Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 02-15-14

February 15, 2014

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Jeroboam thought to himself:
“The kingdom will return to David’s house.
If now this people go up to offer sacrifices
in the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem,
the hearts of this people will return to their master,
Rehoboam, king of Judah,
and they will kill me.”
After taking counsel, the king made two calves of gold
and said to the people:
“You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough.
Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
And he put one in Bethel, the other in Dan.
This led to sin, because the people frequented those calves
in Bethel and in Dan.
He also built temples on the high places
and made priests from among the people who were not Levites.
Jeroboam established a feast in the eighth month
on the fifteenth day of the month
to duplicate in Bethel the pilgrimage feast of Judah,
with sacrifices to the calves he had made;
and he stationed in Bethel priests of the high places he had built.

Jeroboam did not give up his evil ways after this,
but again made priests for the high places
from among the common people.
Whoever desired it was consecrated
and became a priest of the high places.
This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam
for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 106:6-7ab, 19-20, 21-22

R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
We have sinned, we and our fathers;
we have committed crimes; we have done wrong.
Our fathers in Egypt
considered not your wonders.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They made a calf in Horeb
and adored a molten image;
They exchanged their glory
for the image of a grass-eating bullock.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great deeds in Egypt,
Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham,
terrible things at the Red Sea.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Gospel Mk 8:1-10

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat,
Jesus summoned the disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
If I send them away hungry to their homes,
they will collapse on the way,
and some of them have come a great distance.”
His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread
to satisfy them here in this deserted place?”
Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?”
They replied, “Seven.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them,
and gave them to his disciples to distribute,
and they distributed them to the crowd.
They also had a few fish.
He said the blessing over them
and ordered them distributed also.
They ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets.
There were about four thousand people.

He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples
and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 8
1.	IN those days again, when there was a great multitude, and had nothing to eat; calling his disciples together, he saith to them:	In diebus illis iterum cum turba multa esset, nec haberent quod manducarent, convocatis discipulis, ait illis :	εν εκειναις ταις ημεραις παμπολλου οχλου οντος και μη εχοντων τι φαγωσιν προσκαλεσαμενος ο ιησους τους μαθητας αυτου λεγει αυτοις
2.	I have compassion on the multitude, for behold they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat.	Misereor super turbam : quia ecce jam triduo sustinent me, nec habent quod manducent :	σπλαγχνιζομαι επι τον οχλον οτι ηδη ημεραι τρεις προσμενουσιν μοι και ουκ εχουσιν τι φαγωσιν
3.	And if I shall send them away fasting to their home, they will faint in the way; for some of them came from afar off.	et si dimisero eos jejunos in domum suam, deficient in via : quidam enim ex eis de longe venerunt.	και εαν απολυσω αυτους νηστεις εις οικον αυτων εκλυθησονται εν τη οδω τινες γαρ αυτων μακροθεν ηκουσιν
4.	And his disciples answered him: From whence can any one fill them here with bread in the wilderness?	Et responderunt ei discipuli sui : Unde illos quis poterit saturare panibus in solitudine ?	και απεκριθησαν αυτω οι μαθηται αυτου ποθεν τουτους δυνησεται τις ωδε χορτασαι αρτων επ ερημιας
5.	And he asked them: How many loaves have ye? Who said: Seven.	Et interrogavit eos : Quot panes habetis ? Qui dixerunt : Septem.	και επηρωτα αυτους ποσους εχετε αρτους οι δε ειπον επτα
6.	And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke, and gave to his disciples for to set before them; and they set them before the people.	Et præcepit turbæ discumbere super terram. Et accipiens septem panes, gratias agens fregit, et dabat discipulis suis ut apponerent, et apposuerunt turbæ.	και παρηγγειλεν τω οχλω αναπεσειν επι της γης και λαβων τους επτα αρτους ευχαριστησας εκλασεν και εδιδου τοις μαθηταις αυτου ινα παραθωσιν και παρεθηκαν τω οχλω
7.	And they had a few little fishes; and he blessed them, and commanded them to be set before them.	Et habebant pisciculos paucos : et ipsos benedixit, et jussit apponi.	και ειχον ιχθυδια ολιγα και ευλογησας ειπεν παραθειναι και αυτα
8.	And they did eat and were filled; and they took up that which was left of the fragments, seven baskets.	Et manducaverunt, et saturati sunt, et sustulerunt quod superaverat de fragmentis, septem sportas.	εφαγον δε και εχορτασθησαν και ηραν περισσευματα κλασματων επτα σπυριδας
9.	And they that had eaten were about four thousand; and he sent them away.	Erant autem qui manducaverunt, quasi quatuor millia : et dimisit eos.	ησαν δε οι φαγοντες ως τετρακισχιλιοι και απελυσεν αυτους
10.	And immediately going up into a ship with his disciples, he came into the parts of Dalmanutha.	Et statim ascendens navim cum discipulis suis, venit in partes Dalmanutha.	και ευθεως εμβας εις το πλοιον μετα των μαθητων αυτου ηλθεν εις τα μερη δαλμανουθα

1. In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said unto them,
2. I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
3. And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
4. And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness.
5. And he asked them, How many loaves have you? And they said, Seven.
6. And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and broke, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
7. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
8. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
9. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

THEOPHYL. After the Lord had performed the former miracle concerning the multiplication of the loaves, now again, a fitting occasion presents itself, and He takes the opportunity of working a similar miracle; wherefore it is said, In those days, the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them,

I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat. For He did not always work miracles concerning the feeding of the multitude, lest they should follow Him for the sake of food; now therefore He would not have performed this miracle if He had not seen that the multitude was in danger.

Wherefore it goes on: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint on the way: for divers of them came from far.

BEDE; Why they who came from afar hold out for three days Matthew says more fully: And he went up to a mountain and sat down there, and great multitudes came to him having with them many sick persons, and cast them down at Jesus feet, to be healed them.

THEOPHYL. The disciples cannot yet understand, nor did they believe in His virtue, notwithstanding former miracles, wherefore it continues, And his disciples said to him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness? But the Lord Himself does not blame them teaching us that we should not he grieviously angry with ignorant men and those who do not understand, but bear with their ignorance.

After this it continues, And He asked them, How many loaves have you? and they answered, Seven.

REMIG. Ignorance was not His reason for asking them, but that from their answering seven, the miracle might he noised abroad, and become more known in proportion to the smallness of the number. It goes on: And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground. In the former feeding they lay on grass, in this one on the ground. It continues, And he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks and broke. In giving thanks, He has left us an example, that for all gifts conferred on us from heaven we should return thanks to Him. And it is to be remarked, that our Lord did not give the bread to the people, but to His disciples, and the disciples to the people; for it goes on, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did Set them before the people. And not only the bread, but the fish also He blessed, and ordered to he set before them.

For there comes after, And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.

BEDE; In this passage then we should notice, in one and the same our redeemer, a distinct operation of Divinity and our Manhood; thus the error, of Eutyches, who presumes to lay down the doctrine of one only operation in Christ, is to he cast out far from the Christian pale. For who does not here see that the pity of our Lord for the multitude is the feeling and sympathy of humanity; and that at the same time His satisfying four thousand men with seven loaves and a few fishes, is a work of Divine virtue?

It goes on, And they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

THEOPHYL. The multitudes who ate and were filled did not take with them the remains of the loaves, but the disciples took them up, as they did before the baskets. In which we learn according to the narration, that veve should be content with what is sufficient, and not look for anything beyond. The number of those who ate is put down, when it is said, And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away; where we may see that Christ sends no one away fasting, for He wishes all to be nourished by His grace.

BEDE; The typical difference between this feeding and the other of the five loaves and two fishes, is, that there the letter of the Old Testament, full of spiritual grace, is signified, but here the truth and grace of the New Testament, which is to be ministered to all the faithful, is pointed out. Now the multitude remains three days, waiting for the Lord to heal their sick as Matthew relates, when the elect, in the faith of the Holy Trinity, supplicate for sins, with persevering earnestness; or because they turn themselves to the Lord in deed, in word, and in thought.

THEOPHYL. Or by those who wait for three days, He means the baptized; for baptism is called illumination, and is performed by trine immersion. GREG. He does not however wish to dismiss them fasting, lest they should faint by the way; for it is necessary that men should find in what is preached the word of consolation, lest hungering through want of the food of truth, they sink under the toil of this life.

AMBROSE; The good Lord indeed whilst He requires diligence, gives strength; nor will He dismiss the fasting, lest they faint by the way, that is, either in the course of this life, or before they have reached the fountain-head of life, that is, the Father, and have learnt that Christ is of the Father, lest haply, after, receiving that He is born of a virgin, they begin to esteem His virtue not that of God, but of man. Therefore the Lord Jesus divides the food, and His will indeed is the give to all, to deny none; He is the Dispenser of all things, but if you refuse to stretch forth your hand to receive the food, you will faint by the way, nor can you find fault with Him, who pities and divides.

BEDE; But they who return to repentance after the crimes of the flesh, after thefts, violence, and murders, come to the Lord from afar; for in proportion as a man has wandered farther in evil working, so he has ventured farther from Almighty God. The believers amongst the Gentiles came from afar to Christ, but the Jews from near, for they had been taught concerning Him by the letter of the law and the prophets. In the former case, however, of time feeding with five loaves, the multitude lay upon the green grass; here, however, upon the ground, because by the writing of the law, we are ordered to keep under the desires of the flesh, but in the New Testament we are ordered to leave even the earth itself and our temporal goods.

THEOPHYL. Further, the seven loaves are spiritual discourses, for seven is the number which points out the Holy G host, who perfects all things; for our life is perfected in the number of seven days.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Or else, the seven loaves are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the fragments of the loaves and the mystical understanding of the first week.

BEDE; For our Lord's breaking the bread means the opening of mysteries; His giving of thanks shows how great a joy He feels in the salvation of the human race; His giving the loaves to His disciples that they might set them before the people, signifies that He assigns the spiritual gifts of knowledge to the Apostles, and that it was His will that by their ministry the food of life should be distributed to the Church.

PSEUDO-JEROME. The small fishes blessed are the books of the New Testament, for our Lord when risen asks for a piece of broiled fish; or else in these little fishes, we receive the saints, seeing that in the Scriptures of the New Testament are contained the faith, life, and, sufferings of them who, snatched away from the troubled waves of this world, have given us by their example spiritual refreshment.

BEDE; Again, what was over and above, after the multitude was refreshed, the Apostles take up, because the higher precepts of perfection, to which the multitude cannot attain, belong to those whose life transcends that of the generality of the people of God; nevertheless, the multitude is said to have been satisfied, because though they cannot leave all that they possess, nor come up to that which is spoken of virgins, yet by listening to the commands of the law of God, they attain to everlasting life.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Again, the seven baskets are the Seven Churches. By the four thousand is meant the year of the new dispensation, with its four seasons. Fitly also are there four thousand, that in the number itself it might be taught us that they were filled with the food of the Gospel.

THEOPHYL. Or there are four thousand, that is, men perfect in the four virtues; and for this reason, as being more advanced, they ate more, and left fewer fragments. For in this miracle, seven baskets full remain, but in the miracle of the five loaves, twelve, for there were five thousand men, which means men enslaved to the five senses, and for this reason they could not eat, but were satisfied with little, and many remains of the fragments were over and above.

10. And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.

THEOPHYL. After that our Lord had worked the miracle of the loaves, He immediately retires into another spot, lest on account of the miracle, the multitudes should take Him to make Him a king; wherefore it is said, And straightway He entered into a ship with his disciples, and came in to the parts of Dalmanutha.

AUG. Now in Matthew we read that He entered into the parts of Magdala. But we cannot doubt that it is the same place under another name; for several manuscripts even of St. Mark have only Magdala. It goes on, And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question to with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

Catena Aurea Mark 8

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:February 15, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Keep your family safe, O Lord, with unfailing care, that, relying solely on the hope of heavenly grace, they may be defended always by your protection. 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 Risotto alla Bresciana

ACTIVITIES

o Dramatics at Home for Elementary Children

PRAYERS

o Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 1

LIBRARY

o Spiritual Warfare: The Occult Has Demonic Influence | Bishop Donald Montrose D.D.

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: Saints Faustinus and Jovita, martyrs

"If your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:20)." The need to make reparation is a vital, inescapable urge of a free person. His very nature cries out for order and peace. His reason tells him that where an order has been violated, the order must be repaired; and the higher the order, the greater must be the reparation. To be free at all, is to accept the responsibility for atonement. Sin is a violation of God's order. Sin demands reparation — the reparation of personal penance, personal prayer, personal charity to all. Part of our atonement to God is made by serving our fellow men. — Daily Missal of the Mystical Body

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Sts. Faustinus and Jovita, two martyrs of Brescia, in Italy, where they are the patrons of the city. A late account of their martyrdom makes them two brothers, one, Faustinus, a priest and the other, Jovita, a deacon.

St. Faustinus and Jovita

Faustinus and Jovita were brothers, nobly born, and were zealous professors of the Christian religion, which they preached without fear in their city of Brescia in Lombardy, during the persecution of Adrian. Their remarkable zeal excited the fury of the heathens against them, and procured them a glorious death for their faith.

Faustinus, a priest, and Jovita, a deacon, were preaching the Gospel fearlessly in the region when Julian, a pagan officer, apprehended them. They were commanded to adore the sun, but replied that they adored the living God who created the sun to give light to the world. The statue before which they were standing was brilliant and surrounded with golden rays. Saint Jovita, looking at it, cried out: “Yes, we adore the God reigning in heaven, who created the sun. And you, vain statue, turn black, to the shame of those who adore you!” At his word, it turned black. The Emperor commanded that it be cleaned, but the pagan priests had hardly begun to touch it when it fell into ashes.

The two brothers were sent to the amphitheater to be devoured by lions, but four of those came out and lay down at their feet. They were left without food in a dark jail cell, but Angels brought them strength and joy for new combats. The flames of a huge fire respected them, and a large number of spectators were converted at the sight. Finally sentenced to decapitation, they knelt down and received the death blow. The city of Brescia honors them as its chief patrons and possesses their relics, and a very ancient church in that city bears their names.

— Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints, a compilation based on Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894); Lives of the Saints for Every Day of the Year, edited by Rev. Hugo Hoever, S.O. Cist., Ph.D. (Catholic Book Publishing Co.: New York, 1951-1955).

Patron: Brescia.

Things to Do:

Read more about St. Faustinus and Jovita here and here.
Read what the Catholic Encyclopedia has to say about the city in Italy in which they lived.
Discover Brescia and if you are a cooking enthusiast try making the authentic Italian dish, risotto allo zafferano, (rice with saffron). Recipes can be found here About: Italian Cuisine and if you are REALLY interested you can learn what arborio rice is and why it should be used to make authentic risotto. If your not interested in the finer details you can make the recipe in Catholic Culture's database.>

Part 1: The Profession of Faith (26 - 1065)

Section 2: The Profession of the Christian Faith (185 - 1065)

Chapter 2: I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God (422 - 682)

Article 3: "He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was born of the Virgin Mary" (456 - 570)

Paragraph 3: The Mysteries of Christ's Life (512 - 570)

III. THE MYSTERIES OF JESUS' PUBLIC LIFE ⇡

The signs of the kingdom of God ⇡

439
670
(all)

547

Jesus accompanies his words with many "mighty works and wonders and signs", which manifest that the kingdom is present in him and attest that he was the promised Messiah.²⁶⁸

268.

Acts 2:22; cf. Lk 7:18-23.

156
2616
447
574
(all)

548

The signs worked by Jesus attest that the Father has sent him. They invite belief in him.²⁶⁹ To those who turn to him in faith, he grants what they ask.²⁷⁰ So miracles strengthen faith in the One who does his Father's works; they bear witness that he is the Son of God.²⁷¹ But his miracles can also be occasions for "offence";²⁷² they are not intended to satisfy people's curiosity or desire for magic Despite his evident miracles some people reject Jesus; he is even accused of acting by the power of demons.²⁷³

269.

Cf. Jn 5:36; 10:25, 38.

270.

Cf. Mk 5:25-34; 10:52; etc.

271.

Cf. Jn 10:31-38.

272.

Mt 11:6.

273.

Cf. Jn 11:47-48; Mk 3:22.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34

Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Jeroboam thought to himself: “The kingdom will return to David’s house … and they will kill me.” (1 Kings 12:26, 27)

We know that God can do amazing things. Yet often, when God promises something and we see it coming about, we begin to doubt, or we grow anxious. Like Peter walking on water, we forget to keep our eyes on Jesus and focus on the wind and the waves instead.

Jeroboam finds himself in a situation like this in today’s first reading. At the end of the previous chapter, God had promised to make Jeroboam like David, establishing a dynasty for him over the nation of Israel. What a shock for this official of King Solomon: God had chosen him to succeed his master! After he flees to Egypt and Solomon dies, Jeroboam does in fact find himself back in Israel and established as king, just as God had promised.

But here is where the trouble begins. With the Temple in Jerusalem and Jerusalem controlled by Rehoboam, Jeroboam begins to fear that the people’s connection to the Temple will cause him to lose his kingdom. This is of course irrational, since it was God that gave Jeroboam the kingdom in the first place. Nevertheless, he decides that he needs to take matters into his own hands instead of waiting on God to fulfill his promises. And the results are disastrous.

Consider the promises that you have received from the Lord—certainly the promise of forgiveness, the promise of heaven, the promise of new life in him. You may also be trusting him for help with your marriage or family relationships or a job situation. In all of these situations, God has a long-term plan for your good, but it requires you to wait on him. Waiting brings doubt and can be scary, and it brings with it the temptation to try to get things to happen your way.

Jeroboam didn’t go back to God with his fears and doubts. Don’t make the same mistake! God stands ready to reassure you of his faithfulness so that you can continue trusting him to bring his promises to their glorious fulfillment. Go to him, and let him renew you in your journey of trust and hope.

“Lord, give me the faith and courage to wait on you for all the wonderful things you have promised.”

Psalm 106:6-7, 19-22; Mark 8:1-10

Vultus Christi

Through the Gate of Septuagesima

Saturday, 15 February 2014 06:28

Thou Shalt Surely Die of Death

The image — it is by Michelangelo and is found in the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican — depicts that most sorrowful mystery of Septuagesima Sunday: our first parents cast out of paradise. It is the visual complement to the sobering Magnificat Antiphon at First Vespers: “The Lord said unto Adam, Of the tree which is in the midst of paradise thou shalt not eat, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die of death.”

Toward the Cross and the Pierced Side

Chased out of paradise by the angel wielding a flaming sword, a naked Adam and Eve make their way toward death, toward the very death that the New Adam, naked upon the tree of the Cross will undo. There, on Calvary, the Cherub’s flaming sword will be replaced by the centurion’s lance, and the gate of paradise will be opened in the Saviour’s sacred side. Michelangelo’s magnificent crucifix in the sacristy of the Church of Santo Spirito in Florence illustrates the mystery towards which points the Cherub’s flaming sword.

The Pre-Lenten Season of the Church

Influenced, no doubt, by the practice of Greek Christians living in Rome and observing the Eastern preparation for Great Lent, Pope Saint Gregory the Great instituted the season of Septuagesima: three weeks of preparation for the Great Fast marked by solemn stations at the patriarchal basilicas of Saint Lawrence, Saint Paul, and Saint Peter. In this way the Roman Church prepared her Lenten observance under the auspices of the Eternal City’s glorious patrons. Dame Aemiliana Löhr, O.S.B. reflects on Septuagesima as the beginning of our passage through death into life:

A Beginning

More clearly than the First Sunday of Advent, Septuagesima forms a point of division. Not unreasonably, it has been questioned from time to time whether one ought to look here for the real beginning of the liturgical year. Today’s liturgy differs sharply from the Sundays just past. Contrasted with the joyous liturgy of Epiphany with its shining glance towards the fulfilment of Easter, Septuagesima seems almost gloomy. In every respect it carries the mark of a beginning, and that in the sense of of a laborious, sorrowful one, the character of every earthly as opposed to divine beginning. It is as if the Church had suddenly dropped down from the bright and festive upper storey of her house into the darkness of a low, vaulted crypt, into the earth’s womb, the tombs; prepared, now that she has celebrated the glorious feast of life at Epiphany, to seek out the dark and difficult beginnings of that life.

Farewell to the Alleluia

With a last cry of joy, which both gives a final occasion for the glory of Epiphany to shine amd anticipates the joy of Easter, the Church leaves behind her at the First Vespers of Sunday that song of heavenly joy, the alleluia.

Between Epiphany and Pascha

The Christmas and Epiphany season taught us again and again that it is not only God’s appearance in this world, but also, and most important, his saving work in and upon it which the Church wills to see present in her ritual; only in prospect of Easter does the feast of the Epiphany become for her fully a mystery. Her whole liturgy, as we shall soon see, turns about Easter, and the feast of Epiphany is only a prelude, or one might have it, a short play . . . which takes its meaning from the vision of salvation and glory completed. It does not exclude the way to salvation, but, so to speak, reduces it to a single point.

Pascha and Transitus

Easter contains both aspects: in an extended prelude it follows the whole way, and in the equally rich solemnity of a single night it rejoices in the glory it has won. The decisive point lies between the two: neither preparation nor celebration, but passage, pascha, in the sense of the typical pascha of the Old Testament which the Fathers translate with the word transitus: the passage out of the land of slavery to sin and living death, into God’s Canaan, the promised land of freedom in grace and of life for God’s children.

A True Beginning of Salvation

The annual return of Septuagesima Sunday is not merely an occasion for worship — and this is true of the whole liturgy — but a true beginning of salvation, which can only be brought to its completion by the common act of God and man; it is a moment as serious as ever can arise for man’s moral consciousness: decision for the Pasch of Christ, for the mystical death with Him in liturgy, which can only be carried out through the daily and hourly death of man, through turning away from sin and passing up to God. Today is the beginning of salvation, and the decision to seek salvation.

A Serious Joy

We have nothing to fear: the serious of this road [to salvation] is joined to a high joy, and to the certainty that death’s course ends in life. This joy, as well, is woven into the liturgy of the weeks to come, and it us under this double motif of seriousness and joy that the Church leads us through the gate of Septuagesima on to Christ’s road of death.

(Dame Aemiliana Löhr, O.S.B., The Mass Through the Year)

Vultus Christi

Yes, Tomorrow Is Septuagesima Sunday

Saturday, 15 February 2014 08:35

Looking toward Holy Pascha

Tomorrow is Septuagesima Sunday. In three weeks our heads will be marked with the ashes of penitence. A special time of preparation for Lent emerged in the liturgy of the 6th and 7th centuries. The three Sundays preceding Ash Wednesday were called Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima, meaning respectively, the seventieth, sixtieth, and fiftieth days before Pascha. The First Sunday of Lent is, of course, Quadragesima, the beginning of the Lenten fast of forty days.

Evil Limited by Divine Mercy

The seventy-day period that begins with Septuagesima recalls the seventy-year exile of the children of Israel in Babylon. Seventy is the perfect number, signifying that God has fixed for us a delay of mercy to pass from the anguish of sinful Babylon to the beatitude of Jerusalem. “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?” (Ps 136:4). We do well to recall Blessed Pope John Paul II’s assertion that, “the power that imposes a limit on evil is Divine Mercy.” The seventy days before Pascha signify this, and so become a season of hope for all who sit and weep by the waters of Babylon (cf. Ps 136:1).

Seven: A Mystical Number

At the same time, the history of the world is divided into seven ages. The first is from the creation of the world to the flood; the second, from the renewal after the flood to the call of Abraham; the third from the covenant with Abraham to the call of Moses; the fourth from Moses to King David; the fifth from the reign of David to the Babylonian exile; and the sixth from return from captivity to the birth of Christ. With the birth of Our Lord comes the seventh age: the appearance of the Sun of Justice who rises over the world “with healing in his wings” (Mal 4:2). This seventh age of “these last days” (Heb 1:2) stretches until Christ’s second coming as Judge of the living and the dead. The seven weeks before Pascha are a review of salvation history.

The Pastoral Wisdom of Septuagesima

The traditional Roman Rite marks Septuagesima Sunday by putting away the Alleluia; the Gloria is omitted and, already, the priest dons violet vestments in preparation for Lent. Sound psychology and practical pastoral wisdom indicate the need for a kind of countdown before Ash Wednesday, lest Lent come upon us all of a sudden, finding us flustered and ill prepared.

Lectio Divina for the Week of Septuagesima

Saturday, 15 February 2014 11:46

Every week I prepare a sheet to facilitate the lectio divina of the community. Although this is intended primarily for those who are at the beginning of their life in the cloister, some of our Oblates and other friends may find it useful.

Lectio Divina for the Week of Septuagesima
16 — 22 February 2014

Preparation
1. Clear your desk.
2. Have on your desk only your Missal, the Holy Bible in one or two translations, according to your preference, your lectio divina notebook or file cards, and a pen. The Douai–Rheims/Latin Vulgate, the Revised Standard Version, and the Ronald Knox translations are recommended.
3. Opening your Bible reverently, kneel at your desk.
4. Invoke the Holy Ghost by praying the Veni, Sancte Spiritus, or another invocation of the Holy Ghost.
5. Having invoked the Holy Ghost, kiss the sacred page and read the first few lines of the designated passage on your knees. After this you may be seated.

Practice
Your daily lectio divina consists of the following:
A. The Introit, Epistle, Gradual, Alleluia (or Tract), Gospel, Offertory Antiphon, and Communion Antiphon of the Mass of the Day.
You are to find these texts in your Missal, and then find them in your Bible.

1. Lectio (read the text audibly but softly, in such a way as to hear the words);
2. Meditatio (repeat the words and phrases that struck you in while reading the text; you may also copy them out by hand in your lectio divina notebook or on index cards];
3. Oratio [turn the words you have read and repeated into prayer; pray audibly the Collect of the day);
4. Contemplatio (remain quietly in God, adoring Him and submitting to His operations in your soul).

B. Repeat the same four steps, using the texts given here for your lectio continua:

Sunday: Genesis 1–4
Monday: 5–8
Tuesday: 9–11
Wednesday: 12–16
Thursday: 17–20
Friday: 21–24
Saturday: 25–28

Regnum Christi

Goodness in Abundance

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Saturday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary Time

Mark 8:1-10

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, he summoned the disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance." His disciples answered him, "Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?" Still he asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied. He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over -- seven baskets. There were about four thousand people. He dismissed them and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

Introductory Prayer:Lord, how quickly I lose faith and begin to trust more in things that I can touch and see than in your promises and strength. But I do believe in you, that you are the Bread of Life, and that only you can satisfy the deepest longings of my heart. As you are my Creator, you know what I need and provide for me each day. As you are my Redeemer, you lead me along the pathway of the cross and forgiveness. I want to follow you more closely.

Petition: Lord, strengthen my faith, so that I can be magnanimous like you.

1. “I feel sorry for all these people.” Jesus shows compassion for the crowd, even for their temporal needs. He knows how earthly they can be, seeking only to satisfy their need for bread and water. In another passage he says, “Why worry about what you are to eat, or drink, or what you are to wear? … All these things the pagans seek” (Matthew 6:25-33) –– “pagans,” that is, those with no faith or trust in the heavenly Father. Our Lord does not worry about food and clothing for himself, although he does seek to provide them for others. But his charity doesn’t end there. He sincerely desires their greatest good, and for this reason gives them much more than a passing meal. Together with bread and water, he gives them the gift of faith. After all, man does not live on bread alone” (Luke 4:4).

2. “Where could anyone get bread to feed these people in a deserted place like this? The apostles ask a very human question, revealing the poverty of their faith in Jesus. Such a question, without faith, would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Since the task seems impossible, why try at all? How often does this way of thinking rein us in from doing great things for God and expecting great things from him? How often do we resign ourselves to defeat, content to mourn and lament seemingly hopeless situations, as if God were not almighty and willing to help us? We need the faith of the Blessed Virgin, who believed the impossible and became the mother of all who believe.

3. “They ate as much as they wanted and they collected seven basketfuls of the scraps left over.” Jesus offers the fullness of life and love, an abundance of goodness and grace, to all who follow him. His ways are the ways of life. He allows us to suffer want in this life so that we will tap into the true source of abundance through faith, hope and love. Those who seek themselves by seeking purely material goods — which are limited by definition — will always be in want and will always feel the threat of losing what they have. Those who seek Christ and his grace — which is unlimited by definition — will never fear when they lose their earthly goods. That is why Jesus says that to anyone who has (faith, hope, love, grace, the gifts of the spiritual life), more will be given, and from the one who has not (none of these spiritual gifts), even what he seems to have (material possessions which are here today and gone tomorrow, always decaying and coming to an end) will be taken away (Luke 8:18).

Conversation with Christ: Lord, give me the gift of compassion, so that I may serve others with your heart. Give me the gifts of faith, hope and love so that I will understand that your goodness knows no bounds or limits, and that you wish to pour out your grace on all until our cups are overflowing.

Resolution: I will be magnanimous in my charity towards others today.

One Bread One Body

One Bread, One Body

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<< Saturday, February 15, 2014 >>

1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
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Psalm 106:6-7, 19-22

Mark 8:1-10
Similar Reflections

MULTIPLICATION TABLE

"How can anyone give these people sufficient bread in this deserted spot?" —Mark 8:4

Some Christians believe God no longer multiplies food, money, or time. Other Christians believe God still does His multiplication-miracle, but that He doesn't do it for them.

Jesus' multiplication of loaves and fish for the Gentiles specifically contradicts this. In Mark 6:34-44, Jesus multiplied loaves and fish for thousands of Jewish people. In Mark 8:1-9, He does the same thing for the Gentiles, thereby showing the miracle of multiplication is for all, not just for a certain group.

We deprive ourselves of the miracle of multiplication by our lack of faith. We don't believe our heavenly Father will provide; so we provide for ourselves to the point that we leave God little opportunity to father us in practical ways. We don't believe in the Spirit's gift of miracles (1 Cor 12:10); so we confine ourselves to the natural and scorn the supernatural.

By faith and in obedience to the Lord, risk, simplify, and give to the point that you need a God Who still multiplies loaves and fish. Then you will see the miracle of multiplication.

Prayer: Father, may I make decisions in my life which will make me dependent on You for my "daily bread."

Promise: "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd. By now they have been with Me three days and have nothing to eat." —Mk 8:2

Praise: In one year, Jose grew in Christian maturity to the point that he was as mature as those who had been active Christians for years.

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Day 69 - Did Jesus REALLY work miracles?

Meditation: 1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34

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

One Bread, One Body

MULTIPLICATION TABLE