Wednesday
of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 349
Lectionary: 349
Beloved:
Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious Blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.
He was known before the foundation of the world
but revealed in the final time for you,
who through him believe in God
who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God.
Since you have purified yourselves
by obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love,
love one another intensely from a pure heart.
You have been born anew,
not from perishable but from imperishable seed,
through the living and abiding word of God, for:
“All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like the flower of the field;
the grass withers,
and the flower wilts;
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious Blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished Lamb.
He was known before the foundation of the world
but revealed in the final time for you,
who through him believe in God
who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God.
Since you have purified yourselves
by obedience to the truth for sincere brotherly love,
love one another intensely from a pure heart.
You have been born anew,
not from perishable but from imperishable seed,
through the living and abiding word of God, for:
“All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like the flower of the field;
the grass withers,
and the flower wilts;
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 147:12-13, 14-15,
19-20
R.
(12a) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaMK 10:45
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Son of Man came to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 10:32-45
The
disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem,
and Jesus went ahead of them.
They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them
what was going to happen to him.
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him,
“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, “We can.”
Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
and Jesus went ahead of them.
They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.
Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them
what was going to happen to him.
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes,
and they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him,
spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death,
but after three days he will rise.”
Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
came to Jesus and said to him,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”
He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?”
They answered him,
“Grant that in your glory
we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.”
Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the chalice that I drink
or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”
They said to him, “We can.”
Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink,
and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized;
but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give
but is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John.
Jesus summoned them and said to them,
“You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles
lord it over them,
and their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you.
Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant;
whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.
For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Meditation: "Are you able to drink the cup
that I drink?"
Was Jesus a pessimist or a stark realist? On three
different occasions the Gospels record that Jesus predicted he would endure
great suffering through betrayal, rejection, and the punishment of a cruel
death. The Jews resorted to stoning and the Romans to crucifixion - the most
painful and humiliating death they could devise for criminals they wanted to
eliminate. No wonder the apostles were greatly distressed at such a prediction!
If Jesus their Master were put to death, then they would likely receive the
same treatment by their enemies.
Jesus called himself the "Son of Man"
because this was a common Jewish title for the Messiah. Why must the
Messiah be rejected and killed? Did not God promise that his Anointed One would
deliver his people from their oppression and establish a kingdom of peace and
justice? The prophet Isaiah had foretold that it was God's will that the
"Suffering Servant" make atonement for sins through his suffering and
death (Isaiah 53:5-12). Jesus paid the price for our redemption with his blood.
Slavery to sin is to want the wrong things and to be in bondage to destructive
desires. The ransom Jesus paid sets us free from the worst tyranny possible -
the tyranny of sin and the fear of death. Jesus' victory did not end with death
but triumphed over the tomb. Jesus defeated the powers of death through his
resurrection. Do you want the greatest freedom possible, the freedom to live as
God truly meant us to live as his sons and daughters?
Jesus did the unthinkable! He wedded authority with
selfless service and with loving sacrifice. Authority without sacrificial love
is brutish and self-serving. Jesus also used stark language to explain what
kind of sacrifice he had in mind. His disciples must drink his cup if they
expect to reign with him in his kingdom. The cup he had in mind was a bitter
one involving crucifixion. What kind of cup does the Lord have in mind for us?
For some disciples such a cup entails physical suffering and the painful
struggle of martyrdom. But for many, it entails the long routine of the
Christian life, with all its daily sacrifices, disappointments, set-backs,
struggles, and temptations.
A follower of Jesus must be ready to lay down his or
her life in martyrdom and be ready to lay it down each and every day in the
little and big sacrifices required. An early church father summed up Jesus'
teaching with the expression: to serve is to reign with Christ. We
share in God's reign by laying down our lives in humble service as Jesus did
for our sake. Are you willing to lay down your life and to serve others as
Jesus did?
"Lord Jesus, your death brought life
and freedom. Make me a servant of your love, that I may seek to serve rather
than be served."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The way to glory and honor, by
Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Ponder how profound this is. They were
conferring with him about glory. He intended to precede loftiness with humility
and, only through humility, to ready the way for loftiness itself. For, of
course, even those disciples who wanted to sit, the one on his right, the other
on his left, were looking to glory (Matthew
20:20-23; Mark 10:35-40). They were on the lookout, but did not
see by what way. In order that they might come to their homeland in due order,
the Lord called them back to the narrow way. For the homeland is on high and
the way to it is lowly. The homeland is life in Christ; the way is dying with
Christ (Matthew 6:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17-33). The way is suffering with
Christ; the goal is abiding with him eternally. Why do you seek the homeland if
you are not seeking the way to it?" (excerpt
from TRACTATE ON JOHN 28.5.2.13)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, MARK
10:32-45
Weekday
(1 Peter 1:18-25; Psalm 147)
Weekday
(1 Peter 1:18-25; Psalm 147)
KEY VERSE: "Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant" (v 43).
TO KNOW: For the third time, Jesus told his disciples of his coming passion and death, yet they still did not fully comprehend his words. Two brothers, James and John, told Jesus that they would do whatever he asked if he would guarantee them a place of honor in the kingdom. Jesus asked them if they were as willing to share his suffering as they were his glory. Jesus must drink the bitter cup of his destiny in Jerusalem and be immersed in the bath of pain (Eucharist and Baptism, sacramental symbols of Christ's dying and rising). It was not Jesus' place to assign positions of authority and respect. All who aspired to greatness should imitate Jesus who served others and offered himself for the sake of all.
TO LOVE: Is achieving recognition my greatest ambition?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to become a servant like you.
Optional
Memorial of Saint Bede the Venerable
Bede was born around the time England was Christianized. Raised from age seven in the abbey of Saints Peter and Paul at Wearmouth-Jarrow, Bede lived there his whole life. A Benedictine monk, Bede was the most learned man of his day, and his writings started the idea of dating this era from the incarnation of Christ. He was a teacher and author, writing about history, mathematics, music, astronomy, poetry, grammar, philosophy, homiletics, the Saints, and a Bible commentary. The central theme of Bede'sHistoria Ecclesiastica was of the Church using the power of its spiritual, doctrinal, and cultural unity to stamp out violence and barbarism. Our knowledge of England before the 8th century is mainly the result of Bede's writing. He was declared a Doctor of the Church on 13 November 1899 by Pope Leo XIII.
Optional
Memorial of Saint Gregory VII, pope
One of the great reforming popes, Gregory VII took the throne of the papacy in 1073, and Emperor Henry IV promised to support him. At that time, a corrupt clergy threatened to destroy faith in the Church. Gregory suspended all clerics who had purchased their position, and ordered the return of all church property (simony). The corrupt clergy rebelled; Henry IV broke his promise, and promoted the rebels. Gregory responded by excommunicating anyone involved in lay investiture,the appointment of religious officials (commonly bishops) by secular subjects (commonly kings or nobles). He summoned Henry to Rome, but the emperor's supporters drove Gregory into exile. Henry installed the anti-pope Guibert of Ravenna, who was driven from Rome by the Normans who supported Gregory. The Normans were, themselves, so out of control that the people of Rome drove them and Gregory out. The Pope retreated to Salerno where he spent the remainder of his papacy until his death in 1085.
Optional
Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene de'Pazzi
Catherine de'Pazzi was sent to a convent at age 14, but was taken back home by her family who opposed her religious vocation and wanted her to marry well. They eventually gave in to her desires, and Catherine became a Carmelite of the Ancient Observance at age 16, taking the name Sister Mary Magdalene. A mystic, she led a hidden life of prayer and self-denial, praying particularly for the renewal of the Church and encouraging the sisters in holiness. Her life was marked by many extraordinary graces. She was canonized in 1669 by Pope Clement IX.
Wednesday 25 May 2016
Wed 25th. (St Bede the Venerable; St Gregory VII; St
Mary Magdalene de Pazzi). 1 Peter 1:18-25. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem—Ps 147:12-15,
19-20. Mark 10:32-45.
What is true glory?
Today’s readings highlight the continuous struggle we
find ourselves being pulled between, with the superficial, in the left corner,
and the authentic, in the right. The Psalmist is urging us to praise the Lord,
which on the surface sounds pretty easy. As James and John learn at the
coalface however, it is much more challenging than initially anticipated (Mark
10: 38-41). The pair wishes to be seated on either side of Jesus and share in
his glory, but Jesus reveals that it isn’t about reveling in power but enduring
a lifetime of service. Similarly, Peter writes about an authentic, deep love,
one, which endures forever (1 Peter: 1:25). Both seem attractive. The question
is which side of the ring do you wish to be on: the superficial with its
attractive easiness or the authentic with its enduring qualities?
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
|
I Give My All
|
|
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Lord, open my mind that I may be aware
of your presence in my daily life. Open my heart that I may offer you all my
thoughts. Open my mouth that I may speak to you throughout my day. I am
grateful that you wish to hear my voice. To you I give my all. Help me to do
your will, every hour of every day.
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May 25
St. Bede the Venerable
(672?-735)
St. Bede the Venerable
(672?-735)
Bede
is one of the few saints honored as such even during his lifetime. His writings
were filled with such faith and learning that even while he was still alive, a
Church council ordered them to be read publicly in the churches.
At an
early age Bede was entrusted to the care of the abbot of the Monastery of St.
Paul, Jarrow. The happy combination of genius and the instruction of scholarly,
saintly monks produced a saint and an extraordinary scholar, perhaps the most
outstanding one of his day. He was deeply versed in all the sciences of his
times: natural philosophy, the philosophical principles of Aristotle,
astronomy, arithmetic, grammar, ecclesiastical history, the lives of the saints
and, especially, Holy Scripture.
From
the time of his ordination to the priesthood at 30 (he had been ordained deacon
at 19) till his death, he was ever occupied with learning, writing and
teaching. Besides the many books that he copied, he composed 45 of his own,
including 30 commentaries on books of the Bible.
Although
eagerly sought by kings and other notables, even Pope Sergius, Bede managed to
remain in his own monastery till his death. Only once did he leave for a few
months in order to teach in the school of the archbishop of York. Bede died in
735 praying his favorite prayer: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit. As in the beginning, so now, and forever.”
His Ecclesiastical
History of the English People is commonly regarded as of decisive
importance in the art and science of writing history. A unique
era was coming to an end at the time of Bede’s death: It had fulfilled its
purpose of preparing Western Christianity to assimilate the non-Roman barbarian
North. Bede recognized the opening to a new day in the life of the Church even
as it was happening.
Comment:
Though his History is the greatest legacy Bede has left us, his work in all the sciences (especially in Scripture) should not be overlooked. During his last Lent, he worked on a translation of the Gospel of St. John into English, completing it the day he died. But of this work “to break the word to the poor and unlearned” nothing remains today.
Though his History is the greatest legacy Bede has left us, his work in all the sciences (especially in Scripture) should not be overlooked. During his last Lent, he worked on a translation of the Gospel of St. John into English, completing it the day he died. But of this work “to break the word to the poor and unlearned” nothing remains today.
Quote:
“We have not, it seems to me, amid all our discoveries, invented as yet anything better than the Christian life which Bede lived, and the Christian death which he died” (C. Plummer, editor of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History).
“We have not, it seems to me, amid all our discoveries, invented as yet anything better than the Christian life which Bede lived, and the Christian death which he died” (C. Plummer, editor of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History).
Patron
Saint of:
Scholars
Scholars
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK 10,32-45
Lectio
Divina:
Wednesday,
May 25, 2016
Ordinary Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord,
guide the course of world events
and give your Church the joy and peace
of serving you in freedom.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
guide the course of world events
and give your Church the joy and peace
of serving you in freedom.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) GOSPEL READING - MARK
10,32-45
They
were on the road, going up to Jerusalem; Jesus was walking on ahead of them;
they were in a daze, and those who followed were apprehensive. Once more taking
the Twelve aside he began to tell them what was going to happen to him, 'Now we
are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man is about to be handed over to the
chief priests and the scribes. They will condemn him to death and will hand him
over to the gentiles, who will mock him and spit at him and scourge him and put
him to death; and after three days he will rise again.' James and John, the
sons of Zebedee, approached him. 'Master,' they said to him, 'We want you to do
us a favour.' He said to them, 'What is it you want me to do for you?' They
said to him, 'Allow us to sit one at your right hand and the other at your left
in your glory.' But Jesus said to them, 'You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup that I shall drink, or be baptised with the baptism with
which I shall be baptised?' They replied, 'We can.' Jesus said to them, 'The
cup that I shall drink you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I shall
be baptised you shall be baptised, but as for seats at my right hand or my
left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those to whom they have been
allotted.'
When
the other ten heard this they began to feel indignant with James and John, so
Jesus called them to him and said to them, 'You know that among the gentiles
those they call their rulers lord it over them, and their great men make their
authority felt. Among you this is not to happen. No; anyone who wants to become
great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among
you must be slave to all. For the Son of man himself came not to be served but
to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
3) REFLECTION
•
Today’s Gospel narrates the third announcement of the Passion and, once again,
like in the previous times, it shows us the incoherence of the disciples (cfr.
Mk 8, 31-33 and Mk 9, 30-37). Jesus insists on the service and on the gift of
one’s own life, and they continue to discuss about the first places in the
Kingdom, one at the right and the other on the left of the throne. Therefore,
everything indicates, that the disciples continue to be blind. This is a sign
that the dominating ideology of the time had profoundly penetrated their
mentality. In spite of the fact of having lived several years with Jesus, they
had not changed their way of seeing things. They saw Jesus now, as they had
seen him at the beginning. They wanted to be rewarded for following Jesus.
•
Mark 10, 32-34: The third announcement of the Passion. They
were on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus walked in front of them. He was in a hurry.
He knew that they would kill him. The Prophet Isaiah had announced it (Is 50,
4-6; 53, 1-10). His death was not the result of a blind destiny or of a
pre-established plan, but the consequence of the commitment assumed of the
mission which he received from the Father together with those excluded of his
time. This is why Jesus warns his disciples concerning the torture and the
death which he will suffer in Jerusalem. The disciple has to follow the Master,
even if it is a question of suffering with him. The disciples were
terrified, and those who were behind were afraid.They did not understand
what was happening. Suffering was not in agreement with the idea that they had
of the Messiah.
•
Mark 10, 35-37: The petition for the first place. The
disciples not only do not understand, but they continue with their own personal
ambitions. James and John ask for a place in the glory of the Kingdom, one at
the right and the other on the left of Jesus. They want to be even before
Peter! They do not understand the proposal of Jesus. They are only concerned
about their own personal interests. This shows clearly the tensions and the
little understanding existing in the communities, at the time of Mark, and
these exist even today in our communities. In the Gospel of Matthew it is the
mother of James and John who addressed this request for her sons (Mt 20, 20).
Probably, before the difficult situation of poverty and growing lack of work at
that time, the mother intercedes for her sons and tries to guarantee an
employment for them in the coming of the Kingdom of which Jesus spoke about so
much.
•
Mark 10, 38-40: The response of Jesus. Jesus reacts firmly: “You
do not know what you are asking!” And he asks if they are able to
drink the cup that he, Jesus, will drink and if they are ready to receive the
baptism which he will receive. It is the cup of suffering, the baptism of
blood! Jesus wants to know if they, instead of a place of honour, accept to give
their life up to the point of death. Both answer: “We can!” It
seems to be a spontaneous answer, not having thought about it, because a few
days later, they abandoned Jesus and left him alone at the hour of suffering
(Mk 14, 50). They do not have a critical conscience; they do not perceive their
personal reality. As regards the place of honour in the Kingdom at the side of
Jesus, this is granted by the Father. What he, Jesus, can offer, is the chalice
and the baptism, suffering and the cross.
•
Mark 10, 41-44: “Among you this is not to happen”. At the end
of his instruction about the Cross, Jesus once again speaks about the exercise
of power (Mk 9, 33-35). At that time, those who held power in the Roman Empire
did not bother about the people. They acted only according to their own
interests (Mk 6, 17-29). The Roman Empire controlled the world and maintained
it submitted by the force of arms and, thus, through the tributes, the taxes,
duties, succeeded in concentrating the wealth of the people in the hands of a
few in Rome. The society was characterized by the repressive and abusive
exercise of power. Jesus had another proposal. He said: “Among you this is
not to happen! With you it is not like that; but anyone who wants to become
great among you must be your servant, and anyone who wants to be first among
you must be slave to all”. He teaches against privileges and against
rivalry. He overturns the system and insists on service, as a remedy against
personal ambition. The community has to present an alternative for human living
together.
•
Mark 10, 45: The summary of the life of Jesus: Jesus defines
his mission and his life: “For the Son of man himself came not to be
served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”Jesus is
the Messiah Servant, announced by the Prophet Isaiah (cfr. Is 42, 1-9; 49, 1-6;
50, 4-9; 52, 13-53, 12). He learnt from his mother who said to the Angel:
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord!” (Lk 1, 38). A totally new proposal for the
society of that time. In this phrase in which he defines his life, three more
ancient titles appear, used by the first Christians to express and to
communicate to others what the following meant for them: Son of Man, Servant of
Yahweh, He who redeems the excluded (the one who liberates, who saves). To
humanize life, to serve the brothers and sisters, to welcome the excluded.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
•
James and John ask for the first places in the Kingdom. Today, many persons
pray to ask for some money, promotion, healing, and success. What do I seek in
my relationship with God and what do I ask God for in my prayer?
•
To humanize life, to serve the brothers and sisters. To welcome and accept the
excluded. This is the program of Jesus, it is our program. How do I put it into
practice?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Yahweh
has made known his saving power,
revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
mindful of his faithful love
and his constancy to the House of Israel. (Ps 98,2-3)
revealed his saving justice for the nations to see,
mindful of his faithful love
and his constancy to the House of Israel. (Ps 98,2-3)
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