Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot
Lectionary: 388
Lectionary: 388
In the year King Uzziah died,
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:
with two they veiled their faces,
with two they veiled their feet,
and with two they hovered aloft.
I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,
with the train of his garment filling the temple.
Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:
with two they veiled their faces,
with two they veiled their feet,
and with two they hovered aloft.
They cried one to the other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!
All the earth is filled with his glory!”
At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shook
and the house was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “Woe is me, I am
doomed!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips;
yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me,
holding an ember that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
He touched my mouth with it and
said,
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
“See, now that this has touched your lips,
your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord
saying,
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
“Here I am,” I said; “send me!”
Responsorial
Psalm93:1AB, 1CD-2, 5
R. (1a) The Lord is king; he
is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed:
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.
R. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty.
Alleluia1 PT 4:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMT 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master.
It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher,
for the slave that he become like his master.
If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,
how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of
them.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul;
rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy
both soul and body in Gehenna.
Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin?
Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.
Even all the hairs of your head are counted.
So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Everyone who acknowledges me before others
I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.
But whoever denies me before others,
I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
Meditation: Fear him who
can destroy soul and body in hell
What
does fear have to do with the kingdom of God? Fear is a powerful force. It can
lead us to panic and flight or it can spur us to faith and action. The fear of
God is the antidote to the fear of losing one's life. I sought the
Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. O fear the Lord,
you his saints, for those who fear him have no want! Come, O sons,
listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. (Psalm 34:4,9,11)
Godly fear - reverence for God
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul to the power of hell (Matthew 10:28). A healthy fear (godly respect) and reverence for God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom, and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice - especially in the face of evil, and spiritual deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy and do you obey his word?
When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom (reign) of God he met opposition and hostility. Many religious leaders opposed Jesus because they refused to believe that he was the Messiah (God's Anointed One) and that his authority and power came from God. They claimed his power came from Beelzebul - the prince of demons who is also called Satan or the devil. Jesus demonstrated the power of God's kingdom through his numerous signs and miracles and his power to set people free from Satan's harm and deception.
Choosing for God's kingdom
There are fundamentally only two kingdoms in opposition to one another - God's kingdom of light - his truth and righteousness (moral goodness) and Satan's kingdom of darkness - his power to deceive and tempt people to rebel and do what is wrong and evil. And there are no neutral parties - we are either for God's kingdom or against it. We either choose for Jesus and the kingdom he brings - God's rule of peace and righteousness, or we choose for the kingdom of this world which opposes God's truth and righteousness. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they must expect the same treatment of opposition and hostility if they accept him as their Lord (Messiah) and Master (Teacher).
There is both a warning and a privilege in Jesus' statement. Just as Jesus had to carry his cross to suffer and die for us, so every disciple of Christ must bear his or her own cross of suffering for Christ and not try to evade it. To suffer for the Christian faith is to share in the work of Jesus Christ. As one Christian hymn states: Lift high the Cross of Christ! Tread where his feet have trod. The Holy Spirit gives us supernatural power, freedom, and grace to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you trust in God who gives us the strength and perseverance we need to follow his will and to embrace our cross each day for Jesus' sake?
Godly fear - reverence for God
What is godly fear? It is reverence for the One who made us in love and who sustains us in mercy and kindness. The greatest injury or loss which we can experience is not physical but spiritual - the loss of one's soul to the power of hell (Matthew 10:28). A healthy fear (godly respect) and reverence for God leads to spiritual maturity, wisdom, and right judgment and it frees us from the tyranny of sinful pride, cowardice - especially in the face of evil, and spiritual deception. Do you trust in God's grace and mercy and do you obey his word?
When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom (reign) of God he met opposition and hostility. Many religious leaders opposed Jesus because they refused to believe that he was the Messiah (God's Anointed One) and that his authority and power came from God. They claimed his power came from Beelzebul - the prince of demons who is also called Satan or the devil. Jesus demonstrated the power of God's kingdom through his numerous signs and miracles and his power to set people free from Satan's harm and deception.
Choosing for God's kingdom
There are fundamentally only two kingdoms in opposition to one another - God's kingdom of light - his truth and righteousness (moral goodness) and Satan's kingdom of darkness - his power to deceive and tempt people to rebel and do what is wrong and evil. And there are no neutral parties - we are either for God's kingdom or against it. We either choose for Jesus and the kingdom he brings - God's rule of peace and righteousness, or we choose for the kingdom of this world which opposes God's truth and righteousness. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they must expect the same treatment of opposition and hostility if they accept him as their Lord (Messiah) and Master (Teacher).
There is both a warning and a privilege in Jesus' statement. Just as Jesus had to carry his cross to suffer and die for us, so every disciple of Christ must bear his or her own cross of suffering for Christ and not try to evade it. To suffer for the Christian faith is to share in the work of Jesus Christ. As one Christian hymn states: Lift high the Cross of Christ! Tread where his feet have trod. The Holy Spirit gives us supernatural power, freedom, and grace to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Do you trust in God who gives us the strength and perseverance we need to follow his will and to embrace our cross each day for Jesus' sake?
"Lord
Jesus, it is my joy and privilege to be your disciple. Give me strength and
courage to bear any hardship and suffering which may come my way in serving you
and obeying your will. May I witness to others the joy of the Gospel - the good
news of your kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: Do not bewail death - but sin, by
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)
"The
gospel is life. Impiety and infidelity are the death of the soul. So then, if
the soul can die, how then is it yet immortal? Because there is always a
dimension of life in the soul that can never be extinguished. And how does it
die? Not in ceasing to be life but by losing its proper life. For the soul is
both life to something else, and it has it own proper life. Consider the order
of the creatures. The soul is the life of the body. God is the life of the
soul. As the life that is the soul is present with the body, that the body may
not die, so the life of the soul (God) ought to be with the soul that it may
not die."
"How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul the body dies, and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before a lively, not a contemptible, object. There are in it still its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house; its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no one there within it to hear... Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it... This then we can know and hold for certain: the body is dead without the soul, and the soul is dead without God. Every one without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail disbelief." (excerpt from SERMON 65.5-7)
"How does the body die? By the departure of the soul. I say, by the departure of the soul the body dies, and it lies there as a mere carcass, what was a little before a lively, not a contemptible, object. There are in it still its several members, the eyes and ears. But these are merely the windows of the house; its inhabitant is gone. Those who bewail the dead cry in vain at the windows of the house. There is no one there within it to hear... Why is the body dead? Because the soul, its life, is gone. But at what point is the soul itself dead? When God, its life, has forsaken it... This then we can know and hold for certain: the body is dead without the soul, and the soul is dead without God. Every one without God has a dead soul. You who bewail the dead rather should bewail sin. Bewail ungodliness. Bewail disbelief." (excerpt from SERMON 65.5-7)
SATURDAY, JULY 11, MATTHEW 10:24-33
Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot
(Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 93)
Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot
(Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 93)
KEY VERSE: "No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master" (v. 24).
TO KNOW: Jesus was the fullness of God's revelation to the world, but many people were obstinate and refused to believe in him. Jesus confided his message to his twelve apostles, warning them of the opposition they would face as they proclaimed the gospel to the world. Students were not above their teacher, and slaves could not outrank their master; therefore, just as they shared in Jesus’ ministry his disciples would share in his passion. Although they stood in danger of death, they should not be afraid. It would be a greater peril to lose one's immortal soul. Rather, they should fear the evil one who could lead them to eternal destruction. Jesus pointed out, if God was aware of the death of a tiny sparrow, were their lives not worth more? If Jesus’ followers were faithful in their task, he would defend them on the Day of Judgment. Despite the darkness of unbelief in the world, light would come in the dawn of Christ's resurrection.
TO LOVE: Do I remind others of their worth in God's sight?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to defend the faith when I am opposed.
Saint Benedict, abbot
Benedict was the twin brother of Saint 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 continued to attract followers, and eventually established twelve monasteries. It is said that Benedict had the ability to read consciences, was able to prophesy and forestall attacks of the devil. He destroyed pagan statues and altars, and drove demons from groves, which were 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). Though 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, he had great influence on monastic life.
Saturday 11 July 2020
St Benedict
Isaiah 6:1-8. The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty – Psalm
92(93):1-2, 5. Matthew 10:24-33.
‘Here I am, send me’
Ring ring, God is calling. Could it be for me? Isaiah never
expected to be called or sent by God. But today we hear that he was filled with
God’s grace, then filled with a sense of unworthiness, then filled with a
freeing forgiveness. Finally, he was ready to say yes to God, to volunteer for
the task. And he went on to become the greatest of prophets, proclaiming God’s
warnings and announcing God’s hope to the Israelite people.
It might not be so dramatic for us, but we really are all called
to share God’s vision for the world. We all have unique roles and parts in
God’s plan.
St Benedict, whose feast we celebrate, was called to silence and
later to found twelve communities of monks. But what is your role? When God
calls, ‘Whom shall I send?’ how will you answer today?
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 10:24-33
Lectio Divina
Saturday, July 11, 2020
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 10:24-33
Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher,
no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like
his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called
the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!
“Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be
revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness,
speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do
not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be
afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two
sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without
your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not
be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me
before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies
me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”
3) Reflection
• Today’s Gospel presents to us various instructions of Jesus on
the behavior that the disciples have to adopt in the exercise of their
mission. What strikes most in these instructions are two warnings: (a)
the frequency with which Jesus refers to the persecutions and suffering which
they will have to bear; (b) the insistence repeated three times to the
disciples not to be afraid.
• Matthew 10:24-25: Persecutions and sufferings which mark the
life of the disciples. These two verses constitute the final part of a
warning of Jesus to the disciples concerning persecutions. The disciples should
know that, because of being disciples of Jesus, they will be persecuted
(Mt 10:17-23). But this should not be a reason for worry, because a disciple
should imitate the life of the Master and share the trials with Him. This is
part of discipleship. “A disciple is not greater than the teacher or a
servant greater than his master; it is sufficient for the disciple to grow to
be like his teacher and the servant like his master.” If they called Jesus
Beelzebul, how much more will they insult His disciples? In other words, the
disciple of Jesus should be worried if, in his life, there are no persecutions.
• Matthew 10:26-27: Do not be afraid to tell the truth.
The disciples should not be afraid to be persecuted. Those who persecute them
pervert the meaning of the facts and spread calumnies which change truth into
lies. But no matter how great the lie, the truth will triumph at the end and
will make the lie crumble down. This is why we should not be afraid to proclaim
truth, the things which Jesus has taught. Every day, the means of communication
pervert the meaning of things and the people who proclaim the truth are
considered as criminals; they make our system appear as just and it perverts
the meaning of human life.
• Matthew 10:28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body.
The disciples should not be afraid of those who kill the body, who torture, who
strike and cause suffering. Those who torture can kill the body, but they
cannot kill liberty and the spirit in the body. They should be afraid,
yes, that the fear of suffering may lead them to hide or to deny the truth, and
that this will lead them to offend God, because anyone who draws away from God
will be lost forever.
• Matthew 10:29-31: Do not be afraid, but trust in Divine
Providence. The disciples should not fear anything, because they are in God’s
hands. Jesus tells them to look at the birds of the air. Two sparrows are sold
for a penny, but not one of them will fall to the ground without the Father
knowing. Every hair on your head has been counted. Luke says that not
one hair falls without our Father wanting it (Lk 21:18). And so many hairs fall
from our heads! Because of this “Do not be afraid. You are worth more
than many sparrows.” This is the lesson which Jesus draws from the
contemplation of nature.
• Matthew 10:32-33: Do not be afraid to be the witnesses of
Jesus. At the end Jesus summarizes everything in this sentence: “If anyone
declares himself for Me in the presence of human beings, I will declare Myself
for him in the presence of My Father in heaven; 33: the one who instead will
disown Me in the presence of human beings, I will disown him in the presence of
My Father in heaven.” Knowing that we are in God’s hands and that God is with
us, at every moment, we have the necessary courage and the peace to render
witness and to be disciples of Jesus.
4) Personal questions
• What are you afraid of? Why?
• Have you ever been persecuted because of your commitment to announce the Good News of God which Jesus announced to us?
• Persecution is not comfortable. There can be many small persecutions throughout a day. Do you ever deny Jesus in little things to make your life more comfortable and not make trouble? How is this important?
• Have you ever been persecuted because of your commitment to announce the Good News of God which Jesus announced to us?
• Persecution is not comfortable. There can be many small persecutions throughout a day. Do you ever deny Jesus in little things to make your life more comfortable and not make trouble? How is this important?
5) Concluding Prayer
Your decrees stand firm, unshakable;
holiness is the beauty of Your house,
Yahweh, for all time to come. (Ps 93:5)
holiness is the beauty of Your house,
Yahweh, for all time to come. (Ps 93:5)
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