"Peter replied, 'Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.'"(John 6:68-69)Tuesday of the First week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Day:
Saint of the Day:
SAINT HILARY OF POITIERS
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(c. 315-c. 367)
St. Hilary was a native of Poitiers in Aquitaine. Born and educated a pagan, it was not till near middle age that he embraced Christianity, moved thereto mainly by the idea of God presented to him in the Holy Scriptures. He soon converted his wife and daughter, and separated himself rigidly from all un-Catholic company.In the beginning of his conversion St. Hilary would not eat with Jews or heretics, nor salute them by the way; but afterwards, for their sake, he relaxed this severity. He entered Holy Orders, and in 350 was chosen bishop of his native city.
Arian heresy, under the protection of the Emperor Constantine, was just then in the height of its power, and St. Hilary found himself called upon to support the orthodox cause in several Gallic councils, in which Arian bishops formed an overwhelming majority. He was in consequence accused to the emperor, who banished him to Phrygia. He spent his three years and more of exile in composing his great Treatise on the Trinity and many others works.
In 359 he attended the Council of Seleucia, in which Arians, semi-Arians, and Catholics contended for the mastery. With the deputies of the council he proceeded to Constantinople, and there so dismayed the heads of the Arian party that they prevailed upon the emperor to let him return to Gaul. He traversed Gaul, Italy, and Illyria, wherever he came discomfiting the heretics and procuring triumph of orthodoxy.
After seven or eight years of missionary travel he returned to Poitiers, where he died in peace in 368.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
SAINT VERONICA OF BINASCO
Religious
(c. 1445-1497)
Veronica parents were peasants of a village near Milan. From her childhood she toiled hard in the house and the field, and accomplished cheerfully every menial task. Gradually the desire for perfection grew within her; she became deaf to the jokes and songs of her companions, and sometimes, when reaping and hoeing, would hide her face and weep.Knowing no letters, she began to be anxious about her learning, and rose secretly at night to teach herself to read. Our Lady told her that other things were necessary, but not this. She showed Veronica three mystical letters which would teach her more than books. The first signified purity of intention; the second, abhorrence of murmuring or criticism; the third, daily meditation on the Passion.
By the first she learned to begin her daily duties for no human motive, but for God alone; by the second, to carry out what she had thus begun by attending to her own affairs, never judging her neighbor, but praying for those who manifestly erred; by the third she was enabled to forget her own pains and sorrows in those of her Lord, and to weep hourly, but silently, over the memory of His wrongs.
She had constant ecstasies, and saw in successive visions the whole life of Jesus, and many other mysteries. Yet, by a special grace, neither her raptures nor her tears ever interrupted her labors, which ended only with death.
After three years' patient waiting she was received as a lay-sister in the convent of St. Martha at Milan. The community was extremely poor, and Veronica's duty was to beg through the city for their daily food. Three years after receiving the habit she was afflicted with secret but constant bodily pains, yet never would consent to be relieved of any of her labors, or to omit one of her prayers.
By exact obedience she became a living copy of the rule, and obeyed with a smile the least hint of her Superior. She sought to the last the most hard and humbling occupations, and in their performance enjoyed some of the highest favors ever granted to a Saint.
She died in 1497, on the day she had foretold, after a six months' illness, aged fifty-two years, and in the thirtieth of her religious profession.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Tuesday of the First week in Ordinary Time
Letter to the Hebrews 2: The One Who Leads Us To Be Saved
5 We know that God did not put the future world under the power of angels. 6 Somewhere in the Scriptures someone says to God,
“What makes you care
about us humans?
Why are you concerned
for weaklings such as we?
7 You made us lower
than the angels
for a while.
Yet you have crowned us
with glory and honor.[a]
8 And you have put everything
under our power!”
God has put everything under our power and has not left anything out of our power. But we still don’t see it all under our power. 9 What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels. Because of God’s wonderful kindness, Jesus died for everyone. And now that Jesus has suffered and died, he is crowned with glory and honor!
10 Everything belongs to God, and all things were created by his power. So God did the right thing when he made Jesus perfect by suffering, as Jesus led many of God’s children to be saved and to share in his glory. 11 Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 He even said to God,
“I will tell them your name
and sing your praises
when they come together
to worship.”
[Footnotes:
2.7 and honor: Some manuscripts add “and you have placed us in charge of all you created.”]
Psalms 8:2 With praises from children
and from tiny infants,
you have built a fortress.
It makes your enemies silent,
and all who turn against you
are left speechless.
6 You destroy every liar,
and you despise violence
and deceit.
7 Because of your great mercy,
I come to your house, Lord,
and I am filled with wonder
as I bow down
to worship
at your holy temple.
8 You do what is right,
and I ask you to guide me.
Make your teaching clear
because of my enemies.
9 Nothing they say is true!
They just want to destroy.
Their words are deceitful
like a hidden pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1: A Man with an Evil Spirit
21 Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Capernaum. Then on the next Sabbath he went into the Jewish meeting place and started teaching. 22 Everyone was amazed at his teaching. He taught with authority, and not like the teachers of the Law of Moses. 23 Suddenly a man with an evil spirit[a] in him entered the meeting place and yelled, 24 “Jesus from Nazareth, what do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are! You are God’s Holy One.”
25 Jesus told the evil spirit, “Be quiet and come out of the man!” 26 The spirit shook him. Then it gave a loud shout and left.
27 Everyone was completely surprised and kept saying to each other, “What is this? It must be some new kind of powerful teaching! Even the evil spirits obey him.” 28 News about Jesus quickly spread all over Galilee.
[Footnotes:
1.23 evil spirit: A Jewish person who had an evil spirit was considered “unclean” and was not allowed to eat or worship with other Jewish people.]
Tuesday of the First week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the Day:
Baldwin of Ford (?-c.1190), Cistercian abbot, then Archbishop of Canterbury
Treatise 6, on Hebrews 4,12 ; PL 204, 451 ; (trans. cf breviary 30th Friday)
'Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!" '
“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4,12). What great power and what great wisdom there is in the word of God, these words demonstrate to those seeking Christ, who is the word, and the power and the wisdom of God (1Cor 1,24)… When this word is preached, by the proclamation it gives to its own voice, which is heard outwardly, a voice of power interiorly sensed, by which the dead live again (Lk 7,22), and from the stones are raised up children to Abraham (Mt 3,9). This word, then, is living in the heart of the Father, living in the mouth of the preacher, living in the heart of the believer and lover. Since the word is living in such a manner, without doubt it is also active.
It is active in the creation of things, active in the control of the world, active in the redemption of the world. What is more active or more powerful? “Who can tell the mighty deeds of the Lord? Who can proclaim all his praises?” (Ps 105[106],2). It is active in its working, active when preached. It does not return empty, but prospers in all those things to which it is sent (Is 55.11).
This Word, then, is active and more piercing than any two-edged sword, when it is believed and loved. What is impossible to the believer or difficult to the lover? (cf Mk 9,23).
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