JUNE 09, 2012 : SATURDAY OF THE NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 358

Reading 1 2 Tm 4:1-8

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.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 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.

Gospel Mk 12:38-44

In the course of his teaching Jesus said,
"Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes
and accept greetings in the marketplaces,
seats of honor in synagogues,
and places of honor at banquets.
They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext,
recite lengthy prayers.
They will receive a very severe condemnation."

He sat down opposite the treasury
and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums.
A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.
Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,
"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood."

(www.usccb.org)

Meditation: "This poor widow has put in more than the rest"

What is true religion and devotion to God? Jesus warns his disciples against the wrong kind of religion. In his denunciation of the scribes (the religious experts of his day), he warns against three things: the desire for prominence rather than selfless service; the desire for deference and recognition (and seeking esteem from others) rather than seeking to promote the good of others through humble service and love; and thirdly, attempting to use one’s position (even a religious position) for self-gain and self-advancement. True religion is relating rightly to God and to one’s neighbor with love, honor, and respect. The Lord puts his Holy Spirit within us that we may be filled with the joy of his presence, the joy of true worship, and the joy of selfless giving and love for others. True reverence for God frees the heart to give liberally, both to God and to neighbor.

Jesus taught his disciples a dramatic lesson in giving with love. Love doesn't calculate; it spends lavishly! Jesus drove this point home to his disciples while sitting in the temple and observing people offering their tithes. Jesus praised a poor widow who gave the smallest of coins in contrast with the rich who gave greater sums. How can someone in poverty give more than someone who has ample means? Jesus' answer is very simple: love is more precious than gold! Jesus taught that real giving must come from the heart. A gift that is given with a grudge or for display loses most of its value. But a gift given out of love, with a spirit of generosity and sacrifice, is invaluable. The amount or size of the gift doesn't matter as much as the cost to the giver. The poor widow could have kept one of her coins, but instead she recklessly gave away all she had! Jesus praised someone who gave barely a penny – how insignificant a sum – because it was everything she had, her whole living. What we have to offer may look very small and not worth much, but if we put all we have at the Lord's disposal, no matter how insignificant it may seem, then God can do with it and with us what is beyond our reckoning. Do you know the joy and freedom of giving liberally to God and to neighbor with gratitude and love?

"Lord Jesus, all that I have is yours. Take my life, my possessions, my time and all that I have and use them as you desire for your glory."

(Don Schwager)

Meditations with Regnum Christi

Mark 12: 38-44

In the course of his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you, the goal of my life. To please you is worth more than any praise or recognition the world can give. I trust that you will always inspire my heart to love you in all I do. I wish only to forget myself in order to love you and those you send my way.

Petition: Lord Jesus, may I do all for the glory of your name!

1. A Scalpel to My Vanity: The scribes did everything right in the eyes of men. Jesus could see that it was all a facade. Their robes were for them to be noticed. People were to pay them tribute for being men of honor. Today that same vanity is still popular. What we wear, the car we drive and the titles or letters that follow our name seem to give us our self-worth. Yet, these men of means brought nothing but condemnation upon themselves. Their position of leadership and learning placed great responsibility upon them. However, far from the great good they could do for others, they used it to take advantage of others. What deeds do I have to show for any position or learning I have?

2. Eliminating My Egotism: For whom do I live? The scribes lived for themselves. If they taught, it was to impress others. If they gave, it was to build a reputation. If they prayed, it was to justify all that they stole from the poor. They were not evil men; they were ‘good guys’. But they were driven by self-love. It explained all they did. Even if they happened to do something just, its worth was empty, for they sought themselves.

3. Behold True Charity: Against the backdrop of so much show and empty parading, Jesus sees a bright act of virtue. He sees what no one else saw. He saw someone almost ignored by everyone. The authenticity of her gift was twofold. She gave quietly, without any thought of winning praise: her gift was for God alone. And what she gave appeared small but in fact was her all, everything she owned. Pure charity is done for God and involves the gift of our entire self. Unreserved offers of service, ever ready to love and serve, when, where and as I am asked, how rare these are! How do I give? Is my charity ever hidden? In what ways do I give my entire self to God?

Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, free me from self-love that kills the value of my giving and assassinates my efforts to form virtue. Help me die to myself for love of others. May I never neglect anyone who needs my help. But keep my giving quiet, so that my only reward will be found in you for all eternity.

Resolution: I will do a hidden act of charity today.

Father Edward Hopkins, LC

*Signum Christi*

I will sing of your salvation

‘She put in all she had.’
We live in a world of disposables, and a world 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 quite countercultural to live simply, and to give at great cost to self (whether the giving is to God or to others).

Our world is all about making sure we have what we need first. Jesus makes clear however, that why we give and the heart with which we give are paramount 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 our heart when it comes to giving to God?


THOUGHT FOR TODAY
THE EYES OF FAITH
Indeed, every true word ever uttered, every thought sincerely and lucidly entertained, every harmonious note sung or sounded, laughter flashing like lightning between the head and the heart, human love in all its diversity binding together husbands and wives, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, and making of all mankind one family and our earth their home; the earth itself with its colours and shapes and smells, and its set¬ting in a universe growing ever vaster and its basic components becoming ever more microscopic - seen with the eyes of Faith, it all adds up to a oneness, an image of everlasting reality.

-         From " A Spiritual Journey," in Malcolm Muggeridge, Conversion

(www.churchresources.info)

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Understanding Others
Where in the past I would get frustrated, I think I am able now to be more loving. I really don’t know what is going on in another person’s heart, and I don’t know the pain others are going through. I pray for the grace to not judge others.
— from Hiking the Camino

June 9
St. Ephrem
(306?-373)

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, along with many Christians, fled as a refugee to Edessa. He is credited with attracting great glory to the biblical school there. He was ordained a deacon but declined becoming a priest (and was said to have avoided episcopal 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.”
He preferred a simple, austere life, living in a small cave overlooking the city of Edessa. It was here he died around 373.

Icon of St.Ephrem (right) together with St.George (top)
and St. John Damascene.

Comment:

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 Testament. It is an excellent way of expressing and creating a community spirit of unity as well as joy. Ephrem's hymns, an ancient historian testifies, "lent luster to the Christian assemblies." We need some modern Ephrems—and cooperating singers—to do the same for our Christian assemblies today.

Quote:

Lay me not with sweet spices,
For this honor avails me not,
Nor yet use incense and perfumes,
For the honor befits me not.
Burn yet the incense in the holy place;
As for me, escort me only with your prayers,
Give ye your incense to God,
And over me send up hymns.
Instead of perfumes and spices,
Be mindful of me in your intercessions.
(From The Testament of St. Ephrem)

(www.americancatholic.org)

LECTIO: MARK 12,38-44

Lectio: 

 Saturday, June 9, 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 12,38-44

In his teaching Jesus said, 'Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted respectfully in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at banquets; these are the men who devour the property of widows and for show offer long prayers. The more severe will be the sentence they receive.'
He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, 'In truth I tell you, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on.'

3) Reflection

• In today’s Gospel we are getting to the end of the long teaching of Jesus to his disciples. From the first cure of the blind man (Mk 8,22-26) up to the cure of the blind Bartimaeus in Jericho (10,46-52), the disciples walked with Jesus toward Jerusalem, receiving much instruction from him about the passion, death and resurrection and the consequences for the life of the disciple. When they reached Jerusalem, they assist to the debates of Jesus with the traders in the Temple (Mk 11, 15-19), with the high priests and the Scribes (Mk 11, 27 a 12, 12), with the Pharisees, Herodians and the Sadducees (Mk 12, 13-27), with the Doctors of the Law (Mk 12, 28-37). Now, in today’s Gospel, after the last criticism against the Scribes (Mk 12, 38-40), Jesus instructs the disciples. Jesus sitting opposite the treasury he called their attention on the gesture of sharing of a poor widow. In that gesture they should look for the manifestation of the will of God (Mk 12, 41-44).
• Mark 12, 38-40: The criticism of the doctors of the Law. Jesus calls the attention of the disciples on the arrogant and hypocritical behaviour of some of the doctors of the Law. They liked very much to go around the squares in the city wearing long tunics, and to receive the greeting of the people, to occupy the first places in the Synagogue and to have the place of honour in the banquets. They liked to enter into the houses of the widows and to say long prayers in exchange for money! And Jesus says: “These people will receive a great condemnation!”
• Mark 12,41-42. The mite of the widow. Jesus and his disciples sitting opposite the treasury of the Temple observed that all left their alms. The poor put in a very small amount, a few cents, the rich put in coins of great value. The Treasury of the Temple received much money. Everyone took something for the maintenance of the cult, to support the clergy and for the maintenance of the building. Part of this money was used to help the poor, because at that time there was no social security. The poor depended on public charity. And the poor who needed greater help, were the orphans and the widows. They had nothing. They depended for everything on the help of others. But even without having anything, they tried to share. In this way, a very poor widow, put in her alms into the treasury of the Temple. Just a few cents!
• Mark 12, 43-44. Jesus indicates where God’s will is manifested. What has greater value: the ten cents of the widow or the one thousand dollars of the rich? For the disciples, the one thousand dollars of the rich were much more useful than the ten cents of the widow. They thought that the problems of the people could be solved only with much money. On the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves, they had said to Jesus: “Are we to go and spend two hundred denarii on bread for them to eat?” (Mk 6, 37) In fact, for those who think this way, the ten cents of the widow do not serve for anything. But Jesus says: “This widow who is poor has put into the treasury more than all the others”. Jesus has different criteria. He calls the attention of his disciples on the gesture of the widow, and teaches them where they and we should seek the manifestation of God’s will: in the poor and in sharing. Many poor people today do the same thing. People say: ”The poor do not let another poor person starve”. But sometimes, not even this is possible. Cicera, the lady of the interior zone of Paraiba, Brazil, who went to live in the periphery of the capital city, would say: “In the interior, people were poor, but there was always a piece of bread to share with the poor person who knocked at the door. Now that I am in the great city, when I see a poor person who knocks at the door, I hide out of shame, because at home I have nothing to share with him!” On the one hand, rich people who have everything, but who do not want to share. On the other side: poor people who hardly have anything, but who want to share the little that they have.
• Alms, sharing, riches. The practice of giving alms was very important for the Jews. It was considered a “good work”, because the Law of the Old Testament said: “Because the poor will never be missing in the country; this is why I give you this command, and I say to you: Always be open handed with your brother in your country who is in need and poor” (Dt 15,11). The alms, deposited in the treasury of the Temple, whether for the worship, or for the needy, for the orphans and for the widows, were considered an action pleasing to God. To give alms was a way of recognizing that all the goods belong to God and that we are simple administrators of these goods, in such a way that there will be abundant life for all. The practice of sharing and of solidarity is one of the characteristics of the first Christian communities: “None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money from the sale of them to present it to the apostles; (Ac 4, 34-35; 2, 44-45). The money from the sale, offered to the apostles, was not accumulated, but rather “it was then distributed to any who might be in need” (Ac 4,35b; 2, 45). The entrance into the community of persons who were richer introduced into the community the mentality of accumulation and blocked the movement of solidarity and of sharing. James warns these persons: “Now you rich! Lament; weep for the miseries that are coming to you. Your wealth is rotting; your clothes are all moth-eaten” (Jm 5, 1-3). To learn the way to the Kingdom, we all need to become pupils of that poor widow, who shared all she had, what was necessary to live (Mk 12,41-44).

4) Personal questions

• How is it that the two cents of the widow can be worth more than one thousand dollars of the rich? Look well at the text and see why Jesus praises the poor widow. What message does this text contain for us today?
• What difficulties and what joys have you found in your life in the practice of solidarity and in sharing with others?

5) Concluding Prayer

My mouth is full of your praises,
filled with your splendour all day long.
Do not reject me in my old age,
nor desert me when my strength is failing. (Ps 71,8-9)

(www.ocarm.org)