Memorial of Saint Justin, martyr
Lectionary:
351
Beloved:
The end of all things is at hand.
Therefore be serious and sober-minded
so that you will be able to pray.
Above all, let your love for one another be intense,
because love covers a multitude of sins.
Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another
as good stewards of God's varied grace.
Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God;
whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies,
so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you,
as if something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.
The end of all things is at hand.
Therefore be serious and sober-minded
so that you will be able to pray.
Above all, let your love for one another be intense,
because love covers a multitude of sins.
Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another
as good stewards of God's varied grace.
Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God;
whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies,
so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you,
as if something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 96:10, 11-12, 13
R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the
earth.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Gospel Mk 11:11-26
Jesus entered Jerusalem
He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,
went out toBethany
The next day as they were leavingBethany
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.
And he said to it in reply, "May no one ever eat of your fruit again!"
And his disciples heard it.
They came toJerusalem
and on entering the temple area
he began to drive out those selling and buying there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who were selling doves.
He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.
Then he taught them saying, "Is it not written:
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
But you have made it a den of thieves."
The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it
and were seeking a way to put him to death,
yet they feared him
because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, they went out of the city.
Early in the morning, as they were walking along,
they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look!
The fig tree that you cursed has withered."
Jesus said to them in reply, "Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,'
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.'
He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,
went out to
The next day as they were leaving
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.
And he said to it in reply, "May no one ever eat of your fruit again!"
And his disciples heard it.
They came to
and on entering the temple area
he began to drive out those selling and buying there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who were selling doves.
He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.
Then he taught them saying, "Is it not written:
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
But you have made it a den of thieves."
The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it
and were seeking a way to put him to death,
yet they feared him
because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, they went out of the city.
Early in the morning, as they were walking along,
they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look!
The fig tree that you cursed has withered."
Jesus said to them in reply, "Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,'
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.'
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Meditation: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the
nations"
Why did Jesus curse a fig tree?
Fig trees were a common and important source of food for the Jews. Bad figs or
a decaying fig tree was linked with evil deeds and spiritual decay. The
unfruitful fig tree symbolized the outcome of Israel Israel Israel
Jesus’ cleansing of the temple was
another prophetic action. In this incident we see Jesus' startling and swift
action in cleansing the temple of those who were using it to exploit the
worshipers of God. The money changers took advantage of the poor and forced
them to pay many times more than was right–
in the house of the Lord no less! Their robbery of the poor was not only
dishonoring to God but unjust toward their neighbor. In justification for his
audacious action Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah (56:7) and Jeremiah
(7:11). His act of judgment aims to purify the worship of God's people and to
discipline their erring ways.
After this incident Jesus exhorts his
disciples to “have faith in God”. They are to pray with expectant faith no matter how difficult the situation may be.
The phrase “to remove mountains” was a common Jewish expression for removing
difficulties. A wise teacher who could solve difficulties was called a
“mountain remover”. If we pray with
faith God will give us the means to overcome difficulties and obstacles. If we
want God to hear our prayers we must forgive those who wrong us as God has
forgiven us. Do you pray with expectant faith?
"Lord Jesus,
increase my faith and make my fruitful and effective in serving you. Help me to
forgive others just as you have been merciful towards me"
(Don Schwager)
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
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Look in
the Mirror
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Let us ask all of the heavenly saints to pray
for us that we might acquire the necessary virtues to be the face of God in
the midst of our world as they were in theirs.
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June 1
St. Justin
(d. 165)
St. Justin
(d. 165)
Justin never ended his quest for
religious truth even when he converted to Christianity after years of studying
various pagan philosophies.
As a
young man, he was principally attracted to the Upon his conversion he continued to wear the philosopher's mantle, and became the first Christian philosopher. He combined the Christian religion with the best elements in Greek philosophy. In his view, philosophy was a pedagogue of Christ, an educator that was to lead one to Christ.
Justin is known as an apologist, one who defends in writing the Christian religion against the attacks and misunderstandings of the pagans. Two of his so-called apologies have come down to us; they are addressed to the Roman emperor and to the Senate.
For his staunch adherence to the Christian religion, Justin was beheaded in
Comment:
As patron of philosophers, Justin may inspire us to use our natural powers (especially our power to know and understand) in the service of Christ and to build up the Christian life within us. Since we are prone to error, especially in reference to the deep questions concerning life and existence, we should also be willing to correct and check our natural thinking in light of religious truth. Thus we will be able to say with the learned saints of the Church: I believe in order to understand, and I understand in order to believe.
As patron of philosophers, Justin may inspire us to use our natural powers (especially our power to know and understand) in the service of Christ and to build up the Christian life within us. Since we are prone to error, especially in reference to the deep questions concerning life and existence, we should also be willing to correct and check our natural thinking in light of religious truth. Thus we will be able to say with the learned saints of the Church: I believe in order to understand, and I understand in order to believe.
Quote:
"Philosophy is the knowledge of that which exists, and a clear understanding of the truth; and happiness is the reward of such knowledge and understanding" (Justin, Dialogue with Trypho, 3).
"Philosophy is the knowledge of that which exists, and a clear understanding of the truth; and happiness is the reward of such knowledge and understanding" (Justin, Dialogue with Trypho, 3).
LECTIO: MARK 11,11-25
Lectio:
Friday, June 1, 2012
Prayer
Lord, merciful Father,
you chose each of your children, that they might become heralds of your love in
the world and bring the good fruit of your Presence to all peoples. May
our fruit remain, thanks to our communion with You and with your Son, Jesus;
help us to gather this fruit, which is our Friend and Teacher, who enters every
day into the holy temple of our lives. May he renew his covenant with us
daily, through faith and prayer full of trusting abandon. Amen.
From the gospel
according to Mark (11:11-25)
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem Bethany Bethany Jerusalem
Meditation
* “Jesus entered Jerusalem Holy City
* “he was hungry”. The verb we find here,
from Mark’s pen, is the same verb used also in Matthew and in Luke in the story
of the temptation in the desert (Mt 4:2; Lk 4,:2) and is used to fully express
a condition of weakness, of fragility, of need, of tiredness. Jesus
searches for something more than a simple fruit to sate his hunger; he does not
ask something of a fig out of season, but asks of his people, asks of us, the
good food of love, that which comes prepared to the table of the covenant, from
the “yes” pronounced with trust and abandon.
* “Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf”.
The figure of the fig tree, which occupies a central place in this passage, is
a very strong symbol of Israel, the chosen people; of the temple and cult
rendered to God in its entirety; and finally of ourselves, if we want it, of
the most profound truth of our heart.
The leaves of the fig
refer with clarity to the experience of Adam in the Garden of Eden, of his
contact with sin, of his nudity and of his consequential shame. Jesus,
stopping before this fig during his journey toward Jerusalem Israel
* “those selling and buying there”. The
scene of the purification of the temple (vv. 15-17), which Mark insterts
between the two moments of encounter already anticipated of the curse of the
fig tree without fruit, is very strong and animated. This time, we are
called to set our attention on the verbs and terms “drive out,” “overturned,”
“did not permit,” selling,” “buying,” “moneychangers,” “vendors,” “thieves,”
“carry anything.” Jesus inaugurates a new economy, in which “you were
sold for nothing, and without money you shall be redeemed” (Is 52:3), “He
shall…let my exiles go free without price or ransom” (Is 45:13) and “you were
ransomed…not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious
blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb” (1 Pt 1:18-19).
* “house of prayer”. From the holy temple we
are led into the house, the Dwelling of God, where the true sacrifice is prayer,
that is, the face-to-face encounter with Him, as children with our
Father. Here nothing is bought, there is no money, but only the gift of
the heart that opens itself with full trust to prayer and faith.
* “the fig tree withered to its roots”. In
fact, it is these themes that the word of Mark wishes to offer for our
meditation, continuing the reading of the passage. We must leave the
temple to enter into the house, we must leave the sale to enter into the gift
and trust: the tree without fruit is withered and seems to be in the middle of
the road, indicating the new way to go, with the rising of a new morning
(v. 20), a way toward God and towards our brothers and sisters.
* “have faith with no doubt”. With this most
beautiful expression, Jesus helps us to enter into the depths of ourselves and
to make contact with our heart, in truth. The Greek text has a stupendous
verb, translated here as “doubt” and which wishes to really express an interior
split, a division, a battle between two factions. Jesus thus invites us
to place absolute trust in Him and in the Father, in order not to become
shattered within. In a full and complete way we can come near to God, we
can be in relationship with Him, without the need of leaves to mask ourselves,
without beginning to count our change and calculate the price to pay, without
making separations within ourselves, but offering ourselves completely to Him,
as we are, that which we are, bringing with us the good and sweet fruit of
love.
* “When you stand to pray, forgive”. And it
cannot be any other way than this: the end and the new beginning of the way of
faith and prayer, in the life of the Christian, is found in relationship with
brothers and sisters, in the encounter with them, in the exchange, in the
reciprocal giving. There is no prayer, cult of God, holy temple,
sacrifice pleasing to God, there is no fruit or sweetness without love for our
brother or sister. Mark calls it forgiveness, Jesus calls it love, the
only fruit capable of satisfying our hunger, of relieving our weariness.
Questions for
Reflection
* Meditating on this
passage I encountered two strong figures: the fig tree and the temple, both
without fruit, without life and love. I saw Jesus, who with his coming
and his strong and sure work, changed this situation, offering a new aspect to
life. Am I able to recognize my need to let myself be reached out to by
the Lord, to let myself be touched by Him? Do I see myself, in certain
aspects of myself, of my life, as a barren fig, without fruit or like the
temple, a cold place of commerce and calculation? Do I feel within myself
the desire to be able to also give the sweet fruit of love, of friendship, of
sharing? Do I hunger for prayer, for a true relationship with the Father?
* Following Jesus
along the way, can I also enter into the new morning of his Law, of his
teaching? Am I able to recognize the cracks that I carry in my
heart? Where do I feel most divided, most insecure, most confused?
Why can I not completely entrust myself to my Father? Why do I still
hobble on two feet, as the prophet Elijah says (cf. I Kings 18:21). I
know that the Lord is God and I now I want to follow Him! Not alone, but
opening my heart to many brothers and sisters, making myself friend and
companion on the journey, to share in the joy and in the struggle, the fear and
the enthusiasm of the way; I know with certainty that following the Lord I will
be happy. Amen.
Final Prayer
Lord, I want to sing a
new song!
Sing to the LORD a new
song,
a hymn in the assembly
of the faithful.
Let Israel
the people of Zion
Let them praise his
name in festive dance,
make music with
tambourine and lyre.
For the LORD takes delight
in his people,
honors the poor with
victory.
Let the faithful
rejoice in their glory,
cry out for joy at
their banquet,
With the praise of God
in their mouths,
and a two-edged sword
in their hands
(Psalm 149)
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