Daily Gospel for Friday, 24 January 2014 – Monday, 27 January
2014
“Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words
of real life, eternal life.”(John 6:68, The Message).
Friday Saturday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
The Conversion of Saint Paul, apostle - Feast
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
Monday of the Third week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Church: Week of prayer for Christian unity
Saint of the Day:
SAINT FRANCIS OF SALES
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(1566-1622)
Francis was born of noble and pious parents, near Annecy, 1566,
and studied with brilliant success at Paris and Padua. On his return from Italy
he gave up the grand career which his father had marked out for him in the
service of the state, and became a priest.
When the Duke of Savoy had resolved to restore the Church in the
Chablais, Francis offered himself for the work, and set out on foot with his
Bible and breviary and one companion, his cousin Louis of Sales. It was a work
of toil, privation, and danger. Every door and every heart was closed against
him. He was rejected with insult and threatened with death. But nothing could
daunt or resist him, and ere long the Church burst forth into a second spring.
It is stated that he converted 72,000 Calvinists.
He was then compelled by the Pope to become Coadjutor Bishop of
Geneva, and succeeded to the see in 1602. At times the exceeding gentleness
with which he received heretics and sinners almost scandalized his friends, and
one of them said to him, "Francis of Sales will go to Paradise, of course;
but I am not so sure of the Bishop of Geneva: I am almost afraid his gentleness
will play him a shrewd turn." "Ah," said the Saint, "I
would rather account to God for too great gentleness than for too great severity.
Is not God all love? God the Father is the Father of mercy; God the Son is a
Lamb; God the Holy Spirit is a Dove-that is, gentleness itself. And are you
wiser than God?"
In union with St. Jane Frances of Chantal he founded at Annecy
the Order of the Visitation, which soon spread over Europe. Though poor, he
refused provisions and dignities, and even the great see of Paris.
He died at Avignon, 1622.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL
(Feast)
The great apostle Paul, named Saul at his circumcision, was born
at Tarsus, the capital of Silicia, and was by privilege a Roman citizen, to
which quality a great distinction and several exemptions were granted by the
laws of the empire. He was early instructed in the strict observance of the
Mosaic law, and lived up to it in the most scrupulous manner. In his zeal for
the Jewish law, which he thought the cause of God, he became a violent
persecutor of the Christians.
He was one of those who combined to murder St. Stephen, and in
the violent persecution of the faithful which followed the martyrdom of the
holy deacon, Saul signalized himself above others.
By virtue of the power he had received from the high priest, he
dragged the Christians out of their houses, loaded them with chains, and thrust
them into prison. In the fury of his zeal he applied for a commission to take
up all Jews at Damascus who confessed Jesus Christ, and bring them bound to
Jerusalem, that they might serve as examples for the others.
But God was pleased to show forth in him His patience and mercy.
While on his way to Damascus, he and his party were surrounded by a light from
heaven, brighter than the sun, and suddenly struck to the ground. And then a
voice was heard saying, "Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute Me?" And
Saul answered, "Who art Thou, Lord?" and the voice replied, "I
am Jesus, Whom thou dost persecute." This mild expostulation of Our
Redeemer, accompanied with a powerful interior grace, cured Saul's pride,
assuaged his rage, and wrought at once a total change in him. Wherefore,
trembling and astonished, he cried out, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to
do?" Our Lord ordered him to arise and to proceed on his way to the city,
where he should be informed of what was expected from him.
Saul, arising from the ground, found that, though his eyes were
open, he saw nothing. He was led by hand into Damascus, where he was lodged in
the house of a Jew named Judas. To this house came by divine appointment a holy
man named Ananias, who, laying his hands on Saul, said, "Brother Saul, the
Lord Jesus, Who appeared to thee on thy journey, hath sent me that thou mayest
receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately
something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he recovered his sight. Then
he arose and was baptized; he stayed some few days with the disciples at
Damascus, and began immediately to preach in the synagogues that Jesus was the
Son of God.
Thus a blasphemer and a persecutor was made an apostle, and
chosen as one of God's principal instruments in the conversion of the world.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
SAINTS TIMOTHY AND TITUS
Bishops and Disciples of St. Paul
(1st century)
St. Timothy was a convert of St. Paul. He was born at Lystra in
Asia Minor. His mother was a Jewess, but his father was a pagan; and though
Timothy had read the Scriptures from his childhood, he had not been circumcised
as a Jew. On the arrival of St. Paul at Lystra the youthful Timothy, with his
mother and grandmother, eagerly embraced the faith.
Seven years later, when the Apostle again visited the country,
the boy had grown into manhood, while his good heart, his austerities and zeal
had won the esteem of all around him; and holy men were prophesying great
things of the fervent youth. St. Paul at once saw his fitness for the work of an
evangelist. Timothy was forthwith ordained, and from that time became the
constant and much-beloved fellow-worker of the Apostle.
In company with St. Paul he visited the cities of Asia Minor and
Greece-at one time hastening on in front as a trusted messenger, at another
lingering behind to confirm in the faith some recently founded church. Finally,
he was made the first Bishop of Ephesus; and here he received the two epistles
which bear his name, the first written from Macedonia and the second from Rome,
in which St. Paul from his prison gives vent to his longing desire to see his
"dearly beloved son," if possible, once more before his death. St.
Timothy himself not many years after the death of St. Paul, won his martyr's
crown at Ephesus. As a child Timothy delighted in reading the sacred books, and
to his last hour he would remember the parting words of his spiritual father,
"Attende lectioni-Apply thyself to reading."
************************
St. Titus was a convert from heathenism, a disciple of St. Paul,
one of the chosen companions of the Apostles in his journey to the Council of
Jerusalem, and his fellow-laborers in many apostolic missions.
From the Second Epistle which St. Paul sent by the hand of Titus
to the Corinthians we gain an insight into his character and understand the,
strong affection which his master bore him. Titus had been commissioned to
carry out a twofold office needing much firmness, discretion, and charity. He
was to be the bearer of a severe rebuke to the Corinthians, who were giving
scandal and were wavering in their faith; and at the same time he was to put
their charity to a further test by calling upon them for abundant alms for the
church at Jerusalem. St. Paul meanwhile was anxiously awaiting the result. At
Troas he writes, "I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus,
my brother." He set sail to Macedonia. Here at last Titus brought the good
news. His success had been complete. He reported the sorrow, the zeal, the
generosity of the Christians, till the Apostle could not contain his joy, and
sent back to them his faithful messenger with the letter of comfort from which
we have quoted. Titus was finally left as a bishop in Crete, and here he, in
turn, received the epistle which bears his name, and here at last he died in
peace.
The mission of Titus to Corinth shows us how well the disciple
caught the spirit of his master. He knew how to be firm and to inspire respect.
The Corinthians, we are told, "received him with fear and trembling."
He was patient and painstaking. St. Paul "gave thanks to God, Who had put
such carefulness for them in the heart of Titus." And these gifts were
enhanced by a quickness to detect and call out all that was good in others, and
by a joyousness which overflowed upon the spirit of St. Paul himself, who
"abundantly rejoiced in the joy of Titus."
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
God our Father,
you gave your saints Timothy and Titus
the courage and wisdom of the apostoles:
may their prayers help us to live holy lives
and lead us to heaven, our home
BLESSED JOSE GABRIEL BROCHERO
Priest
(1840 - 1914)
José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero was born on the outskirts of
Santa Rosa de Rio Primero, Cordoba, on March 16, 1840. He was the fourth of 10
children, who lived from their father’s rural work. He grew up in a profoundly
Christian family. Two of his sisters were nuns of the Garden of Olives.
Having entered the College Seminary of Our Lady of Loreto on
March 5, 1856, he was ordained a priest on Nov. 4, 1866. As an assistant in the
pastoral tasks of the Cathedral of Cordoba, he carried out his priestly
ministry during the cholera epidemic that devastated the city. Being Prefect of
Studies of the Major Seminary, he received the title of Master in Philosophy
from the University of Cordoba.
At the end of 1869 he took on the extensive parish of Saint
Albert of 4,336 square kilometers (1,675 square miles), with just over 10,000
inhabitants who lived in distant places with no roads or schools, cutoff by the
Great Highlands of more than 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) of altitude. The moral
state and material indigence of its inhabitants was lamentable. However,
Brochero’s apostolic heart was not discouraged, but from that moment on he
dedicated his whole life not only to bring the Gospel to the inhabitants but to
educate and promote them. The year after arriving, he began to take men and
women to Cordoba to do the Spiritual Exercises. It took three days on the back
of a mule to cover the 200 kilometers (125 miles), in caravans that often
exceeded 500 people. More than once they were surprised by strong snow storms.
On returning, after nine days in silence, prayer and penance, his faithful
began to change their lives, following the Gospel and working for the economic
development of the region.
In 1875, with the help of his faithful, he began the building of
the Houses of Exercises of the then Villa del Transito (locality that today is
named after him). It was inaugurated in 1877 with groups that exceeded 700
people, a total of more than 40,000 going through it during his parish
ministry. As a complement, he built the House for women religious, the Girls’
School and the residence for priests. With his faithful he built more than 200
kilometers of roads and several churches. He founded villages and was concerned
about the education of all. He requested and obtained from the authorities
courier posts, post offices and telegraphic posts. He planned the rail network
that would go through the Valley of Traslasierra joining Villa Dolores and Soto
to bring the beloved highlanders out of the poverty in which they found
themselves, “abandoned by all but not by God,” as he said.
He preached the Gospel, using the language of his faithful to
make it comprehensible to his listeners. He celebrated the sacraments, always
carrying what was necessary for the Mass on the back of his mule. No sick
person was left without the sacraments, as neither the rain nor the cold
stopped him. “Woe if the devil is going to rob a soul from me,” he said. He
gave himself totally to all, especially the poor and the estranged, whom he
sought diligently to bring them close to God. A few days after his death, the
Catholic newspaper of Cordoba wrote: “It is known that Father Brochero
contracted the sickness that took him to his tomb, because he visited at length
and embraced an abandoned leper of the area.” Because of his illness, he gave
up the parish, living a few years with his sisters in his native village.
However, responding to the request of his former faithful, he returned to his
House of Villa del Transito, dying leprous and blind on Jan. 26, 1914.
José Gabriel Brochero was beatified in September 2013 by Pope
Francis.
© Innovative Media Inc.
SAINT ANGELA MERICI
VIRGIN
(C. 1470-1540)
St. Angela Merici was born at Desenzano, near Brescia, about
1470. Her parents had died when she was ten and she had gone to live with an
uncle. When her uncle died, she returned to her hometown and began to notice
how little education the girls had; so Angela saw her task as the formation of
Christian women.
In 1535 she founded the institute of the Ursulines, who were
devoted to the education of poor girls as Christians, and to the missions. It
was the first group of women religious to work outside the cloister and the
first teaching order of women.
She died in 1540.
Friday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
The Conversion of Saint Paul, apostle - Feast
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
Monday of the Third week in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 24: 3 He came to the sheepfolds beside the road, where
there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself.[a] Now David and his men
were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 The men of David said to
him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy
into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.’” Then David
went and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. 5 Afterward David was
stricken to the heart because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s cloak. 6 He
said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the
Lord’s anointed, to raise my hand against him; for he is the Lord’s anointed.”
7 So David scolded his men severely and did not permit them to attack Saul.
Then Saul got up and left the cave, and went on his way.
8 Afterwards David also rose up and went out of the cave and
called after Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed
with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. 9 David said to Saul, “Why do
you listen to the words of those who say, ‘David seeks to do you harm’? 10 This
very day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you into my hand in the cave;
and some urged me to kill you, but I spared[b] you. I said, ‘I will not raise
my hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed.’ 11 See, my father, see
the corner of your cloak in my hand; for by the fact that I cut off the corner
of your cloak, and did not kill you, you may know for certain that there is no
wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you are
hunting me to take my life. 12 May the Lord judge between me and you! May the
Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the ancient
proverb says, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’; but my hand shall not
be against you. 14 Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you
pursue? A dead dog? A single flea? 15 May the Lord therefore be judge, and give
sentence between me and you. May he see to it, and plead my cause, and
vindicate me against you.”
16 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul
said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17
He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good,
whereas I have repaid you evil. 18 Today you have explained how you have dealt
well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands.
19 For who has ever found an enemy, and sent the enemy safely away? So may the
Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 Now I know
that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be
established in your hand. 21 Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will
not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not wipe out my name
from my father’s house.”
Footnotes:
a. 1 Samuel 24:3 Heb to cover his feet
b. 1 Samuel 24:10 Gk Syr Tg Vg: Heb it (my eye) spared
Psalm 57: 2 I cry to God Most High,
to God who fulfills
his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me,
he will put to shame
those who trample on me.Selah
God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions
that greedily
devour[a] human prey;
their teeth are spears and arrows,
their tongues sharp
swords.
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 57:4 Cn: Heb are aflame for
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed
down.
They dug a pit in my path,
but they have fallen
into it themselves.Selah
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over
all the earth.
Acts 22: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought
up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our
ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I
persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and
putting them in prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders
can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in
Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring
them back to Jerusalem for punishment.
Paul Tells of His Conversion
6 “While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a
great light from heaven suddenly shone about me. 7 I fell to the ground and
heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I
answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth[a]
whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did
not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, ‘What am I to
do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told
everything that has been assigned to you to do.’ 11 Since I could not see
because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand
and led me to Damascus.
12 “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law
and well spoken of by all the Jews living there, 13 came to me; and standing
beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I
regained my sight and saw him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has
chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear his own
voice; 15 for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen
and heard. 16 And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins
washed away, calling on his name.’
Footnotes:
a. Acts 22:8 Gk the Nazorean
Psalm 117: Universal Call to Worship
1 Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you
peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us,
and the faithfulness
of the Lord endures forever.
Praise the Lord!
[Isaiah 8: The Promise of Salvation Under a New Davidic King.*
23 There is no gloom where there had been distress. Where once
he degraded the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, now he has glorified
the way of the Sea, the land across the Jordan, Galilee of the Nations.*
9: [a] But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish.
In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of
Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the
land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
2 [b] The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great
light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has
shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation,
you have increased its
joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the
harvest,
as people exult when
dividing plunder.
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 9:1 Ch 8.23 in Heb
b. Isaiah 9:2 Ch 9.1 in Heb
Psalm 27: Triumphant Song of Confidence
Of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[a] of my life;
of whom shall I be
afraid?
Footnotes:
a. Psalm 27:1 Or refuge
4 One thing I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek
after:
to live in the house of the Lord
all the days of my
life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in his
temple.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the
living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let
your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
1 Corinthians 1:
Divisions in the Church
10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] by the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same
purpose. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are
quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.[b] 12 What I mean is that each of
you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to
Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul
crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Footnotes:
a. 1 Corinthians 1:10 Gk brothers
b. 1 Corinthians 1:11 Gk my brothers
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the
gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be
emptied of its power.
2nd book of Samuel 5: David Anointed King of All Israel
1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and
said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. 2 For some time, while Saul was king
over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you:
It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler
over Israel.” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and
King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they
anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven
years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah
thirty-three years.
Jerusalem Made Capital of the United Kingdom
6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the
Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come
in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back”—thinking, “David
cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, which
is now the city of David.
10 And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God
of hosts, was with him.
Psalm 89: 20 I have found my servant David;
with my holy oil I
have anointed him;
21 my hand shall always remain with him;
my arm also shall
strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him,
the wicked shall not
humble him.
25 I will set his hand on the sea
and his right hand on
the rivers.
26 He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock
of my salvation!’
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 3: Jesus Appoints the Twelve
13 He went up the mountain and called to him those whom he
wanted, and they came to him. 14 And he appointed twelve, whom he also named
apostles,[a] to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, 15 and
to have authority to cast out demons. 16 So he appointed the twelve:[b] Simon
(to whom he gave the name Peter); 17 James son of Zebedee and John the brother
of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder); 18 and
Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of
Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean, 19 and Judas Iscariot, who
betrayed him.
Jesus and Beelzebul
Then he went home;
Footnotes:
a. Mark 3:14 Other ancient authorities lack whom he also named
apostles
b. Mark 3:16 Other ancient authorities lack So he appointed the
twelve
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to SaintMark 16: 15 And he
said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news[a] to the whole
creation. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one
who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those
who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new
tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes in their hands,[b] and if they drink any
deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and
they will recover.”
Footnotes:
a. Mark 16:15 Or gospel
b. Mark 16:18 Other ancient authorities lack in their hands
Matthew 4: Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee
12 Now when Jesus[a] heard that John had been arrested, he
withdrew to Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the
sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what had been spoken
through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
on the road by the
sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people who sat in darkness
have seen a great
light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
light has dawned.”
17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven has come near.”[b]
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the
sea—for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will
make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed
him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee
and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their
nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father,
and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People
23 Jesus[c] went throughout Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues and proclaiming the good news[d] of the kingdom and curing every
disease and every sickness among the people.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 4:12 Gk he
b. Matthew 4:17 Or is at hand
c. Matthew 4:23 Gk He
d. Matthew 4:23 Gk gospel]
Friday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
The Conversion of Saint Paul, apostle - Feast
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year A
Monday of the Third week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day:
Vatican Council II
Decree on the ministry and life of priests « Presbyterorum
ordinis », § 2 (trans. ©Libreria Vaticana editrice)
"He appointed twelve"
The Lord Jesus, "whom the Father has sent into the
world" has made his whole Mystical Body a sharer in the anointing of the
Spirit with which he himself is anointed. In him all the faithful are made “a
holy and royal priesthood”; they “offer spiritual sacrifices to God through
Jesus Christ”, and “they proclaim the perfections of him who has called them
out of darkness into his marvelous light”. Therefore, there is no member who
does not have a part in the mission of the whole Body; but each one ought to
“hallow Jesus in his heart,” and in the spirit of prophecy bear witness to
Jesus.
The same Lord, however, has established ministers among his
faithful to unite them together in one body in which, "not all the members
have the same function". These ministers in the society of the faithful
are able by the sacred power of orders to offer sacrifice and to forgive sins,
and they perform their priestly office publicly for men in the name of Christ.
Therefore, having sent the apostles just as he himself been sent by the Father,
Christ, through the apostles themselves, made their successors, the bishops,
sharers in his consecration and mission. The office of their ministry has been
handed down, in a lesser degree indeed, to the priests. Established in the
order of the priesthood they can be co-workers of the episcopal order for the
proper fulfillment of the apostolic mission entrusted to priests by Christ.
The office of priests, since it is connected with the episcopal
order, also, in its own degree, shares the authority by which Christ builds up,
sanctifies and rules his Body. Wherefore the priesthood, while indeed it
presupposes the sacraments of Christian initiation, is conferred by that
special sacrament; through it priests, by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are
signed with a special character and are conformed to Christ the Priest in such
a way that they can act in the person of Christ the Head.
(Biblical references : Jn 10,36; Ep 5,30; Mt 3,16; Lc 4,18; 1Pt
2,5.9; 3,15; Rv 19,10; Rm 12,4; Jn 20,21)
Saint John Chrysostom (c.345-407), priest at Antioch then Bishop
of Constantinople, Doctor of the Church
4th homily on Saint Paul, 1-2
"What would you have me do, Lord?"
Hot tempered, impetuous, Paul needed a strong brake if he was
not to be carried away by his enthusiasm and ignore God's voice. So God first
of all reproved this anger; he calmed his wrath by afflicting him with
blindness and then spoke to him. He made his unfathomable wisdom known to him
that he might recognise the one he was fighting against and understand that he
could no longer hold out against his grace. It was not privation of light that
was blinding him but the intensity of light...
God chose his moment well. Paul was the first to acknowledge it:
“when it pleased God, who from my
mother's womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, he
revealed his Son to me” (cf Gal 1,15f.)... So let us learn from the mouth of
Paul himself that no one has ever discovered Christ on their own. It is Christ
who revealed himself and made himself known. As the Savior says: “You did not
choose me; it is I who chose you” (Jn 15,16).
Saint Columbanus (563-615), monk, founder of monasteries
12th Spiritual Instruction, 2-3 (trans. Breviary 28th Tuesday)
"On those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light
has arisen"
O Christ, deign to kindle our lamps, our most sweet Savior, that
they may shine continually in your temple and receive perpetual light from you,
light perpetual, so that our darkness may be enlightened, and the world's
darkness may be driven from us. Thus enrich my lantern with your light, I pray
you, Jesus mine, so that by its light there may be disclosed to me those holy
places of the holy, which hold you, the eternal priest of the eternal things,
entering there the courts of that great temple of yours (Heb 9,11f.), that I may
constantly see, observe, desire you only, and loving you alone may behold you
so that before you my lamp may ever shine and burn.
I beg you, most loving Savior, to reveal yourself to us who
beseech you, so that knowing you, we may love you only, love you alone, desire
you alone, contemplate you alone by day and night, and ever hold you in our
thoughts. Deign to inspire us with your love so far as it befits you to be
loved and cherished as our God, that your charity may possess all our inward
parts and your love may wholly own us... May we know no other love apart from
you who are eternal so that such affection may be in us as is impossible of
quenching even by all the many waters of air and land and sea, according to
that saying of the Song of Songs: “Many waters are not able to quench love”
(8,7). This can be fulfilled in us, even though only in part, by your gift, O
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the
Church
Commentary on Saint Luke's gospel, 7, 91-92 ; SC 52
His kingdom is indivisible and eternal
“Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin”.
Because people were saying that he cast out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of
demons, Jesus wanted to show by these words that his kingdom is indivisible and
eternal. Rightly, too, he answered Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world”
(Jn18,36). So those who do not put their hope in Christ but think that demons
are cast out by the prince of demons, Jesus says, do not belong to an eternal
kingdom... When faith is rent apart, can the divided kingdom stand?... If the
kingdom of the Church is to endure for ever it is because its faith is undivided,
its body single: “There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father
of all, who is over all, through all and in all” (Eph 4,5-6).
What sacrilegious stupidity! The Son of God took flesh to crush
the evil spirits and snatch the prize from the prince of this world, he also
gave power to men to destroy the evil one (cf. Lk 10,19)... yet some people
call the power of the devil to their aid. Nevertheless, [as Luke says], it is
the “finger of God” (11,20) or, as Matthew says, “the Spirit of God” (12,28)
that casts out demons. By this we understand that the Kingdom of God is
indivisible as a body is indivisible since Christ is God's right hand and the
Spirit seems like his finger... “For in Christ dwells the whole fullness of the
deity bodily” (Col 2,9).
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