JUNE 07, 2012 : THURSDAY OF THE NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 356

Reading 1 2 Tm 2:8-15

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:

If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

Remind people of these things
and charge them before God to stop disputing about words.
This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen.
Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God,
a workman who causes no disgrace,
imparting the word of truth without deviation.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 And 14

R. (4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Gospel Mk 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

(www.usccb.org)

Meditation:  "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength"

What is the purpose of God's law or commandments? The Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge of the law and their ritual requirements. They made it a life-time practice to study the 613 precepts of the Old Testament along with the numerous rabbinic commentaries. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose. What does God require of us? Simply that we love as he loves! God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The love of God comes first and the love of neighbor is firmly grounded in the love of God. The more we know of God's love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will. What makes our love for God and his commands grow in us? Faith in God and hope in his promises strengthens us in the love of God. They are essential for a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises. The Lord, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, gives us a new freedom to love as he loves. Do you allow anything to keep you from the love of God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart?  Paul the Apostle says: hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5:5). Do you know the love which conquers all?
"We love you, O our God; and we desire to love you more and more. Grant to us that we may love you as much as we desire, and as much as we ought. O dearest friend, who has so loved and saved us, the thought of whom is so sweet and always growing sweeter, come with Christ and dwell in our hearts; that you keep a watch over our lips, our steps, our deeds, and we shall not need to be anxious either for our souls or our bodies. Give us love, sweetest of all gifts, which knows no enemy. Give us in our hearts pure love, born of your love to us, that we may love others as you love us. O most loving Father of Jesus Christ, from whom flows all love, let our hearts, frozen in sin, cold to you and cold to others, be warmed by this divine fire. So help and bless us in your Son." (Prayer of Anselm, 1033-1109)
(Don Schwager)

Self - Donation (2012-06-07)

Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come before you humbly. As one who has frequently fallen into sin, I am aware of my weakness. Your great love, though, assures me that your grace can keep me on the path to holiness.

Petition: Lord, help me live according to the New Testament.

1. Getting Beyond Myself: A scribe asks Jesus a pointed question and assumes that there is only a one-step answer. In fact, Jesus goes beyond a one-step response and links love of God with love of neighbor. "Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness" (2 John 1:9). Christianity is not strictly a me-and-Jesus affair; such a faith can fall into self-centeredness and disdain for the world. We are called to be leaven in the world, to bring light to the darkness. Jesus wants us to be his arms and legs and voice in the world. Am I content to say prayers and make weekly Mass ― but to do little else? Might God be asking me to get more involved in the parish? In the school? In some kind of charity work?

2. The Gift of Self Is the Greatest Gift: The scribe senses that burnt offerings are not enough. Burnt offerings are something external to us. We let go of things (money, used clothes, old furniture) much faster than we let go of our time, our way of thinking. We give things but not ourselves. Am I loathe to give more of my time to help the Church? Why?

3. Fear of God’s Demands: The scribes understood that Jesus was raising the bar on religious observance. Sacrificing a sheep or a goat wasn´t enough anymore. Christ wanted them to give of themselves ― and that left them uneasy. The Old Testament sacrifices were giving way to the New Testament sacrifice ― the very sacrifice of self. That´s what Jesus wanted; that´s what Jesus himself gave. He gave himself up to a cross to confound our self-love. Does it scare me to die to myself? To my whims? What is Jesus asking of me that makes me uneasy?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know it´s costly for me to let go of my own way of thinking, to give of my time. Help me realize that this may be the more perfect offering that you seek from me.

Resolution: I will offer to do a favor that is costly in personal terms.

Father Edward McIlmail, LC

(Regnum Christi)

Teach me your ways, O Lord

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel.
Looking at or listening to the daily news can lead us to the conclusion that we human beings love to quarrel, and that peace, harmony and the pursuit of a common purpose are of no interest at all. Paul’s letter to Timothy continues: ‘Warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words.’ Even the early church in all its fervent beginnings seems to have experienced passionate dissension.

Mark also draws attention to the argumentative scribes and Pharisees. Ironically, Jesus’ answer to their question—‘Which commandment is the greatest of them all?’—reminds us of what we hold in common: that God is one, and that we should love God with all our hearts and our neighbours as ourselves. 

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

A YEAR 11 STUDENT ON COMMUNITY

I quote the following letter in full because it captures so well the importance of community service in forming our students. It was written in August 2001 by a Year 11 boarder. He was also a member of the Year 11 Arrupe Academy Leadership program. He is speaking of his experience of working in the Cana Communities which serve homeless people in inner Sydney.

Dear Fr Gleeson,

Mr Hogan on Wednesday at School Assembly asked for help with several shelters run by Cana Communities. During the first week of the holidays, I spent thirty hours working at these shelters helping out around the place or just talking to the people. The idea of Cana Communities is to give those people who are not accepted by society, for whatever reason, a place where they can feel part of a community. It comes back to that idea that many of the boys raised about not feeling comfortable with homeless people, often having apprehensions about talking to or even approaching them. These feelings separate the underprivileged from the privileged, hence the need for a community where they feel they belong. During my time at Cana I worked at three different places: De Porres House, Teresa House and Cana Cafeteria. From cleaning toilets, to cooking dinner to sleeping over at the hostel I was never short of experiences.

But how did these thirty hours touch my life? After careful thought I think I can narrow it down to three main ways:

1. It made me appreciate my life more. This seemed a common theme from the speakers, but nonetheless I believe it is still an important one. Such experiences of community education as my one, in a way, provide a safety net when things are blue. Many mornings I might wake up and be panicking at the thought of a test or complaining that there is no hot water in the Division, but, by being educated through my experience at Cana, I am able to step back, take a look at the Big Picture and appreciate what God has given me and how I can use these gifts for the Greater Good. I can pick myself up and face the day and the world with a whole new attitude.

2. It eliminated that fear of difference. It is common throughout all societies that the majority are not fond of difference, and this is also the case in the streets of Sydney. Many rich business men/women walk past the underprivileged each day and probably think to themselves, 'Why is it my problem. They probably got themselves there in the first place - they don't deserve help'. But my experience demonstrated to me that these people are just as much my neighbour as you, my friends or the Pope. I was, personally, brought up in a very sanitized environment where I was not even to look at 'those people'. I met one man, David, who was an excellent poet. Probably he, on his own, in one hour eliminated my ignorance and fear of difference.

3. Finally, and probably most importantly, it instilled in me a greater love of generosity. It might sound a bit cliched but it is true. As Daniel Street was saying, when he came back from his Grummit Scholarship he felt empty because he was not doing something for the community. I now feel the same way. I now look forward to every second Sunday where I go out to Redfern and talk to the homeless and addicted. (One word of advice that I would have liked to give the guys would have been to dive in the deep end. I have done other community service for DEAS in the past and have enjoyed it, but not really loved it. By diving in the deep end of society and really seeing how much there is to be done you realize that you can make more of a difference than just delivering newspapers.) By really jumping into your community service you begin to love the feeling that comes over you when you see that disabled man smiling and you know that you have made his day.

 

From A Canopy of Stars: Some Reflections for the Journey by Fr Christopher Gleeson SJ [David Lovell Publishing 2003]

(www.churchresources.info)

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Becoming Christlike
Transformation is the only means through which the Word within can be brought forth and manifest as the Christ consciousness in the world. This is our essence. To become like God, to become Christlike—this is our destiny.
— from Wake Up to God’s Word

June 7
Servant of God Joseph Perez
(1890-1928)

"The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church," said Tertullian in the third century. Joseph Perez carried on that tradition.

Joseph was born in Coroneo, Mexico, and joined the Franciscans when he was 17. Because of Mexico’s civil unrest at that time (the forces of Pancho Villa had crossed into New Mexico on a raid the previous year), he was forced to take his philosophy and theology studies in California.
After ordination at Mission Santa Barbara, he returned to Mexico and served at Jerecuaro from 1922 on. The persecution under the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28) forced Joseph to wear various disguises as he traveled around to visit the Catholics. In 1927 Church property was nationalized, Catholic schools were closed, and foreign priests and nuns were deported.
One day Joseph and several others were captured while returning from a secretly held Mass. Father Perez was stabbed to death by soldiers a few miles from Celaya on June 2, 1928.
When Joseph’s body was later brought in procession to Salvatierra, it was buried there amid cries of "Viva Cristo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King!).

Comment:

The Catholic Church in Mexico today is much freer than it was in the 1920’s. Catholicism is very much alive in Mexico today, nurtured in part by martyrs like Father Perez.

Quote:

Father Joseph’s memorial card includes these words: "May almighty God grant that our prayer, which is supported by the bloody sacrifice of this martyr, may graciously appear in his sight and bring salvation to us and redemption to our country" (Marion A. Habig, O.F.M., The Franciscan Book of Saints, p. 412).

(www.americancatholic.org)

St. Willibald

Feastday: June 7
700 - 786

Bishop and missionary. A native of Wessex, England, he was the brother of Sts. Winebald and Walburga and was related through his mother to the great St. Boniface. After studying in a monastery in Waitham, in Hampshire, he went on a pilgrimage to Rome (c. 722) with his father, who died on the way at Lucca, Italy. Willibald continued on to Rome and then to Jerusalem. Captured by Saracens who thought him a spy, he was eventually released and continued on to all of the holy places and then to Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey), where he visited numerous lauras, monasteries, and hermitages. Upon his return to Italy, he went to Monte Cassino where he stayed for ten years, serving as sacrist, dean, and porter. While on a visit to Rome, he met Pope St. Gregory III (r. 731-741), who sent him to Germany to assist his cousin St. Boniface in his important missionary endeavors. Boniface ordained him in 741 and soon appointed him bishop of Eichstatt, in Franconia. the Site of Willibald's most successful efforts as a missionary. With his brother Winebald, he founded a double monastery at Heidenheim, naming Winebald abbot and his sister Walburga abbess. Willibald served as bishop for some four decades. His Vita is included in the Hodoeporicon (the earliest known English travel book). An account of his journeys in the Holy Land was written by a relative of Willibald and a nun of Heidenheim.

(www.catholic.org)

ST. ANTHONY MARY GIANELLI

Anthony grew up in a poor but pious family in a small farming village near Genoa, Italy. The owner of his family farm paid for Anthony's seminary education because he was such a promising student. He was very young for ordination and required a special dispensation, however he was ordained in 1812 and served as a parish priest, and eventually founded several religious communities, some of them short-lived.

In 1827, he founded the Missionaries of St. Alphonsus, which lasted until 1848. He also founded the Oblates of Saint Alphonsus in 1828, which lasted only 20 years. The Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden, which he founded in 1829, still continue their ministry in education and among the sick in Europe, Asia and the United States.

He was named bishop of Bobbio, Italy in 1837 and actively restored devotions and instructed the faithful. He was a people’s bishop, visiting with his parishes and organizing two synods. He died after nine years as bishop on June 7, 1846 due to a serious fever.

He was canonized in 1951.

(www.catholicnewsagency.com)

BL. ANNE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW, (OCD), VIRGIN (M)

Liturgy:  Thursday, June 7, 2012

Anne Garcia Manzanas was born at Almendral, Castille, Spain on October 1st 1549. As a thirteen-year-old orphan, she tended her brothers’ sheep. Devoted to the Passion of Christ, she wanted to consecrate her virginity to God, but feared she would be unable to overcome her brothers’ opposition to her vocation.

 One night, having fallen asleep with her rosary in her hands (which she recited daily), Anne experienced a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary showing her the Discalced Carmelites’ convent in Ávila, and pressing her to become a nun there. Then Christ appeared, seconding his Mother’s words and pulling Anne by her rosary beads.  After waking, Anne resolved to become a Carmelite, and in 1572, she made her profession as a Carmelite in the hands of St. Teresa, at St. Joseph’s, Avila. She was Secretary and close friend of Saint Teresa who died in her arms October 4th, 1582.

 She was Prioress at Tours and Pontoise and founded the Carmelite house at Antwerp in 1612.  Bl. Anne died June 7th 1626 in Antwerp Belgium.  She was beatified in 1917 by Pope Benedict XV, and her canonization is pending.

Quotes from Bl. Anne of St. Bartholomew:

“Silence is precious; by keeping silence and knowing how to listen to God,

the soul grows in wisdom and God teaches it what it cannot learn from men.”

(www.ocarm.org)

LECTIO: MARK 12,28B-34

Lectio: 

 Thursday, June 7, 2012

Ordinary Time

1) Opening prayer

Father,
your love never fails.
Hear our call.
Keep us from danger
and provide for all our needs.
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 - Mark 12,28b-34

One of the scribes put a question to Jesus, 'Which is the first of all the commandments?' Jesus replied, 'This is the first: Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one, only Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.' The scribe said to him, 'Well spoken, Master; what you have said is true, that he is one and there is no other. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, this is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice.'
Jesus, seeing how wisely he had spoken, said, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.' And after that no one dared to question him any more.

3) Reflection

• The Gospel today presents a beautiful conversation between Jesus and a Doctor of the Law. The doctor wants to know from Jesus which is the first of all the commandments. Today, also many persons want to know what is most important in religion. Some say: to be baptized. Others, to pray. Others say: to go to Mass or to participate in the worship on Sunday. Others say: to love your neighbour! Others are worried about the appearance or the charges or tasks in the Church.
• Mark 12, 28: The question of the Doctor of the Law. A doctor of the Law, who had seen the debate of Jesus with the Sadducees (Mk 12,23-27), was pleased with the response of Jesus, and he perceives in him a great intelligence and wants to profit of this occasion to ask him a question: Which is the first one of all the commandments?” At that time the Jews had an enormous number of norms which regulated, in practice, the observance of the Ten Commandments of the Law of God. Some said: “All these norms have the same value, because they all come from God. It does not belong to us to introduce distinctions in the things of God”. Others would say: “Some Laws are more important than others, that is why they oblige more!” The Doctor wanted to know Jesus’ opinion.
• Mark 12, 29-31: The response of Jesus. Jesus responds by quoting a passage of the Bible to say that the first commandment is “to love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength!” (Dt 6, 4-5). At the time of Jesus, the pious Jews made of this text of Deuteronomy a prayer which they recited three times a day: in the morning, at noon and in the evening. Among them it was known as today we know the Our Father. And Jesus adds, quoting the Bible again: the second one is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is no other more important commandment than this one”. (Lev 19,18). A brief and profound response! It is the summary of all that Jesus has taught about God and about life (Mt 7, 12).
• Mark 12, 32-33: The answer of the doctor of the Law. The Doctor agrees with Jesus and draws the conclusion: “To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself; this is far more important than any burnt offering or sacrifice”. In other words, the commandment of love is more important than the commandments related to worship and sacrifice in the Temple. This affirmation was already used by the prophets of the Old Testament (Ho 6, 6; Ps 40, 6-8; Ps 51, 16-17). Today, we would say that the practice of love is more important than novenas, promises, Masses, prayers, and processions.
• Mark 12, 34: The summary of the Kingdom. Jesus confirms the conclusion reached by the Doctor and says: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God!” In fact, the Kingdom of God consists in recognizing that love toward God is equal to the love of neighbour. Because if God is Father, we all are sisters and brothers and should show this in practice, living in community. "On these two commandments depend the Law and the prophets” (Mt 22, 4). The disciples must keep in mind, fix in their memory, in their intelligence, in the heart, in the hands and in the feet this important law of love: God is only attained through the total gift of self to our neighbour!
• The first and most important commandment. The most important and first commandment was and will always be: “to love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mk 12,30). In the measure in which the People of God, throughout the centuries, has deepened the meaning and the importance of the love of God, it has become aware that God’s love is true and real only in the measure in which it is made concrete in the love to neighbour. And thus, the second commandment which asks for the love for neighbour, is similar to the first commandment of God’s love (Mt 22, 39; Mk 12, 31). “Anyone who says I love God, and hates his brother, is a liar” (1 Jn 4, 20). “On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets too” (Mt 22, 40).

4) Personal questions

• For you, what is more important in religion and in life? Which are the concrete difficulties that you find, in order to be able to live that which you consider more important?
• Jesus tells the doctor: “You are not far from the Kingdom of God”. Today, am I nearer or farther away from the Kingdom of God than the doctor praised by Jesus?

5) Concluding Prayer

Direct me in your ways, Yahweh,
and teach me your paths.
Encourage me to walk in your truth and teach me
since you are the God who saves me. (Ps 25,4-5)

(www.ocarm.org)