Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 358/573
Lectionary: 358/573
Beloved:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth
and will be diverted to myths.
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;
put up with hardship;
perform the work of an evangelist;
fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well;
I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth
and will be diverted to myths.
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;
put up with hardship;
perform the work of an evangelist;
fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well;
I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 71:8-9, 14-15AB,
16-17, 22
R. (see 15ab) I
will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your glory day by day.
Cast me not off in my old age;
as my strength fails, forsake me not.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
But I will always hope
and praise you ever more and more.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord;
O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
So will I give you thanks with music on the lyre,
for your faithfulness, O my God!
I will sing your praises with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your glory day by day.
Cast me not off in my old age;
as my strength fails, forsake me not.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
But I will always hope
and praise you ever more and more.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord;
O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
So will I give you thanks with music on the lyre,
for your faithfulness, O my God!
I will sing your praises with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!
R. I will sing of your salvation.
AlleluiaSEE LK 2:19
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 2:41-51
Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them,
"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
"Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety."
And he said to them,
"Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Meditation: “His mother kept all these
things in her heart”
Do you know the pain and grief of losing someone close
to you? Mary and Joseph must have felt anxious and helpless when the boy Jesus
disappeared. Nonetheless they returned to Jerusalem with confident trust that
God would guide them in their hour of trial.
Why did Jesus stay back in Jerusalem when his parents
left for home? Just as the prophet Samuel heard the call of the Lord at a very
young age, Jesus in his youth recognized that he has been given a call by his
heavenly Father. His answer to his mother's anxious inquiry reveals his trusting
faith and confident determination to pursue his heavenly Father's will. Did
you not know that I must be in my Father's house? Our Heavenly Father
calls each of us. With the call God gives grace - grace to say "yes"
to his will and grace to persevere through obstacles and trials. Do you
recognize God's call on your life and do you trust in his grace?
"Lord Jesus, in love you have called me to live
for your praise and glory. May I always find joy in your presence and trust in
your wise and loving plan for my life."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Mary dwelt in meditation on Jesus' words and
actions, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735
A.D.
"Consider the most
prudent woman Mary, mother of true Wisdom, as the pupil of her Son. For she
learned from him, not as from a child or man but as from God. Yes, she dwelt in
meditation on his words and actions. Nothing of what was said or done by him
fell idly on her mind. As before, when she conceived the Word itself in her
womb, so now does she hold within her his ways and words, cherishing them as it
were in her heart. That which she now beholds in the present, she waits to have
revealed with greater clarity in the future. This practice she followed as a
rule and law through all her life." (excerpt
from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 2.51.20)
SATURDAY,
JUNE 9, LUKE 2:41-51
(2 Timothy 4:1-8; Psalm 71)
(2 Timothy 4:1-8; Psalm 71)
KEY VERSE: "His mother meanwhile kept all these things in her heart" (v. 51).
TO KNOW: The angel Gabriel told Mary that she was to conceive and bear the Son of God. Mary's "blessedness" as the Mother of God came from her willingness to submit to God's will. Throughout her life she was continually challenged by her son who was "a sign of contradiction" (Lk 2:34). When Jesus' gifts of teaching and healing were revealed, many opposed him and finally killed him. As Mary stood at the foot of the cross, did she remember the angel's promise that her son's "kingdom would last forever"? Did she recall the words of Simeon that "a sword" would pierce her heart? Though Mary's life was full of perplexities, she never lost faith in God or her son. Full of grace and full of sorrow, Mary's answer to God was always the same as her son’s response -- "Yes."
TO LOVE: Am I able to say "Yes" to God as Mary did?
TO SERVE: Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for the healing of our broken hearts.
Memorial of
the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected with that to the Heart of Jesus; nevertheless, it has its own history. Christians were early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The Gospel itself invited this attention. Simeon's prophecy paved the way and furnished the devotion with one of its favorite representations: the heart pierced with a sword. It was, so to speak, at the foot of the Cross that the Christian heart first made the acquaintance of the Heart of Mary. But Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the Cross; "she cooperated through charity", as Saint Augustine says, "in the work of our redemption".
A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world. Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world. Amen.
The devotion to the Heart of Mary is connected with that to the Heart of Jesus; nevertheless, it has its own history. Christians were early attracted by the love and virtues of the Heart of Mary. The Gospel itself invited this attention. Simeon's prophecy paved the way and furnished the devotion with one of its favorite representations: the heart pierced with a sword. It was, so to speak, at the foot of the Cross that the Christian heart first made the acquaintance of the Heart of Mary. But Mary was not merely passive at the foot of the Cross; "she cooperated through charity", as Saint Augustine says, "in the work of our redemption".
A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world. Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world. Amen.
Saturday 9 June
2018
The Immaculate Heart of The Blessed Virgin Mary.
2 Timothy 4:1-8. Psalm 70(71):8-9, 14-17, 22. Mark
12:38-44. / Luke 2:41-51.
I will sing of your salvation—Psalm 70(71):8-9, 14-17, 22.
‘In view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge
you: proclaim the message.’
We live in a world of disposables where we expect to have what
we want when we want it. No one wants to wait for anything and it seems we
become less appreciative of what we have as a result. It is counter-cultural to
live simply.
Jesus makes clear that why we give and the disposition with
which we give are key to living God’s way.
The widow with almost nothing, who gives to God without knowing
where her next meal will come from, is blessed.
Where is my heart when it comes to giving to God?
Saint Ephrem
Saint of the Day for June 9
(c. 306 – June 9, 373)
 |
| Detail | Tryiptych of Saints George, John of Damascus, Ephrem the Syrian | Unknown |
Saint Ephrem’s Story
Poet, teacher, orator, and defender of the faith, Ephrem is the
only Syrian recognized as a doctor of the Church. He took upon himself the
special task of opposing the many false doctrines rampant at his time, always
remaining a true and forceful defender of the Catholic Church.
Born in Nisibis, Mesopotamia, he was baptized as a young man and
became famous as a teacher in his native city. When the Christian emperor had
to cede Nisibis to the Persians, Ephrem fled as a refugee to Edessa, along with
many other Christians. He is credited with attracting great glory to the
biblical school there. He was ordained a deacon but declined becoming a priest.
Ephrem was said to have avoided presbyteral consecration by feigning madness!
He had a prolific pen, and his writings best illumine his
holiness. Although he was not a man of great scholarship, his works reflect
deep insight and knowledge of the Scriptures. In writing about the mysteries of
humanity’s redemption, Ephrem reveals a realistic and humanly sympathetic spirit
and a great devotion to the humanity of Jesus. It is said that his poetic
account of the Last Judgment inspired Dante.
It is surprising to read that he wrote hymns against the
heretics of his day. He would take the popular songs of the heretical groups
and using their melodies, compose beautiful hymns embodying orthodox doctrine.
Ephrem became one of the first to introduce song into the Church’s public
worship as a means of instruction for the faithful. His many hymns have earned
him the title “Harp of the Holy Spirit.”
Ephrem preferred a simple, austere life, living in a small cave
overlooking the city of Edessa. It was here that he died around 373.
Reflection
Many Catholics still find singing in church a problem, probably
because of the rather individualistic piety that they inherited. Yet singing
has been a tradition of both the Old and the New Testaments. It is an excellent
way of expressing and creating a community spirit of unity as well as of joy.
An ancient historian testifies that Ephrem’s hymns “lent luster to the
Christian assemblies.” We need some modern Ephrems—and cooperating singers—to
do the same for our Christian assemblies today.
DIVINA LECTIO: SACRED HEART OF
MARY
Lectio Divina:
Saturday, June 9, 2018
1. OPENING PRAYER
O God, who has prepared a worthy
dwelling place of the Holy Spirit in the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
through her intercession grant that we, your faithful, may be a living temple
of Your glory. We ask this, through Christ our Lord ...
2. READING
Luke 2:41-51
Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
3. MEDITATION
* "Every year the feast of
Passover." These words help us to
define the spiritual context in which the passage takes place and thus become,
for us, the gateway to enter the mystery of His encounter with the Lord and His
work of grace and mercy upon us.
Together with Mary and Joseph, with
Jesus, we too can live the gift of a new Passover, a "crossing," an
excess, a spiritual movement that takes us "beyond.” The passage is clear
and strong. What the Virgin Mary intuits in this experience with her son Jesus
is the step from the street to the heart of the dispersion to interiority, from
anguish to peace.
All that remains is to journey
down the street and join the feast, the feast of pilgrims on their way up to
Jerusalem for the celebration of Passover.
* "Their way" This is only the first of a series of verbs of motion,
which follow one another along the verses of this passage: "they
went", "return to the path", "group" (from the Latin
cum-ire, "walking together"); "journey"; "back";
"went down with them, " " arrive .”
In parallel with this great physical
movement, there is also a deep spiritual movement characterized by the verb
"look", expressed over and over again: "they began to look
for," "returned in search of Him," "looking for You
anxiously,” " why you sought Me?”
This tells us that the journey, the true
path to which the Lord's word calls us, is not a physical journey, but a
journey in search of Jesus, of His presence in our lives. And this is the
direction in which we move, together with Mary and Joseph.
* "They began to look for
Him" Here we can identify the core of
the text, its fundamental message. It is important that we open ourselves to a
deeper understanding of this reality. Also because Luke uses two different
verbs to express the "search,” the first indicating accurate, repeated,
careful, as some of those who browse, from bottom to top, and second which
indicates the search for something that is lost and you want to find. Jesus is
the object of all this movement and deep inner being, is the object of desire,
the longing of the heart.
* "Distressed" It is great to see how Mary opens her heart to
Jesus, telling Him what she felt within herself. She is not afraid to tell the
truth to her Son, to tell Him the feelings and experiences that they felt
deeply. But what is this anguish, this pain that you saw in Mary and Joseph in
search of Jesus, who went missing?
These 3 days of looking, the journey to
Jerusalem, and not understanding His words afterward, may also be considered a
prefiguring the narrative of His death and Resurrection.
* "Kept all these sayings in her
heart" Mary does not understand the words
of Jesus, the mystery of His life and His mission and for this remains silent,
accepts, makes space, keeps them in her heart. This is the true path of growth
in faith and relationship with the Lord.
Once again, Luke gives us a very
beautiful and meaningful word which means literally "keeping through.”
That is the spiritual operation that Mary carries within herself and that give
us as a precious gift, a legacy for our good relationship with the Lord, so
that it can take us into a journey deep, deep, that does not stop at the
surface, or half, which is not coming back, but it goes deep down. Mary takes
us by the hand and guides us through all her heart, all her feelings, her experiences.
And there, in the secrecy of ourselves, in our hearts, we can learn to find the
Lord Jesus, whom perhaps we had lost.
There is also a loss for Mary and
Joseph. Up until now, Joseph was identified with “my father”. Now it is
changed. He is not just her son, or their son, but son of our Heavenly Father.
In all this is another sorrow, one of parents, that they do not understand
their child: “But they did not understand what He said to them.”
4. SOME QUESTIONS
* There are many foreshadows of the
Passion in this passage. Can I identify the depth of things symbolized here?
* Do I feel like I am seeking the Lord?
Or does it not seem important? Is it an active part of my life every day?
* Has anxiety, spoken by Mary, ever been
my companion on the journey of my life? Maybe, thanks to this passage, I
discover that the anxiety is caused by the absence of the Lord, the loss of
God. Does this passage help me, give me a light and a key for my life?
* As a parent (past, future, or
present), do I see a relationship and partnership with God the Father in
raising my children, and do I give room for God to be an active participant in
this? Am I a wall between God and them, or am I translator, or do I allow them
to build their relationship at the same time?
5. CLOSING PRAYER
And as she worshiped the LORD, she
said:
"My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
There is no Holy One like the LORD;
there in no Rock like our God.
"Speak boastfully no longer,
nor let arrogance issue from your mouths.
For an all-knowing God is the LORD,
a God who judges deeds.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.
The LORD puts to death and gives life;
He casts down to the nether world; He raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
He humbles, He also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap He lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
and He has set the world upon them.
1 Samuel 2:1-8
"My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
There is no Holy One like the LORD;
there in no Rock like our God.
"Speak boastfully no longer,
nor let arrogance issue from your mouths.
For an all-knowing God is the LORD,
a God who judges deeds.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.
The LORD puts to death and gives life;
He casts down to the nether world; He raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
He humbles, He also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap He lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
and He has set the world upon them.
1 Samuel 2:1-8
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