Daily Gospel for Saturday,
26 April 2014
“Simon Peter answered
him, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”—John
6:68
Easter Saturday
Feast of the Church:
Saturday
in the Octave of Easter
Today, we end this
week with the Gospel of Mark which sums up the appearances of the risen
Christ.
The liturgy of this
first week of Easter plunges us into an atmosphere of inexpressible joy, of the
Church alive in the Holy Spirit and growing rapidly.
Entrance Antiphon
The Lord led his
people to freedom and they shouted with joy and gladness, alleluia!
Saints of the Day:
SAINT RAPHAEL
ARNÁIZ BARÓN
Monk
(1911-1938)
Raphael Arnáiz Barón
was born in Burgos (Spain) April 9, 1911, into a prominent, deeply Christian
family. He was baptised and confirmed in Burgos and began his schooling at the
Jesuit college in the same city where, in 1919, he was admitted to first
Communion.
It was at this time
that he had his first experience of illness: persistent fevers due to
colibacillosis forced him to interrupt his studies. To mark his recovery, which
he attributed to a special intervention of the Virgin Mary, his father took him
to Zaragoza and consecrated him to the Virgin of Pilar. This experience, which
took place in the late summer of 1921, profoundly marked Raphael.
When the family moved
to Oviedo, he continued his secondary schooling with the Jesuits there,
obtaining a diploma in science. He then enrolled in the School of Architecture
in Madrid, where he succeeded in balancing his studies with a life of fervent
piety.
Possessing a brilliant
and eclectic mind, Raphael also stood out because of his deep sense of
friendship and his fine features. Blessed with a happy and jovial nature he was
also athletic, had a gift for drawing and painting as well a love for music and
the theatre. But as he matured, his spiritual experience of the Christian life
deepened.
Although the study of
architecture required a great deal of hard work and discipline, at that time he
began the practice of making a long daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament in the
Chapel of "Caballero de Gracia". He even joined the Nocturnal
Adoration Association, and faithfully took his turn before the Blessed
Sacrament.
In this way his heart
became well disposed to listening, and he perceived an invitation from God to
lead the contemplative life.
Raphael had already
been in contact with the Trappist monastery of San Isidro de Dueñas, and he
felt strongly drawn to this place, responding to his deepest desires. In
December of 1933 he suddenly broke off his professional studies and on January
16, 1934 entered the monastery of San Isidro.
After the first months
of the noviciate and his first Lent, which he lived with great enthusiasm,
embracing all the austerities of Trappist life, God mysteriously chose to test
him with a sudden and painful infirmity: a serious form of diabetes mellitus
which forced him to leave the monastery immediately and return to his family in
order to receive the proper care.
Barely recovered, he
returned to the monastery, but his illness forced him to leave the monastery
for treatment again and again. But whenever he was absent he wanted to return,
responding faithfully and generously to what he understood to be a call from
God.
Sanctified by his
joyful and heroic fidelity to his vocation, in his loving acceptance of the
Divine will and the mystery of the Cross, in his impassioned search for the
Face of God, fascinated by his contemplation of the Absolute, in his tender and
filial devotion to the Virgin Mary-"the Lady", as he liked to call
her-his life came to an end on April 26, 1938. He was barely 27 years old. He
was buried in the monastery cemetery, and later in the Abbey church.
The fame of his
sanctity rapidly spread beyond the walls of the monastery. The example of his
life together with his many spiritual writings continue to spread and greatly
profit those who get to know him. He has been described as one of the great
mystics of the twentieth century.
On August 19, 1989,
the Holy Father John Paul II, on World Youth Day at Santiago de Compostella,
proposed him as a model for young people today, and beatified him on September
27, 1992.
Pope Benedict XVI
canonized him on October 11, 2009 and presented him as a friend and intercessor
for all the faithful, especially for the young. - Copyright © Libreria Editrice
Vaticana
SAINT
CLETUS
Pope and
Martyr
(+ c.
88)
St. Cletus was the
third Bishop of Rome, and succeeded St. Linus, which circumstance alone shows
his eminent virtue among the first disciples of St. Peter in the West. He sat
twelve years, from 76 to 88.
The canon of the Roman
Mass, Bede, and other martyrologists, style him a martyr. He was buried near
St. Linus, in the Vatican, and his relics still remain in that church.
Lives of the Saints,
by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
SAINT
MARCELLINUS
Pope and
Martyr
(+ 304)
St. Marcellinus
succeeded St. Coins in the bishopric of Rome in 296, about the time that
Diocletian set himself up for a deity, and impiously claimed divine honors. In
those stormy times of persecution Marcellinus acquired great glory.
He sat in St. Peter's
chair eight years, three months, and twenty-five days, dying in 304, a year
after the cruel persecution broke out, in which he gained much honor. He has
been styled a martyr, though his blood was not shed in the cause of religion.
Lives of the Saints,
by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894
Easter Saturday
Acts of the Apostles 4:
13 Now when they saw the boldness of
Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men,
they marveled. They recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 Seeing the man
who was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But
when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred
among themselves, 16 saying, “What shall we do to these men? Because indeed a
notable miracle has been done through them, as can be plainly seen by all who
dwell in Jerusalem, and we can’t deny it. 17 But so that this spreads no
further among the people, let’s threaten them, that from now on they don’t speak
to anyone in this name.” 18 They called them, and commanded them not to speak
at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John
answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather
than to God, judge for yourselves, 20 for we can’t help telling the things
which we saw and heard.”
21 When they had further
threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of
the people; for everyone glorified God for that which was done.
Psalm Give thanks to
Yahweh, for he is good,
for his loving kindness endures forever.
14 Yah is my strength
and song.
He has become my salvation.
15 The voice of
rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous.
“The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly.
16 The right hand of
Yahweh is exalted!
The right hand of Yahweh does valiantly!”
17 I will not die, but
live,
and declare Yah’s works.
18 Yah has punished me
severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates
of righteousness.
I will enter into them.
I will give thanks to Yah.
20 This is the gate of
Yahweh;
the righteous will enter into it.
21 I will give thanks to
you, for you have answered me,
and have become my salvation.
The Holy Gospel of Jesus
Christ according to Saint Mark 16: 9 [a]Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared
first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went
and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 When they
heard that he was alive, and had been seen by her, they disbelieved. 12 After
these things he was revealed in another form to two of them, as they walked, on
their way into the country. 13 They went away and told it to the rest. They
didn’t believe them, either.
14 Afterward he was
revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them
for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who
had seen him after he had risen. 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world,
and preach the Good News to the whole creation.
Footnotes:
a. Mark 16:9 NU
includes the text of verses 9-20, but mentions in a footnote that a few
manuscripts omitted it. The translators of the World English Bible regard Mark
16:9-20 as reliable based on an overwhelming majority of textual evidence,
including not only the authoritative Greek Majority Text New Testament, but
also the TR and many of the manuscripts cited in the NU text.
Easter Saturday
Commentary of the Day:
Pope Francis
Apostolic
Exhortation « The Joy of the Gospel / Evangelii Gaudium » §19-23 (trans. ©
copyright Libreria Editrice Vaticana)
"Go
into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature"
Evangelization takes
place in obedience to the missionary mandate of Jesus: “Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”
(Mt 28,19-20)... The risen Christ sent his followers to preach the Gospel in
every time and place, so that faith in him might spread to every corner of the
earth.
The word of God
constantly shows us how God challenges those who believe in him “to go forth”.
Abraham received the call to set out for a new land (Gen 12,1-3). Moses heard
God’s call: “Go, I send you” (Ex 3,10) and led the people towards the promised
land . To Jeremiah God says: “To all whom I send you, you shall go” (Jer
1,7)... All of us are called to take part in this new missionary “going forth”.
Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points
out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort
zone in order to reach all the “peripheries” in need of the light of the
Gospel.
The Gospel joy which
enlivens the community of disciples is a missionary joy. The seventy-two
disciples felt it as they returned from their mission (Lk 10,17). Jesus felt it
when he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit... This joy is a sign that the Gospel has
been proclaimed and is bearing fruit. Yet the drive to go forth and give, to go
out from ourselves, to keep pressing forward in our sowing of the good seed,
remains ever present. The Lord says: “Let us go on to the next towns that I may
preach there also, for that is why I came out” (Mk 1,38)... In fidelity to the
example of the Master, it is vitally important for the Church today to go forth
and preach the Gospel to all: to all places, on all occasions, without hesitation,
reluctance or fear.
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