Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Lectionary: 386
Lectionary: 386
Judah approached Joseph and said: "I beg you, my lord,
let your servant speak earnestly to my lord,
and do not become angry with your servant,
for you are the equal of Pharaoh.
My lord asked your servants, 'Have you a father, or another brother?'
So we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father,
and a young brother, the child of his old age.
This one's full brother is dead,
and since he is the only one by that mother who is left,
his father dotes on him.'
Then you told your servants,
'Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.
Unless your youngest brother comes back with you,
you shall not come into my presence again.'
When we returned to your servant our father,
we reported to him the words of my lord.
"Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family.
So we reminded him, 'We cannot go down there;
only if our youngest brother is with us can we go,
for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.'
Then your servant our father said to us,
'As you know, my wife bore me two sons.
One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude
that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts;
I have not seen him since.
If you now take this one away from me, too,
and some disaster befalls him,
you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.'"
Joseph could no longer control himself
in the presence of all his attendants,
so he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!"
Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers.
But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him,
and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace.
"I am Joseph," he said to his brothers.
"Is my father still in good health?"
But his brothers could give him no answer,
so dumbfounded were they at him.
"Come closer to me," he told his brothers.
When they had done so, he said:
"I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.
But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you."
let your servant speak earnestly to my lord,
and do not become angry with your servant,
for you are the equal of Pharaoh.
My lord asked your servants, 'Have you a father, or another brother?'
So we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father,
and a young brother, the child of his old age.
This one's full brother is dead,
and since he is the only one by that mother who is left,
his father dotes on him.'
Then you told your servants,
'Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.
Unless your youngest brother comes back with you,
you shall not come into my presence again.'
When we returned to your servant our father,
we reported to him the words of my lord.
"Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family.
So we reminded him, 'We cannot go down there;
only if our youngest brother is with us can we go,
for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.'
Then your servant our father said to us,
'As you know, my wife bore me two sons.
One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude
that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts;
I have not seen him since.
If you now take this one away from me, too,
and some disaster befalls him,
you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.'"
Joseph could no longer control himself
in the presence of all his attendants,
so he cried out, "Have everyone withdraw from me!"
Thus no one else was about when he made himself known to his brothers.
But his sobs were so loud that the Egyptians heard him,
and so the news reached Pharaoh's palace.
"I am Joseph," he said to his brothers.
"Is my father still in good health?"
But his brothers could give him no answer,
so dumbfounded were they at him.
"Come closer to me," he told his brothers.
When they had done so, he said:
"I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.
But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you."
Responsorial
Psalm PS 105:16-17,18-19,20-21
R.(5a) Remember
the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
When the LORD called down a famine on the land
and ruined the crop that sustained them,
He sent a man before them,
Joseph, sold as a slave.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They had weighed him down with fetters,
and he was bound with chains,
Till his prediction came to pass
and the word of the LORD proved him true.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The king sent and released him,
the ruler of the peoples set him free.
He made him lord of his house
and ruler of all his possessions.
R. Remember the marvels the Lord has done.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaMK 1:15
R. Alleluia,
alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Kingdom of God is at hand:
repent and believe in the Gospel.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 10:7-15
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town."
"As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town."
For the readings of the Memorial of Saint Benedict, please go here.
Meditation:
"Freely have you received - freely give"
Do
you believe that the Gospel has power to change your life and the lives of
others? Jesus gave his disciples a two-fold commission to speak in
his name and to act with his power. The core of the Gospel message is quite
simple: the kingdom (or reign) of God is imminent! What is the
kingdom of God? It is that society of men and women who freely submit to God
and who honor him as their Lord and King. In the Lord's prayer we pray for God
to reign in our lives and in our world: May your kingdom come and your
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Doing
the works which Jesus did
Jesus also commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did - bringing the healing power and mercy of God to the weary and oppressed. The Gospel has power to set people free from sin, sickness, fear, and oppression. The Lord Jesus will free us from anything that keeps us from loving him and our neighbor with joy and confidence.
Jesus also commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did - bringing the healing power and mercy of God to the weary and oppressed. The Gospel has power to set people free from sin, sickness, fear, and oppression. The Lord Jesus will free us from anything that keeps us from loving him and our neighbor with joy and confidence.
Sharing
generously what God has given to each one of us
Jesus said to his disciples: Freely you have received, freely give. What they have received from Jesus they must now pass on to others without expecting a favor in return, whether it be in the form of a gift or payment. They must show by their attitude that their first interest is in serving God, not receiving material gain. They must serve without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity. They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God's kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light - only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them - in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of God. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting special privileges or reward. "Poverty of spirit" frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves.
Jesus said to his disciples: Freely you have received, freely give. What they have received from Jesus they must now pass on to others without expecting a favor in return, whether it be in the form of a gift or payment. They must show by their attitude that their first interest is in serving God, not receiving material gain. They must serve without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity. They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God's kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light - only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them - in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of God. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting special privileges or reward. "Poverty of spirit" frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves.
Support
the work of the Gospel with your resources
Secondly, Jesus said: the worker deserves his sustenance. Here we see a double-truth: the worker of God must not be overly-concerned with material things, but the people of God must never fail in their duty to give the worker of God what he or she needs to sustain themselves in the Lord's service. Do you pray for the work of the Gospel and do you support it with your material and financial resources?
Secondly, Jesus said: the worker deserves his sustenance. Here we see a double-truth: the worker of God must not be overly-concerned with material things, but the people of God must never fail in their duty to give the worker of God what he or she needs to sustain themselves in the Lord's service. Do you pray for the work of the Gospel and do you support it with your material and financial resources?
Jesus
ends his instructions with a warning: If people reject God's invitation and
refuse his word, then they bring judgment and condemnation on themselves. When
God gives us his word there comes with it the great responsibility to respond.
Indifference will not do. We are either for or against God in how we respond to
his word. God gives us his word that we may have life - abundant life in him.
He wills to work in and through each of us for his glory. God shares his word
with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly and simply to others. Do you
witness the truth and joy of the Gospel by word and example to those around
you?
“Lord
Jesus, may the joy and truth of the Gospel transform my life that I may witness
it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your truth and your light
wherever I go.”
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The gift of power to reign with the
Lord, by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD)
"All
the power possessed by the Lord is bestowed upon the apostles! Those who were
prefigured in the image and likeness of God in Adam have now received the
perfect image and likeness of Christ. They have been given powers in no way
different from those of the Lord. Those once earthbound now become
heaven-centered. They will proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, that
the image and likeness of God are now appropriated in the company of truth, so
that all the holy ones who have been made heirs of heaven may reign with the
Lord. Let them cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out
devils. Whatever impairment Adam's body had incurred from being goaded on by
Satan, let the apostles wipe away through their sharing in the Lord's power. And
that they may fully obtain the likeness of God according to the prophecy in
Genesis, they are ordered to give freely what they freely have received
(Matthew 10:8). Thus a gift freely bestowed should be freely
dispensed." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 10.4)
THURSDAY, JULY 11, MATTHEW 10:7-15
(Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29, 45:1-5; Psalm 105)
(Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29, 45:1-5; Psalm 105)
KEY VERSE: "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give" (v. 8).
TO KNOW: Jesus sent forth the twelve apostles he had chosen to announce the arrival of God's reign. The reign of God would be revealed by healing the sick, raising the dead, and driving out evil. The Twelve received God's gift without meriting it; therefore, they must share this gift freely with others. As the apostles went forth, they were to trust in God's providence, taking only the essentials, and depending upon the generosity of others to support them. Those who accepted the gospel of Jesus would be blessed. If the message was rejected, the blessing would return to the giver. The apostles must disassociate themselves from these unbelievers and leave it to God to pronounce judgment on them.
TO LOVE: Am I generous in sharing the gifts that I have been given?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to proclaim the gospel with courage as you did.
Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot
St. Benedict was the twin brother of St. Scholastica. While studying in Rome, Benedict was dismayed by the lack of discipline of his fellow students. He fled to the mountains near Subiaco, living as a hermit in a cave for three years. Benedict's virtues caused a group of monks to prevail upon him to become their spiritual leader. He founded the monastery at Monte Cassino where he wrote the Rule of his order. Benedict eventually established twelve monasteries. It is said that he had the ability to read consciences, was able to prophesy, and to forestall attacks of the devil. He destroyed pagan statues and altars, and drove demons from groves (sacred to pagans). At one point there were over 40,000 monasteries guided by the Benedictine Rule. A summation of the Rule is: "Pray and work" (Latin: Ora et Labora). Benedict was not the founder of Christian monasticism, since he lived two and a half to three centuries after its beginnings in Egypt, Palestine, and Asia Minor, but he had great influence on monastic life.
Thursday 11 July 2019
St Benedict
Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5. Psalm 104(105):16-21. Matthew 10:7-15.
Remember the marvels the Lord has done – Psalm 104(105):16-21
‘Remember the marvels the Lord has done.’
Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5. Psalm 104(105):16-21. Matthew 10:7-15.
Remember the marvels the Lord has done – Psalm 104(105):16-21
‘Remember the marvels the Lord has done.’
Today’s response to the psalm connects the story of Joseph’s
goodness to his family in time of famine with the instruction of Jesus to his
disciples as he sent them out as witnesses of his loving concern for all
people, especially the needy.
Do I ever reflect on what a marvel of the Lord it is that there
are people like Joseph today, ready to forgive personal wrongs purely through
love? Do I reflect on the marvel that Jesus still uses human beings today to
continue his divine mission of instruction, compassion, healing and
peace-making?
Holy Spirit, stir me to recognise and live the wonder that I,
too, can be the compassion of Jesus within my own society, my own
neighbourhood, my own family. Send me out to my brothers, sisters, neighbours
and enemies, that I may love and serve in your name.
Saint Benedict
Saint of the Day for July 11
(c. 480 – c. 547)
 |
| Patriarch of Western Monks | Saint Benedict | photo by Lawrence, OP |
Saint Benedict’s Story
It is unfortunate that no contemporary biography was written of
a man who has exercised the greatest influence on monasticism in the West.
Benedict is well recognized in the later Dialogues of
Saint Gregory, but these are sketches to illustrate miraculous elements of
his career.
Benedict was born into a distinguished family in central Italy,
studied at Rome, and early in life was drawn to monasticism. At first he became
a hermit, leaving a depressing world—pagan armies on the march, the Church torn
by schism, people suffering from war, morality at a low ebb.
He soon realized that he could not live a hidden life in a small
town any better than in a large city, so he withdrew to a cave high in the
mountains for three years. Some monks chose Benedict as their leader for a
while, but found his strictness not to their taste. Still the shift from hermit
to community life had begun for him. He had an idea of gathering various
families of monks into one “Grand Monastery” to give them the benefit of unity,
fraternity, and permanent worship in one house. Finally he began to build what
was to become one of the most famous monasteries in the world—Monte Cassino,
commanding three narrow valleys running toward the mountains north of Naples.
The Rule that gradually developed prescribed a life of
liturgical prayer, study, manual labor, and living together in community under
a common abbot. Benedictine asceticism is known for its moderation, and
Benedictine charity has always shown concern for the people in the surrounding
countryside. In the course of the Middle Ages, all monasticism in the West was
gradually brought under the Rule of St. Benedict.
Today the Benedictine family is represented by two branches: the
Benedictine Federation encompassing the men and women of the Order of St.
Benedict, and the Cistercians, men and women of the Order of Cistercians of the
Strict Observance.
Reflection
The Church has been blessed through Benedictine devotion to the
liturgy, not only in its actual celebration with rich and proper ceremony in
the great abbeys, but also through the scholarly studies of many of its
members. Liturgy is sometimes confused with guitars or choirs, Latin or Bach.
We should be grateful to those who both preserve and adapt the genuine
tradition of worship in the Church.
Saint Benedict is the Patron Saint of:
Europe
Kidney Disease
Monks
Poisoning
Schoolchildren
Kidney Disease
Monks
Poisoning
Schoolchildren
Lectio Divina: Matthew 10:7-15
Lectio Divina
Thursday, July 11, 2019
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
Father,
through the obedience of Jesus,
Your servant and Your Son,
You raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
through the obedience of Jesus,
Your servant and Your Son,
You raised a fallen world.
Free us from sin
and bring us the joy that lasts for ever.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Matthew 10:7-15
Jesus said to his Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the
lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are
to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the
journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves
his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the
house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to
you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words, go outside that
house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be
more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than
for that town.”
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today presents the second part of the sending out
of the disciples. Yesterday we saw that Jesus insists on directing them
first toward the lost sheep of Israel. Today, we see concrete
instructions to carry out the mission.
• Matthew 10:7: The objective of the mission: to reveal the
presence of the Kingdom. “Go and announce the Kingdom of Heaven is close at
hand.” The principal objective is that of announcing that the
Kingdom is close at hand. This is the novelty which Christ brings to
us. For the other Jews there was still a long time before the coming of
the Kingdom. It would have come only after they had done their own part.
The coming of the Kingdom depended, according to them, on their effort. For
the Pharisees, for example, the Kingdom would be attained only after
the perfect observance of the Law. For the Essenes, when the country
would have purified itself. But Jesus thinks in a different way. He has a
different way of reading the facts of life. He says that the hour has already
arrived (Mk 1:15). When He says that the Kingdom is close at hand or that the
Kingdom is already among us, in our midst, He does not mean to say that the
Kingdom is just arriving at that moment, but that it is already there,
independently of the effort made by the people. What they all expected was
already present among the people, gratuitously, but the people did not know it,
nor perceive it (cf. Lk 17:21). Jesus is aware of this, because He sees reality
with different eyes. He reveals and announces to the poor of His land this
hidden presence of the Kingdom in our midst (Lk 4:18). It is the mustard seed
which will receive the rain of His word and the warmth of His love.
• Matthew 10:8: The signs of the presence of the Kingdom:
accept the excluded. How should the presence of the Kingdom be announced?
Only through words and discourses? No! The signs of the presence of the Kingdom
are above all concrete gestures or acts, done gratuitously: “Cure the sick,
raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out the devils. You received without
charge; give without charge.” This means that the disciples should
accept within the community those who have been excluded. This practice of
solidarity both criticizes religion and society which exclude and proposes
concrete solutions.
• Matthew 10:9-10: Do not take anything for the journey.
Unlike other missionaries, the disciples of Jesus should not take
anything: “Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with
coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or a spare tunic or
footwear or a staff, for the laborer deserves his keep.” This means that
they have to trust in the hospitality of the people. The disciples who go
without anything, taking only peace (Mk 10:13), show that they trust the
people. It shows a trust in grace from God to act in people and to
provide for them. It is certain that they will be welcomed, that they will be
able to participate in the life and the work of the people of the place and
that they will be able to survive with what they will receive in exchange,
because the laborer deserves his keep. This means that the
disciples should trust in sharing. It is also another way of respecting the
poor, by not taking from them, and of contrasting the Good News with the laws
of the time that demanded payment and tax for so many things. The social
structure of the day was built on taking. Jesus builds a structure and
community built on giving freely. By means of this practice they criticize the
laws of exclusion and recover the ancient values of community life.
• Matthew 10:11-13: To share peace in the community. The
disciples should not go from house to house, but should seek people of peace
and remain in that house. That is, they should practice stability. Thus,
through that new practice, they criticize the culture of accumulation which
characterized the politics of the Roman Empire, and they announced a new model
of living together. Once all these requirements were respected, the disciples
could cry out: The Kingdom of God has arrived! To announce the
Kingdom does not mean, in the first place, to teach truths and doctrine, but
lead toward a new fraternal manner of living and of sharing starting from the
Good News which Jesus has brought to us: God and Father and Mother of all men
and women.
• Matthew 10:14-15: The severity of the menace. How
is such a severe menace to be understood? Jesus has brought us something
completely new. He has come to rescue the community values of the past:
hospitality, sharing, communion around the table, acceptance of the excluded.
That explains the severity toward those who reject the message, because
they do not reject something new, but their own past, their own culture and
wisdom! The objective of the pedagogy of Jesus is to dig out from the memory,
to recover the wisdom of the people, to reconstruct the community, to renew the
Covenant, to rebuild life.
4) Personal questions
• Today, how can we put into practice the recommendation not to
take anything for the journey when going to a mission?
• Jesus orders His disciples to look for people of peace, so as to be able to remain in their house. Today, who would be a person of peace to whom to address oneself in the announcement of the Good News?
• Why would stability, as in not going from house to house while staying in a town, be important?
• Jesus orders His disciples to look for people of peace, so as to be able to remain in their house. Today, who would be a person of peace to whom to address oneself in the announcement of the Good News?
• Why would stability, as in not going from house to house while staying in a town, be important?
For further study
Most, if not all, monastic traditions include a vow of stability
– to stay in one place. Take some time to read the ancient rules which guide
our various communities, such as the Rule of St Benedict, St Albert, St Bruno,
and so on. The authors of these rules often explain why a particular rule
is made, and from where in the Gospel it is inspired. This can give insight
into these instructions of Jesus and a historical perspective on the
development of Christianity through the Middle Ages.
5) Concluding Prayer
God Sabaoth, come back, we pray,
look down from heaven and see,
visit this vine;
protect what Your own hand has planted. (Ps 80:14-15)
look down from heaven and see,
visit this vine;
protect what Your own hand has planted. (Ps 80:14-15)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét