From: Luke 4:1-13
Jesus Fasts and Is Tempted in the Wilderness
[1] And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit [2] for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, He was hungry. [3] The devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." [4] And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone.'" [5] And the devil took Him up, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, [6] and said to Him, "To You I will give all this authority and glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. [7] If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours." [8] And Jesus answered, "It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.'"
[9] And he took Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; [10] for it is written, `He will give His angels charge of you, to guard you,' [11] and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
[12] And Jesus answered him, "It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" [13] And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
_______________________
Commentary:
1-13. Here we see the devil interfere with Jesus' life for the first time. He does
so very brazenly. Our Lord is about to begin His public ministry, so it is a particularly important point in His work of salvation.
"The whole episode is a mystery which man cannot hope to understand--God submitting to temptation, letting the Evil One have his way. But we can meditate upon it, asking our Lord to help us understand the teaching it contains" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 61).
Christ, true God and true man, made Himself like us in everything except sin (cf. Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 2:7; 4:15) and voluntarily underwent temptation. "How fortunate we are," exclaims the Cure of Ars, "how lucky to have a God as a model. Are we poor? We have a God who is born in a stable, who lies in a manger. Are we despised? We have a God who led the way, who was crowned with thorns, dressed in a filthy red cloak and treated as a madman. Are we tormented by pain and suffering? Before our eyes we have a God covered with wounds, dying in unimaginable pain. Are we being persecuted? How can we dare complain when we have a God who is being put to death by executioners? Finally, are we being tempted by the demon? We have our Lovable Redeemer; He was also tempted by the demon and was twice taken up by that hellish spirit: therefore, no matter what sufferings, pains or temptations we are experiencing, we always have, everywhere, our God leading the way for us and assuring us of victory as long as we genuinely desire it" ("Selected Sermons", First Sunday of Lent).
Jesus teaches us therefore that no one should regard himself as incorruptible and proof against temptation; He shows us how we should deal with temptation and exhorts us to have confidence in His mercy, since He Himself experienced temptation (cf. Hebrews 2:18).
For further explanation of this passage, see the notes on Matthew 4:3-11.
13. Our Lord's temptations sum up every kind of temptation man can experience: "Scripture would not have said", St. Thomas comments, "that once all the temptation ended the devil departed from Him, unless the matter of all sins were included in the three temptations already related. For the causes of temptation are the causes of desires--namely, lust of the flesh, desire for glory, eagerness for power" ("Summa Theologiae", III, q. 41, a. 4 ad 4).
By conquering every kind of temptation, Jesus shows us how to deal with the snares of the devil. It was as a man that He was tempted and as a man that He resisted: "He did not act as God, bringing His power into play; if He had done so, how could we have availed of His example? Rather, as a man He made use of the resources which He has in common with us" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
He wanted to show us the methods to use to defeat the devil--prayer, fasting, watchfulness, not dialoguing with temptation, having the words of God's Scripture on our lips and putting our trust in the Lord.
"Until an opportune time", that is, until it is time for Jesus to undergo His passion. The devil often appears in the course of our Lord's public life (cf., for example, Mark 12:28), but it will be at the Passion--"this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53)--that he will be most clearly seen in his role as tempter. Jesus will forewarn His disciples about this and once more assure them of victory (cf. John 12:31; 14:30). Through the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, thedevil will be overpowered once and for all. And by virtue of Christ's victory we are enabled to overcome all temptations.
___________________________
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.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Principles and Practices - February 21
God's Commands
God never commands anything impossible; but with the command He teaches us both how and what we are able to do, and how to seek the necessary grace to do what human nature finds beyond its strength.
-St. Augustine.
_________________
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
God never commands anything impossible; but with the command He teaches us both how and what we are able to do, and how to seek the necessary grace to do what human nature finds beyond its strength.
-St. Augustine.
_________________
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
The School of Love, February 20
SOME HINTS ON PRAYER I
[continued from yesterday]
...Nevertheless there are certain elementary truths, not realised by all, yet easily discovered by one who has had much to do with prayer, whether in his own soul or in others; truths which, if once accepted, will at once clear away many obstacles for any soul that wishes to progress in prayer.
To mention a few of these may be useful; it may give a little light to some who walk in darkness, and who may already have begun to despond about their prayer, finding as no doubt they do that it falls so short of their desires and ambitions, finding it so disappointing.
In the first place, then, let it be remembered that prayer does not consist in merely saying prayers. Prayer, from its definition, is "the raising of the mind and heart to God"; and there are many more ways, sometimes better ways, of doing this than by repeating forms of prayer however good.
Forms of prayer are good in so far as they do this for us and no further; they help us to put into words the thoughts of our mind and the feelings of our heart; but if those thoughts and feelings can be taught to express themselves spontaneously, even without any words at all or at least with very few, then our prayer is better than that which depends upon a form.
"But I am afraid to give up the form. That at least ties me down to something clear and definite. If I gave up the form, and trusted to my own thoughts and feelings and expression, these may some day fail me, and then I should be without any prayer at all." This objection is a good one; a proof that it is a good one is that it is very common, very real, and obviously comes from those who wish to do their best. Still it is an objection and no more, and is one of the chief hindrances to progress in prayer...
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
[continued from yesterday]
...Nevertheless there are certain elementary truths, not realised by all, yet easily discovered by one who has had much to do with prayer, whether in his own soul or in others; truths which, if once accepted, will at once clear away many obstacles for any soul that wishes to progress in prayer.
To mention a few of these may be useful; it may give a little light to some who walk in darkness, and who may already have begun to despond about their prayer, finding as no doubt they do that it falls so short of their desires and ambitions, finding it so disappointing.
In the first place, then, let it be remembered that prayer does not consist in merely saying prayers. Prayer, from its definition, is "the raising of the mind and heart to God"; and there are many more ways, sometimes better ways, of doing this than by repeating forms of prayer however good.
Forms of prayer are good in so far as they do this for us and no further; they help us to put into words the thoughts of our mind and the feelings of our heart; but if those thoughts and feelings can be taught to express themselves spontaneously, even without any words at all or at least with very few, then our prayer is better than that which depends upon a form.
"But I am afraid to give up the form. That at least ties me down to something clear and definite. If I gave up the form, and trusted to my own thoughts and feelings and expression, these may some day fail me, and then I should be without any prayer at all." This objection is a good one; a proof that it is a good one is that it is very common, very real, and obviously comes from those who wish to do their best. Still it is an objection and no more, and is one of the chief hindrances to progress in prayer...
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
Friday, February 19, 2010
Virtual Reality Tour of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran
This is really a MUST SEE.
Hold down the left mouse button to vove around (left, right, up, down).
Use your scroll wheel to view close-ups.
You will not be disappointed!
Hold down the left mouse button to vove around (left, right, up, down).
Use your scroll wheel to view close-ups.
You will not be disappointed!
Gospel for Saturday after Ash Wednesday
From: Luke 5:27-32
The Calling of Matthew
[27] After this He (Jesus) went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow Me." [28] And Levi left everything, and rose and followed Him.
[29] And Levi made Him a great feast in His house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. [30] And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against His disciples saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" [31] And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; [32] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
___________________
Commentary:
27-29. Levi, better known as Matthew, responds generously and promptly to the call from Jesus. To celebrate and to show how appreciative he is for his vocation he gives a banquet. This passage of the Gospel shows us that a vocation is something we should be very grateful for and happy about. If we see it only in terms of renunciation and giving things up, and not as a gift from God and something which will enhance us and redound to others' benefit, we can easily become depressed, like the rich young man who, not wanting to give up his possession, went away sad (Luke 18:18). Matthew believes in quite the opposite way, as did the Magi who "when they saw the star rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (Matthew 2:10) and who gave much more importance to adoring the new-born God than to all the inconveniences involved in travelling to see Him. See also the notes on Matthew 9:9; 9:10-11; 9:12, 9:13; and Mark 2:14; 2:17.
32. Since this is how Jesus operates, the only way we can be saved is by admitting before God, in all simplicity, that we are sinners. "Jesus has no time for calculations, for astuteness, for the cruelty of cold hearts, for attractive but empty beauty. What He likes is the cheerfulness of a young heart, a simple step, a natural voice, clean eyes, attention to His affectionate word of advice. That is how He reigns in the soul" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 181).
___________________________
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.
The Calling of Matthew
[27] After this He (Jesus) went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow Me." [28] And Levi left everything, and rose and followed Him.
[29] And Levi made Him a great feast in His house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. [30] And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against His disciples saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" [31] And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; [32] I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."
___________________
Commentary:
27-29. Levi, better known as Matthew, responds generously and promptly to the call from Jesus. To celebrate and to show how appreciative he is for his vocation he gives a banquet. This passage of the Gospel shows us that a vocation is something we should be very grateful for and happy about. If we see it only in terms of renunciation and giving things up, and not as a gift from God and something which will enhance us and redound to others' benefit, we can easily become depressed, like the rich young man who, not wanting to give up his possession, went away sad (Luke 18:18). Matthew believes in quite the opposite way, as did the Magi who "when they saw the star rejoiced exceedingly with great joy" (Matthew 2:10) and who gave much more importance to adoring the new-born God than to all the inconveniences involved in travelling to see Him. See also the notes on Matthew 9:9; 9:10-11; 9:12, 9:13; and Mark 2:14; 2:17.
32. Since this is how Jesus operates, the only way we can be saved is by admitting before God, in all simplicity, that we are sinners. "Jesus has no time for calculations, for astuteness, for the cruelty of cold hearts, for attractive but empty beauty. What He likes is the cheerfulness of a young heart, a simple step, a natural voice, clean eyes, attention to His affectionate word of advice. That is how He reigns in the soul" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 181).
___________________________
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.
Do Homosexuals Have a Right to Serve?
From the American TFP:
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to the troops, I think we should spare no effort to provide them with everything they need to get the job done.
That is why I can’t understand why that these brave troops are being forced to accept a homosexual agenda that will affect combat readiness and unit cohesion. We need to support the troops by helping them fight on this front.
We have prepared a TFP statement titled “To Keep Our Honor Clean!" Why We Must Oppose the Homosexual Agenda for the Military. I urge you to read this important statement and send it on to your friends.
Please pray for our troops. Let us ask that they be spared this danger.
Until next time, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
John Horvat
Tradition Family Property
www.TFP.org
Lenten Reflection, Lent and the Capital Sins - Pride
Pride, the First Capital Sin
________________
"Now when he had risen from the dead early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils." St. Mark, 16:9.
No doubt many have seen the movie, "King of Kings." Produced years ago by Cecil De Mille, and shown throughout the country, the film is an understanding and respectful life of Christ, the King of kings. Many scenes are dramatic and stirring.
One of the most interesting parts of the play is that which pictures Mary Magdalen meeting our Lord for the first time. She came to Christ - a sinner; she left - a saint. She came - proud, sensual, and vain; she left - humble and mortified. She came - guilty; she left - forgiven. It was intensely interesting to see how this change took place.
Christ merely looks at Mary, looks into her very soul. And that look of our Lord softens her proud heart. She draws back some distance. She cannot bear that sad, loving look. The struggle in her soul is clearly shown in the picture. Each in its turn, the seven deadly sins come in the guise of devils and whisper into the ear of Magdalen. Each in turn is repulsed by her, as she drinks in grace from the gaze of Christ. The devil of pride and the devil of avarice, together with the devils of lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth, are firmly brushed aside. Finally Mary is free of her old tempters. In shame she drops her head. In modesty she covers her half-nude body. She rushes to Christ and falls at His feet. There she secures the forgiveness for which her entire being is crying out.
Like Mary Magdalen, we also are beset and enslaved by at least some if not all of these same death-dealing devils, the seven capital sins. It is not our privilege to look into the physical face of Jesus, as she did. Nevertheless, we can go before Christ present in the tabernacle, and by faith look into His face as He looks into our hearts. We should plan to do just that during this Lent. We want to consider the seven deadly or capital sins. We want to let the grace of God work in us as it did in Magdalen. Gradually we will gain the grace to cast off, as she did, our habits of pride, avarice, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth.
We call these the seven capital sins because each is a source and seed from which all other sins proceed. They are the seven principal devils who deal out spiritual death. They are the seven principal diseases of the soul, the causes of all spiritual sickness. Christ drove them out of Mary Magdalen; He will drive them out of us, as we come into His Eucharistic presence during these Lenten days of penance and prayer. May the love of Christ drive out these seven sources of sin - His greatest enemies and our greatest enemies.
1. The first capital sin and leader of them all is pride, which means an unregulated opinion and love of one's own excellence. The proud man considers himself greater and more important than he really is. He thinks he has some greatness which actually does not belong to him. The proud man considers himself more than he is in the eyes of God. He forgets that he is a creature; he forgets that all his gifts have come from God. It is a vice that can creep into any heart.
The following story is told of the famous preacher Abraham of Santa Clara. One day a lady came to him tearfully bewailing the fact that she was the greatest of all sinners. She told the illustrious pulpit orator that no one could compare with her in the number and seriousness of spiritual crimes. The wise Father Abraham knew that this lady was always praying in church. In his good sense and experience with souls he saw at once that this lady was accusing herself and humbling herself, not out of true humility, but from deep-rooted pride. He knew that one who is truly humble does not display her humility. Accordingly he told her:
2. Pride shows itself in various ways:
6. True humility brings in its train many virtues pleasing to God. Among them we might mention:
9. As we enter this sacred season of Lent Mother Church puts ashes on our brow to remind us of our humble origin and to remind us of what will become of all earthly things - they will turn to dust. What a lesson in humility!
10. They tell of a very bright boy who always knew his lessons perfectly, who was well-behaved and courteous at all times. He was the pride and joy of his teacher, a discerning person who did not want her pupil to become unreasonably proud. She brought to class one day two pictures - one of Jesus talking to the doctors in the temple and answering all their questions, the other a picture of Jesus hanging in death upon the cross.
At once the bright boy saw the point. There was Jesus, who knew all things, who could do all things, yet who humbled Himself to a shameful death upon the cross.
May Christ's humility drive out our pride, as His love and grace drove pride from the heart of Mary Magdalen. Amen.
__________________
Adapted from Lent and the Capital Sins
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1952)
________________
"Now when he had risen from the dead early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils." St. Mark, 16:9.
No doubt many have seen the movie, "King of Kings." Produced years ago by Cecil De Mille, and shown throughout the country, the film is an understanding and respectful life of Christ, the King of kings. Many scenes are dramatic and stirring.
One of the most interesting parts of the play is that which pictures Mary Magdalen meeting our Lord for the first time. She came to Christ - a sinner; she left - a saint. She came - proud, sensual, and vain; she left - humble and mortified. She came - guilty; she left - forgiven. It was intensely interesting to see how this change took place.
Christ merely looks at Mary, looks into her very soul. And that look of our Lord softens her proud heart. She draws back some distance. She cannot bear that sad, loving look. The struggle in her soul is clearly shown in the picture. Each in its turn, the seven deadly sins come in the guise of devils and whisper into the ear of Magdalen. Each in turn is repulsed by her, as she drinks in grace from the gaze of Christ. The devil of pride and the devil of avarice, together with the devils of lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth, are firmly brushed aside. Finally Mary is free of her old tempters. In shame she drops her head. In modesty she covers her half-nude body. She rushes to Christ and falls at His feet. There she secures the forgiveness for which her entire being is crying out.
Like Mary Magdalen, we also are beset and enslaved by at least some if not all of these same death-dealing devils, the seven capital sins. It is not our privilege to look into the physical face of Jesus, as she did. Nevertheless, we can go before Christ present in the tabernacle, and by faith look into His face as He looks into our hearts. We should plan to do just that during this Lent. We want to consider the seven deadly or capital sins. We want to let the grace of God work in us as it did in Magdalen. Gradually we will gain the grace to cast off, as she did, our habits of pride, avarice, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth.
We call these the seven capital sins because each is a source and seed from which all other sins proceed. They are the seven principal devils who deal out spiritual death. They are the seven principal diseases of the soul, the causes of all spiritual sickness. Christ drove them out of Mary Magdalen; He will drive them out of us, as we come into His Eucharistic presence during these Lenten days of penance and prayer. May the love of Christ drive out these seven sources of sin - His greatest enemies and our greatest enemies.
1. The first capital sin and leader of them all is pride, which means an unregulated opinion and love of one's own excellence. The proud man considers himself greater and more important than he really is. He thinks he has some greatness which actually does not belong to him. The proud man considers himself more than he is in the eyes of God. He forgets that he is a creature; he forgets that all his gifts have come from God. It is a vice that can creep into any heart.
The following story is told of the famous preacher Abraham of Santa Clara. One day a lady came to him tearfully bewailing the fact that she was the greatest of all sinners. She told the illustrious pulpit orator that no one could compare with her in the number and seriousness of spiritual crimes. The wise Father Abraham knew that this lady was always praying in church. In his good sense and experience with souls he saw at once that this lady was accusing herself and humbling herself, not out of true humility, but from deep-rooted pride. He knew that one who is truly humble does not display her humility. Accordingly he told her:
"It is much to be regretted that you publish the fact that you are such a great sinner. I do not wish to have anything to do with an individual who proclaims herself to be the greatest sinner in the world."At this the would-be humble one became very angry and exclaimed:
"Who can say a word against me? I have done nothing wrong. I spend the greater part of my time in church. I fast frequently, and perform other good works."The preacher smiled, bowed, and left. That woman was proud. She had a high opinion of herself. She considered herself better than others. She displayed one of the signs of pride.
2. Pride shows itself in various ways:
A. By giving to oneself the credit for all the good one has and all the good one does. All our talents, all our blessings, are from God. To Him belongs the credit.3. Pride is definitely a sin:
B. By disobedience to lawful authority, and by insisting on one's own will in everything or most things. In our day of license this is a common occurrence. We do have freedom, but freedom does not mean that we can do anything we want. Obedience to the laws of God's Church and to the laws of the land is still our duty. To consider oneself above such laws and directions and regulations is a mark of the proud man.
C. By stubborn unwillingness to consider or to cooperate with the desires and plans of others. How often we find this type of pride in our homes and places of work. Such a simple thing as planning a picnic may make the proud man or woman insist on what he or she wants as to time and place and food and the form of fun to be enjoyed on that outing.
D. By refusing advice or assistance. Pity the man who will never ask for advice. Double pity on the man who never seeks spiritual or religious advice. Many more Catholics, especially the young, should ask their spiritual leaders, their priests, about their plans with regard to a vocation or to marriage or some other important step in life. The man who tries to travel an unknown wilderness or to scale the Alps without a competent guide is no more senseless than the Catholic who refuses to ask and accept advice on his spiritual path through life.
E. By growing impatient at correction by lawful authorities. It does hurt our pride to be told that we have done wrong or have made a mistake. It hurts our pride to take directions and orders from others. When a young person, for example, refuses to accept the advice and admonition of his or her parents or teachers, he proves himself a proud person. In the pulpit and in the confessional your priests have to correct, and point out what is wrong. A proud person will resent such correction.
Two young fellows were once arguing about what day Christmas would fall on that year. One maintained that it would be Wednesday. The other stoutly asserted that it would come on Thursday. After a great deal of heated debate and betting of hundreds of dollars, they decided to consult a calendar, only to learn that it would fall on Friday. Both were wrong. Did they admit it? Not on your life. The Wednesday debater laughed:"Oh, I knew it was Friday all the time."And the Thursday fellow declared that he was one day closer than the other to the actual day. How often such scenes take place in our homes and offices.
F. By looking down upon and criticizing others, The lady with a new hat will look down upon the woman wearing last year's headgear. The woman with the new bonnet should not take the credit to herself. She should give it to the ostrich who supplied the feathers and to the milliner who designed and made the hat.
The same holds for the critic. Pointing out the faults of others is one of the easiest and trickiest habits to fall into. Whether the action we criticize is intentional or not, we do not know what caused the person to do it, how much he was tempted, and how often.
G. By boasting and bragging about our accomplishments. Knowing that people despise a bragger, the proud man will find clever ways of letting it be known what wonders he has performed.
Here we must point out that there is such a thing as just pride. We should have a reasonable pride in our appearance, in our family, our school, our work, and above all in our Church. It is the right kind of pride when we strive to excel in our studies, in our profession or in our trade.
H. By ignoring, forgetting and passing over our own faults. What a miserable wretch is the fellow who never admits a fault, who blinds himself to the mistakes he has made, who even thinks that he cannot make a mistake.
I. By an unreasonable fear of failure. Some Catholics never can make up their minds to attempt anything worthwhile, because they are senselessly afraid that they might fail and others might laugh. This is one reason many young people never make a start in some profession or career, a frequent reason many boys and girls do not tryout a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life. At bottom it is a proud fear of failure, in addition to a lack of self denial.
J. By being needlessly concerned about the impression we are making on others. Why worry what others think, as long as you are doing your best and looking your reasonable best. In general, other people bother about us much less than we think. There are other ways in which pride shows itself, but these I mentioned are the most common.
A. It was the first sin committed in heaven and on earth. It was the sin of Lucifer who shouted:4. Suppose you suspect that you are proud, that you are guilty of one of these ways in which pride betrays itself. What can you do about it?"I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." (Isaias, 14:13).It was the sin of our first parents who ate of the forbidden tree because Satan promised that it would make them like God.
B. For that very reason pride is the greatest sin - it is aimed directly against God, and is the breeding place of all other vices. How much God hates this vice the Bible tells us:i. "God resists the proud." 1 Peter, 5:5.C. Pride is also the most dangerous vice, because it is so natural and sly. One can easily be tricked into thinking one is better than others. It is dangerous also because it leads to other sins, as Sacred Scripture declares:
ii. "I will not give my glory to another." Isaias, 42:8.
iii. "Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled." Luke, 18:14."From pride all perdition took its beginning." Tobias, 4:14.
"Pride goes before destruction." Proverbs, 16:18.
A. Study the life of our Lord, especially His forty days of penance and prayer during that first Lent. Recall His humility all through life, particularly during His passion and death. Look at our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemani, and listen to His prayer: "Not my will, but thine be done."5. The best way to overcome pride is to learn the meaning, the value, and the necessity of humility, the foundation of all other virtues. Humility is that virtue which teaches us to look on all good as coming from God. If we could only get this thought into our living - everything worthwhile is from God. Essentially humility is the truth, and the truth is that all we have is from God.
B. Read and imitate the lives of the saints. They were all humble souls, no matter what they had accomplished for the Lord, no matter what their success, what their virtues, and what their position.
C. Consider the emptiness of created things. How empty is fame, how empty is praise, how empty the little satisfactions we get from boasting and criticizing.
D. Remember that you came from nothing, you are nothing, and you
can do nothing, except in so far as God helps you.
E. Realize the hatred and dislike that God has for pride, and how He has punished the proud: pride plunged Lucifer from the heights of heaven; pride brought on the confusion of tongues at the Tower of Babel; pride brought defeat to Pharao and to Goliath; pride reduced Nabuchodonosor to the condition of an animal; pride drew Christ's divine criticism upon the Pharisees and the Scribes.
F. See the beauty and the excellence of humility, as the Book of Proverbs, 11:2, tells us:"Where humility is, there also is wisdom."
6. True humility brings in its train many virtues pleasing to God. Among them we might mention:
A. Meekness and gentleness.7. How does humility prove itself? How can I be sure that I am practising this essential virtue? It is proven by:
B. Confidence and trust in God alone.
C. Charity and genuine sympathy.
D. Sorrow for our sins and the sins of the world.
E. Deep gratitude to God for all His gifts.
A. Ready obedience to superiors, whether it be at home, at school, at work, in your parish, or in public life. Christ gives the perfect example of such obedience. He was obedient even unto death.8. In a similar way the supreme lesson in humility is taught us as our Lord carries the cross for us, as He submits to ridicule and torture, as He dies the humiliating death on a cross.
B. Yielding your opinion to that of others, even in unimportant matters, such as come up constantly in daily life.
C. Moderation and modesty in the way you dress, in the carriage of your body, in the tone of your voice, and in the expression of your opinions.
D. Willingness and readiness to ask advice and to accept it when given.
E. Gentleness and kindness in our dealings with others, especially with those who are inferior in social status, education, wealth, or talents. Christ continually showed gentleness toward the sick and the poor and the outcast.
F. Willingness to do big and little favors for others that take time and effort on our part. Look at Christ. Nothing was too much for Him, when it was a question of doing good to someone.
G. Keeping calm and undisturbed amid insults, misfortunes, delays, and interference with our plans and programs. Look at our Lord during His passion and death. How patient, how uncomplaining, how forgiving.
H. Accepting humiliations when they come. This is extremely important. There can be no humility without humiliations, and humiliations come every day. A correction by a teacher, a mistake in making change, even a breach of etiquette, can be an occasion for practicing humility. Christ accepted the bitterest humiliations, not because He deserved them, but because He wanted to take them in our place.
I. Avoiding praise of oneself and of one's accomplishments.
J. Performing humble tasks, whether they are in our everyday line of duty, or whether we must go out of our way to perform them.
This point is illustrated by a story from the beginning of the last century. A well-dressed young man bought several things at a store, and asked for a boy to carry them home for him. The clerk told him they had no boy at the time, and that the packages could be easily carried. "What!" exclaimed the youth, "Carry them myself? Don't you know that I belong to one of the oldest families in Virginia ?"
Just then an elderly, distinguished looking gentleman stepped up, took the packages, and said:
"Come on, I'll carry them for you."
On reaching his home, the young man wanted to pay his elderly helper, but the gentleman refused with these words:
"I did not carry them for money."
The young man asked someone standing near who the old man was. The bystander replied:
"Why, that is John Marshall, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court."
The surprised young man had the good sense to take the lesson in humility.
9. As we enter this sacred season of Lent Mother Church puts ashes on our brow to remind us of our humble origin and to remind us of what will become of all earthly things - they will turn to dust. What a lesson in humility!
10. They tell of a very bright boy who always knew his lessons perfectly, who was well-behaved and courteous at all times. He was the pride and joy of his teacher, a discerning person who did not want her pupil to become unreasonably proud. She brought to class one day two pictures - one of Jesus talking to the doctors in the temple and answering all their questions, the other a picture of Jesus hanging in death upon the cross.
At once the bright boy saw the point. There was Jesus, who knew all things, who could do all things, yet who humbled Himself to a shameful death upon the cross.
May Christ's humility drive out our pride, as His love and grace drove pride from the heart of Mary Magdalen. Amen.
__________________
Adapted from Lent and the Capital Sins
by Fr. Arthur Tonne, OFM (©1952)
Principles and Practices - February 20
Right Indifference
'Indifference,' or, say, 'Impartiality,' in the use of creatures means, not being uninterested, but being disinterested. A person uninterested is also uninteresting and a failure in life. It is well to be keenly interested in and to work with zest at the things proper to your calling. At the same time be disinterested, and seek not yourself and your own mere gratification in them.
Sit lightly to creatures, and as you use them, or enjoy them, be ever ready to forgo them for God. This is 'detachment,' this is 'poverty of spirit,' this is 'liberty of spirit,' this is 'purity of heart.'
-J. Rickaby, S.J.
_________________
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
'Indifference,' or, say, 'Impartiality,' in the use of creatures means, not being uninterested, but being disinterested. A person uninterested is also uninteresting and a failure in life. It is well to be keenly interested in and to work with zest at the things proper to your calling. At the same time be disinterested, and seek not yourself and your own mere gratification in them.
Sit lightly to creatures, and as you use them, or enjoy them, be ever ready to forgo them for God. This is 'detachment,' this is 'poverty of spirit,' this is 'liberty of spirit,' this is 'purity of heart.'
-J. Rickaby, S.J.
_________________
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
The School of Love, February 19
SOME HINTS ON PRAYER I
ST. TERESA AND ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, the great teachers of prayer in more recent times, both of them lament, not so much that people. do not pray more, but that they do not make more advancement in prayer.
They tell us very plainly that prayer is a science as well as a practice; that if we will only go the right way about it we shall learn astonishingly both what prayer itself is, and what wonderful things it has to reveal, and that there is no one, man or woman, educated or uneducated, religious or secular, but can come to at least some knowledge, much more than most of us usually achieve.
But, alas! they add, there are few who make much advancement; few get beyond the most elementary principles; and the chief reasons are either that they wi11 not persevere, or that they fear to let themselves go forward, or that they have no one to show them the way to proceed.
Now it is not for anyone to presume to set himself up as a guide in prayer, much less as a universal guide; for prayer is an individual thing, it is the individual's intercourse with God, and God has His own way of dealing with individuals...
[Continued tomorrow]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
ST. TERESA AND ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, the great teachers of prayer in more recent times, both of them lament, not so much that people. do not pray more, but that they do not make more advancement in prayer.
They tell us very plainly that prayer is a science as well as a practice; that if we will only go the right way about it we shall learn astonishingly both what prayer itself is, and what wonderful things it has to reveal, and that there is no one, man or woman, educated or uneducated, religious or secular, but can come to at least some knowledge, much more than most of us usually achieve.
But, alas! they add, there are few who make much advancement; few get beyond the most elementary principles; and the chief reasons are either that they wi11 not persevere, or that they fear to let themselves go forward, or that they have no one to show them the way to proceed.
Now it is not for anyone to presume to set himself up as a guide in prayer, much less as a universal guide; for prayer is an individual thing, it is the individual's intercourse with God, and God has His own way of dealing with individuals...
[Continued tomorrow]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Gospel for Friday after Ash Wednesday
From: Matthew 9:14-15
The Call of Matthew (Continuation)
[14] Then the disciples of John (the Baptist) came to Him (Jesus), saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" [15] And Jesus said them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast."
____________________
Commentary:
14-17. This passage is interesting, not so much because it tells us about the sort of fasting practised by the Jews of the time--particularly the Pharisees and John the Baptist's disciples--but because of the reason Jesus gives for not requiring His disciples to fast in that way. His reply is both instructive and prophetic. Christianity is not a mere mending or adjusting of the old suit of Judaism. The redemption wrought by Jesus involves a total regeneration. Its spirit is too new and too vital to be suited to old forms of penance, which will no longer apply.
We know that in our Lord's time Jewish theology schools were in the grip of a highly complicated casuistry to do with fasting, purifications, etc., which smothered the simplicity of genuine piety. Jesus' words point to that simplicity of heart with which His disciples might practise prayer, fasting and almsgiving (cf. Matthew 6:1-18 and notes to same). From apostolic times onwards it is for the Church, using the authority given it by our Lord to set out the different forms fasting should take in different periods and situations.
15. "The wedding guests": literally, "the sons of the house where the wedding is being celebrated"--an _expression meaning the bridegroom's closest friends. This is an example of how St. Matthew uses typical Semitic turns of phrase, presenting Jesus' manner of speech.
This "house" to which Jesus refers has a deeper meaning; set beside the parable of the guests at the wedding (Matthew 22:1 ff), it symbolizes the Church as the house of God and the body of Christ: "Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ was faithful over God's house as a son. And we are His house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope" (Hebrews 3:5-6).
The second part of the verse refers to the violent death Jesus would meet.
___________________________
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.
The Call of Matthew (Continuation)
[14] Then the disciples of John (the Baptist) came to Him (Jesus), saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" [15] And Jesus said them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast."
____________________
Commentary:
14-17. This passage is interesting, not so much because it tells us about the sort of fasting practised by the Jews of the time--particularly the Pharisees and John the Baptist's disciples--but because of the reason Jesus gives for not requiring His disciples to fast in that way. His reply is both instructive and prophetic. Christianity is not a mere mending or adjusting of the old suit of Judaism. The redemption wrought by Jesus involves a total regeneration. Its spirit is too new and too vital to be suited to old forms of penance, which will no longer apply.
We know that in our Lord's time Jewish theology schools were in the grip of a highly complicated casuistry to do with fasting, purifications, etc., which smothered the simplicity of genuine piety. Jesus' words point to that simplicity of heart with which His disciples might practise prayer, fasting and almsgiving (cf. Matthew 6:1-18 and notes to same). From apostolic times onwards it is for the Church, using the authority given it by our Lord to set out the different forms fasting should take in different periods and situations.
15. "The wedding guests": literally, "the sons of the house where the wedding is being celebrated"--an _expression meaning the bridegroom's closest friends. This is an example of how St. Matthew uses typical Semitic turns of phrase, presenting Jesus' manner of speech.
This "house" to which Jesus refers has a deeper meaning; set beside the parable of the guests at the wedding (Matthew 22:1 ff), it symbolizes the Church as the house of God and the body of Christ: "Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ was faithful over God's house as a son. And we are His house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope" (Hebrews 3:5-6).
The second part of the verse refers to the violent death Jesus would meet.
___________________________
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 - February 19
If In Earnest
If you are not only just, but fervent and earnest in the service of God, then must you bear in patience, nay, indeed with gladness, the trials that befall you; and you must account them as great favours, since they are the crucible in which virtuous souls are purified from the dross of their failings and refined in perfection. This is clearly stated in the Book of Ecclesiasticus:
_________________
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
If you are not only just, but fervent and earnest in the service of God, then must you bear in patience, nay, indeed with gladness, the trials that befall you; and you must account them as great favours, since they are the crucible in which virtuous souls are purified from the dross of their failings and refined in perfection. This is clearly stated in the Book of Ecclesiasticus:
Whatsoever is brought upon thee, take cheerfully, and be patient when thou art brought to a low estate, for gold and silver are tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of affliction.-J. B. Scaramelli, S.J.
_________________
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
The School of Love, February 18
PRAYER
[continued from yesterday]
Again, when prayer is irksome, when body and soul are weary, then, if prayer is not a matter of duty, it is of little use driving the soul against its own inclination. To pray long at such times, simply because one has made up one's mind to do so, does but make prayer a matter of greater horror; and this warning we have from perhaps the greatest student of the human soul, St. Ignatius Loyola. Long devotions at such times, carried out because they are long, may easily break the spirit and turn it away from prayer altogether.
On the other hand, when prayer is of duty, when the prayers we say are those which belong to our state of life or are appointed by our rule, our practice must be the exact opposite. We must then not clip the time, but we must train ourselves to prolong it; and the reason is that prayer is then something more than a matter of inclination. It is the fulfilment of a duty; and no yielding in duty can possibly make for growth in prayer.
These then are three common hindrances to prayer, very often overlooked, and yet stunting prayer at its outset; and these are three remedies by which they may be met. Of course it may be, and for the fervent it often is, that apparent failure in prayer is due to other causes. With all the best will and effort and preparation in the world we may still seem to make little progress; the trial may come entirely from the hand of God.
Nevertheless it is possible that even this may depend upon the shortcomings of which we have spoken far more than we at first suspect; we may be making many efforts in many ways, and yet in some conscious particular we may know that we are wholly yielding to ourselves.
In any case we can go no further until the first evils have been cured; and in matter of fact God always in the end, or from time to time, rewards and encourages consistent effort enough and more than enough to make us feel that it has been worth while.
Hence to sum up the duty of the man of prayer: discipline or control of thought, discipline or control of body, discipline or control of nature.
One might well add a fourth which might be called discipline of heart; for here, too, is a serious, even a fatal hindrance to prayer. We do not like to own it; we scarcely have the courage to face the consequence; still a disordered affection, a giving too much of oneself to any creature whatsoever, a caring too much for anyone or anything, is often a cause of failure in prayer which would otherwise be good.
Human nature refuses to acknowledge it; it looks for any other cause; it will even ascribe it to its own wickedness; but if we would learn to pray we must be quite true to ourselves and in this matter most of all.
____________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
[continued from yesterday]
Again, when prayer is irksome, when body and soul are weary, then, if prayer is not a matter of duty, it is of little use driving the soul against its own inclination. To pray long at such times, simply because one has made up one's mind to do so, does but make prayer a matter of greater horror; and this warning we have from perhaps the greatest student of the human soul, St. Ignatius Loyola. Long devotions at such times, carried out because they are long, may easily break the spirit and turn it away from prayer altogether.
On the other hand, when prayer is of duty, when the prayers we say are those which belong to our state of life or are appointed by our rule, our practice must be the exact opposite. We must then not clip the time, but we must train ourselves to prolong it; and the reason is that prayer is then something more than a matter of inclination. It is the fulfilment of a duty; and no yielding in duty can possibly make for growth in prayer.
These then are three common hindrances to prayer, very often overlooked, and yet stunting prayer at its outset; and these are three remedies by which they may be met. Of course it may be, and for the fervent it often is, that apparent failure in prayer is due to other causes. With all the best will and effort and preparation in the world we may still seem to make little progress; the trial may come entirely from the hand of God.
Nevertheless it is possible that even this may depend upon the shortcomings of which we have spoken far more than we at first suspect; we may be making many efforts in many ways, and yet in some conscious particular we may know that we are wholly yielding to ourselves.
In any case we can go no further until the first evils have been cured; and in matter of fact God always in the end, or from time to time, rewards and encourages consistent effort enough and more than enough to make us feel that it has been worth while.
Hence to sum up the duty of the man of prayer: discipline or control of thought, discipline or control of body, discipline or control of nature.
One might well add a fourth which might be called discipline of heart; for here, too, is a serious, even a fatal hindrance to prayer. We do not like to own it; we scarcely have the courage to face the consequence; still a disordered affection, a giving too much of oneself to any creature whatsoever, a caring too much for anyone or anything, is often a cause of failure in prayer which would otherwise be good.
Human nature refuses to acknowledge it; it looks for any other cause; it will even ascribe it to its own wickedness; but if we would learn to pray we must be quite true to ourselves and in this matter most of all.
____________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Gospel for Thursday after Ash Wednesday
From: Luke 9:22-25
First Prophecy of the Passion
(Jesus said to His disciples), [22] "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."
The Need for Self-Denial
[23] And He said to all, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. [24] For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake, he will save it. [25] For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?"
_______________
Commentary:
22. Jesus prophesied His passion and death in order to help His disciples believe in Him. It also showed that He was freely accepting these sufferings He would undergo. "Christ did not seek to be glorified: He chose to come without glory in order to undergo suffering; and you, who have been born without glory, do you wish to be glorified? The route you must take is the one Christ took. This means recognizing Him and it means imitating Him both in His ignominy and in His good repute; thus you will glory in the Cross, which was His path to glory. That was what Paul did, and therefore he gloried in saying, `Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Galatians 6:14)" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
23. "Christ is saying this again, to us, whispering it in our ears: the cross EACH DAY. As St. Jerome puts it: `Not only in time of persecution or when we have the chance of martyrdom, but in all circumstances, in everything we do and think, in everything we say, let us deny what we used to be and let us confess what we now are, reborn as we have been in Christ' ("Epistola" 121, 3) [...]. Do you see? The DAILY cross. No day without a cross; not a single day in which we are not to carry the cross of the Lord, in which we are not to accept His yoke" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 58 and 176). "There is no doubt about it: a person who loves pleasure, who seeks comfort, who flies from anything that might spell suffering, who is over-anxious, who complains, who blames and who becomes impatient at the least little thing which does not go his way--a person like that is a Christian only in name; he is only a dishonor to his religion for Jesus Christ has said so: Anyone who wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross every day of his life, and follow Me" (St. John Mary Vianney, "Selected Sermons", Ash Wednesday).
The Cross should be present not only in the life of every Christian but also at the crossroads of the world: "How beautiful are those crosses on the summits of high mountains, and crowning great monuments, and on the pinnacles of cathedrals...! But the Cross must also be inserted in the very heart of the world.
"Jesus wants to be raised on high, there in the noise of the factories and workshops, in the silence of libraries, in the loud clamor of the streets, in the stillness of the fields, in the intimacy of the family, in crowded gatherings, in stadiums.... Wherever there is a Christian striving to lead an honorable life, he should, with his love, set up the Cross of Christ, who attracts all things to Himself" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross", XI, 3).
25. By this radical statement Jesus teaches us to do everything with a view to eternal life: it is well worth while to devote our entire life on earth to attaining eternal life. "We have been warned that it profits man nothing if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself. Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth, the expectance of a new earth should spur us on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the Kingdom of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 39).
___________________________
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 Prophecy of the Passion
(Jesus said to His disciples), [22] "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."
The Need for Self-Denial
[23] And He said to all, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. [24] For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for My sake, he will save it. [25] For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?"
_______________
Commentary:
22. Jesus prophesied His passion and death in order to help His disciples believe in Him. It also showed that He was freely accepting these sufferings He would undergo. "Christ did not seek to be glorified: He chose to come without glory in order to undergo suffering; and you, who have been born without glory, do you wish to be glorified? The route you must take is the one Christ took. This means recognizing Him and it means imitating Him both in His ignominy and in His good repute; thus you will glory in the Cross, which was His path to glory. That was what Paul did, and therefore he gloried in saying, `Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Galatians 6:14)" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").
23. "Christ is saying this again, to us, whispering it in our ears: the cross EACH DAY. As St. Jerome puts it: `Not only in time of persecution or when we have the chance of martyrdom, but in all circumstances, in everything we do and think, in everything we say, let us deny what we used to be and let us confess what we now are, reborn as we have been in Christ' ("Epistola" 121, 3) [...]. Do you see? The DAILY cross. No day without a cross; not a single day in which we are not to carry the cross of the Lord, in which we are not to accept His yoke" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 58 and 176). "There is no doubt about it: a person who loves pleasure, who seeks comfort, who flies from anything that might spell suffering, who is over-anxious, who complains, who blames and who becomes impatient at the least little thing which does not go his way--a person like that is a Christian only in name; he is only a dishonor to his religion for Jesus Christ has said so: Anyone who wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross every day of his life, and follow Me" (St. John Mary Vianney, "Selected Sermons", Ash Wednesday).
The Cross should be present not only in the life of every Christian but also at the crossroads of the world: "How beautiful are those crosses on the summits of high mountains, and crowning great monuments, and on the pinnacles of cathedrals...! But the Cross must also be inserted in the very heart of the world.
"Jesus wants to be raised on high, there in the noise of the factories and workshops, in the silence of libraries, in the loud clamor of the streets, in the stillness of the fields, in the intimacy of the family, in crowded gatherings, in stadiums.... Wherever there is a Christian striving to lead an honorable life, he should, with his love, set up the Cross of Christ, who attracts all things to Himself" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross", XI, 3).
25. By this radical statement Jesus teaches us to do everything with a view to eternal life: it is well worth while to devote our entire life on earth to attaining eternal life. "We have been warned that it profits man nothing if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself. Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth, the expectance of a new earth should spur us on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the Kingdom of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the Kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 39).
___________________________
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 - February 18
My True End
I am God's, and I am for God: here is my true greatness. God wills to raise me to Himself, to unite me to Himself, to make me participate in His glory. Apart from God, nothing is great enough to be my end. He Himself is infinitely above me, and He wishes me to rise to Him in the measure in which it is given me to attain unto Him.
There is the whole object of my life: to go to God while making use of His creatures. My God, how wonderful Thou art! - How great is man in Thy thoughts! But how little is he in his own! For man, enriched with all these honours, has never understood them; he has lowered himself to the level of creatures without reason, and has become like unto them.
And when at last I get to understand my dignity, shall I appreciate it enough never to lower it? - Called to rise to God, how can I descend towards the level of the brute?
-J. Tissot.
_________________
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
I am God's, and I am for God: here is my true greatness. God wills to raise me to Himself, to unite me to Himself, to make me participate in His glory. Apart from God, nothing is great enough to be my end. He Himself is infinitely above me, and He wishes me to rise to Him in the measure in which it is given me to attain unto Him.
There is the whole object of my life: to go to God while making use of His creatures. My God, how wonderful Thou art! - How great is man in Thy thoughts! But how little is he in his own! For man, enriched with all these honours, has never understood them; he has lowered himself to the level of creatures without reason, and has become like unto them.
And when at last I get to understand my dignity, shall I appreciate it enough never to lower it? - Called to rise to God, how can I descend towards the level of the brute?
-J. Tissot.
_________________
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
The School of Love, February 17
PRAYER
[Continued from yesterday]
...Secondly, if bodily ease is found, after an honest self-examination, to be a hindrance to prayer, then not in time of prayer only but at other times also we must train the body to give up its comfort for the sake of energy of mind and heart.
It is not enough to wait till the time of prayer comes in order to begin our educating of the body; then, not only are the reasons for relaxation more urgent and apparent, but the habit of always yielding tells heavily against us.
Lazy-bodied people at ordinary times have no sufficient vigour with which to resist laziness of body in time of prayer. On the other hand a little sacrifice at other times, gradual inuring of ourselves not to have absolutely all the comfort that our bodies seek, reacts in prayer and gives us the physical strength to resist this second hindrance.
Thirdly, if, as we have said, nature resists the supernatural effort to be made in prayer, if prayer time is a time of weariness and agony, then there are three things to be done; for, be it noticed, this is a hindrance to prayer much more likely to come from without than from within, much more likely to be a real trial than merely a consequence of our own unfaithfulness and self-indulgence.
First of all at other times, which are not strictly times of prayer, when the spirit is moved to pray, to utter an ejaculation, to answer the ringing of the Angelus, to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, let it not be too easily thwarted. Let it be allowed to pray when nature does not seem to be in conflict; gradually nature itself will learn to "taste and see how sweet is the Lord."....
[to be continued]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
[Continued from yesterday]
...Secondly, if bodily ease is found, after an honest self-examination, to be a hindrance to prayer, then not in time of prayer only but at other times also we must train the body to give up its comfort for the sake of energy of mind and heart.
It is not enough to wait till the time of prayer comes in order to begin our educating of the body; then, not only are the reasons for relaxation more urgent and apparent, but the habit of always yielding tells heavily against us.
Lazy-bodied people at ordinary times have no sufficient vigour with which to resist laziness of body in time of prayer. On the other hand a little sacrifice at other times, gradual inuring of ourselves not to have absolutely all the comfort that our bodies seek, reacts in prayer and gives us the physical strength to resist this second hindrance.
Thirdly, if, as we have said, nature resists the supernatural effort to be made in prayer, if prayer time is a time of weariness and agony, then there are three things to be done; for, be it noticed, this is a hindrance to prayer much more likely to come from without than from within, much more likely to be a real trial than merely a consequence of our own unfaithfulness and self-indulgence.
First of all at other times, which are not strictly times of prayer, when the spirit is moved to pray, to utter an ejaculation, to answer the ringing of the Angelus, to pay a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, let it not be too easily thwarted. Let it be allowed to pray when nature does not seem to be in conflict; gradually nature itself will learn to "taste and see how sweet is the Lord."....
[to be continued]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
Lent 2010. Pope Benedict's Ash Wednesday (Chiesa)
His torment is the disappearance of faith. His program is to lead men to God. His preferred instrument is teaching. But the Vatican curia doesn't help him much. And sometimes it harms him...Continued here
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Gospel for Ash Wednesday
From: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
An Upright Intention in Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [1] "Beware of practising your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in Heaven. [2] "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as thehypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. [3] But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[5] "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[16] "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. [17] But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, [18] that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
______________________
Commentary:
1-18. "Piety", here, means good works (cf. note on Matthew 5:6). Our Lord is indicating the kind of spirit in which we should do acts of personal piety. Almsgiving, fasting and prayer were the basic forms taken by personal piety among the chosen people--which is why Jesus refers to these three subjects. With complete authority He teaches that true piety must be practised with an upright intention, in the presence of God and without any ostentation. Piety practised in this way implies exercising our faith in God who sees us--and also in the safe knowledge that He will reward those who are sincerely devout.
5-6. Following the teaching of Jesus, the Church has always taught us to pray even when we were infants. By saying "you" (singular) our Lord is stating quite unequivocally the need for personal prayer--relating as child to Father, alone with God.
Public prayer, for which Christ's faithful assemble together, is something necessary and holy; but it should never displace obedience to this clear commandment of our Lord: "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father".
The Second Vatican Council reminds us of the teaching and practice of the Church in its liturgy, which is "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows [...]. The spiritual life, however, is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy. The Christian is indeed called to pray with others, but he must also enter into his bedroom to pray to his Father in secret; furthermore, according to the teaching of the Apostle, he must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 10 and 12).
A soul who really puts his Christian faith into practice realizes that he needs frequently to get away and pray alone to his Father, God. Jesus, who gives us this teaching about prayer, practised it during His own life on earth: the holy Gospel reports that He often went apart to pray on His own: "At times He spent the whole night in an intimate conversation with His Father. The Apostles were filled with love when they saw Christ pray" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 119; cf. Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; etc.). The Apostles followed the Master's example, and so we see Peter going up to the rooftop of the house to pray in private, and receiving a revelation (cf. Acts 10:9-16). "Our life of prayer should also be based on some moments that are dedicated exclusively to our conversation with God, moments of silent dialogue" ("ibid", 119).
16-18. Starting from the traditional practice of fasting, our Lord tells us the spirit in which we should exercise mortification of our senses: we should do so without ostentation, avoiding praise, discreetly; that way Jesus' words will not apply to us: "they have their reward"; it would have been a very bad deal. "The world admires only spectacular sacrifice, because it does not realize the value of sacrifice that is hidden and silent" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 185).
___________________________
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.
An Upright Intention in Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [1] "Beware of practising your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in Heaven. [2] "Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as thehypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. [3] But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[5] "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
[16] "And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have their reward. [17] But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, [18] that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
______________________
Commentary:
1-18. "Piety", here, means good works (cf. note on Matthew 5:6). Our Lord is indicating the kind of spirit in which we should do acts of personal piety. Almsgiving, fasting and prayer were the basic forms taken by personal piety among the chosen people--which is why Jesus refers to these three subjects. With complete authority He teaches that true piety must be practised with an upright intention, in the presence of God and without any ostentation. Piety practised in this way implies exercising our faith in God who sees us--and also in the safe knowledge that He will reward those who are sincerely devout.
5-6. Following the teaching of Jesus, the Church has always taught us to pray even when we were infants. By saying "you" (singular) our Lord is stating quite unequivocally the need for personal prayer--relating as child to Father, alone with God.
Public prayer, for which Christ's faithful assemble together, is something necessary and holy; but it should never displace obedience to this clear commandment of our Lord: "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father".
The Second Vatican Council reminds us of the teaching and practice of the Church in its liturgy, which is "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the fount from which all her power flows [...]. The spiritual life, however, is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy. The Christian is indeed called to pray with others, but he must also enter into his bedroom to pray to his Father in secret; furthermore, according to the teaching of the Apostle, he must pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 10 and 12).
A soul who really puts his Christian faith into practice realizes that he needs frequently to get away and pray alone to his Father, God. Jesus, who gives us this teaching about prayer, practised it during His own life on earth: the holy Gospel reports that He often went apart to pray on His own: "At times He spent the whole night in an intimate conversation with His Father. The Apostles were filled with love when they saw Christ pray" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 119; cf. Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; etc.). The Apostles followed the Master's example, and so we see Peter going up to the rooftop of the house to pray in private, and receiving a revelation (cf. Acts 10:9-16). "Our life of prayer should also be based on some moments that are dedicated exclusively to our conversation with God, moments of silent dialogue" ("ibid", 119).
16-18. Starting from the traditional practice of fasting, our Lord tells us the spirit in which we should exercise mortification of our senses: we should do so without ostentation, avoiding praise, discreetly; that way Jesus' words will not apply to us: "they have their reward"; it would have been a very bad deal. "The world admires only spectacular sacrifice, because it does not realize the value of sacrifice that is hidden and silent" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 185).
___________________________
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.
After wasting taxpayer money, playing "god" yields zilch
Embryonic Stem Cell Flop in CaliforniaRead more here.
Without so much as a press release, Embryonic Stem Cell research is being slowly defunded by the State of California. Remember Proposition 71, the California initiative that pledged $3 billion dollars of public funds to this dubious research? Back in 2004 voters in that state bet that embryonic stem cells held the key to untold cures and therapies.
Six years later, after destroying innumerable embryos and devaluing human life, they have nothing to show for their investment. Only adult stem cell research has shown any promise. By reprogramming adult stem cells, researchers have produced astounding results; curing everything from type 1 diabetes to spinal cord injuries....
Principles and Practices - February 17
The Reason Why
In the garden of the Church there are more trees than one might think that are reluctant to be pruned, and will not allow themselves to be fashioned as they should - who will not submit, or submit but imperfectly, to the necessary cultivation.
And this is because it costs us something to control our actions, to admit the strength of our passions, the baseness of our desires, the number of our faults.
We are afraid of receiving certain advice which will perhaps upset our projected plans, necessitate fatiguing exertions, or call for incessant vigilance or some painful acts of self-denial. It is hard also to be thwarted in our tastes and to be perpetually urged to live in a state of oblivion and humility.
-Saudreau.
_________________
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
In the garden of the Church there are more trees than one might think that are reluctant to be pruned, and will not allow themselves to be fashioned as they should - who will not submit, or submit but imperfectly, to the necessary cultivation.
And this is because it costs us something to control our actions, to admit the strength of our passions, the baseness of our desires, the number of our faults.
We are afraid of receiving certain advice which will perhaps upset our projected plans, necessitate fatiguing exertions, or call for incessant vigilance or some painful acts of self-denial. It is hard also to be thwarted in our tastes and to be perpetually urged to live in a state of oblivion and humility.
-Saudreau.
_________________
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
The School of Love, February 16
PRAYER
[continued from yesterday]
...These are three common experiences, which are perhaps the tale of the prayer of many, and from which very few indeed escape. But fortunately they have their remedy written right across them; we have but to acknowledge them, to discover the right relation that exists between prayer and mortification, that to some extent at least the one is the price of the other, and how far and in what coin that price must be paid.
For in the first place if excessive preoccupation is a hindrance to prayer, then we must train ourselves, especially before the time of prayer, to resist this preoccupation. This does not, or at least need not, mean that we must do less work than before, or that we must be less interested in it, or that we must pay less attention to it than to ourselves, the example of all the saints of prayer, witness St. Francis Xavier, St. Teresa, St. Vincent de Paul, is evidence in abundance that prayer never hinders work.
But it does mean that no matter how much, or how engrossing, or how urgent the work may be, it must never be allowed to master us. We must never let ourselves become the slaves of our surroundings or our circumstances. We must educate the mind by severe discipline, if necessary say to everything that threatens to engross and overwhelm us: "Thus far and no further."
It must learn to shut the door to interference, to preserve its command of its own castle; this is the active side of the virtue known as peace of mind, and such discipline, such mortification, will teach us to command our thoughts and affections in time of prayer....
[to be continued]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
[continued from yesterday]
...These are three common experiences, which are perhaps the tale of the prayer of many, and from which very few indeed escape. But fortunately they have their remedy written right across them; we have but to acknowledge them, to discover the right relation that exists between prayer and mortification, that to some extent at least the one is the price of the other, and how far and in what coin that price must be paid.
For in the first place if excessive preoccupation is a hindrance to prayer, then we must train ourselves, especially before the time of prayer, to resist this preoccupation. This does not, or at least need not, mean that we must do less work than before, or that we must be less interested in it, or that we must pay less attention to it than to ourselves, the example of all the saints of prayer, witness St. Francis Xavier, St. Teresa, St. Vincent de Paul, is evidence in abundance that prayer never hinders work.
But it does mean that no matter how much, or how engrossing, or how urgent the work may be, it must never be allowed to master us. We must never let ourselves become the slaves of our surroundings or our circumstances. We must educate the mind by severe discipline, if necessary say to everything that threatens to engross and overwhelm us: "Thus far and no further."
It must learn to shut the door to interference, to preserve its command of its own castle; this is the active side of the virtue known as peace of mind, and such discipline, such mortification, will teach us to command our thoughts and affections in time of prayer....
[to be continued]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
The Baby Gianna Story Part 1
Part I: Answering the CallVery moving - be sure to continue to "Part 2"
Jessica Chominski fights for the lives of others. Little lives. The ones many don’t think are worth fighting for. She is the sole full time employee of the Bucks County Community Women’s Center, a crisis pregnancy center in Pennsylvania....
Last June Jessica's phone rang. It was the call that would change her life. Jessica had no idea how her struggle for one baby would change her forever. And in the end, that one little baby may change many more lives than hers. All Jessica knew was that every time the phone rang a life might depend on her. She simply answered the call.
“Do you guys help out with abortion?” a woman nervously asked.
Jessica informed the woman that they didn’t perform abortions at the center. She offered to discuss options. “We can provide information,” she said. “Would you like to come by?”
Silence....
Read more here.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Gospel for Tuesday, 6th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Mark 8:14-21
The Leaven of the Pharisees (Continuation)
[14] Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. [15] And He (Jesus) cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." [16] And they discussed it with one another, saying, "We have no bread." [17] And being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? [18] Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? [19] When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." [20] And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." [21] And He said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"
________________________
Commentary:
15-16. In another Gospel passage--Luke 13:20-21 and Matthew 31:33--Jesus uses the simile of the leaven to show the vitality of His teaching. Here "leaven" is used in the sense of bad disposition. In the making of bread, leaven is what causes the dough to rise; the Pharisees' hypocrisy and Herod's dissolute life, stemming from their personal ambition, were the "leaven" which was poisoning from within the "dough" of Israel and which would eventually corrupt it. Jesus seeks to warn His disciples about these dangers, and to have them understand that if they are to take in His doctrine they need a pure and simple heart.
But the disciples fail to understand: "They weren't educated; they weren't very bright, if we judge from their reaction to supernatural things. Finding even the most elementary examples and comparisons beyond their reach, they would turn to the Master and ask: `Explain the parable to us.' When Jesus uses the image of the `leaven' of the Pharisees, they think that He's reproaching them for not having purchased bread....These were the disciples called by our Lord. Such stuff is what Christ chose. And they remain just like that until they are filled with the Holy Spirit and thus become pillars of the Church. They are ordinary people, full of defects and shortcomings, more eager to say than to do. Nevertheless, Jesus calls them to be fishers of men, co-redeemers, dispensers of the grace of God" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 2). The same thing can happen to us. Although we may not be very gifted, the Lord calls us, and love of God and docility to His words will cause to grow in our souls unsuspected fruit of holiness and supernatural effectiveness.
___________________________
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.
The Leaven of the Pharisees (Continuation)
[14] Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. [15] And He (Jesus) cautioned them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." [16] And they discussed it with one another, saying, "We have no bread." [17] And being aware of it, Jesus said to them, "Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? [18] Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? [19] When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." [20] And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to Him, "Seven." [21] And He said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"
________________________
Commentary:
15-16. In another Gospel passage--Luke 13:20-21 and Matthew 31:33--Jesus uses the simile of the leaven to show the vitality of His teaching. Here "leaven" is used in the sense of bad disposition. In the making of bread, leaven is what causes the dough to rise; the Pharisees' hypocrisy and Herod's dissolute life, stemming from their personal ambition, were the "leaven" which was poisoning from within the "dough" of Israel and which would eventually corrupt it. Jesus seeks to warn His disciples about these dangers, and to have them understand that if they are to take in His doctrine they need a pure and simple heart.
But the disciples fail to understand: "They weren't educated; they weren't very bright, if we judge from their reaction to supernatural things. Finding even the most elementary examples and comparisons beyond their reach, they would turn to the Master and ask: `Explain the parable to us.' When Jesus uses the image of the `leaven' of the Pharisees, they think that He's reproaching them for not having purchased bread....These were the disciples called by our Lord. Such stuff is what Christ chose. And they remain just like that until they are filled with the Holy Spirit and thus become pillars of the Church. They are ordinary people, full of defects and shortcomings, more eager to say than to do. Nevertheless, Jesus calls them to be fishers of men, co-redeemers, dispensers of the grace of God" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 2). The same thing can happen to us. Although we may not be very gifted, the Lord calls us, and love of God and docility to His words will cause to grow in our souls unsuspected fruit of holiness and supernatural effectiveness.
___________________________
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 - February 16
Remove The Obstacles
If our minds, instead of being taken up with so many useless matters, were occupied with divine things, how many beauties we should discover in the hidden depth of our soul! How supremely delightful would the spiritual life appear to us. How full of fragrance should we find the virtues, words, and actions of our Good Master and Saviour.
-St. Jane Frances de Chantal.
_________________
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
If our minds, instead of being taken up with so many useless matters, were occupied with divine things, how many beauties we should discover in the hidden depth of our soul! How supremely delightful would the spiritual life appear to us. How full of fragrance should we find the virtues, words, and actions of our Good Master and Saviour.
-St. Jane Frances de Chantal.
_________________
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
The School of Love, February 15
PRAYER
[continued from yesterday]
...Or, secondly, we find we have taken up a restful position of body. We are rather more than usually tired - how many mornings are we not able to say this! We are afraid of straining ourselves by a long vigil, we recall the warning of St. Teresa that no one can pray whose body is in torture.
Besides we have so often found, or at least we tell ourselves that we have often found, that a restful attitude conduces to prayer. But as a matter of fact, whatever may be the prayer of the first half-minute, the restful attitude has led to an absolute blank; it has either soothed us into slumber or else has let our minds go wandering away to the moon.
The end comes, and we find ourselves, in body, and mind, and soul, exactly where we were when we sat down or reclined. Of how many morning meditations is this the history?
There is yet a third experience. It often happens that much as we desire and relish the thought of spiritual things at other times, in time of prayer this desire and this relish seem tttterly to vanish.
There succeeds nothing but weariness and languor; mean and shameful thoughts come careering through our brain which at other times are wholly absent; and we have scarcely begun our prayer, but we long with an almost irresistible longing for the end.
Any distraction becomes welcome, any excuse for limiting the time allotted is acceptable; instead of being the desire of our hearts, the time of prayer becomes the time of almost intolerable torture...
[continued tomorrow]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
[continued from yesterday]
...Or, secondly, we find we have taken up a restful position of body. We are rather more than usually tired - how many mornings are we not able to say this! We are afraid of straining ourselves by a long vigil, we recall the warning of St. Teresa that no one can pray whose body is in torture.
Besides we have so often found, or at least we tell ourselves that we have often found, that a restful attitude conduces to prayer. But as a matter of fact, whatever may be the prayer of the first half-minute, the restful attitude has led to an absolute blank; it has either soothed us into slumber or else has let our minds go wandering away to the moon.
The end comes, and we find ourselves, in body, and mind, and soul, exactly where we were when we sat down or reclined. Of how many morning meditations is this the history?
There is yet a third experience. It often happens that much as we desire and relish the thought of spiritual things at other times, in time of prayer this desire and this relish seem tttterly to vanish.
There succeeds nothing but weariness and languor; mean and shameful thoughts come careering through our brain which at other times are wholly absent; and we have scarcely begun our prayer, but we long with an almost irresistible longing for the end.
Any distraction becomes welcome, any excuse for limiting the time allotted is acceptable; instead of being the desire of our hearts, the time of prayer becomes the time of almost intolerable torture...
[continued tomorrow]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Gospel for Monday, 6th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Mark 8:11-13
The Leaven of the Pharisees
[11] The Pharisees came and began to argue with Him (Jesus), seeking from Him a sign from Heaven, to test Him. [12] And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." [13] And He left them, and getting into the boat again He departed to the other side.
______________________
Commentary:
11-12. Jesus expresses the deep sadness He feels at the hardheartedness of the Pharisees: they remain blind and unbelieving despite the light shining around them and the wonderful things Christ is doing. If someone rejects the miracles God has offered him, it is useless for him to demand new signs, because he asks for them not because he is sincerely seeking the truth but out of ill will: he is trying to tempt God (cf. Luke 16:27-31). Requiring new miracles before one will believe, not accepting those already performed in the history of salvation, amounts to asking God to account for Himself before a human tribunal (cf. Romans 2:1-11). Unfortunately, many people do act like this. But God can only be found if we have an open and humble attitude to Him. "I have no need of miracles: there are more than enough for me in the Gospel. But I do need to see you fulfilling your duty and responding to grace" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 362).
12. The generation to which Jesus refers does not include all the people of His time, but only the Pharisees and their followers (cf. Mark 8:38; 9:19; Matthew 11:16), who do not want to see in Jesus' miracles the sign and guarantee of His messianic mission and dignity: they even attribute His miracles to Satan (Matthew 12:28).
If they do not accept the signs offered to them, they will be given no other sign of the spectacular kind they seek, for the Kingdom of God does not come noisily (Luke 17:20-21) and even if it did they in their twisted way would manage to misinterpret the event (Luke 16:31). According to Matthew 12:38-42 and Luke 11:29-32, they are offered yet another sign--the miracle of Jonah, the sign of the death and resurrection of Christ; but not even this remarkable proof will lead the Pharisees to shed their pride.
___________________________
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.
The Leaven of the Pharisees
[11] The Pharisees came and began to argue with Him (Jesus), seeking from Him a sign from Heaven, to test Him. [12] And He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." [13] And He left them, and getting into the boat again He departed to the other side.
______________________
Commentary:
11-12. Jesus expresses the deep sadness He feels at the hardheartedness of the Pharisees: they remain blind and unbelieving despite the light shining around them and the wonderful things Christ is doing. If someone rejects the miracles God has offered him, it is useless for him to demand new signs, because he asks for them not because he is sincerely seeking the truth but out of ill will: he is trying to tempt God (cf. Luke 16:27-31). Requiring new miracles before one will believe, not accepting those already performed in the history of salvation, amounts to asking God to account for Himself before a human tribunal (cf. Romans 2:1-11). Unfortunately, many people do act like this. But God can only be found if we have an open and humble attitude to Him. "I have no need of miracles: there are more than enough for me in the Gospel. But I do need to see you fulfilling your duty and responding to grace" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 362).
12. The generation to which Jesus refers does not include all the people of His time, but only the Pharisees and their followers (cf. Mark 8:38; 9:19; Matthew 11:16), who do not want to see in Jesus' miracles the sign and guarantee of His messianic mission and dignity: they even attribute His miracles to Satan (Matthew 12:28).
If they do not accept the signs offered to them, they will be given no other sign of the spectacular kind they seek, for the Kingdom of God does not come noisily (Luke 17:20-21) and even if it did they in their twisted way would manage to misinterpret the event (Luke 16:31). According to Matthew 12:38-42 and Luke 11:29-32, they are offered yet another sign--the miracle of Jonah, the sign of the death and resurrection of Christ; but not even this remarkable proof will lead the Pharisees to shed their pride.
___________________________
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 - February 15
The Great Cure
Work and prayer are the infallible aids to self-education: pray and work, that is the golden precept that must be used as a warcry against all evil spirits. Work strengthens body and soul and keeps them youthful. But it must be regulated and directed to God by prayer; it must not fetter the immortal soul with the chains of slavery, but must be offered to God as a free sacrifice, that will find its reward not here below, but in heaven and in all eternity.
-Von Oer Bothmer.
_________________
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
Work and prayer are the infallible aids to self-education: pray and work, that is the golden precept that must be used as a warcry against all evil spirits. Work strengthens body and soul and keeps them youthful. But it must be regulated and directed to God by prayer; it must not fetter the immortal soul with the chains of slavery, but must be offered to God as a free sacrifice, that will find its reward not here below, but in heaven and in all eternity.
-Von Oer Bothmer.
_________________
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
The School of Love, February 14
PRAYER
[Continued from yesterday]
...Prayer is a delicate flower needing to be guarded and tended; if we would have it in full bloom we must look well to it, both in its growth and in its hey-day, and in all its surroundings. What, then, are some at least of the precautions we should take?
They are best learnt by each one from his own personal experience; there is no other road to prayer; not what we have read in books, or what we have heard from others, but exactly as much as we have learnt from ourselves and no more.
Here at least may be suggested a few preliminary warnings. When we examine our prayer or our failure in it, the first thing we usually have to say is that our minds have been far afield.
We began well enough - or we did not, which is much more common than we are always willing to allow - but almost immediately we were lost. People we know wandered through our brain, above all two classes; those we like best and those we like least.
With the former we built our castles in the clouds; the latter we pelted with torrents of abuse, and saw ourselves in imagination triumphantly stamping on their prostrate forms; or events of the past, or imaginary events of the future, turned themselves over and over, distorted themselves, mixed themselves up, and usually left us either humbled at our proneness to evil, or grumbling at somebody's imagined injustice towards us. Let us humbly confess it; this or such as this is often the sum total of our morning meditation....
[continued]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
[Continued from yesterday]
...Prayer is a delicate flower needing to be guarded and tended; if we would have it in full bloom we must look well to it, both in its growth and in its hey-day, and in all its surroundings. What, then, are some at least of the precautions we should take?
They are best learnt by each one from his own personal experience; there is no other road to prayer; not what we have read in books, or what we have heard from others, but exactly as much as we have learnt from ourselves and no more.
Here at least may be suggested a few preliminary warnings. When we examine our prayer or our failure in it, the first thing we usually have to say is that our minds have been far afield.
We began well enough - or we did not, which is much more common than we are always willing to allow - but almost immediately we were lost. People we know wandered through our brain, above all two classes; those we like best and those we like least.
With the former we built our castles in the clouds; the latter we pelted with torrents of abuse, and saw ourselves in imagination triumphantly stamping on their prostrate forms; or events of the past, or imaginary events of the future, turned themselves over and over, distorted themselves, mixed themselves up, and usually left us either humbled at our proneness to evil, or grumbling at somebody's imagined injustice towards us. Let us humbly confess it; this or such as this is often the sum total of our morning meditation....
[continued]
___________
From The School of Love and Other Essays
by The Most Reverend Alban Goodier, S.J.
Burns, Oates, & Washburn, Ltd. 1918
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)