Memorial of Saint Boniface, Bishop and
Martyr
Lectionary: 299
Lectionary: 299
At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:
"Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.
"Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock
of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,
in which you tend the Church of God
that he acquired with his own Blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,
and they will not spare the flock.
And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth
to draw the disciples away after them.
So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,
I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.
And now I commend you to God
and to that gracious word of his that can build you up
and give you the inheritance among all who are consecrated.
I have never wanted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.
You know well that these very hands
have served my needs and my companions.
In every way I have shown you that by hard work of that sort
we must help the weak,
and keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said,
'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
When he had finished speaking
he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They were all weeping loudly
as they threw their arms around Paul and kissed him,
for they were deeply distressed that he had said
that they would never see his face again.
Then they escorted him to the ship.
Responsorial
Psalm PS 68:29-30, 33-35A,
35BC-36AB
R.(33a) Sing
to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Show forth, O God, your power,
the power, O God, with which you took our part;
For your temple in Jerusalem
let the kings bring you gifts.
R. Sing to God, O Kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,
chant praise to the Lord
who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens.
Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power:
“Confess the power of God!”
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Over Israel is his majesty;
his power is in the skies.
Awesome in his sanctuary is God, the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Show forth, O God, your power,
the power, O God, with which you took our part;
For your temple in Jerusalem
let the kings bring you gifts.
R. Sing to God, O Kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God,
chant praise to the Lord
who rides on the heights of the ancient heavens.
Behold, his voice resounds, the voice of power:
“Confess the power of God!”
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Over Israel is his majesty;
his power is in the skies.
Awesome in his sanctuary is God, the God of Israel;
he gives power and strength to his people.
R. Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AllelluiaSEE JN 17:17B, 17A
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth;
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 17:11B-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:
"Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth."
"Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me,
so that they may be one just as we are one.
When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost
except the son of destruction,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
But now I am coming to you.
I speak this in the world
so that they may share my joy completely.
I gave them your word, and the world hated them,
because they do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
I do not ask that you take them out of the world
but that you keep them from the Evil One.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth."
For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Boniface, please go here.
Meditation:
"Consecrated in God's truth"
Do
you know why God created you - what purpose and mission he has entrusted to
you? Jesus' aim and mission was to glorify his heavenly Father. All he said and
did gave glory to his Father. On the eve of his sacrifice on the cross and in
the presence of his disciples, Jesus made his high priestly prayer: "Holy
Father, keep them in your name that they may be one as we are one". Jesus
prayed for the unity of his disciples and for all who would believe in him.
Jesus' prayer for his people is that we be united with God the Father in his
Son and through his Holy Spirit and be joined together, in unity with all who
are members of Christ's body.
A
mission of love to make us one
What motivated Jesus to lay down his life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world? It was love - love for his Father in heaven and love for each and everyone of us who are made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus was sent into the world by his Father for a purpose and that purpose was a mission of love to free us from slavery to sin, Satan, fear, death, and hopelessness. Jesus saw glory in the cross rather than shame. Obedience to his Father's will was his glory. Jesus kept his Father's word even when tempted to forgo the cross. Jesus did not rely on his own human resources and strength to accomplish his Father's will. He trusted in his Father to give him strength, courage, and perseverance in the face of opposition, trials, and temptation.
What motivated Jesus to lay down his life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world? It was love - love for his Father in heaven and love for each and everyone of us who are made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus was sent into the world by his Father for a purpose and that purpose was a mission of love to free us from slavery to sin, Satan, fear, death, and hopelessness. Jesus saw glory in the cross rather than shame. Obedience to his Father's will was his glory. Jesus kept his Father's word even when tempted to forgo the cross. Jesus did not rely on his own human resources and strength to accomplish his Father's will. He trusted in his Father to give him strength, courage, and perseverance in the face of opposition, trials, and temptation.
God
created us for a purpose and a mission
We also must take up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus wherever he may call us. He will give us the strength and power of the Holy Spirit to live as his disciples. John Henry Newman (1801-1890) wrote: "God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing. Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am. I cannot be thrown away." Do you trust in God and in his call and purpose for your life?
We also must take up our cross and follow the Lord Jesus wherever he may call us. He will give us the strength and power of the Holy Spirit to live as his disciples. John Henry Newman (1801-1890) wrote: "God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing. Therefore, I will trust him. Whatever, wherever I am. I cannot be thrown away." Do you trust in God and in his call and purpose for your life?
Consecrated
in truth and holiness
Jesus prayed that his disciples would be sanctified and consecrated in God's truth and holiness. The scriptural word for consecration comes from the same Hebrew word which means holyor set apart for God. This word also means to be equipped with the qualities of mind and heart and character for such a task or service.
Jesus prayed that his disciples would be sanctified and consecrated in God's truth and holiness. The scriptural word for consecration comes from the same Hebrew word which means holyor set apart for God. This word also means to be equipped with the qualities of mind and heart and character for such a task or service.
Just
as Jesus was called by the Father to serve in holiness and truth, so we, too,
are called and equipped for the task of serving God in the world as his
ambassadors. God's truth frees us from ignorance and the deception of sin. It
reveals to us God's goodness, love, and wisdom. And it gives us a thirst for
God's holiness. The Holy Spirit is the source and giver of all holiness. As we
allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, he transforms us by his purifying
fire and changes us into the likeness of Christ. Is your life consecrated to
God?
"Lord
Jesus, take my life and make it wholly pleasing to you. Sanctify me in your
truth and guide me by your Holy Spirit that I may follow you faithfully
wherever you lead."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The Bond of Christian Unity in Love,
by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.
"Christ
wishes the disciples to be kept in a state of unity by maintaining a
like-mindedness and an identity of will, being mingled together as it were in
soul and spirit and in the law of peace and love for one another. He wishes
them to be bound together tightly with an unbreakable bond of love, that they
may advance to such a degree of unity that their freely chosen association
might even become an image of the natural unity that is conceived to exist
between the Father and the Son. That is to say, he wishes them to enjoy a unity
that is inseparable and indestructible, which may not be enticed away into a
dissimilarity of wills by anything at all that exists in the world or any pursuit
of pleasure, but rather reserves the power of love in the unity of devotion and
holiness. And this is what happened. For as we read in the Acts of the
Apostles, 'the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul' (Acts
4:32), that is, in the unity of the Spirit. This is also what Paul himself
meant when he said 'one body and one Spirit' (Ephesians 4:4). 'We who are many
are one body in Christ for we all partake of the one bread' (1 Corinthians
10:17; Romans 12:5), and we have all been anointed in the one Spirit, the
Spirit of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13)." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 11.9.18)
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, JOHN 17:11b-19
(Acts 20:28-38; Psalm 68)
(Acts 20:28-38; Psalm 68)
KEY VERSE: "Consecrate them in truth. Your word is truth" (v.17).
TO KNOW: Poised between heaven and earth, Jesus interceded to the Father on behalf of his disciples whom he called 'friends.' As a good shepherd, Jesus protected the flock that the Father had given him (Jn 10:27-29). The only one lost was Judas, the one who gave himself over to the evil one. Jesus consecrated his faithful disciples, that is, he set them apart from the profane world in order to be holy vessels for God's use. Ironically, Jesus said that he did not pray for the world, and yet he came because God loved the world (Jn 3:16). But in John's gospel the 'world" stands for a secular society without God. As the Father sent Jesus into the world to sanctify it, Jesus sent his disciples into the world in order to lead people back to God. The disciples would be a means of holiness for the entire world through their dedicated proclamation of divine truth.
TO LOVE: Am I a sign of holiness for others?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, help me to be an instrument of your truth in the world.
Memorial of Saint Boniface, bishop and martyr
Boniface was educated at the Benedictine monastery at Exeter, England. He was a missionary to Germany from 719, assisted by Saint Albinus. Boniface destroyed idols and pagan temples, and then built churches on the sites. In Saxony, Boniface encountered a tribe worshipping a Norse deity in the form of a huge oak tree. Boniface walked up to the tree, removed his shirt, took up an axe, and without a word, hacked down the six-foot wide wooden god. Boniface stood on the trunk, and asked, "How stands your mighty god? My God is stronger than he." The crowd's reaction was mixed, but some conversions were begun. As Archbishop of Mainz, he reformed churches, built religious houses in Germany, and founded or restored the dioceses of Bavaria, Thuringia, and Franconia. Boniface evangelized in Holland, but was set upon by a troop of pagans, and he and 52 of his new flock were martyred.
Wednesday 5 June 2019
ST BONIFACE.
Acts 20:28-38. Psalm 67(68):29-30, 33-36. John 17:11-19.
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth – Psalm 67(68):29-30, 33-36.
‘Holy Father protect them … so that they be one, as we are one.’
Acts 20:28-38. Psalm 67(68):29-30, 33-36. John 17:11-19.
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth – Psalm 67(68):29-30, 33-36.
‘Holy Father protect them … so that they be one, as we are one.’
In the space of eleven verses in chapter 17 of John’s Gospel,
Jesus prays five times for unity among his disciples. He prays that they may be
one just as he and the father are one.
The oneness of which Jesus speaks is a great mystery. It is more
than the corporate unity that ecumenists promote or the institutional unity we
seek within a church beset by factions (desirable as those goals are). It is
Jesus’ invitation to us to be drawn individually and collectively into the
divine community of love, to love as he loves us and as the Father loves him.
We reflect that love in our daily lives by our unconditional love for all our
brothers and sisters. As Jesus said, ‘By this everyone will know that you are
my disciples, if you love one another’ (John 13:35).
Saint Boniface
Saint of the Day for June 5
(c. 675 – June 5, 754)
 |
| Saint Boniface. Engraving | H. Kipp after K. Clasen |
Saint Boniface’s Story
Boniface, known as the apostle of the Germans, was an English
Benedictine monk who gave up being elected abbot to devote his life to the
conversion of the Germanic tribes. Two characteristics stand out: his Christian
orthodoxy and his fidelity to the pope of Rome.
How absolutely necessary this orthodoxy and fidelity were is
borne out by the conditions Boniface found on his first missionary journey in
719 at the request of Pope Gregory II. Paganism was a way of life. What
Christianity he did find had either lapsed into paganism or was mixed with
error. The clergy were mainly responsible for these latter conditions since
they were in many instances uneducated, lax and questionably obedient to their
bishops. In particular instances their very ordinations were questionable.
These are the conditions that Boniface was to report in 722 on
his first return visit to Rome. The Holy Father instructed him to reform the
German Church. The pope sent letters of recommendation to religious and civil
leaders. Boniface later admitted that his work would have been unsuccessful,
from a human viewpoint, without a letter of safe-conduct from Charles Martel,
the powerful Frankish ruler, grandfather of Charlemagne. Boniface was finally
made a regional bishop and authorized to organize the whole German Church. He
was eminently successful.
In the Frankish kingdom, he met great problems because of lay
interference in bishops’ elections, the worldliness of the clergy and lack of
papal control.
During a final mission to the Frisians, Boniface and 53
companions were massacred while he was preparing converts for confirmation.
In order to restore the Germanic Church to its fidelity to Rome
and to convert the pagans, Boniface had been guided by two principles. The
first was to restore the obedience of the clergy to their bishops in union with
the pope of Rome. The second was the establishment of many houses of prayer
which took the form of Benedictine monasteries. A great number of Anglo-Saxon
monks and nuns followed him to the continent, where he introduced the
Benedictine nuns to the active apostolate of education.
Reflection
Boniface bears out the Christian rule: To follow Christ is to
follow the way of the cross. For Boniface, it was not only physical suffering
or death, but the painful, thankless, bewildering task of Church reform.
Missionary glory is often thought of in terms of bringing new persons to
Christ. It seems—but is not—less glorious to heal the household of the faith.
Saint Boniface is the Patron Saint of:
Germany
Lectio Divina: John 17:11b-19
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
1) Opening prayer
Lord our God,
Your Son Jesus gave himself totally
to those He loved - that is, to all.
Give us a share of His unselfish love
that we too may learn from experience
that there is more joy in giving ourselves
than in receiving honors or favors.
May the Spirit make us also so much one
that we graciously share with one another
our God-given riches and gifts as people.
We ask You this through Christ our Lord.
2) Gospel Reading - John 17:11b-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: "Holy
Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one
just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you
gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of
destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am
coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy
completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do
not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that
you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They
do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them
in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them
into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be
consecrated in truth."
3) Reflection
• We are now in the Novena of Pentecost, waiting for the coming
of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says that the gift of the Holy Spirit is given only
to those who ask for it in prayer (Lk 11:13). In the Cenacle, for nine days,
from the Ascension to Pentecost, the Apostles persevered in prayer together
with Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Acts 1:14), and they obtained the abundance of
the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). Today’s Gospel continues to place
before us the Priestly Prayer of Jesus. It is a very opportune text to prepare
ourselves during these days for the coming of the Holy Spirit in our life.
• John 17:11b-12: Keep them in Your name! Jesus channels His
concern into prayer: “Keep those You have given Me true to Your name, so that
they may be one like Us!” Everything which Jesus does in His life, He does in
the Name of God. Jesus is the manifestation of the Name of God. The Name of God
is Yahweh, JHWH. In the time of Jesus, this name was pronounced saying,
“Adonai,” “Kyrios,” “Lord.” In the discourse of Pentecost, Peter
says that Jesus, because of His Resurrection, was constituted Lord: “For this
reason the whole House of Israel can be certain that the Lord and Christ whom
God has made is this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36). And Paul says that
this has been done so that “every tongue should acknowledge Jesus Christ as
Lord to the glory of God, the Father” (Phil 2:11). It is the Name which is
above all other names” (Phil 2:9). JHWH or Yahweh, the Name of God, took on a
concrete face in Jesus of Nazareth! Unity has to form around this name: keep
those you have given Me true to Your name so that they may be one like We are.
Jesus wants the unity of the communities in such a way that they can resist the
world which hates them and persecutes them. The people united around the name
of Jesus will never be conquered!
• John 17:13-16: That they may share My joy to the full. Jesus
is bidding farewell. In a short time He will go away. The disciples continue in
the world. They will be persecuted and be afflicted. Because of this, they are
sad. Jesus prays that their joy may be full. They want to continue to be in the
world without being of, or belonging to, the world. This means to live in the
system of the Empire, whether liberal or Roman, without allowing themselves to
be contaminated. Like Jesus, and with Jesus, they should live in the opposite
direction of the world.
• John 17:17-19: As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them
into the world. Jesus asks that they be consecrated in truth. That is, that
they may be capable of dedicating their whole life to giving witness of their
convictions concerning Jesus and God the Father. Jesus sanctified Himself in
the measure in which, during His life, He revealed the Father. He asks that the
disciples enter into the same process of sanctification. Their mission is the
same as Jesus’ mission. They sanctify themselves in the measure in which,
living in love, they reveal Jesus and the Father. To sanctify oneself means to
become human like Jesus. Pope Leo the Great said, “Jesus was so human, but so
human, as only God can be human.” For this reason we should live in opposition
to the world, because the system of the world dehumanizes human life and
renders it contrary to the intentions of the Creator.
4) For Personal consideration:
• Jesus lived in the world, but was not of the world. He lived
contrary to the system, and because of this, He was persecuted and was
condemned to death. Do I live contrary to today’s system, or do I adapt
my faith to the system?
What words and actions do I show that I belong to the world or don’t belong to the world? Am I showing a little of both?
• Preparation for Pentecost. To invoke the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who gave courage to Jesus. In this Novena of preparation for Pentecost, it is good to dedicate some time to asking for the gift of the Spirit of Jesus.
What words and actions do I show that I belong to the world or don’t belong to the world? Am I showing a little of both?
• Preparation for Pentecost. To invoke the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who gave courage to Jesus. In this Novena of preparation for Pentecost, it is good to dedicate some time to asking for the gift of the Spirit of Jesus.
5) Concluding Prayer
I bless Yahweh who is my counselor,
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep Yahweh before me always,
for with Him at my right hand, nothing can shake me.
(Ps 16:7-8)
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep Yahweh before me always,
for with Him at my right hand, nothing can shake me.
(Ps 16:7-8)
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