Friday of the Eighteenth Week in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 411
Lectionary: 411
Moses said to the people:
"Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
All this you were allowed to see
that you might know the LORD is God and there is no other.
Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you;
on earth he let you see his great fire,
and you heard him speaking out of the fire.
For love of your fathers he chose their descendants
and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power,
driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you,
so as to bring you in
and to make their land your heritage, as it is today.
This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."
"Ask now of the days of old, before your time,
ever since God created man upon the earth;
ask from one end of the sky to the other:
Did anything so great ever happen before?
Was it ever heard of?
Did a people ever hear the voice of God
speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live?
Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself
from the midst of another nation,
by testings, by signs and wonders, by war,
with his strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors,
all of which the LORD, your God,
did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
All this you were allowed to see
that you might know the LORD is God and there is no other.
Out of the heavens he let you hear his voice to discipline you;
on earth he let you see his great fire,
and you heard him speaking out of the fire.
For love of your fathers he chose their descendants
and personally led you out of Egypt by his great power,
driving out of your way nations greater and mightier than you,
so as to bring you in
and to make their land your heritage, as it is today.
This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart,
that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below,
and that there is no other.
You must keep his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you today,
that you and your children after you may prosper,
and that you may have long life on the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever."
Responsorial
PsalmPS 77:12-13, 14-15, 16
AND 21
R.(12a) I
remember the deeds of the Lord.
I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known your power.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moses and Aaron.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
I remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I remember your wonders of old.
And I meditate on your works;
your exploits I ponder.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
O God, your way is holy;
what great god is there like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
among the peoples you have made known your power.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
With your strong arm you redeemed your people,
the sons of Jacob and Joseph.
You led your people like a flock
under the care of Moses and Aaron.
R. I remember the deeds of the Lord.
AlleluiaMT 5:10
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 16:24-28
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world
and forfeit his life?
Or what can one give in exchange for his life?
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory,
and then he will repay each according to his conduct.
Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here
who will not taste death
until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the
Cross, please go here.
Meditation: "Whoever
loses his life for my sake will find it "
What
is the most important investment you can make with your life? Jesus poses some
probing questions to challenge our assumptions about what is most profitable
and worthwhile. In every decision of life we are making ourselves a certain
kind of person. The kind of person we are, our character, determines to a large
extent the kind of future we will face and live. It is possible that some can
gain all the things they set their heart on, only to wake up suddenly and
discover that they missed the most important things of all. Of what value are
material things if they don't help you gain what truly lasts in eternity.
Neither money nor possessions can buy heaven, mend a broken heart, or cheer a
lonely person.
The
great exchange - my life for His Life
Jesus asks the question: What will a person give in exchange for his or her life? Everything we have is an out-right gift from God. We owe him everything, including our very lives. It's possible to give God our money, but not ourselves, or to give him lip-service, but not our hearts. A true disciple gladly gives up all that he or she has in exchange for an unending life of joy and happiness with God. God gives without measure. The joy he offers no sadness or loss can diminish.
Jesus asks the question: What will a person give in exchange for his or her life? Everything we have is an out-right gift from God. We owe him everything, including our very lives. It's possible to give God our money, but not ourselves, or to give him lip-service, but not our hearts. A true disciple gladly gives up all that he or she has in exchange for an unending life of joy and happiness with God. God gives without measure. The joy he offers no sadness or loss can diminish.
True
freedom and gain
The cross of Christ leads to victory and freedom from sin, despair, and death. What is the cross which Jesus Christ commands me to take up each day? When my will crosses with his will, then his will must be done. Are you ready to lose all for Jesus Christ in order to gain all with Jesus Christ?
The cross of Christ leads to victory and freedom from sin, despair, and death. What is the cross which Jesus Christ commands me to take up each day? When my will crosses with his will, then his will must be done. Are you ready to lose all for Jesus Christ in order to gain all with Jesus Christ?
"Take,
Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and all my will,
all that I have and possess. You have given them to me; to you, O Lord, I
restore them; all things are yours, dispose of them according to your will.
Give me your love and your grace, for this is enough for me." (Prayer
of Ignatius of Loyola, 1491-1556)
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Walk as Christ has walked, by
Caesarius of Arles (470-543 AD)
"When the Lord tells us in the Gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it is given by one who helps in carrying it out. To what place are we to follow Christ if not where he has already gone? We know that he has risen and ascended into heaven; there, then, we must follow him. There is no cause for despair - by ourselves we can do nothing, but we have Christ’s promise... One who claims to abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. Would you follow Christ? Then be humble as he was humble. Do not scorn his lowliness if you want to reach his exaltation. Human sin made the road rough. Christ’s resurrection leveled it. By passing over it himself, he transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top - well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you - do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already be climbing." (excerpt from SERMONS 159, 1.4–6)
"When the Lord tells us in the Gospel that anyone who wants to be his follower must renounce himself, the injunction seems harsh; we think he is imposing a burden on us. But an order is no burden when it is given by one who helps in carrying it out. To what place are we to follow Christ if not where he has already gone? We know that he has risen and ascended into heaven; there, then, we must follow him. There is no cause for despair - by ourselves we can do nothing, but we have Christ’s promise... One who claims to abide in Christ ought to walk as he walked. Would you follow Christ? Then be humble as he was humble. Do not scorn his lowliness if you want to reach his exaltation. Human sin made the road rough. Christ’s resurrection leveled it. By passing over it himself, he transformed the narrowest of tracks into a royal highway. Two feet are needed to run along this highway; they are humility and charity. Everyone wants to get to the top - well, the first step to take is humility. Why take strides that are too big for you - do you want to fall instead of going up? Begin with the first step, humility, and you will already be climbing." (excerpt from SERMONS 159, 1.4–6)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, MATTHEW 16:24-28
Weekday
(Deuteronomy 4:32-40; Psalm 77)
Weekday
(Deuteronomy 4:32-40; Psalm 77)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me" (v. 24).
TO KNOW: Following the first prediction of his passion, Jesus warned his disciples of the cost and reward of discipleship. By taking up the cross they would share in his own fate. Before revealing his glory in the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-9), he wanted them to know that the pathway to exultation was not one of power but of self-denial. True glory could only be found through the way of the cross. Sharing Jesus' passion was not an option for his disciples. If they wished to follow him, they must be willing to let go of everything, even their own lives. Those things that the world valued would profit them nothing. They could not exchange eternal salvation for an earthly reward. At the final judgment, God would repay each one according to their faithful conduct.
TO LOVE: What holds me back from completely following Jesus?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to surrender my life to you.
Optional Memorial of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith
Stein), virgin and martyr
Edith Stein was the youngest of seven children in a Jewish family. She was a brilliant student and philosopher. She witnessed the faith of her Catholic friends, which led her to studying the catechism on her own, literally "reading herself” into the Faith. Edith was converted to Catholicism in Cologne, Germany, and was baptized in the cathedral church in 1922. She became a Carmelite nun in 1934, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She was a teacher in the Dominican school in Speyer, and lecturer at the Educational Institute in Munich. However, anti-Jewish pressure from the Nazis forced her to resign both positions. She was smuggled out of Germany, and assigned to Echt, Holland in 1938. When the Nazis invaded Holland, she and her sister Rose, also a convert to Catholicism, were captured and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz where they died in the ovens like countless others.
Friday 9 August 2019
St Teresa Benedicta of The Cross. Day of Penance
Deuteronomy 4:32-40. Psalm 76:12-16, 21. Matthew 16:24-28.
I remember the deeds of the Lord – Psalm 76:12-16, 21.
‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me.’
Dr Edith Stein was a significant philosopher in Germany between
the wars. Born as the youngest daughter of a Jewish single-parent family, her
writing and teaching brought her acclaim. While her decision to be baptised
grieved her mother, her deepening love of Christ led her to the signature joy
of her life.
Entering the Carmelite monastery at Cologne aged 42, she
continued writing, completing her translation of Aquinas’ On Truth, a
metaphysical treatise, a profile of Teresa of Avila, and her most famous work
Science of the Cross.
Meanwhile, as the murderous Nazi campaign against the Jewish
people advanced, Stein fled to a monastery in the Netherlands. In 1942 she was
detained by the SS. Witnesses spoke of her incredible faith and calm as she
placed her trust in God. She was killed at Auschwitz-Birkenau and is a patron
saint of Europe. May her courageous witness give us inspiration.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
Saint of the Day for August 9
(October 12, 1891 – August 9, 1942)
 |
| Portrait of Edith Stein in the student chapel of the Hochschulgemeinde Wien im Edith-Stein-Haus | photo by Braveheart |
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross’ Story
A brilliant philosopher who stopped believing in God when she
was 14, Edith Stein was so captivated by reading the autobiography of Teresa of
Avila that she began a spiritual journey that led to her baptism in 1922.
Twelve years later she imitated Saint Teresa by becoming a Carmelite, taking
the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.
Born into a prominent Jewish family in Breslau, Germany—now
Wroclaw, Poland—Edith abandoned Judaism in her teens. As a student at the
University of Göttingen, she became fascinated by phenomenology, an approach to
philosophy. Excelling as a protégé of Edmund Husserl, one of the leading
phenomenologists, Edith earned a doctorate in philosophy in 1916. She continued
as a university teacher until 1922 when she moved to a Dominican school in
Speyer; her appointment as lecturer at the Educational Institute of Munich ended
under pressure from the Nazis.
After living for four years in the Cologne Carmel, Sister Teresa
Benedicta moved to the Carmelite monastery in Echt, Netherlands, in 1938. The
Nazis occupied that country in 1940. In retaliation for being denounced by the
Dutch bishops, the Nazis arrested all Dutch Jews who had become Christians.
Teresa Benedicta and her sister Rosa, also a Catholic, died in a gas chamber in
Auschwitz on August 9, 1942.
Pope John Paul II beatified Teresa Benedicta of
the Cross in 1987, and canonized her 12 years later.
Reflection
The writings of Edith Stein fill 17 volumes, many of which have
been translated into English. A woman of integrity, she followed the truth
wherever it led her. After becoming a Catholic, Edith continued to honor her
mother’s Jewish faith. Sister Josephine Koeppel, O.C.D. , translator of several
of Edith’s books, sums up this saint with the phrase, “Learn to live at God’s
hands.”
Lectio Divina: Matthew 16:24-28
Lectio Divina
Friday, August 9, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father of everlasting goodness,
our origin and guide,
be close to us
and hear the prayers of all who praise You.
Forgive our sins and restore us to life.
Keep us safe in Your love.
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.
our origin and guide,
be close to us
and hear the prayers of all who praise You.
Forgive our sins and restore us to life.
Keep us safe in Your love.
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 16:24-28
Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me
must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save
his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his
life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will
come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each
according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who
will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
3) Reflection
• The five verses of today’s Gospel continue with the words of
Jesus to Peter which we meditated on yesterday. Jesus does not hide nor lessen
the demands of discipleship. He does not allow Peter to take the initiative and
puts him in his place: “Far from Me!” Today’s Gospel makes
explicit these demands for all of us.
• Matthew 16:24: “Take up his cross and follow
Me”. Jesus draws the conclusions which are valid even until now: “If
anyone wants to follow Me, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and
follow Me”. At that time, the cross was the death sentence which the
Roman Empire inflicted on marginalized persons and bandits. To take up the
cross and carry it behind Jesus was the same as to accept to be marginalized by
the unjust system which legitimized injustice. The Cross is not fatalism, nor
exigency from the Father. The Cross is the consequence of the commitment freely
taken up by Jesus to reveal the Good News that God is Father, and therefore, we
all have to be accepted and treated as brothers and sisters. Because of this
revolutionary announcement, Jesus was persecuted and He was not afraid to give
His life. Nobody has greater love than this: to give one’s life for his
friends (Jn 15:13). The witness of Paul in the letter to the Galatians
indicates the concrete significance and importance of all this: “But as for
me, it is out of the question that I should boast at all, except of the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world has been crucified to me, and
I to the world”. (Gal 6:14). He ends by referring to the marks of the
tortures which he suffered: “After this, let no one trouble me, I carry
branded on my body the marks of Jesus” (Gal 6:17).
• Matthew 16:25-26: “Anyone who loses his life for My sake
will find it”. These two verses make explicit universal human values
which confirm the experience of many Christians and non Christians: to save
one’s life, to lose one’s life, to find one’s life. The experience of many is
the following: anyone who is always seeking goods and riches is never
satisfied. Anyone who gives himself to others, forgetting himself, experiences
great happiness. This is the experience of the mothers who give themselves and
of so many people who do not think of self, but think of others. Many do this
and live in this way almost out of instinct, as something which comes from the
bottom of the heart. Others act in this way because they have had a painful
experience of frustration which has led them to change attitude. Jesus is right
in saying, “Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who
loses his life for My sake will find it”. The reason is important:
“For My sake”, or like Mark says: “For the sake of the Gospel” (Mk 8:35). He
ends saying, “What, then will anyone gain by winning the whole world
and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his
life?” This last phrase recalls the psalm where it is said that no one
is capable of paying the ransom for his life: “But no one can ever
redeem himself or pay his own ransom to God; the price for himself is too high,
it can never be that he will live on for ever and avoid the sight of the
abyss” (Ps 49: 8-10).
• Matthew 16:27-28: The Son of Man is going to come in
the glory of the Father and He will reward each one according to his
behavior. These two verses refer to the hope regarding the coming of the
Son of Man in the last times, as judge of humanity, as he is presented in the
vision of the prophet Daniel (Dan 7:13-14). The first verse says, “The
Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels and will
reward each one according to his behavior”. (Mt 16:27). This phrase
speaks about the justice of the Judge. Each one will receive according to his
own behavior. The second verse says, “There are some standing here who
will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with His
kingdom”. (Mt 16:28). This phrase is an advertisement to help us
perceive the coming of Jesus, the Judge of the actions of life. Some thought
that Jesus would have come afterwards (1 Thess 4:15-18). But in fact, Jesus was
already present in persons, especially in the poor. They did not perceive this,
even though Jesus Himself had said, “Every time that you have helped the poor,
the sick, the homeless, the prisoner, the pilgrim, you helped Me, it was Me!”
(cf. Mt 25: 34-45).
4) Personal questions
• Anyone who loses his life will find it. What experience do I
have regarding this?
• The words of Paul: “As for me, instead, there is no other glory than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified for me and I for the world”. Do I have the courage to repeat these words in my life?
• From Matt 16:25, to Lk 9:24, to Jn 21:18 we learn of the importance of following rather than leading. In my life, do I follow, give my life to others, or do I "lead my own life"?
• The words of Paul: “As for me, instead, there is no other glory than the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified for me and I for the world”. Do I have the courage to repeat these words in my life?
• From Matt 16:25, to Lk 9:24, to Jn 21:18 we learn of the importance of following rather than leading. In my life, do I follow, give my life to others, or do I "lead my own life"?
5) Concluding Prayer
Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,
let us acclaim His Name together.
I seek Yahweh and He answers me,
frees me from all my fears. (Ps 34:3-4)
let us acclaim His Name together.
I seek Yahweh and He answers me,
frees me from all my fears. (Ps 34:3-4)
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