SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 : MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 443

Reading 1 1 Cor 11:17-26, 33

Brothers and sisters:
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.
First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.
When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord's supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

R. (1 Cor 11:26b) Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

Gospel Lk 7:1-10

When Jesus had finished all his words to the people,
he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,
asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,
"He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."
And Jesus went with them,
but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
"Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes;
and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
"I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.

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Meditation: "Say the word – be healed"

Do you seek God with confidence and pray with expectant faith? A Roman official boldly sought Jesus with a daring request. What made him confident that Jesus would receive his request and act favorably towards him? Like a true soldier, he knew the power of command. And he saw in Jesus both the power and the mercy of God to heal and restore life. In the Roman world the position of centurion was very important. He was an officer in charge of a hundred soldiers. In a certain sense, he was the backbone of the Roman army, the cement which held the army together. Polybius, an ancient write, describes what a centurion should be: "They must not be so much venturesome seekers after danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable; they ought not to be over-anxious to rush into the fight, but when hard pressed, they must be ready to hold their ground, and die at their posts."
The centurion who approached Jesus was not only courageous, but faith-filled as well. He risked the ridicule of his Roman companions by seeking help from a Jewish preacher from Galilee, as well as mockery from the Jews who despised Roman occupation of their land. Nonetheless, this centurion approached Jesus with confidence and humility. Augustine notes that the centurion regarded himself as unworthy to receive the Lord into his house: "Humility was the door through which the Lord entered to take full possession of one whom he already possessed." The centurion was an extraordinary man because he loved his slave. In the Roman world slaves were treated like animals rather than people. The centurion was also an extraordinary man of faith. He believed that  Jesus had the power to heal his beloved slave. Jesus commends him for his faith and immediately grants him his request. Are you willing to suffer ridicule in the practice of your faith? And when you need help, do you approach the Lord Jesus with expectant faith?
"Heavenly Father, you sent us your Son Jesus Christ that we might be freed from the tyranny of sin and death. Increase my faith in the power of your saving word and give me freedom to love and serve others with generosity and mercy as you have loved me."

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Lord, Say the Word…

Monday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Father David Daly, LC Listen to podcast version here.   Luke 7:1-10 When Jesus had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave. They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, "He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us." And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ´Go,´ and he goes; and to another, ´Come here,´ and he comes; and to my slave, ´Do this,´ and he does it." When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe that you came into this world to redeem sinners. I hope in you and in your power to transform my soul, by your grace, from sinfulness to holiness. Lord, I love you and offer you the longings of my heart to put you truly first in my life. I want to love you with all my mind, heart, soul and strength. Petition: Lord Jesus, grant me the gift of a deeper faith. 1. The Centurion: Frequently the people to whom God has given the most recognize him the least. For that reason, he extends the gift of faith to other men and women, especially the simple and humble of heart. The centurion exemplifies this dynamic of God´s grace in our lives. We should strive to be like him: simple, humble, and confident in the powerful action of Jesus in our daily lives. 2. Lord, I Am Not Worthy to Receive You: These words manifest the centurion’s humility. They should also manifest our humility and faith in Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, since they are the words we pray at every Mass just before receiving our Lord in Holy Communion. When we receive the Blessed Sacrament, we truly receive Christ — body, blood, soul and divinity. Our faith is the key to opening up our hearts to Christ’s healing grace. 3. Not Even in Israel Have I Found Such Faith: Don’t we want Jesus to say these words to us? Isn’t it much better than hearing those other words of Christ: “When the Son of Man returns will there be any faith on earth?” (see Luke 18:8). Christ calls us to be a fresh well of faith, hope and love so that even if he does not find it anywhere else, he can always be consoled by our undying faith. Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to repeat these words of the centurion. I do believe in you and in your Real Presence in the Eucharist. In my times of doubt or weakness of faith, I will call out to you, “Only say the word and I shall be healed.” Resolution: I resolve to pray these words with all my heart today at Mass, in a visit to the Eucharist or in a spiritual communion.

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 Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

‘Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof.’
Before receiving communion, our prayer reminds Jesus that we are not really good enough to have a visit from him. We do not put off his coming like the centurion, but ask him to do something about tidying us up before he arrives.

Paul speaks of the Eucharist as the place where we proclaim the Passion of Our Lord until he comes. He speaks of the lack of charity in the celebrations of the Eucharist in Corinth. He goes as far as to say that if they are ignoring the needs of the poorer members, they are not really having a Eucharist at all.

Jesus, Lord, send us your Holy Spirit so that we know you in the breaking of bread as well as in the faces of those brothers and sisters to whom you have sent us.

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THOUGHT FOR TODAY

SERVING THE COMMUNITY AROUND US 

I know you think you should make a trip to Calcutta, but I strongly advise you to save your airfare and spend it on the poor in your own country. It's easy to love people far away. It's not always easy to love those who live right next to us. There are thousands of people dying for a bit of bread, but there are thousands more dying for a bit of love or a bit of acknowledgement. The truth is that the worst disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis; it's being unwanted, it's being left out, it's being forgotten. 

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

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MINUTE MEDITATIONS

Quenching Thirst     

Anyone who thirsts for God eagerly studies and meditates on the inspired word, knowing that he is certain to find the one for whom he thirsts. -St. Bernard of Clairvaux

— from Help Me Pray

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September 17
St. Robert Bellarmine
(1542-1621)

When Robert Bellarmine was ordained in 1570, the study of Church history and the fathers of the Church was in a sad state of neglect. A promising scholar from his youth in Tuscany, he devoted his energy to these two subjects, as well as to Scripture, in order to systematize Church doctrine against the attacks of the Protestant Reformers. He was the first Jesuit to become a professor at Louvain.

His most famous work is his three-volume Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith. Particularly noteworthy are the sections on the temporal power of the pope and the role of the laity. He incurred the anger of monarchists in England and France by showing the divine-right-of-kings theory untenable. He developed the theory of the indirect power of the pope in temporal affairs; although he was defending the pope against the Scottish philosopher Barclay, he also incurred the ire of Pope Sixtus V.
Bellarmine was made a cardinal by Pope Clement VIII on the grounds that "he had not his equal for learning." While he occupied apartments in the Vatican, Bellarmine relaxed none of his former austerities. He limited his household expenses to what was barely essential, eating only the food available to the poor. He was known to have ransomed a soldier who had deserted from the army and he used the hangings of his rooms to clothe poor people, remarking, "The walls won't catch cold."
Among many activities, he became theologian to Pope Clement VIII, preparing two catechisms which have had great influence in the Church.
The last major controversy of Bellarmine's life came in 1616 when he had to admonish his friend Galileo, whom he admired. Bellarmine delivered the admonition on behalf of the Holy Office, which had decided that the heliocentric theory of Copernicus (the sun as stationary) was contrary to Scripture. The admonition amounted to a caution against putting forward—other than as a hypothesis—theories not yet fully proved. This shows that saints are not infallible.
Bellarmine died on September 17, 1621. The process for his canonization was begun in 1627 but was delayed until 1930 for political reasons, stemming from his writings. In 1930, Pope Pius XI canonized him and the next year declared him a doctor of the Church.

Comment:

The renewal in the Church sought by Vatican II was difficult for many Catholics. In the course of change, many felt a lack of firm guidance from those in authority. They yearned for the stone columns of orthodoxy and an iron command with clearly defined lines of authority.

Vatican II assures us in The Church in the Modern World, "There are many realities which do not change and which have their ultimate foundation in Christ, who is the same yesterday and today, yes, and forever."
Robert Bellarmine devoted his life to the study of Scripture and Catholic doctrine. His writings help us understand that not only is the content of our faith important, it is Jesus' living person—as revealed by his life, death and resurrection—that is the source of revelation.
The real source of our faith is not merely a set of doctrines but rather the person of Christ still living in the Church today.
When he left his apostles, Jesus assured them of his living presence: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you to the complete truth" (see John 16:30).

Quote:

"Sharing in solicitude for all the Churches, bishops exercise this episcopal office of theirs, received through episcopal consecration, in communion with and under the authority of the Supreme Pontiff. All are united in a college or body with respect to teaching the universal Church of God and governing her as shepherds" (Decree on the Bishops' Pastoral Office, 3).

Patron Saint of:

Catechists
Catechumens

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ST. ALBERT OF JERUSALEM, BISHOP AND LAWGIVER OF CARMEL (FEAST)

Liturgy: 

 Monday, September 17, 2012 

St.Albert of Jerusalem

Saint Albert was born towards the middle of the 12th century in Castel Gualtieri in Emilia, Italy. He entered the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross at Mortara, Pavia, and became Prior there in 1180. In 1184, he was named bishop of Bobbio, and the following year he was transferred to Vercelli which he governed for twenty years.  During this period, he undertook diplomatic missions of national and international importance with rare prudence and firmness: in 1194, he effected a peace between Pavia and Milan and, five years later, also between Parma and Piacenza. In 1191, he celebrated a diocesan synod which proved of great value for its disciplinary provisions which continued to serve as a model until modern times. He was also involved in a large amount of legislative work for various religious orders: he wrote the statutes for the canons of Biella and was among the advisers who drew up the Rule of the Humiliates.

In 1205, Albert was appointed Patriarch of Jerusalem and a little later nominated Papal Legate for the ecclesiastical province of Jerusalem. He arrived in Palestine early in 1206 and lived in Acre because, at that time, Jerusalem was occupied by the Saracens. In Palestine, Albert was involved in various peace initiatives, not only among Christians but also between the Christians and non-Christians and he carried out his duties with great energy. During his stay in Acre he gathered together the hermits on Mount Carmel and gave them a Rule. On 14th September 1214, during a procession, he was stabbed to death by the Master of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, whom Albert had reprimanded and deposed for his evil life.

---

 ALBERT'S MESSAGE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Window of St Albert from Terenure College Friars, nuns and lay people in the Carmelite Order all over the world are very familiar with the Rule of St. Albert. Over the centuries it has been read, reflected on and interpreted in many different ways. The flexible nature of the Rule gives great scope for living it out in the monastery, the active apostolic life or even in the busy life of a working family person! The great variety of Carmelite ways of life in existence today testifies to this.

Although we know little about the details of Albert's life, he still brings a message to today's world from the spirit he has left us in the Carmelite Rule. The words of Scripture seem to flow almost unconsciously from Albert's pen - he was so steeped in the Word of God that it penetrated his very thinking. This is a marvellous example that Albert gives to Christians today - to live every moment of life out of the Word of God and Gospel values.

Albert can be an inspiration to those in leadership roles, especially within the Church. He did not impose all his own ideas on the group of hermits who came to him - he listened to what they told him about their way of life, and he adapted it and gave it structure. By this he shows us his qualities of wisdom and discernment. In the instructions he gave to the first Carmelites, he is careful not to be too demanding or rigid - he stresses the importance of common sense in interpreting what has to be done. This openess and flexibility gives a great "human feel" to the Carmelite Rule.

However, Albert was not a timid man - he held his convictions and views and was not afraid to express them when necessary. We see this in the circumstances of his violent death resulting from his criticism of the behaviour of his murderer.

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HYMN TO ST ALBERT

Albert, you shine before us
Legislator, Shepherd true,
Hear in love the hymns of homage
Which your children sing to you.

Messenger of peace and concord,
Careful to foresee all need,
You instructed all your faithful
Zealously by word and deed.

From your virtues this whole country
Shines with many a precious gem;
Most of all your mem'ry's fragrance
Clings about Jerusalem.

So renowned that Church, so honoured
When you worked as pastor there,
 Carmel's hermits asked for precepts
To define a life of prayer.

We are grateful to you, Father,
For the Rule which we profess,
Apt to guide each one in Carmel
To the heights of holiness.

With your Rule to give us increase
Fruit abundant may we see,
When with you we praise in heaven
God eternal, One in Three.

Margarita of Jesus, OCD

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PRAYER TO ST ALBERT

For Carmelites:

Saint Albert,
you have given us a Rule of Life
according to the Gospel
to guide us on our journey 
towards perfect love.
Help us always to keep watch
at our prayers, to live in
allegience to Jesus Christ,
and to serve him
faithfully until death.
Through Christ Our Lord.
 Amen.


For Non-Carmelites:

Saint Albert,
help me to live
according to the Gospel.
and to be faithful to Jesus Christ,
Help me to follow my own
vocation, to keep praying and
reflecting on God's Word, until
one day I may enjoy the
eternal life of glory with Him.
Through Christ Our Lord.
 Amen.

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LECTIO: LUKE 7,1-10

Lectio: 

 Monday, September 17, 2012  

PRAYER
Holy Father, through Jesus your Son, the Word made flesh for us, send me your Holy Spirit, that my ears may be opened to hear the “letter of love” that you have written to me and enlighten my mind that I may understand it in depth.  Make my heart docile that it may receive your will with joy and help me to give witness to it.  Amen.


READING
From the Gospel accordino to Luke (7:1-10)
When he had finished all his words to the people, he entered Capernaum.  A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die, and he was valuable to him.  When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his slave.  They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying, "He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."  And Jesus went with them, but when he was only a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.  Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you; but say the word and let my servant be healed.  For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and, turning, said to the crowd following him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."  When the messengers returned to the house, they found the slave in good health.


MEDITATION
•    Chapter 7 of the gospel of Luke helps us to receive the call addressed to the pagans to adhere to faith in the Lord Jesus.  The figure of the centurion becomes the pacesetter for all those who want to abide by the faith of Israel and then encounter and know the face of the Father in Jesus.  In the meditation on this Gospel, we are also proposed to open ourselves to faith or to make our confidence in the Word of the Lord more firmly unshaken.   Let us try, then, to follow, with our hearts, the paces of this Roman centurion, so that in him we may also be present.

•    Perhaps the first aspect that emerges from the reading of the passage is the situation of suffering in which the centurion finds himself.  Try to hear more attentively the words that try to give light to this reality.  Capernaum, a border city, a city apart, on the margins, a city where the blessings of God seem slow to arrive.  The grave illness; the imminent death of a dear person.

•    But we soon see that the Lord enters into this situation, coming to share in it, to live in it with his loving presence.  The words in italics confirm this truth:  “asking him to come”;  “and Jesus went with them”; “he was only a short distance.”  It is wonderful to see this movement of Jesus who moves near to him who calls him, who searches for him and who asks for salvation.  This is how Jesus acts with each one of us.

•    But it is also very useful to enter into contact with the figure of the centurion, who is here a bit like our master, our guide on the way of faith.
“When he heard about Jesus”.  He received the announcement, he heard the good news and held it in his heart.  He did not net it escape and did not close his ears to life.  He remembered Jesus and now he goes in search for him.

•    “He sent.”  Twice does the centurion carry out his action: first sending the elders of the people to Jesus, authoritative figures, then by sending his friends.  Luke uses two different verbs and this helps us to understand better that in this man something took place, a state of passage:  he became more and more open to the encounter with Jesus.  Sending his friends is a bit like going to Jesus himself.
“asking him to come and save.”  Two beautiful verbs that explain the whole intensity of his request to Jesus.  He wants Jesus to come, to be near, to enter into his poor life, to come and visit his pain.  It is a declaration of love, of great faith, because it is as if he was saying: “Without you, I cannot live anymore.  Come!”  And he does not ask for any mere salvation, a superficial healing, as the particular verb chosen by Luke helps us to understand.  In fact, here it is a traverse salvation, one that crosses the entirety of life, of the entire person, and is capable of taking a person beyond, past every obstacle, every difficulty or trial, beyond even death.

•    “I am not worthy.”  Luke puts these words in the mouth of the centurion twice, and these words help us to understand the great transformation that has taken place within himself.  He feels unworthy, incapable, insufficient, as the two different greek terms used here indicate.  Perhaps the first conquest on the road of faith with Jesus is exactly this:  the discovery of our great need for Him, for his presence and the more certain knowledge that alone we can do nothing because we are poor, we are sinners.  However, precisely because of this we are infinitely loved!

•    “Say the word.”  Here is the great leap, the great transformation in faith.  The centurion now believes in a clear, serene and faithful way.  While Jesus walked towards him, he was also completing his own interior journey, changing, becoming a new man.  First, he welcomed the person of Jesus, then his word.  For him it is the Lord as he is, his word is efficacious, true, powerful, able to do what he says.  All of his doubts have crumbled; nothing remains but faith, the certain confidence in salvation, in Jesus.


QUESTIONS
•    Does my prayer feel like that of the centurion, addressed to Jesus to come and save?  Am I also ready to explain to the Lord my uneasiness, my need for him?  Am I perhaps ashamed to present to him the sickness, the death that lives in my house, in my life?  What do I need in order to fulfill this first step in trust?

•    And if I open my heart in prayer, to the invocation, if I invite the Lord to come, what is the profound attitude of my heart?  Is there also in me, as in the centurion, the knowledge of being unworthy, of not being sufficient solely of myself, of not being pretentious?  Do I know how to place myself before the Lord with that humility that comes from love, from serene trust in Him?

•    Is his Word good enough for me?  Do I ever listen to it in its entirety with attention, with respect, even though, perhaps, I am not able to fully understand it?
And in this moment, what is the word that I want to hear from the mouth of the Lord for me?  What do I want Him to say to me?

•    The pagan centurion had such a great faith…and I, who am Christian, what faith do I have?  Perhaps it is true that I must pray like this:  “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”  (Mark 9:24)


FINAL PRAYER
Your words are a lamp for my steps, Lord!

How can a youth keep his way pure?
By observing your word.
With all my heart I search for you:
do not let me deviate from your commands.
Put again into my heart your promise
that I may not sin against you.
Blessed are you, Lord:
teach me your decrees.

With my mouth I recount
all of the wisdom from your mouth.
On the way of your teachings is my joy,
more than all other riches.
I want to meditate on your precepts,
to consider your ways.
In your decrees is my delight,
I will not forget your word.

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