Y Cylch Catholig
Under the patronage of the Bishops of Wales
Monthly Meditations On The Word Of God
Contents:
December 2024 - For no word from God will ever fail. (Lk 1:37)
This sentence is is taken from the story of the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary of Nazareth and makes known God's plans for her: she will conceive and give birth to a son, Jesus, who ‘will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’ (Luke 1:32) The episode is in continuity with other events in the Old Testament whereby barren or very old women gave birth to children who were to play an important role in salvation history. Here, Mary, while wishing to fully and freely adhere to the call to become the mother of the Messiah, wonders how this will happen because she is a virgin. Gabriel assures her that it will not come about through the work of man: ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.’ (ibid. 35) And he adds: ‘Nothing is impossible to God. For no word from God will ever fail.’(ibid. 37)
For no word from God will ever fail.
Such reassurance, which means that no declaration or promise made by God will remain unfulfilled - because nothing is impossible to him - can also be expressed in this way: nothing is impossible with God. In fact, the nuance of the Greek text ‘with, or near, or together with God’ highlights his closeness to men and women. In fact, when human beings are together with God and freely adhere to him, nothing is impossible...
For no word from God will ever fail.
How can we put this word of life into practice? We can do so by being confident in the belief that God can act even within and beyond our limitations and weaknesses and during the darkest periods of our lives.
This was the experience of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Whilst in prison before being tortured, he wrote: ‘We must immerse ourselves again and again in the living, speaking, acting, suffering and dying of Jesus in order to recognise what God promises and fulfils. It is certain [...] that for us nothing impossible exists any more, because nothing impossible exists for God; [...] it is certain that we must not expect anything and yet we can ask everything; it is certain that in suffering our joy is hidden and in death our life... To all this God has said ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ in Christ. This ‘yes’ and this ‘amen’ are the solid ground on which we stand.’ (D Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran Pastor, protagonist in resistance against Nazism)
For no word from God will ever fail.
In trying to overcome the apparent ‘impossibility’ of short-comings and in striving to reach the ‘possibility’ of a sound and consistent life, the community dimension plays a decisive role. This developed when, as a group, the disciples lived Jesus’ new commandment and allowed the power of the risen Lord to dwell within them, both collectively and individually. In 1948, Chiara Lubich wrote to a group of young members of religious communities: ‘Let’s go ahead, not relying on our own strength which is petty and weak but with the omnipotence of unity. I have seen and touched with my own hands that God among us does the impossible: he performs miracles! If we are faithful to our task [...] the world will see unity and with it the fullness of the Kingdom of God.’ (C Lubich 2Letters of the Early Times)
Years ago, when I was in Africa, I often met young people who wanted to live as Christians and who told me of the many difficulties they faced each day in trying to be faithful to the commitments of faith and the teachings of the Gospel. We would talk about this for hours and, in the end, we always came to the same conclusion: ‘It is impossible if we are alone but not if we are together.’
Jesus himself guarantees this when he promises: ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name (in my love), there am I in the midst of them.’ (cf Matthew 18:20) And with him all things are possible.
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November 2024 - They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on. (Mk. 12:44)
This verse comes at the conclusion of chapter 12 in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is in the Temple in Jerusalem where he is both observing and teaching. Looking at the scene through his eyes, we become aware of the involvement of many different characters: people are simply passing through, some have come to worship, some are dignitaries in long robes and some are rich people throwing their substantial offerings into the temple treasury.
But here comes a widow; she belongs to a category of socially and economically disadvantaged people. Amid general disinterest, she throws two pennies into the treasury. Jesus, however, notices her and calls the disciples to him and instructs them:
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.
‘Truly I say to you...’ These words introduce important teachings; Jesus' gaze is focused on the poor widow and he invites us to look in the same direction because she is a model for disciples.
Her faith in God's love is unconditional; her treasure is God himself. She surrenders all that she is and has to him and, furthermore, she wants to give all she can to support those who are poorer than her. In a way, her trusting surrender to the Father anticipates the same gift of self that Jesus will soon make through his passion and death. It is that 'poverty of spirit' and 'purity of heart' that Jesus proclaimed and lived.
This means ‘placing our trust in God's love and in his providence but not in his riches...We are “poor in spirit” when we allow ourselves to be guided by love for others. This results in our sharing and making what we have available to those in need; it may be a smile, our time, our possessions or our skills. When we give away whatever we have out of love, we become poor, with nothing of ourselves, with a free and a pure heart.’
Jesus' proposal turns our usual way of thinking onto its head; those who are poor, insignificant and unimportant lie at the centre of his thoughts.
They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.
This Word of Life invites us to renew our total trust in God's love and consider if our vision of life compares with his: do we see beyond appearances, do we avoid judging, do we take other people’s opinions into consideration if they are different from our own and do we see the positive in other people?
It suggests that there is an evangelical logic in freely giving to others and that doing so creates a peaceful community because it urges us to care for one another. It also encourages us to live out the words of the Gospel in everyday life even when other people may not notice, to trust when we are generous to others and to share whilst maintaining an attitude of balance and clear judgement. This Word focuses our attention upon the ‘least’ and asks us to learn from them.
Venant was born and raised in Burundi. He recounts: 'In the village, my family had a good farm that always produced a good harvest. My mother believed that everything was providence from heaven and so, each year, she used to gather the first fruits and distribute them to our neighbours, starting with the neediest families and then allocated only a small part of what remained to us. I learnt the value of selfless giving from her example. Thus, I understood that God was asking me to give him the “best part”, indeed to give him my whole life.’
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October 2024 - Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. (Mk. 10:43-44)
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and, for the third time, he tries to prepare his disciples for the dramatic event of his passion and death but those who have followed him most closely are very ones who seem unable to understand what is about to happen. In fact, conflict arises among the apostles themselves: James and John ask to occupy places of honour ‘in his glory’ and the other ten become indignant and start to complain. In short, the group is divided. Then Jesus patiently calls them and repeats what he has proclaimed. His words are so new that they create a sense of shock.
Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
In this phrase from Mark's gospel, the image of the servant-slave reaches a crescendo. Jesus leads us from having an attitude of simple availability within the limited and affirming groups to which we may belong to being totally dedicated to everyone, with no exception. This is a completely alternative and countercultural proposal when compared to the usual human understanding of authority and governance which possibly fascinated the apostles themselves and impacts upon us too.
Perhaps this is the secret of Christian love?
‘One word in the Gospel that is not emphasized enough by Christians is “serve”. It may seem old-fashioned to us, unworthy of the dignity of human beings who both give and receive. Yet it is central to the Gospel which is all about love. And to love means to serve. Jesus did not come to command but to serve. To serve, to serve one another is the heart of Christianity, and whoever lives this with simplicity - and everyone can do so - has done all that is necessary. Doing so ensures that people do not remain alone because since love is the essence of Christian life, it spreads like fire.’Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.
The encounter with Jesus in his Word opens our eyes, just as it did for the blind man, Bartimaeus, whose story is found immediately after this Word of Life. Jesus frees us from our narrow vision and allows us to contemplate the horizons of God himself, of his plan for ‘new heavens and a new earth.’ Jesus washed the feet of others and by his example overturned the often rigid practice in society, and even in religious environments, of relegating the task of practical service to a certain class of people. Christians, therefore, should imitate Jesus’ example and learn from him a new style of life in society. This means being a ‘true neighbour’ to each person we encounter, whatever their social or cultural condition may be. As John Anziani, a Methodist pastor of the Waldensian Church, suggests, ‘By agreeing to place our trust and our hope in the Lord, who is the servant of many, the Word of God asks us to act in our world and in the midst of all its contradictions, as people who work for peace and justice, as bridgebuilders who facilitate reconciliation among nations.’ This is also how Igino Giordani, writer, journalist, politician and family man, lived during a time marked by dictatorship. To describe his experience, he wrote: ‘Politics is - in the most dignified Christian sense - a “servant” and must not become a “master”: nor should it abuse, dominate or dictate. Its function and dignity is to be of service to society, to be charity in action, to be the highest form of love for one’s homeland.’
Through the witness of his life, Jesus proposes to us a conscious and free choice. Rather than living closed in on ourselves and our own interests, we are asked to ‘live the life of the other person,’ feeling what they feel, carrying their burdens and sharing their joys. We all have small or large responsibilities and spheres of authority. These may be in the field of politics or in other areas of society such as within our families, schools or faith communities. Let’s take advantage of our ‘places of honour’ to put ourselves at the service of the common good, creating just and compassionate human relationships with everyone.
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September 2024 - Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (James 1:22)
The author of this month’s verse insists upon the fundamental importance of both listening and practice. The letter, in fact, continues: ‘But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it - not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it - they will be blessed in what they do.’ (James 1:25) It is precisely this commitment to know God’s Word and to live it that sets us free and gives us joy.
One could say that this month's Bible verse is the very reason why the practice of the Word of Life has spread throughout the world. Once a week, and then once a month, Chiara Lubich used to choose a sentence from Scripture and comment on it and then groups of people met and shared the fruits that living the Word had brought about in their everyday lives.This created a united community and, in a small way, revealed the social impact that living the Word can have upon society.
‘Despite its simplicity, the initiative made a notable contribution to the rediscovery of the Word of God in the Christian world of the 20th century’ by transmitting a 'method' for living the Gospel and sharing its effects.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
The letter of James takes up Jesus’ message that refers to experiencing the presence of the Kingdom of Heaven among us: Jesus declares blessed are those who listen to his Word and keep it;ii he recognises as his mother and brothers those who listen to it and put it into practice; iii he compares it to the seed that, if it falls on good soil – that is, on those who listen to it with a good and noble heart and keep it - they produce fruit through their perseverance.
‘In each of his words Jesus expresses all his love for us,’ writes Chiara Lubich. ‘Let us make the Word incarnate and make it our own. If we do so, we will experience the powerful life it unleashes in us and around us. Let us fall in love with the Gospel to the point of allowing ourselves to be transformed by it and enable it to overflow onto others... We will be free from ourselves and our limitations. Furthermore, we will see a revolution of love explode everywhere because Jesus, freed to live in us, will bring about a change in society wherever we live.’
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
How can we put the Word into practice? Let us look around us and do everything we can, to serve others in need, through both small and not so small actions. Such gestures transform injustice in society, combat violence, foster peace and reconciliation and increase sensitivity towards respect for our planet. This can initiate a real revolution in our lives, in our work environments and in the communities in which we live.
Love manifests itself in social and political actions that seek to build a better world. The commitment of a small Focolare community towards the most vulnerable people in society led to the opening of the Chiara Lubich Centre for the Elderly in Lamud, Peru in the Amazon area, 2,330 metres above sea level.
‘The Centre was opened in the midst of the pandemic crisis and houses 50 elderly and lonely people. The building, furniture, crockery and even food came as a gift from the neighbouring community. It was a risk, not without difficulties and obstacles, but in March 2022 the Centre celebrated its first anniversary. It hosted a party and opened its doors to the city; even political representatives took part. The two days of celebrations enlisted new volunteers, adults and children, who want to enlarge their own families by taking care of lonely grandparents.’
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August 2024 - Lord, it is good for us to be here (Mt 17:4).
Jesus and his disciples are making their way to Jerusalem. When he anounces that it is the place where he will suffer, die and rise again, Peter rebels and expresses a general sense of dismay and incomprehension. The Master then takes him and James and John and he climbs ‘a high mountain’ from where he appears to the three bathed in a new and extraordinary light. Jesus’ face ‘shines like the sun’ and Moses and the prophet Elijah converse with him. The voice of the Father is heard coming from a bright cloud and invites them to listen to Jesus, his beloved Son. When Peter witnesses this extraordinary event, he does not want to leave, and exclaims:
Lord, it is good for us to be here
Jesus invited his closest friends to have an unforgettable experience that they would always be able to remember.
Perhaps we too have felt wonder and emotion when we were aware of the presence and work of God in our lives. We may have had a sense of joy, peace and light and have wished that such moments would never end. We often have such experiences when we are with other people or thanks to what they do. Indeed, mutual love attracts God's presence because, as Jesus promised: ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them’ (Mt 18:20). Sometimes, during these moments of intimacy with him, God makes us see ourselves and understand events as he does. It is as if we see through his eyes.
Such experiences are given to us so we will have the strength to make the effort and face the difficulties and challenges we encounter on our journey through life. They help us be sure that God has looked upon us and called us to be part of salvation history.
In fact, once the disciples have come down from the mountain, they will go together to Jerusalem where crowds of people full of hope await them but they will also meet with pitfalls, opposition, aversion and suffering. There ‘they will be scattered and sent to the ends of the earth to be witnesses that our final dwelling is the Kingdom of God.’
They will be able to start building God’s house among men and women on earth because they have been ‘at home’ with Jesus on the mountain.
Lord, it is good for us to be here
At the end of this mysterious experience, Jesus speaks to the apostles with the words, ‘Arise and do not be afraid.’ (Mt. 17:7) He addresses the same words to us. May we face whatever awaits us with the same courage as the disciples had. This is was what Chiara Lubich did. After a holiday period so full light that it was described as 'the paradise of 1949' because of extraordinary contemplation of the mysteries of faith and deep awareness of God's presence in the small community with whom she was resting, she too did not want to return to everyday life. However, she did so with a new impetus because she realised that it was precisely because of that experience of enlightenment that she had to ‘come down from the mountain’ and set to work as an instrument of Jesus in the building of his Kingdom. This meant injecting his love and light into the very situations where it was lacking and even facing hardship and suffering.
Lord, it is good for us to be here
When it seems that darkness is falling around us, let us remember the times when the Lord has enlightened us. If we have already not experienced his nearness to us, let us seek it now. Let us make the effort to ‘go up the mountain’ to meet him in our neighbourhoods, to worship him in our churches, and also to contemplate him in the beauty of nature.
He is always there for us: it is enough that like Peter, James and John, we walk with him and humbly listen to him.
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July 2024 - The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (Ps 23[22]:1).
Psalm 23 is one of the best known and most loved psalms. It is both a canticle of trust and a joyful profession of faith expressed by someone who belongs to the people of Israel. Through the prophets, the Lord has promised to be their shepherd. The psalmist expresses his personal happiness because he knows that he is protected in the Temple, a place of refuge and grace, but also, drawing on his experience, he wants to encourage others to have confidence in the presence of the Lord.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
The image of the shepherd and the flock is very dear to all biblical literature. To understand it fully, we must think of the arid and rocky deserts in the Middle East. The shepherd gently guides his flock, for without him they could go astray and die. The sheep must learn to rely on him, listening to his voice. He is their constant companion.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
This psalm invites us to strengthen our intimate relationship with God by experiencing his love. Some may wonder why the author goes so far as to say that 'I lack nothing'? Nowadays the problems and challenges of health, family, work, etc are part of everyday life. In addition, there is the immense suffering experienced by so many of our brothers and sisters due to war, the consequences of climate change, migration, violence, etc.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Perhaps the key to interpretation lies in the verse where we read "for you are with me" (Ps 23:4). It refers to certainty in the love of a God who always accompanies us and makes us live in a different way. Chiara Lubich wrote: "It is one thing to know that we can have recourse to a Being who exists, who has mercy on us, who has paid for our sins, and quite another to live and feel ourselves at the centre of God's predilection, with the consequent banishment of all the fears that hold us back, of all loneliness, of all sense of orphanhood and all uncertainty... Men and women can know they are loved and believe in this love with all their being. They can surrenders to it trustingly and follow it. Everything that happens in life, whether sad or joyful, is enlightened by knowing love has willed or permitted it all.”
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Jesus brought this prophecy to fulfilment: in John’s Gospel he does not hesitate to call himself the 'good shepherd'. Relationships with this shepherd are personal and intimate in nature. "I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me" (Jn. 10:14-15). He leads them to the pastures of his Word that is life, particularly the Word that contains the message enclosed in the "new commandment", which, if lived, makes "visible" the presence of the Risen One in the community gathered in his name, in his love.
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