A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 6, n. 30)
12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A – June 22, 2008
“But The Lord Is With Me …”
BIBLE READINGS
Jer 20:10-13 // Rom 5:12-15 // Mt 10:26-33
N.B. Series 6 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year A from the perspective of the First Reading. For another set of reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year A, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 3.
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
Suffering seems to be an integral element of a God-given mission. Some suffering is inevitable for those called by God for a special ministry. The pathos and intense pain of the prophet Jeremiah illustrate this reality. Today’s Old Testament passage (Jer 20:1-13), which is a part of his fifth Confession (Jer 20:7-18), depicts the drama of a persecuted prophet and illustrates the triumph of faith in the divine presence and intervention: “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion” (verse 11a). Jeremiah lamented to God that his enemies were closing in on him for he had obeyed God’s promptings and had prophesied that Judah, on account of its infidelity and social injustice, would be destroyed and its people led away in captivity.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, comment: “Jeremiah is suffering from persecution at the hands of his compatriots and of a king (Jehoiakim, 609-597 B.C.) with little regard for the covenant. Moreover, his God himself inflicts pain on him by entrusting him with an impossible mission for which he, being very timid and hypersensitive, feels himself totally inadequate … The prophet experiences the divine inspiration as a devouring and inextinguishable fire. He must speak, in spite of his natural resistance to the one who sent him to root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish (Jer 1:10), because he knows the risk of hatred, ill treatment, and even violent death. The prophet’s distress expresses itself in moving language … He comes back to the persecutions, directed against him, whenever the irresistible thrust of the divine word obliges him to shout, Violence and plunder. Even those who seem friendly plot with his declared enemies … But after this profoundly human cry of distress, faith prevails, stronger and more tenacious than the fear that would submerge the prophet: But the Lord is with me: like a mighty champion; my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph … Thanks to this surge of trust, Jeremiah foresees that he will conquer overwhelmingly … It is to God that Jeremiah entrusts his cause, and it is upon him that he places the too heavy burden which overwhelms him. This cry toward God is prolonged by a thanksgiving in which we all are invited to share, each of us, personally and as a church. Jeremiah is really the father of this spiritual posterity of the poor, those dependents of God who in their material and spiritual distress place their cause in God’s hands.”
This Sunday’s Gospel reading (Mt 10:26-33) likewise takes up the theme of suffering as a consequence of fidelity to a God-given mission as well as the assurance of divine protection. This passage, which is a part of the second Missionary Discourse of Jesus reported by Matthew (Mt 9:35-11:1), deals with persecution and how the Christian disciples are to respond to it. Those sent by the Lord should not allow themselves to be overwhelmed with fear when assailed with contradictions, persecutions and violent reactions that their Gospel ministry is bound to provoke, but rather to trust greatly in the divine providence and solicitude. Indeed, since the care of God the Father extends even to such intimate details as the life of sparrows, how much more his paternal solicitude and saving love embrace those redeemed by the blood of his beloved Son Jesus Christ and, in Christ, call him “Our Father”.
James Weaver remarks: “Jesus treats it as certain that his disciples will suffer because of the ministry he has commissioned them to perform … The certainty that they will be persecuted for their ministry makes the instructions to speak publicly and fearlessly all the more bold and extraordinary … By speaking the truth, by practicing their healing ministries, Jesus sends his disciples out to court arrest, torture and perhaps death. The power and joy of discipleship in Jesus Christ are revealed in this reading: one may risk losing everything for the sake of the truth, but suffer no fear, confident in God’s care and protection.”
The Kingdom message that we – Christian disciples – are called to proclaim is “good news”, but at the same time confrontational and explosive for it radically calls into question and impeaches a world based on false values. Conflicts are thus unavoidable. Indeed, a Gospel proclamation that is innocuous - bothers no one - and questions nothing is no longer a Gospel. The Church in Zimbabwe is experiencing intense trial as it fights social injustice and testifies to the Gospel values. In its endeavor to confront the civil authorities with the need for social justice and the defense of human rights, the Church in Zimbabwe is experiencing intense conflicts and hostility. Cf. “Resistance to Injustice Continues After Outspoken Prelate Resigns” by Henry Makori in OUR SUNDAY VISITOR, October 14, 2007, p. 4.
The fight for social justice by the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe will continue despite being wounded by the recent resignation of Archbishop Pius Ncube, a leading voice against President Robert Mugabe’s oppressive rule. Archbishop Ncube unexpectedly quit his post as archbishop of Bulawayo last month after an adultery charge that for weeks drew loud jeers from the president, his ruling party and the state-controlled media.
Admittedly, the resignation stunned many people. “Personally, I did not expect this to happen. I do not think many others did”, Father Oskar Wermter of Jesuit Communications in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, said. “It is a shock, and it is very painful to all of us.” But, he said, people “Will recover and continue their resistance. Maybe it teaches them that this clash between Church and state is serious and needs real commitment.” The resignation has not diminished the Archbishop’s stature in the eyes of most Zimbabweans, said Sister Veronica Dingi, spokeswoman for the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA). “People still respect him and are still praying for him in different parishes”, she said. The major challenge for the Church at the moment, Sister Dingi said, is that of being ridiculed at every opportunity and its bishops being looked upon as having no wisdom. “That is a pain for many Catholics.”
Archbishop Ncube publicly blames his woes on “a state-driven, vicious attack, not just on myself but, by proxy, on the Catholic Church in Zimbabwe.” He said he resigned “to spare my fellow bishops and the body of the Church any further attacks.” The archbishop also said he would face the charges as an individual so the Church was not put on trial. The resignation of Mugabe’s most ardent critic – who garnered worldwide media attention for his public resistance – has also worsened fears among Catholics who suspect the regime of closely monitoring the Church because of its stand against his persecution of the people … “Anyone resisting the regime is being targeted,” said Father Wermter. “As usual, of all the Christian churches, most of the opposition comes from the Catholic Church. That is nothing new.” (…)
There are still questions in Zimbabwe as to whether the state resorted to dirty tricks against the archbishop to silence him – as it often does against political opponents. Zimbabwean bishops said the accusations were “outrageous and utterly deplorable” and “an assault on the Catholic Church.” Archbishop Ncube’s resignation means the Church here, and all Zimbabweans, have lost one of their bravest and most candid voices against oppression. But the fight is not over, according to Father Wemter. “The defense of human rights and social justice will continue, with or without him,” he said. “It is not this or that individual leading this fight; it is the Church as a whole.”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
What were the conflicts and sufferings that the prophet Jeremiah was experiencing? What was his ultimate “confession” and act of faith? How did the reality of the Lord’s protective presence strengthen him in moments of distress and trials? Do we experience in our own life the convergence of mission and suffering?
Why did Jesus repeatedly exhort his disciples not to be afraid? Why does the Christian mission entail persecution and suffering? What did he command his disciples to speak in the light and to proclaim on the housetops? What are our sacrifices on behalf of the Gospel and the love of Jesus Christ?
How do we imitate the faithful stance of Jeremiah and, above all, Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution and sufferings? Do we believe that we are worth more than the sparrows and that God’s providence is upon us? Do we trust God whose protection enfolds us? Do we have faith that in our ministry of Gospel proclamation and in our task of witnessing to the Kingdom values God is always there for us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
we thank you for the gift of faith
of the cruelly persecuted prophet Jeremiah.
Amidst brutal resistance and crushing mockery,
he avowed his trust in you
as his “mighty champion” and protector.
In his painful experience as your prophet of truth,
Jeremiah had recourse to you.
Most of all, dear Father,
we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ,
the ultimate suffering prophet and the incarnate word of truth.
Jesus taught us to trust in you –
you who care for every sparrow that flies in the air
and love us infinitely more.
In our mission of proclaiming the Gospel and the Kingdom value
in today’s society,
help us not to be overcome by fear.
Increase our faith that Jesus is with us
and that he is always there to protect us.
Let your beloved Son-Servant
give us the courage to speak your prophetic word
and to confront social injustice
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Help us not to be afraid of those who can kill the body
but not destroy the soul.
Strengthen our loving, filial relationship with you.
We give you glory and praise
for you have planned the best and the most beautiful destiny for us,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion” (Jer 20:11a).
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Meditate on the anguish of God’s prophet and the suffering that is intimately linked with our vocation and witness as Christian disciples in today’s world. In any way you can, support the missionary endeavor of the Church especially where there is violent conflict and persecution.
ACTION PLAN: To help us experience more deeply the strength of divine protection and providence, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR (Vol. 4, n. 30): A Weekly Pastoral Tool.
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US