BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD*
A LECTIO DIVINA Approach
to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days,
Year B
SUNDAYS IN ORDINARY TIME: Trinity to Week
20
Trinity Sunday (n. 42)
Corpus Christi (n. 43)
th
10 Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 44)
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 45)
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 46)
13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 47)
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 48)
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 49)
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 50)
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 51)
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 52)
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 53)
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time (n. 54)
Prepared by
Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang, PDDM
*** Text of the Cover Page ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 42)
TRINITY SUNDAY, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Sends Us to Baptize in the Name of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Dt 4:32-34, 39-40 // Rom 8:14-17 // Mt 28:16-20
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mt 28:16-20): “Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Our life is deeply permeated by the Blessed Trinity, but we can be oblivious to
this reality. A little story reported by Anthony de Mello in his book, The Song of the Bird,
can give us an idea of this unfortunate situation.
“Excuse me,” said one ocean fish to another. “You are older and more
experienced than I, and will probably be able to help me. Tell me; where can I
find this thing they call Ocean? I’ve been searching for it everywhere to no
avail.” “The Ocean,” said the older fish, “is what you are swimming in now.”
“Oh, this? But this is only water. What I’m searching for is the Ocean,” said the
young fish, feeling quite disappointed as he swam away to search elsewhere …
Stop searching, little fish. There’s nothing to look for. Just be still, open your
eyes, and look. You cannot miss it.
Indeed, we are immersed in the life of the Blessed Trinity. We are enveloped and
drenched in the creative power, redeeming sacrifice, and sanctifying love of the One and
Triune God – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. According to the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, number 261: “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central
mystery of the Christian faith and of the Christian life. God alone can make it known to
us by revealing himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” By his actions in history and in
our lives, God wills to reveal himself to us in his inmost being.
The Gospel reading (Mt 28:16-20) contains the Risen Lord’s Easter command to
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit. The apostolic mandate to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” signifies that the person baptized belongs to the Trinity
of persons and enters into an intimate relationship with them. According to St. Isidore of
Seville, the sacrament of baptism is the “sacrament of the Trinity” for it makes us share
in the life of the one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the
baptismal waters, we are immersed into the life of the Blessed Trinity and consecrated to
the Triune God: to the Heavenly Father as his adopted children; to the Son of God as his
brother/sister and disciple; and to the Holy Spirit as his holy temple.
For the members of the early Christian community, the Paschal Mystery is the
basis of Trinitarian revelation. The saving events surrounding Jesus of Nazareth were the
basis of their belief and confession that he was the Son of God. They had grasped not
only Jesus Christ’s incomparable, singular rapport with God, but also his special and
astounding relationship with the Spirit. The community of believers perceived the Spirit
as the one who makes Christ’s saving event present in the “here and now” of the universe
and history. From the experience of the Paschal Mystery, the Church would come to a
profound understanding that the one God, in his most intimate nature, is Trinitarian:
- as the loving Creator Father, the source of our redemption;
- as the obedient Son who accomplished the Father’s saving plan by his death on
the cross;
- and as the Spirit of love, proceeding from the Father and the Son, who witnesses
to our being God’s children and enables us to call him, “Abba, Father!”
B. First Reading (Dt 4:32-34, 39-40): “The Lord is God in the heavens above and on
earth below, and there is no other.”
Here is a charming story for Trinity Sunday: A priest went into a second-grade
classroom of the parish school and asked, “Who can tell me what the Blessed Trinity
means?” A little girl lisped, “The Blethed Twinity meanth there are thwee perthonth in
one God.” The priest, taken aback by the lisp, said, “Would you say that again? I don’t
understand what you said.” The little girl answered, “Y’not suppothed to underthtand;
‘t’th a mythtewy.” The little girl is right: we cannot grasp with our mortal minds the
infinite mystery of God, but we can try to “stand under” the mystery of the loving triune
God.
The reading (Dt 4:32-34, 39-40) speaks resolutely of the unique character of
Israel’s God and asserts that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on the earth
below, and there is no other. Eugene Maly comments: “This reading from Deuteronomy
does not, of course, speak of Trinity. But it does lay down the foundation for such truth
… This says monotheism, one God. Without that conviction the later revelation of three
Persons in the one God would make no sense. Polytheism, or many gods, would exclude
a Trinity. But notice how the uniqueness of this one God was made known. It was by the
things this God did for his people, in leading them out of the land of Egypt by testing, by
signs and wonders, by war, with his strong hand and outstretched arm …Did anything so
great ever happen before? This God is unique; he is one; he is the only one.”
Through the Paschal Mystery and consequential events, the Church came into
contact with the stupendous revelation that the “one” God is a “trinity of persons” in his
deepest nature: the loving Creator Father, the font of redemption; the obedient Son of
God who accomplished the Father’s saving plan by his death on the cross; and the Spirit
of love, proceeding forth from the Father and the Son, who powers and energizes the
Church in its life of mission and service in the world. Indeed, Trinity Sunday invites us to
celebrate the marvelous work of the triune God in salvation history, through every time
and space. Moreover it helps us to reflect on our vocation to live in an intimate
relationship with the triune divine Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
C. Second Reading (Rom 8:14-17): “You received a Spirit of adoption, through whom
we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’.”
In the Second Reading (Rom 8:14-17), the great apostle Paul declares that we
have been adopted and chosen in love by a divine being so loving that we can respond
with the intimate term “Abba”. We can do so by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Easter
gift of our Lord Jesus Christ. As adopted children or “heirs”, we have a right to inherit
the promised reign of God just as Christ did through his obedient suffering. The Spirit
enables us to bear the suffering that leads to glory. If we share Christ’s suffering and
allow ourselves to be totally configured to the divine Son’s obedient and saving death on
the cross, we too will share in his eternal glory with the Father and the Son and with the
boundless blessings of the kingdom of heaven.
The death of my dear younger brother Gisbert has touched me deeply. The
experience of accompanying him in his terminal illness and in the painful process of
dying was poignant and transforming. The basis of the Trinitarian revelation and
confession of the Church is the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s passion, death and
resurrection-glorification. In the same way, the presence of the one and triune God was
especially revealed to me in the terminal illness and passing to eternal life of Gisbert. In
his bout with a vicious cancer, he was journeying home to God the Father, his Creator
and ultimate destiny. Moreover, he was deeply united with the redemptive suffering of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was for him the Good Shepherd leading him to the
green pastures of eternal life. Finally, the Holy Spirit was the Consoler giving him patient
endurance. The power and energy of the Holy Spirit enabled him to bear the suffering
that led to glory.
Gisbert died in Toronto, Canada in the evening of May 20, 2009. I was with him
in his last ten days at the hospital. Together with his wife, Veron, and his six-year old
daughter Nicole, I was beside his bed when he expired. I could not attend the funeral rites
of my brother, but I composed a eulogy that was read by my niece Erica at his wake. The
following excerpt gives insight into the Trinitarian dimension of the paschal experience
of death and rising.
“SURELY GOODNESS AND KINDNESS SHALL FOLLOW ME”: In the hospital
room where Gisbert spent his last days (exactly, one month), there were many signs
of God’s favor and grace.
WATER: There was the sound of gurgling water. It was coming from a hospital
water-based mechanism that the nurses used to administer oxygen to Gisbert to ease
his breathing problem. That peaceful sound of streaming water evokes the passage
from the Book of Revelation: “I am the root of Jesse and David’s son, the radiant star
of morning and God’s own light. The Spirit and the Bride say ‘Come.’ Let him who
hears their voices say, ‘Come.’ He who has thirst let him come and he who has desire
let him drink from the waters of everlasting life. ‘Yes, I come very soon.’ Amen.
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:4-5). The Good Shepherd finally answered
Gisbert’s Advent expectation and led him to the font of everlasting life.
SUNSET: Gisbert’s hospital room was facing directly toward the west, which has a
splendid view of the setting sun in its colorful, splendid glory. Gisbert died at 6:55
P.M. (DST). As the family and friends paid homage to Gisbert’s mortal remains, the
dying sun made me remember some intuitive message from the Book of Revelation:
“They shall see the Lord face to face and bear his name on their foreheads. The night
shall be no more. They shall need no light from the lamps or from the sun, for the
Lord will give them light. And they shall reign forever” (Rev 22:16-20).
GROWING PLANT: Gisbert’s six-year old daughter Nicole, as part of her school
project, planted a seed in a plastic cup filled with soil. She brought the plant to her
dad and it was placed on the window sill. Nicole’s sprouting plant is very suggestive
of new life and the resurrection of our body. Saint Paul writes: “What you sow is not
brought to life unless it dies … So also is the resurrection of the dead … It is sown
weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (I
Cor 15:36, 42, 44). Like the seed that is buried and dies in the ground, the mortal
body of Gisbert dies, but his spirit lives forever and on the last day, even his mortal
body will be brought to life.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
As persons baptized “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit”, do we truly believe that we have been born to a new life, that of the three Persons
of the Trinity? How do we carry out today Christ’s apostolic command to go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(“Prayer to the Holy Trinity” by Blessed James Alberione)
Divine Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
present and active in the Church
and in the depths of my soul,
I adore you, I thank you, I love you!
And through the hands of Mary most holy, my Mother,
I offer, give and consecrate myself entirely to you
for life and for eternity.
To you, heavenly Father,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
as your son/daughter.
To you, Jesus Master,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
as your brother/sister and disciple.
To you, Holy Spirit,
I offer, give and consecrate myself
as a “living temple” to be consecrated and sanctified.
Mary, Mother of the Church and my Mother,
who dwells in the presence of the Blessed Trinity,
teach me to live through the liturgy and the sacraments,
in ever more intimate union with the three divine Persons,
so that my whole life
may be a “glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.”
Amen
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
This week offer three good deeds and acts of kindness in honor of the most Holy
Trinity.
*** Text of Trinity Sunday ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 43)
CORPUS CHRISTI, YEAR B ***
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives Us His Body and Blood”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Ex 24:3-8 // Heb 9:11-15 // Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26): “This is my body. This is my blood.”
I was a student in theology when I came upon an intriguing issue: the
inculturation of the Eucharistic species. The visiting Scripture professor, a Belgian
missionary, challenged us to look into the possibility of using bread and fish instead of
bread and wine in the Mass. His thesis that fish could be used as a Eucharistic species is
based on his study of the Gospel accounts of the multiplication of loaves and Jesus’
Easter appearances, which have a Eucharistic implication. I was tantalized by the idea of
using fish as a Eucharistic species.
It was not until I studied in Rome’s Pontifical Liturgical Institute under Fr.
Salvatore Marsili, a few years later, that I had better insight into this issue. Note that the
Jewish rite of Passover involves two distinct moments – the lamb-unleavened bread,
symbol of liberation, and the blood of the covenant-cup of wine, symbol of the
constitution of Israel as God’s chosen people. Viewed in this light, it would be a betrayal
of the meaning of the Eucharist, the Christian Passover, to substitute bread and fish for
bread and wine. At the Last Supper, Christ uses the breaking and sharing of the bread
and the drinking of the cup of wine as the sacramental sign of our liberation from the
power of sin. We become God’s covenant people through the sacrifice of his body on the
altar of the cross and the pouring out of his blood on the tree of life on Mount Calvary.
Indeed, the people that are nourished by Christ’s gift of bread for new life are the
people of the covenant. All the readings today dwell on God’s covenant relationship with
his people. The core of this Sunday’s Gospel (Mk 14:12-16, 22-26) is the account of
Jesus’ actions and words at the Last Supper, which he shares with his disciples. He
breaks the bread and shares the cup of wine, saying: “This is my body … This is my blood
of the covenant which will be shed for many” (verses 23-24). The breaking of the bread
signifies the saving event of the body of Jesus being broken and wounded at the paschal
sacrifice for the life of the world. The drinking of the cup signifies the redeeming event
of his blood being poured out on the cross – the blood of the eternal covenant - which
ratifies God’s intimate relationship with the new, redeemed people he constitutes as his
own. God’s Son, the only Savior of the world, pours out his life-blood for us on the cross
and opens the way for a radical relationship between us and the Father. By receiving the
bread of new life and the cup of the covenant in the Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ’s
self-gift for us, we declare our willingness to live this covenant.
B. First Reading (Ex 24:3-8): “This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has
made with you.”
When I was a student in the elementary grades, one of my favorite subjects was
Social Studies. I enjoyed Philippine History and was enthralled when I saw a painting
entitled, “The Blood Compact”. It showed the Spanish conquistador, Legazpi and a local
chieftain, Rajah Lakandula seated at a table, with a cup and a knife lying on top of it.
Their arms were bleeding. According to the explanation of our teacher, they were having
a blood compact. They were sharing a drink, mixed with each other’s blood, from a
common cup to ratify a compact or a covenant. They were to treat each other as blood
brothers and share life at the level of intimate friendship. The succeeding events of
Philippine history, however, would show that the meaning of the blood compact they
made was not really respected. Spain subjugated the Philippines and made it a colony.
The Church invites us today to focus our attention on the meaning of the new and
eternal covenant that Christ ratified with his sacrificial blood. The Old Testament reading
(Ex 24:3-8) provides us with a deeper perspective on the meaning of the new, definitive
and everlasting covenant in his blood.
The biblical scholar, Eugene Maly comments: “This is the blood of the covenant
which the Lord has made with you … When Moses pronounced those words at the foot of
Mt. Sinai, they must have struck an awesome note in the minds and hearts of the Hebrew
people standing about. They had just seen Moses splash half of the blood of the young
sacrificed bulls on the altar that symbolized God. The rest of the blood he sprinkled on
them. That strikes us as a strange rite, indeed. But it had a powerful meaning for those
people. The blood, as always in the Scriptures, symbolized life. Sprinkled on the altar
and on the people, it symbolized a community of life shared by God and Israel. God,
moved only by love, was making a covenant with them. He shared his life; they
responded by keeping his law. The religious experience was what constituted Israel as a
unique people, God’s special people. Though they did not realize it at the time, that
covenant was an anticipation of another and new covenant, whereby a new people of God
would be constituted, this time with no restrictions as to race or nationality. Blood was to
be a symbol of the new covenant, too. The new covenant is, of course, the one made by
God through Jesus Christ with all people. And the blood of Christ, shed on Calvary,
symbolizes the new life God shares with us.”
The salutary feast of Corpus Christi – of the Body and Blood of Christ – reminds
us of the tremendous depths of our faith and helps us consider the challenging
implications as a people of the new and eternal covenant. The celebration is an invitation
to respond and to surrender ourselves completely to the loving God who had initiated this
covenant and had brought it to fulfillment through the outpouring of the blood of his Son
Jesus Christ.
The liturgical theologian Romano Guardini remarks: “Holy Mass is the
commemoration of God’s new covenant with men. Awareness of this gives the
celebration an added significance that is most salutary. To keep this thought in mind is to
remind ourselves that Christ’s sacrificial death opened for us the new heaven and the new
earth; that there exists between Him and us a contract based not on nature or talent or
religious capacity, but on grace and freedom; that it is binding from person to person,
loyalty to loyalty. At every Mass we should reaffirm that contract and consciously take
our stand in it.”
C. Second Reading (Heb 9:11-15): “The blood of Christ will cleanse our consciences.”
In this Sunday’s liturgy and especially through the Second Reading (Heb 9:1115), we are invited to contemplate the sacrificial outpouring of Christ’s blood to bring
about the ultimate and unsurpassable New Covenant. The mediator of the New Covenant,
Jesus Christ, the ultimate High Priest who entered the Holy of Holies, atoned for our sins,
cleansed our consciences from dead works, and sealed a New Covenant in his blood to
make of us God’s privileged chosen people.
The letter to the Hebrews underlines the incomparable efficacy and superiority of
the sacrificial act of Jesus, the High Priest. Eugene Maly explains: “The second reading
describes the superiority of Jesus’ sacrifice over that of the bulls and of the new covenant
over the old. The author says that Christ passed through a more perfect tabernacle and
entered the sanctuary of heaven. He is referring to his passing from earthly life through
suffering and death to a new life with the Father, a new life that would be shared
with the new people of God. In doing this, Jesus did something that was foreshadowed
by what the high priest did in the Old Testament. The priest entered into the sanctuary in
Jerusalem and sprinkled the blood of animals on the altar and the Ark of the Covenant.
This symbolized the new life effected by the remission of sins. The author of our reading
asks how much more efficacious is the blood of Jesus in cleansing our consciences. Jesus
did this once for all, as our reading puts it. The sacrifice of Jesus was so radically
effective that the Father accepted it as valid for all ages. Jesus does not have to shed his
blood anew every time the eternal covenant is renewed.”
Indeed, in this beautiful feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, we delve
into the profound depths of our Eucharistic faith and are impelled by the tremendous
demands of charity and service it imposes upon us. Moreover, we are challenged to
surrender ourselves completely to Jesus Christ, the eternal High Priest, who renews each
day, and especially in the Eucharistic mystery, his everlasting covenant of love with us –
his chosen people.
Today I would like to cite some episodes in the life of Saint Damien De Veuster,
who offered himself as a “living sacrifice” for the exiled lepers in Molokai. Like Jesus,
the Eucharistic victim and ultimate High Priest, his self-giving was complete. Saint
Damien risked contagion and indeed became a leper as he endeavored to bring solace and
comfort to the afflicted flock of a Hawaiian leper colony in the nineteenth century. The
following passages are from Hilde Eynikel’s excellent book, MOLOKAI: The Story of
Father Damien (New York: Alba House, 1999, p. 169-170, 196, 294).
CORPUS CHRISTI 1882: One of the ways in which social practice in the leper
settlement differed from the world beyond was in the degree of co-operation and
harmony among the different religious groups. The Corpus Christi procession of
1882 was an example of this. (…) Members of all the different creeds took part in
preparing the festival and the feasting, and likewise participated in the
processions and religious ceremonies. The procession was somewhat chaotic,
with the various religious groups that participated joining in one another’s hymns
and music, not always successfully. Damien and Montiton took it in turns to carry
the holy sacrament, and they were careful to adjust the pace of the procession to
take account of the invalids who found it difficult to walk. The whole event was a
festival of respect for one another and Montiton expressed this when he said, in
Hawaiian, “This celebration is unique. We Christians who are present here wish
to demonstrate our belief in God, who is three in one. Today we worship Jesus
Christ, our Eucharistic king, the Lord and Savior who is present in the Holy
Sacrament. We worship his love for mankind and the Holy Sacrament that he
instituted on the day before his death.”
***
Damien had pain in his left leg. Sometimes a warm footbath helped. He put a
kettle on the fire and poured water into a basin. He put his foot in and waited for
the pain to ease. He looked into the basin and saw pieces of skin floating on the
water. He drew his foot out of the basin, looked at it, and found it was badly
scalded. Damien had not felt the scalding, so he must have leprosy. He screamed.
Priests came running to him and asked what was the matter. Damien could say
nothing, except, “I’ve scalded my foot” and “I’m a leper”.
***
Damien was willing to pose for the photographer on this occasion and Bingham
caught in his lens a frail man with a swollen face and a broad coat. He sat bolt
upright, with his arm in a sling. He was surrounded by his boys. The next day, 20
February 1889, Damien visited Kalaupapa for the last time. Mother Marianne
wanted him to come into the parlor, but he refused, because he was unclean. That
evening, he did not have the strength to climb into the buggy. He did not dare to
knock on any of the parishioners’ doors to warm himself, although he was very
cold. He thought for a moment of asking Mollers for shelter, but the German
priest was already so depressed and was not allowed to take in lepers. Evening
came on. Lamps were lit in the windows and suddenly the wandering priest had
an idea. He would just take a rest on the Sisters’ verandah and then he would
have the strength to return to Kalawao. He lay down and dozed off. Sr.
Leopoldina found him there the next morning. He awoke, looked astonished and
then frightened and ashamed. “He is dying”, said a weeping Leopoldina over
breakfast. “Death is in his look.” (…) Damien wrote, “I am trying slowly to
complete my way of the cross and hope to reach Golgotha.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
How do we unite ourselves with the saving event of Christ’s ultimate saving
sacrifice? What is our response to the tremendous gift of his Body and Blood? How do
we translate into our daily lives the meaning of Christ’s sacrificial and covenant love?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we thank you for the life-giving Body and Blood of your Son Jesus Christ,
the eternal High Priest and the mediator of the New Covenant.
Through his Eucharistic sacrifice on the cross,
he cleansed us of our sins
and brought us back to you as a reconciled people.
His body was “bread broken” for our healing and redemption.
His blood was shed as a “cup of sacrifice”.
By the blood outpoured in his passion and death on the cross,
he sealed the New Covenant
and we became your covenant people.
By your grace, we are privileged to share in your divine life.
In the sacrament of the Eucharist,
we proclaim this mystery of faith
and are brought deeper into its depths.
Help us to translate into our daily life
the covenant love that our communion in the Eucharistic meal signifies.
Give us the grace to incarnate
the self-giving of Jesus, our Eucharistic Master,
and his priestly ministry on the cross.
In celebrating the ultimate gift of the Body and Blood of Christ,
may we be “bread broken” and “wine poured out” for the life of the world.
We praise and thank you,
we adore you and serve you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“This is my body … This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for
many.” (Mk14:22, 24)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that our priests may be deeply animated by the spirit of the Eucharist and be
strengthened for their ministry on behalf of the poor and suffering. By your own acts of
service and charity, strive to bring God’s covenant love to the people around you,
especially the poor and the needy.
*** Text of Corpus Christi ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 44)
TENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Was an Object of Blasphemy”
BIBLE READINGS
Gn 3:9-15 // II Cor 4:13-5:1 // Mk 2:20-35
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
In today’s Gospel (Mk 3:20-35) Jesus comes home with his disciples. Again the
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.
In today’s episode we also hear that 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 Gospel continues to depict the obtuseness of Jesus’ relatives who
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 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.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
Are there moments when we are jealous and unable to recognize the grace at work
in other persons? What do we do about this? What do we do when, like Jesus, we are
misunderstood and rejected? Do we strive to belong truly to the family of God by our life
of obedient faith and serving love?
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.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
““Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness.” (Mk
3:26)
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.
*** Text of the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 45)
ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Shows the Power of Small Beginnings”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Ez 17:22-24 // II Cor 5:6-11 // Mk 4:26-34
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 4:26-34): “It is the smallest of all seeds and becomes the
largest of plants.”
Today’s Gospel reading (Mk 4:26-34), which is composed of two parables, is
very encouraging. The parable of the growing seed (verses 26-29) tells about a farmer
who scatters seed in his field. While he sleeps at night and is up and about during the day,
all the while the seed sprouts and grows. The farmer does not know how it happens, but
the growing seed yields ripe grain for harvest. In this parable, Jesus underlines the
inevitable growth of the kingdom of God. The kingdom has already irrupted into the
world in Jesus’ ministry. Just as the scattered seed leads mysteriously to harvest, the
heavenly kingdom has an irresistible power to grow and reach its full destiny. The
kingdom grows because of the God-driven principle that powers its growth and
maturation.
The second parable (verses 30-34) is about the mustard seed, the smallest seed in
the world. Planted in the ground, it grows and becomes the biggest of all plants. Birds
come and make their nests in its shady branches. In this parable, Jesus contrasts the
insignificant beginning of the extremely small seed and the enormous size of the fullgrown bush. The image of a tiny mustard seed growing into the grandiose bush
underlines the universal expanse of God’s kingdom that would encompass all nations, as
well as Israel.
Jesus invites us to extol the power of small beginnings. We are called to sow the
seed of the kingdom in today’s world as well as to trust in the Holy Spirit who powers the
growing kingdom. Let us do our part in sowing the seed, and God will bless our humble
initiative on behalf of his kingdom. The following experience of a thoughtful woman,
which is circulated on the Internet, can help us understand more deeply the miraculous
result of small beginnings.
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come to see
the daffodils before they are over”. I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive
from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. “I will come next Tuesday”, I promised a little
reluctantly on her third call.
Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised and reluctantly I drove
there. When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house I was welcomed by the joyful
sounds of happy children. I delightfully hugged and greeted my grandchildren.
“Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in these clouds and fog, and
there is nothing in the world, except you and these children, that I want to see
badly enough to drive another inch.” My daughter smiled calmly and said, “We
drive in this all the time, Mother.” “Well, you won’t get me back on the road until
it clears, and then I’m heading home!” I assured her. “But first we’re going to
see the daffodils. It’s just a few blocks”, Carolyn said. “I’ll drive. I’m used to
this.”
“Carolyn”, I said sternly, “please turn around.” “It’s all right, Mother, I
promise. You will never forgive yourself if you miss this experience.” After about
twenty minutes, we turned onto a small gravel road and saw a small church. On
the far side of the church I saw a hand lettered sign with an arrow that read,
“Daffodil Garden”. We got out of the car, each took a child’s hand, and I
followed Carolyn down the path. Then, at the corner, I looked up and gasped.
Before me lay the most glorious sight. It looked as though someone had taken a
great vat of gold and poured it over the mountain peak and its surrounding
slopes. The flowers were planted in majestic, swirling patterns, great ribbons and
swaths of deep orange, creamy white, lemon yellow, salmon pink, and saffron and
butter yellow. Each different-colored variety was planted in large groups so that
it swirled and flowed like its own river with its own unique hue. There were five
acres of flowers.
“Who did this?” I asked Carolyn. “Just one woman”, Carolyn answered. “She
lives on the property. That’s her home.” Carolyn pointed to a well-kept A-frame
house, small and modestly sitting in the midst of all that glory. We walked up to
the house. On the patio, we saw a poster. “Answers to the Questions I Know You
Are Asking” was the headline. The first answer was a simple one. “50,000
bulbs”, it read. The second answer was “One at a time, by one woman. Two
hands, two feet, and one brain.” The third answer was “Began in 1958.”
For me, that moment was a life-changing experience. I thought of this woman
whom I had never met; who, more than fifty years before, had begun, one bulb at
a time, to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountaintop. Planting
one bulb at a time, year after year, this unknown woman had forever changed the
world in which she lived. One day at a time, she had created something of
extraordinary magnificence, beauty and inspiration. The principle her daffodil
garden taught is one of the greatest principles of celebration.
B. First Reading (Ez 17:22-24): “I have lifted high the lowly tree.”
Jesus’ message on the inevitable growth of the heavenly kingdom is reinforced by
the prophecy of Ezekiel that we hear in the reading (Ez 17:22-24). The tender shoot
becomes a majestic cedar in accordance with God’s saving plan and compassionate
intervention. The sprout that God plants on Israel’s highest mountain grows branches and
birds of every kind find shelter there. This beautiful dynamic image of a growing tree
symbolizes Israel’s hope of glory. The future of Israel is entirely in the hands of God,
who can cut down the tall trees and make the low trees grow tall. His saving will is to lift
up Israel and bring this nation to its glorious destiny. God is the Lord of history. He
intervenes directly in order to bring life or death according to his divine will. His
sovereignty is absolute and over all. We need to trust him and surrender to him.
The following charming story circulated on the Internet gives insight into the
mysterious ways of our loving and sovereign God.
“Three Trees”: Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of
what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at
the stars and said: “I want to hold treasure. I wanted to be covered with gold and
filled with precious stones. I’ll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world.”
The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the
ocean. “I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful king. I’ll be
the strongest ship in the world!” The third little tree looked down into the valley
below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. “I don’t want to leave
the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall. When people stop to look at me,
they’ll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the
world.”
Years passed. The rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall. One day
three woodcutters climbed the mountain. “This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for
me.” With a swoop of his shining ax, the first tree fell. “Now I shall be made into
a beautiful chest. I shall hold wonderful treasure!” the first tree said. The second
woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong. It is perfect
for me.” With a swoop of his shining ax, the second tree fell. “I shall be a strong
ship for mighty kings.” The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter
looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the
woodcutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me”, he muttered.
With a swoop of his shining ax the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter’s shop, but
the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. She was coated with
sawdust and filled with hay for hungry animals. The second tree smiled when the
woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day.
Instead the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat.
She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river. Instead she
was taken to a little lake. The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her
into strong beams and left her in the lumberyard. “What happened?” The once
tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point
to God.”
Many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one
night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her
newborn baby in the feedbox. “I wish I could make a cradle for him”, her
husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight
shone on the smooth and sturdy wood. “The manger is beautiful”, she said. And
suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening a tired traveler and His friends crowded into the old fishing boat.
The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a
thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did
not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through with the wind
and the rain. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out His hand, and
said “Peace”. The storm stopped quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the
second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.
One Friday morning the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked
from the forgotten pile. She shuddered when the soldiers nailed a man’s hands to
her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning when the sun rose
and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God’s love
had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people
thought of the third tree, they would think of God. That was better than being the
tallest tree in the world.
The next time you feel down because you don’t get what you want, sit down and
be happy because God is thinking of something better for you.
C. Second Reading (II Cor 5:6-11): “Whether we are at home or away we aspire to
please God.”
In the reading (II Cor 5:6-11), Saint Paul affirms that our life is a matter of faith,
not of sight. Faith is not static but a dynamic ongoing response to God. The purpose of
faith is to acknowledge God’s saving will even as we remain as exiles from our heavenly
home. We long for our true home and courageously seek for it. More than anything else,
we want to please the Lord, whether in our home here or there. Christ is our judge whose
Gospel reevaluates all things and it serves as a new basis for distinguishing between good
and evil. Each one will received recompense according to what he has done, good or bad
in this bodily life.
The life of Zelle and Louis Martin, soon to be canonized saints, shows what it
means to walk by faith and to endeavor to please the Lord (cf. “Historic First: Church to
Canonize Married Couple in Joint Ceremony” in Alive! April 2015, p. 5).
For the first time in her 2,000 year history the Catholic Church is to declare a
husband and wife together to be saints. The two-in-one canonization will signal in
a powerful way that the Church sees the sacrament of marriage, lived in love, as
a principal path to holiness for lay people.
Cardinal Angelo Amato has disclosed that Louis and Zelie Martin, whose
youngest child, the much-loved Therese of Lisieux, is already a saint, will be
enrolled among the saints during the Synod on the Family in October. (…)
Louis and Zelie were married in Alencon, France in 1858, a mere three months
after they first met. Five months earlier the Mother of God had appeared to
Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes. Louis was a watchmaker while Zelie ran her
own business making the famous Point d’Alencon lace. She continued to work
while rearing her children.
They went on to have nine children, only five of whom survived into adulthood.
Many years later Zelie told her second daughter, Pauline: “From the time we had
our children we lived only for them; they made all our happiness, and we would
never have found it save in them … I wished to have many children, in order to
bring them up for Heaven.”
Zelie was an enthusiastic, chatty letter-writer and some of the 200 letters to
different members of her family have survived, giving a marvelous glimpse into
the life of an extraordinary couple.
They were a well-to-do family, focused on God, attending Mass each morning at
5:30, devoted to the poor, inspired by hope and having to face an immense
amount of suffering, especially with the death of four of their children.
For some time Zelie had been anxious about her health. Then in October 1876,
aged 44, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. To her sister-in-law she wrote:
“If God permits that I die of this, I shall do my best to be resigned, and to bear my
disease patiently, in order to shorten my Purgatory.”
The doctor advised against an operation, but gave her a prescription. When she
asked, “What use is it?”, he bluntly replied, “None. I only do it to please my
patients.” It was a stunning blow, but she was grateful that he told her the full
truth, and regarded the visit as “priceless to me”. The following summer,
wracked by pain she was still determined to take part in Mass at least on Sundays.
That August she died. Her youngest child, Therese, was aged 4.
A heart-broken Louis moved his family to Lisieux to be nearer their cousins. He
lived for further 18 years, dying in 1894.
The couple’s feast day is 13th July, the date of their marriage.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
Do we believe in the power of small beginnings and in the inevitable growth of
the kingdom of God? Do we trust greatly in the power of God who can do all things in
us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
we are fascinated how a seed,
scattered and sown in the ground by a dutiful farmer,
can grow into a vigorous plant and yield a rich harvest.
We are awed even more greatly
by the irresistible growth of the heavenly kingdom,
sown by Jesus into the field of salvation history
through his saving ministry.
We thank and praise you
for the miracle of the mustard-seed beginning of your kingdom,
which continues to extend its life-giving fruitfulness
to all peoples of the earth.
Help us to put our trust in you
and to believe in the power of small beginnings.
You are our hope and our joy, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“Once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants.” (Mk 4:32)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray that people who sow the seed of the heavenly kingdom in today’s world may
be blessed by the Lord. By your compassionate acts of love and service, and by trusting
in the power of small beginnings, do your part in sowing the seed of the kingdom.
*** Text of 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 46)
TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Masters the Raging Seas”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Job 38:1, 8-11 // II Cor 5:14-17 // Mk 4:35-41
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 4:35-41): “Who is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
The reading (Mk 4:35-41) depicts Jesus in the stern, asleep on a cushion, while
violent waves are breaking over the boat that is already filling up with water. Mark’s
Gospel account of the windstorm reveals the divine character of Jesus and his wondrous
power to pacify a raging sea. The presence of Jesus and his tremendous authority causes
the furious waters of the storm to subside and calm down. The authors of the Days of the
Lord, vol. 5, comment: “The liturgy of the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time reminds us that
we are still at sea, still in the process of navigating to the other shore. It is impossible to
accomplish such a crossing without being buffeted by contrary winds and storms. The
Lord is always with us – his Church – in the boat tossed by the waves. He is watching
even when he is in the storm, asleep on a cushion. We should never doubt in spite of
appearances to the contrary. Such certitude causes us to cry to him with faith and trust with one word he can dispel all storms, quell all tempests. This assurance must give us
the boldness to go ahead without being disheartened by anything.”
At times we become frantic when we are buffeted by the storms of life, and Jesus
seems to sleep in the stern. At times we panic and despair for Jesus seems to pay no heed.
But the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, is fully concerned and involved in our fear and
distress. As the omnipotent One, he is truly in control over the tumults and “storms” of
our daily life. Harold Buetow exhorts us: “Life presents all kinds of storms: disease,
natural disasters, epidemics, and famines; and human anger, hatred, prejudice, injustice,
betrayal, and selfishness. For Christians, acceptance of Jesus is not a guarantee that we
will sail on trouble-free waters. To the contrary, Jesus invites us to travel on uncharted
waters and to make for unfamiliar shores – and all this as darkness falls. The risk of faith
demands a radical trust that, whatever our particular storm, Jesus is present; being
conscious of his presence will give us a calm peace in all the storms of our life.”
The personal account of Sr. Mary Adelle Arboleda, PDDM, underlines God’s
provident presence in the “storms of our life”.
The Most Trying and Purifying Moment of My Life: It was June 21, 2008 when
typhoon Frank hit the town of Kalibo, Aklan. You cannot imagine how this
typhoon left our town devastated!
We experienced strong rain and winds on the morning of June 21, 2008. We were
monitoring on our radio the weather conditions and there was no alarming
announcement. Noontime – the rain stopped and the winds died down. Calmness
enveloped the whole place and seemingly the typhoon left. And yet I was getting a
strange feeling that it was not over.
At three o’clock in the afternoon, a neighbor told us that Aklan River had
overflowed. From our past experience, the flood never entered the town. But
before four o’clock in the afternoon, to our surprise – here came the water
rushing from our backyard and rising so fast. I immediately planned to transfer
my mom, who was blind, to a neighbor’s house that is higher than ours. My mom
was made a seat on a small table that served as a raft for her transfer. The
improvised raft was steered by my nephews and neighbor. My sister-in-law
accompanied my mom.
Our house was bungalow style and lower. Soon, inside the house, the water
reached up to my neck. Even though I wanted to salvage things, it was not
possible. The water was getting deeper. We struggled to climb to the roof. From
there we could see many things being carried away by the flood. I think everybody
in the town was caught by surprise. Seeing precious furniture being carried away
by the flood, I could not help but say to myself, “The Lord gives and the Lord
takes it away.”
For me that was a moment of grace. God allowed me to have that experience so
that my faith and trust in him would grow. As I sat there on the roof top, soaked in
the rain, hungry and feeling abandoned, I thought of my mother in another house.
Even if she was sheltered, she must be feeling hungry. I agonized all the more and
asked why this happened.
It was getting dark: no light … no food … wet and cold. I could hear a neighbor
shouting for help and also the church bell ringing. And yet all of us were helpless.
Communication black out! We prayed as we have never prayed before. That
eased a bit our pain. I used to see on TV people trapped on the roof by the flood.
And here I was experiencing the very same thing … not on TV … but a personal
reality!
At four o’clock in the morning, we slowly went down from the roof. I tried to look
for some dry clothes to change – none! Everything wet! When we saw that the
curtain was nearly dry, we took them to cover ourselves. We heard that water was
all over the town. Even our cathedral was flooded. It seems each of us had a
“share”. Our neighbor who was lucky to have a third floor gave us some dry
clothes to put on and also some food.
Our feeling was of gratitude to God for we were all alive even though we were
under the mercy of others. It was a humbling experience, But I would say
everything has turned into a blessing.
The support of the Congregation was overwhelming. Prayers, financial and
material support were not wanting. We stayed in our neighbor’s house for 20
days – until we had cleaned and disinfected our own house. I put a mark where
the water reached – it was six feet! And I also put the date. The mud inside the
house was 8 inches.
A lot of things happened then. Words were not sufficient to capture and express
them. It was a real experience of the loving care of God manifested in many ways.
Trials may come – difficulties – whatever. It no longer matters. Only God, doing
his will day by day, is all that matters. Deo Gratias!
B. First Reading (Job 38:1, 8-11): “Here shall your proud waves be stilled!”
One warm, beautiful morning in October in the 1990s, my Sisters accompanied
me to the pier in Manila where I was boarding a ship to Cebu Island to spend a few days
of vacation with my brother and his family. I bid the kind Sisters goodbye and headed off
to the cabin. There was a young lady sharing the cabin with me, and since she was
extremely busy making text messages, I excused myself and allowed her to do her
personal business in peace. I went to the upper deck and had a great time watching the
intense activity at the pier as the crew prepared for sailing. As the ship began to move,
there was the soothing sound of parting waters and the cooling sensation of the sea
breeze. And then I heard something fascinating – the amplified voice of a crew in devout
prayer to the Lord God who masters the storms and the raging seas, asking for blessing
and protection for all of us sea travelers. The ship company had experienced several
tragedies involving the loss of human lives and property on account of storms and other
misfortunes. The matriarch of the family who owns the ship company then decided to put
everything in the hands of God. One of the most eloquent expressions of her faith is the
public prayer that she exhorts the crew to offer at the beginning of each ship’s journey
and at various moments of the day. There was even the celebration of the rosary in the
evening. I felt so peaceful and secure in that sea voyage knowing that everything had
been entrusted to God who has dominion over all – even violent storms and turbulent
seas.
Today’s Old Testament Reading (Job 38:1, 8-11) is taken from the Book of Job,
called by the poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, “the greatest poem of ancient and modern
times”. The Lord God is addressing Job “out of the storm”, which evokes the raging
emotions and turbulent storms that the distressed Job is experiencing from within. God
obliges to confront the frantic Job, who is buffeted by the storms of life, but in his own
infinite terms and ineffable ways as Creator God and Master of all. God does not answer
Job’s questions, but simply puts them in proper perspective. The Lord does not make any
positive proposition, rebuttal or self-defense, only a series of hypothetical questions that
evince Job’s ignorance and affirm, at the same time, the omnipotent power of God as
Creator and Master of the universe.
Harold Buetow remarks: “God’s questions cover the most familiar phenomenon
of nature. If Job cannot answer, how can he and God debate, and how can God explain to
Job the deeper mysteries of His providence over people? Everywhere there are marvels,
and everywhere also mystery. Today’s section deals only with that tumultuous and
threatening element, the sea. Through it, God reminds Job that he, Job, is just a creature,
and only God is the Creator. God alone formed the earth and the seas, and He alone can
calm the winds and the waves of the storms. He pictures the sea more as a troublesome
infant, in need of a loving parent to keep it calm, to clothe it in clouds and swaddling
bands and feed it, and thus stop its movement and its cries. He had set limits to his child,
telling it where it can and cannot go.”
Indeed, God who has created the sea and assigned it its boundaries, limiting the
flow of its waves, is the almighty One who directs the course of each individual’s life.
Everything that happens in the universe is under the power of God’s dominion and
control. That God obliges to talk to Job “out of the storm” indicates that he is not a
distant God. He is not detached and unconcerned with our destiny. He is there to share
the storms of our life. And yet, though he is there present for us - to relate with us “out of
the storm” - he is absolutely beyond the clutch of elemental powers and the manipulation
of his creatures. God evinces sovereign mastery over the elements, particularly over the
sea, which appears to be the most difficult to control. He also manifests his control, not
only of nature, but above all, of the raging inner storms that threaten to submerge our
human destiny as the chosen and favored ones of God.
C. Second Reading (II Cor 5:14-17): “Behold new things have come.”
All of us go through storms in life, even the great apostle Paul. Harold Buetow
remarks concerning the Second Reading (II Cor 5:14-17): “St. Paul’s whole life consisted
in one storm after another, most for the sake of Christ and many with the people of
Corinth. The occasion for his writing today’s excerpt was that the Christians of Corinth
were forsaking him, forging impossible loyalties with his opponents and calling him
names. Further, they were claiming mystical experiences – ecstasies – which they valued
more than anything else. In their view, Paul was inferior to these ecstasies, because he
never said anything about his having had mystical experiences himself, nor had he
performed miracles. In today’s excerpt, Paul reminds everyone that, through all the
storms of life, it is the love of Christ that counts. There is no doubt about the love
coming from Christ’s side of the equation. It remains for everyone to return that love in
the ways Paul here enumerates: by being concerned about what Christ has done (v. 14),
by living not for oneself but for others (v. 15), and by seeing all things in the new light of
faith (v. 15). In that way people can be, in a favorite Pauline expression, in Christ (v.
17).”
Sickness and death are intense experiences and they are some of the stronger
buffets of life. The presence of Christ and the power of love, however, could bring peace,
calm a tumultuous situation and ease a sad predicament. To acknowledge and welcome
the loving Savior Jesus Christ can help us cope with the storms of life. The following
charming story, “Christmas Forever” by Fr. Joseph Bernie Marquis (cf. The WORD
Among Us, June 2007, p.60-63) illustrates the peace, creativity and newness that result
from the power of love and the spirit of Christ. Fr. Joseph was ordained in 2000 to the
priesthood in the Byzantine Rite of Catholic Church. He used to have a moonlighting job
playing Santa at various stores and events, but he still occasionally fills in for Santa.
A heavy wool suit trimmed with fur isn’t what I usually wear in ninety-five-degree
weather, especially in a car with no air conditioning. Yet there I was, one hot and
humid Michigan afternoon, wearing not just the suit, but boots, a snowy white
beard, and a thick woolen hat. It felt like a sauna on wheels, but I really didn’t
mind. This was no ordinary day, and I was no ordinary person: I was Santa
Claus, on a mission of mercy to a little girl who was dying of leukemia at a
nearby children’s hospital. (…)
As I made my sweltering way to the hospital, I asked the Lord to use my visit to
delight four-year-old Angela (not her real name) and console her grief-stricken
grandfather. He was the one who had arranged this “Christmas in June”, after
learning that Angela had just five weeks to live. “What can I do?” he had asked
God. “How can I put a lifetime of loving into the heart of my little
granddaughter?” As he sat sipping coffee at the kitchen table, he had noticed
Angela’s crayon drawing of Santa Claus taped to the refrigerator. He
remembered what she had asked him once, as they watched the Detroit Christmas
parade together: “Why does it have to end, Grandpa? … I wish Christmas could
be forever!” Suddenly, he knew exactly what to do.
Approaching the hospital, I was surprised to see many helpers awaiting Santa at
the main entrance – a doctor sporting a Santa hat, nurses, social workers, and
volunteers decked out as Christmas elves. “Merry June Ninth!” they called out.
“Everything’s ready! We’re so excited that you’ve come all the way from the
North Pole to visit the kids.” I quickly got the message that all the patients in the
pediatric cancer unit were about to enjoy the surprise arranged for Angela’s
sake. Moving merrily through the lobby, my entourage and I packed into the
elevator. Excitement mounted as we made our ascent to the oncology floor. Then
the doors opened. A magical scene greeted us. The ward was ablaze with holiday
lights and filled with the sound of Christmas music. Garlands decorated the
hallway, where four Christmas trees stood in splendor. A lively Frosty the
Snowman was there to welcome us, scattering snow through a spout that poked
through his top hat. Then came cries of delight, as Santa was spotted by six or
seven children who were strong enough to be sitting in wheelchairs. I stopped to
greet each one, and then went visiting the other children room to room.
Meanwhile, Angela’s grandpa stood watching with a smile.
When I finally got to Angela’s bedside, two big blue eyes were peering out over
the top of the sheet. “Angela!” I said. The blue eyes opened wider still. A look of
sheer joy came over her face. With the whole staff crowded around to watch, I
reached into my bag and presented the gift her grandfather had chosen – a new
blue dress that Angela had wanted for a long time. From Santa, there was a
guardian angel with red tennis shoes and beautiful blonde hair, just like Angela’s
before chemotherapy. A small snapshot from her grandpa’s wallet was still fresh
in my memory. “She looks a lot like you”, I observed. Then I pinned a little button
to her hospital gown. It read: “Santa said I was a good girl!” With the mood so
jolly, we launched into some familiar Christmas songs – “Jingle Bells”.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”. Then
I began one of my favorite carols, “Silent Night”. I really don’t have the words to
describe what happened as we sang that last song. All I can say is that an almost
palpable peace descended on the room. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was
there. (…)
Angela died just ten days later. After the funeral in another part of the state, her
grandfather phoned. “I’m not going to pretend that I’m having an easy time”, he
said. “Before I called you, I had a good cry.” But then he went on to recount an
experience he’d had at the funeral home. “I was looking at my little
granddaughter lying there in a white casket in her new blue dress, with the
guardian angel doll by her side, and wearing the pin you gave her: “Santa said I
was a good girl!” The grief was almost unbearable. “But right then, when I was
feeling the pain most profoundly … I can’t explain it, but I felt a sudden peace,
even a joy. At that moment, I knew that Angela was with God and that we would
be reunited in eternity.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
1. What are our experiences of despair and pain? How does it feel to be in the same
situation as the raging Job, buffeted by life problems and troubled by storms from within?
How do we respond to God’s assertion of his power and glory?
2. Do we feel abandoned and neglected by Jesus when the life-storms are violent and he
seems to be “sleeping”? Why do we panic?
3. Do we believe in faith that God is in control? Do we place our trust in Jesus, whom
even wind and sea obey? Do we derive strength from the fact that the Lord Jesus masters
the storms and the raging seas?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
life presents all kinds of storms.
But you are the Creator and the Master of the sea.
You have the power to tame the raging waves
and the tempest of destroying waters.
In Jesus your Son,
you are with us as we navigate to “the other shore”
to bring us safely home to you.
Though the violent waves of life’s trials threaten to engulf us,
we feel safe in the presence of Jesus,
who can pacify the raging sea with his all-powerful word.
Almighty Father,
the fury of life’s storm will never daunt us
for we know that Jesus Christ always accompanies us through our sailing.
We do not allow useless anxieties and petty concerns to drown us
for we are heartened by the reality
that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation”.
We thank you, our Creator and omnipotent Lord,
for as we embark on new uncharted waters,
we draw closer to you and the peaceful waters of your heavenly Kingdom.
We adore you and praise you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’.” (Mk 4:39)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray to God that we may be able to feel his presence and serenity even in the
midst of life’s storms. Offer comfort and assistance to those whose faith is wavering and
whose lives are deeply upset by trials and difficulties. Share with those who are
overwhelmed in the sea of sorrows the comforting presence of Jesus, who masters the
winds and the raging seas.
*** Text of 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 47)
THIRTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Gives Life”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24 // II Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15 // 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!”
The series on “Mysterious Healings” that is found in Guideposts magazine is very
inspiring. In her article, “8:04 A.M.” (cf. p. 67-70 of the May 2006 issue), Jan LaRosa
shares a tremendous experience of personal healing. At 8:04 A.M. on an autumn day in
October, while herding her kids off to school, she received an urgent call from her doctor
informing her that an MRI test showed an aneurysm at the base of her skull. An
aneurysm is a weak spot in the artery. The artery wall stretches like a balloon until it
bursts, and the patient bleeds to death internally. Her neurosurgeon scheduled a head and
neck angiogram to get a better view. Jan was devastated and wept bitterly, feeling
abandoned by God. Her 75-year old mother herself died of an aneurysm that burst during
surgery. She lost gallons of blood before dying. While taking a bubble bath the next day,
Jan’s eye was caught by a single bubble rising through the air. She thought, Is that maybe
how God wants us to live? Yes, God was the same at 8:03, before the doctor called. He
was the same at 8:04, when I got the news. And he was the same at 8:05. The aneurysm
didn’t surprise him, just me. Trust him, Jan. He’s the same even now. See yourself in that
bubble. Let go. A few days after the angiogram, the neurologist called: “I’ve been doing
this for more than thirty years and I’ve never seen this happen. Jan, you had an aneurysm.
Now, you don’t. I have no medical explanation. I can only tell you the word I wrote in
your chart and circled: Miracle.”
Jan’s healing story acquires greater perspective against the backdrop of today’s
Gospel reading (Mk 5:21-43). It focuses on the healing acts of Jesus Christ, who
accomplishes the Father’s benevolent plan to bring us to the fullness of life. The biblical
scholar Eugene Maly comments: “Every day is special, a time in which unique gifts from
God are always being celebrated. One of these gifts is life. While this includes our
physical life, expressed in our breathing and moving about, it is also something more than
that. It is a sharing in God’s own divine life. It is a symbiosis, a living with God … It is
a full life, joy-filled and God-entrusted. And that kind of life is what God’s action among
us is all about … Obviously not all men and women have this life. They have either a
deficiency in their physical life because of some sickness or malady, and this is
terminated with physical death. Or they lack God’s life; they have deliberately rejected
his grace. This is a death more terrifying than the others. God’s will is for life, which was
abundantly manifested in his Son’s coming that we might have it to the full … The
Gospel reading is a glorious celebration of life. It tells of the restoration of the fullness
of life to a hemorrhaging woman and to a young dying girl. To both, Jesus brings life and
brings it gladly.”
The woman healed of her bleeding and the little girl whom Jesus raised from the
dead would die again. But because of Jesus’ benevolent actions on their behalf, their
chances for eternal and unending life were hopefully and happily enhanced. Their contact
with Jesus was transforming and radically life-giving. In the same way, we are being
challenged today to improve and enhance the quality of our own life and of that of
everyone. The Lord Jesus wants to give life and build a new world through us.
B. First Reading (Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24): “By the envy of the devil, death entered the
world.”
Today’s Old Testament Reading (Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24) resounds the reassuring
truth that God wills life not death. Death is not his invention, nor does God rejoice in the
destruction of the living. According to the Book of Wisdom, when God created us, he did
not intend for us to die for he made us like himself. But it was the Devil’s jealousy that
brought death into the world. Death therefore is a consequence of sin. Physical death,
which is an end to earthly life, resulted from the greater “death” that issued when
humankind negated God’s love. Spiritual death, which is doubly unfortunate, ruptured
our intimate and filial relationship with God.
We give thanks to God who in his kindness willed to save us. He offered us the
unmerited gift of eternal salvation through his beloved Son Jesus Christ. The human
situation of sin and our grim experience of weakness and “death” are thus radically
undone by the paschal mystery of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. Through
God’s justice, embodied in the person of Jesus, the Servant-Son of God, the fullness of
life and filial communion with God are forever restored as kindly gifts to us. Indeed, it is
God’s gracious will to lead us to life!
The following healing story helps us delve into the reality that God is Lord of life
(cf. “Historic First: Church to Canonize Married Couple in Joint Ceremony” in Alive!
April 2015, p. 5).
For the first time in her 2,000 year history the Catholic Church is to declare a
husband and wife together to be saints. (…)
The miraculous healing of a baby in Valencia, Spain, in October 2008, opened the
way for the joyful event. The tiny baby girl, Carmen, was born prematurely and
with multiple life-threatening complications. She suffered a major brain
hemorrhage, which could have caused irreversible damage. The doctors could do
nothing for her, and her parents were told to prepare for the worst.
Her father and mother, “seeing the danger of death, immediately turned to God
and, thanks to the local Discalced Carmelite nuns, the family and their friends
started a novena to the Martin couple”, said Carmelite priest Fr. Antonio
Sangalli.
Immediately the little girl began to improve and is now a healthy 6-year-old. The
doctors could find no natural explanation for the cure. (…)
C. Second Reading (II Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15): “Your abundance should supply the needs
of the poor.”
Today’s Second Reading (II Cor 8:7, 9, 13-15), in which Paul appeals to the
Corinthians’ generosity, can be understood better if we consider his reference to the
inspiring example of the church in Macedonia (II Cor 8:1-5). Paul presents the hospitable
Macedonians as an example of extreme generosity. They give not only out of their
abundance but out of their generosity. Their faith is expressed in astonishing liberality.
After setting the Macedonians up as an example of generosity, Saint Paul explains that
the spiritual motivation for almsgiving is deeply centered on Christ’s gracious act.
Saint Paul then exhorts the church members in Corinth to help those who are in
need, specifically, the community of believers in Jerusalem who are suffering from
persecution and poverty. The biblical scholar Mary Ann Getty comments: “One of the
real effects of the gospel is that faith makes believers responsible to one another. If the
gospel is really preached and really believed, it has practical effects for the betterment of
all. The same faith that eliminated the spiritual barriers between Jew and Gentile now
acts as an equalizer, expressing itself in acts of justice and mercy toward the poor.”
Here are modern day example of people who give not out of abundance, but out
of kindness and generosity (cf. Frank Greve, “Neediest People Are Most Generous” in
Fresno Bee, May 14, 2009, p. A1 & A14).
When Jody Richards saw a homeless man begging outside a downtown
McDonald’s recently, he bought the man a cheeseburger. There’s nothing
unusual about that, except that Richards is homeless, too, and the 99-cent
cheeseburger was an outsized chunk of the $9.50 he had earned that day from
panhandling.
The generosity of poor people isn’t so much rare as rarely noticed, however. In
fact, America’s poor donate more, in percentage terms, than higher-income
groups do, surveys of charitable giving show. What’s more, their generosity
declines less in hard times than the generosity of richer givers does. “The lowestincome fifth of the population always give at more than their capacity”, says
Virginia Hodgkinson, former vice-president for research at Independent Sector, a
Washington-based association of major nonprofit agencies. “The next two-fifths
give at capacity, and those above that are capable of giving two or three times
more than they give.” (…)
“As a rule, people who have money don’t know people in need”, said Tanya
Davis, 40, a laid-off security guard and single mother. Certainly, better-off people
aren’t hit up by friends and kin as often as Davis said she was, having earned a
reputation for generosity while she was working. Now getting by on $110 a week
in unemployment insurance and $314 a month in welfare, Davis still fields two or
three appeals a week, she said, and lays out $5 or $10 weekly. To explain her
giving, Davis offered the two reasons most commonly heard in three days of
conversations with low-income donors: “I believe that the more I give, the more I
receive, and that God loves a cheerful giver”, Davis said. “Plus, I’ve been in
their position, and someday I might be again.”
Herbert Smith, 31, a Seventh-day Adventist who said he tithed his $1,010 monthly
disability check – giving away 10% of it – thought that poor people give more
because, in some ways, they worry less about their money. “We’re not scared of
poverty the way rich people are”, he said. “We know how to get lights back on
when we can’t pay the electric bill.” (…)
Women are more generous than men, studies have shown. Older people give more
than younger donors with equal incomes. The working poor, disproportionate
numbers of whom are recent immigrants, are America’s most generous group,
according to Arthur Brooks, the author of the book, “Who Really Cares”, an
analysis of U.S. generosity. Faith probably matters most, Brooks – president of
the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington policy-research
organization – said in an interview. That’s partly because above-average
numbers of poor people go to church, and those who attend church give more
money to secular and religious charities than non-attenders, Brooks found.
Less-religious givers such as Emel Sweeney, 73, a retired book-keeper, say that
giving lights up their lives. “Have you ever looked into the face of someone
you’re being generous to?” Sweeney asked with the trace of Jamaican lilt. That
brought to mind her encounter with a young woman who was struggling to
manage four small, tired children on a bus. They staggered and straggled at a
transfer stop, along with Sweeney, who urged the mother to take a nearby cab the
rest of the way. When the mother said she had no money, Sweeney gave her $20,
she said. The mother, as she piled her brood into the cab, waved and mouthed a
thank-you. “Those words just rested on my chest”, Sweeney said, “and as I rode
home I was so happy.”
Pastor Coletta Jones, who ministers to a largely low-income tithing congregation
in southeast Washington, The Rock Christian Church, thinks that poor people
give more because they ask less for themselves. “When you have just a little,
you’re thankful for what you have”, Jones said, “but with every step you take up
the ladder of success, the money clouds your mind and gets you into a state of
never being satisfied.” Brooks offered this statistic as supportive evidence: Fiftyeight percent of non-contributors with above-median incomes say they don’t have
enough money to give any away.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
1. How do the following affirmations from the Book of Wisdom impact us personally and
effectively: God did not make death; he does not rejoice in the destruction of the living;
he formed us to be imperishable; he made us in his own image; etc.?
2. How do we respond to the miracles of healing and Jesus’ absolute stance for life that
we hear in this Sunday’s Gospel reading? Are we ready to join Jesus in his ministry
against death-dealing forces, in his defense and promotion of life-giving forces, and in his
great celebration of life that is God’s gift to us?
3. Do we commit ourselves to God, the giver of life? Do we allow ourselves to be
possessed by God who wants to give us the fullness of life? How do we imitate Christ in
his healing ministry and care for life? Do we let the life of Christ take total hold of us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
you are the author of life.
You fashioned all things in your great love
and made the creatures of the world good and wholesome.
You formed us to be imperishable
for you have made us in your image and likeness.
By “the envy of the devil”,
sin and death entered into the world
and we experience the fragility and brokenness
of a human existence alienated from you.
But it is your will to save.
You want to give us the gift of true life.
In your Son Jesus Christ is the healing power
that overcomes the power of sin and death.
In the healing of the bleeding woman
and in the raising to life of the twelve-year old child,
we acknowledge the life-giving strength of Jesus
that is greater than the death-dealing forces of a broken world.
In Jesus, you vanquish the effects of sin.
In him, we celebrate the power of life
for he lives and reigns, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“Be cured of your affliction … I say to you, arise!” (Mk 5:34, 40)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for the sick and all those who are suffering the painful effects of deathdealing forces in today’s world. Pray for doctors and all those who care for the sick.
Alleviate the suffering of the sick and endeavor to share the healing love of Christ to
them and to all those who need it most. Participate in laudable efforts that seek to
preserve and promote the gift of life.
*** Text of 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 48)
FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Suffers the Perils of a Prophet” ***
BIBLICAL READINGS
Ez 2:2-5 // II Cor 12:7-10 // 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 the Gospel passage (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 is also with irony that the
neighbors of Jesus of Nazareth miss the obvious. They think they know every detail
about him. In purporting to have complete knowledge of his personal data, they end up
showing their ignorance. Their knowledge of “the carpenter, the son of Mary” is
superficial. Their prejudice prevents them from believing and responding to the Christ,
the Son of God.
In today’s Gospel episode (Mk 6:1-6a), we come face to face with the mystery of
a resisting and unbelieving heart. Mark’s narrative illustrates the 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), is not welcomed by his townsfolk.
According to Mark, “they took offense at him”. They were prejudiced by the utter
ordinariness of Jesus’ background.
The account of the people’s rejection of Jesus serves as a transition point. It
bridges the greatest of Jesus’ miracles in his Galilean ministry, the raising of the daughter
of Jairus to life (Mk 5:35-43), with the sharing of his healing power with the disciples
(Mk 6:7-13). This episode underlines the tragic end of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and
foreshadows the greater rejection of Israel that he would undergo. It also signals the new
phase of the ministry of the Twelve whose increasingly active role anticipates the allinclusive mission of the apostolic Church. Indeed, this transitional passage dramatizes
that Jesus’ preaching would also meet failure. Disappointment and rejection are part and
parcel of the mission of Jesus, as well as of his disciples and the Church.
Jesus is amazed by the lack of faith that he finds at Nazareth. The popular proverb
he cites, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own
kin and in his own house” (Mk 6:5), situates him in line with all the prophets who are
subjected to rejection by their co-citizens as illustrated by the fate of the prophets Elijah
and Elisha (cf. Lk 4:25-27). Jesus is affected by the power of their unbelief and is “not
able” to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his
hands on them. Jesus respects human freedom. The decision of an unbelieving and
resisting heart, which negates the gratuitous offer of his love, is respected.
B. First Reading (Ez 2:2-5): “They are a rebellious house but shall know that a
prophet has been among them.”
My liturgy class at Maryhill School of Theology in Metro Manila Philippines in
2001 included the topic “Liturgy and Creation”. I invited a team from Barrio Ugong to
give my students a background on the ecological endeavors in the country. The team was
composed of enterprising housewives. Though none of them had a college or even a high
school degree, they were a leaven of transformation for the local community. Barrio
Ugong was judged one of the best barrios in the entire Philippines, definitely through the
help of such “noble” women. Speaking in Tagalog, for none of them was proficient in
English, the medium of instruction in higher Filipino schools, they conducted the seminar
on waste management, recycling, composting, organic gardening, etc. in very simple
terms, but with expertise. They also shared the rejection they experienced in pursuing
their community development project. Especially resistant were the macho men who
spent much time drinking, gambling and in sheer indolence. The women steeled
themselves from their unjust attacks and continued their endeavor with single-hearted
devotion and courage. Their patience, persistence and prophetic stance paid off.
The poignant experience of Jesus in his hometown, where the people’s familiarity
with his humble beginning made them contemptuous of his fame and suspicious of his
newly revealed wisdom and mighty deeds, is already prefigured in the pathos and
sufferings of the prophet Ezekiel. Indeed, a prophet must speak, whether or not people
listen. A prophet must act, whether or not people accept him. A prophet must prophesy
whether or not people welcome him. The agony and ecstasy of a prophet sent by God
result from the Lord’s uncompromising solicitude for his people and stem from the divine
saving plan. God places harsh words in his prophet’s mouth to lead obdurate sinners to
conversion. Through his prophet God reveals not only his judgment, but his compassion
and mercy.
Today’s Old Testament reading (Ez 2:2-5) tells us that in his perilous mission, the
prophet is not alone for he is strengthened by God’s spirit. While commissioning Ezekiel
to speak his words to the people of Israel exiled in Babylon, the Lord fills the prophet
with his spirit to strengthen him and set him on his feet. The spirit of the Lord enables
Ezekiel to be attentive to the Lord’s presence and the meaning of his words. The biblical
scholar, Eugene Maly comments: “It is said that spirit entered into Ezekiel. This means a
special power coming from God enabling him both to hear the word of God and to
communicate it to others. This is an indication of the extreme difficulty of the prophet’s
task. The word was one of doom; he would need spirit. He would need spirit, above all,
because of the people to whom he would preach. They are hardhearted and rebellious …
Nevertheless, the power of God would be manifested, not necessarily in the conversion of
the people, since that requires their free response … They will know that a prophet has
been among them. On the basis of that knowledge, let them choose.”
C. Second Reading (II Cor 12:7-10): “I will boast in m my weaknesses in order that
the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarked: “A life marked by persecution,
coercion and suffering of every kind is not regarded by the Christian as a reason for
discouragement or despair; rather, it is a life that draws strength from the indwelling
Lord. Weakness and suffering enable the Christians to clear a space within himself where
the power of God can dwell.”
This is likewise the experience of the New Testament prophet Paul, who was
afflicted with a “thorn in the flesh”, according to the reading (II Cor 12:7-10). Like
Ezekiel and his beloved Lord Jesus Christ, the great apostle Paul was rejected,
challenged, contested and criticized by the people he was meant to serve. Some vicious
critics in the Corinthian community doubted his credentials and rated him as not on par
with the “super apostles” who had received visions and revelations. Compelled to deal
with his critics on their own terms, the indignant Paul confessed that he too was a
recipient of a special vision. This unique “revelation” transported him to paradise. His
ecstatic, mystical experience definitely surpassed those being vaunted for the “super
apostles”. Paul spoke of this “revelation” in the third person to emphasize that it was an
undeserved gift received from God. Indeed, until driven to this extreme by his Corinthian
critics who looked down on him, he had refrained from speaking about this and kept it a
secret. However, in order that he may not become conceited on account of this
extraordinary revelation, the mystic Saint Paul was also gifted with a “thorn in the flesh”,
most likely an embarrassing, chronic physical malady. The purpose of this affliction was
clearly to help Paul assume a humble stance and allow the grace of God to work more
freely and efficaciously in him.
The experience of Saint Paul, as well as that of the prophet Ezekiel and the
ultimate prophet Jesus Christ, testifies to the presence of divine grace in all our
afflictions. Though his “thorn in the flesh” continued to afflict him, the certainty of God’s
favor and assistance was enough for Paul. The Christians of today are called to the same
trust, surrender and faith that in weakness, there is strength, if only we are united with
Christ. The following story of the cancer victim, Kevin Barry, a former chief of
legislation for the U.S. Coast Guard and a director of the National Institute of Military
Justice, is a modern day testimony of how a physical affliction – a “thorn in the flesh”
can be a “gift” to manifest the love and power of God (cf. “Pain and the Power of Prayer”
in Saint Anthony Messenger, February 2009, p. 35-37).
It is said that cancer changes everything. That goes also for prayer. I was
diagnosed with colon cancer on the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1997.
When the diagnosis first came in, prayer suddenly took on a much more
prominent role in my wife’s life, as well as my own. Each time the cancer
returned, and with each new crisis, prayer again rose up to be a more constant
companion. But it is not just the proximity or amount of time we came to spend in
prayer. What is more important is that, since cancer, our prayer habits have
changed. Our prayers have become more present, more intense, more frequent,
more together. (…)
My cancer has also resulted, at various times in the past years, in me
experiencing pain. At such times I tend to pray with more intensity than is my
norm when I am not in any pain and life is proceeding smoothly. That intensity
can vary from a little more prayer than normal to an almost constant plea for
strength to endure when the pain is particularly severe … Obviously, the pain is
part of the whole deal. It is a result of cancer. Thus, it has to be part of what
Roslyn and I have come to accept as “the gift of cancer”. (…)
To a certain degree, my experience of pain changed in 2007, after I had to stop
chemotherapy in February because it wasn’t working well – its toxicity became
too great. My white blood cell and platelet counts were being suppressed and
were taking longer and longer to bounce back. Soon thereafter, I began to
experience cancer pain that was chronic and quite severe, and I learned just how
much a part of my life pain and pain medications could become. I spent more time
praying, not just for the grace to endure the pain, but especially for the grace to
accept better both my cancer and its pain as part of the gift (some would call it a
cross), which was fashioned just for me by my loving God. I was extraordinarily
blessed when the next round of chemotherapy miraculously terminated the pain
just two days after the first treatment. I believe this sudden relief from all pain
was a reminder of God’s mercy. (…)
The serious pain I have experienced has led me to consider pain and suffering on
another level. Paul the Apostle has two extraordinary sentences in his letters. One
is: I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2:20). The other is: Now I
rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is
lacking in the afflictions of Christ (Colossians 1:24). What could possibly be
lacking in the sufferings of Christ? His passion and death were part of his perfect
sacrifice. The only thing I know that is lacking is for his suffering to be made
present today – in this place and in this time. But if Christ lives in me, then my
suffering becomes Christ’s suffering. Suddenly, it is much easier to endure pain
knowing that, by doing so with the right intention, I bring the mystery of Christ’s
own suffering into my life, for my benefit and for the benefit of all who are “one
with me” in my struggle. It is like a variation on the Mass, through which Christ’s
sacrifice is made present today in our world. In my suffering here and now, if I
can truly live Paul’s words, Christ lives and suffers in me. And I live and suffer in
him. What an awesome mystery. What a profound faith to share.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
Do we believe in Jesus as the true prophet? How deep is our faith in Jesus? Is it
deep enough to allow him to be effective in our life?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
your neighbors were scandalized by your humble “roots”.
They were prejudiced because you were “only” a carpenter,
and they knew you “so well” as the son of Mary.
They took offense at your ordinariness.
Through their lack of faith,
they have closed their hearts to the mighty deeds
you would have performed in Nazareth.
Jesus, have mercy on us!
Forgive us for the many times we have rejected you.
We are sorry for the pain you have suffered on our account.
Grant us the grace of true faith in you.
You are the true prophet.
You speak the words of life.
We welcome you into our heart.
Speak, Lord, for your servants are listening.
We bless you and adore you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“And they took offense at him.” (Mk 6:3)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for those who share the Word, especially those experiencing rejection and
difficulties, that they may be strengthened in their prophetic ministry. In reparation for
the rejection suffered by Jesus from his neighbors, do not react negatively to someone
who treats you with hostility, but rather, respond to him/her with an act of kindness.
*** Text of 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 49)
FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Sends Them Out”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Am 7:12-15 // Eph 1:3-14 // Mk 6:7-13
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Mk 6:7-13): “He begins 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 Witchita,
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. According to Mark, “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to
send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.” 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
and to be sent 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. 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.” In
the mission sending, 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 the virulence of sin and to denounce evil wherever its
presence is obvious, openly confronting it by appealing to the power of Christ.
In the missionary activity of those sent by Jesus, they are to keep a simple lifestyle, bereft of material comforts and financial security. According to Jesus’ instruction,
they are “to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money
in their belts.” The exhortation reflects the urgency of the missionary task and the
absolute trust in God that it entails. According to Aelred Rosser: “It is absolutely
necessary to be unencumbered in the mission field be it in the farthest reaches of the
globe or in one’s neighborhood. A heroic faith is required – faith that presumes that
God’s loving providence will sustain the dedicated worker. The virtue of detachment is
being counseled here, for without detachment the preacher’s attention cannot be centered
on the Good News.” Indeed, the life of missionaries is absolutely oriented to the task of
preaching God’s kingdom.
Finally, the missionaries must contend with the possibility of not being welcomed
and of not being listened to. In this case, they are simply replicating in their lives the
destiny of the sending Lord who was rejected even by his neighbors in Nazareth (cf. Mk
6:1-6). According to an ancient Church writer, Theophylact (c. 1050-1109): “He told
them to shake the dust off their feet when people refused to receive them, to show that
they had made a long journey for their sakes and they owed them nothing; they had
received nothing from them, not even their dust, which they shook off as a testimony
against them – a testimony of reproach.” The action of shaking the dust off one’s feet is
to provoke thought among the unwelcoming people and to make them realize that they
have rejected their own salvation. Indeed, the missionaries of all ages will be subjected to
all kinds of trials. Their option is not violent reprisal, but humility and kindness. They
will humbly accept the indignities of rejection and the painful process of “birthing” in
order that the saving word of the Gospel may reach all the ends of the earth.
B. First Reading (Am 7:12-15): “Go, prophesy to my people.”
Rhoel Gallardo, a member of the Claretian missionary congregation, and Raul
Ventigan, a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), a
missionary congregation founded in Belgium, were my students at Maryhill School of
Theology in Metro Manila, Philippines. After his ordination, Fr. Rhoel was sent to work
in the predominantly Muslim-populated Basilan Island, in southern Philippines, where he
died a martyr’s death. The notorious Abu Sayaf Islamic rebel group kidnapped and
tortured him. Fr. Rhoel was ordered to rape the catechists who were captured with him.
But he refused to obey their sadistic command. He defied their mockery and brutality by
turning to God in prayer. They eventually shot him to death. Fr. Raul was a young
medical doctor when he entered the seminary. As part of his missionary training, he
worked for four years in Haiti. He then returned to the Philippines to finish the last year
of his group’s theology program. After ordination, he was sent back to Haiti, his mission
land. His medical expertise helped him greatly in his pastoral ministry to the poor and the
sick. A few months after his return to Haiti, he succumbed to a health condition and was
found dead on his bed. Fr. Rhoel and Fr. Raul - two young Filipino missionaries sent out
by our Lord Jesus to minister to his people – exemplify God’s gift of missionary vocation
to the Church and to the world.
The missionary and prophetic vocation is God’s initiative. The Old Testament
reading (Am 7:12-15) reinforces the reality that an apostolic and prophetic vocation
originates from God alone. Amos is a prophet through God’s personal intervention. A
shepherd and a dresser of sycamore trees, the prophet Amos, from the village of Tekoa –
some ten miles south of Jerusalem – in the southern kingdom of Judah, is called by God
to prophesy in the more economically prosperous Israel, the northern kingdom of the
Hebrew people, during the time of “the schism of Israel” in the eighth century B.C. The
name “Amos” means “burden” and the name “Tekoa” probably means, “to sound the
ram’s horn”. Carrying a burden of destruction, his prophetic message is sounded loud
across the northern kingdom and reverberated long afterward in Jerusalem. Preaching at
Bethel, the elite spiritual center of the northern kingdom, Amos causes intense
disturbance and annoyance when he inveighs against the immorality, sacred prostitution,
social injustice at the shrine and the detestable corruption of Israel’s political and
religious institutions. The priest Amaziah of the Bethel temple, who sees him as a threat
to the unity and integrity of the Israel kingdom, tries to evict him: “Off with you,
visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never
again prophesy in Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.”
The response of Amos to the greatly outraged Amaziah gives us a glimpse of the
vocation-mission of a prophet as one called directly by God and sent out to declare the
divine message. Amos denies that he is a member of a band of prophets who earn their
living by foretelling oracles or visions. He does not belong to a group of “professionals”,
but is chosen from obscurity and commissioned by God himself for a special task.
Summoned by God to speak, it is his absolute responsibility to declare the divine word
that both summons and judges the people of Israel. Indeed, the coming of a prophet is a
grace since it attests to a faithful and loving God who never abandons his own.
C. Second Reading (Eph 1:3-14): “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the
world.”
In the Second Reading (Eph 1:3-14), we are invited to contemplate the
comprehensive character and expansive horizon of our vocation as Church. The author of
the letter to the Ephesians makes us relish the following heart warming reality: God
chose us in Christ. God has bestowed upon us every spiritual blessing in Christ. One of
the most remarkable blessings for which we render the almighty God thanksgiving and
praise is our vocation to be holy and our destiny to become his adopted children through
his beloved Son, who redeemed us by his blood. By the paschal sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
the mystery or the marvelous plan of the Father to unite all things in his Son was wisely
and fully revealed. God destined people of all races, both Jews and Gentiles alike, to
share in this plan of total restoration in Jesus Christ. Moreover, the heavenly Father gave
us the gift of the Holy Spirit as a pledge of this universal integration and cosmic
unification. Our ultimate Christian vocation then, which has its origin from God even
before the world began, is to participate in the divine saving plan “to restore all things
into one in Christ, in the heavens and on earth” (Eph 1:10). In Jesus Christ, the
Wisdom of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we thus look forward to be united
with God the Father forever and with all creation - in peace, joy, harmony and eternal
bliss - to the praise and glory of our loving Father.
The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent concludes: “The lesson taught us on this
Sunday is clear. The apostles are chosen, but so are we all chosen, and the choice in every
instance is a manifestation of God’s merciful love. He chooses us for his own glory and
predestines us to be his children. He also chooses us for the great mission that he initiates
and that consists in uniting the world under the headship of Christ.”
The following story is a beautiful example of a person who played a wonderful
part in God’s plan of salvation (cf. “ERNST” by Mary Chandler in The Way of St.
Francis, March-April 2009, p. 12-20). In his unique and humble way, the Swiss born
American, Ernst Belz embraced his call to holiness and played an important role in
restoring all things in Christ Jesus.
Sometimes a small body contains a heart as big as the whole outdoors. My friend,
Ernst Belz, had such a heart. Standing four feet four inches tall, he refused to be
hampered by his physical limitations. He hiked. He skied. He was a mountaineer.
He lived life fully – and he touched the lives of all he met. Encouraged by our
writing class, Ernst collected some of the stories he had read to us into a book,
which he called Glimpses of My Life. The youngest of five children, Ernst grew up
in a remote area in the Swiss mountains. His life was never easy; but at an early
age he showed compassion for the needs of others. During the harsh winter
months, he put hay in crib-like stalls for the elk and deer so they wouldn’t starve.
He split wood for his mother’s cooking stove and her bread-baking oven, while at
the same time mourning the loss of the beloved tree that had been his friend. In
one chapter in his book he talks with a spruce that had to be cut down. The tree
convinced Ernst that its sacrifice would benefit the family as firewood and by
opening up more space and sunlight for other trees. Ernst’s final request to the
spruce was simply: “May I embrace you once more?” (…)
In 1934, Ernst immigrated to the United States on the Queen Mary. He
disembarked at New York Harbor, wobbly and unsteady on his feet after fourteen
days of being seasick, and was welcomed by his sponsors, a young Swiss couple
who had immigrated earlier. “As we left the pier”, Ernst said, “it saddened me to
notice some lonely and rather bewildered immigrants whom nobody had
welcomed. Did they know where they would spend their first night on American
soil?” A month later, he left his friends’ home in Connecticut to live in a hosteltype facility, the Sloane House, in New York City. Ernst was determined to “make
it”. Every day he went job hunting. American slang proved to be a challenge. One
morning a student waiter asked him how he wanted his eggs. Ernst wondered how
to order “sunny-side up”. He asked for “two eggs looking at me”, which made
the waiter roar with laughter. One morning at Sloane House, a well-dressed
gentleman joined Ernst at breakfast and asked if he had a church home. He
didn’t. Ernst joined the group, made friends, and for the next four and a half
years these young men and women, he said, put meaning and purpose into his life.
Ernst landed his first job with a food importer and manufacturing company,
where he was expected to keep track of raw materials from the time of shipping
until the shipment arrived. He processed the documentation, particularly the
proper handling of the bill of lading and the negotiations of the letters of credit.
During the job interview, Ernst said, he was touched by his boss’ sensitivity
“when he was wondering if the chair would be comfortable because of my
height”. Three months after his arrival in the United States, Ernst had a job as
the assistant to the vice president. (…)
The final years of Ernst’s active life were spent with the Franciscans. A
Benedictine priest invited Ernst to the San Damiano Retreat House in the hills
near Danville in Northern California to visit his Franciscan friends. Ernst
learned that the Franciscans were beginning the “Franciscan Covenant
Program” for lay people, which meant that single men, women, or retired
married couples would commit themselves to live and work with the Franciscans
for a period of time and share their spiritual life. Ernst decided to leave his
position at the University of the Pacific to join the program three years before his
scheduled retirement. (…) During his time in the Franciscan Covenant Program,
Ernst served, for a few weeks each year, at the Paz Y Bien Franciscan orphanage
in Guaymas, Sonora Province in Mexico. “What a privileged opportunity it was!
This time I was working and living in the midst of about seventy children between
the ages of three and a half and eleven years. Although some of them were the
poorest of the poor, their happy and cheerful little faces seemed to light up the
whole world … I doubt that there could have been a more meaningful way for me
to end my active life than to serve in the midst of those dear, innocent little
orphan children.” In the picture he brought to class, Ernst blended in so well with
the children that he had to point himself out to us. (…)
Eventually, Ernst stopped coming to the writing class. The trip became too much
for him. He spent the last few months of his life in a care facility in Oceanside,
California, where he recently passed away. Long ago, Ernst came to the
conclusion that “economic success does not necessarily bring personal
contentment”. The orphans, “some of them the poorest of the poor, have nothing,
yet their happy, smiling and contented faces light up an otherwise dark and
hopeless world like little candles.” Because of his tender heart, his quest for
knowledge, and his loving outlook and philosophy, I was not surprised when a
friend from Oceanside, California sent me a clipping from the San Diego UnionTribune, dated May 12, 2006. At the dedication of a special Heritage Room, the
library director announced that the late Ernst Belz has bequeathed $67,667 to the
Oceanside Public Library. Somewhere, my small friend with his big heart is
smiling.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
Do we believe that we are called and sent by Jesus to preach the Gospel in the
here and now? Are we totally free to commit ourselves to the ministry of evangelization?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus Lord,
you call and send us.
You gave us the Gospel with its power to save.
Be near us as we confront the anguish of today’s world
with the good news of salvation.
Help us to touch the wounded
with the healing power of your love.
Empower us to liberate the enslaved from evil.
Grant us compassion for the weak.
Be with us as we care for the needy.
Teach us to live a life of simplicity and renunciation.
Make us your true disciples and zealous missionaries
in a fragmented society that longs for meaning in life.
Jesus, the one Sent by the Father,
we love and praise you,
now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“Jesus began to send them out two by two.” (Mk 6:7)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for all missionaries that they may carry out their mandate with absolute trust
in God and apostolic zeal. Be a missionary to a person close to you and in need of the
healing power of the Gospel.
*** Text of 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 50)
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is Our Master-Shepherd” ***
BIBLICAL READINGS
Jer 23:1-6 // Eph 2:13-18 // 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 from Manila to San Antonio to give a
seminar on liturgical music. This scenic town is situated at the foot of Mount Pinatubo, a
volcano that violently erupted on July 16, 1991, after five hundred years of dormancy.
The people suffered great devastation. The town I saw was still full of sand and other
debris spewed out by the volcanic eruption. The people narrated how they scrambled in
all directions to save their lives. They were dispersed like sheep without a shepherd. My
heart was filled with pity as I listened. In a mysterious way, I was reliving the
compassion of Christ for the hapless crowd that pursued him.
The focus of today’s Gospel (Mk 6:30-34) is the Lord Jesus who shepherds. He
shepherds the weary disciples who return from their missionary ministry, reporting to
him what they had done and taught. His care for his tired and labor-spent disciples is
heart-warming: “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mk
6:31). He invites them to a well-deserved respite and quiet. Indeed, the disciples-apostles
who have completed their first mission of preaching repentance, driving away demons
and anointing the sick need some quiet rest with their Master-Shepherd.
The Lord Jesus likewise shepherds the pursuing crowd who hunger for the bread
of the Word. His response is beautifully described in the Gospel: “His heart was moved
with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach
them with many things” (Mk 6:34). Jesus accomplishes his pastoral care for them by
teaching, that is, by nourishing their hungry souls with the bread of the Word. His service
of teaching is a “nourishing ministry”. It is an important task in shepherding God’s
people. He nourishes those who seek spiritual strength and solace by proclaiming the
Gospel. The liturgical scholar Adrian Nocent remarks: “It is by teaching the sheep that
Jesus gathers them together … His teaching is filled with power and creates a new
people. The crowds gather around him and share his teaching with one another by telling
one another of their impressions; slowly they form a united flock on which Jesus bestows
his love and for which he prepares future shepherds.”
B. First Reading (Jer 23:1-6): “I will gather the remnant of my flock and appoint
shepherd for them.”
I watched intently the gripping movie, “Hotel Rwanda”. The chaotic scenes and
the footages of the atrocious genocide brought about by the Hutus against the Tutsis
evoke the biblical scenarios of “the sheep without a shepherd”. As I watched the movie, I
was moved to pity. I also remembered a priest friend from Rwanda – my classmate at the
Pontifical Liturgical Institute of St. Anselm University in Rome in the early 1980’s. Very
tall, like a pine tree and strong as an oak tree, when he was climbing with me the
Aventine Hill going to our school at the Benedictine abbey, he would make his naturally
long stride very, very, very slow. I, in turn, would double pace my stride in order to catch
up with him. I lost contact with him after graduation from the Liturgical Institute. As I
watched the movie, “Hotel Rwanda”, I could not help but wonder whether he – a Tutsi was one of the “tall trees” cut down by the Hutus. Deep in my heart, I was also sure that
just like the benevolent and kind-hearted Paul Rusebagina, the hero of the “Hotel
Rwanda”, he played the part of a true “shepherd” sent by God on behalf of the troubled
and hapless people of Rwanda.
The Old Testament reading (Jer 23:1-6) offers a good background for the Gospel
episode concerning Jesus’ care and concern for “the sheep without a shepherd”. Susan
Myers remarks: “In the decades preceding the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, the
kingdom of Judah was a vassal state, subject alternately to Egypt and Babylonia. Kings
ruled in quick succession, often installed by the foreign nations in power at that time. At
one point, there were even two kings, one in exile and one in Jerusalem. In this chaotic
situation, Jeremiah proclaims the oracle we read today. The false shepherds are those
rulers who are responsible for the scattering of the people in exile. Beginning as an oracle
of judgment, today’s passage quickly turns to provide hope for those exiled in Babylonia.
God promises to take care of the remnant of the people which remains faithful, bringing
them back home again. The prophet further predicts that God will raise up one from the
lineage of David who will rule with justice.”
The promise of a future ideal king, described as “a righteous shoot of David” is
fulfilled and crystallized in Jesus Christ, the ultimate Shepherd sent by God to nourish
and care for his flock. The Good Shepherd is the Divine Master who nourishes with “the
bread of truth”. His love and care is meant not only for a chosen few, but for God’s entire
flock – the pitiable crowd who, in their brokenness, have a claim on the care and ministry
of the Master-Shepherd.
C. Second Reading (Eph 2:13-18): “Christ is our peace who made both one.”
In the second reading (Eph 2:13-18), we hear again of the redemptive and
unifying work of Jesus. He brings peace and reconciliation and makes the Jews and
Gentiles one people. He unites people of all races and brings them back to God through
his paschal mystery, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the pastoral ministry to the
people of Israel, and especially through his sacrificial act on the cross by which he
accomplished the fullness of his service as Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ leads the
dispersed flock back to God the Father.
The life-giving sacrifice of the Good Shepherd on the cross is in accord with the
divine plan “to restore all things”. Every Christian disciple, by virtue of baptismal
consecration and configuration to Jesus Shepherd-King has a duty to seek peace and to
work for reconciliation in our fragmented world. As Christians, we have a tremendous
responsibility to promote unity within us and to bring healing to our wounded society and
our deeply afflicted world. God calls us to incarnate in our lives the pastoral mission of
Jesus. Our loving God the Father entrusts us with the ministry to shepherd his flock and
to “restore all things in Christ”, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
R.W. Dellinger’s article, “GRYD: A More Comprehensive Anti-Gang Strategy”
in The Tidings, Southern California’s Catholic Weekly, is very inspiring (cf. p. 4 of the
July 10, 2009 issue). It illustrates the laudable efforts of today’s concerned and
responsible citizens to eliminate violence and crime in our society. Capt. Mark Olvera, of
the Los Angeles Police Department, and Father Stan Bosch are examples of those who
continue the pastoral mission of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in the here and now.
With more than 400 street gangs and 40,000 gang members – resulting in some of
the nation’s worst youth-on-youth violence – the City of the Angels has the
dubious distinction of being the gang capital of the U.S.A. Through the police
department, Los Angeles has long tried to arrest and suppress its way out of this
deadly urban dilemma. (…)
LAPD Capt. Mark Olvera – a classical Flamenco guitarist who, with wife Sylvia
and sons Garrett, 17, and Joseph, 15, comprise the music ministry for the
Saturday vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Lincoln Heights – is on the front
lines of the city’s new anti-gang strategy. The outwardly calm commander of what
is euphemistically called “Shootin’ Newton”, part of which has been designated a
gang-reduction GRYD (Gang Reduction and Youth Development) zone, is sitting
at a round table in his back office of the grey-stone station on Central Avenue at
34th Street, right across from St. Patrick Church. Three paintings hang from the
back wall, including an expensive Japanese watercolor. On top of a glass-front
bookcase, an army of knick-knacks stand guard. An acoustic guitar rests nearby
in a corner. The 52-year-old policeman born and raised in East L.A. explains that
his wife, who decorated his office, wanted to make it as comfortable as possible as
he was going to spend so much time there working – often 12-hour days that
stretch from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Most Saturdays, after the evening Mass, he comes
in to catch up on paperwork.
“It’s probably not written down anywhere, but the main thing with GRYD and its
gang interventionists is to stop the retaliations. Once there’s a shooting, stop paybacks by being on the scene. That’s the first goal,” Capt. Olvera explains. “The
second goal is to let us know where there are hot spots so we can deploy for them.
“But at the same time, the interventionists should be working to: ‘OK, let’s be
preventive. Let’s make sure there is no shooting to begin with.’ And that’s where
Father Stan Bosch (GRYD supervisor for both the Newton and 77th division areas,
who is a Trinitarian priest as well as a trained psychotherapist) comes in with his
counseling and wraparound services. He deals with the healing part at the scene
and then after counseling families and gang members. “There’s also the reentry
part – Who’s coming out of the probation camps?” he adds. “We can work with
the probation and then connect the youths to services and Father Stan right away
to get them out of harm’s way.” (…)
Still, Olvera admits that GRYD, which has only been in operation in the Newton
area since April 1, is a work in progress. He and his staff are examining different
ways of doing things and making changes based on what works. There’s one
factor, however, that has really helped the team make inroads with certain gangs
so far – Father Bosch’s connection with gang members through a shared
Catholic faith. “The power of the symbolism of a Catholic priest working with
these kids meant a lot,” he says. “I think we can really do things with that in
terms of dealing with the violence. “Also, it’s a matter of tolerance,” the LAPD
commander adds. To those who think it’s OK for a gang member to be killed, he
replies, “That’s not the Christian way. None of these killings is OK. And that’s
what we have to change. I think with GRYD we’re on the verge of changing that
attitude.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
When we are tired and weary, do we turn to Jesus and respond to his invitation:
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile”? Is the rhythm of our life
similar to that of Jesus, with a balanced alternation of time generously given to others and
solitude, of intense activity and rest? Do we respond to the needs of the weary and
heavily burdened with the heart of the Shepherd?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Loving Father,
your Son Jesus Christ is the Master-Shepherd.
He feeds us with the bread of the Word
and nourishes us with hope
by witnessing to your unconditional love.
By his blood on the cross,
Jesus gathers the scattered sheep into one flock.
Through his teaching ministry and work of evangelization,
the Good News of salvation becomes a reality.
O loving and gracious God,
we thank you for Jesus, our Master-Shepherd!
Through him,
peoples from all races and nations
are gathered into your presence
and rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We praise you and love you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“They were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many
things.” (Mk 6:34)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Spend some moments of peace and quiet solitude with Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament. Relish the beautiful experience of “coming away with him to a deserted place
to rest awhile”. 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.
*** Text of 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 51)
SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Bread to Be Shared” ***
BIBLICAL READINGS
II Kgs 4:42-44 // Eph 4:1-6 // Jn 6:1-15
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 6:1-15): “He distributed as much as they wanted to those who
were reclining.”
Today’s Gospel reading (Jn 6:1-15) reminds me of a true story for inspiration that
I read in Guideposts magazine. A housewife was worried. Some friends from out of town
called up for an impromptu visit. She and her husband were delighted to see them, but
she was troubled because there was not enough food in the house. They had been
working on a shoestring budget and the pantry was practically empty. She went to her
bedroom to pray. Then she heard a kindly voice assuring her, “You have food to serve.”
She went to the kitchen to check. She found a fistful of ground meat in the freezer; two
pieces of withered carrot and some onions in the vegetable bin, and a small box of biscuit
mix in the cabinet. She hurriedly prepared a small pot of meat stew from this meager
supply and baked mouth-watering biscuits, her specialty. The guests came and sat with
them. She dreaded that there was not enough food for all. But as they amiably exchanged
stories and the food was passed around, the guests, as well as the hosts, were able to serve
themselves. They even treated themselves to a second serving. After dinner, when she
was complimented by their guests for the delicious stew and biscuits, she was aghast that
there was even leftover. The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves was replicated in
their lives!
The Gospel account of the multiplication of the loaves teaches us that personal
involvement is needed in carrying out a miracle of love for God’s people. Although
overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation, Andrew does not detach himself from the
problem. He says to Jesus: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish;
but what good are these for so many?” Andrew is creatively involved in the pastoral
situation of the hungry crowd. Rather than being passive, he explores possible solutions.
In the process, he unwittingly points to a basic material for Jesus’ miraculous
intervention. From the modest portion offered by the boy, Jesus prepares a banquet for
all.
St. Augustine reflects on this miracle that is meant to lead the human mind
through visible things to the perception of the divine: “Christ did what God does. Just as
God multiplies a few seeds into a whole field of wheat, so Christ multiplies the five
loaves in his hands - for there is power in the hands of Christ. Those five loaves were like
seeds, not because they were cast on the earth but because they were multiplied by the
one who made the earth. This miracle was presented to our senses to stimulate our minds;
it was put before our eyes in order to engage our understanding and so make us marvel at
the God we do not see because of his works which we do see.”
The following poem (cf. T.V.N., Loaves and Fishes) expresses the beauty of
giving our “little lot” and the miracle of God’s love that transforms our “little lot” into
abundance.
Then perhaps the lad said proudly,
“Jesus took my little lot,
blessed and broke my loaves and fishes.
See what everybody’s got!”
Lord, I haven’t much to give you.
But I’ll give you all I’ve got.
You could make it work wonders,
bless and use my little lot.
B. First Reading (II Kgs 4:42-44): “They shall eat and there shall be some left over.”
The Secular Franciscan, Mike McGarvin, the founder of Fresno’s Poverello
House, a place where the homeless can get food for body and soul, started his ministry of
redeeming lives in the Fresno area with a few loaves of bread. Mike narrates:
It was 1973, just a few months after we had moved back to Fresno. I went to a
day-old bread store, loaded up on loaves, got some peanut butter and jelly, and
went to work. I took it all back to our trailer, and Mary and I made up a bunch of
sandwiches. I got some disposable cups, a jug of ice water, and drove the short
distance to Chinatown.
I was working nights, so I had days free, and I started going to Chinatown daily,
taking sandwiches and the water, walking and giving them out. People were
suspicious at first, but as time went on, they started warming up to me. It helped
that I was big, had a black belt in judo, and wasn’t intimidated.
The homeless people I encountered had no place to go. There was a rescue
mission in town, but at the time it didn’t have a day program. Most of these folks
were typical skid row types – older alcoholics and drug addicts, worn-out
prostitutes, and poor, disabled men. They hung out on the streets in the summer
heat and the winter cold because there was nowhere to turn. They weren’t wanted
by anyone … I had stumbled onto a whole community of outcasts.
That old Poverello spirit was starting to take hold of me again. I loved going out
and seeing the smiles on the faces when I handed out sandwiches. I enjoyed the
jokes and the stories I’d hear. I liked getting to know people by name, and many
of them seemed to crave not only the food, but also the attention.
Indeed, God can multiply the meager resources that we offer to him and together
with him feed our hungry brothers and sisters. He can make abundant and copious the
little bread that we wish to share with the poor and needy. The story of a small amount of
food being able to feed so many, that we hear this Sunday in the Old Testament reading
(2 Kgs 4:42-44) and in the Gospel reading (Jn 6:1-15), is heartwarming and astounding.
The Elisha account of the multiplication of the twenty barley loaves to feed a hundred
hungry prophets prepares us to appreciate more deeply the abundance and sacramental
significance of the five loaves of barley bread multiplied by Jesus Christ to feed the
hungry crowd of five thousand.
Concerning today’s Old Testament Reading, the authors of the Days of the Lord,
vol. 5, comment on the implications of the bread of the first fruits generously offered to
Elisha by a kind man from Baal-shalishah: “In the biblical tradition, Elisha, who played
an important role in the northern kingdom, is presented as a person whose life was
marked by many miraculous episodes. The liturgy has chosen the miracle of the
multiplied loaves as a counterpart to Jesus’ miracle. The episode itself is most simple.
There was a famine in the land (2 Kgs 4:38). A man offers Elisha twenty barley loaves
made from the first fruits, and fresh grain in the ear. Elisha has this providential food
distributed among his prophet-brethren who are with him, numbering one hundred. Not
only is the small quantity of food sufficient for all, but remnants are collected … We are
dealing with bread multiplied in order that it might be shared … In the Bible, bread, the
gift of God to humans to strengthen them, symbolizes intelligence and wisdom. It is a
sign of concluded peace, of life. The barley loaves are those of the bread offering. The
gesture of the man who brings to Elisha the first fruits, which earth has given and human
hands have made, has a definite liturgical connotation. Finally, the abundance of the
bread that will feed the poor has come to suggest, in a later tradition, the banquet of the
end times, when at last God himself will liberally satisfy all human needs.”
The abundance in the multiplication of loaves in the Elisha story is surpassed by
Jesus’ miraculous action of the feeding of the hungry crowd of about five thousand. The
evangelist John tells us that after the meal, Jesus instructs his disciples to gather the
fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted. The disciples collect the fragments
as instructed and fill “twelve wicker baskets”, a symbol that evokes the Church – “the
new twelve tribes of Israel” – the Eucharistic community that continues to celebrate the
breaking of the bread and gathers the elect from all corners of the world.
C. Second Reading (Eph 4:1-6): “One body, one Lord, on faith, one baptism.”
The theme of the Church gathering together in unity is reinforced in today’s
Second Reading (Eph 4:1-6). It is taken from the letter to the Ephesians, which is called
“the epistle of unity”. Jesus Christ is the Savior sent by the Father to gather all human
beings in the unity of the one body and one Spirit. Their vocation is to serve one Lord and
to share one faith and one hope. Immersed into the blood bath of Christ, they are reborn
and renewed by that one baptism and become the beloved children of the one God and
Father of all. The scattered “fragments” of the one loaf – the dispersed members of the
Body of Christ – are destined to be restored in the Eucharistic Christ and to be gathered
in unity.
The sharing of a meal is a means and sign of unity. In the following story, we can
have a glimpse of how the “gathering of fragments” and the spirit of love and unity is at
work in a domestic Church in Guatemala (cf. “Missioner Tales” in Maryknoll, March
2009, p. 6.)
A village in the highlands of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, where I served as a
missioner, was having its annual festival for its patron saint. Standing on the
fringes observing the comings and goings, I noticed a man and a woman and two
children – a girl about 8 and a boy maybe 6 years old. Most likely they came from
an outlying area, and from their clothing, I sensed they were quite poor. Quietly
and respectfully, they stood as a family enjoying the music and the activities.
Nearby a man was selling ice cream cones. They were not expensive, maybe the
equivalent of 10 cents. Suddenly, the father approached the ice cream man and
bought just one cone. What I witnessed then made a lasting impression upon me.
The father returned to his wife and children, and the four of them shared one ice
cream cone.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
Are we sensitive to the hunger of today’s poor? Do we believe that we are being
called to share our modest portion of “five barley loaves and two fish”? Are we
personally involved in making the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves happen in
our community/society today?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Jesus, bread of life,
help us to perceive
the marvelous “signs” of your love.
Like your disciple Andrew,
let us be personally involved
in caring for your flock.
Teach us to see the potential
of the resources available to us.
Do not let the needs of today’s poor overwhelm us.
Like the self-giving boy who provided you
with the material to feed the hungry crowd,
may we be generous
and share our “five barley loaves and two fish”.
You continue to nourish your flock
by offering yourself as the bread of life.
We thank and bless you, now and forever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were
reclining … They had their fill.” (Jn 6:11-12)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Spend a moment of quiet before the Blessed Sacrament, and ask the Lord to help
you acknowledge the “five barley loaves and two fish” that you have. Identify the needs
in your community/society and make a practical move to share your “five barley loaves
and two fish” with the needy.
*** Text of 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 52)
EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Bread of Life”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Ex 16:2-4, 12-15 // Eph 4:17, 20-24 // Jn 6:24-35
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 6:24-35): “Whoever comes to me will not hunger and whoever
believes in me will never thirst.”
One of the great blessings that America has received is food in abundance. In my
native country, the Philippines, the daily anxiety of millions of poor people is where to
get food to assuage their hunger. Scavengers rummage through filthy garbage cans to
look for something to eat. Hungry children would ply the streets begging for food. I was
standing on a busy street corner in Manila waiting for a ride when two small boys
approached me begging for alms. I asked them whether they would like something to eat.
They nodded their heads vigorously. I retrieved from my bag two huge sandwiches,
plump with chicken salad filling, that a friend gave me at a thesis defense that I had just
attended. The kids ran away munching on the sandwiches. After three minutes they came
back with their half-eaten sandwiches, radiant with smiles and exclaiming gratefully,
“Salamat, Sister! Masarap!” (“Thank you, Sister! Delicious!”). Then off they went
again. I felt good that my little beneficiaries came back to thank me for the gift of bread I
shared with them.
In today’s Gospel reading (Jn 6:24-35), the evangelist John tells us that the crowd
Jesus fed on the other side of the lake got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for
Jesus. The beneficiaries of the loaves of bread and the fish were searching for him. They
came back to Jesus, not to thank him, but for a mere material motive: as the source of an
unlimited supply of bread and material goods. After experiencing the miracle of the
multiplication of the loaves, they wanted to make him their breadbasket king (cf. Jn
6:15).
Jesus, however, saw through it all and admonished them: “Amen, amen, I say to
you, you are looking for me not because you saw the signs but because you ate the loaves
and were filled” (Jn 6:26). Indeed, Jesus wanted to raise their minds from purely earthly
concerns to that which leads to eternal life. That is why he exhorted his superficially
intentioned beneficiaries: “Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that
endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God,
has set his seal” (Jn 6:27). To work for “the food that endures for eternal life” is in
accordance with the will of God; it is to accomplish the works of God. Jesus asserted:
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent” (Jn 6:29).
To the perplexed crowd asking for a “sign” that they might believe in him, Jesus
responded by directing their attention to “the bread of heaven” that God sends for the life
of the world, a gift that surpasses the manna that God rained down from heaven on the
people of Israel, journeying through the wilderness in the time of Moses. And to the
people’s inevitable plea to Jesus: “Sir, give us this bread always”, the climactic response
was an astounding auto-revelation: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will
never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (Jn 6:24). Indeed, as the
liturgical assembly listens anew to the dramatic assertion, “I am the bread of life”, they
experience once more the vital presence of Jesus in the Eucharist as “the bread of life”
and the actualization in the “here and now” of the saving paschal event: Christ offering
his body on the cross in death, so that we might live.
Today’s Gospel reading has a tremendous relevance for our world and society.
According to statistics, half of the people of the world go to bed hungry every night and
by the end of today, 60,000 more people will die of hunger. Harold Buetow comments:
“Bad as things are, the unrecognized hunger for God is even worse …And we still hunger
for things beyond food: for forgiveness, for reconciliation, for kindness, for restoration in
relationships, for justice, for joy in place of bitterness and cynicism, for peace, for unity –
in short, for taking away the emptiness of our lives … Jesus is the way to eternal life.
Unless we fill ourselves with him, we’re not just empty and hungry: We’re spiritually
dead.”
We need to go to Jesus. He will satisfy the pangs of our inmost spiritual hunger
and yearning for meaning and eternal destiny. In offering himself to us as the bread of
life, he is appealing to our faith, to our personal response and free commitment to follow
him. At the Eucharistic banquet, Jesus invites us to the table of plenty in which he sets
himself as the spiritual food: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never
hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (Jn 6:35).
B. First Reading (Ex 16:2-4, 12-15): “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
Today’s liturgy of the Word continues to underline God’s unmitigated
compassion and relentless care for his people. The recipients of God’s abounding love,
however, are not always grateful, trustful and faithful. In the Old Testament reading (Ex
16:2-4, 12-15), the newly liberated Israelites – distressed by the desperate situations in
the wilderness – forget the wonderful works of God and his benevolence. They begin to
grumble against Moses and Aaron. Full of hunger and discontent, they languish and
yearn for the old fleshpots of Egypt. Unable to trust in divine providence, they prefer the
chains of bondage in exchange for daily bread. How fickle they are and slow to trust in
their loving Redeemer!
But to the people’s complaint and murmuring, the Lord God responds with
prompt relief. He sends manna and quail from heaven as nourishment. The people are
hungry and the good Lord answers their yearning for bread and meat by supplying the
manna and quail. In responding to the needs of his people, the God of Israel continues to
accomplish his saving plan. He is indeed a loving and provident God who appeals to their
faith and to the free commitment to follow him.
Today’s Exodus episode is also an invitation to be grateful for the gifts God
bestows upon us. The following account gives insight into how to be more mindful of his
gifts (cf. Joshua Sundquist in Daily Guideposts 2014, p. 59).
Here are two of my favorite things: salads and multitasking. So combining them is
like a cosmic explosion of awesomeness – until this happened.
I was sitting at one of the neighborhood restaurants, eating a bowlful of spinach,
grilled chicken, raw beets, roasted Parmesan, and spicy lime dressing.
Meanwhile, my brain was working on overdrive, running through to-do lists for
the rest of the day and thinking of witty observations to post on Twitter. My
fingers were pecking at my phone, checking e-mail. I was getting things done; I
was happy.
And then it hit me: I couldn’t taste my salad. Or rather, I hadn’t tasted it for
several minutes. I hadn’t noticed the crunchy umami flavor of the toasted
Parmesan. I hadn’t sensed the tangy spice of the dressing on my tongue. I was not
experiencing one iota of pleasure from this salad.
I’ve heard about slowing down and living in the moment, but I had always
assumed this sort of advice came from inefficient people, the nonmultitaskers of
the world. Sitting there, eating my salad, I realized, though, that if I didn’t notice
the gifts God was offering me in that moment, I was not merely opening myself to
stress and being overwhelmed, I was forgoing the pleasures that moment had to
offer.
So I turned off my phone and, as best I could, my brain as well, looked at my
colorful salad, and thanked God for its delicious explosion of flavor.
C. Second Reading (Eph 4:17, 20-24): “Put on the new self that has been created in
God’s way.”
The Bread of life – Jesus Christ – is God the Father’s benevolent gift to satisfy
our deepest hungers for things beyond food: for forgiveness and reconciliation, for
kindness and healing, for justice and harmony, for joy in place of bitterness and cynicism,
for peace and unity. The Eucharistic Lord is the Bread of spiritual renewal and the true
nourishment for eternal life. In order to receive him as the true Bread of life, we need to
be renewed in heart and mind. According to Saint Paul, we must get rid of the “old self”
and must put on the “new self”, which is created in God’s likeness and reveals itself in
the true life that is upright and holy (cf. Second Reading, Eph 4:17, 20-24).
Harold Buetow remarks: “The perception in the letter to the Ephesians that the
world is so turned in upon itself as not to be able to see God is, sadly still true. As a
matter of fact, many material problems are caused in part by spiritual ones. Hunger in
today’s world, for example, is not caused by our planet lacking the physical resources to
provide food; it is because we have not the spirit to distribute our material resources
properly … Let us each of us do our part to change ourselves and to turn the world
around … Our real hunger will not be satisfied by the dryness, emptiness, and alienation
of our greedy and materialistic society, which T.S. Eliot called the Wasteland. In short,
let us do what the letter to the Ephesians preached: put on the new self, created in God’s
way (v. 24).”
The following article by John Feister, “The Eucharistic Faith of Actor Clarence
Gilyard” illustrates the transformation of Clarence and how the Eucharist became a bread
of spiritual renewal for him (cf. St. Anthony Messenger, April 2009, p. 23-26).
Sometimes all that it takes for a person to find the Eucharist is the invitation of a
friend – and the grace of God. That’s what happened to Hollywood celebrity
Clarence Gilyard. Raised in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, he left
religion behind during the years he became famous acting alongside Jim Carrey
(The Duck Factory), Tom Cruise (Top Gun), Bruce Willis (Die Hard) and on TV,
most famously co-starring with Andy Griffith (Matlock), then Chuck Norris
(Walker, Texas Ranger). (…)
In spite of his success, or perhaps because of it, there were problems. Clarence’s
behavior was not proper for a married man: “My wife left me because I started to
have an affair”, he admits. She took the children and wanted a divorce. Clarence
got a wake-up call. “I was speaking a different language than the language of
truth and accountability”, he says. Now he was sleepless: “Sure, I was hot as far
as television was concerned. But I didn’t have my two babies. I didn’t have my
wife. I was in Dallas; they were in Marina del Rey, California. She was filing for
divorce.”
It was as much as he could do to go to work each day, he recounts. He ended the
extramarital affair and got into a therapy group. “The only thing that was
comforting was being in the presence of somebody where I could talk about my
pain, then being with a group of people who were talking of their pain”, he
remembers. Someone in the group invited Clarence to go to Mass with him. “So I
went to a 5:30 Mass at St. Rita’s in Dallas.” Sunday evening was a hard time for
him to be at church, because he was so mindful of everything from the weekend
and days, even years, preceding that. He had spent a lot of time on his knees,
alone, in his anguish. Now he had to go to his knees in the presence of everyone.
“I was in the assembly with everyone, acknowledging …” His voice trails off.
“I don’t know how many Catholics are aware of why we are on our knees in the
presence of Jesus”, he continues. “That’s where I needed to be. Mother Church
allows that and informs us that way”, he says. “It is one of the great gifts.” Being
near the Eucharist made Clarence intensely aware of the presence of God, he
explains. “It’s all about the presence of God in the consecrated host. Otherwise,
it’s just a building. If Jesus is not present, it’s a sham”, he says. But Jesus is
present, he knows: “I experienced it that day and to this day. To this day, it is
what sustains me.”
He describes “needing” to go to daily Mass, and when he slips, he recommits
himself to the practice. He had known God’s mercy, God’s grace. Back in the
early 90’s, when his religious awakening had occurred, he soon got himself to a
priest: “I dumped everything out” and after it was all over, he was “in a state of
grace”, he says. The priest told him, “You’re in a great place, kid.” “I’ve never
forgotten that.” That Jesuit counseled Clarence into an RCIA (Rite of Christian
Initiation for Adults) program for joining the Catholic Church and gave him some
booklets for daily prayer.
His friend from therapy, whose privacy Clarence protects, invited Clarence to
come to be with his family on Sundays when Clarence wasn’t invited back to be
with his own family in California. “I would spend Sunday afternoon, then we’d go
to Mass. They taught me the Rosary.” Then he would drive back to work for the
week.
Over the course of the RCIA, Clarence developed a hunger for the Eucharist. “I
so much wanted the Body of Christ”, he recalls. Since he was traveling overseas
that Easter, he delayed his reception into Church until the following Christmas,
the day after his own birthday, eight years ago. (…)
Along his life’s journey, Clarence Gilyard, the dramatist, has discovered a role,
he says, “attracting people to God’s presence in my life”. The Eucharist is his
food along the way. With a grateful heart, he adds, along with so many
Christians who found their way home before him, “We are the Body of Christ.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
What are the various hungers we are experiencing personally and as a
community? What are the deepest hungers of humanity today? How do we respond to
Jesus’ declaration and invitation: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never
hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst?”
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus, bread of life,
we long for the fullness of life.
Fill our hearts with your presence
and help us to look forward to the joy of eternal feasting.
Thank you for nourishing us
at the table of the Word and the Eucharist.
Grant us the grace to be personally involved
in alleviating the hunger pangs of today’s poor.
You are the heavenly food
to nourish us in our pilgrimage to eternal life.
We yearn for the blessed day
when we will be united with you and the Father,
in the love of the Spirit.
You live and reign, forever and ever.
Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever
believes in me will never thirst.” (Jn 6:24-35)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Identify the most painful “hunger” that your community is experiencing. Beg the
Lord to give you the grace to help alleviate this “hunger”.
*** Text of 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 53)
NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Bread of the Strong”
BIBLICAL READINGS
I Kgs 19:4-8 // Eph 4:30-5:2 // Jn 6:41-51
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 6:41-51): “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.”
Sr. Mary Rachel who was a missionary in Canada suffered a series of strokes
when she returned to the Philippines. The third stroke was bilateral. It left her paralyzed
from the neck down and she could not talk. We had to feed her through a naso-gastric
tube and assist her in everything. After some period of anger and denial, Sr. Mary
Rachle’s features started to relax. While doing my nursing care for her one day, I noticed
that she was unusually quiet and pensive. I gazed directly on her weary eyes and spoke
slowly: “Sister, do you want to receive Communion? If you do, please turn your head to
one side.” She responded with such vigor that I was afraid her head would snap. We
requested a priest to come and celebrate Mass in her room. The paralyzed Sister received
Communion for the first time after suffering the third stroke. Every day she would watch
a televised Mass, after which, she would receive Communion. She continued to be
nourished with the Eucharist until she passed away four years later in 2003.
Today’s Gospel (Jn 6:41-51) continues the profoundly moving Eucharistic
catechesis taken from the evangelist John. Today’s passage is situated in a drama of
unbelief and refusal. In a dispute over Jesus’ origin, the Jews murmur their incredulity
and suspicion. Indeed, their unbelief evokes the obduracy shown by the Israelites in the
desert and God’s magnanimous response to their hardheadedness. Israel’s murmuring
provokes the gift of water and of manna. The murmuring of Jesus’ audience provokes an
equally magnanimous response: the promise of the Bread of Life, actualized in Jesus.
The benefactor, Jesus Christ, who is both the giver and the gift, nourishes us
through his teaching. As the Word-made-flesh and as the Wisdom of God, he lays out for
us a rich banquet of spiritual nourishment. He offers himself to us as the bread of the
Word, the saving revelation of God’s infinite love for us, and fulfills what is written in
the prophets: “They shall all be taught by God” (v. 45). As the bread of the Word coming
from heaven, the proper response is “to believe” in him. Neal Flanagan explains: “What
this means is that this is faith nourishment. Jesus is bread from heaven, feeding all
believers, in the same sense that Old Testament wisdom nourished all who accepted it (cf.
Prov 9:1-5). We might call this type of feeding sapiential.”
In the last part of today’s Gospel reading (v. 48-51), the topic shifts from Jesus as
revealer of the Father, who has come down from heaven, to Jesus as the giver and gift of
the Eucharist. The liturgical assembly is being led to contemplate, not just the
“sapiential” nourishment offered by Jesus, but the “sacramental” nourishment that he
gives of his own flesh and blood. Jesus’ magnanimous gift includes the “Eucharistic”
nourishment provided by his Spirit-filled and glorified body. The biblical scholar, Neal
Flanagan, asserts: “Jesus is first of all the giver of the bread, a new Moses. He is also the
bread of wisdom and revelation who nourishes all who come to him in faith. He is
finally, the Eucharistic source of eternal life for all who eat and drink the flesh and
blood of the heavenly and glorified Son of Man.”
The Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, who nourishes us with his Word and the
Eucharistic bread, satisfies our most intense hunger for the fullness of life. We need to
feed on him continually who is offered to us in multiple ways as spiritual nourishment.
Geoffrey Preston comments: “But however we eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink
his blood, whether sacramentally in the Eucharist, or at the table of his Word, or by care
for his suffering members, it is always that it cannot be done once and for all. We have to
go on doing it. The Eucharist is the bread and the wine which feeds desire and longing,
longing for the coming of God.” In a marvelous and paradoxical way, the heavenly Bread
that satisfies our spiritual hunger for meaning in life and our eternal destiny provokes a
longing for the coming of God’s kingdom. The Bread of Life impels us to share the
fullness of life we have received, through Word and sacrament, with the people and the
world around us.
B. First Reading (I Kgs 19:4-8): “Strengthened by that food, he walked to the
mountain of God.”
Here is a news report I read in the Fresno Bee (July 24, 2006) about the rescue of
a young boy from India, trapped for two days in a 60-foot deep irrigation shaft. The story
broke into international prominence after the private Zee News channel lowered a camera
into the pit and captured haunting images of a child crying helplessly in the dark.
Prince fell into the freshly dug hole Friday evening when he was playing in
Aldeharhi, a village in the northern state of Haryana. The shaft, covered only with
an empty jute sack, was just wide enough to fit the boy and too narrow for an
adult. When villagers and local police could not pull him out, they sought the help
of the army. Over two days, soldiers from an engineering regiment scooped out
drums of mud from an abandoned well 10 feet away from the hole, taking care not
to use heavy machinery so soil would not cave in on the boy. Oxygen was pumped
into the pit and rescuers talked to the boy to keep his morale up. Rescuers and TV
viewers alike could watch the boy looking around timidly, munching on chocolate
and biscuits and drinking milk from a can that had been lowered in by rope. With
their bare hands, soldiers then created a pipe-reinforced connecting passageway
to the irrigation shaft. One soldier reached Prince and, along with four others,
took him back through the pipe and up the abandoned well. Making a gripping
story even better, Prince was rescued on his birthday. Prince turned 5 on Sunday.
The dramatic rescue of the young boy evokes the intensity and power of the story
of the rescue of the prophet Elijah in the reading (I Kgs 19:4-8). The story of Elijah’s
rescue from imminent death results from divine intervention and underlines God’s
miraculous providence for those who love him. Elijah has fought with vehemence the
intolerable apostasy in the land. In a public contest with the priests of Baal, Elijah has
demonstrated the power of God and the nothingness of the Canaanite and Phoenician
gods promoted by Queen Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. The enraged Jezebel not only
threatens, but promises to kill Elijah who flees to the Negeb desert. Exhausted after a
day’s march, Elijah sits down in the shade of a bush wanting to die. God sends an angel
to feed the despairing and weakened prophet with sconce bread and water. Twice the
angel touches Elijah and coaxes him to eat. Strengthened by that food, Elijah walks forty
days and forty nights to Mount Horeb.
This Sunday’s liturgy evidently wants us to see in the feeding and rescue of Elijah
a figure of the Eucharist, “the living bread that came down from heaven” to strengthen
the Christian disciples in their journey of faith to God. The Eucharist, in its twofold
dimension as bread of the Word (divine revelation and teaching) and Sacrament (real
presence of the Body and Blood of Christ in the form of food and drink), is the source of
life and strength of every disciple and of the entire Church. The Eucharist is our food and
strength for the journey. We therefore need to trust in the love, care and providence of
God. We need to trust in God’s commitment to provide for our needs. The Eucharist is
“the bread of the strong” – the sustaining spiritual food that enables us to cross the
wilderness of trials and difficulties towards “eternal life” with God. In the Eucharist is the
pledge of eternal life.
C. Second Reading (Eph 4:30-5:2): “Walk in love, just like Christ.”
In the Second Reading (Eph 4:30-5:2), we hear the moral implication of being
nourished at the table of the bread of eternal life – of being fed with the “bread of the
strong”. We are not to sadden the Holy Spirit who put his seal upon us for the sake of our
redemption on the last day. We are to get rid of all bitterness, all anger and passion, harsh
words and malice of every kind. In place of these, we must be kind to one another,
compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven us in Christ.
Aelred Rosser remarks: “The undeniable love we have been shown by Christ
makes it undeniable that we must show love to our neighbor. Even more gratifying is the
realization that such love goes far beyond duty. Once we deeply believe in the
overwhelming, unconditional love that God has for us, our love for each other becomes a
spontaneous response. The greatest lovers are those who realize how much they have
been loved. Paul reminds the Ephesians and us of our oneness and begs us not to grieve
the Holy Spirit with bitterness, anger, malice … Criticizing others is a dangerous thing;
not so much because we might be mistaken, but because we may be revealing the truth
about ourselves.”
The following article in Taste of Home (cf. February-March 2009 issue, p. 67)
about a 12-year-old’s fund raising effort to help poor African children is very inspiring. It
gives us a glimpse of what Christian believers can do to live in the love of Christ and to
be “bread of the strong” for others.
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 CaramelPecan 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.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
What are our experiences of God’s intervention in our life? Do we trust that God
is our Savior and will continue to rescue us in our moments of sadness and distress? Do
we believe that the Eucharist is the food that strengthens – the “angels’ food” to nourish
us in our spiritual journey in the here and now? Do we recognize that the greatest food
for the journey is the person of Jesus Christ himself, of which the Eucharist is a limpid
and intense sacrament?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
Lord Jesus,
you are the living bread that came down from heaven.
You feed us with your abundant teaching.
You are the bread of wisdom and revelation
to nourish all who come to you in faith.
Fill our empty hearts with your life-giving Word.
Strengthened at the table of your divine wisdom,
may we share the bread of your Word with the hungry.
We praise and bless you, O Eucharistic Master,
for you are the source of eternal life.
You feed us with your flesh and blood
at the Eucharistic banquet.
Nourished by your sacred body and blood
and united with your paschal sacrifice,
let us be transformed into “bread blessed, broken and shared”
for the life of the world.
We love and adore you, now and forever.
Amen
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will
live forever.” (Jn 6:51)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Pray for those who are experiencing distress and trials, and for those suffering
spiritual and physical hunger. Be an instrument of God’s care and love for them. Lead
them to the Eucharist that they may experience the strength that Jesus, the Bread of Life,
offers to the afflicted.
*** Text of 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***
A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy and Holy Days
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (n. 54)
TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B
“JESUS SAVIOR: His Flesh Is True Food
and His Blood Is True Drink”
BIBLICAL READINGS
Prv 9:1-6 // Eph 5:15-20 // Jn 6:51-58
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS: A Pastoral Tool for the LECTIO
A. Gospel Reading (Jn 6:51-58): “My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”
Here is an interesting conversation between a skeptic and a believer in the
Eucharist.
A man came to a priest and wanted to make fun of his faith, so he asked, “How
can bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ? “The priest
answered, “No problem. You yourself change food into your body and blood, so
why can’t Christ do the same?”
But the objector did not give up. He asked, “But how can the entire Christ be in
such a small host?” “In the same way that the vast landscape before you can fit
into your little eye.”
“But he still persisted, “How can the same Christ be present in all your churches
at the same time?”
The priest then took a mirror and let the man look into it. Then let the mirror fall
to the ground and broke it and said to the skeptic, “There is only one of you and
yet you can find your face reflected in each piece of that broken mirror at the
same time.”
Indeed, with the eyes of faith, it is easy to perceive the answer to the “HOW” of
salvation and the workings of the miracle of love, the Eucharist. From the point of view
of the believer’s heart, everything is possible with God. The principal challenge in
today’s Gospel reading (Jn 6:51-18) is faith in the power of God and his beloved Son,
Jesus, to give life by the means they choose. According to Teresa Okure, “this believing
is the master key that enables one to unlock and tap into God’s life imparted by Jesus, his
envoy, through word and sacrament.”
Today’s reading begins with the last verse of the passage proclaimed last Sunday
at Mass: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread
will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn.
6:51). Hearing this radical affirmation, the Jews are flabbergasted and start to argue
among themselves: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:52). The
unbeliever’s cynicism unleashes anew its attack.
Jesus does not answer the cynical “HOW” of the unbelievers, but responds to
them with more powerful statements about himself and the new presence that he would
assume in the sacrament of the Eucharist. He also affirms the necessity of feeding upon
his own body and blood as the natural food for the new life that he comes to give in
abundance. In Jn 6:53-55, we therefore read Jesus’ challenging statement: “Amen, amen,
I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not
have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I
will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”
Jesus identifies himself with the “Son of Man”, who in the Book of Daniel,
embodies the salvation of Israel. As the new embodiment of salvation, the “Son of Man”,
Jesus Christ is made present in the sacrament of the Eucharist and continues to live on in
the Church and in the world in the “here and now”. In the holy mystery of the Eucharist,
Jesus is the point of encounter between God and his beloved people. He is present in the
Eucharist with a “presence” that is not physical, or moral, or spiritual, but “sacramental”.
In the Eucharistic species, he is the true FLESH to eat and the true BLOOD to drink.
Through a miracle of love and the power of faith, the Eucharistic bread has become the
reality of Jesus’ glorified body; the Eucharistic wine has become the reality of Jesus’
sacred blood.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1375-1376, declares: “It is by
conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes
present in the sacrament. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in
the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about this
conversion … By the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the
whole substance of the bread into the body of Christ of our Lord and of the whole
substance of the wine into the substance of his blood.”
The Eucharist brings about a true symbiosis, or in other words, a true “living
with” the Lord. The one who feeds on the flesh and blood of Jesus shares intimately in
the divine life, thus actualizing his astounding promise: “Whoever eats my flesh and
drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (Jn 6:54). Indeed, the fullness of life that
the Father shares with his Son is communicated to us through this marvelous life-giving
sacrament, the Eucharist, in accordance with Jesus declaration: “Just as the living Father
sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have
life because of me” (Jn 6:57).
B. First Reading (Prv 9:1-6): “Come, eat of my food and drink the wine I have
mixed.”
One afternoon while Sr. Mary Martha and I were serving in the sacristy, three
young dark-haired beauties came to talk to the priest who would preside at Mass. They
were visiting Monrovia and came by chance to the Immaculate Conception church. Since
they did not want to miss Sunday worship while far from home, they decided to stay and
participate in the Eucharist with our parish community. They explained to the priest that
they belong to the Coptic Rite and asked permission to receive communion. The kindhearted Fr. Cassidy regarded them serenely and asked, “What is your belief in the
Eucharist?” The spokesperson answered spontaneously and decisively, “The body and
blood of Christ!” The holy priest Fr. Cassidy smiled and, with a twinkle in his eyes,
remarked glancing in our direction, “Oh, yes! You may receive communion. And not
only that – you will also be able enter the convent.” At the end of the Mass, Fr. Cassidy
introduced them to the assembly who welcomed them warmly with a round of applause.
This Sunday’s First Reading (Prv 9:1-6) about the splendid banquet that Lady
Wisdom prepares has a sacramental implication. The enticing table of rich, luscious fare
to which she invites us all to eat and drink is a figure of the Eucharist, the table to which
the Lord Jesus himself welcomes us and gives his very self to us – flesh and blood – as
bread and wine. Indeed, at the Eucharistic banquet, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ – the
fulfillment of the Old Testament personified Wisdom – offers us not just the wine of
wisdom and the bread of the Word – his teaching and revelation, but also his sacrificial
flesh and blood, broken and poured out for us in his paschal offering on the Cross.
Lady Wisdom’s invitation, “Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have
mixed”, which in its original context summons to a deeper knowledge and wisdom based
on the fear of the Lord, is used by the Church this Sunday to resound and intensify
Christ’s gracious invitation to his disciples to participate in the Eucharistic feast. In the
sacrament of the Eucharist, the Risen Lord Jesus himself is the gracious Host inviting us
to his sacred meal - to eat his flesh and drink his blood - in order to obtain eternal life.
The effect of this Eucharistic meal is symbiosis, an indwelling and an intimate manner of
fulfilling God’s promise of “I am with you!”
C. Second Reading (Eph 5:15-20): “Understand what is the will of the Lord.”
The Second Reading (Eph 5:15-20) gives us an insight into the wise and Spiritfilled behavior of Christian disciples who were immersed into his paschal mystery
through baptism and have participated at the altar-table of his Eucharistic communionsacrifice. The wisdom of God is manifested in their life through prudent action, alertness
to God’s inspiration, and an eagerness to follow the will of the Lord Jesus. United
intimately with Christ and energized by his Spirit, the believers are able to address one
another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, to sing and play for the Lord in their hearts,
and to give thanks to God the Father always and in everything in the name of Christ.
The following story is beautiful and fascinating. It illustrates a person’s
receptivity to the wisdom of God (cf. “Freed to Love” by Alexander Osilalu in The Word
Among Us, August 2006, p. 57-59). Alexander Osilalu is a pseudonym used at the request
of this Nigerian university student. Nourished by the “bread of wisdom”, this remarkable
young man desires to commit himself to Jesus Christ, “the food that endures for eternal
life”.
The evidence of my failure was crystal clear. There it was, posted up on the
bulletin board for all the world to see: I had flunked Physics 102. As the
implications sank in, I went numb. I had missed the cut-off grade by just a point
and a half and had done well in all the other medical courses I was taking. It
made no difference. Failing second-semester physics meant that I had to
withdraw from the program. With a pang, I thought back to my endless hours of
study and to all my novenas and prayers for success. The flash back became even
more painful as I remembered the morning of my final physics exams. I had
refused to sit among my friends, because I knew I would be tempted to ask them
for answers to any questions I didn’t know. Now I felt betrayed. I remembered the
words of the psalmist: “I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen
the righteous forsaken” (Psalm 37:25). They seemed to mock me. I had done the
right thing by not cheating – but hadn’t I been forsaken? And I wasn’t even
nineteen.
Being asked to withdraw from the most prestigious department at this Nigerian
university was a stigma in itself, but there was more. I was active in a fellowship
group for Catholic students on campus. We would come together to pray, study
Scripture, and discuss the problems we were facing. Now I felt I could no longer
hold up my head in the group, much less invite anyone to join. What kind of an
example was I? My failure seemed to mark me as someone who was unable to
balance his academic, social and spiritual activities.
I hung onto Jesus during this terrible time for one simple reason: I had nowhere
else to turn. Since I held him totally responsible for my misfortune, however, our
relationship was stormy. I was angry at God for his seeming ineffectiveness and
lack of concern. I questioned the purpose of prayer. I even began to wonder
whether Karl Marx was right when he said that religion is the opiate of the
people. Even if God exists, I asked myself, what difference does it make if he
doesn’t intervene to answer prayer?
Things continued in this manner for some time. Then one Sunday during Mass,
something happened as I stood praying the Our Father with the rest of the
congregation. At the words, “Thy kingdom come”, I was suddenly reminded of
the passage in John’s Gospel where Jesus told the crowd that they were following
him for the wrong reason – “because you ate your fill of loaves”. The people just
wanted Jesus to keep multiplying bread to fill their bellies; they weren’t so
interested in his offer of “the food that endures for eternal life” (John 6:26-27).
It hit me that I was like the people in that crowd. I too was focused on my own
desires and closed to the far better gifts God had for me. I had not been following
Jesus out of real love and desire to keep his commandments. Rather, I was trying
to get him to do the things for me, such as help me pass my exams. It wasn’t
God’s kingdom I had been seeking, but my own. In this moment of insight, I saw
that Christianity is about unconditional love and not about striking bargains with
God. I also saw it as a call to trust that the Father will always give me what is
best for me.
This experience triggered a conversion that unfolded little by little. As my first
response, I decided to stop asking God for things and to concentrate instead on
giving myself to others for his sake. This seemed the best approach, as I didn’t yet
know how to pray for my needs with real trust that Jesus would provide. Though
imperfect, it was my first move to reconciliation with God. I began looking for
ways to help people. If someone needed a hand, I was there. I shared my time and
the little money I had. I prayed for others, even though I wasn’t feeling especially
close to Jesus. And I made a discovery: The more I worked and prayed for others
without having an ulterior motive in mind, the happier I became. Stripping away
my focus on my own needs was freeing me to know the joy that comes from
following Jesus’ command to “love one another”.
One day as I walked home from school, I saw a little boy hawking biscuits. He
looked tired and hungry, and I realized that he couldn’t afford to buy and eat the
food he was selling. It took all the money I had left on me, but I bought two of the
biscuits and gave one to him. The look on that boy’s face was all the reward I
needed. My act of kindness cost me so little, but it gave me so much more
happiness that I could have imagined. I walked away thinking, “This is what
following Jesus is all about – love.”
Gradually the transformation in my life became more obvious. I became stronger,
more able to turn to God in trust for my own needs. I went back to my studies and
chose a program related to the one I had been pursuing. I did quite well.
Currently in my fourth year, I realize that this program is actually what I wanted
and was best suited for all along. As I look back, I now see that my failure of three
years ago was really the most educational part of my whole academic career.
Through it, I developed and grew. I matured from a child who wants things his
way no matter what, to an adult who knows that his way is not always the best.
Through what I saw as my moment of failure, Jesus helped me to discover the
path to happiness and real success. Lord Jesus, thy kingdom come!
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART: A Pastoral Tool for the
MEDITATIO
What is our response to Christ’s awesome revelation: “For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink”? Do we believe that the Eucharist is communion with the
life-giving Christ and the fullness of life shared by Christ and his living Father? How
does this realization affect us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD: A Pastoral Tool for the ORATIO
(Prayer composed by Blessed James Alberione, founder of the Pauline Family)
Jesus, eternal Truth,
I believe you are really present in the bread and wine.
You are here with your body, blood, soul and divinity.
I hear your invitation:
“I am the living bread descended from heaven”,
“take and eat; this is my body”.
I believe, Lord and Master,
but strengthen my weak faith.
O Jesus Master,
you assure me: “I am the Life”,
“whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
will have eternal life.”
In baptism and in the sacrament of reconciliation
you have communicated to me this life of yours.
Now you nourish it by making yourself my food.
Take my heart;
detach it from the vain things of the world.
With all my heart I love you above all things
because you are infinite goodness and eternal happiness.
IV. INTERIORIZATION
CONTEMPLATIO
OF
THE
WORD:
A
Pastoral
Tool
for
the
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the
day. Please memorize it.
“For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and
drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (Jn 6:55-56)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION: A Pastoral Tool for the ACTIO
Before you receive communion at the celebration of the Eucharist, recall with
intensity Christ’s declaration that his flesh is true food and his blood is true drink. Make
an act of faith in the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. By your acts of charity to the
people around you, manifest in your life that you have been truly nourished by the body
and blood of Christ.
*** Text of 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time ends here. ***