The Divine Lamp

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Introit: Bow down Thy ear, O Lord, to me,: save Thy servant, O my God, that trusteth in Thee: have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to Thee all day. Give joy to the soul of Thy servant; for to Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. (Psalm 85:1-4; Psalm 86 in some translations)

“He had compassion on her.” With these words today’s Gospel reading gives us the motivation for the action our Blessed Lord takes in raising the widow’s son. It is precisely because of God’s compassion that the Psalmist, and the Church, prays with trust in Him.

Prayer: Let Thy continual pity, O Lord, cleanse and protect Thy Church; and since it cannot continue in safety without Thee, govern it evermore by Thy help. Through our Lord, ect.

God cleanses, protects and governs His Church through the Spirit; the prayer is therefore a good preparation for the Epistle reading.

Epistle: Gal 5:25-6:10

“st Paul begins the lesson of this day, which is taken from his Epistle to the Galatians, with the words: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. To live in the Spirit, means to be animated and governed by the Holy Ghost,to possess sanctifying grace. To walk by the Spirit means to live piously and virtuously. The Apostle means to say: If the Holy Ghost lives and rules in us by his grace, we must manifest it outwardly by good conduct. Hence St Jerome says: “If we have life through the Spirit, we must live according to the Spirit, and no longer serve the flesh….”

1. St Paul warns us against ambition and pride when he says: Let us not be made desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another.

To seek honor is not wrong in itself, for honor is, of all earthly things, the most excellent, and is incomparably more precious than money and goods, as we read in the Book of Proverbs (22:1): A good name is better tha great riches. Honor and a good name promote temporal welfare, for a man who enjoys a good reputation is loved y everyone, is well received everywhere and finds employment and remuneration. Honor and a good name keep man from evil and are an incentive to a blameless and upright life. Lastly, he who stands in good repute and has the confidence of people can contribute very much to their temporal and spiritual welfare. hence St Francis of Sales says: Charity compels us and humility permits us to care for our honor, because it helps us to perform services useful to our neighbor. In so far as honor is a means of doing good, i.e., of promoting the honor of God and the good of our neighbor, we must seek it and be solicitous for its preservation.

Hence the Apostle does not forbid us to seek honor, but only vain honor and vainglory. He cautions us against vainglory or ambition. Who are they that seek vainglory or are ambitious? All the proud, and especially those who have an inordinate desire for the esteem and praise of men and do all in their power to satisfy this desire. They display their good qualities and actions to gain the applause of men; they elevate themselves above others and give people to understand that no one equals them; they wish always to be honored and preferred before others. This ambition is contrary to the fundamental virtue of Christianity-namely, humility, and is particularly displeasing to God. Hence Christ severely rebuked the Apostles who from ambition quarreled about precedence, and intimated to them that unless they should become humble as a little child, they could not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ambition is culpable, not only in itself, but also on account of its evil consequences; for it excites the mind and begets envy, discord, dissension and strife. This is the reason why the Apostle warns us against ambition. The ambitious man, seeing that others are considered equal to him or even preferred before him, is very much displeased, and ill-will and envy arise in his heart. His fellow men are also indignant when they perceive that he boasts of his prerogatives, looks down upon them with contempt and claims from them undue consideration. The ambition of me is the cause that there is so much disquietude, so much envy, strife and contention in the world. Let him who is solicitous for peace and harmony shun ambition and pride and be truly humble.

The Apostle alleges another motive why we should guard against ambition and pride when he writes: For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

St Paul declares that man is nothing. This is only too true. Of himself man is less than nothing; for he is misery and sin combined. he is born in sin, he usually lives in sin, and he may die in sin; when left to himself he is capable of nothing but of rushing headlong into all kinds of disorders. Look at your body, how frail it is! What will become of it? The food of worms, dust and ashes. Look at your soul! in the very first instant of its union with the body it was already contaminated with sin; its powers are weakened and helpless in all that concerns eternal salvation. Consider what must be done with man in order to attain his final object. He must be cleansed from sin, and be sanctified. And this can be done only by the grace of God; left to himself man remains a sinner for ever. After man is justified by the grace of God, can he persevere of his own strength in justice? By no means: he constantly needs the grace of God in order not to lose justice. Thus man of himself is a mere nothing. Why then should we yield to vain thoughts, and imagine ourselves to be something, whereas we are nothing.

And if, nevertheless, many people are so vain and proud, whence does this arise? Chiefly from self-love; for it is self-love that so blinds man that he does not see his misery and weakness, and that ascribes to himself and to his merits the good he has or does, and therefore he does not give the honor to God. Do not suffer yourselves to be blinded by self-love, but consider very often in the light of faith, that of yourselves you are nothing, and con do nothing and you will not find it difficult to suppress all pride and ambition and to remain humble.

But let everyone prove his own work; and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another, for everyone shall bear his own burden.

In these words the Apostle teaches us how we can guard ourselves against ambition and pride. If we prove ourselves, and seriously and impartial think of the things we have committed or omitted, we shall find very much that is wrong and sinful. This knowledge of our sinfulness, at which we arrive by this proving of ourselves, will banish all proud and vain thoughts from our hearts and cause us to humble ourselves before God and man. It will produce still another advantage, for coming therey to the knowledge of our faults, we shall feel ourselves urged to correct these faults and to labor for our perfection. When we humble ourselves sincerely and endeavor to perfect ourselves we shall have glory before God, which is incomparably more precious and valuable than all the honors of the world, for what does it profit us if all men praise us and God reprehends us? if men extol us up to heaven while God looks down upon us with detestation? if men call us blessed when God condemns us?

In proving ourselves we must not look at others and make a comparison between ourselves and them, for self-love might easily blind us to think ourselves better than they, and thus yield to vain, self-complacent thoughts. Since everyone must ear his own burden, i.e., must answer for his own faults and sins (and even for those of others, if he make himself accessory to them), he must pay attention to himself, and not to others; judge himself only and not others, and thus he will be secure against self-conceit and pride.

Examine yourselves often, that you may come to a better knowledge of yourselves, for the more you know yourselves, the clearer you will see your misery and sins, and then it will be an easy task to keep all vanity, pride, and ambition at a distance and to be truly humble. But if you must make a comparison between yourselves and others, do not consider lukewarm persons infected with the spirit of the world, but consider the saints; consider their lives, their actions, their mortifications, their contempt of the world, and their virtues, and you will blush at the comparison. I assure you, and exclaim, full of humility: “My God what are the saints, and what am I?”"-The Pulpit Orator, Father John Evangelist Zollner

Gospel Luke 7:11-16

On The Three Dead Persons Whom Jesus Raised From The Dead St Augustine.

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The Introit: Psalm 84:10-11; 84:2-3

Behold, O God, our protector, and look upon the face of Your anointed. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Hosts! My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord.

The Psalm is a prayer of a pilgrim to Jerusalem, and it expresses longing for the temple and the presence of a caring, giving, God; as such, it is a fitting introduction to the Mass, which is about avoiding desires of the flesh and seeking the Kingdom of God.

The Psalm opens with an expression of the beauty of the temple of God. It quickly becomes apparent that the beauty which is admired is not aesthetic, but manifested by God’s providence and protection. This is a fairly common theme in the Psalms. This idea of God’s protection relates directly to the readings. The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the two are opposed. Only by walking (living) according to the Spirit will we not walk according to the flesh (Epistle). One cannot serve both God and the pleasure of this life, therefore one should seek the Kingdom of God, knowing He knows and will care for our needs (Gospel).

Prayer:

Protect, we beseech You, O Lord, Your Church with Your perpetual mercy and because without You human frailty goes astray, may we be ever withheld by Your grace from what is hurtful, and directed to what is profitable. Through our Lord, ect.

We can “walk according to the Spirit” because the Spirit was given us through “faith in what we heard” (Epistle. And see Galatians 3:1-6). To set God in second place is to show a lack of trust in His mercy, and is a sign of “little faith” (Gospel). The grace which upholds us are the fruits of the Spirit which Christ bestowed upon us after climbing the tree of the cross (Epistle).

Epistle: Galatians 5:16-24

Without the Spirit “The interests of our immortal souls are ever and always in direct opposition to the interest of our bodies. The law of God is not the law of the world: ‘the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary to one another.’ Where the law of the flesh is ease, comfort, and the indulgence of the passions, the law of the spirit is self-denial, moritfication, and suffering. ‘If any man will come after Me,’ says Christ, ‘let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’ (Matt 116:25). Charity is ever opposed to enmities, contentions, wraths, and quarrels. Modesty, continence, chastity are ever opposed to uncleanness, luxury, as is clearly explained in the Epistle of today.

Hence we must serve either God or the world. ‘You cannot serve God and Mammon,’ says our divine Mater in today’s Gospel, for ‘no man can serve two masters’ whose interests are so diametrically opposed to one another. As Christians and Catholics, who have already experienced the ineffable joy of laboring in the vineyard of the Lord, and who know the value of the promised reward in the Kingdom of heaven of serving Him whose ‘yoke is sweet and whose burden is light’ (Matt 11:30), there can be no possible doubt as to which master we ought to serve with loyalty and affection in our best interests, for, as St Paul says: ‘We have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear; but have received the spirit of adoptions of sons’ (Rom 8:15); and again: ‘The wages of sin is death. But the grace of God, life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom 6:23).

Whilst we live in the world, however, we are surrounded by the dangers of the servitude of corruption, because God has placed us here to make use in His service as means of salvation of the very instruments of the slavery of the flesh. We are not angels but men. And so it becomes necessary for us to become delivered from the slavery of the world and the flesh and to make them our servants rather than our masters. Composed of a body and soul, man must devote his energy to the care of the higher and nobler portion of his nature; but he maust also, in due order and subordination to it, support the necessities of his frail mortal body. ‘For we know that every creature groaneth, and travaileth in pain even till now,’ says St Paul, ‘and not only it, but ourselves also, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body’ (Rom 8:22-23).

Hence we must be thoroughly loyal in the service of God. As soon as any of His enemies are at all inclined to assert their mastery over us, or interfere in the slightest degree with His best interest, we must exert to the utmost our spirit of loyalty and at any sacrifice and at any coust reduce them to subjection, saying with our Divine Master: ‘Go behind me, Satan; thou art a scandal unto me, because thou savorest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men’ (Matt 16:23).

That we may be on our guard against the specious pretexts of such dangerous and persevering enemies, our holy mother the Church today warns us against a very common, a very constant and a very insidious method of attack by which our loyalty to our Divine Mater might be placed in jeopardy. And that is the necessity under which we are burdened of providing for the natural wants of the body, such as food, clothing, and shelter. For which purpose she quotes in the Gospel the words of our Divine Mater Himself on the subject.”

Gospel: Matt 6:24-33

He tells us that our Heavenly Father, who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field, also provides for the natural wants of mankind. He has given us life and strength, and is also prepared to give us the lesser gifts of food and clothing, for ‘Is not the life more than the meat; and the body more than raiment?’ We should not, therefore, be unduly solicitous or inordinately anxious for the acquisition of temporal comforts lest we endanger the welfare of our souls

In any case it is Almighty God who provides for our temporal wants, even though we may think that because we work hard-labor, spin, sow, plow and reap-that we obtain the necessities of life by our own efforts, unaided by the special providence of Almighty God. If God does not wish to provide us with food and raiment, of what use will be our plowing, and sowing, and reaping? ‘In the morning sow thy seed,’ says Holy Scripture, ‘and in the evening let not thy hand cease; for thou knowest not which may spring up, this or that’ (Eccles 11:6). And St Paul expresses the same idea of our ultimate dependence of God’s providence no matter what strenuous efforts we may make ourselves-’I have planted, Apollo watered, but God gave the increase. Therefore, neither he that plants is anything, nor he that waters; but God gives the increase’ (1 Cor 3:6-7).

How foolish, then, are those who not only labor all their lives without any thought of God, as if God would have neglected them, but who even put aside His holy Law and strive to secure for themselves and their families riches, honor, glory, position, power, and every kind of temporal success and prosperity. They work for them, as it were, in spite of God. They serve money straight out. They say they have no time for prayer or sacrifice, for Church, chapel, or meeting, and that religion will not earn their bread for them or make success of their business.

But this is just where they make the mistake. They would labor just as strenuously and much more successfully if they followed the advice of our Divine Mater in the Gospel: ‘Seek ye therefore first the Kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Which does not mean that if a man spends all his time in the Church, or in private prayer, he will find himself miraculously provided with all that he wants for soul and ody, his business prospering and his store increasing. No, but it means that one of the very things he must do in order to serve God rather than money is to attend to his business-to faithfully discharge the duties of his statre in life. For the same God who said: ‘Thou shalt not have strange gods before me’ (Exodus 20:3), also said ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat read’ (Gen 3:19). The law of God’s providence is that we should lead lives of useful activity in His service and for His sake in the sphere of life in which He has placed us. The faithful discharge of such duty to God automatically includes the discharge of all our duties to our neighbor and to ourselves. It gives us an exalted idea of our responsibility and consequently encourages us in the pursuit of those material advantages as means to salvation which the worshipers of money propose to themselves as their end, their object, and their only god.

Who is such a conscientious and trustworthy servant as the good Catholic, who neither wastes his master’s goods, steals his money, nor squanders his time away, be cause the Law of God says to him ‘Thou shall not steal?” Who is so sought after, even by infidels, as the business of professional man whose uprightness and honesty and proved worth are built on the solid principles of conscientious religious convictions? Men who boast of having no religion at all are the very first to acknowledge the certificate of worth which the possession of such sacred convictions brings to their happy possessor, even from these very men who despise their origin, because, perhaps, such know best how crooked is the path in which they themselves must walk in order to follow their false god of money to his unholy shrine.

Whilst Catholics are in the main true to thir principles of faithful service of their Divine Master, there are some who, for the sake of a little gain, a little fame, a little business profit or professional advancement, sometimes pay court to this false usurper and sink their principles temprarily on the cowardly plea of expediency, or prudence, or what they are pleased to term ‘broad-mindedness.’ If so, they are guilty of disloyalty to the God wom they profess to serve. And He will not suffer them to offer a divided service. ‘You cannot serve God and Mammon,’ He says. And again: ‘Thou shalt not have strange gods before me…I am the Lord thy God, mighty jealous’ (Exodus 20:3-5). We should therefore never diverge one iota from loyalty to Him who has created us, redeemed us, and given us the privilege of being His beloved subjects.

If Almighty God promises us the necessities of life, and at the same time expects us to perform our daily duties in order to obtain them, so also He promises what is really essential to our temporal support and welfare. he does not promise riches, or luxury, honors, success, or a constant flow of prosperity. Our Divine Master Himself was born in poverty, and lived a life of suffering, in order to show us by His example how to conquer the flesh and the world. Divine Providence knows what is best for each one of us,, and He knows that we are drawn nearer to Him by failure than by success, by poverty than by prosperity. For many, prosperity and riches would e the most dangerous enemies of their souls, and would lead them to forget God-’The prosperity of fools shall destroy them,’ says the Wise Man, ‘but he that shall hear me shall rest without terror, and shall enjoy abundance, without fear of evils’ (Proverbs 1:32-33).

Let us, then, cultivate the spirit of loyalty to our true and only Mater. Let us discharge faithfully and well all the duties of our state of life and trust to Almighty God to provide for all our necessities. Let us avoid all undue anxiety and inordinate care about the things of this life and the wants of ourselves and our families, for ‘Your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek ye therefore first the Kingdom of God, and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.’ ‘Be nothing solicitous,’ therefore, ‘but in everything, by prayer and supplication, let your petitions be made known to God’ (Philippians 4:6). For, although Almighty God knows all our wants, like a loving Father He likes us to show our trust in Him by asking Him for all that we stand in need of for soul and ody. Although the wants of the soul are more serious than those of the body, yet the latter are more sensibly and more keenly felt. Hence it is a useful adjunct to fervent prayer if we mingle with our petitions for light and grace some request for temporal favors such as our divine Master Himself has taught us in the words: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’-THE MASTER’S WORD IN THE EPISTLE AND GOSPELS, by Father Thomas Flynn. Public domain text.

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Introit: The introit comes (in the following order) from Psalm 74:20; Psalm 74:19; Psalm 74:23; Psalm 74:1. The Psalm is a communal lament occasioned by the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians in 587 BC. As is often the case in the liturgy, the verses employed are used in an accommodated sense. In keeping with the purpose of the introit, they touch upon themes in the readings. We ask God to look to is covenant. In the context of the Mass the covenant referred to is the one God made with Abraham after the near sacrifice of Issac (Genesis 22:15-18). As St Paul will argue in the Epistle reading, this covenant was not, and could not be superseded by the Mosaic Covenant which came latter (Galatians 3:16-22).

We ask God that He “Forsake not forever the lives of your afflicted ones.” Notice the highly personal relationship between God and the afflicted. In the Gospel reading (Luke 17:11-19), ten lepers will call upon Jesus to have pity on their condition, but only one, a non-Jew, will return to give Him thanks, thus exhibiting faith, like Abraham, the Father of the Jewish people through whom all gentiles (gentes=People of the nations) will find blessing.

We ask that God Arise and defend His cause, which is the New Covenant He established with men by offering His beloved Son on the cross for the salvation of men from every nation, people, and language (see Dan 7:13-14).

“Why, O God, have you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?”

Notice that these words are in the form of a question, not a statement. They serve a two-fold purpose: (1) They call us to personal reflection regarding our status as God’s sheep. Are we content being sheep in his pasture, fed by His hand (Psalm 95:7), or have we refused to hear the voice of the Shepherd (Psalm 95:8; John 10:3-4) and hardened our hearts in sin (Psalm 95:9-11)? (2) They are a subtle reminder to God that He is faithful in spite of our unfaithfulness (2 Tim 2:11-13). It is because He is faithful in spite of our infidelities that He takes us back (Deut 30:2-11) with great joy (Luke 15:1-7).

Epistle Reading: Galatians 3:16-22.

That what the Jews called the Aqedah (binding) of Isaac is behind this passage is rather clear. For the Christological importance of that passage see HERE under the heading “Binding Issac.” For a more in depth study see HERE.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17:11-19

Luke begins by noting that Jesus was going to Jerusalem. This remark calls to mind the start of that Journey which St Luke introduced with the words: “He steadfastly set his face (literally: “hardened his face”) to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51) This is a chilling phrase, for in the Old Testament it or similar phrasing is indicative of judgment (Ezekiel 21:2-3; see also, Ezekiel 6:2; 13:17). Jesus was headed to Jerusalem in judgment (Luke 13:34-35), knowing that most in the city would not recognize the time of divine visitarion (Luke 19:41-44). The Mosaic covenant and its temple had not been allowed to fulfill the purpose it was intended for, the gathering of the nations to God (Luke 19:45-46).

Against this background it is significant that the healing of the ten lepers took place in the territory of the half-pagan Samaritans, for when Jesus’ journey began, the Samaritans had refused to have any dealings with Jesus, causing James and John to desire their destruction, but Jesus would have none of that (Luke 9:52-55). Samaritans were capable of showing neighborly goodness and openness to others (Luke 10:30-37). Now we see that they were capable of showing faith and thanksgiving to God. Many who were first according to the covenant with Moses-the descendants of Abraham according to the flesh-will find themselves last and thrust out of the Kingdom when others come from the east and west, north and south to sit at the messianic banquet with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophets; for they had not recognized by faith that the Kingdom of God was in their midst, in the person of Jesus, the son of the promise made to Abraham (Epistle reading, see Luke 13:22-30).

I posted this earlier in the week and am re-posting it here. Please note that you can access biblical and catechism references by merely placing your browser on the blue colored links. There is no need to “click”. Orange/red colored links must be “clicked on.”

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May our enemies blush with shame.
The Introit is based upon Psalm 70:2-4 (Ps 69 in some older translations).

“Incline unto my aid, O God: O Lord, make haste to help me: let my enemies be confounded and ashamed, who seek my soul. Let them be turned backward and blush for shame, who desire evils for me.”

While it is certainly appropriate to ask God for help against enemies, it is also appropriate to help ourselves with God’s grace in this matter, for “our sufficiency is from God” (Epistle). Why then should we stand back and wait for God to put our enemies to shame when, by His help, we can do it-and this for their own good! Indeed, to rely on God’s immediate intervention when his grace to act is available to us would be presumptuous, and a testing of God. It would also be a failing in our vocation as Christians.

How then are we to put our enemies to shame?

“Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Pet 2:12). “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is right? But even if you do suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence. And keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong” (1 Pet 3:13-16).

We must be doers of the word of God, which means being doers of the will of God. To live at enmity with men is to live at enmity with God. “When in the world do as the worldlings do” is not a code we should live by.

“19 Know this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing. 26 If any one thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is vain. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world….1 What causes wars, and what causes fightings among you? Is it not your passions that are at war in your members? 2 You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ” (James 1:19-27; 4:1-4).

The prayer before the Epistle:

Almighty and eternal God, by Whose gift Thy faithful are able to serve Thee worthily and praiseworthily, grant, we pray Thee, that we may run without stumbling to the fulfillment of Thy promises. Through Christ our Lord, ect.

As one would expect, the prayer picks up on a major theme of the Epistle (2 Cor 3:4-9). As the prayer acknowledges, it is only by the gift (grace) of God that we are able to serve Him worthily; or, as St Paul writes: “We are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” And he goes on to write the following concerning the ministry: “He (God) also it is who has made us fit ministers of the New Covenant…” These words bring to my mind the call of the first disciples, Peter and Andrew: “Come after me, and I will cause you to become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17 literal rendering).

We may not be the Rock on which the Church was built, nor the Apostle to the nations, nonetheless, we have a share in the apostolicity of the Church and are just as dependent upon the Triune God as they:

863 The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, in communion of faith and life with her origin: and in that she is “sent out” into the whole world. All members of the Church share in this mission, though in various ways. “The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well.” Indeed, we call an apostolate “every activity of the Mystical Body” that aims “to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth.”

864 “Christ, sent by the Father, is the source of the Church’s whole apostolate”; thus the fruitfulness of apostolate for ordained ministers as well as for lay people clearly depends on their vital union with Christ. ³⁷⁸ In keeping with their vocations, the demands of the times and the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, the apostolate assumes the most varied forms. But charity, drawn from the Eucharist above all, is always “as it were, the soul of the whole apostolate.

Gradual:

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall be ever in my mouth. In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and rejoice. Alleluia, alleluia. O Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried in the day, and in the night before Thee. Alleluia.

Because God has made us “fit to share in the inheritance of the saints in light” (Col 1:12) by making us worthy to praise him, and giving us the sufficiency we would not otherwise have to serve Him, we are called upon to bless and praise Him at all times (see CCC 2626-2643).

Gospel: Luke 10:23-37

“Then turning to the disciples he said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.’”

There were many things which the disciples saw and heard, not the least of which was our Blessed Lord’s refusal to punish those Samaritan’s who rejected him (Luke 9:51-56). The time of Jesus-which is also the time of the Church-is the era of glad tidings to the poor, the time for proclaiming liberty to the captives of Satan (2 Tim 2:24-26), a greatly extended year of favor from the Lord (Luke 4:18-19). Certainly a judgment is coming (Luke 10:10-16), but it will come in God’s good time, when His undeserved patience towards scoffers and deniers has run its course (2 Peter 3:8-10). Will you be safe merely because you are a Christian?

Judgment, says St Peter, “begins 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 sinner appear?” (1 Peter 4:17:18). Do you, like James and John, seek to call down destruction, vitriol, condemnation upon the Samaritans you encounter? But if a detestable Samaritan can show compassion upon one who is physically injured, as in the parable read today, how detestable must the Christian who refuses to help the spiritually injured be in the sight of Christ? “What sort of person ought you to be, conducting yourself in holiness and devotion…(and) be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace” (2 Peter 3:11, 14).

I had a lot of trouble with this one for some reason, and it shows. I’ll re-post it this Saturday evening. I may redo it.

The introit is based upon Psalm 67 (68 in the NAB and some other translations).

Introit:
“God is in His holy place; God who maketh men of one mind to dwell in a house; He shall give power and strength to His people. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.”

In times past God dealt with his enemies by causing them to flee from His presence; but this was part of the Divine pedagogy, designed to train men that their arms were too short to box with God, as a famous Broadway tune once put it. This it what He once did in the wonders he wrought in Egypt. His people despoiled the Egyptians who were so anxious to be rid of the Lord’s power against them that they bestowed on His people their treasures (Exodus 12:36). The treasure too of the kings of the promised land came to them (Judges 5:19). The day would come, however, when the peoples of the nations would come to the Lord, recognizing his power and beneficence (Isaiah 18:7; 60:6; Zeph 3:10; Psalm 72:10-11; Matt 2:1-11). Just as the Israelites once brought their offerings to the Lord, so too will the nations bring themselves as an offering (Isaiah 66:18-21).

Prayer before the Epistle:
“O Almighty and Eternal God, since, in the abundance of Thy loving kindness, Thou dost usually go beyond the merits and desires of Thy lowly petitioners, pour forth Thy mercy upon us both to forgive what our conscience fears and to give what our prayer would not presume to ask”

Epistle 1 Cor 15:1-10
Cephas (i.e., Peter) denied our Lord three times, yet nonetheless he became the chief witness to the resurrection. Certainly what the Lord did for him went well beyond both his merits and his desires. Indeed: “When you were younger you used to dress yourself and go where you willed; but when you grow old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” But go he did, accord with God’s desires rather than his own, and thus dying he glorified god (John 21:18-19). The same could be said for Paul, who persecuted the Church of God but was, nonetheless, shown mercy, and thereby became the greatest missionary the Church ever had; and like Peter, sealed his testimony with his blood. Such is the grace of God, whose Son died for our sins. How absurd then is it that some men render the grace of God fruitless? This they do by attempting to accept Jesus on their own terms rather than on his terms as laid out in the Gospel. The Gospel revealed to the Apostles and Prophets (Ephesians 2:20). How can God “maketh men of one mind” (introit) if he allows them to follow their own whims and fancies and become like Eve, losing true devotion (2 Corinthians 11:3)? This is to bring a curse down upon ones self (Galatians 1:7-9); and to end up in the flesh (Galatians 3:3) which brings death and hostility to God (Romans 8:6-7). Who in their right mind would think that they could “hold fast” to this and be “saved”?
Gradual: The gradual is based upon Psalm 27 which expresses trust in God.

“In God hath my heart confided, and I have been helped; and my flesh hath flourished again; and with my will I will give praise to Him. Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord: O my God, be not Thou Silent; depart not from me. Alleluia, alleluia. Rejoice to God our helper; sing aloud to the God of Jacob: take a pleasant Psalm with the harp.”

Gospel Mark 7:31-37
Earlier in the Gospel of Mark People had come to Jesus from the Pagan districts of Tyre and Sidon, (Mark 3:8), and Jesus himself had ventured into Pagan territory but had met resistance (Mark 5:1-20). Undaunted, he returned to pagan land and met a Gentile who was deaf and unable to speak, much like the gods of the pagans whom the prophets describe in this fashion (Isaiah 44:9, 18). Jesus took him away from the crowd, much as he had instructed his disciples in the absence of their Jewish countrymen (see Mark 4:34). Jesus must be accepted on His own terms, not according to the fashions and opinions of the crowd, however well intentioned they may appear to be. When the crowd came to realize what Jesus had done for the man, he warned them to tell no one, but to no avail, they spread the news far and wide. They were not doing the will of God (mark 3:35), and were therefore unable to understand the true significance of Jesus and His teaching (John 7:16-18).

I originally posted this on the 14th. My notes on the Latin Mass can be accessed by clicking on the link “Latin Mass Notes” under this blogs title.

As I noted in a previous post, the introit (based upon Ps 54) printed in my missal is a bit garbled, and so I posted on the entire Psalm (see HERE). Because of this, my intention was to begin these notes with the prayer preceding the Epistle, however, I’ve decided to make an educated guess as to what the introit reads and begin with that. Please keep in mind this is only a guess.

Introit:
“When I cried to the Lord He heard my voice, He saved me from them that drew near to me; and He humbled them, He who is before all ages and remains forever: cast thy cares upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee. Hear, O God, my prayer, and despise not my supplication; be attentive to me and hear me.”

We are called upon to cast our cares upon the Lord who sustains us, and “in Whom we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). This means not trusting in”dumb idols” (Epistle) “fashioned with gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination” (Acts 17:29). It means not trusting in the idols of our own will and fancy by which we “conduct ourselves as enemies of the cross of Christ,” make a god of our stomach, and glory in shame (see Philippians 3:18-19). It means not engaging in “the greed that is idolatry,” and which manifests itself in “evil desires” (pleonexia= being in a constant state of wanting more. Colossians 3:5).

Merely attempting to live as the Lord calls us to live is enough to raise the ire of certain people for whom such a life style stands as an indictment. They do not understand why we act “like obedient children” and not “in compliance with the desires of (our) former (and their current!) ignorance” (1 Pet 1:14). They are “surprised that (we) do not plunge into the same swamp of profligacy” as they do, and thus “they vilify (us)” (1 Pet 1:4). “These people, like irrational animals born by nature for capture and destruction, revile things that they do not understand, and in their destruction they will also be destroyed,13 suffering wrong as payment for wrongdoing. Thinking daytime revelry a delight, they are stains and defilements as they revel in their deceits while carousing with you. 14 Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable for sin. They seduce unstable people, and their hearts are trained in greed. Accursed children!15 Abandoning the straight road, they have gone astray, following the road of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved payment for wrongdoing, 16 but he received a rebuke for his own crime: a mute beast spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.17 These people are waterless springs and mists driven by a gale; for them the gloom of darkness has been reserved.18 For, talking empty bombast, they seduce with licentious desires of the flesh those who have barely escaped from people who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, though they themselves are slaves of corruption, for a person is a slave of whatever overcomes him.20 For if they, having escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of (our) Lord and savior Jesus Christ, again become entangled and overcome by them, their last condition is worse than their first.21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment handed down to them. 22 What is expressed in the true proverb has happened to them, “The dog returns to its own vomit,” and “A bathed sow returns to wallowing in the mire.”" (2 Peter 2:12-22). Who in their right mind wishes to live like this? And so in the introit we call upon god to hear our prayer that we may cast our cares upon him and be drawn from the surge of sinful men.

Prayer before the Epistle:
“O God, since Thou dost display Thy power mainly by showing pardon and pity, multiply Thy mercies upon us, so that, hastening on to Thy promises, we may gain a share in Thy heavenly treasures.”

Having cast our cares upon the Lord (introit) to relieve us of some of our enemies, we must not forget one of the greatest enemy of salvation we must face- our very own selves. After all, it is not only other people who are prone to follow after idols of various kinds! Are not we ourselves prone to such idolatry? And is it not an idolatry of the worst kind? The self-worship that is hypocrisy. Did not the Corinthians have an abundance of spiritual gifts? (1 Cor 1:7) Yet in spite of these Paul still found it necessary to speak to them as if they were immature children devoid of the Spirit’s wisdom (1 Cor 3:1-3). Having once been “led away to mute (voiceless) idols” (Epistle Reading: 1 Cor 12:2-11), they were now being misled by the gift of speech (prayer and prophecy) which the Spirit bestowed on them (1 Cor 13:1-2). This too is idolatry, and of the worst kind, for it attributes to man the things that are God’s. “There are different workings (of the Spirit) but the same God who produces all of them in everyone” (Epistle Reading). How absurd then to treat them as if they were from ourselves, or for our own aggrandizement? “For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted (Gospel Reading Luke 18:9-14).

Should we not thank God for the gifts we have received rather than brag about them before both God and man?

Secret:
“Let these appointed sacrifices be paid back unto Thee, O Lord, since Thou hast given them to be offered for the honor of Thy Name, so that at the same time they might become a remedy for all our ills.”

No good can come to a sick man who uses the medicine prescribed by a physician according to his own whim and fancy. Will not the whole head become sick, the whole heart faint? Will not the body be, from the soles of the feet to the top of the head, unsound? Will not wound and welt and gaping gash remain undrained, un-bandaged and without salve? (see Isaiah 1:5-6).

A sacrifice offered in honor to ourselves is a sorry sacrifice indeed! “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of men…I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all that I possess” (Gospel). What the hell is that except the hell that is “I will not serve?” And what can one expect in response? “What care I for the number of your sacrifices?…Trample my courts no more! Bring no more worthless offerings; your incense is loathsome to me…These I cannot bear…I tire of the load. When you spread out your hands (in prayer), I close my eyes to you; though you pray the more, I will not listen…Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim” (see Isaiah 1:11-17). Otherwise “11 The haughty eyes of man will be lowered, the arrogance of men will be abased, and the LORD alone will be exalted, on that day.
12 For the LORD of hosts will have his day against all that is proud and arrogant, all that is high, and it will be brought low;
13 Yes, against all the cedars of Lebanon and all the oaks of Bashan,
14 Against all the lofty mountains and all the high hills,
15 Against every lofty tower and every fortified wall,
16 Against all the ships of Tarshish and all stately vessels.
17 Human pride will be abased, the arrogance of men brought low, And the LORD alone will be exalted, on that day.
18 The idols will perish forever.” (Isaiah 2:11-18)

I hope to continue posting notes on the Latin Mass ahead of their schedule in the Lectionary. They can e accessed by clicking on the “Latin Mass Notes” link listed below my blogs title.

The introit is based upon Psalm 54:6-7, with Psalm 54:3 used as a sort of acclamation at the end. (Note: older version of the Bible may number psalm 54 as 53)

The introit is designed to set the theme(s) of the Mass. In this particular one we proclaim God as Helper and Protector of our souls who saves us by His name, and judges (or better, delivers) us in His strength; and we ask that our enemies be thwarted.

Of course, we can call upon God and expect His mercy only in humility, therefore, at the prayer preceding the Epistle we pray: “Let Thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of Thy lowly petitioners and in order to satisfy their desires, make them ask only such things as are pleasing to Thee, through Christ Our Lord.”

God is “Gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in kindness and fidelity, maintaining his loving kindness for thousands of generations and forgiving iniquity, transgressions and sins; but not declaring the guilty guiltless” (see Exodus 34:6-7). It is therefore necessary that man remain humbly under God’s mercy, or humbly seek it after losing it; for God is merciful, even to sinners (see Psalm 51:2-21). God’s mercy is not just something He has; it is His very being (Hosea 11:8-9). God, it could be said, lives to give and show mercy: As I live, says the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, but rather in the wicked man’s conversion, that he may live” (Ezekiel 33:11).

Nonetheless, God’s justice, which manifests itself in the salvation of the repentant and the righteous (Isaiah 56:1-2), also manifests itself in the punishment of sinners (Isaiah 28:17-18). The Epistle for today, 1 Corinthians 10:6-13, gives us a warning. The Israelites in the desert experienced God’s saving deeds; deeds which foreshadowed His gifts of Baptism and Eucharist, “Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert” (see 1 Corinthians 10:1-5; Numbers 14:28-38). “These things happened as an example to us, that we may not desire the evil things they did.” We must not succumb to temptations, but rely upon God who is our ‘helper,” “the protector of my (our) soul(s)” (introit); the only one who satisfies our desires, and who makes us “ask only such things as are pleasing” to Him (Prayer before the Epistle). “God is faithful, and He will not allow you to e tempted beyond your strength” (Epistle, vs 13), for he saves and delivers “in His strength” (Introit).

The Gradual is from Psalm 8:2, and the context is important here. For that verse is immediately followed by these words “Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have fashioned praise against your foes.” As the children glorified Christ in the temple his enemies objected, and it is this Psalm verse Jesus invoked against them (See Matthew 21:14-16). Todays Gospel reading is from Luke 19:41-47. This is the end of His journey which began when he (according to the literal Greek) “hardened his face to go to Jerusalem.” This is a prophetic phrase (see Ezekiel 21:7-8). Christ has come in judgment to Jerusalem. He should have found the people repentant (see Luke 13:1-5), and fruitful, like a well tended tree (see Luke13:6-9; Mark 11:12-14). Instead He found them without the fruits of faith (see Mark 11:20-25). Consequently, He weeps, and utters the saddest words of His ministry: If thou hadst known, in this thy day, even thou, the things that are for thy peace! But now they are hidden from thy eyes. For days will come upon thee when thy enemies with throw up a rampart about thee, and surround thee and shut thee in on every side, and will dash thee to the ground and thy children within thee, and will not leave thee one stone upon another, because thou hast not know the time of thy visitation” (Gospel reading). They had refused the mercy of God, who was their helper, and protector of their souls (Introit). Like their forefathers in the desert, they stand as an example and a warning to us (Epistle), for judgment always begins with the house of God (see 1 Peter 4:17). God’s house is a house of prayer, and when the proud, the unrighteous, and the unrepentant live in it to attempt to plunder God’s mercy, they turn it into a den of thieves (Gospel).

But “the justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts, and His judgments sweeter than honey and the honeycomb,” but only because His “servant keepeth them” (Offertory from Psalm 18). We must, therefore, “worthily frequent these Mysteries, because every time this memorial is offered up, the work of our redemption is carried on” (secret). And when we eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus, we abide in Him and He in us (communion prayer), and thus obtain purity of heart and unity with one another (Post communion prayer). Let us not, therefore, “eat and drink, and then rise up to play” the hypocrite, as those of the desert generation did (Epistle). Let us remember that Christ is present at every Mass, and that, therefore, every Mass is “the day of our visitation” (Gospel).

For further reading

The Revelation of Mercy This and the next three links are from the English text of Dives in Misericordia, by Pope John Paul II

The Incarnation of Mercy

When Christ began to Do and to Teach

The Concept of Mercy in the Old Testament

ST 1a. 2ae. 109 On the necessity of Grace

ST 1a. 114 On the Assaults of Demons

Profession Without Hypocrisy John Henry Newman

Chastisement Amid Mercy John Henry Newman

I’m posting this today, but will re-post it on Sunday
By Latin Mass I mean, of course, the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

The Introit is from Psalm 47 (Ps 48 in some versions ). It consists of verses 10-11, with verse 2 added to serve as a sort of acclamation of praise at the end.
We have received thy mercy, O God, in the midst of thy temple. According to thy name, O God, so also is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of justice. Great is the Lord, and exceedingly to be praised in the city of our God, in his holy mountain.

Through the ministry exercised in God’s temple, the Church, we have become partakers in God’s mercy, and should, therefore, respond accordingly. This means praising the great and merciful God in the Church, the city of God, the mountain of his presence. It also means acting in accord with his saving justice, the bounty he has bestowed on us from the fullness of his right hand. For this reason, at the prayer preceding the Epistle, we pray that the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ will “grant us the spirit of always thinking and doing what is right, so that we who cannot exist without (God) maybe able to live according to (His) will.”

A s the Epistle teaches (Romans 8:12-17), we are not in debt to the flesh, so we should not live according to the flesh, for those who so live will die. Rather, we have received the Spirit of God. This is not a spirit of bondage to the flesh and the fear it bring, but a Spirit of sonship. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a pledge of our future inheritance as children of God and makes us children of God, so that we can call upon him as His Son did: “Abba! Father!” for we are heirs with Christ.

In the Gradual, which comes from Psalm 30 (31), we pray in hope that God will show himself a loving Father by being our protector and refuge.

The Gospel is from Luke 16:1-9. It tells a parable of a wicked steward who makes use of deceitful, worldly wisdom to make friends and secure a temporal future for himself. He is a son of darkness and, like his brothers and sister of darkness, he shows himself more prudent in securing his future in an evil fashion, than the sons of light, the children of God show in securing an eternal future in righteous fashion. Money and possessions exert a constant temptation upon both the sons of darkness and the sons of light. The sons of light ought to use their wealth is service to others rather than themselves, for in the end, it will in fact be of great service to them. You can’t take your wealth with you when you die, but in using it rightly you secure friends of influence in “eternal habitations” (RSV), who will secure for you an eternal reward. When we act like the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-22 which immediately precedes this Sunday’s Gospel reading) and waste the wealth the Father has given us on wine, women, and song, we must secure a future for ourselves by returning to the source of are real inheritance.

God will not save those who are “prudent” in evil fashion, but those who are humble, thus we pray in the offertory (see Ps 17): Thou wilt save the humble people, O Lord, and wilt bring down the eyes of the proud; for who is God but Thee, O Lord?”

we must be humble enough to recognize that our wealth is not our own, and thus we pray at the secret: “Receive, we beseech Thee, O Lord, these gifts, which, out of Thine own generosity, we bring unto Thee, that these holy Mysteries, by the working power of Thy grace, may sanctify our conduct in this life and bring us to the joys without end.”

For further reading:

Homily on Rom 8:12-13 by St John Chrysostom

On Works and Alms (Treatise 8) by St Cyprian of Carthage.

Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? by St Clement of Alexandria (This is a protestant site)

The Danger of Riches John Henry Newman
Lectures on Romans by St Thomas Aquinas (at the bottom of the page you’ll find a box with the page numbers. It will read 1 of 609. Erase this and type in 295 then press your ENTER key. This will take you to the beginning of his lecture on Chapter 8

The Roman Catechism Issued by Council of Trent. Go to Pages 267-269. I cannot link directly to the page. Follow instruction found in the previous link. Read what is found under the heading “Positive part of this Commandment.”

Summa of Theology 2a. 2ae. 62 (Hereafter ST.)on making restitution

ST. 2a. 2ae. 32 On almsgiving

ST 2a. 2ae. 117 On liberality

ST 2a. 2ae 119 On prodigality