Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 10-04-04, Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, religious

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Saint Francis of Assisi,Founder of the Friars Minor, Confessor 1181-1226

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Prayer of Saint Francis of Assissi

Lord, make me am instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
and where there is saddness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

From: Galatians 1:6-12

A Warning

[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called
you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel--[7] not
that there is another gospel, but there are some who trouble you and
want to pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we, or an angel
from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we
preached to you, let him be accursed. [9] As we have said before, so
now I say again, If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to
that which you received, let him be accursed.

[10] Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to
please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of
Christ.

God's Call

[11] For I would have you know, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached by me is not man's gospel. [12] For I did not receive it from
man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus
Christ.

Commentary:

6-9. The Galatians had suddenly begun to go off course, for no sooner
had St Paul preached to them during his second visit, than enemies of
his appeared on the scene seeking to undermine his authority and had
won over the Galatians, especially on the matter of circumcision.

In view of this, the Apostle clearly and forcefully spells out to the
Galatians that there is only one Gospel, only one way to attain
salvation. "These people", St Jerome explains, "wanted to change the
Gospel, to twist it; but that is something they cannot succeed in
doing, for this Gospel is such that it cannot be true if it is
tampered with" ("Comm. in Gal", 1, 7).

The content of Revelation--the deposit of faith--cannot be interfered
with. The Apostles, as their very title implies, were sent to pass on,
in all its integrity, what had been entrusted to them (cf. 1 Cor
11:23). That is why St Paul tells his assistants in the government of
the Church, Titus and Timothy, to guard very carefully the truths he
has taught them (cf. 1 Tim 6:20; 2 Tim 1:14; Tit 1:9; 2:1; etc.).

St Paul is extremely insistent on the need to protect the deposit of
faith, and he reacts very forcefully against those who seek to
adulterate it, as we can see in this present text. Any attempt to
replace the true Gospel of Jesus Christ with a different teaching does
indeed warrant the severe judgment which the Apostle here delivers in
God's name. In the same way, "the Church which received the office of
safeguarding the deposit of faith along with the apostolic duty of
teaching, likewise possesses the right and duty of proscribing [...]
opinions that are known to be opposed to the doctrine of the faith"
(Vatican I, "Dei Filius", chap. 4).

There is, then, no "new Christianity" waiting to be discovered. "The
Christian economy, therefore, since it is the new and definitive
covenant, will never pass away; and no new public revelation is to be
expected before the glorious manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 5).

10. One of the accusations directed against St Paul was that, in order
to make it easier for people to become Christians, he tried to win them
over by not requiring Gentiles to undergo circumcision. In fact the
Apostle's only aim was to serve Christ; for him, as St John Chrysostom
put it, "to love Christ was life, the world, heaven, present
well-being, the kingdom, the promise, immeasurable good; outside of
this he did not concern himself with classifying things as sorrowful or
joyful, nor did he regard anything that one might have in this world as
disagreeable or pleasant" ("Second Hom. in Praise of St Paul").

St Paul can assert that he did not mind if there were people who did
not understand him or even rejected his teaching. He had plenty of
experience of opposition to the demands of the Gospel; and this never
led him to play down the reality of the Cross in order to make more
acceptable the truth he was proclaiming. In addition to lack of
response from Gentiles, his faithfulness to Christ had also earned him
enmity and persecution from Jews (cf. Acts 13:50).

We can learn a great deal from Paul to help us not to be cowed by "what
people may think". Although Christian living does sometimes clash with
the environment around us, we should not desist from trying to be
faithful to the demands of the Gospel. "Therefore, when in our own life
or in that of others we notice something that is not going well,
something that requires the spiritual and human help which, as children
of God, we can and ought to provide, then a clear sign of prudence is
to apply the appropriate remedy by going to the root of the trouble,
resolutely, lovingly and sincerely. There is no room here for
inhibitions, for it is a great mistake to think that problems can be
solved by inaction or procrastination" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God",
157).

St Teresa, for her part, writes: "We are trying to attain union with
God. We want to follow the counsels of Christ, on whom were showered
insults and false witness. Are we, then, really so anxious to keep
intact our own reputation and credit? We cannot do so and yet attain
to union, for the two ways diverge" ("Life", chap. 31). If we are truly
to serve God we must be ready to face indifference and misunderstanding
whenever it may arise. "You must indeed have purified your intention
well when you said: From this moment on I renounce all human gratitude
and reward" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 789).

11-12. "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10), Paul asked at the moment
of his conversion. Jesus replied, 'Rise, and go into Damascus, and
there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do" (ibid.).
The former persecutor, now under the influence of grace, will receive
instruction and Baptism through the ordinary course of divine
Providence--from a man, Ananias. Thereby Jesus led him to humility,
obedience and abandonment. The Gospel which St Paul preached was
identical with that preached by the other Apostles, and already had the
character of "tradition" in the nascent Church (cf. 1 Cor 15:3; Gal
2:2). This is compatible with Paul's claim--made in this passage--that
his Gospel does not come from any man but through a revelation from
Jesus Christ. Firstly, because on seeing the risen Christ he was given
supernatural light to understand that Jesus was not only the Messiah
but also the Son of God; and also because this first revelation was
followed by many others to which he refers in his epistles (cf. 1 Cor
11:23; 13:3-8 and especially 2 Cor 12:1-4).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Luke 10:25-37

Parable of the Good Samaritan

[25] And behold, a lawyer stood up to put Him (Jesus) to the test,
saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" [26] He
said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read?" [27] And
he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your
mind: and your neighbor as yourself." [28] And He said to him, "You
have answered right; do this, and you will live." [29] But he,
desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
[30] Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed,
leaving him half dead. [31] Now by chance a priest was going down that
road; and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. [32] So
likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on
the other side. [33] But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where
he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion, [34] and went to him
and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; then he set him on
his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. [35]
And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the
inn-keeper, saying, "Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, I
will repay you when I come back.' [36] Which of these three, do you
think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" [37] He
said, "The one who showed mercy on him." And Jesus said to him, "Go
and do likewise."

Commentary:

25-28. Our Lord's teaching is that the way to attain eternal life is
through faithful fulfillment of the Law of God. The Ten Commandments,
which God gave Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 20:1-17), express the
natural law in a clear and concrete way. It is part of Christian
teaching that the natural law exists, that it is a participation by
rational creatures in the Eternal Law and that it is impressed on the
conscience of every man when he is created by God (cf. Leo XIII,
"Libertas Praestantissimum"). Obviously, therefore, the natural law,
expressed in the Ten Commandments, cannot change or become outdated,
for it is not dependent on man's will or on changing circumstances.

In this passage, Jesus praises and accepts the summary of the Law given
by the Jewish scribe. This reply, taken from Deuteronomy (6:4ff), was
a prayer which the Jews used to say frequently. Our Lord gives the
very same reply when He is asked which is the principal commandment of
the Law and concludes His answer by saying, "On these two commandments
depend all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40; cf. also Romans
13:8-9; Galatians 5:14).

There is a hierarchy and order in these two commandments constituting
the double precept of charity: before everything and above everything
comes loving God in Himself; in the second place, and as a consequence
of the first commandment, comes loving one's neighbor, for God
explicitly requires us to do so (1 John 4:21; cf. notes on Matthew
22:34-40 and 22:37-38).

This passage of the Gospel also included another basic doctrine: the
Law of God is not something negative--"Do not do this"--but something
completely positive--love. Holiness, to which all baptized people are
called, does not consist in not sinning, but in loving, in doing
positive things, in bearing fruit in the form of love of God. When our
Lord describes for us the Last Judgment He stresses this positive
aspect of the Law of God (Matthew 25:31-46). The reward of eternal
life will be given to those who do good.

27. "Yes, our only occupation here on earth is that of loving God--that
is, to start doing what we will be doing for all eternity. Why must we
love God? Well, because our happiness consists in love of God; it can
consist in nothing else. So, if we do not love God, we will always be
unhappy; and if we wish to enjoy any consolation and relief in our
pains, we will attain it only by recourse to love of God. If you want
to be convinced of this, go and find the happiest man according to the
world; if he does not love God, you will find that in fact he is an
unhappy man. And, on the contrary, if you discover the man most
unhappy in the eyes of the world, you will see that because he loves
God he is happy in every way. Oh my God!, open the eyes of our souls,
and we will seek our happiness where we truly can find it" (St. John
Mary Vianney, "Selected Sermons", Twenty-second Sunday after
Pentecost).

29-37. In this moving parable, which only St. Luke gives us, our Lord
explains very graphically who our neighbor is and how we should show
charity towards him, even if he is our enemy.

Following other Fathers, St. Augustine ("De Verbis Domini Sermones",
37) identifies the Good Samaritan with our Lord, and the waylaid man
with Adam, the source and symbol of all fallen mankind. Moved by
compassion and piety, He comes down to earth to cure man's wounds,
making them His own (Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John
3:5). In fact, we often see Jesus being moved by man's suffering (cf.
Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13). And St. John says: "In this the
love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into
the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that
we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation
for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another" (1 John 4:9-11).

This parable leaves no doubt about who our neighbor is--anyone (without
distinction of race or relationship) who needs our help; nor about how
we should love him--by taking pity on him, being compassionate towards
his spiritual and corporal needs; and it is not just a matter of having
the right feelings towards him; we must do something, we must
generously serve him.

Christians, who are disciples of Christ, should share His love and
compassion, never distancing themselves from others' needs. One way to
express love for one's neighbor is perform the "works of mercy", which
get their name from the fact that they are not duties in justice.
There are fourteen such works, seven spiritual and seven corporal. The
spiritual are: To convert the sinner; To instruct the ignorant; To
counsel the doubtful; To comfort the sorrowful; To bear wrongs
patiently; To forgive injuries; To pray for the living and the dead.
The corporal works are: To feed the hungry; To give drink to the
thirsty; To clothe the naked; To shelter the homeless; To visit the
sick; To visit the imprisoned; To bury the dead.

31-32. Very probably one reason why our Lord used this parable was to
correct one of the excesses of false piety common among His
contemporaries. According to the Law of Moses, contact with dead
bodies involved legal impurity, from which one was cleansed by various
ablutions (cf. Numbers 19:11-22; Leviticus 21:1-4, 11-12). These
regulations were not meant to prevent people from helping the injured;
they were designed for reasons of hygiene and respect for the dead.
The aberration of the priest and the Levite in this parable consisted
in this: they did not know for sure whether the man who had been
assaulted was dead or not, and they preferred to apply a wrong
interpretation of a secondary, ritualistic precept of the Law rather
than obey the more important commandment of loving one's neighbor and
giving him whatever help one can.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Francis was born in the town of Assisi around the year 1182.
Francis' family was financially stable and Francis was educated so
he would be able to help his father when he was old enough. As
Francis grew up, he enjoyed many worldly pleasures, but he was
balanced with a great generosity and love of God's people.

Francis' life was completely changed one day when he met a leper
and saw the great needs of this man. Francis gave the leper all the
possessions he had with him. He began to give more and more of
his time and possessions to the poor. As Francis began to move his
life more and more to the service of God, his father began to become
angry with him. This built up until one day Francis' father gave him
the choice to give up his new life for God or to give up his life as a
merchant. Francis gave up the life of a merchant and renounced all
his rights to his inheritance.

Francis set out to do the will of God. He had been inspired to rebuild
the decaying church at St. Damino and began to beg for alms to
raise the needed money. While he was working on this task, he
began to attract followers, and the Order of Friars Minor began to
take shape.

Francis spent the rest of his life with the order he created, begging
for alms and serving God's people. In addition to founding the
Franciscan order, Francis also helped St. Clare form the Poor
Clares, sisters with much of the same aims as the Franciscans.
Francis received the stigmata on September 24, 1224 and died on
October 4, 1226 at the age of 45 and was canonized less then two
years latter in July 1228. St. Francis is the patron of ecologists and of
Italy.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all
the churches which are in the whole world, because by your holy
cross you have redeemed the world. -St. Francis of Assisi

TODAY IN HISTORY

1965 Pope Paul VI becomes 1st Pope to visit Western Hemisphere
1978 Funeral services held for Pope John Paul I

TODAY'S TIDBIT

St. Francis of Assisi founded the Order of Friars Minor, helped found
the Poor Clares and his rule is also used by Third Order
Franciscans. Currently there are more than 17900 Franciscans
around the world.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of St. Francis, for all the poor.

October 4, 2004

St. Francis of Assisi

(1182-1226)

Francis of Assisi was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally—not in a narrow fundamentalist sense, but by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit and without a mite of self-importance.

Serious illness brought the young Francis to see the emptiness of his frolicking life as leader of Assisi's youth. Prayer—lengthy and difficult—led him to a self-emptying like that of Christ, climaxed by embracing a leper he met on the road. It symbolized his complete obedience to what he had heard in prayer: "Francis! Everything you have loved and desired in the flesh it is your duty to despise and hate, if you wish to know my will. And when you have begun this, all that now seems sweet and lovely to you will become intolerable and bitter, but all that you used to avoid will turn itself to great sweetness and exceeding joy."

From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, "Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down." Francis became the totally poor and humble workman.

He must have suspected a deeper meaning to "build up my house." But he would have been content to be for the rest of his life the poor "nothing" man actually putting brick on brick in abandoned chapels. He gave up every material thing he had, piling even his clothes before his earthly father (who was demanding restitution for Francis' "gifts" to the poor) so that he would be totally free to say, "Our Father in heaven." He was, for a time, considered to be a religious "nut," begging from door to door when he could not get money for his work, bringing sadness or disgust to the hearts of his former friends, ridicule from the unthinking.

But genuineness will tell. A few people began to realize that this man was actually trying to be Christian. He really believed what Jesus said: "Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff" (see Luke 9:1-3).

Francis' first rule for his followers was a collection of texts from the Gospels. He had no idea of founding an order, but once it began he protected it and accepted all the legal structures needed to support it. His devotion and loyalty to the Church were absolute and highly exemplary at a time when various movements of reform tended to break the Church's unity.

He was torn between a life devoted entirely to prayer and a life of active preaching of the Good News. He decided in favor of the latter, but always returned to solitude when he could. He wanted to be a missionary in Syria or in Africa, but was prevented by shipwreck and illness in both cases. He did try to convert the sultan of Egypt during the Fifth Crusade.

During the last years of his relatively short life (he died at 44) he was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death, he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side.

On his deathbed, he said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, "Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death." He sang Psalm 141, and at the end asked his superior to have his clothes removed when the last hour came and for permission to expire lying naked on the earth, in imitation of his Lord.

Comment:

Francis of Assisi was poor only that he might be Christ-like. He loved nature because it was another manifestation of the beauty of God. He did great penance (apologizing to "Brother Body" later in life) that he might be totally disciplined for the will of God. His poverty had a sister, humility, by which he meant total dependence on the good God. But all this was, as it were, preliminary to the heart of his spirituality: living the gospel life, summed up in the charity of Jesus and perfectly expressed in the Eucharist.

Quote:

"We adore you and we bless you, Lord Jesus Christ, here and in all the churches which are in the whole world, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world" (St. Francis).

St. Francis of Assisi, religious

Old Calendar: St. Francis of Assisi, confessor

St. Francis (1182-1226) was born and died in Assisi. He was the son of a rich merchant, Bernadone, received a good education, and in the beginning followed the ways of the world. He was taken prisoner in the battle between the Assisians and Perugians, and after his release decided to abandon everything for Christ. His father became extremely displeased at his action, and disinherited him. In 1220 he founded a new order which in ten years numbered five thousand brothers. His followers were called Friars Minor because they were to consider themselves as the least among religious. Out of humility Francis never accepted the priesthood but remained a deacon all his life. He had a great love for God's creatures and called them his brothers and sisters. His ardent love of God merited for him the name of Seraphic.

St. Francis of Assisi

Francis Bernardone was born in 1181 at Assisi, Umbria, Italy. The son of a wealthy cloth merchant, he lived a lavish and irresponsible life. At the age of twenty, he went to war against Perugia, but was captured and imprisoned. During his imprisonment he experienced a vision from Christ and changed his life completely. He left all his possessions and embraced complete poverty, taking the Gospel as his rule of life.

He wore ragged old clothes, begged for food and preached peace. He began to attract followers, and in 1209 with the papal blessing he founded the Friars Minor (Franciscans). Then in 1212 with St. Clare of Assisi he founded the foundation of the Order of "Poor Ladies", now known as the "Poor Clares". He also founded the "Third Order of Penance" (the Third Order) which included lay people. He was the first person (recorded) to receive the stigmata (the five wounds of Christ) in 1224. He died on October 4, 1226 at Portiuncula, Italy. He was canonized by Gregory IX less than two years later.

Patron: against fire; animals; Catholic Action; dying alone; ecology; environment; families; fire; lacemakers; merchants; peace; zoos; Italy; Assisi, Italy; Colorado; Sante Fe, New Mexico; archdiocese of San Francisco, California; archdiocese of Denver, Colorado; archdiocese of Sante Fe, New Mexico; diocese of Salina, Kansas.

Symbols: birds and animals; bag of gold and rich raiment at his feet; winged crucifix with five rays; stigmata; crown of thorns; lighted lamp; fiery chariot; birds; deer; fish; skull; wolf; fire.

Things to Do:

Pray the Canticle of the Sun, which was written by St. Francis.
For more reading, see the selections from the Catholic Culture Library. This page from the Franciscan Archives contains links about St. Francis of Assisi, including biographies, articles, writings, Orders & Societies, liturgical texts and art.
Many parishes have a Blessing of animals or pets on this day. See the Prayers column for other alternatives. St. Francis loved all of God's creatures. Find the stories of the Wolf of Gubbio, the Sermon to the Birds, his Canticle of Creatures to see some illustrations of his honoring God's creation.
St. Francis is also patron of ecology and the environment. Here is an excellent St. Francis of Assisi Ecology Unit Study to use either for homeschooling, parish catechism, or material to use in the home. This is a PDF file, so you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file. As Catholics we are called to be good stewards of God's creation that is given for our use.
St. Francis was influential on our present-day Christmas crib or creche. Find out more about this historical event. See the articles in our Activities sidebar.
Although St. Francis is one of the most popular saints of the Church, and his feast is a huge celebration in Assisi, there are no particular foods attached to that festival. Tradition has passed on that on his deathbed he requested Frangipane cream or Moastaccioli (almond biscotti). Fire is a symbol of St. Francis, first of all because his heart was on fire with love of God, but there are other stories in Little Flowers of St. Francis that deal with fire, particularly when he prayed, the surrounding areas would become so bright that people thought the areas were on fire. So a flaming dessert or wine would be an appropriate ending of a wonderful feast. One could also try some Umbrian style recipes, or just have "Italian night" at home, even just simple spaghetti or other pasta and sauces.
Learn more about the Franciscan order, how it is has changed from Francis' original "charter". The Catholic Encyclopedia has a wonderful entry on St. Francis, including his Rule.
What does poverty in our state of life mean? How can I follow the Gospels like Francis?
Learn more about geography and history of Umbria area, and how much Francis has impacted that area.
Study art and photos of Francis. Find out more about the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Although the earthquake in 1997 damaged the basilica, it reopened in 1999.
This is an excellent Biography of St. Francis that includes wonderful material about Assisi and the surrounding areas.
Read Little Flowers of St. Francis by Brother Ugolino online or purchase a copy. This is a collection of many stories and legends of the life of St. Francis. Of particular note is his Sermon to the Birds,
"My little sisters the birds, ye owe much to God, your Creator, and ye ought to sing his praise at all times and in all places, because he has given you liberty to fly about into all places; and though ye neither spin nor sew, he has given you a twofold and a threefold clothing for yourselves and for your offspring. Two of all your species he sent into the Ark with Noe that you might not be lost to the world; besides which, he feeds you, though ye neither sow nor reap. He has given you fountains and rivers to quench your thirst, mountains and valleys in which to take refuge, and trees in which to build your nests; so that your Creator loves you much, having thus favoured you with such bounties. Beware, my little sisters, of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praise to God."

Collect:
Father, you helped Saint Francis to reflect the image of Christ through a life of poverty and humility. May we follow your Son by walking in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi, and by imitating his joyful love. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Recipes:

·	Frangipane Cream
·	Mostaccioli
·	Frangipane Cream
·	Frangipane Cream
·	Almond Slices
·	Jiffy On-Fire Dessert
·	Snowballs on Fire
·	Cherries Jubilee
·	Glow Wine
·	Fettuccelle with Artichokes
·	Chicken Valdostana

Activities:

·	Namedays
·	Teaching Obedience
·	Christmas Crib
·	What is a Nameday?
·	Religion in the Home for Preschool: October
·	Religion in the Home for Elementary School: October
·	Crib of St. Francis
·	Influence of St. Francis on the Christmas Crib
·	Nameday Celebration for St. Francis of Assisi

Prayers:

·	Canticle of the Sun
·	Blessing for All Domestic Animals
·	Order for the Blessing of Animals
·	Order for the Blessing of Animals (Shorter Rite)
·	Saint Francis and the Blessing of Animals
·	Table Blessing for the Feast St. Francis Assisi, Founder

Pax et Bonem !

Thank you!

Monday, October 04, 2004
St. Francis of Assisi, Deacon, Religious, Founder of the Three Orders (Solemnity)

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Sirach 50:1, 3-4, 6-7
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11
Galatians 6:14-18
Matthew 11:25-30

Alms are an inheritance and a justice which is due to the poor and which Jesus has levied upon us.

-- St. Francis of Assisi

............................. †JMJ† .............................
Monday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi
.......................... † AMDG † ..........................

St. Francis of Assisi, Religious – (1182-1225).
Born in Assisi, St. Francis preached and lived a life of poverty and charity.
He founded the Franciscans in 1209; with St. Clare, in 1212,
he founded the Order of the Poor Clares; and in 1221, a third lay order.

ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
Vir Dei Francíscus relíquit domum suam, dimísit hereditátem suam,
inops et pauper factus est; Dóminus autem assúmpsit eum.
Francis, a man of God, left his home and gave away his wealth
to become poor and in need. But the Lord cared for him.

OPENING PRAYER
Father,
you helped St. Francis to reflect the image of Christ
through a life of poverty and humility.
May we follow your Son
by walking in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi,
and by imitating his joyful love.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son …

FIRST READING – Gal 1:6-12
I wonder that you are so soon removed from him
that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel.
Which is not another, only there are some that trouble you,
and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you,
let him be anathema.

As we said before, so now I say again:
If any one preach to you a gospel,
besides that which you have received,
let him be anathema.

For do I now persuade men, or God?
Or do I seek to please men?
If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

For I give you to understand, brethren,
that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
For neither did I receive it of man, nor did I learn it;
but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

REPONSORIAL PSALM – Ps 110:1b-2, 7-8, 9 and 10c (NAB: Ps 111)
[The Lord] will be mindful for ever of his covenant.

I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart;
in the council of the just: and in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord:
sought out according to all his wills.
[The Lord] will be mindful for ever of his covenant

That he may give them the inheritance of the Gentiles:
the works of his hands are truth and judgment.
All his commandments are faithful:
confirmed for ever and ever, made in truth and equity.
[The Lord] will be mindful for ever of his covenant

He hath sent redemption to his people:
he hath commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and terrible is his name:
[The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
A good understanding to all that do it:]
his praise continueth for ever and ever.
[The Lord] will be mindful for ever of his covenant

ALLELUIA – Mt 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia
At that time Jesus answered and said:
I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them to the little ones.
R. Alleluia, alleluia

GOSPEL – Lk 10:25-37

And behold a certain lawyer stood up, tempting him, and saying,
Master, what must I do to possess eternal life?
But he said to him:
What is written in the law? how readest thou?

He answering, said:
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart,
and with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength,
and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself.

And he said to him:
Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

But he willing to justify himself, said to Jesus:
And who is my neighbour?

And Jesus answering, said:
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell among robbers, who also stripped him,
and having wounded him went away, leaving him half dead.

And it chanced, that a certain priest went down the same way:
and seeing him, passed by. In like manner also a Levite,
when he was near the place and saw him, passed by.

But a certain Samaritan being on his journey, came near him;
and seeing him, was moved with compassion.
And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine:
and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And the next day he took out two pence, and gave to the host, and said:
Take care of him; and whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above,
I, at my return, will repay thee.

Which of these three, in thy opinion,
was neighbour to him that fell among the robbers?
But he said:
He that shewed mercy to him.

And Jesus said to him: Go, and do thou in like manner

As always, thanks for posting the Douay-Rheims.

Back in the saddle again ... =)

I'd wanted to wait one more week (personal stuff) but thought the new Eucharistic Year was a good time to get going.

God bless you, Salvation ... I'll endeavor to exhibit even a fraction of your fidelity.

PRAYER BEFORE A CRUCIFIX

Most high, glorious God,
enlighten the darkness
of my heart and give me Lord,
a correct faith, a certain hope,
a perfect charity, sense and knowledge,
so that I may carry out
Your holy and true command.

Almost all of the manusripts that contain this simple prayer indicate its origin at the foot of the crucifix in the Chuch of San Damiano.

Monday October 4, 2004 Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading (Galatians 1:6-12) Gospel (St. Luke 10:25-37)

In the first reading today, we hear the beginning of Saint Paul’s Letter to the Galatians and Saint Paul chastising his Galatian converts because they have abandoned the Gospel of Christ. What happened, as we will hear as the days go along, is that there were some people who came to Galatia and began telling the Gentile converts that they needed to be circumcised, that they had to become Jewish before they could really be considered Christian. So Saint Paul was trying to explain to them, You have freedom that is not of the flesh, but rather it is a freedom of spirit. Therefore, you do not have to be yoked to the law, you do not have to have a sign in the flesh of the fact that you are part of a covenant because we have a new covenant, and that new covenant gives to us a freedom of the children of God. What these people were doing was ultimately taking on the slavery of the law once again, so Saint Paul talks about himself then as a slave of Christ.

And so there are those two options: to be a slave of the law or to be a slave of Christ. To be a slave of Christ is to be a slave of love, to have true freedom; not to be yoked, not to have anything that would violate or go against one’s dignity, but rather to have the true dignity of the very thing for which we were created, that is, the love of God and the love of neighbor.

This is exactly what we are called to as well. We do not have in our day anyone who is usually trying to tell anybody that they have to be circumcised in order to belong to Christ, but we certainly have many, many, many people who are trying to preach a Gospel other than the one that Saint Paul preached. They are trying to preach all kinds of things that are wrong, but it is sure a whole lot easier than what Jesus preached and there are many people who are falling prey to it because as human beings we like to take the route of the least resistance. We like the wide and easy road rather than the rough and narrow one. So we have all kinds of people telling us, “You do not have to do this,” and, “It is okay if you do that,” and, “You have a brain; make up your own mind. You don’t need the Church to tell you. It doesn’t matter what it says, you can do your own thing.” On and on and on they go, and we have all kinds of people who have fallen prey to it.

We need to look very seriously, then, at this question. Our Lord, in the Gospel reading, asks the simple question about eternal life. He says, “What does it say in Scripture?” It is about love. Now, again, in our day there are lots of people who would take that and say, “Therefore, all that you have to do is be nice. You can give some money to the poor and you’re going straight to heaven. You can run around and espouse all kinds of causes and you’re going straight to heaven because isn’t that love of a neighbor, after all?” And while they do these things (some of which, of course, are very good, and no one would fault them for that), oftentimes they are also trying to justify lots of immorality, lots of abuses with regard to the Eucharist and the liturgy, lots of things which violate Catholic doctrine. But they are nice and they are sincere, therefore, people think they are going straight to heaven.

We need to be very careful to avoid both extremes. Not to become Catholic Pharisees on the one hand who are simply looking at dogma and saying, “This is what the Church teaches and that’s all I have to do.” We have to believe everything the Church teaches, but part of what the Church teaches has to do with the charity toward others. Then there are the others on the other extreme that say, “Be nice. As long as that’s the case, then you’re a saint.” Both extremes are wrong. We need to have the truth with charity. There is nothing else. If we try to be simply dogmatic and Pharisaical then we have missed the boat. If we just simply try to be nice we also have missed the boat. What we are seeking is true charity, true love of God, which means living and embracing the fullness of truth and true charity toward one’s neighbor, which means not being nice but seeking what is truly the best for the other person, sacrificing the self for the good of another. That is what this is all about.

Neither of these is easy. The truth is very objective and it is there for any of us, but it has some very hard elements that we have to be willing to accept. Charity is not easy because it requires that point of dying to self, of self-sacrifice. The Lord is asking us to look beyond ourselves, to look beyond ourselves to find the objective truth, to go beyond ourselves in reaching out in charity to others. That is the balance He is looking for. That is the love of God and the love of neighbor that Our Lord desires for us, to be united with God in prayer and in truth, and to be seeking always the good of others for the good of their souls and for their eternal salvation. That is what eternal life is all about: to love God and to love neighbor with one’s whole heart and soul and strength.

Glory Be -

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the world without end.
Amen.

Hail, Holy Queen -

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our
life, our sweetness and our hope! To you
we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To you we send up our sighs, mourning and
weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then,
most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy
toward us, and after this our exile, show unto
us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we
may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen.

Thank you for posting that beautiful picture.

The Word Among Us

Monday, October 04, 2004

Meditation
Galatians 1:6-12

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. (Galatians 1:6)

What “different gospels” might tempt us to turn from grace? And how does the witness of St. Francis of Assisi—whose feast we celebrate today—point to the remedy?

According to the “Prosperity Gospel,” God guarantees blessings to his followers. Trials are seen as God’s punishment for our sins. But listen to Francis, captured in battle, joyfully singing through a long imprisonment and lingering illness. He heard God’s invitation to follow him not despite that suffering but because of it.

According to the “Utilitarian Gospel,” any means is justified if the end is holy. Francis sold his father’s merchandise so that he could use the money to rebuild a church. But when the bishop called this theft, Francis returned not only the money but even the clothing he wore. And in so doing, he moved to a deeper level of dependence on his heavenly Father.

According to the “Bootstrap Gospel,” we need to work hard in order to earn salvation. But see Francis, at the end of his life, apologizing to his body, which he had called “Brother Ass,” for being perhaps too hard on it.

According to the “Arrogant Gospel,” we are not bound to obey flawed human authority, whether lay or ordained. But Francis advised his brothers to submit to every local bishop where they preached. “Let it be your singular privilege,” he told them, “to have no privilege.”

According to the “Minimal Gospel,” God can’t possibly want me to do that impossible thing! But watch Francis overcome his revulsion and kiss a leper, releasing joy and healing for both of them. See his gentle persistence result in the near conversion of the Saracen sultan. By holding fast to the true gospel—the same one St. Paul defended—Francis discovered the secret of being empowered by the Holy Spirit. And as a result, he was able to do the impossible and leave the outcome to God.

“Lord, I have accepted your grace as my salvation, but the path has not always been straightforward. I am so often tempted by variations from the truth! But today, just as St. Francis did, I turn to you and give you my life. Jesus, you are my God and my all!”