Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Lectionary: 388
Lectionary: 388
Jacob gave his sons
this charge:
“Since I am about to be taken to my people,
bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies
in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
the cave in the field of Machpelah,
facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan,
the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite
for a burial ground.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried,
and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah,
and there, too, I buried Leah–
the field and the cave in it
that had been purchased from the Hittites.”
Now that their father was dead,
Joseph’s brothers became fearful and thought,
“Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us
and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!”
So they approached Joseph and said:
“Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:
‘You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you
to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers,
who treated you so cruelly.’
Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we,
the servants of your father’s God, committed.”
When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.
Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him
and said, “Let us be your slaves!”
But Joseph replied to them:
“Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good,
to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear.
I will provide for you and for your children.”
By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.
Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father’s family.
He lived a hundred and ten years.
He saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation,
and the children of Manasseh’s son Machir
were also born on Joseph’s knees.
Joseph said to his brothers: “I am about to die.
God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land
that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued,
“When God thus takes care of you,
you must bring my bones up with you from this place.”
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten.
“Since I am about to be taken to my people,
bury me with my fathers in the cave that lies
in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
the cave in the field of Machpelah,
facing on Mamre, in the land of Canaan,
the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite
for a burial ground.
There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried,
and so are Isaac and his wife Rebekah,
and there, too, I buried Leah–
the field and the cave in it
that had been purchased from the Hittites.”
Now that their father was dead,
Joseph’s brothers became fearful and thought,
“Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us
and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!”
So they approached Joseph and said:
“Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:
‘You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you
to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers,
who treated you so cruelly.’
Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we,
the servants of your father’s God, committed.”
When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.
Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him
and said, “Let us be your slaves!”
But Joseph replied to them:
“Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?
Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good,
to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.
Therefore have no fear.
I will provide for you and for your children.”
By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.
Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father’s family.
He lived a hundred and ten years.
He saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation,
and the children of Manasseh’s son Machir
were also born on Joseph’s knees.
Joseph said to his brothers: “I am about to die.
God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land
that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.”
Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued,
“When God thus takes care of you,
you must bring my bones up with you from this place.”
Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten.
Responsorial PsalmPS 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7
R. (see Psalm
69:33) Be glad you lowly ones; may
your hearts be glad!
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Give thanks to the LORD, invoke his name;
make known among the nations his deeds.
Sing to him, sing his praise,
proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Glory in his holy name;
rejoice, O hearts that seek the LORD!
Look to the LORD in his strength;
seek to serve him constantly.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.
R. Be glad you lowly ones; may your hearts be glad!
Alleluia1 PT 4:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 10:24-33
Jesus said to his
Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Meditation: "Fear him who can destroy soul and body in hell"
What does fear have to do with the kingdom of God? Fear is a
powerful force. It can lead us to panic and flight or it can spur us to faith
and action. The fear of God is the antidote to the fear of losing one's life. I
sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. O fear
the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! Come,
O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. (Psalm
34:4,9,11)
Godly fear - reverence for God
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul to the power of hell (Matthew 10:28). A healthy fear of God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice - especially in the face of evil, and spiritual deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy and do you obey to his word?
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul to the power of hell (Matthew 10:28). A healthy fear of God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice - especially in the face of evil, and spiritual deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy and do you obey to his word?
When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom (reign) of God he met
opposition and hostility. He tells his disciples that they must expect the same
treatment if they are to live and to proclaim the reign of God. There is both a
warning and a privilege in his statement. Just as Jesus had to carry his cross,
so the disciple of Christ must bear his or her own cross and not try to evade
it. To suffer for the faith is to share in the work of Jesus Christ. As one
Christian hymn states: Lift high the Cross of Christ! Tread where his
feet have trod. The Holy Spirit gives us supernatural power, freedom,
and grace to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you trust in God who gives
us the strength and perseverance we need to follow his will and to embrace our
cross each day for Jesus' sake?
"Lord Jesus, it is my joy and privilege to be your
disciple. Give me strength and courage to bear any hardship and suffering which
may come my way in serving you and obeying your will. May I witness to others
the joy of the Gospel - the good news of your kingdom of peace, joy, and
righteousness."
SATURDAY, JULY 11,
MATTHEW 10:24-33
(Genesis 49:29-32, 50:15-26a; Psalm 105)
(Genesis 49:29-32, 50:15-26a; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master" (v 24).
TO KNOW: Jesus was the fullness of God's revelation to the world, but many people were obstinate in their refusal to believe in him. Jesus confided his message to his twelve apostles, warning them of the opposition they would face as they proclaimed the gospel to the world. Students were not above their teacher, and slaves could not outrank their master; therefore, just as they shared in his ministry they would share in his passion. Though they stood in danger of death, they should not be afraid. It would be a greater peril to lose one's immortal soul. Rather, they should fear the evil one who could lead them to eternal destruction. Jesus asked his followers, if God was aware of the death of a tiny sparrow, were not their lives worth more? If the apostles were faithful in their task, Jesus would defend them on the Day of Judgment. Despite the darkness of unbelief in the world, light would come in the dawn of Christ's resurrection.
TO LOVE: Do I remind others of their worth in God's sight?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to defend the faith when I am opposed.
Memorial of Benedict,
abbot
Benedict was the twin brother of St. Scholastica. While studying in Rome, Benedict was dismayed by the lack of discipline of his fellow students. He fled to the mountains near Subiaco, living as a hermit in a cave for three years. Benedict's virtues caused a group of monks to prevail upon him to become their spiritual leader. He founded the monastery at Monte Cassino where he wrote the Rule of his order. Benedict continued to attract followers, and eventually established twelve monasteries. It is said that Benedict had the ability to read consciences, was able to prophesy and forestall attacks of the devil. He destroyed pagan statues and altars, and drove demons from groves that were sacred to pagans. At one point there were over 40,000 monasteries guided by the Benedictine Rule. A summation of the Rule is: "Pray and work" (Latin: ora et labora). Though Benedict was not the founder of Christian monasticism, since he lived two and a half to three centuries after its beginnings in Egypt, Palestine, and Asia Minor, he had great influence on monastic life.
Saturday 11 July 2015
St
Benedict.Genesis 49:29-33; 50:15-26. Turn to the Lord in your need and you will
live—Ps 104(105:1-4, 6-7. Matthew 10; 24-38.
‘If you
declare yourself for me, I will declare myself for you.’
I
acknowledge you, my Lord Jesus Christ, as my teacher and king. I want to stand
for you before all my kinsfolk, before my friends, before all those who share
my life. I trust that by your grace I may be courageous in defending your
honour, observing your commands of love, purity, self-denial and service of the
lowly and afflicted.
I
remember past disloyalty to your cause. I am in shame and sorrow at having
turned from you. May no one love and honour you less because of my lack of love
and honour for your name. Look kindly, Lord, on my forbears and teachers who
gave me faith in you; see the men and women of my time who are suffering for
you; accept me as your willing servant
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
|
Be a Missionary
|
Jesus has chosen us to live his mission. He wants our hearts to be
wellsprings of living water, loving people and helping them achieve their
goals. Thus, when we announce the Good News to the poor, it is not to tell
them, “Jesus loves you,” but rather to say, “I love you. I commit myself to you in
the name of Jesus.”
July
11
St. Benedict
(480?-543)
St. Benedict
(480?-543)
It is unfortunate that no contemporary biography was written of a
man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West.
Benedict is well recognized in the later Dialogues of St.
Gregory, but these are sketches to illustrate miraculous elements of his
career.
Benedict
was born into a distinguished family in central Italy, studied at Rome and
early in life was drawn to the monastic life. At first he became a hermit,
leaving a depressing world—pagan armies on the march, the Church torn by
schism, people suffering from war, morality at a low ebb.
He soon
realized that he could not live a hidden life in a small town any better than
in a large city, so he withdrew to a cave high in the mountains for three
years. Some monks chose him as their leader for a while, but found his
strictness not to their taste. Still, the shift from hermit to community life
had begun for him. He had an idea of gathering various families of monks into
one “Grand Monastery” to give them the benefit of unity, fraternity, permanent
worship in one house. Finally he began to build what was to become one of the
most famous monasteries in the world—Monte Cassino, commanding three narrow
valleys running toward the mountains north of Naples.
The Rule
that gradually developed prescribed a life of liturgical prayer, study, manual
labor and living together in community under a common father (abbot).
Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and Benedictine charity has
always shown concern for the people in the surrounding countryside. In the
course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was gradually brought
under the Rule of St. Benedict.
Today the
Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the Benedictine Federation
and the Cistercians.
Comment:
The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach. We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine tradition of worship in the Church.
The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach. We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine tradition of worship in the Church.
Quote:
“Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of man is manifested by signs perceptible to the senses...; in the liturgy full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and his members.
“Rightly, then, the liturgy is considered as an exercise of the priestly office of Jesus Christ. In the liturgy the sanctification of man is manifested by signs perceptible to the senses...; in the liturgy full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and his members.
“From this it follows
that every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the priest
and of his Body the Church, is a sacred action, surpassing all others” (Vatican
II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 7).
Patron Saint of:
Europe
Kidney disease
Poisoning
Schoolchildren
Europe
Kidney disease
Poisoning
Schoolchildren
LECTIO DIVINA:
MATTHEW 10,24-33
Lectio:
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
through the obedience of Jesus,
your servant and your Son,
you raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
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.
through the obedience of Jesus,
your servant and your Son,
you raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
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 10,24-33
Jesus said to his disciples: "The disciple is not superior
to teacher, nor slave to master. It is enough for disciple to grow to be like
teacher, and slave like master. If they have called the master of the house
"Beelzebul", how much more the members of his household? 'So do not
be afraid of them. Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything
now hidden will be made clear. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the
daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops. 'Do not be
afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who
can destroy both body and soul in hell. Can you not buy two sparrows for a
penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why,
every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you
are worth more than many sparrows. 'So if anyone declares himself for me in the
presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my
Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of human beings, I
will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents to us diverse instructions of Jesus on
the behaviour that the disciples have to adopt in the exercise of their mission.
What strikes most in these instructions are two warnings: (a) the frequency
with which Jesus refers to the persecutions and suffering which they will have
to bear; (b) the insistence repeated three times to the disciples not to be
afraid.
• Matthew 10, 24-25: Persecutions and sufferings which mark the life of the disciples. These two verses constitute the final part of a warning of Jesus to the disciples concerning persecutions. The disciples should know that, because of the fact of being disciples of Jesus, they will be persecuted (Mt 10, 17-23). But this should not be a reason for worrying, because a disciple should imitate the life of the Master and share the trials with him. This is part of discipleship. “A disciple is not greater than the Teacher or a servant than his master; it is sufficient for the disciple to grow to be like his teacher and the servant like his master”. If they called Jesus Beelzebul, how much more will they insult his disciples. In other words, the disciple of Jesus should be worried if in his life there are no persecutions.
• Matthew 10, 26-27: Do not be afraid to say the truth. The disciples should not be afraid to be persecuted. Those who persecute them, succeed to pervert the sense of the facts and to spread calumnies which change truth into lie, and the lie into truth. But no matter how great is the lie, truth will triumph at the end and will make the lie crumble down. This is why we should not be afraid to proclaim truth, the things which Jesus has taught. Every day, the means of communication succeed to pervert the meaning of things and the persons who proclaim the truth are considered as criminals; they make the neo-liberal system to appear as just and it perverts the sense of human life.
• Matthew 10, 28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body. The disciples should not be afraid of those who kill the body, who torture, who strike and cause suffering. Those who torture can kill the body, but they cannot succeed to kill liberty and the spirit in the body. They should be afraid, yes, that the fear of suffering may lead them to hide or to deny the truth, and that this will lead them to offend God, because anyone who draws away from God will be lost forever.
• Matthew 10, 29-31: Do not be afraid, but trust in Divine Providence. The disciples should not fear anything, because they are in God’s hands. Jesus orders to look at the birds in the air. Two sparrows are sold for a penny, but not one of them will fall to the ground without the Father wanting. Every hair on our head has been counted. Luke says that not one hair falls without our Father wanting it (Lk 21, 18). And so many hairs fall from our head! Because of this “Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”. This is the lesson which Jesus draws from the contemplation of nature.
• Matthew 10, 32-33: Do not be afraid to be the witnesses of Jesus. At the end Jesus summarizes everything in this sentence: “If anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven; 33: the one who instead will disown me in the presence of human beings, I will disown him in the presence of my Father in heaven”. Knowing that we are in God’s hands and that God is with us, at every moment, we have the necessary courage and the peace to render witness and to be disciples of Jesus.
• Matthew 10, 24-25: Persecutions and sufferings which mark the life of the disciples. These two verses constitute the final part of a warning of Jesus to the disciples concerning persecutions. The disciples should know that, because of the fact of being disciples of Jesus, they will be persecuted (Mt 10, 17-23). But this should not be a reason for worrying, because a disciple should imitate the life of the Master and share the trials with him. This is part of discipleship. “A disciple is not greater than the Teacher or a servant than his master; it is sufficient for the disciple to grow to be like his teacher and the servant like his master”. If they called Jesus Beelzebul, how much more will they insult his disciples. In other words, the disciple of Jesus should be worried if in his life there are no persecutions.
• Matthew 10, 26-27: Do not be afraid to say the truth. The disciples should not be afraid to be persecuted. Those who persecute them, succeed to pervert the sense of the facts and to spread calumnies which change truth into lie, and the lie into truth. But no matter how great is the lie, truth will triumph at the end and will make the lie crumble down. This is why we should not be afraid to proclaim truth, the things which Jesus has taught. Every day, the means of communication succeed to pervert the meaning of things and the persons who proclaim the truth are considered as criminals; they make the neo-liberal system to appear as just and it perverts the sense of human life.
• Matthew 10, 28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body. The disciples should not be afraid of those who kill the body, who torture, who strike and cause suffering. Those who torture can kill the body, but they cannot succeed to kill liberty and the spirit in the body. They should be afraid, yes, that the fear of suffering may lead them to hide or to deny the truth, and that this will lead them to offend God, because anyone who draws away from God will be lost forever.
• Matthew 10, 29-31: Do not be afraid, but trust in Divine Providence. The disciples should not fear anything, because they are in God’s hands. Jesus orders to look at the birds in the air. Two sparrows are sold for a penny, but not one of them will fall to the ground without the Father wanting. Every hair on our head has been counted. Luke says that not one hair falls without our Father wanting it (Lk 21, 18). And so many hairs fall from our head! Because of this “Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows”. This is the lesson which Jesus draws from the contemplation of nature.
• Matthew 10, 32-33: Do not be afraid to be the witnesses of Jesus. At the end Jesus summarizes everything in this sentence: “If anyone declares himself for me in the presence of human beings, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven; 33: the one who instead will disown me in the presence of human beings, I will disown him in the presence of my Father in heaven”. Knowing that we are in God’s hands and that God is with us, at every moment, we have the necessary courage and the peace to render witness and to be disciples of Jesus.
4) Personal questions
• Are you afraid? Afraid of what? Why?
•Have you been persecuted sometimes because of your commitment to announce the Good News of God which Jesus announced to us?
•Have you been persecuted sometimes because of your commitment to announce the Good News of God which Jesus announced to us?
5) Concluding Prayer
Your decrees stand firm, unshakeable,
holiness is the beauty of your house,
Yahweh, for all time to come. (Ps 93,5)
holiness is the beauty of your house,
Yahweh, for all time to come. (Ps 93,5)
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