September 23, 2012

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Wis 2:12, 17-20

The wicked say:
Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings,
reproaches us for transgressions of the law
and charges us with violations of our training.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8

R. (6b) The Lord upholds my life.
O God, by your name save me,
and by your might defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
hearken to the words of my mouth.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
For the haughty men have risen up against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they set not God before their eyes.
R. The Lord upholds my life.
Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.
R. The Lord upholds my life.

Reading 2 Jas 3:16-4:3

Beloved:
Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
there is disorder and every foul practice.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity.
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace
for those who cultivate peace.

Where do the wars
and where do the conflicts among you come from?
Is it not from your passions
that make war within your members?
You covet but do not possess.
You kill and envy but you cannot obtain;
you fight and wage war.
You do not possess because you do not ask.
You ask but do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Gospel Mk 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,
but he did not wish anyone to know about it.
He was teaching his disciples and telling them,
"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men
and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise."
But they did not understand the saying,
and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,
he began to ask them,
"What were you arguing about on the way?"
But they remained silent.
They had been discussing among themselves on the way
who was the greatest.
Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
"If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."
Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me."

Sunday, September 23, 2012
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
Psalm 54:3-8
St. James 3:16 to 4:1-3
Mark 9:30-37

The rosary is said not with the lips alone, muttering Hail Marys one after the other. … For a Christian vocal prayer must spring from the heart, so that while the rosary is said, the mind can enter into contemplation of each one of the mysteries.

-- St. Josemaria Escriva

21 posted on 09/20/2012 10:01:11 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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.

22 posted on 09/20/2012 10:02:05 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Thanks always appreciate!!

23 posted on 09/20/2012 11:14:38 PM PDT by johngrace (I am a 1 John 4! Christian- declared at every Sunday Mass , Divine Mercy and Rosary prayers!)

Go in the Peace of Christ friend and let us know how it went.

24 posted on 09/21/2012 8:49:45 PM PDT by jmacusa (Political correctness is cultural Marxism. I'm not a Marxist.)

Thank you Salvation for all you do!

25 posted on 09/23/2012 4:58:30 AM PDT by Carpe Cerevisi

WDTPRS 25th Ordinary Sunday: Do you have unfinished business?

This week’s Collect, for the 25th Ordinary Sunday, was introduced into the Missale Romanum with the Novus Ordo but it is influenced by a prayer in the ancient Veronese Sacramentary.

Deus, qui sacrae legis omnia constituta in tua et proximi dilectione posuisti, da nobis, ut, tua praecepta servantes, ad vitam mereamur pervenire perpetuam.

OBSOLETE ICEL (1973):
Father, guide us, as you guide creation according to your law of love. May we love one another and come to perfection in the eternal life prepared for us.

LITERAL ATTEMPT:
O God, who placed all things of the sacred law which were constituted in the love of You and of neighbor, grant us that we, observing Your precepts, may merit to attain to eternal life.

This Collect seems to be founded on the exchange between Jesus and a lawyer:

“But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On
these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets’” (Matthew 22:3440).

St Thomas Aquinas (+1274) glossed this verse in his Commentary on Saint Matthew: when man is loved, God is loved, since man is the image of God.

In 1 John 4:21 there is a good explanation of this double precept: “This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should love his brother also.”

All of the Law is summed up in Jesus’ two-fold command of love of God and neighbor. The
first part of the two-fold law is about unconditional love of God. The second follows as its
consequence.

We must cultivate our different loves in their proper order. God comes first, always. Always.
A married person must love God more even than a spouse. We must never put any creature,
no matter how proximate to us in our hearts, closer than the God in whose image and likeness we are made. When this logical priority is properly in place, love of God and neighbor will not conflict or compete. Each love fuels the other, when love of God is first.

Today’s Collect reestablishes that we have a special relationship with each person who lives,
and not merely with God alone. People are made in God’s image. They are our neighbors,
though some are closer to us than others. But there is no person on earth who is not in some way our neighbor.

This reciprocal relationship calls to mind another act of reciprocity which the Lord teaches us: forgive or you will not be forgiven.

When our Saviour taught us how to pray what we now call the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-
13), the first thing he then explained and stressed was forgiveness: “For if you forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (vv 14-15).

It is often hard to forgive.

The second section of the Catechism of the Catholic Church digs into the Lord’s Prayer. When we get to the examination of “…as we forgive those who trespass against us” we read (2842):

“This ‘as’ is not unique in Jesus’ teaching: ‘You, therefore, must be perfect, as your
heavenly Father is perfect’; ‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful’; ‘A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.’ It is impossible to keep the Lord’s commandment by
imitating the divine model from outside; there has to be a vital participation, coming
from the depths of the heart, in the holiness and the mercy and the love of our God.
Only the Spirit by whom we live can make ‘ours’ the same mind that was in Christ Jesus.
Then the unity of forgiveness becomes possible and we find ourselves ‘forgiving one
another, as God in Christ forgave us.’”

When it is your time to go to Your Lord, will you be well-reconciled with the neighbors you
leave behind? Our time will come. Let us pray daily that we will not die without the solace and strengthening of the sacraments and an opportunity to make peace with our neighbor.

Do you have unfinished business?

CURRENT ICEL (2011):
O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our
neighbor, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life.

26 posted on 09/23/2012 6:12:52 AM PDT by markomalley (Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good -- Leo XIII)

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 9
30.	9:29 And departing from thence, they passed through Galilee, and he would not that any man should know it.	9:29 Et inde profecti prætergrediebantur Galilæam : nec volebat quemquam scire.	και εκειθεν εξελθοντες παρεπορευοντο δια της γαλιλαιας και ουκ ηθελεν ινα τις γνω
31.	9:30 And he taught his disciple, and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.	9:30 Docebat autem discipulos suos, et dicebat illis : Quoniam Filius hominis tradetur in manus hominum, et occident eum, et occisus tertia die resurget.	εδιδασκεν γαρ τους μαθητας αυτου και ελεγεν αυτοις οτι ο υιος του ανθρωπου παραδιδοται εις χειρας ανθρωπων και αποκτενουσιν αυτον και αποκτανθεις τη τριτη ημερα αναστησεται
32.	9:31 But they understood not the word, and they were afraid to ask him.	9:31 At illi ignorabant verbum : et timebant interrogare eum.	οι δε ηγνοουν το ρημα και εφοβουντο αυτον επερωτησαι
33.	9:32 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way?	9:32 Et venerunt Capharnaum. Qui cum domi essent, interrogabat eos : Quid in via tractabatis ?	και ηλθεν εις καπερναουμ και εν τη οικια γενομενος επηρωτα αυτους τι εν τη οδω προς εαυτους διελογιζεσθε
34.	9:33 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.	9:33 At illi tacebant : siquidem in via inter se disputaverunt : quis eorum major esset.	οι δε εσιωπων προς αλληλους γαρ διελεχθησαν εν τη οδω τις μειζων
35.	9:34 And sitting down, he called the twelve, and saith to them: If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.	9:34 Et residens vocavit duodecim, et ait illis : Si quis vult primus esse, erit omnium novissimus, et omnium minister.	και καθισας εφωνησεν τους δωδεκα και λεγει αυτοις ει τις θελει πρωτος ειναι εσται παντων εσχατος και παντων διακονος
36.	9:35 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he saith to them:	9:35 Et accipiens puerum, statuit eum in medio eorum : quem cum complexus esset, ait illis :	και λαβων παιδιον εστησεν αυτο εν μεσω αυτων και εναγκαλισαμενος αυτο ειπεν αυτοις
37.	9:36 Whosoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receiveth me. And whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.	9:36 Quisquis unum ex hujusmodi pueris receperit in nomine meo, me recipit : et quicumque me susceperit, non me suscipit, sed eum qui misit me.	ος εαν εν των τοιουτων παιδιων δεξηται επι τω ονοματι μου εμε δεχεται και ος εαν εμε δεξηται ουκ εμε δεχεται αλλα τον αποστειλαντα με

27 posted on 09/23/2012 7:58:04 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

30. And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.
31. For he taught his disciples, and said to them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.
32. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.
33. And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that you disputed among yourselves by the way?
34. But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest.
35. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and said to them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
36. And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them: and when he had taken him in his arms, he said to them,
37. Whoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receives me: and whoever shall receive me, receives not me, but him that sent me.

THEOPHYL. It is after miracles that the Lord inserts a discourse concerning His Passion, lest it should be thought that He suffered because He could not help it; wherefore it is said, And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee: and he would not that any man should know it.

For he taught his disciples, and said to them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him.

BEDE; He always mingles together sorrowful and joyful things, that sorrow should not by its suddenness frighten the Apostles, but be borne by them with prepared minds.

THEOPHYL. After, however, saying what was sorrowful, He adds what ought to rejoice them; wherefore it goes on: And after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day; in order that we may learn that joys come on after struggles. There follows: But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.

BEDE; This ignorance of the disciples proceeds not so much from slowness of intellect, as from love for the Savior, for they were as yet carnal, and ignorant of the mystery of the cross, they could not therefore believe that He whom they had recognized as the true God, was about to die; being accustomed then to hear Him often talk in figures, and shrinking from the event of His death, they would have it, that something was conveyed figuratively in those things, which he spoke openly concerning His betrayal and passion. It goes on: And he came to Capernaum.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Capernaum means the city of consolation, and agrees with the former sentence, which He had spoken: And after that he is killed, he shall arise the third day. There follows: And being in the house he asked them, What was it that you disputed among yourselves by the way?

But they held their peace.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. Matthew however says, that the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The reason is, that he did not begin the narrative from its commencement, but omitted our Savior's knowledge of the thoughts and words of His disciples; unless we understand Him to mean, that even what they thought and said, when away from Christ, was said to Him, since it was as well known to Him as if it had been said to Him. It goes on: For by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. But Luke says, that "the thought entered into the disciples which of them should be the greatest"; for the Lord laid open their thought and intention from their private discourse, according to the Gospel narrative.

PSEUDO-JEROME; It was fit also that they should dispute concerning the chief place by the way the dispute is like the place where it is held; for lofty station is only entered upon to be quitted: as long as a man keeps it, it is slippery, and it is uncertain at what stage, that is, on what day it will end.

BEDE, The reason why the dispute concerning the chief place arose amongst the disciples seems to have been, that Peter, James, and John, were led apart from the rest into the mountain, and that something secret was there entrusted to them, also that the keys of the kingdom of heaven were promised to Peter, according to Matthew. Seeing however the thoughts of the disciples, the Lord takes care to heal the desire of glory by humility; for He first, by simply commanding humility, admonishes them that a high station was not to be aimed at. Wherefore it goes on: And he sat down, and called the twelve, and said to them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

JEROME; Where it is to be observed, that the disciples disputed by the way concerning the chief place, but Christ Himself sat down to teach humility; for princes toil while the humble repose.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. The disciples indeed wished to receive honor at the hands of the Lord; they also had a desire to be made great by Christ, for the greater a man is, the more worthy of honor he becomes, for which reason He did not throw an obstacle in the way of that desire, but brought in humility.

THEOPHYL. For His wish is not that we should usurp for ourselves chief places, but that we should attain to lofty heights by lowliness. He next admonishes them by the example of a child's innocence; wherefore there follows: And he took a child, and set him inn the midst of them.

CHRYS. By this very sight, persuading them to humility and simplicity; for this little one was pure from envy and vain glory, and from a desire of superiority. But He does not only say, If you become such, you shall receive a great reward, but also, if you will honor others, who are such for my sake. Wherefore there follows: And when he had taken him in his arms, he said to them, Whoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receives me.

BEDE; By which, He either simply shows, that those who would become greater must receive the poor of Christ in honor of Him, or He would persuade them to be in malice children, to keep simplicity without arrogance, charity without envy, devotedness without anger. Again, by taking the child into His arms, He implies that the lowly are worthy of His embrace and love. He adds also, In my name, that they might, with the fixed purpose of reason, follow for His names sake that mold of virtue to which the child keeps, with nature for his guide. And because He taught that He Himself was received in children, lest it should be thought that there was nothing in Him but what was seen, he added, And whoever shall receive me, receive not me, but Him that sent me; thus wishing, that we should believe Him to be of the same nature and of equal greatness with His Father.

THEOPHYL. See, how great is humility, for it wins for itself the indwelling of the Father, and of the Son, and also of the Holy Ghost.

Catena Aurea Mark 9

28 posted on 09/23/2012 7:58:39 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

Christ in Majesty with the Twelve Apostles
Laudario of the Compagnia di Sant'Agnese

Pacino di Bonaguida

1320s
Tempera and gold on parchment, 277 x 206 mm
National Gallery of Art, Washington

29 posted on 09/23/2012 7:59:13 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

To: Carpe Cerevisi; SumProVita

You are most welcome. My conference was wonderful. If you ever get a chance to hear Father Brett Brannan from Savannah, GA, take it. What a powerful speakers. He also has a book out to answer the many questions that are asked repeatedly about vocations, “To Save a Thousand Souls.”

30 posted on 09/23/2012 8:35:46 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

To: johngrace; jmacusa

31 posted on 09/23/2012 8:41:05 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, priest "Padre Pio"

Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, priest
"Padre Pio"
Memorial
September 23rd

"Padre Pio" was born in the small Italian village of Pietrelcina, joined the Capuchin Friars at the age of fifteen, and was ordained a priest seven years later. For fifty years he lived at the monastery of San Stefano Rotundo, where his miraculous abilities as spiritual advisor, confessor and inercessor attracted the attention of the world. Still, Padre Pio's humility -- manifested through his constant devotion to the Eucharist -- was perhaps the more impressive. He would often remark, "I only want to be a friar who prays."

Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003

Collect:
Almighty ever-living God, who, by a singular grace,
gave the Priest Saint Pius a share in the Cross of your Son
and, by means of his ministry,
renewed the wonders of your mercy,
grant that through his intercession
we may be united constantly to the sufferings of Christ,
and so brought happily to the glory of the resurrection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.
Readings: From the Common of Pastors

32 posted on 09/23/2012 8:43:53 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

33 posted on 09/23/2012 8:45:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY MK 9:30-37

Selective hearing

Fr. Paul Scalia

On many occasions the disciples of Jesus begged Him to teach them. They asked Him to explain the parables (cf. Mk 4:10), to teach them how to pray (cf. Lk 11:1), even to foretell the end of the world (cf. Lk 21:7). Yet when Jesus told them of His coming death and resurrection, “They did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him” (Mk 9:32). Unlike those other occasions when they were anxious for more information and pleaded for more instruction, in this instance they remain curiously incurious.

Scripture says only that they were “afraid to question Him.” But why exactly were they afraid? Perhaps they remembered the rebuke given to Peter on a similar occasion and feared receiving the same (cf. Mk 8:33). Perhaps this was a reverential fear that overwhelmed them and kept them from asking anything more (cf. Mk 10:32). But another explanation is possible.

Perhaps they simply did not want to know more. Certainly they sensed the gravity and importance of what He was saying. They must have intuited that this particular teaching would require everything of them, changing their entire lives. In short, there seems to be a little willed ignorance in this situation. In the next verse we hear that they “had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest” (Mk 9:34). They seem so caught up in the worldly view of discipleship that they not only failed to understand Our Lord’s passion … they also did not want to. All that talk about being handed over and killed got in the way of their discussion about greatness. They were afraid to ask because the answer would require something of them.

Which all reveals that the disciples were not much different from us. Or, rather, how similar we are to them. Yes, we want God to explain things to us. We beg and plead that He help us understand, that He make His will known. Yet there comes a point when we do not want to know. We are afraid to question Him … because we might not like the answer.

In short, we have an extraordinary capacity for selective hearing with the Lord. We receive clearly what we want to hear … and tune out what we sense will bring inconvenience, challenges, discomfort or suffering. This explains why so many people keep the faith at arm’s length: They intuit that if it gets any closer they will have to change … to repent … to reform. Others make a deliberate decision simply to tune out certain teachings (usually about sexuality) that will require something of them. This explains also why so many people do not pray — that conversation with God might reveal some answers that we do not like. In the end, selective hearing of the Gospel leads to a selective reception of Jesus. If we are selective, we receive not Him but only ideas, thoughts and sentiments about Him. And those do not save.

The scene ends with Jesus comparing Himself to a child: “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me” (Mk 9:37). The simple, open, generous reception that one gives to a child — that is what we ought to give to Jesus. Not picking and choosing what aspect about Him we want, but receiving Him in all His simplicity and innocence.

Fr. Scalia is pastor of St. John the Beloved Parish in McLean.

34 posted on 09/23/2012 8:53:58 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

The Work of God

Year B

- 25th Sunday in ordinary time

The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.

Mark 9:29-36

29 And departing from there, they passed through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to know it.
30 And he taught his disciple, and said to them: The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.
31 But they did not understand a word, and they were afraid to ask him.
32 And they came to Capharnaum. And when they were in the house, he asked them: What did you treat of in the way?
33 But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest.
34 And sitting down, he called the twelve, and said to them: If any man desires to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.
35 And taking a child, he set him in the midst of them. Whom when he had embraced, he said to them:
36 Whoever shall receive one such child as this in my name, receives me. And whosoever shall receive me, receives not me, but him that sent me.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

25th Sunday in ordinary time - The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise again the third day.

I am the man of suffering, I know human pain because I have suffered it, I have surrendered my life to be altar, sacrifice and victim. Isaiah describes me in Chapter 53 talking about my death and explaining how, by my wounds all are healed.

Even after having revealed to my disciples my future death in the hands of men and my resurrection, they did not understand. They never imagined that the powerful man who could perform miracles, who had divine eloquence, was going to be a subject of mocking and martyrdom; that he was going to be humiliated by men until death, so that all would be forgiven their sins. More extraordinary for them was to listen to something never mentioned before, the resurrection from death.

Their minds were full of certain proud happiness as they were sharing my wisdom and my power, it seemed that they had forgotten my saying, “he who wants to be my disciple, must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me”. I was about to deny my own life in order to surrender it to my Father for the forgiveness of sins; I was getting prepared to carry my cross and to fulfill my mission as Savior.

In the same way, the life of each human being is full of moments of happiness, sorrow, joy, suffering, work, dissipation, courage, fear, foolishness, wisdom, laughter, tears, sin, repentance and so many other things. But above all these, there must be self-denial before the Divine Providence; humility must be outstanding, because without it, you cannot walk in my way. He who feels that he is great is the smallest in the sight of God, he who becomes small in humility and has holy fear of God, is great before Him, he is like an image of God who being so great has descended to share the human misery.

I said, he who receives a child in my name receives me. I took a little child as an example of someone who in his innocence and littleness is great before God, and have told you, unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a call to humility, because God rejects the proud, but delights exalting the humble.

Woe to those who seek human honors, power, riches and influence on others, they are too far from humility; on the other hand, those who deny themselves surrendering to the divine providence, are discovering the holy innocence that is found in children, who depend totally on their parents.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

35 posted on 09/23/2012 9:02:46 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Archdiocese of Washington

Calling A Crucial Question – A Meditation on the Gospel for the 25th Sunday of the Year

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

In today’s gospel, the Lord Jesus is calling a crucial question. The word crucial here is selected carefully. For the word crucial comes from the Latin word crucis which means “cross.” Indeed, looming over this entire Gospel, is the Cross. Jesus makes the second prediction of his passion, death and resurrection. It is in the context of this teaching, that the Lord calls the “crucial” question for us, which, as we shall see, is the question about what is most central in our life, what matters most. Lets look at this gospel in Five stages.

I. Processional – The gospel text opens by saying, Jesus and his disciples left from there began a journey through Galilee. This will be Jesus’ final journey through Galilee. For he is heading south, and unto his passion, death and resurrection

Do not miss, in this first stage, the importance of seeing our own life as a kind of procession, as a journey. We too, are making our journey through this life, our first and only journey. We too, with every step we take, move closer to our own death and, we pray, to our resurrection with the and unto Lord.

All along the way, we find things and meet people who will help us, or hinder us, in getting ready for our life’s true destination. There are things and people that will help us, and things and people that will distract us. Since this world is a fallen world, it is a sad, and perhaps unfair fact, that there will be more to distract us and to divert us into stupid, and foolish desires, pointless and silly path, and frivolous and harmful philosophies. More on this, in a moment.

For now, simply note that the Lord is on procession, he is headed for a critical destination, one that matters, one on which rests our very destiny. We too, are on such a path, and while we cannot save ourselves, we can surely harm ourselves. Our very destiny is caught up in decisions we make on life’s journey, on life’s path. Yes, we are on procession with Jesus.

II. Pain - The text says that though Jesus was journeying through Galilee, he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them that the Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death, the Son of Man will rise.” And while the Lord surely says this in great confidence, knowing what the end shall ultimately be, we must not overlook the pain that lurks in this text.

That Jesus seeks to journey quietly through Galilee likely has reference to the fact that he does not want to be easily diverted by the often endless requests that often surrounded his public appearances. But one can also imagine here a portrait of pain. Sometimes, in our grief, we need to draw side, be with close friends and family. Large gatherings, are not for us.

Jesus is teaching the disciples some very difficult things, but they are not difficult simply as abstractions for Jesus, they what will happen to him personally. It is a painful and difficult passage that he must make as they draw close to Jerusalem. One could almost may imagine the grief in his soul as he speaks of himself, soon to be handed over, to be tortured and killed. Yes he will rise, but the cross comes before the crown.

As we shall see, the apostles, who are dealing with their own issues, are little able to console Jesus. They seem to draw back and get quiet. The text says, they were afraid to ask him any questions about this matter.

The text also implies that, as they drew back from Jesus, perhaps Jesus walked some distance from them, alone in his thoughts. For, later, he must ask them what they were discussing as they journeyed.

And thus, though we have to read be between the lines to see it, there seems a portrait here of Jesus in some pain, and somewhat alone in that pain.

And his pain was surely have been multiplied, by the selfish and egotistical discussion he must have known that the disciples were having. He asked them, as if he did not know, but surely he knew. They were debating about who was the greatest.

III. Pretentiousness - A very consistent theme in the Scriptures, is the theme of the “inept response.” Over and over again, Jesus will give a teaching, often with great solemnity, and in the very following lines, the response of the apostles is that they don’t understand him at all! That they have completely missed the point. Inept it is, and even indecent, yes, pretentious, that having heard the Lord speak of his dying painfully at the hands of others, they should divert into a conversation about which of them was the greatest.

But before we scorn or laugh at the apostles, we must remember, we are the disciples. We do this very sort of thing, we divert our attention to all sorts of foolish things that don’t matter, concerns about who’s the big cheese, who’s most important etc. How pointless and foolish these conversations, these concerns, are. How inept for us to would be disciples to be carried away in these sorts of concerns. But we do it every day, dozens of times a day.

This woefully inept and pretentious response of the disciples, and us, which only increased Jesus pain, leads him to call the crucial question. It leads us to the center point of this gospel.

IV–Point – It is at this moment that Jesus calls the crucial question, a question not only for the Tweleve, but for us as well. The text said they came to Capernaum, and once inside the house, Jesus began to ask them, What were you arguing about on the way?” As we shall see, they remain silent out of sheer embarrassment, for they had been discussing who among them was the greatest.

What were you arguing about on the way? Why is this a crucial question? Perhaps if we see the question and other formats it will help. For the Greek word which is translated here as arguing is διαλογίζομαι (dialogizomai) which means to reason, consider, ponder, wonder, or debate. The dia, at the beginning of the word, is an intensifier and indicates the kind of back-and-forth. And hence we get the concept of a debate, or an argument.

With this in mind, perhaps we can hear the Lord asking us this question in this way: What are you discussing as you make your journey in life? What are you passionate about? What peaks your interest? What engages you, and what do you choose to engage others about? What is of central interest to you? What is going on in your mind all day long?

And thus we can see that the Lord is inviting us to consider what in our life is most crucial, what is most central, what is most essential. And how would you and I answer these questions? Would we, like the Twelve, be horribly embarrassed to actually answer the question in an honest and truthful way?

Yes, honestly, it is a sad and embarrassing reality that so many of us who call ourselves disciples are overwhelmingly preoccupied with things that are futile, passing, of little real in importance, frivolous, and often times, just plain stupid. And even things that have some relative importance, get an undo amount of our attention. Meanwhile, things that do matter most, the things that matter most to God, such as our salvation, our knowledge of him, our preparation for death and judgment, sin, repentance, love, justice, mercy, what is true, good, decent, virtuous, and beneficial in salvation, prayer, the frequent reception of the sacraments, and things spiritual…, all these things rank pitifully low in the lives of most, even those who call themselves Christians and disciples.

Four hours for a football game but no time for prayer. We find time for everything else, and so little time for God and what matters to God. We can get so passionate about politics, sports, or what some silly actor or television show has recently featured, but we have little passion or care that so many souls are lost, that so many are deeply rooted in unrepentant sin, don’t know why they were made, and don’t know the Lord or his glorious Gospel. The slightest scare regarding our physical health sends us reeling, meanwhile our spiritual health goes so easily unattended.

Yes, what are we discussing, what are we thinking, as we make our journey? It is a crucial question. It says a lot about where our heart lies.

It is a crucial question, because it is asked in the shadow of the Cross. It is the “crucis” (cross) in crucial. And in calling it a crucial question, it is not only an indicator of how central the question is, how important, but it also suggests something of a healing remedy. For simply hearing how embarrassingly foolish most of our thought life really can be, is not enough for us simply change. Our minds are very weak, and we may resolve to consider more important things, only to find ourselves, ten minutes later, once again focused on foolish things.

How is the cross a kind of remedy for our disordered thinking? Perhaps the answer is best stated in one word, “remember.” The word remember, should ring strongly in our ears, for it is said in every Mass at the words of consecration. At the Last Supper, and at every Mass, Jesus says through the mouth of the priest Do this, in remembrance of me.

What does it mean to remember? To remember, means to have present to your mind and heart, what Jesus Christ has done for you, by dying for you, and rising for you, to have these truths so deeply impressed in your mind and heart that you’re different, and that you’re grateful. To remember, means to have it finally dawn on us that the Son of God died for me. And as this truth begins to impact my mind and heart, I can never be the same. And my heart breaks, and I weep for my sins, and a love and healing begin to rush in on me, and I’m changed. I’m different, and grateful.

This is what it means to remember. It is a transformative remembering, a remembering which changes me. It is a remembering that gives me a new mind and heart, a remembering that gives me new priorities, a greater love for the things of God. It is a remembering, that makes me more forgetful of things of the world and more connected to the things of God.

Thus, in calling a crucial question, is not the Lord’s intent to humiliate us, but to open us to his graces by, first of all, pointing to our need for it, and then, leading us to the power of his cross that puts sin to death and brings alive a whole new life for us.

Do not miss this crucial question, what are you discussing what are you thinking about on the way? Answer the Lord honestly and let him go to work.

V. Prescription – At the heart of the Lord’s crucial question is a diagnosis of our wrongful priorities and worldly thinking when it comes to most things.

In this particular Gospel, the disordered thinking surrounds wrongful notions of importance, leadership, and greatness. Thus, Lord directly addresses the wrongful notions of the disciples by presenting a teaching which is deeply paradoxical. The paradox is that the greatest are not those who are served, but those who serve.

We tend to think of greatness in terms of how much money a person makes, how much authority they have, how much influence, where they live, etc. None of these things matter at all to God.

We are forever impressed by the rich and the famous, but God looks to the lowly, the poor, and those who serve. The word “paradox” refers to those things which are contrary to the usual way of thinking. This teaching of the Lord is very paradoxical from any worldly perspective.

As an illustration go with me to a great $10,000 a plate fundraising dinner. At the head table are some very famous people, perhaps they’re politicians, perhaps movie stars, perhaps sports heroes et al. The typical person will walk into this fancy dinner and their eyes will be drawn to those whom they consider the “great ones,” those seated at the head table, the “glitterati.”

But as God walks into the same dinner to whom is his eye drawn? Where does he see greatness? Is it not to those who wait tables? Would God run to the rope line for a signature, or would he go into the kitchen and thank the cook, thank the dishwashers, thank those who waited on tables, and cleared dirty dishes?

Yes, it is all very paradoxical, and it puts to the lie all of our worldly obsessions. When we appear before him someday God will not care how much money we made (except that we were generous to the poor). He will not be impressed with the square footage of our home, the brand of our cars or how wide the plasma screen TV in our great room was. He certainly won’t care who our favorite sports hero was, or what team we rooted for, or we thought should’ve won the last go-round of American Idol.

No, to Him, what will most impress Him is whether we served, whether we loved, whether we knew him, and humbly sought to live his truth. He will not care whether we powerfully called the shots, but he will care that we embraced his vision, lived the truth, and charitably cared for others, serving them in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Did we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe and naked, harbor the homeless, visit the sick, ransom the captives, and bury the dead? Did we comfort the afflicted, did we instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, admonish sinners, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, and pray for the living and the dead? Do we humbly submit to the Lord in our life seeking to live chastely, curbing and controlling our anger, as well as our greed?

Did we understand that living in this way is a way that serves others, and serves God’s kingdom, or did we attempt to grow great in our own estimation and serve only ourselves?

In short, were we rich and what matters to God?

The greatest are those who serve. Those who have others in mind, who seek not their own glory and will, but the glory and will of God, and the goodness of others. This is greatness to God, everything else is foolish to him.

In the end, the question rings, “What are you discussing, what are you thinking, as you make your way through this life?” It is the crucial question. And only the cross and its power can fix our foolishness. For too easily we are like the disciples debating among ourselves about who was the greatest, who’s the big cheese, who’s in charge, who gets to call the shots.

What ARE you discussing as you make your way? A Crucial Question.

The Old Spiritual says simply “Fix me Lord, fixed me. Fix me for my long white robe, fix me Jesus fix me. Fix me for my journey home, fix me Jesus fix me”

36 posted on 09/23/2012 9:23:36 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Sunday Gospel Reflections

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Wisdom 2:12,17-20 II: James 3:16-4:3

Gospel
Mark 9:30-37

³⁰ They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he would not have any one know it;
³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise."
³² But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.
³³ And they came to Caper'na-um; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"
³⁴ But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.
³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve; and he said to them, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."
³⁶ And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
³⁷ "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."

Interesting Details

For the second time, Jesus predicts his coming death and resurrection. "But they did not understand "(v. 32). Is this due to a lack of comprehension or a subconscious fear of suffering?
(v.34) The disciples sensed that their discussion of who was the greatest was improper and incorrect, yet they did it out of Jesus' earshot (or so they thought). What criterion could have been used by them in spite of Jesus' teaching?
(v.35) The other Gospels also highlight the teaching of Jesus regarding humble service, for example Luke 22:26. But most illustriously, John 13:1-20 has Jesus go down on his knees and wash his disciples' feet, to give them an example.
(v.37) A child, a symbolic description of the least noticed, heard, seen, respected face in a crowd ("the least of them") carries a dignity beyond appearance. It is the dignity of the presence of Jesus within him.

One Main Point

The time for His Passion is near. Jesus dedicates whatever time left to teach his apostles. He again predicts his death and resurrection. He instructs his students on the need for humility when serving each other. He raises the dignity of all those whom the apostles shall serve.

Reflections

Foretold that the path of discipleship is suffering, how fearful am I? What form of suffering am I most fearful of?
In my following Jesus, have I wanted to be first instead of last? What rewards do I look for in return for my service?
Who are "the children" in my eyes? Are they the uneducated, the poor immigrants who "drain our resources ," the immoral - low-in-spirit, the sinners, etc.? How do I recognize them in my midst? How do I receive them?

37 posted on 09/23/2012 9:30:11 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

To: Salvation; Carpe Cerevisi

WOW...that book sounds very interesting! The focus of the Church is really aiming at the salvation of souls via catechetics too. The Year of Faith is going to be powerful...and it is my personal belief that the Holy Spirit is readying the Church for a huge influx of persons who will be desperate to *get right* with God.

I wonder if there are any videos of Fr. Brannan online? I’ll try to investigate later today. ;-)

Thanks, Salvation.

38 posted on 09/24/2012 5:50:44 AM PDT by SumProVita

There was also a video of his book for a donation — he doesn’t make any money on this project. But I never got back to the table to pick one up. By the time I got to the table, the books were sold out. So I ordered two. One for me to read and then give to a young person considering a vocation and one for the Father Bernard Retreat Center in Mount Angel that has a vocation alcove for materials.

39 posted on 09/24/2012 9:31:14 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Information: St. Pio of Pietrelcina

Feast Day:	September 23
Born:	May 25, 1887, Pietrelcina, Italy
Died:	September 23, 1968, San Giovanni Rotondo
Canonized:	June 16, 2002, Rome, Italy by Pope John Paul II
Major Shrine:	San Giovanni Rotondo

40 posted on 09/24/2012 9:34:53 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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