lectio divina – Page 86

Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the disciples surely listened closely to Jesus as he said to them “pay attention,” yet they did not understand what he meant by saying he would be handed over to men. Even more, they were afraid to ask him what he meant. The darkening days described in the first reading from Ecclesiastes serve as a backdrop for these words of Jesus. The sun is darkened, and the light of the moon and stars is darkened. This sounds like imagery that suits Good Friday, where all the light and hope that Jesus brought to his disciples seemed to be overshadowed by the horror of the cross and by death. Yet, unlike his disciples, we know the story doesn’t end in darkness and death but in new life and resurrection.

Like Qoheleth expresses in Ecclesiastes, there are days when I feel the shortness of this life and the days that come when there is no pleasure, where darkness comes and all things are vanity. But, God, clear my mind to understand that this is not all there is, that there is a time for this life to end and a new one to come. The Gospel acclamation says, “Our Savior Christ Jesus destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” The shortness of life, Lord, I often lament, but help me keep at hand the words of your Son who asks that I pay attention: “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” It was after that, at the Last Supper, that Jesus institutes the Eucharist. In the aftermath of his crucifixion, in your Son’s resurrection, darkness gives way to dawn, death is destroyed, and eternal life is brought to life. Thanks be to you, Father in heaven!

God, I know you love me. Be present with me today. Give me the grace to recognize your presence, and in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, know and do your will.

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.

Readings

Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” In today’s Gospel reading, the words the disciples use to describe who people think Jesus is are nearly identical to those that Herod had been hearing: “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” This is to say that only Mary, Joseph, and a few close followers knew who Jesus was, as Peter said: “The Christ of God.”

Every day, Lord, I face the battle of the seen versus the unseen; that is, I know you are alive and present, but I give precedence to things seen and sensed. While Peter and others saw you face to face in his present reality, that seeming advantage is surpassed by your presence in the sacraments, in your real presence in the Eucharist. Thank you, God, for these gifts that Jesus instituted by his life. At various times, I have wondered about my faith in you, Jesus, and doubted my beliefs. I want to see you with the certainty of sight that the eyes of faith give. Help me see you and know who you are.

Jesus, thank you for asking the disciples the same question you ask me: “Who do the crowds say that I am?” It causes me to question in what or in whom I place my identity. As the Psalms say, what am I that you take notice of me? “Man is like a breath; his days, like a passing shadow.” Yet, Lord, you have put the timeless into our hearts. As Padre Pio says, “Admire the heavenly regions which can be reached by no other road than that of suffering. This is our true home.”

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.

Readings

Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

“But Herod said, ‘John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he kept trying to see him.” In the Gospel reading according to Luke, Herod is perplexed by Jesus. Who is this Jesus he kept hearing about, and what does it mean that he kept trying to see him?

The first reading from Ecclesiastes might have given Herod some consolation as he restlessly sought answers: “The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor is the ear satisfied with hearing.” Nothing anybody could have told Herod about Jesus would have satisfied his restlessness. Even when Herod and Jesus met before his crucifixion, Herod was hoping to see Jesus perform a miracle. But it wouldn’t have satisfied him. The eye is not satisfied with seeing. I wonder how I am like Herod as each day passes. The despair that Qoheleth expresses in Ecclesiastes I would rather not participate in, yet I go on participating every day. “All speech is labored; there is nothing one can say.” What thing is there that has not been? What can be said that has not been said, or what can be done that has not been done? “Nothing is new under the sun.”

God, help me understand that the restlessness that Herod feels and the resignation of Qoheleth are realities that life presents. Yet, standing at the edge of this chasm of discontent and futility is the Good Shepherd, protecting his flock. There, amid the perplexity of human thought and worldly wisdom is the Son who sits at the right hand of God the Father and who says, “‘Behold, I make all things new.’ Then he said, ‘Write these words down, for they are trustworthy and true.’” The end of human thought and wisdom is not a place of futility; at its end is a person—the risen Christ. Help me remember this, Lord, and to understand that you are not only present at the limits of human reason but present in the midst of daily thoughts and yearnings.

Jesus, I know that you want for me to have peace that is based on truth. “Consecrate them in the truth,” you say in prayer to your Father. “Your word is truth.” Teach me today to live in the truth of God the Father. Herod kept trying to see you. Show me how to see the truth of your word and live in it.

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.

Readings

Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist

“As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.” In today’s Gospel reading, Matthew immediately drops whatever he is doing and follows Jesus.

The painting by Caravaggio, The Calling of Saint Matthew, shows Matthew among four others, who also appear to be tax collectors. Matthew is hunched over a table, counting change as another tax collector helps him. In his left hand, Matthew clutches close to his chest what appears to be a money bag. The way Matthew slumps over the table and the coins reminds me of the way I must look as I work at my desk during the day, strong in self-reliance and confident in my ability but often forgetting that Jesus says throughout the day, “Follow me.” Just as in the past, the temptation today is strong to cling to what we know. In my own life, there are the attachments to comfort, material goods, and a desire and expectation to earn a certain amount of money and the honor and self-respect that go along with that. How can I be more like Matthew and follow Jesus as he describes in the Gospel: “And he got up and followed him.”

Lord, you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you know when I am falling down. There are days when I feel on the losing end—not enough time, not worthy enough, not wealthy enough—and that if I just manipulated one more thing, things would turn around for me. I think that “me” is what you called Matthew out of. He left the company of tax collectors, the money bag he clutched, and the desperate sense that there is not enough, that there would never be enough. You came to him, Divine Physician, because he was sick and needed to lose his life through following you to find your unfathomable mercy.

I believe Jesus called Matthew in the same way he called Peter to walk on the water. Both were planted firmly on the solid ground of their professional lives: Matthew at his customs post and Peter in his fishing boat. Lord, say to me today: “Follow me.” I can’t be certain I will do your will or that I will even hear you. Let your grace make clear to me what it is you have to give to me. Let me realize that in your love there is enough; there is more than enough.

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.

Readings

Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

The Gospel reading says that Mary and Jesus’ brothers—from Greek, adelphoi, or member of the same religious community—could not join him because of the crowd. Jesus was told that by someone who remains unknown. Did that person believe that Jesus’ mother and brothers had privileged access to him, despite the crowd? By his reply, in no way does Jesus diminish the role of his mother or brothers by saying those who hear the word of God and act on it are his mother and brothers. Are there times when I believe I have privileged access to Jesus, even without hearing and doing his will?

Thank you, God, for the clarity of your Son’s statement. Hear your word and act on it. Hear and act. Without the burden of guilt and shame, I desire to hear and do your will throughout the day. If I were to act only out of guilt or out of shame in recovering from a misstep, I can’t say that is desire to be in your presence. I sometimes believe I am better at identifying what your will is not than what it is. Help me understand how to avoid turning in the wrong direction so that I can keep you in my line of sight and recognize what is your will.

Just as Mary and Jesus’ brothers desired to join him, I also desire to put myself in your presence. Let nothing impede that today; let me hear and act. Stay with me, Lord, and let me know your outlandish love for 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.

Readings

Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.”

In today’s reading, Jesus speaks to the crowd about bringing light to others so that they may see. No one would conceal or prevent the light from shining once having lit it. That makes sense so far. But then Jesus says, all that is hidden will become visible and that all secrets will come to light. For humans, whatever light we have is given by God’s grace and that is all we can give away in turn. But to bring to visibility whatever is hidden and into the light whatever is secret, that belongs to God. Just as God said at the creation of the world, “Let there be light,” so Jesus is able to say that whatever is hidden will become visible and whatever is secret will come to light. Is that what heaven will be like? Will all that is hidden and secret be visible in the light of God’s being?

God, help me understand that the gifts you give me I have to choose to give back to you in return. What else could I do but take to heart and try to understand your words? “To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” The lamp that you light, God, is the source of all light and in it nothing remains hidden; it has by its essence the power to make what is invisible visible.

Stay with me today, Lord. Bring to light in me whatever remains in shadow so that I will be prepared for that day when all will be brought to light and nothing will remain secret.

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.

Readings

Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.

In the parable where Jesus is gathered before a large crowd, he tells them of the seed sown by a sower: some fell on the path, some on rocky ground, and some among thorns. That seed failed to grow. But some fell on good soil, “and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.” Jesus’ disciples ask him the meaning of this parable, and he tells them but first says something seemingly cryptic: “Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.” I feel as if I am the rest the Jesus refers to; that is, I look but do not see and hear but do not understand.

God, help me know where I stand. Over time, I have been each type of seed that Jesus describes. Help me understand how to recognize when the word of God within me is in danger of being trampled, or withering for lack of moisture, or fallen among thorns. There, among thorns, is where I find myself most often when the word of God fails to bear fruit. As Jesus describes the seed that falls among thorns, it is “choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life.” The result of this is that the word of God fails to produce mature fruit. The word of God is immutable; yet, my reception of it—embracing it with a good and generous heart—is what allows God to work through me, body and soul. Saint Paul says it this way as he describes the resurrection of the dead: “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.”

What is there, Lord, behind the veil that you want me to look and see and hear and understand? I know you want to give me every good thing in this life. In the life to come, how will I have prepared myself to see you face to face? And the usual place where seed falls—among thorns? How is it that your grace will work in that area of my life? Father in heaven, show me how to live among the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life—the perishable things—without being choked by them. Instead, let me choose to receive your word and by doing that nurture in me what is imperishable so that I can be ready to come into your kingdom.

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.

Readings

Memorial of Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

The women in today’s Gospel reading, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susana, and many others provided for Jesus and the apostles out of their own resources. If there is reason for them to follow Jesus other than their faith in him, the example of Mary Magdalene explains the gratitude she has for Jesus in expelling seven demons from her. As a group of women supporting Jesus, his apostles, and his mission, they almost certainly drew on immaterial resources to nurture and solidify each other’s faith in him. Unlike them, who followed Jesus during his time on earth, we have the hope of the resurrection through Jesus, as Saint Paul says, “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” In my own experience, who are the people around me that nurture my faith even as I identify myself as a follower of Jesus through His “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church”? Who encourages me to question my faith in a way that strengthens it when challenged by questions such as the one Saint Paul asks? “And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.”

Help me see and understand, Lord, what it means to provide for the Church out of my own resources. I know this means providing more than financial or material resources. In my own family, guide my words and actions to support you in “preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.” Give me the grace to show gratitude in the areas of my life where you have been present and have forgiven my sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and over the years have bestowed countless blessings, some of which I will never come to comprehend in this life.

Contained in the Stations of the Cross is a prayer that is attributed to Saint Francis whenever he caught sight of a Catholic church in the distance: “We adore you O Christ and we praise you because, by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world!” Keep me, Lord, from believing what is most pitiable, that my faith is vain. Stay with me today, risen Lord, and grant me the grace to boldly proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God.

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.

Readings

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

As Jesus is dying on the cross in great pain and suffering, he thinks about his mother and uses some of his lasts breath to see to her care. Why? Because Jesus knew that Mary would be the means of bringing sinners to her son and to his divine mercy. This is not the only place in Scripture where those who love Mary are told to take her into their home. When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, he wanted to quietly divorce her. But an angel of the Lord came to him and said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary into your home.” Jesus asks his beloved disciple John to take care of his mother and thus asks any of his beloved children to take Mary into their home.

From the Stabat Mater come these lines:

O sweet Mother! font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.

Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.

And that is what Mary does best: she hears our prayers from above and melts the stoniest of hearts with love of Christ. And although Joseph was not present at the foot of the cross, I know he must have been present in unity with Jesus and Mary. I want to understand what it means to be in company throughout the day with the Holy Family. I imagine myself walking with Mary and Joseph ahead of me and Jesus behind to lead and guide. Knowing this is no flight of fancy—that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, are present with me—brings a great sense of peace grounded in ultimate reality and truth. This is the truth of the Gospel, as Saint Paul puts it: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. . . . For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come.”

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.

Readings

Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

In the first reading, Moses follows the instructions the Lord gave him to save the people by mounting a bronze serpent on a pole. Whoever looked upon it after being bitten lived. In the same way, Jesus says, he was to be lifted up on the cross so that everyone who believes in him will be redeemed and have eternal life. Little deaths surround me daily, and each day I sometimes think about ultimate death. Inasmuch as I am able to look at Christ throughout the day, I can unite these little deaths and the final one to Jesus’ crucifixion and its truth: Jesus saves us from sin and death for eternal life.

God, help me grasp your unconditional love. Time after time throughout salvation history, as in the time of Moses, you were merciful despite your people’s rejection of you. As Saint Paul says, “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself . . . becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.” For everyone who believes in the Son of Man, love such as this destroys sin and death.

Lord, how can I begin to understand the mystery of the cross? I ask for the grace today to fix my eyes on Jesus Christ lifted up on the cross. In participation with the crucifixion, I ask that you help me see that to redeem us from sin, this was necessary because, Lord, you are mercy itself. Whatever little sacrifices I have today, show me how to accept rather than shun them and sanctify them for your glory.

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.

Readings