Memorial of Saints Cyril, monk, and
Methodius, bishop
Lectionary: 333
Lectionary: 333
Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
“Take ten pieces for yourself;
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’”
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’”
Israel went into rebellion against
David’s house to this day.
Responsorial
Psalm81:10-11AB, 12-13, 14-15
R. (11a and
9a) I am
the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“There shall be no strange god among you
nor shall you worship any alien god.
I, the LORD, am your God
who led you forth from the land of Egypt.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“My people heard not my voice,
and Israel obeyed me not;
So I gave them up to the hardness of their hearts;
they walked according to their own counsels.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
“If only my people would hear me,
and Israel walk in my ways,
Quickly would I humble their enemies;
against their foes I would turn my hand.”
R. I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice.
AlleluiaACTS 16:14B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 7:31-37
Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)
And immediately the man’s ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
“He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
For the readings of the Memorial of Saints
Cyril, monk, and Methodius, please go here.
Meditation:
"He
has done all things well"
How
do you expect the Lord Jesus to treat you when you ask for his help? Do
you approach with fear and doubt, or with faith and confidence? Jesus
never turned anyone aside who approached him with sincerity and trust. And
whatever Jesus did, he did well. He demonstrated both the beauty and goodness
of God in his actions.
The
Lord's touch awakens faith and brings healing
When Jesus approaches a man who is both deaf and a stutterer, Jesus shows his considerateness for this man's predicament. Jesus takes him aside privately, not doubt to remove him from embarrassment with a noisy crowd of gawkers (onlookers). Jesus then puts his fingers into the deaf man's ears and he touches the man's tongue with his own spittle to physically identify with this man's infirmity and to awaken faith in him. With a word of command the poor man's ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.
When Jesus approaches a man who is both deaf and a stutterer, Jesus shows his considerateness for this man's predicament. Jesus takes him aside privately, not doubt to remove him from embarrassment with a noisy crowd of gawkers (onlookers). Jesus then puts his fingers into the deaf man's ears and he touches the man's tongue with his own spittle to physically identify with this man's infirmity and to awaken faith in him. With a word of command the poor man's ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly.
What
is the significance of Jesus putting his fingers into the man's ears? Gregory
the Great, a church father from the 6th century, comments on this miracle:
"The Spirit is called the finger of God. When the Lord puts his fingers
into the ears of the deaf mute, he was opening the soul of man to faith through
the gifts of the Holy Spirit."
The
transforming power of kindness and compassion
The people's response to this miracle testifies to Jesus' great care for others: He has done all things well. No problem or burden was too much for Jesus' careful consideration. The Lord treats each of us with kindness and compassion and he calls us to treat one another in like manner. The Holy Spirit who dwells within us enables us to love as Jesus loves. Do you show kindness and compassion to your neighbors and do you treat them with considerateness as Jesus did?
The people's response to this miracle testifies to Jesus' great care for others: He has done all things well. No problem or burden was too much for Jesus' careful consideration. The Lord treats each of us with kindness and compassion and he calls us to treat one another in like manner. The Holy Spirit who dwells within us enables us to love as Jesus loves. Do you show kindness and compassion to your neighbors and do you treat them with considerateness as Jesus did?
"Lord
Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and inflame my heart with love and
compassion. Make me attentive to the needs of others that I may show them kindness
and care. Make me an instrument of your mercy and peace that I may help others
find healing and wholeness in you."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: The touch of the Lord, by Ephrem
the Syrian (306-373 AD)
"That
power which may not be handled came down and clothed itself in members that may
be touched, that the desperate may draw near to him, that in touching his
humanity they may discern his divinity. For that speechless man the Lord healed
with the fingers of his body. He put his fingers into the man's ears and
touched his tongue. At that moment with fingers that may be touched, he touched
the Godhead that may not be touched. Immediately this loosed the string of his
tongue (Mark 7:32-37), and opened the clogged doors of his ears. For the very
architect of the body itself and artificer of all flesh had come personally to
him, and with his gentle voice tenderly opened up his obstructed ears. Then his
mouth which had been so closed up that it could not give birth to a word, gave
birth to praise him who made its barrenness fruitful. The One who immediately
had given to Adam speech without teaching, gave speech to him so that he could
speak easily a language that is learned only with difficulty (Genesis 1:27-28). (excerpt
from HOMILY ON OUR LORD 10.3)
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, MARK 7:31-37
Memorial of Saints Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop
(1 Kings 11:29-32, 12:19; Psalm 81)
Memorial of Saints Cyril, monk, and Methodius, bishop
(1 Kings 11:29-32, 12:19; Psalm 81)
KEY VERSE: "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened" (v 34b).
TO KNOW: After leaving Phoenicia, Jesus went to the Gentile area of the Decapolis, a league of ten cities in eastern Palestine. There a deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to him for healing. The physical signs that Jesus used to heal the man, touch and spittle, were commonly used by faith healers in Jesus' day. They were thought to be effective in and of themselves. With Jesus, the efficacy of his healing power flowed directly from his relationship with his Father. The deaf mute was healed so that he could hear and proclaim the message of redemption. Jesus imposed silence upon the crowd so that his power would not be misinterpreted as mere "wonder-working," but the awestruck people could not restrain their praises of him. The miracle performed for the Gentile deaf-mute was another sign that Jesus came to bring salvation to all peoples.
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, help me to be open to your healing power in the Sacraments of the Church.
TO SERVE: In what ways am I deaf and mute to God's message?
NOTE: The Ephphatha prayer is used in the rite of Baptism for
the opening of the ears to receive God's word, and of the mouth, to proclaim
the faith.
Saint Cyril, monk, and Saint Methodius, bishop
Because their father was an officer in a part of Greece inhabited by many Slavs, Cyril and Methodius, two Greek brothers, ultimately became missionaries, teachers, and patrons of the Slavic peoples. After a brilliant course of studies, Cyril refused the governorship and withdrew to a monastery where his brother Methodius had become a monk after some years in a governmental post. Cyril’s first work was to invent an alphabet, which are still used in some Eastern liturgies. Together they translated the Gospels, the Psalter, Paul’s letters and the liturgical books into Slavonic, and composed a Slavonic liturgy, which was highly irregular at that time. The bishop refused to consecrate Slavic bishops and priests, and Cyril was forced to appeal to Rome. He and Methodius had the joy of seeing their new liturgy approved by Pope Adrian II. Cyril, long an invalid, died in Rome 50 days after taking the monastic habit. Methodius continued mission work for 16 more years. He was papal legate for all the Slavic peoples, consecrated a bishop and then given an ancient see (now in the Czech Republic). He died on Tuesday of Holy Week, surrounded by his disciples, in his cathedral church.
ST.
VALENTINE'S DAY
Legend says that Valentine's Day originated from Valentine, a Roman martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D. Legend also says that Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine." In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor Valentine who became the patron saint of lovers. Because of lack of historical evidence, St. Valentine's Day was removed from the calendar of Catholic feasts in 1969. On each February 14, Saint Valentine's Day, messages of affection and devotion are exchanged around the world. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Friday 14 February 2020
Sts Cyril and Methodius
1 Kings 11:29-32, 12:19. Psalm 80(81):10-15. Mark 7:31-37.
I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice – Psalm 80(81):10-15
‘Be opened!’
1 Kings 11:29-32, 12:19. Psalm 80(81):10-15. Mark 7:31-37.
I am the Lord, your God: hear my voice – Psalm 80(81):10-15
‘Be opened!’
What a powerful prayer for Jesus to pray over each one of us!
For our ears to be opened, so that we can hear God’s invitation to conversion
of heart and to listen to what God says to us throughout our day. For our eyes
to be opened, so that we can see the image and likeness of God in all whom we
encounter, and truly see the wonder of creation. For our minds to be opened, so
that we can be stretched beyond our preconceived notions of who God is, and
expand our theology to be truly inclusive. For our hearts to be opened, so that
we can receive God’s love and in turn share that love with others. For all that
we are to be open to God and to God’s gentle healing touch in our lives that
transforms all.
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saint of the Day for February 14
(Cyril: c. 827 – February 14, 869 | Methodius: c. 815 – April 6,
884)
 |
| Saints Cyril and Methodius monument in the city of Vratsa, Bulgaria | photo by MrPanyGoff |
Saints Cyril and Methodius’ Story
Because their father was an officer in a part of Greece
inhabited by many Slavs, these two Greek brothers ultimately became
missionaries, teachers, and patrons of the Slavic peoples.
After a brilliant course of studies, Cyril (called Constantine
until he became a monk shortly before his death) refused the governorship of a
district such as his brother had accepted among the Slavic-speaking population.
Cyril withdrew to a monastery where his brother Methodius had become a monk
after some years in a governmental post.
A decisive change in their lives occurred when the Duke of
Moravia asked the Eastern Emperor Michael for political independence from German
rule and ecclesiastical autonomy (having their own clergy and liturgy). Cyril
and Methodius undertook the missionary task.
Cyril’s first work was to invent an alphabet, still used in some
Eastern liturgies. His followers probably formed the Cyrillic alphabet.
Together they translated the Gospels, the psalter, Paul’s letters and the
liturgical books into Slavonic, and composed a Slavonic liturgy, highly
irregular then.
That and their free use of the vernacular in preaching led to
opposition from the German clergy. The bishop refused to consecrate Slavic
bishops and priests, and Cyril was forced to appeal to Rome. On the visit to
Rome, he and Methodius had the joy of seeing their new liturgy approved by Pope
Adrian II. Cyril, long an invalid, died in Rome 50 days after taking the
monastic habit.
Methodius continued mission work for 16 more years. He was papal
legate for all the Slavic peoples, consecrated a bishop and then given an
ancient see (now in the Czech Republic). When much of their former territory
was removed from their jurisdiction, the Bavarian bishops retaliated with a
violent storm of accusation against Methodius. As a result, Emperor Louis the
German exiled Methodius for three years. Pope John VIII secured his release.
Because the Frankish clergy, still smarting, continued their
accusations, Methodius had to go to Rome to defend himself against charges of
heresy and uphold his use of the Slavonic liturgy. He was again vindicated.
Legend has it that in a feverish period of activity, Methodius
translated the whole Bible into Slavonic in eight months. He died on Tuesday of
Holy Week, surrounded by his disciples, in his cathedral church.
Opposition continued after his death, and the work of the
brothers in Moravia was brought to an end and their disciples scattered. But
the expulsions had the beneficial effect of spreading the spiritual,
liturgical, and cultural work of the brothers to Bulgaria, Bohemia and southern
Poland. Patrons of Moravia, and specially venerated by Catholic Czechs,
Slovaks, Croatians, Orthodox Serbians and Bulgarians, Cyril and Methodius are
eminently fitted to guard the long-desired unity of East and West. In 1980,
Pope John Paul II named them additional co-patrons of Europe (with Benedict).
Reflection
Holiness means reacting to human life with God’s love: human
life as it is, crisscrossed with the political and the cultural, the beautiful
and the ugly, the selfish and the saintly. For Cyril and Methodius much of
their daily cross had to do with the language of the liturgy. They are not
saints because they got the liturgy into Slavonic, but because they did so with
the courage and humility of Christ.
Saints Cyril and Methodius are the Patron Saints of:
Slavic Peoples
Ecumenism
Ecumenism
Lectio Divina: Mark 7:31-37
Lectio Divina
Friday, February 14, 2020
1) Opening prayer
Father,
watch over Your family
and keep us safe in Your care,
for all our hope is in You.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Mark 7:31-37
Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the
Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a
deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He
took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's
ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and
groaned, and said to him, "Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be
opened!") And immediately the man's ears were opened, his speech
impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell
anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They
were exceedingly astonished and they said, "He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."
3) Reflection
In today’s Gospel, Jesus cures a deaf-mute. This episode is not
known very much. In the episode of the Canaanite woman, Jesus goes beyond the
frontiers of the national territory and accepts a foreign woman who does not
belong to the people and with whom it was forbidden to speak. In today’s Gospel
we notice this same opening.
Mark 7: 31. The region of the Decapolis. At that time, returning
from the territory of Tyre, Jesus went to Sidon toward the Lake of Galilee,
right through the Decapolis territory. Decapolis literally means “ten cities.”
This was a region of ten cities in the southeast part of Galilee, and its
population was gentile.
Mark 7: 31-35. To open the ears and to loosen the tongue. A
deaf-mute man was brought before Jesus. People wanted Jesus to place His hands
on him. But Jesus goes far beyond this request. He leads the man aside from the
crowd, puts His finger into the man’s ears and touches his tongue with spittle.
Looking up to Heaven, He sighed deeply and said, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”
At that same moment, his ears were opened, and at once the impediment of his
tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. Jesus wants the people to open their
ears and to loosen their tongues!
Mark 7:36-37: Jesus wants no publicity. And He ordered them not
to tell anyone about it, but the more He insisted, the more widely they
proclaimed it. Their admiration was unbounded and they said, “Everything
He does is good; He makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.” He prohibits
that the cure be proclaimed, but in fact that does not happen. Those who have
experienced what Jesus has done go and tell others, whether Jesus wants it or
not! The people who were present at the cure began to proclaim what they had
seen and summarize the Good News as follows: Everything He does is good; He
makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak! This affirmation of the people makes us
remember creation, when it was said, “God saw that everything was good!”
(Gen 1: 31). And this also recalls the prophecy of Isaiah, where he says that
in the future the deaf will hear and the dumb will speak (Is 29: 28; 35: 5, cf.
Mt 11: 5).
The recommendation not to tell anybody. Sometimes, the attention
which Mark’s Gospel attributes to the prohibition of Jesus to proclaim the cure
is exaggerated, as if Jesus had some secret that He wanted to keep. In the
majority of cases in which Jesus works a miracle, He does not ask for silence.
Rather, He once even asked for publicity (Mk 5: 19). Sometimes, He orders not
to announce the healing (Mk 1: 44; 5: 43; 7: 36; 8: 26), but obtains the
opposite result. The more He prohibits it, the more the Good News is proclaimed
(Mk 1: 28,45; 3: 7-8; 7: 36-37). It is useless to prohibit! The interior force
of the Good News is so great that it spreads by itself.
Growing openness in the Gospel of Mark. Throughout the pages of
Mark’s Gospel, there is a growing openness toward the other populations. Thus
Mark leads the readers to open themselves toward the reality of the world
around and to overcome the preconceptions which prevent peaceful co-existence
among the different populations. When He passed through the Decapolis, a
gentile region, Jesus responded to the request of the people of the place and
cured a deaf-mute man. He is not afraid to be contaminated with the impurity of
a gentile, because in curing him, He touches his ears and his tongue. The Jews
and the disciples themselves have difficulty hearing and
understanding that a gentile who was deaf and dumb can now hear and speak
thanks to Jesus who touched him. It recalls the Song of the Servant, “The Lord
God has opened the ears, and I listen to Him” (Is 50: 4-5). In driving the
merchants out of the Temple, Jesus criticizes the unjust trade and affirms that
the Temple should be a house of prayer for all peoples (Mk 11:17). In the
parable of the wicked tenants, Mark refers to the fact that the message will be
taken away from the chosen people, the Jews, and will be given to others, the
gentiles (Mk 12:1-12). After the death of Jesus, Mark presents the profession
of faith of a gentile at the foot of the Cross. In quoting the Roman centurion
and how he recognizes the Son of God in Jesus, Mark is saying that the gentile
is more faithful than the disciples and more faithful than the Jews (Mk 15:39).
The openness to the gentiles appears very clearly in the final order given by
Jesus to the disciples, after His Resurrection: “Go out to the whole world and
proclaim the Gospel to all creation” (Mk 16:15).
4) Personal questions
Jesus shows a great openness toward people of another race, another
religion and of other customs. We Christians, today, do we have the same
openness? Do I have this openness?
Definition of the Good News: Everything Jesus does is good! Am I
good News for others?
5) Concluding prayer
Sing a new song to Yahweh!
Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!
Sing to Yahweh, bless His name! (Ps 96:1-2)
Sing to Yahweh, all the earth!
Sing to Yahweh, bless His name! (Ps 96:1-2)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét