Tuesday of Holy Week
Saints of the day:
SAINT BENJAMIN
Deacon, Martyr
(+ c. 424)
Deacon, Martyr
(+ c. 424)
Isdegerdes, Son of Sapor III., put a stop to the cruel persecutions against the Christians in Persia, which had been begun by Sapor II., and the Church had enjoyed twelve years' peace in that kingdom, when in 420 it was disturbed by the indiscreet zeal of Abdas, a Christian bishop, who burned down the Pyræum, or Temple of Fire, the great divinity of the Persians. King Isdegerdes thereupon demolished all the Christian churches in Persia, put to death Abdas, and raised a general persecution against the Church, which continued forty years with great fury.
Isdegerdes died the year following, in 421. But his son and successor, Varanes, carried on the persecution with greater inhumanity. The very recital of the cruelties he exercised on the Christian strikes us with horror.
Among the glorious champions of Christ was St. Benjamin, a deacon. The tyrant caused him to be beaten and imprisoned. He had lain a year in the dungeon, when an ambassador from the emperor obtained his release on condition that he should never speak to any of the courtiers about religion. The ambassador passed his word in his behalf that he would not; but Benjamin, who was a minister of the Gospel, declared that he should miss no opportunity of announcing Christ.
The king, being informed that he still preached the Faith in his kingdom, ordered him to be apprehended. He suffered tortures frequently repeated with violence. Lastly, he expired about the year 424.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]Tuesday, of Holy Week
Book of Isaiah 49: Coastlands, listen to me;
listen, you peoples far away:
Adonai called me from the womb;
before I was born, he had spoken my name.
2 He has made my mouth like a sharp sword
while hiding me in the shadow of his hand;
he has made me like a sharpened arrow
while concealing me in his quiver.
3 He said to me, “You are my servant,
Isra’el, through whom I will show my glory.”
4 But I said, “I have toiled in vain,
spent my strength for nothing, futility.”
Yet my cause is with Adonai,
my reward is with my God.
5 So now Adonai says —
he formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Ya‘akov back to him,
to have Isra’el gathered to him,
so that I will be honored in the sight of Adonai,
my God having become my strength —
6 he has said, “It is not enough
that you are merely my servant
to raise up the tribes of Ya‘akov
and restore the offspring of Isra’el.
I will also make you a light to the nations,
so my salvation can spread to the ends of the earth.”
Psalm 71:1 In you, Adonai, I have taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness, rescue me;
and help me to escape.
Turn your ear toward me,
and deliver me.
3 Be for me a sheltering rock,
where I can always come.
You have determined to save me,
because you are my bedrock and stronghold.
4 My God, help me escape from the power of the wicked,
from the grasp of the unjust and ruthless.
5 For you are my hope, Adonai Elohim,
in whom I have trusted since I was young.
6 From birth I have relied on you;
it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
15 All day long my mouth will tell
of your righteous deeds and acts of salvation,
though their number is past my knowing.
17 God, you have taught me since I was young,
and I still proclaim your wonderful works.
Daily Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint John 13:21 After saying this, Yeshua, in deep anguish of spirit, declared, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that one of you will betray me.” 22 The talmidim stared at one another, totally mystified — whom could he mean? 23 One of his talmidim, the one Yeshua particularly loved, was reclining close beside him. 24 So Shim‘on Kefa motioned to him and said, “Ask which one he’s talking about.” 25 Leaning against Yeshua’s chest, he asked Yeshua, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Yeshua answered, “It’s the one to whom I give this piece of matzah after I dip it in the dish.” So he dipped the piece of matzah and gave it to Y’hudah Ben-Shim‘on from K’riot. 27 As soon as Y’hudah took the piece of matzah, the Adversary went into him. “What you are doing, do quickly!” Yeshua said to him. 28 But no one at the table understood why he had said this to him. 29 Some thought that since Y’hudah was in charge of the common purse, Yeshua was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival,” or telling him to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as he had taken the piece of matzah, Y’hudah went out, and it was night.
31 After Y’hudah had left, Yeshua said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If the Son has glorified God, God will himself glorify the Son, and will do so without delay. 33 Little children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and, as I said to the Judeans, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ now I say it to you as well.
36 Shim‘on Kefa said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Yeshua answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow later.” 37 “Lord,” Kefa said to him, “why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you!” 38 Yeshua answered, “You will lay down your life for me? Yes, indeed! I tell you, before the rooster crows you will disown me three times.
Tuesday of Holy Week:
Commentary for the Day:Saint Ambrose (c.340-397), Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church
Treatise on Saint Luke 10,49-52, 87-89
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow before you deny me three times
Brothers, let us repent: let us watch out that we may not have arguments concerning precedence amongst us for our ruin. The fact that the apostles (Lk 22,24) had an argument among them is not a good excuse for us to do the same. It is an invitation to watch out. Peter repented, of course, the day he answered the first call of the Master, but can we say that his conversion happened all at once?...
The Lord gives us the example. We had need for everything; he instead, did not need the help of anybody, nevertheless he reveals himself as master of humility by serving his disciples... As for Peter, surely ready in his spirit but still weak in the flesh (Mt 26,41), he is warned that he will deny the Lord. The Lord's Passion can find imitators but has no equals. Therefore I do not blame Peter for having denied Christ; I congratulate him for having wept. One thing is relevant to our common condition, the other is a sign of virtue, of inner strength...But if we excuse him, he did not excuse himself. He preferred accusing himself for his own sin and justifying himself by confessing his sin, rather than worsening his case by denying it. And he wept...
He wept; he did not apologize, he just cried. The one who cannot defend himself may yet wash himself; it is up to the tears to wash away the faults we are ashamed to confess in person. Tears speak the sin without trembling. Tears do not ask for forgiveness but they obtain it:...good tears, washing sin away! These weep as long as Jesus looks at them. Peter denied him a first time and did not weep because the Lord had not looked at him. He denied him a second time and he did not weep because again the Lord had not looked at him. He denied him a third time; Jesus looked at him and he wept bitterly. Look at us, Lord Jesus, so that we, too, may bewail our sin.
____________________________
He wept; he did not apologize, he just cried. The one who cannot defend himself may yet wash himself; it is up to the tears to wash away the faults we are ashamed to confess in person. Tears speak the sin without trembling. Tears do not ask for forgiveness but they obtain it:...good tears, washing sin away! These weep as long as Jesus looks at them. Peter denied him a first time and did not weep because the Lord had not looked at him. He denied him a second time and he did not weep because again the Lord had not looked at him. He denied him a third time; Jesus looked at him and he wept bitterly. Look at us, Lord Jesus, so that we, too, may bewail our sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment