Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-28-05

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 07-28-05 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

July 28, 2005
Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Thursday 33

Reading I
Ex 40:16-21, 34-38

Moses did exactly as the LORD had commanded him.
On the first day of the first month of the second year
the Dwelling was erected.
It was Moses who erected the Dwelling.
He placed its pedestals, set up its boards, put in its bars,
and set up its columns.
He spread the tent over the Dwelling
and put the covering on top of the tent,
as the LORD had commanded him.
He took the commandments and put them in the ark;
he placed poles alongside the ark and set the propitiatory upon it.
He brought the ark into the Dwelling and hung the curtain veil,
thus screening off the ark of the commandments,
as the LORD had commanded him.

Then the cloud covered the meeting tent,
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Moses could not enter the meeting tent,
because the cloud settled down upon it
and the glory of the LORD filled the Dwelling.
Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling,
the children of Israel would set out on their journey.
But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward;
only when it lifted did they go forward.
In the daytime the cloud of the LORD was seen over the Dwelling;
whereas at night, fire was seen in the cloud
by the whole house of Israel
in all the stages of their journey.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 84:3, 4, 5-6a and 8a, 11

R. (2) How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
My soul yearns and pines
for the courts of the LORD.
My heart and my flesh
cry out for the living God.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest
in which she puts her young–
Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my king and my God!
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
Blessed they who dwell in your house!
continually they praise you.
Blessed the men whose strength you are!
They go from strength to strength.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!
I had rather one day in your courts
than a thousand elsewhere;
I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
R. How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord, mighty God!

Gospel
Mt 13:47-53

Jesus said to the disciples:
"The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea,
which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore
and sit down to put what is good into buckets.
What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age.
The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

"Do you understand all these things?"
They answered, "Yes."
And he replied,
"Then every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of heaven
is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom
both the new and the old."
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

[Salvation]

Alleluia Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.

Please note the FReepmail received from Siobhan in the next post!

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My dear and respected friends on FR,

Time we all kept a Dormition fast. This year in our Novena leading up to the Solemnity of the Assumption on August 15th, I feel it is urgent that I should keep a novena of fasting and prayer. I would like all of you to seriously consider adding fasting to your novena this year.

I do not make these requests with regularity or lightly. I feel very deeply in my soul that this is needed at this time. If you feel likewise, please invite others to do the same either on FR or in your other circle of friends.

Yours in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,

 

Siobhan

[Salvation]

From: Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38


Moses' Obedience to God's Commands

---

[16] Thus did Moses; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he
did. [17] And in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the
month, the tabernacle was erected. [18] Moses erected the tabernacle; he
laid its bases, and set up its frames, and put in its poles, and raised up
its pillars; [19] and he spread the tent over the tabernacle, and put the
covering of the tent over it, as the Lord had commanded Moses. [20] And he
took the testimony and put it into the ark, and put the poles on the ark,
and set the mercy seat above on the ark; [21] and he brought the ark into
the tabernacle, and set up the veil of the screen, and screened the ark of
the testimony; as the Lord had commanded Moses.


The Glory of God Fills the Tabernacle

---

[34] Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of' the Lord
filled the tabernacle. [35] And Moses was not able to enter the tent of
meeting, because the cloud abode upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled
the tabernacle. [36] Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was
taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would go onward;
[37] but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not go onward till the
day that it was taken up. [38] For throughout all their journeys the cloud
of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in
the sight of all the house of Israel.

---

Commentary:


40:34-38. The book of Exodus ends by speaking once again about the Lord's
presence among his people, mentioning the cloud and the glory of God (cf. Ex
13:21-22). The cloud will stay with the people throughout their journey in
the desert (cf. Num 9:15ff), showing them the way to go. In Christian
tradition the cloud is seen as an image of faith, which guides the Christian
night and day as he makes his pilgrim way to the promised land. The Fathers
also saw this cloud as a figure of Christ: "He is the pillar who, keeping
himself upright and strong, cures our infirmity. By night he sheds light, by
day he becomes opaque, so that those who do not see are enabled to see and
those who see become blind" (St Isidore of Seville, "Quaestiones In Exodum",
18, 1).

---

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.

[Salvation]

From: Matthew 13:47-53


The Net
-------
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [47] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like
a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;
[48] when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the
good into vessels but threw away the bad. [49] So it will be at the
close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from
the righteous, [50] and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth.


[51] "Have you understood all this?" They said to Him, "Yes." [52] And
He said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the
Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure
what is new and what is old."


[53] And when Jesus had finished these parables He went away from there.

---

Commentary:


47. "Fish of every kind": almost all the Greek manuscripts and early
translations say "All kinds of things". A dragnet is very long and
about two meters wide; when it is extended between two boats it forms
double or triple mesh with the result that when it is pulled in it
collects all sorts of things in addition to fish--algae, weeds, rubbish,
etc.


This parable is rather like the parable of the cockle, but in a fishing
context: the net is the Church, the sea the world.


We can easily find in this parable the dogmatic truth of the Judgment:
at the end of time God will judge men and separate the good from the
bad. It is interesting to note our Lord's repeated references to the
last things, especially Judgment and Hell: He emphasizes these truths
because of man's great tendency to forget them: "All these things are
said to make sure that no one can make the excuse that he does not know
about them: this excuse would be valid only if eternal punishment were
spoken about in ambiguous terms" (St. Gregory the Great, "In Evangelia
Homilae", 11).


52. "Scribe": among the Jews a scribe was a religious teacher, a
specialist in sacred Scripture and its application to life. Our Lord
here uses this word to refer to the Apostles, who will have the role of
teachers in His Church. Thus, the Apostles and their successors, the
Bishops, are the "Ecclesia docens", the teaching Church; they have the
authority and the mission to teach. The Pope and the Bishops exercise
this authority directly and are also helped in this by priests. The
other members of the Church form the "Ecclesia discens", the learning
Church. However, every disciple of Christ, every Christian who has
received Christ's teaching, has a duty to pass this teaching on to
others, in language they can understand; therefore, he should make sure
he has a good grasp of Christian doctrine. The treasure of Revelation
is so rich that it can provide teaching which applies to all times and
situations. It is for the word of God to enlighten all ages and
situations--not the other way around. Therefore, the Church and its
pastors preach, not new things, but a single unchanging truth contained
in the treasure of Revelation: for the past two thousand years the
Gospel has always been "good news".

---

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.

[Salvation]

Thursday, July 28, 2005
Feria

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 Psalm 84:3-6, 8, 11 Matthew 13:47-53 Our actions have a tongue of their own; they have an eloquence of their own, even when the tongue is silent. For deeds prove the lover more than words. -- St. Cyril of Jerusalem

[Salvation]

What a profound statement!

Our actions have a tongue of their own; they have an eloquence of their own, even when the tongue is silent. For deeds prove the lover more than words.

-- St. Cyril of Jerusalem

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Collect: God our Father and protector, without you nothing is holy, nothing has value. Guide us to everlasting life by helping us to use wisely the blessing you have given to the world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Activities: » Religion in the Home for Elementary School: July » Religion in the Home for Preschool: July Prayers: » July Devotion: The Precious Blood » Novena In Honor of Saint John Marie Vianney

July 28, 2005 Thursday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: Saints Nazarius and Celsus, martyrs; Saints Victor I, martyr, and Innocent I popes "The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grindling of teeth" (Matt 13:47-50). Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was the feast of Sts. Nazarius and Celsus, first century martyrs, whose bodies were found by St. Ambrose in 395. It was also the feast of Sts. Victor I and Innocent I both Popes of the early Church. St. Victor I was pope from 189 to 198; he regulated the date for the celebration of Easter throughout the Church in accordance with the Roman tradition. St. Innocent I (401-417), a contemporary of St. Augustine and St. Jerome, was one of the greatest early popes. He was one of the great champions of the primacy of the Holy See. Sts. Nazarius and Celsus Nazarius was baptized by the blessed Pope Linus. He went into Gaul, and there baptized a child named Celsus whom he had instructed in the Christian doctrine. Together they went to Treves, and in Nero's persecution were both thrown into the sea, but were saved by a miracle. They proceeded to Milan, where they spread the faith of Christ; and as they with great constancy confessed Christ to be God, the prefect, Anolinus, condemned them to death. Their bodies were buried outside the Roman gate, and for a long time remained unknown. But through a divine revelation they were found by St. Ambrose, sprinkled with fresh blood, as if they had but just suffered martyrdom. They were translated to the city and buried in an honorable tomb. — The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B. Symbols: Swords; armour and millstones. St. Victor I Victor, an African by birth, governed the Church in the time of the Emperor Severus. He confirmed the decree of Pius I, which ordered Easter to be celebrated on a Sunday. Later on, Councils were held in many places in order to bring this rule into practice, and finally the first Council of Nicea commanded that the feast of Easter should be always kept after the fourteenth day of the moon, lest the Christians should seem to imitate the Jews. Victor ordained that, in case of necessity, baptism could be given with any water, provided it was natural. He expelled from the Church the Byzantine, Theodosius the currier, who taught that Christ was only man. He wrote on the question of Easter, and some other small works. In two ordinations which he held in the month of December, he made four priests, seven deacons, and twelve bishops for different places. He was crowned with martyrdom, and buried in the Vatican on the fifth of the Calends of August, after having sat nine years, one month, and twenty-eight days. He died in the year 199 A.D. — The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B. St. Innocent I Innocent was born in Albano, Italy. He lived during the time of Saints Jerome and Augustine. He became Pope, on December 22, 401. Jerome, writing to the virgin Demetrias, says of him: "Hold fast to the faith of holy Innocent, who is the son of Anastasius of blessed memory and his successor in the apostolic throne; receive no strange doctrine, however shrewd and prudent you may think yourself." During his pontificate, Innocent emphasized papal supremacy, praising the bishops of Africa for referring the decrees of their councils at Carthage and Milevis in 416 that condemned Pelagianism, to the pope for confirmation. This confirmation stirred St. Augustine to pen his famous remark: "Roma locuta, causa finita est" (Rome has spoken, the matter is ended). Innocent was pope during the capture and sack of Rome by the Goths under Alaric in 410. He condemned the heresies of Pelagius and Celestinus, decreeing that children, even though born of a Christian mother, must be born again by water, in order that their second birth may cleanse away the stain they have contracted by the first. He also approved the observance of fasting on the Saturday in memory of the burial of Christ our Lord. He fought the unjust removal of Saint John Chrysostom and spoke strongly in favor of clerical celibacy. He sat fifteen years, one month, and ten days. Innocent died in Rome, March 12, 417 and was buried in the cemetery called ad Ursum Pileatum. — (some material from Gueranger) Symbols: Angel holding a crown. Things to Do: Read four letters of Correspondence between Innocent and Saint John Chrysostom.

[Smartass]

“Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image.”

[Salvation]

Modifying Christ just won't work, will it?

1

^{1 2} In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2

He was in the beginning with God.

3

³ All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be

4

through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;

5

⁴ the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Take Him Seriously!
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Thursday, July 28, 2005

Ex 40:16-21,34-38 / Mt 13:47-53

Some years ago, J.B. Phillips published a little book entitled, Your God is Too Small. The title says it all and it tells a sorry truth about most of us. We either domesticate God and make him into a kind of cosmic pal, or we caricature him as a nasty traffic cop, a saccharine sweet lamb, or a grand old man. God is none of that and to shrink our God-image to those dimensions sets us up for serious trouble. Especially in times of crisis, any normal person will flee from the silly God-images we conjure up. And then where will they go?

Today’s Old Testament reading offers a helpful corrective as we reconsider our image of God. Moses knew him as a God of love, with a proven readiness to forgive and heal, feed and liberate. But he also knew that God should not be trifled with. Incidentally, that’s what we mean by "fearing" the Lord: taking the Lord seriously at all times and in all places.

Moses had learned the meaning of "holy ground" when he took off his shoes before approaching the burning bush, and he knew it later as God made his presence felt within the Holy of Holies the people had built to honor him. Moses knew how to be quiet in God’s presence and how to listen.

Every place in the universe is God’s holy ground, for there is no place where God is not. Take him seriously. He wants to walk with you and be your mentor. Take him seriously and listen to him with all your heart.

 

[Ciexyz]

Faith-sharing bump.

[Ciexyz]

"Homily of the Day" bump.

[Smartass]

Thank you... :o)

[annalex]

Mt 13:47-53
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
47	Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all kinds of fishes.	iterum simile est regnum caelorum sagenae missae in mare et ex omni genere congreganti
48	Which, when it was filled, they drew out, and sitting by the shore, they chose out the good into vessels, but the bad they cast forth.	quam cum impleta esset educentes et secus litus sedentes elegerunt bonos in vasa malos autem foras miserunt
49	So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels shall go out, and shall separate the wicked from among the just.	sic erit in consummatione saeculi exibunt angeli et separabunt malos de medio iustorum
50	And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.	et mittent eos in caminum ignis ibi erit fletus et stridor dentium
51	Have ye understood all these things? They say to him: Yes.	intellexistis haec omnia dicunt ei etiam
52	He said unto them: Therefore every scribe instructed in the kingdom of heaven, is like to a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure new things and old.	ait illis ideo omnis scriba doctus in regno caelorum similis est homini patri familias qui profert de thesauro suo nova et vetera
53	And it came to pass: when Jesus had finished these parables, he passed from thence.	et factum est cum consummasset Iesus parabolas istas transiit inde

[annalex]

Moses and the Ark of the Covenant

Unknown German Illuminator, Regensburg
about 1400 - 1410
Tempera colors and silver paint on parchment
13 3/16 x 9 1/4 in.
MS. 33, FOL. 89V
Getty Museum, Los Angeles

[Salvation]

I have seen illustrations of the meeting tent with the Ark of the Covenant on the inside, another room outside that, and another approaching room outside with an altar in front. (Think I have it all -- probably not, LOL!)

Thanks for that paiting! Wonderful!

[Salvation]

 

 

A Voice in the Desert

 

 

Thursday July 28, 2005   Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading (Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38)   Gospel (St. Matthew 13:47-53)

 In the Old Testament reading from the Book of Exodus that we heard this morning, we hear about Moses building the dwelling place where God Himself was going to live among the people of Israel. It was in a tent because the people were nomadic people at that time, wandering about throughout the desert. So the Lord dwelt in a tent among His people.  

We see, however, that there are a few important things that are present in this. First of all, we see that there is a veil which separated the Ten Commandments (that is, the Ark of the Covenant) from the people so that the people would not be able to see the Ark of the Covenant. It talks, then, in that way about the holiness of God; that, in essence, He is untouchable, that the covenant is there but you cannot see it – you just have to know and believe. But now what we have is Our Lord, Who is the New Covenant. And, as we can all see very clearly right now, there is no veil that separates us from Him; there is nothing standing in the way. It does not in any way suggest that there is less holiness (because the New Covenant is far more holy than the old since the New Covenant is the very Person of Jesus Himself) but it is because of the nature of the relationship. Remember that when Our Lord died the veil in the temple was torn; the curtain that separated the people from the Holy of Holies was torn in two. There is not anything separating us from God any longer. Sin is forgiven in the blood of Christ, and everything is made one. Consequently, what we have in the New Covenant is something which is far greater than what they had in the old.  

In the Old Covenant, it pointed to the holiness of God. The people had a relationship with God but it was distant. We have a relationship with God which is intimate, so intimate that we receive Him into ourselves in Holy Communion. The dwelling place of God is not merely here in the tabernacle, but rather the dwelling place of God is within our hearts, within our souls. If there is something that is separating us from God, a veil somehow in between God and us within our own souls, that is not God’s fault. If there is something separating us from God, it is our own fault. And if there is something standing between us and Him, we need to pray and ask what it is so that we can get rid of it, so that we can have that deeper and more profound union with Christ.  

The other thing we need to see with what the people of Israel did is we are told that as the cloud came down upon the meeting tent if the cloud did not rise the people would not move forward, and when the cloud rose from the meeting tent then the people packed up their own tents and they moved. In other words, everything was dependent on God. They would not move until God told them it was time to move. They remained where they were when God told them they were to remain. It was not based on what they wanted to do or what their own will might have been. This is a critical lesson that all of us need to learn. We need to look to God, and when He tells us it is time to do something then we do it. If He tells us it is not time, or if He has not told us it is time yet, then we do not.  

That is a very, very hard lesson for us to learn. We very often see things that we think need to be accomplished, and off we go to accomplish it. But if it is not God’s Will then we are spinning our wheels, we are wasting our time. We need to make sure, once again, that we are praying and that we are seeking the Will of God and that what we are doing is what He wants us to do – not just what we think is a good idea or something that we want to do for ourselves. We want to do God’s Will. If we are going to do His Will, we need to find out what His Will is and ask Him and let Him be in control of our lives. After all, He is God and He can do everything perfectly. Therefore, it only makes sense that we would seek Him and His Will instead of trying to do our own will. But, of course, in our pride we all have to admit that God’s Will very often is very different from our will. Therefore, we do not really want to know His Will because He might tell us that He does not want us to do what we think we want to do. Thanks be to Him, because He will keep us out of trouble doing it that way. But we do not see it that way. 

So it is critical for us to learn the lessons that we see from this lesson out in the desert. God now dwells within, and if He is dwelling within, we can carry on intimate conversation with Him in the depths of our being. And there in our own hearts we will be able to recognize Him and we will be able to be obedient to Him, to do what it is that He is asking and to avoid those things that He does not want us to do, so that in this way we can do the Will of God, and in doing His Will we will give Him glory and we ourselves will grow in holiness. 

*  This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Thursday, July 28, 2005 Meditation Matthew 13:47-53 Is death inevitable? Yes. Is there a heaven and a hell? Yes. Will there will be a final judgment, a separation of good fish from bad, of goats from sheep, of weeds from wheat? Yes. All these “last things” are real, and they are sobering. However, we should be careful not to let the thought of the end fill us with unnecessary fear. As Christians, we know that God is a loving Father who has provided us with all we need to stand confident, even on the day of judgment. . Again and again, Scripture reminds us that those who are in Christ are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and that those who believe in Jesus have passed from death to life and do not come into judgment (John 5:24). The freeing truth of the gospel is that as we remain in Christ, we become the “good fish.” We become, in him, “sheep” and not “goats.” We become, in him, “wheat,” not “weeds.” . Does the inevitability of judgment scare you? Or do you avoid the topic and immerse yourself instead in the day-to-day demands of life? For both situations, the answer lies in a deeper revelation of Jesus. He will show you that you don’t have to be afraid of judgment. He will help you place the things in your life in the proper order so that you can fix your eyes on the day when you will see him face to face. As you come to him in prayer and Scripture, he will show you how great a treasure you have in him, and he will show you how to live in a way that pleases his heart. . God wants us to know that baptism is only the beginning of our relationship with him. He wants to sustain us every day by his Holy Spirit. He wants to teach us how to live “in Christ” every day so that, whatever may come our way, we can hold onto his promises of salvation and remain confident that we are redeemed in him. Every day, Jesus wants to give himself to us so that we may give ourselves to him. . “Lord Jesus, I want to be united with you. Please dispel my anxiety about death and judgment. Help me to set my heart on the goal of seeing your face and joining you in the final banquet in your heavenly kingdom.” . Exodus 40:16-21,34-38; Psalm 84:3-6,8,11

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Thursday, July 28, 2005 >>

Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38

Psalm 84

Matthew 13:47-53

View Readings

MAKING THE FINAL CUT

Jesus said: “The reign of God is also like a dragnet thrown into the lake, which collected all sorts of things.” —Matthew 13:47

At this moment, the dragnet is being pulled over the earth. It is collecting all sorts of things — churches, committed Christians, the lukewarm, denominations, ministries, the “religious,” church-goers, etc. The Lord will sift through this motley crew when the net is finally hauled ashore on Judgment Day at the end of the world. Then the angels will separate the worthwhile from the useless (Mt 13:48).

God waits till the end before He separates the wheat from the weeds (Mt 13:30) and the sheep from the goats (Mt 25:32). Human beings approach this situation differently. Unlike God, we want to pull out the weeds before harvest (Mt 13:28). We decide who makes the team and who doesn’t before the season starts. But God makes the final cut at the end. The devil uses this to cause confusion. We think that, if we’re playing the religious games, have a position on the team, and score a few points, we must be on the team for good. But God hasn’t made the final cut.

Many things are in the dragnet, but only those saved and sanctified by Jesus through the Spirit make the final cut.

Prayer: Jesus, I’m a priest, a Catholic, Christian, or a church leader, but am I ready for Your second coming now? I want to be ready.

Promise: “The cloud covered the meeting tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the Dwelling.” —Ex 40:34

Praise: Though still in her teens, Carol feels saddened when she cannot take part in daily Mass.