lectio divina – Page 89

Tuesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus sharply criticizes the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. “Blind Pharisee,” Jesus says, “cleanse first the inside of the cup.” In calling them hypocrites, by association he also calls out anybody who neglects, as he says, “the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity.” Twice Jesus calls them blind guides, and I can only imagine their reaction when Jesus says to them, “Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!”

God, help me understand that your son addresses the scribes and Pharisees and others but also addresses me, calling me to greater self-discernment and dependence on you. Lord, thank you for Matthew’s account of the words Jesus directed to the scribes and Pharisees. In them, I see that I also have been the one “full of plunder and self-indulgence” and that to discern this is to rely more and more on your grace working in my life. I find in saying this that I put myself in check, as if to question whether I participate in some kind of off-the-rails scrupulosity. But to fail to profess that I invite God into every moment of my day with joy and hopeful expectation and that I am broken and a sinner is complete detachment from reality, pure fantasy.

Jesus, stay quietly within me today. Be that voice reminding me not to put on a show for others or myself. At the crucial moments of the day, place in my heart a spirit that is faithful, loving, and merciful.

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.

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Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.

Jesus replies to a question from someone in one of the towns he passed through: ”Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Strive to enter through the narrow gate, Jesus tells him. Many will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. He then tells the parable of the master of the house who locks the door and doesn’t let in the one standing outside. “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!” says the master of the house. And Jesus then says, “There will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out.”

God, help me learn the meaning of strive to enter and wailing and grinding of teeth. It is not enough to slide by to remain in the kingdom of God. On the other hand, I would not want to see myself cast out from the kingdom of God against my desire and will. You are merciful, Lord, and your mercy extends from this life to eternal life. Do I merely eat and drink from your spirit in a passing acquaintance? “For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Jesus, help me learn to be humble by asking for your help to continue striving to be in your kingdom and to manifest it.

Today, Lord, as I receive you in the Eucharist, body and blood, soul and divinity, give me the grace to be firm in my desire to seek you. Allow your grace to work through me to bring glory to your Father. Stay with me today, Lord.

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.

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Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

“All their works are performed to be seen. . . . The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus’ words to the crowds and the disciples resound to the present day. Self-aggrandizement and seeking places of honor is a reality today as much as it was then. To be honored means sustaining and placing the burden of expectation on others and invites hypocrisy. Jesus says, “Don’t go that way.” Instead, seek to humble yourself and don’t fall for the lie that you are to be called master.

From the first reading, Ezekiel describes the vision he sees as the angel leads him to the gate of the temple where God dwells among the children of Israel, that is, all people forever. Ezekiel, looking upon the place where the Lord dwells, says, “And I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the LORD.” Help me understand, God, that honor is yours; that the works I perform are for you to see; and that it is not for myself but for you that I humble myself, that the glory in humbling myself is for your sake.

The day presses on, Lord, and I am drawn into accomplishing its various tasks. Stay with me today; stay within, and let the ones I meet throughout the day see you in me—whether in the way I smile or give selflessly of my time or in a loving embrace. Father in heaven, let the here and now of today be where you set the soles of your feet and dwell among your children.

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.

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Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

In today’s Gospel reading, the Pharisees question Jesus about which commandment in the law is the greatest. A key word here is law, an area in which the Pharisees and Sadducees often challenged Jesus. Following the law as it had been passed down through tradition, the Pharisees sought to trip up Jesus by questioning him about the greatest law. His response? The whole law and the prophets depend on love of God and love of neighbor.

God, help me understand the greatest commandment, which is nothing but dry bones without spirit if limited only to human endeavor. It takes a relationship with God to bring them to life. In the first reading from Ezekiel, the Lord takes Ezekiel out to walk among a vast plain covered by human bones. Through cooperation with the commands of the Lord, Ezekiel puts sinews, flesh, and skin over the bones. But, although they were covered in skin, there was no spirit in them. And then the Lord says to Ezekiel, “Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.” Ezekiel then says, “I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.” Here, every step of the way on the plain of dry bones, the Lord instructs Ezekiel to prophesy to bring his commandment to life. Alone, Ezekiel could do nothing to bring the bones to life. In the same way, without God’s love, there is little I can do to carry out his greatest commandment with genuine love.

Lord, you led Ezekiel to the plain to hear your word and see in every direction dry bones, beings dead in spirit that he would bring to life through your saving power. Today, when my spirit starts to fade and wither, feeling the sting of little deaths and disappointment, let me remember Ezekiel’s reply when you asked him if these bones can come to life. He said in reply to you, “I answered, ‘Lord GOD, you alone know that.’ ” Let me have the faith to love and trust you as Ezekiel did.

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.

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Thursday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

“The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. . . . Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Today’s Gospel reading says that Jesus “again spoke to the chief priests and the elders,” meaning this wasn’t the first parable he had shared with them, most likely within a short time frame. The wedding feast recalls other dinners that Jesus describes in other parables, and the last line of the reading resounds: “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

God, help me understand what you mean by the Kingdom of heaven. Is it here and now or in time to come and always? Or is it both? I think Jesus refers to a little of both. He uses the word invitation six times in the reading and feast five times. For certain, there is almost a direct reference to the prophets who were mistreated and killed. But Jesus also speaks to every person who has ears to hear. I’m not sure what to make of the guest who came without a wedding garment, who was bound and cast into the darkness. Does Jesus mean by this to straighten up, live a good life, and match the self-identification with the occasion—coming to meet God in the Kingdom of heaven?

I know God wants me to recognize him throughout the day. God, give me the grace to know an invitation when I receive one—whether that might be family or a neighbor or a stranger—and respond by bringing the Kingdom of heaven into that moment. As the Gospel acclamation says, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

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.

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Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

“ ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Jesus tells the disciples the parable of the landowner who hires laborers for his vineyard. To the laborers he hired at five o’clock, he gave the same wage as the ones he hired at nine o’clock. The laborers grumble, and the landowner’s reply reveals his generosity. In the same way, God reveals his generosity in saving and shepherding his people. From the first reading through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord says: “I myself will look after and tend my sheep.”

God, help me understand that you are generous and loving in caring for your people regardless of whether they deserve it. Just as the landowner invites laborers late in the day to come work in his vineyard, so you invite us throughout life—early, often, and late—to work in your vineyard for the wages of salvation.

Lord, shepherd me today and let me hear your voice as you say to me, “You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.” At the end of the day, I sometimes look back and think, Where was I or what was I doing that I couldn’t know you were present? It’s as if the pressures and anxieties of the day whisked me along without my trying to discern which direction you lead me. But with you as my shepherd, Lord, I have no reason to fear anything, as the psalmist says, neither the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day. Let me trust that you guide me every day to give me courage and peace to move forward.

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.

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Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”

After saying this, Jesus is questioned by the disciples: “Who then can be saved?” His answer: “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Jesus puts in right order worldly success and wealth, as personified in the first reading in the lifestyle of the prince of Tyre, whose heart, God says through Ezekiel, has grown haughty from riches. Not only riches but intelligence and worldly success made the prince of Tyre believe himself to be a god. It is this same sin that Jesus says is impossible to save oneself from—“it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle”— but for God it is possible because for Him all things are possible.

God, how can I begin to understand that the pursuit of riches is a chase after wind? No matter how I might try to limit the place that money and money making holds in my life, it is impossible for me to know when enough is enough. But for you, God, all things are possible. Thank you for the words of your Son, who sets things in right order by serving all in his words and through his life: “But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” God, help me learn how to place you before the pursuit of riches and its attendant elusiveness and deception.

Father in heaven, I give you every thought, burden, and worry that passes through my mind today. In them alone, I become entangled and lost in darkness. In you, eternal source of love, is light that penetrates every darkness. I know you want me to be one of “your people” and that you want to be my God. Give me the opportunity today to humble myself to recognize that. Free me of the drive for earthly power and honor; set in my path, through your grace, the people you desire me to lead closer to you in so far as I imitate Christ in my words and through my life. For me, this is impossible; for you, Lord, all things are possible.

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.

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Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

What struck me on hearing the Gospel reading is that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit as she said “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” She cried out in a loud voice as a prophet might cry out or as one so full of conviction that it was impossible not to cry out. Elizabeth was divinely inspired to express what has become contained in the Hail Mary, prayed countless billions of times generation after generation.

And what did she say that resounds over the millennia? “Blessed is the fruit of your womb.” Because Elizabeth was divinely inspired to say these words as was Mary in proclaiming the Magnificat, the depth and breadth of what they express continue to invite the faithful into the mystery of the Incarnation.

God, thank you for the gift of Mary and Elizabeth’s greeting to each other. They each express a depth of faith that goes beyond what is knowable in the natural world. Elizabeth proclaimed Mary as the Mother of God before Jesus’ birth, and Mary praised God for remembering his promise of mercy. God, help me recognize Mary’s role as an instrument of mercy, both in life and after her assumption. She proclaimed the greatness of the Lord and his holy name: “for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers.”

Stay near me today, Lord. Let me know that you are with me throughout the day. You are the fruit of the womb and the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Destroy any torpor or neglect in me that fails to recognize that you came among the human family to destroy death and give us eternal life with you in heaven. Mary, Queen of Heaven, 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.

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Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.”

These words of Jesus from the Gospel according to Luke sound awfully close to home when they relate directly to family. A household of five, Jesus says, will be divided three against two and two against three. It describes the state of a family—any family, then as well as now—divided by clashing beliefs or opinions.

God, help me understand that Jesus came to set the earth on fire. It was out of mercy that God sent his Son to die and rise to destroy sin and death. And, yes, he came to divide, if what joins the nuclear family and the larger human family is a façade that crumbles under the weight of truth. Through his crucifixion, Jesus set the fire blazing and it is blazing still—separating lies from truth, false unity from authentic unity, and sin from grace.

Lord, I know you want me to hear your voice and follow you. As the Gospel acclamation says, “My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” For the times I do not follow you and know that it is not for my good, come to my aid and show me a way past my failings. Help pick me up and set me on the straight path. In the Eucharist, Jesus, you are truly present—body and blood, soul and divinity. Stay close to me today when I stumble and when I fail to recognize your presence.

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.

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Saturday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

In these words, Jesus speaks not only of children but also of “such as these” to indicate the kind of openness necessary for the Kingdom of heaven. There is also a relation to time and a disregard for age in these words. By saying “such as these,” Jesus extends this invitation to people of any stage of life and to span countless generations.

God, thank you for the gift of your Son. I hear his words and have with me at all times the means to go to him as a child every day of my life, throughout each day, to relate my thoughts, feelings, and desires. Although I resist setting aside time throughout the day to pray, help me understand that there are times when it is my best possible recourse. Help me resolve to return to Jesus in prayer throughout the day, always as a way to be more fully in the moment rather than engaging in a flight from reality.

By saying that the Kingdom of heaven belongs to “such as these,” Jesus gives purpose to my day by going to him and letting nothing prevent me from that. Let me trust that the risen Christ sees me, hears me, and remains beside me when I come to him—now and always—out of my need to have him present.

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.

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