Memorial
of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 358/573
Lectionary: 358/573
Beloved:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth
and will be diverted to myths.
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;
put up with hardship;
perform the work of an evangelist;
fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well;
I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by his appearing and his kingly power:
proclaim the word;
be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine
but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,
will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth
and will be diverted to myths.
But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances;
put up with hardship;
perform the work of an evangelist;
fulfill your ministry.
For I am already being poured out like a libation,
and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have competed well;
I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me,
which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me,
but to all who have longed for his appearance.
Responsorial
PsalmPS 71:8-9, 14-15AB,
16-17, 22
R.
(see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your glory day by day.
Cast me not off in my old age;
as my strength fails, forsake me not.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
But I will always hope
and praise you ever more and more.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord;
O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
So will I give you thanks with music on the lyre,
for your faithfulness, O my God!
I will sing your praises with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall be filled with your praise,
with your glory day by day.
Cast me not off in my old age;
as my strength fails, forsake me not.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
But I will always hope
and praise you ever more and more.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
I will treat of the mighty works of the Lord;
O GOD, I will tell of your singular justice.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
So will I give you thanks with music on the lyre,
for your faithfulness, O my God!
I will sing your praises with the harp,
O Holy One of Israel!
R. I will sing of your salvation.
AlleluiaSEE LK 2:19
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the Virgin Mary who kept the word of God
and pondered it in her heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelLK 2:41-51
Each
year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Meditation: “His mother kept all these things in her
heart”
Do you know the pain and grief of losing someone close
to you? Mary and Joseph must have felt anxious and helpless when the boy Jesus
disappeared. Nonetheless they returned to Jerusalem with confident trust that
God would guide them in their hour of trial.
Why did Jesus stay back in Jerusalem when his parents
left for home? Just as the prophet Samuel heard the call of the Lord at a very
young age, Jesus in his youth recognized that he has been given a call by his
heavenly Father. His answer to his mother's anxious inquiry reveals his
trusting faith and confident determination to pursue his heavenly Father's
will. Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house? Our
Heavenly Father calls each of us. With the call God gives grace - grace to say
"yes" to his will and grace to persevere through obstacles and
trials. Do you recognize God's call on your life and do you trust in his grace?
"Lord Jesus, in love you have called me to live
for your praise and glory. May I always find joy in your presence and trust in
your wise and loving plan for my life."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Mary dwelt in meditation on Jesus' words and
actions, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735
A.D.
"Consider the most
prudent woman Mary, mother of true Wisdom, as the pupil of her Son. For she
learned from him, not as from a child or man but as from God. Yes, she dwelt in
meditation on his words and actions. Nothing of what was said or done by him
fell idly on her mind. As before, when she conceived the Word itself in her
womb, so now does she hold within her his ways and words, cherishing them as it
were in her heart. That which she now beholds in the present, she waits to have
revealed with greater clarity in the future. This practice she followed as a
rule and law through all her life." (excerpt
from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 2.51.20)
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, LUKE 2:41-51
(2 Timothy 4:1-8; Psalm 71)
(2 Timothy 4:1-8; Psalm 71)
KEY VERSE: "His mother meanwhile kept all these things in her heart" (v 51).
TO KNOW: The angel Gabriel told Mary that she was to conceive and bear the Son of God. Mary's "blessedness" as the Mother of God came from her willingness to submit to God's will. Throughout her life she was continually challenged by her son who was "a sign of contradiction" (Lk 2:34). When Jesus' gifts of teaching and healing were revealed, many opposed him and finally killed him. As Mary stood at the foot of the cross, did she remember the angel's promise that her son's "kingdom would last forever"? Did she recall the words of Simeon that "a sword" would pierce her heart? Though Mary's life was full of perplexities, she never lost faith in God or her son. Full of grace and full of sorrow, Mary's answer to God was always the same as her son’s response -- "Yes."
TO LOVE: Am I able to say "Yes" to God as Mary did?
TO SERVE: Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for the healing of our broken hearts.
Memorial of the Immaculate Heart
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a devotional name used to refer to the interior life of he Blessed Virgin Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues, and above all, her virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus, and her compassionate love for all persons. It was in 1855, that the Mass of the Most Pure Heart of Mary formally became a part of Catholic practice. During World War II Pope Pius XII put the whole world under the special protection of our Savior's Mother by consecrating it to her Immaculate Heart, and in 1944 he decreed that the whole Church should celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Traditionally, the heart of Mary is depicted with seven wounds or swords, in homage to the seven sorrows of Mary. Also, roses or another type of flower may be wrapped around the heart.
Saturday 4 June, 2016
Sat 4th. Immaculate
Heart of Mary.
2 Timothy 4:1-8. I will sing of your salvation—Ps 70(71): 8-9, 14-17, 22. Mark 12:38-44.
2 Timothy 4:1-8. I will sing of your salvation—Ps 70(71): 8-9, 14-17, 22. Mark 12:38-44.
‘But she,
out of her poverty, put in everything she had.’
Jesus was
dismayed by the activities of the elders in the temple. He expected the temple
to be a place of quiet communication with God. He witnessed greed, ostentation
and thirst for power. We are warned. These attitudes are anathema to God’s law.
St Ignatius reminds us again that seeking kudos, wealth and power are not ways
of the kingdom.
And then
Jesus’ gaze is placed on a widow, making her humble offering. Already an
outcast and probably near destitution, she gives with a total and generous
spirit. Her gift was abundant in Jesus’ terms.
Make the
prayer of your temple, one that asks for a new spirit of generosity in your
prayer time and in your compassionate listening. The Suscipe of St Ignatius covers all the bases, if you don’t seem to
have the words. Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty.
MINUTE
MEDITATIONS
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The Most Complete Love
|
|
|
Our suffering thrusts us deep into the
heart of the Trinity, the most complete and true form of love that exists.
The love between God the Father and God the Son is a love so selfless and so
real that it has to be expressed in its own complete person, the third person
of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.
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June 4
St. Francis Caracciolo
(1563-1608)
St. Francis Caracciolo
(1563-1608)
A
medical crisis that proved to be a false alarm changed the life of this
16th-century saint. At age 22 Francis developed a troublesome skin disease
resembling leprosy—one of the most dreaded diseases of the day.
He
vowed that if he recovered he would devote his life to God. The skin condition
cleared up completely. Convinced his recovery was miraculous, Francis kept his
promise to God.
He studied
for the priesthood in Naples. There he befriended a man who wanted to establish
a new religious community that would focus on both the active and the
contemplative life. Francis helped draw up Rules for the new Order of the Minor
Clerks Regular. Members of the Order agreed among themselves never to seek
leadership within the group, though Francis was elected many times to serve in
such positions.
Even
in his capacity as superior of the Order, he insisted on sharing simple tasks:
sweeping rooms, making beds, washing dishes. As a priest Francis spent many
hours in the confessional. He also begged in the streets for the poor and gave
away most of his possessions to the needy.
Francis
died in 1608. He is the patron saint of Naples.
Comment:
The buzzword in the modern business world is empowerment. In firms everywhere, hands-on management is being phased out and employees are gaining responsibility. Francis came at it from the other direction: In spite of his high position in his order, he put his hand to the most ordinary tasks. We who exercise authority in our families and elsewhere might welcome opportunities to pitch in with tasks that lack status or glamour.
The buzzword in the modern business world is empowerment. In firms everywhere, hands-on management is being phased out and employees are gaining responsibility. Francis came at it from the other direction: In spite of his high position in his order, he put his hand to the most ordinary tasks. We who exercise authority in our families and elsewhere might welcome opportunities to pitch in with tasks that lack status or glamour.
LECTIO DIVINA: SACRED HEART OF
MARY
Lectio
Divina:
Saturday,
June 4, 2016
1.
OPENING PRAYER
O
God, who has prepared a worthy dwelling place of the Holy Spirit in the heart
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, through her intercession grant that we, your
faithful, to be a living temple of your glory. We ask this, through Christ our
Lord ...
2.
READING
Luke
2:41-51
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
3. MEDITATION
*
"Every year the feast of Passover." These
words help us to better define the spiritual context in which the passage takes
place and thus become, for us, the gateway to enter the mystery of his
encounter with the Lord and His work of grace and mercy on us.
Together
with Mary and Joseph, with Jesus, we too can live the gift of a new Passover, a
"crossing" an excess, a spiritual movement that takes us
"beyond". The passage is clear and strong, according to intuit what
the Virgin Mary in this experience with his Son Jesus. Is the step from the
street to the heart of the dispersion to interiority, from anguish to peace.
All
that remains is to make our journey that we go down the street and join the
feast, the feast of pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem for the celebration
of Passover.
*
"Their way" This is only the first
of a series of verbs of motion, which follow one another along the verses of
this passage. Maybe it can help record an 'attention, "they went",
"return to the path", "group" (from the Latin cum-ire,
"walking together"); "journey"; "back";
"went down with them "" arrive ".
In
parallel with this great physical movement, there is also a deep spiritual
movement characterized by the verb "look", expressed also over,
"they began to look for" "returned in search of him,"
"looking for you anxiously";" why you sought me? ".
This
tells us that the journey, the true path that the Lord's word calls us, not a
physical journey, but spiritual search is a journey of Jesus, of His Presence
in our lives. And 'this is the direction in which we move, together with Mary
and Joseph.
*
"They began to look for him" here
we can identify the core of the text, its fundamental message, it is important
that we open ourselves to a deeper understanding of this reality. Also because
Luke uses two different verbs to express the "search", the first toanazitéo vv.
44 and 45, indicating an accurate, repeated, careful, as some of those who
browse, from bottom to top and second to zitevv. 48 and 49, which
indicates the search for something that is lost and you want to find. Jesus is
the object of all this movement and deep inner being, is the object of desire,
the longing of the heart ...
*
"Distressed" It 'great to see
how Mary opens her heart to Jesus, telling him everything she saw, what she
felt within herself. She is not afraid to tell the truth to his Son, to tell
him the feelings and experiences that they felt in deep. But what is this
anguish, this pain that you saw in Mary and Joseph in search of Jesus, who went
missing?
*
"Kept all these sayings in her heart" Maria does not understand the words of Jesus, the
mystery of his life and his mission and for this silent, accepts, makes space,
keep in the heart. This is the true path of growth in faith and relationship
with the Lord.
Once
again, Luke gives us a very beautiful and meaningful word, a compound of the verb
"keep" - dia - Tiree, which means literally "keeping
through". That is the spiritual operation that Mary carry within herself
and that give us as a precious gift, a legacy for our good relationship with
the Lord, so that it can take us into a journey deep, deep, that does not
stop at the surface, or half, which is not coming back, but it goes deep down.
Mary takes us by the hand and guides us through all our heart, all her
feelings, her experiences. And there, in the secrecy of ourselves, in our hearts,
we can learn to find the Lord Jesus, that perhaps we had lost.
4. SOME QUESTIONS
*
The Word of the Lord, in its simplicity, is also very clear, very direct. An
invitation to leave, to take part in the feast of Passover, is also directed to
me. Do I decide to get up and get moving, to face the stretch of the road that
Lord puts in front of me? And again, do I agree to join the feast of those who
have decided in their hearts on pilgrimage?
*
do I feel like my experience of seeking the Lord? Or it does not seem
important? Do I miss it? do I think I can do myself? In my life, do I ever
realize that in my life be lost to the Lord? Have left him or forgotten.
*
Anxiety, spoken of Mary, has ever been my journey of companion, sad presence of
the day, or longer in my life? Maybe, thanks to this passage, I discover that,
the anxiety is caused by the absence of the Lord, the loss of God, does this
passage helps me, gives me a light, a key for my life?
*
The path of the heart, which Mary traces so clearly before me now, do I seem to
be viable? Do I want to engage in this challenge, with myself, with my
surroundings, perhaps even with those who live closest to me? I am willing to
choose to get a little 'deeper, to learn how to "keep through", to go
deep, with all my being? For me, the Lord and the relationship with him are so
important, so involved? And He is the precious friend, the dearest Presence to
which I want to open wide my heart? ...
5. CLOSING PRAYER
and
as she worshiped the LORD, she said:
"My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
There is no Holy One like the LORD;
there in no Rock like our God.
"Speak boastfully no longer,
nor let arrogance issue from your mouths.
For an all-knowing God is the LORD,
a God who judges deeds.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.
"The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world; he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
He gives to the vower his vow,
and blesses the sleep of the just.
"For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
and he has set the world upon them.
1 Samule 2, 1-8
"My heart exults in the LORD,
my horn is exalted in my God.
I have swallowed up my enemies;
I rejoice in my victory.
There is no Holy One like the LORD;
there in no Rock like our God.
"Speak boastfully no longer,
nor let arrogance issue from your mouths.
For an all-knowing God is the LORD,
a God who judges deeds.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the tottering gird on strength.
The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
while the hungry batten on spoil.
The barren wife bears seven sons, while the mother of many languishes.
"The LORD puts to death and gives life;
he casts down to the nether world; he raises up again.
The LORD makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles, he also exalts.
He raises the needy from the dust;
from the ash heap he lifts up the poor,
To seat them with nobles
and make a glorious throne their heritage.
He gives to the vower his vow,
and blesses the sleep of the just.
"For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S,
and he has set the world upon them.
1 Samule 2, 1-8
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