A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 8, n. 44)
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C – September 26, 2010 *
“Pursuing Justice for the Poor”
BIBLE READINGS
Am 6:1a, 4-7 // I Tm 6:11-16 // Lk 16:19-31
(N.B. Series 8 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 C from the perspective of the Second Reading. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year C based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 2. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 5.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
In our spiritual journey as a worshipping community, we realize more and more our moral duty to the poor and needy. We risk harsh condemnation if we remain complacent and uncaring to their plight. This Sunday’s liturgy underlines the pathetic destiny of the uninvolved rich, as well as the beatitude of those who - like the poor man Lazarus - trust in God’s saving help.
The Old Testament reading (Am 6:1a, 4-7) contains the prophet’s caustic tirade against the abuses of the pampered rich who victimized the poor and were insensitive to their cries. The threat of divine retribution is not merely for their wanton self- indulgence, but their neglect of the hungry and the poor. Aelred Rosser remarks: “Amos is a great champion of the poor. The idle rich are the target of his wrath primarily because their conspicuous consumption of delicacies is always at the expense of those who lack the bare necessities. The lambs from the flocks and the calves from the stall upon which they feast are supposed to be set aside for sacrifice to the Lord; thus, they add sacrilege to gluttony. They do not lament the imminent moral collapse of Joseph (meaning the whole people); indeed, they are contributing to it.”
The Gospel parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31) illustrates the reversal of fortunes in God’s kingdom and the divine justice at work: the Rich Man received what was good, Lazarus what was bad; now Lazarus is comforted, whereas the Rich Man is in torment. Lazarus, whose name means “God is my help”, is brought to heaven not for his poverty, but for trusting in God’s saving help. The Rich Man is in terrible torment not because of what he did, but of what he did not do. Because of apathy and non-involvement, the Rich Man failed to pursue justice for the poor and secure their rights. He looked at the world’s misery without any compassion and beheld the pain of the poor without the least care. The Rich Man of today’s parable is a pathetic figure of lost opportunities and unfortunate choices that lead away from the life-giving Kingdom value.
Today’s Second Reading (I Tm 6:11-16) provides better insight if we consider the two verses preceding it. Saint Paul reminds Timothy about the danger of wealth and money: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and are caught in the trap of many foolish and harmful desires, which pull them down to ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows” (cf. verses 9-10).
Timothy, a leader of a Christian community, must not succumb to seductions of worldly riches, but rather pursue the virtues and qualities of true discipleship. He must “compete well for the faith” in order to reach the goal of eternal life. Paul reminds Timothy of the “noble confession” he made at his baptismal consecration and ordination, as well as the faith confession Jesus himself made before Pontius Pilate, which climaxed in Christ’s passion and death on the cross. With this powerful reminder, Paul admonishes Timothy to fulfill God’s command faithfully until the Lord’s coming. Timothy’s task is to bear faithful witness to Christ and the Gospel, just as Jesus bore faithful witness before Pilate. His duty as bishop includes the pursuit of justice and righteousness - of love, patience and gentleness - on behalf of the people he serves. Indeed, Timothy’s pastoral commission involves striving for justice and care for the poor.
Aelred Rosser concludes: “The letter to Timothy advises the young bishop about his new role as a leader of the community. It also reveals the kind of persons we ought to be. We are to have integrity, which means putting everything together for God and fellow human beings.”
Mother Teresa of Calcutta exemplifies the power of love that ministers to the needy and the pursuit of gentleness that benefits the world’s poor. A person of profound integrity and tremendous dedication, she became God’s instrument to alleviate the pain and hunger, the fear and despair, of the “Lazarus” in our world today. As we celebrate the centenary of the birth of Mother Teresa, it is our joy to present the following excerpt that depicts her boundless love for the poor and destitute (cf. Paul Cheruthottuputam, SDB, “The Power of a Smile” in L’OSSERVATORE ROMANO, September 10, 2010, p. 6-7).
Mother Teresa’s Contribution to Church and Society: It is difficult to judge the impact Mother Teresa had on the Church and society. It would be true to say that her dedication to helping those who couldn’t help themselves has been an inspiration to the world. I know of a young man who volunteered in her Kalighat home for the dying. Inspired by her philosophy of service, he made a film entitled “My Karma” which won several international awards. Not only did this Hindu Bengali youth quit his job as an officer in the Indian navy and now works in a Muslim slum in Narekeldanga area of Calcutta, calling Mother Teresa his mother and Mahatman Gandhi his father. Mother Teresa did more than inspire. She taught that the greatest way to show God’s love is to meet the needs of others, one person at a time, here and now. She offered no magical solution to the problems and injustices in the world. But, she showed how we can make a difference in the life of one person at a time!
The Nirmal Hriday (home for the dying), her first institution started in 1952 in the temple precincts of Calcutta’s presiding deity, Kali, is still the hallowed place which makes her friends and foes stand in awe. It was the place where Mother Teresa met every journalist who interviewed her for the first time. Since its creation, some 50,000 men, women and children taken from the streets have been transported to this home. Of these, one half died surrounded by love and kindness. For those who survived, the Sisters helped to find a job or they were sent to homes where they could live happily,
Her Shishu Bavan (home for babies) as well as other orphanages have offered shelter and hope to countless children around the world. Many of the children that were raised in them went on to become productive citizens and some even joined her mission. The leper colony which Mother Teresa founded with monies from her 1971 Pope John XXIII Peace Prize has offered a place where the outcasts can find acceptance. When she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, she convinced the committee to cancel the official banquet and use the money to buy meals for 15,000 poor. She opened houses for alcoholics, drug addicts, AIDS patients, and the homeless and destitute in Rome. Mother Teresa also supported the rehabilitation of women prisoners with the help of late West Bengal Marxist Chief Minister, Jyoti Basu.
Mother Teresa and Her Critics: She has been praised by many individuals, governments and organizations; however, she has also faced a diverse range of criticisms. (…) Attacking the wrinkled, hunched-over Sister of Calcutta, accusing her of being a goggle-eyed fanatic and a mad and disgusting celebrator of poverty, is the aetheistic equivalent of mugging an old woman
To take us into Mother Teresa’s word, celebrated British journalist Malcom Muggeridge sets up a contrast between his commonplace perception of the world and those of Mother Teresa. Early in his book Something Beautiful for God (Harper & Row, 1971) Muggeridge mentions a brief stay (as the assistant editor of The Statesman newspaper) in Calcutta in the 1930s during which he became disgusted by the slums and wretched social conditions. He remembers self-righteously asking people, “Why don’t the authorities do something?” And he quickly left. Mother Teresa, by contrast, saw the same squalor and stayed – armed, as Muggeridge puts it, only with “this Christian love shining about her”. Muggeridge remarks, “As for my expatiations on Bengal’s wretched social conditions – I regret to say that I doubt whether in any divine accounting, they will equal one single quizzical half smile bestowed by Mother Teresa on a street urchin who happened to catch her eye” (p. 220).
Mother Teresa had a short response to her critics: “No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work.”
Mother Teresa’s Spirituality: (…) As much as she believed in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, she believed that in the bodies of the poorest of the poor, she touched the body of Jesus. (…) Maintaining constant union with God was the hallmark of her spirit of prayer. Have you seen any of her photos without those gnarled hands clutching her Rosary beads? For she knew there was no other way to know what God wanted every moment of the day except by asking Him for the grace to know His divine will and then to do it with all her heart! (…) The striking aspect of Mother Teresa’s spirituality is that she never did anything more than what she insisted with every Missionary of Charity Sister – the spirituality of the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and the fourth vow, to give “wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor”.
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
How does Amos’ indictment of the complacent rich impact us? Are we indifferent and uncaring with regards to the poor and needy?
How do we treat the “Lazarus” at our door? What is our stance when God permits us to experience the poverty and helplessness of the “Lazarus” in this Sunday’s Gospel?
Like Timothy, do we pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness in our relationship with God and in our service of the poor?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: O loving God, Father of the poor,
do not allow us to close our hearts, eyes and hands to the needy.
Teach us the way of love and faithful service.
Help us to break the bread of compassion
with every “Lazarus” at our door.
Do not let us succumb
to the seductions of money and worldly wealth.
Make us pursue justice for the poor.
Strengthen our resolve
to seek righteousness, devotion, faith, love and gentleness.
Let us follow your love command faithfully,
until the final coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
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 you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness.” (I Tm 6:11)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: Pray that we may always respond to the needs of the world’s poor with Jesus’ compassionate heart. By your acts of charity and the pursuit of justice on their behalf, let the “Lazarus” of today’s world experience the loving comfort of God.
ACTION PLAN: That we may experience more intensely our moral responsibility for the poor and needy, 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 C, vol. 6, # 44).
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