Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week
in Ordinary Time



“After he had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat...” (Luke 11:37.)

Saint Cyril of Alexandria comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed at Mass today:

“The Pharisee invites him to an entertainment for his own purpose. The Savior of all submits to this for providence’s sake. He made the matter an opportunity of giving instruction, not consuming the time of their meeting in the enjoyment of food and delicacies but in the task of making those who were assembled there more virtuous. The dull Pharisee himself supplied an occasion for his speech, “because he wondered,” it says, “that he did not wash before dinner.” Did he wonder at him as having done something of which he approved, as being especially worthy of the saints? This was not his view. How could it be? On the contrary, he was offended because although he had the reputation of a righteous man and a prophet, he did not conform himself to their unreasonable customs.

Our argument is this. “O foolish Pharisee, you boast much of your knowledge of the sacred Scriptures. You are always quoting the law of Moses. Tell us where Moses gave you this commandment? What commandment ordained by God requires people to wash before eating? The waters of sprinkling were indeed given by the command of Moses for the cleansing of bodily uncleanness, as being a type of the baptism which really is holy and cleansing, even that in Christ. Those who were called to the priesthood were also bathed in water. The divine Moses bathed Aaron and the Levites. The law thereby declared by means of the baptism enacted in type and shadow that even its priesthood did not have what is sufficient for sanctification. On the contrary, it needs divine and holy baptism for the true cleansing.” (Commentary on Luke, “Homily 83”)



Collect
May Your grace, O Lord, we pray,
at all times
go before us and follow after
and make us always determined
to carry out good works.
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


Top






Light everlasting in the
temple of the eternal high priest



Saint Columban
Abbot

An excerpt from An Instruction On Compunction

Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

How blessed, how fortunate, are those servants whom the Lord will find watchful when he comes. Blessed is the time of waiting when we stay awake for the Lord, the Creator of the universe, who fills all things and transcends all things.

How I wish he would awaken me, his humble servant, from the sleep of slothfulness, even though I am of little worth. How I wish he would enkindle me with that fire of divine love. The flames of his love burn beyond the stars; the longing for his overwhelming delights and the divine fire ever burn within me!

How I wish I might deserve to have my lantern always burning at night in the temple of my Lord, to give light to all who enter the house of my God. Give me, I pray you, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son and my God, that love that does not fail so that my lantern, burning within me and giving light to others, may be always lighted and never extinguished.

Jesus, our most loving Savior, be pleased to light our lanterns, so that they might burn for ever in your temple, receiving eternal light from you, the eternal light, to lighten our darkness and to ward off from us the darkness of the world.

Give your light to my lantern, I beg you, my Jesus, so that by its light I may see that holy of holies which receives you as the eternal priest entering among the columns of your great temple. May I ever see you only, look on you, long for you; may I gaze with love on you alone, and have my lantern shining and burning always in your presence.

Loving Savior, be pleased to show yourself to us who knock, so that in knowing you we may love only you, love you alone, desire you alone, contemplate only you day and night, and always think of you. Inspire in us the depth of love that is fitting for you to receive as God. So may your love pervade our whole being, possess us completely, and fill all our senses, that we may know no other love but love for you who are everlasting. May our love be so great that the many waters of sky, land and sea cannot extinguish it in us: many waters could not extinguish love.

May this saying be fulfilled in us also, at least in part by your gift, Jesus Christ, our Lord, to whom be glory 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

 






Pity (Mercy) - intentional action
NOT saccharine or sappy emotion



εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”

“As he was entering a village,
ten lepers met [him].
They stood at a distance from Him and
raised their voice, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity (ἐλέησον, eleésōn) on us!”



θεωρέω (theoreo)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)

When 10 lepers saw Jesus and cried out “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us,” what did they expect from Him? It is a question worth asking because it can, among a number of perspectives, help us appreciate what pity or mercy meant in the time of Jesus and so help us to appreciate what it means ‘to give thanks’ as a current disciple of Jesus. The Greek verb ἐλεέω (eleéō), translated in today’s Gospel proclamation as [to] have pity, can also be rendered into English as “to have compassion” as well as “give, show, obtain or receive mercy” according to a variety of lexicons. But even with that information, it does not seem to give us a clear meaning of what it means ‘to pity’ or ‘to show mercy.’
ἐλεέω (eleéō), as used in around the time of the great Philosopher Plato, described a feeling (or an emotion) that responded to unfortunate events that befell another person or persons. Whatever the other person experienced, ἐλεέω (eleéō) clearly conveyed that things were not good.  Furthermore ἐλεέω (eleéō) implied, in the words of Jerry Seinfeld, “that’s a shame.” In other words, one recognized that what happened was bad AND I am quite happy that it did not happen to me! Social decorum dictated, however, that this aspect of ἐλεέω (eleéō) not be voiced.

In time, ἐλεέω (eleéō) began to express more than a feeling or emotion. It is hard to determine precisely when but some textual and historical evidence suggests that ἐλεέω (eleéō) was influenced significantly by Jewish life expressed by the Hebrew word hesed. While difficult to translate into English with a single word, hesed is one of the Hebrew words for love that includes actions of kindness, generosity and mercy to name only a few. What is most important is that hesed is an action born of choice, NOT primarily a feeling or emotion nor merely ‘nice thoughts.’ Can hesed involve feelings and emotions? Sure. The various actions of hesed are often ‘enhanced’ by feelings, emotions or passions. But, the absence of feelings, emotions or passions does not mean the absence of hesed because hesed flows from the intellect, not the passions.
When the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek (the Septuagint), ἐλεέω (eleéō) rendered the Hebrew hesed. But ἐλεέω (eleéō) at that time did not have the depth of meaning conveyed by hesed. Among the Jewish people, hesed was grounded in the context of relational living, regardless of whether or not the relationship was between or among equals. In other words, hesed factored into relationships whether one was speaking of God and humanity, friend to friend or king and slave. In these and other relationships, hesed acknowledged a connection among persons and because of that connection a person had to act - ‘had to do hesed’ - when another person was in need. Hesed, consequently, expressed action triggered by an act of the will not first or foremost an emotion or feeling. 

Thus by the time of Jesus’ Public Ministry, ἐλεέω (eleéō) was understood an action done to alleviate the burden that had befallen another person. ἐλεέω (eleéō) responded to what was judged a lack of some element necessary for life, beginning on a physical level with water then moving on to food and shelter. It became clearer when this pointed to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Those who have no food, no companionship, no clothing do not want a sentiment or a feeling. People in those situations want food, companionship and clothing – to name only a few. People who are in need of forgiveness, comfort or prayer do not want ‘nice thoughts’ or a good intentions – they need forgiveness, comfort and prayer. It is the obligation of the disciple of Jesus to do all in his/her power to make it happen to the best of his/her grace-initiated and grace-assisted abilities. As far as Jesus is concerned, eternal life hangs in the balance – a point Archbishop Charles Chaput made bluntly in an interview when asked if there would be cutbacks on services to the poor: “If we don’t love the poor, and do all we can to improve their lot, we're going to go to Hell!”
So what did the 10 lepers want when they cried out to Jesus? No doubt, each of them wanted their skin cleansed and healed, just ask anyone with any type of skin affliction - it’s a ‘no-brainer.’ Yet Jesus knew they needed more – they needed a connection with Him (the Gift of Faith) which one of them was able to recognize because he was thankful.



Podcast featuring an excerpt from Saint Caesarius of Arles’
Sermon 129: On Holy Elisha and his servant Gehazi —






Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time



“And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed.” (Luke 17:14.)


Saint Cyril of Alexandria comments on this verse from the Gospel proclaimed at Mass today:

“Why did he not say, “I will, be cleansed,” as he did in the case of another leper, instead of commanding them to show themselves to the priests? It was because the law gave directions to this effect to those who were delivered from leprosy. It commanded them to show themselves to the priests and to offer a sacrifice for their cleansing. He commanded them to go as being already healed so that they might bear witness to the priests, the rulers of the Jews and always envious of his glory. They testified that wonderfully and beyond their hope, they had been delivered from their misfortune by Christ’s willing that they should be healed. He did not heal them first but sent them to the priests, because the priests knew the marks of leprosy and of its healing.” (Commentary on Luke, Homily 113)


Additional reflections on this Sunday’s Gospel proclamation concerning pity/mercy (ἐλεέω eleéō) can be found at my blog —  


Podcast featuring an excerpt from Saint Caesarius of Arles’
Sermon 129: On Holy Elisha and his servant Gehazi —



Collect
May Your grace, O Lord, we pray,
at all times go before us and follow after
and make us always determined
to carry out good works.
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


Top






Te Deum



You are God: we praise You;
You are the Lord; we acclaim You;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships You.


To You all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of Your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise You.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise You.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise You.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims You;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of the Father.
When You became man to set us free
You did not shun the Virgin’s womb.


You overcame the sting of death
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God's right hand in glory.
We believe that You will come and be our judge.

Come then, Lord, and help Your people,
bought with the price of Your own blood,
and bring us with Your saints
to glory everlasting.





Faith - a relationship to be nurtured



εὐαγγελίζω (euaggelizo)
“to announce the Good News of victory in battle”

“And the apostles said to the Lord,
“Increase our faith (πίστιν, pístin).””



θεωρέω (theoreo)
(“to perceive, discover, ponder a deeper meaning”)

Jesus’ catechesis these past few Sundays have addressed proper actions of a disciple. Care for the poor, proper use of wealth and possessions, forgiveness and radical commitment are but a sampling of essential works that express a life grounded in the Person, Jesus. His words this Sunday continue the lessons of discipleship with a direction that is a bit more interiorly focused on faith.

“And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase (πρόσθες, prósthes) our faith (πίστιν, pístin).”” (Luke 17:5) The apostles make a noble request, “Increase our faith.” What disciple would not want more faith? But Jesus appears to sidestep their request and implies that more faith is not necessary, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”” (Luke 17:6) Jesus’ response, as presented by St. Luke, silences the apostles and no further question or rebuttal is offered. The apostles and perhaps present-day disciples may be disappointed unless there is something more to consider.

In His humanity, Jesus lives a deeply devout Jewish life, steeped solidly in the Torah and Temple, expressed in the daily chanting of the Psalms. Faith is no stranger in the Psalms as this essential of Covenant living abounds throughout the 150 prayerful hymns. Within the rich theology of the Psalms, for many though, ‘faith’ is a vague dimension of living with Jesus. On one hand, many say that faith has something to do with mystery and not being able to understand various elements of Christian teaching. On the other hand, some might echo a catechism definition: “Faith is first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed. As personal adherence to God and assent to his truth, Christian faith differs from our faith in any human person. It is right and just to entrust oneself wholly to God and to believe absolutely what he says. It would be futile and false to place such faith in a creature (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 150).” Yet when faced with ‘unpacking’ the definition, a good number remain perplexed.

Living in a Jewish milieu of the first century, Jesus’ followers would certainly have known the necessity of faith in terms of Covenant living. אָמַן (aman) is one of the rich Hebrew words that translates the Greek πίστις (pístis) into English as faith. Grounded in the experience of motherhood, אָמַן (aman) expresses ‘a connection between persons, originally a mother and child, that provides for all the essentials of life (especially food) so that one may be ‘built up’ and grow strong while connected to the other.’ The child comes to know her or his mother as the source of life and trusts that she will give all that is vital for living and growing. For the Israelites, this tender imagery expressed the relationship between God and themselves.
The connection or relationship had another dimension: bonding or adherence. For the one who receives life’s necessities from his or her mother, explicit in that experience is that one receives from no one else. Dependent as one is on a mother, that dependency forms exclusivity. One does not take while looking around at the same time for a ‘better’ or ‘tastier offer.’ No matter how good something looks, no matter how pleasing something sounds, אָמַן (aman) fosters the life connection to one and only one. This is the lesson of the Garden. So long as humanity listened to the Creator and only the Creator, life flourished. When humanity opened the door to dialogue with another, the fundamental relationship of life was dealt a severe blow to human nature.

It is no wonder then that Jesus calls forth אָמַן (aman) in the people He meets and continues to meet. All of humanity’s ills then and now are rooted in a divided existence that seeks a false autonomy that makes idols of everything thus enslaving our lives in and to sin. אָמַן (aman) – the connection of life to and with Jesus offers true freedom and health of body, mind and soul that each may live in peace.


Podcast featuring an excerpt from Saint Basil the Great’s
On the Holy Spirit —






Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time



“So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’” (Luke 17:10.)

Saint Ambrose of Milan offers the following insight on this verse from today’s Gospel proclamation:

“You do not say to your servant, “Sit down,” but require more service from him and do not thank him. The Lord also does not allow only one work or labor for you, because so long as we live we must always work.

Know that you are a servant overwhelmed by very much obedience. You must not set yourself first, because you are called a son of God. Grace must be acknowledged, but nature not overlooked. Do not boast of yourself if you have served well, as you should have done. The sun obeys, the moon complies, and the angels serve. Let us not require praise from ourselves nor prevent the judgment of God and anticipate the sentence of the Judge but reserve it for its own time and Judge.” (Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 8.)



Collect
Almighty ever-living God,
Who in the abundance of Your kindness
surpass the merits and desires
of those who entreat You,
pour out Your mercy upon us
to pardon what conscience dreads and
to give what prayer does not dare to ask.
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


Podcast featuring an excerpt from Saint Basil the Great’s
On the Holy Spirit —




Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church



“Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.” (Luke 10:18.)

Saint Ephrem the Syrian offers the following insight on this verse from today’s Gospel Proclamation:

“I was looking at Satan, who fell like lightning from the heavens.” It was not that he was actually in the heavens. He was not in them when he said, “I will place my throne above the stars,” but he fell from his greatness and his dominion. “I was looking at Satan, who fell like lightning from the heavens.” He did not fall from heaven, because lightning does not fall from heaven, since the clouds create it. Why then did he say “from the heavens”? This was because it was as though it was from the heavens, as if lightning which comes suddenly. In one second, Satan fell beneath the victory of the cross. Ordinary people were anointed and sent out by reason of their mission and were highly successful in a second, through miracles of healing those in pain, sickness and evil spirits. It was affirmed that Satan suddenly fell from his dominion, like lightning from the clouds. Just as lightning goes out and does not return to its place, so too did Satan fall and did not again have control over his dominion. “Behold, I am giving you dominion.” (Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron, 10.)



Collect
O God,
Who open Your Kingdom
to those who are humble and to little ones,
lead us to follow trustingly
in the little way of Saint Thérèse,
so that through her intercession
we may see Your eternal glory revealed.
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

 


In the heart of the Church I will be love



Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Doctor of the Church

An excerpt from her autobiography

Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

Since my longing for martyrdom was powerful and unsettling, I turned to the epistles of Saint Paul in the hope of finally finding an answer. By chance the twelfth and thirteenth chapters of the first epistle to the Corinthians caught my attention, and in the first section I read that not everyone can be an apostle, prophet or teacher, that the Church is composed of a variety of members, and that the eye cannot be the hand. Even with such an answer revealed before me, I was not satisfied and did not find peace.

I persevered in the reading and did not let my mind wander until I found this encouraging theme: Set your desires on the greater gifts. And I will show you the way which surpasses all others. For the Apostle insists that the greater gifts are nothing at all without love and that this same love is surely the best path leading directly to God. At length I had found peace of mind.

When I had looked upon the mystical body of the Church, I recognized myself in none of the members which Saint Paul described, and what is more, I desired to distinguish myself more favorably within the whole body. Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation. Indeed I knew that the Church had a body composed of various members, but in this body the necessary and more noble member was not lacking; I knew that the Church had a heart and that such a heart appeared to be aflame with love. I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more. I saw and realized that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love embraces every time and every place. In one word, that love is everlasting.

Then, nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is love. Certainly I have found my place in the Church, and you gave me that very place, my God. In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction.


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





Wednesday of the Twenty-sixth Week
in Ordinary Time



“And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “[Lord,] let me go first and bury my father.”” (Luke 9:59.)

Saint Basil the Great offers the following insight on this verse from today's Gospel:

“The man said, “Allow me first to go and bury my father.” The Lord replied, “Let the dead bury their dead; but go and preach the kingdom of God.” Another man said, “Let me first arrange my affairs at home.” He rebuked him with a stern threat, saying, “No man, putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” A person who wishes to become the Lord’s disciple must repudiate a human obligation, however honorable it may appear, if it slows us ever so slightly in giving the wholehearted obedience we owe to God.” (Concerning Baptism)



Collect
O God,
Who manifest Your almighty power
above all by pardoning and showing mercy,
bestow, we pray,
Your grace abundantly upon us
and make those
hastening to attain Your promises
heirs to the treasures of heaven.
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

 


Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)