O that with Thy presence Thou wouldst inflame, burn, and transform me into Thyself, that I may be made one spirit with Thee, by the grace of internal union and by the melting of ardent love!
-Bk. IV, ch. xvi.
________________
Now all enkindled is my heart,
On fire with love's consuming flame
That to its inmost core does dart,
Till fire and fuel seem the same,
United, never more to part.
-Poems
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Thoughts and Counsels - January 13
When the sky is free from clouds we can see more clearly the brightness of the sun. In like manner, when the soul is free from sin and the gloom of passion, it participates in the divine light.
-Ven. Louis de Granada
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-Ven. Louis de Granada
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for January 13, The Baptism of Jesus
Do I reflect sufficiently on the great humility of Our Lord when He abased Himself to receive the baptism of expiation destined for sinners, for this race of vipers, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, for this group of whitened sepulchres. Soon Our Lord would confront them and find that they were observers of the letter of the law rather than persons of sincere conviction, praying in spirit and in truth.
What did John the Baptist want of his disciples? He urged them to escape the wrath of God and produce worthy fruits of penance. In consenting to receive the rite of penance, did Jesus not give the impression that He like the others who heard John the Baptist, was subject to the wrath of God and in need of purification? Did this not compromise His coming apostolate? What authority would He have when He would proclaim His Gospel and endeavor to authenticate His Messianic titles?
But Jesus did not hesitate. What did the judgments of the crowd matter! God would vindicate His honor and make known His real identity.
Scarcely had He entered the water when heavens opened and the Father proclaimed the divinity of His Son. Far from detracting from the glory of Jesus, humility merited for Him the praise: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matt. iii, 17.)
I need not fear. Humility will never harm me. Even if, for a time, I am judged wrongly, the truth will come to light, and if I am a saint, I can be sure that those whose duty it is to know, will discover it.
If humiliations come to me, I shall accept them and live in peace.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
What did John the Baptist want of his disciples? He urged them to escape the wrath of God and produce worthy fruits of penance. In consenting to receive the rite of penance, did Jesus not give the impression that He like the others who heard John the Baptist, was subject to the wrath of God and in need of purification? Did this not compromise His coming apostolate? What authority would He have when He would proclaim His Gospel and endeavor to authenticate His Messianic titles?
But Jesus did not hesitate. What did the judgments of the crowd matter! God would vindicate His honor and make known His real identity.
Scarcely had He entered the water when heavens opened and the Father proclaimed the divinity of His Son. Far from detracting from the glory of Jesus, humility merited for Him the praise: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matt. iii, 17.)
I need not fear. Humility will never harm me. Even if, for a time, I am judged wrongly, the truth will come to light, and if I am a saint, I can be sure that those whose duty it is to know, will discover it.
If humiliations come to me, I shall accept them and live in peace.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Day 6 - Annual Sacred Heart Novena for Archbishop Burke
Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, ask and you shall receive;
seek and you shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you."
Hence I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of continued wisdom for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may share in the most profound way the intentions of your most Sacred Heart.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you ask
of the Father in My name,
He will give unto you.”
Hence I ask the Father, in Thy name, for the grace of fortitude for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may continue to exercise his apostolic ministry according to the example of the Good Shepherd.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away."
Encouraged by Thy infallible words,
I now ask for the grace of spiritual consolation for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may be comforted when he finds himself as faithful disciple of Thy Son under His Cross.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
Let us pray
Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Whom one thing alone is impossible, namely, not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace we ask of Thee, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy tender Mother and ours.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of they womb, Jesus.
O clememt. O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
__________________
Saint Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all that call upon Thee, have mercy on us!
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us!
Gospel for Saturday after Epiphany
From: John 3:22-30
John Again Bears Witness
[22] After this Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea; there he remained with them and baptized. [23] John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were baptized. [24] For John had not yet been put in prison.
[25] Now a discussion arose between John's disciples and a Jew over purifying. [26] And they came to John, and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, here he is, baptizing, and all are going to him." [27] John answered, "No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven. [28] You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. [29] He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. [30] He must increase, but I must decrease.
____________________
Commentary:
22-24. A little later on (Jn 4:2) the evangelist makes it clear that it was not Jesus himself who baptized, but his disciples Our Lord probably wanted them from the very beginning to get practice in exhorting people to conversion. The rite referred to here was not yet Christian Baptism--which only began after the resurrection of Christ (cf. Jn 7:39; 16:7; Mt 28:19)--but "both baptisms, that of St John the Baptist and that of our Lord's disciples [...], had a single purpose--to bring the baptized to Christ [...] and prepare the way for future faith" (St John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St John", 29, 1).
The Gospel gives the exact time and place of this episode. Aenon is an Aramaic word meaning "wells". Salim was situated to the north-east of Samaria, south of the town of Scythopolis or Beisan, near the western bank of the Jordan, about twenty kilometers (thirteen miles) to the south of the Lake of Gennesaret.
The Gospel notes that "John had not yet been put in prison" (v. 24), thus rounding out the information given by the Synoptics (Mt 4:12; Mk 1:14). We know, therefore, that Jesus' public ministry began when John the Baptist's mission was still going on, and, particularly, that there was no competition of any kind between them; on the contrary, the Baptist, who was preparing the way of the Lord, had the joy of actually seeing his own disciples follow Jesus (cf. Jn 1:37).
27-29. John the Baptist is speaking in a symbolic way here, after the style of the prophets; our Lord himself does the same thing. The bridegroom is Jesus Christ. From other passages in the New Testament we know that the Church is described as the Bride (cf. Eph 5:24-32; Rev 19:7-9). This symbol of the wedding expresses the way Christ unites the Church to himself, and the way the Church is hallowed and shaped in God's own life. The Baptist rejoices to see that the Messiah has already begun his public ministry, and he recognizes the infinite distance between his position and that of Christ: his joy is full because he sees Jesus calling people and them following him.
"The friend of the bridegroom", according to Jewish custom, refers to the man who used to accompany the bridegroom at the start of the wedding and play a formal part in the wedding celebration--the best man. Obviously, as the Baptist says, there is a great difference between him and the bridegroom, who occupies the center of the stage.
30. The Baptist knew his mission was one of preparing the way of the Lord; he was to fade into the background once the Messiah arrived, which he did faithfully and humbly. In the same way, a Christian, when engaged in apostolate, should try to keep out of the limelight and allow Christ to seek men out; he should be always emptying himself, to allow Christ fill his life. "It is necessary for Christ to grow in you, for you to progress in your knowledge and love of him: for, the more you know him and love him, the more he grows in you. [...] Therefore, people who advance in this way need to have less self-esteem, because the more a person discovers God's greatness the less importance he gives to his own human condition" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on St John, in loc.").
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
John Again Bears Witness
[22] After this Jesus and his disciples went into the land of Judea; there he remained with them and baptized. [23] John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and people came and were baptized. [24] For John had not yet been put in prison.
[25] Now a discussion arose between John's disciples and a Jew over purifying. [26] And they came to John, and said to him, Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, here he is, baptizing, and all are going to him." [27] John answered, "No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven. [28] You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. [29] He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. [30] He must increase, but I must decrease.
____________________
Commentary:
22-24. A little later on (Jn 4:2) the evangelist makes it clear that it was not Jesus himself who baptized, but his disciples Our Lord probably wanted them from the very beginning to get practice in exhorting people to conversion. The rite referred to here was not yet Christian Baptism--which only began after the resurrection of Christ (cf. Jn 7:39; 16:7; Mt 28:19)--but "both baptisms, that of St John the Baptist and that of our Lord's disciples [...], had a single purpose--to bring the baptized to Christ [...] and prepare the way for future faith" (St John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St John", 29, 1).
The Gospel gives the exact time and place of this episode. Aenon is an Aramaic word meaning "wells". Salim was situated to the north-east of Samaria, south of the town of Scythopolis or Beisan, near the western bank of the Jordan, about twenty kilometers (thirteen miles) to the south of the Lake of Gennesaret.
The Gospel notes that "John had not yet been put in prison" (v. 24), thus rounding out the information given by the Synoptics (Mt 4:12; Mk 1:14). We know, therefore, that Jesus' public ministry began when John the Baptist's mission was still going on, and, particularly, that there was no competition of any kind between them; on the contrary, the Baptist, who was preparing the way of the Lord, had the joy of actually seeing his own disciples follow Jesus (cf. Jn 1:37).
27-29. John the Baptist is speaking in a symbolic way here, after the style of the prophets; our Lord himself does the same thing. The bridegroom is Jesus Christ. From other passages in the New Testament we know that the Church is described as the Bride (cf. Eph 5:24-32; Rev 19:7-9). This symbol of the wedding expresses the way Christ unites the Church to himself, and the way the Church is hallowed and shaped in God's own life. The Baptist rejoices to see that the Messiah has already begun his public ministry, and he recognizes the infinite distance between his position and that of Christ: his joy is full because he sees Jesus calling people and them following him.
"The friend of the bridegroom", according to Jewish custom, refers to the man who used to accompany the bridegroom at the start of the wedding and play a formal part in the wedding celebration--the best man. Obviously, as the Baptist says, there is a great difference between him and the bridegroom, who occupies the center of the stage.
30. The Baptist knew his mission was one of preparing the way of the Lord; he was to fade into the background once the Messiah arrived, which he did faithfully and humbly. In the same way, a Christian, when engaged in apostolate, should try to keep out of the limelight and allow Christ to seek men out; he should be always emptying himself, to allow Christ fill his life. "It is necessary for Christ to grow in you, for you to progress in your knowledge and love of him: for, the more you know him and love him, the more he grows in you. [...] Therefore, people who advance in this way need to have less self-esteem, because the more a person discovers God's greatness the less importance he gives to his own human condition" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on St John, in loc.").
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Just for Today, January 12
Take it not to heart when thou art forsaken by a friend; knowing that one time or other we must all part.
-Bk. II, ch. ix.
___________________
About that time I chose two little girls of my own age as friends, but, alas, how fickle are human hearts! One of them returned home and was away for several months; I did not forget her and welcomed her back lovingly, only to receive a casual glance. I was deeply hurt, and resolved not to play the part of a beggar for so inconstant an affection.
However, God has endowed me with a faithful heart, which once given is never taken back, so that I still love my school-fellow and pray for her.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. II, ch. ix.
___________________
About that time I chose two little girls of my own age as friends, but, alas, how fickle are human hearts! One of them returned home and was away for several months; I did not forget her and welcomed her back lovingly, only to receive a casual glance. I was deeply hurt, and resolved not to play the part of a beggar for so inconstant an affection.
However, God has endowed me with a faithful heart, which once given is never taken back, so that I still love my school-fellow and pray for her.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - January 12
Here is the difference between the joys of the world and the cross of Jesus Christ: after having tasted the first, one is disgusted with them; and on the contrary, the more one partakes of the cross, the greater the thirst for it.
-St. Ignatius
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Ignatius
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for January 12, The Head of the Holy Family
Joseph was an artisan and a gentleman.
Joseph was moreover strikingly different from the ordinary man of his day, since he had remained a virgin.
Why had he adopted this course? How virile and steadfast he must have been.
See him on an autumn day returning from Haifa where he had gone with an old cart to get wood. See him pass the river; the cart sinks in the mud up to the axle....Then see him in his shop, on a sunny morning; hear the saw and the clatter of falling wood; hear a child coming to look for him, calling, "Joseph! Joseph!"
Then picture him coming back from Jerusalem, to the astonishment of all, with a bride, so young and fair. See them when they arrive, greeting the kind neighbor who prepared their home. How many comments were made that evening when the neighbors gathered at the fountain!
Joseph is the patron of the hidden life. Holy Scripture does not record a single one of his words. Silence is the Father of the Word.
Joseph was a carpenter. He was obliged to discuss plans with his customers, to sign contracts, to follow up delinquent debtors, to buy his materials at the best price by watching the bargains.
See the coachman of one of those fine ladies who used to go to Tiberias stopping at the sick carpenter's shop to repair the carriage. It is Jesus Himself who now takes charge of the work and takes the tool from Joseph's hand.
How touching must have been his last days with Jesus and Mary when he could no longer work.
"Jesus, Mary, Joseph. Just three poor people who love each other, and it is they who will change the face of the world." ( Claudel.)
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Joseph was moreover strikingly different from the ordinary man of his day, since he had remained a virgin.
Why had he adopted this course? How virile and steadfast he must have been.
See him on an autumn day returning from Haifa where he had gone with an old cart to get wood. See him pass the river; the cart sinks in the mud up to the axle....Then see him in his shop, on a sunny morning; hear the saw and the clatter of falling wood; hear a child coming to look for him, calling, "Joseph! Joseph!"
Then picture him coming back from Jerusalem, to the astonishment of all, with a bride, so young and fair. See them when they arrive, greeting the kind neighbor who prepared their home. How many comments were made that evening when the neighbors gathered at the fountain!
Joseph is the patron of the hidden life. Holy Scripture does not record a single one of his words. Silence is the Father of the Word.
Joseph was a carpenter. He was obliged to discuss plans with his customers, to sign contracts, to follow up delinquent debtors, to buy his materials at the best price by watching the bargains.
See the coachman of one of those fine ladies who used to go to Tiberias stopping at the sick carpenter's shop to repair the carriage. It is Jesus Himself who now takes charge of the work and takes the tool from Joseph's hand.
How touching must have been his last days with Jesus and Mary when he could no longer work.
"Jesus, Mary, Joseph. Just three poor people who love each other, and it is they who will change the face of the world." ( Claudel.)
"O St. Joseph, teach me silence and the art of sanctifying myself in the duties of my state. The fate of the world is still dependent upon the devotion of a few souls who work zealously for God and love Him with their whole heart."_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Dr Edward Peters with book notes: James Coriden, The Rights of Catholics
Dr. James Coriden, professor of canon law at Washington Theological Union, is a prominent American canonist. His publications address many topics in Church law and I have invoked his authority often in support of points I wished to carry. Having just read, however, his 2007 monograph The Rights of Catholics in the Church (a work intended for a popular audience), I think some comments are in order. While Coriden's treatment of several topics raises questions in my mind, I'll limit these remarks to two with special interest to me, annulments and pro-life.Read it at: http://www.canonlaw.info/2008/01/book-notes-james-coriden-rights-of.html
Day 5 - Annual Sacred Heart Novena for Archbishop Burke
Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, ask and you shall receive;
seek and you shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you."
Hence I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of continued wisdom for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may share in the most profound way the intentions of your most Sacred Heart.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you ask
of the Father in My name,
He will give unto you.”
Hence I ask the Father, in Thy name, for the grace of fortitude for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may continue to exercise his apostolic ministry according to the example of the Good Shepherd.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away."
Encouraged by Thy infallible words,
I now ask for the grace of spiritual consolation for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may be comforted when he finds himself as faithful disciple of Thy Son under His Cross.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
Let us pray
Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Whom one thing alone is impossible, namely, not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace we ask of Thee, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy tender Mother and ours.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of they womb, Jesus.
O clememt. O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
__________________
Saint Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all that call upon Thee, have mercy on us!
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us!
Gospel for Friday after Epiphany
Old Calendar: St. Hyginus, pope and martyr
From: Luke 5:12-16
The Cure of a Leper
[12] While he (Jesus) was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." [13] And he stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him. [14] And he charged him to tell no one; but "go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to the people." [15] But so much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities. [16] But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
________________
Commentary:
12. The words of the leper are a model prayer. First, they show his faith. "He did not say, 'If you ask God for it...', but 'If you will"' (Chrysostom, "Hom. on St Matthew", 25). He rounds this off by saying, "You can"--an open confession of Christ's omnipotence. The psalmist expressed this same faith: "Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in the deep" (Ps 135:6). Along with this faith he shows confidence in God's mercy. "God is merciful; there is no need therefore to ask him; all we have to do is show him our need" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on St Matthew", 8, 1). And St John Chrysostom concludes: "Prayer is perfect when it is joined to faith and confession; the leper showed his faith and confessed his need out loud" ("Hom. on St Matthew", 25).
"'Domine!--Lord--"si vis, potes me mundare"--if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.' What a beautiful prayer for you to say often, with the faith of the poor leper, when there happens to you what God and you and I know! You will not have to wait long to hear the Master's reply: '"Volo, mundare!" I will: be thou made clean!"' ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 142).
13. Jesus listens to the leper's petition and cures him of his disease. All of us suffer from spiritual ailments and our Lord is waiting for us to approach him: "He is our physician, and he heals our selfishness if we let his grace penetrate to the depths of our soul. Jesus has taught us that the worst sickness is hypocrisy, the pride that leads us to hide our own sins. We have to be totally sincere with him. We have to tell the whole truth, and then we have to say, 'Lord, if you will'--and you are always willing--'you can make me clean' (Mt 8:2). You know my weaknesses; I feel these symptoms; I suffer these failings. We show him the wound, with simplicity, and if the wound is festering, we show the pus too. Lord, you have cured so many souls; help me to recognize you as the divine physician when I have you in my heart or when I contemplate your presence in the tabernacle" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 93).
16. The Third Gospel frequently draws attention to Jesus going off, alone, to pray (cf. 6:12; 9:18; 11:1). By doing this Jesus teaches us the need for personal prayer in all the various situations in which we find ourselves.
"Forgive me if I insist, but it is very important to note carefully what the Messiah did, because he came to show us the path that leads to the Father. With our Lord we will discover how to give a supernatural dimension to all our actions, even those that seem least important. We will learn to live every moment of our lives with a lively awareness of eternity, and we will understand more deeply man's need for periods of intimate conversation with his God, so as to get to know him, to invoke him, to praise him, to break out into acts of thanksgiving, to listen to him or, quite simply, to be with him" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 239).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
From: Luke 5:12-16
The Cure of a Leper
[12] While he (Jesus) was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." [13] And he stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him. [14] And he charged him to tell no one; but "go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to the people." [15] But so much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities. [16] But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.
________________
Commentary:
12. The words of the leper are a model prayer. First, they show his faith. "He did not say, 'If you ask God for it...', but 'If you will"' (Chrysostom, "Hom. on St Matthew", 25). He rounds this off by saying, "You can"--an open confession of Christ's omnipotence. The psalmist expressed this same faith: "Whatever the Lord pleases he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in the deep" (Ps 135:6). Along with this faith he shows confidence in God's mercy. "God is merciful; there is no need therefore to ask him; all we have to do is show him our need" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on St Matthew", 8, 1). And St John Chrysostom concludes: "Prayer is perfect when it is joined to faith and confession; the leper showed his faith and confessed his need out loud" ("Hom. on St Matthew", 25).
"'Domine!--Lord--"si vis, potes me mundare"--if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.' What a beautiful prayer for you to say often, with the faith of the poor leper, when there happens to you what God and you and I know! You will not have to wait long to hear the Master's reply: '"Volo, mundare!" I will: be thou made clean!"' ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 142).
13. Jesus listens to the leper's petition and cures him of his disease. All of us suffer from spiritual ailments and our Lord is waiting for us to approach him: "He is our physician, and he heals our selfishness if we let his grace penetrate to the depths of our soul. Jesus has taught us that the worst sickness is hypocrisy, the pride that leads us to hide our own sins. We have to be totally sincere with him. We have to tell the whole truth, and then we have to say, 'Lord, if you will'--and you are always willing--'you can make me clean' (Mt 8:2). You know my weaknesses; I feel these symptoms; I suffer these failings. We show him the wound, with simplicity, and if the wound is festering, we show the pus too. Lord, you have cured so many souls; help me to recognize you as the divine physician when I have you in my heart or when I contemplate your presence in the tabernacle" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 93).
16. The Third Gospel frequently draws attention to Jesus going off, alone, to pray (cf. 6:12; 9:18; 11:1). By doing this Jesus teaches us the need for personal prayer in all the various situations in which we find ourselves.
"Forgive me if I insist, but it is very important to note carefully what the Messiah did, because he came to show us the path that leads to the Father. With our Lord we will discover how to give a supernatural dimension to all our actions, even those that seem least important. We will learn to live every moment of our lives with a lively awareness of eternity, and we will understand more deeply man's need for periods of intimate conversation with his God, so as to get to know him, to invoke him, to praise him, to break out into acts of thanksgiving, to listen to him or, quite simply, to be with him" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 239).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just for Today, January 11
This is a favour to Thy friend, that he should suffer and be afflicted in this world for the love of Thee, how often soever, and by whomsoever Thou permittest it to fall upon him. Without Thy counsel and providence, and without cause, nothing is done upon earth.
It is good for me, O Lord, that Thou hast humbled me, that I may learn Thy justification, and that I may cast away from me all pride of heart and presumption. It is advantageous for me that shame has covered my face, that I may rather seek my comfort from Thee than from men. I have learned hereby to fear Thy impenetrable judgements, who afflicts the just with the wicked, but not without equity and justice.
-Bk. III, ch. I.
__________________
January 10 was, as I have described to you, the day of our dear Father's triumph. This feast can be likened to Our Lord's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Just as his divine Master's triumph was to be followed by the bitter Passion, so was his own short-lived glory to be changed into suffering. Our Lady's heart was pierced by the Passion of her Son, as ours are by the humiliation and suffering of the one we love best upon earth.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
It is good for me, O Lord, that Thou hast humbled me, that I may learn Thy justification, and that I may cast away from me all pride of heart and presumption. It is advantageous for me that shame has covered my face, that I may rather seek my comfort from Thee than from men. I have learned hereby to fear Thy impenetrable judgements, who afflicts the just with the wicked, but not without equity and justice.
-Bk. III, ch. I.
__________________
January 10 was, as I have described to you, the day of our dear Father's triumph. This feast can be likened to Our Lord's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Just as his divine Master's triumph was to be followed by the bitter Passion, so was his own short-lived glory to be changed into suffering. Our Lady's heart was pierced by the Passion of her Son, as ours are by the humiliation and suffering of the one we love best upon earth.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - January 11
Why remain sad and idle? Why exhaust thyself in the anguish of melancholy? Have courage, do violence to thyself; meditate on the passion of Jesus Christ, and thou shalt overcome thy sorrow.
-Bl. Henry Suso
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-Bl. Henry Suso
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for January 11, The Three Days' Loss
The Three Days' Loss of Jesus in the Temple is one of the Gospel's most touching mysteries.
For three days Our Lord was separated from His own. Joseph thought the Child was with Mary; Mary thought He was with Joseph; thus at first neither suffered.
But Jesus must have suffered. The picture of Jesus explaining the law to the doctors makes us forget how lonely He must have been during these days. After all, three days is a long time and the meeting with the doctors could not have been very lengthy. Where was He both before and after that time? In view of the Oriental laws of hospitality, a child separated from his parents is at home everywhere. He may have met some relatives of His parents. Yet no other home could compare with the everyday life of Mary and Joseph.
One spiritual writer wonders where Our Lord ate during these three days. It is a detail, and a very material one, but it is worth consideration just the same.
Although my meals are not elaborate, I have at least something to eat every day. The problem of daily bread, a source of worry to so many people, does not exist for me. Do I occasionally think of expressing my gratitude to God for this favor?
What is my conduct in the refectory? Am I sufficiently indifferent to what is served me, or am I too conscious of the delicacy or coarseness of certain foods? Do material concerns prevail over the spiritual duty of profiting by the table lecture?
St. Margaret Mary testified that she had received many great spiritual lights during the reading in the refectory. The Holy Ghost speaks anywhere to a soul who maintains union with God under all circumstances.
I must examine myself and correct whatever does not tend toward a more perfect imitation of Jesus.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
For three days Our Lord was separated from His own. Joseph thought the Child was with Mary; Mary thought He was with Joseph; thus at first neither suffered.
But Jesus must have suffered. The picture of Jesus explaining the law to the doctors makes us forget how lonely He must have been during these days. After all, three days is a long time and the meeting with the doctors could not have been very lengthy. Where was He both before and after that time? In view of the Oriental laws of hospitality, a child separated from his parents is at home everywhere. He may have met some relatives of His parents. Yet no other home could compare with the everyday life of Mary and Joseph.
One spiritual writer wonders where Our Lord ate during these three days. It is a detail, and a very material one, but it is worth consideration just the same.
Although my meals are not elaborate, I have at least something to eat every day. The problem of daily bread, a source of worry to so many people, does not exist for me. Do I occasionally think of expressing my gratitude to God for this favor?
What is my conduct in the refectory? Am I sufficiently indifferent to what is served me, or am I too conscious of the delicacy or coarseness of certain foods? Do material concerns prevail over the spiritual duty of profiting by the table lecture?
St. Margaret Mary testified that she had received many great spiritual lights during the reading in the refectory. The Holy Ghost speaks anywhere to a soul who maintains union with God under all circumstances.
I must examine myself and correct whatever does not tend toward a more perfect imitation of Jesus.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
St Cronan "Pastoral Team" Member Receives Summons from Archbishop Burke?
From the "womenpriests" forum, we read:
St Louis Catholic has more on this here...
Let us not forget to pray for the souls of those of the St Cronan parish - and pray for Archbishop Burke as well as he deals with this troublesome situation.
The following note comes from Sister Jeannine Gramick with a request for prayers. Please remember Sister Louise Lears SC in your prayers. These are some challenging times....It's difficult to ascertain whether this is about the recent "Advent Vespers" fiasco or something else...Certainly, there will be more on this from the dissenting crowd at St Cronan's and elsewhere as time goes on...St Cronan's has been and remains a hotbed of dissent, as I understand it. Numerous past posts shed considerable light on this matter...Dear friends,
A friend of mine, Sister Louise Lears SC, who is a pastoral minister at St. Cronan's parish in St. Louis, [Missouri, USA] is being confronted by Archbishop Burke.
On the Saturday between Christmas and New Year's, Louise was served (at home) with a "summons to appear and canonical admonition" at the Catholic Center of the Archdiocese. The letter was signed by Archbishop Burke. The hearing is set for January 15 at 10 am. She is to appear to "take cognizance of the accusation and proofs concerning your apparent commission of the delicts of 1) the rejection of a truth /de Fide/tenenda/ (canon 750) and 2) grave scandal (canon 1399)."
She does not know what the the issue is that has prompted this, but she imagines it is her support of women's ordination. The two women who were ordained to the Roman Catholic Priesthood in October were from St. Cronan's parish. Rabbi Susan Talve, the rabbi who offered her synagogue for the ordinations of the women, was invited to be the guest preacher at one of St. Cronan's Advent Vesper services. Archbishop Raymond Burke asked St. Cronan's to cancel the invitation to Rabbi Talve. Instead, the vesper service took place on the public sidewalk outside the church. Louise presided at the service. This may be what has stirred up the Archbishop, although his summons is mute on its motivation.
The President of Louise's community, Barbara Hagedorn, has been in touch with Dan Ward, the LCWR canon lawyer in Washington DC, who referred her to a local canon lawyer in St. Louis with whom she is meeting. She has spoken with the Parish Council at St. Cronan's and they are standing firm behind her.
Louise asks for prayers in this situation and ideas that anyone may have. Louise also wants transparency and has said this information can be shared as widely as possible.
Courage and peace as the hierarchy sinks further into secrecy and repression,
Jeannine
St Louis Catholic has more on this here...
Let us not forget to pray for the souls of those of the St Cronan parish - and pray for Archbishop Burke as well as he deals with this troublesome situation.
Aquinas Institute Drops Phan Lecture
After consultation with St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, the Aquinas Institute of Theology has canceled its annual Aquinas Lecture for 2008.
The Rev. Peter Phan, a Georgetown University professor and former president of the Theological Society of America, was scheduled to give the prestigious lecture in about three weeks.
Phan's 2004 book, "Being Religious Interreligiously: Asian Perspectives on Interfaith Dialogue," is being investigated by the Roman Catholic bishops in the U.S. and by the Vatican....
Responding to questions from the Post-Dispatch, Burke said in a statement last month that after reading the document from the U.S. bishops' Committee on Doctrine, Phan's book "presents central tenets of the Catholic faith in a manner which is confusing and misleading," and concluded that "Father Phan is not a reliable teacher of the Catholic faith...."
Day 4 - Annual Sacred Heart Novena for Archbishop Burke
Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, ask and you shall receive;
seek and you shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you."
Hence I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of continued wisdom for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may share in the most profound way the intentions of your most Sacred Heart.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you ask
of the Father in My name,
He will give unto you.”
Hence I ask the Father, in Thy name, for the grace of fortitude for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may continue to exercise his apostolic ministry according to the example of the Good Shepherd.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away."
Encouraged by Thy infallible words,
I now ask for the grace of spiritual consolation for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may be comforted when he finds himself as faithful disciple of Thy Son under His Cross.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
Let us pray
Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Whom one thing alone is impossible, namely, not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace we ask of Thee, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy tender Mother and ours.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of they womb, Jesus.
O clememt. O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
__________________
Saint Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all that call upon Thee, have mercy on us!
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us!
Gospel for Thursday after Epiphany
From: Luke 4:14-22
Jesus Fasts and is Tempted in the Wilderness (Continuation)
[14] And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning Him went out through all the surrounding country. [15] And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
Jesus Preaches in Nazareth
[16] And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and He went to the synagogue, as His custom was, on the Sabbath Day. And He stood up to read; [17] and there was given to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, [18] "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, [19] to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." [20] And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. [21] And He began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. [22] And all spoke well of Him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth; and they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"
___________________
Commentary:
16-30. For the Jews the Sabbath was a day of rest and prayer, as God commanded (Exodus 20:8-11). On that day they would gather together to be instructed in Sacred Scripture. At the beginning of this meeting they all recited the "Shema", a summary of the precepts of the Lord, and the "eighteen blessings". Then a passage was read from the Book of the Law--the Pentateuch--and another from the Prophets. The president invited one of those present who was well versed in the Scriptures to address the gathering. Sometimes someone would volunteer and request the honor of being allowed to give this address--as must have happened on this occasion. Jesus avails Himself of this opportunity to instruct the people (cf. Luke 4:16ff), as will His Apostles later on (cf. Acts 13:5, 14, 42, 44; 14:1; etc.). The Sabbath meeting concluded with the priestly blessing, recited by the president or by a priest if there was one present, to which the people answered "Amen" (cf. Numbers 6:22ff).
18-21. Jesus read the passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 where the prophet announces the coming of the Lord, who will free His people of their afflictions. In Christ this prophecy finds its fulfillment, for He is the Anointed, the Messiah whom God has sent to His people in their tribulation. Jesus has been anointed by the Holy Spirit for the mission the Father has entrusted to Him. "These phrases, according to Luke (verses 18-19), are His first messianic declaration. They are followed by the actions and words known through the Gospel. By these actions and words Christ makes the Father present among men" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 3).
The promises proclaimed in verses 18 and 19 are the blessings God will send His people through the Messiah. According to Old Testament tradition and Jesus' own preaching (cf. note on Matthew 5:3), "the poor" refers not so much to a particular social condition as to a very religious attitude of indigence and humility towards God, which is to be found in those who, instead of relying on their possessions and merits, trust in God's goodness and mercy. Thus, preaching good news to the poor means bringing them the "good news" that God has taken pity on them. Similarly, the Redemption, the release, which the text mentions, is to be understood mainly in a spiritual, transcendental sense: Christ has come to free us from the blindness and oppression of sin, which, in the last analysis, is slavery imposed on us by the devil. "Captivity can be felt", St. John Chrysostom teaches in a commentary on Psalm 126, "when it proceeds from physical enemies, but the spiritual captivity referred to here is worse; sin exerts a more severe tyranny, evil takes control and blinds those who lend it obedience; from this spiritual prison Jesus Christ rescued us" ("Catena Aurea"). However, this passage is also in line with Jesus' special concern for those most in need. "Similarly, the Church encompasses with her love all those who are afflicted by human misery and she recognizes in those who are poor and who suffer the image of her poor and suffering Founder. She does all in her power to relieve their need and in them she strives to serve Christ" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 8).
18-19. The words of Isaiah which Christ read out on this occasion describe very graphically the reason why God has sent His Son into the world--to redeem men from sin, to liberate them from slavery to the devil and from eternal death. It is true that in the course of His public ministry Christ, in His mercy, worked many cures, cast out devils, etc. But He did not cure all the sick people in the world, nor did He eliminate all forms of distress in this life, because pain, which entered the world through sin, has a permanent redemptive value when associated with the sufferings of Christ. Therefore, Christ worked miracles not so much to release the people concerned from suffering, as to demonstrate that He had a God-given mission to bring everyone to eternal salvation.
The Church carries on this mission of Christ: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). These simple and sublime words, which conclude the Gospel of St. Matthew, point out "the obligation to preach the truths of faith, the need for sacramental life, the promise of Christ's continual assistance to His Church. You cannot be faithful to our Lord if you neglect these supernatural demands--to receive instruction in Christian faith and morality and to frequent the Sacraments. It is with this mandate that Christ founded His Church [...]. And the Church can bring salvation to souls only if she remains faithful to Christ in her constitution and teaching, both dogmatic and moral.
"Let us reject, therefore, the suggestion that the Church, ignoring the Sermon on the Mount, seeks a purely human happiness on earth, since we know that her only task is to bring men to eternal glory in Heaven. Let us reject any purely naturalistic view that fails to value the supernatural role of divine grace. Let us reject materialistic opinions that exclude spiritual values from human life. Let us equally reject any secularizing theory which attempts to equate the aims of the Church with those of earthly states, distorting its essence, institutions and activities into something similar to those of temporal society" ([St] J. Escriva, "In Love with the Church", 23 and 31).
18. The Fathers of the Church see in this verse a reference to the three persons of the Holy Trinity: the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) of the Lord (the Father) is upon Me (the Son); cf. Origen, "Homily 32". The Holy Spirit dwelt in Christ's soul from the very moment of the Incarnation and descended visibly upon Him in the form of a dove when He was baptized by John (cf. Luke 3:21-22).
"Because He has anointed Me": this is a reference to the anointing Jesus received at the moment of His Incarnation, principally through the grace of the hypostatic union. "This anointing of Jesus Christ was not an anointing of the body as in the case of the ancient kings, priests and prophets; rather it was entirely spiritual and divine, because the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him substantially" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 77). From this hypostatic union the fullness of all graces derives. To show this, Jesus Christ is said to have been anointed by the Holy Spirit Himself--not just to have received the graces and gifts of the Spirit, like the saints.
19. "The acceptable year": this is a reference to the jubilee year of the Jews, which the Law of God (Leviticus 25:8) lays down as occurring every fifty years, symbolizing the era of redemption and liberation which the Messiah would usher in. The era inaugurated by Christ, the era of the New Law extending to the end of the world, is "the acceptable year", the time of mercy and redemption, which will be obtained definitively in Heaven.
The Catholic Church's custom of the "Holy Year" is also designed to proclaim and remind people of the redemption brought by Christ, and of the full form it will take in the future life.
20-22. Christ's words in verse 21 show us the authenticity with which He preached and explained the Scriptures: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Jesus teaches that this prophecy, like the other main prophecies in the Old Testament, refers to Him and finds its fulfillment in Him (cf. Luke 24:44ff). Thus, the Old Testament can be rightly understood only in the light of the New - as the risen Christ showed the Apostles when He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (cf. Luke 24:45), an understanding which the Holy Spirit perfected on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:4).
22-29. At first the people of Nazareth listened readily to the wisdom of Jesus' words. But they were very superficial; in their narrow-minded pride they felt hurt that Jesus, their fellow-townsman, had not worked in Nazareth the wonders He had worked elsewhere. They presume they have a special entitlement and they insolently demand that He perform miracles to satisfy their vanity, not to change their hearts. In view of their attitude, Jesus performs no miracle (His normal response to lack of faith: cf., for example, His meeting with Herod in Luke 23:7-11); He actually reproaches them, using two examples taken from the Old Testament (cf. 1 Kings 17:9 and 2 Kings 5:14), which show that one needs to be well-disposed if miracles are to lead to faith. His attitude so wounds their pride that they are ready to kill Him. This whole episode is a good lesson about understanding Jesus. We can understand Him only if we are humble and are genuinely resolved to make ourselves available to Him.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Jesus Fasts and is Tempted in the Wilderness (Continuation)
[14] And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning Him went out through all the surrounding country. [15] And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
Jesus Preaches in Nazareth
[16] And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and He went to the synagogue, as His custom was, on the Sabbath Day. And He stood up to read; [17] and there was given to Him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, [18] "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, [19] to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." [20] And He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. [21] And He began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. [22] And all spoke well of Him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth; and they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?"
___________________
Commentary:
16-30. For the Jews the Sabbath was a day of rest and prayer, as God commanded (Exodus 20:8-11). On that day they would gather together to be instructed in Sacred Scripture. At the beginning of this meeting they all recited the "Shema", a summary of the precepts of the Lord, and the "eighteen blessings". Then a passage was read from the Book of the Law--the Pentateuch--and another from the Prophets. The president invited one of those present who was well versed in the Scriptures to address the gathering. Sometimes someone would volunteer and request the honor of being allowed to give this address--as must have happened on this occasion. Jesus avails Himself of this opportunity to instruct the people (cf. Luke 4:16ff), as will His Apostles later on (cf. Acts 13:5, 14, 42, 44; 14:1; etc.). The Sabbath meeting concluded with the priestly blessing, recited by the president or by a priest if there was one present, to which the people answered "Amen" (cf. Numbers 6:22ff).
18-21. Jesus read the passage from Isaiah 61:1-2 where the prophet announces the coming of the Lord, who will free His people of their afflictions. In Christ this prophecy finds its fulfillment, for He is the Anointed, the Messiah whom God has sent to His people in their tribulation. Jesus has been anointed by the Holy Spirit for the mission the Father has entrusted to Him. "These phrases, according to Luke (verses 18-19), are His first messianic declaration. They are followed by the actions and words known through the Gospel. By these actions and words Christ makes the Father present among men" (John Paul II, "Dives In Misericordia", 3).
The promises proclaimed in verses 18 and 19 are the blessings God will send His people through the Messiah. According to Old Testament tradition and Jesus' own preaching (cf. note on Matthew 5:3), "the poor" refers not so much to a particular social condition as to a very religious attitude of indigence and humility towards God, which is to be found in those who, instead of relying on their possessions and merits, trust in God's goodness and mercy. Thus, preaching good news to the poor means bringing them the "good news" that God has taken pity on them. Similarly, the Redemption, the release, which the text mentions, is to be understood mainly in a spiritual, transcendental sense: Christ has come to free us from the blindness and oppression of sin, which, in the last analysis, is slavery imposed on us by the devil. "Captivity can be felt", St. John Chrysostom teaches in a commentary on Psalm 126, "when it proceeds from physical enemies, but the spiritual captivity referred to here is worse; sin exerts a more severe tyranny, evil takes control and blinds those who lend it obedience; from this spiritual prison Jesus Christ rescued us" ("Catena Aurea"). However, this passage is also in line with Jesus' special concern for those most in need. "Similarly, the Church encompasses with her love all those who are afflicted by human misery and she recognizes in those who are poor and who suffer the image of her poor and suffering Founder. She does all in her power to relieve their need and in them she strives to serve Christ" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 8).
18-19. The words of Isaiah which Christ read out on this occasion describe very graphically the reason why God has sent His Son into the world--to redeem men from sin, to liberate them from slavery to the devil and from eternal death. It is true that in the course of His public ministry Christ, in His mercy, worked many cures, cast out devils, etc. But He did not cure all the sick people in the world, nor did He eliminate all forms of distress in this life, because pain, which entered the world through sin, has a permanent redemptive value when associated with the sufferings of Christ. Therefore, Christ worked miracles not so much to release the people concerned from suffering, as to demonstrate that He had a God-given mission to bring everyone to eternal salvation.
The Church carries on this mission of Christ: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). These simple and sublime words, which conclude the Gospel of St. Matthew, point out "the obligation to preach the truths of faith, the need for sacramental life, the promise of Christ's continual assistance to His Church. You cannot be faithful to our Lord if you neglect these supernatural demands--to receive instruction in Christian faith and morality and to frequent the Sacraments. It is with this mandate that Christ founded His Church [...]. And the Church can bring salvation to souls only if she remains faithful to Christ in her constitution and teaching, both dogmatic and moral.
"Let us reject, therefore, the suggestion that the Church, ignoring the Sermon on the Mount, seeks a purely human happiness on earth, since we know that her only task is to bring men to eternal glory in Heaven. Let us reject any purely naturalistic view that fails to value the supernatural role of divine grace. Let us reject materialistic opinions that exclude spiritual values from human life. Let us equally reject any secularizing theory which attempts to equate the aims of the Church with those of earthly states, distorting its essence, institutions and activities into something similar to those of temporal society" ([St] J. Escriva, "In Love with the Church", 23 and 31).
18. The Fathers of the Church see in this verse a reference to the three persons of the Holy Trinity: the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) of the Lord (the Father) is upon Me (the Son); cf. Origen, "Homily 32". The Holy Spirit dwelt in Christ's soul from the very moment of the Incarnation and descended visibly upon Him in the form of a dove when He was baptized by John (cf. Luke 3:21-22).
"Because He has anointed Me": this is a reference to the anointing Jesus received at the moment of His Incarnation, principally through the grace of the hypostatic union. "This anointing of Jesus Christ was not an anointing of the body as in the case of the ancient kings, priests and prophets; rather it was entirely spiritual and divine, because the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him substantially" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 77). From this hypostatic union the fullness of all graces derives. To show this, Jesus Christ is said to have been anointed by the Holy Spirit Himself--not just to have received the graces and gifts of the Spirit, like the saints.
19. "The acceptable year": this is a reference to the jubilee year of the Jews, which the Law of God (Leviticus 25:8) lays down as occurring every fifty years, symbolizing the era of redemption and liberation which the Messiah would usher in. The era inaugurated by Christ, the era of the New Law extending to the end of the world, is "the acceptable year", the time of mercy and redemption, which will be obtained definitively in Heaven.
The Catholic Church's custom of the "Holy Year" is also designed to proclaim and remind people of the redemption brought by Christ, and of the full form it will take in the future life.
20-22. Christ's words in verse 21 show us the authenticity with which He preached and explained the Scriptures: "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Jesus teaches that this prophecy, like the other main prophecies in the Old Testament, refers to Him and finds its fulfillment in Him (cf. Luke 24:44ff). Thus, the Old Testament can be rightly understood only in the light of the New - as the risen Christ showed the Apostles when He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (cf. Luke 24:45), an understanding which the Holy Spirit perfected on the day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:4).
22-29. At first the people of Nazareth listened readily to the wisdom of Jesus' words. But they were very superficial; in their narrow-minded pride they felt hurt that Jesus, their fellow-townsman, had not worked in Nazareth the wonders He had worked elsewhere. They presume they have a special entitlement and they insolently demand that He perform miracles to satisfy their vanity, not to change their hearts. In view of their attitude, Jesus performs no miracle (His normal response to lack of faith: cf., for example, His meeting with Herod in Luke 23:7-11); He actually reproaches them, using two examples taken from the Old Testament (cf. 1 Kings 17:9 and 2 Kings 5:14), which show that one needs to be well-disposed if miracles are to lead to faith. His attitude so wounds their pride that they are ready to kill Him. This whole episode is a good lesson about understanding Jesus. We can understand Him only if we are humble and are genuinely resolved to make ourselves available to Him.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Just for Today, January 10
(Christ.) As I willingly offered Myself to God, My Father, for thy sins, with My hands stretched out upon the cross, and My body naked, so that nothing remained in Me which was not turned into a sacrifice to appease the divine wrath; even so must thou willingly offer thyself to Me daily in the Mass, for a pure and holy oblation, together with all thy powers and affections, as heartily as thou art able.
-Bk. IV, ch. viii.
___________________
In the year 1895 I was given the grace to realize more than ever how much Our Lord wishes to be loved. I was thinking of souls who willingly offer themselves up to divine justice, drawing down punishment upon themselves so that the guilty may be spared. I saw how noble and generous this action was, but felt no inclination to imitate them.
From the depths of my soul I cried: Oh! my divine Master! is Thy justice alone to receive victims of holocaust? What of Thy merciful love? On every side it is ignored and rejected... souls destined to receive its bounty turn instead towards creatures, seeking for one instant to enjoy their worthless affection, instead of throwing themselves into Thy arms and the fiery furnace of everlasting love. Oh! my God! is Thy rejected love to remain locked up in Thy heart? If souls could be found to offer themselves as victims to Thy merciful love, it seems to me that Thou wouldst quickly consume them in its flames.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. IV, ch. viii.
___________________
In the year 1895 I was given the grace to realize more than ever how much Our Lord wishes to be loved. I was thinking of souls who willingly offer themselves up to divine justice, drawing down punishment upon themselves so that the guilty may be spared. I saw how noble and generous this action was, but felt no inclination to imitate them.
From the depths of my soul I cried: Oh! my divine Master! is Thy justice alone to receive victims of holocaust? What of Thy merciful love? On every side it is ignored and rejected... souls destined to receive its bounty turn instead towards creatures, seeking for one instant to enjoy their worthless affection, instead of throwing themselves into Thy arms and the fiery furnace of everlasting love. Oh! my God! is Thy rejected love to remain locked up in Thy heart? If souls could be found to offer themselves as victims to Thy merciful love, it seems to me that Thou wouldst quickly consume them in its flames.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - January 10
Learning without humility has always been pernicious to the Church; and as pride precipitated the rebellious angels from heaven, it frequently causes the loss of learned men.
-St. Vincent de Paul
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Vincent de Paul
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for January 10, Spiritual Picking
"The great grace of the Nativity is the grace of birth with Jesus to the holy liberty of the children of God. The child receives with simplicity what his Father says to him. You make yourself a doctor of laws. You examine all that is said to you; you analyze it; you search the details. God is too pure, too noble to bother about this nonsense, these distinctions. Take advice given you in a broad and natural sense and abandon the rest to God...the more you play the lawyer, the jurisconsult, the more you will be entangled in a maze of details. God does not love pedants."Dom Marmion gave this counsel a month before his death.
Before him St. Francis de Sales warned Lady de la Flechere, who passed all the time of her spiritual exercises picking at her conscience, "I wish I had a good hammer to take the edge off your mind, which is too keen for your own advancement. I am just telling you that you must advance in devotion with an easy spirit. Do not think you must be under a constant mental strain; it is sufficient that your faults serve to humiliate you. Don't pick at your conscience any more." Just as the examination of conscience is a useful exercise when it is intelligently understood, so is the constant picking at the soul a fruitless exercise, barren and discouraging; hence not only useless but harmful.
I must know my sinfulness and work at it courageously but not pry into it unceasingly. Imperturbable confidence in God. God has not called me to His service to abandon me. I must hope in Him. Serenity. The spirit of a child.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Notre Dame launches new Ph.D. in peace studies
From Religion News Service comes this gem:
Program reflects vision of the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh and Joan B. KrocFor more information, visit http://kroc.nd.edu.
NOTRE DAME, In. -- The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame has established a Ph.D. program in peace studies. One of the few of its kind in the world, the program welcomes applications from scholars of all religious and secular traditions for its first doctoral class in fall 2008. Students can pursue a Ph.D. in history and peace studies, political science and peace studies, psychology and peace studies, or sociology and peace studies...
Why Are We Celebrating the Reprogramming of Adult Cells?
Theresa A. Deisher, Ave Maria Biotechnology Company, Research and Development Director, writes:
HT to Darla for the link!
The recent publications about the ability to reprogram adult skin cells to become virtually identical to embryonic stem cells has been hailed by pro-life groups as a ‘Moral Victory’. Initially, I believed the work to be ‘Moral’, while at the same time I found the term ‘Victory’ perplexing.
I stated publicly on ‘Conversations with Fr. Bob’, a Seattle, WA talk radio show taped December 3, 2007, that I saw “no moral issues with the technique” of adult cell reprogramming. Unfortunately, I learned later that the published works cannot be considered ‘Moral’. The ability to transform adult cells into embryonic stem cells could be moral, however, a close inspection of the two published papers revealed that cells from an electively aborted fetus were used in the work, and therefore it cannot be considered moral.
In order to transform adult cells into embryonic cells, the researchers introduced four genes essential for ‘embryonic stem cell character’ into the adult cells. First, the researchers had to make the genes and virus materials needed to transform the adult cells. Both researchers used versions of the HEK 293 cell to do this. This is a cell, the Human Embryonic Kidney 293 cell, used commonly in biomedical research for DNA (gene) and virus production. I was informed quite recently that the 293 cells were produced from an electively aborted fetus. I was able to verify that easily. The term embryonic in the name is misleading....
HT to Darla for the link!
"Diversity perversity"
Vatican cardinal charges the Jesuits to recover fidelity to the Church’s hierarchy.Many of us pray for that day when one no longer thinks of dissent or disobedience when one hears the word "Jesuit"...
The address of a leading Vatican cardinal on Jan. 7 to the 35th General Convention of the Society of Jesus in Rome, called to elect a new superior general, began with customary words of praise for the outgoing superior, Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, and expressions of a certainty that the order would address the challenges it faces worldwide. Yet, the address segued into expressions of disappointment with the current state of religious fidelity to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
In his homily for the Mass opening the convention, Cardinal Franc Rodé, the Holy See’s prefect for the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, told the sons of St. Ignatius of Loyola that “with sorrow and anxiety” he sees “that the sentire cum Ecclesia [“thinking with the Church”] of which your founder frequently spoke is diminishing even in some members of religious families.” The Church, said Rodé, awaits “a light from you to restore the sensus Ecclesiae. The Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius are your specialty. The rules of sentire cum Ecclesia form an integral and essential part of this masterpiece of Catholic spirituality...”
He noted that “the doctrinal diversity of those who at all levels, by vocation and mission are called to announce the Kingdom of truth and love, disorients the faithful and leads to a relativism without limits. There is one truth, even though it can always be more deeply known...”
Rodé called on those who “oversee the doctrine of your magazines and publications [to] do so in the light of and according to the ‘rules for sentire cum ecclesia,’ with love and respect.”
A report on the "Opening of General Congregation 35" and of the Elections can be read at the Jesuits' page here.
The Church's Diplomacy Has a Fixed Star: That of the Magi
In the new year address to the diplomatic corps, Benedict XVI took stock of the Vatican's politics in the world. But to the faithful, at the Mass of the Epiphany, he said much more. He preached his theology of history – and here it is...
by Sandro Magister
Abortion Issue in Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A major campaign to strictly limit abortion - if not effectively prohibit the procedure - could polarize Missouri's electorate this year in this historically critical battleground state....Everything? Women's lives? Dead babies?....These NARAL people are sick!
Under the initiative, doctors would not be allowed to perform a nonemergency abortion unless they believed "the imminent death or serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman" would occur....
To put the measure on the November ballot, the group will need the signatures of about 90,000 Missouri residents - which even critics say is attainable.
"I think they will get their signatures," said Pamela Sumners, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri, a group that supports abortion rights. "And when they do, we'll be prepared to throw everything we've got at it."
Bishop says Catholics should kneel, receive communion on tongue
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The reverence and awe of Catholics who truly believe they are receiving Jesus in the Eucharist should lead them to kneel and receive Communion on their tongues, said a bishop writing in the Vatican newspaper.I totally agree!
"If some nonbeliever arrived and observed such an act of adoration perhaps he, too, would 'fall down and worship God, declaring, God is really in your midst,'" wrote Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Karaganda, Kazakhstan, quoting from the First Letter to the Corinthians.
In addition to demonstrating true adoration by kneeling, he said, receiving Communion on the tongue also avoids concerns about people receiving the body of Christ with dirty hands or of losing particles of the Eucharist, concerns that make sense if people truly believe in the sacrament.But do most people really believe anymore? I'm not so sure that they do based upon my observations over the past few decades...
In 1969 the Vatican published an instruction allowing bishops to permit the distribution of Communion in the hand.Conveniently left out of the article is the fact that widespread novelty and disobedience had already taken placed and the practice was encouraged by wayward clergy and others...I'm certain that the day will return when Catholics will again get down on their knees to receive our Lord.
Day 3 - Annual Sacred Heart Novena for Archbishop Burke
Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, ask and you shall receive;
seek and you shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you."
Hence I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of continued wisdom for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may share in the most profound way the intentions of your most Sacred Heart.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you ask
of the Father in My name,
He will give unto you.”
Hence I ask the Father, in Thy name, for the grace of fortitude for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may continue to exercise his apostolic ministry according to the example of the Good Shepherd.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away."
Encouraged by Thy infallible words,
I now ask for the grace of spiritual consolation for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may be comforted when he finds himself as faithful disciple of Thy Son under His Cross.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
Let us pray
Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Whom one thing alone is impossible, namely, not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace we ask of Thee, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy tender Mother and ours.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of they womb, Jesus.
O clememt. O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
__________________
Saint Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all that call upon Thee, have mercy on us!
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us!
Gospel for Wednesday after Epiphany
From: Mark 6:45-52
Jesus Walks on Water
--------------------
[45] Immediately he (Jesus) made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. [46] And after he had taken leave of them, he went into the hills to pray. [47] And when evening came the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. [48] And he saw that they were distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, [49] but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; [50] for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." [51] And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, [52] for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
______________________
Commentary:
48. The Romans divided the night into four parts or watches, whose length varied depending on the season. St Mark (13:35) gives the popular names for these watches: evening, midnight, cockcrow, morning. Therefore, it is towards dawn that Jesus comes to the disciples.
He wishes to teach us that even when we are in very pressurized and difficult situations, he is nearby, ready to help us; but he expects us to make an effort, to strengthen our hope and temper our resolve (cf. note on Mt 14:24-33); as an early Greek commentator puts it: "The Lord allowed his disciples to enter danger to make them suffer, and he did not immediately come to their aid: he left them in peril for the whole night, to teach them to be patient and not to be accustomed to receiving immediate succor in tribulation" (Theophylact, "Enarratio In Evangelium Marci, in loc.").
52. The disciples do not yet see Jesus' miracles as signs of his divinity. They witness the multiplication of the loaves and the fish (Mk 6:33-44) and the second multiplication of the loaves (Mk 8:17), but their hearts and minds are still hardened; they fail to grasp the full import of what Jesus is teaching them through his actions--that he is the Son of God. Jesus is patient and understanding with their defects, even when they fail to grasp what he says when he speaks about his own passion (Lk 18:34). Our Lord will give them further miracles and further teaching to enlighten their minds, and, later, he will send the Holy Spirit to teach them all things and remind them of everything he said (cf. Jn 14:26).
St Bede the Venerable comments on this whole episode (Mk 6:45-52) in this way: "In a mystical sense, the disciples' effort to row against the wind point to the efforts the Holy Church must make against the waves of the enemy world and the outpourings of evil spirits in order to reach the haven of its heavenly home. It is rightly said that the boat was out on the sea and He alone on the land, because the Church has never been so intensely persecuted by the Gentiles that it seemed as if the Redeemer had abandoned it completely. But the Lord sees his disciples struggling, and to sustain them he looks at them compassionately and sometimes frees them from peril by clearly coming to their aid" ("In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Jesus Walks on Water
--------------------
[45] Immediately he (Jesus) made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. [46] And after he had taken leave of them, he went into the hills to pray. [47] And when evening came the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. [48] And he saw that they were distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, [49] but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out; [50] for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear." [51] And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, [52] for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
______________________
Commentary:
48. The Romans divided the night into four parts or watches, whose length varied depending on the season. St Mark (13:35) gives the popular names for these watches: evening, midnight, cockcrow, morning. Therefore, it is towards dawn that Jesus comes to the disciples.
He wishes to teach us that even when we are in very pressurized and difficult situations, he is nearby, ready to help us; but he expects us to make an effort, to strengthen our hope and temper our resolve (cf. note on Mt 14:24-33); as an early Greek commentator puts it: "The Lord allowed his disciples to enter danger to make them suffer, and he did not immediately come to their aid: he left them in peril for the whole night, to teach them to be patient and not to be accustomed to receiving immediate succor in tribulation" (Theophylact, "Enarratio In Evangelium Marci, in loc.").
52. The disciples do not yet see Jesus' miracles as signs of his divinity. They witness the multiplication of the loaves and the fish (Mk 6:33-44) and the second multiplication of the loaves (Mk 8:17), but their hearts and minds are still hardened; they fail to grasp the full import of what Jesus is teaching them through his actions--that he is the Son of God. Jesus is patient and understanding with their defects, even when they fail to grasp what he says when he speaks about his own passion (Lk 18:34). Our Lord will give them further miracles and further teaching to enlighten their minds, and, later, he will send the Holy Spirit to teach them all things and remind them of everything he said (cf. Jn 14:26).
St Bede the Venerable comments on this whole episode (Mk 6:45-52) in this way: "In a mystical sense, the disciples' effort to row against the wind point to the efforts the Holy Church must make against the waves of the enemy world and the outpourings of evil spirits in order to reach the haven of its heavenly home. It is rightly said that the boat was out on the sea and He alone on the land, because the Church has never been so intensely persecuted by the Gentiles that it seemed as if the Redeemer had abandoned it completely. But the Lord sees his disciples struggling, and to sustain them he looks at them compassionately and sometimes frees them from peril by clearly coming to their aid" ("In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc.").
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Just for Today, January 9
How can he be puffed up with the vain talk of men, whose heart in truth is subjected to God? All the world will not move him whom truth hath established in humility.
Neither will he be moved with the tongues of all that praise him, who hath settled his whole hope in God. For behold, they also that speak are all nothing, for they shall pass away with the sound of their words: but the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever (Ps. cxvi, 2).
- Bk. III, ch. xiv.
_______________
When still a novice she heard two members of the Community, one after the other and independently, express their opinion of her. One judgement was the exact opposite of the other, yet both were given with equal good faith and conviction. "Since then," she said, "I have paid no attention to the opinions of others, and this attitude of mind has become habitual, so that praise or blame make no impression on me whatever."
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Neither will he be moved with the tongues of all that praise him, who hath settled his whole hope in God. For behold, they also that speak are all nothing, for they shall pass away with the sound of their words: but the truth of the Lord remaineth for ever (Ps. cxvi, 2).
- Bk. III, ch. xiv.
_______________
When still a novice she heard two members of the Community, one after the other and independently, express their opinion of her. One judgement was the exact opposite of the other, yet both were given with equal good faith and conviction. "Since then," she said, "I have paid no attention to the opinions of others, and this attitude of mind has become habitual, so that praise or blame make no impression on me whatever."
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Meditation for January 9, Obedience
At the command of the angel, Joseph with Mary and Jesus went into Egypt. Now the angel appears again; it is time to return to Nazareth. They leave Egypt. The will of God is enough for them.
How do the Gospels sum up the thirty years Jesus spent in the company of Joseph and Mary? Jesus was obedient.
I have vowed to obey, to do at every moment what God asks because He asks it. Am I keeping my promise?
Before entering religion, the venerable Ursuline, Marie of the Incarnation, formerly Madame Martin, made a vow of obedience, but not like mine, that is determined by an Institute and according to a definite Rule. She bound herself by a double obligation: first, to carry out all the prescriptions of her confessor, who was fortunately a moderate and prudent man; second, to accede to all the demands, desires and caprices of her associates in all that was not contrary to the law of God.
This second form of subjection approaches heroism. We gain some insight into the meaning of this vow when we hear Mother remark casually, "God alone knows what suffering there was in this kind of obedience." Besides we can imagine that those to whom Marie Martin pledged herself, her brother-in-law and her sister, were unaware of her promise.
And I find it so hard to obey even though what is asked of me is less difficult and less unforeseen!
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
How do the Gospels sum up the thirty years Jesus spent in the company of Joseph and Mary? Jesus was obedient.
I have vowed to obey, to do at every moment what God asks because He asks it. Am I keeping my promise?
Before entering religion, the venerable Ursuline, Marie of the Incarnation, formerly Madame Martin, made a vow of obedience, but not like mine, that is determined by an Institute and according to a definite Rule. She bound herself by a double obligation: first, to carry out all the prescriptions of her confessor, who was fortunately a moderate and prudent man; second, to accede to all the demands, desires and caprices of her associates in all that was not contrary to the law of God.
This second form of subjection approaches heroism. We gain some insight into the meaning of this vow when we hear Mother remark casually, "God alone knows what suffering there was in this kind of obedience." Besides we can imagine that those to whom Marie Martin pledged herself, her brother-in-law and her sister, were unaware of her promise.
And I find it so hard to obey even though what is asked of me is less difficult and less unforeseen!
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Day 2 - Annual Sacred Heart Novena for Archbishop Burke
Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, ask and you shall receive;
seek and you shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you."
Hence I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of continued wisdom for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may share in the most profound way the intentions of your most Sacred Heart.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you ask
of the Father in My name,
He will give unto you.”
Hence I ask the Father, in Thy name, for the grace of fortitude for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may continue to exercise his apostolic ministry according to the example of the Good Shepherd.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away."
Encouraged by Thy infallible words,
I now ask for the grace of spiritual consolation for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may be comforted when he finds himself as faithful disciple of Thy Son under His Cross.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
Let us pray
Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Whom one thing alone is impossible, namely, not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace we ask of Thee, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy tender Mother and ours.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of they womb, Jesus.
O clememt. O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
__________________
Saint Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all that call upon Thee, have mercy on us!
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us!
Bishop Olmstead Celebrates First Public Mass in Gallup
More here...
The Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted prepares to begin services at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Gallup, N.M. Olmsted was apointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Gallup during Bishop Donald E. Polotte one-year medical leave of absence. Olmsted is also the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]
What's with the 'altar girls'?
ITV's Number 1 Person of the Year is Francis Beckwith
Inside the Vatican has again chosen 10 men and women as it's "Top Ten People of the Year." Profiles of each of the 10 will be published in the upcoming January issue of Inside the Vatican. Meanwhile, we will publish the profiles day by day in these email newsflashes, and on our website.This is well worth taking time to read...
Our Number 1 Person of the Year is Francis Beckwith, a brilliant young American philosopher who has just published a profound and eloquent defense of the Christian teaching in defense of life and in opposition to legalized abortion. Here is a brief profile of Beckwith. -- The Editor
Padre Pio's body to be exhumed, venerated
San Giovanni Rotondo, Jan. 7, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The body of Padre Pio will be exhumed and exposed for public veneration during the coming year, the local archbishop has announced...
Archbishop Domenico D'Ambrosio said that the body of Padre Pio would be available for public veneration in 2008, for the 40th anniversary of his death. Each year close to 1 million pilgrims travel to the shrine of the saint at San Giovanni Rotondo....
Gospel for Tuesday after Epiphany
From: Mark 6:34-44
First Miracle of the Loaves
[34] As he (Jesus) landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. [35] And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; [36] send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat." [37] But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" [38] And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." [39] Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass. [40] So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. [41] And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. [42] And they all ate and were satisfied. [43] And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. [44] And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
______________
Commentary:
34. Our Lord had planned a period of rest, for himself and his disciples, from the pressures of the apostolate (Mk 6:31-32). And he has to change his plans because so many people come, eager to hear him speak. Not only is he not annoyed with them: he feels compassion on seeing their spiritual need. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos 4:6). They need instruction and our Lord wants to meet this need by preaching to them. "Jesus is moved by hunger and sorrow, but what moves him most is ignorance" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 109).
37. A denarius was what an artisan earned for a normal day's work. The disciples must, therefore, have thought it little less than impossible to fulfill the Master's command, because they would not have had this much money.
41. This miracle is a figure of the Holy Eucharist: Christ performed it shortly before promising that sacrament (cf. Jn 6:1ff), and the Fathers have always so interpreted it. In this miracle Jesus shows his supernatural power and his love for men--the same power and love as make it possible for Christ's one and only body to be present in the eucharistic species to nourish the faithful down the centuries. In the words of the sequence composed by St Thomas Aquinas for the Mass of Corpus Christi: "Sumit unus, sumunt mille, quantum isti, tantum ille, nec sumptus consumitur" (Be one or be a thousand fed, they eat alike that living bread which, still received, ne'er wastes away).
This gesture of our Lord--looking up to heaven--is recalled in the Roman canon of the Mass: "Et elevatis oculis in caelum, ad Te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem" (and looking up to heaven, to you, his almighty Father). At this point in the Mass we are preparing to be present at a miracle greater than that of the multiplication of the loaves--the changing of bread into his own body, offered as food for all men.
42. Christ wanted the left-overs to be collected (cf. Jn 6:12) to teach us not to waste things God gives us, and also to have them as a tangible proof of the miracle.
The collecting of the leftovers is a way of showing us the value of little things done out of love for God--orderliness, cleanliness, finishing things completely. It also reminds the sensitive believer of the extreme care that must be taken of the eucharistic species. Also, the generous scale of the miracle is an _expression of the largesse of the messianic times. The Fathers recall that Moses distributed the manna for each to eat as much as he needed but some left part of it for the next day and it bred worms (Ex 16:16-20). Elijah gave the widow just enough to meet her needs (1 Kings 17:13-16). Jesus, on the other hand, gives generously and abundantly.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
First Miracle of the Loaves
[34] As he (Jesus) landed he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. [35] And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the hour is now late; [36] send them away, to go into the country and villages round about and buy themselves something to eat." [37] But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?" [38] And he said to them, "How many loaves have you? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." [39] Then he commanded them all to sit down by companies upon the green grass. [40] So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. [41] And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people; and he divided the two fish among them all. [42] And they all ate and were satisfied. [43] And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. [44] And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
______________
Commentary:
34. Our Lord had planned a period of rest, for himself and his disciples, from the pressures of the apostolate (Mk 6:31-32). And he has to change his plans because so many people come, eager to hear him speak. Not only is he not annoyed with them: he feels compassion on seeing their spiritual need. "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hos 4:6). They need instruction and our Lord wants to meet this need by preaching to them. "Jesus is moved by hunger and sorrow, but what moves him most is ignorance" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 109).
37. A denarius was what an artisan earned for a normal day's work. The disciples must, therefore, have thought it little less than impossible to fulfill the Master's command, because they would not have had this much money.
41. This miracle is a figure of the Holy Eucharist: Christ performed it shortly before promising that sacrament (cf. Jn 6:1ff), and the Fathers have always so interpreted it. In this miracle Jesus shows his supernatural power and his love for men--the same power and love as make it possible for Christ's one and only body to be present in the eucharistic species to nourish the faithful down the centuries. In the words of the sequence composed by St Thomas Aquinas for the Mass of Corpus Christi: "Sumit unus, sumunt mille, quantum isti, tantum ille, nec sumptus consumitur" (Be one or be a thousand fed, they eat alike that living bread which, still received, ne'er wastes away).
This gesture of our Lord--looking up to heaven--is recalled in the Roman canon of the Mass: "Et elevatis oculis in caelum, ad Te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem" (and looking up to heaven, to you, his almighty Father). At this point in the Mass we are preparing to be present at a miracle greater than that of the multiplication of the loaves--the changing of bread into his own body, offered as food for all men.
42. Christ wanted the left-overs to be collected (cf. Jn 6:12) to teach us not to waste things God gives us, and also to have them as a tangible proof of the miracle.
The collecting of the leftovers is a way of showing us the value of little things done out of love for God--orderliness, cleanliness, finishing things completely. It also reminds the sensitive believer of the extreme care that must be taken of the eucharistic species. Also, the generous scale of the miracle is an _expression of the largesse of the messianic times. The Fathers recall that Moses distributed the manna for each to eat as much as he needed but some left part of it for the next day and it bred worms (Ex 16:16-20). Elijah gave the widow just enough to meet her needs (1 Kings 17:13-16). Jesus, on the other hand, gives generously and abundantly.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Just for Today, January 8
Love often knows no measure, but is inflamed above measure.
-Bk. III, ch. v.
________________
When I come to die and see God, who will pour out His love upon me for all eternity when I can no longer prove mine by making sacrifices, I should not be able to endure it if I had not done on earth all in my power to please Him.
-Esprit de Sainte Therese
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. III, ch. v.
________________
When I come to die and see God, who will pour out His love upon me for all eternity when I can no longer prove mine by making sacrifices, I should not be able to endure it if I had not done on earth all in my power to please Him.
-Esprit de Sainte Therese
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - January 8
The shortest, yea, the only way to reach sanctity, is to conceive a horror for all that the world loves and values.
-St. Ignatius
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Ignatius
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for January 8, Be as Little Children
A child is simple, he expresses frankly and openly what he wants.
He feels his needs keenly, so he asks with insistence and perseverance.
He loves and he never doubts the love shown him.
He confidently abandons himself to those who care for him.
That is what our Lord wants when He asks us to become as little children (Matt. xviii, 3), an ideal which, at first sight, appears unworthy of mature persons. Let us not confuse childishness, artlessness, and the other faults of childhood with the qualities required by Our Lord.
I will be natural and avoid all artifice and strategy with God and my neighbor. To be truly true is rare.
Nothing shall dampen the ardor of my petitions to Our Lord. I shall pray with the beautiful importunity of a child with fearless audacity and undismayed insistence. The reproach Until now you have asked nothing, will not apply to me.
I shall imitate the child's readiness to love without expecting a return of love, and his confidence in the love he receives. I play the grown-up too often. I torment myself with such questions as: "Does God really love me? Is He pleased with my fidelity?" Does a child ever disturb himself with such thoughts?
And finally, absolute confidence! Sheltere~ in the arms of his mother, the child does not concern himself with threatening danger. He is there; he is comfortable there; he is secure there.
I am much too grown-up. I must quickly become as a child.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
He feels his needs keenly, so he asks with insistence and perseverance.
He loves and he never doubts the love shown him.
He confidently abandons himself to those who care for him.
That is what our Lord wants when He asks us to become as little children (Matt. xviii, 3), an ideal which, at first sight, appears unworthy of mature persons. Let us not confuse childishness, artlessness, and the other faults of childhood with the qualities required by Our Lord.
I will be natural and avoid all artifice and strategy with God and my neighbor. To be truly true is rare.
Nothing shall dampen the ardor of my petitions to Our Lord. I shall pray with the beautiful importunity of a child with fearless audacity and undismayed insistence. The reproach Until now you have asked nothing, will not apply to me.
I shall imitate the child's readiness to love without expecting a return of love, and his confidence in the love he receives. I play the grown-up too often. I torment myself with such questions as: "Does God really love me? Is He pleased with my fidelity?" Does a child ever disturb himself with such thoughts?
And finally, absolute confidence! Sheltere~ in the arms of his mother, the child does not concern himself with threatening danger. He is there; he is comfortable there; he is secure there.
I am much too grown-up. I must quickly become as a child.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom chooses historic Catholic church for part of second inauguration
Gavin Newsom, the divorced San Francisco mayor who provoked a constitutional crisis in 2004 by granting marriage licenses to 4,000 same-sex couples, has chosen the historic Mission Dolores Basilica for a family Mass on the occasion of his inauguration to a second term.The questions which come to mind are why Newsom would choose a Catholic church to begin with considering his public oppposition to Church teachings – and why any Catholic church or parish would agree to his request to use a church for his political ends. This is a scandal on the part of the church to allow this...
Newsom and his family are scheduled to attend Mass at Mission Dolores tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 8, in what his press office is calling a “low-key” second inauguration....
“Mission Dolores has always had a central place in the religious, civic, and cultural life of San Francisco,” says the Mission Dolores web site. “Misión San Francisco de Asís was founded June 29, 1776, under the direction of Father Junipero Serra and is both the oldest original intact Mission in California and the oldest building in San Francisco.Serrans everywhere should be outraged that this is taking place...
"Let No One Touch the Child." The Church Blesses the Worldwide Moratorium on Abortion
From Chiesa:
The initiative was born in the secular camp, but the Catholic hierarchy has immediately supported it. The Church's new politics for life and the family has a successful precedent: the 2005 Italian referendum in defense of embryos. A preview of an analysis by Luca Diotallevi....
by Sandro Magiste
Day 1 - Annual Sacred Heart Novena for Archbishop Burke
Irresistible Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, ask and you shall receive;
seek and you shall find;
knock and it shall be opened unto you."
Hence I knock, I seek, and I ask for the grace of continued wisdom for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may share in the most profound way the intentions of your most Sacred Heart.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, whatever you ask
of the Father in My name,
He will give unto you.”
Hence I ask the Father, in Thy name, for the grace of fortitude for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may continue to exercise his apostolic ministry according to the example of the Good Shepherd.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
O my Jesus, Thou didst say:
"Amen, I say to you, heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall not pass away."
Encouraged by Thy infallible words,
I now ask for the grace of spiritual consolation for our beloved Archbishop Raymond that he may be comforted when he finds himself as faithful disciple of Thy Son under His Cross.
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee!
Let us pray
Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Whom one thing alone is impossible, namely, not to have compassion on the afflicted, have pity on us miserable sinners and grant us the grace we ask of Thee, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy tender Mother and ours.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of they womb, Jesus.
O clememt. O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
__________________
Saint Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for us!
Heart of Jesus, rich unto all that call upon Thee, have mercy on us!
Heart of Jesus, salvation of those who hope in Thee, have mercy on us
Gospel for Monday after Epiphany
Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Penafort, priest
From: Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25
Preaching in Galilee. The First Disciples Called
[12] Now when He (Jesus) heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee; [13] and leaving Nazareth He went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, [14] that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: [15] "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- [16] the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." [17] From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."
[23] And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. [24] So His fame spread throughout Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them. [25] And great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
______________
Commentary:
15-16. Here St. Matthew quotes the prophecy of Isaiah 8:23-9:1. The territory referred to (Zebulun, Naphtali, the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan), was invaded by the Assyrians in the period 734-721 B.C., especially during the reign of Tilgathpilneser III. A portion of the Jewish population was deported and sizeable numbers of foreigners were planted in the region to colonize it. For this reason it is referred to in the Bible henceforth as the "Galilee of the Gentiles".
The Evangelist, inspired by God, sees Jesus' coming to Galilee as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. This land, devastated and abused in Isaiah's time, will be the first to receive the light of Christ's life and preaching. The messianic meaning of the prophecy is, therefore, clear.
17. See the note on Matthew 3:2 This verse indicates the outstanding importance of the first step in Jesus' public ministry, begun by proclaiming the imminence of the Kingdom of God. Jesus' words echo John the Baptist's proclamation: the second part of this verse is the same, word for word, as Matthew 3:2. This underlines the role played by St. John the Baptist as prophet and precursor of Jesus. Both St. John and our Lord demand repentance, penance, as a prerequisite to receiving the Kingdom of God, now beginning. God's rule over mankind is a main theme in Christ's Revelation, just as it was central to the whole Old Testament. However, in the latter, the Kingdom of God had an element of theocracy about it: God reigned over Israel in both spiritual and temporal affairs and it was through Him that Israel subjected other nations to her rule. Little by little, Jesus will unfold the new-style kingdom of God, now arrived at its fullness. He will show it to be a Kingdom of love and holiness, thereby purifying it of the nationalistic misconceptions of the people of His time.
The King invites everyone without exception to this Kingdom (cf. Matthew 22:1-4). The Banquet of the Kingdom is held on this earth and has certain entry requirements which must be preached by the proponents of the Kingdom: "Therefore the Eucharistic celebration is the center of the assembly of the faithful over which the priest presides. Hence priests teach the faithful to offer the divine Victim to God the Father in the sacrifice of the Mass, and with the Victim to make an offering of their whole lives. In the spirit of Christ the pastor, they instruct them to submit their sins to the Church with a contrite heart in the Sacrament of Penance, so that they may be daily more and more converted to the Lord, remembering His words, `Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand'" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 5).
23. "Synagogue": this word comes from the Greek and designates the building where the Jews assembled for religious ceremonies on the Sabbath and other feast days. Such ceremonies were non-sacrificial in character (sacrifices could be performed only in the Temple of Jerusalem). The synagogue was also the place where the Jews received their religious training. The word was also used to designate local Jewish communities within and without Palestine.
24. "Epileptic" (or, in some translations, "lunatic"). This word was applied in a very general way to those who had illnesses related to epilepsy. The disease was popularly regarded as being dependent on the phases of the moon (Latin: "luna").
23-25. In these few liens, the evangelist gives us a very fine summary of the various aspects of Jesus' work. The preaching of the gospel or "good news" of the Kingdom, the healing of diseases, and the casting out of devils are all specific signs of the Messiah's presence, according to the Old Testament prophecies (Is 35:5-6; 61:1; 40:9;52:7).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
From: Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25
Preaching in Galilee. The First Disciples Called
[12] Now when He (Jesus) heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee; [13] and leaving Nazareth He went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, [14] that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: [15] "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- [16] the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned." [17] From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."
[23] And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people. [24] So His fame spread throughout Syria, and they brought Him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them. [25] And great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.
______________
Commentary:
15-16. Here St. Matthew quotes the prophecy of Isaiah 8:23-9:1. The territory referred to (Zebulun, Naphtali, the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan), was invaded by the Assyrians in the period 734-721 B.C., especially during the reign of Tilgathpilneser III. A portion of the Jewish population was deported and sizeable numbers of foreigners were planted in the region to colonize it. For this reason it is referred to in the Bible henceforth as the "Galilee of the Gentiles".
The Evangelist, inspired by God, sees Jesus' coming to Galilee as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. This land, devastated and abused in Isaiah's time, will be the first to receive the light of Christ's life and preaching. The messianic meaning of the prophecy is, therefore, clear.
17. See the note on Matthew 3:2 This verse indicates the outstanding importance of the first step in Jesus' public ministry, begun by proclaiming the imminence of the Kingdom of God. Jesus' words echo John the Baptist's proclamation: the second part of this verse is the same, word for word, as Matthew 3:2. This underlines the role played by St. John the Baptist as prophet and precursor of Jesus. Both St. John and our Lord demand repentance, penance, as a prerequisite to receiving the Kingdom of God, now beginning. God's rule over mankind is a main theme in Christ's Revelation, just as it was central to the whole Old Testament. However, in the latter, the Kingdom of God had an element of theocracy about it: God reigned over Israel in both spiritual and temporal affairs and it was through Him that Israel subjected other nations to her rule. Little by little, Jesus will unfold the new-style kingdom of God, now arrived at its fullness. He will show it to be a Kingdom of love and holiness, thereby purifying it of the nationalistic misconceptions of the people of His time.
The King invites everyone without exception to this Kingdom (cf. Matthew 22:1-4). The Banquet of the Kingdom is held on this earth and has certain entry requirements which must be preached by the proponents of the Kingdom: "Therefore the Eucharistic celebration is the center of the assembly of the faithful over which the priest presides. Hence priests teach the faithful to offer the divine Victim to God the Father in the sacrifice of the Mass, and with the Victim to make an offering of their whole lives. In the spirit of Christ the pastor, they instruct them to submit their sins to the Church with a contrite heart in the Sacrament of Penance, so that they may be daily more and more converted to the Lord, remembering His words, `Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand'" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 5).
23. "Synagogue": this word comes from the Greek and designates the building where the Jews assembled for religious ceremonies on the Sabbath and other feast days. Such ceremonies were non-sacrificial in character (sacrifices could be performed only in the Temple of Jerusalem). The synagogue was also the place where the Jews received their religious training. The word was also used to designate local Jewish communities within and without Palestine.
24. "Epileptic" (or, in some translations, "lunatic"). This word was applied in a very general way to those who had illnesses related to epilepsy. The disease was popularly regarded as being dependent on the phases of the moon (Latin: "luna").
23-25. In these few liens, the evangelist gives us a very fine summary of the various aspects of Jesus' work. The preaching of the gospel or "good news" of the Kingdom, the healing of diseases, and the casting out of devils are all specific signs of the Messiah's presence, according to the Old Testament prophecies (Is 35:5-6; 61:1; 40:9;52:7).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.