Saturday, January 31, 2009

Gospel for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: Mark 1:21-28

Jesus in the Synagogue of Capernaum

[21] And they went into Capernaum; and immediately on the sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. [22] And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. [23] And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; [24] and he cried out, "What have You to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are, the Holy One of God." [25] But Jesus rebuked him saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" [26] And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. [27] And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching! With authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." [28] And at once His fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee.
____________________
Commentary:
21. "Synagogue" means meeting, assembly, community. It was--and is--used by the Jews to describe the place where they met to hear the Scriptures read, and to pray. Synagogues seem to have originated in the social gatherings of the Jews during their exile in Babylon, but this phenomenon did not spread until much later. In our Lord's time there were synagogues, in Palestine, in every city and town of any importance; and, outside Palestine, wherever the Jewish community was large enough. The synagogue consisted mainly of a rectangular room built in such a way that those attending were facing Jerusalem when seated. There was a rostrum or pulpit from which Sacred Scripture was read and explained.

22. Here we can see how Jesus showed His authority to teach. Even when He took Scripture as His basis--as in the Sermon on the Mount--He was different from other teachers, for He spoke in His own name: "But I say to you" (Matthew 7:28-29). Our Lord speaks about the mysteries of God, and about human relationships; He teaches in a simple and authoritative way because He speaks of what He knows and testifies to what He has seen (John 3:11). The scribes also taught the people, St. Bede comments, about what is written in Moses and the prophets; but Jesus preached to them as God and Lord of Moses himself (St. Bede, "In Marci Evangelium Expositio"). Moreover, first He does and then He preaches (Acts 1:1)--not like the scribes who teach and do not do (Matthew 23:1-5).

23-26. The Gospels give us many accounts of miraculous cures, among the most outstanding of which are those of people possessed by the devil. Victory over the unclean spirit, as the devil is usually described, is a clear sign that God's salvation has come: by overcoming the Evil One, Jesus shows that He is the Messiah, the Savior, more powerful than the demons: "Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out" (John 12:31). Throughout the Gospel we see many accounts of this continuous and successful struggle of our Lord against the devil.

As time goes on the devil's opposition to Jesus becomes ever clearer; in the wilderness it is hidden and subtle; it is noticeable and violent in the case of possessed people; and radical and total during the Passion, the devil's "hour and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53). And Jesus' victory also becomes ever clearer, until He triumphs completely by rising from the dead.

The devil is called unclean, St. John Chrysostom says, because of his impiety and withdrawal from God. In some ways he does recognize Christ's holiness, but this knowledge is not accompanied by charity. In addition to the historical fact of this cure, we can also see, in this possessed man, those sinners who must be converted to God and freed from the slavery to sin and the devil. They may have to struggle for a long time but victory will come: the Evil One is powerless against Christ (cf. note on Matthew 12:22-24).

27. The same authority that Jesus showed in His teaching (1:22) is now to be seen in His actions. His will is His command: He has no need of long prayers or incantations. Jesus' words and actions already have a divine power which provokes wonder and fear in those who hear and see Him.

Jesus continues to impress people in this way (Mark 2:12; 5:20-42; 7:37; 15:39; Luke 19:48; John 7:46). Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Savior. He knows this Himself and He lets it be known by His actions and by His words; according to the gospel accounts (Mark 1:38-39; 2:10-11; 4:39) there is complete continuity and consistency between what He says and He does. As Vatican II teaches ("Dei Verbum", 2) Revelation is realized by deeds and words intimately connected with each other: the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them; the deeds confirm the teaching. In this way Jesus progressively reveals the mystery of His Person: first the people sense His exceptional authority; later on, the Apostles, enlightened by God's grace, recognize the deepest source of this authority: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).
___________________________
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.

St. Mary's Protest - First Amendment Under Assault

St. Mary's College in Moraga, California shuts off debate to protect "reputation" of domestic terrorist Bill Ayers.


Principles and Practices - February 1

A Prayer

Lord, who art merciful as well as just,
Incline Thine ear to me, a child of dust:
Not what I would, O Lord! I offer Thee,
Alas! but what I can.
Father Almighty, who hadst made me man,
And bade me look to heaven, for Thou art there,
Accept my sacrifice and humble prayer,
Four things which are not in Thy Treasury
I lay before Thee, Lord, with this petition;
My nothingness, my wants,
My sins, and my contrition.

-Southey.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for February 1

AND being admonished to return unto myself I entered into the very inmost parts of my soul, thou being my leader, and I was able to do it, because now thou wert become my helper. I entered into myself and with the eye of my soul - such as it was - I discerned even beyond my soul and mind itself, the unchangeable light of the Lord.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-February 1

HE that undertakes a thing solely for the glory of God is not troubled at all, though his undertaking may fail of success. In truth, by working with a pure intention, he has already gained his object, which was to please Almighty God.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Friday, January 30, 2009

Gospel for Jan 31, Memorial: St John Bosco, Priest

Saturday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. John Bosco, confessor


Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

From: Mark 4:35-41

The Calming of the Storm
[35] On that day, when evening had come, He (Jesus) said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." [36] And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them just as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him. [37] And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat so that the boat was already filling. [38] But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care if we perish?" [39] And He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. [40] He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" [41] And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?"
_________________
Commentary:
35-41. The episode of the calming of the storm, the memory of which must have often helped the Apostles regain their serenity in the midst of struggles and difficulties, also helps us never lose the supernatural way of looking at things: a Christian's life is like a ship: "As a vessel on the sea is exposed to a thousand dangers--pirates, quicksands, hidden rocks, tempests--so man in this life, is encompassed with perils, arising from the temptations of Hell, from the occasions of sin, from the scandals or bad counsels of men, from human respect, and, above all from the passions of corrupt nature [...]. This should not cause him to lose confidence. Rather [...] when you find yourself assaulted by a violent passion [...] take whatever steps you can to avoid the occasions [of sin] and place your reliance on God [...]: when the tempest is violent, the pilot never takes his eyes from the light which guides him to port. In like manner, we should keep our eyes always turned to God, who alone can deliver us from the many dangers to which we are exposed" (St. Augustine, "Sermon 51; for the Fourth Sunday After Epiphany).
___________________________
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.

Principles and Practices - January 31

Be Faithful in Little Things

'I have read,' writes L. Veuillot, 'that once there ascended to heaven a little un­known soul, which was permitted to enter immediately, without having undergone any fatigue, or shed a tear, or suffered a misfortune, or even done anything extraordinary.

'God assigned to it a very glorious place, and a murmur of astonishment passed through the as­sembly of saints.

'All looked towards the Guardian Angel who had borne up the little soul. The angel bowed down before God, and obtained His permission to speak to the heavenly court, and from his lips, with a voice more gentle than the beating of a butterfly's wings, he uttered these words, which all heaven heard:
"This soul has always taken uncomplainingly its share of sunshine, of darkness, and of toil, and has never knowingly harboured anything in which there was an offence against God."
-Golden Grains.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for January 31

AND behold thou art near at hand, thou deliverest us from our wretched errors, thou dost place us in the right way and dost comfort us; run on and I will carry you - I will conduct you to the end and even there I will uphold you.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-January 31

THEY who know God, the love which he merits, and how to love him, stand not in need of any other knowledge. They are wiser than those who are masters of many sciences, but know not how to love God.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News Updates, 1/30

NBC refuses to air pro-life ad for Super Bowl broadcast
The NBC television network has rejected a Catholic group's bid to air the popular pro-life ad, "Life: Imagine the Potential," during this Sunday's Super Bowl broadcast. Network executives explained that their standards bar advertisements involving "political advocacy or issues." But Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote.org, the group that produced the ad, noted that NBC has accepted an ad from People for Ethical Treatment of Animals, another advocacy group....
[NBC LIARS - everyone of them! Their lips are still attached to someone's rear]

For Peter's Cash, a Calm Amid the Storm (Chiesa)
The global crisis is also affecting the Vatican's finances, but to a limited extent. Donations are still generous. And the bank even closed 2008 with a profit. Here are the figures from the past five years

Report: Pope may welcome Traditional Anglicans
Plans could mean mass exodus from the Church of England

Now Italian SSPX priest questions Holocaust
Suggests gas chambers were just used for 'disinfection'

Cardinal: SSPX leader 'recognizes Vatican II'
Head of Ecclesia Dei makes surprising announcement

Jewish council in Germany breaks ties with Vatican
Despite Pope's 'full and indisputable solidarity' with Jews

Grand jury investigates Los Angeles priest cases
Cardinal Mahony 'mystified and puzzled by the whole thing'

Bishop denies FOCA threat to Catholic health care
'There is no plan to shut down any hospital if it passes'
[This from "Catholic" News Service, for what it's worth]

Israeli Jews welcome Pope's words on Holocaust
Benedict reiterated full support for his 'Jewish brothers'

Father Drinan was target of FBI scrutiny
Priest was only Jesuit ever to serve in Congress
[We need to pray for his soul, especially since he held positions at odds with the Church and the natural moral law]

Active Military Suit is Best Chance at Challenging POTUS Eligibility (Leo Donofrio)
Today, Leo Donofrio posted an article in which he posits that the best way to achieve standing in challenging an ineligible President, in his view, is to gather as many active military personnel and file suit in federal court...Read more at therightsideoflife.com

Australian News: Obama, Oaths of Allegiance, the UCMJ, Unlawful Orders, Joe the Private, and a Call to Protect the Republic
Throughout the history of America, there have been those special individuals of courage and principle who have answered the call to protect the Republic. I believe in these extraordinary times, the call to protect the Republic is being sounded again. In over 30 courts throughout these United States, lawsuits have been trying to be heard on the merits of the primary allegation that Barack Obama does not meet the Constitutional requirements to serve as President because he is not a “Natural Born Citizen” of the United States...

Obama should acknowledge his roots
Pres__ent [ID still missing] attended Catholic school in Indonesia
[Right, he was enrolled as Barry Soetoro, Religion-Islam]

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Gospel for Friday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Martina, virgin and martyr

From: Mark 4:26-34

Parables of the Seed and of the Mustard Seed

[26] And He (Jesus) said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, [27] and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how. [28] The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. [29] But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is come."

[30] And He said, "With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? [31] It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; [32] yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

The End of the Parables Discourse

[33] With many such parables He spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; [34] He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to His own disciples He explained everything.
________________
Commentary:

26-29. Farmers spare no effort to prepare the ground for the sowing; but once the grain is sown there is nothing more they can do until the harvest; the grain develops by itself. Our Lord uses this comparison to describe the inner strength that causes the Kingdom of God on earth to grow up to the day of harvest (cf. Joel 3:13 and Revelation 14:15), that is, the day of the Last Judgment.

Jesus is telling His disciples about the Church: the preaching of the Gospel, the generously sown seed, will unfailingly yield its fruit, independently of who sows or who reaps: it is God who gives the growth (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:5-9). It will all happen "he knows not how", without men being fully aware of it.

The Kingdom of God also refers to the action of grace in each soul: God silently works a transformation in us, whether we sleep or watch, causing resolutions to take shape in our soul--resolutions to be faithful, to surrender ourselves, to respond to grace--until we reach "mature manhood" (cf. Ephesians 4:13). Even though it is necessary for man to make this effort, the real initiative lies with God, "because it is the Holy Spirit who, with His inspirations, gives a supernatural tone to our thoughts, desires and actions. It is He who leads us to receive Christ's teaching and to assimilate it in a profound way. It is He who gives us the light by which we perceive our personal calling and the strength to carry out all that God expects of us. If we are docile to the Holy Spirit, the image of Christ will be found more and more fully in us, and we will be brought closer every day to God the Father. `For whoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God' (Romans 8:14)" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 135).

30-32. The main meaning of this parable has to do with the contrast between the great and the small. The seed of the Kingdom of God on earth is something very tiny to begin with (Luke 12:32; Acts 1:15); but it will grow to be a big tree. Thus we see how the small initial group of disciples grows in the early years of the Church (cf Acts 2:47; 6:7; 12:24), and spreads down the centuries and becomes a great multitude "which no man could number" (Revelation 7:9). This mysterious growth which our Lord refers to also occurs in each soul: "the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:21); we can see a prediction of this in the words of Psalm 92:12: "The righteous grow like a cedar in Lebanon." To allow the mercy of God to exalt us, to make us grow, we must make ourselves small, humble (Ezekiel 17:22-24; Luke 18:9-14).
___________________________
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.

Principles and Practices - January 30

Regularity Is Essential

It would be difficult to imagine that the God of law and order had exempted our nature from the government of Law in its highest operations. And yet there are not a few who, while they are orderly and regular in every other depart­ment of life, seem to think that the spiritual life is to be an exception. The dread of anything like mechanicalness or routine becomes exaggerated into a rejection of all method, system, or regularity in spiritual things. They refuse to lay down rules for prayer or the frequenting of the Sacraments.

-Maturin.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for January 30

NEITHER is there any other teacher of truth but only thou wheresoever and whensoever it may shine.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-January 30

THE death of the just is the entrance to life. Seeing in his house a picture which repre­sented a skeleton with a scythe in the hand, St Charles Borromeo sent for a painter, and ordered him to erase the scythe, and to paint a golden key, in order that he might be more inflamed with a desire of death, which opens Paradise and admits us to the vision of God.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News Updates, 1/29

Former Terrorist's Lecture at Catholic College Is 'Affront to Human Dignity' Says Catholic Education Group
Former domestic terrorist Bill Ayers will lecture on morality and ethics tonight at Saint Mary's College of California as part of a series intended to advance the college's Lasallian Catholic values...Saint Mary's College is...affiliated with the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Catholic order of priests founded by St. John Baptist de la Salle. The college claims to embrace core Lasallian values including "faith in the presence of God" and "respect for all persons."..."Bill Ayers' honored presence at a Catholic college should offend not only Catholics, but all men and women of good will," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. "It is an affront to basic human dignity and a scandal that a Catholic college should provide a platform for a man who reportedly takes pride in terrorist acts against the United States."
[It is no longer a "Catholic" college but is probably a liberal, leftist spawning ground for socialism-what bozos!]

Cardinal Mahony under federal fraud probe
Grand jury investigates his response to child sex abuse

Social Justice: Code Word for Anti-Americanism (Phyllis Schafley Report)
Why did 18-to-29-year-old evangelicals vote for Barack Obama despite his apostasy on the fundamental moral issues of abortion and same-sex unions? They voted 32% for Obama, twice the percentage of that demographic group who voted for John Kerry in 2004...Many of these young people identify "social justice" as the reason that led them to relegate the prime moral issues of life and marriage to the back burner. But the term "social justice" does not define a moral cause; it is leftwing jargon to overturn those who have economic and political power.

Chief Rabbinate of Israel cuts ties with Vatican
Protesting Pope's decision to reinstate Holocaust denier

CNS Carrying Water for Team Obama?
Says Rumors aside, FOCA legislation no threat to Catholic health care

Britain's Catholic bishops denounce anti-Semitism
Views of Holocaust-denying bishop are 'unacceptable'

Pope Benedict XVI voices support for Jews
Rejects holocaust denial in Wednesday audience

Cardinal: Zimbabwe crisis 'worse than desperate'
Catholic Church calls Mugabe government illegitimate

Pelosi should abstain from social engineering
Speaker: fewer people means higher standard of living
{She should be PUBLICLY excommunicated for her anti-life, baby murdering stance]

Abortion foes warn of hospital closures
Catholic parishes: Do not pass radical abortion bill
[Tell the death peddlers to go pound sand]

Vatican's Burke hits U.S. bishops over election
Blames USCCB conference document for voting confusion
[How many of them should be laicized or forced to resign for aiding and abetting the culture of death?]

Vigneron installed as new Detroit archbishop
Sermon 'clearly showed his traditionalist bent'
[Catholic bishops and priests who are not heretics are labeled by the ignorant as "traditionalists"]

Know the law, stand your ground
Security guard calls police on pro-lifers outside Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in San Diego, but officers make no arrests once law is explained to them

GOP Congressman Intros 'Rangel Rule,' Eliminating IRS Late Fees
Americans may be able to rest a little easier this April if Congressman John Carter, R-Texas gets his way. He introduced a bill Wednesday to eliminate all IRS penalties and interest for paying taxes past due and he calls it the "Rangel Rule," -- drawing attention to the recent legal issues of House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y. It enables citizens who fail to pay taxes on time to do so later with no additional fees.
[Surely the traitors in Washington, not wanting to expose their hypocrisy and preferential treatment, would embrace this for their employers-the American taxpayers?]

The USURPER Soetoro/Obama Suggested FDR’s ‘New Deal’ Was Too Small, House Republicans Say
In a closed-door meeting with House Republicans on Tuesday to discuss the $819-billion economic stimulus bill [also known as the "Democrats' Generational Theft Act of 2009,"-HT Laura Ingrahm] President Obama suggested that Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal failed because it was too small, Reps. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Rob Bishop (R-Utah), who attended the meeting, told CNSNews.com.
[In other news, 8 days into his Usurping of the Office of President, this marxist, incapacitated by his malignant narcissism, is concerned about his "legacy" - what a tool he is, a real piece of work this clown is...]

From Russia (Pravda), With Love...
Barry Soetoro aka Barack Obama vs World Leaders
I know that World leaders are fully accustomed to conducting business with all manner of criminals, terrorists, dictators and other illegitimate “leaders” of Nations...But Obama may be different, as no one knows his real name, his place of birth, who his true parents are or even his actual birth date....

Senator Inhofe Calls Gore's Climate Message 'Desperate'

The lawmakers gazed in awe at the figure before them. The Goracle had seen the future, and he had come to tell them about it.
What the Goracle saw in the future was not good: temperature changes that "would bring a screeching halt to human civilization and threaten the fabric of life everywhere on the Earth -- and this is within this century, if we don't change."
[More Snake oil charlatans-buffoons, every last one of them. Must be part of our temporal punishment]

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Gospel for Thursday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Francis De Sales, bishop, confessor and doctor

From: Mark 4:21-25

Parables of the Lamp and the Measure

[21] And He (Jesus) said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and not on a stand? [22] For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. [23] If any man has ears to hear, let him hear." [24] And He said to them, "Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. [25] For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
________________
Commentary:

21. A "bushel" was a container used for measuring cereals and vegetables. It held a little over eight liters (two gallons).

22. This parable contains a double teaching. Firstly, it says that Christ's doctrine should not be kept hidden; rather, it must be preached throughout the whole world. We find the same idea elsewhere in the Gospels: "what you hear whispered, proclaim it upon the house-tops" (Matthew 10:27); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole of creation..." (Mark 16:15). The other teaching is that the Kingdom which Christ proclaims has such ability to penetrate all hearts that, at the end of time, when Jesus comes again, not a single human action, in favor or against Christ, will not become public and manifest.

24-25. Our Lord never gets tired of asking the Apostles, the seed which will produce the Church, to listen carefully to the teaching He is giving: they are receiving a treasure for which they will be held to account. "To him who has will more be given...": he who responds to grace will be given more grace and will yield more and more fruit; but he who does not will become more and more impoverished (cf. Matthew 25:14-30). Therefore, there is no limit to the development of the theological virtues: "If you say `Enough,' you are already dead" (St. Augustine, "Sermon 51"). A soul who wants to make progress in the interior life will pray along these lines: "Lord, may I have due measure in everything, except in Love" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 247).
___________________________
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.

Might This Soften the Hardened Hearts of Anti-Life Politicians?


Archbishop Burke: USCCB Document Partly to Blame for Election of Obama

...Also says Bishops’ Catholic News Service needs to be given "some new direction"

ROME, January 28, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A document of the US Catholic Bishops is partly to blame for the abandonment of pro-life teachings by voting Catholics and the election of the “most pro-abortion president” in US history, one of the Vatican’s highest officials said in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com.
Archbishop Raymond Burke, the prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, named a document on the election produced by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops that he said “led to confusion” among the faithful and led ultimately to massive support among Catholics for Barack Obama.

The US bishops’ document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” stated that, under certain circumstances, a Catholic could in good conscience vote for a candidate who supports abortion because of "other grave reasons," as long as they do not intend to support that pro-abortion position.

Archbishop Burke, the former Archbishop of St. Louise Mo. and recently appointed head of the highest ecclesiastical court in the Catholic Church, told LifeSiteNews.com that although “there were a greater number of bishops who spoke up very clearly and firmly...there was also a number who did not.”
Continued here.

Principles and Practices - January 29

Inordinate Ambition

Many a fall has doubtless begun in the yearn­ing of the heart after some apparently greater work than that which lay within its grasp. False lights have been followed, and souls, losing in those cases the right track, have drifted away and been shipwrecked on the rocks of pride and infidelity.

-The Heart of Jesus of Nazareth.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for January 29

Now, therefore, I had learned of thee, that nothing ought to be accounted true because it is eloquently delivered, nor accounted false because the words are rude.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-January 29

WHEN we see anything beautiful, a beautiful garden or a beautiful flower, let us think that there we behold a ray of the infinite beauty of God, who has given it existence.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

News updates, 1/28

St. Louis bishop: Lax Catholics, Satan behind pro-abortion officials
Bishop Robert Hermann, administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, says that the election of President Barack Obama would not have occurred without the support of lax Catholics.

No More Excommunication for the Lefebvrists. But Peace Is Still Far Off (Chiesa)
The causes of conflict are even increasing, including with the children of Israel. Benedict XVI is multiplying his gestures of openness, but is receiving nothing in exchange. The incident of the Holocaust denier bishop, with a commentary by Anna Foa, herself Jewish

SSPX has had long, troubled history with Judaism
Archbishop Lefebvre: Jews are enemies of the faith

“We now have no other choice”
Citing economic downturn and declining enrollment, religious order says it will close Sacramento’s Loretto High School

SSPX leader apologizes for Holocaust denial
Bishop Williamson silenced on historical issues

An overview of the SSPX rehabilitation process
Move sparking considerable controversy even in Rome

Muslims seek to close oldest Christian monastery
Syriac Orthodoxs sued for alleged proselytism in Turkey

Not so stimulating after all
Congress to drop millions earmarked for contraceptives from ‘stimulus package’

New York priest to head Charleston diocese
Msgr. Guglielmone was rector of Long Island cathedral

Kmiec a candidate for Vatican ambassadorship?
'I think my name would be part of the discussion'
[What an arrogant gesture that would be]

Long Island bishop to be deposed in firing lawsuit
Parish business manager sacked after accusing priest

Russia's new patriarch seen as modernizer
Kirill may thaw long icy ties with the Catholic Church

Vatican cardinal slams bishop for Holocaust denial
Comments sparked indignation among Jewish groups

Ideas are more powerful than guns. If we don't let our people have guns, why should we let them have ideas?
-- Josef Stalin

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Gospel for Jan 28, Memorial: St Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor

Wednesday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Peter Nolasco, confessor


From: Mark 4:1-20

Parable of the Sower. The Meaning of the Parables

[1] Again He (Jesus) began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. [2] And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teachings He said to them: [3] "Listen! A sower went out to sow. [4] And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. [5] Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; [6] and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. [7] Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. [8] And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." [9] And He said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

[10] And when He was alone, those who were about Him with the Twelve asked Him concerning the parables. [11] And He said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; [12] so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven." [13] And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? [14] The sower sows the word. [15] And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. [16] And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; [17] and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. [18] And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, [19] but cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. [20] But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
_____________________
Commentary:

1-34. Parables are a special method of preaching used by Jesus. By means of them He gradually unfolds before His listeners the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Cf. note on Matthew 13:3. Chapter 4 of St. Mark, although much shorter, is the equivalent of chapter 13 of St. Matthew and chapter 8:4-18 of St. Luke, which is the shortest synoptic account of the Kingdom parables.

1-9. The ordinary Christian, who seeks holiness in his ordinary work, must be moved to find how often our Lord uses in His parables examples taken from work situations: "In His parables on the Kingdom of God, Jesus Christ constantly refers to human work: that of the shepherd (e.g. John 10:1-6), the farmer (cf. Mark 12:1-12), the doctor (cf. Luke 4:32), the sower (cf. Mark 4:1-9), the householder (cf. Matthew 13:52), the servant (cf. Matthew 24:25; Luke 12:42-48), the steward (cf. Luke 16:1-8), the fisherman (cf. Matthew 13:47-50), the merchant (cf. Matthew 13:45-46), the laborer (cf. Matthew 20:1-16). He also speaks of the various forms of women's work (cf. Matthew 13:33; Luke 15:8-9). He compares the apostolate to the manual work of harvesters (cf. Matthew 9:37; John 4:35-38) or fishermen (cf. Matthew 4:19). He refers to the work of scholars too (cf. Matthew 13:52)" (John Paul II, "Laborem Exercens", 26).

3-9. With the parable of the sower Jesus wants to move His listeners to open their hearts generously to the word of God and put it into practice (cf. Luke 11:28). God expects the same docility also fromeach of us: "It is a vivid scene. The Divine Sower is also sowing His seed today. The work of salvation is still going on, and our Lord wants us to share that work. He wants Christians to open to His love all the paths of the earth. He invites us to spread the Divine message, by both teaching and example, to the farthest corners of the earth [...]. If we look around, if we take a look at the world, which we love because it is God's handiwork, we will find that the parable holds true. The word of Jesus Christ is fruitful, it stirs many souls to dedication and fidelity. The life and conduct of those who serve God have changed history. Even many of those who do not know our Lord are motivated, perhaps unconsciously, by ideals which derive from Christianity."

"We can also see that some of the seed falls on barren ground or among thorns and thistles; some hearts close themselves to the light of faith. Ideals of peace, reconciliation and brotherhood are widely accepted and proclaimed, but all too often the facts belie them. Some people are futilely bent on smothering God's voice. To drown it out they use brute force or a method which is more subtle but perhaps more cruel because it drugs the spirit--indifference" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 150). The parable of the sower also shows us the wonderful economy of Divine Providence, which distributes various graces among men but gives each person enough to reach salvation: "There was then in the eternal providence an incomparable privilege for the Queen of Queens, Mother of Fair Love, and most singularly perfect. There were also for certain others some special favors. But after this life the sovereign goodness poured an abundance of graces and benedictions over the whole race of mankind and upon the angels; [...] every one received his portion as of seed which falls not only upon good ground but upon the highway, amongst thorns, and upon rocks, that all might be inexcusable before the Redeemer, if they enjoy not this most abundant redemption for their salvation" (St. Francis de Sales, "Treatise on the Love of God", Book 2, Chapter 7).

11-12. The Kingdom of God is a mystery. If the Twelve know it, it is simply because the mercy of God has revealed it to them, not because they are better able, by themselves, to understand the meaning of the parables.

Jesus' use of parables had many advantages: firstly, because typically the human mind grasps concepts by first working on sense-information: in His teaching Christ often clothes spiritual things in corporal images. Secondly, Sacred Scripture is written for everyone, as St. Paul says: "I am under obligation ...both to the wise and to the foolish" (Romans 1:4): this meant it made sense for him to put forward even the deepest truths by using comparisons--so that people could more easily grasp what he meant (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologiae I", q. 1, a.9).

The disciples are distinguished here from "those outside" (verse 11)--an _expression which Jews applied to Gentiles, and which Jesus here applies to those Jews who do not want to understand the signs which He performs (cf. Luke 12:41).

Later on, our Lord does give His disciples even more exact instruction about the content of the parables. But, since the Jews do not want to accept the signs He performs, in them are fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah (6:9-10). The parables, which were an _expression of our Lord's mercy, were the occasion for His condemning incredulous Jews, whose sins He cannot forgive because they do not wish to see or listen or be converted.

17. "They fall away": they are "scandalized": the word "scandal" originally refers to a stone or obstacle which could easily cause one to trip. Here, in the language of morality, it is used to refer to anything which leads others to commit sin (cf. note on Matthew 18:1-7). The word is also applied in a broader sense to anything which could be an occasion of sin--e.g. sorrow and tribulation. In this passage, falling away or being scandalized means being demoralized, stumbling, giving in and falling. If a person maliciously professes to be shocked by a good action, he is guilty of "pharisaical" scandal: that is what St. Paul means when he says that the cross of Christ was a stumbling-block to Jews, who refused to grasp that the saving plans of God were to be effected through pain and sacrifice (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:23; cf. also Mark 14:27; Matthew 16:23).
___________________________
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.

Principles and Practices - January 28

Check Human Respect

A great deal of discomfort arises from over-sensitiveness about what other people may say of you or of your actions. Many unhappy persons seem to imagine that they are always in an amphitheatre, with the assembled world as spectators; whereas all the while they are playing to empty benches.

-Phelps.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for January 28

TELL me, O Lord God of Truth, is a man pleas­ing unto thee because he is full of knowledge? No, but unhappy is he who knoweth all things of this kind if he be ignorant of thee; and happy is he that knoweth thee, though he be ignorant of all these things.
_________________________
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From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-January 28

Jesus, Lord, be thou my own; Thee I long for, thee alone; All myself I give to thee; Do whatever thou wilt with me.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

I don't want kids so close together...

This following is from an email I received:
-----------------

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said: 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even one year old and I'm pregnant again.

I don't want kids so close together.

So the doctor said: 'Ok, and what do you want me to do?'

She said: 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence he said to the lady: 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too.

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of two babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.'

The lady was horrified and said: 'No doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!'

'I agree', the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be ok with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.'

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He convinced the mom that there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!
-----------------

The sad act remains, however, that there are some so-called human beings who would not object to the doctor's suggestion. Some would even call it a laudable and worthy plan. Some would even go so far as to deny medical treatment to the born alive so that they would die (B. Hussein Obama, for instance)...

We need to pray and do penance for our national crimes with hope that God will forgive us our millions upon millions of sins.

Dr Edward Peters: Why the original SSPX excommunications were valid

While we await the L'Osservatore Romano article that is to offer an account of how Pope Benedict XVI arrived at the decision to lift the excommunication imposed on the four priests who received episcopal orders illicitly (c. 1382) from Abp. Marcel Lefebvre in 1988, the materials now coming from the Society of St. Pius X continue, in my opinion, to add to the burden such an article must carry if the remission is to make sense to otherwise well-disposed outside observers.

In the meantime, those who would like to see some responses to the canonical arguments by which the SSPX claims that the 1988 excommunications were never incurred in first place, may consult my latest post: http://www.canonlaw.info/2009/01/why-original-sspx-excommunications-were.html

News Updates, 1/27

Catholic Journalists: Bear Witness to the Values of Faith
VATICAN CITY, 27 JAN 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI has sent a message to participants in the national congress of the Italian Catholic Press Union (UCSI). The congress, held last week, commemorated the institution's fiftieth anniversary....
[Next, if journalist could only learn to bear witness to the truth???]

“Children as the enemy”
Pelosi says federal spending on contraceptives stimulates economy by reducing number of kids requiring state services

Soetoro/Obama already creates first clash with Vatican
Pro-abortion executive order reverses Mexico City policy

Suicide clinic cashing in on despair
Dignitas is a profit obsessed killing machine

Healing trad schism, Pope risks another
Bishop's bizarre anti-holocaust remarks causing rift

Bishops' reinstatement a relief for some Catholics
Society of Saint Pius X at odds with Church since 1970

Catholic bishops say inaction killing Zimbabweans
African leaders should are complicit in 'passive genocide'

Evangelical worship attracting Hispanic Catholics
Shouts, tambourines and hip-shaking replacing Holy Mass
["progressive Catholics & heretics have been doing this for years]

Monsignor William Smith dies at age 69
Seminary prof was leading U.S. voice on medical ethics

Gunmen abduct Catholic priest in Nigeria
No group has claimed responsibility for 'heinous crime'

Street named for clergy sex suspect renamed
Monsignor stripped from cul-de-sac at diocese's request

“Campus policies cannot strip away the free speech rights of students”
Facing lawsuit, Yuba Community College drops restrictions on First Amendment

Soetoro/Obama chooses Arab network for first TV interview
...delivering a message to the Muslim world that "Americans are not your enemy"
[The Fraud, phony, Usurper is a clueless clown]

Soetoro/Obama, Most Secretive Pres__ent [ID missing] Ever
The media fawning over the Usurper never ends. The latest tingly feeling they are getting is over his orders for openness.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Gospel for Tuesday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Optional Memorial of St. Angela Merici, virgin
Old Calendar: St. John Chrysostom, bishop, confessor and doctor


From: Mark 3:31-35

The True Kinsmen of Jesus


[31] And His (Jesus') mother and His brethren came; and standing outside they went to Him and called Him. [32] And a crowd was sitting about Him: and they said to Him, "Your mother and Your brethren are outside, asking for You." [33] And He replied, "Who are My mother and My brethren?" [34] And looking around on those who sat about Him, He said, "Here are My mother and My brethren! [35] Whoever does the will of God is My brother, and sister, and mother."
________________
Commentary:

31-35. In Aramaic, the language used by the Jews, the word "brethren" is a broad term indicating kinship: nephews, first cousins, and relatives in general are called `brethren' (for further explanation cf. note on Mark 6:1-3). "Jesus did not say this to disown His mother, but to show that she is worthy of honor not only account of having given birth to Jesus, but also because she has all the virtues" (Theophylact, "Enarratio In Evangelium Marci, in loc.").

Therefore, the Church reminds us that the Blessed Virgin "in the course of her Son's preaching received the words whereby, in extolling a kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, He declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God as she was faithfully doing" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 58).

Our Lord, then, is also telling us that if we follow Him we will share His life more intimately than if we were a member of His family. St. Thomas explains this by saying that Christ "had an eternal generation and a generation in time, and gave preference to the former. Those who do the will of the Father reach Him by Heavenly generation [...]. Everyone who does the will of the Father, that is to say, who obeys Him, is a brother or sister of Christ, because he is like Him who fulfilled the will of His Father. But he who not only obeys but converts others, begets Christ in them, and thus becomes like the Mother of Christ" ("Commentary on St. Matthew", 12, 49-50.)
___________________________
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.

Principles and Practices - January 27

Holiness Sympathizes

A holy life does not prevent us from feeling for the troubles of others, or close the heart to every generous emotion.

-Montalembert.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for January 27

LET them return to seek thee, for behold thou art there even in their heart; in the very heart of them that confess to thee, that pour forth their tears in thy bosom, after they have wearied themselves in these painful ways.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-January 27

LOVE cannot be at rest. He that loves God cannot live without giving continual proof of his affection. Now a soul cannot give a stronger proof of its love for God than the voluntary renunciation of earthly pleasures for his sake and the offering of its pain to him.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Gospel for Jan 26, Memorial: St Timothy and St Titus, Bishops

Monday, 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Polycarp, bishop and martyr


From: Mark 3:22-30

Allegations of the Scribes
[22] And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He (Jesus) is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons He casts out the demons." [23] And He called them to Him, and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? [24] If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. [25] And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. [26] And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. [27] But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man; then indeed he may plunder his house."

Sins Against the Holy Spirit
[28] "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; [29] but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"--[30] for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."
_____________________
Commentary:
22-23. Even Jesus' miracles were misunderstood by these scribes, who accuse Him of being a tool of the prince of devils, Beelzebul. This name may be connected with Beelzebub (which spelling is given in some codexes), the name of a god of the Philistine city of Eqron (Accaron), which means "god of the flies." But it is more likely that the prince of devils is called Beelzebul, which means "god of excrement": "excrement" is the word Jews used to describe pagan sacrifices. Whether Beelzebub or Beelzebul, in the last analysis it refers to him to whom these sacrifices were offered, the devil (1 Corinthians 10:20). He is the same mysterious but real person whom Jesus calls Satan, which means "the enemy", whose dominion over the world Christ has come to wrest from him (1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Colossians 1:13f) in an unceasing struggle (Matthew 4:1-10; John 16:11). These names show us that the devil really exists: he is a real person who has at his beck and call others of his kind (Mark 5:9).

24-27. Our Lord invites the Pharisees, who are blind and obstinate, to think along these lines: if someone expels the devil this means he is stronger than the devil: once more we are exhorted to recognize in Jesus the God of strength, the God who uses His power to free man from enslavement to the devil. Satan's dominion has come to an end: the prince of this world is about to be cast out. Jesus' victory over the power of darkness, which is completed by His death and resurrection, shows that the light has already entered the world, as our Lord Himself told us: "Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself" (John 12:31-32).

28-30. Jesus has just worked a miracle but the scribes refuse to recognize it "for they had said `He has an unclean spirit'" (verse 30). They do not want to admit that God is the author of the miracle. In this attitude lies the special gravity of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit--attributing to the prince of evil, to Satan, the good works performed by God Himself. Anyone acting in this way will become like the sick person who has so lost confidence in the doctor that he rejects him as if an enemy and regards as poison the medicine that can save his life. That is why our Lord says that he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not forgiven: not because God cannot forgive all sins, but because that person, in his blindness towards God, rejects Jesus Christ, His teaching and His miracles, and despises the graces of the Holy Spirit as if they were designed to trap him (cf. "St. Pius V Catechism", II, 5, 19; St. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa theologiae", II-II, q. 14, a. 3).
___________________________
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.

Principles and Practices - January 26

A Way To Self-Knowledge

To live in continual fear of yourself, of your own judgement, of your proneness to sin; and of the countless enemies, against whom you are of yourself utterly powerless, of their great experience in this warfare, their wiles, their capa­biliry of transforming themselves into angels of light, their innumerable snares and traps which they secret1y spread in the very way itself of holiness.

-The Spiritual Combat.
_________________
From Principles and Practices
Compiled by Rev. J. Hogan of The Catholic Missionary Society
Published by Burns Oates & Washbourne Ltd., Publishers To The Holy See
Nihil Obstat; Eduardus J. Mahoney, S.T.D. Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur; Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
First printed in 1930

Thoughts of St Augustine for January 26

OUR souls may rise up from weariness, climb­ing upon those things which thou hast made and passing on to thee in whom there is comfort and true fortitude.
_________________________
Click here for more information.

From Thoughts of St Augustine for Every Day
by Kathleen Mary Balfe (© 1926)
Nihil Obstat: Georgius D. Smith, S.T.D
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont

Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day-January 26

LOVE cannot be at rest. He that loves God cannot live without giving continual proof of his affection. Now a soul cannot give a stronger proof of its love for God than the voluntary renunciation of earthly pleasures for his sake and the offering of its pain to him.
_________________
From Thoughts from St Alphonsus for Every Day
Compiled by Rev. C. McNeiry, C.SS.R.
Imprimatur: Joseph Hull, C.SS.R., Prov. Angl. Sup.
Nihil Obstat: Innocentlus Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor Deptutatus.
Imprimatur: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius Generalis.
Westmonasterii, Die 9a Junii, 1927.
First published 1927