MASS READINGS AND MEDITATION | JULY 29, 2020

Woe to me, mother, that you gave me birth!
a man of strife and contention to all the land!
I neither borrow nor lend,
yet all curse me.
When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart,
Because I bore your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
I did not sit celebrating
in the circle of merrymakers;
Under the weight of your hand I sat alone
because you filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain continuous,
my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook,
whose waters do not abide!
Thus the LORD answered me:
If you repent, so that I restore you,
in my presence you shall stand;
If you bring forth the precious without the vile,
you shall be my mouthpiece.
Then it shall be they who turn to you,
and you shall not turn to them;
And I will make you toward this people
a solid wall of brass.
Though they fight against you,
they shall not prevail,
For I am with you,
to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD.
I will free you from the hand of the wicked,
and rescue you from the grasp of the violent.

R. (17d)  God is my refuge on the day of distress.
Rescue me from my enemies, O my God;
from my adversaries defend me.
Rescue me from evildoers;
from bloodthirsty men save me.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
mighty men come together against me,
Not for any offense or sin of mine, O LORD.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! for you I watch;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
As for my God, may his mercy go before me;
may he show me the fall of my foes.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
But I will sing of your strength
and revel at dawn in your mercy;
You have been my stronghold,
my refuge in the day of distress.
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.
O my strength! your praise will I sing;
for you, O God, are my stronghold,
my merciful God!
R. God is my refuge on the day of distress.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary
to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died].
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming,
she went to meet him;
but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.
But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,
God will give you.”
Jesus said to her,
“Your brother will rise.”
Martha said to him,
“I know he will rise,
in the resurrection on the last day.”
Jesus told her,
“I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
Do you believe this?”
She said to him, “Yes, Lord.
I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
the one who is coming into the world.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church

57 This state of division into many nations, each entrusted by divine providence to the guardianship of angels, is at once cosmic, social and religious. It is intended to limit the pride of fallen humanity united only in its perverse ambition to forge its own unity as at Babel. But, because of sin, both polytheism and the idolatry of the nation and of its rulers constantly threaten this provisional economy with the perversion of paganism.

“For greater things you were born.” (Ven. Mother Luisita)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29^TH  Jn. 11: 19-27 and Lk. 10: 38-42    Memorial of Saint Martha   “Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.’”

PART ONE: REFLECTIONS…  PART TWO: RAISING OF LAZARUS… by Fr. Ed Broom, OMV

• Jesus often tells someone their faith has saved them before healing them. In today’s Gospel from John, it is due to Martha’s faith that Jesus raises her brother Lazarus from the dead. 
• In today’s alternate Gospel from Luke, Martha is busy serving. She can’t imagine not extending hospitality to Jesus and His friends. Whereas Mary can’t imagine not giving Jesus her undivided attention.
• Jesus gently rebukes her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
• We can believe Martha took Jesus’ gentle rebuke to heart and became more recollected in His presence. As she listened to Jesus, she came to a deeper knowledge of Him, and her faith, hope, and love grew stronger until she could say in today’s Gospel with complete confidence, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” In response to her great faith, Jesus performs a great miracle!!!
• Most of us are called to the active life of Martha… we have many responsibilities that claim our time and attention each day. All the more need for us to spend time with the Lord! Listening to Him… getting to know Him… growing in the divine virtues of faith, hope, and love until we, too, can place our concerns and our life in His hands, confident that whatever He asks of the Father, the Father will give Him!
• Jesus told Martha and He is telling us, “There is need of only one thing!” That one thing is encountering Jesus! Encountering Him in our Sacramental life… in our prayer life… in the crosses in our life! But to encounter Him we need to be recollected like Mary, not scattered like Martha!
• How recollected are we at Mass? Are we absorbed in Jesus’ real presence within us after receiving Him in Holy Communion or in our Spiritual Communion? Do we talk with Him intimately about all that concerns us? Do we tell Him what fills us with joy? What fills us with sorrow?
• How faithful are we in seeking Mary’s intercession for ourselves and our loved ones in the daily Rosary? “There is no surer or easier way than Mary in uniting all men with Christ.” (St. Louis de Montfort)
• How recollected are we in our holy hour? Do we fight against distractions and temptations in prayer? Are we patient with dryness in prayer, allowing God to purify our love and intensify our desire for Him through perseverance?
• How recollected are we in accepting the crosses in our life – all that God permits to happen and all that God asks us to do in the course of our day? Do we unite our sufferings with the suffering of Jesus on the cross for our salvation, the salvation of our family, and the salvation of as many souls as possible with our life? God will not be outdone in generosity!
  
• Dietrich von Hildebrand says to be recollected is to be truly wakeful.  “Recollection always means an awakening to the Absolute who never ceases to be all-important and in whose light alone everything else discloses its true meaning.” He says to that end we need to recall the last things – death, judgment, heaven, and hell – causing us “to move from the whirlpool of the great and the small things of life, and emerge towards God, the cause and goal of all being.” 
• St. Benedict says we should think about our death twice a day. We all know we’re going to die. Yet when our time comes, will we find ourselves prepared? And if we are unprepared to die, then we are probably unprepared for judgment! Today, let us sit with Jesus and think about the last things.
• Death… If we had one day to live, how would we want to spend our last day? What would we wish we had done in our life? What would we wish we had not done in our life? How do we want to spend the time we have now, since we know not the hour nor the day?
• Judgment… What earthly attachments do we need to be freed of before we encounter Jesus in judgment? Do we love Jesus with a whole and undivided heart? He alone can satisfy our deepest desires and longings! Do we love others as Jesus loves them? The true measure of love is mercy and forgiveness. Are we as merciful and forgiving as our heavenly Father???
• Heaven or Hell… As painful as it is, imagine dying in the state of mortal sin and meeting Jesus in judgment, knowing that we merit hell for all eternity! Then imagine dying in a state of sanctifying grace… even if we go to Purgatory, we are assured Heaven awaits us! St. Therese says we should pray to suffer here so we can go straight to Heaven when we die!
• Jesus said He goes to prepare a place for us, so that where He is we also may be! Let us beg Jesus that we will never be separated from Him – either here or for eternity! Let us realize that whether we are praying, working, recreating, or sleeping – Jesus is there with us. He knows our thoughts, our struggles, and our desires. Let us talk to Him throughout our day and when we wake in the night! May we receive Him as Mary did, with an obedient and grateful heart! “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
• Finally, let us turn to Mary, our loving and dearest Mother, our Mother of Perpetual Help and beg her for the grace of final perseverance. “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.”

PART TWO:  RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD: FROM TRAGEDY TO VICTORY  by Fr. Ed. Broom.

One of the greatest miracles, if not the greatest aside from the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, was Jesus returning His friend Lazarus from death to life. Lazarus was already dead for four long days, buried within the tomb sealed by a huge rock.

Jesus had a special love and affection for Lazarus and his two sisters, Martha and Mary, who lived in Bethany on the outskirts of the city of Jerusalem. Occasionally Jesus would pay them a visit and enjoy their company and their friendship. Mary was more of a contemplative; Martha tended towards a more active lifestyle. However, both sisters and Lazarus had a special love for Jesus and Jesus loved them.

The death of Lazarus proved devastating to both Martha and Mary. How much they really loved their brother! Jesus loved Lazarus so much that as He approached the tomb where Lazarus was dead and buried, He wept, one of the rare times that the Gospel depicts the tears of Jesus.

Jesus arrives and asks where Lazarus is and they tell Him “in the tomb”. Jesus tells them to remove the stone, but they reply that Lazarus has been buried several days and there will already be a stench. Jesus reassures them that He is the Resurrection and the Life; those who believe in Him will never die.

The huge stone is rolled back and Jesus cries out in a loud voice: “Lazarus, come out!” After four days dead, Lazarus comes forth from the tomb alive! He is given back to his sisters, Martha and Mary, and they rejoice exceedingly. Jesus has turned a terrible tragedy into a glorious victory. Jesus has conquered death! Indeed Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life!  

Let us present three clear messages for us to reflect upon trusting in God’s presence in our life when at times He may seem to be distant, far off, or even totally absent.

FIRST, THE FRIENDSHIP OF JESUS.  We all need human friendships. Aristotle states: “Man is a social animal.” The poet John Donne asserts: “No man is an island unto himself.” None of us are called to live the life of a cave-man. Nonetheless, even the best of friends will occasionally fail us, and even when we try to be the best of friends, we also will fail in our loyalty to friends. However, this is not the case with Jesus and His friendship towards us; He is the ever-faithful Friend. In the dark moments of our life, we should reaffirm our belief in the friendship of Jesus. Even in the midst of the darkest tunnel, Jesus is the Light at the end of the tunnel. Jesus was there to help Martha and Mary in their loss; Jesus will always be there for us in our losses.

SECOND, DEATH IS NOT THE LAST WORD.  As believers in Jesus and His Resurrection, death is not the last word! On the contrary, the last word is that Jesus is truly risen from the dead, Alleluia! For we who have lost our loved ones, we must lift our eyes to Jesus in His risen state. As we pray in Holy Mass: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.” We firmly believe in the Paschal Mystery: the Passion, death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This gives true meaning to life. Nature itself alludes to the Resurrection. The night gives way to dawn; the torrential storms subside and a beautiful rainbow paints the sky; the caterpillar dies and a monarch butterfly flutters through the air; the sharp thorn gives birth to the beautiful spring rose. All of these natural beauties are a pale image of Jesus dying on Good Friday and Jesus rising Easter Sunday! Our firm belief is that if we have lived for Christ, walked with Christ, loved Christ, and died with Christ, then we will be united with Him forever in heaven. Therefore, death should never lead us to the brink of despair, but rather to hope in life to the fullest in Heaven. Saint Paul reminds us: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the mind of man the wonderful things that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1Cor. 2:9)  

THIRD, we all need a LAZARUS EXPERIENCE—that is to say, to leave the darkness of sin, to leave the ugly and dirty cloths that bind us and be set free. In a word, we all need to make good confessions, leave our sinful past behind, and trust in the mercy of the Risen Lord! There are actually two deaths: the death of the body, as well as the death of the soul. Sad to say, most people mourn more grievously over physical death, the death of the body, than they do over the death of the soul. Jesus admonishes us to be more concerned over the death of the soul than that of the body. The death of the soul results in eternal separation from God and condemnation to eternal hell-fire! This should be our most serious fear. If we have the disgrace of falling into serious sin—mortal sin—then we should pursue a Lazarus Experience, in which we return to God with all of our heart, make a good sacramental confession, and be born anew to God’s life of grace! Indeed, every good sacramental confession is a spiritual Lazarus Experience—the passing from spiritual death to spiritual life. In a certain sense, in every sacramental confession we experience the Paschal Mystery—the Passion, death, and Resurrection of Jesus in our soul.

In conclusion, the death and resurrection of Lazarus from the dead can teach us many important lessons in our spiritual journey towards our eternal home which is heaven. Jesus is our best Friend. Death is not the last word; rather eternal life with the Lord Jesus in heaven is our eternal destiny. Finally, if we have a spiritual death through mortal sin, we can have a Lazarus Experience by coming to life through a good sacramental confession!

Copyright 2020 Oblates of the Virgin Mary