the Land of Action, and there I dwelt for several years. Then he returned and led me to the Land of Sorrows; there I lived until my heart was purged of every inordinate attachment. That is when I found myself in the Land of Love, whose burning flames consumed whatever was left in me of self. This brought me to the Land of Silence, where the mysteries of life and death were bared before my wondering eyes.” “Was that the final stage of your quest?” they asked. “No”, the Master said. “One day God said, ‘Today I shall take you to the innermost sanctuary of the Temple, to the heart of God himself.’ And I was led to the Land of Laughter.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are we truly grateful for the gift of the Eucharist? Do we share it with a hungry world that yearns for the bread of the Word … the life-giving bread? 2. Do we truly trust God and feel secure in his ways or do we design our own “security” and “idols”? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, you are the “Eucharist” – the bread of the Word … the life-giving bread … the real gift that keeps on giving. We thank you for the multiplication of the loaves and for being bread broken and shared for the life of the world. You are the Eucharistic gift that builds the Church, so radiant in beauty and rich in diversity. Help us to celebrate your paschal sacrifice by the power of the Holy Spirit. At the Eucharistic feasting, we partake of the bread of compassion and the wine of messianic joy, which make us fully satisfied and deeply grateful. Lead us into the eternal banquet of your kingdom where you live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Loving God, we detest our sin

and loathe its tragic consequences. Our idolatry is self-destruction. Give us the grace to turn away from false idols and to embrace you, the one true God, the God of our life, the font of all good. Let us serve you faithfully, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “They ate and were satisfied.” (Mk 8:8) //“This was a sin on the part of the house

of Jeroboam for which it was to be cut off.” (I Kgs 12:26-32)


Pray for the peoples of the world that their various hungers may be satisfied. By

your acts of compassion to the hungry poor, let the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves come alive again. // Today make an act of reparation for the many people who prefer false security and refuse to trust in God’s ways.



MONDAY: SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Refused to Give Them a Sign … His Is a Persevering Faith”

BIBLE READINGS

Jas // Mk 8:11-13 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:11-13): “Why does this generation seek a sign?”

Today’s reading (Mk 8:11-13) is about the Pharisees who are asking Jesus “a sign

from heaven” to prove that he is the Messiah. Their demand for a spectacular public display is ill-motivated. They want to discredit Jesus who, for them, is a fraud. Their hearts are warped with unbelief and their demand for a “sign” manifests their willful blindness. Indeed, according to a 16th century proverb, “There are none so blind as those who won’t see.” The compassionate works of Jesus on behalf of the sick and suffering, of the hungry poor and dejected, do not touch their hearts. They do not perceive them as messianic signs. The miracles of healing and nourishment could not force them to love Jesus, who sighs from the depths of his heart. A heavenly sign for the unbelieving – no matter how spectacular - would be an exercise in futility. Of what use is it to have signs if the heart is blind? Hence, Jesus leaves them, gets into the boat, and sails off to the other shore.

The pathetic scenario of the unbelieving and unseeing Pharisees invites us to take

the opposite stance. Jesus himself is the ultimate “sign” of the Father’s redeeming love for us. We need to open the eyes of our heart to see, love and serve Jesus. We need to be sensitive and receptive to the beautiful miracles that God continues to work in our daily life.

The following story gives us a glimpse into what perceiving “a sign from heaven”

entails (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book Of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books/Doubleday, 1990, p. 52-53).

A prisoner lived in solitary confinement for years. He saw and spoke to no one and his meals were served through an opening in the wall. One day an ant came into his cell. The man contemplated it in fascination as it crawled around the room. He held it in the palm of his hand the better to observe it, gave it a grain or two, and kept it under his tin cup at night. One day it suddenly struck him that it had taken him ten long years of solitary confinement to open his eyes to the loveliness of an ant.

B. First Reading (Jas 1:1-11): “The testing of your faith produces perseverance so that you may be perfect and complete.”

For the next two weeks we shall be reading from the Letter of James, a collection

of practical instructions on Christian attitudes and living. Today’s First Reading (Jas 1:1-11) is a call to full maturity in faith. Trials are valuable because they lead to endurance, perfection and maturity of faith. Christians must persevere in conversion to God and

growth in the living of Gospel morality. We must pray for wisdom to persevere in faith. When we pray, we must believe and not doubt at all. The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. Mature faith includes rejoicing in our poverty for God lifts up the poor. The boastful rich is like a flower of a wild plant that the sun scorches.

The following story illustrates the maturation of faith in the face of trial (cf. Beth

McAllister, “Teaching About Prayer” in Guideposts, February 2014, p. 23). When my seven-year-old son, Logan, first complained of an earache, I thought he had a routine infection. Then his hands and feet began to swell. Over the next few weeks he became desperately ill. His blood pressure and temperature shot up, reaching dangerous levels. A team of doctors determined that his illness was the result of an unchecked strep infection and his immune system was attacking his kidneys. The therapies and drugs they were using weren’t working. They were alarmed. My husband, Timothy, and I were panic-stricken when we heard the diagnosis: “Logan’s in acute kidney failure and in danger of cardiac arrest.” The doctors started him on dialysis. Timothy and I clung to each other and our faith. Our family and friends placed Logan’s name on several prayer chains. Apparently, our son overheard some of our conversations about this. As I tucked him into bed one night, Logan asked, “What is a prayer chain?” “That’s when a lot of people pray for the same thing”, I explained. “They tell their friends, and then those friends tell their friends, until there are hundreds – even thousands – of people praying together.” “All of those people are praying for me?” Logan asked. “Yes”, I said. “And God hears every prayer.” Logan grew quiet and looked into my eyes. “Well, if thousands of people are praying for me”, he said, “Maybe I should pray for myself too.” “That would be a good idea”, I said. I kissed him goodnight and turned out the light. “Don’t worry if you hear me talking in here, Mom”, he called to me as I left his room. “I’m just praying.” The next day we returned to the hospital for Logan’s dialysis. But when they drew his blood, tests revealed that he no longer needed the treatment. His kidneys were suddenly working again.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Am I slow to read the “sign” of God’s love because of blindness of heart? How do I try to open the eyes of my heart to the “sign”?

2. Do we consider the various trials that come our way as means for the maturation of faith? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, we are filled with wonderful signs of the Father’s love: the beautiful sunrise and the gorgeous sunset, the blooming of spring flowers, the diligence of a lovely ant, the compassionate hands of those who care for the poor and helpless … Above all, we are filled with praise and thanksgiving for you – the ultimate sign of God’s compassion. You are the radical sign of the divine redeeming love. Grant that we may truly rejoice in you, now and forever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, you incarnate God’s compassion. Help us to see in the various trials that come our way The grace of divine presence and a call to mature in faith. Grant that we may truly rejoice in you, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “Why does this generation seek a sign?” (Mk 8:12) //“Consider it all joy when

you encounter various trials.” (Jas 1:2) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Make an effort to read the various signs of God’s love that surround us every day

and be grateful for them. By your acts of kindness and compassion, strive to be a living

sign of God’s caring love for the poor and needy in today’s society. // By the gracious way you respond to daily trials, give witness to the presence of God and the wisdom of his saving plan.

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TUESDAY: SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: Even His Disciples Did Not Understand …

He Teaches Us to Overcome Temptation”

BIBLE READINGS

Jas 1:12-18 // Mk 8:14-21 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:14-21): “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

The Gospel (Mk 8:14-21) tells us that after his encounter with the unbelieving

Pharisees who demand from him a heavenly sign to prove his messianic credentials, the unscathed Jesus gets into the boat and sails with his disciples to the other side of the lake. In their hurry, the disciples have forgotten to bring bread except for one loaf. When Jesus starts to talk to them about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod, they immediately conclude that it is because they did not have enough bread. Having just witnessed two miracles of the loaves in which Jesus has fed thousands in the hungry crowds, their discussion about not having enough bread is senseless and unwarranted. Their concern for material food reveals their obtuseness and lack of insight. They have not seen nor understood any more than the declared enemies of Jesus.

The barrage of eight questions that Jesus directs to his disciples is meant to rip

through their blinded hearts. He is patiently teaching them to fight off the hidden corruption of self-righteousness, power and worldliness that is infecting the Pharisees and the Herodians. Jesus is warning them about the corrosive messianic expectations of the Pharisees and the inimical political motivations of the Herodians. Their corrupting influence is as forceful as the yeast that leavens the bread. The Divine Master is thus helping his disciples to overcome their hardness of heart and obduracy of mind. He is teaching them to recognize him as the one loaf that matters. Jesus Christ is evoking their faith, for he is the true Messiah – the one sent by God to feed them with the Bread of Life.

The following story can give us an idea of our own obtuseness and lack of insight,

like the disciples who were in the boat with Jesus (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight:

A Book Of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books/Doubleday, 1990, p. 180). We have unseeing eyes and unhearing ears. We are not able to recognize or understand the daily “miracle of life”.

The great Gensha once invited a court official to tea. After the customary greetings, the official said, “I do not wish to squander this opportunity of spending some time in the presence of so great a Master. Tell me. What does it mean when they say that in spite of our having it in our daily life we do not see it?” Gensha offered the man a piece of cake. Then he served him his tea. After eating and drinking, the official, thinking that the Master had not heard his first sentence, repeated the question. “Yes, of course”, said the Master. “This is what it means: that we do not see it, even though we have it in our daily life.”

B. First Reading (Jas 1:12-18): “God himself tempts no one.”

The reading (Jas 1:12-18) gives an insight into the reality of temptation. If a

person experiences temptation, that temptation does not come from God. Saint James asserts that God does not bring temptations upon us. A person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his desire that leads to sin and death. The person who overcomes temptation is blessed. He will receive as his reward the life that God has promised to those who love him. Saint James warns us not to be deceived or tempted by false rewards for the font of every good gift and every perfect gift is God.

The following war veteran story illustrates how a person is able to overcome

temptation through the grace of God (cf. Major Edward Pulido, “A New Purpose” in Guideposts, February 2014, p. 39-42).

I’d gone into the military waiting to sacrifice for our country, to give my life even, for a higher purpose. But I wasn’t ready for this. To be crippled at 36. I couldn’t do that to my wife, Karen, and our daughter, Kaitlin, only three. I was supposed to provide for my family, not be a burden. (…) One night, after the nurse had made her rounds, I looked over at the IV bags, the tubes that pumped antibiotics, pain meds, nutrients into my bloodstream. Everything that was keeping me alive. But for what? I should just end it. Pull out the lines. Get it over with. My eyes moved slowly down my body, past my hips and thighs. A blanket covered the bottom of the bed, where my leg should have been. Slowly, my hand trembling, I slid the blanket to the side, then the sheet underneath. There was nothing but a stump. A thick bandage wrapped tightly around my mid-thigh. I squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t live like this. Take charge. I opened my eyes, reached for the tubes, wrapped my fingers around them.

One tug and you’re done. I couldn’t look. I turned my head. There on the wall, staring back at me, was the face of Jesus, almost illuminated in the gloom. His picture was surrounded by cards, hundreds of them. They filled the entire wall. Every card sent by someone who cared. Someone who was pulling for me. An entire battalion of people I could count on. People the Lord had put into my life to help me, to love me, to give me strength. I pulled my hand away from the tubes. Lord, forgive me, I prayed. I was so close to abandoning the life you’ve given me. But you have not left me. I know that now. You are here. I drifted off to sleep, the best rest I’d had since the explosion. When I awoke, Mama and Karen were there. Mama took my hand, her face serious, as if she knew how close I’d come to ending my life.”Eddie, you have a choice to make”, she said. “You can stay in this bed and grieve over your lost leg or you can get up and walk.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Are we so preoccupied with daily cares that we are unable to see and recognize the ongoing miracle of life that comes from God? Do we have faith in Jesus as the one loaf that matters – the Bread of eternal Life? 2. What do we do when we experience temptation? Do we turn to God for help? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus Lord, forgive us! At times we are obtuse and insensitive. Our eyes are not able to see, our ears are not able to hear, our hearts are not able to feel, and our minds are not able to understand the greatness of your love for us. But you are the Divine Master and the Bread of life. You are the one loaf that matters – the life-giving Bread that satisfies the hungers of our heart. Give us the light of your wisdom and the love of the Holy Spirit so that we may live only for you. Help us share the bread of the Word with a hungry world that longs for God. Save us from the leaven of corruption.

Let us live our lives as “bread blessed, broken and shared” for others. You are the font of blessing and we adore and bless you, now and forever. Amen. *** O Jesus Lord, grant us your strength and persevering faith. Teach us to overcome temptation and give us the grace to trust in you. You are the font of blessing and the source of every good. We adore and bless you, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “Do you still not understand?” (Mk 8:21) //“Blessed is he who perseveres in

temptation.” (Jas 1:12)


Pray that Christian disciples may have better insight into the compassionate ways

and plan of God. Make it a daily exercise to recognize and thank God for the beauty and bounty of the “miracle of life” that daily surrounds us. // Pray the “Our Father” devoutly everyday that you may have strength to overcome the daily temptations.

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WEDNESDAY: SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Makes the Blind See … He Helps Us to

Be Doers of the Word”

BIBLE READINGS

Jas 1:19-27 // Mk 8:22-26

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:22-26): “His sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.”

The healing of the blind man in Bethsaida occurs by stages. Jesus takes him by

the hand and leads him outside the village. Jesus uses spittle and lays his hands on him. The blind recovers his sight partially. He tells Jesus that he can see people who looking like trees and walking. At the second laying of hands, the blind man is able to see clearly. The healed man of Bethsaida is a symbol of all the disciples of Jesus, then and now, in need of his healing touch.

The gradual restoration of the man’s vision is similar to the gradual recognition of

Jesus’ messiah-ship by his disciples. The healing “by stages” symbolizes the progressive healing of their spiritual blindness. The Twelve who followed Jesus have “seen” him without really seeing him. They need to undergo a conversion process that would enable them to overcome their blindness of heart and “see everything clearly”. Like the blind man of Bethsaida, Jesus would lead them by the hand. They would have a glimpse of Christ’s paschal destiny and grow progressively in faith.

The following story of the healing of a young man who became blind through an

automobile accident gives us an idea of the wonderful experience of the blind man of Bethsaida healed by Jesus (cf. Joyce Stranger, “A Walk in the Dark” in Reader’s Digest Condensed Books, vol. 4, New York: 1988, p. 568-569).

It was strange to lie in a hospital bed again, aware of pain, his eyes bandaged. It brought back memories he would as soon have forgotten. They had operated on only one eye. There would be a second operation later. (…) The days went by. Steve did not want the bandages removed. Better to hope than to know. He lay in a darkened room, shaking, when they finally unwrapped his eyes. “Open them”, the doctor said. He dared not. And then he forced himself to find out the truth. From the operated eye he glimpsed an edge of light at the window, a glint from a glass on the bedside table, the shape of a face above him. “I can see”, he whispered. The bandages were rewrapped. Steve lay, his heart pounding. Suppose it was only temporary? Suppose it lasted only a few hours? But fate was kind, and each day revealed more of the world he had lost. He had to be careful. Bright lights hurt, and using his eyes even for ten minutes was a strain. But in those minutes he absorbed every impression he could get: the faces of the people about him, and such colors everywhere! The curtains in his room were yellow and blue. There were roses in a vase by his bed. They removed the bandages at night, and he lay like a child, staring at the shape of his hand, at the pattern on his pajamas. (…)

And then came the day when the curtains were pulled back, and he stood near the window looking out at a riot of colors dizzying his senses: bright flowers and trees, women in gay dresses, yellow against green against blue. He couldn’t bear it and had to draw the curtains again and reduce the light. Shaking, he sat in a chair, staring at the closed curtains, unable to believe his luck. They brought him dark glasses, and with them he braved the world. He discovered that he had lost his sense of space; nothing seemed to be in the right place; distance had begun to play tricks on him. Steps were steeper and shallower than he thought; tables farther away. Perspective had vanished. He was terrified at the speed with which people walked toward him, sure they would bump into him. At night, in his darkened room, he stood at the window and stared out at the trees bending in the wind, at the cloud banks lined with light. Light. Starlight. He was too fascinated to sleep, seeing the bright pinpoints of distant suns, the slender moon. The miracles continued. He walked in the garden, watching birds dart about the grass, seeing a cat slink out of the bushes, seeing it newly for the first time, an amazing creature. Sunlight bronzed its tortoiseshell fur. He wanted to sit and look forever. He rediscovered shadows. He had been so used to them he rarely noticed them, but now he watched his own shadow as it stretched in front of him or suddenly dwarfed itself. But how could people live among such incredible sights and not notice them?

B. First Reading (Jas 1:19-27): “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.”

The reading (Jas 1:19-27) energizes us with Saint James’ exhortation: “Be doers of the word!” His main concern is to help the Christian community persevere in conversion to God and to make the believers grow in the Gospel life. He underlines the intimate relationship between faith in God and love of neighbor, which characterizes our covenant relationship with God. The great pastor, St. James, inspires us with his keen sense of the wholeness of Christian life. Indeed, there is an active and inseparable relationship between religion and life. For St. James, there is no fragmentation of faith and works. There is no part-time Christian in the Church.

It is our joy to present some notes concerning Alberto Hurtado, the remarkable

Jesuit priest from Chile canonized by Pope Benedict on October 23, 2005, in Rome (cf. Luis Quezada, “I’m Content, Lord! I’m Content!” in THE WORD AMONG US, August 2006, p. 51-56). In his care for the needy, the orphans and the street children in Chile, St. Alberto Hurtado is an example of a disciple who is both a “hearer of the word” and a “doer of the word”.

Alberto Hurtado was born in 1901, in Vina del Mar, a port city in central Chile. By the time he was five, his father had died and his mother had moved to Santiago with her two sons, after selling the family property to pay off debts. Having no home of their own, they lived with different relatives – an experience that acquainted Alberto with the struggles of the homeless and needy. He learned compassion from his mother, too. “It is good to put your hands together to pray, but it is better to open them in order to give”, she used to say. Young Alberto did this by sharing with poor children the coins his uncle gave him. Later, as a student, he devoted Sunday afternoon to helping serve the poor in Santiago’s most blighted areas. He also prayed. In fact, as he sensed a growing call to be a Jesuit priest, he prayed long and hard that doors would open and that his mother’s financial situation would improve. Eventually, his prayers were answered in the form of a court-ordered settlement that ensured his mother a decent income. In 1923, with a law degree in hand, Alberto entered the Society of Jesus. His long years of formation took him to Argentina, Spain, and Louvain, Belgium, where he wrote a doctoral thesis on the art and science of education. Upon being ordained a priest in 1933, he wrote a friend that he felt “completely happy” and wanted only “to live out my ministry with all the fullness of my inner life and my outer activities”. Once back in Chile, Hurtado lost no time putting his dreams into action. He taught high school and university students, seminarians and lay people. Young people were drawn to him through the retreats he preached and the mission trips he led; it seemed that no matter what activity he was pursuing, he fired young hearts to give themselves to Christ and work for his glory. But in the midst of all these outreaches, Alberto was most concerned for the poor. He worried about the orphans who roamed Santiago’s streets and climbed onto city buses to sing for money, to beg, or to steal purses. While others ignored them, he was keenly aware of the homeless youths who spent nights around bonfires under bridges and in parks. Some, he knew, were addicted to drugs or drink and stole to support their habits; some had done jail time. What he saw broke his heart. “Every poor person, every vagrant, every beggar is Christ himself who is carrying his cross”, he often said. “As such, we ought to love him and care for him.” In October 1944, a sick, shivering man came to Hurtado looking for a place to stay. He was the very picture of misery. Days later, still shaken by the encounter, Alberto spoke of the man’s distress at a women’s retreat. His heartfelt account of the poverty on Santiago’s streets was like seed falling on good soil. When he spontaneously suggested opening a shelter for the neediest and the street children, the women responded with generous donations of money, jewels, and land. “Christ’s Home”, the Hogar de Cristo, opened its doors the following May. Everyone was welcome, the only requirement being that they have a real need. Alberto was directly involved in the project, he recalled Maria Opazo, whose husband often accompanied him when he went out at night looking for children in need. He drove a green truck and drove it fast, slamming on the brakes when he

saw a child lying on the ground. Stopping briefly on the bridge over the Mapocho River, he would blow the horn, and the children would come out yelling, “It’s Papa Hurtado!” When the truck was full, he took the children to the Hogar and then started all over again. “This would go on almost every night from 10:00 p.m. to about 3:00 a.m.”, said Mrs. Opazo. Fr. Hurtado opened more houses, some of them rehabilitation centers and vocational schools that offered people the skills they needed to earn a living. Above all, he wanted everyone served to come to respect “their value as a person and dignity as a citizen, and more so, as child of God.” Today, the Hogar de Cristo and its many affiliates carry on their founder’s vision by caring for thousands of children, teens, and adults throughout Chile. (…) Alberto was only fifty years old when he experienced the first symptoms of the disease that would cut his life short. A year later, after suffering a stroke, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The illness meant a reduction in the amount of work he could accomplish and, ultimately, an early death, but he received the news as a gift from God. Wanting to make the most of his last days, Hurtado kept his door always open. His room became a place of pilgrimage for people of all social conditions. He said farewells, thanked everyone for “such evidence of love and devotion” – and never forgot the poor. In his last letter, written only days before his death on August 18, 1952, Alberto charged his friends to continue his work: “As the needs and miseries of the poor show themselves, find ways to help them as you would help the Master … I confide the poor little ones to your care, in the name of God.”


1. Do I experience spiritual blindness? Do I allow Jesus to lead me, touch me and enable me to see with the eyes of faith? 2. Do I endeavor to be both “hearer of the word” and “doer of the word”? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, lay your healing hands upon me. Let me see with the eyes of faith. You are my God and you alone I will love and serve. Let all peoples praise you and glorify you, now and forever. Amen.

*** Lord Jesus, let us give witness to your healing love and transforming power by being both a “hearer of the word” and “doer of the word”. Let all peoples praise you and glorify you, now and forever. Amen.




“His sight was restored.” (Mk 8:25) //“Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” (Jas 1:22) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Make an effort to help the blind and the handicapped in your community. By your care for them, allow the word of God to bear abundant fruit.

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THURSDAY: SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Suffering Messiah … He Lifts Up the Poor”

BIBLE READINGS

Jas 2:1-9 // Mk 8:27-33 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:27-33): “You are the Christ. The Son of Man must suffer much.”

In the Gospel (Mk 8:27-33) we hear that to Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that

I am?” Peter answers correctly, “You are the Messiah”. But Peter immediately reveals

that his notion of the “Messiah” is as faulty and corrosive as those of the Pharisees. Influenced by popular expectation, he expects Jesus to be a religious-political savior replete with worldly power. The false notion of messiah-ship needs to be rectified. The Divine Master, who healed the blind man of Bethsaida “by stages”, manifests his continuing effort to heal the spiritual blindness of the disciples, especially Peter. He tries to enlighten them on the true meaning of Messiah. He gives them insight that the “Messiah” is the Son of Man who must suffer greatly and be rejected and killed, and rise after three days. Indeed, authentic messiah-ship and discipleship involve powerlessness and suffering rather than worldly power and might.

One of the most beautiful stories I have ever read is “To Live Again” by Harold

Koenig, M.D. (cf. “To Live Again” in Guideposts, September 2006, p. 20-24). The psychiatrist, Dr. Koenig, who is the coordinator of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University in North Carolina, suffers from a crippling disease that racks him with pain. Here is an inspiring account of how he has coped with pain and suffering.

I had been diagnosed with psoriatic inflammatory arthritis. My immune system was attacking my tendons and joints. Any part of my body I used repetitively – legs, knees, ankles, hands, shoulders, back – could become inflamed. The disease could be progressive. There was no cure. Part of me was relieved to have a diagnosis – no more mystery pain. But then I saw the fear in Charmin’s eyes. I knew she was already mourning our walks together, our hiking vacations. I looked at Jordan. What kind of father will I be? Will we play baseball together? Can we even roughhouse? That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. My back was throbbing. But it wasn’t just the pain keeping me awake. Why? I asked, cycling through thoughts of patients, research, all that I felt God had called me to do. Is all this work for nothing? Is it all going to get swallowed up in some disease? What am I supposed to do? The bedroom was dark, the pain relentless. Finally, I got up and limped to the sofa in the living room. I lay on it and found the soft cushions eased the ache. Thank you, God, I prayed. And then it hit me. It was such a simple movement, from bed to sofa. God didn’t snap his fingers and make the pain go away. He didn’t promise to cure me. But he did show me how to adapt, how to live instead of giving up. Maybe that’s what I’m supposed to do, learn to follow God with the pain – and then help others do the same. Lord, that sounds hard. But if you’re with me, I’ll try. God showed Dr. Koenig how to live with pain and how to help others cope with

it. In embracing the mystery of suffering and in trusting the divine saving will, he was able to experience that God works through our weakness and our strength. Indeed, Dr. Koenig is a sterling example of how a disciple could participate fully and intimately in the paschal destiny of Jesus Christ, the suffering Messiah. Suffering is integral to Christian faith. And to follow Jesus involves redemptive sacrifice.

B. First Reading (Jas 2:1-9): “Did not God choose those who are poor in the world? You, however, dishonored the person who is poor.”

In the reading (Jas 2:1-9), Saint James confronts the problem of class

discrimination. He inveighs against the blatant inconsistency of claiming to be a Christian while discriminating against the poor and oppressed fellow Christians of lower classes. He warns about dishonoring the poor in our midst. He reminds us that God chose the poor people of this world to be rich in faith and to possess the Kingdom. Saint James exhorts us to adhere to “the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ”. True faith entails following the law of the Kingdom: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The letter of Saint James is a rebuke to the false standard of today’s world. It is senseless and cruel because it is based on values extraneous to the inner worth of the person. In spite of our distorted values and human frailty, however, the power of divine grace unfolds. The following article of “Papa Mike” McGarvin illustrates the triumph of beauty and grace (cf. Poverello News, July 2009, p. 2-3).

By now, Susan Boyle, a once obscure Scottish spinster, is a household name. It seems as though every pundit in America has written about her amazing performance on the show “Britain’s Got Talent”, so I am chiming in kind of late in the game. If you haven’t seen Ms. Boyle’s performance on TV or You Tube, here’s what happened. Forty-seven years old, never married, and with a very plain appearance. Ms Boyle had grown up in an impoverished village. She is a faithful Christian who took care of her elderly parents until they passed away. Children and teenagers tormented her because of her looks, both when she was a child and as an adult. However, she has a glorious singing voice, and using her immense talent, she for many years performed in neighborhood churches and at karaoke sessions in local pubs. Her opportunity to go on this show, a spin-off of American Idol, seemed particularly ill –fated. Described by many as “frumpy”, this unlikely candidate strode onto the stage to the cruel laughter of both the judges and audience. She seemed confident, but embarrassingly awkward, and the judges smirked as she described her goal of one day becoming a professional singer. To say that they didn’t take her seriously is a huge understatement. And then, she opened her mouth and sang. A stunned panel of judges gazed, shocked and unbelieving, as the voice of an angel took command of the stage. The audience’s mockery turned to wild adulation. Susan Boyle’s magnificent contralto voice did not match their preconceived ideas of her. Her choice of songs, “I Dreamed a Dream” from the Broadway musical, Les Miserables, emotionally complimented her exquisite artistry. To a society that grossly overvalues physical attractiveness and wrongly equates it with goodness, talent, and prestige, Ms.

Boyle stood as a refreshing rebuke. Jesus said that the last shall be first and the meek shall inherit the earth. Susan Boyle pretty much inherited the civilized, wired world that night as her performance spread like wildfire on the Internet. (…) We don’t see a lot of physical attractiveness on the streets here at the Pov; but if there’s a lesson in Susan Boyle’s astonishing performance and the show’s dazzled judges, it’s that we cannot afford to dismiss people as unworthy or useless. God sees the whole person, and He sees beauty where, in our frailty and prejudice, we see none. I’ve always believed that He wants us to start viewing people with His vision of them. Our fallen human tendency is to label those who don’t meet our culture’s exacting standards as worthless; however, seeing someone through God’s eyes allows us to be open to many surprises, as well as many blessings that we otherwise would have missed.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we believe that suffering is an integral element of Christian faith? Do we wish to participate more fully in the paschal destiny of Christ, the suffering Messiah, as he redeems mankind and rebuilds the world? 2. Are we guilty of showing partiality to the rich and privileged and of socio-economic-racial discrimination against the poor and lowly? How do we overcome this false distinction? Do we strive to see the real worth and beauty of a person? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Lord, you are the suffering Messiah. Help us to see the true worth of a messiah-ship based on powerlessness and suffering. Loving Jesus, guide us to walk in your ways. Inflame our hearts with love for you. Filled with your blessings, help us to serve you without distinction. Help us to love inclusively. We sing your kindness and glory. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Jesus Lord,

Fill us with your blessings. Help us to serve you without distinction. Teach us to love inclusively. We sing your kindness and glory. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “The Son of Man must suffer greatly.” (Mk 8:31) //“Did not God choose those

who are poor in the world to be rich in faith?” (Jas 2:5)


Pray that Christian disciples may have deep insight into the beauty and nobility of

Christ as the suffering Messiah. // By your charity and personal dedication, enable the poor and the underprivileged to experience God’s all-inclusive love.

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FRIDAY: SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Invites Us to Take Up Our Cross … He

Invites Us to Manifest our Faith in Works”

BIBLE READINGS Jas 2:14-24, 26 // Mk 8:34-9:1

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 8:34-9:1): “Those who lose their lives for my sake and that of the Gospel will save them.”

In the Gospel (Mk 8:34-9:1) we hear that after prophesying his paschal destiny on

the Cross, Jesus delineates the meaning of the discipleship of the cross: “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 save it” (Mk

8:34-35). 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 great humanitarian

and peace-worker, Chiara Lubich, underlines the vital role of the cross in Christian discipleship: “The cross is the necessary instrument whereby the divine penetrates into what is human, and humanity participates more fully in God’s life, entering into the kingdom of heaven already here on this earth. But we really have to take up our cross. We must get up in the morning expecting it, and knowing that only by means of it can we receive those gifts, which this world does not have – peace and joy, knowledge of the things of heaven, which are unknown to most people.”

The following account of the Japanese martyrs of Ikitsuki illustrates how they

took up the cross and fully participated in the paschal destiny of Christ (cf. Full Sail with the Wind of Grace, ed. “Martyrs” Editorial Committee, Nagasaki: Don Bosco Sha, 2008, p. 44-46).

Genka’s daughter Maria was married to the son of Kondo Kisan, the commissioner of Tachiura (Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture). Kondo was a devout Buddhist. He tried to convert his daughter-in-law and make her give up her faith. Maria always responded with the same words. “I was baptized by my father and have always walked the way of God that was taught to me. I cannot give up my faith.” “If you do not renounce your faith we cannot keep you in our household. Think well and choose either my son or your faith!” Kondo oppressed Maria with these harsh words. After two years of struggling with the situation, Maria told her husband of her decision, and returned to her father Genka. Shigenobu was furious with Genka who not only disobeyed his orders and continued to practice his faith, but also worked as a Christian leader. Shigenobu ordered the execution of Genka together with his wife Ursula and their oldest son John Mataichi. Genka was handed over to the commissioner of Yamada (Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture), Inoue Umanojo to be executed on the 14th of November 1609. To Umanojo, Genka was a friend for whom he had great respect. Genka told him of his only wish. “Lord Inoue, could you do me a favor and perform my execution at the Kurusu (cruz = cross ) Trail?” “Why the Kurusu Trail?” “Once a cross stood there, and my parents and friends are buried there, too.” Umanojo nodded and they started to walk toward the Kurusu Trail. When they arrived at the spot, Genka said to Umanojo, “Lord Inoue, it was my heart’s desire to offer my life here. None of this is your fault. Please be at peace.”

Genka knelt down, raised his tied hands toward heaven and silently bowed his head. Umanojo, choking down his tears, performed the execution with one stroke of his sword so that Genka would not suffer too much. Genka’s wife Ursula and their son John Mataichi were also beheaded about the same time at a place nearby. Gaspar Nishi Genka and his wife Ursula were both 54 years old. Their eldest son John Mataichi was 24 years old. Their remains were buried at the Kurusu Trail. The Christians secretly planted a pine tree on the spot. In 1992, the Christians of Ikitsuki built a large cross on the Kurusu Trail. It is to remind them of the importance of faith strengthened in the family, a precious heritage of Gaspar Nishi Genka.

B. First Reading (Jas 2:14-24, 26): “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

The reading (Jas 2:14-24, 26) underlines that true faith expresses itself by doing

the will of God. Contesting the superficial “faith” widespread in his days, Saint James shows the intimate connection between faith and good works. “Faith” is the free acceptance of God’s saving revelation and “works” is the obedient implementation of God’s revealed will in every aspect of life. For James, true faith is practical and permeates the entire life, for faith without works is “dead” and does not lead to salvation. His great concern is to show covenant faith to all, especially the disadvantaged members. Indeed, the way we live in conformity to our faith is of vital importance. It is the criterion of our religious commitment to God.

The following account is an example of a living faith that expresses itself in

concrete acts of charity on behalf of God’s poor (cf. Frank Maurivich, “Feeding God’s People” in The Anthonian, Summer 2009, p. 22-25). Faithful discipleship and authentic worship manifest its vitality in works of loving compassion for our needy brothers and sisters.

As the bell peals in the tower of St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City at precisely 7 a.m., a Franciscan friar enters the sanctuary to begin the celebration of Mass. At the same moment outside the church on West 31st Street of Midtown Manhattan, another brown-robed Franciscan friar leads three volunteers, one pulling a cart and the others dispensing hearty breakfast sandwiches to some 375 needy people. Two more volunteers pour cups of hot coffee for the homeless in what the Franciscans affectionately call the St. Francis Breadline. Father Jerome Massimino, OFM, the pastor of the parish, sees an intimate connection between what is happening at the altar and on the sidewalk. “God’s chosen are being fed in both places”, he says. The scene outside the church began during the 1929 Depression when Brother Gabriel Mehler, OFM, established this ministry as a way to feed the hungry and the homeless. Since then, this scene has

been repeated every morning for almost 80 years. Rain or shine, the friars will greet those who line up for coffee and food. “Alongside the ministry of reconciliation, the Breadline is the most beloved ministry of St. Francis Assisi Church”, the pastor says. Father Michael Carnevale, OFM, who has served as coordinator of the Breadline ministry for the past three years, says, “We have only one rule: ‘No questions asked.’ We take the people as they are – brothers and sisters in Christ. If they want to approach us, that’s a different story.” The Breadline is inclusive – it welcomes everyone in need. The majority are male with only a handful of women. All are poor, and many are homeless. Some have or have had problems with alcohol or drugs; a few are mentally challenged. “We seldom have any trouble”, says Fred Dumas, the tall, husky security man on the parish staff. “If an occasional fight breaks out, others on the line usually break it up.” Fr. Mike estimates that some 70 percent of the people on the line are regulars. “They know one another”, the friar says. “They help among themselves. They have a sense of community.” They also appreciate Fr. Mike’s initiative in improving and varying the menu. What were once cheese or baloney sandwiches on white bread are now changed every day to roast beef, chicken cutlet, turkey, ham and cheese on a hero roll. The breakfast bag also includes a box of Juicy-Juice. “We can do this”, Fr. Mike says, “because our people, in the spirit of St. Francis, generously support this effort for people who are less fortunate.” (…) Tony Ruba, for example, comes on the subway from his apartment in the Bronx to Manhattan at 3:30 every morning to begin bagging the sandwiches which are made and delivered from Manganaro’s Hero Boy Deli. Tony, like three others of the six volunteers on duty this day, was once on the receiving end of the line. He was homeless for eight years, but, he says, “Fr. Mike helped me get my head on straight.” The other volunteers refer to Tony as “the boss”. “I like to get up early”, says Berkley “Burke” Stokes, who used to sleep on the church steps. Now, he has a regular job and has been volunteering every morning for 16 years. He and white-haired, handlebar mustached Frank Wallace, another regular volunteer who has been on both sides of the Breadline, each handle two large urns to dispense coffee. Burke does his job quietly, while Frank does a running commentary with his clients. “I like to help in any way I can”, says Paul Johnson, another volunteer with experience of receiving and now giving. Friendly and loquacious, Paul serves as the cleanup man, but before attacking the refuse, he doles out the ball scores and news commentary. “How did the Rangers do last night?” a man holding a steaming Styrofoam coffee cup asks. “They won. A great hockey game”, reports Paul. “How about the Sixers?” a Philadelphia basketball fan asks. “Sorry, Bill, they lost.” Then Paul and round-shouldered Jimmy start a lively conversation on whether the city’s health department is doing enough to control the flu epidemic.

Tall, thin Erwin Schaub and curly-haired Anita Mark both volunteered after seeing a notice in the church bulletin. “I have been coming once or twice a week for four years”, Erwin says. Anita, who is also a Eucharistic minister at the church, serves on the Breadline almost every morning, but after dispensing the sandwiches, she rushes up the church stairs. “I’ve got to go inside”, the lively Eucharistic minister says, “to feed the others”.

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”? 2. What does “faithful discipleship” mean to me personally? Do we try to be faithful and efficacious in our Christian discipleship? Does our Christian faith manifests itself in “works”? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Father, we thank you for Jesus Christ, the Suffering Servant. He calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him on the road that leads to eternal life. In Jesus’ name, bless us with faithful discipleship, now and forever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, may our living “faith” be manifested daily in concrete works of charity, especially to the poor, the marginalized and the needy. Let our compassionate works of love for our vulnerable brothers and sisters be a sign of your saving love for all. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.


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

“Whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.” (Mk

8:35) //“Faith without works is dead.” (Jas 2:26)


When your faith is challenged in today’s secularized world and when you are

persecuted for your Christian faith, ask God for the grace to manifest the power of faithful discipleship. // In concrete works of charity to the poor and the needy, manifest the power of faith that has been given to you.

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SATURDAY: SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Transfigured in Glory … His

Discipleship Entails a Disciplined Tongue”

BIBLE READINGS Jas 3:1-10 // Mk 9:2-13

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 9:2-13): “Jesus was transfigured before them.”

One of my few prized possessions is a picture of the faces of students enrolled at Maryhill School of Theology, to enable the professors to memorize their names more easily. This particular picture contains the faces of the seminarians who participated in the course, “The Word of God in the Liturgy” which I taught in 1993. This “souvenir” is particularly meaningful for it includes the youthful face of my celebrity student, Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, a young Claretian missionary who worked in the thickly Muslim populated and rebel infested island of Basilan, in the southern Philippines. The Abu Sayaf rebels, notorious for their lawlessness and ferocity, kidnapped him, together with some female catechists, for ransom a few years ago. Fr. Gallardo was subjected to various forms of torture. His toenails were pulled out and he was commanded to rape his catechists, which he refused to do. He was humiliated for his heroic fidelity to prayer. Finally, as the Aba Sayaf rebels were retreating when the government forces attacked, he was shot in the head and died as a true pastor and martyr for the faith. I would show this

“souvenir” to new students and, pointing to Fr. Gallardo’s image, proudly proclaim, “This is my beloved student!”

In today’s Gospel (Mk 9:2-13), we hear a similar acknowledgment in the authoritative voice coming from the cloud. It is the voice of the heavenly Father making the divine affirmation, “This is my beloved Son …” This affirmation echoes the acknowledgment the Father made at the baptism in the Jordan: “You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased” (cf. Mk 1:9-11). In the transfiguration of Jesus, we get a glimpse of the glorious fulfillment of Christ’s paschal journey and the magnificent destiny of his covenantal fidelity to be at the complete service of God’s saving will. Indeed, the words from the cloud, “This is my beloved Son,” received their full meaning from Jesus’ willingness to be sacrificed and from the willingness of the Father “not to spare his own Son” (cf. Rom 8:32).

Indeed, Jesus, the beloved Son, is the primordial sacrament. He is the sacrament of the Father’s covenant fidelity to save us. He is the presence of the Father’s tremendous love for us. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, our Savior, his most precious One (cf. Jn 3:16). Indeed, God did not deny his own Son that we may be saved. The sacrificial aspect of the Father’s love and the beloved Son’s submission is the cause of our salvation. This is such an astounding reality that, with St. Paul, we can exclaim: “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

B. First Reading (Jas 3:1-10): “No human being can tame the tongue.”

The reading (Jas 3:1-10) is a major discourse on the control of the tongue. But

first, there is an introductory comment on the greater accountability and the stricter judgment that teachers face. Teaching is exercised through speech. With the teachers’ implied duty of the right use of speech as background, Saint James now enters into a lengthy admonition regarding the need of Christian disciples for a disciplined tongue. The early Church puts great premium on charity and fraternity and firmly guards against anger, factionalism, gossip and anything that militates against the Christian ideal. Saint James thus stresses the need to control the tongue, a body organ that, like a small fire that can set a big forest ablaze, can wreck great havoc in the individual person and community. Like a deadly poison, the abusive use of the tongue can “kill” and bring forth a “world of malice”. Taking into account the destruction that an unbridled tongue can bring, Saint James demands discipline in the use of the tongue. It should be controlled in the same way that a rider puts bit into the mouth of the horse to make it obey him and a pilot directs a big ship by steering the rudder. A disciplined tongue is part of a faithful discipleship. The tongue is to be used not for cursing, but only for blessing. Blessing God and cursing our fellow man who are made in the likeness of God are incompatible as finding fresh water and foul water from the same spring. Indeed, this need not be so.

Gossiping is an evil use of the tongue. The following article is very enlightening

(cf. Booklet Care Notes for Teens, “Dealing with Gossip When It’s About You” by Saint Meinrad Archabbey editors, 1995, p. 2-3, 6-7).

Some people have nothing better to do than gossip. Maybe they think it gets them attention or that it’s fun to talk about others. They often don’t think about the hurt they are causing others. You may not be able to control the fact that other people gossip, but when the gossip is about you, what can you do about it? Here’s a plan to handle gossip. Ignore it when possible: Try to let go of anything not said to your face. If you have a good self-image, you will come to understand that you cannot control the idle talk of others, but you can control the way you choose to respond. Ignoring malicious gossip is often the best response because it deprives those who gossip of what they really want – an angry an upset reaction from you. Gossip that gets no reaction is no fun. People who gossip will look elsewhere for their kicks if you are able to maintain your cool. Just remember that gossip isn’t worthy of the respect your anger would give it. Correct it when appropriate: Sometimes harmful lies really can do damage, and you have to set the record straight. But there’s no need to talk about it to the whole school. That would only draw attention to what was said about you and cause it to seem worse that it is. You’ll keep a rumor alive if you make a big deal out of it. Instead, go directly to your best friends and tell them the truth. If they are true friends, they will believe you and support you and the rumor will soon die on its own. Confront is when necessary: In some special circumstances, you cannot ignore a rumor and need to find its source and confront that person. The general rule is that if the person involved in the rumor is important to you, then you need to talk to him or to her. This is especially true when someone is spreading talk about you that may be true (or at least have a kernel of truth), which puts you in an unfair or unfavorable light. Although you may not be able to deny what is being said, you can confront the person about why he or she would spread such talk. Find time to talk to that person alone. Stick to the facts and talk about how the rumor makes you feel, without condemning the other person or making him or her defensive. Look for ways to stop the talk and repair the damage that’s been done. Try to work it out with your friends quietly and privately. Don’t retaliate by starting rumors about him or her. Talking with others about problems with a friend is the source of much unfair gossip. If you decide your friend is no longer trustworthy, or if your friend seems unwilling to work things out, you need to seriously consider your friendship. It’s good to be trusting, but it’s also wise to be a little bit careful about whom you trust. People need to earn your trust by showing you they are honest. Never tell anyone you don’t know well something that could damage you or another person.

Build your self-esteem: If someone spreads negative talk about you, let your self-esteen help you through. If you start to feel down on yourself because of what others may be saying, make a list of all your good qualities. Let your self-esteem flow from your sense of your positive characteristics, rather than being dragged down by others’ talk. Remember the goodness within you, and let yourself feel good about being who you are. Find friends to hang out with who believe in your goodness and support you. Don’t give your time to people who cut you down. Reject gossip in all its forms: Gossip is evil because it does violence to another human being’s character. It’s really a form of verbal abuse. Don’t be a part of starting gossip, spreading it, or believing it. If people around you do nothing but gossip, try changing the subject and get them to talk about something positive. If that doesn’t work, try changing the people you hang around with. Whoever said that “words can never harm me” was wrong. Words can hurt as much as sticks and stoned – sometimes more. The best way to avoid the pain of being gossiped about is to avoid gossiping or hanging around with people who gossip. It takes courage to stand up to gossip, but it’s worth it. You’’ ind friends who feel the same way. And people who don’t believe in gossip make the best friends in the world!


1. Do we believe that Jesus, revealed in his transfigured glory, is the primordial sacrament of God’s love and his covenant fidelity to save us? Do we allow ourselves to be transformed by this wonderful gift? How do we contribute to the healing and transformation of our wounded society today?

2. Do you believe that a “disciplined tongue” is part of Christian discipleship? What do you do to make a rightful use of your tongue?

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

Loving and merciful Father, you have made us your sons and daughters in your beloved Son, Jesus Christ. He is the primordial sacrament of your covenantal love for us. Transform us; transfigure us; christify us. Hear our humble supplications and grant us the grace we need in order to face the challenges of being your own beloved children

in today’s world that needs healing. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** O loving Father, we thank you for the gift of human speech. Let us never abuse the power of speech, but rather use it to praise and bless you, and to give joy and comfort to others, and to build up the dignity of the human person and the good of the Church, the community of faith. Let every nation and tongue extol your goodness, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “He was transfigured before them.” (Mk 9:2) // “No man can tame the tongue.”

(Jas 3:8). V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Do something for the youth, especially the most rejected, that they may experience the transforming love of God through his Son Jesus Christ. // Be resolved to use the faculty of speech for your good and the good of others. Never use your tongue to gossip or to curse.



MONDAY: SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Faith … He Teaches Us True Wisdom”


I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 9:14-29): “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

The transfiguration story, which precedes today’s Gospel episode (Mk 9:14-29),

is a figure of the future risen glory of Jesus. In the same way, the story of the disciples trying to heal an epileptic boy and dealing with argumentative scribes is a figure of the challenges the future Church would experience in attempting to do his works. The effort of the disciples to drive out the evil spirit from the boy is futile. The scribes must have outclassed them in discussion as well. The disciples feel powerless. But the Divine Master shows them what it means to keep faith: “Everything is possible to one who has faith.” The boy’s father, stirred by an inchoative faith, declares: “I do believe; help my unbelief.” Jesus thus exorcises the evil spirit and the boy is healed. The miracle healing of the boy underlines Jesus’ messianic power. It is also a powerful lesson and an urgent invitation to his disciples to trust in him. Prayer is a sign of faith. By faith the disciples are empowered to carry out Christ’s saving work, through time and space.

The following story gives insight into the faith of a holy man and the marvels that

God accomplishes through him (cf. Anthony De Mello, Taking Flight: A Book of Story Meditations, New York: Image Books/Doubleday, 1990, p. 110-111).

There once lived a man so godly that even the angels rejoiced at the sight of him. But, in spite of his great holiness, he had no notion that he was holy. He just went about his humble tasks, diffusing goodness the way flowers unselfconsciously diffuse their fragrance and streetlights their glow. His holiness lay in this – that he forgot each person’s past and looked at them as they were now, and he looked beyond each person’s appearance to the very center of their being, where they were innocent and blameless and too ignorant to know what they were doing. Thus he loved and forgave everyone he met – and he saw nothing extraordinary in this, for it was the result of his way at looking at people. One day an angel said to him, “I have been sent to you by God. Ask for anything you wish and it will be given to you. Would you wish to have the gift of healing?” “No”, said the man. “I’d rather God did the healing himself.” “Would you want

to bring sinners back to the path of righteousness?” “No”, he said, “it is not for me to touch human hearts. That is the work of angels.” “Would you like to be such a model of virtue that people will be drawn to imitate you?” “No”, said the saint, “for that would make me the center of attention.” “What then do you wish for?” asked the angel. “The grace of God”, was the man’s reply. “Having that, I have all I desire.” “No, you must ask for some miracle”, said the angel, “or one will be forced on you.” “Well, then I shall ask for this: let good be done through me without my being aware of it.” So it was decreed that the holy man’s shadow would be endowed with healing properties whenever it fell behind him. So everywhere his shadow fell – provided he had his back to it – the sick were healed, the land became fertile, fountains sprang to life, and the color returned to the faces of those who were weighed down by life’s sorrow. But the saint knew nothing of this because the attention of people was so centered on the shadow that they forgot about the man. And so his wish that good be done through him and that he be forgotten was abundantly filled.

B. First Reading (Jas 3:13-18): “If you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast.”

In the First Reading (Jas 3:13-18), Saint James continues his demand for a living

and practical faith that shows itself in good deeds. He distinguishes true wisdom from false wisdom, refuting false claims to wisdom by arrogant and quarrelsome would-be teachers. One who is jealous, bitter and selfish should not boast of having “wisdom” for that kind of wisdom does not come from heaven. Such false wisdom is uninspiring, unspiritual and demonic. True wisdom is pure and spotless; it is peaceable, gentle and full of mercy; and it bears good fruits. Indeed, the seeds sown by the peacemakers produce a harvest of goodness.

How true wisdom produces goodness and enriches our life is illustrated in the

following story (cf. Mike Buetell, “As a Man Soweth” in A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1995, p. 223-224).

When I was in junior high, the eighth-grade bully punched me in the stomach. Not only did it hurt and make me angry, but the embarrassment and humiliation were almost intolerable. I wanted desperately to even the score! I planned to meet him by the bike racks the next day and let him have it. For some reason, I told my plan to Nana, my grandmother – big mistake. She gave me one of her hour-long-lectures (that woman could really talk). The lecture

was a total drag, but among other things, I vaguely remember her telling me that I didn’t need to worry about him. She said, “Good deeds beget good results and evil deeds beget bad results.” I told her, in a nice way, of course, that I thought she was full of it. I told her that I did good things all the time, and all I got in return was “baloney!” (I didn’t use that word). She stuck to her guns, though. She said, “Every good deed will come back to you someday, and every bad thing you do will also come back to you.” It took me 30 years to understand the wisdom of her words. Nana was living in a board-and-care home in Laguna Hills, California. Each Tuesday, I came by and took her out to dinner. I would always find her neatly dressed and sitting in a chair right by the front door. I vividly remember our very last dinner together before she went into the convalescent hospital. We drove to a nearby simple family-owned restaurant. I ordered pot roast for Nana and a hamburger for myself. The food arrived and as I dug in, I noticed that Nana wasn’t eating. She was just staring at the food on her plate. Moving my plate aside, I took Nana’s plate, placed it in front of me, and cut her meat into small pieces. As she very weakly, and with great difficulty, forked the meat into her mouth, I was struck with a memory that brought instant tears to my eyes. Forty years previously, as a little boy sitting at the table, Nana had always taken the meat on my plate and cut it into small pieces so that I could eat it. It had taken 40 years, but the good deed had been repaid, Nana was right. We reap exactly what we sow. “Every good deed you do will someday come back to you.” What about the eight-grade bully? He ran into the ninth-grade bully.


1. Do I trust God and put faith in him that he will give me strength to do his saving work? 2. Do we try to be truly wise in the Lord and sow good deeds and thus harvest the fruit of righteousness? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, the epileptic boy’s father confessed his faith and begged you to increase his little faith. You healed the boy in response to his prayer of faith. We, your disciples, are called to bring your healing power to a wounded world.

Strengthen our feeble faith and enlighten us with true wisdom. You are our saving Lord, now and forever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, enlighten us with true wisdom. Give us the courage to be peaceful and the grace to be gentle. Help us to sow good deeds and reap the abundant harvest of righteousness. You are our saving Lord, now and forever. Amen.


“I do believe; help my unbelief.” (Mk 9:24) //“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle ...” (Jas 3:13-17) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Offer a simple prayer of faith in Jesus. Accompany your daily prayer of faith with an act of mercy and good deeds.

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TUESDAY: SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to a Humble Service … He Calls

Us to a Total Conversion”


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

A. Gospel Reading (Mk 9:30-37): “The Son of Man is to be handed over. Whoever wishes to be first shall be last of all.”

We hear in the Gospel (Mk 9:30-37) that after healing the epileptic boy, Jesus

with his disciples leaves the place and goes on through Galilee. He speaks again about his passion, death and resurrection, but his disciples do not understand. Though afraid to ask what he means, they do not have any qualms about arguing who among them is the greatest. At a house in Capernaum, Jesus tries to enlighten their hearts. To help them overcome their wicked ambition, Jesus puts in their midst a child, symbol of poverty and powerlessness. Jesus teaches his disciples that greatness consists in service and in caring for the weak and vulnerable. To be first is to serve. Jesus is the ultimate servant. By his passion and death on the cross, he offers himself totally at the service of the Father’s saving will. By his life-giving sacrifice, the Servant Messiah embraces infinitely all the “children of God”, especially the poor and vulnerable. A moral test of a society is how we treat the weakest among us. In our preferential option for the poor and in our care for the weak, we truly embrace God’s children. Like Jesus Christ, we become the “servant of all”.

The following story, circulated through the Internet, is very touching. It illustrates

a compassionate stance on behalf of the needy. I was walking in a Walmart store, when I saw a cashier hand this little boy some money back. The boy couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6 years old. The cashier said, “I’m sorry, but you don’t have enough money for this doll.” Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him, “Granny, are you sure I don’t have enough money to buy this doll?” “No, my dear.” Then she asked him to stay there for just five minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand. Finally, I walked toward him and asked him who he wished to give his doll to. “It’s the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for Christmas. She was sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her.” I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly, “No, Santa Claus can’t bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my Mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.” His eyes were so sad while saying this, “My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister.” My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, “I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.” Then he showed me a very nice photo of himself. He was laughing. He then told me, “I want Mommy to take my picture with her so she won’t forget me. I love my Mommy and I wish she didn’t have to leave me, but Daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.”

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy, “Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll!” “OK” he said, “I hope I do have enough.” I added some of my money without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money. The little boy said, “Thank you God for giving me enough money!” Then he looked at me and said, “I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that Mommy could give it to my sister. He heard me! I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my Mommy, but I didn’t dare to ask God for too much. But he gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My Mommy loves white roses.” A few minutes later, the old lady returned and I left with my basket. I finished my shopping in a totally different state of mind from when I started. I couldn’t get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local newspaper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy? Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young woman had passed away. I couldn’t stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still to this day, hard to imagine, and in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

B. First Reading (Jas 4:1-10): “You ask but you do not receive because you ask wrongly.”

In the reading (Jas 4:1-10), Saint James condemns the faithlessness in the

community; that is, their human degradation, the riotous living, the fights and pleasure seeking, etc. Having exposed the extensive social and personal turmoil and having reacted with a just reproach, Saint James now issues a call to repentance: “Submit to God … Draw near to God… Purify your hearts … Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.” There should be a complete reversal of their lives from vice to God, from fragmentation to integration, from division to wholeness. Saint James exhorts them to a total conversion of heart and urges them to let God be the Lord of their lives.

The following personal testimony of Papa Mike, the founder of the Poverello House in Fresno, gives insight into the meaning of Saint James’ moral and spiritual exhortation (cf. Mike McGarvin in Poverello News, July 2013, p. 2-3).

In the 1960s, I was an eager participant in the hippie movement: free love, drug experimentation that soon led to dependency, openness to a hodge-podge of strange spiritual beliefs, and advocating for the expansion of the welfare state as a way of addressing poverty. I marched in anti-war and anti-poverty marches (when I wasn’t too drunk to march), took LSD, smoked marijuana, and practiced sexual liberation with a vengeance. And guess what? I became poor, miserable, spiritually empty, and got to the point where I wanted to kill myself. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s when I embraced those hated middle-class values that I found meaning and happiness. Middle-class value number one: old-fashioned Christianity. My conversion to Catholicism gave me a new direction and a purpose for living. Middle-class value number 2: I got married, and I stayed married, taking seriously that “until death do us part” business. Middle-class value number three: I worked my way up from an apprenticeship to a full-time job as a photoengraver, learning good work habits and providing for my family. Finally, middle-class value number four: I started giving back to others less fortunate than me, which is how Poverello House started. (…) When we take a homeless drug addict into our program, in most cases we’re not only dealing with the personal wreckage of his life, but also the leftover cultural debris from the 1960s. Our solution is so middle-class that it almost makes the old hippie in me want to cry: get clean and sober, get God, work hard, be responsible, get a job, and take care of the messes you’ve made, and then go out and help someone else in need. It’s a far cry from “Turn on tune in, drop out”, and certainly more humdrum, but it means the difference between a horrible life of squalor and having a chance at achieving lasting joy.


1. Are our hearts blinded with ambition and are we unable to be the “servant of all”? Do we endeavor to welcome the needy and vulnerable “children of God” in our midst? 2. Do we respond to God’s call to total conversion and do we draw close to him and make him be the Lord of our lives? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus, you are the ultimate servant and the “servant of all”

by your life-giving sacrifice on the cross. Help us to be “first” by our serving love. Give us the grace to welcome the poor, the needy, the vulnerable … all the children of God. Teach us to overcome the demands of evil passions. Draw us close to our loving God, who lives and reigns, forever and ever. Amen. *** O Jesus, grant us the wisdom to submit humbly to the compassionate plan of our almighty God. Teach us to overcome the demands of evil passions. Draw us close to you. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” (Mk 9:35) //“Submit yourselves to God … Draw near to God.” (Jas 4:7-8)


In your acts of charity, enable the people around you to feel the love of Christ, the

“servant of all”. // Pray for the grace to resist temptations and the destructive lure of evil passions.

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WEDNESDAY: SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us to Be Open to Others … He

Teaches Us Submission to the Will of God”


I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 9:38-40): “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

The following charming story, “Jesus at the Football Match”, from Anthony De

Mello’s book, The Song of the Bird (New York: Doubleday Image Books, 1984), p.147, helps me to understand today’s Gospel reading (Mk 9:38-40) in a humorous vein.

Jesus Christ said he had never been to a football match. So we took him to one, my friends and I. It was a ferocious battle between the Protestant Punchers and the Catholic Crusaders. The Crusaders scored first. Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air. Then the Punchers scored. And Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air. This seemed to puzzle the man behind us. He tapped Jesus on the shoulder and asked: “Which side are you rooting for, my good man?” “Me?” replied Jesus, visibly excited by the game. “Oh, I’m not rooting for either side. I’m just enjoying the game.”

Indeed, Jesus is not in the habit of taking sides. He is concerned with the good of

people and not with trifling issues of party membership or political color. In light of the above story, we can understand why Jesus roots for anyone who does good in terms of service to God’s anawim - “the little ones” - even if that person does not belong to the inner circle of disciples. In today’s Gospel reading, he recognizes the good work done by “someone driving out demons in his name”. He tries to correct the clique tendency and the petty exclusivity of his disciples. As the Divine Master, he teaches his disciples to be tolerant and open to others of good will. They are not to consider those not in their company as less favored. B. First Reading (Jas 4:13-17): “You have no idea what your life will be like. Instead you should say: If the Lord wills it.”

In the reading (Jas 4:13-17), Saint James warns against radical self-assertion and

about not orienting one’s entire life to God. The one who boasts and proudly conducts his life as if he is in control should take heed. The businessman whose only plan is to make more profit and does not recognize the role of God in his life is like a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears. Such a man does not even have an idea what his life will be like tomorrow. Our human life is fragile and transitory and we cannot afford to conduct our life as if we are in control and not God. We must not be proud or boastful, but make the Lord God the center of our life. We must live our life in dependence on God. Recognizing the wisdom of the divine plan, our stance is humble: “If the Lord wills it …” Moreover, Saint James reminds us that in failing to do the good we must do, we are guilty of sin.

The following story gives insight into the mystery of the divine plan and the need

to submit to the will of God (cf. Frank Slazak, “I Won Because I Lost” in A 3rd Serving of

Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1996, p. 225-229).

I wanted to be an astronaut … Then it happened in early 1985, like a lightning bolt from the sky, the White House announced that President Reagan was directing NASA to begin the search for an ordinary citizen to fly into space on board a space shuttle mission … Two weeks later, NASA announced that any teacher interested in competing for the honor of being the first ordinary citizen and teacher in space should write to them to request an application. That very same day, I sent my request to Washington … Express Mail! I wondered if other teachers had the same dream. (…) Every day, I ran to the mailbox to see if I had survived the space agency’s scrutiny. NASA took several weeks to review the 11,000 submitted applications, but then it came … an official-looking envelope with NASA’s logo in the upper left-hand corner. I waited so long for this news, and now that I had it, I was afraid to open the envelope. What if it was bad news? I prayed that the news would be good as I excitedly read the letter. My prayers were answered! I survived the first cut! (…) I finally received the call that I had prayed for. NASA informed me that they had chosen me to attend their special astronautic training program at the Kennedy Space Center! This was it; this was the final step toward being chosen! My confidence soared as I knew that I would be the one who would be the first teacher in space. (…) Then came the devastating news. I would not be the first teacher to fly in space. NASA had chosen a teacher from Concord, New Hampshire, by the name of Christa McAuliffe. I had lost. My lifelong dream was over. Depression, loss of confidence and anger replaced my euphoria as I questioned everything: Why God, why not me? What part of the right stuff did I lack? Why had life dealt me such a cruel blow? How could I face my students, my family and my community? Why did my dream have to end when I was so close? (…) Tuesday, January 28, 1986, the day I had dreamed about for 25 years, found me gathered with those that I had shared my failed dream with: my students, my family and people from the community, along with members of the media. We all came to witness history and watch the historic flight of teacher Christa McAuliffe. We watched as the space shuttle Challenger lifted off the launch pad on what seemed like a perfect launch. As it cleared that launch tower, I challenged my dream one final time. God, I would do anything to be in that shuttle. Why can’t that be me? Seventy-three seconds later, God answered all of my questions and invalidated all of my doubts as the Challenger exploded, killing all on board, including teacher Christa McAuliffe. My father’s words, “Everything happens for a reason”,

instantly came back to me. I was not chosen for that flight no matter how much I wanted it or prayed for it, because the Divine Plan included another reason for my presence on this earth. I had another mission in life. I was not a loser; I was a winner! I had won because I had lost!


1. Do we exclude “non-members” from the ministry and echo the intolerance of the immature disciples of Jesus: “Teacher, we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us”? Do we believe wholeheartedly in Jesus’ declaration: “There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me … For whoever is not against us is for us”? 2. Are we obedient to the divine plan and do we trust God’s benevolent wisdom? Do we carry on the humble stance of a faithful disciple: “If the Lord wills it …”? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, at times, our hearts are intolerant. We try to lay exclusive claim to the Reign of God you have graciously shared with us. Help us to realize that the Kingdom is meant for all people of good will in every time and culture. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Jesus, Divine Master teach us your humble ways and to trust in God’s plan. Grant that in the vicissitudes of life and in all our endeavors, we may always say: “If the Lord wills it …”. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“For whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mk 9:40) //“You should say, ‘If the Lord wills it ...’” (Jas 4:15) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for the success of the ecumenical movement in the Church and the laudable endeavor of inter-religious dialogue. See what tangible contribution you can make in this regard. // Present all your endeavors to the Lord and say to him, “If you will it …”

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THURSDAY: SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to a Radical Discipleship … He

Hears the Cry of the Poor”


I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 9:41-50): “It is better for you to enter into life with one hand, than with two hands to go into Gehenna.”

Today’s Gospel (Mk 9:41-50) continues to underline the challenges of Christian

discipleship. Jesus warns against the evil of causing scandal to others by using the harsh imagery of the unquenchable fires of Gehenna. Harold Buetow remarks: “The figure of Gehenna is a symbol of hell derived from the garbage dump in the dried-up Valley of the Hinnon River below the southwest wall of the city. It had an evil history. Once the site of child-sacrifices to the god Moloch, in the time of Jesus it was the city dump, and its smoldering fires and billowing acrid smoke consuming the smelly garbage were a symbol of the punishment of the damned.”

To avoid the hell of Gehenna, the disciples must take care not to give bad

example to anyone. Jesus asserts: “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire”. Jesus’ remarkable saying is not meant to be taken literally. Physical mutilation does not always work against temptation. What Jesus underlines is the absolute importance of entering the kingdom of God and the exigent demand is entails. Anything that jeopardizes participation in the heavenly kingdom must be expunged from our lives.

Indeed, the Christian disciples need to be purified in their innermost motives.

They need to be “salted with fire” and experience the purifying fire of trials by which the faithful become pleasing sacrifices to God and at peace with one another. They need to expunge the evils of ambition, intolerance and scandal from their midst. In place of these, they have to make a tough choice for primacy in service, for tolerance and openness to others of good will, and for integrity in their dealing with God’s “little ones”. Those who respond to the radical demands of Christian discipleship with zest and gusto become the salt of the earth. As the good salt of the earth, they continue to inspire people with the liveliness of the Gospel spirit and lead them to yearn for God’s kingdom.

The following testimony is an example of today’s laudable efforts to help the

“little ones” experience the blessings of God’s kingdom and to overcome the obstacles in their lives (cf. Sister Mary Rose McGeady, Sometimes God has a Kid’s Face, Covenant House USA, 2010, p. 82-84).

Freddy had been born seventeen years ago in one of those small old mill towns in the Northeast, the kind of town where industry and hope left town and never looked back at what was left behind. Unable to find work, unable to cope, his parents both took to drinking as a way to escape their sorrow. Sometimes when the drink wasn’t enough to ease their pain, they took their frustrations out on Freddy. Many nights, Freddy found himself hiding in his house, in closets and under beds, trying to escape a beating that had, by that point, become an almost weekly ritual. Afraid and desperate to please his parents, Freddy began drinking with them, in order to show he was on their side. Soon, well before he had become a teenager, he found himself hooked on alcohol, unable to pry himself loose from the grip it had on him. “It’s in my blood, Sister”, he said to us that first day. “I was born an addict … there’s nothing you can do to help me.” One day, when the beatings got to be too much, he fled to the streets to find a peace he had never known. Instead, he found what all kids find – the aloneness, hunger, fatigue and darkness of an unforgiving world on the street. He was sixteen years old. For one full year, Freddy struggled to find some kind of existence on the streets. He slept in alleys, and ate out of garbage cans. He drank to forget how scared and alone he was – and he began experimenting with drugs, hoping they would somehow help him escape his pain. He died a little, day by day. Then he found Covenant House. I’m not sure exactly how it’s going to turn out for him. I’m hoping – I guess some would say against hope – that it’s not too late for him to believe, that it’s not too late for him to finally overcome an addiction that has an ironclad grip on every ounce of his body. I do know that as long as he is

alive, I have hope that we can turn his life around … “I want you to know something, Freddy”, I said. “I still think you are going to make it”, I said. “Just give us a chance”, I said. I could tell by the look of his eyes that he hoped I was right. “I’d like to try”, he said. I reached out and hugged him. “Thank you. God”, I whispered to myself.

B. First Reading (Jas 5:1-6): “The workers from whom you withheld the wages are crying aloud; their cries have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.”

In the reading (Jas 5:1-6), St. James comes to grips with a sinful situation that

jeopardizes the Christian community’s call to serve the kingdom of God and to mirror his liberality. The selfish desire for possession brings about violence to the innocent and militates against human dignity and the beautiful unfolding of our Christian vocation.

Harold Buetow comments: “Today’s Reading laments that some people, instead

of being prophets as Moses and Jesus had wished – that is, speakers of God – place their trust in money … An angry James wants to show the ultimate worthlessness of riches and to show how detestable some who own riches can become. James condemns the rich who hoard their wealth, cheat laborers of their just wages, and live in a luxurious way that is unmindful of the poor. He, like the rest of Scripture, does not condemn wealth as such, but insists strenuously upon its responsibilities and on the perils that surround the person who has it. The more you own, the more you are owned; it is good to have money, if money is not all you have … The desire for possessions can eat at a person like a fire. This all-consuming fire can cause a person to be oblivious of the needs and rights of others – even those to whom we have immediate obligations, like employees … James insists that we cannot be right with God unless one is just.”

Manila Hotel’s former PR officer Gwen Carino writes about her close encounter

with hotel guest Michael Jackson in December 1996. Her testimony serves as a counterpoint to the portrait of the uncaring rich depicted in the passage from St. James. The grace of God calls us to manifest God’s liberality and compassion for the poor and to all.

MANILA, Philippines – When I was a PR officer at Manila Hotel, I was assigned to head the annual Orphan’s Christmas Party where 300 children from different orphanages around Metro Manila were treated to a day of fun and surprises. It was one of the biggest projects on my plate and it was such a challenge to focus on work the day before the big event, knowing Michael Jackson was billeted in the hotel. Two nights before, I had been fortunate to be part of his welcome line at the hotel lobby together with the rest of the PR and sales staff but was content enough to see him walk by. The day before, a guy claiming to be Michael Jackson’s aide from Mamarao Productions came to the office. I couldn’t recall his name but he looked for the “person in charge” and said his boss had read the announcement about the event

in the Dear Guest flyers we had circulated to all the rooms a week before. Michael wanted to know how he could help. His aide went up to the Penthouse and down to the PR office several times after we gave our suggestions. Michael offered to fill up the 300 loot bags with goodies and toys, candies and chocolates. But after getting close to 50 sponsors, it was actually a problem for us to dispose of everything. So I thought hard…how can the King of Pop meaningfully join the affair? I couldn’t possibly have him be with the kids in the palayok game or the pabitin as he might end up being mobbed! And since the annual event was really all about giving, I mustered all my courage and told the Mamarao guy that the best thing I could think of was for Michael to literally be present to help distribute the loot bags, sign autographs and pose with the children for photos. “Wow, that may not be easy. You’re talking about handing goodie bags to 300 children and I can just imagine the chaos. We’ll see, Ms. Jacinto. I’ll get back to you,” he said. Lunch break came and it was the most hurried one I ever took in my entire life. It wasn’t until after 5 p.m. that Michael‘s aide came back and said, “Michael is more than happy to do whatever you suggest. How do we go about it tomorrow?” I wanted to scream. I had to calm myself and regain composure as the Lizzie McGuire in me said, “Get real, get back into focus.” We agreed that Michael would join after the games, musical program and snacks, and at the last part to give out the loot bags. My colleague Annette Africano and boss Dulce Agnir requested additional security around the garden and the stage area as this was where we decided to distribute the gifts. We made sure the children would form an orderly line. Then the moment arrived. It was at the Champagne Gardens on Dec. 7, 1996. I was surprised to see him walking towards us, guided by his aide. Michael came up to me as I had to brief him. “Hi, how are you? Thanks so much for letting me in, I know I’m early ’coz I didn’t want to miss the program.” I said, “Are you kidding? Thanks so much for volunteering! Here’s what, Michael, why don’t you just sit here and watch the musical numbers before we get into the gift giving. I will have to tweak the program a bit.” He replied, “Sure, anything you say… (pausing to look at my name tag) Gwen!” I was stunned at how incredibly sweet and modest he was. And in my mind it was, “Oh my God, this is really happening!” Amazing how he patiently sat through the whole program. Carol Banawa, then an Ang TV mainstay, couldn’t believe MJ was watching her perform. She had her red blouse signed by him right after her number. Then followed Stefano Mori’s dance number. Later, his backup singers and dancers came up on stage followed by select kids from different orphanages who danced to the beat of Billie Jean. Oh, the smile on Michael’s face was just amazing. Then we announced that Michael will be distributing gifts onstage. I explained to him that there’s a loot bag for the younger kids and another for the older ones

and he nodded. The thrill and excitement he gave those children was incredibly touching. It was in between the gift bag distribution that I caught a glimpse of MJ, not as a performer but as a person. It was one in the afternoon. Santa Claus (David Endriga, a friend of fellow PR officer Francis Capistrano) was with us. The heat was scourging and I was worried that Michael felt so hot with his black long-sleeved signature attire and hat. “Are you alright Michael? We can let you take a break,” I asked. He said, “I’m cool Gwen. Just imagine how Santa feels inside his velvet suit and beard. We’ll be fine.” I never heard him complain or say a word about how hot it was or how long the line was. He had the most beautiful manners. He didn’t even ask for a drink or a towel to wipe his sweat but one of our banquet staff made sure he got a glass of fresh orange juice. An hour passed and we were halfway through gift-giving when we noticed that the garden was getting filled up. Suddenly, there were people from the media, politicians, officials and hotel guests including those in a wedding reception at the nearby Champagne Room who deserted the newly-weds just to get a glimpse of the King of Pop. “Oh oh, this isn’t supposed to be, I’m so sorry,” I said. “It’s all right, we’ll get through it,” Michael said smiling. As we finished giving out the last loot bag to an 11-year-old orphan, a new line of more kids and adults formed. Michael’s bodyguard, Wayne, said. “We can leave now.” Michael replied calmly, “We can’t leave when there are still people in line. It’s Christmas, dude.” I felt my heart beat faster and the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stood up. He wasn’t just the most electrifying performer, but the most generous person. One of the most memorable moments was when a lady came up to him for an autograph. Laughing and holding his tummy, he said “Hey Gwen, you’ve gotta check this out”. He whispered, “It’s a blank check. The lady is making me sign on a blank check.” We laughed hard and little did we know that it wasn’t even half of the comedy. He later showed me and Wayne other stuff people would use or pick up on the ground when they couldn’t find paper for him to sign on. One lady made him sign at the back of her elegant, designer Filipiniana gown. One teenager came up to him holding a dead leaf and another one, a popped balloon. Imagine how our laughter ballooned as well. It was an amazing, genuine experience. At one point he asked if I was going to catch his History concert and I said “tomorrow night.” “Oh, you’ll have a blast!” Michael told me. At this point he became concerned about the stage as adults outnumbered the kids. His face had nervousness written all over it but he still didn’t complain. He tapped the wooden floor with his foot several times making sure it was sturdy enough not to fall apart. “I’ve experienced the stage collapse and I just want to make sure we’re all safe here,” he explained. Half of me wanted the line to finish because we were literally melting and worried about our safety, but half of me didn’t, knowing that once the line ended, Michael will leave. At some point it did end. I managed to get an autograph for my sisters and me

before our general manager, Clem Pablo, requested him to sing Give Love on Christmas Day. Cesar Sarino, one of the hotel’s officials, addressed his thank you note to the King of Pop. Then I saw his guards and aides whisking Michael off stage. I said in my mind, “Oh man, I didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.” Suddenly, I saw Michael return on stage and say, “Thanks so much to you and your team, Gwen. This really means a lot.” Then he held me beside him and said, “I’ll see you at the concert.” As Michael Jackson is laid to rest and returned to pristine condition in the afterlife, these two incredible acts of the King of Pop — volunteering for charity and unselfishly spending time with the less fortunate, will forever be the way I will remember this man.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we make a fundamental choice for the Kingdom of God, and are we ready to renounce all that impedes from total participation in it? Do we endeavor to help the “little ones” to experience the blessings of the heavenly Kingdom? 2. Do we hear the cry of the poor and respond to their needs? Do we truly seek the treasures of heaven? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATI

Lord Jesus, help us to heed your warning not to cause the “little ones” to sin, but rather to promote their dignity and integrity. Teach us to respond to the cry of the poor and aid them in their needs. Let us respond to the call of radical discipleship. We love you and we trust in you, O Divine Master, for in drawing us close to you we are purified and “salted with fire” and become the good “salt of the earth”. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, help us to promote the dignity and integrity of the human person for whom you have poured out your sacrificial blood. Teach us to respond to the cry of the poor

and aid them in their needs. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into

Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.” (Mk 9:47) //“Their cries have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.” (Jas 5:4)


To help you interiorize the radical demands of God’s kingdom, spend some

moments of quiet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. // Make a personal inventory and see what things/resources/assets you can renounce/share with the “little ones” and the needy poor.

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FRIDAY: SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Teaches Us the Sanctity of Marriage …

He Shows Us Patient Endurance”


I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:1-12): “What God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

This true story of enduring love happened some years ago in the Philippines. The

parents of our friend, Fr. Allan Lastimosa, went to visit him at his parish in Metro Manila. They had a beautiful time together, especially when they celebrated his mom’s birthday. Soon it was time for his parents to sail for their Cebu island hometown. Fr. Allan brought his parents and a nephew to the pier in Manila and sent them off. As they

were about to sail, his dad commented, “The weather doesn’t look good!” But there seemed to be no cause for alarm. And so the ship set off for a day’s journey to Cebu. That was the last time Fr. Allan would see his mom and dad. They were among the fatalities when the boat was caught offshore by a typhoon and capsized. The nephew survived to tell a beautiful story of sacrificial love and nuptial fidelity. Fr. Allan’s dad, who was physically able and could have saved himself, refused to leave his sickly and fragile wife behind. Death perfected their marriage covenant. Indeed, their love for each other is a paradigm of the irrevocable unity of “what God has joined together”.

Today’s Gospel reading (Mk 10:1-12) continues to delineate the radical demands of Christian discipleship. Jesus’ teaching on marriage is a further challenge to those who wish to follow him. At the core of his message is the challenge to spouses to live in faithful union until death. In the divine plan, the married couple constitutes “one flesh” and their covenantal relationship is enduring. He asserts radically that what God has joined together, no human being must separate. Jesus thus enunciates the ideal of indissoluble marriage in the context of the divine plan and the Reign of God that he has come to establish. Though cognizant of the painful issue of marital failure and divorce, the Church continues, then and now, to uphold the lofty ideal of the sacredness of the marriage covenant. In a world where marriage is a convenience, Christian couples are called to witness to the sacred character of the bond of matrimony. God proposes this ideal of marriage to weak human beings, but he places his trust in men and women created in his image and strengthened by his grace. B. First Reading (Jas 5:9-12): “The Judge is standing before the gates.”

The reading (Jas 5:9-12) contains a lesson on patient endurance. Saint James

invites the Christian community not to judge one another because the true Judge who is God is ready to appear. Rather, he invites them to emulate the sterling models of patient endurance. He reminds them of the prophets who suffered for God’s word and of Job, a paradigm of perseverance and a recipient of God’s abundant reward. Indeed, those who persevere are blessed. The words of Saint James are meant to console and to enlighten. The Lord who comes as judge is compassionate and merciful. But to avoid being condemned by the just judge, one must live in truth and integrity.

The courageous Pakistani girl, Malala, gives us a glimpse what “patient

endurance” in today’s world means (cf. “The Face of Courage” in Parade, October 6, 2013, p. 10, 16).

In a country that’s seen more than its share of violence, the fate of one teenager might not seem to count for much. But somehow Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan has managed to become an international inspiration. She was only 11 when she took on the Taliban, demanding that girls be given full access to school. Her campaign led to a blog for the BBC, a New York Times documentary, and a Pakistani peace prize. But all that was only a prelude to even more extraordinary events. Last October, Taliban assassins attacked Malala, then 15, on her way home from

school, shooting her in the head. Here Malala describes that day and offers her hopes for the future. (…) TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2012: The man was wearing a peaked cap and had a handkerchief over his nose and mouth. Then he swung himself onto the tailboard and leaned in over us. “Who is Malala?” he demanded. No one said anything, but several girls looked at me. I was the only girl with my face uncovered. That’s when he lifted up a black pistol. Some of the girls screamed. Moniba tells me I squeezed her hand. My friends say he fired three shots. The first went through my left eye socket and out under my left shoulder. I slumped forward onto Moniba, blood coming from my left ear, so the other two bullets hit the girls next to me. One bullet went into Shazia’s left hand. The third went through her left shoulder and into the upper right arm of Kainaz Riaz. My friends told me the gunman’s hand was shaking as he fired. In the year since that fateful day, Malala has undergone a recovery that is nothing short of miraculous. The bullet narrowly missed her brain, and doctors at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, where she was brought in a medically induced coma six days after the attack, marveled that she was able to stand within a week of her arrival. Malala underwent multiple surgeries and spent nearly three months in the hospital (which specialized in treating wounded soldiers) though mercifully it was found that she had suffered no major permanent neurological damage. The ordeal did, however, solidify her will: “It feels like this life is not my life. It’s a second life. People have prayed to God to spare me and I was spared for a reason – to use my life for helping people.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we believe in Jesus’ radical affirmation: “What God has joined together, no human being must separate”? How do we promote the sanctity and integrity of family and married life? 2. As Christian disciples, how do we build in ourselves “patient endurance”? Do we allow ourselves to be strengthened by our compassionate and merciful God? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Almighty and eternal God, you have made the unbreakable bond of marriage a sign of your Son’s union with the Church as his spouse.

Look with favor on all married couples whom you have united. Let them grow in love for each other and may they resolve to be of one heart, one mind, one soul. In their needs, be near to them and in their struggles, assist them with your saving power. Loving Father, we pray for the Church, the Bride of Christ, that she may trust in your mercy and compassion and work for the coming of your kingdom in “patient endurance”. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, we look forward to your coming. You are the Judge who stands before the gates. Help us to work for the definitive advent of your kingdom in “patient endurance”. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.


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

“What God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Mk 10:9)

//“Indeed we call blessed those who have persevered.” (Jas 5:11


Pray for all married couples, offering special petitions for those who are having

marital problems. // Manifest “patient endurance” and perseverance in carrying out the daily tasks of Christian discipleship.

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SATURDAY: SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Welcomes the Children … He Teaches Us the Power of Prayer”

BIBLE READINGS

Jas 5:13-20 // Mk 10:13-16 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:13-16): “Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”

Today’s Gospel episode of Jesus blessing the children (Mk 10:13-16) follows

Jesus’ teaching about the sacredness of marriage. This is significant in that to accept the Lord’s teaching on marriage requires the openness of children and a sense of dependence on God’s strength matching the child’s sense of dependence on the parents. Only a childlike trust will enable the Christian disciples to live up to the demands of the day-to-day relationships they have in the family and elsewhere. Jesus shows compassion and concern for the children who are being prevented from coming to him. Reacting with righteous indignation, he orders them to let the children come to him and holds the little ones as models for those who receive the kingdom of God. It is only to those who are receptive as children that the kingdom of God belongs. Those who are childlike have a central place in the community of faith.

The following story illustrates the sensitivity and receptivity of a “child” to the

works of God’s kingdom (cf. Taste of Home, February-March 2009, p. 67). A 12-year-old’s fundraising effort to help poor African children gives us a glimpse of what Christians can do in today’s world to be pleasing to God.

A video shown at church inspired Miranda Walters to make a difference. She saw the faces of children dying from malaria thousands of miles from her Cedar Falls, Iowa home and knew she couldn’t ignore them. A $10 mosquito net dramatically reduces the risk African children face of contracting malaria, an often-fatal infectious disease transmitted through mosquito bites. So Miranda, 12, gave herself a goal: raise $100, enough to buy 10 nets for the nonprofit organization Nothing But Nets. “After seeing the video, I told my grandma I wanted to do something to help them”, Miranda says. “She suggested a bake sale. So we talked to people at church, made posters and baked some things.” She and her grandmother, Jill Rechkemmer, also of Cedar Falls, made Caramel-Pecan Cheesecake Pie and Caramel-Pecan Apple Pie, both from Taste of Home. They also invited others from the congregation to help with the baking. “At first I worried we wouldn’t get enough baked goods”, says Grandma Jill. “But there were so many!” The bake sale raised $640, enough to buy 64 nets.

Miranda encourages other kids to think about raising money for a cause. “It’s possible no matter how busy you are”, she says. “It feels good to do something to make a difference.”

B. First Reading (Jas 5:13-20): “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.”

In today’s reading (Jas 5:13-20), we hear the conclusion of the letter of Saint

James in which he continues to underline what an authentic faith entails. Whether suffering or in good spirits we need to draw near to God in prayer. When there is a sick member, the Church elders are urged to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer made in faith will heal the sick person. The Lord will restore him to health and the sins he has committed will be forgiven. Citing as model the prophet Elijah, whose prayer brought both drought and life-giving rain on the land, Saint James declares that the prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. The prayer of faith should not only concern the physically sick person, but the sinner who has gone astray. The spiritually sick member deserves as much attention as the physically ill. Such kindness and concern for the well-being of the sinner’s soul will find favor with God.

Here is an example of a church’s prayer of faith at work (cf. Lynda Ramsey

Martinez, “Anointed” in Guideposts, February 2014, p. 24-26). I could not possibly have advanced ovarian cancer … I knew God didn’t make mistakes and everything happened for a reason. But this felt like a mistake … I’m a deeply faithful person. I totally trust God. But I couldn’t help being afraid … I didn’t want this to be the end. I was only 59! I thought back over my life – my first marriage, then marrying Pete, raising two sets of kids, Lynda’s Café. Suddenly I remembered something from my church growing up. How our pastor would anoint the sick with oil for them. Our church had believed strongly in the healing power of God’s Spirit. Was that what I need? A kind of spiritual chemo? It was as if my sister Mary Margaret read my mind. She was my big sister. She’d always looked out for me. Out of the blue she called and announced. “Lynda, I found a pastor who will anoint you with oil. Remember how they did that when we were kids? He’s coming the day before your surgery.” Pastor Kenneth Kelly arrived the evening before I went to the hospital. The instant I saw him I felt at ease. He was the pastor of a small church in downtown Phoenix. His eyes were kind and filled with God’s mercy, almost as if a light shone in them. The anointing was very simple. Pastor Kenneth took a small vial from his pocket, poured a drop on my forehead, then laid his hands on my head. His wife and brother, who’d accompanied him, laid their hands on too. “Dear Lord, protect Lynda and heal her body.” Pastor Kelly prayed. “Send your angels to carry her through this surgery and guide the hands of the doctors. We ask this in the name of your blessed son, Jesus.” That was all. I felt no different when the

prayer ended. But I was glad he’d come. I asked if he would come again during chemo. “Of course”, he said. I made it through the surgery … Dr. Bhoola prescribed six rounds of chemo, starting in December … The night before the third round, Pastor Kenneth had gently asked whether I was prepared for the possibility that God would not heal my body. “Sometimes there’s physical healing”, he said. “Sometimes the healing takes a different form. Are you open to that?” All I could think to reply was, “Well, if the Lord chooses not to heal me, then I’ll see my mom and dad and everyone else in heaven.” I meant that. But I didn’t want it to happen yet. The night before the fourth round of chemo, Pastor Kenneth came to our house once again. I sat in a chair in the living room, trying to feel the same sense of comfort I’d felt the first time he came. He got out the oil and poured a drop on my forehead. Then he laid his hands on me and prayed. He finished and stepped back to talk to Pete. Suddenly I sat bolt upright. A wave of intense heat passed through my body … “I think I was just healed”, I said. (…) I underwent tests just before Memorial Day. All through the long weekend Pete and I prayed and agonized, waiting for the results. At last, on Tuesday, the phone rang. It was Dr Bhoola’s assistant. “You are one strong woman, Lynda”, she marveled. “The tests show you are one hundred percent cancer-free. We call that NED – no evidence of disease.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we have a childlike dependence in our relationship with God and are we animated by a sense of trust in our pursuit of the kingdom of God? 2. Do we perceive the importance of the prayer in our life as Christian disciples? How do we contribute to the prayer of faith of the Church and the well being of the members? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Dear Jesus, you wanted the children to come to you. We come to you with childlike dependence and total trust. We love and serve you, now and forever. Amen. *** Loving Jesus,

you are our healing Lord. Let us enter the heavenly kingdom and give us the grace to share in the healing ministry and the prayer of faith of the Church. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.


“Let the children come to me … the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

(Mk 10:14) //“The prayer of faith will save the sick person.” (Jas 5:15)


With childlike dependence, ask God for the grace you need to serve him in the sick and suffering and in caring for the “little ones”.



MONDAY: EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to a Radical Discipleship … He Is the Object of Our Love”

BIBLE READINGS

I Pt 1:3-9 // Mk 10:17-27 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:17-27): “Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor.”

A wise and holy hermit finds a precious stone beside the brook. He brings it with

him to his little cottage. One of his disciples sees the precious discovery and begins to covet it. The hermit notices that the young disciple is looking dismal and miserable day by day. “What is it?” he asks the young man. “It is the stone,” the disciple replies. “I want to have it. I will never have peace and happiness until it is mine.” The good master remarks serenely, “But, of course, you can have it.” The disciple takes the stone. The next morning he is back. “What is it?” the hermit asks. The disciple holds up the precious stone and says, “I want the wisdom that made you renounce this precious stone so unselfishly.” The disciple’s “awakening” consists in discovering the need for wisdom, which gives a perceptive insight into human life. Wisdom directs our quest toward eternal life, the only goal worth striving for. The truly wise person is able to discern the unsurpassable value of God and chooses him above all. The full meaning of wisdom can be gleaned in the light of Jesus Christ, the divine Wisdom personified. Against this backdrop, the Gospel story of the rich man in pursuit of eternal life (Mk 10:17-27) acquires a deeper perspective. The man has responded to the demands of the commandments. For one who lives under the Old Covenant, such a response would have been sufficient. And, indeed, Jesus looks at him and loves him. But Jesus, the absolute treasure and font of all good, goes further. The incarnate Wisdom offers a greater challenge and demands a fuller response. The challenge is Christian discipleship, which involves renunciation of false security. Jesus is the true wealth besides which everything pales in comparison. To follow Jesus is to make a radical choice for the absolute good. Jesus invites the rich man to make a fundamental choice. The enormity of the challenge is expressed in the Semitic hyperbole of a camel passing through the eye of a needle. It is a choice of a loving and discerning heart made possible by divine grace: “with God all things are possible” (Mk 10:27). This radical choice for the “treasure of all treasures” is addressed to us all. B. First Reading (I Pt 1:3-9): “Although you have not seen him, you love him; you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.”

The First Reading (I Pt 1:3-9) is an ode to divine mercy: “Blessed be the God and

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead …” We rejoice in the salvation and new life given by God and we owe the grace of our rebirth to the resurrection of Jesus our Lord. Our spiritual rebirth as Christians fills us with living hope

for the rich blessing that God keeps for us in heaven. The power of God’s merciful love keeps us secure in this hope of salvation. Moreover, the heavenly inheritance to be revealed on the last day helps us to persevere through difficulties in our spiritual journey. Indeed, as Christians in today’s world, although we do not physically see him, we love him. We believe in him because we “see” him in faith and rejoice in his gift of salvation.

The life of Saint Katharine Drexel (cf. Wikipedia on the Internet) illustrates the

fundamental choice of one who has found the absolute good and the meaning of being reborn to a living hope.

Katharine Drexel was born as “Catherine Marie Drexel” in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 26, 1858, the second child of investment banker Francis Anthony Drexel and Hannah Langstroth. Her family owned a considerable fortune, and her uncle Anthony Joseph Drexel was the founder of Drexel University in Philadelphia. Hannah died five weeks after her baby's birth. For two years Katharine and her sister, Elizabeth, were cared for by their aunt and uncle, Ellen and Anthony Drexel. When Francis married Emma Bouvier in 1860 he brought his two daughters home. A third daughter, Louise, was born in 1863. The girls were educated at home by tutors. They had the added advantage of touring parts of the United States and Europe with their parents. Twice a week, the Drexels distributed food, clothing and rent assistance from their family home at 1503 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. When widows or lonely single women were too proud to come to the Drexels for assistance, the family sought them out, but always quietly. As Emma Drexel taught her daughters, “Kindness may be unkind if it leaves a sting behind.” As a young and wealthy woman, she made her social debut in 1879. But when she had nursed her stepmother through a three-year terminal cancer, she saw that all the Drexel money could not buy safety from pain or death, and her life took a profound turn. She had always been interested in the plight of the Indians, having been appalled by what she read in Helen Hunt Jackson’s “A Century of Dishonor”. When her family took a trip to the Western part of the United States in 1884, Katharine saw the plight and destitution of the native Indians. This experience aroused her desire to do something specific to help alleviate their condition. This was the beginning of her lifelong personal and financial support of numerous missions and missionaries in the United States. After her father’s death in 1885, she and her sisters had contributed money to help the St. Francis Mission on South Dakota’s Rosebud Reservation. For many years Kate took spiritual direction from a longtime family friend, Father James O’Connor, a Philadelphia priest who later was appointed vicar apostolic of Nebraska. When Kate wrote him of her desire to join a contemplative order, Bishop O’Connor suggested, “Wait a while longer....... Wait and pray.”

Catherine and her sisters were still recovering from their father's death when they went to Europe in 1886. In January 1887 during a private audience with Pope Leo XIII, and asking him for missionaries to staff some of the Indian missions that she as a lay person was financing, she was surprised to hear the Pope suggest that she become a missionary herself. She could easily have married, but after consultation with her spiritual director, Bishop James O'Connor, she made the decision to give herself to God, along with her inheritance, through service to American Indians and Afro-Americans. Her uncle, Anthony Drexel, tried to dissuade her from entering religious life, but in May 1889 she entered the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Pittsburgh to begin her six-month postulancy. Her decision rocked Philadelphia social circles. The Philadelphia Public Ledger carried a banner headline: “Miss Drexel Enters a Catholic Convent - Gives Up Seven Million". On February 12, 1891, she professed her first vows as a religious, dedicating herself to work among the American Indians and Afro-Americans in the western and southwestern United States. She took the name Mother Katharine, and joined by thirteen other women, she established a religious congregation the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. A few months later, Archbishop Ryan blessed the cornerstone of the new motherhouse under construction in Bensalem. In the first of many incidents that indicated her convictions for social justice were not shared by others, a stick of dynamite was discovered near the site. Knowing that many Afro-Americans were far from free, still living in substandard conditions as sharecroppers or underpaid menials, denied education and constitutional rights enjoyed by others, she felt a compassionate urgency to help change racial attitudes in the United States. In 1913, the Georgia Legislature, hoping to stop the Blessed Sacrament Sisters from teaching at a Macon school, tried to pass a law that would have prohibited white teachers from teaching black students. Requests for help and advice reached Mother Katharine from various parts of the United States. After three and a half years of training, she and her first band of nuns opened a boarding school, St. Catherine's Indian School, in Santa Fe. By 1942 she had a system of black Catholic schools in 13 states, plus 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. Segregationists harassed her work, even burning a school in Pennsylvania. In all, she established 50 missions for Indians in 16 states. The most famous foundation was made in 1915; it was Xavier University, New Orleans, the first such institution for Black people in the United States. When Mother Katharine purchased an abandoned university building to open Xavier Preparatory School in New Orleans, vandals smashed every window. In 1922 in Beaumont, Texas, a sign was posted by local Klansmen on the door of a church where the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament had opened a school. “We want an end of services here ... Suppress it in one week or flogging with tar and feathers will follow.” A few days later, a violent thunderstorm ripped through Beaumont, destroying a building that served as the Klan’s headquarters.

Over the course of 60 years - up to her death in 1955 at age 96 - Mother Katharine spent about $20 million in support of her work, building schools and churches and paying the salaries of teachers in rural schools for blacks and Indians. Her cause for beatification was introduced in 1966; she was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II on January 26, 1987, and beatified on November 20, 1988. Mother Drexel was canonized on October 1, 2000, one of only a few American saints and the second American-born saint (Elizabeth Ann Seton was first, as a natural-born US citizen, born in New York City in 1774 and canonized in 1975).


1. Do we yearn for the gift of wisdom? Do we beg the Lord to give us this precious gift? How do we respond to Christ’s radical challenge of discipleship? Do we trust in Christ’s exhortation: “With God all things are possible” (Mk 10:30)? 2. Do we endeavor to give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose mercy gave us new birth to a living hope by rising Christ from the dead? How do we witness in our life “grace yet suffering” and “grace through suffering”? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, you are the “treasure of treasures” and the absolute good. Fill us with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit that we may choose your incredible beauty and value. By the power of the same Spirit, help us to affirm our fundamental choice for you in every moment of life. Teach us to live fully our discipleship. Give us the grace to inspire the people to pursue you, the incomparable good. We love you and honor you, now and forever. Amen. *** Loving Father and gracious God, you gave us new life through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without “seeing” him we love and believe in him. Be with us as we experience “grace yet suffering” as well as “grace through suffering”. We adore you and glorify you, now and forever.

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


day. Please memorize it. “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor … then, come, follow me.” (Mk

10:21) //“Although you have not seen him you love him.” (I Pt 1:8) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for the gift of wisdom that will enable you to make a fundamental choice for Christ and follow him all the way. Take stock of your material possessions. Make a radical decision to share your material resources with the needy and to give to the poor. // Let yourself be filled with the joy of salvation and let this joy be expressed through your “smile”.

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TUESDAY: EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Promises Eternal Life … He Calls Us to

Holiness”

BIBLE READINGS I Pt 1:10-16 // Mk 10:28-31

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:28-31): “You will receive as much persecution in this present age and eternal life in the age to come.”

The Gospel (Mk 10:28-31) tells us that the rich man who encounters Jesus on the

road of discipleship goes away sad. He is a dramatic illustration that selfish attachment makes participation in the Reign of God impossible. The rich man is not able to renounce his possessions for the sake of eternal life. To rely on false security, or one’s ability to obtain eternal life, is like a camel trying to enter the eye of a needle. It cannot happen! But God can free us from enchantments and delusions. Through Jesus, he offers us the grace to renounce a false security or even a “relative good” so as to make a fundamental option for him, the absolute good - the source of all good, including eternal life.

Peter intuits the divine grace at work in the first disciples of Jesus. He asserts:

“We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus assures them and the Christian disciples through all times of the “hundredfold reward”. The “hundredfold reward” is already present in the present age, though its joy is overshadowed by the cross and threatened by the world’s persecution. Eventually those who leave “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands” for the sake of Jesus will experience in the final age the full reward - eternal life in the bosom of God.

The following thoughts of Mother Teresa of Calcutta give insight into radical

discipleship and the Christian disciple’s hundredfold reward (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, ed. Carol Kelly- Gangi, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 2-7).

I knew that God wanted something for me. I was only twelve years old, living with my parents in Skopje, Yugoslavia (now Macedonia), when I first sensed the desire to be a nun. At that time there were some very good priests who helped boys and girls follow their vocation, according to God’s will. It was then I realized that my call was to the poor. *** I remember when I was leaving home fifty years ago – my mother was dead set against me leaving home and becoming a sister. In the end, when she realized that this was what God wanted from her and from me, she said something very strange: “Put your hand in his hand and walk all alone with him.” This is exactly our way of life. We may be surrounded by many people, yet our vocation is really ours alone with Jesus. *** I did my novitiate in Darjeeling and took the vows with the Loreto Sisters. For twenty years, I was at work in education in St. Mary’s High School, which was mostly for middle class children. I loved teaching, and in Loreto I was the happiest nun in the world. *** In 1948, twenty years after I came to India, I actually decided upon this close contact with the poorest of the poor. It was for me a special vocation to give all to belong to Jesus. I felt that God wanted from me something more. He wanted me to be poor with the poor and to love him in the distressing disguise of the poorest of the poor. I had the blessing of obedience. *** I was traveling by train to Darjeeling when I heard the voice of God. I was sure it was God’s voice. I was certain he was calling me. The message was clear. I must leave the convent to help the poor by living among them. Thus was a command, something to be done, something definite. The call was something between God and me. What matters is that God calls each of us in a different way. In those

difficult, dramatic days I was certain that this was God’s doing and not mine and I am still certain. And it was the work of God. I knew that the world would benefit from it. *** To leave Loreto was my greatest sacrifice, the most difficult thing I have ever done. It was much more difficult than to leave my family and country to enter religious life. Loreto meant everything to me. In Loreto I had received my spiritual training. I had become a religious there. I had given myself to Jesus in the Institute. I liked the work, teaching the girls. *** On my first trip along the streets of Calcutta after leaving the Sisters of Loreto, a priest came up to me. He asked me to give a contribution to a collection for the Catholic press. I had left with five rupees, and I had given four of them to the poor. I hesitated, then gave the priest the one that remained. That afternoon, the same priest came to me and brought an envelope. He told me that a man had given him the envelope because he had heard about my projects and wanted to help me. There were fifty rupees in the envelope. I had the feeling, at that moment, that God had begun to bless the work and would never abandon me. *** One by one, from 1949 on, my former students began to arrive. They wanted to give everything to God, right away. With what joy they put away their colorful saris in order to put on our poor cotton one. They came because they knew that it would be hard. When a young woman of high caste comes and puts herself at the service of the poor, she is the protagonist of a revolution. It is the greatest, the most difficult revolution – the revolution of love. *** One of the most demanding things for me is traveling with all the publicity everywhere I go. I have said to Jesus if I don’t go to Heaven for anything else, I will be going to Heaven for all the traveling and publicity, because it has purified me and sanctified me and made me truly ready for Heaven.

B. First Reading (I Pt 1:10-16): “They prophesied about the grace that was to be yours; therefore, live soberly and set your hopes completely on the grace to be borught to you.”

In the reading (I Pt 1:10-15), Saint Peter underlines the greatness of the Christian

gift of salvation and what it entails. The prophets of old foretold it and the angels of heaven look forward to it. Such a great gift requires a special response: so the believers are urged to live a life worthy of their faith. They must live soberly, alert and ready for the blessing that will be given at the final coming and revelation of Jesus Christ. They must not allow their lives to be shaped by those desires that they had when they were still

ignorant of Christ. Instead, they must be holy in all they do just as God is holy. To be holy is to be dedicated to God in a loving faithful covenant relationship.

The following account gives insight into what Christian holiness means (cf. Julie

Basque, “The Long Good-bye” in Saint Anthony Messenger, March 2014, p. 38-39). My mother can still find meaning in her dementia, given her history of deep faith. She describes her spiritual life as different now that she has dementia. “I am more detached now”, she says. “I am more detached and looking forward to heaven. I believe God wants to save more people on earth, so he would like to have some redemptive suffering. If my suffering with dementia can help someone, what a wonderful outcome that would be!” The search for meaning or purpose when one is dealing with dementia can feel futile, yet God’s response is humbling. Her faith is able to give her a context to understand her current situation. “Faith informs us about our lives and how they are in the light of eternity”, she says. Mom believes in uniting her suffering to Jesus’ suffering, thus making it redemptive. She comments further that she feels fortunate that dementia does not hurt. It is not cancer. (…) My mother shares even more with me regarding how she experiences her relationship with God now. “God is very tender toward me”, she says. “Little problems in my life seem to be solved without my even asking God. I feel as though Jesus is looking out for me. I am closer to God. I am less fearful.” Her response is indicative of her unwavering faith. My sister Patty often states that Mom’s faith is very childlike and trusting. Ironically, it was trust in herself that she lost once she was diagnosed with dementia. Yet, it is trust in God that seems to be sustaining her now.


1. Have we left everything in order to follow Jesus? Are we experiencing the hundredfold reward? 2. Do we appreciate the grandiose richness of Christian faith and salvation? Are we ready to live to the full the Christian vocation to holiness? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving Jesus, you are the absolute good. To follow you

is to be blessed with the hundredfold reward and attain the exquisite gift of eternal life. Give us the grace to renounce false security. Grant us the wisdom to sacrifice a relative good and to pursue zealously the eternal good. Teach us to give up everything to follow you and the divine saving will. We adore and serve you. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** O Jesus, teach us to set our hearts completely on the grace that your final revelation brings. Make us holy as God the Father is holy. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“We have given up everything and followed you.” (Mk 10:28) //“He who called you is holy; be holy yourself.” (I Pt 1:15)


Humbly express your discipleship in the various renunciations and sacrifices that you carry out in daily life in union with Jesus Savior. // When trials and difficulties come your way, trust in the Lord and cast your cares upon him. Let this be an occasion to grow in Christian holiness.

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WEDNESDAY: EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Came to Serve … He Ransomed Us with

His Precious Blood”


I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:32-45): “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man will be handed over.”

The Gospel (Mk 10:32-45) tells us that Jesus Christ, the beloved Son-Servant of

God, came to serve – his greatest act of servitude was his paschal journey to Jerusalem and his life-offering on the cross. To be a Christian is to be a servant like him. To imitate Christ is to reject such a non-Gospel stance as “lording it over others”, and to refuse to play the world’s power game. The criterion of Christian discipleship is mutual service for the good of others. The path to glory is to serve the needs of others. The Church is a community of loving disciples who take to heart the words of Jesus: “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.”

In the following account, Mother Teresa of Calcutta gives us beautiful examples

of Christian service (cf. Amazing Grace for the Catholic Heart, ed. Jeff Cavins, et. al., West Chester: Ascension Press, 2004, p. 232-233).

One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition. I told the Sisters: “You take care of the other three; I will take care of the one who looks worse.” So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, and she said one thing only: “Thank you.” Then she died. Then there was the man we picked up from the drain, half-eaten by worms. And after we had brought him to the home, he only said, “I have lived like an animal in the street, but am going to die as an angel, loved and cared for.” Then, after we had removed all the worms from his body, all he said – with a big smile – was: “Sister, I am going home to God.”

B. First Reading (I Pt 1:18-25): “You were ransomed with the precious Blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.”

Our special Christian vocation to holy living and its foundation are delineated in

the reading (I Pt 1:17-21). The biblical scholar Jose Cervantes Gabarron explains: “The faithful memory of the liberating event carried out through the blood of Christ is the profound reason for the Christians’ change in conduct. They pass from a life without meaning to a life of hope, and also from ignorance to holiness. The liberator is Christ and the way of liberation is the passion sealed with the spilling of his blood. (…) Faith in God and in the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ brings a living hope that must be shaped into a new conduct because it corresponds to regeneration through God the Father.”

The people shaped by the saving event of Christ’s paschal mystery are thus called to act responsibly as the “redeemed” - with a life marked by a “holy living”. However, by their conversion the Christians may have suffered the loss of kin and clan. Alienated from their former culture, they must have lived like sojourners and exiles among their former neighbors. But Christians gain new brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, relatives and kin. Their conversion entails a new birth into a new family animated by a “sincere brotherly love”. Their call is to “love one another intensely from the heart”. They receive strength from the fact that their rebirth comes from an imperishable seed, that is, through God’s word that is living and trustworthy. Unless the flower that wilts and the grass that withers, the word of God remains forever. And since God is forever faithful, Christian faith will endure.

The following account of how an army officer has saved the life of a suicidal

soldier gives insight into what “sincere fraternal love” entails (Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffery Powell, U.S. Army Ret., “All He Wrote was Goodbye” in Guideposts, March 2015, p. 62-63).

Facebook was a great way to stay in touch. I had about 700 friends on the site – mostly soldiers I’d served over the years. A good sergeant major, a good leader, tries to know what’s going on in his people’s lives. I logged on. Right away my eyes went to a gruesome photo in my news feed. What in the world? I enlarged the photo on the screen. A bloody forearm with a two-inch slash on the inside wrist. It was posted by a sergeant who’d served with me in Iraq in the 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment. After our tour of duty, we’d both returned to Fort Sill, but it had been eight years since we’d seen each other. He was the quiet type, a great guy and a fine soldier. Above the photo, all he’d written was one word, “Goodbye”. I clicked on a second photo below it: the other arm, also with a long vertical gash on the inside of the wrist. These cuts were deep. The blood was fresh. I knew the statistics. According to the latest Army report, every 18 hours a soldier commits suicide. More have taken their lives than died in combat. This was more than a grim statistic in some report. This was real. People had commented: “Praying for you!” “Call me if you need to talk.” “Here if you need me!” Wasn’t anyone doing anything? With wounds like that, he could bleed to death in minutes! I hadn’t spent months in Iraq with this soldier to lose him now. Adrenaline surged through me like I was right back in a war zone. There were no orders. I had to take action. (…) Somebody gave me the soldier’s camp and division. I hung up with suicide hotline and logged on to the website for the Army camp in Korea. I found the division directory and dialed the number. It was early morning there. Even if I could get to

the right person, what if it was too late? I paced around the kitchen. Lord, please let someone else be trying to help him too. Please help this hurting soldier. I waited on the phone, my anxiety mounting. That’s the thing about reacting in the moment. It is nerve-racking, even for an Army lifer like me. My iPad buzzed. Another Facebook notification. A message from another soldier in the battalion, Robert Piller. He’d served in Iraq with me and the soldier in danger. “We got him, Sergeant Major”, he wrote. “I called the hotline and got EMS en route to him. Sergeant First Class Jones got ahold of him and his unit. He’s on the way to the hospital. They say they got to him in time.” (…) I checked on the soldier later that evening. His status was stable. I sent him a private message on Facebook. “You have people who love and care for you. I’m one of them. Praying for you. If you need anything at all, let me know.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. How do I emulate Christ’s example of serving love? Do I believe that in service is true greatness? 2. Do we value the sacrifice of Jesus in ransoming us with his precious Blood? On account of what he has done for us, do we love one another sincerely and intensely from a pure heart? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus, the Father’s beloved Son-Servant, you became a slave on the cross. You did not come to be served, but to serve and to give your life as a ransom for many. You teach us the way of serving love. By your public ministry and paschal sacrifice, you show us how to serve fully the saving will of God. Help us to reject the world’s power game and not to seek false prestige. Let us imitate you in serving the needs of others, especially the weak and vulnerable in today’s society. We love you, Jesus Savior, and glorify you, now and forever. Amen. ***

Lord Jesus, you have ransomed us with your precious Blood. Help us to respond to your sacrificial love through a life of holiness and brotherly love. We have been reborn through the living and abiding word of God. Let our faith be strong since you are faithful and God is trustworthy. We adore and glorify you, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” (Mk 10:45) // “You

were ransomed … with the precious Blood of Christ.” (I Pt 1:18-19) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Let the service that you carry out on behalf of others be joyful and replete with love and self-giving. // Pray for hurting soldiers and veterans who have mental-health problems and see in what way you can give help them receive pastoral care.

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THURSDAY: EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Makes the Blind See … In Him We Are

a Chosen Race, a Royal Priesthood”

BIBLE READINGS I Pt 2:2-5, 9-12 // Mk 10:46-52

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 10:46-52): “Master, I want to see.”

I met Philip, a ten-year old boy suffering from a malignant brain tumor, at our convent in Cebu Island in the Philippines, in 1977. The malady caused Philip to become blind and his growth was stunted. He had the body of a six-year old, but his face was radiant and beautiful. He was quite good at playing the organ and the guitar. After listening with joy to his improvised concerto, I accompanied Philip to the refectory, located on the second floor of our convent. I held his hand as we went up the flight of steep stairs. When we reached the top, he asked me, “How many steps are there in these stairs?” I had to confess with embarrassment that I never counted them. Philip gamely told me how many steps there were. The Sisters offered Philip fruit juice and cookies, and the usual children’s treats. He gently refused explaining that he had a diet. Philip knew that he would not live very long, but there was no hint of fear or regret in him. His sightless eyes seemed to have more capacity for seeing than our own. The lovable Philip could see beyond and was full of trust in the loving God who would soon bring him to heaven. As I bid him goodbye, I was praying deep in my heart, “Lord, help me to see the way Philip sees!” The blind little boy who made me realize that I needed “to see” and inspired me to pray for spiritual sight died a few years later. I know for certain that Philip is in heaven, “seeing” God face to face. The need for true spiritual sight is the subject of today’s Gospel (Mk 10:46-51). The reading begins with an interesting geographical reference and a touch of local color: “As Jesus was leaving Jericho, with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging” (v. 46). The main road to Jerusalem runs right through Jericho, which is 15 miles northeast of Jerusalem and 5 miles west of the Jordan River. The messianic journey of Jesus that began in Caesarea Philippi (Mk 8:27-30) is reaching its destination: Jerusalem. The departure of Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, from Jericho evokes the movement of a large group of pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem for the Passover. The crowd that is moving towards Jerusalem, the place of sacrifice, does not, however, comprehend the meaning of Jesus’ paschal destiny. The disciples and the crowd are figuratively “blind” with regards to the destiny of this remarkable man who had declared: “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45). Indeed, it is more convenient to see him as a wonderful miracle worker, a powerful political ruler and a generous breadbasket king. In comparison to the blind beggar Bartimaeus, they seem lucky for they could see with their physical eyes. But there is a deeper reality than physical sight. Mark portrays Bartimaeus as sitting by the roadside begging. With undaunted hope, the blind beggar resolutely cries out his invocation, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me” (Mk 10:47). Ignoring the rebuke of the many unsympathetic people who try to silence him, he keeps calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me” (Mk 10:48). Bartimaeus’ use of the expression “Son of David” is the first public application of that messianic title to Jesus. The title “Son of David” designates Jesus as the heir of the promise made to David through Nathan (cf. II Sam 7:12-16). The biblical scholar Philip Van Linden remarks: “The title Bartimaeus gives Jesus, ‘Son of David,’ indicates that he, a blind beggar, actually sees who Jesus is more clearly than the disciples and crowd who have been with him all along!”

Today’s Gospel ends with a joyful note of healing and a decisive movement of discipleship. Having received his sight, he follows Jesus on the way of discipleship. Bartimaeus serves as an example of a person with “sight” and such a person follows Jesus into his passion. His response to Jesus’ command, “Go your way” is to embrace the way of the Divine Master, a way that leads from Jericho to Jerusalem, and ultimately – the way of the Cross. His response challenges the community of Christian believers today. B. First Reading (I Pt 2:2-5, 9-12): “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you.”

The Second Reading (I Pt 2:2-5, 9-12)) depicts our identity as God’s people. The

rich images that we hear in this reading present our dignity as “priestly people, kingly people, holy people chosen by the Lord to sing his praises” as well as the responsibility of holiness resulting from it.

The biblical scholar, Jerome Neyrey explains: “Jesus is the stone which God laid

in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious … This Christ-stone is the pattern for the church; like Jesus, we are chosen and precious to God; we are also rejected by pagans and unbelievers. But as Christ is the cornerstone, so we are being made into a household, a holy body of priests … The church is a people of his own and so it is a chosen race, a royal dwelling place, a holy nation (cf. Ex 19:3-6). The church has gone from being not my people to being my people, from not having received mercy to having received mercy. Both the stone and people images speak, then, of our election by God and of our holiness. And they point to what this means in our lives: as a household of priests we offer spiritual sacrifices, that is, a holy life characterized by faithfulness and obedience. And as a holy nation we tell the story of the holy God and his saving deeds. So our priesthood is a way of being called to a holy status before a holy God and an exhortation to do holy things like acting holy and speaking about the holy God. These images, then, do not reject formal worship in the Church, nor do they argue against liturgical leadership for this group. Their sole purpose is to tell the church of its exalted state, as chosen and holy.”

The following prize-winning essay written by a 10th grader at Holy Family High

School in Broomfield, Colorado, gives us an insight into our vocation as God’s holy people, called to live out the Gospel message and proclaim the praises of the Lord in today’s world (cf. Kelly Dempsey, “Living Gospel Message” in Maryknoll, May/June 2011, p. 49-50).

Actions speak louder than words. We have all been preached those five words many times throughout our lives, but how many of us truly live by them? In this strange world within which we currently reside, one can easily get caught up in technology such as Facebook, video games and texting. All of these “advancements” in human society make hypocrisy almost effortless. The ability to

hide behind a machine greatly facilitates one’s desire to seem as if they are one great, generous person, without any of the inconveniences of actually being one. However, despite our culture of attachment to the many “glowing rectangles” around which our society seems to now revolve – computers, phones, iPods, cameras, televisions – there are the few who rise up despite these distractions and live a life of the Gospels. A wise man known as St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the Gospel always; if necessary, use words.” From the very first time I opened my eyes to now, 16 years later, I have seen and continue to see these words perfectly exemplified through the actions of my older sister and best friend, Erin. Always strong with her relationship and faith in God, Erin, only three years older than myself, taught me at a very young age that God is always present and will always, no matter what, take care of me. Shortly after she turned 12, my parents finally deemed her old enough to watch over me while they went out, a concept that utterly terrified me. How on earth was my tiny 60-pound sister supposed to protect me when the burglars, who were sure to come in my parents’ absence, broke into our house? However, once I voiced my fears, my sister pulled me into a giant bear hug and softly instructed me to ask God to take away my fears. With that simple prayer, my worries suddenly evaporated into thin air. From that day forth, I viewed my sister as standing in a new light, a light with Christ. Erin, now a sophomore at Creighton University, a Jesuit school, still stands tall and true to her faith. During her freshman year, a time of trial for many Catholics as to whether they stay true to their faith or convert to sleeping in, Erin not only continued to go to church once a week and pray on a daily basis, but she also upped the ante. Her normal weekly church visit multiplied into going at least three times a week. In addition, she was able to spread the word around campus and single-handedly increased weekday Mass attendance. Furthermore, despite the fact that she rarely is able to hit the sack before four o’clock in the morning, due to her immense workload and jam-packed schedule, Erin miraculously found time to volunteer for many non-profit organizations around Creighton. Extremely selfless and humble in her actions and never even considering complaining about giving her limited time to those in need around her, Erin can be seen as role model to all those who have witnessed her daily life. Her closeness to God can be witnessed through her gentleness with children, kindness to strangers, and sympathy, comfort and compassion for the less fortunate. Never harsh or slanderous, Erin is a walking example of God’s message in our slightly off-kilter society.


1. Do we recognize and identify the blindness within us that needs to be healed? Do we turn to Jesus and say, “Master, I want to see” (Mk 10:51)? In our experience of blindness and hopelessness, do we have the courage and the faith to cry out with Bartimaeus: “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me” (Mk 10:47)? When Jesus sees us by the wayside and calls us to himself, what is our response? Do we throw aside the cloak of our old habits, get up, and run to meet him? Do we follow him on the way? 2. Do we realize the implication of being built like, living stones, into a spiritual house, with Jesus Christ as the foundation? What does it mean to be “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own”? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, we are blind. We are blinded by the visible, which prevents us from grasping the invisible. We have closed our eyes to our paschal destiny. We turn to you for inner healing. Master, we want to see! Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us! We love and adore you, now and forever. Amen. *** Loving Father, Jesus is the living stone-foundation and we are “living stones” built upon him to proclaim to the world your praises. Let our good works glorify you and testify that you have called us out of darkness into light In Jesus Christ, we become “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people that is your own”. For choosing us to be holy and for your ineffable gifts, we are filled with gratitude. We adore and serve you, now and forever. Amen.


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

“Master, I want to see.” (Mk 10:51) // “You are a chosen race, a royal

priesthood, a holy nation.” (I Pt 2:9) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray in thanksgiving for the many good people who endeavor to relieve the painful and difficult situations of the vision-impaired. Offer some help to various institutions for the blind. // When you celebrate the Eucharist as part of God’s chosen race, be deeply conscious that you are “offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

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FRIDAY: EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to True Piety … Through Him

We Give Glory to God in Service and Suffering”


I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 11:11-26): “My house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Have faith in God.”

In today’s Gospel (Mk 11:11-26), the story of Jesus cleansing the Jerusalem

temple is sandwiched between the strange story of him cursing the fig tree. As he leaves Bethany to return to the Jerusalem temple he gets hungry. He goes over to a fig tree. It is covered with leaves but no fruit because it is “out of season”. Jesus curses the fruitless tree. Early in the morning of the following day it is withered. Against the backdrop of Jesus driving the buyers and sellers from the temple area because they have turned what was meant to be “a house of prayer for all peoples” into a “den of thieves”, the withered fig tree symbolizes the barrenness, irrelevance and condemnation of Jewish temple piety. The corruption of temple worship has provoked Jesus’ prophetic ministry and his pronouncement of divine condemnation. The fig tree symbolizes Israel. The cursing of the fig tree and its withering dramatizes God’s judgment against Israel’s perverted temple worship: unfruitful and “out of sync” with the signs of the time - the radical newness of

the Reign of God that Jesus brings. The Divine Master then completes the lesson of the withered fig tree by challenging his disciples to a more efficacious prayer-worship that is based on “faith in God” and total surrender to his saving will and forgiving love.

The following story is a modern day example of a piety that is as irrelevant and

unfruitful as the cursed fig tree (cf. Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 64).

October 1917: The Russian Revolution is born. Human history takes a new direction. The story goes that that very month the Russian Church was assembled in council. A passionate debate was in progress about the color of the surplice to be used in liturgical functions. Some insisted vehemently that it has to be white. Others, with equal vehemence, that it had to be purple. Coming to grips with revolution is more of a bother than organizing a liturgy. I’d rather say my prayers than get involved in neighborhood disputes.

B. First Reading (I Pt 4:7-13): “Be good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

One of my favorite Bible passages is I Pt 4:8-11a, which is used in the Church’s

Liturgy of the Hours (cf. Morning Prayer, Week 3). It exhorts us to be good stewards of God’s manifold grace and to use our gifts at the service of one another. I have memorized this passage and when I was asked, in one of our monthly meetings, to lead the prayer of the Worship Committee in Saint Christopher Parish (San Jose, CA-USA), I cited this passage from the heart. My co-members in the Worship Committee were deeply impacted. This favorite text of mine is a part of today’s First Reading at Mass.

The reading (I Pt 4:7-13) underlines that in view of the imminence of the parousia

(the end time), the Christians are to live with deep brotherly love for one another, to practice hospitality without complaining and to be generous in using the gifts we have received for the good of all. By this holy living we give glory to God through Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the Christians are called to face the reality of suffering as the testing of gold in the furnace – in which the gold survives! They have optimistic hope because, in sharing the suffering of Christ through persecution and trial, they will share in his great glory and rejoice with him exultantly. The grace to find joy in suffering is made possible through the presence in them of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of glory.

The following article gives insight into the “trial by fire” mentioned by Saint

James in his letter as well as how to use our giftedness for the good of others (cf. Joyce Coronel, “In Iraq, displaced Christians losing dignity” In Our Sunday Visitor, June 14, 2015, p. 15).

Sister Diana Momeka is a Dominican Sister of St. Catherine of Siena of Mosul, Iraq. Along with tens of thousands of other refugees, she was forced to flee her native city of Qaraqosh last summer when ISIS forces attacked. The sisters had 30 minutes to prepare for what should have been a one-hour-journey. They left with nothing but their clothes. When they arrived 12 hours later in Erbil – the road was jammed with those trying to escape – they found thousands of fellow Christians sleeping in the streets and in front of churches. On May 13, nearly a year later, Sister Diana spoke at a congressional committee hearing in Washington, urging help for displaced Christian refugees in Iraq. “We want nothing more than to go back to our lives”, she told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. “We want nothing more than to go home.” Our Sunday Visitor recently spoke with Sister Diana by telephone about her order’s work in Erbil and the lives of the refugees living there. Our Sunday Visitor: What are your day-to-day activities? Sister Diana: We have a clinic. There’s a lot of people and a lot of great needs there. So the diocese opened a clinic from the beginning, a tent that was serving as a medical tent where we can provide something really simple for patients. Then with the help of the Pontifical Mission (Catholic Near East Welfare Association) and other organizations, we were able to start with the prefab (steel buildings without running water). Now we have a whole clinic that has been operating and has been seeing about 350 to 400 patients per day. OSV: What are some of the other things you are doing to help the refugees? Sister Diana: Teaching has always been my passion. Another teacher and I just finished teaching two courses with groups of women on how to deal with their own trauma. We focused on how the women could deal with their bodies, their emotions, with their psychological feelings about the displacement. We encouraged them to have time for themselves because being displaced and being a mom is not something easy, especially now that they lost their privacy. Most of them live in one room with their family and kids, so they lost all their privacy that they had between men and women. We try to accompany them and talk about how to deal with it, to be patient with themselves and to take care of their children in a way that they understand their children also have been traumatized. OSV: Many refugees saw neighbors killed and children taken. What do you tell them? Sister Diana: We are people of faith … We always look at the incident when God was accompanying people – it’s through the pillar of fire. So I think our consoling explanation is in God. That’s how we learn to approach each other – that of you go and talk to people, they will tell you, “We’re so grateful that God kept us

safe.” Even if they lost someone … I think we are just feeling God’s presence in every minute of our lives. So that’s how I see it – to accompany women or men who have been traumatized. (…) OSV: What is your message for your fellow Catholics? Sister Diana: I would say that, everyday, think of us, your brothers and sisters who have been suffering, and see Christ. Living in such a way for his name is an honor for us. I feel that I would say, please keep the faith up wherever you are, because living with Christ in any condition is the amazing thing that we experience. And if you can help those who are suffering, please lessen their pain, please do, and if you can, support the organizations that have been supporting us to maintain our mission.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Is our faith relationship with God manifested in true prayer and fruitful acts of charity? Do we seek to live the spirit of piety and strive for full surrender to the divine saving will? 2. Are we good stewards of God’s manifold grace and in, fraternal love, do we assist those who today are being persecuted for their faith in Christ? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Jesus Divine Master, you taught us the meaning of prayer and true worship upon the cross of salvation. Let our life be focused on the radical newness of the Reign of God. Help us work for justice and peace and promote the advent of his kingdom on earth. Make our prayer an expression of faith in God and submission to his saving will. Do not allow us to degenerate into a barren and cursed fig tree, but rather transform us into a vigorous tree with abundant fruit of the Holy Spirit. Let us witness the power of prayer in today’s world. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Loving Father,

we thank you for making us stewards of your manifold grace. Give us the grace to use the gifts you have given us for the good of others. We remember the persecuted Christians in today’s world. Help us to assist them in any way we can. May those who suffer in the name of Christ rejoice with him in the heavenly glory. We give you honor and praise, now and forever. Amen.


“Have faith in God.” (Mk 11:22) // “Serve one another as good stewards of God’s varied grace … Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ.” (I Pt 4:10, 14) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Endeavor to live the true meaning of prayer and worship in today’s world. By little acts of charity to the people around you, especially to the poor and vulnerable, let your life be pleasing to God and fruitful. // Pray for today’s persecuted Christians and see in what way you can alleviate their suffering.

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SATURDAY: EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Has Messianic Authority … Through Him

We Give Praise to God”

BIBLE READINGS Jud 17, 20b-25 // Mk 11:27-33

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 11:27-33): “By what authority are you doing these things?”

The chief priests and scribes are seeking a way to kill Jesus after his drastic

cleansing of the temple and on account of his subversive actions and words. Now they are joined by the elders in challenging Jesus by what authority he is doing these things. Jesus counters with a question about John’s authority to baptize. For fear of the crowd, the opponents of Jesus refuse to make a statement about the source of John the Baptist’s authority. What began as a threat to Jesus’ authority ends in the exposure of how little authority and courage his antagonists really have. What was meant to subvert and humiliate Jesus turns into a manifestation of the authoritative wisdom of the Divine Master.

The messianic authority of Jesus continues in the “one, holy catholic and

apostolic Church”. In the face of moral-social-political issues that convulse and challenge the faithful today, it is good to assert the authoritative Church teaching. The following are the Seven Key Themes of the Catholic Social Teaching in the Public Square (cf. USCCB, The Challenge of Forming Conscience for Faithful Citizenship, November 2007).

1. The Right to Life and the Dignity of the Human Person: Human life is sacred. Direct attacks on innocent human beings are never morally acceptable. Within our society, life is under direct attack from abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, and destruction of human embryos for research. These intrinsic evils must always be opposed. This teaching also compels us Catholics to oppose genocide, torture, unjust war and the use of the death penalty, as well as to pursue peace and help overcome poverty, racism and other conditions that demean human life. 2. Call to Family, Community and Participation: The family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, is the fundamental unit of society. This sanctuary for the creation and nurturing of children must not be redefined, undermined or neglected. Supporting families should be a priority for economic and social policies. How our society is organized - in economics and politics, in law and public policy – affects the well-being of individuals and of society. Every person and association has a right and a duty to participate in shaping society to promote the well-being of individuals and the common good. 3. Rights and Responsibilities: Every human person has a right to life, the fundamental right that makes all other rights possible. Each of us has a right to religious freedom, which enables us to live and act in accord with our God-given dignity, as well as a right to have access to those things required for human decency – food and shelter, education and employment, healthcare and housing. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities – to one another, to our families, and to a larger society.

4. Option for the Poor and Vulnerable: While the common good embraces all, those who are in greatest need deserve preferential concern. A moral test for society is how we treat the weakest among us – the unborn, those dealing with disabilities or terminal illness, the poor and marginalized. 5. Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers: the economy must serve the people, not the other way around. Economic justice calls for decent work at fair, living wages, opportunities for legal status for immigrant workers, and the opportunity for all people to work together for the common good through their work, ownership, enterprise, investment, participation in unions and other forms of economic activity. 6. Solidarity: We form one human family; whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic and ideological differences. Our Catholic commitment to solidarity requires that we pursue justice, eliminate racism, end human trafficking, protect human rights, seek peace, and avoid the use of force except as a necessary last resort. 7. Caring for God’s Creation: Caring for the earth is a duty of our Catholic faith. We all are called to be careful stewards of God’s creation and to ensure a safe and hospitable environment for vulnerable human beings now and in the future.

B. First Reading (Jud 17, 20b-25): “To the one who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished and exultant in the presence of his glory.”

Today’s reading (Jud 17, 20b-25) is special. Only once in the Sunday/Weekday

Lectionary does a text from the Letter of Jude is used. The author Jude, who identifies himself as “the servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James”, offers some practical wisdom for Christian life as well as warns believers against false teachers. In today’s passage, Saint Jude advises them to remember the words of the Apostles for that would help them be grounded in the faith transmitted by the apostles. He tells them to build themselves up in their holy faith. It is Jude’s original contribution to make the believers both the builders and materials for the faith-building. He likewise urges them to have an intimate relationship with the one-triune God: to pray in the Spirit, to keep themselves in the love of God, and to wait for Jesus Christ who in his mercy will lead us to eternal life. But in the meantime, they have a loving duty to save those “wavering” in their faith and the “others” who have led them astray due to their false teaching. Saint Jude concludes his letter with a formal benediction. God is acclaimed as the one who keeps us from falling and leads us to his glorious presence. To the only God, who is the author of salvation, “glory, majesty, power, and authority” is due through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The following article gives insight into the remarkable exhortation of Saint Jude:

“Build yourselves up in your most holy faith” (cf. “I now have more time for prayer” in Our Sunday Visitor, June 28, 2015, p. 10).

Capuchin Father Alexis Luzi has enjoyed gardening since childhood. “I had my brains in books, but my hands were in the soil – both at the same time”, he said. “It’s a good balance.” This spring, Father Luzi, planted a little garden at St. Fidelis Friary, the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph’s retirement community in Appleton, Wisconsin. There are about 18 residents. He’s growing tomatoes, string beans, celery, carrots nd beets for their meals, and pots of geraniums and a patch of snap dragons to enjoy. It’s his way of keeping physically active and continuing to serve. Father Luzi joined the province in 1943 and was ordained in 1951. He taught ecclesiology at the Capuchin Seminary St. Anthony in Marathon, Wisconsin, pastured an inner-city church and assisted at another parish in Milwaukee. He published a number of homilies and sermons that are available online (alixisluzi.blogspot.com). He recently spent five years in Texas taking care of his older sister who has dementia and is now in a nursing home. “My greatest blessing is to be with my Capuchin religious order, which takes good care of me in my old age”, he said. “I now have more time for prayer. I have had a full life, and I’m happy.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we fully accept the messianic authority of Jesus? Do we promote the truth that Jesus the Divine Master teaches and incarnates in today’s world? 2. Do we “build ourselves up in faith”? Do we pray in the Holy Spirit, endeavor to share the love of God with others, and look forward to the coming of our merciful Jesus Christ who will lead us to eternal life? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Jesus Divine Master, we adore as the Word incarnate sent by the Father to instruct us in the life giving truth. You live on in the Church. Grant us the grace to embrace your authoritative wisdom that enables us to embrace moral principles, care for the needs of the weak, defend the culture of life,

and pursue the common good. We humbly submit to your messianic authority for you are the One Sent by God and anointed by the Holy Spirit for our salvation. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Loving Father, please keep us from stumbling so that we may stand joyful in your glorious presence. To you the only God, author of salvation, is due glory, majesty power and authority, through Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.




“By what authority are you doing these things?” (Mk 11:28) // “To the only God, our savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, power and authority from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen.” (Jud 25)


Make an effort to understand the personal implication for you of the Catholic

Teaching in the Public Square and to put it into practice. // Look at the retired men and women religious and see how their endeavors of personal faith-building can inspire you. Find ways to help them in their need.

*** Text of Week 8 in Ordinary Time ends here. *** A Lectio Divina Approach to the Weekday Liturgy: Cycle I


MONDAY: NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Beloved Son Finally Sent … In Him Is True Knowledge of God”

BIBLE READINGS II Pt 1:2-7 // Mk 12:1-12

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 12:1-12): “They seized the beloved son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.”

Today’s Gospel (Mk 12:1-12) presents the drama of man’s wickedness and God’s

faithful and patient love. A “parable of contention”, it is directed against the smugness, vanity and self-seeking of the religious leaders of Israel. They have failed in their mission as stewards. They have persecuted and even killed those whom the Lord sent them. As a last resort, God sent not only his servants the prophets, but his own Son. But the wicked tenants seized his “beloved son” and put him to death, throwing his body “out of the vineyard”. The “beloved son” finally sent is Jesus, put to death outside the walls of Jerusalem. Cardinal Jean Danielou remarks: “God’s patience has been strained to its farthest limit in this tragedy of Christ, the Lord of the vineyard’s son, rejected by the tenants, crucified, treated by his own people as a stranger and an outcast. But from the lowest depths arises a sudden hope. He will let out the vineyard to other vinedressers, who will pay him his due when the season comes.” In this parable of the wicked tenants, we see God’s first covenant with his Chosen People Israel being transferred to all peoples of faith. As a result of the sacrificial death of the Son, peoples of all nations become tenants-producers in God’s vineyard.

We are called to be a productive part of the Lord’s vineyard. As workers in his

harvest, we need to be responsible, dutiful and faithful. We need to overcome human tendencies to mediocrity, indifference and sloth in our service of God’s kingdom. The following story by Papa Mike McGarvin (cf. Poverello News, November 2011, p. 1-2) gives insight into some of the foibles and counterproductive attitudes that we need to overcome in our daily life.

Several years ago, just before Thanksgiving, someone donated a turkey to us that was over fifty pounds. It was an absolute monster, the biggest gobbler I’d ever seen. I figured that meat from that bird would take care of several families on Thanksgiving Day. We made a big deal about it; we thanked the donor, of course, but we also mentioned the turkey to some of the news outlets that make their way

down here on the holidays, and at least one station took some footage and showed the prize turkey on the air. We were curious to discover just how much meat this big boy would provide, so it was with great anticipation that it was prepared and placed in the oven. Later that day, I went to our chef to ask how it came out. He looked at me and sighed. “Well … the boys burned it.” “Whaddaya mean they burned it?” I asked stunned in disbelief. “They just … burned it up. Nothing salvageable. I guess they weren’t paying attention.” This wasn’t the first time that our drug program cooks had done something like this. I remember one time when lettuce prices were sky-high, and we received several crates of lettuce as a donation. I was elated, because it meant plenty for salads and hamburger trimmings at a time we couldn’t afford to buy this produce item. Our program cook at the time was a man who claimed to be a professional chef. I walked through the kitchen, and saw him happily washing the lettuce – in scalding water. By the time I caught him, he had washed over three-quarters of the supply, rendering it wilted and useless.

B. First Reading (II Pt 1:2-7): “God has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature.”

The Second Letter of Peter is addressed to a wide circle of early Christians. Its

main concern is to combat the work of false teachers and the immorality which results from their false teaching. The answer to these problems is to hold on to the true knowledge of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ. The reading (II Pt 1:2-7) underlines the need to correctly acknowledge God who calls us to share in his glory and greatness. God’s call is made known to us by revelation and to respond to his call is to know God. Moreover, God gives us everything we need to respond to this call. His power brings about “precious and very great promises” resulting in all spiritual gifts. Through God’s promises and gifts, the believer is able to escape the corruption of this world and to share in the divine life. The Christian thus enters into a dynamic of “divinization”. He embarks on a path of ascent: from the acceptance of faith to brotherly love (agape) through disciplined behavior and virtues that are fruits of the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Indeed, the Christian call “to share in the divine nature” needs to be authenticated and proven in daily life.

The following article on Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925) gives insight into how

to embark on a path of “divinization” (cf. Bert Ghezzi, “Meet Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati” in Our Sunday Visitor, June 14, 2-15, p. 12).

Pier Giorgio holds first place for me because he was normal. Like you and me, he was an ordinary human being. Pier Giorgio was outgoing, the heart of his circle of friends. They depended on him for encouragement, fun and support in Christian living. He was athlete who exulted in climbing the Alps near Turin. He

smoked a pipe, he said because his mother smoked cigars when she carried him in the womb. Pier Giorgio was the life of every party. And he was a practical joker who once put a baby donkey in a friend’s bed because he was being a jackass by not studying. But Pier Giorgio also exemplified the normal Catholic life because of his life-long devotion to Jesus and Mary. From his youth, he worshiped at daily Mass, rejoicing in the privilege of meeting the Lord in the Eucharist. He always had a rosary at hand and prayed it several times a day, often with his friends. And Pier Giorgio spent hours in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. A friend once reported seeing him give a little wave to the tabernacle as he left the church, a sign of his intimate relationship with Jesus. Pier Giorgio’s family was wealthy, but he used all of his resources to serve the poor. At 17, he began to visit families in the back streets of Turin. Daily, he took them food, clothing, shoes, medicine and money. And he always made friends of those he served by spending personal time with them. I especially admire Pier Giorgio because he faced difficult, painful circumstances with joy – the deterioration of this parents’ marriage, his dad’s frustration with his career plan to serve the poor as a mining engineer, and his inability to marry the woman he loved because of his parent’s resistance. “Each day”, he said, “I understand a little bit better the incomparable grace of being a Catholic. Down, then, with all melancholy! … I am joyful. Sorrow is not gloom. Gloom should be banished from the Christian soul.” (…) Pier Giorgio died suddenly of a virulent form of polio in July 1925.


1. How do we carry out our task as “tenant farmers” in God’s vineyard? Do we try to overcome counterproductive tendencies and attitudes such as irresponsibility, indifference, incompetence, sloth, etc.? 2. How do we respond to God’s precious spiritual gifts so that we may be able to share in his divine nature? Do we endeavor to attain true knowledge of God and do we try to authenticate our faith by the way we live? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, you call us to be the new “tenant farmers”

in the Lord’s vineyard. Give us the grace to work with personal dedication and loving responsibility so as to produce a rich spiritual harvest. Bless all our toils and labors for the coming of God’s kingdom. We love and serve you, now and forever. Amen. *** Loving Father, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who revealed through knowledge of you. Help us to tread on the path of holiness and let us prove our faith by the way we live. Give us a share in your divine life. May your grace and peace abound in us. We give you glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “He had one other to send, a beloved son.” (Mk 12:6) // “He has bestowed on us

the precious and very great promises so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature.” (II Pt 1:4)


Today carry out your daily tasks with a greater spirit of love and personal dedication and with deeper awareness that we are called to be fruitful “tenant farmers” in the Lord’s vineyard. // Make every effort to substantiate your faith through the daily exercise of Christian virtues, e.g. self-control, devotion, fraternal love, etc.

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TUESDAY: NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls us Repay to Caesar What Belongs to Caesar and to God What Belongs to God … In Him We

Await New Heavens and a New Earth”

BIBLE READINGS II Pt 3:12-15a, 17-18 // Mk 12:13-17

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 12:13-17): “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

Today’s Gospel (Mk 12:13-17) presents an insidious trap concocted by some

Pharisees and Herodians against Jesus. Recognizing their hypocrisy and evil intent, Jesus eludes the trap by asking them to bring him a denarius. When they hand him the Roman coin, he asks them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They reply “Caesar’s”. Jesus then confounds them with a masterly retort: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”.

The great preacher, Fulton Sheen, comments on today’s Gospel episode: “Our

Lord took no sides, because the basic question was not God or Caesar, but God and Caesar. That coin used in their daily marketing showed they were no longer independent from a political point of view. In that lower sphere of life, the debt to the government should be discharged … Once again he was saying that his kingdom was not of this world; that submission to him is not inconsistent with submission to secular powers; that political freedom is not the only freedom. To the Pharisees who hated Caesar came the command: Give unto Caesar; to the Herodians who had forgotten God in their love of Caesar came the basic principle: Give unto God. Had the people rendered to God his due, they would not now be in their present state of having to render too much to Caesar. He had come primarily to restore the rights of God. As he told them before, if they sought first the kingdom of God and his justice, all these things such as political freedom would be added unto them.”

Today we are reminded of our primary duty to render to God his rights as well as

our obligation to render our due to the civil society. Jesus challenges us to be observant in paying our debts to God and to fulfill our duties to one another and to a larger society. I am a Filipino citizen, but because of the particular work that I do – spiritual ministry – I am not a wage earner. I do not pay income tax since I practically do not have any income. But I know the importance of paying taxes to the Philippine government. Taxes are needed to fund its community services and public works. Hence, I contribute my “little” to the civil society by paying my resident’s tax, travel tax, etc. not grudgingly but joyfully, and above all, by conducting myself in a manner that befits a citizen of our beloved nation.

B. First Reading (II Pt 3:12-15a, 17-18): “We await new heavens and a new earth.”

In the reading (II Pet 3:12-15a, 17-18), the apostle directs the attention of

believers to “new heavens and a new earth”. Aelred Rosser comments: “The author of this letter is energetically appealing to logic. Peter is asking, ‘Since the world as we know it is going to come to an end, and since we do not know when this will happen’, is it not obvious that we should live in readiness and with devout attention? (…) The second coming is the final phase of the one great divine intervention, which is Jesus Christ. Are you growing impatient for the new heaven and the new earth? The writer tells us we can hasten the coming of this glorious event by leading holy lives. The Jews have a saying that if Israel lived God’s law perfectly for just one day, the kingdom would be restored … We Christians can hasten the second coming of Christ by leading holy lives … Or impatience with ourselves can be a very healthy motivation toward holiness. We become weary and intolerant of weakness and sin only when we forget that in eternity, the will of God to save the world has already been fulfilled and has always been fulfilled.”

As we wait for the advent of the “new heavens and a new earth”, we must

continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is due glory, now and for eternity. The following article, “Five Important Lessons in Life”, circulated through the Internet, gives an idea on how to promote and hasten the advent of God’s kingdom.

First Important Lesson: “Cleaning Lady” During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely", said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. Second Important Lesson: “Pickup in the Rain” One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960's. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my

spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others. Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole

Third Important Lesson: “Always Remember Those Who Serve” In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

Fourth Important Lesson: “The Obstacle in Our Path” In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the King's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

Fifth Important Lesson: “Giving When It Counts” Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her

cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away". Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood to save her.


1. Do I render to God his rights as well as my duty of service to humanity? Am I animated with love and zeal as I carry out my obligation to God and neighbors? 2. How do we prepare ourselves for “new heavens and the new earth”? How do we hasten the definitive advent of the kingdom of God? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O loving Jesus, you came into the world to uphold the divine majesty and to promote the total integrity of the human person. Help us to be totally dedicated to God and fully involved in the pursuit of justice and peace in today’s world, in giving preferential care for the weak and vulnerable, and in promoting the good of individuals and the society. Bless our endeavors to “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”. Make us channels of your peace and healing love. We love you and serve you; we glorify you and give you praise, now and forever. Amen. *** Loving Jesus, we yearn for salvation and dream visions of “new heavens and a new earth”. In faith we believe that these are fulfilled in you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Help us to live holy lives that we may hasten the advent of your glorious kingdom, To you be glory, now and forever! Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”

(Mk 12:17) //“We await new heavens and a new earth.” (II Pt 3:13)


Participate actively, consciously and fruitfully in the Sunday worship and be honest and responsible in paying your dues to the State. // Spend some quiet moments contemplating the miracle of “newness” and thanking God for the gift of “new beginnings” in your personal life. By your acts of justice, charity and compassion to the poor and needy, let the people around you experience our promised destiny of “new heavens and a new earth”.

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WEDNESDAY: NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Faith in the Living God … With Him We Suffer for the Gospel”

BIBLE READINGS

II Tm 1:1-3, 6-12 // Mk 12:18-27 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 12:18-27): “He is not God of the dead but of the living.”

This story is told by one of our Italian Sisters. Her father died of a massive stroke.

Her mom was crying heartily at the funeral. She tried to console her with the thought of the final reunion in heaven. Her mom wailed: “But Jesus said in the Gospel that in the next life we will be like angels … no more matrimony. In heaven, I will no longer be your dad’s wife!” Of course, the widow’s fear of losing her husband in heaven is unfounded. True love never ends and nuptial love is perfected in heaven.

Today’s Gospel passage (Mk 12:18-27) introduces us to the Sadducees, a group

of religious leaders who deny the existence of resurrected life. They are bent on engaging

Jesus in a reduced-to-absurdity argument against bodily resurrection. The Divine Master’s first rebuttal to the scheming Sadducees also uses a reduced-to-absurdity tactic. He argues that in the next existence, which has no place for death, the issue of marriage is irrelevant. Jesus refutes the basic premise of the Sadducees that the life of the age to come is a continuation of this life and therefore needs human propagation lest it die out. The second rebuttal of Jesus is derived from the Torah. Since the Sadducees hold only to the Law of Moses, Jesus utilizes it to bolster his argument about the resurrection. The opponents of the resurrection have quoted the Torah to justify their case, but Jesus also quotes the Torah (Ex 3:6) to prove that death does not end human existence. When God says: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” this implies that the patriarchs are living.

The main object of human existence is to live for God and God’s glory. It is

through the resurrection of the Son of God that we are brought to true and eternal life. Our belief in our resurrection is based on our faith in the resurrected Christ. Harold Buetow remarks: “Christian belief in immortality is unique and special. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Good News of fullness of life in this age, and of the resurrection in the age to come … Someone has compared death to standing on the seashore. A ship spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the open sea. She fades on the horizon, and someone says, ‘She’s gone.’ Just at the moment when someone says, ‘She’s gone’, other voices who are watching her coming on another shore happily shout, ‘Here she comes’. Or to use another metaphor, what the caterpillar calls ‘the end’, the butterfly calls the ‘beginning’.” B. First Reading (II Tm:1-3, 6-12): “Stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the laying on of hands.”

Saint Paul was martyred at Rome in the year 67. His second letter to Timothy

represents his last will and testament. Paul exhorts the young pastor Timothy “to stir into flame” the gift of God that has been given to him through the “imposition of hands”. The “gift of God” that Timothy received at ordination implies dutiful service to the faith community. The gift received needs to be continually exercised and rekindled for the common good. Timothy is likewise called to an enduring faith. Timothy needs to give witness to our Lord. He must endure sufferings for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God. Saint Paul himself, appointed by God as apostle and teacher, suffers for the sake of the Gospel. But Paul is full of confidence because God is “trustworthy” and is able “to guard what has been entrusted to him until that day”. By the grace of God, the entire content of the Gospel that has been entrusted to the apostolic Church will be preserved until the day of the Lord’s final coming at the end time. Indeed, faith, the greatest force in the world, is the richest deposit possible and the most sacred of trusts.

The following inspiring article illustrates what it means “to stir into flame” the

divine gift received through ordination and gives insight into a faithful Gospel witnessing (cf. David Aquije, “The Bicycle Disciple” in Maryknoll, April 2010, p. 24-31). Fr.

McCahill manifests his faith and shares this wonderful gift as he serves the sick poor in Bangladesh.

The day Maryknoll Father Robert McCahill arrived in Narail it was raining. The thin, 72-year old priest was physically exhausted and tired of looking for the place where he could begin a new phase of mission. Narail “was kind of miserable”, says the missioner who for more than 35 years has been living in different villages of Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, with a population of 150 million in a land the size of Iowa. Narail, a small, underdeveloped village without infrastructure in the southeast of the country, seemed to the missioner like “a good place to make a mark of Christianity, not for the purpose of conversion but simply for the idea of showing what a Christian is and does.” McCahill was one of five Maryknoll priests who arrived in Bangladesh in 1975 to begin a ministry of Christian witness. For eight years, the missioners lived together, forming a Christian fraternity in Tangail, near Dhaka, the capital. Afterward, McCahill focused his mission on traveling to the interior of the country to help people, particularly children, who were in urgent need of medical assistance. Finding a place to begin his next stay can take McCahill months of research. He has his own criteria: the place should be poor, have no other foreigners or Christians and some of the people must be willing to allow him free use of a small piece of land where he can build his own shack. A disciple of our times, McCahill arrives alone – with only a bag with a change of clothing and the essential elements to celebrate his own Mass – in any community where he might live for the next three years. There he sits in any tea shop – “tea stalls” he calls them – where men generally congregate to drink cha, sweet tea with milk that is the national drink, the way coffee is in the United States. Noting the presence of a foreigner, the rustic shop quickly fills up with people and McCahill responds honestly to all their questions. “I am Brother Bob, a Christian missionary”, the priest from Goshen, Indiana, tells them. “I am here to serve seriously sick people who are poor.” In the predominantly Muslim nation with a large Hindu minority, the questions that McCahill receives are many: has he come to convert, how does he finance the help he offers and why had he no family? He responds that the medical help he offers depends completely on the financial donations of his extended family and not on an organization; that his purpose is to live among people who are not Christian and treat them with love, respect and brotherhood; and that his family is all of humanity. McCahill describes the three years that he lives in each town this way: “The first year many are suspicious of me. The second year trust begins to build. The third year people’s affection is felt. They say, ‘He said he only came to do good and that is what he does’.” In Narail, a short while before finishing his three years, McCahill continues getting up very early in the morning to dedicate time for prayer and meditation

before beginning his mission work. This morning in October, he leaves his shack of jute-stick walls, a dirt floor and a corrugated roof and mounts his bicycle that will carry him over windy dirt roads through the beautiful countryside of Bangladesh’s fertile farmland, where ironically millions of people live in extreme poverty. The missioner pedals some miles to the next village of Bolorampur, where he visits Mehenaz, a 3-year-old girl who suffers from cerebral palsy as a result of a poorly handled delivery by a midwife in the village. Mehenaz’ grandmother brings the girl out of her hut and puts a mat on the ground. The missioner squats down in the style of the Bangladeshis and observes and assists the grandmother with the recommended physical therapy for the child. The girl’s mother isn’t there and McCahill is happy that someone else in the family has learned the exercises. Afterward, amid the songs of wild birds and the smell of burning firewood, McCahill again mounts his bicycle and pedals several more miles to the village of Buramara. In Buramara, McCahill visits Liza, a 2-year-old who suffered serious burns on her left arm before her first birthday. The burns were so grave that her entire hand was fused to her forearm. McCahill was able to take the girl to a hospital in Dhaka where surgeons separated her hand from the forearm. Liza wears a brace so that the hand stays straight. The missioner explains that the child needs another surgery to straighten out two fingers that are bent. Liza cries easily and McCahill thinks it is because she is still in pain, but he tries to console her and make her laugh. That is McCahill’s ministry. He mounts his bicycle and rides miles to his destination. It doesn’t matter if the roads are full of mud during the monsoon season in this tropical Asian land, east of India, on the Bay of Bengal. He arrives in a village and looks to help people who would otherwise be disabled and burdened for a lifetime by their physical conditions. With a small camera he takes photos of their conditions: cerebral palsy, burns, muscular dystrophy, cleft lips, hernias, tumors and broken bones caused by accidents. Every week he goes to Dhaka, traveling the same as the poor, in the old buses that are part of the complicated and dangerous Bengali transportation system. At a hospital in the capital, McCahill shows the photos to doctors who make their provisional diagnosis. With this information the missioner arranges for free treatment at one of the government hospitals in the city and eventually makes the eight- or nine-hour trip again with the children and their parents. “Not a great expense”, McCahill says. “I afford them their tickets. I usually provide the medicine. It’s not a matter of money; it’s a matter of love, the heart.” Because he lives in a poor and predominantly Muslim country, McCahill relies on only a modest budget that comes from donations by his extended family for his ministry. “If I had lots of funds at hand to use, and lived apart (in a parish), people’s attitude to me would differ”, he says, adding the people would be tempted to wheedle money out of him. “People here understand I’m using more money for their needs than I use for my own needs. No one can look at my life of

service and say ‘he can only do that because he’s a rich American’.” For that reason McCahill shares the donations he receives through Maryknoll with other Christian communities that serve the poor in Bangladesh, especially communities of apostolic Sisters. His is a life of service that he says began on Oct. 31, 1956. He was 19 years old and was interested in a career in political science. But that day as he was returning home from Seattle University, where he was studying, “I received – I can’t even describe it – an attraction to God like I had never felt before nor have needed since. The motivation I received in that moment was sufficient to keep me for life, as long as I continue to remember it.” For years, McCahill has described his mission in a journal that he types every month on an antique Olivetti typewriter and shares with friends and family. “My mission”, he says, “is to show the love of Christ, the love of God for all people of all faiths; to be with them as a brother, to establish brotherhood by being a brother to them.”

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. What is our concept of death and dying? Is this concept illumined by faith in the living God, in whom all are alive? 2. Do we keep in mind our ordained ministers and pray for them that the divine gift they have received through the “imposition of hands” may be stirred into flame and keep alive for the good of the Church? Do we put our faith in God and believe that he will be able to guard the faith that he has entrusted to the apostolic Church? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Loving Father, you are the God of the living, not of the dead. In Jesus, your Son and our Savior, we live and move. We love you and your only begotten Son for he is the way to eternal life. We believe that death is a door to infinite beauty and wondrous glory. We proclaim in the great assembly and in our life of service to the poor and needy that you are indeed the font of life. May the Risen Christ whom we celebrate in every Eucharist bring about more and more

our daily resurrection and transformation. In our work for justice and truth in today’s wounded world, may we always give glory and praise to the triumph of life. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, we trust in you. We pray for the ordained ministers that they may keep alive the grace they have received for the good of the Church. Help us to be faithful to the Gospel. Let the faith you have entrusted us be kept alive until the day of your coming. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “He is not God of the dead but of the living.” (Mk 12:27) // “Stir into flame the

gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.” (II Tm 1:6) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray for widows/widowers who have lost their partners and are grieving for them. Pray for the grace of a happy death and a deeper experience of trust in Jesus’ almighty Father, the God of the living. Unite the struggles and challenges of your daily life into the great Christian paschal mystery of dying that leads to eternal life. // See in what way you can help the ordained ministers proclaim the Gospel and serve the Christian community faithfully.

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THURSDAY: NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to Love God and Neighbor … If We Have Died with Him, We Shall Also Live with Him”

BIBLE READINGS

II Tm 2:8-15 // Mk 12:28-34 I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 12:28-34): “There is no commandment greater than these.”

The social ills of our time that cry out for healing challenge us to incarnate the

love command presented in today’s Gospel reading: (Mk 12:28-34): “Love the Lord your God with all your heart … Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus Christ’s assertion of the primordial importance of the twofold love-command can be understood in the light of the Old Testament reading (Dt 6:2-6), which underlines the obligation of the people of Israel to love God wholeheartedly. But Jesus imbues the “love of God” command with a new meaning by adding “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”, from the Book of Leviticus (19:8).

Harold Buetow explains: “What is new is that Jesus went further: For him there’s

an extremely intimate bond between love of neighbor and love of God. In Christian charity, people and God are not merely side by side; they are inseparably one. That idea was new. Another facet of newness was that Jesus gave a completely new interpretation of neighbor. In the time of Leviticus it meant Hebrews only. By the time of Jesus, it included resident aliens as well. For Jesus, the word has the widest meaning possible: It includes every member of the human race: He died for all of us. This was a much greater depth and breadth than ever before imagined.”

The true meaning of love of God and neighbor is crystallized in the very life and person of Jesus, especially in his self-gift and sacrificial love on the cross. Because God, in his Son Jesus has loved us so much, we too are empowered to love. The commandment to love God and neighbor flows from the love that the Lord has for us. In accepting God’s love, it is possible to love God and neighbor in a wholehearted way.

The life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta exemplifies what love of God and neighbor

means in our world today (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 20-23). The following thoughts from her are very insightful.

Sometime back, a high government official said, “You are doing social work and we also are doing the same. But we are doing it for something and you are doing it for somebody.” To do our work, we have to be in love with God. ***

Charity begins today. Today somebody is suffering; today somebody is in the street; today somebody is hungry. Our work is for today; yesterday has gone; tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today to make Jesus known, loved, served, fed, clothed, sheltered. Do not wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will not have them if we do not feed them today. *** I ask you one thing: do not tire of giving, but do not give your leftovers. Give until it hurts, until you feel the pain. *** The sisters care for forty-nine thousand lepers. They are among the most unwanted, unloved, and neglected people. The other day one of our sisters was washing a leper covered with sores. A Muslim holy man was present, standing close to her. He said, “All these years I have believed that Jesus Christ is a prophet. Today I believe that Jesus Christ is God since he has been able to give such joy to this sister, so that she can do her work with so much love.

B. First Reading (II Tm 2:8-15): “The word of God is not chained. If we have died with Christ, we shall also live with him.”

The reading (II Tm 2:8-15) is marked with tenderness and pathos. The passage

highlights the intense suffering of Paul for the sake of the Gospel. Because he preaches the Gospel, he is “chained” like a criminal. But he is willing to endure the trial of his imprisonment and all sufferings because he is impelled to proclaim the Gospel. Indeed, though the apostle Paul is “chained”, the word of God is not “chained” and cannot be “chained”. Saint Paul likewise exhorts Timothy to be conformed to Christ’s paschal mystery so as to share his victory. Citing a baptismal hymn, Saint Paul declares: “If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him.” Reinforcing the meaning of these statements with his life witness, Paul - the great apostle to the Gentiles - suffers for others: that they may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus and share his eternal glory. In his spirituality and mission, Saint Paul thus crystallizes the truth that participation in the paschal suffering is redemptive. As a great spiritual mentor to Timothy, he advises the young pastor to correctly teach the message of God’s truth, the saving truth that is centered on Christ’s paschal mystery.

The life of Saint Philip Neri gives insight into what it means to share in Christ’s

life and to be a true pastor-teacher (cf. Barry Hudock, “500 Years Later, Philip Neri Still a Witness of Joy” in Our Sunday Visitor, July 12, 2015, p. 14-15).

Philip Neri was born on July 22, 1515, in a working class region near Florence, Italy. He grew up there with his father and stepmother (his mother had died when he was very young). At age 18, he moved to the small town of San Germano, where he got to know the Benedictine monks at the nearby Monte Cassino abbey.

From them, he developed a profound love of the liturgy, the Bible and the ancient Church Fathers. By the time Philip moved to Rome a year or so later, he was burning with a desire to introduce others to God and the Scriptures. And Rome needed him. Vices and temptations of all kinds fought for the attention of citizens and visitors alike. Even many of the clergy there were more interested in luxury and worldly concerns than in prayer or pastoral work. From the start, young Philip led an effective ministry of drawing people to Christ by the power of his own vibrant witness. At the heart of this witness was joy … But Philip’s gregarious demeanor was fueled by a profound spirituality. He lived a life of intense communion with God through prayer. He spent long hours of silent prayer in churches, in the Roman catacombs and in his tiny apartment. “This astonishingly human saint”, the great theologian Louis Bouyer once wrote, “was saturated with the supernatural.” (…) In 1948, Philip helped found a group of laymen dedicated to serving pilgrims to Rome, and by the Holy Year of 1550, when huge crowds of pilgrims streamed through the city, they were running a hostel serving about 500 people a day. Following the advice of his spiritual director, Philip was ordained a priest in 1551. He began to spend long mornings in church to hear confessions, a practice he continued for decades. In the afternoons, he continued to host meetings of laypeople who gathered to talk, pray and sing together. (…) By the time he had reached his 70s, still meeting regularly with lay Christians and hearing confessions for long hours, Philip was renowned for his holiness and wisdom. In his final years, laypeople, priests and cardinals came from all over Europe to visit him and seek his guidance. Father Philip died in Rome on May 25, 1595, the feast of Corpus Christi, just before his 80th birthday. He was canonized in 1622.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. What is our response to Jesus’ great command: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … You shall love your neighbor as yourself”? How do we try to put this twofold command into practice? Are we capable of wholehearted love and service? If not, what do we do to improve our capacity for loving and giving? 2. What do we do to proclaim the saving word of God, knowing that it is not “chained” and that it cannot be “chained”? How do we participate in Christ’s redemptive suffering? Are we deeply imbued with pastoral care for God’s “sheep”?

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

Lord Jesus, you loved the Lord your God with all your heart and loved your neighbor as yourself. In the Eucharist you are present to us as the One who loved his own “to the end”. O Divine Eucharist, flame of Christ’s love that burns on the altar of the world, make the Church comforted by you, even more caring in wiping away the tears of suffering and in sustaining the efforts of all who yearn for justice and peace. Let your love triumph, now and forever. Amen. *** Lord Jesus, we believe that if we have died with you, we shall also live with you. You are faithful and true. Give us the grace to proclaim to your saving Gospel truthfully, knowing that your Word cannot be “chained”. Grant us a pastoral heart to serve your people and nourish them with the bread of the Word, the message of truth. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.



day. Please memorize it. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … You shall love your

neighbor as yourself.” (Mk 12:30-31) // “If we have died with Christ, we shall also live with him.” (II Tm 2:11) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Pray that Jesus’ twofold love-command may truly impact and shape our daily lives. Let the words of Jesus and his Eucharistic sacrifice challenge you to love and embrace the poor and vulnerable in today’s fragmented and wounded world. // Consider giving your family members or friends the gift of a personal Bible.-

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FRIDAY: NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Son of David and His Lord … He

Continues to Teach Us through the Scriptures”

BIBLE READINGS II Tm 3:10-17 // Mk 12:35-37

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO A. Gospel Reading (Mk 12:35-37): “How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David.”

We hear in the Gospel (Mk 12:35-37) that after being interrogated by his

opponents on such issues as paying taxes to Caesar, on the doctrine of the resurrection, and on the greatest commandment, it is Jesus now who poses a question: how can the Messiah be a son of David, if David himself acknowledges him as his Lord? No one in the crowd answers. Jesus himself doesn’t answer his own question about in what sense the Messiah could be David’s descendant. The purpose of raising the question is didactic. Jesus wants to underline that the title “son of David”, with which he was acclaimed by the welcoming crowd in his triumphant entry to Jerusalem, is not adequate to describe his nature as Messiah. Christ Messiah, on account of his exalted, transcendent origin, is more than just a “son of David”. Although a descendant of David, Jesus the Messiah is the Son of God. His divine character surpasses the nobility and regality of his ancestor David. By his paschal mystery of passion, death, and glorification, Jesus Savior proves that he is indeed the son of David and wields lordship over David and all his ancestors. Indeed, the glorified Jesus is Lord of the peoples of the earth and all creation.

I read a charming story about Pope John XXIII. After he became Pope, his

relatives from Bergamo came to have an audience with him. A bunch of rural, humble folks, they were timid and overwhelmed to be received by the Supreme Pontiff. The good, jolly old Pope extended his arms to the intimidated group and coaxed them warmly, “Come; it is only me!” I fancy that King David is likewise overwhelmed by the glory of his illustrious progeny, Jesus – son of Mary and Joseph. But on the day of resurrection, the Risen Lord invites and assures his ancestor David, “Come; it is only me!”

B. First Reading (II Tm 3:10-17): “All who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

In the reading (II Tm 3:10-17), Saint Paul asserts that he has been a good role model and that Timothy, his younger colleague and assistant, has been a good learner. He has followed Paul’s teaching, way of life, and purpose in life. Timothy has likewise witnessed Paul’s sterling qualities of faith, patience, love and endurance in persecutions and sufferings. Saint Paul thus exhorts Timothy to be likewise steadfast for “all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”.

To strengthen him in serving God and to help him in his pastoral-teaching

ministry, Timothy needs to be faithful to the Scriptures to which he was introduced as a child by his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois. Reading the Hebrew Scriptures from a new perspective, he will be given “wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus”. Saint Paul’s statement that “all Scripture is inspired by God” is the first biblical text that speaks of the divine inspiration of the Old Testament. In the conviction of the Church divine inspiration is considered to be the basis for belief in divine authorship. Indeed, inspired by God, all Scripture is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults and giving instruction for right living. Nourished by sacred Scriptures, the young bishop Timothy is fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed for the building up of the Church community.

The following article on Saint Jerome gives insight into the importance of the

Sacred Scriptures in the life of the Church (cf. Elizabeth Sherrill, “Jerome, Companion in Bible Study” in Daily Guideposts 2016, p. 12).

I first encountered saints in medieval paintings. One figure intrigued me: Saint Jerome was always accompanied by a lion. I started reading about him and then about others, discovering that my ignorance of saints had deprived me of some wonderful companions. Whenever work took me to Europe, I’d try to visit the hometowns of my newfound friends. Unique individuals, no two alike; if saints have one thing in common, it’s the secret of abiding in Christ, whatever challenge life throws at them. Jerome (331-420) was a scholar who retired to the wilderness to study God’s Word uninterrupted. A lion, according to legend, went to him with a painful thorn in his paw. Jerome pulled it out, and the lion became his constant companion. The real story, I discovered, was even better. Jerome was dissatisfied with the awkward Greek translation of the Old Testament – the only version Christians had – and set out to learn the original Hebrew. The Pope heard about it and asked for Jerome’s help. Few people could read Greek. Could Jerome translate the Bible into the people’s language, Latin?

Jerome spent the rest of his life devoted to this enormous task. He had a companion in his work, but it wasn’t a lion. In an age when women were considered incapable of mental activity, Jerome chose a female collaborator. Paula was a wealthy widow, already fluent in Greek, who, to assist Jerome, learned Hebrew, gave her fortune to the poor and worked daily at his side. For medieval artists this intimate companionship between an unmarried man and woman was scandalous! So as Jerome produced the Bible used for over 1,500 years, they painted a lion at his side instead.

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the MEDITATIO 1. Do we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of David and his Lord and that he wields lordship over us all? 2. How does the statement of Paul that “all who want to live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” impinge on you? Do you value the importance of the Scriptures in your spiritual growth and pastoral ministry? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

Lord Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, you are incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man. You are a descendant of David. The holy carpenter Joseph of Nazareth, of the royal line of David, is the foster father who cared for you. We bless and thank you for being our Savior. By the paschal events of your death and rising and through the power of the Holy Spirit, it has been revealed to us that you are not simply the Messiah. You are the “Son of God” and not merely the “son of David”. You are exalted above all. You transcend the nature of a mere liberator. You are God – our one Lord Jesus Christ! We believe in you. We submit to you our entire being - our mind, heart and will. We thank you for your gift of eternal life. We love you and serve you, now and forever. Amen.

*** Lord Jesus, please give us strength and perseverance when we are persecuted for our faith. Let us be nourished by your living Word. Teach us how to use the Scriptures to teach, to correct, to unite and to build the Church community-communion. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.


“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand.’” (Mk 12:36) // “All Scripture is inspired by God.” (II Tm 3:16) V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO

Meditate on the Nicene Creed and savor the beauty of the goodness of God who sent his only Son into the world to redeem us. In your daily life, endeavor to mirror the dignity and humility of the Son of God who became man to save us. // Introduce your relatives and friends to the laudable practice of Lectio Divina, the prayerful reading of the Word of God.

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SATURDAY: NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME “JESUS SAVIOR: He Calls Us to a Total Self-Giving … He

Awards the Crown of Righteousenss”

BIBLE READINGS II Tm 4:1-8 // Mk 12:38-44

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

A. Gospel Reading (Mk 12:38-44): “This poor widow has given more than all others.”

Today’s Gospel (Mk 12:38-44) is a lesson in wholehearted giving. Jesus contrasts

the sterling quality of an extremely generous widow with the greediness of scribes who “devour the houses of widows”. Observing the devout act of the poor widow who puts two small coins into the temple’s treasury, Jesus calls the disciples’ attention and teaches them the difference between complete and incomplete giving. The rich honor God with a portion of their wealth, but the poor woman gives from her very livelihood. As a consequence of her self-emptying, she entrusts herself wholly to God. The widow’s offering evokes the total gift that Jesus would make of himself on the cross. The Son of God is the ultimate self-giving Lord. He offers his life “once and for all” in order to redeem us. In union with him, our lives become capable of total self-giving. Together with Jesus, the “poor one” (anawim), we become a gift to God.

The generous stance of the Gospel’s poor widow is replicated by the beggar in the

following story narrated by Mother Teresa (cf. Mother Teresa: Her Essential Wisdom, New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006, p. 21).

A beggar one day came up to me and said, “Mother Teresa, everybody gives you things for the poor. I also want to give you something. But today, I am only able to get ten pence. I want to give that to you.” I said to myself. “If I take it he might have to go to bed without eating. If I don’t take it, I will hurt him.” So I took it. And I’ve never seen so much joy on anybody’s face who has given his money or food, as I saw on that man’s face. He was happy that he too could give something. This is the joy of loving.

B. First Reading (II Tm 4:1-8): “I am already being poured out and the crown of righteousness awaits me which the Lord will award to me.”

In the reading (II Tm 4:1-8), Saint Paul confirms Timothy’s task as pastor of the

Church entrusted to his care. Invoking the witness of God and of Jesus, the Judge of the living and the dead, the great apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to endure suffering, to do the work of a preacher of the Good News, and to perform his whole duty as a servant od God. Saint Paul then confesses that he has opened himself completely to the grace of God. He has trusted fully in the Lord who stood by him and gave him strength so that the Gospel may be proclaimed to the nations. Indeed, Saint Paul has competed well, has finished the race and has kept the faith. Humbly and trustingly, he awaits the crown of righteousness that the faithful Lord keeps for him. The biblical scholar, Enrique Nardoni remakrs: “The Apostle sees his death as a sacrificial libation of his blood, a departure for the final harbor. He feels the satisfaction of an accomplished mission and an unwavering loyalty to Christ. Therefore he is fully sure of his glorious reward.”

On October 17, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI canonized Blessed Andre Bessette, known as the “Miracle Man of Montreal”. Like Saint Paul, Brother Andre exemplifies

how “to compete well … to finish the race”. His pastoral life merits “the crown of righteousness” that the Lord, the just judge, awards to those who have kept the faith. The following homily was delivered by Pope John Paul II at the beatification of Brother Andre (cf. A.A.S. 74, 825 f., May 23, 1982).

We venerate in Blessed Brother Andre Bessette a man of prayer and a friend of the poor, a truly astonishing man. The work of his whole life – his long life of 91 years – was that of “a poor and humble servant”: Pauper, servus humilis, as is written on his tomb. A manual laborer until the age of twenty-five years on the farm, in workshops and factories, he then entered the Brothers of the Holy Cross, who entrusted to him for almost forty years the task of porter in their school in Montreal; and finally for almost thirty years more he was custodian of Saint Joseph’s Oratory near the school. Where then does his extraordinary influence, his renown among millions of people, come from? A daily crowd of the sick, the afflicted, the poor of all kinds – those who were handicapped or wounded by life – came to him. They found in his presence in the school parlor or at the Oratory a welcome ear, comfort, faith in God, confidence in the intercession of Saint Joseph. In short, they found the way of prayer and the sacraments and, with that, hope and, very often, manifest relief of body and soul. Do not the poor of today have as much need of such love, of such hope, of such education in prayer? But what was it that gave Brother Andre this ability? It was God who was pleased to give such an ability to attract, such a marvelous power to this simple man who had himself known the misery of being an orphan among twelve brothers and sisters, of being without riches and education, of having poor health, in short, of being deprived of everything except a great confidence in God. It is not surprising that Brother Andre felt himself close to the life of Saint Joseph, that poor and exiled worker who himself was so close to the Savior and whom Canada and especially the Congregation of the Holy Cross have always greatly honored. Brother Andre had to put up with misunderstanding and mockery because of the success of his apostolate. Yet he remained simple and joyful. Turning to Saint Joseph or in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, he himself prayed long and earnestly, in the name of the sick, doing as he had taught them to do. Is not his faith in the power of prayer one of the most precious signs for the men and women of our time, who are tempted to resolve their problems without recourse to God?


1. How do we react to situations of vulnerability, insecurity and poverty? Do we take the stance of the generous widow? Do we allow ourselves to be configured into the self-giving Lord Jesus, the true Anawim – the ultimate Poor One of Yahweh? 2. Do we proclaim God’s saving word, with persistence, whether it is convenient or inconvenient? III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO

O Lord Jesus, you are the anawim - the poor one of Yahweh. You praised the self-giving widow at the temple treasury. Her self-gift anticipates your self-sacrifice on the wood of the cross. Fill our hearts with your love so that we too may be a total gift offered to God and for the good of others. Your life in us is our greatest treasure. We are happy and content to possess you and to be possessed by you. We love you and serve you, now and forever. Amen. *** Loving Jesus, you will judge the living and the dead. Help us to faithfully proclaim your saving word, whether convenient or inconvenient. Give us the grace to keep our faith, to compete well and to finish the race so as to merit the crown of righteousness that you award on that day to your faithful ones. You live and reign, forever and ever. Amen.




“This poor widow put in more than all the others … She, from her poverty, has contributed all she had.” (Mk 12:43) // “I have kept the faith.” (II Tm 4:7)


Pray that the spirit of total giving may animate our life of Christian discipleship and service. Pray also that the unjust structures that lead to destitution and greater abuse of the poor and needy in today’s society may be rectified. Strive to offer the gifts you have received from the Lord for good at the service of the community. // Give moral, spiritual and material support to the ordained ministers in your parish/community.


Documents

WEEK 1-9 - Sister Disciples Of The Divine Master