A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy

 

 

BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 7, n. 11)

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – February 8, 2009

 

“Proclaiming the Gospel of Healing”

 

BIBLE READINGS

Jb 7:1-4, 6-7 // I Cor 9:16-19, 22-23 // Mk 1:29-39

 

 

 

(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

 

This Sunday’s Old Testament reading (Jb 7:1-4, 6-7) presents us with the raw pain and intense suffering of Job, a just man blessed with honor and riches, but who lost everything dear to him – all his children and all his possessions, even his health and bodily integrity. Afflicted with a hideous disease that covered him from head to foot, he was reduced to a wretched state and dreadful misery. He understandably rebelled against the injustice of his lot and complained bitterly to God, who confronted him with infinite wisdom and omnipotent power. Overwhelmed by God’s grandeur, Job was reduced to silence. He realized how preposterous it was for an ignorant, insignificant creature like himself to challenge the almighty Creator God. Job eventually surrendered to God’s infinite wisdom and unfathomable will. And the Lord God reversed the misfortunes of Job and transformed his pain and affliction into joy, healing and abundant blessings.

 

The Gospel reading (Mk 1:29-39) depicts the compassionate stance of Jesus on behalf of the sick and the suffering. He cured many who were sick with various diseases. The healings Jesus carried out in his public ministry symbolized the tremendous benevolence of God and the ultimate healing that Jesus would accomplish by his passion and sacrificial death on the cross. By his ministry to the sick, Jesus was proclaiming the Good News of salvation and effecting the coming of the kingdom of God – the ultimate victory of God’s saving love over death and evil.

 

Saint Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, was a recipient of the healing power of Jesus, who cured him of his spiritual blindness. On the road to Damascus, the Risen Lord transformed Paul from a bold persecutor of the Church to a zealous preacher of the Gospel. Paul’s passionate love for the Good News stemmed from his faith in the sheer goodness of God and his experience of the divine healing grace. Totally “christified”, he felt obliged to preach the Gospel (cf. I Cor 9:16-19, 22-23) even without recompense and in poverty, humility and weakness.

 

The three readings in this Sunday’s liturgy invite us to savor the Good News of our healing and salvation, accomplished through Christ’s paschal sacrifice and glorification. The mystery of suffering and healing continues to touch us daily to our very core. This is illustrated in the following testimony, “My Journey of Healing” written by Elizabeth Tarlit Meneses upon our request. She is the daughter of our dear friends, Sam and Elsa Tarlit, from Gilroy. Sam and Elsa are professed members of the Holy Family Institute founded by Blessed James Alberione. When I met Elizabeth at the PDDM convent in San Jose during the “Forty Hours” Eucharistic Activities in September 2008, she looked so young, beautiful and healthy. Her testimony is a source of strength for us all.

 

As a child, I was taught to pray before I go to bed. I would pray that my family and I would be blessed with good health and long life. My mother would tell me that the more I pray GOD would listen. He would remember me among many.

 

After my diagnosis in 2005, I asked, “Why has GOD abandoned me?” Has he not been listening to my prayers? “Why”, I would ask myself over and over, the tears streaming down my face. I felt alone and scared, not just for myself but also for my children. How can he not consider my children?

 

The symptoms began after having my second child. My stomach would hurt. I thought it might be ulcers. At that time, I was dealing with many stresses in my life. My doctor thought that it could be Acid Reflux due to the stress. Because I was young, she ruled out the possibility of it being anything else. She prescribed anti-acids and the pain would subside. As time passed, the pain would return with intensity. It would wake me from sleep and I would spend nights pacing until the pain subsided. My doctor still said it was due to Acid Reflux. In the latter months of 2005, the pain became unbearable. It became more consistent and frequent. I experienced not just ordinary pain, but such an unbearable pain that I would perspire and shake, sometimes feeling light headed. I tried seeing another doctor and he confirmed the diagnosis of my original doctor, Acid Reflux Disease. So, I continued taking the medication. It would relieve the pain, but it would always come back. It came to the point where the medication ceased to work. I sought for a third opinion. Finally, I found a doctor, who was aggressive enough to run the appropriate test to see what was causing my pain.

 

He requested that an ultrasound should be done on my abdomen. The results changed my life. It was a “doozie”. I thought I heard wrong. They had found a tumor on my pancreas. He scheduled me for more tests. I had a laparoscopy done that confirmed there was a tumor on my pancreas that measured about 10 cm and that there were lesions on my liver and colon as well. My surgeon also confirmed that I was bleeding inside due to the tumor burrowing itself into my stomach. I needed surgery. They removed three quarter of my stomach but could not remove the tumor. They said that not only was the tumor malignant but, unfortunately the tumor is also too close to the aorta and is covered with blood arteries. It would be too risky to remove. I was appointed an oncologist.

 

I had my first consultation with my oncologist. It wasn’t what I expected. He said that I had a rare form of cancer. The good news was that it was slow growing. The doctor informed me that there could be a possibility that they can shrink the tumor with chemotherapy. I thought to myself, okay, if I need chemotherapy, I’ll do it. Bad news is that he had never treated this type of cancer before, therefore, was unsure. So, he referred me to a specialist at UCSF.

 

The doctors at UCSF told me that there was no type of chemotherapy that can battle my type of cancer. I would have to try to see if I was eligible for clinical studies. Their prognosis was slim. No guarantees. They stated statistics, saying that the life span of a patient with this type of cancer can be years, months or days. They said that at this time, the best thing to do was to wait and observe the tumor. It hit me. The hopelessness and the anger possessed me like nothing else has ever done. Not only did I not have the option of removing the tumor, but I did not have the option of treatment as well. Have you ever felt like running, running so fast and so far that you think you can avoid dealing with the realities of life? I felt so lost.

 

Have I done something wrong that I deserve this? Is GOD punishing me? I remember dropping to my knees and begging for forgiveness. “Anything but this … please!” I would cry and ask, what will happen to my children? They are still so young. “Please, don’t let them grow up without their mother”, I would beg.

 

At that time, my parents were helping me get through this. I didn’t realize until then how blessed I am to have wonderful and supportive parents. My mother would try to keep me active so that I would not dwell on the negative possibilities. She would take me to church and ask me to pray … pray as I have never prayed before. She said to pray with my heart and my tears, and ask God for help. So, every night I would pray with her. She would tell me to pray, ask and let go. I would pray for strength and courage, for guidance and for faith, faith that He would take care of me and I will be okay. “Whatever is in your plans for me Lord, I will accept, but please give me the strength and the courage. I place my fears in your hands. Guide me so that I would know what to do. Please, help me.”

 

I believe that this is where GOD held his hands out to me and led me through my journey of healing. Shortly, I found myself in the lobby of Valley Cancer Institute in Los Angeles, California. They are my vessel of hope. When no one else said they could help me, they dedicated themselves to my care and healing. It was long and tedious. It involved day to day treatments of hyperthermia, radiation and 9 months of chemotherapy. I have had to be separated from my home and my family. It was very hard to endure but at least, my parents were there to bring me comfort. Slowly, the pain began to subside and I was gaining my strength back after two months of treatment. This was good.

 

This experience has been like a roller coaster ride. I had good days and bad. I was given good news and bad news. There were days when the fear and the doubt that the treatment would not work consumed me. Praying for strength, the fear that took hold was replaced with anger and the courage to be strong. “I was not going to let this rule me.” That was my mantra. It’s funny how anger gives you the strength to fight, and I had to fight for the sake of my children. But I could not have done it without receiving courage from GOD’s graces.

 

After two years of undergoing treatment, I can finally say that I am as healthy as I can be. There is a continuous battle within me, between allowing the fear of dying to consume me or to live my life to the fullest, accepting the fact that my life is in GOD’s hands. My only refuge is prayer. The power of prayer has enlightened me.

 

I remember my mom saying to me one day that the things you experience in life are a trial, a trial of your faith in him. Be strong and believe. In the beginning, I thought that he had left me to suffer alone, but I now realize that he has always been with me. He took me through a “detour” in life to realize the path that would lead me closer to him.

 

Each day is a blessing. Each waking moment is a gift. Every cross you carry makes you stronger. Every prayer is answered; you just have to listen. These are the lessons that I have learned in my journey to healing. Knowing that the prognosis for pancreatic cancer is very slim, for me to be able to write about the experiences in my journey is a miracle … a gift from GOD.

 

With the selfless acts of love and support from my friends, family, the community and their endless prayers, I would not have endured the difficulties of this experience. Without GOD’s graces of strength and courage, I would have succumbed to hopelessness and fear. I am truly grateful and humbled by everyone’s unending prayers and well wishes, their gesture of encouragement and their concern for my well-being.

 

 

II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART

 

  1. Have you experienced an intense trial and deep misery similar to Job’s? How do you cope with pain and suffering in your life?

 

  1. Do you believe that Jesus will assist you in your pain and grant you the gift of the ultimate healing that springs forth from his paschal sacrifice on the cross? Do you believe that your pain and suffering, when united with Christ’s sufferings, are redemptive?

 

  1. How did Paul proclaim the Good News of salvation? How did his life of sacrifice and renunciation make him a credible witness of the Good News that heals and saves?

 

 

III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD

Leader: Almighty God, the Helper of all who put their trust in you, look mercifully upon the sick and all those in need of healing. Be gracious to them according to their need. Preserve their life, relieve them of pain, and restore them to health and strength, in accordance with your saving will. Grant them courage and patience, a hopeful spirit, and a deep trust in your fatherly care. Grant this through Christ our Lord.

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.

 

“All this I do for the sake of the gospel.” (I Cor 9:23)

 

 

V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION

  1. ACTION PLAN: Pray that the sick and suffering may find healing. By your ministry of charity to the sick and suffering, enable the Good News of healing and salvation to be received by them.

  2. ACTION PLAN: To help us incarnate better the healing love of God, 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, # 11).

 

 

Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang  PDDM

 

 

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SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER

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