Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 349
Lectionary: 349
Come to our aid, O
God of the universe,
look upon us, show us the light of your mercies,
and put all the nations in dread of you!
Thus they will know, as we know,
that there is no God but you, O Lord.
Give new signs and work new wonders.
Gather all the tribes of Jacob,
that they may inherit the land as of old,
Show mercy to the people called by your name;
Israel, whom you named your firstborn.
Take pity on your holy city,
Jerusalem, your dwelling place.
Fill Zion with your majesty,
your temple with your glory.
Give evidence of your deeds of old;
fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name,
Reward those who have hoped in you,
and let your prophets be proved true.
Hear the prayer of your servants,
for you are ever gracious to your people;
and lead us in the way of justice.
Thus it will be known to the very ends of the earth
that you are the eternal God.
look upon us, show us the light of your mercies,
and put all the nations in dread of you!
Thus they will know, as we know,
that there is no God but you, O Lord.
Give new signs and work new wonders.
Gather all the tribes of Jacob,
that they may inherit the land as of old,
Show mercy to the people called by your name;
Israel, whom you named your firstborn.
Take pity on your holy city,
Jerusalem, your dwelling place.
Fill Zion with your majesty,
your temple with your glory.
Give evidence of your deeds of old;
fulfill the prophecies spoken in your name,
Reward those who have hoped in you,
and let your prophets be proved true.
Hear the prayer of your servants,
for you are ever gracious to your people;
and lead us in the way of justice.
Thus it will be known to the very ends of the earth
that you are the eternal God.
Responsorial PsalmPS 79:8, 9, 11 AND 13
R. (Sirach 36:1b) Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Remember not against us the iniquities of the past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
R. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.
AlleluiaMK 10:45
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 10:32-45
The disciples were
on the way, going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus went ahead of them.
They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them
what was going to happen to him.
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus and said to him,
‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him,
“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, ‘We can.”
Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
and Jesus went ahead of them.
They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them
what was going to happen to him.
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus and said to him,
‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him,
“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, ‘We can.”
Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Meditation: "Are
you able to drink the cup that I drink?"
Was Jesus a pessimist or a stark realist? On three different
occasions the Gospels record that Jesus predicted he would endure great suffering
through betrayal, rejection, and the punishment of a cruel death. The Jews
resorted to stoning and the Romans to crucifixion - the most painful and
humiliating death they could devise for criminals they wanted to eliminate. No
wonder the apostles were greatly distressed at such a prediction! If Jesus
their Master were put to death, then they would likely receive the same
treatment by their enemies.
Jesus called himself the “Son of Man” because this was a common
Jewish title for the Messiah. Why must the Messiah be rejected and
killed? Did not God promise that his Anointed One would deliver his people from
their oppression and establish a kingdom of peace and justice? The prophet
Isaiah had foretold that it was God’s will that the “Suffering Servant” make
atonement for sins through his suffering and death (Isaiah 53:5-12). Jesus paid
the price for our redemption with his blood. Slavery to sin is to want the
wrong things and to be in bondage to destructive desires. The ransom Jesus paid
sets us free from the worst tyranny possible - the tyranny of sin and the fear
of death. Jesus' victory did not end with death but triumphed over the tomb.
Jesus defeated the powers of death through his resurrection. Do you want the
greatest freedom possible, the freedom to live as God truly meant us to live as
his sons and daughters?
Jesus did the unthinkable! He wedded authority with selfless
service and with loving sacrifice. Authority without sacrificial love is
brutish and self-serving. Jesus also used stark language to explain what kind
of sacrifice he had in mind. His disciples must drink his cup if they expect to
reign with him in his kingdom. The cup he had in mind was a bitter one
involving crucifixion. What kind of cup does the Lord have in mind for us? For
some disciples such a cup entails physical suffering and the painful struggle
of martyrdom. But for many, it entails the long routine of the Christian life,
with all its daily sacrifices, disappointments, set-backs, struggles, and
temptations.
A follower of Jesus must be ready to lay down his or her life in
martyrdom and be ready to lay it down each and every day in the little and big
sacrifices required. An early church father summed up Jesus' teaching with the
expression: to serve is to reign with Christ. We share in
God's reign by laying down our lives in humble service as Jesus did for our
sake. Are you willing to lay down your life and to serve others as Jesus did?
"Lord Jesus, your death brought life and freedom. Make me a
servant of your love, that I may seek to serve rather than be served."
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, MARK 10:32-45
Weekday
(Sirach 36:1, 4-5a, 10-17; Psalm 79)
Weekday
(Sirach 36:1, 4-5a, 10-17; Psalm 79)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant" (v 43).
TO READ: For the third time, Jesus told his disciples of his coming passion and death, yet they still did not fully comprehend. Two brothers, James and John, told Jesus that they would do whatever he asked if he would guarantee them a place of honor in the kingdom. Jesus asked them if they were as willing to share his suffering as they were his glory. Jesus must drink the bitter cup of his destiny in Jerusalem and be immersed in the bath of pain (Eucharist and Baptism, sacramental symbols of Christ's dying and rising). It was not Jesus' place to assign positions of authority and respect. All who aspired to greatness should imitate Jesus who served others and offered himself for the sake of all.
TO REFLECT: Is achieving recognition my greatest ambition?
TO RESPOND: Lord Jesus, help me to become a servant like you.
Optional Memorial of Augustine of Canterbury,
bishop
Augustine of Canterbury was a monk and abbot of St.
Andrew's abbey in Rome. He was sent by Pope Gregory the Great with 40 brother
monks, including St. Lawrence of Canterbury, to evangelize the British Isles in
597. One of Augustine’s earliest converts was King Ethelberht who brought
10,000 of his people into the Church. Ordained a bishop in Gaul (modern France)
by the archbishop of Arles, Augustine became the Bishop of the first Archbishop
of Canterbury. He helped re-establish contact between the Celtic and Latin
churches, though he could not bring about his desired uniformity of liturgy and
practices between them. The limited success Augustine achieved in England
before his death in 605, a short eight years after he arrived in England, would
eventually bear fruit long after in the conversion of England. Augustine of
Canterbury can truly be called the “Apostle of England.” Anglican Archbishops
of Canterbury are still referred to as occupying the Chair of Augustine.
Wednesday 27 May 2015
St Augustine of Canterbury.
Ecclesiasticus 36:1, 4-5, 10-17. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness—Ps 78(79):8-9, 11, 13. Mark 10:32-45.
Ecclesiasticus 36:1, 4-5, 10-17. Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness—Ps 78(79):8-9, 11, 13. Mark 10:32-45.
‘Can you drink the cup I
must drink?’
Lord, you invite me into a
relationship with no strings attached. It can be quite disorienting, at times,
for your ways are so different. Like James and John, I too am sometimes drawn
to look for guarantees akin to the ways of this world. However, I pray for an
open heart, ready to keep on trying as the journey proceeds, ever mindful of
your unconditional and boundless love.
I am also conscious of the
need to be aware of others, for we have enough for all if we can build
community rather than each seeking to advance our individual causes without
considering others too.
So I pray, ‘Show us, O
Lord, the light of your kindness.’ Help me to imitate you
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
Feeling Forgotten
|
When we go through pain it is easy to feel abandoned or forgotten,
but suffering doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us, He does. Even Jesus suffered,
and He was completely without sin.
May
27
St. Augustine of Canterbury
(d. 605?)
St. Augustine of Canterbury
(d. 605?)
In the year 596, some 40 monks set out from Rome to evangelize the
Anglo-Saxons in England. Leading the group was Augustine, the prior of their
monastery in Rome. Hardly had he and his men reached Gaul (France) when they
heard stories of the ferocity of the Anglo-Saxons and of the treacherous waters
of the English Channel. Augustine returned to Rome and to the pope who had sent
them—St. Gregory the Great (September 3 )—only to be assured by him that their
fears were groundless.
Augustine
again set out. This time the group crossed the English Channel and landed
in the territory of Kent, ruled by King Ethelbert, a pagan married to a
Christian, Bertha. Ethelbert received them kindly, set up a residence for them
in Canterbury and within the year, on Pentecost Sunday, 597, was himself
baptized. After being consecrated a bishop in France, Augustine returned to
Canterbury, where he founded his see. He constructed a church and monastery
near where the present cathedral, begun in 1070, now stands. As the faith
spread, additional sees were established at London and Rochester.
Work was
sometimes slow and Augustine did not always meet with success. Attempts to
reconcile the Anglo-Saxon Christians with the original Briton Christians (who
had been driven into western England by Anglo-Saxon invaders) ended in dismal
failure. Augustine failed to convince the Britons to give up certain Celtic
customs at variance with Rome and to forget their bitterness, helping him
evangelize their Anglo-Saxon conquerors
Laboring
patiently, Augustine wisely heeded the missionary principles—quite enlightened
for the times—suggested by Pope Gregory the Great: purify rather than destroy
pagan temples and customs; let pagan rites and festivals be transformed into
Christian feasts; retain local customs as far as possible. The limited success
Augustine achieved in England before his death in 605, a short eight years
after he arrived in England, would eventually bear fruit long after in the
conversion of England. Augustine of Canterbury can truly be called the “Apostle
of England.”
Comment:
Augustine of Canterbury comes across today as a very human saint, one who could suffer like many of us from a failure of nerve. For example, his first venture to England ended in a big U-turn back to Rome. He made mistakes and met failure in his peacemaking attempts with the Briton Christians. He often wrote to Rome for decisions on matters he could have decided on his own had he been more self-assured. He even received mild warnings against pride from Pope Gregory, who cautioned him to “fear lest, amidst the wonders that are done, the weak mind be puffed up by self-esteem.” Augustine’s perseverance amidst obstacles and only partial success teaches today’s apostles and pioneers to struggle on despite frustrations and be satisfied with gradual advances.
Augustine of Canterbury comes across today as a very human saint, one who could suffer like many of us from a failure of nerve. For example, his first venture to England ended in a big U-turn back to Rome. He made mistakes and met failure in his peacemaking attempts with the Briton Christians. He often wrote to Rome for decisions on matters he could have decided on his own had he been more self-assured. He even received mild warnings against pride from Pope Gregory, who cautioned him to “fear lest, amidst the wonders that are done, the weak mind be puffed up by self-esteem.” Augustine’s perseverance amidst obstacles and only partial success teaches today’s apostles and pioneers to struggle on despite frustrations and be satisfied with gradual advances.
Quote:
In a letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great wrote: "He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps."
In a letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great wrote: "He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps."
Patron Saint of:
England
England
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 10,32-45
Lectio:
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Ordinary Time
1)
OPENING PRAYER
Lord,
guide the course of world events
and give your Church the joy and peace
of serving you in freedom.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
guide the course of world events
and give your Church the joy and peace
of serving you in freedom.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2)
GOSPEL READING - MARK 10,32-45
They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem; Jesus was walking
on ahead of them; they were in a daze, and those who followed were
apprehensive. Once more taking the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was
going to happen to him, 'Now we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man
is about to be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes. They will
condemn him to death and will hand him over to the gentiles, who will mock him and
spit at him and scourge him and put him to death; and after three days he will
rise again.' James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him. 'Master,'
they said to him, 'We want you to do us a favour.' He said to them, 'What is it
you want me to do for you?' They said to him, 'Allow us to sit one at your
right hand and the other at your left in your glory.' But Jesus said to them,
'You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I shall drink,
or be baptised with the baptism with which I shall be baptised?' They replied,
'We can.' Jesus said to them, 'The cup that I shall drink you shall drink, and
with the baptism with which I shall be baptised you shall be baptised, but as
for seats at my right hand or my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong
to those to whom they have been allotted.'
When the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with
James and John, so Jesus called them to him and said to them, 'You know that
among the gentiles those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their
great men make their authority felt. Among you this is not to happen. No;
anyone who wants to become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who
wants to be first among you must be slave to all. For the Son of man himself came
not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
3)
REFLECTION
• Today’s Gospel narrates the third announcement of the Passion
and, once again, like in the previous times, it shows us the incoherence of the
disciples (cfr. Mk 8, 31-33 and Mk 9, 30-37). Jesus insists on the service and
on the gift of one’s own life, and they continue to discuss about the first
places in the Kingdom, one at the right and the other on the left of the
throne. Therefore, everything indicates, that the disciples continue to be
blind. This is a sign that the dominating ideology of the time had profoundly
penetrated their mentality. In spite of the fact of having lived several years
with Jesus, they had not changed their way of seeing things. They saw Jesus
now, as they had seen him at the beginning. They wanted to be rewarded for
following Jesus.
• Mark 10, 32-34: The third announcement of the Passion. They
were on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus walked in front of them. He was in a hurry.
He knew that they would kill him. The Prophet Isaiah had announced it (Is 50,
4-6; 53, 1-10). His death was not the result of a blind destiny or of a
pre-established plan, but the consequence of the commitment assumed of the
mission which he received from the Father together with those excluded of his
time. This is why Jesus warns his disciples concerning the torture and the
death which he will suffer in Jerusalem. The disciple has to follow the Master,
even if it is a question of suffering with him. The disciples were
terrified, and those who were behind were afraid.They did not understand
what was happening. Suffering was not in agreement with the idea that they had
of the Messiah.
• Mark 10, 35-37: The petition for the first place. The
disciples not only do not understand, but they continue with their own personal
ambitions. James and John ask for a place in the glory of the Kingdom, one at
the right and the other on the left of Jesus. They want to be even before
Peter! They do not understand the proposal of Jesus. They are only concerned
about their own personal interests. This shows clearly the tensions and the
little understanding existing in the communities, at the time of Mark, and
these exist even today in our communities. In the Gospel of Matthew it is the
mother of James and John who addressed this request for her sons (Mt 20, 20).
Probably, before the difficult situation of poverty and growing lack of work at
that time, the mother intercedes for her sons and tries to guarantee an
employment for them in the coming of the Kingdom of which Jesus spoke about so
much.
• Mark 10, 38-40: The response of Jesus. Jesus
reacts firmly: “You do not know what you are asking!” And he
asks if they are able to drink the cup that he, Jesus, will drink and if they
are ready to receive the baptism which he will receive. It is the cup of
suffering, the baptism of blood! Jesus wants to know if they, instead of a
place of honour, accept to give their life up to the point of death. Both
answer: “We can!” It seems to be a spontaneous answer, not
having thought about it, because a few days later, they abandoned Jesus and
left him alone at the hour of suffering (Mk 14, 50). They do not have a
critical conscience; they do not perceive their personal reality. As regards
the place of honour in the Kingdom at the side of Jesus, this is granted by the
Father. What he, Jesus, can offer, is the chalice and the baptism, suffering
and the cross.
• Mark 10, 41-44: “Among you this is not to happen”. At
the end of his instruction about the Cross, Jesus once again speaks about the
exercise of power (Mk 9, 33-35). At that time, those who held power in the
Roman Empire did not bother about the people. They acted only according to
their own interests (Mk 6, 17-29). The Roman Empire controlled the world and
maintained it submitted by the force of arms and, thus, through the tributes,
the taxes, duties, succeeded in concentrating the wealth of the people in the
hands of a few in Rome. The society was characterized by the repressive and
abusive exercise of power. Jesus had another proposal. He said: “Among you
this is not to happen! With you it is not like that; but anyone who wants to
become great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first
among you must be slave to all”. He teaches against privileges and
against rivalry. He overturns the system and insists on service, as a remedy
against personal ambition. The community has to present an alternative for
human living together.
• Mark 10, 45: The summary of the life of Jesus: Jesus
defines his mission and his life: “For the Son of man himself came not
to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”Jesus
is the Messiah Servant, announced by the Prophet Isaiah (cfr. Is 42, 1-9; 49,
1-6; 50, 4-9; 52, 13-53, 12). He learnt from his mother who said to the Angel:
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord!” (Lk 1, 38). A totally new proposal for the
society of that time. In this phrase in which he defines his life, three more
ancient titles appear, used by the first Christians to express and to
communicate to others what the following meant for them: Son of Man, Servant of
Yahweh, He who redeems the excluded (the one who liberates, who saves). To
humanize life, to serve the brothers and sisters, to welcome the excluded.
4)
PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• James and John ask for the first places in the Kingdom. Today,
many persons pray to ask for some money, promotion, healing, and success. What
do I seek in my relationship with God and what do I ask God for in my prayer?
• To humanize life, to serve the brothers and sisters. To
welcome and accept the excluded. This is the program of Jesus, it is our
program. How do I put it into practice?
5)
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Yahweh has made known his saving power,
revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
mindful of his faithful love
and his constancy to the House of Israel. (Ps 98,2-3)
revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
mindful of his faithful love
and his constancy to the House of Israel. (Ps 98,2-3)
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