A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy

 

 

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 7, n. 10)

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – February 1, 2009

 

“Adherence to the Lord”

 

BIBLE READINGS

Dt 18:15-20 // I Cor 7:32-35 // Mk 1:21-28

 

 

 

(N.B. Series 7 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 B from the perspective of the Second Reading. For other reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year B, please go to the PDDM Web Archives: WWW.PDDM.US and open Series 1  & 4.)

 

 

 

I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS

 

Jesus is the ultimate “prophet” that God raised up for his people (cf. Dt 18:15-20). The creative and healing word of God filled his mouth and he spoke it on behalf of the Lord who sent him. Jesus is the radical fulfillment of the divine promise made to Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you among their kin, and I will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him” (Dt 18:18b). The prophetic ministry of Jesus was marvelous and efficacious (cf. Mk 1:21-28). His teaching was “new” and marked with authority. The words that came forth from his mouth were confirmed by God’s powerful acts. Jesus’ words and deeds testified that he was indeed the Messiah sent by God.

 

In this Year of St. Paul, we continue to delve into his spirituality and ministry as a disciple-apostle of Jesus Christ. The Second Reading (I Cor 7:32-35) of this Sunday’s Mass helps us to consider Paul’s prophetic ministry. Configured to Christ the Prophet through baptism and by his intimate participation in the Lord’s paschal mystery, Paul shared in the task and challenge of the Church’s prophetic ministry. St. Paul was an outstanding teacher-prophet in the early Christian community in Antioch (cf. Acts 13:1) and in the entire Church. The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, comment: “Prophets play an essential role in the ecclesial community: under the Spirit’s guidance they speak in God’s name, unveil his mystery, interpret his will; they build up, exhort, encourage, discern good from evil. Paul the Apostle remains one of the greatest prophets of the Church, as the First Letter to the Corinthians attests.”

 

As the founding father of the church in Corinth, St. Paul had to help the believers contend with varied and numerous social-moral-religious issues, such as factions in the church, neglect of the poor, lawsuits against fellow Christians, sexual immorality, questions about marriage, questions about the unmarried and the widows, etc. In today’s scripture passage (I Cor 7:32-35), he provides remarkable insights for the confused Corinthian Christians, who were bombarded with conflicting ideas, ranging from sexual licentiousness to an ascetic rigor that viewed marriage and sex as sinful.

 

Responding to questions about the married and the unmarried, St. Paul underlines the value of celibacy in the perspective of the Kingdom of God. As a practicing celibate himself, the prophet-teacher Paul presents virginity as a personal option that reinforces the eschatological dimension of Christian life. The guiding principle that animates the choice for this state of life is adherence to the Lord – to be totally devoted to the service of God without distraction. With his single-hearted love for God and his wholehearted devotion to the proclamation of the Gospel to all nations, peoples and cultures, St. Paul could teach emphatically and authoritatively that celibacy-virginity is indeed a powerful means toward the advent of God’s kingdom. Moreover, in the light of the temporal and transient character of our material world, Paul could assert with conviction the legitimacy and importance of a life “consecrated” to the Lord.

 

The prophetic insight of the great celibate Paul on the beauty and nobility of chastity as a way of life complements his comprehensive teaching on the dignity of marriage as a “sacrament”. He sees marriage as symbolized in the union of Christ and his Church and acknowledges the vital role of the spouses in the building and extension of God’s kingdom (cf. Eph 5:21-33).

 

The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 5, explicate: “The union of man and woman, in view of procreation, has been willed by God, who gives life and fruitfulness to all living beings … The origin and the propagation of life among human beings is due to God, who blessed Adam and Eve; the strength, the beauty, the dignity, and also the exigency of faithfulness to the conjugal bond come from the divine institution of marriage from the beginning. This teaching had molded the mentality of the people of the Bible. Children are desired and welcomed as manifestations of divine benevolence, as blessings of God. Consequently, to be childless is perceived as a suffering, a blemish, and if not a curse, at least a sign of abandonment by God, who has averted his eyes. If he grants a child to a couple long childless, the event, which shows God’s power, is greeted with joy. To marry in order to have children – many children is to obey the creator’s command, to perpetuate and increase the people of God. Paul knows all this and appreciates this just view of things. But for him, to marry and have children is not the only vocation of man and woman, the only way to fulfill God’s plan. Natural parenthood is good; but the choice of celibacy by anyone not under compulsion but having power over his will (I Cor 7:37) for the Lord is better. For it is a sign of the expectation of the kingdom that Christ will inaugurate on his return at the end of time.”

 

Paul’s consecrated celibacy was not a bed of roses. He endured sufferings and trials on account of his radical choice to serve the Lord Jesus and the Gospel. Paul’s virginal life, however, was a tremendous response to a divine vocation. It was a step forward into the mysterious expanse of the unknown. But Paul was filled with conviction of the presence and the love of the Lord Jesus who revealed himself to him radically on the road to Damascus. Hence, his personal option to renounce marriage to “please the Lord” was joyful, trustful, total and unconditional.

 

The experience of the great celibate Paul thus challenges the unmarried men and women throughout the ages to discern the following issue in the light of God’s grace: “Is the charism of celibacy-virginity for me?” The spirit of humility, dedication to prayer and contemplation, and devotion to the service of one’s neighbor could shed light on the person seeking to discover whether a life of consecrated celibacy-chastity is the will of God for him or for her.

 

The following story of a consecrated religious, Sister Blandina Segale (cf. Margaret and Matthew Bunson, “Woman of the Wild, Wild West” in OUR SUNDAY VISITOR, March 25, 2007, p. 12) brought a smile to my lips. I find her life of total dedication to the service of God’s people very inspiring and interesting. The great celibate Paul would surely have approved of her choice to be single-hearted and totally given to “the things of the Lord”.

 

One of the most intriguing Catholic women serving the people of the United States was Sister Blandina Segale, a Sister of Charity who cared for those who journeyed along the dangerous Santa Fe Trail. In 1872, Sister Blandina was sent alone to Trinidad, Colorado, a Wild West haven for outlaws and renegades. She was 22 at that time. Because she was a Catholic nun bent on aiding the local Native Americans and the poor, Sister Blandina was not welcomed to Trinidad with overwhelming enthusiasm. The residents of Trinidad faced hard lives and did not fancy the sort of concerns that a nun might have. They were not cruel or insulting her, but they obviously had little interest in her labors. That changed rather abruptly, however, when her “patron” announced one day that he expected one and all to treat her with respect and courtesy. If any of the good people of Trinidad caused Sister Blandina any problems, he would deal with them personally. Actually, he promised to shoot them down like dogs.

 

The townspeople knew the “patron” well, and some recalled that he had shot a man for snoring too loud at a campsite, so he was a man to take seriously when he made a threat. The “patron” of Sister Blandina was William Bonney, known in history as Billy the Kid. She had given nursing care to one of Billy’s companions when he was shot and left for dead in an abandoned hut, and the famous outlaw was repaying her for her merciful care of his friend. He also appreciated her efforts for others. The first time they met, actually, Billy the Kid had come to town to scalp the four doctors who had refused aid to his wounded companion. Sister Blandina talked him out of it.

 

She had also saved the life of another man soon after arriving in Trinidad. Caught after fatally wounding a companion in a gun battle, the man was about to be dragged from the jail by an angry mob. Sister Blandina hurried to the bedside of the dying victim and talked him into forgiving his attacker. She and the sheriff then walked the murderer through the streets to the victim, who did forgive his assailant and then died. When Sister Blandina announced the deathbed scene to the angry men standing outside in the street, the mob thought it was all a bit peculiar, but they lost their enthusiasm for a hanging and let justice prevail in a courtroom. (…)

 

Sister Blandina was transferred to Santa Fe in time, where she continued establishing charitable institutions and programs. She labored for 21 years in the American West, becoming famous and respected … In time, Sister Blandina was assigned to Cincinnati, where she continued her labors with her sister, who was also a nun. She died in Cincinnati on February 23, 1941.

 

 


II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART

 

  1. What is the role of the prophet? Why do we need to listen to his words?

 

  1. Why is Jesus Christ the ultimate prophet? Do we listen to his voice and obey his prophetic words and actions?

 

  1. Why is Paul a prophet of Christ in the Church? Why is his life of celibacy a prophetic stance? How do we regard his teaching on marriage and celibacy? Is his teaching on celibacy-virginity relevant for the people “here and now”?

 

 

 

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD

(A prayer composed by Blessed James Alberione)

 

Leader: I thank you, O Lord,

for having chosen Saint Paul

as a model and preacher of holy virginity.

And you, O great saint,

guard my mind, my heart and my senses

in order that I may know, love and serve only Jesus

and employ all my energies for his glory.

 

Assembly: O Saint Paul the Apostle,

preacher of truth and doctor of the Gentiles,

intercede for us to God.

 

 

IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD

 

The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.

 

“An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord, so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.” (I Cor 7:34a)

 

 

 

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION

 

  1. ACTION PLAN: Pray that Paul’s teaching and example of a celibate life dedicated to God may be welcome today and promote vocations to priestly and religious life. In whatever state of life you are, whether married or unmarried, endeavor to show total dedication to God by your compassionate care for the poor, the sick, the suffering and the needy.

  2. ACTION PLAN: To help us live fully our chaste and nuptial love for God, in the manner of St. Paul, 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: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year B, vol. 5, # 10).

     

     

Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang  PDDM

 

 

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