August 20, 2012

Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1 Ez 24:15-23

The word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, by a sudden blow
I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes,
but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead,
bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet,
do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died,
and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, "Will you not tell us what all these things
that you are doing mean for us?"
I therefore spoke to the people that morning, saying to them:
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride,
the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul.
The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you:
all that he did you shall do when it happens.
Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
You shall do as I have done,
not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet.
You shall not mourn or weep,
but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.

Responsorial Psalm Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21

R. (see 18a) You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you.
You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing
and anger toward his sons and daughters.
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"I will hide my face from them," he said,
"and see what will then become of them.
What a fickle race they are,
sons with no loyalty in them!"
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god'
and angered me with their vain idols,
I will provoke them with a 'no-people';
with a foolish nation I will anger them."
R. You have forgotten God who gave you birth.

Gospel Mt 19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good?
There is only One who is good.
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He asked him, "Which ones?"
And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother;
and you shall love your neighbor as yourself."
The young man said to him,
"All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad,
for he had many possessions.

The Christian as a Prophet

First Reading: Ez. 24:15-23

Psalm: Dt. 32:18-19, 20, 21

Gospel: Mt. 19:16-22

The Christian is called to be a prophet. A prophet manifests in his life a total dedication to his mission. All the prophets in the Old Testament left everything to deliver God’s message. Some even went to the desert and lived like hermits. Others left their families and personal comforts and endured persecution as a reward for their work as prophet. The mark of a true prophet is when he says and does things contrary to public opinion. He tells people to do the right thing even when everyone else is doing the opposite.

We need Christians who are true prophets. We need Christians who are ready to give up everything for the sake of the gospel. We need Christians who will suffer for justice and put their lives on the line if needed. Ninoy Aquino did just that. There is also a bit of Ninoy in us. Sometimes we want to do the right thing, the heroic thing, even when there are many obstacles. For this we need the Holy Spirit and a great love for the Lord who himself said, “there is no greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends.

How much do we love God? How much do we love our fellowmen? When we die, we will not be judged according to how much money we have, or how many degrees we have received or how successful we have been, but by how much we have loved.

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, August 20, 2012 >>

St. Bernard

Ezekiel 24:15-24
View Readings

Deuteronomy 32:18-21

Matthew 19:16-22

TEEN CHALLENGE

"The young man said to" Jesus... —Matthew 19:20

When we give our lives to Jesus and leave behind the world and its pleasures, we will only have one regret — that we didn't do it sooner. Our lives are unfulfilled until we live them for Jesus. Therefore, when a young man or woman accepts the call to follow Christ, it's an even greater reason for rejoicing.

When we see young people, we should offer them an opportunity to live a free, meaningful, happy, and eternal life by following Jesus. We should encourage young people not to delay their conversion to the Lord (Sir 5:8). Every day they wait is unfulfilled.

Jesus didn't entertain the young man who came to Him. He didn't involve the young man in a sports program, dance, or car wash. Instead Jesus challenged the young man to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Him (Mt 19:21). Jesus didn't treat the young man like a child, but like an adult. He respected him enough to tell him the truth point-blank.

Jesus didn't water down His message to appeal to the young man's self-interest, but challenged the youth and appealed to the power of His own grace. Many of our youth programs obviously have not been very effective. Why not give Jesus' challenge to young people?

Prayer: Father, fill our churches with young people as their hearts are filled with love for Jesus.

Promise: "You will then have treasure in heaven." —Mt 19:21

Praise: When St. Bernard joined the Cistercians, he brought in his five brothers, two uncles, and thirty friends to join him in this religious order.

Every Child Born Is a Sign

Hope is indelibly engraved in the human heart because God our Father is life, and for eternal life and beatitude we are made.

Every child born is a sign of trust in God and man and a confirmation, at least implicit, of the hope in a future open to God’s eternity that is nourished by men and women. God has responded to this human hope, concealing Himself in time as a tiny human being.

Saint Augustine wrote: “We might have thought that your Word was far distant from union with man, if this Word had not become flesh and dwelt among us” (Conf. X, 43, 69, cited in Spe Salvi, n. 29).

Thus, let us allow ourselves to be guided by the One who in her heart and in her womb bore the Incarnate Word.

O Mary, Virgin of expectation and Mother of hope, revive the spirit of Advent in your entire Church, so that all humanity may start out anew on the journey towards Bethlehem, from which it came, and that the Sun that dawns upon us from on high will come once again to visit us (cf. Lk 1: 78), Christ our God. Amen.

Pope Benedict XVI
From his homily for the first vespers
of the first Sunday of Advent,
December 1, 2007 - St. Peter’s Basilica

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