Daily Gospel for Saturday,
29 March 2014 & Sunday, 30 March 2014
"Simon Peter
answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal
life." John 6:68
Saturday of the Third
Week of Lent & Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare) – Year A
Saints of the Day:
Saint Gladys
Hermit
(5th century)
Gladys was born in Wales in the 5th century. She was one of the 24
children of Brychan of Brecknock, wife of Saint Gundleus, and mother of Saints
Cadoc and, possibly, Keyna.
It is said that after their conversion by the example and exhortation of
their son, she and Gundleus lived an austere life.
When Gundleus died, Gladys moved to Pencanau in Bassaleg and lived as a
hermit.
SAINTS JONAS, BARACHISIUS
and their Companions
Martyrs
(4th century)
King Sapor, of Persia (modern Iran), in the eighteenth year of his reign,
raised a bloody persecution against the Christians, and laid waste their
churches and monasteries. Jonas and Barachisius, two brothers of the city
Beth-Asa, hearing that several Christians lay under sentence of death at
Hubaham, went thither to encourage and serve them. Nine of that number received
the crown of martyrdom.
After their execution, Jonas and Barachisius were apprehended for having
exhorted them to die. The president entreated the two brothers to obey the king
of Persia, and to worship the sun, moon, fire, and water. Their answer was,
that it was more reasonable to obey the immortal King of heaven and earth than
a mortal prince. Jonas was beaten with knotty clubs and with rods, and next set
in a frozen pond, with a cord tied to his foot. Barachisius had two red-hot
iron plates and two red-hot hammers applied under each arm, and melted lead
dropped into his nostrils and eyes; after which he was carried to prison, and
there hung up by one foot. Despite these cruel tortures, the two brothers
remained steadfast in the Faith.
New and more horrible torments were then devised under which at last they
yielded up their lives, while their pure souls winged their flight to heaven,
there to gain the martyr's crown, which they had so faithfully won.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Saint Mark of Arethusa, Bishop (+ c. 365)
SAINT JOHN CLIMACUS
Anchorite
(6th-7th centuries)
John made, while still young, such progress in learning that he was called
the Scholastic. At the age of sixteen he turned from the brilliant future which
lay before him, and retired to Mt. Sinai, where he put himself under the
direction of a holy monk. Never was novice more fervent, more unrelaxing in his
efforts for self-mastery. After four years he took the vows, and an aged abbot
foretold that he would some day be one of the greatest lights of the Church.
Nineteen years later, on the death of his director, he withdrew into a
deeper solitude, where he studied the lives and writings of the Saints, and was
raised to an unusual height of contemplation. The fame of his holiness and
practical wisdom drew crowds around him for advice and consolation. For his
greater profit he visited the solitudes of Egypt.
At the age of seventy-five he was chosen abbot of Mt. Sinai, and there
"he dwelt in the mount of God, and drew from the rich treasure of his
heart priceless riches of doctrine, which he poured forth with wondrous
abundance and benediction."
He was induced by a brother abbot to write the rules by which he had
guided his life; and his book called the Climax, or Ladder of Perfection, has
been prized in all ages for its wisdom, its clearness, and its unction.
At the end of four years he would no longer endure the honors and
distractions of his office, and retired to his solitude, where he fell asleep
in the Lord.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
Saturday of the Third
Week of Lent & Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare) – Year A
Hosea 6:1 “Come, and
let us return to Yahweh;
for he has torn us to pieces,
and he will heal us;
he has injured us,
and he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he
will revive us.
On the third day he will raise us up,
and we will live before him.
3 Let us acknowledge
Yahweh.
Let us press on to know Yahweh.
As surely as the sun
rises,
Yahweh will appear.
He will come to us like
the rain,
like the spring rain that waters the
earth.”
4 “Ephraim, what shall
I do to you?
Judah, what shall I do to you?
For your love is like a morning cloud,
and like the dew that disappears early.
5 Therefore I have cut
them to pieces with the prophets;
I killed them with the words of my mouth.
Your judgments are like a flash of
lightning.
6 For I desire mercy,
and not sacrifice;
and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings.
Psalm 51:3 For I know
my transgressions.
My sin is constantly before me.
4 Against you, and you
only, have I sinned,
and done that which is evil in your sight;
that you may be proved
right when you speak,
and justified when you judge.
18 Do well in your good
pleasure to Zion.
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will
delight in the sacrifices of righteousness,
in burnt offerings and in whole burnt
offerings.
Then they will offer
bulls on your altar.
1 Samuel 16:1 Yahweh
said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him
from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you
to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided a king for myself among his
sons.”
6 When they had come,
he looked at Eliab, and said, “Surely Yahweh’s anointed is before him.”
7 But Yahweh said to
Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I
have rejected him; for I don’t see as man sees. For man looks at the outward
appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.”
10 Jesse made seven of
his sons to pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen
these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your children here?”
He said, “There remains
yet the youngest. Behold, he is keeping the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send and get him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
12 He sent, and brought
him in. Now he was ruddy, with a handsome face and good appearance. Yahweh
said, “Arise! Anoint him, for this is he.”
13 Then Samuel took the
horn of oil, and anointed him in the middle of his brothers. Then Yahweh’s
Spirit came mightily on David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went
to Ramah.
Psalm 23: A Psalm by
David.
1 Yahweh is my
shepherd:
I shall lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down
in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
3 He restores my soul.
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and your
staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table
before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with
oil.
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and
loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in Yahweh’s house forever.
Ephesians 5:8 For you
were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, 9
for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, 10
proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. 11 Have no fellowship with the
unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them. 12 For the things
which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of. 13 But all
things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that
reveals is light. 14 Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from
the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Holy Gospel of Jesus
Christ according to Saint Luke 18:9 He spoke also this parable to certain
people who were convinced of their own righteousness, and who despised all
others. 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and
the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like
this: ‘God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortionists,
unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a
week. I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far
away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying,
‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his
house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be
humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
John 9:1 As he passed
by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered,
“Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be
revealed in him. 4 I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day.
The night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the
light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud
with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, 7 and said to him,
“Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed,
and came back seeing. 8 The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was
blind before, said, “Isn’t this he who sat and begged?” 9 Others were saying,
“It is he.” Still others were saying, “He looks like him.”
He said, “I am he.” 10
They therefore were asking him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered, “A man
called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of
Siloam, and wash.’ So I went away and washed, and I received sight.”
12 Then they asked him,
“Where is he?”
He said, “I don’t
know.”
13 They brought him who
had been blind to the Pharisees. 14 It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud
and opened his eyes. 15 Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he
received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I
see.”
16 Some therefore of
the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, because he doesn’t keep the
Sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” There was
division among them. 17 Therefore they asked the blind man again, “What do you
say about him, because he opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a
prophet.”
18 The Jews therefore
did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his
sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight, 19 and
asked them, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? How then does he
now see?”
20 His parents answered
them, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; 21 but how he
now sees, we don’t know; or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. He is of age.
Ask him. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because
they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would
confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. 23 Therefore his
parents said, “He is of age. Ask him.”
24 So they called the
man who was blind a second time, and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know
that this man is a sinner.”
25 He therefore
answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I
was blind, now I see.”
26 They said to him
again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”
27 He answered them, “I
told you already, and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You
don’t also want to become his disciples, do you?”
28 They insulted him
and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that
God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don’t know where he comes
from.”
30 The man answered
them, “How amazing! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of
God, and does his will, he listens to him.[a] 32 Since the world began it has
never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind. 33 If
this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
34 They answered him,
“You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” They threw him out.
35 Jesus heard that
they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son
of God?”
36 He answered, “Who is
he, Lord, that I may believe in him?”
37 Jesus said to him,
“You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you.”
38 He said, “Lord, I
believe!” and he worshiped him.
39 Jesus said, “I came
into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those
who see may become blind.”
40 Those of the
Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also
blind?”
41 Jesus said to them,
“If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore
your sin remains.
Footnotes:
1. John 9:31 Psalm
66:18, Proverbs 15:29; 28:9
Saturday of the Third
Week of Lent & Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare) – Year A
Commentary of the Day:
John Tauler (c.1300-1361), Dominican
"O God, be merciful to me a sinner"
Sermon 48, for the 11th Sunday after Trinity
Dear Sisters, be assured of this, truly, if I were to find someone who
really possessed the publican's feelings, who genuinely took themself for a
sinner, so long as that person had a desire to be good while in this feeling of
humility... I would give the body of our Lord to them every other day with a
good conscience!... If someone wants to carry on defending themself from falls
and grave sins then it is extremely necessary they should be sustained by this
noble and strong food... That is why you ought not to abstain lightly from
communion because you know yourselves to be sinners. To the contrary, you ought
to hasten to the holy table all the more, for it is from there that comes,
there that are placed and hidden all strength, all holiness, all help and all
consolation.
But you are not to judge those who don't do this either... You should bear
no judgment so as not to become like the Pharisee who glorified himself and
condemned the man standing behind him. Watch yourselves against that as from
the loss of your souls;...watch yourselves against the dangerous sin of
condemnation...
When someone reaches the heights of all perfection nothing has ever been
more necessary to them than to plunge into the lowest depths and penetrate to
to the roots of humility. This was why the publican, having acknowledged the
ultimate depths of his lowliness to the point of not daring any more to raise
his eyes to heaven, was raised up on high since “he went back to his house
justified”.
A homily written in North Africa in the 5th or 6th centuries, wrongly
attributed to saint Fulgentius (467-532)
PL 65, 880
« We are the clay and you the potter ; we are all the work of your hands »
(Is 64,7)
He who “enlightens everyone coming into this world” (Jn 1,9) is the true
mirror of the Father. Christ passes by as the refulgence of the Father's glory
(Heb 1,3) and casts out the blindness in the eyes of those who cannot see. The
Christ who comes from heaven passes by that all flesh might see him...; only
those who are blind could not see Christ, mirror of the Father... Christ has
opened this prison; he has opened the blind man's eyes, who then saw in Christ
the mirror of the Father...
The first man was created radiant but, once he had left the serpent, he
found himself to be blind. This blind man began to be reborn when he started to
believe... The man born blind was seated... without asking any doctor for
ointment to heal his eyes... The maker of the world comes along and reflects
his image into the mirror. He sees the wretchedness of the blind man seated
there begging. What a miracle of God's strength! It heals what it sees and
enlightens that which it visits...
He who created the earthly orb has now opened the orbs of the blind man's
eyes... The potter who made us (Gn 2,6; Is 64,7) saw those empty eyes...; he
touched them, mixing his saliva with earth and rubbing on this paste. The
material that was used to form the eyes to begin with has now healed them.
Which is the greater marvel: to create the orb of the sun or to recreate the
eyes of the man born blind? The Lord, seated on his throne, made the sun to
shine; passing through earth's public squares he allowed the blind man to see.
Light has come without our asking for it and, even without making supplication,
the blind man was freed from his infirmity from birth.
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