AUGUST 15
621 Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Vigil
Catechism Links
CCC 411, 966-971, 974-975, 2853: Mary, the New Eve, assumed into heaven
CCC 773, 829, 967, 972: Mary, eschatological icon of the Church
CCC 2673-2679: at prayer with Mary
CCC Cross Reference:
1 Cor 15:56 602
Back Memorial Bench
Reading 1
1 Chrronicles 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2
David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring the ark of the Lord
to the place which he had prepared for it.
David also called together the sons of Aaron and the Levites.
The Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders with poles,
as Moses had ordained according to the word of the Lord.
David commanded the chiefs of the Levites
to appoint their kinsmen as chanters,
to play on musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals,
to make a loud sound of rejoicing.
They brought in the ark of God and set it within the tent
which David had pitched for it.
Then they offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.
When David had finished offering up the burnt offerings and peace offerings,
he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 132:6-7, 9-10, 13-14
R. (8) Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter his dwelling,
let us worship at his footstool.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
May your priests be clothed with justice;
let your faithful ones shout merrily for joy.
For the sake of David your servant,
reject not the plea of your anointed.
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for her dwelling.
“Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer her.”
R. Lord, go up to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your holiness.
Reading II
1 Corinthians 15:54b-57
Brothers and sisters:
When that which is mortal clothes itself with immortality,
then the word that is written shall come about:
Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel
Luke 11:27-28
While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied,
“Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 1 Chronicles 15:3-4,15-16,16:1-2
David gathered all Jerusalem to bring the ark of God up to the place he had prepared for it. David called together the sons of Aaron and the sons of Levi. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the shafts on their shoulders, as Moses had ordered in accordance with the word of the Lord.
David then told the heads of the Levites to assign duties for their kinsmen as cantors, with their various instruments of music, harps and lyres and cymbals, to play joyful tunes. They brought the ark of God in and put it inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered holocausts before God, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
Psalm: Psalm 131:6-7,9-10,13-14
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your strength.
At Ephrata we heard of the ark;
we found it in the plains of Yearim.
‘Let us go to the place of his dwelling;
let us go to kneel at his footstool.’
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your strength.
Your priests shall be clothed with holiness;
your faithful shall ring out their joy.
For the sake of David your servant
do not reject your anointed.
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your strength.
For the Lord has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his dwelling:
‘This is my resting-place for ever;
here have I chosen to live.’
Go up, Lord, to the place of your rest, you and the ark of your strength.
Second reading 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
When this perishable nature has put on imperishability, and when this mortal nature has put on immortality, then the words of scripture will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Gospel Luke 11:27-28
As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Solemnity: Vigil of the Assumption of Mary
From: 1 Chronicles 15:3-4, 15-16; 16:1-2
Enthronement of the ark in Jerusalem
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[3] And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. [4] And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites. [15] And the Levites carried the ark of God upon their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.
[16] David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brethren as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
The ark is placed in the tent
----------------------------------------
[1] And they brought the ark of God, and set it inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. [2] And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
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Commentary:
15:1-24. The preparations for the transfer of the ark involve leading figures in the life of the people and in the priesthood. Firstly, David himself, who makes arrangements about where it will be lodged (v. 1), calls the people together (v. 3), and gives all the necessary instructions (vv. 4, 11-12, 16); secondly, the Levites, chosen to be the only ones to carry the ark (vv. 2, 12) and organize the liturgical chant (v. 19); thirdly, the priests, particularly those appointed by David – Zadok and Abiathar (cf. 2 Sam 8:17; 15:24-27; 17:15; 19:12), who are sanctified along with the Levites (vv. 11, 14); and finally the entire people gathered in liturgical assembly.
The liturgy of the Church uses much of this passage in the Mass of the Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, thereby teaching that Mary is the true ark of the Covenant, the temple of God's enduring Presence on earth. Apropos of the Assumption, St John Damascene says, in a meaningful play on words, "Today, she who was the temple of the Lord is at rest in the divine temple that was not built by human hand" (In Assumptionem, 2).
16:1-43. The Levites who brought the ark to Jerusalem are charged by David himself with organizing the liturgy and its music. This definition of their role will be a point of reference for those who succeed them, including those who were alive when this book was written.
"To invoke, to thank and to praise the Lord" (v. 4), three essential elements of the liturgy, are spelt out also in the psalm that follows. Invocation includes the joyful remembrance of the wonders worked by the Lord (vv. 12, 15); thanksgiving means acknowledging God in all his works (vv. 8, 34, 35); and praise of the Lord means sharing in his glory, glorying in him (vv. 10, 25, 36). In Christian liturgy, as a res- ponse of faith and love to the spiritual blessings God gives us, "the Church, united with her Lord and 'in the Holy Spirit (Lk 10:21), blesses the Father 'for his inexpressible gift (2 Cor 9:15) in her adoration, praise and thanksgiving" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1083).
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From: 1 Corinthians 15:54b-57
The manner of the resurrection of the dead
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[54b] [When] the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory."
[55] "O death, where is thy victory?
O death, where is thy sting?"
[56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Commentary:
54-58. The chapter ends with the words of joy and thanksgiving to God for the tremendous benefits bought by the death and resurrection of our Lord, benefits which result from his victory over those enemies which had made man their slave – sin, death and the devil. Jesus Christ, by dying on the cross – offering himself to God the Father in atonement for all the offences of mankind – has conquered sin and the devil, who attained power through sin. And his victory was completed by his resurrection, which routed death. This has made it possible for his elect to be raised in glory, and is the cause of their resurrection. "In Christ", Bl. John Paul II explains, "justice is done to sin at the price of his sacrifice, of his obedience 'even to death' (Phil 2:8). He who was without sin, 'God made him to be sin for our sake' (2 Cor 5:21). Justice is also brought to bear upon death, which from the beginning of man's history has been allied to sin. Death has justice done to it at the price of the death of the one who was without sin and who alone was able –by means of his own death – to inflict death upon death (cf. 1 Cor 15:54f) […]. In this way the cross, the Cross of Christ, in fact, makes us understand the deepest roots of evil, which are fixed in sin and death; thus the Cross becomes an eschatological sign. Only in the eschatological fulfillment and definitive renewal of the world will love conquer, in all the elect, the deepest sources of evil, bringing as its fully mature fruit the kingdom of life and holiness and glorious immortality.
The foundation of this eschatological fulfillment is already contained in the Cross of Christ and in his death. The fact that Christ 'was raised the third day' (1 Cor 15: 4) constitutes the final sign of the messianic mission, a sign that perfects the entire revelation of merciful love in a world that is subject to evil. At the same time it constitutes the sign that foretells 'a new heaven and a new earth' (Rev 21:1) when God 'will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away' (Rev 21:4)" (Dives in misericordia, 8).
56-57 The Apostle here provides a summary of his teaching on the connections between death, sin and the Mosaic Law, a teaching which is given in a much more elaborate form in chaps 5-7 of his Letter to the Romans. Sin is the sting of death in the sense that death entered the world through sin (cf. Rom 5:12) to do harm to men. Sin, in its turn, grew as a result of and was reinforced by the Mosaic Law: the Law did not induce people to sin but it was the occasion of increase in sin in the sense that made it plainer where good lay and yet did not provide the grace to enable man to avoid sin (cf. Commentary on 1 Cor, ad loc.).
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From: Luke 11:27-28
Responding to the Word of God
----------------------------------------------
[27] As He (Jesus) said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that You sucked!" [28] But He said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
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Commentary:
27-28. These words proclaim and praise the Blessed Virgin's basic attitude of soul. As the Second Vatican Council explains: "In the course of her Son's preaching she [Mary] received the words whereby, in extolling a Kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, He declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God (cf. Mark 3:35; Luke 11:27-28) as she was faithfully doing (cf. Luke 2:19-51)" ("Lumen Gentium", 58). Therefore, by replying in this way Jesus is not rejecting the warm praise this good lady renders His Mother; He accepts it and goes further, explaining that Mary is blessed particularly because she has been good and faithful in putting the word of God into practice. "It was a complement to His Mother on her "fiat", 'be it done' (Luke 1:38). She lived it sincerely, unstintingly, fulfilling its every consequence, but never amid fanfare, rather in the hidden and silent sacrifice of each day" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 177). See the note on Luke 1:34-38.
[Note on Luke 1:34-38 states:
34-38. Commenting on this passage Bl. John Paul II said: "'Virgo fidelis', the faithful virgin. What does this faithfulness of Mary mean? What are the dimensions of this faithfulness? The first dimension is called search. Mary was faithful first of all when she began, lovingly, to seek the deep sense of God's plan in her and for the world. 'Quomodo fiet?' How shall this be?, she asked the Angel of the Annunciation [...]."
"The second dimension of faithfulness is called reception, acceptance. The 'quomodo fiet?' is changed, on Mary's lips, to a 'fiat': Let it be done, I am ready, I accept. This is the crucial moment of faithfulness, the moment in which man perceives that he will never completely understand the 'how': that there are in God's plan more areas of mystery than of clarity; that is, however he may try, he will never succeed in understanding it completely [...]."
"The third dimension of faithfulness is consistency to live in accordance with what one believes; to adapt one's own life to the object of one's adherence. To accept misunderstanding, persecutions, rather than a break between what one practises and what one believes: this is consistency [...]."
"But all faithfulness must pass the most exacting test, that of duration. Therefore, the fourth dimension of faithfulness is constancy. It is easy to be consistent for a day or two. It is difficult and important to be consistent for one's whole life. It is easy to be consistent in the hour of enthusiasm, it is difficult to be so in the hour of tribulation. And only a consistency that lasts throughout the whole life can be called faithfulness. Mary's 'fiat' in the Annunciation finds its fullness in the silent 'fiat' that she repeats at the foot of the Cross" ("Homily in Mexico City Cathedral", 26 January 1979).]
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
AUGUST 14 SAINT MAXIMILIAN MARY KOLBE
AUGUST 14
620A SAINT MAXIMILIAN MARY KOLBE, PRIEST AND MARTYR MEMORIAL
CCC Cross Reference:
1 Jn 3:15 1033; 1 Jn 3:17 2447
Ps 116:12 224; Ps 116:13 1330; Ps 116:17 1330
Jn 15:12 459, 1823, 1970, 2074; Jn 15:13 363, 609, 614; Jn 15:15 1972, 2347; Jn 15:16-17 2745; Jn 15:16 434, 737, 2615, 2815
From the Common of Martyrs, p. 1794, or the Common of Pastors, p. 1817,
OR
FIRST READING
First Option
Wisdom 3:1-9
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
OR
Second Option
1 John 3:14-18
Beloved:
We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love our brothers.
Whoever does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
The way we came to know love
was that he laid down his life for us;
so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If someone who has worldly means
sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of God remain in him?
Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 116:10-11, 12-13, 16ac-17
R. (15) Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted";
I said in my alarm,
"No man is dependable."
R. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
GOSPEL
John 15:12-16
Jesus said to his disciples:
"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
I was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you."
Back to Memorial Bench
620A SAINT MAXIMILIAN MARY KOLBE, PRIEST AND MARTYR MEMORIAL
CCC Cross Reference:
1 Jn 3:15 1033; 1 Jn 3:17 2447
Ps 116:12 224; Ps 116:13 1330; Ps 116:17 1330
Jn 15:12 459, 1823, 1970, 2074; Jn 15:13 363, 609, 614; Jn 15:15 1972, 2347; Jn 15:16-17 2745; Jn 15:16 434, 737, 2615, 2815
From the Common of Martyrs, p. 1794, or the Common of Pastors, p. 1817,
OR
FIRST READING
First Option
Wisdom 3:1-9
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
OR
Second Option
1 John 3:14-18
Beloved:
We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love our brothers.
Whoever does not love remains in death.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer,
and you know that no murderer has eternal life remaining in him.
The way we came to know love
was that he laid down his life for us;
so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
If someone who has worldly means
sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion,
how can the love of God remain in him?
Children, let us love not in word or speech
but in deed and truth.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 116:10-11, 12-13, 16ac-17
R. (15) Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted";
I said in my alarm,
"No man is dependable."
R. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.
GOSPEL
John 15:12-16
Jesus said to his disciples:
"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
I was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you."
Back to Memorial Bench
Thursday, August 13, 2009
AUGUST 13 SAINT PONTIAN AND SAINT HIPPOLYTUS
AUGUST 13
620 SAINT PONTIAN, POPE AND MARTYR AND SAINT HIPPOLYTUS, PRIEST AND MARTYR
CCC Cross Reference:
1 Pt 4:14 693; 1 Pt 4:17 672
Ps 124:8 287
Jn 15:19-20 675; Jn 15:20 530, 765
From the Common of Martyrs, p. 1794, or the Common of Pastors, p. 1817,
OR
FIRST READING
1 Peter 4:12-19
Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you,
as if something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
But let no one among you be made to suffer
as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer.
But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed
but glorify God because of the name.
For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God;
if it begins with us, how will it end
for those who fail to obey the Gospel of God?
And if the righteous one is barely saved,
where will the godless and the sinner appear?
As a result, those who suffer in accord with God's will
hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 124:2-3. 4-5, 7-8
R. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Had not the LORD been with us-
when men rose up against us,
Then would they have swallowed us alive
when their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
GOSPEL
John 15:18-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
`No slave is greater than his master.'
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me."
Back to Memorial Bench
620 SAINT PONTIAN, POPE AND MARTYR AND SAINT HIPPOLYTUS, PRIEST AND MARTYR
CCC Cross Reference:
1 Pt 4:14 693; 1 Pt 4:17 672
Ps 124:8 287
Jn 15:19-20 675; Jn 15:20 530, 765
From the Common of Martyrs, p. 1794, or the Common of Pastors, p. 1817,
OR
FIRST READING
1 Peter 4:12-19
Beloved, do not be surprised that a trial by fire is occurring among you,
as if something strange were happening to you.
But rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ,
so that when his glory is revealed
you may also rejoice exultantly.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
But let no one among you be made to suffer
as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer.
But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed
but glorify God because of the name.
For it is time for the judgment to begin with the household of God;
if it begins with us, how will it end
for those who fail to obey the Gospel of God?
And if the righteous one is barely saved,
where will the godless and the sinner appear?
As a result, those who suffer in accord with God's will
hand their souls over to a faithful creator as they do good.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 124:2-3. 4-5, 7-8
R. (7) Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Had not the LORD been with us-
when men rose up against us,
Then would they have swallowed us alive
when their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept
the raging waters.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our soul has been rescued like a bird from the fowler's snare.
GOSPEL
John 15:18-21
Jesus said to his disciples:
"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
`No slave is greater than his master.'
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me."
Back to Memorial Bench
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
AUGUST 18 SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL
AUGUST 18
[In the Dioceses of the United States]
623A SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, RELIGIOUS
CCC Cross Reference:
Ps 131:2 239; Ps 131:2-3 370
Mk 3:31-35 500
In the United States this memorial is transferred to this (late from December 12. From the Common of Holy Men and Women: For Religious, p. 1880,
OR
FIRST READING
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
and makes cloth with skillful hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward of her labors,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 131:1bcde, 2,3
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
O LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor are my eyes haughty;
I busy not myself with great things,
nor with things too sublime for me.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted
my soul like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child on its mother's lap,
so is my soul within me.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
O Israel, hope in the LORD,
both now and forever.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
GOSPEL
Mark 3:31-35
The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived.
Standing outside they sent word to him and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother."
Back to Memorial Bench
[In the Dioceses of the United States]
623A SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL, RELIGIOUS
CCC Cross Reference:
Ps 131:2 239; Ps 131:2-3 370
Mk 3:31-35 500
In the United States this memorial is transferred to this (late from December 12. From the Common of Holy Men and Women: For Religious, p. 1880,
OR
FIRST READING
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
When one finds a worthy wife,
her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her,
has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good, and not evil,
all the days of her life.
She obtains wool and flax
and makes cloth with skillful hands.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her fingers ply the spindle.
She reaches out her hands to the poor,
and extends her arms to the needy.
Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting;
the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
Give her a reward of her labors,
and let her works praise her at the city gates.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 131:1bcde, 2,3
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
O LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor are my eyes haughty;
I busy not myself with great things,
nor with things too sublime for me.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted
my soul like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child on its mother's lap,
so is my soul within me.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
O Israel, hope in the LORD,
both now and forever.
R. In you, Lord, I have found my peace.
GOSPEL
Mark 3:31-35
The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived.
Standing outside they sent word to him and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him,
"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters
are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother."
Back to Memorial Bench
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
415 Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time
CCC Cross Reference:
Mt 18:16 2472; Mt 18:18 553, 1444; Mt 18:20 1088, 1373
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Back to SOW II '13
Back to SOW II '15
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Back to SOW II '21
Reading 1
Dt 34:1-12
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
R. (see 20a and 10b) Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Gospel
Mt 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Leaving the plains of Moab, Moses went up Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land; Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the stretch of the Valley of Jericho, city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross into it.’ There in the land of Moab, Moses the servant of the Lord died as the Lord decreed; he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but to this day no one has ever found his grave. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye undimmed, his vigor unimpaired. The sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. The days of weeping for the mourning rites of Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. It was he that the sons of Israel obeyed, carrying out the order that the Lord had given to Moses.
Since then, never has there been such a prophet in Israel as Moses, the man the Lord knew face to face. What signs and wonders the Lord caused him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole land! How mighty the hand and great the fear that Moses wielded in the sight of all Israel!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 65(66):1-3,5,16-17
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!’
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
to him I cried aloud,
with high praise ready on my tongue.
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Gospel Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said, ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.
‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.
‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
The Death of Moses
------------------------------
[1] And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, [2] all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, [3] the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. [4] And the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 'I will give it to your descendants. 'I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there." [5] So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, [6] and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows the place of his burial to this day. [7] Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. [8] And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
[9] And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the people of Israel obeyed him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
A Eulogy of Moses
----------------------------
[10] And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, [11] none like him for all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, [12] and for all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
34:1-12. Before he dies, Moses looks down on the promised land, and its main regions (Transjordan), Galilee (Naphtali), Samaria (Ephraim and Manasseh) and Judea. However, if one looks out from Mount Nebo it is not possible to see all this panorama: only God could make Moses see all these territories. Zoar may have been to the south-east of the Dead Sea.
"He buried him" (v. 6): the Hebrew construction does not allow us to say who the subject of the verb is, but from the context it must be God.
The book of Sirach provides a short summary of the life of this man of God (cf. Sir 45:1-5).
The Jewish scholar Philo of Alexandria (15 BC-AD 45) also praises his virtues, and at length: he was the friend and disciple of God, who taught him "face to face"; he was "a man of God", able to work wonders and signs; he was greater than the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph in his intimacy with God and his grasp of the divine Word, which inspired him and guided him as a leader, lawgiver, prophet, wonder-worker, ascetic and thinker (cf. "De Vita Mosis", 1, 80, 154, 158; 2, 187-292; 3, 1-186).
St Gregory of Nyssa, one of the greatest Greek Fathers, praised Moses in the following terms: "Our brief discourse has offered you, man of God, these things concerning the perfection of the virtuous life, by describing to you the life of the great Moses as a visible model of goodness, so that each of us, by imitating his actions, may himself acquire the features of the beauty we have described. And to know that Moses attained all possible perfection, what more worthy testimony can we find than the divine word, when it says, "I know you by name" (Ex 33:12, 17)? Also (there is) the fact that he was called the friend of God by God himself (cf. Ex 33:11), and the fact that, having chosen to perish with the others unless God in his kindness overlooked the offense they had done him, he checked God's wrath against the Israelites, getting him to change his mind so as not to grieve his friend (cf. Ex 32:7-14). All these testimonies are a clear proof that in his life Moses attained the height of perfection" ("De Vita Mosis", 2, 319).
34:10. "Face to face" conversation with God means a very intimate relationship, but it does not have to be taken literally. The visions that the patriarchs--Abraham, Moses himself, Elijah. Isaiah etc.--had of God in this world were indirect ones; what they saw were various manifestations of the divine glory, the splendor of his greatness. These Old Testament theophanies were surpassed by the epiphany of Jesus Christ; God could reveal himself to man in no more perfect way than in the Incarnation of his eternal Word: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known" (Jn 1:18).
Comparing the mission of Moses with that of Jesus, St Cyril of Alexandria taught: "Our Lord Jesus Christ set the world free from its ancient offences; for He is the truth and is holy by his very nature; he sanctifies those who have believed through his blood, and he sets them above death, and he will, bring them into his own kingdom of heaven, into the land that is truly holy and desirable--to the loftier mansions, to the heavenly city, to the Church of the firstborn, whose maker and creator is God" ("Glaphyra In Deuteronomium", 34:10).
*********************************************************************************************
From: Matthew 18:15-20
Fraternal Correction. The Apostles' Authority
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples), [15] "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. [16] But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Church; and if he refuses to listen even to the Church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. [18] Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. [19] Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in Heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
15-17. Here our Lord calls on us to work with Him for the sanctification of others by means of fraternal correction, which is one of the ways we can do so. He speaks as sternly about the sin of omission as He did about that of scandal (cf. Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. Matthew", 61).
There is an obligation on us to correct others. Our Lord identifies three stages in correction: 1) alone; 2) in the presence of one or two witnesses; and 3) before the Church. The first stage refers to giving scandal and to secret or private sins; here correction should be given privately, just to the person himself, to avoid unnecessarily publicizing a private matter and also to avoid hurting the person and to make it easier for him to mend his ways. If this correction does not have the desired effect, and the matter is a serious one, resort should be had to the second stage--looking for one or two friends, in case they have more influence on him. The last stage is formal judicial correction by reference to the Church authorities. If a sinner does not accept this correction, he should be excommunicated; that is, separated from communion with the Church and Sacraments.
18. This verse needs to be understood in connection with the authority previously promised to Peter (cf. Matthew 16:13-19): it is the hierarchy of the Church that exercises this power given by Christ to Peter, to the Apostles and their lawful successors -- the Pope and the Bishops.
19-20. "Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est: where charity and love resides, there God is", the Holy Thursday liturgy intones, drawing its inspiration from the sacred text of 1 John 4:12. For it is true that love is inconceivable if there is only one person: it implies the presence of two or more (cf. Aquinas, "Commentary on St. Matthew", 18:19-20). And so it is that when Christians meet together in the name of Christ for the purpose of prayer, our Lord is present among them, pleased to listen to the unanimous prayer of His disciples: "All those with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus" (Acts 1:14). This is why the Church from the very beginning has practiced communal prayer (cf. Acts 12:5). There are religious practices-- few, short, daily "that have always been lived in Christian families and which I think are marvelous--grace at meals, morning and night prayers, the family rosary (even though nowadays this devotion to our Lady has been criticized by some people). Customs vary from place to place, but I think one should always encourage some acts of piety which the family can do together in a simple and natural fashion" (St. J. Escriva, "Conversations", 103).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
CCC Cross Reference:
Mt 18:16 2472; Mt 18:18 553, 1444; Mt 18:20 1088, 1373
Back to Deacon’s Bench ‘09
Back to SOW II '13
Back to SOW II '15
Back to SOW II '17
Back to SOW II '19
Back to SOW II '21
Reading 1
Dt 34:1-12
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
“This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.”
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.
Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD’s command to Moses.
Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17
R. (see 20a and 10b) Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: “How tremendous are your deeds!”
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R. Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Gospel
Mt 18:15-20
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Leaving the plains of Moab, Moses went up Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land; Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the stretch of the Valley of Jericho, city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying: I will give it to your descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross into it.’ There in the land of Moab, Moses the servant of the Lord died as the Lord decreed; he buried him in the valley, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but to this day no one has ever found his grave. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye undimmed, his vigor unimpaired. The sons of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days. The days of weeping for the mourning rites of Moses came to an end. Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. It was he that the sons of Israel obeyed, carrying out the order that the Lord had given to Moses.
Since then, never has there been such a prophet in Israel as Moses, the man the Lord knew face to face. What signs and wonders the Lord caused him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his servants and his whole land! How mighty the hand and great the fear that Moses wielded in the sight of all Israel!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 65(66):1-3,5,16-17
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Cry out with joy to God all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
O render him glorious praise.
Say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds!’
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Come and see the works of God,
tremendous his deeds among men.
Come and hear, all who fear God.
I will tell what he did for my soul:
to him I cried aloud,
with high praise ready on my tongue.
Blessed be God, who gave life to my soul.
Gospel Matthew 18:15-20
Jesus said, ‘If your brother does something wrong, go and have it out with him alone, is between your two selves. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you: the evidence of two or three witnesses is required to sustain any charge. But if he refuses to listen to these, report it to the community; and if he refuses to listen to the community, treat him like a pagan or a tax collector.
‘I tell you solemnly, whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.
‘I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.’
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Wednesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Deuteronomy 34:1-12
The Death of Moses
------------------------------
[1] And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, [2] all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, [3] the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. [4] And the LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, 'I will give it to your descendants. 'I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there." [5] So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, [6] and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows the place of his burial to this day. [7] Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. [8] And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
[9] And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the people of Israel obeyed him, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.
A Eulogy of Moses
----------------------------
[10] And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, [11] none like him for all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, [12] and for all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
34:1-12. Before he dies, Moses looks down on the promised land, and its main regions (Transjordan), Galilee (Naphtali), Samaria (Ephraim and Manasseh) and Judea. However, if one looks out from Mount Nebo it is not possible to see all this panorama: only God could make Moses see all these territories. Zoar may have been to the south-east of the Dead Sea.
"He buried him" (v. 6): the Hebrew construction does not allow us to say who the subject of the verb is, but from the context it must be God.
The book of Sirach provides a short summary of the life of this man of God (cf. Sir 45:1-5).
The Jewish scholar Philo of Alexandria (15 BC-AD 45) also praises his virtues, and at length: he was the friend and disciple of God, who taught him "face to face"; he was "a man of God", able to work wonders and signs; he was greater than the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph in his intimacy with God and his grasp of the divine Word, which inspired him and guided him as a leader, lawgiver, prophet, wonder-worker, ascetic and thinker (cf. "De Vita Mosis", 1, 80, 154, 158; 2, 187-292; 3, 1-186).
St Gregory of Nyssa, one of the greatest Greek Fathers, praised Moses in the following terms: "Our brief discourse has offered you, man of God, these things concerning the perfection of the virtuous life, by describing to you the life of the great Moses as a visible model of goodness, so that each of us, by imitating his actions, may himself acquire the features of the beauty we have described. And to know that Moses attained all possible perfection, what more worthy testimony can we find than the divine word, when it says, "I know you by name" (Ex 33:12, 17)? Also (there is) the fact that he was called the friend of God by God himself (cf. Ex 33:11), and the fact that, having chosen to perish with the others unless God in his kindness overlooked the offense they had done him, he checked God's wrath against the Israelites, getting him to change his mind so as not to grieve his friend (cf. Ex 32:7-14). All these testimonies are a clear proof that in his life Moses attained the height of perfection" ("De Vita Mosis", 2, 319).
34:10. "Face to face" conversation with God means a very intimate relationship, but it does not have to be taken literally. The visions that the patriarchs--Abraham, Moses himself, Elijah. Isaiah etc.--had of God in this world were indirect ones; what they saw were various manifestations of the divine glory, the splendor of his greatness. These Old Testament theophanies were surpassed by the epiphany of Jesus Christ; God could reveal himself to man in no more perfect way than in the Incarnation of his eternal Word: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known" (Jn 1:18).
Comparing the mission of Moses with that of Jesus, St Cyril of Alexandria taught: "Our Lord Jesus Christ set the world free from its ancient offences; for He is the truth and is holy by his very nature; he sanctifies those who have believed through his blood, and he sets them above death, and he will, bring them into his own kingdom of heaven, into the land that is truly holy and desirable--to the loftier mansions, to the heavenly city, to the Church of the firstborn, whose maker and creator is God" ("Glaphyra In Deuteronomium", 34:10).
*********************************************************************************************
From: Matthew 18:15-20
Fraternal Correction. The Apostles' Authority
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples), [15] "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. [16] But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. [17] If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the Church; and if he refuses to listen even to the Church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. [18] Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. [19] Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in Heaven. [20] For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
15-17. Here our Lord calls on us to work with Him for the sanctification of others by means of fraternal correction, which is one of the ways we can do so. He speaks as sternly about the sin of omission as He did about that of scandal (cf. Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. Matthew", 61).
There is an obligation on us to correct others. Our Lord identifies three stages in correction: 1) alone; 2) in the presence of one or two witnesses; and 3) before the Church. The first stage refers to giving scandal and to secret or private sins; here correction should be given privately, just to the person himself, to avoid unnecessarily publicizing a private matter and also to avoid hurting the person and to make it easier for him to mend his ways. If this correction does not have the desired effect, and the matter is a serious one, resort should be had to the second stage--looking for one or two friends, in case they have more influence on him. The last stage is formal judicial correction by reference to the Church authorities. If a sinner does not accept this correction, he should be excommunicated; that is, separated from communion with the Church and Sacraments.
18. This verse needs to be understood in connection with the authority previously promised to Peter (cf. Matthew 16:13-19): it is the hierarchy of the Church that exercises this power given by Christ to Peter, to the Apostles and their lawful successors -- the Pope and the Bishops.
19-20. "Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est: where charity and love resides, there God is", the Holy Thursday liturgy intones, drawing its inspiration from the sacred text of 1 John 4:12. For it is true that love is inconceivable if there is only one person: it implies the presence of two or more (cf. Aquinas, "Commentary on St. Matthew", 18:19-20). And so it is that when Christians meet together in the name of Christ for the purpose of prayer, our Lord is present among them, pleased to listen to the unanimous prayer of His disciples: "All those with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus" (Acts 1:14). This is why the Church from the very beginning has practiced communal prayer (cf. Acts 12:5). There are religious practices-- few, short, daily "that have always been lived in Christian families and which I think are marvelous--grace at meals, morning and night prayers, the family rosary (even though nowadays this devotion to our Lady has been criticized by some people). Customs vary from place to place, but I think one should always encourage some acts of piety which the family can do together in a simple and natural fashion" (St. J. Escriva, "Conversations", 103).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
AUGUST 11 SAINT CLARE
AUGUST 11
619 SAINT CLARE, VIRGIN MEMORIAL
CCC Cross Reference:
Phil 3:8-11 428; Phil 3:8 133; Phil 3:10-11 989, 1006; Phil 3:10 648
Mt 19:23-29 2053; Mt 19:23-24 226; Mt 19:26 276, 308, 1058; Mt 19:28 765
From the Common of Virgins, p. 1869, or the Common of Holy Men and Women: For Religious, p. 1880,
OR
FIRST READING
Philippians 3:8-14
Brothers and sisters:
I consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things
and I consider them so much rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in him,
not having any righteousness of my own based on the law
but that which comes through faith in Christ,
the righteousness from God,
depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection
and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death,
if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
It is not that I have already taken hold of it
or have already attained perfect maturity,
but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it,
since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, I for my part
do not consider myself to have taken possession.
Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind
but straining forward to what lies ahead,
I continue my pursuit toward the goal,
the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 16:lb-2a, 5,7-8, 11
R. (see 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
GOSPEL
Matthew 19:27-29
Peter said to Jesus,
"We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life."
Back to Memorial Bench
619 SAINT CLARE, VIRGIN MEMORIAL
CCC Cross Reference:
Phil 3:8-11 428; Phil 3:8 133; Phil 3:10-11 989, 1006; Phil 3:10 648
Mt 19:23-29 2053; Mt 19:23-24 226; Mt 19:26 276, 308, 1058; Mt 19:28 765
From the Common of Virgins, p. 1869, or the Common of Holy Men and Women: For Religious, p. 1880,
OR
FIRST READING
Philippians 3:8-14
Brothers and sisters:
I consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things
and I consider them so much rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in him,
not having any righteousness of my own based on the law
but that which comes through faith in Christ,
the righteousness from God,
depending on faith to know him and the power of his resurrection
and the sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death,
if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
It is not that I have already taken hold of it
or have already attained perfect maturity,
but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it,
since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, I for my part
do not consider myself to have taken possession.
Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind
but straining forward to what lies ahead,
I continue my pursuit toward the goal,
the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 16:lb-2a, 5,7-8, 11
R. (see 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
GOSPEL
Matthew 19:27-29
Peter said to Jesus,
"We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life."
Back to Memorial Bench
Sunday, August 9, 2009
AUGUST 10 SAINT LAWRENCE
AUGUST 10
618 SAINT LAWRENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR FEAST
CCC Cross Reference:
Jn 12:24 2731
Back to Deacon's Bench '09
Back to SOW II '10
Back to SOW II '11
Back to SOW II '12
Back to SOW II '13
Back to SOW II '15
Back to SOW II '16
Back to SOW II '17
Back to SOW II '18
Back to SOW II '19
Back to SOW II '20
Back to SOW II '21
FIRST READING
2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:
He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9
R. (5) Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast;
he shall not fear till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Lavishly he gives to the poor,
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
GOSPEL
John 12:24-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works. As scripture says: He was free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be forgotten.
The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 111(112):1-2,5-9
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honor.
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
He has no fear of evil news;
with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast heart he will not fear;
he will see the downfall of his foes.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Gospel John 12:24-26
I tell you, most solemnly,
unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies,
it remains only a single grain;
but if it dies,
it yields a rich harvest.
Anyone who loves his life loses it;
anyone who hates his life in this world
will keep it for the eternal life.
If a man serves me, he must follow me,
wherever I am, my servant will be there too.
If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Feast: St Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
From: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Blessings To Be Expected
---------------------------------------
[6] The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. [9] As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever." [10] He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
6-15. The collection appeal ends with some remarks about the benefits that accrue from it. First, St Paul says that the generous almsgiving of the Corinthians will stand to them in this life and in the next (vv. 6-10), and then he refers to its effects on the faithful in Jerusalem: they will praise God and feel closer to the Christians of Corinth (vv. 11-15).
A person who is generous in almsgiving draws down on himself the blessings of God. St Augustine says: "Your Lord says this to you, [...] Give to me and receive. In due course I will give back what is due to you. What will I give back? You gave little to me, you will receive a great deal; you gave me earthly things, I will give back heavenly things; you gave me temporal things you will receive eternal things; you gave me what was mine, you will receive me, myself [...].' See whom you lent to. He nourishes (others) and (yet he himself) suffers hun- ger for your sake; he gives and is needy. When he gives, you wish to receive; when he is needy, you are unwilling to give. Christ is needy when a poor man is needy. He who is disposed to give eternal life to all his own has deigned to receive temporal things in (the person of) anyone who is needy' ("Sermon 33", 8).
6. This image of sowing and reaping is often used in Sacred Scripture to indicate the connection between one's actions and reward or punishment in the next life (cf. Prov 22:8; Mt 25:24-26; Gal 6:7f). What the Apostle says here reminds us of our Lord's promise: "Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap" (Lk 6:38). However much we give God in this life, he will reward us with much more in the next.
7. "God loves a cheerful giver": a teaching often found in Scripture (cf. Deut 15:10; Ps 100:2; Sir 35:11; Rom 12:8). An alms or a service done reluctantly can never please anyone, particularly God our Lord: "If you give bread and it makes you sad to do so," St Augustine comments, "you lose both the bread and the reward" (St Augustine, "Enarrationes in Psalmos", 42, 8); whereas the Lord is delighted when a person gives something or gives himself lovingly and spontaneously, not as if he were doing a great favor (cf. "Friends of God", 140).
8-10. St Paul emphasizes the abundant divine blessings--both temporal and spiritual--which generous almsgiving brings. In the Old Testament we read in the Book of Tobias: "Give alms from your possessions to all who live uprightly, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from any poor man, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. For charity delivers from death and keeps you from entering the darkness; and for all who practice it charity is an excellent offering in the presence of Most High" (4:7-11). To almsgiving can be applied our Lord's promises about the hundred-fold in this life and then everlasting life--promises made to all those who give up something in his name (cf. Mt 19:28f).
"Righteousness" is equivalent to holiness. In the Bible the person is described as righteous or "just" who strives to do God's will and serve him to the best of his ability (cf., e.g., notes on Mt 1:19; 5:6).
10. "For," comments St John Chrysostom, "if even to those who sow the earth and to those who are concerned about the needs of the body, God gives in great abundance, much more will he give to those who till the soil of heaven and apply themselves to the salvation of their souls, for he wills that we should spare no sacrifice in that regard [...].
"This holy apostle gives these two principles: in temporal things one should limit oneself to what is necessary; but in spiritual things one should seek as much as possible. Therefore he asks that we should not simply give alms, but give alms generously. That is why he calls alms 'seed'. Just as corn cast into the ground produces a crop, so generous alms produces righteousness and abundant harvest" ("Hom. on 2 Cor", 20).
*********************************************************************************************
From: John 12:24-26
Jesus Foretells His Glorification (Continuation)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to his disciples,) [24] "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. [25] He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. [26] If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him."
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
24-25. There is an apparent paradox here between Christ's humiliation and his glorification. Thus, "it was appropriate that the loftiness of his glorification should be preceded by the lowliness of his passion"(St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 51, 8). This is the same ideas as we find in St. Paul, when he says that Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, and that therefore God the Father exalted him above all created things (cf. Philippians 2:8-9). This is a lesson and an encouragement to the Christian, who should see every type of suffering and contradiction as a sharing in Christ's cross, which redeems us and exalts us. To be supernaturally effective, a person has to die to himself, forgetting his comfort and shedding his selfishness. "If the grain of wheat does not die, it remains unfruitful. Don't you want to be a grain of wheat, to die through mortification, and to yield a rich harvest? May Jesus bless your wheat field!" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 199).
26. Our Lord has spoken about his sacrifice being a condition of his entering his glory. And what holds good for the Master applies also to his disciples (cf. Matthew 10:24; Luke 6:40). Jesus wants each of us to be of service to him. It is a mystery of God's plan that he--who is all, who has all and who needs nothing and nobody--should choose to need our help to ensure that his teaching and the salvation wrought by him reaches all men.
"To follow Christ: that is the secret. We must accompany him so closely that we come to live with him, like the first Twelve did; so closely, that we become identified with him. Soon we will be able to say, provided we have not put obstacles in the way of grace, that we have put on, have clothed ourselves with our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 13:14). [...]
"I have distinguished as it were four stages in our effort to identify ourselves with Christ--seeking him, finding him, getting to know him, loving him. It may seem clear to you that you are only at the first stage. Seek him then, hungrily; seek him within yourselves with all your strength. If you act with determination, I am ready to guarantee that you have already found him, and have begun to get to know him and to love him, and to hold your conversation in heaven (cf. Phil 3:20)" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 299-300).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
618 SAINT LAWRENCE, DEACON AND MARTYR FEAST
CCC Cross Reference:
Jn 12:24 2731
Back to Deacon's Bench '09
Back to SOW II '10
Back to SOW II '11
Back to SOW II '12
Back to SOW II '13
Back to SOW II '15
Back to SOW II '16
Back to SOW II '17
Back to SOW II '18
Back to SOW II '19
Back to SOW II '20
Back to SOW II '21
FIRST READING
2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Brothers and sisters:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver.
Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work.
As it is written:
He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will supply and multiply your seed
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 112:1-2, 5-6, 7-8, 9
R. (5) Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
His heart is steadfast;
he shall not fear till he looks down upon his foes.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
Lavishly he gives to the poor,
his generosity shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory.
R. Blessed the man who is gracious and lends to those in need.
GOSPEL
John 12:24-26
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
First reading 2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver. And there is no limit to the blessings which God can send you – he will make sure that you will always have all you need for yourselves in every possible circumstance, and still have something to spare for all sorts of good works. As scripture says: He was free in almsgiving, and gave to the poor: his good deeds will never be forgotten.
The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide you with all the seed you want and make the harvest of your good deeds a larger one.
Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 111(112):1-2,5-9
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Happy the man who fears the Lord,
who takes delight in all his commands.
His sons will be powerful on earth;
the children of the upright are blessed.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
The good man takes pity and lends,
he conducts his affairs with honor.
The just man will never waver:
he will be remembered for ever.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
He has no fear of evil news;
with a firm heart he trusts in the Lord.
With a steadfast heart he will not fear;
he will see the downfall of his foes.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Open-handed, he gives to the poor;
his justice stands firm for ever.
His head will be raised in glory.
Happy the man who takes pity and lends.
Gospel John 12:24-26
I tell you, most solemnly,
unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies,
it remains only a single grain;
but if it dies,
it yields a rich harvest.
Anyone who loves his life loses it;
anyone who hates his life in this world
will keep it for the eternal life.
If a man serves me, he must follow me,
wherever I am, my servant will be there too.
If anyone serves me, my Father will honor him.
Readings and Commentary from the Navarre Bible
Feast: St Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
From: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Blessings To Be Expected
---------------------------------------
[6] The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. [7] Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. [9] As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever." [10] He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
6-15. The collection appeal ends with some remarks about the benefits that accrue from it. First, St Paul says that the generous almsgiving of the Corinthians will stand to them in this life and in the next (vv. 6-10), and then he refers to its effects on the faithful in Jerusalem: they will praise God and feel closer to the Christians of Corinth (vv. 11-15).
A person who is generous in almsgiving draws down on himself the blessings of God. St Augustine says: "Your Lord says this to you, [...] Give to me and receive. In due course I will give back what is due to you. What will I give back? You gave little to me, you will receive a great deal; you gave me earthly things, I will give back heavenly things; you gave me temporal things you will receive eternal things; you gave me what was mine, you will receive me, myself [...].' See whom you lent to. He nourishes (others) and (yet he himself) suffers hun- ger for your sake; he gives and is needy. When he gives, you wish to receive; when he is needy, you are unwilling to give. Christ is needy when a poor man is needy. He who is disposed to give eternal life to all his own has deigned to receive temporal things in (the person of) anyone who is needy' ("Sermon 33", 8).
6. This image of sowing and reaping is often used in Sacred Scripture to indicate the connection between one's actions and reward or punishment in the next life (cf. Prov 22:8; Mt 25:24-26; Gal 6:7f). What the Apostle says here reminds us of our Lord's promise: "Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap" (Lk 6:38). However much we give God in this life, he will reward us with much more in the next.
7. "God loves a cheerful giver": a teaching often found in Scripture (cf. Deut 15:10; Ps 100:2; Sir 35:11; Rom 12:8). An alms or a service done reluctantly can never please anyone, particularly God our Lord: "If you give bread and it makes you sad to do so," St Augustine comments, "you lose both the bread and the reward" (St Augustine, "Enarrationes in Psalmos", 42, 8); whereas the Lord is delighted when a person gives something or gives himself lovingly and spontaneously, not as if he were doing a great favor (cf. "Friends of God", 140).
8-10. St Paul emphasizes the abundant divine blessings--both temporal and spiritual--which generous almsgiving brings. In the Old Testament we read in the Book of Tobias: "Give alms from your possessions to all who live uprightly, and do not let your eye begrudge the gift when you make it. Do not turn your face away from any poor man, and the face of God will not be turned away from you. If you have many possessions, make your gift from them in proportion; if few, do not be afraid to give according to the little you have. So you will be laying up a good treasure for yourself against the day of necessity. For charity delivers from death and keeps you from entering the darkness; and for all who practice it charity is an excellent offering in the presence of Most High" (4:7-11). To almsgiving can be applied our Lord's promises about the hundred-fold in this life and then everlasting life--promises made to all those who give up something in his name (cf. Mt 19:28f).
"Righteousness" is equivalent to holiness. In the Bible the person is described as righteous or "just" who strives to do God's will and serve him to the best of his ability (cf., e.g., notes on Mt 1:19; 5:6).
10. "For," comments St John Chrysostom, "if even to those who sow the earth and to those who are concerned about the needs of the body, God gives in great abundance, much more will he give to those who till the soil of heaven and apply themselves to the salvation of their souls, for he wills that we should spare no sacrifice in that regard [...].
"This holy apostle gives these two principles: in temporal things one should limit oneself to what is necessary; but in spiritual things one should seek as much as possible. Therefore he asks that we should not simply give alms, but give alms generously. That is why he calls alms 'seed'. Just as corn cast into the ground produces a crop, so generous alms produces righteousness and abundant harvest" ("Hom. on 2 Cor", 20).
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From: John 12:24-26
Jesus Foretells His Glorification (Continuation)
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(Jesus said to his disciples,) [24] "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. [25] He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. [26] If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him."
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Commentary:
24-25. There is an apparent paradox here between Christ's humiliation and his glorification. Thus, "it was appropriate that the loftiness of his glorification should be preceded by the lowliness of his passion"(St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 51, 8). This is the same ideas as we find in St. Paul, when he says that Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, and that therefore God the Father exalted him above all created things (cf. Philippians 2:8-9). This is a lesson and an encouragement to the Christian, who should see every type of suffering and contradiction as a sharing in Christ's cross, which redeems us and exalts us. To be supernaturally effective, a person has to die to himself, forgetting his comfort and shedding his selfishness. "If the grain of wheat does not die, it remains unfruitful. Don't you want to be a grain of wheat, to die through mortification, and to yield a rich harvest? May Jesus bless your wheat field!" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 199).
26. Our Lord has spoken about his sacrifice being a condition of his entering his glory. And what holds good for the Master applies also to his disciples (cf. Matthew 10:24; Luke 6:40). Jesus wants each of us to be of service to him. It is a mystery of God's plan that he--who is all, who has all and who needs nothing and nobody--should choose to need our help to ensure that his teaching and the salvation wrought by him reaches all men.
"To follow Christ: that is the secret. We must accompany him so closely that we come to live with him, like the first Twelve did; so closely, that we become identified with him. Soon we will be able to say, provided we have not put obstacles in the way of grace, that we have put on, have clothed ourselves with our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Romans 13:14). [...]
"I have distinguished as it were four stages in our effort to identify ourselves with Christ--seeking him, finding him, getting to know him, loving him. It may seem clear to you that you are only at the first stage. Seek him then, hungrily; seek him within yourselves with all your strength. If you act with determination, I am ready to guarantee that you have already found him, and have begun to get to know him and to love him, and to hold your conversation in heaven (cf. Phil 3:20)" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 299-300).
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.
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