Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena,
virgin and doctor of the Church
Lectionary: 275
Lectionary: 275
There broke out a severe
persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.
and all were scattered
throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,
except the Apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.
Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;
entering house after house and dragging out men and women,
he handed them over for imprisonment.
Now those who had been scattered
went about preaching the word.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria
and proclaimed the Christ to them.
With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip
when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.
For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,
came out of many possessed people,
and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured.
There was great joy in that city.
Responsorial
Psalm66:1-3A, 4-5, 6-7A
R. (1) Let all the earth cry
out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.
R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or:
R. Alleluia.
AlleluiaJN 6:40
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Everyone who believes in the Son has eternal life,
and I shall raise him up on the last day, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 6:35-40
Jesus said to the crowds,
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
“I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me,
you do not believe.
Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
Meditation: "I
will raise you up at the last day"
Why
did Jesus call himself the bread of life? The Jews understood
that God promised them manna from heaven to sustain them on their journey to
the promised land. Bread is the very staple of life. We could not live without
food for very long. Bread sustains us. But what is life? Jesus
clearly meant something more than mere physical existence. The life Jesus
refers to is connected with God, the author of life.
Jesus
offers us real abundant life - now and forever
Real life is a relationship with the living God, a relationship of trust, love, obedience, peace, and joy. This is what Jesus makes possible for us - a loving relationship with God who created us for love with him. Apart from Jesus no one can enter that kind of life and relationship. Are you satisfied with mere physical existence or do you hunger for the abundant life which Jesus offers?
Real life is a relationship with the living God, a relationship of trust, love, obedience, peace, and joy. This is what Jesus makes possible for us - a loving relationship with God who created us for love with him. Apart from Jesus no one can enter that kind of life and relationship. Are you satisfied with mere physical existence or do you hunger for the abundant life which Jesus offers?
Jesus
offers unbroken friendship and the gift of everlasting life with God
Jesus makes three claims here. First he offers himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us. Second, he promises unbroken friendship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from God. Third, he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection. Jesus rose physically never to die again. Those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be bodily raised up to immortal life with Jesus when he comes again on the last day. Do you know the joy and hope of the resurrection?
Jesus makes three claims here. First he offers himself as spiritual food which produces the very life of God within us. Second, he promises unbroken friendship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from God. Third, he offers us the hope of sharing in his resurrection. Jesus rose physically never to die again. Those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be bodily raised up to immortal life with Jesus when he comes again on the last day. Do you know the joy and hope of the resurrection?
"Lord
Jesus Christ, your death brought life and hope where there was once only
despair and defeat. Give me the unshakable hope of everlasting life, the
inexpressible joy of knowing your unfailing love, and the unwavering faith and
obedience in doing the will of our Father in heaven."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Possessing the Scriptures, by
Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"When
you understand anything in the Scriptures, it is love that is manifesting
itself to you. When you fail to understand, it is love that is hiding itself
from you. Those, therefore, who possess charity possess both what is manifest
in the divine words and what is hidden in them." (excerpt from Sermon
350,2)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, JOHN 6:35-40
(Acts 8:1b-8; Psalm 66)
(Acts 8:1b-8; Psalm 66)
KEY VERSE: "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life" (v.40).
TO KNOW: Jesus revealed God's word to the people, yet some refused to believe in him. They failed to comprehend the meaning of the miraculous sign of the bread that Jesus gave them in the wilderness (v.30-31). They did not understand that Jesus was the fullness of God's revelation and the source of eternal salvation. Jesus insists that he not only gives the bread from heaven, he actually is the life-giving "bread" sent by God who would satisfy the people's hunger and thirst forever. Jesus did not reject anyone who came to him in faith. He was careful not to lose a single fragment of the miraculous loaves. So too, none of the souls God entrusted to him would perish. They would share eternal life with him.
TO LOVE: Do I take time to be nourished by God's word?
TO SERVE: Risen Lord, feed me with your sacred word so that I can live eternally with you.
Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena,
virgin and doctor of the Church
At the age of six, Catherine of Siena had a vision in which Jesus appeared and blessed her. Although her parents wanted her to marry, she resisted and became a Dominican tertiary, which allowed her to associate with the religious society while living at home. She spent the next three years in seclusion, prayer, and austerity. Gradually, a group of followers gathered around her and an active public apostolate grew out of her contemplative life. Catherine spent the last two years of her short life in Rome, pleading on behalf of the cause of Pope Urban VI and the unity of the Church. She was canonized in 1461, and in 1939, she and Francis of Assisi were declared co-patrons of Italy. Pope Paul VI named her and Teresa of Avila doctors of the Church in 1970. . Catherine ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. She said that each one us is also a gift to the world, with a unique mission: “Be who you are, and you will set the world on fire.”
Wednesday 29 April 2020
St Catherine of Siena
Acts 8:1-8. Let all the earth
cry out to God with joy – Psalm 65(66):1-7. John 6:35-40.
‘This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life.’
‘This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life.’
My Lord and my God, you give me so much:
the beauty of land, sea and sky, of day and night, of the changing seasons, my
ability to think and to love, the wonders of human invention. And more: the
grace of sacraments and Scripture, the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, the
promise of eternal life.
In addition to giving us life itself –
you give us the gift of life in the Eucharist. ‘I am the bread of life’, you
say, encouraging and confirming us on our journey.
So much you offer us and yet we can so
easily take you for granted without enjoying the gift, nor giving thanks to
you, the giver. The psalmist reminds us ‘God is your Lord: pay homage to him.’
Help me God to come to you in the Eucharist with an ever-deepening faith and a
growing enjoyment of the gifts you give me.
Saint Catherine of Siena
Saint of the Day for April 29
(March 25, 1347 – April 29, 1380)
 |
| Painting of Saint Catherine of Siena | Siena Cathedral Choir | photo by Sailko |
Saint Catherine of Siena’s Story
The value Catherine makes central in her short life and which
sounds clearly and consistently through her experience is complete surrender to
Christ. What is most impressive about her is that she learns to view her
surrender to her Lord as a goal to be reached through time.
She was the 23rd child of Jacopo and Lapa Benincasa and grew up
as an intelligent, cheerful, and intensely religious person. Catherine
disappointed her mother by cutting off her hair as a protest against being
overly encouraged to improve her appearance in order to attract a husband. Her
father ordered her to be left in peace, and she was given a room of her own for
prayer and meditation.
She entered the Dominican Third Order at 18 and spent the next
three years in seclusion, prayer, and austerity. Gradually, a group of
followers gathered around her—men and women, priests and religious. An active
public apostolate grew out of her contemplative life. Her letters, mostly for
spiritual instruction and encouragement of her followers, began to take more
and more note of public affairs. Opposition and slander resulted from her
mixing fearlessly with the world and speaking with the candor and authority of
one completely committed to Christ. She was cleared of all charges at the
Dominican General Chapter of 1374.
Her public influence reached great heights because of her
evident holiness, her membership in the Dominican Third Order, and the deep
impression she made on the pope. She worked tirelessly for the crusade against
the Turks and for peace between Florence and the pope.
In 1378, the Great Schism began, splitting the allegiance of
Christendom between two, then three, popes and putting even saints on opposing
sides. Catherine spent the last two years of her life in Rome, in prayer and
pleading on behalf of the cause of Pope Urban VI and the unity of the Church.
She offered herself as a victim for the Church in its agony. She died
surrounded by her “children” and was canonized in 1461.
Catherine ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of
the Church. In 1939, she and Francis of Assisi were declared co-patrons of Italy.
Pope Paul VI named her and Teresa of Avila doctors of the Church in 1970. Her
spiritual testament is found in The Dialogue.
Reflection
Though she lived her life in a faith experience and spirituality
far different from that of our own time, Catherine of Siena stands as a
companion with us on the Christian journey in her undivided effort to invite
the Lord to take flesh in her own life. Events which might make us wince or
chuckle or even yawn fill her biographies: a mystical experience at six,
childhood betrothal to Christ, stories of harsh asceticism, her frequent
ecstatic visions. Still, Catherine lived in an age which did not know the rapid
change of 21st-century mobile America. The value of her life for us today lies
in her recognition of holiness as a goal to be sought over the course of a
lifetime.
Saint Catherine of Siena is the Patron Saint of:
Europe
Fire Prevention
Italy
Fire Prevention
Italy
Lectio Divina: John 6:35-40
Lectio Divina
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Easter Time
1) Opening prayer
God, our Father,
You are our faithful God,
even in days of trial for the Church
and for each of us personally;
You stay by our side, even if we are not aware of Your presence.
Give us an unlimited trust in You
and make us ever more aware
that Your Son Jesus is the meaning of our lives
and that He nourishes us with Himself,
today and every day, for ever.
You are our faithful God,
even in days of trial for the Church
and for each of us personally;
You stay by our side, even if we are not aware of Your presence.
Give us an unlimited trust in You
and make us ever more aware
that Your Son Jesus is the meaning of our lives
and that He nourishes us with Himself,
today and every day, for ever.
2) Gospel Reading - John 6:35-40
Jesus said to the crowds, "I am the bread of life; whoever
comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.
But I told you that although you have seen me, you do not believe. Everything
that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who
comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will
of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I
should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the
last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and
believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last
day."
3) Reflection
• John 6:35-36: I am the bread of life. The people, enthusiastic
with the perspective of having bread from heaven of which Jesus speaks and
which gives life forever (Jn 6:33), ask: “Lord, give us always that bread!” (Jn
6:34). They thought that Jesus was speaking about some particular kind of
bread. This is why, the people, interested in getting this bread, ask: “Give us
always of this bread!” This petition of the people reminds us of the conversation
of Jesus with the Samaritan woman. Jesus had said that she could have had
within her a spring of living water, welling up to eternal life, and she, in an
interested way, asks: “Lord, give me of that water!” (Jn 4:15). The Samaritan
woman is not aware that Jesus is not speaking about material water. Just as the
people were not aware that Jesus was not speaking of material bread. Because of
this, Jesus responds very clearly: “I am the bread of life! No one who comes to
Me will ever hunger; no one who believes in Me will ever thirst”. To eat the
bread of heaven is the same as believing in Jesus. And to believe that He has
come from heaven as a revelation of the Father. It is to accept the way which
He has taught. But the people, in spite of having seen Jesus, do not believe in
Him. Jesus is aware of the lack of faith and says: “You have seen Me and you do
not believe”.
• John 6:37-40: To do the will of Him who sent me. After the
conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus had said to his disciples: “My food
is to do the will of Him who sent Me!” (Jn 4:34). Here, in the conversation
with the people on the bread from heaven, Jesus touches on the same theme: “I
have come from heaven not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent
Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me that I should lose nothing of all
that He has given to me; but that I should raise it up on the last day”. This
is the food which people should look for: to do the will of the Heavenly
Father. And this is the bread which nourishes the person in life and gives
him/her life. Eternal life begins here, a life which is stronger than death! If
we were really ready to do the will of the Father, we would have no difficulty
to recognize the Father present in Jesus.
• John 6:41-43: The Jews complained. Tomorrow’s Gospel begins
with verse 44 (John 6:44-51) and skips verses 41 to 43. Verse 41 begins with
the conversation with the Jews who criticize Jesus. Here we will give a brief
explanation of the meaning of the word Jews in the Gospel of John in order to
avoid a superficial reading of it, avoiding the sentiment of anti-Semitism.
First of all, it is well to remember that Jesus was a Jew and continues to be a
Jew (Jn 4:9). His disciples were Jews. The first Christian communities were all
Jewish who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. It was only later, little by little,
that in the communities of the beloved disciple, Greeks and Christians began to
be accepted on the same level as the Jews. They were more open communities. But
this openness was not accepted by all. Some Christians who came from the group
of the Pharisees wanted to keep the “separation” between Jews and Pagans (Acts
15:5). The situation was critical after the destruction of Jerusalem in the
year 70. The Pharisees became the dominating religious current in Judaism and
began to define the religious directives or norms for the whole People of God:
to suppress worship in the Greek language; to adopt solely the biblical text in
Hebrew; to define or determine the list of sacred books, and eliminate the
books which existed only in the Greek translation of the bible: Tobias, Judith,
Esther, Baruch, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus and the two Books of the Maccabees: to
segregate or separate the foreigners; not eat any food suspected to be impure
or which had been offered to the idols. All these norms assumed by the
Pharisees had repercussions on the communities of the Jews which accepted Jesus
as Messiah. These communities had already journeyed very much. The openness for
the Pagans was now irreversible. The Greek bible had already been used for a
long time. Thus, slowly, a reciprocal separation grew between Christianity and
Judaism. In the years 85-90 the Jewish authorities began to discriminate
against those who continued to accept Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah (Mt
5:11-12; 24:9-13). Those who continued to remain in the faith in Jesus were
expelled from the Synagogue (Jn 9:34). Many Christian communities feared this
expulsion (Jn 9:22) because it meant to lose the support of a strong and
traditional institution such as the Synagogue. Those who were expelled lost the
legal privileges that the Jews had conquered and gained throughout the
centuries in the Empire. The expelled persons lost even the possibility of
being buried decently. It was an enormous risk. This situation of conflict at
the end of the first century had reflections of the conflict of Jesus with the
Pharisees. When the Gospel of John speaks of the Jews he is not speaking of the
Jewish people as such, but he is thinking much more of those Pharisee
authorities which were expelling the Christians from the Synagogues in the
years 85-90, the time when the Gospel was written. We cannot allow this
affirmation about the Jews to make anti-Semitism grow among Christians.
4) Personal questions
• What do I know about Judaism – the religion of Jesus, it's
history and it's beliefs?
• What do I know, or what can I learn, about the various groups within Judaism at the time of Jesus, such as the Pharisees, Sadduccees, Essenes, and so on? With that deeper understanding, can I use it to better understand the life of Jesus?
• To eat the bread of heaven means to believe in Jesus. How does all this help me to live the Eucharist better?
• What do I know, or what can I learn, about the various groups within Judaism at the time of Jesus, such as the Pharisees, Sadduccees, Essenes, and so on? With that deeper understanding, can I use it to better understand the life of Jesus?
• To eat the bread of heaven means to believe in Jesus. How does all this help me to live the Eucharist better?
5) Concluding Prayer
Acclaim God, all the earth,
sing psalms to the glory of His name,
glorify Him with your praises,
say to God, “How awesome You are!” (Ps 66:1-3)
sing psalms to the glory of His name,
glorify Him with your praises,
say to God, “How awesome You are!” (Ps 66:1-3)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét