Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-08-13

November 8, 2013

Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters,
that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.
But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you,
because of the grace given me by God
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles
in performing the priestly service of the Gospel of God,
so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God.
For I will not dare to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me
to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,
by the power of signs and wonders,
by the power of the Spirit of God,
so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum
I have finished preaching the Gospel of Christ.
Thus I aspire to proclaim the Gospel
not where Christ has already been named,
so that I do not build on another’s foundation,
but as it is written:

Those who have never been told of him shall see,
and those who have never heard of him shall understand.

Responsorial Psalm PS 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Gospel Lk 16:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
‘What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward.’
The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes.’
He called in his master’s debtors one by one.
To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’
Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’
He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’
He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty.’
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light.”

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 16
1.	AND he said also to his disciples: There was a certain rich man who had a steward: and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted his goods.	Dicebat autem et ad discipulos suos : Homo quidam erat dives, qui habebat villicum : et hic diffamatus est apud illum quasi dissipasset bona ipsius.	ελεγεν δε και προς τους μαθητας αυτου ανθρωπος τις ην πλουσιος ος ειχεν οικονομον και ουτος διεβληθη αυτω ως διασκορπιζων τα υπαρχοντα αυτου
2.	And he called him, and said to him: How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship: for now thou canst be steward no longer.	Et vocavit illum, et ait illi : Quid hoc audio de te ? redde rationem villicationis tuæ : jam enim non poteris villicare.	και φωνησας αυτον ειπεν αυτω τι τουτο ακουω περι σου αποδος τον λογον της οικονομιας σου ου γαρ δυνηση ετι οικονομειν
3.	And the steward said within himself: What shall I do, because my lord taketh away from me the stewardship? To dig I am not able; to beg I am ashamed.	Ait autem villicus intra se : Quid faciam ? quia dominus meus aufert a me villicationem. Fodere non valeo, mendicare erubesco.	ειπεν δε εν εαυτω ο οικονομος τι ποιησω οτι ο κυριος μου αφαιρειται την οικονομιαν απ εμου σκαπτειν ουκ ισχυω επαιτειν αισχυνομαι
4.	I know what I will do, that when I shall be removed from the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.	Scio quid faciam, ut, cum amotus fuero a villicatione, recipiant me in domos suas.	εγνων τι ποιησω ινα οταν μετασταθω της οικονομιας δεξωνται με εις τους οικους αυτων
5.	Therefore calling together every one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first: How much dost thou owe my lord?	Convocatis itaque singulis debitoribus domini sui, dicebat primo : Quantum debes domino meo ?	και προσκαλεσαμενος ενα εκαστον των χρεωφειλετων του κυριου εαυτου ελεγεν τω πρωτω ποσον οφειλεις τω κυριω μου
6.	But he said: An hundred barrels of oil. And he said to him: Take thy bill and sit down quickly, and write fifty.	At ille dixit : Centum cados olei. Dixitque illi : Accipe cautionem tuam : et sede cito, scribe quinquaginta.	ο δε ειπεν εκατον βατους ελαιου και ειπεν αυτω δεξαι σου το γραμμα και καθισας ταχεως γραψον πεντηκοντα
7.	Then he said to another: And how much dost thou owe? Who said: An hundred quarters of wheat. He said to him: Take thy bill, and write eighty.	Deinde alii dixit : Tu vero quantum debes ? Qui ait : Centum coros tritici. Ait illi : Accipe litteras tuas, et scribe octoginta.	επειτα ετερω ειπεν συ δε ποσον οφειλεις ο δε ειπεν εκατον κορους σιτου και λεγει αυτω δεξαι σου το γραμμα και γραψον ογδοηκοντα
8.	And the lord commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.	Et laudavit dominus villicum iniquitatis, quia prudenter fecisset : quia filii hujus sæculi prudentiores filiis lucis in generatione sua sunt.	και επηνεσεν ο κυριος τον οικονομον της αδικιας οτι φρονιμως εποιησεν οτι οι υιοι του αιωνος τουτου φρονιμωτεροι υπερ τους υιους του φωτος εις την γενεαν την εαυτων εισιν

1. And he said to his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused to him that he had wasted his goods.
2. And he called him, and said to him, How is it that I hear this of you? give an account of your stewardship; for you may be no longer steward.
3. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord takes away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
4. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
5. So he called every one of his lord's debtors to him, and said to the first, How much owe you to my lord?
6. And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
7. Then said he to another, And how much owe you? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him, Take your bill, and write fourscore.

BEDE; Having rebuked in three parables those who murmured because He received penitents, our Savior shortly after subjoins a fourth and a fifth on almsgiving and frugality, because it is also the fittest order in preaching that almsgiving should be added after repentance. Hence it follows, And he said to his disciples, There was a certain rich man.

PSEUDO. There is a certain erroneous opinion inherent in mankind, which increases evil and lessens good. It is the feeling that all the good things we possess in the course of our life we possess as lords over them, and accordingly we seize them as our especial goods. But it is quite the contrary. For we are placed in this life not as lords in our own house, but as guests and strangers, led whither we would not, and at a time we think not of. He who is now rich, suddenly becomes a beggar. Therefore whoever you are, know yourself to be a dispenser of the things of others, and that the privileges granted you are for a brief and passing use. Cast away then from your soul the pride of power, and put on the humility and modesty of a steward.

BEDE; The bailiff is the manager of the farm, therefore he takes his name from the farm. But the steward, or director of the household, is the overseer of money as well as fruits, and of every thing his master possesses.

AMBROSE; From this we learn then, that we are not ourselves the masters, but rather the stewards of the property of others.

THEOPHYL. Next, that when we exercise not the management of our wealth according to our Lord's pleasure, but abuse our trust to our own pleasures, we are guilty stewards. Hence it follows, And he was accused to him.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. Meanwhile he is taken and thrust out of his stewardship; for it follows, And he called him, and said to him, What is this that I hear of you? give an account of your stewardship, for you can be no longer steward. Day after day by the events which take place our Lord cries aloud to us the same thing, showing us a man at midday rejoicing in health, before the evening cold and lifeless; another expiring in the midst of a meal. And in various ways we go out from our stewardship; but the faithful steward, who has confidence concerning his management, desires with Paul to depart and be with Christ. But he whose wishes are on earth is troubled at his departing.

Hence it is added of this steward, Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do, for my Lord takes away from me the stewardship? I cannot dig, to beg I all ashamed. Weakness in action is the fault of a slothful life. For no one would shrink who had been accustomed to apply himself to labor. But if we take the parable allegorically, after our departure hence there is no more time for working; the present life contains the practice of what is commanded, the future, consolation. If you have done nothing here, in vain then are you careful for the future, nor will you gain any thing by begging. The foolish virgins are an instance of this, who unwisely begged of the wise, but returned empty. For every one puts on his daily life as his inner garment; it is not possible for him to put it off or exchange it with another.

But the wicked steward aptly contrived the remission of debts, to provide for himself an escape from his misfortunes among his fellow-servants; for it follows, I am resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. For as often as a man perceiving his end approaching, lightens by a kind deed the load of his sins, (either by forgiving a debtor his debts, or by giving abundance to the poor,) dispensing those things which are his Lord's, he conciliates to himself many friends, who will afford him before the judge a real testimony, not by words, but by the demonstration of good works, nay moreover will provide for him by their testimony a resting-place of consolation. But nothing is our own, all things are in the power of God.

Hence it follows, So he called every one of his Lord's debtors to him, and said to the first, How much owe you to my Lord? And he said, A hundred casks of oil.

BEDE, A cadus in Greek is a vessel containing three urns. It follows, And he said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty, forgiving him the half.

It follows, Then said he to another, And how much owe you? And he said, A hundred measures of wheat. A corus is made up of thirty bushels. And he said to him, Take your bill, and write fourscore, forgiving him a fifth part. It may be then simply taken as follows: whosoever relieves the want of a poor man, either by supplying half or a fifth part, will be blessed with the reward of his mercy.

AUG. Or because out of the hundred measures of oil, he caused fifty to be written down by the debtors, and of the hundred measures of w heat, fourscore, the meaning thereof is this, that those things which every Jew performs toward the Priests and Levites should be the more attendant in the Church of Christ, that whereas they give a tenth, Christians should give a half, as Zaccheus gave of his goods, or at least by giving two tenths, that is, a fifth, exceed the payments of the Jews.

8. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

AUG. The steward whom his Lord cast out of his stewardship is nevertheless commended because he provided himself against the future. As it follows, And the Lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely; we ought not however to take the whole for our imitation. For we should never act deceitfully against our Lord in order that from the fraud itself we may give alms.

ORIGEN; But because the Gentiles say that wisdom is a virtue, and define it to be the experience of w hat is good, evil, and indifferent, or the knowledge of what is and what is not to be done, we must consider whether this word signifies many things, or one. For it is said that God by wisdom prepared the heavens. Now it is plain that wisdom is good, because the Lord by wisdom prepared the heavens. It is said also in Genesis, according to the LXX, that the serpent was the wisest animal, wherein he does not make wisdom a virtue, but evil-minded cunning. And it is in this sense that the Lord commended the steward that he had done wisely, that is, cunningly and evilly. And perhaps the word commended was spoken not in the sense of real commendation, but in a lower sense; as when we speak of a man being commended in slight and indifferent matters, and in a certain measure clashings and sharpness of wit are admired, by which the power of the mind is drawn out.

AUG. On the other hand this parable is spoken that we should understand that if the steward who acted deceitfully, could be praised by his lord, how much more they please God who do their works according to His commandment.

ORIGEN; The children of this world also are not called wiser but more prudent than the children of light, and this not absolutely and simply, but in their generation. For it follows, For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light, &c.

BEDE; The children of light and the children of this world are spoken of in the same manner as the children of the kingdom, and the children of hell. For whatever works a man does, he is also termed their sun.

THEOPHYL. By the children of this world then He means those who mind the good things which are on the earth; by the children of light, those who beholding the divine love, employ themselves with spiritual treasures. But it is found indeed in the management of human affairs, that we prudently order our own things, and busily set ourselves to work, in order that when we depart we may have a refuge for our life; but when we ought to direct the things of God, we take no forethought for what shall be our lot hereafter.

Catena Aurea Luke 16

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:November 08, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty and merciful God, by whose gift your faithful offer you right and praiseworthy service, grant, we pray, that we may hasten without stumbling to receive the things you have promised. 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.

RECIPES

o Custard Pastries

ACTIVITIES

o November and the Holy Souls

o Praying for the Dead and Gaining Indulgences During November

o Preparing for Heaven

PRAYERS

o November Devotion: The Holy Souls in Purgatory

o Little Litany of the Holy Souls

o Prayer for a Happy Death

o Daily Acceptance of Death

LIBRARY

o Address of John Paul II to the Members of the Scotus Commission | Pope John Paul II

o Faith and Reason Together in the Thought of Duns Scotus | Pope Benedict XVI

o Historical Development of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception | Rev. Francis J. Connell C.SS.R.

o John Duns Scotus | Pope Benedict XVI

o John Duns Scotus: Champion of the Immaculate Conception | Brother John M. Samaha S.M.

· Ordinary Time: November 8th

· Friday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time; Bl. John Duns Scotus, priest

Old Calendar: Holy Four Crowned Martyrs

Newly beatified in 1993 by John Paul II, the Franciscans and other particular calendars may celebrate the optional memorial of Blessed John Duns Scotus, a Scottish Franciscan priest and theologian who died in 1308. He was the founder of the Scotistic School in Theology, and until the time of the French Revolution his thought dominated the Roman Catholic faculties of theology in nearly all the major universities of Europe. He is chiefly known for his theology on the Absolute Kingship of Jesus Christ, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his philosophic refutation of evolution. He is also known as the "Doctor of Mary Immaculate" because of his defense of the Immaculate Conception.

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the commemoration of the Holy Four Crowned Martyrs, a group of five Christian sculptors of Hungary, martyred under Diocletian in 306. Their bodies were taken to Rome, where a biographer's error confused them with four martyrs of Albano. The basilica of the four crowned saints, built on the Coelian Hill, is one of the most characteristic of medieval Rome.

Don't forget to pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory from November 1 to the 8th.

Bl. John Duns Scotus

John Duns Scotus was probably born in the winter of 1266 in the South of Scotland. Around 1279 he was accepted in a Franciscan friary in South Scotland. After eight years of preliminary studies in philosophy, or rather in the artes, at Oxford, he started to study theology there in 1288. Having attained the age of 25 he was ordained a priest in Northampton on March 17th 1291.

In the academic year 1297-98 John Duns prepared his first theological course which would change his life. During the next year he gave this course, on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, the most important textbook of systematic theology at the time. During these years (1297-99) Duns wrote Lectura I-II, his lecture notes on the two first books of the Sentences. Scotus' course based on these notes not only impressed his audience very much, but also the Franciscan leadership, and established his name as an exceptionally penetrating and original thinker.

In the summer of 1301 Scotus had fulfilled all the requirements for being a master (magister). However, he was sent to Paris by the Franciscan leadership in order to continue a Parisian career, at the most prestigious university of Europe.

After having again taught on the Sentences for a year, he and some of his colleagues were banished in June 1303 from Paris because of a conflict between the French king Philip IV and Pope Boniface VIII. He returned to his studium at Oxford and probably spent the first half of 1304 in Cambridge.

At the end of the summer of 1304 he was already back in Paris where he became professor of theology in 1306. Duns Scotus and his socius continued to work very hard on his Ordinatio together with a staff of assistants. The Ordinatio was meant to be the definitive edition of his Commentary on the Sentences. For this edition he used his Lectura I-III and Reportatio Parisiensis IV and piles of other materials he had prepared in the meantime.

In 1307 Duns leaves Paris again, but this time he left for Cologne in order to become the professor of theology at the Franciscan House of Studies (Studium). On November 8, 1308 he suddenly died in Cologne, leaving behind quite a number of unfinished works, including his Ordinatio.

Excerpted from Research Group John Duns Scotus

Things to Do:

Learn more about Bl. John Duns Scotus from EWTN and the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Read A Treatise on God as First Principle by Bl. John Duns Scotus.

Holy Four Crowned Martyrs (Severus, Severian, Carpophorus & Victorinus)

The history of these holy martyrs is very confusing. The Martyrology has this: "At Rome on the Via Lavicana the day of the death of four holy martyrs, the brothers Severus, Severianus, Carpophorus, and Victorinus. Under Emperor Diocletian they were scourged to death with lead rods. Their names were first made known many years later through a divine revelation. As no one knew their names previously, the annual feastday to their honor was celebrated under the title: The Four Crowned Brothers. The designation was retained even after the revelation."

The basilica of the Four Crowned Martyrs also contains the relics of five sculptors who under Diocletian refused to make idols or to venerate sun-god pictures. Reports say they were scourged, placed in lead coffins and submerged in a stream (c. 300). Hagiographers are trying to disentangle the conflicting statements on the relation of these two groups to one another, whether two groups actually existed, whether they were Pannomians or Romans, soldiers or stone-masons, etc.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Indulgences for All Souls Week
An indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, even if only mentally, for the departed. The indulgence is plenary each day from the first to the eighth of November; on other days of the year it is partial.

A plenary indulgence, applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful, who on the day dedicated to the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed [November 2 {as well as on the Sunday preceding or following, and on All Saints' Day}] piously visit a church. In visiting the church it is required that one Our Father and the Creed be recited.

To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary also to fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic communion, and prayer for the intention of the Holy Father. The three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the visit; it is, however, fitting that communion be received and the prayer for the intention of the Holy Father be said on the same day as the visit.

The condition of praying for the intention of the Holy Father is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary. A plenary indulgence can be acquired only once in the course of the day.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Romans 15:14-21

31st Week in Ordinary Time

I myself am convinced … that you yourselves are full of goodness. (Romans 15:14)

Have you ever seen a giant sequoia tree up close? As the largest, oldest, and fastest-growing trees, a sequoia can grow as tall as a twenty-six-story building. Standing next to one, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by its immensity and majesty.

Did you know that these massive trees grow from a seed the size of a flake of oatmeal? But not every seed that is germinated turns into such a towering piece of art. In fact, there is a one-hundred-year-old sequoia whose trunk is no bigger than a fifty-cent piece! So how can some sequoias grow so big, while others stay so small?

One key is a nurturing environment. Trees that get good food and plenty of light are more apt to grow to their full size. Given the right environment, a tree that is already two thousand years old will grow faster than a younger tree.

The other secret is fire. Scientists used to try to keep fire away from the old sequoias, but they discovered that the trees actually needed occasional fires in order to fully open their seeds and clear the forest floor so that they could take root and grow.

In today’s first reading, Paul tells the Romans that God has filled them with goodness, knowledge, and the ability to help one another on the road to holiness. He tells them that their seeds can grow into something big if they build the right environment amongst them. In other places, he tells them that even the “fire” of challenges can help them grow (Romans 5:1-5).

How about you? Are you going to be the sequoia that soaks in the soil and sun and prospers? Or will you be the little one, filled with all kinds of potential, but never really making the most of it? In prayer today, let the Lord show you all the potential you have. Let his light and his living water nourish you. Let him burn away the weeds that hinder you. Yes, you are full of goodness! Turn to the Lord, and let that goodness grow and grow and grow.

“Lord, help me recognize all the goodness and knowledge that you have already given me. Help me use these gifts to grow into the person that you want me to become.”

Psalm 98:1-4; Luke 16:1-8

Vultus Christi

Blessed are they that mourn

Friday, 08 November 2013 12:23

Blessed Are They that Mourn

Jesus Christ is true God and true Man. The words and deeds of Jesus Christ during His life on earth were human words spoken by a Divine Person; for this reason they can be called mysteries. His deeds were perceptibly human deeds worked by a Divine Person; for the same reason, His deeds can also be called mysteries. Insofar as the words of Christ were uttered by One who is True Man, they were uttered in a given moment, place, and circumstances; being words of One who is True God, His words endure forever, losing nothing of their immediacy, nothing of their power, nothing of their effect. Insofar as the deeds of Christ were done by by One who is True Man, they were done in a given moment, place, and circumstances; being deeds of One who is True God, His deeds remain eternally present to His Father and forever available to His Church, losing nothing of their immediacy, nothing of their power, nothing of their effect.

The Most Holy Eucharist

Mother Mectilde de Bar, the Benedictine mystic who is most representative of the French School of spirituality, probed deeply the mystery of the words and deeds of Christ, and the divine permanence of all the states through which He passed on earth. In the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar she found all the mysteries of Jesus Christ. She writes:

We must never depart from the holy ciborium or, rather, from the Heart of Jesus the Host. There we receive the grace of all His mysteries, because there do they all come together in the Most Holy Sacrament. There I find the mystery of the birth of Jesus. In short, we have there the mystery of His circumcision, and of the Epiphany, which is the manifestation of Jesus Christ, we have there His baptism, His hidden life, his conversation. In a word [the Most Holy Sacrament] contains all the mysteries. This august Sacrament is what is most divine in all that the Church possesses. O divine Jesus, come Yourself to instruct us in the truths of Your adorable mysteries, or rather, remain where You are, and draw our hearts to You.

At Every Moment, Actual, Present, and Efficacious

The Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar contains all the words and deeds of Christ, not as words and deeds locked in an irretrievable past, but as words and deeds that are, at every moment, actual, present, and efficacious. Among the divine treasures, present to the Father and forever available to the Church in the Most Holy Sacrament, are the tears of Christ: human tears shed by a Divine Person, human tears revealing a Divine pity.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:5) During His earthly life in this valley of tears, Jesus knew the heartache of mourning and grief. He shed real tears, weeping over the obdurate blindness of Jerusalem. “And when he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy eyes.” (Luke 19:41)

Again, He wept over the death of Lazarus whom He loved. “Jesus, therefore, when he saw her [Mary of Bethany] weeping, and the Jews that were come with her, weeping, groaned in the spirit, and troubled himself, And said: Where have you laid him? They say to him: Lord, come and see. And Jesus wept.” (John 11:33–35)

From the altar of the Cross, Jesus cried aloud in anguish of heart. “So Christ also did not glorify himself, that he might be made a high priest: but he that said unto him: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.As he saith also in another place: Thou art a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech. Who in the days of his flesh, with a strong cry and tears, offering up prayers and supplications to him that was able to save him from death, was heard for his reverence.” (Hebrews 5:5–7).

Thou Hast Put My Tears in Thy Bottle

The tears of Christ are not lost. The psalmist says, “Thou hast set my tears in thy sight” or, as another translation puts it, “Thou hast kept count of my tossings; put thou my tears in thy bottle! Are they not in thy book?” (Psalm 56:8) If this is true of our own tears, is it not true in a more wondrous way of the tears of Christ, the Beloved Son of the Father?

The Prayer of Tears

Adoration can, at times, take the form of a quiet weeping in the presence of the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. There, Christ hears our sighs and gathers up our tears. Does not Saint Benedict say, “And let us remember that not for our much speaking, but for our purity of heart and tears of compunction shall we be heard. Our prayer, therefore, ought to be short and pure, except it be perchance prolonged by the inspiration of Divine Grace” (Rule of Saint Benedict, Chapter XX). Adoration can, at the same time, be a mysterious availing of the infinitely precious tears of Christ. The tears of the Son can be offered to the Father who, again and again, allows them to fall like a gentle rain even upon the most hardened hearts.

Regnum Christi

What Is This I Hear about You?

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Friday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time

Luke 16:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ´What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.´ The steward said to himself, ´What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.´ He called in his master´s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ´How much do you owe my master?´ He replied, ´One hundred measures of olive oil.´ He said to him, ´Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.´ Then to another he said, ´And you, how much do you owe?´ He replied, ´One hundred measures of wheat.´ He said to him, ´Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.´ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light."

Introductory Prayer: Jesus Christ, where else can I turn each day but to you? One day, I will make that final turn to you, and it will last for all eternity. Yet as in everything else, you set the pace, you take the initiative, and you are the protagonist. You will turn and look my way first and I, as I strive daily to do, will respond and gaze back into your eyes. This moment of prayer is a rehearsal for that final turn to you.

Petition: Lord, help me to respond better to your love.

1. What Is This? “What is this I hear about you?” Of course, this is just a parable. In actuality, God doesn´t need to "hear" anything about us since he is all-knowing. Yet, he may very well say to us, "What is this!" as he looks over the record of our lives and reminds us that we are accountable for all our free actions. Let us take a look, in our prayer now, at the face of this Father who asks, "What is this?" Does it not express concern over a wound in our soul, over something that has marred the beauty of our image as sons and daughters of this Father?

2. A Full Account: Yes, we will have to give that full account. The sacrament of reconciliation, prepared by thoughtful and prayerful examinations of conscience, affords us the opportunities to give that account, piece-by-piece, as a preparation for the final audit. What a grace! Are we taking advantage of it?

3. Squanderer: Could the Good Lord accuse us of being squanderers? This isn´t the only place in the Gospels where the word appears. Recall that the Prodigal Son was accused of squandering his father´s wealth. Certainly to squander is to misuse, to use unwisely, to waste, or to use extravagantly. What about all the graces that God has given to us: our faith, our Catholic Church, the sacraments, the scriptures, the example of the saints, the rich deposit of Catholic tradition, the means that have been placed in our hands today, the time we have been offered, the talents we have been given? Are we squanderers? How can I respond better to the many gifts Our Lord has given me? How can I better “invest” my talents for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, awaken me to your gifts and make me zealous and generous in using them for the good of the brothers and sisters you have put at my side. Through my daily examination of conscience, help me to be a good steward so that one day I may arrive with you and enjoy you in paradise as my eternal reward.

Resolution: I will employ the time of my examination of conscience today to thank God for all the graces and blessings he has bestowed upon me. I will make a careful accounting of what God has placed in my hands

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All Issues > Volume 29, Issue 6

<< Friday, November 8, 2013 >>

Romans 15:14-21
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Psalm 98:1-4

Luke 16:1-8
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THE ONLY LIFE WORTH LIVING

"I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has done through me." —Romans 15:18

After a long lifetime of struggling, working, enjoying, learning, praying, suffering, etc., only what Jesus has done through us will mean anything. If we have just taken out the garbage in obedience to Christ, we will have done something that will last "unto life eternal" (Jn 6:27). In contrast, if we have become world-famous, phenomenally rich, and historically acclaimed by doing something other than God's will, our lives will have been far less than God intended them to be. Only what is done in Christ has lasting value; everything else is wasted. Therefore, "you are not to spend what remains of your earthly life on human desires but on the will of God. Already you have devoted enough time to what the pagans enjoy" (1 Pt 4:2-3).

"To me, 'life' means Christ" (Phil 1:21). "The life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20). "One day" in God's courts is better "than a thousand elsewhere; I had rather lie at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked" (Ps 84:11). "I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ. For His sake I have forfeited everything; I have accounted all else rubbish so that Christ may be my Wealth and I may be in Him" (Phil 3:8-9). Live for Jesus alone!

Prayer: Father, may my life make sense only in the light of Your Son's death and resurrection.

Promise: "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God." —Ps 98:3

Praise: Mary invited her friend Melinda to come to a Bible study, and Melinda came to Christ.

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Meditation: Romans 15:14-21

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

One Bread, One Body

THE ONLY LIFE WORTH LIVING