June 3, 2010
Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga, martyr, and his companions, martyrs
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. 2 Timothy 2:8-10
Jesus replied, "The first is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
Piety
Let us thank God for advocates, those who lend their voices to the voiceless, who stand with the poor and defend the weak.
As our brothers and sisters in Haiti face the long, hard road to recovery, let us pray for the teens, for opportunities for them to use their enthusiasm and energy to do valuable rebuilding work.
Let us thank God for His guiding hand in helping the survivors of the Bangladesh cyclone return to fuller lives.
Let us pray for ourselves, our parish leaders and other members who take the spirit of the Good Samaritan beyond their borders and comfort zones to come alongside and support their brothers and sisters in times of need.
(From www.crs.org)
Study
As Jesus concludes his stay in Jerusalem, he engages with a series of clashes with the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. Today’s Gospel reading recounts a conflict in which Jesus is challenged to choose the greatest commandment.
There are, according to some sources, 613 laws in the first five books of the Bible. God summarized them into the Ten Commandments given to Moses. And Jesus is challenged to pick the greatest among these. He boils it down to two. Love God completely. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus reaches back into the Hebrew Bible and quotes Deuteronomy 6:4-5 as the greatest commandment. "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
However, Jesus does not stop there. He attaches to it principals from Leviticus which outline how to deal with your neighbor. "You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow man, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:17-18
Ched Myers explains that by connecting these laws, Jesus teaches that to love God is to refuse to exploit one’s neighbor. However, such exploitation according to Myers, is precisely what is perpetuated by the system the scribes uphold.
Action
“God demands more than orthodoxy and intellectual assent; there must be the practice of justice.” (Ched Myers et al., Say to This Mountain, page 164.) That is why action makes up the third leg of our Cursillo Tripod to help balance our piety (orthodoxy) and study (intellectual assent).
Our actions can occur at the micro level when we directly help individuals whom we know (family and friends) or reach out to strangers. It can happen at the community level when we help groups of people through organized efforts at church or with community groups. Finally, it can happen at the national or international level by working through charitable giving to support international relief and development activities.
Sometimes, a confluence of factors come together and demand our action. Such is the case in Guatemala this week when the effects of the Pacaya volcano eruption just 20 miles outside of Guatemala City have combined with Tropical Storm Agatha to create conditions that have resulted in the deaths of more than 100 people and have caused more than 30,000 people to flee their homes for safety. You can read more about the situation here on the CRS blog: http://crs-blog.org/guatemala-storm-volcano-spur-crs-emergency-response/#more-10539.
According to the story, “CRS has committed an initial $500,000 in cash and emergency supplies to the Guatemala relief efforts and will continue to prepare and respond to upcoming storms throughout the season.
“In Guatemala alone, the storm dumped more than three feet of rain in some parts of the country on May 29 and May 30, taking the lives of 123 people and forcing about 29,000 to take refuge in emergency shelters. It left a trail of some 9,000 destroyed homes and a number of areas that are still inaccessible due to landslides and bridge outages.”
You can help by supporting efforts of CRS or your favorite international relief and development organization working in the region.
