MAY 27, 2016 : FRIDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Friday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 351

Reading 11 PT 4:7-13

Beloved:
The end of all things is at hand.
Therefore be serious and sober-minded
so that you will be able to pray.
Above all, let your love for one another be intense,
because love covers a multitude of sins.
Be hospitable to one another without complaining.
As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another
as good stewards of God’s varied grace.
Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God;
whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies,
so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you,
as if something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.

Responsorial PsalmPS 96:10, 11-12, 13

R. (13b) The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Say among the nations: The LORD is king.
He has made the world firm, not to be moved;
he governs the peoples with equity.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.
Before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. The Lord comes to judge the earth.

AlleluiaSEE JN 15:16

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I chose you from the world,
to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMK 11:11-26

Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area.
He looked around at everything and, since it was already late,
went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.
Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf,
he went over to see if he could find anything on it.
When he reached it he found nothing but leaves;
it was not the time for figs.
And he said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!”
And his disciples heard it.

They came to Jerusalem,
and on entering the temple area
he began to drive out those selling and buying there.
He overturned the tables of the money changers
and the seats of those who were selling doves.
He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.
Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written:

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
But you have made it a den of thieves.”

The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it
and were seeking a way to put him to death,
yet they feared him
because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.
When evening came, they went out of the city.

Early in the morning, as they were walking along,
they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.
Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look!
The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”
Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.
Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’
and does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will happen,
it shall be done for him.
Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,
believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.
When you stand to pray,
forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance,
so that your heavenly Father may in turn
forgive you your transgressions.”

www.usccb.org

Meditation: "Have faith in God"

Why did Jesus curse a fig tree? Fig trees were a common and important source of food for the Jews. Bad figs or a decaying fig tree was linked with evil deeds and spiritual decay. The unfruitful fig tree symbolized the outcome of Israel's unresponsiveness to the word of God. The prophets depicted the languishing fig tree as signifying the desolation and calamity of Israel due to her unfaithfulness to God (see Joel 1:7,12; Habakuk 3:17; and Jeremiah 8:13). The history of Israel is one long preparation for the coming of the Promised One. But the promise is unfulfilled in those who reject Jesus through unbelief. (See also Jesus' parable of the barren fig tree in Luke 13:6-9). Jesus' cursing of a fig tree is a prophetic action against the faithlessness of those who rejected his message. For faith to be fruitful and productive, it must be nourished with the word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; Colossians 3:16) and be rooted in love (Galatians 5:6).

Jesus' cleansing of the temple was another prophetic action. In this incident we see Jesus' startling and swift action in cleansing the temple of those who were using it to exploit the worshipers of God. The money changers took advantage of the poor and forced them to pay many times more than was right - in the house of the Lord no less! Their robbery of the poor was not only dishonoring to God but unjust toward their neighbor. In justification for his audacious action Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah (56:7) and Jeremiah (7:11). His act of judgment aims to purify the worship of God's people and to discipline their erring ways.

After this incident Jesus exhorts his disciples to "have faith in God." They are to pray with expectant faith  no matter how difficult the situation may be. The phrase "to remove mountains" was a common Jewish expression for removing difficulties. A wise teacher who could solve difficulties was called a "mountain remover."  If we pray with faith God will give us the means to overcome difficulties and obstacles. If we want God to hear our prayers we must forgive those who wrong us as God has forgiven us. Do you pray with expectant faith?

"Lord Jesus, increase my faith and make my fruitful and effective in serving you. Help me to forgive others just as you have been merciful towards me"

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Discerning the times, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Some who witnessed Christ's miracles did not understand what they meant, and how they spoke to those who knew they had special meaning. They wondered only at the miracles themselves. Others both marvelled at the miracles, and attained some preliminary understanding of them. For this we must come to the school of Christ himself. Those fixed only upon the plain sense of Scripture tend to focus merely upon miracle for miracles' sake. Hence they may prematurely conclude that Jesus himself was ignorant of the time of the year, something any ordinary farmer could discern. For it was not yet the season for the tree to bear fruit. Nevertheless, since he was hungry, he looked for fruit on the tree (Mark 11:13). Does this imply that Christ knew less than what every peasant could easily discern? Surely not. Wouldn't you expect the maker of the fig tree to know what the ordinary orchard worker would know in a snap? So when he was hungry he looked for fruit on the tree, but he seemed to be looking for something more from this tree. He noted that the tree had no fruit, but was full of leaves. It was at that point that he cursed it, and it withered away. So what terrible thing had the poor tree done simply in not bearing fruit? Could the tree reasonably be faulted for its fruitlessness? No. But human beings who by their own free will decide not to bear fruit - that is a different matter. Those found wanting in accountability in this case are those who had the benefit of the law, which was meant to bear fruit, but they had no fruit to show for it. They had a full growth of leaves (the law), yet they bore no fruit (works of mercy)." (excerpt from SERMONS ON NEW TESTAMENT LESSONS 48.3.16)

www.dailyscripture.net

FRIDAY, MAY 27, MARK 11:11-26
Weekday
(1 Peter 4:7-13; Psalm 96)

KEY VERSE: "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples" (v 17). 
TO KNOW: Jesus entered Jerusalem, the messianic city of King David, and took possession of the city, not as a military leader, but as a meek servant, riding on a colt (Zec 9: 9). The people cried "Hosanna!" meaning "Heaven help us!" When Jesus spied a barren fig tree, he perceived this as a symbol of fruitless Israel. Jesus entered the Temple and was incensed by the people's lack of respect and worship in his "Father's house," and he cast out the merchants and money-changers. The cursing of the fig tree was a sign that God's judgment was upon those who had not taught the people the true meaning of worship. Jesus came as the authoritative teacher of true faith, prayer and forgiveness.
TO LOVE: Do I take part in the liturgy with "full, conscious and active participation"? (Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14)
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to see where I fail to offer true worship.

Memorial of Saint Augustine of Canterbury

Augustine of Canterbury was a monk and abbot of St. Andrew's abbey in Rome. He was sent by Pope Gregory the Great with 40 brother monks, including St. Lawrence of Canterbury, to evangelize the British Isles in 597. One of Augustine’s earliest converts was King Ethelberht who brought 10,000 of his people into the Church. Ordained a bishop in Gaul (modern France) by the archbishop of Arles, Augustine became the Bishop of the first Archbishop of Canterbury. He helped re-establish contact between the Celtic and Latin churches, though he could not bring about his desired uniformity of liturgy and practices between them. The limited success Augustine achieved in England before his death in 605, a short eight years after he arrived in England, would eventually bear fruit long afterward in the conversion of England. Augustine of Canterbury can truly be called the “Apostle of England.” Anglican Archbishops of Canterbury are still referred to as occupying the Chair of Augustine.

www.togetherwithgodsword.com

Friday 27 May 2016

Fri 27th. (St Augustine of Canterbury). Day of penance.
1 Peter 4:7-13. The Lord comes to judge the earth—Ps 95(96):10-13. Mark 11:11-26.

Readings

What a great call. 

God calls us to be a part of him, to be in communion with him! He asks only that we may let him act through us; that his words of pardon might reach the sinner’s ears through our lips, that his comfort might reach the hurting through our care, that his light might reach the wayward through our faith. His command is not to do, to excel, to become, to achieve; it is, rather, to allow his love to enter and work through and within us. May we, then, like that humble friar in Assisi, pray that Love might make us instruments of love, of peace, and of healing – That all we do might be done through him, with him and in him. That way the Light of Christ will remain ever burning and ever present in a world so desperate for love.

www.pray.com.au

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

True Heroism

A hero isn’t someone born with unconquerable strength and selflessness. Heroes are not formed in a cataclysmic instant. Heroism is developed over time, one decision after another, moment by moment, formed by a deliberate, chosen, and habitual response to life.

— from Deep Adventure 

May 27
St. Augustine of Canterbury
(d. 605?)

In the year 596, some 40 monks set out from Rome to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons in England. Leading the group was Augustine, the prior of their monastery in Rome. Hardly had he and his men reached Gaul (France) when they heard stories of the ferocity of the Anglo-Saxons and of the treacherous waters of the English Channel. Augustine returned to Rome and to the pope who had sent them—St. Gregory the Great (September 3 )—only to be assured by him that their fears were groundless.

Augustine again set out. This time the group crossed the English Channel and landed in the territory of Kent, ruled by King Ethelbert, a pagan married to a Christian, Bertha. Ethelbert received them kindly, set up a residence for them in Canterbury and within the year, on Pentecost Sunday, 597, was himself baptized. After being consecrated a bishop in France, Augustine returned to Canterbury, where he founded his see. He constructed a church and monastery near where the present cathedral, begun in 1070, now stands. As the faith spread, additional sees were established at London and Rochester.

Work was sometimes slow and Augustine did not always meet with success. Attempts to reconcile the Anglo-Saxon Christians with the original Briton Christians (who had been driven into western England by Anglo-Saxon invaders) ended in dismal failure. Augustine failed to convince the Britons to give up certain Celtic customs at variance with Rome and to forget their bitterness, helping him evangelize their Anglo-Saxon conquerors

Laboring patiently, Augustine wisely heeded the missionary principles—quite enlightened for the times—suggested by Pope Gregory the Great: purify rather than destroy pagan temples and customs; let pagan rites and festivals be transformed into Christian feasts; retain local customs as far as possible. The limited success Augustine achieved in England before his death in 605, a short eight years after he arrived in England, would eventually bear fruit long after in the conversion of England. Augustine of Canterbury can truly be called the “Apostle of England.”

Comment:

Augustine of Canterbury comes across today as a very human saint, one who could suffer like many of us from a failure of nerve. For example, his first venture to England ended in a big U-turn back to Rome. He made mistakes and met failure in his peacemaking attempts with the Briton Christians. He often wrote to Rome for decisions on matters he could have decided on his own had he been more self-assured. He even received mild warnings against pride from Pope Gregory, who cautioned him to “fear lest, amidst the wonders that are done, the weak mind be puffed up by self-esteem.” Augustine’s perseverance amidst obstacles and only partial success teaches today’s apostles and pioneers to struggle on despite frustrations and be satisfied with gradual advances.

Quote:

In a letter to Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great wrote: "He who would climb to a lofty height must go by steps, not leaps."

Patron Saint of:

England

www.americancatholic.org

LECTIO DIVINA: MARK 11,11-25

Lectio Divina: 

 Friday, May 27, 2016

 PRAYER

Lord, merciful Father, you chose each of your children, that they might become heralds of your love in the world and bring the good fruit of your Presence to all peoples.  May our fruit remain, thanks to our communion with You and with your Son, Jesus; help us to gather this fruit, which is our Friend and Teacher, who enters every day into the holy temple of our lives.  May he renew his covenant with us daily, through faith and prayer full of trusting abandon.  Amen.

READING

From the gospel according to Mark (11:11-25)

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area. He looked around at everything and, since it was already late, went out to Bethany with the Twelve.  ¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany he was hungry.  ¹³ Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, he went over to see if he could find anything on it. When he reached it he found nothing but leaves; it was not the time for figs.  ¹⁴ And he said to it in reply, "May no one ever eat of your fruit again!" And his disciples heard it.  ¹⁵ They came to Jerusalem, and on entering the temple area he began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves.  ¹⁶ He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area.  ¹⁷ Then he taught them saying, "Is it not written: 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples'? But you have made it a den of thieves."  ¹⁸ The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it and were seeking a way to put him to death, yet they feared him because the whole crowd was astonished at his teaching.  ¹⁹ When evening came, they left the city.  ²⁰ Early in the morning, as they were walking along, they saw the fig tree withered to its roots.  ²¹Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered."  ²² Jesus said to them in reply, "Have faith in God.  ²³ Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him.  ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.  ²⁵ When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions." 

MEDITATION

* “Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple area”. One of the characteristics of this passage is the continuous movement of Jesus, expressed in the repetition, in the alternation, of the verbs “enter” and “leave” (vv. 11; 12; 15; 19).  In fact, the Lord continuously comes into our life, enters into our space, into our experience, passes, walks among us and with us, but then he goes, he distances himself, he leaves us to search and wait, and he returns again to be found.  He does not disdain to enter the Holy City, into the temple, and thus it is within us, in our heart, offering us his visit of salvation.

* “he was hungry”. The verb we find here, from Mark’s pen, is the same verb used also in Matthew and in Luke in the story of the temptation in the desert (Mt 4:2; Lk 4,:2) and is used to fully express a condition of weakness, of fragility, of need, of tiredness.  Jesus searches for something more than a simple fruit to sate his hunger; he does not ask something of a fig out of season, but asks of his people, asks of us, the good food of love, that which comes prepared to the table of the covenant, from the “yes” pronounced with trust and abandon.

* “Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf”. The figure of the fig tree, which occupies a central place in this passage, is a very strong symbol of Israel, the chosen people; of the temple and cult rendered to God in its entirety; and finally of ourselves, if we want it, of the most profound truth of our heart.

The leaves of the fig refer with clarity to the experience of Adam in the Garden of Eden, of his contact with sin, of his nudity and of his consequential shame.  Jesus, stopping before this fig during his journey toward Jerusalem and setting his eyes on the leaves that hide the lack of fruit, in reality, tears the veil hiding our truth and exposes our heart, not to condemn it, but to save it, to heal it.  The fruit of the fig is indeed sweet; the Lord searches for the sweetness of love to speak to our life.  The barren fig, empty of fruit and life, anticipates, therefore, the temple emptied of sense, profaned and made useless from rapport with God, which is only flight, that is non-encounter.  Like Adam, so Israel, and perhaps thus also us.

* “those selling and buying there”. The scene of the purification of the temple (vv. 15-17), which Mark insterts between the two moments of encounter already anticipated of the curse of the fig tree without fruit, is very strong and animated.  This time, we are called to set our attention on the verbs and terms “drive out,” “overturned,” “did not permit,” selling,” “buying,” “moneychangers,” “vendors,” “thieves,” “carry anything.”  Jesus inaugurates a new economy, in which “you were sold for nothing, and without money you shall be redeemed” (Is 52:3), “He shall…let my exiles go free without price or ransom” (Is 45:13) and “you were ransomed…not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb” (1 Pt 1:18-19).

* “house of prayer”. From the holy temple we are led into the house, the Dwelling of God, where the true sacrifice is prayer, that is, the face-to-face encounter with Him, as children with our Father.  Here nothing is bought, there is no money, but only the gift of the heart that opens itself with full trust to prayer and faith.

* “the fig tree withered to its roots”. In fact, it is these themes that the word of Mark wishes to offer for our meditation, continuing the reading of the passage.  We must leave the temple to enter into the house, we must leave the sale to enter into the gift and trust: the tree without fruit is withered and seems to be in the middle of the road, indicating the new way to go, with the rising of a new morning  (v. 20), a way toward God and towards our brothers and sisters.

* “have faith with no doubt”. With this most beautiful expression, Jesus helps us to enter into the depths of ourselves and to make contact with our heart, in truth.  The Greek text has a stupendous verb, translated here as “doubt” and which wishes to really express an interior split, a division, a battle between two factions.  Jesus thus invites us to place absolute trust in Him and in the Father, in order not to become shattered within.  In a full and complete way we can come near to God, we can be in relationship with Him, without the need of leaves to mask ourselves, without beginning to count our change and calculate the price to pay, without making separations within ourselves, but offering ourselves completely to Him, as we are, that which we are, bringing with us the good and sweet fruit of love.

* “When you stand to pray, forgive”. And it cannot be any other way than this: the end and the new beginning of the way of faith and prayer, in the life of the Christian, is found in relationship with brothers and sisters, in the encounter with them, in the exchange, in the reciprocal giving.  There is no prayer, cult of God, holy temple, sacrifice pleasing to God, there is no fruit or sweetness without love for our brother or sister.  Mark calls it forgiveness, Jesus calls it love, the only fruit capable of satisfying our hunger, of relieving our weariness.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

* Meditating on this passage I encountered two strong figures: the fig tree and the temple, both without fruit, without life and love.  I saw Jesus, who with his coming and his strong and sure work, changed this situation, offering a new aspect to life.  Am I able to recognize my need to let myself be reached out to by the Lord, to let myself be touched by Him?  Do I see myself, in certain aspects of myself, of my life, as a barren fig, without fruit or like the temple, a cold place of commerce and calculation?  Do I feel within myself the desire to be able to also give the sweet fruit of love, of friendship, of sharing?  Do I hunger for prayer, for a true relationship with the Father?

* Following Jesus along the way, can I also enter into the new morning of his Law, of his teaching?  Am I able to recognize the cracks that I carry in my heart?  Where do I feel most divided, most insecure, most confused?  Why can I not completely entrust myself to my Father?  Why do I still hobble on two feet, as the prophet Elijah says (cf. I Kings 18:21).  I know that the Lord is God and I now I want to follow Him!  Not alone, but opening my heart to many brothers and sisters, making myself friend and companion on the journey, to share in the joy and in the struggle, the fear and the enthusiasm of the way; I know with certainty that following the Lord I will be happy.  Amen.

FINAL PRAYER

Lord, I want to sing a new song!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
a hymn in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in their maker,
the people of Zion rejoice in their king.
Let them praise his name in festive dance,
make music with tambourine and lyre.

For the LORD takes delight in his people,
honors the poor with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice in their glory,
cry out for joy at their banquet,
With the praise of God in their mouths,
and a two-edged sword in their hands

 (Psalm 149)

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