Thursday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 338
Lectionary: 338
My brothers and sisters, show no partiality
as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes
comes into your assembly,
and a poor person with shabby clothes also comes in,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say, “Sit here, please,”
while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.
Did not God choose those who are poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom
that he promised to those who love him?
But you dishonored the poor.
Are not the rich oppressing you?
And do they themselves not haul you off to court?
Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you?
However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you commit sin,
and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.
For if a man with gold rings and fine clothes
comes into your assembly,
and a poor person with shabby clothes also comes in,
and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes
and say, “Sit here, please,”
while you say to the poor one, “Stand there,” or “Sit at my feet,”
have you not made distinctions among yourselves
and become judges with evil designs?
Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.
Did not God choose those who are poor in the world
to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom
that he promised to those who love him?
But you dishonored the poor.
Are not the rich oppressing you?
And do they themselves not haul you off to court?
Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you?
However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well.
But if you show partiality, you commit sin,
and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
Responsorial Psalm PS 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
Gospel MK 8:27-33
Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Meditation: "Who do you say that I am?"
Who is Jesus for you? At
an opportune time Jesus tests his disciples with a crucial question: Who
do men say that I am and who do you say that I am? He was widely
recognized in Israel as a mighty man of God, even being compared with the
greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah. Peter, always
quick to respond, professes that Jesus is truly the Christ. No mortal being
could have revealed this to Peter; but only God.Through faith Peter grasped who
Jesus truly was. He was the first apostle to recognize Jesus as the Anointed
One (Messiah and Christ). Christ is the Greek word
for the Hebrew word Messiah, which meansAnointed One. Peter's
faith, however was sorely tested when Jesus explained that it was necessary for
the Messiah to suffer and die in order that God's work of redemption may be
accomplished. How startled the disciples were when they heard these words! How
different are God's thoughts and ways from our thoughts and ways! Through
humiliation, suffering, and death on the cross Jesus broke the powers of sin
and death and won for us our salvation. The Lord Jesus tests each of us
personally with the same question: Who do you say that I am?
"Lord Jesus, I
profess and believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are
my Lord and my Savior. Make my faith strong and help me to live in the victory
of the cross by rejecting sin and by accepting your will."
 Can Christ Count on Me? |
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Thursday of the
Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
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Mark 8:27-33
Jesus went on with his disciples to the
villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that I am?" And they answered him, "John
the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets."
He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him,
"You are the Messiah." And he sternly ordered them not to tell
anyone about him. Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must
undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests,
and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all
this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But
turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get
behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on
human things."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, reveal to me the awesome mystery
of your person. In you is hidden my beginning; in you is hidden the mission
for my life; in you is hidden my future happiness. Let me not measure the
future by what I think I can do for you, but rather by what your power can do
with my generosity. May this prayer convince me of the necessity of welcoming
you daily through prayer, contemplation, and a sacramental life of grace and
conversion.
Petition: Lord, grant me an experience of you strong
enough to overcome all spiritual laziness and tepidity.
1. Who Has Christ Been for You? -Our prayer must lead us to respond to
Christ’s question, “Who do you say that I am?” This is the only test, the
only examination question we need to pass in life. We must reflect and
respond to the question from this perspective: “Who has Christ been for you?”
This question does not so much define Christ, but the one who answers it.
What experiences have we had of him? What have we been learning about Christ
personally, through experiences that we cannot have known by solemn
definitions, by routine external piety or by what others say? Christ’s
history and our personal history must intertwine to become a single chapter
which we both share.
2. Who Have You Been for Christ? - If I have little to say as far as my
firsthand knowledge of Jesus, if my interior experiences have been eclipsed
by a mundane and materialistic spirit, I must take Christ’s question to the
next level: “Who have I been for Christ?” Who I have been for Christ will be
determined largely by who I have been for him in prayer. The “inner Christ”
is known only by those to whom it is revealed. It will not happen by a merely
flesh-and-blood approach, nor by just going with the flow of human events.
Peter’s interior life was fertile ground for the Father. His testimony was
not luck, but was a divine intervention in his soul from which his faith drew
its strength. “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my
Father in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). May I seek in a special way the grace of
greater sensitivity to let my interior life of prayer define me and shape my
character.
3. Can Christ Count on Me? -Poor Peter! In one moment he is revealing
the thoughts of the Father, in the next, Satan’s. Peter’s living experience
of Christ is the target of Satan’s attempts to break his faith. Christ’s
suffering will be the pledge that the faith of the apostle will not fail: “I
have prayed for you…” (Luke 22:32). Ultimately Christ’s prayer would prevail:
Peter is reborn on Pentecost, fearlessly accepting and launching the mission
of the Church. A strong interior foundation in Christ ultimately leads to one
last reality check of the spiritual life: Can Christ build on me because I am
built on him? Christ’s fidelity will uphold me if I stay in the battle, if I
hold firm and don’t let the reality of my falls keep me from advancing. Satan
cannot break my faith if I keep fighting, and for this I always have to have
new goals, to begin fresher, better and more generously than before.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, according to the riches of your glory,
grant that I may be strengthened in my inner being with power through your
Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. Being rooted and
grounded in love, I pray that I may have the power to comprehend, with all
the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know
the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that I may be filled with all
the fullness of you. (Cf. Ephesians 3:16-20)
Resolution: I will spend some time before our Lord in
the Eucharist today, asking that he deepen my experience of him.
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20,
MARK 8:27-33
(James 2:1-9 ; Psalm 34)
(James 2:1-9 ; Psalm 34)
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KEY VERSE: "But who do you say that I am?" (v 29).
READING: Jesus took his disciples to the area of Caesarea Philippi in northern Israel. In that pagan territory, Jesus asked his disciples who they thought him to be. While the people regarded Jesus as just another prophet, Peter professed his belief that Jesus was the Messiah, the One who would bring salvation to the world. This episode marked a turning point in the disciples' understanding of Jesus' role and mission, but they still did not have full comprehension of his purpose in coming. Then Jesus revealed what it meant to be God's anointed one. He would be rejected, suffer and die for the sins of the people. Peter had difficulty accepting a suffering Messiah, and Jesus warned him that he was allowing Satan to cloud his mind and impede God's will. Anyone who wished to follow Jesus must not be a stumbling stone on the way to the cross. They must get behind Jesus, take up the cross, and share in his struggles and sufferings.
REFLECTING: How can I help someone understand who Jesus is?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to bear my trials as I follow you.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
Taking Responsibility
Many people are inclined to attach blame to someone or something
outside themselves—a provocation, insult, personal attack, basketball game. When
all the dust settles, however, the most accurate belief about an angry display
is "I made me do it."
The Lord hears the cry of the poor
‘Who do you say I am?’ Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah.’Peter’s insight is soon clouded when he angers Jesus with a well-intentioned but misguided attempt to protect him from the suffering he is to experience. Jesus, God’s Son, will suffer. He will be rejected, scorned, tortured, and left to die. But death will not defeat him. Rather death will reveal a way into life never-ending. Suffering and pain are part of the human experience, and death is inevitable. Compassion - feeling another’s pain -expects that we hold another’s suffering, not deny it or walk away. God became fully human by experiencing a painful death by crucifixion, and Jesus became fully divine by transcending death and living on, present with us in our daily lives. Jesus, you were bullied to an unnatural death but returned with God in triumph. Soothe our fears, give us courage to face suffering, hopeful for a new life in you.
February
20
Blesseds Jacinta and Francisco Marto
(1910-1920; 1908-1919)
Blesseds Jacinta and Francisco Marto
(1910-1920; 1908-1919)
Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three children, Portuguese
shepherds from Aljustrel, received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria,
near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. At that time, Europe was
involved in an extremely bloody war. Portugal itself was in political turmoil,
having overthrown its monarchy in 1910; the government disbanded religious
organizations soon after.
At the
first appearance, Mary asked the children to return to that spot on the
thirteenth of each month for the next six months. She also asked them to learn
to read and write and to pray the rosary “to obtain peace for the world and the
end of the war.” They were to pray for sinners and for the conversion of
Russia, which had recently overthrown Czar Nicholas II and was soon to fall
under communism. Up to 90,000 people gathered for Mary’s final apparition on
October 13, 1917.
Less than
two years later, Francisco died of influenza in his family home. He was buried
in the parish cemetery and then re-buried in the Fatima basilica in 1952.
Jacinta died of influenza in Lisbon, offering her suffering for the conversion
of sinners, peace in the world and the Holy Father. She was re-buried in the
Fatima basilica in 1951. Their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, became a Carmelite nun
and was still living when Jacinta and Francisco were beatified in 2000. Sister
Lucia died five years later. The shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is visited by up
to 20 million people a year.
Comment:
The Church is always very cautious about endorsing alleged apparitions, but it has seen benefits from people changing their lives because of the message of Our Lady of Fatima. Prayer for sinners, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and praying the rosary—all these reinforce the Good News Jesus came to preach.
The Church is always very cautious about endorsing alleged apparitions, but it has seen benefits from people changing their lives because of the message of Our Lady of Fatima. Prayer for sinners, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and praying the rosary—all these reinforce the Good News Jesus came to preach.
Quote:
In his homily at their beatification, Pope John Paul II recalled that shortly before Francisco died, Jacinta said to him, “Give my greetings to Our Lord and to Our Lady and tell them that I am enduring everything they want for the conversion of sinners.”
In his homily at their beatification, Pope John Paul II recalled that shortly before Francisco died, Jacinta said to him, “Give my greetings to Our Lord and to Our Lady and tell them that I am enduring everything they want for the conversion of sinners.”
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 8,27-33
Lectio:
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Ordinary Time
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1) Opening prayer
Lord God, merciful Father,
your Son came to set all people free,
to make the poor rich in faith and hope,
to make the rich aware of their poverty.
Unite us all in one trust in you
and in one common concern for one another;
give us all your attitude and that of Jesus,
of not distinguishing between ranks and classes and sexes
but of seeking together the freedom
brought us by Jesus Christ our Lord.
your Son came to set all people free,
to make the poor rich in faith and hope,
to make the rich aware of their poverty.
Unite us all in one trust in you
and in one common concern for one another;
give us all your attitude and that of Jesus,
of not distinguishing between ranks and classes and sexes
but of seeking together the freedom
brought us by Jesus Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 8,27-33
Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea
Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, 'Who do people say
I am?' And they told him, 'John the Baptist, others Elijah, others again, one
of the prophets.' 'But you,' he asked them, 'who do you say I am?' Peter spoke
up and said to him, 'You are the Christ.' And he gave them strict orders not to
tell anyone about him.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of man was destined to suffer grievously, and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter tried to rebuke him.
But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God thinks, but as human beings do.'
Then he began to teach them that the Son of man was destined to suffer grievously, and to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter tried to rebuke him.
But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God thinks, but as human beings do.'
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel speaks about Peter’s blindness who does not
understand the proposal of Jesus when he speaks about suffering and of the
Cross. Peter accepts Jesus as Messiah, but not a suffering Messiah. He is
influenced by the “yeast of Herod and the Pharisees”, that is, by the
propaganda of the government of that time in which the Messiah was a glorious
Messiah. Peter seemed to be blind. He was not aware of anything, but wanted
Jesus to be as he wished. To understand well the importance and weight of this
blindness of Peter it is well to consider it in its literary context.
• Literary context: The Gospel of Mark transmits to us three announcements of the Passion and death of Jesus: the first one in Mark 8, 27-38; the second one in Mark 9, 30-37 and the third one in Mark 10, 32-45. This whole which goes up to Mark 10, 45, is a long instruction of Jesus to the disciples to help them to overcome the crisis produced by the Cross. The instruction is introduced by the healing of a blind man (Mk 8, 22-26) and at the end it is concluded with the healing of another blind man (Mk 10, 46-52). The two blind persons represent the blindness of the disciples. The healing of the first blind man was difficult. Jesus had to do it in two stages. The blindness of the disciples was also difficult. Jesus had to give a long explanation concerning the meaning of the Cross to help them understand why the cross was producing blindness in them. Let us consider closely the healing of the blind man:
• Mark 8, 22-26: The first healing of a bland man. They took a blind man before Jesus, asking Jesus to cure him. Jesus cures him, but in a different way. First, he takes him outside the village. Then he put some of his saliva on the eyes of the blind man and, laid his hands on him and asked him: Can you see anything? The man answered: I see persons; they look like trees that walk! He could only see one part. He exchanged trees for persons, or persons for trees! Jesus cures him only in the second time. This description of the cure of the blind man introduces the instruction to the disciples, in reality the blind man is Peter. He accepted Jesus as the Messiah, but a glorious Messiah. He saw only one part! He did not want the commitment of the Cross! The blindness of the disciples is also cured by Jesus, in different stages, not all at once.
• Mark 8, 27-30: The discovery of reality: Who do people say I am? Jesus asks: “Who do people say I am?” They answered expressing the different opinions: “John the Baptist”. “Elijah or one of the Prophets”. After having heard the opinions of others, Jesus asks: “And you who do you say I am?” Peter answers: “The Lord, the Christ, the Messiah!” That is, the Lord is the one whom the people are expecting! Jesus agrees with Peter, but forbids him to speak about that with the people. Why? Because at that time all expected the coming of the Messiah, but each one in his own way: some expected the king, others the priest, doctor, warrior, judge, prophet! Nobody seemed to be expecting the Messiah, Servant and Suffering, announced by Isaiah (Is 42, 1-9).
• Mark 8, 31-33: First announcement of the Passion. Then Jesus began to teach saying that he is the Messiah Servant and affirms that, as Messiah Servant announced by Isaiah, he will soon be condemned to death in carrying out his mission of justice (Is 49, 4-9; 53, 1-12). Peter is horrified; he calls Jesus apart to rebuke him. And Jesus said to him: “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God thinks, but as human beings do.” Peter thought he had given the right answer. In fact, he had said the correct word: “You are the Christ!” But he does not give it the correct sense. Peter does not understand Jesus. He was like the blind man. He exchanged people for trees! The response of Jesus was very hard: “Get behind me, Satan!” Satan is a Hebrew word which means accuser, the one who leads others away from the way to God. Jesus does not allow anyone to lead him away from his mission. Literally the text says: “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter has to follow Jesus. He must not change things and intend that Jesus follows Peter.
• Literary context: The Gospel of Mark transmits to us three announcements of the Passion and death of Jesus: the first one in Mark 8, 27-38; the second one in Mark 9, 30-37 and the third one in Mark 10, 32-45. This whole which goes up to Mark 10, 45, is a long instruction of Jesus to the disciples to help them to overcome the crisis produced by the Cross. The instruction is introduced by the healing of a blind man (Mk 8, 22-26) and at the end it is concluded with the healing of another blind man (Mk 10, 46-52). The two blind persons represent the blindness of the disciples. The healing of the first blind man was difficult. Jesus had to do it in two stages. The blindness of the disciples was also difficult. Jesus had to give a long explanation concerning the meaning of the Cross to help them understand why the cross was producing blindness in them. Let us consider closely the healing of the blind man:
• Mark 8, 22-26: The first healing of a bland man. They took a blind man before Jesus, asking Jesus to cure him. Jesus cures him, but in a different way. First, he takes him outside the village. Then he put some of his saliva on the eyes of the blind man and, laid his hands on him and asked him: Can you see anything? The man answered: I see persons; they look like trees that walk! He could only see one part. He exchanged trees for persons, or persons for trees! Jesus cures him only in the second time. This description of the cure of the blind man introduces the instruction to the disciples, in reality the blind man is Peter. He accepted Jesus as the Messiah, but a glorious Messiah. He saw only one part! He did not want the commitment of the Cross! The blindness of the disciples is also cured by Jesus, in different stages, not all at once.
• Mark 8, 27-30: The discovery of reality: Who do people say I am? Jesus asks: “Who do people say I am?” They answered expressing the different opinions: “John the Baptist”. “Elijah or one of the Prophets”. After having heard the opinions of others, Jesus asks: “And you who do you say I am?” Peter answers: “The Lord, the Christ, the Messiah!” That is, the Lord is the one whom the people are expecting! Jesus agrees with Peter, but forbids him to speak about that with the people. Why? Because at that time all expected the coming of the Messiah, but each one in his own way: some expected the king, others the priest, doctor, warrior, judge, prophet! Nobody seemed to be expecting the Messiah, Servant and Suffering, announced by Isaiah (Is 42, 1-9).
• Mark 8, 31-33: First announcement of the Passion. Then Jesus began to teach saying that he is the Messiah Servant and affirms that, as Messiah Servant announced by Isaiah, he will soon be condemned to death in carrying out his mission of justice (Is 49, 4-9; 53, 1-12). Peter is horrified; he calls Jesus apart to rebuke him. And Jesus said to him: “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God thinks, but as human beings do.” Peter thought he had given the right answer. In fact, he had said the correct word: “You are the Christ!” But he does not give it the correct sense. Peter does not understand Jesus. He was like the blind man. He exchanged people for trees! The response of Jesus was very hard: “Get behind me, Satan!” Satan is a Hebrew word which means accuser, the one who leads others away from the way to God. Jesus does not allow anyone to lead him away from his mission. Literally the text says: “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter has to follow Jesus. He must not change things and intend that Jesus follows Peter.
4) For Personal Confrontation
• We all believe in Jesus. But some believe that Jesus is in one
way, others in another way. Which is today the most common image that people
have of Jesus? Which is the response which people today would give to Jesus’
question? And I, what answer do I give?
• What prevents us today from recognizing the Messiah in Jesus?
• What prevents us today from recognizing the Messiah in Jesus?
5) Concluding Prayer
I will praise Yahweh from my heart;
let the humble hear and rejoice.
Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,
let us acclaim his name together. (Ps 34,2-3)
let the humble hear and rejoice.
Proclaim with me the greatness of Yahweh,
let us acclaim his name together. (Ps 34,2-3)
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