October 2007 (from 26th Sunday C)
Morning Offering: O Jesus, through the most pure heart of Mary, I offer you all the prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your divine heart, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass. I offer them especially for the Holy Father's intentions:
Pope Benedict
XVI's
general prayer intention
for the month of October
2007: "That the
Christians who are
in minority situations may have the strength and courage to live their
faith and persevere in bearing witness to it." 
Pope Benedict XVI's missionary prayer intention for October 2007: "That Missionary Day may be a propitious occasion for kindling an ever greater missionary awareness in every baptized person."
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Prayers this week: O Lord, you had just cause to judge men as you did:
because we sinned against you and disobeyed your will.
But now show us your greatness of heart,
and treat us with your unbounded kindness. (Daniel 3)
Father, you show your almighty power in your mercy and forgiveness.
Continue to fill us with your gifts of love.
Help us hurry toward the eternal life you promise and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God.
(September 30) Saint Jerome, priest and doctor of the Church (340-420).
Born at Stridon, a town on the confines of Dalmatia and Pannonia, about the year 340-2; died at Bethlehem, 30 September, 420. He went to Rome, probably about 360, where he was baptized, and became interested in
ecclesiastical
matters. From Rome he went to Trier, famous for its schools, and there
began his theological studies. Later he went to Aquileia, and towards
373 he set out on a journey to the East. He settled first in Antioch,
where he heard Apollinaris of Laodicea, one of the first exegetes of
that time and not yet separated from the Church. From 374-9 Jerome led
an ascetical life in the desert of Chalcis, south-west of Antioch.
Ordained priest at Antioch, he went to Constantinople (380-81), where a
friendship sprang up between him and St. Gregory of Nazianzus. From 382
to August 385 he made another sojourn in Rome, not far from Pope
Damasus. When the latter died (11 December, 384) his position became a
very difficult one. His harsh criticisms had made him bitter enemies,
who tried to ruin him. After a few months he was compelled to leave
Rome. By way of Antioch and Alexandria he reached Bethlehem, in 386. He
settled there in a monastery near a convent founded by two Roman
ladies, Paula and Eustochium, who followed him to Palestine. Henceforth
he led a life of asceticism and study; but even then he was troubled by
controversies which will be mentioned later, one with Rufinus and the
other with the Pelagians.The literary activity of St. Jerome, although very prolific, may be summed up under a few principal heads: works on the Bible; theological controversies; historical works; various letters; translations. But perhaps the chronology of his more important writings will enable us to follow more easily the development of his studies.
A first period extends to his sojourn in Rome (382), a period of preparation. From this period we have the translation of the homilies of Origen on Jeremias, Ezechiel, and Isaias (379-81), and about the same time the translation of the Chronicle of Eusebius; then the "Vita S. Pauli, prima eremitae" (374-379). A second period extends from his sojourn in Rome to the beginning of the translation of the Old Testament from the Hebrew (382-390). During this period the exegetical vocation of St. Jerome asserted itself under the influence of Pope Damasus, and took definite shape when the opposition of the ecclesiastics of Rome compelled the caustic Dalmatian to renounce ecclesiastical advancement and retire to Bethlehem. In 384 we have the correction of the Latin version of the Four Gospels; in 385, the Epistles of St. Paul; in 384, a first revision of the Latin Psalms according to the accepted text of the Septuagint (Roman Psalter); in 384, the revision of the Latin version of the Book of Job, after the accepted version of the Septuagint; between 386 and 391 a second revision of the Latin Psalter, this time according to the text of the "Hexapla" of Origen (Gallican Psalter, embodied in the Vulgate). It is doubtful whether he revised the entire version of the Old Testament according to the Greek of the Septuagint. In 382-383 "Altercatio Luciferiani et Orthodoxi" and "De perpetua Virginitate B. Mariae; adversus Helvidium". In 387-388, commentaries on the Epistles to Philemon, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to Titus; and in 389-390, on Ecclesiastes.
Between 390 and 405, St. Jerome gave all his attention to the translation of the Old Testament according to the Hebrew, but this work alternated with many others. Between 390-394 he translated the Books of Samuel and of Kings, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Canticle of Canticles, Esdras, and Paralipomena. In 390 he translated the treatise "De Spiritu Sancto" of Didymus of Alexandria; in 389-90, he drew up his "Quaestiones hebraicae in Genesim" and "De interpretatione nominum hebraicorum." In 391-92 he wrote the "Vita S. Hilarionis", the "Vita Malchi, monachi captivi", and commentaries on Nahum, Micheas, Sophonias, Aggeus, Habacuc. In 392-93, "De viris illustribus", and "Adversus Jovinianum"; in 395, commentaries on Jonas and Abdias; in 398, revision of the remainder of the Latin version of the New Testament, and about that time commentaries on chapters 13-23 of Isaias; in 398, an unfinished work "Contra Joannem Hierosolymitanum"; in 401, "Apologeticum adversus Rufinum"; between 403-406, "Contra Vigilantium"; finally from 398 to 405, completion of the version of the Old Testament according to the Hebrew. In the last period of his life, from 405 to 420, St. Jerome took up the series of his commentaries interrupted for seven years. In 406, he commented on Osee, Joel, Amos, Zacharias, Malachias; in 408, on Daniel; from 408 to 410, on the remainder of Isaias; from 410 to 415, on Ezechiel; from 415-420, on Jeremias. From 401 to 410 date what is left of his sermons; treatises on St. Mark, homilies on the Psalms, on various subjects, and on the Gospels; in 415, "Dialogi contra Pelagianos".
Scripture today: Amos 6:1a, 4-7; Psalm 146:7, 8-10; 1 Timothy 6:11-16; Luke 16:19-31
Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'" (Luke 16:19-31)
If you wish to view a video broadcast of the following reflection on today's Gospel, click here
There have been many teachers of mankind and they are easily remembered. We think of the great Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. We think of a few classical Roman writers such as Cicero. We think of religious figures of great influence such as Zoroaster or Buddha or Mahomet. We think of Moses and the Hebrew prophets. They each had their preferred way of expressing their doctrine. Towering above them all in influence and in sublimity of teaching is Jesus Christ. Our Lord expresses his doctrine concretely and with imagery, and this is especially shown in his repeated use of the parable or story. Our Gospel passage today is a case in point in
which our Lord, not
content simply to direct us to help the poor, tells a story of the rich
man who lacked all concern for the poor man at the very gate of his
home. The rich man “dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined
sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named
Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of
the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come
and lick his sores.” (Luke 16:19-31) There was no excuse
whatever because the poor man was constantly before the rich man at his
very gate. The sight of him was unavoidable and the rich man’s neglect
would have involved a repeated, even a daily hard-heartedness that
silently refused to do anything for the poor man. This was the story of
his life and he passed out of this life unrepentant. That this
deliberate neglect was a horror to God and profoundly offensive to him
is shown in the condemnation of the rich man to hell. When he died he
was buried in hell. Our parable tells us of how important to God is the
poor man and how serious is our responsibility to assist him. So
precious is the poor man to God that when he dies he is taken by the
angels to the intimate friendship of Abraham. Our Lord is not intending
here to set forth the dispositions the poor man needs in order to be
saved. He is just illustrating the simple point that God loves the poor
man and looks on it as a most serious sin to neglect him. Our Lord’s teaching also shows that the true foundations of an ethical concern for those in need lie in religion. An atheistic or agnostic commitment to the poor and needy leaves out a consideration that is fundamental. That consideration is that the dictate of conscience that we assist the poor is an echo of the voice of God. Furthermore and very importantly, conscience dictates and God requires that we love and assist not only the poor at our very gate but all the poor that we can. The setting of our Lord’s parable is a rich man who has lying at the very gate of his mansion a poor man who is helpless. But what of a situation in which the poor man is by no means at the gate of someone’s home, but is out of sight and far away? The fact is that many in a prosperous country live in relative comfort and rarely see a poor and desperate person in the flesh. The poor are not lying prostrate at their gates. They do not see them every day, nor do they physically pass them by, and because the poor are out of sight they are very easily out of mind - with the result that great numbers of the poor are neglected. That is to say because we are not often coming across poor people ourselves in our everyday lives we can pass through much of life doing little for them. But we know full well that there are boundless numbers of the poor in the world and this fact is borne in on us every day by the media and the appeals of various bodies, including and especially the Church. And so just as the rich man of the parable had no excuse because the poor man Lazarus lay at his very gate where he passed by so very often when leaving his house, so too due to the media and the efforts of other bodies of aid we do have these poor, out of sight and perhaps far away, nevertheless at our very gate as it were. The poor of our country and our own towns and suburbs whom we may scarcely ever see in daily life are brought to our attention by the St Vincent de Paul society and by numerous other organizations who assist them and who are able to help us assist them. The poor who are so far away in other countries are brought to our very gates by the daily news and by television. Furthermore, there are numerous kinds of poor. There are those who are poor in financial resources. There are those who are poor in health, those poor in spiritual gifts and resources. Anyone truly in need ought be the object of our love and help.
Let us take to heart what is so dear to God, love and service of the poor. The special danger of those blessed by God with life in a prosperous country is that they can blithely neglect the poor. Whether at the gate or far away out of sight, they are precious to the heart of God and as our Lord teaches in Matthew 25, whatever we do to the poor Christ will regard as having been done to him. We shall be rewarded or punished accordingly. Let us then put on the mind of Christ in our love for the poor.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.2437-2442
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tender, soft, flabby...: that's not the way I want you. It's about time you got rid of that peculiar pity you feel for yourself.
(The Way, no.193)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How did the first Christian community in Jerusalem pray?
At the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles it is written that in the first community of Jerusalem, educated in the life of prayer by the Holy Spirit, the faithful “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42). (CCC 2623-2624)
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.548)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday of the twenty sixth week in Ordinary Time II
(October 1) Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church (1873-1898)
Few Saints have aroused so much admiration and enthusiasm immediately after their
death; few have
acquired a more astonishing popularity everywhere on earth; few have
been so rapidly raised to the altars as was this holy young Carmelite.
Marie Françoise Thérèse Martin, known as the
Little Flower of Jesus, was born January 2, 1873 at Alençon in
Normandy, France, of very Christian parents. The Martins, who lost four
of their little ones in early infancy or childhood, regarded their
children as gifts from heaven and offered them to God before their
birth. Thérèse was the last flower of this blessed stem,
which gave four Sisters to the Carmel of Lisieux, still another to the
Visitation of Caen. The five sisters were left without their mother, a
victim of cancer, when Thérèse was only four years old;
but her two oldest sisters were of an age to take excellent care of the
household and continue the Christian character formation of the younger
ones, which their mother had initiated. Their saintly father was soon
to see his little flock separated, however, when one after the other
they left to enter religious life. He blessed each one and gave them
all back to God, with humble gratitude to God for having chosen his
daughters.From childhood Thérèse had manifested a tender piety which her naturally lively temperament could not alter. Her mother’s death affected her profoundly, however, and at the age of nine she was visited with a severe trial in the form of an illness the doctors could not diagnose, and which seemed incurable. She was instantly restored to her ordinary good health by the Virgin Mary, in answer to her desolate sisters’ prayers; Thérèse saw Her statue become animated, to smile at her with an ineffable tenderness as she lay on her bed of suffering. Before the age of fifteen Thérèse already desired to enter the Carmel of Lisieux, where her two eldest sisters were already nuns; a trip to Rome and a petition at the knees of the Holy Father Leo XIII gave her the inalterable answer that her Superiors would regulate the matter. Many prayers finally obtained an affirmative reply to her ardent request, and four months after her fifteenth birthday she entered Carmel with an ineffable joy. She could say then, “I no longer have any desire but to love Jesus even to folly.”
She adopted flowers as the symbol of her love for her Divine Spouse and offered all her little daily sacrifices and works as rose petals at the feet of Jesus. Divine Providence gave to the world the autobiography of this true Saint, whose little way of spiritual childhood was described in her own words in her Story of a Soul. She could not offer God the macerations of the great soldiers of God, only her desires to love Him as they had loved Him, and to serve Him in every way possible, not only as a cloistered nun, but as a missionary, a priest, a hero of the faith, a martyr. She chose “all” in spirit, for her beloved Lord. Later she would be named patroness of missions. Her spirituality does not imply only sweetness and light, however; this loving child of God passed by a tunnel of desolate spiritual darkness, yet never ceased to smile at Him, wanting to serve Him, if it were possible, without His even knowing it. When nine years had passed in the Carmel, the little flower was ready to be plucked for heaven; and in a slow agony of consumption, Thérèse made her final offering to God. She suffered so severely that she said she would never have believed it possible, and could only explain it by her desire to save souls for God. She died in 1897, was beatified in 1923 and canonized in 1925. And now, as she foretold, she is spending her heaven in doing good upon earth. Countless miracles have been attributed to her intercession.
Scripture today: Zecheriah 8:1-8; Psalm 102:16-21, 29 and 22-23; Luke 9:46-50
An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:46-50)
If you wish to view a video broadcast of the following reflection on today's Gospel, click here
There are many things that drive the animal world, and one of them is the drive to dominate. Place two dogs in the same setting and consistently show favour to one of them. It is not at all unlikely that the other dog will attack the one being favoured so as to be the “top dog” itself. In one form or another we see a similar pattern in numerous other families of animals, birds and insects. It is part of the drive to live,
survive and propagate
but it results in one attacking the other in order to dominate the
scene. How like the animal world is the human scene! If we consider the
vast sweep of human history and especially the conflicts that
distinguish it, what is it that is at the root of the ebb and flow of
human affairs? Among other things, it is the desire to dominate others
and to be deemed the greatest. We see this in kingdoms, in communities,
in organizations and in families. It is the source of so much suffering
and evil and it would appear to be an inexorable pattern of human life.
It constitutes much of the problem of evil. When we ask why is there
evil in the world and why God is allowing it to go unchecked, in large
measure we are asking why man desires to be the greatest and ruthlessly
to dominate his fellow man. We are asking why he is so much of a beast!
The answer to this has been revealed. This desire to be first appeared
even in heaven in the angelic rebellion against God. This same desire
led to the fall of man and became part of man’s crippled nature played
out in human history with its wars, conflicts and murders. God’s answer
was to send his Son to show by his example and teaching a radically
different way and to offer us the grace to follow it. That way is the
way of humility and meekness. It is the way of the heart of Christ.
Come to me, our Lord said, and learn from me for I am meek and humble
of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. The way of Christ is
not to dominate but to serve in all humility, not to be the greatest
but to be the least even to death, death on a cross. In our Gospel passage today we read that “An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest’” (Luke 9:46-50). At the beginning of his public ministry our Lord was led by the Spirit of God into the desert to be tempted by the devil. At the end of his long fast he was taken by Satan in some sense to a high mountain and shown the kingdoms of the world. Satan claimed that they were all his to give to anyone he chose - suggesting that he himself had a hand in the rise and success of this or that empire and kingdom. He offered it all to Christ if he would but fall down and adore him. Satan wanted to be the first and the greatest. If much of the animal world manifests this desire to dominate and to be the greatest, if much of the history of mankind also shows this tendency, it distinguishes the demonic world. Satan wants to be the greatest. Christ revealed that God is the direct contrary to all of this. St Paul writes that though he was in the form of God - possessing the glory of God - Christ shed all this and became as men are and humbler still, even to embracing death on a cross. For this reason he was exalted. He told his disciples that the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for the many. At the Last Supper he suddenly rose and took a bowl and went from disciple to disciple humbly washing the feet of each. Then he told them that just as he, whom they rightly called their Master and their Lord, washed their feet, so they should wash the feet of each other. That is the way of God. The other is the way of Satan. The one who chooses to be the least is the one who in God’s sight is the greatest. If we aspire to be children of God this must be the path in life we follow.
Let us strive to understand clearly that God is humble and serves humbly. We know this because Christ was humble and served humbly. He who sees me, he told his disciples at the Last Supper, sees the Father. The one who exalts himself, our Lord said, will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Our Lord humbled himself and was exalted and he invites us to follow his way. Let us who aspire to be his disciples resolve to follow in his footsteps ever day.
(E.J.Tyler)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I will tell you which are man's treasures on earth so that you will appreciate them: hunger, thirst, heat, cold, pain, dishonour, poverty, loneliness, betrayal, slander, prison...
(The Way, no.194)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How does the Holy Spirit intervene in the Church’s prayer?
The Holy Spirit, the interior Master of Christian prayer, forms the Church in the life of prayer and allows her to enter ever more deeply into contemplation of and union with the unfathomable mystery of Christ. The forms of prayer expressed in the apostolic and canonical writings remain normative for Christian prayer. (CCC 2623, 2625)
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.549)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday of the twenty sixth week of Ordinary Time II
(October 2) The Guardian Angels Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are
not just for
children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch
over them always, to aid their prayer and to present their souls to God
at death. The concept of an angel assigned to guide and nurture each
human being is a development of Catholic doctrine and piety based on
Scripture but not directly drawn from it. Jesus' words in Matthew 18:10
best support the belief: "See that you do not despise one of these
little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look
upon the face of my heavenly Father." Devotion to the angels began to
develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. St. Benedict gave it
impetus and Bernard of Clairvaux, the great 12th-century reformer, was
such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic
devotion assumed its current form in his day. A feast in honour of the
guardian angels was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615, Pope
Paul V added it to the Roman calendar.The concept of an unseen companion has given rise to many childish titters about leaving room for an angel in a crowded seat and teacher-induced terrors about the danger of sudden death for a child who fails to honour the angel with prayer. But devotion to the angels is, at base, an expression of faith in God's enduring love and providential care extended to each person day in and day out until life's end. "May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome you and take you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem." (Rite for Christian Burial)
Scripture today: Zechariah 8:20-23; Psalm 87:1b-3, 4-5, 6-7; Matthew 18:1-5, 10
The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 18:1-5, 10)
If you wish to view the following reflection on today's Gospel, click here
I have often been walking along and down has come a small bird from a tree to attack me - I am not referring here to the proverbial magpie protecting her young when nesting. I am referring to quite small birds that have no regard for the size of the creature they are coming down to drive away. Then I notice what has caused the concern. The small bird has a chick that is attempting to fly and the parent bird is protecting the chick’s attempts. I once saw a nature film of a household cat with her kitten. A snake was
making its way towards
the kitten to take it and the mother cat went for the snake. The snake
lunged and the cat dodged and went for the snake again. The pattern was
repeated again and again and the snake turned away and went off. The
mother cat had protected her kitten from a mortal danger. I remember
hearing about an infant left momentarily alone on a river beach and a
crocodile came out to take the infant. The family dog immediately went
for the crocodile and attacked it and was taken. The infant was saved
by the protectiveness of the dog. Such is the providence of God that he
places even in animals a strong protective instinct that leads them
instinctively to protect at great risk their young. It is a reflection
of the parental love of God that guards his creatures. It is scarcely
necessary to describe the lengths to which human beings are prepared to
go to protect their children. Even the worst criminals can have a
profound parental instinct for their children, leading them at times to
great efforts to sacrifice themselves for the welfare of their
dependents. In fact throughout all of creation there is the presence of
dependency. Creation is dependent and one element depends on another
for protection and nourishment. In order to live and continue we must
be aided by others and the entire universe depends on
God.
When we think of this all-pervasive pattern of protectiveness present in things visible, it ought be no surprise that God has revealed that we also have Guardian Angels. Not only do our parents and friends and others in society help, nourish and protect us; not only does the whole world sustain us in an ongoing gigantic pattern of protection and nourishment; but heaven itself is constantly engaged in our protection too. The fact is that there are not only hazards innumerable threatening our health and life here on earth but there are continual threats to our eternal happiness. There is a great drama going on in the life of each person, a drama that all too few people understand or appreciate. It is the drama of eternal salvation. Each person could go to heaven or to hell. The mission of the Church is to protect and advance the eternal prospects of each person but God in his goodness has also allotted an angel to enlighten, guard and guide each person on his way to heaven. That angel is charged with protecting and guiding his charge against the wiles of the devil and leading him to life in Christ. It is a difficult work because every person has a free will and a soul can choose a path that is not that of God. Judas Iscariot had a guardian angel as did Adolf Hitler, and the work of each angel was to guide their charge to the fulfilment of God’s will. How sad was the outcome of their work! But, for that matter, many a wonderful parent has been bitterly disappointed in the outcome of their efforts. Today is the memorial of our Guardian Angels when we think of the gift that God has given to each of us of an angel to befriend us and help us on our way towards holiness in Christ and so to our eternal homeland. In our Gospel today our Lord directly refers to the Guardian Angels. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” (Matthew 18:1-5, 10)
Let us think often of our Guardian Angel. Let us befriend in faith the angel God has given us and often pray to him asking for his help and protection. Let us pray to the Guardian Angel of those we wish to help and all those for whom we have some responsibility. I invite you to formulate some prayer to your Guardian Angel, that holy heavenly protector you have constantly by your side, and invoke his aid often that he assist you to do the will of God in your everyday life.
(E.J.Tyler)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It has been well said that the soul and the body are two enemies who can't get away from one another, and two friends who cannot get along.
(The Way, no,195)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What are the essential forms of Christian prayer?
They are blessing and adoration, the prayer of petition and intercession, thanksgiving and praise. The Eucharist contains and expresses all the forms of prayer. (CCC 2643-2644)
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.550)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time II
(October 3) Saint Gerard of Brogne Born c.895 at Staves, Namur, Belgium. Died 3 October 959 at Brogne, Belgium, son of Stance and Plectrude. Belgian noblility. Raised in a military atmosphere. Courtier to the Count of Namur. Disappointed by court life, and ashamed of the many privileges he received from his family and military post, Gerard realized that he was called to the monastic life. He found Belgian monasteries too lax in their discipline. While visiting France in 917 on a mission from the Count, Gerard decided the life of the monks of Saint Denis was right for him. He settled his worldly affairs, and took vows at the monastery. There Gerard became an example to other monks in following the Rule, and in his devotion to prayer. His life, and his encouragement of the brothers, helped Saint Denis becoming an example for monasteries throughout Europe. Ordained, but wrestled with feelings of inadequacy as a priest. After 11 years, the abbot asked Gerard to return home to form a monastery there. Abbot of the new monastery, he soon gained renown for his strict observance of the Benedictine Rule. This led many religious and political leaders to request that he reform monasteries throughout Flanders, Lorraine, and Champagne. Near the end of his life Gerard returned to the monastery he built, and spent the rest of his life there in solitude and prayer.
Scripture today: Nehemiah 2:1-8; Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6; Luke 9:57-62
As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)
If you wish to view a video broadcast of the following reflection on today's Gospel, click here
There are some questions that many never ask and which they would regard as strange questions. They are the kind of questions that presume a sense of wonder at the way things are. For instance, there is the question, why is there anything at all? Putting it slightly differently, why isn’t there just nothing? Not only is there not nothing, but our extraordinarily vast universe of visible things (not considering the possibility of
an invisible universe)
is not chaotic but manifests order and beauty and causality everywhere.
Why is it so? Now, there is another question related to the previous
one. The presence of suffering and unhappiness in life has always been
a mystery. We call it the problem of evil. But consider the other side
of the coin. Why is there happiness in human life anyhow? We do not
enjoy complete happiness of course but nor do we suffer from its
complete absence. There is a fair degree of happiness in the world
together with, of course, a great deal of sorrow, evil and suffering.
But why is there not complete sorrow everywhere and in any case whence
comes our yearning for absolute happiness? We yearn to be happy in an
absolute sense and not just relatively. We desire to be absolutely
happy. Let me suggest that just as the being - i.e., the things - of
our experience point to a Source beyond, so too the happiness we enjoy
and of which we yearn an abundance points to a Source beyond. Let us
make a further general point about happiness. Experience of life
suggests to us that during our life here we shall never be absolutely
happy, but despite this we seek the truest and fullest happiness even
here on earth. We seek it while knowing that it will not be attained
fully. The pressing question is, wherein lies true happiness here on
earth? Experience teaches us that it will not be attained simply by
setting out to be happy. True happiness comes from seeking and serving
something other than mere happiness itself. It is a fruit or reward of
serving and attaining an object of great worth. Moreover, experience
suggests that the fullest happiness also comes by serving that object
totally. All this is to say that experience and reflection suggest that the greatest happiness in this life comes from a total surrender to something of the highest worth. This general observation can come to any thinking person reflecting on life and the world, but the concrete question is, in what exactly does my happiness lie? Before this great question constantly posed by the heart of man there emerges the figure of Jesus Christ. He presents himself unequivocally as the happiness of man. It is for union with him, the Christian religion states, that we were made. It is the greatest claim in human history and in its resounding and audacious simplicity it cuts through all the claims of philosophy and religion that clamour for man’s attention. Christ is the answer to man’s cry for happiness precisely because he is the answer to sinful man’s cry to be good. More fundamental than our need to be happy is our need to be good and holy. The fruit of holiness is authentic happiness. We are beset by sin and it is this which is the cause of our unhappiness and the evil and suffering so rampant in the world. There are some things that absolutely distinguish man. There is his rationality and his freedom. But there is also his very conscience, his moral sense, his sense of right and wrong and this tells him that most fundamental in all his projects - even more fundamental than his desire to be happy - is his duty to do good and to avoid evil. Sin is our problem and goodness is our need. Christ is the answer to this for he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is the centre and the heart of the world and our happiness lies in knowing, loving and serving him. But - and this is crucially important - we are called to do this totally. Our happiness will lie in a total surrender to and following of Christ. In this sense he is the answer to man’s need. Christ has come and he invites us to be his friends, but totally so. Indeed, he asks from us what God asks, that we love him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
This is the point of our Gospel passage today (Luke 9:57-62). It presents three prospective followers. To each our Lord insists on a total following of him. That is what he asks, and if we accept the invitation, happiness will be ours here, and ours beyond imagining hereafter. Life is short and eternity long. There is not a lot of time to discover wherein lies our happiness. Christ tells us. It lies in a total friendship with him and in loving him with all our heart. If we love him we shall keep his commandments. The Church’s message to mankind is, look to Jesus and enter into friendship with him, and then in obedience to God follow his way.
(E.J.Tyler)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One has to give the body a little less than its due. Otherwise it turns traitor.
(The Way, no.196)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is “blessing”?
The prayer of blessing is man’s response to God’s gifts: we bless the Almighty who first blesses us and fills us with his gifts. (CCC 2626-2627, 2645)
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.551)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday of the twenty sixth week in Ordinary Time II
(October 4) Saint Francis of Assisi, religious (1182-1226) Born in Assisi, Italy. From being a light-hearted youth he changed, gave up his inheritance and bound himself to God, embracing poverty for Christ and living the life of the Gospels. He lived and preached a life of poverty and love of God to all. He founded the religious Order of the Franciscans and gave them rules which were approved by the Holy See. With St Clare he helped found the Order of the Poor Clares and founded the Third Order for lay people. For more on St Francis of Assisi, click here
click centre arrow for video
Scripture today:
Nehemiah
8:1-4a, 5-6, 7b-12; Psalm 19:8, 9, 10,
11; Luke 10:1-12
Jesus appointed
seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every
town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is
abundant but the labourers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to
send out labourers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am
sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no
sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in
the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the
labourer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to
another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set
before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is
at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to
our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the
Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for
Sodom on that day than for that town.” (Luke 10:1-12)
There is one aspect
of the phenomenon of Christ and his work which is both essential and
distinctive. If we think of Buddha we think of one who searched for the
key to life and happiness and who taught his disciples the key he had
found. That his “religion” grew to the proportions it did and
extended so widely is something that simply happened - I do not think
it was his design. He scarcely aimed to create what we might call a religious
empire or kingdom. Nor did Confucius. I really wonder whether Mahomet
had that in mind from the beginning either - if he did, I strongly suspect it came to him
only later when his movement was gathering momentum and having political
and military success. I suspect that the religion inspired by Mahomet’s
“revelations” became aggressively missionary only as a later
development when it was seen to be feasible. But with
Christ the case is different. From the very beginning of his ministry
he intended to inaugurate what we might call an empire. It was to be a
world-wide empire, but one not one of this world. Christ came to
establish a Kingdom which, while all other kingdoms on this earth - by
whatever name they are designated - rise and fall, his would conquer
the earth and would have no end. Indeed, though the earth itself should
(and will) fail, his throne will by his design last forever. This
Kingdom was the kingdom not of Rome, nor of Israel, nor was it any
other earthly power. Nor did it rely on earthly weapons. It was the Kingdom of God and
of Heaven. It was the
dominion of God himself. Christ came to make of the world the arena of
the dominion of God, the lordship God himself intended to exercise over
all the nations. He did not just come to offer a revelation and to
leave it to people to learn of it and to embrace it as might a great
philosopher leave his teaching to his trusted disciples. Christ came to
reveal, and to conquer the world with his revelation.
That revelation in
the first instance is himself. He himself is the heart and soul of the
Kingdom of heaven, the Kingdom of God. Being a member of this Kingdom
means being his loving and genuine disciple. To associate with him
means associating with him in his mission to make disciples of all the
nations. We might say that Christ’s mission is essentially and
distinctively imperialistic. Christ meant from the very beginning to
launch and establish a world-wide Empire and he meant all his disciples
to be devoting themselves to its extension. Its methods are not those
of the empires of this world, but the methods of Christ. His supremely
effective method is that of the Cross. Being crucified is his greatest
and most fruitful method, and he asks that those who wish to come after
him and assist him in establishing and extending the dominion of God
over the hearts of men must be crucified with him. This is done by
faithfully doing the will of God every day in union with him. As St
Paul, the Church’s missionary par excellence writes, with Christ I am
nailed to the cross. This is the way Christ’s world-wide and eternal
empire is established. The Cross is its life. Our Gospel today
describes the beginnings of all this during our Lord’s public ministry.
“Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him
in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them,
‘The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few; so ask the master
of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest. Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves’.”
(Luke 10:1-12).
One of the sad anomalies of what we might call the Christian Fact is
that so many who associate with Christ have not understood that their
association with him means that they are called to be missionary.
The life of the Christian must be apostolic. Christ expects each of his
disciples to bear constant and daily witness to him before the
world.
Let us read our
Gospel passage of today understanding that Christ means to address his
words there to each of his disciples. Do you wish to be in his company
and to accept the offer of his divine friendship? Then it means walking
and working with him and that in turn means being apostolic in your
everyday life. It means doing what you can to gather the harvest for
Christ so that God reigns.
(E.J.Tyler)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If they have witnessed your faults and weaknesses, will it matter
if they witness your penance?
(The Way,
no.197)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How can adoration be defined?
Adoration is the humble acknowledgement by human beings that they are
creatures of the thrice-holy Creator. (CCC 2628)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.552)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday
of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time II
(October
5) Saint
Flora of
Beaulieu. Virgin.
Patron of the
abandoned, of converts, single laywomen, and victims of betrayal -
Flora was born in France about the year 1309.
She was a devout child and later resisted all attempts on the part of
her parents to find a husband for her. In 1324, she entered the Priory
of Beaulieu of the Hospitaller nuns of St. John of Jerusalem. Here she
was beset with many and diverse trials, fell into a depressed state,
and was made sport of by some of her religious sisters. However, she
never ceased to find favor with God and was granted many unusual and
mystical favours. One year on the feast of All Saints, she fell into an
ecstasy and took no nourishment until three weeks later on the feast of
St. Cecelia. On another occasion, while meditating on the Holy Spirit,
she was raised four feet from the ground and hung in the air in full
view of many onlookers. She also seemed to be pierced with the arms of
Our Lord's cross, causing blood to flow freely at times from her side
and at others, from her mouth. Other instances of God's favoring of his
servant were also reported, concerning prophetic knowledge of matters
of which she could not naturally know. Through it all, St. Flora
remained humble and in complete communion with her Divine Master,
rendering wise counsel to all who flocked to her because of her
holiness and spiritual discernment. In 1347, she was called to her
eternal reward and many miracles were worked at her tomb.
click on centre arrow for video
Scripture today:
Baruch
1:15-22; Psalm 79:1b-2, 3-5, 8, 9;
Luke 10:13-16
Jesus said to them,
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For
if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But
it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for
you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You
will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one
who sent me.” (Luke 10:13-16)
If
you wish to view a video broadcast of the following reflection on
today's Gospel, click here
Cardinal Newman in
one of his writings expresses some wonder at the
spectacle of certain individuals who have a degree of faith in God and
in Christ and the Church, but whose lives in so many ways are
confidently
set in a course of open sin and criminality. He wondered at the
strength of the gift of faith that persisted (in these cases he
had in mind) in lives that were greatly at variance with the
obvious requirements of religious faith. That certainly is one aspect
of such a situation. But the other is the more obvious, namely that the
lack of moral practice in one’s life can totally impede the flourishing
of a life of faith. When we think of the matter, it is clear that this
is one of the most common problems in the life of religious persons. It
is that what they know and believe to be the case in their religion is
not thoroughly translated into their own concrete practice, whether it
be in thought, word or actual deed. Putting it differently, there is
not enough thoroughgoing repentance in their lives. They do not repent
of their sins and renounce them, and this pattern of repentance is not
active in an ongoing and repeated fashion. Now, as we see in the
Gospels repentance was first and foremost in the preaching of Christ
and indeed throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The prophets
were constantly preaching repentance and warning that unless the chosen
people repented from their sins disaster would come. Repentance is a
fundamental teaching of Revelation. John the Baptist preached
repentance from sin and made it clear that repentance was a
prerequisite for the Kingdom of God. He condemned the scribes and
Pharisees for refusing to repent. Our Lord began his ministry with a
call for repentance. It is the lament of our Lord in today’s Gospel
against the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum that they
refused to repent. So serious was it that our Lord made it plain that
they were heading for no less than hell. (Luke
10:13-16)
Closely connected
with and implied in the call to repent is the call to
accept what Christ and his Church teach to be sins. There is
little chance that a person will repent of his sins if he has come to
regard his sinful actions as not being sinful anyway, or that it is for
his “own conscience” to decide whether something is sinful or not, or
that sin does not matter much because there is a question mark over the
very fact of God. If a person has very little sense of personal sin
then his
sins will remain unrepented of and therefore unforgiven. If a person
does not take God to be his Teacher in the matter of morality and sin
then he will be in darkness as to what constitutes sin. He will be
deciding for himself and he will be progressively calling good evil and
evil good. Christ is God and is the revelation of God. He is the Truth
and gives us the grace to live according to the Truth. Now, in our
Gospel passage today our Lord not only condemns the towns for not
accepting his message and repenting of their sins and unbelief but he
goes on to state to his disciples - in other words to the infant
Church - that “whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects
you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent
me.”
(Luke 10:13-16) It is a reminder to the
Christian that
Christ speaks to contemporary man through the teaching Church. He who
listens to the Church which Christ founded on the Twelve with Peter at
their head listens to him. When the Church teaches that this or that is
sin then Christ’s faithful should accept this as coming from Christ.
When the Church, teaching in the name of Christ, states that this
or that practice is morally wrong then people risk their eternal
salvation by disregarding that teaching, just as the towns our Lord
addresses in today’s Gospel were risking their eternal salvation for
disregarding Christ's word. In
practical morality each person must be alive to the reality and
authority of God and of Christ and his Church. If the authority of
Christ and his Church is genuinely accepted then one’s moral life is on
a secure footing. Ongoing repentance from what God reveals to be sin is
then possible.
A great
contemporary saint gave his key to perseverence. It was, “Now I
begin!” By this he meant that we ought be starting again each day. This
pattern of repeated beginnings in life especially applies to
repentance. We must be repenting again and again daily throughout life
and many times each day. It is not enough to repent once or a few times
in life in major religious experiences. It has to be occurring
constantly and it means repentance from small, venial sins. Holiness is
impossible if we are not repenting from venial sins. So then, now I
begin!
(E.J.Tyler)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These are the ripe fruits of the mortified soul: tolerance and
understanding for the defects of others; intolerance for one's own.
(The Way,
no.198)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What are the different forms of the prayer of petition?
It can be a petition for pardon or also a humble and trusting petition
for all our needs either spiritual or material. The first thing to ask
for, however, is the coming of the Kingdom. (CCC 2629-2633, 2646)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.553)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday
of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time II
(October
6) St
Bruno (1035-1101).
This saint has the honour of having founded a religious order which, as
the saying goes, has never had to be reformed because it was never
deformed. No doubt both the founder and the members would reject such
high praise, but it is an indication of the saint's intense love of a
penitential life in solitude. He was born in Cologne, Germany, became a
famous teacher at Rheims and was appointed chancellor of the
archdiocese at the age of 45. He supported Pope Gregory VII in his
fight against the decadence of the clergy and took part in the removal
of his own scandalous archbishop, Manasses. Bruno suffered the
plundering of his house for his pains. He had a dream of living in
solitude and prayer, and persuaded a few friends to join him in a
hermitage. After a while he felt the place unsuitable and, through a
friend, was given some land which was to become famous for his
foundation "in the Chartreuse" (from which comes the word Carthusians).
The climate, desert, mountainous terrain and inaccessibility guaranteed
silence, poverty and small numbers. Bruno and his friends built an
oratory with small individual cells at a distance from each other. They
met for Matins and Vespers each day, and spent the rest of the time in
solitude, eating together only on great feasts. Their chief work was
copying manuscripts. The pope, hearing of Bruno's holiness, called for
his assistance in Rome. When the pope had to flee Rome, Bruno pulled up
stakes again, and spent his last years (after refusing a bishopric) in
the wilderness of Calabria. He was never formally canonized, because
the Carthusians were averse to all occasions of publicity. Pope Clement
extended his feast to the whole Church in 1674.
“Members of those communities which are totally
dedicated to contemplation give themselves to God alone in solitude and
silence and through constant prayer and ready penance. No matter how
urgent may be the needs of the active apostolate, such communities will
always have a distinguished part to play in Christ's Mystical Body..” (Decree on the Renewal
of Religious Life, 7).
Scripture today:
Baruch
4:5-12, 27-29; Psalm 69:33-35,
36-37; Luke 10:17-24
The seventy-two
disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons
are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed
Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the
power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of
the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice
because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names
are written in heaven.” At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy
Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been
your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my
Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the
Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal
him.” Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the
eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings
desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you
hear, but did not hear it.” (Luke 10:17-24)
If you wish to
view a video broadcast of the following reflection on today's Gospel,
click here
I remember many
years ago I had the opportunity to spend several weeks in Israel, the
Holy Land. I spent the time visiting the scenes that feature in
Scripture, especially scenes of the Gospels. On one occasion I was
sitting in the area where our Lord is thought to have been scourged,
now named the Ecce Homo. While seated there, a tourist paused with me
and we began talking. I asked him what he did and he replied with
gusto, “Oh! I am just a tailor. But I am a member of Jesus Christ!”
What he was saying was that he did not regard his
profession as very important, but what was important and what gave to
him a tremendous dignity was the fact that he was a member of Jesus
Christ. I presume (and hope) that he understood that this derived
especially from his baptism and from the life of faith that derived
from baptism. Our being in Christ is indeed our glory and our boast and
not what we might do or be in a natural sense, although in Christ our
profession and works become important and a very significant means of
sanctification and apostolate. The mystery proclaimed by the Church is
that proclaimed by St Paul in one of his Letters: Christ in you, your
hope of glory! No matter how modest our individual abilities, no matter
how ordinary we rank in comparison with others in terms of notable
achievements, our glory lies in being in Christ and in knowing him. Our
Lord said at the Last Supper that eternal life consists in this, to
know the Father and Jesus Christ whom he sent. In our Gospel passage
today the disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, “Lord, even
the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Our Lord
acknowledged that he had given them a special share in his own powers
to combat the Enemy, but that was not their greatest boast. What was
important was that they were the special object of God’s special
choice. “Nevertheless,” Christ said, “do not rejoice because the
spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written
in heaven.”
The average person
is what we might call the little person, the ordinary person, the
person who will not make much of a splash. He will not display nor
exercise any special gifts nor will his achievements be especially
noticed in life, and so he will pass out of this world and soon be
forgotten by the world except for his family and friends. But if he has
been of the great family of Christ’s faithful through faith and the
Sacraments and if he has been truly faithful to his Christian calling,
then however obscure his life heaven will rejoice in him. For consider
the cause of our Lord’s rejoicing in our passage today. “At that very
moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I give you praise,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these
things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the
childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will’.” The
Christian knows the person of Christ and has come to love him. His life
will be of incalculable worth if he loves Christ profoundly and makes
Christ his all. Our Lord goes on to stress that his disciples have what
the prophets and holy men of the Old Testament longed to have but did
not, and that was him. They would love to have known, loved, followed
and served him in life, but such was not the providence of God for
them. But his disciples before him had this treasure. “ Turning to the
disciples in private he said, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you
see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you
see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear
it’.”
(Luke 10:17-24) Man’s glory is his
calling to know and love Christ and to live in him. The greatest
instance of this is the Virgin Mary, mother of God the Son made man.
Humble, relatively unknown, with no public mission, she was the holiest
and greatest human person in the sight of God. Her greatness consisted
certainly in her special vocation as the Mother of God, but most
especially in her perfect union with her Son.
Let us who are in
Christ rejoice that our names are written in heaven and let us never
imperil this wonderful destiny God has for us. It will be imperilled by
a lack of fidelity to the one in whom we have been chosen from all
eternity. St Paul writes in one of his Letters that before the world
began God chose us in Christ to be holy and full of love in Christ.
What a catastrophe if we throw all this away for something else! Christ
is our treasure and all our prospects lie in knowing, loving and
serving him.
(E.J.Tyler)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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!
(The Way,
no.199)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In what does the prayer of
intercession consist?
Intercession consists in asking on behalf of another. It conforms us
and unites us to the prayer of Jesus who intercedes with the Father for
all, especially sinners. Intercession must extend even to one’s
enemies. (CCC 2634-2636, 2647)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.554)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Twenty-seventh
Sunday in Ordinary Time C
Prayers this week:
O Lord, you have
given everything its place in the world,
and no one can make it otherwise. For it is your creation,
the heavens and the earth and the stars: you are
the Lord of all.
Father, your love for us
surpasses all our hopes and desires.
Forgive our failings, keep
us in your peace and lead us in the way of salvation.
We
ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ your Son in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God.
(October 7) Our
Lady of the Rosary
When the heresy of the Albigensians was growing in the district of
Toulouse and striking deeper roots day by day, St. Dominic, who had
just laid the foundations of the Order of Preachers, threw himself
whole-heartedly into the task of destroying this heresy. That he might
be the better able to overcome it, he implored with earnest prayers the
aid of the Blessed Virgin. She instructed Dominic to preach the Rosary
to the people as 
a unique safeguard
against heresy and vice, and he carried out this commission with
wonderful ardour of soul and with great success. From that time, then,
St. Dominic began to promulgate and promote this method of praying. And
the fact that he was its founder and originator has from time to time
been stated in papal encyclicals.
From this salutary practice
countless fruits have flowed to Christendom. Among these, we should
especially mention the victory over the powerful tyranny of the Turks
won at the battle of Lepanto by St. Pius V and the Christian princes he
had aroused. For, as this victory was won on the very day on which the
sodalities of the most holy Rosary throughout the world had been
offering their accustomed supplications and carrying out the prescribed
prayers, it was rightly attributed to these prayers. Gregory XIII
testified to this fact when he decreed that for such a unique benefit
thanks should always be offered everywhere throughout the world to the
Blessed Virgin under the title of the Rosary. Other Popes have granted
almost innumerable indulgences to the recitation of the Rosary and to
Rosary societies.
Clement XI, noting the circumstances of the
equally famous victory of Charles VI, the emperor-elect, over the
innumerable forces of the Turks in Hungary in the year 1716, held that
this victory was to be attributed to the intercession of the Blessed
Virgin. The victory occurred on the feast of the Dedication of Our Lady
of the Snows; and, at almost the time of the battle, the confraternity
of the Most Holy Rosary was offering a public and solemn supplication
in the city of Rome, with a great crowd of people pouring out fervent
prayers to God with great devotion for the overthrow of the Turks and
humbly imploring the powerful aid of the Virgin Mother of God to help
the Christians. Looking also with the eyes of faith at the raising of
the Turks' siege of the island of Corcyra shortly afterwards, he held
that this victory too must be ascribed to the patronage of the Blessed
Virgin. To keep alive, therefore, the memory of these great benefits
and to assure a perpetual thanksgiving for them, Clement extended the
feast of the Most Holy Rosary to the universal Church. Benedict XIII
decreed that all these things be written into the Roman Breviary. Leo
XIII in repeated encyclicals strongly urged all the faithful throughout
the world to recite the Rosary especially during the month of October,
raised the rank of the feast, and added to the Litany of Loretto the
invocation "Queen of the Most Holy Rosary." He also granted a special
Office to be recited by the universal Church on this feast. The Popes
over the last century have repeatedly stressed the great importance of
devotion to Mary through the Rosary.
Scripture: Habakuk 1:2-3;
2:2-4; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14;
Luke 17:5-10
The apostles said
to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith
the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be
uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. "Who among you
would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending
sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at
table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to
eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may
eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant
because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you
have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable
servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" (Luke 17:5-10)
If you wish to
view a video recording of the following reflection on today's Gospel,
click here
I once heard a
bishop suggest that the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord (March
25) ought be celebrated as a holy day of obligation. Whatever of that,
the Gospel scene of the Annunciation in St Luke is full of
significance. The Angel addresses Mary with profound respect as the one
who is full of grace. The Lord is with her. His words place in the
forefront of Mary’s life the grace of God which made her the all-holy
person she is. His words remind us that God’s grace is the life and the
foundation of holiness. But there is the other side to a life of
holiness which is expressed by Mary’s response to the Angel. “Behold
the handmaid of the Lord,” Mary said. “Be it done unto me
according to your word.” Mary was full of grace, and grace was indeed
the source of her gifts and her holiness. But it required her
cooperation. In that sense, through the grace of God, she herself
merited the profound respect shown her by the Angel. In everything she
depended on God and his grace but in another sense in his plans God
depended on her free response. Thus through her free and ongoing
response Mary merited the holiness she attained. The thought of Mary
leads us to think on the one hand of the grace of God sustaining us in
everything, and
on the other of how through our obedience and faith we merit
the reward of holiness and eternal life. In our Gospel passage today
our Lord speaks of the active power of God uprooting a tree and
planting it in the sea (Luke 17:5-10). It reminds us of the
power of grace on which we depend. The Gospel also refers to our duty,
reminding us that by our obedience to God we merit salvation.
In the history of
the Church there have been two errors in respect to this point. In the
early Church a person by the name of Pelagius taught that it is through
our own efforts that we attain holiness and salvation. Pelagius
probably saw many people making little effort to follow our Lord
closely and saw the results of that in their lack of a Christian life.
On the other hand he perhaps saw those who made every effort and saw
the good results of this. He concluded and laid it down that everything
depends on our own efforts. The Church, particularly St Augustine,
stated that this was a great error. Everything depends ultimately on
the grace of God. By God’s grace at our baptism we are made just and
holy and our sins are taken away. This is not just how God chooses to
regard us, but is the effect in us of the gift of his grace. By means
of this gift of grace we are able freely to respond in faith and
obedience to Christ. That grace is God’s gift and initiative. If we
respond to this gift in faith and obedience we are then able - again,
by the assistance and power of God’s grace - to merit further gifts of
grace from God. His grace grants us an habitual share in his
Trinitarian life. It sanctifies us and unless it is destroyed by
serious sin it gives us an abiding friendship with him. There are also
many other kinds of grace apart from this habitual sanctifying grace.
There are actual graces that are offered to us for specific
circumstances. There are those graces proper to each Sacrament, and
there are special graces or charisms that God grants to this or that
person for the good of others and the Church. Through his grace God
precedes, prepares and elicits our free response to him. It responds to
our deepest desires and it calls for our full cooperation. So all our
life we must seek and depend on the grace of God.
At the same
time, there has been the opposite error of thinking that nothing other
than grace is involved in our sanctification and salvation. Grace is
fundamental and constantly necessary, but so is our free cooperation.
While whatever we merit from our obedience and cooperation with God is,
in the first instance, due to the grace of God, unless we freely
cooperate little will come of it. Grace comes first and foremost, but
our efforts next and also. When I was young a priest once said that
holiness is 99% due to the grace of God, and 1% due to our efforts. But
we must put in that full 1% and that is our whole strength. All will
fall if we fail to put in our bit, and that 1% bit is our full effort
to love God with all our mind, heart and soul. All this is to say that
we have a mighty God that we can rely on, one who pours into our hearts
his wonderful help that can take us so very far and that can produce a
wonderful harvest of holiness in our life. But just as with the virgin
Mary he awaits our daily and constant assent. We must choose to say our
daily yes to all the calls of his divine plan for us, and then live out
that assent in our daily duties and responsibilities. With that free
cooperation he can work wonders in our souls far beyond our imagining.
Let us then begin again every day, saying yes to whatever God wants to
do with us, for us, in us, and through us. It is through his grace and
our merits that his divine plan for our salvation and the salvation of
others will be achieved.
(E.J.Tyler)
Further reading: The Catechism of the
Catholic Church, no.1996-2016
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You don't conquer yourself, you don't practise self— denial,
because you are proud. You lead a life of penance? Don't forget that
pride is compatible with penance... Furthermore: your sorrow, after
your falls, after your failures in generosity — is it true sorrow or is
it the petty disappointment of seeing yourself so small and helpless?
How far you are from Jesus if you are not humble..., even though your
disciplines each day bring forth fresh roses!
(The Way,
no.200)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When is thanksgiving given to God?
The Church gives thanks to God unceasingly, above all in celebrating
the Eucharist in which Christ allows her to participate in his own
thanksgiving to the Father. For the Christian every event becomes a
reason for giving thanks. (CCC 2637-2638, 2648)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.555)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday
of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time II
(October
8) Saint
Pelagia, more often called Margaret, on account of the
magnificence of the pearls for which she had so often sold herself, was
an actress of Antioch, equally celebrated for her beauty, her wealth
and the disorder of her life. During a synod at Antioch, she
passed Bishop St. Nonnus of Edessa, who was struck with her beauty; the
next day she went to hear him preach and was so moved by his sermon
that she asked him to baptize her which he did. She gave her wealth to
Nonnus to aid the poor and left Antioch dressed in men's clothing. She
became a hermitess in a cave on Mount of Olivette in Jerusalem, where
she lived in great austerity, performing penances and known as "the
beardless monk" until her sex was discovered at her death. Though a
young girl of fifteen did exist and suffer martyrdom at Antioch in the
fourth century, the story here told is a pious fiction, which gave rise
to a whole set of similar stories under different names. Her feast day
is October 8th.
Scripture today: Jonah 1:1–2:1-2,
11; Jonah 2:3, 4, 5,
8; Luke 10:25-37
There was a scholar
of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I
do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the
law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord,
your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your
strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” He
replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will
live.” But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And
who is my neighbour?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as
he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and
went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that
road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise
a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the
opposite side. But a Samaritan traveller who came upon him was moved
with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and
wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his
own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took
out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the
instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have
given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in
your opinion, was neighbour to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The
one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do
likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
If you wish to
view a video broadcast of the following reflection on today's Gospel,
click here
However commendable
it is to love others and help them, in itself it is nothing
exceptional. A father loves his children and tries to help them, as
does a wife and mother. A person might love his friends and often try
to help them. We naturally help those who are in the circle we move
about in and they are the natural object of our love. If someone were
to observe the radius of love and help emanating from the average
person I think he would find that generally it embraces his friends and
those relatives whom he counts as friends. That is to say that there is
nothing exceptional in there being a pattern in a person’s life of
being nice and helpful to others. This is because that helpfulness generally is
extended to those to whom one is naturally drawn. The fact is that
there is also a legitimate self-interest at stake in being good to
those to whom one is naturally bound. A person who did not show love
and helpfulness
to his spouse, his children and his friends would not have an easy
life. What is exceptional and admirable is when this love and practical
charity is extended to those with whom one normally has nothing to do.
In the case where there is no chance of receiving much appreciation,
recognition or return of friendship then helpfulness is truly out of
the ordinary. Even the non-believer recognizes this. In our Gospel
passage today our Lord is asked by a scholar of the law how one is to
get to heaven. Our Lord asked him - a scholar of the Law - to answer
his own question by telling him what the Law of God in the Scriptures
states. The scribe gives the right answer which is that we must love
God with all our heart and our neighbour as ourself. Then (so as not to
look foolish) he asks our Lord a subsidiary question: who, then, is my
neighbour? Our Lord in reply tells the famous parable of the Good
Samaritan who helped the one in need, even though that person in need
had nothing whatever to do with him. Whoever he might be, our neighbour
is the one in need. Putting it differently, we are a true
neighbour to the one in need if we help him, whoever he might be
(Luke
10:25-37).
So then, our Lord
reveals to us that our salvation depends on our helping whoever is in
need. This is the sense in which we must love our neighbour as ourself
and so attain salvation. Our Lord vividly drives home the point
elsewhere when he describes the General Judgment at the end of time. In
chapter 25 of Matthew’s Gospel we read how all the nations will be
gathered together in Christ’s presence when he comes and presides as
Judge. All mankind will be separated into two groups. Those on
his left will go to hell and those on his right will go to heaven. What
will be the deciding factor in each case? It will be whether a person
has helped the one in need. So seriously does our Lord take this matter
that he identifies with the least person in need. When I was hungry you
did not give me to eat, the Judge will say. Lord, they will ask, when
did we see you hungry? Whatever you did to the least of these brothers
of mine you did to me. Christ is brother to all men, but most
especially to the poor and the afflicted, whatever the affliction may
be. It is to them especially that he has made himself a "neighbour." So
it has always been a distingishing feature of the Christian religion
that its best pratitioners are noted for their love and service of the
poor and afflicted, and that - very importantly - the motivation for
their love of the poor is their love of Christ himself. They see in the
poor the face of Christ because they know that Christ identifies with
the poor. Thus the Church had in its midst St Vincent de Paul. Thus too
it had in its midst Blessed (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta. They helped
the poor with their corporal works of mercy, but they were the first to
recognize and proclaim that poverty comes in a multiplicity of forms
including spiritual and emotional. Our great exemplar is the almighty
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who loved fallen and stricken man and
who did not hesitate to give up his only begotten Son so as to save the
world from eternal misery. God impoverished himself so that we who were
and are poor might be rich. God made himself a neighbour to stricken
man. Let us then do as our heavenly Father has done, or at least pray
for the grace day in and day out to do so.
Let us start by
contemplating the love and mercy of God our Father and that of his Son
made man who is his perfect image and revelation. Let us aspire to be
true children of our Father by loving and helping to our cost those in
need wherever they may be. Let us live out this practical charity in
our everyday lives, recognizing in faith the face of the living Jesus
in all who suffer.
(E.J.Tyler)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What a
taste of gall and vinegar, of ash and aloes! What a dry and coated
palate! And this physical feeling seems as nothing compared with that
other bad taste, the one in your soul.
The fact is that 'more is being asked of you', and you can't bring
yourself to give it. Humble yourself Would that bitter taste still
remain in your flesh and your spirit if you did all that you could?
(The Way,
no.201)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is the prayer of praise?
Praise is that form of prayer which recognizes most immediately that
God is God. It is a completely disinterested prayer: it sings God’s
praise for his own sake and gives him glory simply because he is. (CCC
2639-2643, 2649)
(Compendium of the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.556)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday
of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
(October
9) St
Denis, bishop and
martyr and his martyr
companions (3rd century). St Denis was the first bishop of
Paris. He
was sent to France by Pope Fabian. He suffered martyrdom with his
companions.
St. John Leonardi (1541?-1609) John Leonardi chose to
become a
priest. After his ordination, he became very active in the works of the
ministry, especially in hospitals and prisons. The example and
dedication of his work attracted several young laymen who began to
assist him. They later became priests themselves. John lived in a time
of reform after the Reformation and the Council of Trent. He and his
followers projected a new congregation of diocesan priests. For some
reason the plan, which was ultimately approved, provoked great
political opposition and he was an exile from his home town of Lucca,
Italy, for almost the entire remainder of his life. He received
encouragement and help from St. Philip Neri [whose feast is May 26],
who gave him his quarters—along with the care of his cat! In 1579 he
formed the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and published a
compendium of Christian doctrine that remained in use until the 19th
century. Father Leonardi and his priests became a great power for good
in Italy, and their congregation was confirmed by Pope Clement in 1595.
He died at the age of 68 from a disease caught when tending those
stricken by the plague. By the deliberate policy of the founder, the
Clerks Regular of the Mother of God have never had more than 15
churches and today form only a very small congregation. "Do not be
afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you
the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for
yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaust