Magna res amor. Love is a great thing. Am I convinced of it? What esteem have I for this most sublime of virtues? What knowledge of the attentions that it supposes? What zeal for the manifestations love demands?
"O charity," a doctor used to say, "if I knew your value, I would give any price to have you."
But I am far from possessing a like enthusiasm, a like appreciation, and yet, I pride myself on my good judgment!
To love, as far as I am concerned, is such a little thing and it receives so little of my attention.
In order to reveal to one of His favorite servants what His love for her was in comparison with hers for Him, Our Lord plunged Angela of Foligno into a distress beyond description. She had such a realization of the nothingness of her own love in contrast with that of her Savior that she no longer wished to live. Her suffering was a true crucifixion.
Lord, let me understand, not in a manner that is beyond me, but by faith, how great a thing love is in You, and what a great thing love ought also to be in me. Grant that I may not always offer You such a thimble-like capacity for loving. I wish so much to love You. You know it. And then again - I do not wish it.
"Confidence, my daughter, to wish to love is to love. To complain loyally of one's little love is to have begun to understand what a great thing love is."
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Cardinal Ouellet Praises Humanae Vitae
Abortion the Consequence of the 'Culture of Contraception'
Says controversial encyclical "was not taught enough" and because "we have not followed it, we have seen the consequences."
at LifeSiteNews
Says controversial encyclical "was not taught enough" and because "we have not followed it, we have seen the consequences."
at LifeSiteNewsDid Catholic charity staff help teen get abortion?
Joanne D. Nattrass, executive director of Commonwealth Catholic Charities...said in a statement that Catholic Charities staff members assisted the girl in preparations leading up to the abortion.What exactly does "assisted the girl in preparations leading up to the abortion" mean? Everything up and until when the "doctor" (murderer) performed his execution?
A social worker signed a consent form and "a person associated with CCC" took her to and from the abortion facility, Nattrass said.Was this a State "social worker" or someone in the employ of CCC? And what does "a person associated with CCC" really mean - volunteer? staff member?
Two months earlier, Catholic Charities staff assisted the girl in the implantation of a contraceptive device, she said.It sounds like there are real problems at this "Catholic charity." It's difficult, at best, to believe that this was an isolated incident.
"Both the implantation of the contraceptive device and the abortion were contrary to basic teachings of the Catholic [C]hurch," Nattrass said in the statement.One can't help but wonder when she come to this realization?
She said that she is not aware of any other previous abortions involving minors in Catholic Charities' care.Was she even aware of this one before it became public knowledge? Perhaps an investigation is in order? Sounds like someone is unaware of what goes on under her "watch." How many others have been treated with such "loving care" from this organization? Sounds more like a Planned Parenthood office than a Catholic charity!
I cannot help but feel sorrow and grief for the teenager and her murdered child...May the Lord grant both of them peace.
Making St Francis Proud?
For the longest time Tuesday morning, Brother Richard Jonathan, a member of the Society of Saint Francis, was the only one carrying a sign outside San Francisco City Hall as cameras whirred and gay men and lesbians filed in to be legally hitched.An open and public scandal - what actions, we ask, will his superiors take to remedy this scandalous public rebellion? What about the bishop where this travesty occurred?
Anyone who has paid attention to the Roman Catholic hierarchy’s official disappointment over the state Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling a month ago could be forgiven for looking twice at Jonathan’s placard. “Franciscans for Same-Sex Marriage,” it read....
Brother Jonathan is ill-educated and confused about God, Jesus, and "love." Perhaps he should not be allowed in public anymore - except, of course, for his coming public penance [Uh, right!]?
By his actions, he trashes Our Lord, the Church, St Francis, and all of the faithful. He harms those afflicted with homosexual inclinations by encouraging them to engage in perversion and hedonism while erroneously calling it 'love.'
St Francis, please pray for the conversion of your wayward brothers.
Haditha Marine prepares to sue Murtha over smear
Murtha fueled the case by declaring that the Marines involved were cold-blooded killers. Murtha should face the harshest judgment possible for his actions or words! The Thomas More Law Center, which handled this case, deserves a our support and gratitude. And all of us, unlike many of the traitors in Washington DC, should thank our brave fighting men and women and pray for them daily.Congressman had accused soldiers of killing 'in cold blood'
In an interview with nationally syndicated radio talk host Michael Savage, the lead attorney for Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani said he and his client will look into suing [Democratic Rep. John] Murtha and the Time magazine reporter, Tim McGuirk, who first published the accusations by Iraqi insurgents.
But the attorney, Brian Rooney, said nothing will happen immediately because he wants Chessani, described as a devout Christian and the father of six homeschooled children, completely "out of the woods" legally before any action is taken. The government, through Lt. Col. S.M. Sullivan, today filed a notice that it would appeal the case to the next judicial level.
News Updates, 6/19/08
Vatican to mark anniversary of death of Pope Pius XII
An AP article, no excerpts.
Well-loved Catholic author Ann Ball passes away
Houston, Jun 9, 2008 / 05:45 pm (CNA).- Ann Ball, a prolific author who wrote lives of the saints alongside Catholic cookbooks, died of a heart attack shortly before midnight on Sunday...
The new Da Vinci Code: Secrets of the Sistine Chapel (The Times)
Forget The Da Vinci Code. "Experts" are now convinced that Michelangelo painted subversive messages into his frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Is there any truth in their claims — or are their imaginations running away with them?
Pro-lifers Baffled by Archdiocese: Another Strike, but No Outs as Obama's Chicago Priest Returns to Parish
Rev. Michael Pfleger returns, but pro-lifers ask why it takes racial taunting of Clinton and not abortion to put priest on leave
The “ingenuity of the devout”
Barack Obama does not “disregard doubt” – even that shown by pro-lifers, says Pepperdine’s Douglas Kmiec
Bishop Serratelli: The language of the liturgy-- the value of the new translations
(Paterson Beacon)
African Diplomats, Take Note: This Is How the Church Works (Chiesa)
They came to Rome from 22 African countries, for an intensive course on the foreign policy of the Holy See. Their instructors included the heads of Vatican diplomacy. They left again enthusiastic. It is on their continent that Catholicism is growing most vigorously
Catholic sex abuse crisis far from over in Vermont
In Diocese of Burlington, the worst is yet to come
German Lutherans Poised to Elect Active Homosexual Bishop
Cross-dressing students get 'transvestite toilet',
ten percent at Thai school say they're transgendered
An AP article, no excerpts.
Well-loved Catholic author Ann Ball passes away
Houston, Jun 9, 2008 / 05:45 pm (CNA).- Ann Ball, a prolific author who wrote lives of the saints alongside Catholic cookbooks, died of a heart attack shortly before midnight on Sunday...
The new Da Vinci Code: Secrets of the Sistine Chapel (The Times)
Forget The Da Vinci Code. "Experts" are now convinced that Michelangelo painted subversive messages into his frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Is there any truth in their claims — or are their imaginations running away with them?
Pro-lifers Baffled by Archdiocese: Another Strike, but No Outs as Obama's Chicago Priest Returns to Parish
Rev. Michael Pfleger returns, but pro-lifers ask why it takes racial taunting of Clinton and not abortion to put priest on leave
The “ingenuity of the devout”
Barack Obama does not “disregard doubt” – even that shown by pro-lifers, says Pepperdine’s Douglas Kmiec
Bishop Serratelli: The language of the liturgy-- the value of the new translations
(Paterson Beacon)
African Diplomats, Take Note: This Is How the Church Works (Chiesa)
They came to Rome from 22 African countries, for an intensive course on the foreign policy of the Holy See. Their instructors included the heads of Vatican diplomacy. They left again enthusiastic. It is on their continent that Catholicism is growing most vigorously
Catholic sex abuse crisis far from over in Vermont
In Diocese of Burlington, the worst is yet to come
German Lutherans Poised to Elect Active Homosexual Bishop
Cross-dressing students get 'transvestite toilet',
ten percent at Thai school say they're transgendered
Gospel for Thursday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time
Optional Memorial of St. Romuald, abbot
Old Calendar: St. Juliana of Falconieri, virgin; Saints Gervase and Protase, martyrs
From: Matthew 6:7-15
An Upright Intention in Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples:) [7] "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. [9] Pray then like this: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread; [12] And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [14] For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you; [15] but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
____________________
Commentary:
7-8. Jesus condemns the superstitious notion that long prayers are needed to attract God's attention. True piety is not so much a matter of the amount of words as of the frequency and the love with which the Christian turns towards God in all the events, great or small, of his day. Vocal prayer is good, and necessary; but the words count only if they express our inner feelings.
9-13. The "Our Father" is, without any doubt, the most commented-on passage in all Sacred Scripture. Numerous great Church writers have left us commentaries full of poetry and wisdom. The early Christians, taught by the precepts of salvation, and following the divine commandment, centered their prayer on this sublime and simple form of words given them by Jesus. And the last Christians, too, will raise their hearts to say the "Our Father" for the last time when they are on the point of being taken to Heaven. In the meantime, from childhood to death, the "Our Father" is a prayer which fills us with hope and consolation. Jesus fully realized how helpful this prayer would be to us. We are grateful to Him for giving it to us, to the Apostles for passing it on to us and, in the case of most Christians, to our mothers for teaching it to us in our infancy. So important is the Lord's Prayer that from apostolic times it has been used, along with the Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Sacraments, as the basis of Christian catechesis. Catechumens were introduced to the life of prayer by the "Our Father", and our catechisms today use it for that purpose.
St. Augustine says that the Lord's Prayer is so perfect that it sums up in a few words everything man needs to ask God for (cf. "Sermon", 56). It is usually seen as being made up of an invocation and seven petitions--three to do with praise of God and four with the needs of men.
9. It is a source of great consolation to be able to call God "our Father"; Jesus, the Son of God, teaches men to invoke God as Father because we are indeed His children, and should feel towards Him in that way.
"The Lord [...] is not a tyrannical master or a rigid and implacable judge; He is our Father. He speaks to us about our lack of generosity, our sins, our mistakes; but He also does so in order to free us from them, to promise us His friendship and His love [...]. A child of God treats the Lord as his Father. He is not obsequious and servile, he is not merely formal and well-mannered; he is completely sincere and trusting" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 64).
"Hallowed by Thy name": in the Bible a person's "name" means the same as the person himself. Here the name of God means God Himself. Why pray that His name be hallowed, sanctified? We do not mean sanctification in the human sense--leaving evil behind and drawing closer to God--for God is Holiness Itself. God, rather, is sanctified when His holiness is acknowledged and honored by His creatures--which is what this first petition of the "Our Father" means (cf. "St. Pius Catechism", IV, 10).
10. "Thy Kingdom come": this brings up again the central idea of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--the coming of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is so identical with the life and work of Jesus Christ that the Gospel is referred to now as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, now as the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 9:35). On the notion of the Kingdom of God see the commentary on Matthew 3:2 and 4:17. The coming of the Kingdom of God is the realization of God's plan of salvation in the world. The Kingdom establishes itself in the first place in the core of man's being, raising him up to share in God's own inner life. This elevation has, as it were, two stages--the first, in this life, where it is brought about by grace; the second, definitive stage in eternal life, where man's elevation to the supernatural level is fully completed. We for our part need to respond to God spontaneously, lovingly and trustingly.
"Thy will be done": this third petition expresses two desires. The first is that man identify humbly and unconditionally with God's will--abandonment in the arms of his Father God. The second that the will of God be fulfilled, that man cooperate with it in full freedom. For example, God's will is to be found in the moral aspect of the divine law--but this law is not forced on man. One of the signs of the coming of the Kingdom is man's loving fulfillment of God's will. The second part of the petition, "on earth as it is in Heaven", means that, just as the angels and saints in Heaven are fully at one with God's will, so--we desire--should the same thing obtain on earth.
Our effort to do God's will proves that we are sincere when we say the words, "Thy will be done." For our Lord says, "Not every one who says to Me, `Lord, Lord' shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven." (Matthew 7:21). "Anyone, then, who sincerely repeats this petition, `Fiat voluntas tua', must, at least in intention, have done this already" (St. Teresa of Avila, "Way of Perfection", chapter 36).
11. In making this fourth petition, we are thinking primarily of our needs in this present life. The importance of this petition is that it declares that the material things we need in our lives are good and lawful. It gives a deep religious dimension to the support of life: what Christ's disciple obtains through his own work is also something for which he should implore God--and he should receive it gratefully as a gift from God. God is our support in life: by asking God to support him and by realizing that it is God who is providing this support, the Christian avoids being worried about material needs. Jesus does not want us to pray for wealth or to be attached to material things, but to seek and make sober use of what meets our needs. Hence, in Matthew as well as in Luke (Luke 11:2), there is reference to having enough food for every day. This fourth petition, then, has to do with moderate use of food and material things--far from the extremes of opulence and misery, as God already taught in the Old Testament "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food which is needful for me, lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, `Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8).
The Fathers of the Church interpreted the bread asked for here not only as material food but also as referring to the Blessed Eucharist, without which our spirit cannot stay alive.
According to the "St. Pius V Catechism" (cf. IV, 13, 21) the Eucharist is called our daily bread because it is offered daily to God in the Holy Mass and because we should worthily receive it, every day if possible, as St. Ambrose advises: "If the bread is daily, why do you take it only once a year [...]? Receive daily what is of benefit to you daily! So live that you may deserve to receive it daily!" ("De Sacramentis", V, 4).
12. "Debts": clearly, here, in the sense of sin. In the Aramaic of Jesus' time the same word was used for offense and debt. In this fifth petition, then, we admit that we are debtors because we have offended God. The Old Testament is full of references to man's sinful condition. Even the "righteous" are sinners. Recognizing our sins is the first step in every conversion to God. It is not a question of recognizing that we have sinned in the past but of confessing our present sinful condition. Awareness of our sinfulness makes us realize our religious need to have recourse to the only One who can cure it. Hence the advantage of praying insistently, using the Lord's Prayer to obtain God's forgiveness time and again.
The second part of this petition is a serious call to forgive our fellow-men, for we cannot dare to ask God to forgive us if we are not ready to forgive others. The Christian needs to realize what this prayer implies: unwillingness to forgive others means that one is condemning oneself (see the notes on Matthew 5:23-24 and 18:21:21-35).
13. "And lead us not into temptation": "We do not ask to be totally exempt from temptation, for human life is one continuous temptation (cf. Job 7:1). What, then, do we pray for in this petition? We pray that the divine assistance may not forsake us, lest having been deceived, or worsted, we should yield to temptation; and that the grace of God may be at hand to succor us when our strength fails, to refresh and invigorate us in our trials" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 15, 14).
In this petition of the "Our Father" we recognize that our human efforts alone do not take us very far in trying to cope with temptation, and that we need to have humble recourse to God, to get the strength we need. For, "God is strong enough to free you from everything and can do you more good than all the devils can do you harm. All that God decrees is that you confide in Him, that you draw near Him, that you trust Him and distrust yourself, and so be helped; and with this help you will defeat whatever hell brings against you. Never lose hold of this firm hope [...] even if the demons are legion and all kinds of severe temptations harass you. Lean upon Him, because if the Lord is not your support and your strength, then you will fall and you will be afraid of everything" (St. John of Avila, "Sermons, 9, First Sunday of Lent").
"But deliver us from evil": in this petition, which, in a way, sums up the previous petitions, we ask the Lord to free us from everything our enemy does to bring us down; we cannot be free of him unless God Himself free us, in response to our prayers.
This sentence can also be translated as "Deliver us from the Evil One", that is to say, the devil, who is in the last analysis the author of all evils to which we are prone.
In making this request we can be sure that our prayer will be heard because Jesus Christ, when He was on the point of leaving this world, prayed to the Father for the salvation of all men: "I do not pray that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).
14-15. In verses 14 and 15 St. Matthew gives us a sort of commentary of our Lord on the fifth petition of the "Our Father".
A God who forgives is a wonderful God. But if God, who is thrice-holy, has mercy on the sinner, how much more ought we to forgive others--we sinners, who know from our own experience the wretchedness of sin. No one on earth is perfect. Just as God loves us, even though we have defects, and forgives us, we should love others, even though they have defects, and forgive them. If we wait to love people who have no defects, we shall never love anyone. If we wait until others mend their ways or apologize, we will scarcely ever forgive them. But then we ourselves will never be forgiven. "All right: that person has behaved badly towards you. But, haven't you behaved worse towards God?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 686).
Thus, forgiving those who have offended us makes us like our Father, God: "In loving our enemies there shines forth in us some likeness to God our Father, who, by the death of His Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition and reconciled to Himself the human race, which before was most unfriendly and hostile to Him" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 14, 19).
___________________________
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.
Old Calendar: St. Juliana of Falconieri, virgin; Saints Gervase and Protase, martyrs
From: Matthew 6:7-15
An Upright Intention in Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples:) [7] "And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. [9] Pray then like this: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread; [12] And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors; [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [14] For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you; [15] but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
____________________
Commentary:
7-8. Jesus condemns the superstitious notion that long prayers are needed to attract God's attention. True piety is not so much a matter of the amount of words as of the frequency and the love with which the Christian turns towards God in all the events, great or small, of his day. Vocal prayer is good, and necessary; but the words count only if they express our inner feelings.
9-13. The "Our Father" is, without any doubt, the most commented-on passage in all Sacred Scripture. Numerous great Church writers have left us commentaries full of poetry and wisdom. The early Christians, taught by the precepts of salvation, and following the divine commandment, centered their prayer on this sublime and simple form of words given them by Jesus. And the last Christians, too, will raise their hearts to say the "Our Father" for the last time when they are on the point of being taken to Heaven. In the meantime, from childhood to death, the "Our Father" is a prayer which fills us with hope and consolation. Jesus fully realized how helpful this prayer would be to us. We are grateful to Him for giving it to us, to the Apostles for passing it on to us and, in the case of most Christians, to our mothers for teaching it to us in our infancy. So important is the Lord's Prayer that from apostolic times it has been used, along with the Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Sacraments, as the basis of Christian catechesis. Catechumens were introduced to the life of prayer by the "Our Father", and our catechisms today use it for that purpose.
St. Augustine says that the Lord's Prayer is so perfect that it sums up in a few words everything man needs to ask God for (cf. "Sermon", 56). It is usually seen as being made up of an invocation and seven petitions--three to do with praise of God and four with the needs of men.
9. It is a source of great consolation to be able to call God "our Father"; Jesus, the Son of God, teaches men to invoke God as Father because we are indeed His children, and should feel towards Him in that way.
"The Lord [...] is not a tyrannical master or a rigid and implacable judge; He is our Father. He speaks to us about our lack of generosity, our sins, our mistakes; but He also does so in order to free us from them, to promise us His friendship and His love [...]. A child of God treats the Lord as his Father. He is not obsequious and servile, he is not merely formal and well-mannered; he is completely sincere and trusting" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 64).
"Hallowed by Thy name": in the Bible a person's "name" means the same as the person himself. Here the name of God means God Himself. Why pray that His name be hallowed, sanctified? We do not mean sanctification in the human sense--leaving evil behind and drawing closer to God--for God is Holiness Itself. God, rather, is sanctified when His holiness is acknowledged and honored by His creatures--which is what this first petition of the "Our Father" means (cf. "St. Pius Catechism", IV, 10).
10. "Thy Kingdom come": this brings up again the central idea of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--the coming of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is so identical with the life and work of Jesus Christ that the Gospel is referred to now as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, now as the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 9:35). On the notion of the Kingdom of God see the commentary on Matthew 3:2 and 4:17. The coming of the Kingdom of God is the realization of God's plan of salvation in the world. The Kingdom establishes itself in the first place in the core of man's being, raising him up to share in God's own inner life. This elevation has, as it were, two stages--the first, in this life, where it is brought about by grace; the second, definitive stage in eternal life, where man's elevation to the supernatural level is fully completed. We for our part need to respond to God spontaneously, lovingly and trustingly.
"Thy will be done": this third petition expresses two desires. The first is that man identify humbly and unconditionally with God's will--abandonment in the arms of his Father God. The second that the will of God be fulfilled, that man cooperate with it in full freedom. For example, God's will is to be found in the moral aspect of the divine law--but this law is not forced on man. One of the signs of the coming of the Kingdom is man's loving fulfillment of God's will. The second part of the petition, "on earth as it is in Heaven", means that, just as the angels and saints in Heaven are fully at one with God's will, so--we desire--should the same thing obtain on earth.
Our effort to do God's will proves that we are sincere when we say the words, "Thy will be done." For our Lord says, "Not every one who says to Me, `Lord, Lord' shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in Heaven." (Matthew 7:21). "Anyone, then, who sincerely repeats this petition, `Fiat voluntas tua', must, at least in intention, have done this already" (St. Teresa of Avila, "Way of Perfection", chapter 36).
11. In making this fourth petition, we are thinking primarily of our needs in this present life. The importance of this petition is that it declares that the material things we need in our lives are good and lawful. It gives a deep religious dimension to the support of life: what Christ's disciple obtains through his own work is also something for which he should implore God--and he should receive it gratefully as a gift from God. God is our support in life: by asking God to support him and by realizing that it is God who is providing this support, the Christian avoids being worried about material needs. Jesus does not want us to pray for wealth or to be attached to material things, but to seek and make sober use of what meets our needs. Hence, in Matthew as well as in Luke (Luke 11:2), there is reference to having enough food for every day. This fourth petition, then, has to do with moderate use of food and material things--far from the extremes of opulence and misery, as God already taught in the Old Testament "Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food which is needful for me, lest I be full, and deny Thee, and say, `Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Proverbs 30:8).
The Fathers of the Church interpreted the bread asked for here not only as material food but also as referring to the Blessed Eucharist, without which our spirit cannot stay alive.
According to the "St. Pius V Catechism" (cf. IV, 13, 21) the Eucharist is called our daily bread because it is offered daily to God in the Holy Mass and because we should worthily receive it, every day if possible, as St. Ambrose advises: "If the bread is daily, why do you take it only once a year [...]? Receive daily what is of benefit to you daily! So live that you may deserve to receive it daily!" ("De Sacramentis", V, 4).
12. "Debts": clearly, here, in the sense of sin. In the Aramaic of Jesus' time the same word was used for offense and debt. In this fifth petition, then, we admit that we are debtors because we have offended God. The Old Testament is full of references to man's sinful condition. Even the "righteous" are sinners. Recognizing our sins is the first step in every conversion to God. It is not a question of recognizing that we have sinned in the past but of confessing our present sinful condition. Awareness of our sinfulness makes us realize our religious need to have recourse to the only One who can cure it. Hence the advantage of praying insistently, using the Lord's Prayer to obtain God's forgiveness time and again.
The second part of this petition is a serious call to forgive our fellow-men, for we cannot dare to ask God to forgive us if we are not ready to forgive others. The Christian needs to realize what this prayer implies: unwillingness to forgive others means that one is condemning oneself (see the notes on Matthew 5:23-24 and 18:21:21-35).
13. "And lead us not into temptation": "We do not ask to be totally exempt from temptation, for human life is one continuous temptation (cf. Job 7:1). What, then, do we pray for in this petition? We pray that the divine assistance may not forsake us, lest having been deceived, or worsted, we should yield to temptation; and that the grace of God may be at hand to succor us when our strength fails, to refresh and invigorate us in our trials" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 15, 14).
In this petition of the "Our Father" we recognize that our human efforts alone do not take us very far in trying to cope with temptation, and that we need to have humble recourse to God, to get the strength we need. For, "God is strong enough to free you from everything and can do you more good than all the devils can do you harm. All that God decrees is that you confide in Him, that you draw near Him, that you trust Him and distrust yourself, and so be helped; and with this help you will defeat whatever hell brings against you. Never lose hold of this firm hope [...] even if the demons are legion and all kinds of severe temptations harass you. Lean upon Him, because if the Lord is not your support and your strength, then you will fall and you will be afraid of everything" (St. John of Avila, "Sermons, 9, First Sunday of Lent").
"But deliver us from evil": in this petition, which, in a way, sums up the previous petitions, we ask the Lord to free us from everything our enemy does to bring us down; we cannot be free of him unless God Himself free us, in response to our prayers.
This sentence can also be translated as "Deliver us from the Evil One", that is to say, the devil, who is in the last analysis the author of all evils to which we are prone.
In making this request we can be sure that our prayer will be heard because Jesus Christ, when He was on the point of leaving this world, prayed to the Father for the salvation of all men: "I do not pray that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).
14-15. In verses 14 and 15 St. Matthew gives us a sort of commentary of our Lord on the fifth petition of the "Our Father".
A God who forgives is a wonderful God. But if God, who is thrice-holy, has mercy on the sinner, how much more ought we to forgive others--we sinners, who know from our own experience the wretchedness of sin. No one on earth is perfect. Just as God loves us, even though we have defects, and forgives us, we should love others, even though they have defects, and forgive them. If we wait to love people who have no defects, we shall never love anyone. If we wait until others mend their ways or apologize, we will scarcely ever forgive them. But then we ourselves will never be forgiven. "All right: that person has behaved badly towards you. But, haven't you behaved worse towards God?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 686).
Thus, forgiving those who have offended us makes us like our Father, God: "In loving our enemies there shines forth in us some likeness to God our Father, who, by the death of His Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition and reconciled to Himself the human race, which before was most unfriendly and hostile to Him" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 14, 19).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Just for Today, June 19
Thy saints, O Lord, who now rejoice with Thee in the kingdom of heaven, whilst they were living, expected in faith and great patience the coming of Thy glory. What they believed, I believe; what they hoped for, I hope for; and whither they are come, I trust that I also, through Thy grace, shall come. In the meantime, I will walk in faith, strengthened by the examples of Thy saints.
-Bk. IV, ch. xi.
__________________
What will become of me? Shall the sight of my own helplessness make me die of grief? Oh no! I shall not even let it trouble me. My abandonment makes me dare to remain as I am, fixing my eyes on the divine Sun until the day of my death. Nothing shall alarm me, neither wind nor rain; if heavy clouds hide the Sun of love, if it seems to me that nothing exists but the night of this life, that will be the moment of perfect joy, the moment to make hope reach out to its furthest limit, and, without leaving my place, to know that beyond the gloomy clouds my bright Sun is shining.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. IV, ch. xi.
__________________
What will become of me? Shall the sight of my own helplessness make me die of grief? Oh no! I shall not even let it trouble me. My abandonment makes me dare to remain as I am, fixing my eyes on the divine Sun until the day of my death. Nothing shall alarm me, neither wind nor rain; if heavy clouds hide the Sun of love, if it seems to me that nothing exists but the night of this life, that will be the moment of perfect joy, the moment to make hope reach out to its furthest limit, and, without leaving my place, to know that beyond the gloomy clouds my bright Sun is shining.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 19
In the eyes af the sovereign Judge the merit of aur actions depends on the motives which prompted them.
-St. Gregory the Great.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Gregory the Great.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for June 19, The Heart of Jesus
"Who is better able to speak to the heart, than the heart?" asks Father Nouet, a great spiritual writer of the seventeenth century. They say that the heart is first to live and last to die.
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
"You have shown us that, O Heart most strong and sweet. Your Heart was the first to live for us and the last to die; the first, wounded during Its life, the last wounded after Its death. At the very moment death sealed Your lips, love opened Your Heart, to testify to us the excess to which it carried You. The Jews would have liked You to die a thousand times to satisfy their hate; and You, on the contrary, desired to die a thousand times to satisfy Your love.Not only do I wish to be Yours, O Heart of Jesus, but I beg of You the grace to dwell within You. The same Father Nouet says:
"O Divine Heart, Heart completely consecrated, abandoned, given up, devoted to the love of men, I wish no longer to have a heart except to give You a return of love; to give myself irrevocably to You. I wish to love You only in the measure of Your great Heart which loved me more than Its life.
"I tell You this in the Presence of the Divine Majesty, in the presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary who had a heart only to love the Heart of her Son.
"Heart of Jesus, I wish to be eternally Yours. Let it be so."
(The Man of Prayer-The Preface)
"There is no person so poor that he has no place to lodge. 'The birds even have their nest and the foxes their holes,' as Our Lord said. A Christian alone should not be without a dwelling, a wanderer and vagabond in the world; he must have a place of retreat where he can establish himself and lead a peaceful and ordered life._________________
"Wherever he may search, he will not find a better place than the Sacred Heart of Jesus which is the most magnificent of palaces.
"Access to It is easy, because It is always open. Are we not assured that He loves us, and that love lodges all those it loves, in the heart as in its own dwelling?
"But it is important that we establish ourselves there by a faithful correspondence to grace; we must know what we should do to please Him. We can learn it from the saints."
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Me, Me, Me! I Believe in Me!
Carl Olson writes:
Malformed and dead consciences reign supreme in the minds of wild-eyed heretics and schismatics...Dressing up like priests, they look like clowns. They're so lost and they enjoy leading others over the cliff. Pray for them and for those they lead astray!
Priestette: "I believe in the supremacy of conscience...That's probably Bridget Mary Meehan - she's usually at all of these events...You know, tending her "flock."
"...and my conscience has led me all along to be an ordained Roman Catholic priest."
That is Toni Tortorilla, a lesbian "counselor and spiritual director" who, according to a June 17th article in The Oregonian, "ministers to about 90 people in Portland and in Eugene who call themselves the Sophia Christi Catholic Community." I've written about Tortorilla before, as she has performed pretend Masses here in Eugene, Oregon, where I live. She is now back in the (very accommodating) media limelight because a second priestette underwent a pretend ordination in the Portland, Oregon, area a few days ago, as announced on the blog of another priestette, Bridget Mary, who is active in Call to Action...
Malformed and dead consciences reign supreme in the minds of wild-eyed heretics and schismatics...Dressing up like priests, they look like clowns. They're so lost and they enjoy leading others over the cliff. Pray for them and for those they lead astray!
Catholic Charity Assisted with Child's Abortion?
Federal authorities are investigating the actions of a Catholic charity in Richmond which helped a 16-year-old Guatemalan girl to receive an abortion in January, in possible violation of Virginia law.And Federal officials notified the USCCB about this grave matter.
Four employees of Commonwealth Catholic Charities, Richmond, (CCR) have been fired and one supervisor with the bishops' Migration and Refugee Services agency has been suspended....This is so unbelievable! How does one express feelings of frustration and anger? Is there relief that the employees have been fired! Perhaps now, they'll get the picture?
Assisting in the procurement of a directly willed abortion results, as I understand it, in a latae sententiae excommunication. And at least for some, it also results in termination of employment at a Catholic facility. Thanks God for that! Unfortunately, I would not be surprised if, in some places, they might be promoted.
The unnamed girl, who already had one child, had been fitted with a contraceptive device provided by CCR two months earlier, the letter said. CCR members signed the consent form necessary for a minor to have an abortion and had someone drive her to and from the abortion clinic.Direct cooperation in the evil of abortion by a Catholic agency...How sad and revolting! After years and years, how could these people do this? Was it ignorance of the highest magnitude, or deliberate rejection of Church teaching and the natural moral law?
Nonetheless, let us pray for the teenage girl, her murdered baby, and those who facilitated in this crime.
'Pro-Life' Drugstores Market Beliefs
When DMC Pharmacy opens this summer on Route 50 in Chantilly, the shelves will be stocked with allergy remedies, pain relievers, antiseptic ointments and almost everything else sold in any drugstore. But anyone who wants condoms, birth control pills or the Plan B emergency contraceptive will be turned away....How long will it take before culture of death supporters file a lawsuit against this pharmacy and its owners?
"I'm very, very troubled by this," said Marcia Greenberger of the National Women's Law Center, a Washington advocacy group. "Contraception is essential for women's health. A pharmacy like this is walling off an essential part of health care. That could endanger women's health."Lies, lies, and more lies from the peddlers of death. Contraception is not essential to women's health but is a detriment to both women and unborn children. This is not about "health." Rather it's about forcing others to cooperate in the promotion of unhealthy evils.
It's similar, in a certain way, to the recent California Supreme Court forcing others to accept, embrace, or sanction sodomy and other immoral homosexual acts as "rights" when, in reality, these acts are crimes against nature and are opposed to life and the family.
...Karen Brauer [is] president of Pharmacists for Life International, which promotes a pharmacist's right to refuse to fill such prescriptions. The group's Web site lists seven pharmacies around the country that have signed a pledge to follow "pro-life" guidelines, but Brauer said there are many others.One need only check into NaProTECHNOLOGY (Natural Procreative Technology), which:
is a new women's health science that monitors and maintains a woman's reproductive and gynecological health. It provides medical and surgical treatments that cooperate completely with the reproductive system.The Washington Post is the source of this article.
Thirty years of scientific research in the study of the normal and abnormal states of the menstrual and fertility cycles have unraveled their mysteries.
Cardinal: If They Understand the Mass, They'll Come
QUEBEC CITY, JUNE 16, 2008 (Zenit.org).- If Catholics really understood the meaning of Sunday Mass, they wouldn't miss it, Cardinal Josef Tomko said at the opening of the 49th International Eucharistic Congress.....
"The Eucharist is a gift of God," said Cardinal Tomko. "Not as an object, as the other gifts of God, but a very special one, because the gift of God himself.
"The Eucharist is Christ himself, a Person with his divine and human nature, given to us. It is the body and blood of the Risen Christ present with us under the sacramental signs of the bread and wine."
Headlines from the Future?
I know this has been done before, but I received this yesterday and decided to share it - It's not really funny, but ominous:
Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions.
Mexifornia, formerly California, becomes 7th largest country in the world.
White minorities petition to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.
Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.
Baby conceived naturally. Scientists stumped.
Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.
Iran Off Limits, physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.
France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica.
Castro dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking everywhere.
George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.
Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.
85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and Exercise key to weight loss.
Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.
Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.
Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.
Average height of NBA players is now nine feet, seven inches.
New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.
Congress authorizes direct deposit of formerly illegal political contributions to campaign accounts.
IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.
Florida voters still having trouble with voting machines.
Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions.
Mexifornia, formerly California, becomes 7th largest country in the world.
White minorities petition to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.
Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.
Baby conceived naturally. Scientists stumped.
Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.
Iran Off Limits, physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.
France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica.
Castro dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking everywhere.
George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.
Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.
85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and Exercise key to weight loss.
Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.
Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.
Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.
Average height of NBA players is now nine feet, seven inches.
New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.
Congress authorizes direct deposit of formerly illegal political contributions to campaign accounts.
IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.
Florida voters still having trouble with voting machines.
A Note to Bloggers and Others
Associated Press expects you to pay to license 5-word quotations
The AP, known in some circles as Al-Qaeda Partisans or as Allah’s Propagandists, in
Clearly, this is a Stalinist attempt to limit or destroy "fair use" and free speech by a group of elitists. As with others, I intend to deprive AP of its attempted extortion fees and urge others to do the same.
The AP, known in some circles as Al-Qaeda Partisans or as Allah’s Propagandists, in
"defin[ing] clear standards as to how much of its articles and broadcasts bloggers and Web sites can excerpt" the Associated Press is now selling "quotation licenses" that allow bloggers, journallers, and people who forward quotations from articles to co-workers to quote their articles. The licenses start at $12.50 for quotations of 5-25 words....(Source)
Clearly, this is a Stalinist attempt to limit or destroy "fair use" and free speech by a group of elitists. As with others, I intend to deprive AP of its attempted extortion fees and urge others to do the same.
News Updates, June 18
The Hour of the Eucharist, Part 1
QUEBEC CITY, JUNE 17, 2008 (Zenit.org).- It is the hour of the Eucharist, but three things are needed for Catholics to go deeper in the Eucharistic mystery, said the founder of a fraternity dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament.
'I'm not changing,' Pfleger vows as suspension ends,
returns to parish two weeks after Hilary comment
Vatican demands opening of Israeli archives
Access restricted to documents relating to Pope Pius XII
Not the time for quiet Catholics
Bishops of the Los Angeles archdiocese issue statement criticizing legalized same-sex marriage
Professed "Catholic" mayor celebrates homosexual marriages
Gavin Newsom officiated over ceremony of lesbian couple
“A degrading poison that withers life”
President of Human Life International writes to fellow priests about prophecies of Pope Paul VI on social effects of rampant artificial contraception
QUEBEC CITY, JUNE 17, 2008 (Zenit.org).- It is the hour of the Eucharist, but three things are needed for Catholics to go deeper in the Eucharistic mystery, said the founder of a fraternity dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament.
'I'm not changing,' Pfleger vows as suspension ends,
returns to parish two weeks after Hilary comment
Vatican demands opening of Israeli archives
Access restricted to documents relating to Pope Pius XII
Not the time for quiet Catholics
Bishops of the Los Angeles archdiocese issue statement criticizing legalized same-sex marriage
Professed "Catholic" mayor celebrates homosexual marriages
Gavin Newsom officiated over ceremony of lesbian couple
“A degrading poison that withers life”
President of Human Life International writes to fellow priests about prophecies of Pope Paul VI on social effects of rampant artificial contraception
Gospel for Wednesday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Ephrem, deacon, confessor and doctor
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 the hypocrites 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.
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 the hypocrites 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.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Just for Today, June 18
If thou wilt be borne withal, bear also with another. See how far thou art yet from true charity and humilitY, which knows not how to be angry with anyone, or to have indignation about anyone but one's self.
-Bk. II, ch. iii.
___________________
I did not always find it sweet and easy to practise charity, and I will tell you one of the many struggles I have had on that score. For a long time I had a neighbor during prayer who did nothing but rattle her rosary, or make some other slight noise the whole time. I may have been the only one to notice it; as I have very keen hearing, but I cannot tell you how tiring I found it. I felt tempted to turn my head and look at the culprit to make her keep still; but I knew in my heart that it would be much better to endure patiently for the love of God, and at the same time avoid hurting another's feelings. Therefore I did not move, although sometimes bathed in perspiration, and unable to make anything but a prayer of' endurance. I wanted to suffer peacefully and joyfully, at least in my inmost soul, and so tried to enjoy this tiresome little noise. Instead of ignoring it - which was impossible - I listened attentively, as though it were a beautiful concert, and my prayer, which was far from being the prayer of quiet, consisted in offering this concert to Our Lord.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. II, ch. iii.
___________________
I did not always find it sweet and easy to practise charity, and I will tell you one of the many struggles I have had on that score. For a long time I had a neighbor during prayer who did nothing but rattle her rosary, or make some other slight noise the whole time. I may have been the only one to notice it; as I have very keen hearing, but I cannot tell you how tiring I found it. I felt tempted to turn my head and look at the culprit to make her keep still; but I knew in my heart that it would be much better to endure patiently for the love of God, and at the same time avoid hurting another's feelings. Therefore I did not move, although sometimes bathed in perspiration, and unable to make anything but a prayer of' endurance. I wanted to suffer peacefully and joyfully, at least in my inmost soul, and so tried to enjoy this tiresome little noise. Instead of ignoring it - which was impossible - I listened attentively, as though it were a beautiful concert, and my prayer, which was far from being the prayer of quiet, consisted in offering this concert to Our Lord.
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 18
Meditation for June 18, I Can Always Love
When the glass painter, Claudius Lavergne, went to Italy to perfect his education in art, he was twenty years old and had known more than one difficulty. He took with him a little book, The Imitation of Christ. On the flyleaf of the book he wrote these words to explain what help he expected from the slender volume: "When men turn against me, I can always love."
Quotations credited as famous are frequently cited, but none is more beautiful than this one. Let tribulations come, if they will, I can always love. A few lines suffice to move me to yield my heart completely - a word from the Gospel, a psalm verse, a chapter of the Imitation - a drop of tonic as it were - calm and peace are soon restored; love of God and of neighbor are either possible again or grow more fervent.
It is a good idea for me to keep a small but personal selection of thoughts or holy passages to which I like to revert at difficult moments. The heart is so easily crushed! At such moments how difficult it is not to withdraw into self and forget the great horizons.
Whatever may be the circumstances or persons who cause me to suffer, I can always love. I must remember that. I will construct for myself in advance, an arsenal where I can hastily withdraw to strengthen myself on days when I might be more than usually tempted to love no more.
"Whom do you consider the happiest person?" asked King Charles IX of the poet Le Tasse.
"The good God."
"Yes, but the happiest of human beings?"
"He who most closely resembles the good God."
"But God is love, therefore, he who loves the most is the happiest."
My God, let me learn of You how to love!
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Quotations credited as famous are frequently cited, but none is more beautiful than this one. Let tribulations come, if they will, I can always love. A few lines suffice to move me to yield my heart completely - a word from the Gospel, a psalm verse, a chapter of the Imitation - a drop of tonic as it were - calm and peace are soon restored; love of God and of neighbor are either possible again or grow more fervent.
It is a good idea for me to keep a small but personal selection of thoughts or holy passages to which I like to revert at difficult moments. The heart is so easily crushed! At such moments how difficult it is not to withdraw into self and forget the great horizons.
Whatever may be the circumstances or persons who cause me to suffer, I can always love. I must remember that. I will construct for myself in advance, an arsenal where I can hastily withdraw to strengthen myself on days when I might be more than usually tempted to love no more.
"Whom do you consider the happiest person?" asked King Charles IX of the poet Le Tasse.
"The good God."
"Yes, but the happiest of human beings?"
"He who most closely resembles the good God."
"But God is love, therefore, he who loves the most is the happiest."
My God, let me learn of You how to love!
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
News Updates, June 17
Prominent Tucson priest backs pro-abortion critic of Archbishop Burke
Same-sex couples in Calif. get marriage licenses
Landmark state Supreme Court ruling overturning bans
California here we come
Legalization of same-sex marriage will make state tourist magnet for homosexuals from across U.S., study predicts
Rev. Michael Pfleger returns to St. Sabina
Catholic bishops reject gay marriage law
Official statement: 'Its meaning is given, not constructed'
World Eucharistic Congress gets underway in Quebec
Liberal judge caught operating bestiality website
Kozinski mentioned as potential candidate for Supreme Court
Same-sex couples in Calif. get marriage licenses
Landmark state Supreme Court ruling overturning bans
California here we come
Legalization of same-sex marriage will make state tourist magnet for homosexuals from across U.S., study predicts
Rev. Michael Pfleger returns to St. Sabina
Catholic bishops reject gay marriage law
Official statement: 'Its meaning is given, not constructed'
World Eucharistic Congress gets underway in Quebec
Liberal judge caught operating bestiality website
Kozinski mentioned as potential candidate for Supreme Court
Artwork at College Inspired by Satan - Taxpayer funded?
This is so repulsive and sick. Some people, no doubt, are truly under demonic influences:
http://www.cooper.edu/administration/about/directory.html
and administration officers:
http://www.cooper.edu/administration/about/officers.html
and the board of trustees:
http://www.cooper.edu/administration/about/trustees.html
Feel free to express your outrage at these contempptible and revolting acts. And, of course, it's obvious that some are in dire need of prayer and divine assistance.
HT to PC for the link.
College Displaying Crucifix in Rectum Got Millions in Tax DollarsHere's a link to the school directory:
By Keriann Hopkins
CNSNews.com Correspondent
June 10, 2008
(WARNING: This story contains graphic descriptions of artwork that is offensive.)
(CNSNews.com) - Federal taxpayers are subsidizing a college in New York whose art school is currently displaying works that include a drawing of a man with a crucifix coming out of his rectum, a drawing of a man with a rosary coming out of his rectum, and rosaries decorated with penises.....
http://www.cooper.edu/administration/about/directory.html
and administration officers:
http://www.cooper.edu/administration/about/officers.html
and the board of trustees:
http://www.cooper.edu/administration/about/trustees.html
Feel free to express your outrage at these contempptible and revolting acts. And, of course, it's obvious that some are in dire need of prayer and divine assistance.
HT to PC for the link.
Prayer and sacrifice on June 17
From America Needs Fatima:
Your prayer and sacrifice are important because today, June 17 is the day the state of California starts to issue “marriage” certificates to same-gender "couples," a direct assault on Divine and Natural Law.
Will you join America Needs Fatima in a Day of Prayer and Sacrifice on Tuesday, June 17?
Go Here Now for list of suggested prayer intentions.
Marriage is a sacred institution. It was established directly by God in Paradise, for our first parents, Adam and Eve. It is part and parcel of God’s Natural Order, and no one, government or Supreme Court – has the standing or authority to change it.
I urge you – as a fellow Catholic – to pray and fast to move God to intervene and save America from the moral shame of same-gender “marriage.” Please email me if you are joining me in prayer and sacrifice. CLICK HERE to send me a reply email.
I need to keep a tally of how many prayer warriors will be engaged in the spiritual battle on June 17.
Sincerely,
Robert Ritchie
Executive Director
Gospel for Tuesday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Gregory Barbarigo, Bishop and Confessor
From: Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [43] "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. [45] So that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. [46] For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [47] And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? [48] You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
__________________
Commentary:
43. The first part of this verse--"You shall love your neighbor"--is to be found in Leviticus 19:18. The second part--"hate your enemy"--is not to be found in the Law of Moses. However, Jesus' words refer to a widespread rabbinical interpretation which understood "neighbors" as meaning "Israelites". Our Lord corrects this misinterpretation of the Law: for Him everyone is our neighbor (cf. the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37).
43-47. This passage sums up the teaching which precedes it. Our Lord goes so far as to say that a Christian has no personal enemies. His only enemy is evil as such--sin--but not the sinner. Jesus Himself puts this into practice with those who crucified Him, and He continues to act in the same way towards sinners who rebel against Him and despise Him. Consequently, the saints have always followed His example--like St. Stephen, the first martyr, who prayed for those who were putting him to death. This is the apex of Christian perfection--to love, and pray for, even those who persecute us and calumniate us. It is the distinguishing mark of the children of God.
46. "Tax collectors": the Roman empire had no officials of its own for the collection of taxes: in each country it used local people for this purpose. These were free to engage agents (hence we find reference to "chief tax collectors": cf. Luke 19:2). The global amount of tax for each region was specified by the Roman authorities; the tax collectors levied more than this amount, keeping the surplus for themselves: this led them to act rather arbitrarily, which was why the people hated them. In the case of the Jews, insult was added to injury by the fact that the chosen people were being exploited by Gentiles.
48. Verse 48 is, in a sense, a summary of the teaching in this entire chapter, including the Beatitudes. Strictly speaking, it is quite impossible for a created being to be as perfect as God. What our Lord means here is that God's own perfection should be the model which every faithful Christian tries to follow, even though he realizes that there is an infinite distance between himself and his Creator. However, this does not reduce the force of this commandment; it sheds more light on it. It is a difficult commandment to live up to, but along with this we must take account of the enormous help grace gives us to go so far as to tend towards divine perfection. Certainly, perfection which we should imitate does not refer to the power and wisdom of God, which are totally beyond our scope; here the context seems to refer primarily to love and mercy. Along the same lines, St. Luke quotes these words of our Lord: "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36; cf. note on Luke 6:20-49).
Clearly, the "universal call to holiness" is not a recommendation but a commandment of Jesus Christ.
"Your duty is to sanctify yourself. Yes, even you. Who thinks that this task is only for priests and religious? To everyone, without exception, our Lord said: `Be ye perfect, as My Heavenly Father is perfect'" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 291). This teaching is sanctioned by chapter 5 of Vatican II's Constitution "Lumen Gentium", where it says (40): "The Lord Jesus, divine teacher and model of all perfection, preached holiness of life (of which He is the author and maker) to each and every one of His disciples without distinction: `You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect' [...]. It is therefore quite clear that all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love, and by this holiness a more human manner of life is fostered also in earthly society."
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
From: Matthew 5:43-48
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [43] "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. [45] So that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. [46] For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [47] And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? [48] You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect."
__________________
Commentary:
43. The first part of this verse--"You shall love your neighbor"--is to be found in Leviticus 19:18. The second part--"hate your enemy"--is not to be found in the Law of Moses. However, Jesus' words refer to a widespread rabbinical interpretation which understood "neighbors" as meaning "Israelites". Our Lord corrects this misinterpretation of the Law: for Him everyone is our neighbor (cf. the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37).
43-47. This passage sums up the teaching which precedes it. Our Lord goes so far as to say that a Christian has no personal enemies. His only enemy is evil as such--sin--but not the sinner. Jesus Himself puts this into practice with those who crucified Him, and He continues to act in the same way towards sinners who rebel against Him and despise Him. Consequently, the saints have always followed His example--like St. Stephen, the first martyr, who prayed for those who were putting him to death. This is the apex of Christian perfection--to love, and pray for, even those who persecute us and calumniate us. It is the distinguishing mark of the children of God.
46. "Tax collectors": the Roman empire had no officials of its own for the collection of taxes: in each country it used local people for this purpose. These were free to engage agents (hence we find reference to "chief tax collectors": cf. Luke 19:2). The global amount of tax for each region was specified by the Roman authorities; the tax collectors levied more than this amount, keeping the surplus for themselves: this led them to act rather arbitrarily, which was why the people hated them. In the case of the Jews, insult was added to injury by the fact that the chosen people were being exploited by Gentiles.
48. Verse 48 is, in a sense, a summary of the teaching in this entire chapter, including the Beatitudes. Strictly speaking, it is quite impossible for a created being to be as perfect as God. What our Lord means here is that God's own perfection should be the model which every faithful Christian tries to follow, even though he realizes that there is an infinite distance between himself and his Creator. However, this does not reduce the force of this commandment; it sheds more light on it. It is a difficult commandment to live up to, but along with this we must take account of the enormous help grace gives us to go so far as to tend towards divine perfection. Certainly, perfection which we should imitate does not refer to the power and wisdom of God, which are totally beyond our scope; here the context seems to refer primarily to love and mercy. Along the same lines, St. Luke quotes these words of our Lord: "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:36; cf. note on Luke 6:20-49).
Clearly, the "universal call to holiness" is not a recommendation but a commandment of Jesus Christ.
"Your duty is to sanctify yourself. Yes, even you. Who thinks that this task is only for priests and religious? To everyone, without exception, our Lord said: `Be ye perfect, as My Heavenly Father is perfect'" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 291). This teaching is sanctioned by chapter 5 of Vatican II's Constitution "Lumen Gentium", where it says (40): "The Lord Jesus, divine teacher and model of all perfection, preached holiness of life (of which He is the author and maker) to each and every one of His disciples without distinction: `You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect' [...]. It is therefore quite clear that all Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love, and by this holiness a more human manner of life is fostered also in earthly society."
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Just for Today, June 17
There is no living in love without some pain or sorrow. Whosoever is not ready to suffer all things, and to stand resigned to the will of his Beloved, is not worthy to be called a lover.
-Bk. III, ch. v.
_______________
Do not imagine that love can be found without suffering, for we carry with us our human nature; and yet, what a source of merit it is! It is our bread-winner, and so precious an asset that Our Lord came down on earth in order to possess it.
-Letters.
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. III, ch. v.
_______________
Do not imagine that love can be found without suffering, for we carry with us our human nature; and yet, what a source of merit it is! It is our bread-winner, and so precious an asset that Our Lord came down on earth in order to possess it.
-Letters.
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 17
If the devil tempts me by the thought of divine justice, I think of God's mercy; if he tries to fill me with presumption by the thought of His mercy, I think of His justice.
-St. Ignatius.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
-St. Ignatius.
________________________
From Mary, Help of Christians
Part VI, Thoughts and Counsels of the Saints for Every Day of the Year
Compiled by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer, OFM (© 1909, Benziger Brothers)
Meditation for June 17, The Lord Is With Thee
What can I still want if the Lord be with me? Can poverty continue to be poverty when it is found with the greatest riches? I am nothing, but I have with me, Him, who is all.
If Mary in the Magnificat could speak of her lowliness - humilitatem ancillae - what shall I say? But like her - and with greater reason, since my original nothingness is greater - I shall exalt the immensity of the Lord's gifts to me; He gives Himself to me in so many ways; He has done great things to me! Fecit mihi magna! He has given me the gift of Himself in sanctifying grace which brings the Holy Trinity to dwell in me and the gift of Himself through the Eucharist.
Truly what immense happiness is mine to have my God thuswith me!
How I ought to yearn that all the souls upon earth might come to the possession of God; that all souls might live the supernatural life; that all might know the Holy Host and consent to receive It.
I will think of all this each time I hear the priest say Dominus vobiscum during Mass.
An English soldier crawling along under a bombardment during the World War succeeded in reaching a shell hole; at the depths of the temporary shelter, he found a man seriously wounded and in a dying condition. He felt he should express at least a word of sympathy. The wounded soldier's identification tag bore the initials R. C., Roman Catholic. Utterly bereft of words, all that the English comrade could finally succeed in stammering out was Dominus vobiscum. But what more beautiful wish could be expressed for one about to die: May the Lord be with you!
I will send out in thought upon all the dying in the world today this wish. Oh, that not one of them die without having God with him, without God in him. My own happiness is so great! But is that true of everyone? I will pray, pray ardently, above all, for the dying.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
If Mary in the Magnificat could speak of her lowliness - humilitatem ancillae - what shall I say? But like her - and with greater reason, since my original nothingness is greater - I shall exalt the immensity of the Lord's gifts to me; He gives Himself to me in so many ways; He has done great things to me! Fecit mihi magna! He has given me the gift of Himself in sanctifying grace which brings the Holy Trinity to dwell in me and the gift of Himself through the Eucharist.
Truly what immense happiness is mine to have my God thuswith me!
How I ought to yearn that all the souls upon earth might come to the possession of God; that all souls might live the supernatural life; that all might know the Holy Host and consent to receive It.
I will think of all this each time I hear the priest say Dominus vobiscum during Mass.
An English soldier crawling along under a bombardment during the World War succeeded in reaching a shell hole; at the depths of the temporary shelter, he found a man seriously wounded and in a dying condition. He felt he should express at least a word of sympathy. The wounded soldier's identification tag bore the initials R. C., Roman Catholic. Utterly bereft of words, all that the English comrade could finally succeed in stammering out was Dominus vobiscum. But what more beautiful wish could be expressed for one about to die: May the Lord be with you!
I will send out in thought upon all the dying in the world today this wish. Oh, that not one of them die without having God with him, without God in him. My own happiness is so great! But is that true of everyone? I will pray, pray ardently, above all, for the dying.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
What's Your Moral IQ - The Human Act?
Allow ten points for each question. One hundred per cent means that you are a moral theologian; 90, you know the law; 80, you are about average; 70, you'd better join a study club.
___________________
I. What is moral theology?
2. Are all of man's actions human actions?
3. What are the three elements which give a human act its moral goodness or badness?
4. How many of these elements must be good or indifferent if the act is to be a good act?
5. What is the object of an act of theft?
6. Circumstances of a human act are those accidental conditions which change the act from a good one to a bad one. What is a circumstance that ordinarily makes it wrong for a Catholic to eat meat?
7. Alex kills his father thinking he is a deer. Is Alex guilty of parricide?
8. Nick, while in jail, misses Sunday Mass. He believes he commits a sin so he reconciles himself to the fact. Does Nick commit a sin?
9. Jim had immodest thoughts that persisted off and on for several hours, but he did not give consent to having these thoughts. Does Jim commit sin?
10. Joan deliberately reads a really harmless book that she thinks gravely sinful. Is she guilty of a grave sin?
_________________________
Answers Next Monday...
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, October 1946
___________________
I. What is moral theology?
2. Are all of man's actions human actions?
3. What are the three elements which give a human act its moral goodness or badness?
4. How many of these elements must be good or indifferent if the act is to be a good act?
5. What is the object of an act of theft?
6. Circumstances of a human act are those accidental conditions which change the act from a good one to a bad one. What is a circumstance that ordinarily makes it wrong for a Catholic to eat meat?
7. Alex kills his father thinking he is a deer. Is Alex guilty of parricide?
8. Nick, while in jail, misses Sunday Mass. He believes he commits a sin so he reconciles himself to the fact. Does Nick commit a sin?
9. Jim had immodest thoughts that persisted off and on for several hours, but he did not give consent to having these thoughts. Does Jim commit sin?
10. Joan deliberately reads a really harmless book that she thinks gravely sinful. Is she guilty of a grave sin?
_________________________
Answers Next Monday...
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, October 1946
Answers - What Kind of a Theologian Are You-Justification?
Questions can be viewed here.
1. Justification-of the impious.
2. Trent.
3. Faith.
4. Yes.
5. a-Yes. b- Yes. c-Supematural.
6. Yes.
7. St. Paul, Heb. 11:6.
8. Yes.
9. St. Paul, 1 Cor. 13:2.
10. Yes.
_________________________
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, October 1946
1. Justification-of the impious.
2. Trent.
3. Faith.
4. Yes.
5. a-Yes. b- Yes. c-Supematural.
6. Yes.
7. St. Paul, Heb. 11:6.
8. Yes.
9. St. Paul, 1 Cor. 13:2.
10. Yes.
_________________________
Adapted from The Queen's Work Magazine, October 1946
Rome Churches Off Limits for "Angels & Demons" Filming
The Vatican has banned the makers of Angels & Demons, the latest Dan Brown thriller to be filmed, from shooting scenes not only in the Vatican but in any church in Rome on the ground that it is "an offence against God" and "wounds common religious feelings".Another Dan Brown fabrication being made into a movie for the gullible by Ron Howard...
Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, head of the Vatican's Prefecture for Economic Affairs, said that the author had "turned the Gospels upside down to poison the faith. It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into mendacious films in the name of business."
For anyone so inclined, you, too, can "Create Your Own Dan Brown Novel" by checking out this link. Who knows, perhaps you can become a best-selling author! Remember, be sparing with actual facts.
Christian Pop Art Takes the Stage in the Alps (Chiesa)
The Sacred Mountain of Varallo is a triumph of "total art" at the service of the faith. Architects, sculptors, painters, scenographers, have reproduced the life of Jesus in 45 chapels on the mountain.
After a period of neglect, the Church wants to restore their splendor. A commentary by Timothy Verdon.
by Sandro Magister
Bishops' vote on liturgy document inconclusive; mail ballot required
So says the headline at Catholic News Service. What it really means is that "John and Mary Catholic" must suffer even longer for worthy translations while dissenting voices at the USCCB continue protesting against Liturgiam Authenticam and other documents from the Holy See:
He and his like-minded brother bishops must think that most Catholics, being so ignorant, are incapable of understanding words in excess of one or two syllables. It's comforting to know how thoughtful they are for the illiterate and uneducated masses.
Perhaps, though, some bishops are fearful that someone might actually expand his vocabulary or have his spirit lifted by an authentic translation? Might some find that reverence and mystery associated with accurate and meaningful translations doesn't fit so well with guitars and bongos in the sanctuary?
It's high time for those bishops of the progressive and liberal persuasion to step aside - they've already done quite enough for us over the past 40+ years.
ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) -- Following a lively debate, the U.S. bishops left a 700-page translation of one section of the Roman Missal in limbo June 13 when it failed to obtain the number of votes needed to approve the text or to reject it.Spearheading the protest we see the name of a prominent leader of the dissenting faction - Bishop Trautman, whose opposition to faithful translations of the Latin texts is well known.
The translation of the proper prayers for Sundays and feast days during the liturgical year requires the approval of two-thirds of the 250 Latin-rite members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. But after more than a dozen bishops spoke against the translation, results of the voting were inconclusive....
"John and Mary Catholic have the right to have prayers that are clear and understandable," said Bishop Donald W. Trautman of Erie, Pa., in speaking against the translation that had been in the works for more than two years.
He and his like-minded brother bishops must think that most Catholics, being so ignorant, are incapable of understanding words in excess of one or two syllables. It's comforting to know how thoughtful they are for the illiterate and uneducated masses.
Perhaps, though, some bishops are fearful that someone might actually expand his vocabulary or have his spirit lifted by an authentic translation? Might some find that reverence and mystery associated with accurate and meaningful translations doesn't fit so well with guitars and bongos in the sanctuary?
It's high time for those bishops of the progressive and liberal persuasion to step aside - they've already done quite enough for us over the past 40+ years.
News Updates, June 16
State-Funded Embryo Research "Makes Taxpayers Complicit in Killing", say Bishops
Parish, public await Rev. Michael Pfleger's next move
McCain Meets Privately with Fr. Pavone - Says Constitutional Right to Life Applies to Unborn
Prominent federal judge under fire after newspaper reveals he posted sexually explicit material on personal web site
Michigan Governor Vows to Veto Partial Birth Abortion Ban…Again
Unworthy to be State's Chief Executive
Rumors claim Bush to convert to Catholicism
U.S. bishops condemn embryonic stem cell research, issued document warning against the moral dangers
Rector holds first gay 'wedding' in an Anglican church
Indistinguishable from traditional church marriage ceremony
Priest to recruit soldiers for new kind of service
Study: 80% of students lose faith during college
Medical Association Seeks to Deny Pharmacists Freedom of Conscience
Position is seen as hypocritical, at best, since AMA supports freedom of conscience protections for physicians.
Parish, public await Rev. Michael Pfleger's next move
McCain Meets Privately with Fr. Pavone - Says Constitutional Right to Life Applies to Unborn
Prominent federal judge under fire after newspaper reveals he posted sexually explicit material on personal web site
Michigan Governor Vows to Veto Partial Birth Abortion Ban…Again
Unworthy to be State's Chief Executive
Rumors claim Bush to convert to Catholicism
U.S. bishops condemn embryonic stem cell research, issued document warning against the moral dangers
Rector holds first gay 'wedding' in an Anglican church
Indistinguishable from traditional church marriage ceremony
Priest to recruit soldiers for new kind of service
Study: 80% of students lose faith during college
Medical Association Seeks to Deny Pharmacists Freedom of Conscience
Position is seen as hypocritical, at best, since AMA supports freedom of conscience protections for physicians.
Gospel for Monday, 11th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Matthew 5:38-42
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [38] "You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' [39] But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; [40] and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; [41] and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. [42] Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you."
_________________________
Commentary:
38-42. Among the Semites, from whom the Israelites stemmed, the law of vengeance ruled. It led to interminable strife, and countless crimes. In the early centuries of the chosen people, the law of retaliation was recognized as an ethical advance, socially and legally: no punishment could exceed the crime, and any punitive retaliation was outlawed. In this way, the honor of the clans and families was satisfied, and endless feuds avoided.
As far as New Testament morality is concerned, Jesus establishes a definitive advance: a sense of forgiveness and absence of pride play an essential role. Every legal framework for combating evil in the world, every reasonable defense of personal rights, should be based on this morality. The three last verses refer to mutual charity among the children of the Kingdom, a charity which presupposes and deeply imbues justice.
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.
Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [38] "You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' [39] But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; [40] and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; [41] and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. [42] Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you."
_________________________
Commentary:
38-42. Among the Semites, from whom the Israelites stemmed, the law of vengeance ruled. It led to interminable strife, and countless crimes. In the early centuries of the chosen people, the law of retaliation was recognized as an ethical advance, socially and legally: no punishment could exceed the crime, and any punitive retaliation was outlawed. In this way, the honor of the clans and families was satisfied, and endless feuds avoided.
As far as New Testament morality is concerned, Jesus establishes a definitive advance: a sense of forgiveness and absence of pride play an essential role. Every legal framework for combating evil in the world, every reasonable defense of personal rights, should be based on this morality. The three last verses refer to mutual charity among the children of the Kingdom, a charity which presupposes and deeply imbues justice.
___________________________
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.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Just for Today, June 16
Open, O Lord, my heart in Thy law, teach me to walk in Thy commandments.
-Bk. III, ch. xxii.
__________________
Knowing that charity covereth a multitude of sins (I Pet. iv, 8), I explored the rich mine contained in the Gospel. As I tried to sound the depths of its teaching, I cried out with the Psalmist: I have run the way of thy commandments, when thou didst enlarge my heart (Ps. cxviii, 32). Only charity can enlarge the heart. Since its flame, O Jesus, consumes my heart, I have run in the way of Thy new commandment, and will so run until the day when I join the choir of virgins, who follow Thee singing the new song, which is that of Love!
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
-Bk. III, ch. xxii.
__________________
Knowing that charity covereth a multitude of sins (I Pet. iv, 8), I explored the rich mine contained in the Gospel. As I tried to sound the depths of its teaching, I cried out with the Psalmist: I have run the way of thy commandments, when thou didst enlarge my heart (Ps. cxviii, 32). Only charity can enlarge the heart. Since its flame, O Jesus, consumes my heart, I have run in the way of Thy new commandment, and will so run until the day when I join the choir of virgins, who follow Thee singing the new song, which is that of Love!
-The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme)
__________________
For more information, see this post.
Adapted from Just For Today(©1943 Burns & Oates)
Nihil Obstat: Reginaldus Phillips, S.T.L.,Censor deputatus
Imprimatur: Edwardus Myers, Vic. Cap.
Thoughts and Counsels - June 16
Meditation for June 16, My Weakness
We prayed in one of the previous Collects of the Mass, "O God, Who sees that we are altogether destitute of strength...."
How true it is!
In the past, I made the best of resolutions; the program given by St. Paul to the Corinthians captivated me and I sincerely desired to be magnanimous.
Alas, once again I realize my weakness, and in spite of my efforts to recall Christ's suffering, I have been cowardly. My zeal for active and personal participation in the Redemption has grown tepid. Am I truly living my life with genuine courage?
Do not be too angry with me, O Jesus ; You know of what I am made and how poor I am. Notwithstanding Your example and Your help, I drag along instead of walking briskly. I carry my cross complainingly; more than once I have evaded sacrifice, yet Your call is so insistent.
Have pity on me!
What a despicable religious I am; it is I who should compassionate You and here I am asking You to have pity on me.
If it please You, O my Jesus, let us mutually support one and other. Give me Your powerful grace, inspire me with a lively compassion, with ardent desires that I may be enabled to come to Your assistance and participate with You in the Redemption.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
How true it is!
In the past, I made the best of resolutions; the program given by St. Paul to the Corinthians captivated me and I sincerely desired to be magnanimous.
Alas, once again I realize my weakness, and in spite of my efforts to recall Christ's suffering, I have been cowardly. My zeal for active and personal participation in the Redemption has grown tepid. Am I truly living my life with genuine courage?
Do not be too angry with me, O Jesus ; You know of what I am made and how poor I am. Notwithstanding Your example and Your help, I drag along instead of walking briskly. I carry my cross complainingly; more than once I have evaded sacrifice, yet Your call is so insistent.
Have pity on me!
What a despicable religious I am; it is I who should compassionate You and here I am asking You to have pity on me.
If it please You, O my Jesus, let us mutually support one and other. Give me Your powerful grace, inspire me with a lively compassion, with ardent desires that I may be enabled to come to Your assistance and participate with You in the Redemption.
_________________
Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)
Latin Mass to return to England and Wales
Priest Trainee=seminarian...The traditional Latin Mass – effectively banned by Rome for 40 years – is to be reintroduced into every Roman Catholic parish in England and Wales, the senior Vatican cardinal in charge of Latin liturgy said at a press conference in London today.
In addition, all seminaries will be required to teach trainee priests how to say the old Mass so that they can celebrate it in all parishes.
Catholic congregations throughout the world will receive special instruction on how to appreciate the old services, formerly known as the Tridentine Rite.
Yesterday’s announcement by the senior Vatican cardinal in charge of Latin liturgy, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, speaking on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, will horrify Catholic liberals, including many bishops of England and Wales....
effectively banned by Rome for 40 years - Uhh, no it wasn't...
Horrify Catholic Liberals=Horrify dissenters...
Pope Benedict will reintroduce the old rite – which will be known as the “Gregorian Rite”...The Gregorian Rite? Granted, this article comes from The Telegraph, but is this possible? Do reporters bother to verify their "facts" anymore?
Gospel for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Matthew 9:36-10:8
The Need for Good Shepherds
[36] When He (Jesus) saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; [38] pray therefore the Lord of harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
The Calling and First Mission of the Apostles
[1] And He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. [2] The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; [3] Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; [4]Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.
[5] These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, [6] but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [7] And preach as you go, saying, `The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.' [8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay."
_______________
Commentary:
36. "He had compassion for them": the Greek verb is very expressive; it means "He was deeply moved". Jesus was moved when He saw the people, because their pastors, instead of guiding them and tending them, led them astray, behaving more like wolves than genuine shepherds of their flock. Jesus sees the prophecy of Ezekiel 34 as now being fulfilled; in that passage God, through the prophet, upbraids the false shepherds of Israel and promises to send them the Messiah to be their new leader.
"If we were consistent with our faith when we looked around us and contemplated the world and its history, we would be unable to avoid feeling in our own hearts the same sentiments that filled the heart of our Lord" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133). Reflection on the spiritual needs of the world should lead us to be tirelessly apostolic.
37-38. After contemplating the crowds neglected by their shepherds, Jesus uses the image of the harvest to show us that that same crowd is ready to receive the effects of Redemption: "I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see now the fields are already white for harvest" (John 4:35). The field of the Jewish people cultivated by the prophets--most recently by John the Baptist--is full of ripe wheat. In farm work, the harvest is lost if the farmer does not reap at the right time; down the centuries the Church feels a similar need to be out harvesting because there is a big harvest ready to be won.
However, as in the time of Jesus, there is a shortage of laborers. Our Lord tells us how to deal with this: we should pray to God, the Lord of harvest, to send the necessary laborers. If a Christian prays hard, it is difficult to imagine his not feeling urged to play his part in this apostolate. In obeying this commandment to pray for laborers, we should pray especially for there to be no lack of shepherds, who will be able to equip others with the necessary means of sanctification needed to back up the apostolate.
In this connection Paul VI reminds us: "the responsibility for spreading the Gospel that saves belongs to everyone--to all who have received it! The missionary duty concerns the whole body of the Church; in different ways and to different degrees, it is true, but we must all of us be united in carrying out this duty. Now let the conscience of every believer ask himself: Have I carried out my missionary duty? Prayer for the Missions is the first way of fulfilling this duty" ("Angelus Address", 23 October 1977).
1-4. Jesus calls His twelve Apostles after recommending to them to pray to the Lord to send laborers into His harvest (cf. Matthew 9:38). Christians' apostolic action should always, then, be preceded and accompanied by a life of constant prayer: apostolate is a divine affair, not a merely human one. Our Lord starts His Church by calling twelve men to be, as it were, twelve patriarchs of the new people of God, the Church. This new people is established not by physical but by spiritual generation. The names of those Apostles are specifically mentioned here. They were not scholarly, powerful or important people: they were average, ordinary people who responded faithfully to the grace of their calling--all of them, that is, except Judas Iscariot. Even before His death and resurrection Jesus confers on them the power to cast out unclean spirits and cure illnesses--as an earnest of and as training for the saving mission which He will entrust to them.
The Church reveres these first Christians in a very special way and is proud to carry on their supernatural mission, and to be faithful to the witness they bore to the teaching of Christ. The true Church is absent unless there is uninterrupted apostolic succession and identification with the spirit which the Apostles made their own.
"Apostle": this word means "sent"; Jesus sent them out to preach His Kingdom and pass on His teaching.
The Second Vatican Council, in line with Vatican I, "confesses" and "declares" that the Church has a hierarchical structure: "The Lord Jesus, having prayed at length to the Father, called to Himself those whom He willed and appointed twelve to be with Him, whom He might send to preach the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 3:13-19: Matthew 10:1-10). These Apostles (cf. Luke 6:13) He constituted in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which He placed Peter, chosen from among them (cf. John 21:15-17). He sent them first of all to the children of Israel and then to all peoples (cf. Romans 1:16), so that, sharing in His power, they might make all peoples His disciples and sanctify and govern them (cf. Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-48; John 20:21-23) and thus spread the Church and, administering it under the guidance of the Lord, shepherd it all days until the end of the world (cf. Matthew 28:28)" ("Lumen Gentium", 19).
1. In this chapter St. Matthew describes how Jesus, with a view to the spreading of the Kingdom of God which He inaugurates, decides to establish a Church, which He does by giving special powers and training to these twelve men who are its seed.
5-15. After revealing His intention to found the Church by choosing the Twelve (verses 1-4), in the present passage He shows that He intends to start training these first Apostles. In other words, from early on in His public ministry He began to lay the foundations of His Church.
Everyone needs doctrinal and apostolic training to follow his Christian calling. The Church has a duty to teach, and the faithful have a parallel duty to make that teaching their own. Therefore, every Christian should avail of the facilities for training which the Church offers him--which will vary according to each person's circumstances.
5-6. In His plan of salvation God gave certain promises (to Abraham and the patriarchs), a Covenant and a Law (the Law of Moses), and sent the prophets. The Messiah would be born into this chosen people, which explains why the Messiah and the Kingdom of God were to be preached to the house of Israel before being preached to the Gentiles. Therefore, in their early apprenticeship, Jesus restricts the Apostles' area of activity to the Jews, without this taking from the world-wide scope of the Church's mission. As we will see, much later on He charges them to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). The Apostles also, in the early days of the spread of the Church, usually sought out the Jewish community in any new city they entered, and preached first to them (cf. Acts 13:46).
7-8. Previously, the prophets, when speaking of the messianic times, had used imagery suited to the people's spiritual immaturity. Now, Jesus, in sending His Apostles to proclaim that the promised Kingdom of God is imminent, lays stress on its spiritual dimension. The powers mentioned in verse 8 are the very sign of the Kingdom of God or the reign of the Messiah proclaimed by the prophets. At first (chapters 8 and 9) it is Jesus who exercises these messianic powers; now He gives them to His disciples as proof that His mission is divine (Isaiah 35:5-6; 40:9; 52:7; 61:1).
___________________________
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 Need for Good Shepherds
[36] When He (Jesus) saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; [38] pray therefore the Lord of harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
The Calling and First Mission of the Apostles
[1] And He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. [2] The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; [3] Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; [4]Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.
[5] These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, [6] but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [7] And preach as you go, saying, `The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.' [8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without pay, give without pay."
_______________
Commentary:
36. "He had compassion for them": the Greek verb is very expressive; it means "He was deeply moved". Jesus was moved when He saw the people, because their pastors, instead of guiding them and tending them, led them astray, behaving more like wolves than genuine shepherds of their flock. Jesus sees the prophecy of Ezekiel 34 as now being fulfilled; in that passage God, through the prophet, upbraids the false shepherds of Israel and promises to send them the Messiah to be their new leader.
"If we were consistent with our faith when we looked around us and contemplated the world and its history, we would be unable to avoid feeling in our own hearts the same sentiments that filled the heart of our Lord" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 133). Reflection on the spiritual needs of the world should lead us to be tirelessly apostolic.
37-38. After contemplating the crowds neglected by their shepherds, Jesus uses the image of the harvest to show us that that same crowd is ready to receive the effects of Redemption: "I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see now the fields are already white for harvest" (John 4:35). The field of the Jewish people cultivated by the prophets--most recently by John the Baptist--is full of ripe wheat. In farm work, the harvest is lost if the farmer does not reap at the right time; down the centuries the Church feels a similar need to be out harvesting because there is a big harvest ready to be won.
However, as in the time of Jesus, there is a shortage of laborers. Our Lord tells us how to deal with this: we should pray to God, the Lord of harvest, to send the necessary laborers. If a Christian prays hard, it is difficult to imagine his not feeling urged to play his part in this apostolate. In obeying this commandment to pray for laborers, we should pray especially for there to be no lack of shepherds, who will be able to equip others with the necessary means of sanctification needed to back up the apostolate.
In this connection Paul VI reminds us: "the responsibility for spreading the Gospel that saves belongs to everyone--to all who have received it! The missionary duty concerns the whole body of the Church; in different ways and to different degrees, it is true, but we must all of us be united in carrying out this duty. Now let the conscience of every believer ask himself: Have I carried out my missionary duty? Prayer for the Missions is the first way of fulfilling this duty" ("Angelus Address", 23 October 1977).
1-4. Jesus calls His twelve Apostles after recommending to them to pray to the Lord to send laborers into His harvest (cf. Matthew 9:38). Christians' apostolic action should always, then, be preceded and accompanied by a life of constant prayer: apostolate is a divine affair, not a merely human one. Our Lord starts His Church by calling twelve men to be, as it were, twelve patriarchs of the new people of God, the Church. This new people is established not by physical but by spiritual generation. The names of those Apostles are specifically mentioned here. They were not scholarly, powerful or important people: they were average, ordinary people who responded faithfully to the grace of their calling--all of them, that is, except Judas Iscariot. Even before His death and resurrection Jesus confers on them the power to cast out unclean spirits and cure illnesses--as an earnest of and as training for the saving mission which He will entrust to them.
The Church reveres these first Christians in a very special way and is proud to carry on their supernatural mission, and to be faithful to the witness they bore to the teaching of Christ. The true Church is absent unless there is uninterrupted apostolic succession and identification with the spirit which the Apostles made their own.
"Apostle": this word means "sent"; Jesus sent them out to preach His Kingdom and pass on His teaching.
The Second Vatican Council, in line with Vatican I, "confesses" and "declares" that the Church has a hierarchical structure: "The Lord Jesus, having prayed at length to the Father, called to Himself those whom He willed and appointed twelve to be with Him, whom He might send to preach the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 3:13-19: Matthew 10:1-10). These Apostles (cf. Luke 6:13) He constituted in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which He placed Peter, chosen from among them (cf. John 21:15-17). He sent them first of all to the children of Israel and then to all peoples (cf. Romans 1:16), so that, sharing in His power, they might make all peoples His disciples and sanctify and govern them (cf. Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-48; John 20:21-23) and thus spread the Church and, administering it under the guidance of the Lord, shepherd it all days until the end of the world (cf. Matthew 28:28)" ("Lumen Gentium", 19).
1. In this chapter St. Matthew describes how Jesus, with a view to the spreading of the Kingdom of God which He inaugurates, decides to establish a Church, which He does by giving special powers and training to these twelve men who are its seed.
5-15. After revealing His intention to found the Church by choosing the Twelve (verses 1-4), in the present passage He shows that He intends to start training these first Apostles. In other words, from early on in His public ministry He began to lay the foundations of His Church.
Everyone needs doctrinal and apostolic training to follow his Christian calling. The Church has a duty to teach, and the faithful have a parallel duty to make that teaching their own. Therefore, every Christian should avail of the facilities for training which the Church offers him--which will vary according to each person's circumstances.
5-6. In His plan of salvation God gave certain promises (to Abraham and the patriarchs), a Covenant and a Law (the Law of Moses), and sent the prophets. The Messiah would be born into this chosen people, which explains why the Messiah and the Kingdom of God were to be preached to the house of Israel before being preached to the Gentiles. Therefore, in their early apprenticeship, Jesus restricts the Apostles' area of activity to the Jews, without this taking from the world-wide scope of the Church's mission. As we will see, much later on He charges them to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). The Apostles also, in the early days of the spread of the Church, usually sought out the Jewish community in any new city they entered, and preached first to them (cf. Acts 13:46).
7-8. Previously, the prophets, when speaking of the messianic times, had used imagery suited to the people's spiritual immaturity. Now, Jesus, in sending His Apostles to proclaim that the promised Kingdom of God is imminent, lays stress on its spiritual dimension. The powers mentioned in verse 8 are the very sign of the Kingdom of God or the reign of the Messiah proclaimed by the prophets. At first (chapters 8 and 9) it is Jesus who exercises these messianic powers; now He gives them to His disciples as proof that His mission is divine (Isaiah 35:5-6; 40:9; 52:7; 61:1).
___________________________
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.
2nd Reading for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Romans 5:6-11
Reconciliation Through Christ's Sacrifice, the Basis of our Hope
[6] While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man--though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. [8] But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. [9] Since, therefore, we are now justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. [10] For, if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. [11] Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.
_________________
Commentary:
6-11. The friendship which reigned in Paradise between God and man was followed by the enmity created by Adam's sin. By promising a future redeemer, God once more offered mankind His friendship. The scale of God's love for us can be seen in the "reconciliation" which the Apostle speaks about, which took place on the Cross, when Christ did away with this enmity, making our peace with God and reconciling us to Him (cf. Ephesians 2:15-16).
The petition in the Our Father, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us", is an invitation to imitate the way God treats us, be- cause by loving our enemies "there shines forth in us some likeness to God our Father, who, by the death of His Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition and reconciled to Himself the human race, which before was most unfriendly and hostile to Him" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 14, 19).
___________________________
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.
Reconciliation Through Christ's Sacrifice, the Basis of our Hope
[6] While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man--though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. [8] But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. [9] Since, therefore, we are now justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. [10] For, if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. [11] Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.
_________________
Commentary:
6-11. The friendship which reigned in Paradise between God and man was followed by the enmity created by Adam's sin. By promising a future redeemer, God once more offered mankind His friendship. The scale of God's love for us can be seen in the "reconciliation" which the Apostle speaks about, which took place on the Cross, when Christ did away with this enmity, making our peace with God and reconciling us to Him (cf. Ephesians 2:15-16).
The petition in the Our Father, "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us", is an invitation to imitate the way God treats us, be- cause by loving our enemies "there shines forth in us some likeness to God our Father, who, by the death of His Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition and reconciled to Himself the human race, which before was most unfriendly and hostile to Him" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 14, 19).
___________________________
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.
1st Reading for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
From: Exodus 19:1-6a
The Israelites Arrive in Sinai (Continuation)
[1] On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. [2] And when they set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.
God Promises a Covenant
[3] And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall, say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: [4] You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. [5] Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, [6] and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
________________
Commentary:
19:1-24:18. These chapters deal with the central events of the hook of Exodus-- the encounter with the Lord, and the Covenant established between God and his people. They provide an excellent summary of the theological message of the Old Testament. On the one hand, there is God's revelation that in his plan for the salvation of men he has chosen a people from among all others and established a special relationship with it--the Covenant: "After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Savior" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 62). On the other hand, the events of Sinai clearly show Israel's destiny as the chosen people: "By this election, Israel is to be the sign of the future gathering of all nations" ("ibid.", 762). Thus, Israel is a figure of the new people of God, the Church.
This entire section has a degree of literary unity which binds together narratives and laws, all with much solemnity, because the sacred writer wants to emphasize that in the theophany at Sinai God offered Israel the Covenant and the Law. We could say the section breaks down as follows: a) prologue (chap. 1.9); b) legislative part, which includes the Ten Commandments (20:1-21) and the document of the Covenant (20:22-23:19); c) exhortatory appendix (23:20-33); d) the rite of the Covenant (24:1-18).
19:1-25. This chapter is written as part of a magnificent liturgy in which the events of Sinai are re-enacted for the reader. The sacred author, then, does not seek to provide an exact, scholarly report on what happened there; what he is providing, rather, is a theological interpretation of the real contact which took place between God and his people.
As in other important sections of this book, it draws on the great traditions of Israel but combines them so skillfully that they have become inseparable; only now and then can one identify traces of particular traditions. The text as it now stands is all of a piece. In this chapter there is a prologue (v. 9), summing up what follows, and the theophany proper (vv. 10-25).
19:1-2. This method of calculating time (v. 1) is one of the traces of the Priestly tradition, always keen to give dates a symbolic meaning (cf. 16:1 and 17:1). Three months is a very brief stage in the prolonged sojourn in the Sinai: in this way time becomes a sign of the religions importance of the events.
19:3-9. This passage summarizes the meaning of the Covenant that is going to be established. So, it contains the idea of "election", though it does not use the term, and the idea of "demands" being made by God. Furthermore, we can see here the new status of the people (it is God's own property) and the basis of its hope (in the sense that Israel attains its dignity as a people to the extent that it is faithful to the divine will).
All the basic teachings are contained herein: a) The basis of the Covenant is Israel's deliverance from bondage (this has already happened: v. 4): the people are the object of God's preferential love; God made them a people by bringing about that deliverance. b) If they keep the Covenant, they will become a very special kind of people. This offer will take effect the moment they take on their commitments, but Israel will develop towards its full maturity only to the extent that it listens to/obeys the will of God. c) What God is offering the people is specified in three complementary expressions--"My own possession", "holy nation", "kingdom of priests".
The first of these expressions means private property, personally acquired and carefully conserved. Of all the nations of the earth Israel is to be "God's property" because he has chosen it and he protects it with special care. This new status is something which will be stressed frequently (cf. Deut 7:6; 26:17-19; Ps 135:4; Mal 3:17).
By being God's possession Israel shares in his holiness, it is a "holy nation", that is, a people separated out from among the nations so as to keep a close relationship with God; in other passages we are told more--that this is the relationship of "a son of God" (cf. 4:22; Deut 14:1). This new way of being means that there is a moral demand on the members of the people to show by their lives what they are by God's election: "You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev 19:2).
And the expression "kingdom of priests" does not mean that they will be ruled by priests, or that the entire people will exercise the role of priest (which is in fact reserved to the tribe of Levi); rather, it reflects the fact that God gives Israel the privilege of being the only nation in his service. Israel alone has been chosen to be a "kingdom for the Lord", that is, to be the sphere where he dwells and is recognized as the only Sovereign. Israel's acknowledgment of God is shown by the service the entire people renders to the Lord.
This section (vv. 7-8) ends with Moses' proposal of God's plans to the people and their acceptance of these plans by the elders and by all the people: "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (v. 8). The same wording will be used twice again in the ceremony to ratify the Covenant (cf. 24:3, 7).
In the New Testament (1 Pet 2:5; Rev 1:6; 5:9-10) what happened here will be picked up again with the very same words, applying it to the new situation of the Christian in the Church, the new people of God and the true Israel (cf. Gal 3:29): every Christian shares in Christ's priesthood through his incorporation into Christ and is "called to serve God by his activity in the world, because of the common priesthood of the faithful, which makes him share in some way in the priesthood of Christ. This priesthood--though essentially distinct from the ministerial priesthood -- gives him the capacity to take part in the worship of the Church and to help other men in their journey to God, with the witness of his word and his example, through his prayer and work of atonement: (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 120).
___________________________
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 Israelites Arrive in Sinai (Continuation)
[1] On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. [2] And when they set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.
God Promises a Covenant
[3] And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall, say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: [4] You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. [5] Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, [6] and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."
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Commentary:
19:1-24:18. These chapters deal with the central events of the hook of Exodus-- the encounter with the Lord, and the Covenant established between God and his people. They provide an excellent summary of the theological message of the Old Testament. On the one hand, there is God's revelation that in his plan for the salvation of men he has chosen a people from among all others and established a special relationship with it--the Covenant: "After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Savior" ("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 62). On the other hand, the events of Sinai clearly show Israel's destiny as the chosen people: "By this election, Israel is to be the sign of the future gathering of all nations" ("ibid.", 762). Thus, Israel is a figure of the new people of God, the Church.
This entire section has a degree of literary unity which binds together narratives and laws, all with much solemnity, because the sacred writer wants to emphasize that in the theophany at Sinai God offered Israel the Covenant and the Law. We could say the section breaks down as follows: a) prologue (chap. 1.9); b) legislative part, which includes the Ten Commandments (20:1-21) and the document of the Covenant (20:22-23:19); c) exhortatory appendix (23:20-33); d) the rite of the Covenant (24:1-18).
19:1-25. This chapter is written as part of a magnificent liturgy in which the events of Sinai are re-enacted for the reader. The sacred author, then, does not seek to provide an exact, scholarly report on what happened there; what he is providing, rather, is a theological interpretation of the real contact which took place between God and his people.
As in other important sections of this book, it draws on the great traditions of Israel but combines them so skillfully that they have become inseparable; only now and then can one identify traces of particular traditions. The text as it now stands is all of a piece. In this chapter there is a prologue (v. 9), summing up what follows, and the theophany proper (vv. 10-25).
19:1-2. This method of calculating time (v. 1) is one of the traces of the Priestly tradition, always keen to give dates a symbolic meaning (cf. 16:1 and 17:1). Three months is a very brief stage in the prolonged sojourn in the Sinai: in this way time becomes a sign of the religions importance of the events.
19:3-9. This passage summarizes the meaning of the Covenant that is going to be established. So, it contains the idea of "election", though it does not use the term, and the idea of "demands" being made by God. Furthermore, we can see here the new status of the people (it is God's own property) and the basis of its hope (in the sense that Israel attains its dignity as a people to the extent that it is faithful to the divine will).
All the basic teachings are contained herein: a) The basis of the Covenant is Israel's deliverance from bondage (this has already happened: v. 4): the people are the object of God's preferential love; God made them a people by bringing about that deliverance. b) If they keep the Covenant, they will become a very special kind of people. This offer will take effect the moment they take on their commitments, but Israel will develop towards its full maturity only to the extent that it listens to/obeys the will of God. c) What God is offering the people is specified in three complementary expressions--"My own possession", "holy nation", "kingdom of priests".
The first of these expressions means private property, personally acquired and carefully conserved. Of all the nations of the earth Israel is to be "God's property" because he has chosen it and he protects it with special care. This new status is something which will be stressed frequently (cf. Deut 7:6; 26:17-19; Ps 135:4; Mal 3:17).
By being God's possession Israel shares in his holiness, it is a "holy nation", that is, a people separated out from among the nations so as to keep a close relationship with God; in other passages we are told more--that this is the relationship of "a son of God" (cf. 4:22; Deut 14:1). This new way of being means that there is a moral demand on the members of the people to show by their lives what they are by God's election: "You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev 19:2).
And the expression "kingdom of priests" does not mean that they will be ruled by priests, or that the entire people will exercise the role of priest (which is in fact reserved to the tribe of Levi); rather, it reflects the fact that God gives Israel the privilege of being the only nation in his service. Israel alone has been chosen to be a "kingdom for the Lord", that is, to be the sphere where he dwells and is recognized as the only Sovereign. Israel's acknowledgment of God is shown by the service the entire people renders to the Lord.
This section (vv. 7-8) ends with Moses' proposal of God's plans to the people and their acceptance of these plans by the elders and by all the people: "All that the Lord has spoken we will do" (v. 8). The same wording will be used twice again in the ceremony to ratify the Covenant (cf. 24:3, 7).
In the New Testament (1 Pet 2:5; Rev 1:6; 5:9-10) what happened here will be picked up again with the very same words, applying it to the new situation of the Christian in the Church, the new people of God and the true Israel (cf. Gal 3:29): every Christian shares in Christ's priesthood through his incorporation into Christ and is "called to serve God by his activity in the world, because of the common priesthood of the faithful, which makes him share in some way in the priesthood of Christ. This priesthood--though essentially distinct from the ministerial priesthood -- gives him the capacity to take part in the worship of the Church and to help other men in their journey to God, with the witness of his word and his example, through his prayer and work of atonement: (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 120).
___________________________
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.
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