Lectio Divina (466)
"Lectio divina is an authentic source of Christian spirituality recommended by our Rule. We therefore practice it every day, so that we may develop a deep and genuine love for it, and so that we may grow in the surpassing knowledge of Christ. In this way we shall put into practice the Apostle Paul’s commandment, which is mentioned in our Rule: “Let the sword of the spirit, the Word of God, live abundantly in your mouth and in your hearts; and whatever you must do, do it in the name of the Lord.”
Carmelite Constitutions (No. 82)
Children categories
1) Opening prayer
God of wisdom and love,
source of all good,
send Your Spirit to teach us Your truth
and guide our actions
in Your way of peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 5:1-12
Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up onto the mountain. And when He was seated His disciples came to Him.
Then He began to speak. This is what He taught them:
How blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Blessed are the gentle; they shall have the earth as inheritance.
Blessed are those who mourn; they shall be comforted.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for uprightness; they shall have their fill.
Blessed are the merciful; they shall have mercy shown them.
Blessed are the pure in heart; they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers; they shall be recognized as children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of righteousness; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you.
3) Reflection
• From today, beginning of the 10th week of Ordinary Time, up to the end of the 21st Week of Ordinary time, the daily Gospels are taken from Matthew. Starting from the beginning of the 22nd week of Ordinary Time, up to the end of the Liturgical Year, the Gospels are taken from Luke.
• In Matthew’s Gospel, written for the communities of the converted Jews of Galilee and Syria, Jesus is presented as the New Moses, the new legislator. In the Old Testament the Law of Moses was codified in five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Imitating the ancient model, Matthew presents the New Law in five great discourses spread over in the Gospel: a) the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1 to 7:29); b) the Discourse on the Mission (Mt 10:1-42); c) The Discourse of the Parables (Mt 13:1-52); d) The Discourse of the Community (Mt 18:1-35); e) The Discourse on the Future of the Kingdom (Mt 24:1 – 25:46). The narrative parts, which have been put in among the five Discourses, describe the practice of Jesus and show how He observed the New Law and incarnated it in His life.
• Matthew 5: 1-2: The solemn announcement of the New Law. In agreement with the context of the Gospel of Matthew, in the moment when Jesus pronounces the Sermon on the Mount, there were only four disciples with Him (cf. Mt 4:18-22). Few people. But an immense multitude was behind Him (Mt 4: 25). In the Old Testament, Moses went up to Mount Sinai to receive the Law of God. As it happened to Moses, Jesus went up to the Mountain, and seeing the crowd, He proclaimed the New Law. The solemn way in which Matthew introduces the proclamation of the New Law is significant: “Seeing the crowds, He went onto the mountain. And when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He began to speak. This is what He taught them: How blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs”. The eight Beatitudes open in a solemn way the “Sermon on the Mount” – the sermon on the mountain. In them Jesus defines who can be considered blessed, who can enter into the Kingdom. There are eight categories of persons, eight entrance doors to the Kingdom, for the community. There are no other entrances! Anyone who wants to enter into the Kingdom should identify himself with at least one of these eight categories.
• Matthew 5: 3: Blessed are the poor in spirit. Jesus acknowledges the richness and the value of the poor (Mt 11: 25-26). He defines His own mission in these words: “to proclaim the Good News to the poor” (Lk 4:18). He Himself lives in poverty. He possesses nothing for Himself, not even a stone where to rest His head (Mt 8:20). And to anyone who wants to follow Him, He offers a choice: God or money! (Mt 6:24). In Luke’s Gospel it is said, “Blessed are you who are poor!” (Lk 6:20). But who is poor in spirit? It is the poor person who has the same spirit that animated Jesus. It is not the rich person, neither the poor person who has the mentality of a rich person. But rather it is the poor person who acts as Jesus: he thinks of the poor and recognizes the value in him. It is the poor person who says, “I think that the world will be better when the little one who suffers thinks of the least.”
1. Blessed the poor in spirit => for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven
2. Blessed the meek => they shall have the earth as inheritance
3. Blessed those who mourn => they will be consoled
4. Blessed those who hunger and thirst for justice => they shall have their fill
5. Blessed are the merciful => they shall have mercy shown them
6. Blessed are the pure in heart => they shall see God
7. Blessed are the peacemakers => they shall be recognized as children of God
8. Blessed those persecuted for the cause of justice => theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
• Matthew 5: 4-9: The new project of life. Every time that in the Bible they try to renew the Covenant, they begin by re-establishing the rights of the poor and the excluded. Without this, the Covenant cannot be renewed! This is the way the Prophets did, this is how Jesus did. In the Beatitudes, He announces the new Project of God, which accepts the poor and the excluded. It denounces the system which excludes the poor and which persecutes those who fight for justice. The first category of the “poor in spirit” and the last category of those “persecuted for the cause of justice” receive the same promise of the Kingdom of Heaven. And they receive it beginning now, in the present, because Jesus says, “theirs is the Kingdom!” The Kingdom is already present in their life. Between the first and the last category, there are six other categories which receive the promise of the Kingdom. In them there is the new project of life which wants to reconstruct life totally through a new type of relationship: with material goods (the first two); with persons among themselves (2nd two); with God (3rd two). The Christian community should be an example of this Kingdom, a place where the Kingdom begins and takes shape, beginning now.
• The three duos: First one: the meek and those who mourn: the meek are those poor of whom Psalm 37 speaks. They have been deprived of their land and they will inherit it again (Ps 37: 11; cf. Ps 37:22,29,34). Those who mourn are those who weep in the face of injustices in the world and in people (cf. Ps 119:136; Ezek 9:4; Tob 13:16; 2 Pet 2:7). These two Beatitudes want to reconstruct the relationship with material goods: the possession of the land and of the reconciled world.
Second duo: those who hunger and thirst for justice and the merciful: Those who are hungry and thirsty for justice are those who desire to renew human living together, in such a way that once again it may be according to the demands of justice. The merciful are those who feel in their heart the misery of others because they want to eliminate the inequality among brothers and sisters. These two Beatitudes want to reconstruct the relationship among persons through the practice of justice and solidarity.
Third duo: The pure in heart and the peacemakers: The pure in heart are those who have a contemplative look which allows them to perceive the presence of God in everything. Those who promote peace, the peacemakers, will be called children of God, because they make an effort so that a new experience of God can penetrate in everything and can integrate all things. These two Beatitudes want to build up the relationship with God: to see the presence of God which acts in everything, and be called son and daughter of God.
• Matthew 5:10-12: The persecuted for the cause of justice and of the Gospel. The Beatitudes say exactly the contrary of what society in which we live says. In fact, in society, those who are persecuted for the cause of justice are considered as unhappy, wretched persons. The poor are unhappy. Blessed is the one who has money and can go to the supermarket and spend as she wishes. Blessed is the one who is hungry for power. The unhappy and wretched are the poor, those who weep! In television, the soap operas diffuse this myth of the happy and fulfilled person. And without being aware, the soap operas become the model of life for many of us. Is there still place in our society for these words of Jesus: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice and of the Gospel? Blessed are the poor! Blessed are those who weep!”? And from my own perspective, being a Christian, whom do I consider blessed?
4) Personal questions
• We all want to be happy. All of us! But are we truly happy? Why yes? Why no? How can we understand that a person can be poor and happy at the same time?
• In which moments of your life have you felt truly happy? Was it a happiness like the one proclaimed by Jesus in the Beatitudes, or was it of another type?
5) Concluding Prayer
I lift up my eyes to the mountains;
where is my help to come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth. (Ps 121:1-2)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
Your love never fails.
Hear our call.
Keep us from danger
and provide for all our needs.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 12:38-44
In His teaching Jesus said, 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted respectfully in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets; these are the men who devour the property of widows and for show offer long prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.'
He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then He called His disciples and said to them, 'In truth I tell you, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.'
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel we are getting to the end of the long teaching of Jesus to His disciples. From the first cure of the blind man (Mk 8:22-26) up to the cure of the blind Bartimaeus in Jericho (10:46-52), the disciples walked with Jesus toward Jerusalem, receiving much instruction from Him about the passion, death and resurrection and the consequences for the life of the disciple. When they reached Jerusalem, they witness the debates of Jesus with the traders in the Temple (Mk 11:15-19), with the high priests and the Scribes (Mk 11: 27 - 12: 12), with the Pharisees, Herodians and the Sadducees (Mk 12:13-27), with the Doctors of the Law (Mk 12:28-37). Now, in today’s Gospel, after the last criticism against the Scribes (Mk 12:38-40), Jesus instructs the disciples. Sitting opposite the treasury Jesus called their attention to the gesture of sharing of a poor widow. In that gesture they should look for the manifestation of the will of God (Mk 12: 41-44).
• Mark 12: 38-40: The criticism of the doctors of the Law. Jesus calls the attention of the disciples to the arrogant and hypocritical behavior of some of the doctors of the Law. They liked very much to go around the squares in the city wearing long tunics, and to receive the greeting of the people, to occupy the first places in the Synagogue and to have the place of honor at the banquets. They liked to enter the houses of the widows and to say long prayers in exchange for money! And Jesus says, “These people will receive a great condemnation!”
• Mark 12:41-42. The widow’s mite. Jesus and His disciples sitting opposite the treasury of the Temple observed that all left their alms. The poor put in a very small amount, a few cents; the rich put in coins of great value. The Treasury of the Temple received much money. Everyone took something for the maintenance of the cult, to support the clergy and for the maintenance of the building. Part of this money was used to help the poor, because at that time there was no social security. The poor depended on public charity. And the poor who needed greater help were the orphans and the widows. They had nothing. They depended for everything on the help of others. But even without having anything, they tried to share. In this way, a very poor widow, put in her alms into the treasury of the Temple. Just a few cents!
• Mark 12: 43-44. Jesus indicates where God’s will is manifested. What has greater value: the ten cents of the widow or the one thousand dollars of the rich? For the disciples, the one thousand dollars of the rich were much more useful than the ten cents of the widow. They thought that the problems of the people could be solved only with much money. On the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves, they had said to Jesus, “Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?” (Mk 6: 37) In fact, for those who think this way, the ten cents of the widow do not serve for anything. But Jesus says, “This widow who is poor has put into the treasury more than all the others”. Jesus has different criteria. He calls the attention of His disciples to the gesture of the widow, and teaches them where they and we should seek the manifestation of God’s will: in the poor and in sharing. Many poor people today do the same thing. People say, “The poor do not let another poor person starve”. But sometimes, not even this is possible. Cicera, the lady of the interior zone of Paraiba, Brazil, who went to live in the periphery of the capital city, would say, “In the interior, people were poor, but there was always a piece of bread to share with the poor person who knocked at the door. Now that I am in the great city, when I see a poor person who knocks at the door, I hide out of shame, because at home I have nothing to share with him!” On the one hand, rich people who have everything, but who do not want to share; on the other side, poor people who hardly have anything, but who want to share the little that they have.
• Alms, sharing, riches. The practice of giving alms was very important for the Jews. It was considered a “good work”, because the Law of the Old Testament said, “Because the poor will never be missing in the country; this is why I give you this command, and I say to you: Always be open handed with your brother in your country who is in need and poor” (Deut 15:11). The alms, deposited in the treasury of the Temple, whether for the worship, or for the needy, for the orphans and for the widows, were considered an action pleasing to God. To give alms was a way of recognizing that all the goods belong to God and that we are simple administrators of these goods, in such a way that there will be abundant life for all. The practice of sharing and of solidarity is one of the characteristics of the first Christian communities: “None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money from the sale of them to present it to the apostles; (Acts 4:34-35; 2:44-45). The money from the sale, offered to the apostles, was not accumulated, but rather “it was then distributed to any who might be in need” (Acts 4:35b; 2: 45). The entrance into the community of persons who were richer introduced into the community the mentality of accumulation and blocked the movement of solidarity and of sharing. James warns these people, “Now you rich! Lament; weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is rotting; your clothes are all moth-eaten” (Jas 5: 1-3). To learn the way to the Kingdom, we all need to become pupils of that poor widow, who shared all she had, what was necessary to live (Mk 12:41-44).
4) Personal questions
• How is it that the two cents of the widow can be worth more than one thousand dollars of the rich? Look closely at the text and see why Jesus praises the poor widow. What message does this text contain for us today?
• What difficulties and what joys have you found in your life in the practice of solidarity and in sharing with others?
5) Concluding Prayer
My mouth is full of Your praises,
filled with Your splendor all day long.
Do not reject me in my old age,
nor desert me when my strength is failing. (Ps 71:8-9)
1) Opening prayer
Father,
Your love never fails.
Hear our call.
Keep us from danger
and provide for all our needs.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 12:35-37
While teaching in the Temple, Jesus said, 'How can the scribes maintain that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, moved by the Holy Spirit, said, “The Lord declared to my Lord, take your seat at my right hand till I have made your enemies your footstool.” David himself calls Him Lord; in what way then can He be his son?' And the great crowd listened to Him with delight.
3) Reflection
• In the Gospel of the day before yesterday, Jesus criticizes the doctrine of the Sadducees (Mk 12: 24-27). In today’s Gospel, He criticizes the teaching of the doctors of the Law. And this time His criticism is not directed to the incoherence of their life, but to the teaching which they transmit to the people. On another occasion, Jesus had criticized their incoherence and had said to the people, “The Scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses: You must, therefore, do and observe what they tell you, but do not be guided by what they do, since they do not practice what they preach” (Mt 23:2-3). Now, He shows Himself reserved in regard to those who taught the Messianic hope, and He bases His criticism on arguments taken from the Bible.
• Mark 12: 35-36: The teaching of the Doctors of the Law on the Messiah. The official propaganda both of the government and of the Doctors of the Law said that the Messiah would come as the Son of David. This was the way to teach that the Messiah would be a glorious king, strong and dominating. This is how the people shouted on Palm Sunday: “Blessed the Kingdom that is coming from our Father David!” (Mk 11:10). The blind man of Jericho also cried out in this same way: “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!” (Mk 10: 47).
• Mark 12:37: Jesus questions the teaching of the doctors about the Messiah. Jesus questions this teaching of the Scribes. He quotes a Psalm of David: “The Lord declared to my Lord, take your seat at my right hand, till I have made your enemies your footstool!” (Ps 110:1). Jesus adds, “If David calls Him Lord, how then can He be his son?” This signifies that Jesus was not completely in agreement with the idea of a Messiah, Glorious Lord, who would come like a powerful king to dominate and to impose Himself on all His enemies. Mark adds that people were pleased with the criticism of Jesus. In fact, history reveals that the “poor of Yahweh” (anawim) were expecting a Messiah who was not a dominator, but the servant of God for humanity.
•The diverse forms of Messianic hope. Throughout the centuries, the Messianic hope grew, assuming diverse forms. Almost all the groups and movements of the time of Jesus were waiting for the coming of the Kingdom, but each one in his own way, the Pharisees, the Scribes, the Essenes, the Zealots, the Herodians, the Sadducees, the popular prophets, the disciples of John the Baptist, the poor of Yahweh. In the time of Jesus, three tendencies in the Messianic hope could be distinguished.
a) The Messiah personally sent by God: For some, the future Kingdom should arrive through one sent by God, called Messiah, or Christ. He would have been anointed so as to be able to carry out His mission (Isa 61:1). Some expected that he would be a prophet; others, a king, a disciple or a priest. Malachi, for example, expects the prophet Elijah (Mal 3:23-24). Psalm 72 expects an ideal king, a new David. Isaiah expects now a disciple (Isa 50:4), now a prophet (Isa 61:1). The unclean spirit shouted, "I know who you are: the Holy One of God!” (Mk 1: 24). This was a sign that there were people who expected a Messiah who would be a priest (Holy or Sanctifier). The poor of Yahweh (anawim) expected the Messiah to be “Servant of God”, announced by Isaiah.
b) Messianism without the Messiah. For others, the future would arrive suddenly, unexpected, without mediations, without help from anyone. God Himself would come in person to fulfill the prophecies. There would not be a Messiah, properly so called. There would be a messianism without a Messiah. Of this we are aware in the Book of Isaiah where God Himself arrives with the victory in hand (Isa 40: 9-10; 52:7-8).
c) The Messiah has already come. There were also some groups which did not expect the Messiah. According to them the present situation should continue as it was, because they thought that the future had already arrived. These groups were not popular. For example, the Sadducees did not expect the Messiah. The Herodians thought that Herod was a messianic king.
• The light of the Resurrection. The Resurrection of Jesus is the light which enlightens unexpectedly all the past. In the light of the Resurrection Christians would begin to read the Old Testament and would discover in it new meaning which before could not be discovered, because the light was missing (cf. 2 Cor 3:15-16). They sought in the Old Testament the words to express the new life which they were living in Christ. There they found the majority of the titles of Jesus: Messiah (Ps 2: 2) Son of man (Dan 7: 13; Ezek 2: 1), Son of God (Ps 2: 7; 2 Sam 7: 13), Servant of Yahweh (Isa 42: 1; 41: 8), Redeemer (Isa 41:14; Ps 19:15; Rut 4:15), Lord (LXX) (almost 6000 times!). All the great themes of the Old Testament spring up in Jesus and find in Him their full realization. In the Resurrection of Jesus springs up the seed and, according to everything that has been said by the Fathers of the Church, the whole Old Testament becomes New Testament.
4) Personal questions
• What is the hope for the future of today’s world in which we live?
• Does faith in the Resurrection influence your way of life?
5) Concluding Prayer
I am waiting for Your salvation, Yahweh,
I fulfill Your commandments.
I observe Your precepts, Your judgements,
for all my ways are before You. (Ps 119:166, 168)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
Your love never fails.
Hear our call.
Keep us from danger
and provide for all our needs.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 12:28b-34
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today presents a beautiful conversation between Jesus and a doctor of the Law. The doctor wants to know from Jesus which is the first of all the commandments. Today, many people want to know what is most important in religion. Some say: to be baptized. Others, to pray. Others say: to go to Mass or to participate in worship on Sunday. Others say: to love your neighbor! Others are worried about the appearance or the changes or tasks in the Church.
• Mark 12:28: The question of the doctor of the Law. A doctor of the Law, who had seen the debate of Jesus with the Sadducees (Mk 12:23-27), was pleased with Jesus’ response, and he perceives in Him a great intelligence and wants to take advantage of this occasion to ask Him a question: “Which is the first one of all the commandments?” At that time the Jews had an enormous number of norms which regulated, in practice, the observance of the Ten Commandments of the Law of God. Some said: “All these norms have the same value, because they all come from God. It does not belong to us to introduce distinctions in the things of God”. Others would say, “Some Laws are more important than others, that is why they oblige more!” The doctor wanted to know Jesus’ opinion.
• Mark 12:29-31: Jesus’ response. Jesus responds by quoting a passage of the Bible to say that the first commandment is “to love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength!” (Dt 6:4-5). At the time of Jesus, the pious Jews made of this text of Deuteronomy a prayer which they recited three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. It was also one of the four verses written in the phylacteries (tefillin) that men (mostly) wore. Among them it was known as today we know the Our Father. And Jesus adds, quoting the Bible again, “the second one is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other more important commandment than this one”. (Lev 19:18). A brief and profound response! It is the summary of all that Jesus has taught about God and about life (Mt 7:12).
• Mark 12:32-33: The answer of the doctor of the Law. The doctor agrees with Jesus and draws this conclusion: “To love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself; this is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.” In other words, the commandment of love is more important than the commandments related to worship and sacrifice in the Temple. This affirmation was already used by the prophets of the Old Testament (Hos 6:6; Ps 40:6-8; Ps 51:16-17). Today, we would say that the practice of love is more important than novenas, promises, Masses, prayers, and processions.
• Mark 12:34: The summary of the Kingdom. Jesus confirms the conclusion reached by the doctor and says, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God!” In fact, the Kingdom of God consists in recognizing that love toward God is equal to the love of neighbor. Because if God is Father, we all are sisters and brothers and should show this in practice, living in community. "On these two commandments depend the Law and the prophets” (Mt 22:4). The disciples must keep in mind, fix in their memory, in their intelligence, in the heart, in their hands and feet this important law of love: God is only attained through the total gift of self to our neighbor!
• The first and most important commandment. The most important and first commandment was and will always be: “to love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk 12:30). In the measure in which the people of God, throughout the centuries, have deepened the meaning and the importance of the love of God, it has become aware that God’s love is true and real only in the measure in which it is made concrete in the love to neighbor. And thus, the second commandment which asks for the love for neighbor, is similar to the first commandment of God’s love (Mt 22:39; Mk 12:31). “Anyone who says I love God, and hates his brother, is a liar” (1 Jn 4:20). “On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Mt 22:40).
4) Personal questions
• There are different kinds of love, some incomplete. There is love that is possessive: “I love my spouse, you can’t have him/her”. There is the love that wants to share the one/thing loved: “I love these candies! Have some!” There is love that begets obligation: “I have to take care of my cat”. And there is the love that brings total service, as one does to a new baby: no one questions why the baby is upset, or advises the baby to eat less, but only responds with complete service at the moment.
Which form of love do I give to God, really and truly, and which form of love would my friends, neighbors, or community say I give?
• Of these types of love, which do I have for the people around me? Is it different for the people I see but don’t know personally? What should it be, and am I honest in my self-evaluation?
• I am on my way to the last Sunday Mass today. Someone approaches and needs my help. Do I miss Mass and help, or avoid the person so I can make it to Mass? How does your answer fit with these commandments from Jesus?
5) Concluding Prayer
Direct me in Your ways, Yahweh,
and teach me Your paths.
Encourage me to walk in Your truth and teach me
since You are the God who saves me. (Ps 25:4-5)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
Your love never fails.
Hear our call.
Keep us from danger
and provide for all our needs.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 12:18-27
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone's brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a woman and died, leaving no descendants. So the second brother married her and died, leaving no descendants, and the third likewise. And the seven left no descendants. Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "Are you not misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled."
3) Reflection
• In today’s Gospel the confrontation between Jesus and the authorities continues. After the priests, the elders and the scribes (Mk 12:1-12) and the Pharisees and the Herodians (Mk 12:13-17), now the Sadducees appear who ask a question about resurrection. It is a controversial theme, which caused argument and discussion among the Sadducees and the Pharisees (Mk 12:18-27; cf. Acts 23:6-1).
• In the Christian communities of the years seventy, the time when Mark wrote his Gospel, there were some Christians who, in order to not be persecuted, tried to reconcile the teaching of Jesus with the ideas of the Roman Emperor. The others who resisted the Empire were persecuted, accused and questioned by the authority due to neighbors who felt annoyed, bothered by their witness. The description of the conflicts of Jesus with the authority was a very great help for the Christians so as not to allow themselves to be manipulated by the ideology of the Empire. In reading these episodes of conflict of Jesus with the authorities, the persecuted Christians were encouraged to continue on this road.
• Mark 12:18-23. The Sadducees: The Sadducees were the aristocratic elite of land owners and traders. They were willing to borrow from Hellenism and believed in written, but not oral, law. They did not accept faith in the Resurrection. At that time, this faith was beginning to be challenged by the Pharisees and popular piety. It urged the resistance of the people against the dominion of the Romans, and of the priests, of the elders and of the Sadducees themselves. For the Sadducees, the Messianic Kingdom was already present in the situation of well-being in which they were living. They may have followed what we call today as the “Theology of Retribution,” which distorted reality. According to this theology, God rewards with richness and well-being those who observe the Law of God, and He punishes with suffering and poverty those who do evil. A variation of this today in some independent Christian communities is called “Prosperity Theology”. It is also related to the concept of Deuteronomist Theology, which refers to the agenda of the Deuteronomic authors. This explains why the Sadducees did not want change. They wanted religion to remain as it was, immutable like God Himself in the written law. This is why they did not accept faith in the Resurrection and in the help of angels, who sustained the struggle of those who sought changes and liberation.
• Mark 12:19-23. The question of the Sadducees: They go to Jesus to criticize and to ridicule faith in the Resurrection, to tell about the fictitious case of the woman who got married seven times and at the end she died without having any children. The so-called law of the levirate obliged the widow who had no children to marry the brother of the deceased husband. The son who would have been born from this new marriage would be considered the son of the deceased husband. Thus he would have a descendant. But in the case proposed by the Sadducees, the woman, in spite of having had seven husbands, remained without a son. They asked Jesus: “In the Resurrection, when they will rise, to whom will the woman belong? Because seven had her as wife!” This was in order to say that to believe in the resurrection was absurd.
• Mark 12:24-27: The response of Jesus. Jesus responds harshly: “Surely, the reason why you are wrong is that you understand neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” Jesus explains that the condition of persons after death will be totally different from the present condition. After death there will be no marriage, but all will be as the angels in Heaven. The Sadducees imagined life in Heaven as life on earth. And at the end Jesus concludes: “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living! You are in great error.” The disciples are warned: those who are on the side of these Sadducees will be on the side opposite to God.
4) Personal questions
• What is the Church’s teaching of Heaven, and what is my own view?
• We in the Church have written laws, doctrine, authoritative teaching (in writing, as in Encyclicals), and the writing of the saints. We also have oral stories, Catholic culture, devotions, and ‘popular’ personal interpretations. Do I know the difference between these and do I have a grasp on what is firm truth and what is personal opinion?
• Do I also believe in the resurrection? What does the following mean for me: “I believe in the resurrection of the body and in life everlasting?”
• Have you heard or met anyone who believes in the theology of retribution or prosperity theology?
5) Concluding Prayer
Lord, I lift up my eyes to You who are enthroned in heaven.
Just as the eyes of slaves are on their masters' hand,
or the eyes of a slave-girl on the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes are on Yahweh our God,
for Him to take pity on us. (Ps 123:1-2)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father and protector,
without You nothing is holy,
nothing has value.
Guide us to everlasting life
by helping us to use wisely
the blessings You have given to the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Luke 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
3) Reflection
• The dynamics of the account. The condition of Jesus as an itinerant teacher offers Martha the possibility to receive Him in her house. This account presents the attitude of both sisters: Mary sitting down at Jesus’ feet is all taken up listening to His Word; Martha, instead, is taken up completely by many services and she gets close to Jesus to protest about her sister’s behavior. The dialogue between Jesus and Martha occupies a long space in the account (vv.40b-42): Martha begins with a rhetorical question, “Lord, do You not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself?”; then she asks for the intervention of Jesus so that He can call the sister back to the domestic work which she has abandoned: “Tell her to help me”. Jesus answers in an affectionate tone; this is the sense of the repetition of the name, “Martha, Martha”: He reminds her that she is concerned about “many things”, and in reality she needs “only one” and He concludes by recalling that the sister has chosen the best part, and it will not be taken away from her. Luke has built up this account on a contrast: the two different personalities of Martha and Mary; the first one is all taken up by “many things”, the second one does not do even one, she is all taken up with listening to the Master. The purpose of this contrast is to underline the attitude of Mary who dedicates herself to listen fully and totally to the Master, thus becoming the model for every believer.
• The person of Martha. She is the one who takes the initiative to receive Jesus in her house. In dedicating herself to receive the Master she is full of anxiety for the multiplicity of things to be prepared and by the tension of seeing herself alone to do it all. She is taken up by so much work, she is anxious, and experiences a great tension. Therefore, Martha “goes to Jesus” and addresses to Him a legitimate question for help: why should she be left alone by the sister? Jesus answers seeing that she is only worried, she is divided in the heart between the desire of serving Jesus with a meal worthy of His person and the desire to dedicate herself to listen to Him. Jesus, therefore, does not disapprove of Martha’s service, but only the anxiety with which she does it. Before, Jesus had explained in the parable of the sower that the seed that fell among the thorns recalls the situation of those who listen to the Word, but allow themselves to be taken up by other concerns (Lk 8:14). Therefore, Jesus does not disapprove of Martha’s work, the value of acceptance and welcoming concerning His person, but He warns the woman about the dangers into which she may fall: anxiety and agitation. Jesus had already said something about these risks: “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and everything else will be given to you as well” (Lk 12:31).
• The person of Mary. She is the one who accepts the Word: she is described with the imperfect form: “she was listening”, a continuing action in listening to the Word of Jesus. Mary’s attitude is in contrast with her sister’s anxiety and tension. Jesus says that Mary has preferred “the best part” that corresponds to listening to His Word. From the Word of Jesus the reader learns that there are not two parts of which one is qualitatively better than the other, but there is only the good one: to accept His Word. This attitude does not endorse avoiding one’s own tasks or daily responsibilities, but only the knowledge that listening to the Word precedes every service, every activity.
• Balance between action and contemplation. Luke is particularly attentive to link listening to the Word to relationship with the Lord. It is not a question of dividing the day in times dedicated to prayer and others to service, but attention to the Word precedes and accompanies the service. The desire to listen to God cannot be replaced by other activity: it is necessary to dedicate a certain time and place to seek the Lord. The commitment to cultivate listening to the Word comes from the attention to God: everything can contribute: the environment of the place, the time. However, the desire to encounter God should come from within one’s own heart. There is no technical element which automatically leads one to encounter God. It is a problem of love: it is necessary to listen to Jesus, to be with Him, and then the gift is communicated, and falling in love begins. The balance between listening and service involves all believers, in family life as well as in professional and social life: What can we do so that baptized persons persevere and attain maturity of faith? We should train ourselves to listen to the Word of God. This is the most difficult but surest way to attain maturity of faith.
4) Personal questions
• Do I know how to create in my life situations the paths of listening? Do I limit myself only to listen to the Word of God in church, or rather, do I dedicate myself to personal and profound listening, looking for suitable times and places?
• Do you limit yourself to a private use of the Word or do you proclaim it in order to become light for others and not only a lamp which lights one’s own private life?
• The Church has a long history in the Fathers and Doctors of the Church to help understand how to listen to the Word of God. Have you read and learned from this treasure of the Church to enable more profound listening?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh, who can find a home in Your tent,
who can dwell on Your holy mountain?
Whoever lives blamelessly, who acts uprightly,
who speaks the truth from the heart. (Ps 15:1-2)
1) Opening prayer
God our Father and protector,
without You nothing is holy,
nothing has value.
Guide us to everlasting life
by helping us to use wisely
the blessings You have given to the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 13:54-58
Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today tells us of Jesus’ visit to Nazareth, His native community. Passing through Nazareth was painful for Jesus. What was His community at the beginning, now is no longer so. Something has changed. Where there is no faith, Jesus can work no miracles.
• Matthew 13: 53-57ª: The reaction of the people of Nazareth before Jesus. It is always good for people to go back to their land. After a long absence, Jesus also returns, as usual, on a Saturday, and He goes to the meeting of the community. Jesus was not the head of the group, but just the same, He speaks. This is a sign that people could participate and express their own opinion. People were astonished. They did not understand Jesus’ attitude: "Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” Jesus, son of that place, whom they knew since He was a child, how is it that now He is so different? The people of Nazareth are scandalized and do not accept Him: “This is the carpenter’s son, surely?” The people do not accept the mystery of God present in a common man, as they are, and as they had known Jesus. In order to speak about God He should be different. As one can see, not everything was positive. The people, who should have been the first ones to accept the Good News, are the first ones to refuse it. The conflict is not only with foreigners, but also with His relatives and with the people of Nazareth. They do not accept because they cannot understand the mystery which envelops Jesus: “Is not His mother, the woman called Mary, and His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude, and His sisters too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?” They are not able to believe.
• Matthew 13:57b-58: Jesus’ reaction before the attitude of the people of Nazareth. Jesus knows very well that “no one is a prophet in his own country.” He says, “A prophet is despised only in his own country and in his own house.” In fact, where there is neither acceptance nor faith, people can do nothing. Prejudice prevents it. Jesus Himself, even wanting, can do nothing. He was astonished at their lack of faith.
• The brothers and sisters of Jesus. The expression “brothers of Jesus” causes much division between Catholics and Protestants. Based on this and other texts, the Protestants say that Jesus had many brothers and sisters and that Mary had more children! Catholics say that Mary did not have any other children. What are we to think of this? Both positions, that of Catholics as well as that of Protestants, contain arguments taken from the Bible and from the tradition of their respective Churches. We should consider that in our communities today we also call each other “brother” and “sister”, yet we don’t share immediate parents. In that day, children didn’t move far from their parents like they might do today, so many extended family relationships existed within the same community. For this reason, it is not helpful to discuss this question with arguments which are only intellectual, because it is a question of profound convictions, which have something to do with faith and with the sentiments of each one. An argument which is merely intellectual cannot change a conviction of the heart! It only irritates and repels! Even if I do not agree with the opinion of others, I have to respect it. In the second place, instead of talking about texts, all of us, Catholics and Protestants, should unite in order to fight for the defense of life, created by God, a life disfigured by poverty, injustice, lack of faith. We should recall some other sayings of Jesus: “I have come so that they may have life and life to the full” (Jn 10:10); “That all may be one, so that the world may believe that You, Father, have sent Me” (Jn 17:21); “Do not prevent them! Anyone who is not against us is for us” (Mk 10:39,40).
4) Personal questions
• In Jesus something changed in His relationship with the community of Nazareth. Since you began to participate in community, has anything changed in your relationship with your family? Why?
• Has participation in the community helped you to accept and to trust people, especially the more simple and the poorest?
• When two join to form a new community in marriage, their relationship with their families also changes. Reconsider the previous questions in light of this as well.
5) Concluding Prayer
For myself, wounded wretch that I am,
by Your saving power raise me up!
I will praise God’s name in song,
I will extol Him by thanksgiving. (Ps 69: 29-30)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father and protector,
without You nothing is holy,
nothing has value.
Guide us to everlasting life
by helping us to use wisely
the blessings You have given to the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading – Matthew 13:44-46
Jesus said to his disciples: "The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today presents two brief parables from the discourse on the parables. They are similar to each other, but with significant differences that clarify aspects of the mystery of the Kingdom which the parables are revealing.
• Matthew 13:44: The parable of the treasure hidden in the field. Jesus tells a very simple and brief story which could happen in the life of any person. He says, “The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field; someone finds it and hides it again, then he goes off with great joy, he sells everything he owns and buys the field.” Jesus does not explain, He only says, “The kingdom of Heaven is similar to a treasure hidden in a field.” In this way He urges the listeners to share with others what this story has aroused in them. I share some points that are discovered: (a) The treasure, the Kingdom, is already found in the field, in life. It is hidden. We go through the field and step over the plants without being aware. (b) The man finds the treasure, just out of chance. He did not expect to find it, because he was not looking for it. (c) Seeing that it is a question of a very important treasure, what does he do? He does what we all would do in order to take possession of the treasure. He goes and he sells everything that he has and he buys the field. And, thus, together with the field, he obtains the treasure, the Kingdom. The condition is to sell everything! (d) If the treasure, the Kingdom, is already in my life, then this important aspect of life begins to have new value. (e) In this story, what dominates is gratuity. The treasure is found by chance, independently from our plans. The Kingdom comes! We must reap the consequences and not allow this moment of grace to go by without bearing fruit.
• Matthew 13:45-46: The parable of the merchant of fine pearls. The second parable is similar to the first one, but with an important difference. Let us try to discover it. The story is the following: “The kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value, he goes off and sells everything he owns and buys it.”. I share some points that I have discovered: (a) it is the story of a merchant of pearls. His profession is to look for pearls. This is the only thing that he does in his life: to look for and to find pearls. Looking, he finds a pearl of great value. Here the discovery of the Kingdom is not just by chance, but it is the fruit of a long search. (b) The merchant of pearls knows the value of the pearls, because many people would like to sell him the pearls that they find. But the merchant does not allow himself to be deceived. He knows the value of his merchandise. (c) When he finds a pearl of great value, he goes and sells everything which he owns and buys the pearl. The Kingdom has the greatest value.
• Summarizing the teaching of the two parables. Both of them have the same objective: to reveal the presence of the Kingdom, but each one reveals it in a different way: through the discovery of the gratuity of God’s action in us, and through the effort and the search which each human being makes to discover the meaning of his/her life.
4) Personal questions
• Have I ever found a hidden treasure? Have I sold everything in order to buy it?
• What is the pearl that you are looking for and you have not as yet found?
• Both parables are built upon “finding”. To find, there has to be some effort to “look”. What am I doing to “look” for the Kingdom so that I can find it?
• What is my image of the Kingdom? How will I know when I find great treasure?
5) Concluding Prayer
I will sing of Your strength,
in the morning acclaim Your faithful love;
You have been a stronghold for me,
a refuge when I was in trouble. (Ps 59:16)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father and protector,
without You nothing is holy,
nothing has value.
Guide us to everlasting life
by helping us to use wisely
the blessings You have given to the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 13:31-35
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them another parable. "The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
3) Reflection
• We are meditating on the discourse on the Parables, which reveals, by means of comparisons, the mystery of the Kingdom of God present in the life of the people. Today’s Gospel presents to us two brief parables: the mustard seed and the yeast. In these, Jesus tells two stories taken from daily life which will serve as terms of comparison to help the people discover the mystery of the Kingdom. When meditating on these two stories it is not necessary to try to discover what each element of the stories try to tell us about the Kingdom. First of all, one must look at the story itself as a whole and try to discover the central point around which the story was constructed. This central point will serve as a means of comparison for revealing the Kingdom of God. Let us try to discover the central point of the two parables.
• Matthew 13:31-32: The parable of the mustard seed. Jesus says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed” and then He immediately tells the story: a mustard seed which is very small is cast into the ground. Despite being very small, it grows and becomes larger than other plants and attracts the birds which come and build their nests in it. Jesus does not explain the story. Here applies what He said on another occasion: “Anyone who has ears to hear, let him hear!” That is, “It is this. You have heard, so now try to understand!” It is up to us to discover what the story reveals to us about the Kingdom of God present in our life. Thus, by means of this story of the mustard seed, Jesus urges us to think because each one of us understands something about the seed. Jesus expects that people, all of us, begin to share what each one has discovered. Now, I share three points that I have discovered on the Kingdom, beginning with this parable: (a) Jesus says, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed.” The Kingdom is not something abstract, it is not an idea. It is a presence in our midst (Lk 17:21). What is this presence like? It is like the mustard seed: a very small presence, humble, which can hardly be seen. It is about Jesus, a poor carpenter, who goes through Galilee, speaking about the Kingdom to the people of the towns. The Kingdom of God does not follow the opinions of the great of the world. It has a different way of thinking and proceeding. (b) The prophecy evokes a prophecy of Ezekiel, in which it is said that God will take a small twig of the cedar and will plant it on the mountain of Israel. This small twig of cedar “will bring forth branches and will bear fruit and will become a magnificent cedar. Under it all the birds will live, every kind of birds will rest under it. All the trees of the forest will know that I am the Lord, who humiliated the tall tree and exalted the low one; I dry the green tree and make the dry tree come to life. I the Lord have spoken and I will do it” (Ezek 17:22-23). (c) The mustard seed, even if very small, grows and gives hope. Like the mustard seed, the Kingdom has an interior force and it grows. How does it grow? It grows through the preaching of Jesus and of the disciples in the towns of Galilee. It grows even today, through the witness of the community and becomes good news of God which radiates light and attracts people. The person who gets close to the community feels welcomed, accepted, at home, and builds in it her nest, her dwelling. Finally, the parable leaves a question in the air: who are the birds? The question will receive an answer later in the Gospel. The text suggests that it is a question of the pagans who will be able to enter the Kingdom (Mt 15:21-28).
• Matthew 13:33: The parable of the yeast. The story of the second parable is the following: A woman took a bit of yeast and mixed it with three measures of flour, until it is leavened all through. Once again, Jesus does not explain. He only says, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast...” As in the first parable, it is up to us to discover the significance which this has for us today. The following are some points which I have discovered and which have made me think: (a) What grows is not the yeast, but the dough. (b) It is a matter of something in a house, well known to a woman in her house. (c) The yeast is mixed up with the pure dough of flour and contains something living. (d) The objective is to have all the dough rise and grow through the beneficial action of the yeast, and not only one part. (e) The yeast is not an end in itself but serves to make the dough grow.
• Matthew 13:34-35: Why Jesus speaks in parables. Here, at the end of the discourse on the Parables, Matthew clarifies the reason which prompted Jesus to teach the people using the form of parables. He says that it was in order that the prophecy would be fulfilled which said, "I will open the mouth to use parables; I will proclaim things hidden since the creation of the world.” In reality, the text that has been quoted is not of a prophet, but rather it is a Psalm (Ps 78:2). For the first Christians the whole of the Old Testament was a great prophecy which announced in a veiled way the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of the promises of God. In Mark 4:33-34, the reason which prompted Jesus to teach the people by means of parables was to adapt the message to the capacity of the people. With these examples taken from the life of the people, Jesus helped the people to discover the things of God in everyday life. Life then became transparent. He made them perceive that what was extraordinary in God is hidden in the ordinary and common things of daily life. People understood the things of life. In the parables they received the key to open them and to find in them the signs of God. At the end of the discourse on the Parables, in Matthew 13:52, as we shall see later, another reason will be explained why Jesus chose to teach with parables.
4) Personal questions
• Which point of these two parables did you like best or which struck you more? Why?
• What is the seed that without your awareness has grown in you and in your community?
• What other symbolisms can you find for the seed, the bush, the birds, the bush’s relationship with other plants, and the meanings for “dwell”? What insights does this lead you too?
• What other symbolisms can you find for yeast and flour? Is there significance to using “3 measures of flour” in the parable? What insights does this lead you too?
5) Concluding Prayer
I will sing of Your strength,
in the morning acclaim Your faithful love;
You have been a stronghold for me,
a refuge when I was in trouble. (Ps 59:16)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
be merciful to Your people.
Fill us with Your gifts
and make us always eager to serve You
in faith, hope and love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 20:20-28
The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom." Jesus said in reply, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
3) Reflection
• Jesus and the disciples are on the way to Jerusalem (Mt 20:17). Jesus knows that He will be killed (Mt 20:8). The Prophet Isaiah had already announced it (Is 50:4-6; 53:1-10). His death will not be the fruit of blind destiny or of a pre-established plan, but it will be the consequence of the commitment freely made of being faithful to the mission which He received from the Father together with the poor of the earth. Jesus had already said that the disciple has to follow the Master and carry his cross behind him (Mt 16:21,24). But the disciples did not understand what was happening (Mt 16:22-23; 17:23). Suffering and the cross did not correspond to the idea that they had of the Messiah.
• Matthew 20:20-21: The petition of the mother of the sons of Zebedee. The disciples do not only not understand, but they continue to think about their personal ambitions. The mother of the sons of Zebedee, the spokesperson for her sons John and James, gets close to Jesus to ask for a favor: “Promise that these two sons of mine may sit one at Your right hand and the other at Your left in Your Kingdom.”
They had not understood Jesus’ proposal. They were concerned only about their own interests. This shows clearly the tensions in the communities, both at the time of Jesus and of Matthew, as we also see in our own communities.
• Matthew 20:22-23: Jesus’ response. Jesus reacts firmly. He responds to the sons and not to the mother: “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” It is a question of the chalice of suffering. Jesus wants to know if they, instead of taking places of honor, are willing to give their own life up to death. Both reply, “We can!” This was a sincere response and Jesus confirms it: “You shall drink My cup.” At the same time, it seems to be a hasty response, because a few days later, they abandon Jesus and leave Him alone in His hour of suffering (Mt 26:51). They do not have a strong critical conscience, and they are not even aware of their own personal reality. Jesus then completes the statement, saying, “But it is not Mine to grant that you sit at My right hand and My left, these seats belong to those to whom they have been allotted by My Father.” What Jesus can offer is the chalice of the suffering of the cross.
• Matthew 20:24-27: “Among you this is not to happen.” “When the other ten heard this, they were indignant with the two brothers.” The request made by the mother in the name of her sons causes a heated discussion in the group. Jesus calls the disciples and speaks to them about the exercise of power: “The rulers of nations, you know, dominate over them and the great exercise their power over them. Among you this is not to happen: anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant and anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave.” At that time, those who held power had no concern for the people. They acted according to their own interests (cf. Mk 14:3-12). The Roman Empire controlled the world, subduing it with the force of arms and, in this way, through taxes, customs, etc. succeeded in accumulating riches through repression and the abuse of power. Jesus had another response. He teaches against privileges and against rivalry. He overthrows the system and insists on the attitude of service, which is the remedy for personal ambition. The community has to prepare an alternative. When the Roman Empire disintegrates, victim of its own internal contradictions, the communities should be prepared to offer to the people an alternative model of living together.
• Matthew 20:28: The summary of the life of Jesus. Jesus defines His life and His mission: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” In this definition of self given by Jesus are implied three titles which define Him and which were for the first Christians the beginning of Christology: Son of Man, Servant of Yahweh and older brother (close relative). Jesus is the Messiah, Servant, announced by the prophet Isaiah (cf. Isa 42:1-9; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53). He learned from His mother, who said, “Behold the servant of the Lord!” (Lk 1:38). This was a totally new proposal for the society of that time.
4) Personal questions
• James and John ask for favors. Jesus promises suffering. What do I seek in my relationship with God and what do I ask for in prayer? How do I accept the suffering that comes in my life and which is the opposite of what we ask in prayer?
• Jesus says, “May it not be like that among you!” Is our way of living in the Church and in the community in accord with Jesus’ advice?
• “Whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant.” In this world, as a boss, supervisor, department head, CEO, manager, or customer, how does “being great” differ from this? Is it possible to be great as Jesus asks and be great as the world understands it?
5) Concluding Prayer
Then the nations kept saying,
“What great deeds Yahweh has done for them!”
Yes, Yahweh did great deeds for us,
and we were overjoyed. (Ps 126:2-3)
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Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
be merciful to Your people.
Fill us with Your gifts
and make us always eager to serve You
in faith, hope and love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - John 20:1-2,11-18
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he told her.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today presents the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene, whose feast we celebrate today. The death of Jesus, her great friend, makes her lose the sense of life, but she does not cease to look for Him. She goes to the tomb to encounter anew the One whom death had stolen. There are moments in life in which everything crumbles down. It seems that everything has come to an end. Death, disasters, pain, disillusionments, betrayals! There are so many things that can make us lose the earth under our feet and produce in us a profound crisis, but something different can also take place. Unexpectedly, the encounter with a friend can give us back the sense of life and make us discover that love is stronger than death and defeat. In the way in which the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene is described we distinguish the stages followed, from the painful seeking for the dead friend to the encounter of the risen Lord. These are also the stages that we all follow, along our life, seeking God and in living out the Gospel. It is the process of death and of resurrection.
• John 20:1: Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb. There was a profound love between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. She was one of the few people who had the courage to remain with Jesus until the hour of His death on the Cross. After the obligatory rest of the Sabbath, she returned to the tomb, to be in the place where she had met the Beloved for the last time, but to her great surprise, the tomb was empty!
• John 20:11-13: Mary Magdalene weeps, but seeks. As she wept, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. The angels asked, “Why are you weeping?” Her response: “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put Him!” Mary Magdalene looks for the Jesus she had known, the same one with whom she had lived for three years.
• John 20:14-15: Mary Magdalene speaks with Jesus without recognizing Him; the disciples on the way to Emmaus saw Jesus, but they did not recognize Him (Lk 24:15-16). The same thing happens to Mary Magdalene. She sees Jesus, but does not recognize Him. She thinks that He is the gardener. Jesus also asks, as the angels had done, “Why are you weeping?” And He adds, “Whom are you looking for?” Response: “If you have taken Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will go and remove Him!” She is still looking for the Jesus of the past, the same one of three days before. The image of the past prevents her from recognizing the living Jesus, who is standing in front of her.
• John 20:16: Mary Magdalene recognizes Jesus. Jesus pronounces the name “Mary!” (Miriam). This is the sign of recognition: the same voice, the same way of pronouncing the name. She answers “Master!” (Rabbouni). Jesus turns. The first impression is that death has been only a painful accident on the way, but that now everything has turned back as it was in the beginning. Mary embraces Jesus intensely. He was the same Jesus who had died on the cross, the same one whom she had known and loved. Here takes place what Jesus had said in the parable of the Good Shepherd: “He calls His by name and they know His voice”. “I know My sheep and My sheep know Me!” (Jn 10:2,4,14).
• John 20:17: Mary Magdalene receives the mission to announce the resurrection to the Apostles. In fact, it is the same Jesus, but the way of being with her is not the same. Jesus tells her, “Do not cling to Me because I have not yet ascended to the Father!” Jesus is going to be together with the Father. Mary Magdalene should not cling to Him, but rather, she has to assume her mission: “But go and find My brothers and tell them: I am ascending to My Father and your Father”. He calls the disciples “My brothers”. Ascending to the Father Jesus opens the way for us so that we can be close to God. “I want them to be with Me where I am” (Jn 17:24; 14:3).
• John 20:18: The dignity and the mission of Magdalene and of the women. Mary Magdalene is called the disciple of Jesus (Lk 8:1-2); witness of His crucifixion (Mk 15:40-41; Mt 27:55-56; Jn 19:25), of His burial (Mk 15:47; Lk 23:55; Mt 27:61), and of His resurrection (Mk 16:1-8; Mt 28:1-10; Jn 20:1,11-18). Now she receives the order, she is ordered to go to the Twelve and to announce to them that Jesus is alive. Without this Good News of the Resurrection, the seven lamps of the Sacraments would extinguish (Mt 28:10; Jn 20:17-18).
4) Personal questions
• Have you ever had an experience that has produced in you an impression of loss and of death? What has given you new life and the hope and joy of living?
• Mary Magdalene looked for Jesus in a certain way and found Him again in another way. How does this take place in our life today?
5) Concluding Prayer
God, You are my God, I pine for You;
My heart thirsts for You,
My body longs for You,
As a land parched, dreary and waterless. (Ps 63:1)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
be merciful to Your people.
Fill us with Your gifts
and make us always eager to serve You
in faith, hope and love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading – Matthew 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."
3) Reflection
• In chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew the third great discourse begins, the Discourse of the Parables. As we already said before, in the commentary on the Gospel of July 9th, Matthew organized his Gospel like a new edition of the Law of God or like a new “Pentateuch” with its five books. For this reason his Gospel is composed of five great discourses or teachings of Jesus, followed by narrative parts, in which he describes how Jesus put into practice what He had taught in the discourses. The following is the outline:
Introduction: birth and preparation of the Messiah (Mt 1 to 4)
a) Sermon on the Mount: the entrance door to the Kingdom (Mt 5 to 7)
Narrative Mt 8 and 9
b) Discourse on the Mission: how to announce and spread the Kingdom (Mt 10)
Narrative Mt 11 and 12
c) Discourse of the Parables: the mystery of the Kingdom present in life (Mt 13)
Narrative Mt 14 to 17
d) Discourse on the Community: the new way of living together in the Kingdom (Mt 18)
Narrative 19 to 23
e) Discourse on the future coming of the Kingdom: the utopia which sustains hope (Mt 24 and 25)
Conclusion: Passion, Death and Resurrection (Mt 26 to 28).
• In today’s Gospel we will meditate on the parable of the seed. Jesus had a way of speaking by means of comparisons and parables. Generally, when He finished telling a parable, He did not explain it, but used to say, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mt 11:15; 13:9,43). Sometimes He would explain the meaning to the disciples (Mt 13:36). The parables speak of the things of life; seed, lamp, mustard seed, salt, etc. These are things that exist in daily life, for the people of that time as well as today for us. Thus, the experience that we have today of these things becomes for us a means to discover the presence of the mystery of God in our life. To speak in parables means to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom present in life.
• Matthew 13:1-3: Sitting in the boat, Jesus taught the people. As it happened in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1-2), here also, Matthew makes a brief introduction to The Discourse of the Parables, describing Jesus who teaches in the boat, on the shore, and the many people around Him who listen. Jesus was not a person who was instructed (Jn 7:15). He had not been to a higher school in Jerusalem. He came from inside the country, from Nazareth. He was unknown, a craftsman or artisan. Without asking permission from the religious authority, He began to teach the people. People liked to listen to Him. Jesus taught especially by means of parables. We have already heard some of them: fishers of men (Mt 4:19), the salt (Mt 5:13), the lamp (Mt 5:15), the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field (Mt 6:26.28), the house constructed on the rock (Mt 7:24), and now, in chapter 13, the parables begin to have a particular meaning: they serve to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of God present in the midst of people and the activity of Jesus.
• Matthew 13:4-8: The parable of the seed taken from the life of the farmer. At that time, it was not easy to live from farming. The land was full of stones. There was little rain and too much sun. Many times, in order to shortcut the way, people passed through the fields and destroyed the plants (Mt 12:1). In spite of all that, every year, the farmer would sow and plant, with trust in the force of the seed, in the generosity of nature. The parable of the sower describes that which we all know and do: the seed thrown by the planter falls on the ground along the road, another part falls among the stones and thistles; still another part falls on good earth, where, according to the quality of the land, will produce thirty, sixty and even up to one hundredfold. A parable is a comparison. It uses things known by the people and which are visible to explain that the Kingdom of God is an invisible and unknown thing. The people of Galilee understood about seeds, ground, rain, sun and harvest. So now Jesus uses exactly these things that were known to people to explain the mystery of the Kingdom.
• Matthew 13:9: He who has ears to hear, let him listen. The expression “He who has ears, let him listen” means: “It is this! You have heard. Now try to understand!” The way to be able to understand the parable is to search: “To try to understand!” The parable does not give everything immediately, but pushes one to think and to make one discover, starting from the experience which the listeners have of the seed. It appeals to creativity and to participation. It is not a doctrine which comes ready to be taught. The parable does not give water in bottles, but the source. The farmer who listens to the parable says, “Seed in the ground, I know what that means! But Jesus says that it has something to do with the Kingdom of God. What would that be?” And it is easy to imagine the long conversations of the people! The parable leads us to listen to nature and to think of life. Once a person asked in a community, “Jesus says that we have to be salt. What is salt good for?” There was discussion, and then at the end, ten different purposes that salt can have, were discovered. Then all this was applied to the life of the community and it was discovered that to be salt is difficult and demanding. The parable worked well!
4) Personal questions
• When you were a child how was catechism taught to you? How do you compare it to some parts of your life? Do you remember some important comparison that the catechist told you? How is the catechesis today in your community?
• Sometimes we are the road side, sometimes the rock; other times the thorns or thistles, and other times good earth. What am I? What are we in our community? Which are the fruits which the Word of God is producing in my life, in my family, and in our community: thirty, sixty, one hundredfold?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh in His holy temple!
Yahweh, His throne is in heaven;
His eyes watch over the world,
His gaze scrutinizes the children of Adam. (Ps 11:4)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
be merciful to Your people.
Fill us with Your gifts
and make us always eager to serve You
in faith, hope and love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 12:38-42
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents to us a discussion between Jesus and the religious authority of the time. This time, the doctors of the law and the Pharisees are those who ask Jesus for a sign. Jesus had given many signs: He had cured the leper (Mt 8:1-4), the servant of the centurion (Mt 8:5-13), Peter’s mother-in-law (Mt 8:14-15), the sick and the possessed of the city (Mt 8:16), He had calmed down the storm (Mt 8:23-27), had cast out devils (Mt 8:28-34) and had worked many other miracles. The people seeing all these signs recognize in Jesus the Servant of Yahweh (Mt 8:17; 12:17-21). But the doctors and the Pharisees are not able to perceive the significance of so many signs which Jesus had given. They wanted something different.
• Matthew 12:38: The request for a sign made by the Pharisees and the doctors. The Pharisees arrived and said to Jesus, “Master, we should like to see a sign from You.” They want Jesus to make a sign for them, a miracle, and thus they will be able to verify and examine if Jesus is or is not the one who is sent by God according to what they imagined and expected. They wanted to be sure. They wanted to submit Jesus to their own criteria in such a way as to be able to place Him into their own Messianic frame. There is no openness in them for a possible conversation. They had understood nothing of all that Jesus had done.
• Mathew 12:39: Jesus’ response: the sign of Jonah. Jesus does not submit Himself to the request of the religious authority, because it is not sincere: “An evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign! The only sign that will be given them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.” These words constitute a very strong judgment regarding the doctors and the Pharisees. They evoke the oracle of Hosea who denounced the people, accusing them of being an unfaithful and adulterous spouse (Hos 2:4). The Gospel of Mark says that Jesus, upon hearing the request of the Pharisees, sighed profoundly (Mk 8:12), probably out of indignation and of sadness before such a great blindness: because it is not worthwhile to place a beautiful picture before people who do not want to open their eyes. Anyone who closes his eyes cannot see! The only sign which will be given to them is the sign of Jonah.
• Matthew 12:41: There is something greater than Jonah here. Jesus looks toward the future: “For as Jonah remained in the belly of the sea monster for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” Therefore, the only sign will be Jesus’ resurrection, which will be prolonged in the resurrection of His followers. This is the sign which will be given to the doctors and the Pharisees in the future. They will be placed before the fact that Jesus, condemned to death by them and to death on the cross, will be raised from the dead, and He will continue, in many ways, to raise those who believe in Him. For example, He will raise them in the witness of the apostles, “persons without instruction” who will have had the courage to face authority announcing the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:13). What converts is witness, not miracles: “On Judgment day the men of Nineveh will appear against this generation and they will be its condemnation, because when Jonah preached they repented.” The people of Nineveh converted because of the witness of the preaching of Jonah, and they denounced the unbelief of the doctors and the Pharisees, because “Look, there is something greater than Jonah here.”
• Matthew 12:42: There is something greater than Solomon here. The reference to the conversion of the people of Nineveh is associated and makes one recall the episode of the Queen of the South. “On Judgment Day the Queen of the South will appear against this generation and be its condemnation, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and look, there is something greater than Solomon here!” This reminder of the episode of the Queen of the South, who recognizes the wisdom of Solomon, indicates how the Bible was used at that time. By association, the principal rule of interpretation was the following: “The Bible is explained through the Bible.” Even now, this is one of the more important norms for the interpretation of the Bible, especially for the prayerful reading of the Word of God.
4) Personal questions
• To be converted means to be completely changed morally, but also to change one’s ideas and way of thinking. A moralist is one who changes behavior but keeps his way of thinking unaltered. Which one am I?
• In the on-going renewal of the Church today, am I a Pharisee who asks for a sign or am I like the people who recognize that this is the way wanted by God?
• Certain religions today see God in a different light and use it to justify killing and other injustices. Still others re-envision God and His Church as anything they want. In what ways can we discern the truth in terms of on-going renewal?
• Today, we use several types of analysis to interpret the bible, such as literary analysis, historical-criticism, contextual analysis, etc. How familiar are you with these methods and how do you feel they add to understanding the bible?
For further study
The encyclical of Pope Pius XII, Divino Afflante Spiritu, talks about methods of biblical interpretation in modern times and promotes biblical studies. Take time to read this to begin an exploration of the diverse ways we can learn from the bible. Papal documents are available at www.vatican.va
5) Concluding Prayer
Better Your faithful love than life itself;
my lips will praise You.
Thus I will bless You all my life,
in Your name lift up my hands. (Ps 63:3-4)
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
God our Father,
Your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow Him
reject what is contrary to the Gospel.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 12:14-21
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today has two parts: (a) describes the various reactions of the Pharisees and of the people who listen to the preaching of Jesus; and (b) describes what Matthew sees in these reactions: the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Servant of Yahweh, announced by Isaiah.
• Matthew 12:14: The reaction of the Pharisees: they decide to kill Jesus. This verse is the conclusion of the previous episode, in which Jesus challenges the malice of the Pharisees, by curing the man who had a withered hand (Mt 12:9-14). The reaction of the Pharisees was to hold a Council meeting against Jesus. Thus, they come to the breaking of the relationship between the religious authority and Jesus. In Mark, this episode is much more explicit and provocative (Mk 3:1-6). He says that the decision to kill Jesus was not only that of the Pharisees, but also of the Herodians (Mk 3:6). Altar and throne joined together against Jesus.
• Matthew 12:15-16: The reaction of the people: to follow Jesus. When Jesus learned the decision of the Pharisees, He went away from the place where He was. People follow Him. Even knowing that the religious authority has decided to kill Jesus, the people do not go away from Jesus, but rather they follow Him. Many followed Him and He cured them all, but warned them not to make Him known. People know how to discern. Jesus asks them not to spread the news, not to say what He is doing. A great contrast! On the one side, the conflict of life and death, between Jesus and the religious authority, and on the other the movement of the people who were desirous of encountering Jesus! They were, above all, the marginalized and the excluded who presented themselves to Jesus with their illness and their infirmities. They, who were not accepted in society or in the religious field, were accepted by Jesus.
• Matthew 12:17: The concern of Matthew: Jesus is our Messiah. This reaction, different from that of the Pharisees and of the people, moved Matthew to see here the realization of the prophecy of the Suffering Servant. On the one hand, the Servant was persecuted by the authority which insulted Him and spat on His face, but He does not turn back. He presents His face hard as a rock, knowing that He will not be disappointed (Is 50:5-7). On the other hand, the Servant is sought and expected by the people. The crowd coming from far is waiting for His teaching (Is 42:4). This is exactly what is happening to Jesus.
• Matthew 12:18-21: Jesus fulfills the prophecy of the Servant. Matthew presents the entire first Canticle of the Servant. Read the text slowly, thinking of Jesus and the poor who today are excluded:
“Look! My Servant whom I have chosen;
My beloved in whom My soul delights,
I will send My Spirit upon Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations;
He will not brawl or cry out; His voice is not heard in the streets,
He will not break a bruised reed, or snuff the faltering wick.
Until he has made justice victorious; in him the nations will put their hope.”
4) Personal questions
• Do you know of any case in which the religious authority, in the name of religion, decided to persecute and kill people who, like Jesus, did good to people?
• In our community are we servants of God for the people? What do we lack?
5) Concluding Prayer
How precious, God, is Your faithful love.
So the children of Adam take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
They feast on the bounty of Your house,
You let them drink from Your delicious streams. (Ps 36:7-8)
