Memorial
of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 289
Lectionary: 289
The
Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church,
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’“
And so they were sent on their journey.
Upon their arrival in Antioch
they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.
decided to choose representatives
and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,
and Silas, leaders among the brothers.
This is the letter delivered by them:
“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So we are sending Judas and Silas
who will also convey this same message by word of mouth:
‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us
not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities,
namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols,
from blood, from meats of strangled animals,
and from unlawful marriage.
If you keep free of these,
you will be doing what is right. Farewell.’“
And so they were sent on their journey.
Upon their arrival in Antioch
they called the assembly together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 57:8-9, 10 AND 12
R.
(10a) I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,
I will chant your praise among the nations.
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
My heart is steadfast, O God; my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and chant praise.
Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn.
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you among the peoples, O LORD,
I will chant your praise among the nations.
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.
Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
R. I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 15:15B
R.
Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I call you my friends, says the Lord,
for I have made known to you all that the Father has told me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 15:12-17
Jesus
said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
Meditation: "I have called you
friends"
What is the greatest act
of love which one can give for the sake of another? Jesus defines friendship -
the mutual bond of trust and affection which people choose to have for one
another - as the willingness to give totally of oneself - even to the point of
laying down one's life for a friend. How is such love possible or even
desirable? God made us in love for love. That is our reason for being, our
purpose for living, and our goal in dying.
God is love
Scripture tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8) - and everything he does flows from his immense love for us. He loved us so much - far beyond what we could ever expect or deserve - that he was willing to pay any price to redeem us from our slavery to sin and death. That is why the Father sent us his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. In this great exchange - the Father giving up his Son to death on the cross in order to give us abundant everlasting life and adopt us as his beloved sons and daughters in Christ (Romans 8:14-17).
Scripture tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8) - and everything he does flows from his immense love for us. He loved us so much - far beyond what we could ever expect or deserve - that he was willing to pay any price to redeem us from our slavery to sin and death. That is why the Father sent us his beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave up his life as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. In this great exchange - the Father giving up his Son to death on the cross in order to give us abundant everlasting life and adopt us as his beloved sons and daughters in Christ (Romans 8:14-17).
It is for this reason
that we can take hold of a hope that does not fade and a joy that does not
diminish because God has poured his love into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who has been given to us(Romans 5:5). God's love is not limited
or subject to changing circumstances. It is an enduring love that has power to
change and transform us to be like him - merciful, gracious, kind, forgiving,
and steadfast in showing love not only for our friends, but for our enemies as
well. God's love is boundless because he is the source of abundant life,
perfect peace, and immeasurable joy for all who open their hearts to him. That
is why Jesus came to give us abundant life through the gift and working of the
Holy Spirit.
Jesus gave his disciples
a new commandment - a new way of loving and serving one another. Jesus' love
was wholly directed toward the good of others. He love them for their sake and
for their welfare. That is why he willingly laid down his own life for us to
free us from sin, death, fear, and everything that could separate us from the
love of God. Our love for God and our willingness to lay down our life for
others is a response to the exceeding love God has given us in Christ. Paul the
Apostle states,
"Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ?... For I am sure that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to
come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord"
(Romans 8:35,38-39).
Friendship with God
Jesus calls his disciples his friends. Jesus not only showed his disciples that he personally cared for them and sought their welfare. He personally enjoyed their company and wanted to be with them. He ate with them, shared everything he had with them - even his inmost heart and thoughts. And he spent himself doing good for them. To know Jesus personally is to know God and the love and friendship he offers to each one of us.
Jesus calls his disciples his friends. Jesus not only showed his disciples that he personally cared for them and sought their welfare. He personally enjoyed their company and wanted to be with them. He ate with them, shared everything he had with them - even his inmost heart and thoughts. And he spent himself doing good for them. To know Jesus personally is to know God and the love and friendship he offers to each one of us.
One of the special marks
of favor shown in the Scriptures is to be called the friend of God.
Abraham is called the friend of God (Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23).
God spoke with Moses as a man speaks with his friend (Exodus 33:11). Jesus, the
Lord and Master, calls the disciples his friends rather than his servants.
What does it mean to be
a friend of God? Friendship with God certainly entails a loving relationship
which goes beyond mere duty and obedience. Jesus' discourse on friendship and
brotherly love echoes the words of Proverbs: A friend loves at all
times; and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17). The
distinctive feature of Jesus' relationship with his disciples was his personal
love for them. He loved his own to the end (John 13:1). His
love was unconditional and wholly directed to the good of others. His love was
also sacrificial. He gave the best he had and all that he had. He gave his very
life for those he loved in order to secure for them everlasting life with the
Father.
Love to the death
The Lord Jesus gives his followers a new commandment - a new way of love that goes beyond giving only what is required or what we think others might deserve. What is the essence of Jesus' new commandment of love? It is a love to the death - a purifying love that overcomes selfishness, fear, and pride. It is a total giving of oneself for the sake of others - a selfless and self-giving love that is oriented towards putting the welfare of others ahead of myself.
The Lord Jesus gives his followers a new commandment - a new way of love that goes beyond giving only what is required or what we think others might deserve. What is the essence of Jesus' new commandment of love? It is a love to the death - a purifying love that overcomes selfishness, fear, and pride. It is a total giving of oneself for the sake of others - a selfless and self-giving love that is oriented towards putting the welfare of others ahead of myself.
Jesus says that there is
no greater proof in love than the sacrifice of one's life for the sake of
another. Jesus proved his love by giving his life for us on the cross of
Calvary. Through the shedding of his blood for our sake, our sins are not only
washed clean, but new life is poured out for us through the gift of the Holy
Spirit. We prove our love for God and for one another when we embrace the way
of the cross. What is the cross in my life? When my will crosses with God's
will, then God's will must be done. Do you know the peace and joy of a life
fully surrendered to God and consumed with his love?
The Lord Jesus tells us
that he is our friend and he loves us wholeheartedly and unconditionally. He
wants us to love one another just as he loves us, wholeheartedly and without
reserve. His love fills our hearts and transforms our minds and frees us to
give ourselves in loving service to others. If we open our hearts to his love
and obey his command to love our neighbor, then we will bear much fruit in our
lives, fruit that will last for eternity. Do you wish to be fruitful and to
abound in the love of God?
"Teach us, good
Lord, to serve you as you deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight
and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not
to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will; through Jesus
Christ our Lord." (Prayer of Ignatius Loyola)
Daily Quote from the
early church fathers: Love encompasses the other commandments,
by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD)
"This is my
commandment." Have you then only one precept? This is sufficient, even if
it is unique and so great. Nevertheless he also said, "Do not kill"
(Matthew 19:18) because the one who loves does not kill. He said, "Do not
steal," because the one who loves does even more—he gives. He said,
"Do not lie," for the one who loves speaks the truth, against
falsehood. "I give you a new commandment" (John 13:14). If you have
not understood what "This is my commandment" means, let the apostle
be summoned as interpreter and say, "The goal of his commandment is
love" (1 Timothy 1:5). What is its binding force? It is that of which [the
Lord] spoke, "Whatever you want others to do to you, you should do
also" (Matthew 7:12)."Love one another" in accordance with this
measure, "as I have loved you." That is not possible, for you are our
Lord who loves your servants. But we who are equals, how can we love one
another as you have loved us? Nevertheless, he has said it... His love is that
he has called us his friends. If we were to give our life for you, would our
love be equal to yours?... How then can what he said be explained, "As I
have loved you"? "Let us die for each other," he said. As for
us, we do not even want to live for one another! "If I, who am your Lord
and God, die for you, how much more should you die for one another." (excerpt from COMMENTARY
ON TATIAN'S DIATESSARON 19.13)
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, JOHN
15:12-17
(Acts 15:22-31; Psalm 57)
(Acts 15:22-31; Psalm 57)
KEY VERSE: "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (v.14).
TO KNOW: As Jesus anticipated his return to the Father, he prepared his disciples for the work that he would hand over to them. Jesus told his followers that to be God's servant (Greek, doulos, literally a slave) was not a title of shame. The great leaders of the past: Moses (Deut 34:5); Joshua (Josh 24:29); David (Ps 89:20); and later Paul (Ti 1:1) and James (Jas 1:1) all counted it an honor to be God’s servants. But Jesus had something even greater in store for his disciples. He called them "friends" (Jn 14:15b). In the Old Testament, Abraham and Moses were each called a "friend of God" (2 Chr 20:7; Ex 33:11). The mark of friendship is an intimate knowledge of one another. Slaves did not have this kind of relationship with their masters. Jesus called his disciples "friends" because he shared with them everything he received from the Father. Jesus’ followers must imitate his example by being servants of one another (Jn 12:26; 13:14-16). Their labors would be fruitful if they obeyed his command to love, which was not a burden, but a loving response to God who loved them.
TO LOVE: In what ways am I a servant to my community?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, help me to willingly obey your command to love in all I say and do.
Memorial of Catherine of Siena, virgin and
doctor of the Church
At the age of six, Catherine of Siena had a vision in which Jesus appeared and blessed her. Her parents wanted her to marry, but she resisted and became a Dominican tertiary. Catherine was a mystic and a stigmatist (a person bearing marks resembling the wounds of Christ). In a vision, she was united in a mystical marriage with Christ, and he presented her with a wedding ring. Catherine was a counselor to Pope Gregory XI and Pope Urban VI. She helped bring peace to her native Sienna, to Italy, and to 14th century Europe. She spent all her energies for the Church, and through her efforts was able to achieve the Papacy's return from Avignon to Rome. She was proclaimed Doctor of the Church on 4 October 1970.
Eternal Trinity, Godhead, mystery deep as the sea, you could give me no greater gift than the gift of yourself. For you are a fire ever burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love that fills my being . . . illuminates the mind with its light, and causes me to know your truth. And I know that you are beauty and wisdom itself. The food of angels, you gave yourself to man in the fire of your love." St. Catherine of Siena, On Divine Providence.
ARBOR DAY
The observance of Arbor Day was founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872 (arbor means “tree” in Latin). Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April. The National Arbor Day Foundation encourages people to plant and care for trees and to advance global environmental stewardship for the benefit of this and future generations. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead
Friday 29 April
Fri 29th. St Catherine of Siena; Day of penance.
Acts 15:22-31. I will praise you among the nations, O
Lord—Ps 56(57):8-12. John 15:12-17.
Love one another as I have loved you.
Do we practice this command as we should or could? It
is worth looking at some extraordinary examples of this commandment for some
insight. The saint whose feast we celebrate today, St Catherine of Siena, is
one such example. St Catherine was said to have lived a life of extreme
penitence, to the point of eating virtually nothing apart from daily reception
of the Eucharist. She embodied the living of the commandment ‘love one
another’, through acts of generosity to the poor of Italy. She also advocated
for the reform of the clergy. In her letters, she wrote: ‘It is not the hour to
seek one’s self for one’s self, nor to flee pains in order to possess
consolations; nay, it is the hour to lose one’s self’. Her example is a
beautiful one of a living out of today’s Gospel.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
Receding Gates
|
The gates of hell cannot withstand the power of heaven. Gates of
sin melt in the presence of saving grace; gates of death fall in the presence
of eternal life; gates of falsehood collapse in the presence of living truth;
gates of violence are flattened in the presence of divine love. These are the
tools with which Christ has equipped his Church.
April
29
St. Catherine of Siena
(1347-1380)
St. Catherine of Siena
(1347-1380)
The value Catherine
makes central in her short life and which sounds clearly and consistently
through her experience is complete surrender to Christ. What is most impressive
about her is that she learns to view her surrender to her Lord as a goal to be
reached through time.
She was the 23rd child
of Jacopo and Lapa Benincasa and grew up as an intelligent, cheerful and
intensely religious person. Catherine disappointed her mother by cutting off
her hair as a protest against being overly encouraged to improve her appearance
in order to attract a husband. Her father ordered her to be left in peace, and
she was given a room of her own for prayer and meditation.
She entered the
Dominican Third Order at 18 and spent the next three years in seclusion, prayer
and austerity. Gradually a group of followers gathered around her—men and
women, priests and religious. An active public apostolate grew out of her
contemplative life. Her letters, mostly for spiritual instruction and
encouragement of her followers, began to take more and more note of public
affairs. Opposition and slander resulted from her mixing fearlessly with the
world and speaking with the candor and authority of one completely committed to
Christ. She was cleared of all charges at the Dominican General Chapter of
1374.
Her public influence
reached great heights because of her evident holiness, her membership in the
Dominican Third Order, and the deep impression she made on the pope. She worked
tirelessly for the crusade against the Turks and for peace between Florence and
the pope
In 1378, the Great
Schism began, splitting the allegiance of Christendom between two, then three,
popes and putting even saints on opposing sides. Catherine spent the last two
years of her life in Rome, in prayer and pleading on behalf of the cause of
Urban VI and the unity of the Church. She offered herself as a victim for the
Church in its agony. She died surrounded by her "children" and was
canonized in 1461.
Catherine ranks high
among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. In 1939, she and Francis
of Assisi were declared co-patrons of Italy. Paul VI named her and Teresa of
Avila doctors of the Church in 1970. Her spiritual testament is found in The
Dialogue.
Comment:
Though she lived her life in a faith experience and spirituality far different from that of our own time, Catherine of Siena stands as a companion with us on the Christian journey in her undivided effort to invite the Lord to take flesh in her own life. Events which might make us wince or chuckle or even yawn fill her biographies: a mystical experience at six, childhood betrothal to Christ, stories of harsh asceticism, her frequent ecstatic visions. Still, Catherine lived in an age which did not know the rapid change of 21st-century mobile America. The value of her life for us today lies in her recognition of holiness as a goal to be sought over the course of a lifetime.
Though she lived her life in a faith experience and spirituality far different from that of our own time, Catherine of Siena stands as a companion with us on the Christian journey in her undivided effort to invite the Lord to take flesh in her own life. Events which might make us wince or chuckle or even yawn fill her biographies: a mystical experience at six, childhood betrothal to Christ, stories of harsh asceticism, her frequent ecstatic visions. Still, Catherine lived in an age which did not know the rapid change of 21st-century mobile America. The value of her life for us today lies in her recognition of holiness as a goal to be sought over the course of a lifetime.
Quote:
Catherine's book Dialogue contains four treatises—her testament of faith to the spiritual world. She wrote: "No one should judge that he has greater perfection because he performs great penances and gives himself in excess to the staying of the body than he who does less, inasmuch as neither virtue nor merit consists therein; for otherwise he would be an evil case, who for some legitimate reason was unable to do actual penance. Merit consists in the virtue of love alone, flavored with the light of true discretion without which the soul is worth nothing."
Catherine's book Dialogue contains four treatises—her testament of faith to the spiritual world. She wrote: "No one should judge that he has greater perfection because he performs great penances and gives himself in excess to the staying of the body than he who does less, inasmuch as neither virtue nor merit consists therein; for otherwise he would be an evil case, who for some legitimate reason was unable to do actual penance. Merit consists in the virtue of love alone, flavored with the light of true discretion without which the soul is worth nothing."
Patron Saint of:
Europe
Italy
Europe
Italy
LECTIO DIVINA: JOHN 15,12-17
Lectio Divina:
Friday, April 29, 2016
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord our God, loving Father,
you have given us your Son Jesus Christ
as the true vine of life
and our source of strength.
Help us to live his life
as living branches attached to the vine,
and to bear plenty of fruit
of justice, goodness and love.
Let our union with him become visible
in our openness to one another
and in our unity as brothers and sisters,
that he may be visibly present among us
now and for ever.
you have given us your Son Jesus Christ
as the true vine of life
and our source of strength.
Help us to live his life
as living branches attached to the vine,
and to bear plenty of fruit
of justice, goodness and love.
Let our union with him become visible
in our openness to one another
and in our unity as brothers and sisters,
that he may be visibly present among us
now and for ever.
2) GOSPEL READING - JOHN 15,12-17
Jesus said to his disciples: This is my
commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. No one can have greater
love than to lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends, if you do what I
command you. I shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not
know the master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
You did not choose me, no, I chose you;
and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so
that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. My command to
you is to love one another.
3) REFLECTION
• Today Gospel of John 15, 12-17 has
already been meditated a few days ago (..... or it will be read again within a
few days). Let us take some of the points considered that day.
• John 15, 12-13: To love one another as
he has loved us. The commandment of Jesus is only one: “to love one another as
he has loved us!” (Jn 15, 12) Jesus exceeds the Old Testament. The ancient
criterion was the following: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Lv
18, 19). The new criterion is: “Love one another as I have loved you”. It is
the phrase that we sing even today and which says: “There is no greater love
than to give one’s life for one’s brother!”
• John 15, 14-15: Friends and not
servants. You are my friends if you do what I command you”, that is, the
practise of love up to the point of the total gift of oneself! Immediately
Jesus presents a very high ideal for the life of his disciples. He says: “I
shall no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s
business. I call you friends because I have made known to you everything I have
learnt from my Father!” Jesus no longer had any secrets for his disciples. He
tells us everything that he has heard from the Father! Behold the wonderful
ideal of life in community: to reach a total transparency, to the point of not
having any secrets among us and to have full trust with one another, to be able
to speak about the experience of God that we have and of life, and thus, be
able to mutually enrich one another. The first Christians succeeded to reach
this ideal after many years: “they had one only heart and one only soul” (Ac 4,
32; 1, 14; 2, 42-46).
• John 15, 16-17: Jesus has chosen us.
We have not chosen Jesus. He met us, called us and entrusted a mission to us to
go and bear fruit, and a fruit which lasts. We need him, but he also wants to
need us and our work in order to be able to continue to do today, for the
people what he did for the people of Galilee. The last recommendation: This is
my commandment: to love one another!”
4) FOR PERSONAL CONFRONTATION
• To love our neighbour as Jesus has
loved us. This is the ideal of every Christian. How do I live it?
• All that I have heard from the Father
I make it known to you. This is the ideal of the community: to attain total
transparency. How do I live this in my community?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
My heart is ready, God, my heart is
ready;
I will sing, and make music for you.
Awake, my glory, awake, lyre and harp,
that I may awake the Dawn. (Ps 57,7-8)
I will sing, and make music for you.
Awake, my glory, awake, lyre and harp,
that I may awake the Dawn. (Ps 57,7-8)
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