‘words (λόγοι, logoi) of THE WORD (Του Λόγου, Tou Logou)’
ponders the Sacred Scriptures, the Sacred Liturgy,
Fathers of the Church and RCIA
as a response to the call for a New Evangelization
that by the grace of
God the Holy Spirit
all may encounter
God the Son, Jesus the Incarnate Word
and be drawn in love as adopted children to
God our Father Who is Merciful Love.
Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
“Moses used to pitch a tentc outside the camp at some distance. It was called the tent of meeting. Anyone who wished to consult the LORD would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp.” (Exodus 33:7.)
Saint Ambrose of Milan offers the following insight on this verse from today’s First Reading:
“For that reason Jesus departed from the city, so that when you depart from this world, you may be above the world. Moses, who alone saw God, kept the tabernacle outside the camp when he spoke with God. And while the blood of the sacrificial victims, which was shed for sin, was carried to the altars, the carcasses, however, were burnt beyond the camp, because no one located within the vices of this world puts off sin nor is his blood accepted by God, unless he departs from the filth of this body.” (Letter 14)
Collect
O God, protector of those who hope in You
without Whom nothing has firm foundation,
nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance Your mercy upon us
and grant that,
with You as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good things that pass
in such a way as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
without Whom nothing has firm foundation,
nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance Your mercy upon us
and grant that,
with You as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good things that pass
in such a way as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
Sow integrity for yourselves
Bishop and Great Eastern Father of the Church
An excerpt from a A Sermon on Charity
Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Man should be like the earth and bear fruit; he should not let inanimate matter appear to surpass him. The earth bears crops for your benefit, not for its own, but when you give to the poor, you are bearing fruit which you will gather in for yourself, since the reward for good deeds goes to those who perform them. Give to a hungry man, and what you give becomes yours, and indeed it returns to you with interest. As the sower profits from wheat that falls onto the ground, so will you profit greatly in the world to come from the bread that you place before a hungry man. Your husbandry must be the sowing of heavenly seed: Sow integrity for yourselves, says Scripture.
You are going to leave your money behind you here whether you wish to or not. On the other hand, you will take with you to the Lord the honor that you have won through good works. In the presence of the universal judge, all the people will surround you, acclaim you as a public benefactor, and tell of your generosity and kindness.
Do you not see how people throw away their wealth on theatrical performances, boxing contests, mimes and fights between men and wild beasts, which are sickening to see, and all for the sake of fleeting honor and popular applause? If you are miserly with your money, how can you expect any similar honor? Your reward for the right use of the things in this world will be everlasting glory, a crown of righteousness, and the kingdom of heaven; God will welcome you, the angels will praise you, all men who have existed since the world began will call you blessed. Do you care nothing for these things, and spurn the hopes that lie in the future for the sake of your present enjoyment? Come, distribute your wealth freely, give generously to those who are in need. Earn for yourself the psalmist’s praise: He gave freely to the poor; his righteousness will endure for ever.
How grateful you should be to your own benefactor; how you should beam with joy at the honor of having other people come to your door, instead of being obliged to go to theirs! But you are now ill-humored and unapproachable; you avoid meeting people, in case you might be forced to loosen your purse-strings even a little. You can say only one thing: “I have nothing to give you. I am only a poorman.” A poor man you certainly are, and destitute of all real riches; you are poor in love, generosity, faith in God and hope for eternal happiness.
You are going to leave your money behind you here whether you wish to or not. On the other hand, you will take with you to the Lord the honor that you have won through good works. In the presence of the universal judge, all the people will surround you, acclaim you as a public benefactor, and tell of your generosity and kindness.
Do you not see how people throw away their wealth on theatrical performances, boxing contests, mimes and fights between men and wild beasts, which are sickening to see, and all for the sake of fleeting honor and popular applause? If you are miserly with your money, how can you expect any similar honor? Your reward for the right use of the things in this world will be everlasting glory, a crown of righteousness, and the kingdom of heaven; God will welcome you, the angels will praise you, all men who have existed since the world began will call you blessed. Do you care nothing for these things, and spurn the hopes that lie in the future for the sake of your present enjoyment? Come, distribute your wealth freely, give generously to those who are in need. Earn for yourself the psalmist’s praise: He gave freely to the poor; his righteousness will endure for ever.
How grateful you should be to your own benefactor; how you should beam with joy at the honor of having other people come to your door, instead of being obliged to go to theirs! But you are now ill-humored and unapproachable; you avoid meeting people, in case you might be forced to loosen your purse-strings even a little. You can say only one thing: “I have nothing to give you. I am only a poorman.” A poor man you certainly are, and destitute of all real riches; you are poor in love, generosity, faith in God and hope for eternal happiness.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches...” (Matthew 13:32.)
In commenting on this verse from today’s Gospel Proclamation, Saint John Chrysostom writes:
“Therefore he brought forward the similitude of this herb, which has a very strong resemblance to the kingdom of heaven. It indeed is “the least of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”
Thus he meant to set forth the most decisive sign of its greatness. “Even so then shall it also be with respect to the gospel,” he says. For his disciples were weakest of all and least of all. Nevertheless, because of the great power that was in them, it has grown and been unfolded in every part of the world. ” (The Gosepl of Matthew, Homily 46)
Thus he meant to set forth the most decisive sign of its greatness. “Even so then shall it also be with respect to the gospel,” he says. For his disciples were weakest of all and least of all. Nevertheless, because of the great power that was in them, it has grown and been unfolded in every part of the world. ” (The Gosepl of Matthew, Homily 46)
Collect
O Lord, God of our Fathers,
Who bestowed on
Saints Joachim and Anne this grace,
that of them should be born
the Mother of Your Incarnate Son,
grant, through the prayers of both,
that we may attain the salvation
You have promised to Your people.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
Who bestowed on
Saints Joachim and Anne this grace,
that of them should be born
the Mother of Your Incarnate Son,
grant, through the prayers of both,
that we may attain the salvation
You have promised to Your people.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
By their fruits you will know them
Priest and Father of the Church
An excerpt from his work, On the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Anne was to be the mother of the Virgin Mother of God, and hence nature did not dare to anticipate the flowering of grace. Thus nature remained sterile, until grace produced its fruit. For she who was to be born had to be a first-born daughter, since she would be the mother of the first-born of all creation, in whom all things are held together.
Joachim and Anne, how blessed a couple! All creation is indebted to you. For at your hands the Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother, who alone was worthy of him.
And so rejoice, Anne, that you were sterile and have not borne children; break forth into shouts, you who have not given birth. Rejoice, Joachim, because from your daughter a child is born for us, a son is given us, whose name is Messenger of great counsel and universal salvation, mighty God. For this child is God.
Joachim and Anne, how blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have borne, as the Lord says: By their fruits you will know them. The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth. She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body.
Joachim and Anne, how chaste a couple! While safeguarding the chastity prescribed by the law of nature, you achieved with God’s help something which transcends nature in giving the world the Virgin Mother of God as your daughter. While leading a devout and holy life in your human nature, you gave birth to a daughter nobler than the angels, whose queen she now is. Girl of utter beauty and delight, daughter of Adam and mother of God, blessed the loins and blessed the womb from which you come! Blessed the arms that carried you, and blessed your parents’ lips, which you were allowed to cover with chaste kisses, ever maintaining your virginity. Rejoice in God, all the earth. Sing, exult and sing hymns. Raise your voice, raise it and not be afraid.
Joachim and Anne, how blessed a couple! All creation is indebted to you. For at your hands the Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother, who alone was worthy of him.
And so rejoice, Anne, that you were sterile and have not borne children; break forth into shouts, you who have not given birth. Rejoice, Joachim, because from your daughter a child is born for us, a son is given us, whose name is Messenger of great counsel and universal salvation, mighty God. For this child is God.
Joachim and Anne, how blessed and spotless a couple! You will be known by the fruit you have borne, as the Lord says: By their fruits you will know them. The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter. For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity: she who remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth. She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as in body.
Joachim and Anne, how chaste a couple! While safeguarding the chastity prescribed by the law of nature, you achieved with God’s help something which transcends nature in giving the world the Virgin Mother of God as your daughter. While leading a devout and holy life in your human nature, you gave birth to a daughter nobler than the angels, whose queen she now is. Girl of utter beauty and delight, daughter of Adam and mother of God, blessed the loins and blessed the womb from which you come! Blessed the arms that carried you, and blessed your parents’ lips, which you were allowed to cover with chaste kisses, ever maintaining your virginity. Rejoice in God, all the earth. Sing, exult and sing hymns. Raise your voice, raise it and not be afraid.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
Jesus’ Signs: choose quickly and properly
εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary TIme
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary TIme
“Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee.
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs (σημεῖα - semeia)
he was performing on the sick (ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσθενούντων - epi ton asthenounton).”
A large crowd followed him,
because they saw the signs (σημεῖα - semeia)
he was performing on the sick (ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσθενούντων - epi ton asthenounton).”
θεωρέω (theoreo)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)
After a rather contentious battle with the crowds over healing on the Sabbath, His works, His relationship with the Father and believing, Jesus headed for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. The saintly Evangelist recorded that the crowds followed and apparently did so, not to continue debating Jesus, but because of the “signs He was was performing on the sick.” Such is the initiatory action that set the stage for what has come to be known as the “Bread of Life Discourse.”
σημεῖον (semeion), translated into English by the word sign, is an important aspect of the The Gospel according to Saint John. Many scripture scholars note the divison of this Gospel into the ‘Book of Signs’ and ‘the Book of Glory.’ Some of Jesus’ actions are recorded as signs, for example: Water to Wine at Cana (chapter 2), Healing of the Man born blind (chapter 9) and the calling forth of Lazarus (chapter 11). Other actions of Jesus are structurally similar to signs but are not explicitly termed such, for example: Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (chapter 5) and Jesus walking on water (chapter 6). While scholarly purests debate the actual signs and their number, in the Fourth Gospel the actions of Jesus from John 1:19 though the end of chapter 12 have a number of common elements.
Signs are ‘of the senses’ in other words, there is something touchable, tangible visible, etc... (might one even say sacramental?) about Jesus’ actions. Secondly, these signs satisfy or provide a remedy for a particular and immediate need. In the Jewish World of Jesus’ day, people would have understood this as ysh (yesha often translated into English by the word salvation), that is, providing some element of the created world necessary for living. Thirdly, signs - as done by Jesus (an important point!) - ‘carry’ within them a means for being able to look beyond the immediate and ‘see’ or experience a deeper reality. This requires a choice by the recipient of the sign. One can choose to let the sign satisfy on one level without going any further.
Use a stop sign as a comparison. The physical reality of the octagonal red sign or word painted on the road surface calls a driver attention at an intersection. A driver must choose to halt progress. The stop sign or painted word has no power within itself to cause a driver to stop. There is no hook that springs from the sign, grabs an axle and prohibits vehicular movement until the road is clear. In order for the automobile to stap, a driver must make a choice to do so and complete that choice by applying the brake pedal. Jesus’ signs differ. While one must make a choice, the way He performs the sign embues the sign with power, a power initially to establish a connection - should she or he choose - with the Jesus. For Jesus, His signs are intended to spark a relationship with Him, what the Scriptures (especially Saint John’s Gospel) term believing. The concreteness of a given sign ordered initially to remedying a particular emptiness is intended ultimately to draw one into communion with the Person Jesus Who alone satisfies all the hungers of the human heart.
As chapter 6 opens, the crowd followed Jesus because of the “signs He was performing on the sick (chapter 5).” While particular ailments are mentioned in chapter 5 and throughout all the Gospels (for example: blind, lame and paralyzed) there is also the ‘generic’ sick (τῶν ἀσθενούντων - ton asthenounton). Taken from the verb ἀσθενέω (astheneo) and often translated into English as sick, scholars note that in antiquity (especially in terms of Greek medicine), ἀσθενέω (astheneo) meant “to be weak,” “a noticeable loss of strength” or “to be in a weakened condition.” In Greek and Jewish usage, the verb described not only physical fatigue that impeded movement but also a malaise when it came to living a moral or virtuous life (see Mark 14:38, “Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”) ἀσθενέω (astheneo) usage, especially in the early Christian world, also noted a twofold aspect to the weakened condition: on one hand the loss of strength could be attributed to choices made that rendered one physically and morally weak. On the other hand, the human condition itself, fundamentally limited and dependent upon the Father (see Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”) is always in need of assistance to live physically and spiritually.
With their journey across the Sea and their inability (or refusal) to see the deeper meaning of the sign, Jesus makes use of food - 5 barley pieces and 2 morsels of preserved fish (not all that tasty, more on that in the weeks to come) - concrete elements of this world to be another sign hopefully leading the crowd this time to connect with Him. Stay tuned.
σημεῖον (semeion), translated into English by the word sign, is an important aspect of the The Gospel according to Saint John. Many scripture scholars note the divison of this Gospel into the ‘Book of Signs’ and ‘the Book of Glory.’ Some of Jesus’ actions are recorded as signs, for example: Water to Wine at Cana (chapter 2), Healing of the Man born blind (chapter 9) and the calling forth of Lazarus (chapter 11). Other actions of Jesus are structurally similar to signs but are not explicitly termed such, for example: Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (chapter 5) and Jesus walking on water (chapter 6). While scholarly purests debate the actual signs and their number, in the Fourth Gospel the actions of Jesus from John 1:19 though the end of chapter 12 have a number of common elements.
Signs are ‘of the senses’ in other words, there is something touchable, tangible visible, etc... (might one even say sacramental?) about Jesus’ actions. Secondly, these signs satisfy or provide a remedy for a particular and immediate need. In the Jewish World of Jesus’ day, people would have understood this as ysh (yesha often translated into English by the word salvation), that is, providing some element of the created world necessary for living. Thirdly, signs - as done by Jesus (an important point!) - ‘carry’ within them a means for being able to look beyond the immediate and ‘see’ or experience a deeper reality. This requires a choice by the recipient of the sign. One can choose to let the sign satisfy on one level without going any further.
Use a stop sign as a comparison. The physical reality of the octagonal red sign or word painted on the road surface calls a driver attention at an intersection. A driver must choose to halt progress. The stop sign or painted word has no power within itself to cause a driver to stop. There is no hook that springs from the sign, grabs an axle and prohibits vehicular movement until the road is clear. In order for the automobile to stap, a driver must make a choice to do so and complete that choice by applying the brake pedal. Jesus’ signs differ. While one must make a choice, the way He performs the sign embues the sign with power, a power initially to establish a connection - should she or he choose - with the Jesus. For Jesus, His signs are intended to spark a relationship with Him, what the Scriptures (especially Saint John’s Gospel) term believing. The concreteness of a given sign ordered initially to remedying a particular emptiness is intended ultimately to draw one into communion with the Person Jesus Who alone satisfies all the hungers of the human heart.
As chapter 6 opens, the crowd followed Jesus because of the “signs He was performing on the sick (chapter 5).” While particular ailments are mentioned in chapter 5 and throughout all the Gospels (for example: blind, lame and paralyzed) there is also the ‘generic’ sick (τῶν ἀσθενούντων - ton asthenounton). Taken from the verb ἀσθενέω (astheneo) and often translated into English as sick, scholars note that in antiquity (especially in terms of Greek medicine), ἀσθενέω (astheneo) meant “to be weak,” “a noticeable loss of strength” or “to be in a weakened condition.” In Greek and Jewish usage, the verb described not only physical fatigue that impeded movement but also a malaise when it came to living a moral or virtuous life (see Mark 14:38, “Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”) ἀσθενέω (astheneo) usage, especially in the early Christian world, also noted a twofold aspect to the weakened condition: on one hand the loss of strength could be attributed to choices made that rendered one physically and morally weak. On the other hand, the human condition itself, fundamentally limited and dependent upon the Father (see Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”) is always in need of assistance to live physically and spiritually.
With their journey across the Sea and their inability (or refusal) to see the deeper meaning of the sign, Jesus makes use of food - 5 barley pieces and 2 morsels of preserved fish (not all that tasty, more on that in the weeks to come) - concrete elements of this world to be another sign hopefully leading the crowd this time to connect with Him. Stay tuned.
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?” (John 6:9.)
In commenting on this verse from today’s Gospel, Saint Romanus the Melodist writes:
“Master, we can find only five barley loaves;
No one of us brought anything into the desert,
But a child is here who has them.
O Lover of man, no other resource is possible for us.
For an enormous and boundless number of people,
O Man of pity,
How can these five loaves be sufficient?
In addition, he has two fishes.
But hurry and nourish them, since Thou art
The heavenly bread of immortality.”
When Christ heard these words of His disciples,
He answered them in this way:
“You are mistaken if you do not know
That I am the Creator of the universe;
I provide for the world;
I now know clearly what these people need;
I see the desert and that the sun is setting;
Indeed I arranged the setting of the sun;
I understand the distress of the crowd which is here;
I know what I have in mind to do for them.
I myself shall cure their hunger, for I am
The heavenly bread of immortality.
“Even though you consider carefully,
can you as mere men secure nourishment,
Or can you, though you are worried, feed the people?
Or, then, if you cannot feed them, have you the power to keep silent?
I, alone, as Creator take thought for all.
I exist as good, God before the centuries.
And I provide every kind of food for all people;
But you, on beholding the multitude, are worried,
And you do not consider the One who provides abundantly,
As I am set before all, offering
The heavenly bread of immortality.
“I know in advance what you are thinking
and what you are saying to each other,
As you see the people, the means of provision, and the hour.
You are reasoning, ‘Who will feed the entire crowd in the desert?’
Well, know clearly, friends, who I am.
I fed Israel in the desert;
I gave them bread from Heaven;
In a region without water,
I made water to flow from a rock;
Since I am the heavenly bread of immortality.”
No one of us brought anything into the desert,
But a child is here who has them.
O Lover of man, no other resource is possible for us.
For an enormous and boundless number of people,
O Man of pity,
How can these five loaves be sufficient?
In addition, he has two fishes.
But hurry and nourish them, since Thou art
The heavenly bread of immortality.”
When Christ heard these words of His disciples,
He answered them in this way:
“You are mistaken if you do not know
That I am the Creator of the universe;
I provide for the world;
I now know clearly what these people need;
I see the desert and that the sun is setting;
Indeed I arranged the setting of the sun;
I understand the distress of the crowd which is here;
I know what I have in mind to do for them.
I myself shall cure their hunger, for I am
The heavenly bread of immortality.
“Even though you consider carefully,
can you as mere men secure nourishment,
Or can you, though you are worried, feed the people?
Or, then, if you cannot feed them, have you the power to keep silent?
I, alone, as Creator take thought for all.
I exist as good, God before the centuries.
And I provide every kind of food for all people;
But you, on beholding the multitude, are worried,
And you do not consider the One who provides abundantly,
As I am set before all, offering
The heavenly bread of immortality.
“I know in advance what you are thinking
and what you are saying to each other,
As you see the people, the means of provision, and the hour.
You are reasoning, ‘Who will feed the entire crowd in the desert?’
Well, know clearly, friends, who I am.
I fed Israel in the desert;
I gave them bread from Heaven;
In a region without water,
I made water to flow from a rock;
Since I am the heavenly bread of immortality.”
(Kontakion on the Multiplication of Loaves, 13.)
Reflection on Jesus’ signs from this Sunday’s Gospel.
Collect
O God,
protector of those who hope in You,
without whom nothing has firm foundation,
nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance Your mercy upon us
and grant that, with You as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good things
that pass in such a way
as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
protector of those who hope in You,
without whom nothing has firm foundation,
nothing is holy,
bestow in abundance Your mercy upon us
and grant that, with You as our ruler and guide,
we may use the good things
that pass in such a way
as to hold fast even now
to those that ever endure.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
I rejoice exceedingly in all my tribulations
Bishop and Great Eastern Father of the Church
An excerpt from his Homily 14
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Again Paul turns to speak of love, softening the harshness of his rebuke. For after convicting and reproaching them for not loving him as he had loved them, breaking away from his love and attaching themselves to troublemakers, he again takes the edge off the reproach by saying: Open your hearts to us, that is, love us. He asks for a favor which will be no burden to them but will be more profitable to the giver than to the receiver. And he did not use the word “love” but said, more appealingly: Open your hearts to us.
Who, he said, has cast us out of your minds, thrust us from your hearts? How is it that you feel constraint with us? For, since he has said earlier: You are restricted in your own affection, he now declares himself more openly and says: Open your heart to us, thus once more drawing them toward him. For nothing so much wins love as the knowledge that one’s lover desires most of all to be himself loved.
For I said before, he tells them, that you are in our hearts to die together or live together. This is love at its height, that even though in disfavor, he wishes both to die and to live with them. For you are in our hearts, not just somehow or other, but in the way I have said. It is possible to love and yet to draw back when danger threatens; but my love is not like that.
I am filled with consolation. What consolation? That which comes from you because you, being changed for the better, have consoled me by what you have done. It is natural for a lover both to complain that he is not loved in return and to fear that he may cause distress by complaining too much. Therefore, he says: I am filled with consolation, I rejoice exceedingly.
It is as if he said, I was much grieved on your account, but you have made it up for me in full measure and given me comfort; for you have not only removed the cause for any grief but filled me with a richer joy.
Then he shows the greatness of that joy by saying not only I rejoice exceedingly but also the words which follow: in all my tribulations. So great, he says, was the delight that you gave me that it was not even dimmed by so much tribulation, but overcame by its strength and keenness all those sorrows which had invaded my heart, and took away from me all awareness of them.
Who, he said, has cast us out of your minds, thrust us from your hearts? How is it that you feel constraint with us? For, since he has said earlier: You are restricted in your own affection, he now declares himself more openly and says: Open your heart to us, thus once more drawing them toward him. For nothing so much wins love as the knowledge that one’s lover desires most of all to be himself loved.
For I said before, he tells them, that you are in our hearts to die together or live together. This is love at its height, that even though in disfavor, he wishes both to die and to live with them. For you are in our hearts, not just somehow or other, but in the way I have said. It is possible to love and yet to draw back when danger threatens; but my love is not like that.
I am filled with consolation. What consolation? That which comes from you because you, being changed for the better, have consoled me by what you have done. It is natural for a lover both to complain that he is not loved in return and to fear that he may cause distress by complaining too much. Therefore, he says: I am filled with consolation, I rejoice exceedingly.
It is as if he said, I was much grieved on your account, but you have made it up for me in full measure and given me comfort; for you have not only removed the cause for any grief but filled me with a richer joy.
Then he shows the greatness of that joy by saying not only I rejoice exceedingly but also the words which follow: in all my tribulations. So great, he says, was the delight that you gave me that it was not even dimmed by so much tribulation, but overcame by its strength and keenness all those sorrows which had invaded my heart, and took away from me all awareness of them.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
“He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field...” (Matthew 13:24.)
Origen of Alexandria (part 2 of Pope Benedict’s reflections on Origen) comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed at Mass today:
“Consider now, if in addition to what we have already recounted, you can otherwise take the good seed to be the children of the Kingdom, because whatever good things are sown in the human soul, these are the offspring of the Kingdom of God. They have been sown by God the Word who was in the beginning with God. Wholesome words about anything are children of the Kingdom.” (Commentary on Matthew, 10.)
Collect
Show favor, O Lord, to Your servants
and mercifully increase the gifts of Your grace,
that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity,
they may be ever watchful
in keeping Your commands.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
and mercifully increase the gifts of Your grace,
that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity,
they may be ever watchful
in keeping Your commands.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
Our heart is enlarged
Bishop and Great Eastern Father of the Church
An excerpt from Homily on II Corinthians
Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Our heart is enlarged. For as heat makes things expand, so it is the work of love to expand the heart, for its power is to heat and make fervent. It is this that opened Paul’s lips and enlarged his heart. For I do not love only in words; he means, but my loving heart too is in unison with my words; and so I speak with confidence, without restraint or reserve. There was nothing more capacious than the heart of Paul, for he loved all the faithful with as intimate a love as any lover could have for a loved one, his love not being divided and lessened but remaining whole and entire for each of them. And what marvel is it that his love for the faithful was such, since his heart embraced the unbelievers, too, throughout the whole world?
So he did not just say, “I love you,” but with greater emphasis: Our mouth is open, our heart is enlarged; we hold you all in it, and not only that, but with room for you to move freely. For those who are loved enter fearlessly into the heart of their lover. And therefore he says: You are not constrained because of us, but you are constrained in your own affections. See how this reproach is tempered with much forbearance, as is the way with those who love much. For he did not say: You do not love me, but you do not love me in the same measure; for he did not want to charge them more harshly.
Indeed one may see with what a wonderful love for the faithful he is always inflamed, as one finds proof of it in all his writings. To the Romans he says: I desire to see you, and I have often planned to come to you, and if by any means at last I may succeed in reaching you. To the Galatians he says: My little children, with whom I am again in labor; to the Ephesians: For this reason I bend my knees on your behalf; and to the Thessalonians: What is my hope and my crown of glory? Is it not yourselves? For he used to say that he carried them about in his heart and in his chains.
Again he writes to the Colossians: I want you to know how greatly I strive for you and for all who have not seen my face; and to the Thessalonians: Like a nurse taking care of her children, being desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the Gospel but also our own selves. So too he says: You are not restricted by us. And so Paul does not merely say that he loves them but also that they love him, so that in this way he may draw them to him. Indeed, to the Corinthians he bears witness of this love when he says: Titus came, telling us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me.
So he did not just say, “I love you,” but with greater emphasis: Our mouth is open, our heart is enlarged; we hold you all in it, and not only that, but with room for you to move freely. For those who are loved enter fearlessly into the heart of their lover. And therefore he says: You are not constrained because of us, but you are constrained in your own affections. See how this reproach is tempered with much forbearance, as is the way with those who love much. For he did not say: You do not love me, but you do not love me in the same measure; for he did not want to charge them more harshly.
Indeed one may see with what a wonderful love for the faithful he is always inflamed, as one finds proof of it in all his writings. To the Romans he says: I desire to see you, and I have often planned to come to you, and if by any means at last I may succeed in reaching you. To the Galatians he says: My little children, with whom I am again in labor; to the Ephesians: For this reason I bend my knees on your behalf; and to the Thessalonians: What is my hope and my crown of glory? Is it not yourselves? For he used to say that he carried them about in his heart and in his chains.
Again he writes to the Colossians: I want you to know how greatly I strive for you and for all who have not seen my face; and to the Thessalonians: Like a nurse taking care of her children, being desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the Gospel but also our own selves. So too he says: You are not restricted by us. And so Paul does not merely say that he loves them but also that they love him, so that in this way he may draw them to him. Indeed, to the Corinthians he bears witness of this love when he says: Titus came, telling us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
“The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away...” (Matthew 13:20-21.)
Origen of Alexandria (part 2 of Pope Benedict’s reflections on Origen) comments on these verses from the Gospel proclaimed at Mass today:
“Not all the Gospel writers use the same terms in reporting this parable. Matthew wrote of “the evil one,” Mark of “Satan,” and Luke of “the devil.” The phrases “by the wayside” and “in the path” are not quite the same thing. Weigh in the allusion of the statement “I am the way.” Both Matthew and Mark say, most felicitously, that the word was sowed “on stony ground,” not upon a “stone.”
Now to all that which is “by the wayside,” the words “those who do not understand” apply. But to the good ground these words apply: “This is he who hears the word and understands it.” Perhaps then those seeds that fall “on stony ground” and those that fall “among thorns” fall between the people without knowledge and those who understand. This then is an exhortation to meditate diligently upon the faculty of perception. If the seed of the one who is dense is snatched away, the seed of intellect ought to be taken up and covered in the ground of memory, so that it may spread forth roots and may not be found naked or snatched away by the spirits of wickedness.” (Fragment 291)
Now to all that which is “by the wayside,” the words “those who do not understand” apply. But to the good ground these words apply: “This is he who hears the word and understands it.” Perhaps then those seeds that fall “on stony ground” and those that fall “among thorns” fall between the people without knowledge and those who understand. This then is an exhortation to meditate diligently upon the faculty of perception. If the seed of the one who is dense is snatched away, the seed of intellect ought to be taken up and covered in the ground of memory, so that it may spread forth roots and may not be found naked or snatched away by the spirits of wickedness.” (Fragment 291)
Collect
Show favor, O Lord, to Your servants
and mercifully increase the gifts of Your grace,
that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity,
they may be ever watchful
in keeping Your commands.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
and mercifully increase the gifts of Your grace,
that, made fervent in hope, faith and charity,
they may be ever watchful
in keeping Your commands.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Glory to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen
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