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Lectionary reflections related to Catholic Social Teaching

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Monthly Archives: May 2016

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Lectionary Reflection June 12, 2016

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Barb Born
Reply

June 12, 2016: Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

Catholic Social Teaching: Life and Dignity of the Human Person

“Our faith proclaims the sacredness of human life that magnifies dignity in the human person by universal, inviolable and inalienable human rights.”  From Catholic Social Teaching: Seven Principles for Life   https://cst74life.wordpress.com

 

Readings

First Reading: 2nd Samuel 12:7-10, 13

Psalm: 32:1-2, 5, 7, 11

Second Reading: Galatians 2:16, 19-21

Gospel: Luke 7:36-8:3

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

During his public life Jesus not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God from which sin had alienated or even excluded them. A remarkable sign of this is the fact that Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture that expresses in an astonishing way both God’s forgiveness and the return to the bosom of the People of God. (1443)

From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

 

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: no references this week

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

If we do not acknowledge we are forgiven, than Jesus’ death on the cross was futile.  If we continue to count our sins, even after running out of fingers to count them on, we fail to understand we are justified by faith not indebted to the law.  If we ignore the law of love, the lavishness of God and fail to live with that lavishness towards others, we deny our sins have been forgiven.  God’s forgiveness of our sins allows us to live, where sin entombs us.  In isolation from others, we separate ourselves from service.  Living in forgiveness, we find ways out of the ordinary confines of ritualism to manifest our gratitude.  Ways brought forth from our soul, tears of joy to sooth away the tiredness of confronting sin with the evilness of languishing in unworthiness.  A place of mulling can only be transformed by the freedom of forgiveness.  Grasped by sin, we cannot freely give the kiss of peace and welcome to others, for sin divides.  Prioritizing sin over forgiveness, sin creates a fear of living in the world and fear of God’s condemnation.  Fear of the “other”, because we welcome only conditionally, not seeing everyone as the human family.  If we trivialize our forgiveness, our love is miniscule.  Our lives fail to cross the hurdle of moving beyond confines of the law to the place of faith.  Faith to realize we no longer live in the paradox of our own puniness, but the forgiveness of Christ, the love of Christ, the mystery of Christ lives within us to anoint us with hope.  Faith saves us from the intrepidation of trying to live by the law and allows us to live in peace.  A peace multiplied exponentially if the collective Body of Christ acknowledges forgiveness of transgressions by living lives of service and welcome.  For being forgiven imparts not a smugness, but blessedness, a happy, joyful rejoicing.  Do our lives reflect this?  Do our parishes abound with this?  Does our Church proclaim this?  How does forgiveness give us the courage to ask these questions and live beyond classifying ourselves as sinners, instead of children of a lavish God?  How would answering that question with a positive affirmation transform our lives, our relationships, our Church and our world?   What holds us back from desiring God’s love?  What holds us back from faith that sends us forth in peace?  Let us be witnesses to Gospel values and willing to venture forth from the forgiveness we have received to proclaim forgives and its bountiful ramifications with our lives.

 

Individual Reflection: Luke 7:36-8

Journal this week about living as a forgiven child of a lavish God.

 

Family Reflection: Galatians 2:16, 19-21

Discuss what forgiveness means to each family member.

 

Prayer:

June 13th is the memorial of St Anthony of Padua.  Ask his intercession in your prayer this day.

 

Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

 

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

 

By Barb  Born May 28, 2016  The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

 

 

Posted in Bulletin Reflections, Catholic Social Teaching, Family Reflection, Individual Reflection on Lectionary Readings, Lectionary Reflections, Lectionary Resources, Prayer, Religion, Social Justice, Social Justice Lectionary Reflections based on Catholic Social Teaching, Social Justice Lectionary Resources, Uncategorized, worship materials | Tagged forgiveness, God's love, lavish, love, sin, soul, tears | Leave a reply

Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time Lectionary Reflection June 5, 2016

Posted on May 21, 2016 by Barb Born
Reply

June 5, 2016:  Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

Catholic Social Teaching: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable

 

Love, overflowing with small gestures of mutual care, is also civic and political, and it makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world. Love for society and commitment to the common good are outstanding expressions of a charity which affects not only relationships between individuals but also “macro-relationships, social, economic and political ones”. That is why the Church set before the world the ideal of a “civilization of love”. Social love is the key to authentic development: “In order to make society more human, more worthy of the human person, love in social life – political, economic and cultural – must be given renewed value, becoming the constant and highest norm for all activity”.  In this framework, along with the importance of little everyday gestures, social love moves us to devise larger strategies to halt environmental degradation and to encourage a “culture of care” which permeates all of society. When we feel that God is calling us to intervene with others in these social dynamics, we should realize that this too is part of our spirituality, which is an exercise of charity and, as such, matures and sanctifies us. (231)  Laudato Si

 

Readings

First Reading: 1st Kings 17:17-24

Psalm: 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

Second Reading: Galatians 1:11-19

Gospel: Luke 7:11-17

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

“Heal the sick!”  The Church has received this charge from the Lord and strives to carry it out by taking care of the sick as well as by accompanying them with her prayer of intercession. She believes in the life-giving presence of Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. This presence is particularly active through the sacraments, and in an altogether special way through the Eucharist, the bread that gives eternal life and that St. Paul suggests is connected with bodily health. (1509)

From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

 

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: No references this week

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

If we are people of God, the word of the Lord must come truly from our mouths and proceed into our actions.  The Gospel we preach by our lives must not be concocted by our design for it is not derived of human origins.  Do we wrap ourselves in isolation of ritual purity or look with pity on those in dire circumstances to say, “Do not weep,” as we touch a situation with compassion?  For today, just like Biblical widows, there are people who have no voice, placed on the lowest rung of society with no means of support.  The picture maybe different, but the story line remains unchanged.  Many times Jesus could have wandered to a different village to avoid a ritualistic unpure encounter, but he would fully immerse himself into the messiness, like touching the widow’s deceased son.  Only entering into the messy reality of the world did Jesus display His prophetic self.  Only when we enter into the messy reality of the world, the widows of our time, those dead from lack of inclusion and participation in our society and our Church, can we prophetically proclaim the Gospel.

 

If we try to make faith a safe zone, comfortable, with ritualistic purity the primary object of our faith, we make our faith palatable to our own liking, not prophetic.  We live with pious holiness to deny the power of the Gospel to heal divisions, conceit.  In religiosity, we love ourselves above others and wallow in grumbling about concern for others detracting from absorption over personal piety.  The prophetic voice of the Gospel provides a supreme freedom to venture forth from our cocoon.  We enter into the world of God’s creation to look at people beyond physical attributes or ideology and see humanity with Gospel eyes of mercy.

 

Individual Reflection: Luke 7:11-17

Who are the widows of today in your community, people without a voice, means of support and inclusion?  How might your parish  ask “why” they are widows and help address this with Gospel precepts?

 

Family Reflection: Galatians 1:11-19

Food pantries can have a challenging time during the summer.  As a family, volunteer at a local food pantry or coordinate a Christmas in July food drive at your parish:

https://www.lafoodbank.org/volunteer/

 

Prayer: Adapted from the Collect for the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus help us to encounter the world with the courage of your prophetic witness of the Gospel. We call on your prompting and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discern the right ways to engage in the messiness of the world. In thanksgiving, we thank you for all goodness, including the freedom to answer your call of discipleship and your unfathomable love.  May your goodness transform our lives to prophetically live the Gospel. In your dear name Jesus, we pray. Amen

 

Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

 

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

 

By Barb  Born May 21, 2016 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

 

 

Posted in Bulletin Reflections, Catholic Social Teaching, Family Reflection, Individual Reflection on Lectionary Readings, Lectionary Reflections, Lectionary Resources, Prayer, Religion, Social Justice, Social Justice Lectionary Reflections based on Catholic Social Teaching, Social Justice Lectionary Resources, Uncategorized, worship materials | Tagged Christmas in July, cocoon, compassion, food banks, Gospel, healing, humanity, mercy, prophet, prophetic voice, widows | Leave a reply

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: Corpus Christi Lectionary Reflection May 29, 2016

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Barb Born
Reply

May 29, 2016: The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: Corpus Christi

 

Catholic Social Teaching: Solidarity

“…Participation is a duty to be fulfilled consciously by all, with responsibility and with a view to the common good.This cannot be confined or restricted to only a certain area of social life, given its importance for growth — above all human growth — in areas such as the world of work and economic activity, especially in their internal dynamics; in the sectors of information and culture; and, more than anything else, in the fields of social and political life even at the highest levels. The cooperation of all peoples and the building of an international community in a framework of solidarity depends on this latter area…” (189) Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

Readings

First Reading: Genesis 14:18-20

Psalm: 110:1, 2, 3, 4

Second Reading: 1st Corinthians 11:23-26

Gospel: Luke 9:11b-17

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The unity of the Mystical Body: the Eucharist makes the Church. Those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body – the Church. Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism. In Baptism we have been called to form but one body. The Eucharist fulfills this call: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread:” If you are the body and members of Christ, then it is your sacrament that is placed on the table of the Lord; it is your sacrament that you receive. To that which you are you respond “Amen” (“yes, it is true!”) and by responding to it you assent to it. For you hear the words, “the Body of Christ” and respond “Amen.” Be then a member of the Body of Christ that your Amen may be true. (1396) From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church: No references this week

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

Responding to the gift of Eucharist, we say Amen.  Do we speak that word half-heartedly, out of ritualistic observance or with belief and conviction?  Is Amen spoken from our lips to live into the invitation of transformation for our lives?  Will we let Amen move us beyond living  as Jose, Pat, Barbara or Elena to live as the Body of Christ?  A meal not eaten in isolation, on a TV tray, but in community.  To see the connectivity to Church thru a handful or few hundred people receiving the Eucharist at one mass to everyone globally that Sabbath receiving the real presence of Jesus. How many people have said Amen to the real presence over the millenniums, from the initial  apostles and the early Church, empowered to spread the Gospel, till today ?   Willfully ignoring the Sunday obligation says I do not need my brothers and sisters at the local parish and global Church to live my life as a follower of Jesus.  In doing that, we ignore the Lord’s call of discipleship to revel in individualism, which leads to isolation.  Coming to the Eucharistic table invites us into community that we see and cannot see.  Amen is an affirmation of belief and accepting the mystery of solidarity with people we will never know or ever meet.  We may tithe from our fiscal resources, but with our Amen will we also tithe with ourselves to freely give our God-given talents to support the Body of Christ and the entire human family?  Do we give of ourselves as freely as Jesus comes so freely to each altar, simple or grand, at each mass?  Our Amen is a continuing thankful participation in the Paschal Mystery, the living bread and cup of blessings.  We may feel we are at a deserted place in life, but  with our Amen, we answer Jesus’ call to give humanity the food of life, the giving of ourselves from the food we have received.  And the Lord provides in abundance if our Amen is an affirmation of belief.  So when mass ends and we are sent forth to go in peace, glorifying the Lord by our lives, we can joyfully proclaim, thanks be to God, coming forth from the sincerity of our Amen.

 

Individual Reflection: 1st Corinthians 11:23-26

Learn about Bread for the World.  Initiate a Bread for the World letter writing initiative at your parish and the broader inter-faith community in your neighborhood:

http://www.bread.org/

 

Family Reflection: Luke 9:11b-17

Learn about the Bake for Good project.  Whom will your family bake for?

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/learnbakeshare/

 

Prayer

Contemplate the word Amen

 

Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

 

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

 

By Barb  Born  May 20, 2016 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

 

 

Posted in Bulletin Reflections, Catholic Social Teaching, Family Reflection, Individual Reflection on Lectionary Readings, Lectionary Reflections, Lectionary Resources, Prayer, Religion, Social Justice, Social Justice Lectionary Reflections based on Catholic Social Teaching, Social Justice Lectionary Resources, Uncategorized, worship materials | Tagged Amen, Bake for Good, Corpus Christi, discipleship, Eucharist, fiscal resources, isolation, meal, solidarity, tv tray | Leave a reply

The Most Holy Trinity Sunday Lectionary Reflection May 22, 2016

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Barb Born
Reply

May 22, 2016: The Most Holy Trinity

 

Catholic Social Teaching: Care for God’s Creation

 

The ultimate destiny of the universe is in the fullness of God, which has already been attained by the risen Christ, the measure of the maturity of all things. Here we can add yet another argument for rejecting every tyrannical and irresponsible domination of human beings over other creatures. The ultimate purpose of other creatures is not to be found in us. Rather, all creatures are moving forward with us and through us towards a common point of arrival, which is God, in that transcendent fullness where the risen Christ embraces and illumines all things. Human beings, endowed with intelligence and love, and drawn by the fullness of Christ, are called to lead all creatures back to their Creator. (83) Laudato Si Pope Francis

 

Readings

First Reading: Proverbs 8: 22-31

Psalm: 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: Romans 5:1-5

Gospel: John 16:12-15

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

“O blessed light, O Trinity and first Unity!” God is eternal blessedness, undying life, unfading light. God is love: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God freely wills to communicate the glory of his blessed life. Such is the “plan of his loving kindness”, conceived by the Father before the foundation of the world, in his beloved Son: “He destined us in love to be his sons” and “to be conformed to the image of his Son”, through “the spirit of sonship”.This plan is a “grace [which] was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began”, stemming immediately from Trinitarian love. It unfolds in the work of creation, the whole history of salvation after the fall, and the missions of the Son and the Spirit, which are continued in the mission of the Church. (257)

The whole divine economy is the common work of the three divine persons. For as the Trinity has only one and the same natures so too does it have only one and the same operation: “The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not three principles of creation but one principle.” However, each divine person performs the common work according to his unique personal property. Thus the Church confesses, following the New Testament, “one God and Father from whom all things are, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, and one Holy Spirit in whom all things are”. It is above all the divine missions of the Son’s Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit that show forth the properties of the divine persons. (258)    From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to The Most Holy Trinity, Cycle C

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:

 

Psalm 8:5-7

The Old Testament presents God as the omnipotent Creator (cf. Gen 2:2; Job 38-41; Ps104; Ps 147) who fashions man in his image and invites him to work the soil (cf. Gen 2:5-6),and cultivate and care for the garden of Eden in which he has placed him (cf. Gen 2:15). To the first human couple God entrusts the task of subduing the earth and exercising dominion over every living creature (cf. Gen 1:28). The dominion exercised by man over other living creatures, however, is not to be despotic or reckless; on the contrary he is to “cultivate and care for” (Gen 2:15) the goods created by God. These goods were not created by man, but have been received by him as a precious gift that the Creator has placed under his responsibility. Cultivating the earth means not abandoning it to itself; exercising dominion over it means taking care of it, as a wise king cares for his people and a shepherd his sheep.

In the Creator’s plan, created realities, which are good in themselves, exist for man’s use. The wonder of the mystery of man’s grandeur makes the psalmist exclaim: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than god, and crown him with glory and honour. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet” (Ps 8:5-7). (255)

John 16:13-15

 The documents referred to here constitute the milestones of the path travelled by the Church’s social doctrine from the time of Pope Leo XIII to our own day. This brief summary would become much longer if we considered all the interventions motivated, other than by a specific theme, by “the pastoral concern to present to the entire Christian community and to all men of good will the fundamental principles, universal criteria and guidelines suitable for suggesting basic choices and coherent practice for every concrete situation”.

In the formulation and teaching of this social doctrine, the Church has been, and continues to be, prompted not by theoretical motivation but by pastoral concerns. She is spurred on by the repercussions that social upheavals have on people, on multitudes of men and women, on human dignity itself, in contexts where “man painstakingly searches for a better world, without working with equal zeal for the betterment of his own spirit”[195]. For these reasons, this social doctrine has arisen and developed an “updated doctrinal ‘corpus’ … [that] builds up gradually, as the Church, in the fullness of the word revealed by Christ Jesus and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 14:16,26; 16:13-15), reads events as they unfold in the course of history”. (104)

John 16:15

The love that inspires Jesus’ ministry among men is the love that he has experienced in his intimate union with the Father. The New Testament allows us to enter deeply into the experience, that Jesus himself lives and communicates, the love of God his Father — “Abba” — and, therefore, it permits us to enter into the very heart of divine life. Jesus announces the liberating mercy of God to those whom he meets on his way, beginning with the poor, the marginalized, the sinners. He invites all to follow him because he is the first to obey God’s plan of love, and he does so in a most singular way, as God’s envoy in the world.

Jesus’ self-awareness of being the Son is an expression of this primordial experience. The Son has been given everything, and freely so, by the Father: “All that the Father has is mine” (Jn 16:15). His in turn is the mission of making all men sharers in this gift and in this filial relationship: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (Jn 15:15).

For Jesus, recognizing the Father’s love means modelling his actions on God’s gratuitousness and mercy; it is these that generate new life. It means becoming — by his very existence — the example and pattern of this for his disciples. Jesus’ followers are called to live like him and, after his Passover of death and resurrection, to live also in him and by him, thanks to the superabundant gift of the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, who internalizes Christ’s own style of life in human hearts. (29)

Romans 5:5

The Face of God, progressively revealed in the history of salvation, shines in its fullness in the Face of Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. God is Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; truly distinct and truly one, because God is an infinite communion of love. God’s gratuitous love for humanity is revealed, before anything else, as love springing from the Father, from whom everything draws its source; as the free communication that the Son makes of this love, giving himself anew to the Father and giving himself to mankind; as the ever new fruitfulness of divine love that the Holy Spirit pours forth into the hearts of men (cf.Rom 5:5).

By his words and deeds, and fully and definitively by his death and resurrection, Jesus reveals to humanity that God is Father and that we are all called by grace to become his children in the Spirit (cf. Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6), and therefore brothers and sisters among ourselves. It is for this reason that the Church firmly believes that “the key, the centre and the purpose of the whole of man’s history is to be found in her Lord and Master”. (31)

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

What meaning engulfs a name?  A name adapted from a parent or another ancestor.  Do you know what your name means, its cultural roots?  Your name represents your persona, but only to those that know you.  But they only know you to a certain extent, not all your nuances, attributes and depth of your beliefs.  Your name would be meaningless to a person who had never seen, met or heard of you. The same is true with God’s name.  We know of and about God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but the essence of mystery remains.  The mystery catapults us into an unquenchable desire to delve deeper, know more, not intellectually, but in the realm of our heart. So the mystery unfolds to become a deeper belief, an upward escalating spiral into the Divine, continually repeating, plunging us into greater mystery that we express as the grace of faith.  This way God takes delight in the human race.  His creation discovering and relishing, God, named in the Trinity. An infinite embrace of peace through our Savior proclaiming peace without ever dominating, only offering an invitation to shed hate, superiority and control.  Allowing love to be poured into the crevices of our heart, we thought were so hardened that no one that knew our name could ever see the fossilization of attitude. We transcend from self-imposed edicts where we hid behind facades constructed of boasting about our greatness to boast of our hope of the glory of God. When we make the sign of the cross, to bless ourselves in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we acknowledge the mystery of affliction to chisel us from worldly pursuits, producing endurance to strengthen our character, so our name garners substance.  We know ourselves better as a child of God and live as a visible witness to embrace the lavishness of this mystery in the world.

 

Individual Reflection: John 16:12-15

Contemplate on the depth of your belief in making the sign of the cross

 

Family Reflection: Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

How can you plan your summer vacation to visit an observatory  to see the moon and the stars, a nature preserve to see birds of the air or a marine science center to learn about the fishes of the sea?

 

Prayer

Holy Trinity, we feel so blessed by the Father, the saving grace of the Son and sustained by the Holy Spirit. Holy Trinity teach us unity woven in mystery. Holy Trinity help us to know our name better, to live by our hearts infused with your love instead of worldly facades. Holy Trinity, as we bless ourselves in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, may we bless others with the gifts you have given us.

Amen

 

Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

 

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

 

By Barb  Born  May 18, 2016 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

 

 

Posted in Bulletin Reflections, Catholic Social Teaching, Creation Sustainability Ministry Resource Guide, Family Reflection, Individual Reflection on Lectionary Readings, Lectionary Reflections, Prayer, Religion, Social Justice, Social Justice Lectionary Reflections based on Catholic Social Teaching, Social Justice Lectionary Resources, Uncategorized, worship materials | Tagged affliction, control, Divine, Father, Father Son and Holy Spirit, gift, hate, Holy Spirit, human race, mystery, Son, superiority | Leave a reply

Pentecost Sunday Lectionary Reflection May 15, 2016

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Barb Born
Reply

May 15, 2016: Pentecost Sunday

Catholic Social Teaching: Call to Family, Community and Participation

In her social doctrine the Church offers above all an integral vision of man and a complete understanding of his personal and social dimensions. Christian anthropology reveals the inviolable dignity of every person and places the realities of work, economics and politics into an original perspective that sheds light on authentic human values while at the same time inspiring and sustaining the task of Christian witness in the varied areas of personal, cultural and social life. Thanks to the “first fruits of the Spirit” (Rom 8:23), Christians become “capable of discharging the new law of love (cf. Rom 8:1-11). Through this Spirit, who is ‘the pledge of our inheritance’ (Eph 1:14), the whole man is renewed from within, even to the achievement of ‘the redemption of the body’ (Rom 8:23)”. In this sense the Church’s social doctrine shows how the moral basis of all social action consists in the human development of the person and identifies the norm for social action corresponding to humanity’s true good and as efforts aimed at creating the conditions that will allow every person to satisfy his integral vocation. (522) Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

 

Readings

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11

Psalm: 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

Second Reading: 1st Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17

Gospel: John 20:19-23 or John 14:15-16, 23b-26

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Thus the Church’s mission is not an addition to that of Christ and the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity (the topic of the next article):

All of us who have received one and the same Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit, are in a sense blended together with one another and with God. For if Christ, together with the Father’s and his own Spirit, comes to dwell in each of us, though we are many, still the Spirit is one and undivided. He binds together the spirits of each and every one of us, . . . and makes all appear as one in him. For just as the power of Christ’s sacred flesh unites those in whom it dwells into one body, I think that in the same way the one and undivided Spirit of God, who dwells in all, leads all into spiritual unity. (738) From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction Pentecost Sunday, Cycle C

 

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:

 

Psalm 104

The Old Testament presents God as the omnipotent Creator (cf. Gen 2:2; Job 38-41; Ps104; Ps 147) who fashions man in his image and invites him to work the soil (cf. Gen 2:5-6),and cultivate and care for the garden of Eden in which he has placed him (cf. Gen 2:15). To the first human couple God entrusts the task of subduing the earth and exercising dominion over every living creature (cf. Gen 1:28). The dominion exercised by man over other living creatures, however, is not to be despotic or reckless; on the contrary he is to “cultivate and care for” (Gen 2:15) the goods created by God. These goods were not created by man, but have been received by him as a precious gift that the Creator has placed under his responsibility. Cultivating the earth means not abandoning it to itself; exercising dominion over it means taking care of it, as a wise king cares for his people and a shepherd his sheep.

In the Creator’s plan, created realities, which are good in themselves, exist for man’s use. The wonder of the mystery of man’s grandeur makes the psalmist exclaim: “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than god, and crown him with glory and honour. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet” (Ps 8:5-7).  (255)

Psalm 104:24

The relationship of man with the world is a constitutive part of his human identity. This relationship is in turn the result of another still deeper relationship between man and God. The Lord has made the human person to be a partner with him in dialogue. Only in dialogue with God does the human being find his truth, from which he draws inspiration and norms to make plans for the future of the world, which is the garden that God has given him to keep and till (cf. Gen 2: 15). Not even sin could remove this duty, although it weighed down this exalted work with pain and suffering (cf. Gen 3:17-19).

Creation is always an object of praise in Israel’s prayer: “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all” (Ps 104:24). Salvation is perceived as a new creation that re-establishes that harmony and potential for growth that sin had compromised: “I create new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65:17) — says the Lord — in which “the wilderness becomes a fruitful field … and righteousness [will] abide in the fruitful field … My people will abide in a peaceful habitation” (Is 32:1518). (452)

John 14:16, 26

The documents referred to here constitute the milestones of the path travelled by the Church’s social doctrine from the time of Pope Leo XIII to our own day. This brief summary would become much longer if we considered all the interventions motivated, other than by a specific theme, by “the pastoral concern to present to the entire Christian community and to all men of good will the fundamental principles, universal criteria and guidelines suitable for suggesting basic choices and coherent practice for every concrete situation”.

In the formulation and teaching of this social doctrine, the Church has been, and continues to be, prompted not by theoretical motivation but by pastoral concerns. She is spurred on by the repercussions that social upheavals have on people, on multitudes of men and women, on human dignity itself, in contexts where “man painstakingly searches for a better world, without working with equal zeal for the betterment of his own spirit”. For these reasons, this social doctrine has arisen and developed an “updated doctrinal ‘corpus’ … [that] builds up gradually, as the Church, in the fullness of the word revealed by Christ Jesus and with the assistance of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 14:16,26; 16:13-15), reads events as they unfold in the course of history”.  (104)

John 14:21, 23-24

The Church has the right to be a teacher for mankind, a teacher of the truth of faith: the truth not only of dogmas but also of the morals whose source lies in human nature itself and in the Gospel. The word of the Gospel, in fact, is not only to be heard but is also to be observed and put into practice (cf. Mt 7:24; Lk 6:46-47; Jn 14:21,23-24; Jas 1:22). Consistency in behaviour shows what one truly believes and is not limited only to things strictly church-related or spiritual but involves men and women in the entirety of their life experience and in the context of all their responsibilities. However worldly these responsibilities may be, their subject remains man, that is, the human being whom God calls, by means of the Church, to participate in his gift of salvation.

Men and women must respond to the gift of salvation not with a partial, abstract or merely verbal acceptance, but with the whole of their lives — in every relationship that defines life — so as not to neglect anything, leaving it in a profane and worldly realm where it is irrelevant or foreign to salvation. For this reason the Church’s social doctrine is not a privilege for her, nor a digression, a convenience or interference: it is her right to proclaim the Gospel in the context of society, to make the liberating word of the Gospel resound in the complex worlds of production, labour, business, finance, trade, politics, law, culture, social communications, where men and women live. (70)

John 20:19, 21, 26

 The promise of peace that runs through the entire Old Testament finds its fulfilment in the very person of Jesus. Peace, in fact, is the messianic attribute par excellence, in which all other beneficial effects of salvation are included. The Hebrew word “shalom” expresses this fullness of meaning in its etymological sense of “completeness” (cf. Is 9:5ff; Mic 5:1-4). The kingdom of the Messiah is precisely the kingdom of peace (cf. Job 25:2; Ps 29:11; 37:11; 72:3,7; 85:9,11; 119:165; 125:5, 128:6; 147:14; Song 8:10; Is 26:3,12; 32:17f.; 52:7; 54:10; 57:19; 60:17; 66:12; Hag 2:9; Zech 9:10; et al.). Jesus “is our peace” (Eph 2:14). He has broken down the dividing wall of hostility among people, reconciling them with God (cf.Eph 2:14-16). This is the very effective simplicity with which Saint Paul indicates the radical motivation spurring Christians to undertake a life and a mission of peace.

On the eve of his death, Jesus speaks of his loving relation with the Father and the unifying power that this love bestows upon his disciples. It is a farewell discourse which reveals the profound meaning of his life and can be considered a summary of all his teaching. The gift of peace is the seal on his spiritual testament: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (Jn 14:27). The words of the Risen Lord will not be any different; every time that he meets his disciples they receive from him the greeting and gift of peace: “Peace be with you” (Lk 24:36; Jn 20:19,21,26). (491)

Acts 2:5-11

Professionals in the field of media are not the only people with ethical duties. Those who make use of the media also have obligations. Media operators who try to meet their responsibilities deserve audiences who are aware of their own responsibilities. The first duty of media users is to be discerning and selective. Parents, families and the Church have precise responsibilities they cannot renounce. For those who work, in various capacities, in the area of social communications, the warning of St. Paul rings out loud and clear: “Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another … Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:25, 29). Serving the human person through the building up of a human community based on solidarity, justice and love, and spreading the truth about human life and its final fulfilment in God remain at the heart of ethics in the media. In the light of faith, human communication can be seen as a journey from Babel to Pentecost, or rather, as the personal and social commitment to overcome the collapse of communication (cf. Gen 11:4-8), opening people to the gift of tongues (cf. Acts 2:5-11), to communication as restored by the power of the Spirit sent by the Son. (562)

 

Acts 2:6

The Lord Jesus is the prototype and foundation of the new humanity. In him, the true “likeness of God” (2 Cor 4:4), man — who is created in the image of God — finds his fulfilment. In the definitive witness of love that God has made manifest in the cross of Christ, all the barriers of enmity have already been torn down (cf. Eph 2:12-18), and for those who live a new life in Christ, racial and cultural differences are no longer causes of division (cf.Rom 10:12; Gal 3:26-28; Col 3:11).

Thanks to the Spirit, the Church is aware of the divine plan of unity that involves the entire human race (cf. Acts 17:26), a plan destined to reunite in the mystery of salvation wrought under the saving Lordship of Christ (cf. Eph 1:8-10) all of created reality, which is fragmented and scattered. From the day of Pentecost, when the Resurrection is announced to diverse peoples, each of whom understand it in their own language (cf. Acts 2:6), the Church fulfils her mission of restoring and bearing witness to the unity lost at Babel. Due to this ecclesial ministry, the human family is called to rediscover its unity and recognize the richness of its differences, in order to attain “full unity in Christ”.(431)

Romans 8

The salvation offered in its fullness to men in Jesus Christ by God the Father’s initiative, and brought about and transmitted by the work of the Holy Spirit, is salvation for all people and of the whole person: it is universal and integral salvation. It concerns the human person in all his dimensions: personal and social, spiritual and corporeal, historical and transcendent. It begins to be made a reality already in history, because what is created is good and willed by God, and because the Son of God became one of us. Its completion, however, is in the future, when we shall be called, together with all creation (cf. Rom 8), to share in Christ’s resurrection and in the eternal communion of life with the Father in the joy of the Holy Spirit. This outlook shows quite clearly the error and deception of purely immanentistic visions of the meaning of history and in humanity’s claims to self-salvation. (38)

 

Romans 8:1-11

(522) See Catholic Social Teaching section above

 

Romans 8 14-17

The new reality that Jesus Christ gives us is not grafted onto human nature nor is it added from outside: it is rather that reality of communion with the Trinitarian God to which men and women have always been oriented in the depths of their being, thanks to their creaturely likeness to God. But this is also a reality that people cannot attain by their own forces alone. Through the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God, in whom this reality of communion has already been brought about in a singular manner, men and women are received as children of God (cf. Rom 8:14-17; Gal 4:4-7). By means of Christ, we share in the nature of God, who gives us infinitely more “than all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20). What mankind has already received is nothing more than a token or a “guarantee” (2 Cor 1:22; Eph 1:14) of what it will receive in its fullness only in the presence of God, seen “face to face” (1 Cor 13:12), that is, a guarantee of eternal life: “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (Jn 17:3). (122)

 

Romans 8:15

The Face of God, progressively revealed in the history of salvation, shines in its fullness in the Face of Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. God is Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; truly distinct and truly one, because God is an infinite communion of love. God’s gratuitous love for humanity is revealed, before anything else, as love springing from the Father, from whom everything draws its source; as the free communication that the Son makes of this love, giving himself anew to the Father and giving himself to mankind; as the ever new fruitfulness of divine love that the Holy Spirit pours forth into the hearts of men (cf.Rom 5:5).

By his words and deeds, and fully and definitively by his death and resurrection, Jesus reveals to humanity that God is Father and that we are all called by grace to become his children in the Spirit (cf. Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6), and therefore brothers and sisters among ourselves. It is for this reason that the Church firmly believes that “the key, the centre and the purpose of the whole of man’s history is to be found in her Lord and Master” (31)

1st Corinthians 12:13

“God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34; cf. Rom 2:11; Gal 2:6; Eph 6:9), since all people have the same dignity as creatures made in his image and likeness. The Incarnation of the Son of God shows the equality of all people with regard to dignity: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28; cf. Rom 10:12; 1 Cor 12:13, Col 3:11).

Since something of the glory of God shines on the face of every person, the dignity of every person before God is the basis of the dignity of man before other men. Moreover, this is the ultimate foundation of the radical equality and brotherhood among all people, regardless of their race, nation, sex, origin, culture, or class. (144)

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

 

Reflection

Belief in the Holy Spirit, igniting its fire of faith in our lives, leads us to realize our need for interconnectedness.  Since no one has been bestowed all the spiritual gifts, with a humble spirit we must collaborate in the spiritual and social mission of the Church.  Freely nurturing and using our personal gifts, while affirming and supporting the gifts given to others.  One gift does not laud over others, take precedent or gloat in an air of superiority, but we must strive to develop a complementary balance so gifts are used for God’s greatest glory.  How might this look in ministry at our parishes?  Are ministries fragmented, isolated entities?  How might we form synergistic alliances?  Care for creation and respect life co-hosting educational outreach, the food pantry networking with the seniors group to see if they have special dietary or service needs, outreach to the homeless working with parish social concerns ministries to lobby on systemic change towards issues contributing to homelessness.

 

To use our gifts in isolation, we thwart the power of the Holy Spirit to transform our lives and the world.  Individually, our gifts used in isolation are a selfish pursuit.  We build humility when seeing the exponential magnification of people collaborate their gifts for the greater common good.  We don’t look at another as an opponent in a race to build the best ministry or outreach program, but see the benefit of building diverse ministries complementing and supporting one another, working to build God’s kingdom. We shed a spirit of slavery to grandeur and fear of the need to generate immense personal success to bear witness to our spirit of adoption as heir with Christ.  Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, first by pronouncing peace, so we are sent forth with His indwelling of peace within us.  If we ever feel the peace is absent, it becomes time to ponder if our mission is self-centered to accentuate my gifts and how have we lost sight of intertwining the gifts freely given to others.  We must remember the Holy Spirit is not rationed, but full in abundance to all receptive to its divine power.  With the Spirit within us, we understand the ministerial language spoken by another, to understand its efficacious potential, even with its different jargon, methodology and participants to proclaim the mighty power of God.  The Holy Spirit transforms our lives, an animated anointing of grace, so we may gladly go forth and renew the face of the earth collectively.

 

Individual Reflection: Ponder how you might better collaborate in your ministry outreach and implement some new initiatives.

 

Family Reflection: Pray the Chaplet of the Holy Spirit:

Discuss the different aspects of the Holy Spirit and how each family member feels the Holy Spirit is present in their lives.

Chaplet of the Holy Spirit

The Chaplet of the Holy Spirit was composed in 1892 by a Franciscan Capuchin missionary of the English province in order to give the faithful an easy means honoring the Holy Ghost. It was approved by Pope Leo XIII in 1902. It is intended to be in regard to the Holy Ghost what the Dominican Rosary is in regard to the Blessed Virgin.

This Rosary consists of five groups of seven beads each. Before and after each group there are two large beads, that is twelve large beads in all. In addition there are three small beads at the beginning. On these three beads one makes the Sign of the Cross, recites an
Act of Contrition and the hymn, Come, Holy Ghost.

In each group the Glory be to the Father is said on the seven small beads, an Our Father and a Hail Mary on the two large beads. On the remaining two large beads are said the Apostles’ Creed and an Our Father and Hail Mary for the intention of the Holy Father.

There is a mystery for each of the five groups; the number five commemorating the Five Wounds of Jesus which are the fountains of grace which the Holy Ghost imparts to all men. The reflections suggested are as follows:

The First Mystery
By the Holy Ghost is Jesus conceived of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Meditation: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: and therefore also the holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35).

The Practice: Diligently implore the aid of the Divine Spirit, and Mary’s intercession, to imitate the virtues of Jesus Christ, Who is the Model of virtues, so that you may be made conformable to the image of the Son of God.

The Second Mystery
The Spirit of the Lord rested upon Jesus

The Meditation: “Jesus, being Baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo! the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him.”
(Matthew 3:16).

The Practice: Hold in the highest esteem the priceless gift of sanctifying grace, infused into your soul by the Holy Ghost in Baptism. Keep the promises to which you then pledged yourself. Increase, by constant practice, Faith, Hope and Charity. Ever live as becometh children of God and members of God’s true Church, so as to obtain, hereafter, the inheritance of Heaven.

The Third Mystery
By the Spirit is Jesus led into the desert

The Meditation: “Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the desert for the space of forty days; and was tempted by the devil.” (Luke 4:1, 2).

The Practice: Be ever grateful for the sevenfold gift of the Holy Ghost bestowed upon you in Confirmation, for the spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and fortitude, of knowledge and piety, and of the fear of the Lord. Faithfully yield to His Divine guidance, so that, in all the trials and temptations of life, you may act manfully, as becometh a perfect Christian and valiant soldier of Jesus Christ.

The Fourth Mystery
The Holy Ghost in the Church

The Meditation: “Suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting .  .  . and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak . . . the wonderful works of God.” (Acts 11:2, 4, 11).

The Practice: Thank God for having made you a child of His Church which is ever animated and directed by the Divine Spirit, sent into this world for that purpose on the day of Pentecost. Hear and obey the Holy See, the infallible mouthpiece of the Holy Ghost, and the Church, the pillar and ground of truth. Uphold her doctrines, seek her interests, defend her rights.

The Fifth Mystery
The Holy Ghost in the soul of the just man

The Meditation: “Know you not that you members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, Who is in you?” (I Cor. 6:19). “Extinguish not the Spirit:” (1 Thess. 5:19). “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption:” (Eph. 4:30).

The Practice: Be ever mindful of the Holy Ghost Who is within you, and carefully cultivate purity of soul and body. Faithfully obey His Divine inspirations so that you may bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit —- Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity, Goodness, Long-suffering, Mildness, Faith, Modesty, Continency, Chastity.

Conclude with the Apostles’ Creed [See Below] as a profession of faith.

Say finally one Our Father and one Hail Mary and Glory be to the Father for the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff.
The Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of
Heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord  who was conceived by
the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell;  the third day He
arose again from the dead;  He ascended into
Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God
the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come
to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion
of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection
of the body, and life everlasting.  Amen.
Come Holy Ghost

COME, Holy Ghost Creator blest,
And in our souls take up Thy rest,
Come with Thy grace and heavenly aid,
And fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

To Thee, the Comforter, we cry,
To Thee, the gift of God most high,
The fount of life, the fire of love,
The soul’s anointing from above.

The sevenfold gifts of grace are Thine,
O Finger of the hand Divine;
True promise of the Father Thou,
Who dost the tongue with speech endow.

Thy light to every thought impart,
And shed Thy love in every heart;
Our body’s poor infirmity
With strength perpetual fortify.

Our mortal foe afar repel,
Grant us henceforth in peace to dwell;
If Thou be our preventing guide,
No evil can our steps betide.

Make Thou to us the Father known;
Teach us the Eternal Son to own,
And Thee, Whose name we ever bless,
Of Both the Spirit to confess.

All glory while the ages run
Be to the Father and the Son,
Who rose from death; the same to Thee,
O Holy Ghost, eternally.
Amen.

Prayer: Reflect on the words said at your Confirmation and let it be your prayer this Pentecost

All powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from sin and gave them new life.  Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide.  Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence.  Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen

 

Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

 

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

 

By Barb  Born May 10, 2016  The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

 

 

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Ascension of the Lord Lectionary Reflection May 8, 2016

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Barb Born
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May 8, 2016:  Ascension of the Lord Sunday

 

Catholic Social Teaching: Solidarity

“Solidarity highlights in a particular way the intrinsic social nature of the human person, the equality of all in dignity and rights and the common path of individuals and peoples towards an ever more committed unity. . . . Solidarity must be seen above all in its value as a moral virtue that determines the order of institutions. On the basis of this principle the “structures of sin” (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, nos. 36, 37) that dominate relationships between individuals and peoples must be overcome.” Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, nos. 192-193  From Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, p. 24. USCCB, 2015

 

Readings

First Reading: Acts 1:1-11

Psalm: 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23

Gospel: Luke 24:46-53

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

 

This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent from heaven in the Incarnation. Only the one who “came from the Father” can return to the Father: Christ Jesus. “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.” Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have access to the “Father’s house”, to God’s life and happiness. Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our Source, has preceded us. (661)

From the Daily Roman Missal, Introduction to the Ascension of the Lord Sunday, Cycle C

 

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church:

 

Matthew 28_19-20 Gospel Acclamation and Luke 24:46-49

God, in Christ, redeems not only the individual person but also the social relations existing between men. As the Apostle Paul teaches, life in Christ makes the human person’s identity and social sense — with their concrete consequences on the historical and social planes — emerge fully and in a new manner: “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ” (Gal 3:26-28). In this perspective, Church communities, brought together by the message of Jesus Christ and gathered in the Holy Spirit round the Risen Lord (cf. Mt 18:20, 28:19-20; Lk 24:46-49), offer themselves as places of communion, witness and mission, and as catalysts for the redemption and transformation of social relationships. (52)

 

Ephesians 1:22-23

Faith in Jesus Christ makes it possible to have a correct understanding of social development, in the context of an integral and solidary humanism. In this regard, the contribution of theological reflection offered by the Church’s social Magisterium is very useful: “Faith in Christ the Redeemer, while it illuminates from within the nature of development, also guides us in the task of collaboration. In the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians, we read that Christ is ‘the firstborn of all creation,’ and that ‘all things were created through him’ and for him (Col 1:15-16). In fact, ‘all things hold together in him’, since ‘in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things’ (v. 20). A part of this divine plan,  culminates in him, ‘the firstborn from the dead’ (v. 15-18), in our own history, marked by our personal and collective effort to raise up the human condition and to overcome the obstacles which are continually arising along our way. It thus prepares us to share in the fullness which ‘dwells in the Lord’ and which he communicates ‘to his body, which is the Church’ (v. 18; cf. Eph 1:22-23). At the same time sin, which is always attempting to trap us and which jeopardizes our human achievements, is conquered and redeemed by the ‘reconciliation’ accomplished by Christ (cf. Col 1:20)”. (327)

 

Hebrews 10:3

The salvation offered by God to his children requires their free response and acceptance.It is in this that faith consists, and it is through this that “man freely commits his entire self to God”[40], responding to God’s prior and superabundant love (cf. 1 Jn 4:10) with concrete love for his brothers and sisters, and with steadfast hope because “he who promised is faithful” (Heb 10:23). In fact, the divine plan of salvation does not consign human creatures to a state of mere passivity or of lesser status in relation to their Creator, because their relationship to God, whom Jesus Christ reveals to us and in whom he freely makes us sharers by the working of the Holy Spirit, is that of a child to its parent: the very relationship that Jesus lives with the Father (cf. Jn 15-17; Gal 4:6-7). (39)

 

For complete text visit: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html

Reflection

From the humbleness of the stable to countryside of Bethany, Jesus journeyed in obscurity and prominence, in solitude and with crowds, on foot and by boat, with festivity and agony.  A journey entwined with the Father’s love. A catalyst for spiritual transformation through communion, witness and mission.  Will we stand in awe, looking into the heavens, like the apostles, dazed with a passive faith, putting on spiritual sunglasses to dull the radiance?  Or do we let the power of Jesus’ sacrifice, towards a new and living way He opened up for us, enlighten the eyes of our  heart in absolute trust to live as disciples in lands of hospitality, familiarity or questioning despair, close at hand or opposite latitudes? A faith relevant in our age and the ages of those to come until Jesus returns.  A universal message to all people, irrespective of gender, ethnicity or age, of every place to withhold the hope of the promise and the call of discipleship from no one.  As Jesus reminded the apostles before imparting His final earthy blessing to them, He reminds us today at every sacrifice on the altar, through His death and resurrection we are forgiven people.  Do we believe in that forgiveness and live with that freedom, holding on to no burdens?  How do we proclaim that forgiveness, as the Body of Christ, socially and individually by imparting pardon for the transformation of individual lives and collective social relationships by letting gaping holes fill with mercy to form bridges where ravines separated? With great joy, may we live as Jesus’ disciples, may our lives be a witness of praise and as Jesus reached out in love to everyone, may the Body of Christ, His Church, animated by the Holy Spirit live with the forgiveness that has been imparted.

 

Individual Reflection: Psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

How can you joyfully celebrate people that have mothered, nurtured a cause of hope, healing and forgiveness in your community?

 

Family Reflection: Acts 1:1-11

Learn about the early history of Mother’s Day.  A celebration during Lent when people returned to their mother church, a healing of reconciliation caused by divisions during the Civil War and a call for peace were early focuses.  How might Mother’s Day in your family be celebrated with less consumerism this year and reflect earlier Mother’s Day traditions?

 

Prayer:

Jesus, your ascension to the promise of the Father gives us hope in ascending to our eternal home.  Your ascension gives us hope that you trust us to be your disciples.  We praise you for the blessings of this journey, the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us.  Help us to see this hope is for all people and to live our faith with inclusiveness and the spirit of forgiveness you endowed on us. In your dear name Jesus, we pray. Amen

 

Blogs to Visit:

http://marynow.wordpress.com/

As we reflect upon Mary’s presence in the mysteries of the Rosary, we are blessed to know her.  For her journey, a timeless trek, calls us to surrender, continuing conversion, humbleness and justice now.

https://peaceonjustice.wordpress.com/

Weekly lectionary reflections, for faith sharing groups, parish bulletins, newsletters or personal prayer, from the synergy of the Word we hear and the rich tradition of Catholic Social Teaching.

https://cst74life.wordpress.com/

Catholic Social Teaching offers seven principles for upholding life in our thoughts, decisions and actions.

http://idocst.wordpress.com/

How we do Catholic Social Teaching.

https://csmresources.wordpress.com/

Creation sustainability ministry resources in the spirit of the St Francis Pledge.

 

Involvement Opportunities

List one or two upcoming events, legislative action alerts or social justice websites

 

By Barb  Born May 8, 2016 The reflection maybe used in parish bulletins, newsletters or for faith sharing groups without copyright concern.

 

 

Posted in Bulletin Reflections, Catholic Social Teaching, Family Reflection, Individual Reflection on Lectionary Readings, Lectionary Reflections, Lectionary Resources, Prayer, Religion, Social Justice, Social Justice Lectionary Reflections based on Catholic Social Teaching, Social Justice Lectionary Resources, Uncategorized, worship materials | Tagged Faithful Citizenship, forgiven, forgiveness, Holy Spirit, hope, love, mercy, solidarity | Leave a reply

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