Tuesday of the Seventh week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 342
Lectionary: 342
Beloved:
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions.
Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?
But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.
So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.
Let your laughter be turned into mourning
and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord
and he will exalt you.
Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly,
to spend it on your passions.
Adulterers!
Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world
makes himself an enemy of God.
Or do you suppose that the Scripture speaks without meaning when it says,
The spirit that he has made to dwell in us tends toward jealousy?
But he bestows a greater grace; therefore, it says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.
So submit yourselves to God.
Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you of two minds.
Begin to lament, to mourn, to weep.
Let your laughter be turned into mourning
and your joy into dejection.
Humble yourselves before the Lord
and he will exalt you.
Responsorial Psalm PS 55:7-8, 9-10A, 10B-11A, 23
R. (23a) Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will
support you.
And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove,
I would fly away and be at rest.
Far away I would flee;
I would lodge in the wilderness.”
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
“I would wait for him who saves me
from the violent storm and the tempest.”
Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
In the city I see violence and strife,
day and night they prowl about upon its walls.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Cast your care upon the LORD,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
And I say, “Had I but wings like a dove,
I would fly away and be at rest.
Far away I would flee;
I would lodge in the wilderness.”
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
“I would wait for him who saves me
from the violent storm and the tempest.”
Engulf them, O Lord; divide their counsels.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
In the city I see violence and strife,
day and night they prowl about upon its walls.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Cast your care upon the LORD,
and he will support you;
never will he permit the just man to be disturbed.
R. Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you.
Gospel MK 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey
through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
“The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.”
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
“What were you arguing about on the way?”
But they remained silent.
For they had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”
Meditation: "Who is the
greatest"
Whose glory do you seek? There can be no share in God's glory
without the cross. When Jesus prophesied his own betrayal and crucifixion, it
did not make any sense to his disciples because it did not fit their
understanding of what the Messiah came to do. And they were afraid to ask
further questions! Like a person who might receive a bad verdict from the
doctor and then refuse to ask further questions, they, too, didn't want to know
any more. How often do we reject what we do not wish to see? We have heard the
good news of God's word and we know the consequences of accepting it or
rejecting it. But do we give it our full allegiance and mold our lives according
to it? Ask the Lord to fill you with his Holy Spirit and to inspire within you
a reverence for his word and a readiness to obey it.
How ashamed the disciples must have been when Jesus overheard
them arguing about who among them was the greatest! But aren’t we like the
disciples? We compare ourselves with others and desire their praise. The
appetite for glory and greatness seems to be inbred in us. Who doesn't cherish
the ambition to be "somebody" whom others admire rather than a
"nobody"? Even the psalms speak about the glory God has destined for
us.You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory
and honor (Psalm 8:5). Jesus made a dramatic gesture by embracing a
child to show his disciples who really is the greatest in the kingdom of
God. What can a little child possibly teach us about greatness? Children
in the ancient world had no rights, position, or privileges of their own. They
were socially at the "bottom of the rung" and at the service of their
parents, much like the household staff and domestic servants. What is the
significance of Jesus' gesture? Jesus elevated a little child in the presence
of his disciples by placing the child in a privileged position of honor. It is
customary, even today, to seat the guest of honor at the right side of the
host. Who is the greatest in God's kingdom? The one who is humble and lowly of
heart – who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty themselves of
pride and self-seeking glory by taking the lowly position of a servant or child.
Jesus, himself, is our model. He came not to be served, but to
serve (Matthew 20:28). Paul the Apostle states that Jesus emptied himself and
took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). Jesus lowered himself (he whose
place is at the right hand of God the Father) and took on our lowly nature that
he might raise us up and clothe us in his divine nature. God opposes
the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). If we want to be
filled with God's life and power, then we need to empty ourselves of everything
which stands in the way – pride, self-seeking glory, vanity, etc. God wants
empty vessels so he can fill them with his own glory, power, and love (2
Corinthians 4:7). Are you ready to humble yourself and to serve as Jesus did?
"Lord Jesus, by your cross you have redeemed the world and
revealed your glory and triumph over sin and death. May I never fail to see
your glory and victory in the cross. Help me to conform my life to your
will and to follow in your way of holiness."
 The Journey Away from Self |
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Tuesday of the Seventh Week in
Ordinary Time
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Father Edward Hopkins, LC
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey
through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching
his disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to
men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will
rise." But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to
question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to
ask them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they
remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was
the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If
anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of
all." Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms
around it he said to them, "Whoever receives one child such as this in
my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the one
who sent me."
Introductory Prayer:Lord
Jesus, I believe in you, present and interested in my life. I believe you
await my prayer to guide my heart, my visits to the Eucharist to strengthen
my will, and my challenges to help my surrender. I trust you will give your
life to me in exchange for my self-denial. I love you and want to love you
more by embracing and living out your will. Mother Mary, teach me to say with
you, “Let it be done unto me.”
Petition: “Speak
Lord, your servant is listening”
1. Apostolic Training: This
was one journey Jesus chose to do in secret. Why? Because he wanted to
dedicate all his attention and efforts to teaching his apostles the deepest
and most important secret of his life: He must die! All that they had lived
so far was thus incomplete, merely a preparation for the final act of his
mission: the consummation of his love, his total immolation on the cross. Would
they understand the need for the seed to die before rising to new life? How
hard it would be for them to listen! He was their Lord, the powerful,
Messianic king coming to free them and establish his kingdom of truth and
love. They still imagined scenarios of new victories, cures, defeat of
demons, the silencing of their opposition…. How far their dreams were from
Jesus’ message! We too have our own desires and needs. Can we detach
ourselves from these dreams long enough to understand in prayer his will and
his plan of salvation for us?
2. Slow Learners: Not
only did they “not understand the saying,” but “they were afraid to question
him.” In other words, they did not want to know. How often our communication
problem is not something intellectual, but rather something of the will! Our
desire is more to “get our way,” “make our point” or “affirm ourselves.”
Learning Christ’s way requires that we in some way unlearn our own ways. “He
must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). This explains why no one can
be neutral before Christ; he challenges us to change our life. Jesus
occasioned the fierce opposition of those who would ultimately put him to
death. How open am I to his challenges? Do I listen in prayer in order to
respond with a docile but firm “Amen”?
3. The Hardest Lesson: Like
little boys caught in the act, the apostles don’t dare admit that they have
been arguing about who among them is greatest. Not only do they fail “to
listen” to Jesus; to the contrary, they are busy asserting their will. What
would it take to teach them this most difficult but vital truth? So Jesus,
with a father’s love, holds a child before them and begins the lesson anew.
This small child is the greatest! To be last, to serve, to give your life
makes you great, since this is how God comes to us. Only the sight of Jesus
crucified would burn this lesson more deeply on their hearts. Am I learning
this lesson of sacrificial love to become the greatest I can become?
Conversation with Christ: Dear
Lord, open my heart to listen to your will for me. Free me from my own
self-love, ideas and dreams. Teach me to die to myself as I enter into prayer
and as I enter into work. Help me to work, pray and live so that you and your
love can rise up in my life in place of the poverty of my own qualities and
efforts.
Resolution: I
will listen well before trying to offer my own thoughts or desires in prayer
and in interacting with family and others, so better to hear the Lord.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, MARK
9:30-37
(James 4:1-10; Psalm 55)
(James 4:1-10; Psalm 55)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me" (v 37).
READING: As Jesus traveled through Galilee, he taught his disciples about his impending suffering and death (see Mk 8:31). For a second time, his disciples failed to comprehend his words. Their concept of the Messiah was one who would reign with power over Israel's enemies. Consequently, they argued among themselves about what rank and position each of them would have in the coming kingdom. When they arrived in Capernaum, Jesus corrected their distorted view. He lovingly placed a small child in their midst, and in that way, he taught them by means of a living parable. The child represented the powerless and needy in the community whom the disciples must be willing to serve. Whoever cared for these lowly ones, were in reality serving Jesus and God who sent him.
REFLECTING: How do I serve the "little ones" in my community?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to see you in the poor and suffering.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
No Greater Love
The word martyr means "witness.” A martyr is the ultimate
witness to the teachings of Christ. Can there be a greater love than to lay
down your life for what you believe?
Throw your cares on the Lord, and he will support you
Jesus predicts his death and resurrection, including the word
‘betrayal’ in the telling.The disciples could not understand this. They had their own preconceptions about the messianic mission and Jesus’s words did not fit in with these. Their quarrelling shows a refusal to consider they might have got it wrong. The gulf between Jesus and his disciples is highlighted by the words: ‘they were afraid to ask him’ and ‘they did not understand’. Jesus sought to heal the gap by the loving embrace of little child and insistence that among his followers ‘whoever wants to be first must be the servant of all’. This must have only added to their perplexity. Lord Jesus, help us to love you and to serve one another.
February
25
Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio
(1502-1600)
Blessed Sebastian of Aparicio
(1502-1600)
Sebastian’s roads and bridges connected many distant places. His
final bridge-building was to help men and women recognize their God-given
dignity and destiny.
Sebastian’s
parents were Spanish peasants. At the age of 31 he sailed to Mexico, where he
began working in the fields. Eventually he built roads to facilitate
agricultural trading and other commerce. His 466-mile road from Mexico City to
Zacatecas took 10 years to build and required careful negotiations with the
indigenous peoples along the way.
In time
Sebastian was a wealthy farmer and rancher. At the age of 60 he entered a
virginal marriage. His wife’s motivation may have been a large inheritance; his
was to provide a respectable life for a girl without even a modest marriage
dowry. When his first wife died, he entered another virginal marriage for the
same reason; his second wife also died young.
At the
age of 72 Sebastian distributed his goods among the poor and entered the
Franciscans as a brother. Assigned to the large (100-member) friary at Puebla
de los Angeles south of Mexico City, Sebastian went out collecting alms for the
friars for the next 25 years. His charity to all earned him the nickname
"Angel of Mexico."
Sebastian
was beatified in 1787 and is known as a patron of travelers.
Comment:
According to the Rule of St. Francis, the friars were to work for their daily bread. Sometimes, however, their work would not provide for their needs; for example, working with people suffering from leprosy brought little or no pay. In cases such as these, the friars were allowed to beg, always keeping in mind the admonition of Francis to let their good example commend them to the people. The life of the prayerful Sebastian, still hard at work in his 90's, certainly drew many closer to God.
According to the Rule of St. Francis, the friars were to work for their daily bread. Sometimes, however, their work would not provide for their needs; for example, working with people suffering from leprosy brought little or no pay. In cases such as these, the friars were allowed to beg, always keeping in mind the admonition of Francis to let their good example commend them to the people. The life of the prayerful Sebastian, still hard at work in his 90's, certainly drew many closer to God.
Quote:
St. Francis once told his followers: "There is a contract between the world and the friars. The friars must give the world a good example; the world must provide for their needs. When they break faith and withdraw their good example, the world will withdraw its hand in a just censure" (2 Celano, #70).
St. Francis once told his followers: "There is a contract between the world and the friars. The friars must give the world a good example; the world must provide for their needs. When they break faith and withdraw their good example, the world will withdraw its hand in a just censure" (2 Celano, #70).
BLESSED MARIA ADEODATA PISANI
Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani was
born into a noble family in Naples, Italy in 1806. Her father was an alcoholic
and was exiled after being involved in a revolt. Maria's grandmother raised
her. When her grandmother died, the 10 year-old was sent to a boarding school
until she was 17.
During
these years, Maria declined several marriage proposals because she preferred to
lead a quiet life of prayer.
When she
turned 21, she entered the Benedictine Community in St. Peter's Monastery and
took the name Maria Adeodata. She made her solemn profession two years later.
In the
cloister, Maria was a seamstress, sacristan, porter, teacher and novice
mistress. Her fellow nuns and many people outside the cloister benefited from
her charity.
Maria
Adeodata wrote various works, the most well-known of these is a collection of
her personal reflections between the years 1835 and 1843 titled “The mystical
garden of the soul that loves Jesus and Mary”.
She was
an abbess from 1851 to 1853 but had to retire from her duties because she
suffered from heart problems.
On Feb.
25, 1855, at the age of 48 and in poor health, she dragged herself to the
chapel for Mass, against her nurse’s advice. After receiving Communion, she had
to be carried back to bed where she died soon afterward.
She had a
simple funeral and was buried in the monastery’s crypt the following day.
Maria was
remembered for her sanctity, love of the poor, self-imposed sacrifices, and
ecstasies so complete that she was seen levitating.
She was
beatified by Blessed John Paul II in 2001.
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 9,30-37
Lectio:
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
keep before us the wisdom and love
you have revealed in your Son.
Help us to be like him
in word and deed,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
keep before us the wisdom and love
you have revealed in your Son.
Help us to be like him
in word and deed,
for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark 9,30-37
After leaving that place Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, 'The Son of man will be delivered into the power of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.' But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
They came to Capernaum, and when he got into the house he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?' They said nothing, because on the road they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.'
He then took a little child whom he set among them and embraced, and he said to them, 'Anyone who welcomes a little child such as this in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'
After leaving that place Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, 'The Son of man will be delivered into the power of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.' But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
They came to Capernaum, and when he got into the house he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the road?' They said nothing, because on the road they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, 'If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.'
He then took a little child whom he set among them and embraced, and he said to them, 'Anyone who welcomes a little child such as this in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel narrates the second announcement of the
Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Like in the first announcement (Mk 8,
27-38), the disciples were terrified and they are afraid. They do not
understand the words about the cross, because they are not capable to
understand or to accept a Messiah who becomes the servant of the brothers. They
continue to dream in a gloriousMessiah and besides that, they show
a great incoherence. When Jesus announces his Passion and Death, they discuss
who among them will be the greatest. Jesus wants to serve, they only think in
commanding! Ambition leads them to promote themselves at the cost of Jesus. Up
until the present time, this same desire of self promotion exists in our
communities.
• In the time of Jesus as well as in that of Mark, there was the “yeast” of a dominating ideology. Today also, the ideology of the propaganda of business, of consumerism, of the television novels, influence profoundly the way of thinking and of acting of people. At the time of Mark, the communities were not always capable to maintain a critical attitude before the invasion of the ideology of the Roman Empire. And today?
• Mark 9, 30-32: The announcement of the Cross. Jesus goes across Galilee, but he does not want people to know it, because he is busy with the formation of the disciples, and he speaks with them about the Cross. He says that according to the prophecy of Isaiah (Is 53, 1-10), the Son of Man has to be handed over and condemned to death. This indicates the orientation of Jesus toward the Bible, whether in the carrying out of his own mission, as in the formation given to his disciples. He drew his teaching from the prophecies. Like in the first announcement (Mk 8, 32), the disciples listen to him, but they do not understand what he says about the Cross. But they do not ask for any clarification. They are afraid to show their ignorance!
• Mark 9, 33-34: The competitive mentality. When they got home, Jesus asked: “What were you arguing about on the road?” They did not answer. It is the silence of the one who feels guilty, “on the road, in fact, they had been arguing which of them was the greatest”. Jesus is a good pedagogue. He does not intervene immediately. He knows how to wait for the opportune moment to fight against the influence of the ideology in those whom he is forming. The competitive mentalityand of prestige, which characterized the society of the Roman Empire, was already penetrating into the small community which was just being formed! Behold the contrast: incoherence: Jesus is concerned with being the Messiah Servant and they think only in who is the greatest. Jesus tries to descend, they think of going up!
• Mark 9, 35-37:. To serve instead of commanding. The response of Jesus is a summary of the witness of life which he himself was giving from the beginning: If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all!Because the last one does not win a prize nor obtain a reward. He is a useless servant (cfr. Lk 17, 10). Power must be used not to ascend and dominate, but to descend and serve. This is the point on which Jesus insists the most and of which he gives a greater witness (cf. Mk 10, 45; Mt 20, 28; Jn 13. 1-16). Then Jesus took a little child whom he set among them. A person, who only thinks to go up and to dominate, would not lend much attention to little ones and to children. But Jesus overturns everything! He says: “Anyone who welcomes a little child such as this in my name welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me, welcomes not me but the one who sent me”. He identifies himself with little ones. Anyone who welcomes the little ones in the name of Jesus welcomes God himself!
• A person is not a saint and is not renewed by the simple fact of “following Jesus”. In the midst of the disciples, and always again, the “yeast of Herod and of the Pharisees” (Mk 8, 15) could be observed. In the episode of today’s Gospel, Jesus appears as a teacher forming his followers. “To follow” was a term that formed part of the educational system of that time. It was used to indicate the relationship between the disciple and the teacher. The relationship teacher-disciple is different from that of professor-pupil. The pupils go to the class of the professor of a determinate subject. The disciples “follow” the teacher and live with him, twenty-four hours a day. In this “living together” with Jesus during three years, the disciples will receive their formation. Tomorrow’s Gospel will give us another quite concrete example of how Jesus formed his disciples.
4) Personal questions
• Jesus wants to lower himself and serve. The disciples want to
ascend and to dominate. And I? Which is the most profound motivation of my
“unknown I”?
• To follow Jesus and to be with him, twenty-four hours a day, and allow his way of living to become my way of living and of living together with others. Is this taking place in me?
• To follow Jesus and to be with him, twenty-four hours a day, and allow his way of living to become my way of living and of living together with others. Is this taking place in me?
5) Concluding Prayer
May the words of my mouth always find favour,
and the whispering of my heart,
in your presence, Yahweh,
my rock, my redeemer. (Ps 19,14)
and the whispering of my heart,
in your presence, Yahweh,
my rock, my redeemer. (Ps 19,14)
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