August 9, 2020
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 1KGS 19:9, 11-13
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Responsorial Psalm PS 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land. R.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven. R.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps. R.
Reading 2 ROM 9:1-5
I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie;
my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness
that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart.
For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ
for the sake of my own people,
my kindred according to the flesh.
They are Israelites;
theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants,
the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises;
theirs the patriarchs, and from them,
according to the flesh, is the Christ,
who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Gospel MT 14:22-33
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When it was evening he was there alone.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.”
Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,
and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
After they got into the boat, the wind died down.
Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,
“Truly, you are the Son of God.”
Catechism of the Catholic Church
IN BRIEF
68 By love, God has revealed himself and given himself to man. He has thus provided the definitive, superabundant answer to the questions that man asks himself about the meaning and purpose of his life.
“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)
SUNDAY, AUGUST 9TH Mt. 14:22-36 “He went up on the mountain by himself to pray.”
Part 1: Persevering in Prayer by St. Catherine of Siena
Part 2: Holiness through a Robust Prayer Life by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
Persevering in Prayer… St. Catherine of Siena (+1380)
But always we persevere, and must persevere, with the same desire for obedience with which we began on that first day. With that same holy fear we must exercise our spirit in continual humble prayer right up to the last day of our life, so that our spirit will never become lazy.
We should always be occupied with praying the Psalms or meditating or raising our mind to God, pondering within ourselves the blazing charity we discover and see in the blood of the Word, God’s Son. For He has made a bath of His blood to wash away our sins.
When we see and consider that God loves us so much, we cannot keep ourselves from loving. And when we love, our mind thinks about the object of our love. Now we cannot live without love. And since two opposing loves cannot exist together, we must of necessity be stripped of perverse love and clothed in God’s love. Because our heart cannot but be sensitive to the One we love, we use holy thoughts to drive out the evil thoughts the devil would like to put into our heart.
And the devil, finding that our heart is ablaze in the fire of divine charity, doesn’t come around much, any more than a fly comes around a boiling cauldron. But if the devil were to find our heart fearful and lukewarm, he would come in right away with all his ugly thoughts and imaginings.
So we must keep active so that we will be found not lukewarm or empty but filled with God in holy desire, remembering and meditating on the wonderful blessings we have received from Him! End of Reflection
Therefore, let us eagerly be led by Fr. Ed to a deeper, more robust prayer life and Heaven!
HOLINESS THROUGH A ROBUST PRAYER LIFE… Fr. Ed Broom, OMV
We are all called to become saints! Jesus said this very clearly in the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom, with these words: Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy. (Mt. 5:48) Also, in one of the Beatitudes the Lord exhorts us: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice (or holiness), for they will be satisfied. (MT 5:6) Saint Paul to the Thessalonians reiterates the same challenge: This is the will of your heavenly Father: your sanctification. (I Thess. 4:3) Bible verses constantly remind us of our call to holiness. If that were not sufficient, the lives of the saints and their words motivate us to be holy as our heavenly Father is holy. The following are a few examples:
1) Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta asserted: “Holiness is not the privilege of the few, but it is the duty of all.”
2) Saint Jose Escriva de Balaguer stated: “The greatest crisis in the modern world is the crisis of lack of saints.”
3) Cure of Ars. The devil stated that if there were four more saints like the Cure of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney, then his kingdom would be destroyed. Wow! The power of the saints!
One of the most important documents in the modern world, Lumen Gentium, Chapter V, is entitled: The Universal Call to Holiness. In other words, not a mere fraction are called to be holy, but all, absolutely all!!! None are excluded.
On one occasion, in a homily, I asked the people this simple question: How many of you want to go to heaven??? All raised their hands. Then I asked: How many of you want to be saints??? Very few raised their hands. Then I intervened saying: Who is in heaven? God the Blessed Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels, and the SAINTS!!! Therefore, if you want to get to heaven, you have to become a saint!!!
Let us give a path we can choose to undertake to arrive at becoming a saint, and that is by following the pathway of striving to attain a robust prayer life. We will offer ten concrete suggestions to arrive at this most noble of all enterprises—to become holy as our heavenly Father is holy!
1. CLEAN THE WINDOW OF YOUR SOUL. The sun cannot beam through a dirty window. Likewise, God’s grace and the Holy Spirit cannot penetrate a dirty or sullied heart; that heart must be purified by means of a good sacramental confession. Trust in God’s mercy and have recourse to the Sacrament of Confession. Try to prepare well and make the best confession of your life. This will clear the window pane of your soul to receive the divine invasion of God’s grace. Remember the words of Jesus in one of the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the pure of heart, they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8)
2. GIVE TIME! So that the Holy Spirit could descend powerfully on the Apostles, they had to pray at length; not just a few minutes! Rather, they made a novena—nine days in which the Apostles, united with the Blessed Virgin Mary, prayed fervently for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, as in striving for perfection in any activity, be it sports, music, academics, languages, writing, or painting, the time spent is essential; so it is with the art of all arts, the art of prayer! We must give quality time to learn to pray well!
3. PLACE! Also of great importance is that of finding some place to pray. In that place there must be silence! Remember that God spoke to the prophet Elijah when he arrived at the mountain, not in the fire, nor in the earthquake, nor in the storm and thunder; rather, God spoke to Elijah in the silence of the gentle breeze! Find a place of silence. Ven. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen encouraged the famous Hour of Power (that he kept faithfully for more than 50 years) be done in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. This is the ideal place! But it is not possible for all. Most likely, for many it must be done in some quiet corner of your home, which is called by the Church documents, The Domestic Church.
4. MATERIAL TO PRAY WITH! Saint Teresa of Avila, one of the few women Doctors of the Church, who is known as The Doctor of Prayer, stated that we should never go to our prayer period without having some book as a guide. Of greatest value and importance as a guide, stimulus, and motivation for prayer, should be the Bible, which is the Word of God. Another great source of immense richness is the Liturgy: the prayers present in Holy Mass, as well as the Liturgy of the Hours. Holy words spark holy thoughts and these spark holy desires—there we have the essence of prayer!!! From eyes, to head, to heart!!! Then Pope Francis says also your feet— bring your prayer fruits into the lives of others!!!
5. PRAYER METHOD. Spiritual writers in the mystical life of prayer frequently suggest that we utilize some form or type of prayer method. Methods are useful in all forms of learning: languages, sports, driving, and cooking. But it is even more important in learning the art of all arts, the art of prayer. Methods abound, but we would suggest a method that Pope Benedict XVI proposed in his document Verbum Domini—the Word of God! In this superb writing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, he recommends the prayer method known as LECTIO DIVINA. Following, we give a brief summary of this method to come to our aid:
a) LECTIO—Read the text very carefully with the help of the words of Samuel in the Temple: Speak, O Lord, for your servant is listening!!!
b) MEDITATIO—In imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ponder, ruminate, think deeply on the Word of God, its meaning and purpose in your own life, and how it can help you grow in holiness.
c) CONTEMPLATIO—Imagination! Use your imagination and try to picture that you are truly present in the scene. Saint Ignatius calls this Composition of Place. Try to imagine the Face of Jesus gazing at you with love.
d) ORATIO—Moved by the Holy Spirit enter into conversation with the Lord Jesus, the Father, the Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the most important part of the method that actually leads to this intimate conversation and dialogue with God. Saint Teresa of Avila explains prayer as simply a dialogue of friendship between two friends who love each other! Talk to the Lord as long as you want. He is never in a hurry, but longs for you to talk to Him, to love Him, to establish a deep friendship with Him.
e) ACTIO—After you have finished your formal prayer period, then move to put into practice what you have done in your intimate time of prayer with the Lord. Take as your example the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Annunciation leading to the Visitation. In the Annunciation, we contemplate the Blessed Virgin Mary absorbed in prayer as our contemplative model. In the Visitation, we see Mary launching into action to serve her cousin, Saint Elizabeth, in her need. In sum, our prayer should move us to action, to put love in action. If you like, prayer should transform us into Contemplatives in Action!
f) TRANSFORMATIO—Finally, the net result of fervent and efficacious prayer should be that of a life being transformed. In the words of the great Apostle Saint Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!” (Gal. 2:20)
6) THE HOLY SPIRIT. On one occasion, while talking to a Jesuit priest in spiritual direction, Saint Teresa of Avila complained that her prayer life seemed to be stagnant. This Jesuit director suggested that Saint Teresa pray more to the Holy Spirit to aid her in her prayer struggle. She did this and almost immediately she noticed a marked transformation in her prayer life. Saint Paul in the Letter to the Romans (Chapter 8) states: We do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit intercedes with ineffable groans so that we can say “Abba, Father.” (Rom. 8:26) Therefore, as you start off your prayer period, never forget to invite the presence of the Interior Master of Prayer (cf Teresa of Avila) and that is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Here is a short but efficacious prayer: Come Holy Spirit, come through the Heart of Mary!
7. SPIRITUAL DIRECTION. Athletes need coaches; musicians, teachers; new teachers, mentors. Likewise, with regard to the art of prayer, we all need some trained person to guide us, orient us, encourage us, some times to correct us; in sum, someone to direct us on the right path! That person in spiritual theology is called the Spiritual Director. Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, and many saints are unanimous in asserting that we all have a dire need for a Spiritual Director to help us to grow in holiness and advance in the way of perfection in the sometimes challenging and arduous ascent of the Holy Mountain of Prayer. (Saint John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel) Beg Our Lady of Good Counsel to help you to find a good Spiritual Director; this indeed is one of those pearls of infinite value!
8. SPIRITUAL READING. Of capital importance in our growth in the art of prayer is the importance of good reading, especially on the topic of prayer. There are many books written on prayer and we will suggest the following:
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Part IV (4)
- Introduction to the Devout Life, Saint Frances De Sales
- The Life – Interior Castle – Way of Perfection, Saint Teresa of Avila
- Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska
- Treatise On Prayer, Saint Alphonsus Liguori
- Fire Within – Deep Prayer, Deep Conversion – Prayer Primer, Thomas Dubay
These are just a few from the masters, but they can truly teach us the art of all arts, the art of prayer. Spiritual reading is absolutely essential for serious growth in our prayer life. Part of spiritual direction will be to address spiritual reading, especially on prayer.
9. PRAYER AND PENANCE. On one occasion, while taking a walk, I noticed a black bird, a crow, in front of me on the path. As I drew closer, the bird did not take flight. I thought that maybe I had a latent Franciscan charism with the birds and animals. But to my chagrin, this was not the case. The reason? The bird did not fly away because the little creature had a broken wing. This triggered in my mind this reflection and application! The bird could not fly away due to a broken wing. In a parallel sense, for us to fly high, to really soar into the heights of prayer in our spiritual life, we desperately need two wings: the wing of prayer accompanied by the wing of penance. Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Lourdes both insisted on the importance of both prayer and sacrifice or penance as the most efficacious means for the conversion of poor sinners. Our Lady of Fatima said with sadness: Many souls are lost because nobody prays and offers sacrifices for them.
10. THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY AND PRAYER. Saint Louis de Montfort in his classic True Devotion to Mary states unequivocally: The shortest, easiest, and most efficacious path to Jesus is through the Blessed Virgin Mary. Therefore, it must be said as we come to the conclusion of our essay on building a robust prayer life that we must invite the Blessed Virgin Mary into our life, and that means into our prayer life which is our union with God. The Holy Spirit descended powerfully upon the Apostles who were united in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Therefore, if we truly desire to establish a strong, robust, dynamic prayer life that will motivate us to become holy as our heavenly Father is holy, we must have frequent, fervent, filial, and confident recourse to Mary, the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our dear Mother. Mary, teach us how to pray and give us an ardent desire to fall daily in love with Jesus, our Lord God, Friend, and Savior!
Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary
St. Peter Chanel Church, Hawaiian Gardens, CA
