Wednesday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Symeon the new Theologian : Recognise from henceforth the open door
Reading
Rm 8,26-30.
In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will. We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.
Ps 13(12),4-5.6.
Look upon me, answer me, LORD, my God! Give light to my eyes lest I sleep in death, Lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed," lest my foes rejoice at my downfall. I trust in your faithfulness. Grant my heart joy in your help, That I may sing of the LORD, "How good our God has been to me!"
Lk 13,22-30.
He passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, will only a few people be saved?" He answered them, Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, 'Lord, open the door for us.' He will say to you in reply, 'I do not know where you are from.' And you will say, 'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.' Then he will say to you, 'I do not know where (you) are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!' And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Symeon the new Theologian (c. 949-1022), Orthodox monk
Hymn 53 (SC 196, p.213f.)
Recognise from henceforth the open door
See, O Christ, my anguish,see my lack of courage,see my lack of strengthand see, too, my poverty,my weakness,and have pity, O Word, on me!Shine upon me now as in former timesand enlighten my soul, illumine my eyesto see you, light of the world (Jn 8,12):You, the joy, happiness, eternal life,you, the delight of angels;you, the Kingdom of heaven and Paradise,crown of the just, their Judge and King.Why hide your face?Why depart from me, my God,you who never desire to departfrom those who love you?Why flee from me, why burn me,why wound and crush me?You know well I love youand with all my soul I seek you.Show yourself according to your word…Open wide the doorsof the wedding chamber, my God;ah! do not close to me the doorto your light, O my Christ!“…Do you think to move me with your words, O sons of men? What are you saying so senselessly:that I hide my face?Do you suspect me, however slightly,of shutting doors and entrances?Do you suppose that I could everdistance myself from you? What have you said?That it is I who inflame you and burn you,I who destroy you?How unjust your wordsand no more just are such thoughts!Listen, rather, to the wordsthat I myself am going to say to you:“I was light even before I had createdall those things you see.I am everywhere; I was everywhereand, when I had created all things,I am everywhere in them all…Consider my blessings;contemplate my designs;learn what are my gifts!I was manifested to the worldand I manifested my Father;on all flesh I poured out abundantly in truthmy most holy Spirit.I have revealed my name to all menand through all my worksthat I am the Creator,the author of the world.I have made it known and now I show you all you have to do.”
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
St. Marcellus, St. Alphonsus Rodriguez
Tuesday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
St Maximus of Turin : "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12,24)
Reading
Rm 8,18-25.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
Ps 126(125),1-2.2-3.4-5.6.
A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, then we thought we were dreaming. Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD had done great things for them." Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD had done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us; Oh, how happy we were! Restore again our fortunes, LORD, like the dry stream beds of the Negeb. Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, Will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves.
Lk 13,18-21.
Then he said, "What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and 'the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.'" Again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed (in) with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
St Maximus of Turin (?-c.420), Bishop
CC Sermon 25 ; PL 57, 509s
"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12,24)
"A man took a mustard seed and planted it in his garden; it grew and became a tree and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches." Let us find out to whom all of this applies... I think the comparison applies most nearly to Christ our Lord who, by being born like a seed in the lowliness of the human state, eventually rose up like a tree to heaven. Christ crushed down in his Passion is a seed; he became a tree in his resurrection. Yes, he is seed when, hungry, he suffers from lack of food; he is a tree when, with five loaves, he satisfies five thousand people (Mt 14,13ff.). In the former case he underwent the poverty of the human condition, in the latter, he gave sufficiency to all through the power of his divinity. In my opinion, the Lord was a seed when he was struck, despised and abused; he was a tree when he gave back their sight to the blind, raised the dead and forgave sins. He himself acknowledged himself to be a seed: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies..." (Jn 12,24).
Commentary of the day
St Maximus of Turin : "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12,24)
Reading
Rm 8,18-25.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
Ps 126(125),1-2.2-3.4-5.6.
A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, then we thought we were dreaming. Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD had done great things for them." Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD had done great things for them." The LORD has done great things for us; Oh, how happy we were! Restore again our fortunes, LORD, like the dry stream beds of the Negeb. Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, Will return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves.
Lk 13,18-21.
Then he said, "What is the kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a person took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and 'the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.'" Again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed (in) with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
St Maximus of Turin (?-c.420), Bishop
CC Sermon 25 ; PL 57, 509s
"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12,24)
"A man took a mustard seed and planted it in his garden; it grew and became a tree and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches." Let us find out to whom all of this applies... I think the comparison applies most nearly to Christ our Lord who, by being born like a seed in the lowliness of the human state, eventually rose up like a tree to heaven. Christ crushed down in his Passion is a seed; he became a tree in his resurrection. Yes, he is seed when, hungry, he suffers from lack of food; he is a tree when, with five loaves, he satisfies five thousand people (Mt 14,13ff.). In the former case he underwent the poverty of the human condition, in the latter, he gave sufficiency to all through the power of his divinity. In my opinion, the Lord was a seed when he was struck, despised and abused; he was a tree when he gave back their sight to the blind, raised the dead and forgave sins. He himself acknowledged himself to be a seed: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies..." (Jn 12,24).
Monday, October 29, 2007
St. Narcissus
29 October 2007
Monday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
A Homily attributed to Eusebius of Alexandria : The Sabbath becomes the first day of the new creation
Reading
Rm 8,12-17.
Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Ps 68,2.4.6-7.20-21.
God will arise for battle; the enemy will be scattered; those who hate God will flee. Then the just will be glad; they will rejoice before God; they will celebrate with great joy. Father of the fatherless, defender of widows-- this is the God whose abode is holy, Who gives a home to the forsaken, who leads prisoners out to prosperity, while rebels live in the desert. Blessed be the Lord day by day, God, our salvation, who carries us. Selah Our God is a God who saves; escape from death is in the LORD God's hands.
Lk 13,10-17.
He was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, "Woman, you are set free of your infirmity." He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, "There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day." The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?" When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
A Homily attributed to Eusebius of Alexandria (end of the 5th century)
Sunday sermons, 16,1-2; PG 86, 416-421
The Sabbath becomes the first day of the new creation
It is obvious that a week comprises seven days: God gave us six of them on which to work and one on which to pray, take our rest and be freed from our sins… I am going to expound to you the reasons for which our tradition of keeping Sundays and abstaining from work has been transmitted to us. When the Lord entrusted the sacrament to his disciples: “He took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: ‘Take, eat: this is my body, broken for you for the remission of sins.’ In the same way, he gave them the cup, saying: ‘Drink from it all of you: this is my blood, the blood of the New Covenant, shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. Do this in remembrance of me’” (Mt 26,26f.; 1Cor 11,24). Thus the holy day of Sunday is that on which we make a memorial of the Lord. That is why it is called “the Lord’s day”. And it is, as it were, the lord of days. In fact, before the Passion of the Lord, it was not called “the Lord’s day” but “the first day”. It was on this day that the Lord established a foundation for the resurrection, that is to say he carried out the work of creation; on this day he gave the world the firstfruits of the resurrection; on this day, as we have said, he ordained the celebration of the holy mysteries. Thus this day has become a beginning for us of every grace: the beginning of the creation of the world, the beginning of the resurrection, the beginning of the week. This day, which encloses within itself three beginnings, prefigures the primacy of the Holy Trinity.
Monday of the Thirtieth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
A Homily attributed to Eusebius of Alexandria : The Sabbath becomes the first day of the new creation
Reading
Rm 8,12-17.
Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Ps 68,2.4.6-7.20-21.
God will arise for battle; the enemy will be scattered; those who hate God will flee. Then the just will be glad; they will rejoice before God; they will celebrate with great joy. Father of the fatherless, defender of widows-- this is the God whose abode is holy, Who gives a home to the forsaken, who leads prisoners out to prosperity, while rebels live in the desert. Blessed be the Lord day by day, God, our salvation, who carries us. Selah Our God is a God who saves; escape from death is in the LORD God's hands.
Lk 13,10-17.
He was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, "Woman, you are set free of your infirmity." He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, "There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day." The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?" When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
A Homily attributed to Eusebius of Alexandria (end of the 5th century)
Sunday sermons, 16,1-2; PG 86, 416-421
The Sabbath becomes the first day of the new creation
It is obvious that a week comprises seven days: God gave us six of them on which to work and one on which to pray, take our rest and be freed from our sins… I am going to expound to you the reasons for which our tradition of keeping Sundays and abstaining from work has been transmitted to us. When the Lord entrusted the sacrament to his disciples: “He took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: ‘Take, eat: this is my body, broken for you for the remission of sins.’ In the same way, he gave them the cup, saying: ‘Drink from it all of you: this is my blood, the blood of the New Covenant, shed for you and for many for the remission of sins. Do this in remembrance of me’” (Mt 26,26f.; 1Cor 11,24). Thus the holy day of Sunday is that on which we make a memorial of the Lord. That is why it is called “the Lord’s day”. And it is, as it were, the lord of days. In fact, before the Passion of the Lord, it was not called “the Lord’s day” but “the first day”. It was on this day that the Lord established a foundation for the resurrection, that is to say he carried out the work of creation; on this day he gave the world the firstfruits of the resurrection; on this day, as we have said, he ordained the celebration of the holy mysteries. Thus this day has become a beginning for us of every grace: the beginning of the creation of the world, the beginning of the resurrection, the beginning of the week. This day, which encloses within itself three beginnings, prefigures the primacy of the Holy Trinity.
Sts. Simon and Jude, apostles
28 October 2007
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard : "The publican...would not even raise his eyes to heaven"
Reading
Sirach 35,12-14.16-18.
For he is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. He is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint; He who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, Nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right.
Ps 34(33),2-3.17-18.19.23.
I will bless the LORD at all times; praise shall be always in my mouth. My soul will glory in the LORD that the poor may hear and be glad. The LORD'S face is against evildoers to wipe out their memory from the earth. When the just cry out, the LORD hears and rescues them from all distress. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed. The LORD redeems loyal servants; no one is condemned whose refuge is God.
2 Tim 4,6-8.16-18.
For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Lk 18,9-14.
He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 3 on the Annunciation, 9-10
"The publican...would not even raise his eyes to heaven"
What is that container into which grace chooses to pour itself? If trust has been made to receive mercy and patience to garner justice, what is the vessel we might put forward as apt to receive grace? A very pure ointment is concerned here, which requires a very sturdy container. Now what is more pure or more sturdy than humility of heart? That is why God “gives grace to the humble,” (Jas 4,6; cf Prv 3,34; Jb 22,29); that is why it is entirely right he should have “looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness,” (Lk 1,48). Right, because a humble heart does not allow itself to be preoccupied by human worth and because the fullness of grace can be poured into it all the more freely…
Did you observe the Pharisee at prayer? He was neither thief, nor dishonest, nor an adulterer. Nor did he neglect to do penance. He fasted twice a week, he gave tithes of all he possessed… But he was not empty of himself; he had not stripped himself of himself (Phil 2,7); he was not humble but, rather, puffed up. That is to say, he was unconcerned to know what it was he still lacked but overestimated his worth; he was not full but puffed up. And so he went away empty for having put on a show of being full. The publican, on the other hand, because he humbled himself and took care to present himself like an empty vessel, could carry away with him an even more abundant grace.
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard : "The publican...would not even raise his eyes to heaven"
Reading
Sirach 35,12-14.16-18.
For he is a God of justice, who knows no favorites. Though not unduly partial toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. He is not deaf to the wail of the orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint; He who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, Nor will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the right.
Ps 34(33),2-3.17-18.19.23.
I will bless the LORD at all times; praise shall be always in my mouth. My soul will glory in the LORD that the poor may hear and be glad. The LORD'S face is against evildoers to wipe out their memory from the earth. When the just cry out, the LORD hears and rescues them from all distress. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed. The LORD redeems loyal servants; no one is condemned whose refuge is God.
2 Tim 4,6-8.16-18.
For I am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Lk 18,9-14.
He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.' But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church
Sermon 3 on the Annunciation, 9-10
"The publican...would not even raise his eyes to heaven"
What is that container into which grace chooses to pour itself? If trust has been made to receive mercy and patience to garner justice, what is the vessel we might put forward as apt to receive grace? A very pure ointment is concerned here, which requires a very sturdy container. Now what is more pure or more sturdy than humility of heart? That is why God “gives grace to the humble,” (Jas 4,6; cf Prv 3,34; Jb 22,29); that is why it is entirely right he should have “looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness,” (Lk 1,48). Right, because a humble heart does not allow itself to be preoccupied by human worth and because the fullness of grace can be poured into it all the more freely…
Did you observe the Pharisee at prayer? He was neither thief, nor dishonest, nor an adulterer. Nor did he neglect to do penance. He fasted twice a week, he gave tithes of all he possessed… But he was not empty of himself; he had not stripped himself of himself (Phil 2,7); he was not humble but, rather, puffed up. That is to say, he was unconcerned to know what it was he still lacked but overestimated his worth; he was not full but puffed up. And so he went away empty for having put on a show of being full. The publican, on the other hand, because he humbled himself and took care to present himself like an empty vessel, could carry away with him an even more abundant grace.
Bl. Emilina, St. Frumentius
27 October 2007
Saturday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine : Answering God’s call to repent at last
Reading
Rm 8,1-11.
Hence, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death. For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do, this God has done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit. The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace. For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Ps 24(23),1-2.3-4.5-6.
A psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S and all it holds, the world and those who live there. For God founded it on the seas, established it over the rivers. Who may go up the mountain of the LORD? Who can stand in his holy place? "The clean of hand and pure of heart, who are not devoted to idols, who have not sworn falsely. They will receive blessings from the LORD, and justice from their saving God. Such are the people that love the LORD, that seek the face of the God of Jacob." Selah
Lk 13,1-9.
At that time some people who were present there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them --do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!" And he told them this parable: "There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, 'For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. (So) cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?' He said to him in reply, 'Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'"
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (in North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Confessions Bk. 8 (trans. F.J. Sheed)
Answering God’s call to repent at last
Those trifles of all trifles, and vanities of vanities, my one-time mistresses, held me back, plucking at my garment of flesh and murmuring softly: "Are you sending us away?" And " From this moment shall we not be with you, now or forever?" And: " From this moment shall this or that not be allowed you, now or forever?" What were they suggesting to me, O my God?… I hesitated to shake them off and leap upwards on the way I was called: for the strong force of habit said to me: "Do you think you can live without them?” But by this time its voice was growing fainter. In the direction towards which I had turned my face and was quivering in fear of going, I could see the austere beauty of Continence honorably soliciting me to come to her and not linger, hands full of multitudes of good examples... “The Lord their God gave me to them. Why do you stand upon yourself and so not stand at all? Cast yourself upon Him and be not afraid; He will not draw away and let you fall. Cast yourself without fear, He will receive you and heal you”...
This disputation within my heart was nothing other than a struggle between myself against myself… When my most searching scrutiny had drawn up all my vileness from the secret depths of my soul and heaped it in my heart's sight, a mighty storm arose in me, bringing a mighty rain of tears. That I might give way to my tears and lamentations, I rose and went out… I flung myself down somehow under a certain fig tree and no longer tried to check my tears, which poured forth from my eyes in a flood, an acceptable sacrifice to Thee. And I spoke to you freely: “And thou, O Lord, how long? How long, Lord, wilt Thou be angry forever? Remember not our former iniquities.” (Ps 6,4; 78,5)… And I continued my miserable complaining; “How long, how long shall I go on saying tomorrow and again tomorrow? Why not now, why not this very hour?”
And suddenly I heard a voice from some nearby house, a boy's voice or a girl's voice, a sort of sing-song repeated again and again: "Take and read, take and read." I ceased weeping and immediately began to search my mind most carefully as to whether children were accustomed to chant these words in any kind of game, and I could not remember that I had ever heard any such thing. Damming back the flood of my tears I arose, interpreting the incident as quite certainly a divine command to open the book of the apostle Paul and read the first passage on which my eyes should fall… I returned hastily and took up the book and read what I had seen before: “Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscence,” (Rom 13,13). I had no wish to read further, and no need. For in that instant, with the very ending of the sentence, it was as though a light of utter confidence shone in my heart, and all the darkness of uncertainty vanished away.
Saturday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine : Answering God’s call to repent at last
Reading
Rm 8,1-11.
Hence, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death. For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do, this God has done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit. The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace. For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Ps 24(23),1-2.3-4.5-6.
A psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S and all it holds, the world and those who live there. For God founded it on the seas, established it over the rivers. Who may go up the mountain of the LORD? Who can stand in his holy place? "The clean of hand and pure of heart, who are not devoted to idols, who have not sworn falsely. They will receive blessings from the LORD, and justice from their saving God. Such are the people that love the LORD, that seek the face of the God of Jacob." Selah
Lk 13,1-9.
At that time some people who were present there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them --do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!" And he told them this parable: "There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, 'For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. (So) cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?' He said to him in reply, 'Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.'"
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (in North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Confessions Bk. 8 (trans. F.J. Sheed)
Answering God’s call to repent at last
Those trifles of all trifles, and vanities of vanities, my one-time mistresses, held me back, plucking at my garment of flesh and murmuring softly: "Are you sending us away?" And " From this moment shall we not be with you, now or forever?" And: " From this moment shall this or that not be allowed you, now or forever?" What were they suggesting to me, O my God?… I hesitated to shake them off and leap upwards on the way I was called: for the strong force of habit said to me: "Do you think you can live without them?” But by this time its voice was growing fainter. In the direction towards which I had turned my face and was quivering in fear of going, I could see the austere beauty of Continence honorably soliciting me to come to her and not linger, hands full of multitudes of good examples... “The Lord their God gave me to them. Why do you stand upon yourself and so not stand at all? Cast yourself upon Him and be not afraid; He will not draw away and let you fall. Cast yourself without fear, He will receive you and heal you”...
This disputation within my heart was nothing other than a struggle between myself against myself… When my most searching scrutiny had drawn up all my vileness from the secret depths of my soul and heaped it in my heart's sight, a mighty storm arose in me, bringing a mighty rain of tears. That I might give way to my tears and lamentations, I rose and went out… I flung myself down somehow under a certain fig tree and no longer tried to check my tears, which poured forth from my eyes in a flood, an acceptable sacrifice to Thee. And I spoke to you freely: “And thou, O Lord, how long? How long, Lord, wilt Thou be angry forever? Remember not our former iniquities.” (Ps 6,4; 78,5)… And I continued my miserable complaining; “How long, how long shall I go on saying tomorrow and again tomorrow? Why not now, why not this very hour?”
And suddenly I heard a voice from some nearby house, a boy's voice or a girl's voice, a sort of sing-song repeated again and again: "Take and read, take and read." I ceased weeping and immediately began to search my mind most carefully as to whether children were accustomed to chant these words in any kind of game, and I could not remember that I had ever heard any such thing. Damming back the flood of my tears I arose, interpreting the incident as quite certainly a divine command to open the book of the apostle Paul and read the first passage on which my eyes should fall… I returned hastily and took up the book and read what I had seen before: “Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh in its concupiscence,” (Rom 13,13). I had no wish to read further, and no need. For in that instant, with the very ending of the sentence, it was as though a light of utter confidence shone in my heart, and all the darkness of uncertainty vanished away.
Friday, October 26, 2007
St. Demetrius, St. Evaristus
Friday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
John Paul II : Knowing how to interpret the signs of the times
Reading
Rm 7,18-25.
For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if (I) do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with my mind, serve the law of God but, with my flesh, the law of sin.
Ps 119,66.68.76.77.93.94.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust.
You are good and do what is good; teach me your laws.
May your love comfort me in accord with your promise to your servant.
Show me compassion that I may live, for your teaching is my delight.
I will never forget your precepts; through them you give me life.
I am yours; save me, for I cherish your precepts.
Lk 12,54-59.
He also said to the crowds, "When you see (a) cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain--and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot--and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
John Paul II, Pope
Apostolic Letter: Novo millennio ineunte, paras.55-56, 06/01/2001 (copyright Libreria editirce Vaticana
Knowing how to interpret the signs of the times
In the climate of increased cultural and religious pluralism which is expected to mark the society of the new millennium, it is obvious that this dialogue will be especially important in establishing a sure basis for peace and warding off the dread spectre of those wars of religion which have so often bloodied human history. The name of the one God must become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and a summons to peace. Dialogue, however, cannot be based on religious indifferentism, and we Christians are in duty bound, while engaging in dialogue, to bear clear witness to the hope that is within us (cf. 1 Pt 3:15)… This missionary duty, moreover, does not prevent us from approaching dialogue with an attitude of profound willingness to listen. We know in fact that, in the presence of the mystery of grace, infinitely full of possibilities and implications for human life and history, the Church herself will never cease putting questions, trusting in the help of the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth (cf. Jn 14:17), whose task it is to guide her "into all the truth" (Jn 16:13). This is a fundamental principle not only for the endless theological investigation of Christian truth, but also for Christian dialogue with other philosophies, cultures and religions. In the common experience of humanity, for all its contradictions, the Spirit of God, who "blows where he wills" (Jn 3:8), not infrequently reveals signs of his presence, which help Christ's followers to understand more deeply the message which they bear. Was it not with this humble and trust-filled openness that the Second Vatican Council sought to read "the signs of the times"? (Gaudium et spes, §4) Even as she engages in an active and watchful discernment aimed at understanding the "genuine signs of the presence or the purpose of God", (§11) the Church acknowledges that she has not only given, but has also "received from the history and from the development of the human race"(§44). This attitude of openness, combined with careful discernment, was adopted by the Council also in relation to other religions.
Commentary of the day
John Paul II : Knowing how to interpret the signs of the times
Reading
Rm 7,18-25.
For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if (I) do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore, I myself, with my mind, serve the law of God but, with my flesh, the law of sin.
Ps 119,66.68.76.77.93.94.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust.
You are good and do what is good; teach me your laws.
May your love comfort me in accord with your promise to your servant.
Show me compassion that I may live, for your teaching is my delight.
I will never forget your precepts; through them you give me life.
I am yours; save me, for I cherish your precepts.
Lk 12,54-59.
He also said to the crowds, "When you see (a) cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain--and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot--and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
John Paul II, Pope
Apostolic Letter: Novo millennio ineunte, paras.55-56, 06/01/2001 (copyright Libreria editirce Vaticana
Knowing how to interpret the signs of the times
In the climate of increased cultural and religious pluralism which is expected to mark the society of the new millennium, it is obvious that this dialogue will be especially important in establishing a sure basis for peace and warding off the dread spectre of those wars of religion which have so often bloodied human history. The name of the one God must become increasingly what it is: a name of peace and a summons to peace. Dialogue, however, cannot be based on religious indifferentism, and we Christians are in duty bound, while engaging in dialogue, to bear clear witness to the hope that is within us (cf. 1 Pt 3:15)… This missionary duty, moreover, does not prevent us from approaching dialogue with an attitude of profound willingness to listen. We know in fact that, in the presence of the mystery of grace, infinitely full of possibilities and implications for human life and history, the Church herself will never cease putting questions, trusting in the help of the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth (cf. Jn 14:17), whose task it is to guide her "into all the truth" (Jn 16:13). This is a fundamental principle not only for the endless theological investigation of Christian truth, but also for Christian dialogue with other philosophies, cultures and religions. In the common experience of humanity, for all its contradictions, the Spirit of God, who "blows where he wills" (Jn 3:8), not infrequently reveals signs of his presence, which help Christ's followers to understand more deeply the message which they bear. Was it not with this humble and trust-filled openness that the Second Vatican Council sought to read "the signs of the times"? (Gaudium et spes, §4) Even as she engages in an active and watchful discernment aimed at understanding the "genuine signs of the presence or the purpose of God", (§11) the Church acknowledges that she has not only given, but has also "received from the history and from the development of the human race"(§44). This attitude of openness, combined with careful discernment, was adopted by the Council also in relation to other religions.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
St. Gaudentius
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Ambrose : “I have come to set the earth on fire”
Reading
Rm 6,19-23.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawless ness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ps 1,1-2.3.4.6.
Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers. Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God's law they study day and night. They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers. But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind. The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
Lk 12,49-53.
I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
Treatise on St Luke’s Gospel, 7, 131-132 (SC 52)
“I have come to set the earth on fire”
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing.” The Lord desires to have us vigilant, always waiting for the Saviour’s coming… But as the gain is meagre and the merit weak when fear of pain is what prevents us from straying, and since love is what has the greater worth, the Lord himself…sets on fire our longing to win God when he says: “I have come to set the earth on fire.” Not the kind of fire that destroys, of course, but that which produces an upright will and perfects the golden vessels in the Lord’s house by consuming the chaff and the straw (1Cor 3,12f.), by devouring all this world’s veneer acquired through the taste for earthly pleasures and the perishable works of the flesh.
This was the heavenly fire that burned in the bones of the prophets, as Jeremiah declared: “It becomes like fire burning…in my bones,” (Jer 20,9). For there is a fire of the Lord of which it is said: “Fire goes before him,” (Ps 96,3). The Lord himself is a fire, it says: “which burns without being consumed,” (Ex 3,2). The fire of the Lord is light eternal; the lamps of believers are lit at this fire: “Gird your loins and light your lamps,” (Lk 12,35). It is because the days of our life are still night that a lamp is necessary. This is the fire which, according to the testimony of the disciples at Emmaus, the Lord himself set within them: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” (Lk 24,32). He gives us evident proof of this fire’s action, enlightening man’s inmost heart. That is why the Lord will come in fire (Is 66,15) so as to devour our faults at the resurrection, fulfil each one’s desires with his presence and cast his light over merits and mysteries.
Commentary of the day
Saint Ambrose : “I have come to set the earth on fire”
Reading
Rm 6,19-23.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature. For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness for lawless ness, so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness. But what profit did you get then from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit that you have leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ps 1,1-2.3.4.6.
Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, Nor go the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers. Rather, the law of the LORD is their joy; God's law they study day and night. They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever they do prospers. But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind. The LORD watches over the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
Lk 12,49-53.
I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
Treatise on St Luke’s Gospel, 7, 131-132 (SC 52)
“I have come to set the earth on fire”
“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing.” The Lord desires to have us vigilant, always waiting for the Saviour’s coming… But as the gain is meagre and the merit weak when fear of pain is what prevents us from straying, and since love is what has the greater worth, the Lord himself…sets on fire our longing to win God when he says: “I have come to set the earth on fire.” Not the kind of fire that destroys, of course, but that which produces an upright will and perfects the golden vessels in the Lord’s house by consuming the chaff and the straw (1Cor 3,12f.), by devouring all this world’s veneer acquired through the taste for earthly pleasures and the perishable works of the flesh.
This was the heavenly fire that burned in the bones of the prophets, as Jeremiah declared: “It becomes like fire burning…in my bones,” (Jer 20,9). For there is a fire of the Lord of which it is said: “Fire goes before him,” (Ps 96,3). The Lord himself is a fire, it says: “which burns without being consumed,” (Ex 3,2). The fire of the Lord is light eternal; the lamps of believers are lit at this fire: “Gird your loins and light your lamps,” (Lk 12,35). It is because the days of our life are still night that a lamp is necessary. This is the fire which, according to the testimony of the disciples at Emmaus, the Lord himself set within them: “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” (Lk 24,32). He gives us evident proof of this fire’s action, enlightening man’s inmost heart. That is why the Lord will come in fire (Is 66,15) so as to devour our faults at the resurrection, fulfil each one’s desires with his presence and cast his light over merits and mysteries.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
St. Anthony Mary Claret
Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint John Chrysostom : “Stand ready”
Reading
Rm 6,12-18.
Therefore, sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted. Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.
Ps 124(123),1-3.4-6.7-8.
A song of ascents. Of David. I Had not the LORD been with us, let Israel say, Had not the LORD been with us, when people rose against us, They would have swallowed us alive, for their fury blazed against us. The waters would have engulfed us, the torrent overwhelmed us; seething waters would have drowned us. Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us to be torn by their fangs. We escaped with our lives like a bird from the fowler's snare; the snare was broken and we escaped. Our help is the name of the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.
Lk 12,39-48.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407), Bishop of Antioch, then of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church
Sermon 77 on St Matthew
“Stand ready”
“At an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Jesus says this to them so that the disciples would stay awake and always be ready. If he tells them he will come when they are not expecting him this is because he wants to make them practice virtue zealously, without relaxing. It is as though he were saying to them: “If people knew when they were going to die, they would be completely ready for the day”… But the end of our life is a secret hidden from us all… This is why the Lord expects two qualities of his steward: that he should be faithful, lest he attribute to himself anything that belongs to his master, and that he should be wise, so that he might suitably administer everything put in his charge. So we ought to have these two qualities if we are to be ready at the Master’s coming… Because this is what happens due to our not knowing the day we shall meet him: we say to ourselves: “My master is delayed in coming.” The faithful and wise steward has no such thoughts. Wretch! using the excuse that your Master is late, do you imagine he won’t come at all? His coming is certain. Then why don’t you stay on your guard? No, the Lord is not slow in coming; this lateness is purely in the imagination of the wicked servant.
Commentary of the day
Saint John Chrysostom : “Stand ready”
Reading
Rm 6,12-18.
Therefore, sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted. Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.
Ps 124(123),1-3.4-6.7-8.
A song of ascents. Of David. I Had not the LORD been with us, let Israel say, Had not the LORD been with us, when people rose against us, They would have swallowed us alive, for their fury blazed against us. The waters would have engulfed us, the torrent overwhelmed us; seething waters would have drowned us. Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us to be torn by their fangs. We escaped with our lives like a bird from the fowler's snare; the snare was broken and we escaped. Our help is the name of the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.
Lk 12,39-48.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute (the) food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407), Bishop of Antioch, then of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church
Sermon 77 on St Matthew
“Stand ready”
“At an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Jesus says this to them so that the disciples would stay awake and always be ready. If he tells them he will come when they are not expecting him this is because he wants to make them practice virtue zealously, without relaxing. It is as though he were saying to them: “If people knew when they were going to die, they would be completely ready for the day”… But the end of our life is a secret hidden from us all… This is why the Lord expects two qualities of his steward: that he should be faithful, lest he attribute to himself anything that belongs to his master, and that he should be wise, so that he might suitably administer everything put in his charge. So we ought to have these two qualities if we are to be ready at the Master’s coming… Because this is what happens due to our not knowing the day we shall meet him: we say to ourselves: “My master is delayed in coming.” The faithful and wise steward has no such thoughts. Wretch! using the excuse that your Master is late, do you imagine he won’t come at all? His coming is certain. Then why don’t you stay on your guard? No, the Lord is not slow in coming; this lateness is purely in the imagination of the wicked servant.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Saint John of Capistrano, priest (+1456)
Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard : Keep watch in the Holy Spirit
Reading
Rm 5,12.15.17-19.20-21.
Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned -- But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many. For if, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ps 40(39),7-8.8-9.10.17.
sacrifice and offering you do not want; but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts and sin-offerings you do not require; so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll. so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll. To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is in my heart!" I announced your deed to a great assembly; I did not restrain my lips; you, LORD, are my witness. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who long for your help always say, "The LORD be glorified."
Lk 12,35-38.
Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church
Sermon on the Song of Songs, no.17,2
Keep watch in the Holy Spirit
We should be vigilant and attentive to the work of salvation that is being accomplished within us, for the Holy Spirit constantly carries out this work in the most interior part of our being with wonderful subtlety and the delicacy of a wholly divine art. May his anointing, which teaches us all things, never be withdrawn from us without our knowing and may his coming never catch us unawares. To the contrary, we should always be on the lookout, with hearts wide open to receive this generous blessing from the Lord. What are the dispositions in which the Spirit would like to find us? “Be like servants who await their master’s return from the wedding.” He will never return empty-handed from the heavenly table and all the joys with which it is laden. So we should keep watch, and be on the watch all the time, since we never know at what hour the Spirit will come, nor at what hour he will depart again. The Spirit comes and goes (Jn 3,8); if it is thanks to him that we stand erect, when he goes away again we inevitably fall, yet without being broken since the Lord holds us in his hand. And the Spirit never ceases to give play to this alternating presence and absence in those who are spiritual or, rather, in those who intend to become spiritual. That is why he visits them at dawn and then suddenly puts them to the test.
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard : Keep watch in the Holy Spirit
Reading
Rm 5,12.15.17-19.20-21.
Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned -- But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many. For if, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ps 40(39),7-8.8-9.10.17.
sacrifice and offering you do not want; but ears open to obedience you gave me. Holocausts and sin-offerings you do not require; so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll. so I said, "Here I am; your commands for me are written in the scroll. To do your will is my delight; my God, your law is in my heart!" I announced your deed to a great assembly; I did not restrain my lips; you, LORD, are my witness. But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who long for your help always say, "The LORD be glorified."
Lk 12,35-38.
Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church
Sermon on the Song of Songs, no.17,2
Keep watch in the Holy Spirit
We should be vigilant and attentive to the work of salvation that is being accomplished within us, for the Holy Spirit constantly carries out this work in the most interior part of our being with wonderful subtlety and the delicacy of a wholly divine art. May his anointing, which teaches us all things, never be withdrawn from us without our knowing and may his coming never catch us unawares. To the contrary, we should always be on the lookout, with hearts wide open to receive this generous blessing from the Lord. What are the dispositions in which the Spirit would like to find us? “Be like servants who await their master’s return from the wedding.” He will never return empty-handed from the heavenly table and all the joys with which it is laden. So we should keep watch, and be on the watch all the time, since we never know at what hour the Spirit will come, nor at what hour he will depart again. The Spirit comes and goes (Jn 3,8); if it is thanks to him that we stand erect, when he goes away again we inevitably fall, yet without being broken since the Lord holds us in his hand. And the Spirit never ceases to give play to this alternating presence and absence in those who are spiritual or, rather, in those who intend to become spiritual. That is why he visits them at dawn and then suddenly puts them to the test.
Monday, October 22, 2007
St. Mary Salome
Monday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine : "Be rich in what matters to God"
Reading
Rm 4,20-25.
He did not doubt God's promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. That is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." But it was not for him alone that it was written that "it was credited to him"; it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification.
Lk 1,69-70.71-72.73-75.
He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Lk 12,13-21.
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me." He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church Sermon 34: on Ps 149
"Be rich in what matters to God"
Brethren, carefully inspect the place where you dwell interiorly; open your eyes and consider the capital of your love; then increase whatever sum you discover within yourselves. Keep watch over this treasure so that you may become wealthy within. Goods of great price are called ‘dear’, and with good reason… But what could be more dear than love, my brothers? What is its cost, in your opinion? And how are you to pay it? The cost of land or wheat is your silver; the cost of a pearl is your gold; but the cost of your love is you yourself. If you want to buy a field, a jewel, an animal, you seek the necessary means, you look around you. But if you want to possess love, look no further than yourself: it is yourself you must find.What are you afraid of in giving yourself? Of losing yourself? To the contrary, it is by refusing to give yourself that you lose yourself. Love itself speaks through the mouth of Wisdom and calms with one word the confusion into which this saying threw you: “Give of your own self!” If someone had wanted to sell you a piece of land, he would say to you: “Give me your silver” or, for some other thing: “Give me your cash.” Now listen to what Love says to you through the mouth of Wisdom: “My child, give me your heart” (Pr.23,26). Your heart was in a bad way when it was your own, when it was in your own hands. You were a prey to emptiness, not to speak of evil passions. Remove it from all such things! Where will you take it? Where offer it? “My son, give me your heart!” says Wisdom. Let it only come to me and you will not lose it… "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," (Mt 22,37)... He who created you desires the whole of you.
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine : "Be rich in what matters to God"
Reading
Rm 4,20-25.
He did not doubt God's promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do. That is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." But it was not for him alone that it was written that "it was credited to him"; it was also for us, to whom it will be credited, who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions and was raised for our justification.
Lk 1,69-70.71-72.73-75.
He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Lk 12,13-21.
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me." He replied to him, "Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd, "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not consist of possessions." Then he told them a parable. "There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, 'What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?' And he said, 'This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!" But God said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?' Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church Sermon 34: on Ps 149
"Be rich in what matters to God"
Brethren, carefully inspect the place where you dwell interiorly; open your eyes and consider the capital of your love; then increase whatever sum you discover within yourselves. Keep watch over this treasure so that you may become wealthy within. Goods of great price are called ‘dear’, and with good reason… But what could be more dear than love, my brothers? What is its cost, in your opinion? And how are you to pay it? The cost of land or wheat is your silver; the cost of a pearl is your gold; but the cost of your love is you yourself. If you want to buy a field, a jewel, an animal, you seek the necessary means, you look around you. But if you want to possess love, look no further than yourself: it is yourself you must find.What are you afraid of in giving yourself? Of losing yourself? To the contrary, it is by refusing to give yourself that you lose yourself. Love itself speaks through the mouth of Wisdom and calms with one word the confusion into which this saying threw you: “Give of your own self!” If someone had wanted to sell you a piece of land, he would say to you: “Give me your silver” or, for some other thing: “Give me your cash.” Now listen to what Love says to you through the mouth of Wisdom: “My child, give me your heart” (Pr.23,26). Your heart was in a bad way when it was your own, when it was in your own hands. You were a prey to emptiness, not to speak of evil passions. Remove it from all such things! Where will you take it? Where offer it? “My son, give me your heart!” says Wisdom. Let it only come to me and you will not lose it… "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," (Mt 22,37)... He who created you desires the whole of you.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
St. Celine
Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saitn Silouan : "Pray always without becoming weary."
Reading
Ex. 17,8-13.
At Rephidim, Amalek came and waged war against Israel. Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, "Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses' hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Ps 121(120),1-2.3-4.5-6.7-8.
A song of ascents. I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.
God will not allow your foot to slip; your guardian does not sleep.
Truly, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade at your righthand.
By day the sun cannot harm you, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will guard you from all evil, will always guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and going both now and forever.
2 Tim 3,14-17.4,1-2.
But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known (the) sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
Lk 18,1-8.
Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saitn Silouan (1866-1938), Orthodox monk Writings
"Pray always without becoming weary."
I have spent my life in both well-doing and in sins and, over sixty years, I have come to recognise the strength of habit. Mind and intellect can acquire habits, too. Man does what he is in the habit of doing. If he is habituated to sin then he will be constantly attracted to sin and the demons will push him into it. But if he is habituated to well-doing then God will help him by his grace.
If you get into the habit of praying unceasingly, of loving your neighbour and of weeping in prayer for the whole world then your soul will be drawn towards prayer, tears and love. And if you form the habit of almsgiving, of being obedient, of being open in confession towards your spiritual father, then you will always act in the same manner and so you will come to peace.
Commentary of the day
Saitn Silouan : "Pray always without becoming weary."
Reading
Ex. 17,8-13.
At Rephidim, Amalek came and waged war against Israel. Moses, therefore, said to Joshua, "Pick out certain men, and tomorrow go out and engage Amalek in battle. I will be standing on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur. As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight, but when he let his hands rest, Amalek had the better of the fight. Moses' hands, however, grew tired; so they put a rock in place for him to sit on. Meanwhile Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Ps 121(120),1-2.3-4.5-6.7-8.
A song of ascents. I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth.
God will not allow your foot to slip; your guardian does not sleep.
Truly, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps.
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade at your righthand.
By day the sun cannot harm you, nor the moon by night.
The LORD will guard you from all evil, will always guard your life.
The LORD will guard your coming and going both now and forever.
2 Tim 3,14-17.4,1-2.
But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known (the) sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.
Lk 18,1-8.
Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.' For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'" The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saitn Silouan (1866-1938), Orthodox monk Writings
"Pray always without becoming weary."
I have spent my life in both well-doing and in sins and, over sixty years, I have come to recognise the strength of habit. Mind and intellect can acquire habits, too. Man does what he is in the habit of doing. If he is habituated to sin then he will be constantly attracted to sin and the demons will push him into it. But if he is habituated to well-doing then God will help him by his grace.
If you get into the habit of praying unceasingly, of loving your neighbour and of weeping in prayer for the whole world then your soul will be drawn towards prayer, tears and love. And if you form the habit of almsgiving, of being obedient, of being open in confession towards your spiritual father, then you will always act in the same manner and so you will come to peace.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
St. Irene, St. Paul of the Cross
Saturday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Acts of the martyrs Carpus : "Everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge."
Reading
Rm 4,13.16-18.
It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "Thus shall your descendants be."
Ps 105(104),6-7.8-9.42-43.
You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen one! The LORD is our God who rules the whole earth. He remembers forever his covenant, the pact imposed for a thousand generations, Which was made with Abraham, confirmed by oath to Isaac, For he remembered his sacred word to Abraham his servant. He brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with shouts of triumph.
Lk 12,8-12.
I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Acts of the martyrs Carpus, Papylus and Agathonice (3rd century)
(trans. Herbert Musurillo; © Oxford University press)
"Everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge."
In the time of the Emperor Decius, Optimus was proconsul at Pergamum. There
were brought before him the blessed Carpus, bishop of Gados, and the deacon
Papylus of Thyatira, witnesses of Christ. The proconsul said to Carpus:
-What is your name?
- My first and most distinctive name is that of Christian, but if you want
my name in the world, it is Carpus.
- You are surely aware of the emperors' decrees regarding the obligation of
venerating the gods who govern all things. And so I suggest that you come
forward and offer sacrifice.
- I am a Christian and I venerate Christ the Son of God who has come in
these latter times for our redemption, and has delivered us from the
deceits of the Devil. I will not sacrifice to such idols as these.
- Sacrifice to the gods as the Emperor decrees.
- May the gods be destroyed, who have not made heaven and earth.
- You must offer sacrifice. These are the emperor's orders.
- The living do not offer sacrifice to the dead.
- Do the gods seem dead to you?'
- Yes, and learn why this is so. They look like men, but they are
unfeeling. Deprive them of your veneration, and, since they are unfeeling,
they will be defiled by dogs and crows.
- You must sacrifice. Have pity on yourself.
- I do have pity on myself, choosing as 1 do the better part.
After this exchange, the proconsul ordered him to be hung up… and scraped with claws.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Then the proconsul turned to Pamfilus to interrogate him.
- Are you a magistrate?
- No, I am not.
- What are you then? Tell me.
- I am a citizen.
- Do you have children?
- Many, indeed. But when he said this, someone in the crowd shouted out: 'He means he has
children in virtue of the faith of the Christians.
- Why do you lie saying that you have children?
- Would you like to understand that I do not lie but that I am telling the truth? I have children in the Lord in every town and city.
- Will you sacrifice? Or what have you to say?
- I have served God from my youth and I have never offered sacrifice to idols. Rather, I immolate myself to the living and true God, who has power over all flesh. But you will hear nothing further from me. He too was hung up and scraped. Three pairs of torturers were employed but Papylus did not utter a sound. Like a noble athlete he received the angry onslaught of his adversary in great silence… The proconsul ordered them to be burnt alive… In the amphitheatre the bystanders saw that Carpus smiled. Amazed they said to him: 'What are you laughing at?' And the blessed one said: 'I saw the glory of the Lord and I was happy. Besides I am now rid of you and have no share in your sins.'
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There was a woman named Agathonice standing there who saw the glory of the Lord, as Carpus said he had seen it. Realizing that this was a call from heaven, she raised her voice at once: ‘Here is a meal that has been prepared for me… I am christian. I have never sacrifice to demons, but to God alone. If I am worthy, I shall eagerly desire to follow the footsteps of my teachers.’ The proconsul said to her: ‘Sacrifice, lest I sentence you to a similar death.’
- Do what you will. But this is what I have come for, and this is what I am prepared for, to die for Christ’s name.
And when she was led to the spot, Agathonice removed her clothing and threw herself joyfully upon the stake. But when the crowd saw how beautiful she was, they lamented, saying: ‘It is a terrible sentence; these are unjust decrees.’ As soon as she was touched by the fire she shouted aloud three times: ‘Lord, Lord, Lord, assist me! For you are my refuge.’ These were her final words.
Commentary of the day
Acts of the martyrs Carpus : "Everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge."
Reading
Rm 4,13.16-18.
It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "Thus shall your descendants be."
Ps 105(104),6-7.8-9.42-43.
You descendants of Abraham his servant, offspring of Jacob the chosen one! The LORD is our God who rules the whole earth. He remembers forever his covenant, the pact imposed for a thousand generations, Which was made with Abraham, confirmed by oath to Isaac, For he remembered his sacred word to Abraham his servant. He brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with shouts of triumph.
Lk 12,8-12.
I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Acts of the martyrs Carpus, Papylus and Agathonice (3rd century)
(trans. Herbert Musurillo; © Oxford University press)
"Everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge."
In the time of the Emperor Decius, Optimus was proconsul at Pergamum. There
were brought before him the blessed Carpus, bishop of Gados, and the deacon
Papylus of Thyatira, witnesses of Christ. The proconsul said to Carpus:
-What is your name?
- My first and most distinctive name is that of Christian, but if you want
my name in the world, it is Carpus.
- You are surely aware of the emperors' decrees regarding the obligation of
venerating the gods who govern all things. And so I suggest that you come
forward and offer sacrifice.
- I am a Christian and I venerate Christ the Son of God who has come in
these latter times for our redemption, and has delivered us from the
deceits of the Devil. I will not sacrifice to such idols as these.
- Sacrifice to the gods as the Emperor decrees.
- May the gods be destroyed, who have not made heaven and earth.
- You must offer sacrifice. These are the emperor's orders.
- The living do not offer sacrifice to the dead.
- Do the gods seem dead to you?'
- Yes, and learn why this is so. They look like men, but they are
unfeeling. Deprive them of your veneration, and, since they are unfeeling,
they will be defiled by dogs and crows.
- You must sacrifice. Have pity on yourself.
- I do have pity on myself, choosing as 1 do the better part.
After this exchange, the proconsul ordered him to be hung up… and scraped with claws.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Then the proconsul turned to Pamfilus to interrogate him.
- Are you a magistrate?
- No, I am not.
- What are you then? Tell me.
- I am a citizen.
- Do you have children?
- Many, indeed. But when he said this, someone in the crowd shouted out: 'He means he has
children in virtue of the faith of the Christians.
- Why do you lie saying that you have children?
- Would you like to understand that I do not lie but that I am telling the truth? I have children in the Lord in every town and city.
- Will you sacrifice? Or what have you to say?
- I have served God from my youth and I have never offered sacrifice to idols. Rather, I immolate myself to the living and true God, who has power over all flesh. But you will hear nothing further from me. He too was hung up and scraped. Three pairs of torturers were employed but Papylus did not utter a sound. Like a noble athlete he received the angry onslaught of his adversary in great silence… The proconsul ordered them to be burnt alive… In the amphitheatre the bystanders saw that Carpus smiled. Amazed they said to him: 'What are you laughing at?' And the blessed one said: 'I saw the glory of the Lord and I was happy. Besides I am now rid of you and have no share in your sins.'
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
There was a woman named Agathonice standing there who saw the glory of the Lord, as Carpus said he had seen it. Realizing that this was a call from heaven, she raised her voice at once: ‘Here is a meal that has been prepared for me… I am christian. I have never sacrifice to demons, but to God alone. If I am worthy, I shall eagerly desire to follow the footsteps of my teachers.’ The proconsul said to her: ‘Sacrifice, lest I sentence you to a similar death.’
- Do what you will. But this is what I have come for, and this is what I am prepared for, to die for Christ’s name.
And when she was led to the spot, Agathonice removed her clothing and threw herself joyfully upon the stake. But when the crowd saw how beautiful she was, they lamented, saying: ‘It is a terrible sentence; these are unjust decrees.’ As soon as she was touched by the fire she shouted aloud three times: ‘Lord, Lord, Lord, assist me! For you are my refuge.’ These were her final words.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Sts. Isaac Jogues, John de Brebeuf and Companions
Friday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint Ignatius of Loyola : "Do not be afraid."
Reading
Rm 4,1-8.
What then can we say that Abraham found, our ancestor according to the flesh? Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works, he has reason to boast; but this was not so in the sight of God. For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." A worker's wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record."
Ps 32(31),1-2.5.11.
Of David. A maskil. Happy the sinner whose fault is removed, whose sin is forgiven. Happy those to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no deceit. Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide. I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD," and you took away the guilt of my sin. Selah Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just; exult, all you upright of heart.
Lk 12,1-7.
Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees. There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits
Letter of 17/11/1555
"Do not be afraid."
It seems to me you ought to resolve to carry out peacefully what you can. Don’t worry about all the rest but entrust to divine Providence what you are unable to accomplish on your own. What is pleasing to God is the reasonable care and attention we give to accomplishing well whatever business we must undertake through duty. What is not pleasing to God is anxiety and disquiet of mind. The Lord wants our limitations and weaknesses to find their support in his strength; he wants us to hope that his goodness will make up for the imperfectness of our means. Those who take on numerous responsibilities, even with an upright intention, must resolve to do simply what lies within their power… If it is necessary to set certain things aside, arm yourselves with patience and don’t think that God expects of us what we are unable to do. He doesn’t want a man to distress himself on account of his limitations…; there is no need to tire ourselves out excessively. More, if we have tried hard to do our best, we can abandon all the rest to Him who has the power to accomplish what he will. May the divine goodness always be pleased to communicate the light of wisdom to us so that we may clearly see and firmly accomplish his good pleasure, for ourselves and for others…, so that we may accept from his hand whatever he sends us, taking due note of what is the most important: patience, humility, obedience and charity.
Commentary of the day
Saint Ignatius of Loyola : "Do not be afraid."
Reading
Rm 4,1-8.
What then can we say that Abraham found, our ancestor according to the flesh? Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works, he has reason to boast; but this was not so in the sight of God. For what does the scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." A worker's wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record."
Ps 32(31),1-2.5.11.
Of David. A maskil. Happy the sinner whose fault is removed, whose sin is forgiven. Happy those to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no deceit. Then I declared my sin to you; my guilt I did not hide. I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD," and you took away the guilt of my sin. Selah Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just; exult, all you upright of heart.
Lk 12,1-7.
Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot. He began to speak, first to his disciples, "Beware of the leaven--that is, the hypocrisy--of the Pharisees. There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins? Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Ignatius of Loyola, (1491-1556), founder of the Jesuits
Letter of 17/11/1555
"Do not be afraid."
It seems to me you ought to resolve to carry out peacefully what you can. Don’t worry about all the rest but entrust to divine Providence what you are unable to accomplish on your own. What is pleasing to God is the reasonable care and attention we give to accomplishing well whatever business we must undertake through duty. What is not pleasing to God is anxiety and disquiet of mind. The Lord wants our limitations and weaknesses to find their support in his strength; he wants us to hope that his goodness will make up for the imperfectness of our means. Those who take on numerous responsibilities, even with an upright intention, must resolve to do simply what lies within their power… If it is necessary to set certain things aside, arm yourselves with patience and don’t think that God expects of us what we are unable to do. He doesn’t want a man to distress himself on account of his limitations…; there is no need to tire ourselves out excessively. More, if we have tried hard to do our best, we can abandon all the rest to Him who has the power to accomplish what he will. May the divine goodness always be pleased to communicate the light of wisdom to us so that we may clearly see and firmly accomplish his good pleasure, for ourselves and for others…, so that we may accept from his hand whatever he sends us, taking due note of what is the most important: patience, humility, obedience and charity.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
St. Luke
Saint Luke, evangelist. Feast
Commentary of the day
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons : Saint Luke, the companion and associate of the apostles
Reading
2 Tim 4,9-17.
Try to join me soon, for Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our preaching. At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
Ps 145(144),10-11.12-13.17-18.
All your works give you thanks, O LORD and your faithful bless you. They speak of the glory of your reign and tell of your great works, Making known to all your power, the glorious splendor of your rule. Your reign is a reign for all ages, your dominion for all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in every word, and faithful in every work. You, LORD, are just in all your ways, faithful in all your works. You, LORD, are near to all who call upon you, to all who call upon you in truth.
Lk 10,1-9.
After this the Lord appointed seventy (-two) others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (c.130-208), Bishop, theologian and martyr
Against the Heresies, III, 14 (SC 34, p.259f.)
Saint Luke, the companion and associate of the apostles
That Luke was the inseparable companion of Paul and his fellow-worker in the Gospel he himself shows to be an evident fact, not through vainglory but constrained by Truth itself. He writes how, when Barnabus and John, who was called Mark, had separated from Paul and set sail for Cyprus, “we came down to Troas,” (cf Ac 5, 37-39; 6,8); after which he describes their whole voyage in detail: their arrival at Philippi, their first speech… And he relates the whole voyage with Paul in order, conscientiously pointing out its circumstances… It was because Luke was present at them all that he recorded them so carefully – nor can one detect in him either falsehood or pride, since these facts were all evident… That Luke was not simply the companion but also fellow-worker with the apostles, and above all of Paul, Paul himself says clearly in his letters: “Demas… deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me,” (1Tim 4,10-11). This undoubtedly proves that Luke always joined himself inseparably to Paul. Similarly, in the letter to the Colossians we read: “Luke, the beloved physician, sends greetings,” (Col 4,14). Luke, on the other hand, has given us knowledge of many of the most important characteristics of the Gospel. Who knows? Perhaps God arranged things so that many features of the Gospel would be revealed by Luke alone precisely so that everyone would give credence to the witness he would subsequently give concerning the acts and teaching of the apostles and so, holding fast to the truth in this way, all might be saved. Thus Luke’s witness is true; the teaching of the apostles is manifest, sound and unconcealed… These are the voices of the Church from whom the whole Church takes its origin.
Commentary of the day
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons : Saint Luke, the companion and associate of the apostles
Reading
2 Tim 4,9-17.
Try to join me soon, for Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry. I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments. Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our preaching. At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth.
Ps 145(144),10-11.12-13.17-18.
All your works give you thanks, O LORD and your faithful bless you. They speak of the glory of your reign and tell of your great works, Making known to all your power, the glorious splendor of your rule. Your reign is a reign for all ages, your dominion for all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in every word, and faithful in every work. You, LORD, are just in all your ways, faithful in all your works. You, LORD, are near to all who call upon you, to all who call upon you in truth.
Lk 10,1-9.
After this the Lord appointed seventy (-two) others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this household.' If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God is at hand for you.'
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (c.130-208), Bishop, theologian and martyr
Against the Heresies, III, 14 (SC 34, p.259f.)
Saint Luke, the companion and associate of the apostles
That Luke was the inseparable companion of Paul and his fellow-worker in the Gospel he himself shows to be an evident fact, not through vainglory but constrained by Truth itself. He writes how, when Barnabus and John, who was called Mark, had separated from Paul and set sail for Cyprus, “we came down to Troas,” (cf Ac 5, 37-39; 6,8); after which he describes their whole voyage in detail: their arrival at Philippi, their first speech… And he relates the whole voyage with Paul in order, conscientiously pointing out its circumstances… It was because Luke was present at them all that he recorded them so carefully – nor can one detect in him either falsehood or pride, since these facts were all evident… That Luke was not simply the companion but also fellow-worker with the apostles, and above all of Paul, Paul himself says clearly in his letters: “Demas… deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me,” (1Tim 4,10-11). This undoubtedly proves that Luke always joined himself inseparably to Paul. Similarly, in the letter to the Colossians we read: “Luke, the beloved physician, sends greetings,” (Col 4,14). Luke, on the other hand, has given us knowledge of many of the most important characteristics of the Gospel. Who knows? Perhaps God arranged things so that many features of the Gospel would be revealed by Luke alone precisely so that everyone would give credence to the witness he would subsequently give concerning the acts and teaching of the apostles and so, holding fast to the truth in this way, all might be saved. Thus Luke’s witness is true; the teaching of the apostles is manifest, sound and unconcealed… These are the voices of the Church from whom the whole Church takes its origin.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Ignatius of Antioch
Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Saint [Padre] Pio de Pietrelcina : "Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces."
Reading
Rm 2,1-11.
Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true. Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God would lead you to repentance? By your stubbornness and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, who will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness. Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God.
Ps 62(61),2-3.6-7.9.
My soul rests in God alone, from whom comes my salvation. God alone is my rock and salvation, my secure height; I shall never fall. My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope. God alone is my rock and my salvation, my secure height; I shall not fall. Trust God at all times, my people! Pour out your hearts to God our refuge! Selah
Lk 11,42-46.
Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk." Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, "Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too." And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint [Padre] Pio de Pietrelcina (1887-1968), Capuchin friar
AP; CE 47
"Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces."
True humility of heart is more easily felt and lived than externalised. Naturally, we should always show ourselves humble in God’s presence, but not with the false humility that only leads to discouragement, despondency and despair. We should have a low estimation of ourselves, not put our own interests before those of others and reckon ourselves of less importance than our neighbour. If we need patience to bear with other people’s troubles, we need even more to learn how to support our own. Faced with your daily infidelities, make acts of humility constantly. When the Lord sees you practising repentance in this way, he will stretch out his hand towards you and draw you to himself. Nobody merits anything in this world; it is the Lord who grants us everything out of sheer kindness and because, in his infinite goodness, he forgives all things.
Commentary of the day
Saint [Padre] Pio de Pietrelcina : "Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces."
Reading
Rm 2,1-11.
Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment. For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true. Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God would lead you to repentance? By your stubbornness and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgment of God, who will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey wickedness. Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who does evil, Jew first and then Greek. But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, Jew first and then Greek. There is no partiality with God.
Ps 62(61),2-3.6-7.9.
My soul rests in God alone, from whom comes my salvation. God alone is my rock and salvation, my secure height; I shall never fall. My soul, be at rest in God alone, from whom comes my hope. God alone is my rock and my salvation, my secure height; I shall not fall. Trust God at all times, my people! Pour out your hearts to God our refuge! Selah
Lk 11,42-46.
Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you! You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk." Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, "Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too." And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint [Padre] Pio de Pietrelcina (1887-1968), Capuchin friar
AP; CE 47
"Woe to you Pharisees! You love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces."
True humility of heart is more easily felt and lived than externalised. Naturally, we should always show ourselves humble in God’s presence, but not with the false humility that only leads to discouragement, despondency and despair. We should have a low estimation of ourselves, not put our own interests before those of others and reckon ourselves of less importance than our neighbour. If we need patience to bear with other people’s troubles, we need even more to learn how to support our own. Faced with your daily infidelities, make acts of humility constantly. When the Lord sees you practising repentance in this way, he will stretch out his hand towards you and draw you to himself. Nobody merits anything in this world; it is the Lord who grants us everything out of sheer kindness and because, in his infinite goodness, he forgives all things.
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