Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 08-30-08

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 08-30-08 | New American bible

[Salvation]

August 30, 2008

Saturday of the Twenty-first Week                             in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading 1
1 Cor 1:26-31

Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters.
Not many of you were wise by human standards,
not many were powerful,
not many were of noble birth.
Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,
and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong,
and God chose the lowly and despised of the world,
those who count for nothing,
to reduce to nothing those who are something,
so that no human being might boast before God.
It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who became for us wisdom from God,
as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,
so that, as it is written,
Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20-21

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Gospel
Mt 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“A man going on a journey
called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.
To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one–
to each according to his ability.
Then he went away.
Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them,
and made another five.
Likewise, the one who received two made another two.
But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground
and buried his master’s money.
After a long time
the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them.
The one who had received five talents
came forward bringing the additional five.
He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents.
See, I have made five more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said,
‘Master, you gave me two talents.
See, I have made two more.’
His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Since you were faithful in small matters,
I will give you great responsibilities.
Come, share your master’s joy.’
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said,
‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person,
harvesting where you did not plant
and gathering where you did not scatter;
so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground.
Here it is back.’
His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!
So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant
and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank
so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?
Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.
For to everyone who has,
more will be given and he will grow rich;
but from the one who has not,
even what he has will be taken away.
And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’”

[Salvation]

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The Immaculate Heart [of Mary]

August Devotion: The Immaculate Heart

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person: and as the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.

This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses given to her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.

INVOCATIONS

O heart most pure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain for me from Jesus a pure and humble heart.

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

ACT OF CONSECRATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss! Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ.

Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquillity of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."

Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ's one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality; arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.

Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God .and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting "Magnificat" of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. — Pope Pius XII

IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
O heart of Mary, mother of God, and our mother; heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well-pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; heart, full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, enkindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all the graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially) at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against u its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment; that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. An,; then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thine intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy, whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen. ....Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way ----From the Catechism. P:1439 From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power. Amen. - - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps.-- >From the Catechism. P: 2669 The Salutation to the Heart of Jesus and Mary   An Offering of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary
Novena Prayer to Sacred Heart  of Jesus Prayer to the Wounded Heart of Jesus   Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart   Meditation & Novena Prayer on the Sacred Heart Beads to the Sacred Heart		Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary   A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary   The Daily Offering to the  Immaculate Heart of Mary   Exaltation of the Immaculate  Heart of Mary   Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

The Holy Heart of Mary Is, After the Heart of Jesus, the Most Exalted Throne of Divine Love
Let us recollect that God has given us the feast of the most pure Heart of the Blessed Virgin so that we may render on that day all the respect, honor and praise that we possibly can. To enkindle this spirit within us let us consider our motivating obligations.

The first is that we ought to love and honor whatever God loves and honors, and that by which He is loved and glorified. Now, after the adorable Heart of Jesus there has never been either in heaven or on earth, nor ever will be, a heart which has been so loved and honored by God, or which has given Him so much glory as that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Never has there been, nor will there ever be a more exalted throne of divine love. In that Heart divine love possesses its fullest empire, for it ever reigns without hindrance or interruption, and with it reign likewise all the laws of God, all the Gospel maxims and every Christian virtue.

This incomparable Heart of the Mother of our Redeemer is a glorious heaven, a Paradise of delights for the Most Holy Trinity. According to St. Paul, the hearts of the faithful are the dwelling place of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself assures us that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost take up Their abode in the hearts of those who love God. Who, therefore, can doubt that the Most Holy Trinity has always made His home and established the reign of His glory in an admirable and ineffable manner in the virginal Heart of her who is the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, who herself loves God more than all other creatures together?

How much then are we not obliged to love this exalted and most lovable Heart?

— St. John Eudes

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

Saturdays and the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]

The Brown Scapular (Catholic Caucus)

The History of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Catholic Caucus)

Homilies preached by Father Robert Altier on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Marian Associations Unite to Celebrate Immaculate Heart

Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary

FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, AUGUST 22ND

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

[Salvation]

AUGUST 2008

General:
That the human family may learn to respect God’s plan for the world and become ever more aware that Creation is God’s great gift.

Mission:
That the answer of the entire people of God to the common calling to holiness and mission may be promoted and fostered by means of careful discernment of charisms and constant commitment to spiritual and cultural formation

[Salvation]

From: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

The Wisdom of the Cross (Continuation)

---

[26] For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to
worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; [27]
but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what
is weak in the world to shame the strong. [28] God chose what is low and des-
pised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
[29] so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. [30] He is the
source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom, our righteous-
ness and sanctification and redemption; [31] therefore, as it is written, “Let him
who boasts, boast of the Lord.”

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Commentary:

26-29. As in the case of the Apostles—”You did not choose me, but I chose you’.
(Jn 15:16)—it is the Lord who chooses, who gives each Christian his vocation. St
Paul emphasizes that the initiative lies with God by saying three times that it
was God who chose those Corinthians to be Christians, and he did not base his
choice on human criteria. Human wisdom, power, nobility, these were not what
brought them to the faith—nor the inspirations which God later gives. “God is no
respecter of persons (cf. 2 Chron 19:7; Rom 2:1; Eph 6:9; CoI 3:25; etc.)”, St. J.
Escriva reminds us. “When he invites a soul to live a life fully in accordance with
the faith, he does not set store by merits of fortune, nobility, blood or learning.
God’s call precedes all merits [...]. Vocation comes first. God loves us before we
even know how to go toward him, and he places in us the love with which we can
respond to his call” (”Christ Is Passing By”, 33).

Thus, God chooses whomever he wants to, and these first Christians—uneduca-
ted, unimportant, even despised people, in the world’s eyes—will be what he uses
to spread his Church and convert the wise, the strong and the “important”: this
disproportion between resources and results will make it quite clear that God is
responsible for the increase.

However, this does not mean that none of the first Christians was educated or
influential, humanly speaking. The Acts of the Apostles, for example, tell us
about early converts who were out of the ordinary—a minister of the court of the
Kandake of Ethiopia; a centurion, Cornelius; Apollos; Dionysius the Areopagite;
etc. “It would appear that worldly excellence is not godly unless God uses it for
his honor. And therefore, although at the beginning they were indeed few, later
God chose many humanly outstanding people for the ministry of preaching.
Hence the gloss which says, ‘If the fisherman had not faithfully led the way, the
orator would not have humbly followed’” (St Thomas Aquinas, “Commentary on
1 Cor, ad loc.”).

27. St Paul’s words remind us that supernatural resources are the thing an apos-
tle must rely on. It is true that human resources are necessary, and God counts
on them (cf. 1 Cor 3:5-10); but the task God has commended to Christians ex-
ceeds their abilities and can be carried out only with his help. The Second Vati-
can Council reminded priests of this verse when stressing the need for humility;
and what it says can be useful to all Christians: “The divine task for the fulfillment
of which they have been set apart by the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 13:2) transcends all
human strength and human wisdom; for ‘God chose what is weak in the world to
shame the strong’ (1 Cor 1:27). Therefore the true minister of Christ is conscious
of his own weakness and labors in humility. He tries to discover what is well-
pleasing to God (cf. Eph 5:10) and, bound as it were in the Spirit (cf. Acts 20:22),
he is guided in all things by the will of him who wishes all men to be saved. He is
able to discover and carry out that will in the course of his daily routine by humbly
placing himself at the service of all those who are entrusted to his care by God in
the office that has been committed to him and the variety of events that make up
his life” (”Presbyterorum Ordinis”, 15).

30-31. God’s call makes a person a member of Christ Jesus, through Baptism;
and if a Christian is docile to grace he or she will gradually become so like Christ
as to be able to say with St Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives
in me” (Gal 2:20). This “being in Christ Jesus” enables a person to share in the
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption which Jesus is for the
Christian.

Jesus Christ indeed is the “wisdom” of God (cf. Col 1:15f; Heb 1:2f), and knowing
him is true wisdom, the highest form of wisdom. He is for us our “righteousness”,
because through the merits obtained by his incarnation, death and resurrection
he has made us truly righteous (= just, holy) in God’s sight He is also the source
of all holiness, which consists in fact in identification with Christ. Through him,
who has become “redemption” for us, we have been redeemed from the slavery of
sin. “How well the Apostle orders his ideas: Good has made us wise by rescuing
us from error; and then he has made us just and holy by giving us his spirit”
(Chrysostom, “Hom. on 1 Cor, 5, ad loc.”).

In view of the complete gratuitousness of God’s choice (vv. 25-28) and the im-
mense benefits it brings with it, the conclusion is obvious: “’Deo omni, gloria. All
glory to God.’ It is an emphatic conclusion of our nothingness. He Jesus, is every-
thing. We, without him, are worth nothing: nothing. Our vainglory would be just
that: vain glory; it would be sacrilegious robbery. There should be no room for
that ‘I’ anywhere” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 780).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

From: Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

---

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [14] “For it will be as when a man going on a
journey called his servants and entrusted to them his property; [15] to one he
gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.
Then he went away. [16] He who had received the five talents went at once and
traded with them; and he made five talents more. [17] So also, he who had the
two talents made two talents more. [18] But he who had received the one talent
went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.

[19] Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled ac-
counts with them. [20] And he who received the five talents came forward, brin-
ging five talents more, saying, `Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I
have made five talents more.’ [21] His master said to him, `Well done, good and
faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter
into the joy of your master.’ [22] And he also who had the two talents came for-
ward, saying, `Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two
talents more.’ [23] His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant;
you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of
your master.’ [24] He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying,
`Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and ga-
thering where you did not winnow; [25] so I was afraid, and I went and hid your
talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ [26] But his master ans-
wered him, `You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have
not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed? [27] Then you ought to have
invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received
what was my own with interest. [28] So take the talent from him, and give it to
him who has the ten talents. [29] For to every one who has will more be given,
and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be
taken away. [30] And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there
men will weep and gnash their teeth.’”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

14-30. A talent was not any kind of coin but a measure of value worth about fifty
kilos (one hundred pounds) of silver.

In this parable the main message is the need to respond to grace by making a
genuine effort right through one’s life. All the gifts of nature and grace which God
has given us should yield a profit. It does not matter how many gifts we have re-
ceived; what matters is our generosity in putting them to good use.

A person’s Christian calling should not lie hidden and barren: it should be out-
going, apostolic and self-sacrificial. “Don’t lose your effectiveness; instead,
trample on your selfishness. You think your life is for yourself? Your life is for
God, for the good of all men, though your love for our Lord. Your buried talent,
dig it up again! Make it yield” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 47).

An ordinary Christian cannot fail to notice that Jesus chose to outline his tea-
ching on response to grace by using the simile of men at work. Here we have a
reminder that the Christian normally lives out his vocation in the context of ordi-
nary, everyday affairs. “There is just one life, made of flesh and spirit. And it is
this life which has to become, in both soul and body, holy and filled with God.
We discover the invisible God in the most visible and material things. There is
no other way. Either we learn to find our Lord in ordinary, everyday life, or else
we shall never find Him” (St. J. Escriva, “Conversations”, 114).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

[Salvation]

Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Mass Readings

First reading

1 Corinthians 1:26 - 31 ©

Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 32

Gospel

Matthew 25:14 - 30 ©

Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of Heaven is like a man on his way abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third is one; each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out. The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more. The man who had received two made two more in the same way. But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now a long time after, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.” Next the man with the two talents came forward. “Sir,” he said “you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have shown you can be faithful in small things, I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master’s happiness.” Last came forward the man who had the one talent. “Sir,” said he “I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered; so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back.” But his master answered him, “You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered? Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have recovered my capital with interest. So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the five talents. For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away. As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.”’

[Salvation]

Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Psalm 33:12-13, 18-21 Matthew 25:14-30 It is always selfishness which takes something away from God to satisfy the ego. We are too calculating, afraid of giving too much, and so selfishness clips our wings and keeps us from reaching full union with God. -- St. Thomas Aquinas

[Salvation]

The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 

[Salvation]

Office of Readings and Invitatory Psalm

Office of Readings

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.

---

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 130 (131)

Childlike trust in God

Lord, I do not puff myself up or stare about,
or walk among the great or seek wonders beyond me.

Truly calm and quiet I have made my spirit:
quiet as a weaned child in its mother’s arms –
like an infant is my soul.

Let Israel hope in the Lord, now and for all time.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen.

---

Psalm 131 (132)

God's promise to the house of David

Lord, remember David and how he served you.
He swore to the Lord, vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

“I will not go into my tent, my home, nor go up to my bed of rest;
I will not let my eyes sleep or my eyelids grow heavy
until I have found a place for the Lord,
a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

We heard that it was in Ephratha, we found it in the plains of Jaar.
So let us go into his dwelling-place and let us worship before his footstool.

Rise up, Lord, and come to your place of rest.
Come with the Ark of your power.
Let your priests be robed in your justice,
and let your chosen ones rejoice.
Remember what David did for you,
and do not turn your face from your Anointed.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen.

---

Psalm 131 (132)

The Lord swore David a true oath, he will not go back on his word:
“The fruit of your body I will place on your throne.
If your children keep my covenant and the commands I teach them,
their children’s children will occupy your throne for ever.”

For the Lord has chosen Sion, taken it for his dwelling-place:
“Here will I take my rest for all time: here will I live, such is my desire.

I will bless its crops with my blessing, I will fill its poor with bread.
I will clothe its priests with righteousness. Its chosen ones will exult with joy.

There will I plant the sign of David, and prepare a lamp for my anointed one.
I will wrap his enemies in confusion, but over his head my crown will shine.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen.

---

Reading

Jeremiah 7:1 - 20 ©

The word that was addressed to Jeremiah by the Lord: ‘Go and stand at the gate of the Temple of the Lord and there proclaim this message. Say, “Listen to the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who come in by these gates to worship the Lord. The Lord Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Amend your behaviour and your actions and I will stay with you here in this place. Put no trust in delusive words like these: This is the sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Lord, the sanctuary of the Lord! But if you do amend your behaviour and your actions, if you treat each other fairly, if you do not exploit the stranger, the orphan and the widow (if you do not shed innocent blood in this place), and if you do not follow alien gods, to your own ruin, then here in this place I will stay with you, in the land that long ago I gave to your fathers for ever. Yet here you are, trusting in delusive words, to no purpose! Steal, would you, murder, commit adultery, perjure yourselves, burn incense to Baal, follow alien gods that you do not know? – and then come presenting yourselves in this Temple that bears my name, saying: Now we are safe – safe to go on committing all these abominations! Do you take this Temple that bears my name for a robbers’ den? I, at any rate, am not blind – it is the Lord who speaks. ‘“Now go to my place in Shiloh where at first I gave my name a home; see what I have done to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel! And now, since you have committed all these sins – it is the Lord who speaks – and have refused to listen when I spoke so urgently, so persistently, or to answer when I called you, I will treat this Temple that bears my name, and in which you put your trust, and the place I have given to you and your ancestors, just as I treated Shiloh. I will drive you out of my sight, as I drove all your kinsmen, the entire race of Ephraim.” ‘You, for your part, must not intercede for this people, nor raise either plea or prayer on their behalf; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. Cannot you see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children collect the wood, the fathers light the fire, the women knead the dough, to make cakes for the Queen of Heaven; and, to spite me, they pour libations to alien gods. Is it really me they spite – it is the Lord who speaks –-is it not in fact themselves, to their own confusion? Therefore, the Lord says this: My anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, over man and beast, trees of the countryside, fruits of the soil; it shall burn, and not be quenched.’

---

Reading	From a homily on Matthew by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop
Do not adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother
Do you want to honour Christ’s body? Then do not scorn him in his nakedness, nor honour him here in the church with silken garments while neglecting him outside where he is cold and naked. For he who said: This is my body, and made it so by his words, also said: You saw me hungry and did not feed me, and inasmuch as you did not do it for one of these, the least of my brothers, you did not do it for me. What we do here in the church requires a pure heart, not special garments; what we do outside requires great dedication. Let us learn, therefore, to be men of wisdom and to honour Christ as he desires. For a person being honoured finds greatest pleasure in the honour he desires, not in the honour we think best. Peter thought he was honouring Christ when he refused to let him wash his feet; but what Peter wanted was not truly an honour, quite the opposite! Give him the honour prescribed in his law by giving your riches to the poor. For God does not want golden vessels but golden hearts. Now, in saying this I am not forbidding you to make such gifts; I am only demanding that along with such gifts and before them you give alms. He accepts the former, but he is much more pleased with the latter. In the former, only the giver profits; in the latter, the recipient does too. A gift to the church may be taken as a form of ostentation, but an alms is pure kindness. Of what use is it to weigh down Christ’s table with golden cups, when he himself is dying of hunger? First, fill him when he is hungry; then use the means you have left to adorn his table. Will you have a golden cup made but not give a cup of water? What is the use of providing the table with cloths woven of gold thread, and not providing Christ himself with the clothes he needs? What profit is there in that? Tell me: If you were to see him lacking the necessary food but were to leave him in that state and merely surround his table with gold would he be grateful to you or rather would he not be angry? What if you were to see him clad in worn-out rags and stiff from the cold, and were to forget about clothing him and instead were to set up golden columns for him, saying that you were doing it in his honour? Would he not think he was being mocked and greatly insulted? Apply this also to Christ when he comes along the roads as a pilgrim, looking for shelter. You do not take him in as your guest, but you decorate floor and walls and the capitals of the pillars. You provide silver chains for the lamps, but you cannot bear even to look at him as he lies chained in prison. Once again, I am not forbidding you to supply these adornments; I am urging you to provide these other things as well, and indeed to provide them first. No one has ever been accused for not providing ornaments, but for those who neglect their neighbour a hell awaits with an inextinguishable fire and torment in the company of the demons. Do not, therefore, adorn the church and ignore your afflicted brother, for he is the most precious temple of all.

---

Concluding Prayer

O God, through you your faithful are united and of one will.
 Grant to your people that they may love what you have taught and desire what you have promised:
 in this changeable world may our hearts be fixed on where true joy comes from.

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.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings (on USCCB site):
» August 30, 2008
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Collect: Father, help us to seek the values that will bring us lasting joy in this changing world. In our desire for what you promise make us one in mind and heart. 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. Amen.

« August 30, 2008 »

Saturday of the Twenty-First Week of Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: St. Rose of Lima, virgin; Saints Felix and Adauctus, martyrs; St. Fiacre

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Sts. Felix and Adauctus were two Roman martyrs under the Diocletian persecution. They are buried in the cemetery of Commodilla at the gates of Rome on the Ostian Way. St. Fiacre, who is in the Roman Martyrology, is from the diocese of Meaux and is the patron saint of gardeners. According to the Tridentine Calendar today is the feast of St. Rose of Lima. The General Roman Calendar now celebrates her feast on August 23.

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Sts. Felix and Adauctus
In the year 304 Felix was living piously and happily, doing the work of a Christian priest in Rome, when he was captured, along with many other Christians at the start of the persecutions under the Emperor Diocletian. First he was savagely tortured. Then he was sentenced to be beheaded, for no torture sufficed to make him give up his Christian beliefs.

Felix was led to the place of execution. So noble and apparently unconcerned did he seem at the prospect of imminent death that one of the crowd who had so far kept secret his own Christianity, shouted out: 'I too follow and believe the same commandments that this man confesses. I too follow and believe in the same Jesus Christ. And I too will give away my life to further his cause.'

The Roman soldiers rushed to seize the man, and he too was beheaded alongside Saint Felix. Unfortunately no-one even gathered his name. He was therefore dubbed 'Adauctus', which simply means 'the additional one'.

Both martyrs were reverently buried in the cemetery of Commodilla on the Ostian Way. By the time the list of martyrs known as the Depositio Martyrum was compiled in the year 354, they were simply known as 'Felix and Adauctus'.

About thirty years later Pope Damasus ordered that their tomb be restored and he put an inscription over it.

Excerpted from A Calendar of Saints by James Bentley

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St. Fiacre
St. Fiacre (also known as Fiachra; Fiachrach; Fiacrius; Fiaker and Fevre) was a hermit at Kilfiachra, Ireland. He left to go to France, and then lived as a solitary at Breuil, Brie, on land given him by St. Faro, bishop of Meaux. Fiacre built a hospice for travelers, attracted many disciples, was known for his charity and aid to the poor, and was consulted by many for his spiritual wisdom. His miracles of healing became legendary. He is the patron saint of gardeners and the cabdrivers of Paris, whose vehicles are called fiacres, since the first coach for hire in Paris was located near the Hotel Saint-Fiacre. He is mentioned in Roman Martyrology for this day.

Excerpted from Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney

Patron: Gardeners; herbalist; florists; potters; needlemakers; cab drivers; against hemorrhoids; against syphilis; barrenness; box makers; fistula; hosiers; pewterers; taxi drivers; sterility; tile makers; against venereal disease.

Symbols: Spade and open book; rosary; birds; spade.
Often Portrayed as: man carrying a spade and a basket of vegetables beside him surrounded by pilgrims and blessing the sick.

[Salvation]

Lauds -- Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.

---

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 118 (119): 145-152

I call on you with all my heart – answer me, Lord. I will obey your laws.
I call on you, save me so that I can keep your decrees.

At dawn I cry to you, I put all my hope in your word.
In the night I keep watch, pondering your sayings.

In your mercy, Lord, hear my voice; in your justice, give me life.
My persecutors come to do me harm: they are far from your law.

But you, Lord, are near to me, and you are trustworthy in all your precepts.
From the beginning I have known your decrees, how you have made them to last for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen.

---

Canticle	Exodus 15
Hymn of victory after crossing the Red Sea
I will sing to the Lord, for his triumph is glorious. Horse and rider he has cast into the sea. The Lord is my support and my strength, and he has saved me.  This is my God, and I will give him glory  This is my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The Lord is a warrior – ‘The Lord’ is his name!  Pharaoh’s chariots and army he has thrown into the sea. Your storm raged, and the waters were piled high,  the flowing waters were a rampart, the sea-bed was exposed. The enemy said: “I will follow and surround them;  I will divide their spoils,  have my fill of booty,  draw my sword and kill them all.” Your wind blew,  and the sea covered them,  they sank like lead in the raging waters. What god is like you, O Lord? What god is like you,  so great in your holiness, a worker of miracles,  terrible and worthy of praise? You stretched out your hand and the earth swallowed them. In your mercy you led your people whom you had redeemed,  in your strength you brought them to your dwelling-place. You will lead them in and establish them  on the mountain that is your inheritance, your solid dwelling-place, which you made, Lord;  your sanctuary, Lord, which your hands made firm. The Lord will reign, to eternity and beyond! Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,  world without end. Amen.

---

Psalm 116 (117)

Praise of the merciful Lord

Praise the Lord, all nations; all peoples, praise him.
For his mercy is strong over us and his faithfulness is for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen.

---

Short reading	2 Peter 1:10 - 11 ©
Brothers, you have been called and chosen: work all the harder to justify it. If you do all these things there is no danger that you will ever fall away. In this way you will be granted admittance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

---

Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,  world without end. Amen.

---

Prayers and Intercessions

?

By becoming man Christ became our brother and a compassionate High Priest before God. Let us bless him as we beg for his help: - Lord, pour out on us the treasures of your love. We consecrate our day to you, the shining Sun of justice, who shone on us when we were baptized. We will bless you every moment of this day, and praise your name in everything we do. Mary, your mother, was obedient to your word: lead our steps today in the path of your teaching. As we journey through this perishable world, may we look forward to your imperishable heaven. In faith, hope, and love, may we have a foretaste of the joy that is to come.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
 hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
 thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our trespasses
 as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
 but deliver us from evil.

Lord, may the splendour of the Resurrection shine in our hearts.
 Make us worthy to escape the shadows of death
 and arrive in the brightness of eternity.

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.

---

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 25:14-30

View NAB Reading at USCCB.org | Wrong date? Set time zone.

Let’s take a slightly different tack on this parable today. We often look at ourselves in terms of the one-talent servant—and our only talent is “church”!

To use this talent means to pray, evangelize, and be involved in ministry. If we’re not doing enough of these things, it means we’re shirking our responsibility, and we stand a good chance of ending up like this unfortunate man, who was so scared of making a mistake that he did nothing.

But instead of thinking of ourselves this way, let’s imagine we are the five- and two-talent servants. We do have more than one talent, after all—and they are not all spiritual ones. As a loving Father, God gives his children many gifts. He created us with a body and mind as well as a spirit, and he has given us talents in all of these areas. He wants us to have an abundant life, and that means developing our full potential and being involved in the world in every good and wholesome way.

When God created the world, he looked at what he had made and saw that it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). He sent Jesus to save our whole being, not just our souls, and to bring “all things” to himself (Colossians 1:20). God loves his creation so much that he wants to give it new life—and that means all of it. Anything we do in Christ, provided it is done in love, can be redeemed for his kingdom. And if we focus only on the spiritual and ignore everything else, our spiritual life will suffer—much like a car with plenty of gas but no air in the tires!

What talents do you have? Remember: Something as ordinary as improving your golf game, becoming a better cook or artist, or being the absolute best at your job can draw you closer to God. St. Irenaeus said that “the glory of God is a human being fully alive.” So if there’s something you enjoy doing, or something that develops your leadership skills, physical endurance, or mental capabilities, keep working at it—and know that God is very pleased with you!

“Father, thank you for giving me so many wonderful gifts! Help me to develop them to their greatest potential and to use them all for your glory!”

1 Corinthians 1:26-31; 
 Psalm 33:12-13,18-21

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Bearing Fruit for the Kingdom
August 30, 2008

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Come, share your master´s joy.

Saturday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Father Todd Arsenault, LC

Matthew 25: 14-30
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one-- to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master´s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ´Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.´ His master said to him, ´Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master´s joy.´ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ´Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.´ His master said to him, ´Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master´s joy.´ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ´Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.´ His master said to him in reply, ´You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.´"

Introductory Prayer: My God, I believe in you with all my heart because you have made yourself known to me in so many ways, especially through the gift of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I hope in you because you have never abandoned me. I love you, Lord, because you have loved me first and have shed your blood for my salvation. I want to love you with my whole life. Recognizing my sinfulness and trusting in your mercy, I humble myself before you. Mother Mary, I entrust my life to your maternal care so that I will always be faithful to God’s holy will for my life.

Petition: Lord, help me to take all the gifts and talents you have given me and put them to use for the greater good of the Kingdom of God.

1. Free to Use My Talents
Christ has given each of us a certain number of talents. Each of us now has to decide how we are going to use them. We can use them and multiply them, or we can bury them. Christ wants each of us to make full use of the talents we have been given. He gives us the liberty to discern what the best way to do so is. This is what is so great about Christ: He respects our freedom. Our freedom was given to us as a tool to help us choose the greatest good to be done at any given moment. We have to ask ourselves if we are using our freedom to make the most of our God-given talents.

2. Taking Stock
The talents and gifts given us by Christ were given not only for personal use but for the service of others. Christ will demand an account from us as to how we made use of them. We have to think about this: At the end our lives do we want to be accounted before God for making use of 100% of our talents, or just 25% or 50% of them? How are we going to explain why we didn’t make use of the other 50% or 75%? It is an important question that we need to ask ourselves because, as we meditated earlier this week, Christ is counting on us. The mere fact we are conscious of the need to use our talents for Christ is in itself a grace. Now is always the best time to change if need be.

3. Making Christ Happy
Have you ever thought that by doing God’s will faithfully and by giving your full effort, you could make our Lord happy? It is true, because Christ is extremely interested in each one of us being totally faithful to his Father’s will, just as he himself took interest in his Father’s will perfectly and completely. Don’t think that if no one in this world acknowledges us, all our sacrifices and labor go unnoticed. Rather know this: Christ sees all and knows why we do all that we do. Christ is very happy that we put everything that we are at his service out of love.

Conversation with Christ: Lord and Savior, thank you for calling me to yourself and for strengthening me in the fight for holiness in my life. I want nothing more than to bring to fruition all the talents you have given me and to put them at your service. They are your gifts to me; the least I can do is use them to bring you glory and praise. So often in the world people use their talents for selfish gain, but I don’t want to do that, Lord. I want to be your faithful servant.

Resolution: I will offer up the use of my talents today to give glory to God.

[Salvation]

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

(These are the First Vespers of tomorrow, 22nd Sunday of the year)

O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.

---

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 118 (119): 105-112

A lamp to guide my feet is your word, a light for my journey.
I have firmly sworn to keep your just laws.

Lord, I am greatly afflicted: revive me as you have promised.
Lord, accept the vows I make, and teach me your judgements.

I hold my life in my hands, I remember your laws.
The wicked placed a trap for me, but I did not wander from your commandments.

Your decrees are my inheritance for ever, they are the joy of my heart:
my heart is set on carrying them out, for ever, until the end.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen.

---

Psalm 15 (16)

The Lord, my inheritance

Preserve me, Lord, I put my hope in you.

I have said to the Lord “You are my Lord, in you alone is all my good.”
As for the holy and noble men of the land, in them is all my delight.
But for those who run to alien gods, their sorrows are many.
I will not share in their libations of blood. I will not speak their names.

You, Lord, are my inheritance and my cup. You control my destiny,
the lot marked out for me is of the best, my inheritance is all I could ask for.
I will bless the Lord who gave me understanding; even in the night my heart will teach me wisdom.
I will hold the Lord for ever in my sight: with him at my side I can never be shaken.
Thus it is that my heart rejoices, heart and soul together; while my body rests in calm hope.

You will not leave my soul in the underworld. You will not let your chosen one see decay.
You will show me the paths of life, the fullness of joy before your face, and delights at your right hand until the end of time.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
 as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
 world without end.
Amen.

---

Canticle	Philippians 2
Christ, God's servant
Jesus Christ, although he shared God’s nature, did not try to seize equality with God for himself; but emptied himself, took on the form of a slave, and became like a man – not in appearance only, for he humbled himself by accepting death – even death on a cross. For this, God has raised him high, and given him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bend, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue will proclaim “Jesus Christ is Lord,” to the glory of God the Father. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,  world without end. Amen.

---

Short reading

Colossians 1:2 - 6 ©

Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We have never failed to remember you in our prayers and to give thanks for you to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you show towards all the saints because of the hope which is stored up for you in heaven. It is only recently that you heard of this, when it was announced in the message of the truth. The Good News which has reached you is spreading and bearing fruit all over the world.

---

Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favour –  me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed,  because the mighty one has done great things for me. His name is holy,  his mercy lasts for generation after generation  for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength:  he has scattered the proud and conceited,  torn princes from their thrones;  but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things;  the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel,  he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,  to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,  as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,  world without end. Amen.

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Prayers and Intercessions

?

God helps and watches over his chosen people on the path to blessedness. We thank him and call on his kindness: - In you, Lord, we put our trust. Merciful Father, we pray for our Pope N. and our bishop N: give them your strength and protection and make them holy. Help the sick to unite themselves with Christ in his passion and to receive his consolation in their sufferings. In your kindness, care for those with no roof over their heads: may they find the decent shelter they need. Give us abundant fruits from the land, so that all may receive their daily bread. Lord, in your great kindness look after the dead, and grant them a dwelling-place in heaven.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
 hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
 thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
 and forgive us our trespasses
 as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
 but deliver us from evil.

God of power and might, all that is perfect belongs to you.
 Fill us with love of your name:
 increase our zeal and nourish what is good in us;
 watch over us and preserve what you have nourished.

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.

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May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Saturday, August 30, 2008 >>

Saint of the Day

1 Corinthians 1:26-31
View Readings

Psalm 33

Matthew 25:14-30

"WELL DONE!"

"Well done! You are an industrious and reliable servant. Since you were dependable in a small matter I will put you in charge of larger affairs. Come, share your master's joy!" —Matthew 25:21

 

The Lord does not expect everyone to make ten thousand dollars. He does not necessarily expect us to do better than others. He also does not expect us to start from scratch; He gives us something to start with. We do not have to be prosperous, competitive, or creative by worldly standards. The Lord simply expects our best. If our best is very little, that's all right (see Lk 21:2ff). He doesn't expect us to do anything beyond our ability.

We may not be able to meet other people's standards or even our own, but we can always meet God's standards. We always have a "best," and we can always "do our best." We can always be pleasing to the Lord. We can always be everything God wants us to be. We don't have to wait on anyone else or on circumstances. We can choose always to be "an industrious and reliable servant" and to do a job "well done" (Mt 25:21).

 

Prayer: Father, may I put in a good day's work for You, today and every day.

Promise: "He has made Him our Wisdom and also our Justice, our Sanctification, and our Redemption." —1 Cor 1:30

Praise: Stephen adjusts his work schedule so that daily Mass and weekly eucharistic adoration are not neglected.

[annalex]

Mt 25:14-30
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
14	For even as a man going into a far country called his servants and delivered to them his goods;	sicut enim homo proficiscens vocavit servos suos et tradidit illis bona sua
15	And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to every one according to his proper ability: and immediately he took his journey.	et uni dedit quinque talenta alii autem duo alii vero unum unicuique secundum propriam virtutem et profectus est statim
16	And he that had received the five talents went his way and traded with the same and gained other five.	abiit autem qui quinque talenta acceperat et operatus est in eis et lucratus est alia quinque
17	And in like manner he that had received the two gained other two.	similiter qui duo acceperat lucratus est alia duo
18	But he that had received the one, going his way, digged into the earth and hid his lord's money.	qui autem unum acceperat abiens fodit in terra et abscondit pecuniam domini sui
19	But after a long time the lord of those servants came and reckoned with them.	post multum vero temporis venit dominus servorum illorum et posuit rationem cum eis
20	And he that had received the five talents coming, brought other five talents, saying: Lord, thou didst deliver to me five talents. Behold I have gained other five over and above.	et accedens qui quinque talenta acceperat obtulit alia quinque talenta dicens domine quinque talenta mihi tradidisti ecce alia quinque superlucratus sum
21	His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.	ait illi dominus eius euge bone serve et fidelis quia super pauca fuisti fidelis super multa te constituam intra in gaudium domini tui
22	And he also that had received the two talents came and said: Lord, thou deliveredst two talents to me. Behold I have gained other two.	accessit autem et qui duo talenta acceperat et ait domine duo talenta tradidisti mihi ecce alia duo lucratus sum
23	His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant: because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.	ait illi dominus eius euge serve bone et fidelis quia super pauca fuisti fidelis supra multa te constituam intra in gaudium domini tui
24	But he that had received the one talent, came and said: Lord, I know that thou art a hard man; thou reapest where thou hast not sown and gatherest where thou hast not strewed.	accedens autem et qui unum talentum acceperat ait domine scio quia homo durus es metis ubi non seminasti et congregas ubi non sparsisti
25	And being afraid, I went and hid thy talent in the earth. Behold here thou hast that which is thine.	et timens abii et abscondi talentum tuum in terra ecce habes quod tuum est
26	And his lord answering, said to him: Wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sow not and gather where I have not strewed.	respondens autem dominus eius dixit ei serve male et piger sciebas quia meto ubi non semino et congrego ubi non sparsi
27	Thou oughtest therefore to have committed my money to the bankers: and at my coming I should have received my own with usury.	oportuit ergo te mittere pecuniam meam nummulariis et veniens ego recepissem utique quod meum est cum usura
28	Take ye away therefore the talent from him and give it him that hath ten talents.	tollite itaque ab eo talentum et date ei qui habet decem talenta
29	For to every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound: but from him that hath not, that also which he seemeth to have shall be taken away.	omni enim habenti dabitur et abundabit ei autem qui non habet et quod videtur habere auferetur ab eo
30	And the unprofitable servant, cast ye out into the exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.	et inutilem servum eicite in tenebras exteriores illic erit fletus et stridor dentium

14. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered to them his goods.
15. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18. But he that had received one went and dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19. After a long time the lord of those servants comes, and reckons with them.
20. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21. His lord said to him, Well done, you good and faithful servant: you has been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things; enter you into the joy of your lord.
22. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things: enter you into the joy of your lord.
24. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not strawed:
25. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: lo, there you have that is yours.
26. His lord answered and said to him, you wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27. You ought therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received my own with usury.
28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him which has ten talents.
29. For to every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has.
30. And cast you the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

GLOSS. In the foregoing parable is set forth the condemnation of such as have not prepared sufficient oil for themselves, whether by oil is meant the brightness of good works, or inward joy of conscience, or alms paid in money.

CHRYS. This parable is delivered against those who will not assist their neighbors either with money, or words, or in any other way, but hide all that they have.

GREG. The man traveling into a far country is our Redeemer, who ascended into heaven in that flesh which He had taken upon Him. For the proper home of the flesh is the earth, and it, as it were, travels into a foreign country, when it is placed by the Redeemer in heaven.

ORIGEN; He travels, not according to His divine nature, but according to the dispensation of the flesh which He took upon Him. For He who says to His disciples, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world; is the Only-Begotten God, who is not circumscribed by bodily form. By saying this, we do not disunite Jesus, but attribute its proper qualities to each constituent substance. We may also explain thus, that the Lord travels in a far country with all those who walk by faith and not by sight. And when we are absent from the body with the Lord, then will He also be with us. Observe that the turn of expression is not thus, I am like, or The Son of Man is like, a man traveling into a far country, because He is represented in the parable as traveling, not as the Son of God, but as man.

JEROME; Calling together the Apostles, He gave them the Gospel doctrine, to one more, to another less, not as of His own bounty or scanting, but as meeting the capacity of the receivers, as the Apostle says, that he fed with milk those that were unable to take solid food. In the five, two, and one talent, we recognize the diversity of gifts wherewith we have been entrusted.

ORIGEN; Whenever you see of those who have received from Christ a dispensation of the oracles of God that some have more and some less; that some have not in comparison of the better sort half an understanding of things; that others have still less; you will perceive the different of those who have all of them received from Christ oracles of God. They to whom five talents were given, and they to whom two, and they to whom one, have divers degrees of capacity, and one could not hold the measure of another; he who received but one having received no mean endowment, for one talent of such a master is a great thing. His proper servants are three, as there are three sorts of those that bear fruit. He that received five talents, is he that is able to raise all the meaning of the Scriptures to their more divine significations; he that has two is he that has been taught carnal doctrine, (for two seems to be a carnal number,) and to the less strong the Master of the household has given one talent.

GREG. Otherwise; The five talents denote the gift of the five senses, that is, the knowledge of things without; the two signify understanding and action, the one talent understanding only.

GLOSS. And straightway took his journey, not changing his place, but leaving them to their own freewill and choice of action.

JEROME; He that had received five talents, that is, having received his bodily senses, he doubled his knowledge of heavenly things, from the creature understanding the Creator, from earthly unearthly, from temporal the eternal.

GREG. There are also some who though they cannot pierce to things inward and mystical, yet for their measure of view of their heavenly country, they teach rightly such things as they can, what they have gathered from things without, and while they keep themselves from wantonness of the flesh, and from ambition of earthly things, and from the delights of the things that are seen, they restrain others also from the same by their admonitions.

ORIGEN; Or, They that have their senses exercised by healthy conversation, both raising themselves to higher knowledge and zealous in teaching others, these have gained other five; because no one can easily have increase of any virtues that are not his own, and without he teaches others what he himself knows, and no more.

HILARY; Or, That servant who received five talents is the people of believers under the Law, who beginning with that, doubled their merit by the right obedience of an evangelic faith.

GREG. Again, there are some who by their understanding and their actions preach to others, and thence gain as it were a twofold profit in such merchandise. This their preaching bestowed upon both sexes is thus a talent doubled.

ORIGEN; Or, gained other two, that is, carnal instruction, and another yet a little higher.

HILARY; Or, the servant to whom two talents were committed is the people of the Gentiles justified by the faith and confession of the Son and of the E ether, confessing our Lord Jesus Christ, to be both God and Man, both Spirit and Flesh. These are the two talents committed to this servant. But as the Jewish people doubled by its belief in the Gospel every Sacrament which it had learned in the Law, (i.e. its five talents,) so this people by its use of its two talents merited understanding and working.

GREG. To hide one's talent in the earth is to devote the ability we have received to worldly business.

ORIGEN; Or otherwise; When you see one who has the power of teaching, and of benefiting souls, hiding this power, though he may have a certain religiousness of life, doubt not of such an one that he has received one talent and hides it in the earth.

HILARY; Or, This servant who has received one talent and hid it in the earth is the people that continue in the Law, who through jealousy of the salvation of the Gentiles hide the talent they have received in the earth. For to hide a talent in the earth is to hide the glory of the new preaching through offense at the Passion of His Body. His coming to reckon with them is the assize of the day of judgment.

ORIGEN; And note here that the servants do not come to the Lord to be judged, but the Lord shall come to them when the time shall be accomplished. After a long time, that is, when He has sent forth such as are fitted to bring about the salvation of souls, and perhaps for this reason it is not easy to find one who is quite fit to pass forthwith out of this life, as is manifest from this, that even the Apostles lived to old age; for example, it was said to Peter, When you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hand; and Paul says to Philemon, Now as Paul the aged.

CHRYS. Observe also that the Lord does not require the reckoning immediately, that you may learn His long suffering. To me He seems to say this covertly, alluding to the resurrection.

JEROME; After a long time, because there is a long interval between the Savior's ascension and His second coming.

GREG. This lesson from this Gospel warns us to consider whether those who seem to have received more in this world than others, shall not be more severely judged by the Author of the world; the greater the gifts, the greater the reckoning for them. Therefore should every one be humble concerning his talents in proportion as he sees himself tied up with a greater responsibility.

ORIGEN; He who had received five talents comes first with boldness before his Lord.

GREG. And bringing his talents doubled, he is commended by his Lord, and is sent into eternal happiness.

RABAN. Well done is an interjection of joy; the Lord showing us therein the joy with which He invites the servant who labors well to eternal bliss; of which the Prophet speaks, In your presence is fullness of joy.

CHRYS. You good servant, this he means of that goodness which is shown towards our neighbor.

GLOSS. Faithful because he appropriated to himself none of those things which were his lord's.

JEROME; He says, you were faithful in a few things, because all that we have at present though they seem great and many, yet in comparison of the things to come are little and few.

GREG. The faithful servant is set over many things, when having overcome the afflictions of corruption, he joys with eternal joy in that heavenly seat. He is then fully admitted to the joy of his Lord, when taken in to that abiding country, and numbered among the companies of Angels, he has such inward joy for this gift, that there is no room for outward sorrow at his corruption.

JEROME; What greater thing can be given to a faithful servant than to be with his Lord, and to see his Lord's joy?

CHRYS. By this word joy He expresses complete blessedness.

AUG. This will be our perfect joy, than which is none greater, to have fruition of that Divine Trinity in whose image we were made.

JEROME; The servant who of five talents had made ten, and he who of two had made four, are received with equal favor by the Master of the household, who looks not to the largeness of their profit, but to the disposition of their will.

ORIGEN; That He says of both these servants that they came, we must understand of their passing out of this world to Him. And observe that the same was said to them both; he that had less capacity, but that which he had, he exercised after such manner as he ought, shall have no whit less with God than he who has a greater capacity; for all that is required is that whatever a man has from God, he should use it all to the glory of God.

GREG. The servant who would not trade with his talent returns to his Lord with words of excuse.

JEROME; For truly that which is written, To offer excuses excusing sins happened to this servant, so that to slothfulness and idleness was added also the sin of pride. For he who ought to have honestly acknowledged his fault, and to have entreated the Master of the household, on the contrary cavils against him, and avers that he did it with provident design, lest while he sought to make profit he should hazard the capital.

ORIGEN; This servant seems to me to have been one of those who believe, but do not act honestly, concealing their faith, and doing every thing that they may not be known to be Christians. They who are such seem to me to have a fear of God, and to regard Him as austere and implacable. We indeed understand how the Lord reaps where He sowed not, because the righteous man sows in the Spirit, whereof he shall reap life eternal. Also He reaps where He sowed not, and gathers where he scattered not, because He counts as bestowed upon Himself all that is sown among the poor.

JEROME; Also, by this which this servant dared to say, you reap where you sow not, we understand that the Lord accepts the good life of the Gentiles and of the Philosophers.

GREG. But there are many within the Church of whom this servant is a type, who fear to set out on the path of a better life, and yet are not afraid to continue in carnal indolence; they esteem themselves sinners, and therefore tremble to take up the paths of holiness, but fearlessly remain in their own iniquities.

HILARY; Or, By this servant is understood the Jewish people which continues in the Law, and says, I was afraid of you, as through fear of the old commandments abstaining from the exercise of evangelical liberty; and it says, Lo, there is that is yours, as though it had continued in those things which the Lord commanded, when yet it knew that the fruits of righteousness should be reaped there, where the Law bad not been sown, and that there should be gathered from among the Gentiles some who were not scattered of the seed of Abraham.

JEROME; But what he thought would be his excuse is turned into his condemnation. He calls him wicked servant, because he caviled against his Lord; and slothful, because he would not double his talent; condemning his pride in the one, and his idleness in the other.

If you knew me to be hard and austere, and to seek after other men's goods, you should also have known that I exact with the more rigor that is mine own, and should have given my money to the bankers; for the Greek word here means money. The words of the Lord are pure words, silver tried in the fire. The money, or silver, then are the preaching of the Gospel and the heavenly word; which ought to be given to the bankers, that is, either to the other doctors, which the Apostles did when they ordained Priests and Bishops throughout the cities; or to all the believers, who can double the sum and restore it with usury by fulfilling in act what they have learned in word.

GREG. So then we I see as well the peril of the teachers if they withhold the Lord's money, as that of the hearers from whom is exacted with usury that they have e heard, namely, that from what they have heard they should strive to understand that they have not heard.

ORIGEN; The Lord did not allow that He was a hard man as the servant supposed, but He assented to all his other words. But He is indeed hard to those who abuse the mercy of God to suffer themselves to become remiss, and use it not to be converted.

GREG. Let us hear now the sentence by which the Lord condemns the slothful servant, Take away from him the talent, and give it to him that has ten talents.

ORIGEN; The Lord is able by the might of His divinity to take away his ability from the man who is slack to use it, and to give it to him who has improved his own.

GREG. It might seem more seasonable to have given it rather to him who had two, than to him who had five. But as the five talents denote the knowledge of things without, the two understanding and action, he who had the two had more than he who had the five talents; this man with his five talents merited the administration of things without, but was yet without any understanding of things eternal. The one talent therefore, which we say signifies the intellect, ought to be given to him who had administered well the things without which he had received; the same we see happen every day in the Holy Church, that they who administer faithfully things without, are also mighty in the inward understanding.

JEROME; Or, it is given to him who had gained five talents, that we may understand that though the Lord's joy over the labor of each be equal,