Tag: lectio divina

“Increase our faith.” | Memorial of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 17:1-6)

And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

What did Jesus say that touched the hearts of the disciples so that they exclaim, “Increase our faith”? In today’s Gospel, he tells them to be on guard for causing others to sin. He says to them, “It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” Jesus acknowledges that sin inevitably occurs and at the same time gives us the means for peace and justice. “If your brother sins,” Jesus says, “rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.” Recognizing the difficulty of rebuking and forgiving one another, the Apostles hear and respond to the Lord. Lord, increase our faith.

Father in heaven, thank you for your hand that guides me and your presence that hems me in. Where can I go that your hand is not on me or that I go even a minute unnoticed by you? “Where can I go from your spirit?” the psalmist asks. “From your presence where can I flee?” But how do I see that and believe it in the course of the day when I encounter ordinary stress and anxiety and am weak in being just and offering forgiveness? Just as the Apostles asked, I also ask you: “Increase my faith!” Give me integrity of heart, Lord, to seek you and trust that you guide me in your truth.

From the responsorial psalm: “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it. Behind me and before, you hem me in and rest your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; too lofty for me to attain. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.” Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Stay awake!” | Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 25:1-13)

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.”

Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins who took their lamps to meet the bridegroom at his arrival at midnight. Five of them were wise and had extra oil for their lamps, while the other five were foolish and did not bring any extra oil. As the foolish virgins went off to buy oil, the others went in with the bridegroom to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. At the end of the parable, the five virgins who returned to the wedding feast cried out to the bridegroom, “‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'” And then Jesus says to conclude the parable: “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” In the first reading, wisdom is found by those who seek her. In the responsorial psalm, the flesh pines and the soul thirsts in those who seek God. In the Gospel, Jesus exhorts us to stay awake and be prepared for his return. The message is unmistakable.

Father in heaven, help me in my desire to wait for you, to watch for you, as one waits for wisdom and is vigilant for her arrival. Help me keep from falling asleep in waiting, in lapsing into apathy or being held captive by the foolishness of this world. What does it mean to pine for you, Lord? To pine is to yearn to the point of suffering, to experience pain in longing for you. The irony is that I often fail to recognize that—that anything in this world will never be enough, that you alone through your condescending love make me whole, wanting nothing else. Give me the grace, Lord, to always be ready to recognize you at your coming.

From the responsorial psalm: “O God, you are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.” Lord, you are my help.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“But God knows your hearts.” | Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 16:9-15)

Jesus said to his disciples: “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Jesus continues in today’s Gospel where yesterday’s left off. Addressing the disciples as the Pharisees overhear, he talks about the value of dishonest wealth compared with the true wealth of dependence on God. According to the New American Bible Revised Edition, mammon is “the Greek transliteration of a Hebrew or Aramaic word that is usually explained as meaning ‘that in which one trusts.'” To the Pharisees, as Luke tells us, that meant love of money. Jesus presents this to those who hear him in a paradoxical way in what appears to be a logical either-or fallacy: “You cannot serve God and mammon.” A closer look reveals no fallacy here but truth: “but God knows your hearts,” Jesus says, “for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.” What is left, then, but to serve God?

Father in heaven, help me embrace your will. Often far from embracing it and accomplishing it, your will for me in any given day seems to escape me altogether. That is why Jesus says, “If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?” You show mercy where mercy is most needed, to the one who can’t be trusted with true wealth. Give me the wisdom to discern what is true and the grace to know your will and to serve you.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Jesus Christ became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.” Saint Martin of Tours, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 16:1-8)

Jesus said to the disciples: “And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the dishonest steward. The steward of a rich man was accused of squandering his property, so the rich man then removed him from his position. Realizing that he would be jobless and unable to do manual labor, the steward dreamt up a plan to take care of himself. As he talked with each of his master’s debtors, he reduced the amount they owed to the master. From this, the steward hoped to win over the debtors so that they would provide for him when he was jobless. Oddly, the rich man commended the steward for his shrewdness. In reference to faith and eternal life, it is not that Jesus promotes dishonesty but instead teaches the importance of using our resources wisely and being prudent in doing the will of the Father.

Father in heaven, what does it mean to be a prudent steward of your gifts? Among the greatest gifts you give me are ones that are invisible, and I am easily led to overlook them. As Saint Leo the Great says, “Ascending on high, the Lord took captivity captive and gave gifts to human beings: namely, faith, hope, and love. These gifts are great, are mighty, are precious, all because a marvelous inclination of the mind believes in, hopes for, and loves what eyes of the flesh do not make contact with.” Lord, help me today see and be grateful for the gifts you surround me with.

From the first reading: “For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God.” Saint Leo the Great, pray for us!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.” | Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John (Jn 2:13-22)

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the Jews in the temple area in Jerusalem. With a whip, he drives out the people selling oxen, sheep, and doves intended for sacrifice. And he overturns the tables of the money-changers. To those selling doves, he says, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” In the Gospel according to Luke, at the presentation of Jesus, Mary and Joseph take him to Jerusalem and offer a small sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves. Surely, Jesus would have recalled the stories his parents told him about his consecration to the Lord in this sacrifice. To the Jews who ask him what sign he can show for this scourge, Jesus refers to the temple, which will be replaced by the person of Jesus in the resurrection. The sacrifice according to Mosaic law destroyed the animals, and their life ceased at the point of sacrifice. Jesus turns this upside down. By his sacrifice on the cross, he destroys death and restores us for eternal life in the consecrated house of his Father.

Father in heaven, Saint Paul says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Consecrate me in the truth of your Son—in his death and resurrection—to make holy in me a place for you to dwell. God Most High, be my refuge and strength today in the life-giving waters that flow from your holy dwelling.

From the responsorial psalm: “I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord, that my name may be there forever.” God, be in my midst today; let nothing disturb me!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Which of you . . . does not first sit down and calculate the cost?” | Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:25-33)

Jesus turned and addressed the crowds: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?”

Jesus sets down the conditions for discipleship in sharply defined terms, laying on the line the complete dedication necessary in carrying one’s own cross. Using two earthly images, he compares discipleship to one who calculates the cost of building a tower and to a king assessing whether he has enough troops to win a battle. In both cases, the cost must be calculated and a decision made one way or another: to engage or to withdraw. The terms for discipleship, Jesus says, are this: “In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.” In the first reading, Saint Paul describes this commitment in terms of sacrificial love, writing, “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

Father in heaven, help me understand what is at stake and what resources I have when I sit down to calculate the cost of discipleship. When Jesus says I must “hate” my brothers and sisters for the sake of following him, that’s not meant to be taken literally but to emphasize complete devotion to him and abandonment of all possessions. Still, this seems impossible; I need your grace for this, Lord—to love one another and to renounce the spirit of this world. In sizing up what seems to be impossible on our own, Saint Ignatius suggests that the only true way to calculate the cost is not to count at all but instead completely trust in you. He puts it this way: “Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve; to give, and not to count the cost.” Teach me to do your will, Lord, and let me trust that you will supply everything I need.

From the responsorial psalm: “Lavishly he gives to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever; his horn shall be exalted in glory. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.” Help me be gracious, Lord, as you are gracious!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Make people come in that my home may be filled.” | Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:15-24)

Jesus said: “Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled.'”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable while dining at the house of a Pharisee. He responds to a guest’s comment about the blessedness of those who will eat in the kingdom of God. In the parable, Jesus tells how people respond differently to a man’s invitation to others to dine at his banquet. Each one is preoccupied with worldly distractions and excuse themselves from the invitation. So the man sends out his servant to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. The man in the parable represents God, and the great banquet symbolizes the kingdom of God. But the ones first invited excuse themselves from attending. What reason in the world is there to reject the blessings God gives to those he invites to his kingdom?

Father in heaven, help me understand the meaning of today’s Gospel, especially the last words of the man in the parable: “For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.” How clear is your Son in this, the Eucharistic invitation to “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood.” Give me the grace, Lord, to say yes to your invitation to the true food and true drink of the Eucharist. Whenever I have the ability to attend Mass during the week, let me hear and respond to your invitation to dine in the Kingdom of God.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.” Lord, let me trust in your mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Blessed indeed will you be.” | Monday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:12-14)

Jesus said: “Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Jesus speaks in today’s Gospel to a leading Pharisee who invited him to dine at his home. He tells him not to invite those close to him in case they might invite him back and as a result have repayment. In telling the Pharisee to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, Jesus instructs him in the means of resurrection to eternal life with the Father. Three times Jesus mentions the notion of repayment in reference to its flow. Who does the Pharisee host, and what is expected in return? In what many forms does fear of repayment bind, and what does Jesus teach about hospitality and the flow of currency that leads to the banquet of eternal life?

Father in heaven, I don’t often see and am not accustomed to seeing the broken and destitute people Jesus names in the Gospel. Yet it is exactly those who are to be invited to the banquet. Jesus holds true to his word in that he invites the same to his banquet at every celebration of the Mass. In receiving the Eucharist, as I approach the body and blood of Christ before the altar, I become the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. In that sacrament I recognize my dependence on you for every good gift and invite the Holy Spirit to do what is necessary so that I become the body and blood of Christ that I consume. Give me the grace, Lord, to be Christlike to the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame in whatever guise I encounter them. And help me begin to see that they are right before me every day. “For the LORD hears the poor,” the psalmist writes, “and his own who are in bonds he spurns not.”

From the responsorial psalm: “But I am afflicted and in pain; let your saving help, O God, protect me. I will praise the name of God in song, and I will glorify him with thanksgiving. Lord, in your great love, answer me.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaVQ82g2C4

“For they preach but they do not practice.” | Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 23:1-12)

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.”

Jesus speaks to both the crowds and the disciples about following God’s word and keeping a covenant with him. In the first reading, the Lord says, “Have we not all the one father? Has not the one God created us?” Yet, the Pharisees take the word of God and make it into a kind of prison of false piety performed to be seen and calling for honor. In the second reading, Saint Paul sets an example of what humility looks like as it is practiced in faith: “We were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. . . . You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.” To quiet and still the soul to find peace in the Lord—what does that take?

Father in heaven, quiet my soul in the midst of this day to be able to see you present as the day unfolds. Open my eyes to see you in a way that comes not from busying myself with conspicuous achievements but in quietly serving others and working to unburden them. Place before me the work that brings to light the Gospel and gives glory to your name. Give me the grace, Lord, to bear your word and make you known in sharing my very self with others.

From the responsorial psalm: “O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty; I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“The one who humbles himself will be exalted.” | Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 14:1, 7-11)

At the home of one of the leading Pharisees, Jesus told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches lessons on humility and the importance of avoiding seeking honor and recognition. As he tells the parable, he shows those who listen to choose the lower place rather than the places of honor at a table. Jesus says: “Go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position. . . .’ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” With the supreme model of humility given to us by Christ in his complete self-emptying on the cross in obedience to the Father, we have every means available to humble ourselves before others and before God.

Father in heaven, meet me where I am today in my desire to purge myself of seeking honor at whichever table honor has a place. I often take the long way to humility when I would do better to take the short way; that is, help me abandon the habits of defensiveness, arrogance, and judgment that inhibit me from humbling myself. Give me the grace to hold my tongue when I have the impulse to uphold what is better to let go of; come to my aid, God, in following the example of your Son.

From the Gospel acclamation: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, For I am meek and humble of heart.” Saint Charles Borromeo, pray for us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.