Feast Day: April 1

Born: 1053 at Chateauneuf, Dauphiné, France

Died: 1 April 1132

Canonized: 1134 by Pope Innocent II

St. Hugh of Grenoble

Feast Day: April 01
Born: 1052 :: Died: 1132

St. Hugh was born at Dauphine in France. He grew up to be tall and handsome, gentle and polite. Although he always wanted to live for God as a monk, he was given important positions instead. He was ordained a priest and then a bishop.

As bishop, Hugh began at once to correct the sinful ways of some people in his district. He made wise plans, and to draw God's mercy upon his people, St. Hugh prayed with his whole heart. He did hard penances and in a short time, many became very good and holy.

Only some rich folks continued to fight against the rules he had made and he felt sad. Bishop Hugh still thought about becoming a monk as that was what he truly wanted. He resigned as bishop of Grenoble and entered a monastery. At last, he was at peace.

Yet it was not God's will for Hugh to be a monk. After one year, the pope commanded Hugh to return to Grenoble and he obeyed. He knew it was more important to please God than to please himself.

For forty years, the bishop was sick nearly all the time. He had bad headaches and stomach problems. But he forced himself to keep working. He loved his people and there was so much to do for them. He was also often put to the test and faced temptations. But he prayed asking God to give him strength and he never gave in to sin.

He was a generous and saintly bishop for fifty-two years and was also the uncle of St. Hugh of Bonnevaux. St. Hugh died on April 1, 1132, two months before his eightieth birthday.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:April 01, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: May the venerable exercises of holy devotion shape the hearts of your faithful, O Lord, to welcome worthily the Paschal Mystery and proclaim the praises of your salvation. 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 Mock Turtle Soup

o Mock Turtle Soup - 2

ACTIVITIES

o Motivating Children to Perform Good Deeds

PRAYERS

o Prayer for the Fourth Week of Lent

o Lent Table Blessing 4

o Prayer Before a Crucifix

· Lent: April 1st

· Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Old Calendar: St. Hugh of Grenoble, bishop (Hist)

"One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. (Mk 12:28)."

Historically today is the feast of St. Hugh of Grenoble, who was elected bishop at the age of twenty-eight to purge the diocese of its disorders, and he occupied the see until his death fifty-two years later.

Stational Church

St. Hugh of Grenoble
It was the good fortune of Saint Hugh to receive, from his cradle, strong impressions of piety through the example and solicitude of his illustrious and holy parents. He was born at Chateauneuf in Dauphiné, France, in 1053. His father, Odilo, who served his country in an honorable post in the army, labored by all means in his power to make his soldiers faithful servants of their Creator, and by severe punishments, to restrain vice. By the advice of his son, Saint Hugh, in his later years he became a Carthusian monk, and died at the age of one hundred, having received Extreme Unction and Viaticum from the hands of his son. Under his direction, his mother had served God in her own house for many years by prayer, fasting, and abundant almsgiving; and Saint Hugh also assisted her in her last hours.

Hugh, from the cradle, appeared to be a child of benediction; in his youth he was recognized as such through his exceptional success in his studies. Having chosen to serve God in the ecclesiastical state, he accepted a canonry in the cathedral of Valence. His great sanctity and learning rendered him an ornament of that church, and at the age of twenty-seven he was chosen Bishop of Grenoble. Pope Gregory VII consecrated him in Rome, and inspired in him an ardent zeal for the Church’s liberty and the sanctification of the clergy. He at once undertook to reprove vice and reform abuses, at that time rampant in his diocese, but found his efforts without fruit. He resolved therefore, after two years, to resign his charge, and retired to the austere abbey of Casa Dei, or Chaise-Dieu, in Auvergne.

There Saint Hugh lived for a year, a perfect model of all virtues in a monastery filled with saints, until Pope Gregory commanded him, in the name of holy obedience, to resume his pastoral charge, saying: “Go to your flock; they need you.” This time his sanctity effected great good in souls. His forceful preaching moved crowds and touched hearts; in the confessional he wept with his penitents, and aroused in them a deeper contrition. After a few years the face of his diocese had changed. His charity for the poor led him to sell even his episcopal ring and his chalice to assist them. During his episcopate the young Saint Bruno came to him for counsel, and it was Saint Hugh who assisted him in the foundation of the Carthusian Monastery in the mountains of the diocese of Grenoble, whose renown after a thousand years has not diminished.

Always filled with a profound sense of his own unworthiness, he earnestly solicited three Popes for leave to resign his bishopric, that he might die in solitude, but was never able to obtain his request. God was pleased to purify his soul by a lingering illness before He called him to Himself. He closed his penitential course on the 1st of April in 1132, two months before completing his eightieth year. Miracles attested the sanctity of his death, and he was canonized only two years afterwards, by Pope Innocent II.

Things to Do:

Try making Mock Turtle Soup. St. Hugh for a time lived in a Carthusian monastery as a simple monk. Legend has it that once, on arriving, he found the monks assembled in the refectory but with nothing to eat. He was told that some benefactor had indeed given them fowl but their rule forbade the eating of meat. When Saint Hugh saw their predicament, he promptly made the sign of the cross and changed the fowl into turtles.

Excerpted from Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints

The Station today is in St. Lawrence's in Damaso—a church built by Pope St. Damascus in honor of the martyred deacon. It was one of the first parish churches in Rome and was rebuilt in the late 15th century by Bramante, and has since been restored several times. Pope St. Damasus' relics are beneath the altar. Today the church is part of the Cancelleria, or the chancery, and houses the Holy Father's Tribunals: the Roman Rota, Apostolic Signatura, and Apostolic Penitentiary.

How does Christ help us at our death?

What happens to us when we die?

In death body and soul are separated. The body decays, while the soul goes to meet God and waits to be reunited with its risen body on the Last Day.

How the resurrection will take place is a mystery. An image can help us to accept it: When we look at a tulip bulb we cannot tell into what a marvelously beautiful flower it will develop in the dark earth. Similarly, we know nothing about the future appearance of our new body. Paul is nevertheless certain: "It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory"

How does Christ help us at our death, if we trust in him?

Christ comes to meet us and leads us into eternal life. "Not death, but God will take me" (St. Thérèse of Lisieux).

In view of Jesus' suffering and death, death itself can become easier. In an act of trust and love for the Father, we can say Yes, as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Such an attitude is called "spiritual sacrifice": the dying person unites himself with Christ's sacrifice on the Cross. Someone who dies this way, trusting in God and at peace with men, and thus without serious sin, is on the way to communion with the risen Christ. Our dying makes us fall no farther than into his hands. A person who dies does not travel to nowhere but rather goes home into the love of God, who created him. (YOUCAT questions 154-155)

Dig Deeper: CCC section (988-991) and other references here.

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

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

Chapter 3: I Believe in the Holy Spirit (683 - 1065)

Article 11: "I believe in the resurrection of the dead" (988 - 1019)

I. CHRIST'S RESURRECTION AND OURS ⇡

The progressive revelation of the Resurrection ⇡

297
(all)

992

God revealed the resurrection of the dead to his people progressively. Hope in the bodily resurrection of the dead established itself as a consequence intrinsic to faith in God as creator of the whole man, soul and body. The creator of heaven and earth is also the one who faithfully maintains his covenant with Abraham and his posterity. It was in this double perspective that faith in the resurrection came to be expressed. In their trials, the Maccabean martyrs confessed: The King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.⁵⁴⁰ One cannot but choose to die at the hands of men and to cherish the hope that God gives of being raised again by him.⁵⁴¹

540.

2 Macc 7:9.

541.

2 Macc 7:14; cf. 7:29; Dan 12:1-13.

205
575
(all)

993

The Pharisees and many of the Lord's contemporaries hoped for the resurrection. Jesus teaches it firmly. To the Sadducees who deny it he answers, "Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God?"⁵⁴² Faith in the resurrection rests on faith in God who "is not God of the dead, but of the living."⁵⁴³

542.

Mk 12:24; cf. Jn 11:24; Acts 23:6.

543.

Mk 12:27.

646
(all)

994

But there is more. Jesus links faith in the resurrection to his own person: "I am the Resurrection and the life."⁵⁴⁴ It is Jesus himself who on the last day will raise up those who have believed in him, who have eaten his body and drunk his blood.⁵⁴⁵ Already now in this present life he gives a sign and pledge of this by restoring some of the dead to life,⁵⁴⁶ announcing thereby his own Resurrection, though it was to be of another order. He speaks of this unique event as the "sign of Jonah,"⁵⁴⁷ the sign of the temple: he announces that he will be put to death but rise thereafter on the third day.⁵⁴⁸

544.

Jn 11:25.

545.

Cf. Jn 5:24-25; 6:40,54.

546.

Cf. Mk 5:21-42; Lk 7:11-17; Jn 11.

547.

Mt 12:39.

548.

Cf. Mk 10:34; Jn 2:19-22.

655
860
(all)

995

To be a witness to Christ is to be a "witness to his Resurrection," to "[have eaten and drunk] with him after he rose from the dead."⁵⁴⁹ Encounters with the risen Christ characterize the Christian hope of resurrection. We shall rise like Christ, with him, and through him.

549.

Acts 1:22; 10:41; cf. 4:33.

643
(all)

996

From the beginning, Christian faith in the resurrection has met with incomprehension and opposition.⁵⁵⁰ "On no point does the Christian faith encounter more opposition than on the resurrection of the body."⁵⁵¹ It is very commonly accepted that the life of the human person continues in a spiritual fashion after death. But how can we believe that this body, so clearly mortal, could rise to everlasting life?

550.

Cf. Acts 17:32; 1 Cor 15:12-13.

551.

St. Augustine, En. in Ps. 88,5:PL 37,1134.

How do the dead rise? ⇡

366
(all)

997

What is "rising"? In death, the separation of the soul from the body, the human body decays and the soul goes to meet God, while awaiting its reunion with its glorified body. God, in his almighty power, will definitively grant incorruptible life to our bodies by reuniting them with our souls, through the power of Jesus' Resurrection.

1038
(all)

998

Who will rise? All the dead will rise, "those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."⁵⁵²

552.

Jn 5:29; cf. Dan 12:2.

640
645
(all)

999

How? Christ is raised with his own body: "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself";⁵⁵³ but he did not return to an earthly life. So, in him, "all of them will rise again with their own bodies which they now bear," but Christ "will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body," into a "spiritual body":⁵⁵⁴ But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" You foolish man! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel. ... What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. ... The dead will be raised imperishable. ... For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality.⁵⁵⁵

553.

Lk 24:39.

554.

Lateran Council IV (1215): DS 801; Phil 3:21; 1 Cor 15:44.

555.

1 Cor 15:35-37,42,52,53.

1405
647
(all)

1000

This "how" exceeds our imagination and understanding; it is accessible only to faith. Yet our participation in the Eucharist already gives us a foretaste of Christ's transfiguration of our bodies: Just as bread that comes from the earth, after God's blessing has been invoked upon it, is no longer ordinary bread, but Eucharist, formed of two things, the one earthly and the other heavenly: so too our bodies, which partake of the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, but possess the hope of resurrection.⁵⁵⁶

556.

St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4,18,4-5:PG 7/1,1028-1029.

1038
673
(all)

1001

When? Definitively "at the last day," "at the end of the world."⁵⁵⁷ Indeed, the resurrection of the dead is closely associated with Christ's Parousia: For the Lord himself will descend from heaven, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.⁵⁵⁸

557.

Jn 6: 39-40,44,54; 11:24; LG 48 § 3.

558.

1 Thes 4:16.

Risen with Christ ⇡

655
(all)

1002

Christ will raise us up "on the last day"; but it is also true that, in a certain way, we have already risen with Christ. For, by virtue of the Holy Spirit, Christian life is already now on earth a participation in the death and Resurrection of Christ: And you were buried with him in Baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead . ... If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.⁵⁵⁹

559.

United with Christ by Baptism, believers already truly participate in the heavenly life of the risen Christ, but this life remains "hidden with Christ in God."⁵⁶⁰ The Father has already "raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."⁵⁶¹ Nourished with his body in the Eucharist, we already belong to the Body of Christ. When we rise on the last day we "also will appear with him in glory."⁵⁶²

560.

Col 3:3; cf. Phil 3:20.

561.

562.

In expectation of that day, the believer's body and soul already participate in the dignity of belonging to Christ. This dignity entails the demand that he should treat with respect his own body, but also the body of every other person, especially the suffering: The body [is meant] for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? . ... You are not your own; . ... So glorify God in your body.⁵⁶³

563.

1 Cor 6:13-15,19-20.

II. DYING IN CHRIST JESUS ⇡

650
(all)

1005

To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ: we must "be away from the body and at home with the Lord."⁵⁶⁴ In that "departure" which is death the soul is separated from the body.⁵⁶⁵ It will be reunited with the body on the day of resurrection of the dead.⁵⁶⁶

564.

2 Cor 5:8.

565.

Cf. Phil 1:23.

566.

Cf. Paul VI, CPG § 28.

Death ⇡

1006

"It is in regard to death that man's condition is most shrouded in doubt."⁵⁶⁷ In a sense bodily death is natural, but for faith it is in fact "the wages of sin."⁵⁶⁸ For those who die in Christ's grace it is a participation in the death of the Lord, so that they can also share his Resurrection.⁵⁶⁹

567.

GS 18.

568.

Rom 6:23; cf. Gen 2:17.

569.

Cf. Rom 6:3-9; Phil 3:10-11.

1007

Death is the end of earthly life. Our lives are measured by time, in the course of which we change, grow old and, as with all living beings on earth, death seems like the normal end of life. That aspect of death lends urgency to our lives: remembering our mortality helps us realize that we have only a limited time in which to bring our lives to fulfillment: Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, ... before the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.⁵⁷⁰

570.

Eccl 12:1,7.

376
401
(all)

1008

Death is a consequence of sin. The Church's Magisterium, as authentic interpreter of the affirmations of Scripture and Tradition, teaches that death entered the world on account of man's sin.⁵⁷¹ Even though man's nature is mortal God had destined him not to die. Death was therefore contrary to the plans of God the Creator and entered the world as a consequence of sin.⁵⁷² "Bodily death, from which man would have been immune had he not sinned" is thus "the last enemy" of man left to be conquered.⁵⁷³

571.

Cf. Gen 2:17; 3:3; 3:19; Wis 1:13; Rom 5:12; 6:23; DS 1511.

572.

Cf. Wis 2:23-24.

573.

GS 18 § 2; cf. 1 Cor 15:26.

612
(all)

1009

Death is transformed by Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, also himself suffered the death that is part of the human condition. Yet, despite his anguish as he faced death, he accepted it in an act of complete and free submission to his Father's will.⁵⁷⁴ The obedience of Jesus has transformed the curse of death into a blessing.⁵⁷⁵

574.

Cf. Mk 14:33-34; Heb 5:7-8.

575.

Cf. Rom 5:19-21.

The meaning of Christian death ⇡

1220
1681-1690
(all)

1010

Because of Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."⁵⁷⁶ "The saying is sure: if we have died with him, we will also live with him.⁵⁷⁷ What is essentially new about Christian death is this: through Baptism, the Christian has already "died with Christ" sacramentally, in order to live a new life; and if we die in Christ's grace, physical death completes this "dying with Christ" and so completes our incorporation into him in his redeeming act: It is better for me to die in (eis) Christ Jesus than to reign over the ends of the earth. Him it is I seek — who died for us. Him it is I desire — who rose for us. I am on the point of giving birth. ... Let me receive pure light; when I shall have arrived there, then shall I be a man.⁵⁷⁸

576.

Phil 1:21.

577.

2 Tim 2:11.

578.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Rom.,6,1-2:Apostolic Fathers,II/2,217-220.

1025
(all)

1011

In death, God calls man to himself. Therefore the Christian can experience a desire for death like St. Paul's: "My desire is to depart and be with Christ. "⁵⁷⁹ He can transform his own death into an act of obedience and love towards the Father, after the example of Christ:⁵⁸⁰ My earthly desire has been crucified; ... there is living water in me, water that murmurs and says within me: Come to the Father.⁵⁸¹

I want to see God and, in order to see him, I must die.⁵⁸²

I am not dying; I am entering life.⁵⁸³

579.

Phil 1:23.

580.

Cf. Lk 23:46.

581.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Rom.,6,1-2:Apostolic Fathers,II/2,223-224.

582.

St. Teresa of Avila, Life, chap. 1.

583.

St. Therese of Lisieux, The Last Conversations.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12

4th Week of Lent

Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live. (Ezekiel 47:9)

Did you catch the theme flowing through all three of today’s readings? It’s water! Water is an amazing natural element. It’s simple—just two hydrogen atoms paired with one oxygen atom—but it can give rise to the most complicated forms of life imaginable. Water is fun to splash around in during the summer, but under the right conditions, it’s incredibly powerful and dangerous. It’s so common that we drink it every day, but scuba divers who venture to the ocean floor often feel as if they’re visiting another world. It’s no wonder that water is often used as a symbol for God. It’s vital, gentle, life-giving, exciting, and dangerous—just like him!

Have a little fun with today’s readings. Think about how all three of them are inviting you to dive into the living waters of God. Imagine yourself experiencing each unique “aquascape.” And think about how you have the chance to explore new depths of God’s love and grace.

Ezekiel’s river. In his vision, Ezekiel saw a mighty river producing all sorts of life. But he wasn’t content to sit on the riverbank, and neither should you be. Wade into the river that is the Spirit, and let him sweep you away. Welcome him into your heart, and let him prepare you for a harvest of spiritual fruit—love, joy, peace, and all the rest.

Joyful streams. “There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God” (Psalm 46:5). Even in tough times, the psalmist knew he could escape into the joyful creeks and brooks of God’s presence. God is full of joy, and he invites you to find your sanctuary in him. Roam and splash through his streams, and leave your burdens behind.

The healing pool. The Jewish people believed that the waters of the pool of Bethsaida were gently stirred by an angel who could heal sickness. Imagine taking a dip! See yourself resting in God’s healing power. Let him show you new depths in his mercy and forgiveness. Bring your sins to him, and watch them dissolve. Dive into his grace, and receive the healing he offers for your body, for the wounds in your heart, and for any of your relationships that are strained.

“Lord, today I want to explore more of you.”

John 5:1-16; Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

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

Daily Marriage Tip for April 1, 2014:

Do you like April Fools’ Day pranks…or do they unsettle you? Learning your own temperament, and that of your spouse, can help avoid behaving in a way that’s natural to you but that bothers your spouse. It can also be an opportunity for both of you to grow.

Regnum Christi

The Desire to be Cured

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

John 5:1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, "Do you want to be well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me." Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk." Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, "It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat." He answered them, "The man who made me well told me, ´Take up your mat and walk.´" They asked him, "Who is the man who told you, ´Take it up and walk´?" The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the Temple area and said to him, "Look, you are well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may happen to you." The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I look to you with faith, knowing that you are the Lord of all. I hope in your boundless mercy, since without you I can do nothing. I want to love as you deserve, so I come to you in this prayer to console you and bring you the joy of this moment together.

Petition: Lord, help me to be humble of heart so you will heal me.

1. Christ´s Power is Stronger: The man in the Gospel was ill for 38 years. His sickness serves as an example of a life of sin. In 1 John 2:16 we read about a triple spiritual sickness: “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” However, not even a sickness persisting for 38 years is able to escape Jesus’ curing power. Christ’s power is stronger still. We should therefore take hope, for no sickness, no sin – or life of sin – is too great for him to cure. All that is needed is that we turn to him with a humble and contrite heart: “Lord, I am not worthy, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

2. Revealing Our Weaknesses: Nothing is impossible for Christ. He can heal the sick; he can also forgive their sins, as he forgives the paralytic who is lowered from a rooftop (Cf. Mark 2:1-12). All it takes is for this sick man to reveal his weakness – and he does so with detail, like a true confession: how he has attempted to enter the pool, how as he has tried, someone else has beaten him to it. Perhaps without this detailed account of his failure, he might not have been cured. The sick man’s admitting both his personal weakness and desire to plunge into the pool moves Jesus to compassion. This is the remedy to all of our illnesses: presenting ourselves to Christ as we truly are, with all of our weakness, and thus moving him to compassion.

3. Go and Sin No More: Jesus says, “Look, you are well, do not sin anymore.” It would be a pity if this man, who is deeply moved by Jesus and made whole, afterwards dedicates himself to a life of vice. From the Gospel passage, it would seem that Jesus has cured him in order to allow him to utilize his time and energy for the benefit of the Kingdom: Christ warns the sick man that if he misuses his new health, he could be worse off than before. Hopefully, his healing will produce a conversion and make him a herald of the Kingdom. This happens also in the sacrament of reconciliation: After forgiving our sins, Christ tells us, “Go in peace and proclaim to the world the wonderful works of God who has brought you salvation.”

Conversation with Christ: O Jesus, the only way that I can be like the man at the pool of Bethesda is to be grateful for the gifts you have given me, to fight against a life of sin, and to clothe myself with the “new man.” I am ready to embrace your will with love, even if this means dying to myself.

Resolution: As Easter approaches, I will humbly recognize my sinfulness and seek God’s healing grace in the sacrament of confession.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 3

<< Tuesday, April 1, 2014 >>

Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12
View Readings

Psalm 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

John 5:1-16
Similar Reflections

FOREVER MORE

"Give up your sins so that something worse may not overtake you." —John 5:14

Being sick for thirty-eight years is certainly a terrible suffering. To stay sick for most of one's life is a tragedy. However, after healing this man, Jesus told him: "Remember, now, you have been cured. Give up your sins so that something worse may not overtake you" (Jn 5:14). What could be worse than being sick for thirty-eight years? Being separated from the Lord, refusing to accept His love, and being in hell forever would be worse.

We must never become so burdened with the bad as to forget the worst. Likewise, we should not become so preoccupied with the good as to forget the best. For instance, when the apostles were rejoicing in their victory over demons, Jesus told them: "Do not rejoice so much in the fact that the devils are subject to you as that your names are inscribed in heaven" (Lk 10:20). Likewise, Paul proclaimed: "I consider the sufferings of the present to be as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed in us" (Rm 8:18).

Although we maximize rather than minimize the significance of our present sufferings and blessings, we are to be "intent on things above rather than on things of earth" (Col 3:2). Our present is overshadowed by Christ's future and final coming. Our earthly life is a stepping stone into eternal happiness. Our time will give way to the timeless, the eternal. "God has put the timeless into [our] hearts" (Eccl 3:12), so think often of eternity. There is more — much more. We haven't seen the worst or the best. There is life after death, heaven and hell, and eternity.

Prayer: Father, may this Lent be a time when I see everything in the right perspective.

Promise: "Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary." —Ez 47:12

Praise: Terry repented of the sin of committing homosexual acts.

"What you do to the unborn child,

you do to Jesus."

- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Homily of the Day

April 1, 2014

Today’s gospel talks about a man who is sick and cannot move freely by himself. He has been waiting for 38 years to be able to get into the pool when the angel of the Lord touches it so he can be healed, but because of his condition he is unable to do so. Then one day, Jesus comes and heals him, just like that, because he wanted to.

We all live our lives like this sick man. We go through life just accepting what has been handed to us by the world and just waiting for the moment when something or someone will come to help us to go into the pool to be healed. We are waiting for someone to come into our lives to change our situation, to help us out of our difficulties, for someone to give us the money to pay off a debt, for someone to discover a cure for the cancer we have, or for someone to give the answer to the board exam so we can finally pass it and start earning a lot.

Let us not wait for someone to come and help us. Today Jesus is telling us that he can heal us and he wants to help us in our present situation. We do not realize that our healing (not only physical but emotional and spiritual as well) comes from Jesus Christ. All we need to do is ask.

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 5
1.	AFTER these things was a festival day of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.	Post hæc erat dies festus Judæorum, et ascendit Jesus Jerosolymam.	μετα ταυτα ην [η] εορτη των ιουδαιων και ανεβη ο ιησους εις ιεροσολυμα
2.	Now there is at Jerusalem a pond, called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, having five porches.	Est autem Jerosolymis probatica piscina, quæ cognominatur hebraice Bethsaida, quinque porticus habens.	εστιν δε εν τοις ιεροσολυμοις επι τη προβατικη κολυμβηθρα η επιλεγομενη εβραιστι βηθεσδα πεντε στοας εχουσα
3.	In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered; waiting for the moving of the water.	In his jacebat multitudo magna languentium, cæcorum, claudorum, aridorum, exspectantium aquæ motum.	εν ταυταις κατεκειτο πληθος πολυ των ασθενουντων τυφλων χωλων ξηρων εκδεχομενων την του υδατος κινησιν
4.	And an angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond; and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water, was made whole, of whatsoever infirmity he lay under.	Angelus autem Domini descendebat secundum tempus in piscinam, et movebatur aqua. Et qui prior descendisset in piscinam post motionem aquæ, sanus fiebat a quacumque detinebatur infirmitate.	αγγελος γαρ κατα καιρον κατεβαινεν εν τη κολυμβηθρα και εταρασσεν το υδωρ ο ουν πρωτος εμβας μετα την ταραχην του υδατος υγιης εγινετο ω δηποτε κατειχετο νοσηματι
5.	And there was a certain man there, that had been eight and thirty years under his infirmity.	Erat autem quidam homo ibi triginta et octo annos habens in infirmitate sua.	ην δε τις ανθρωπος εκει τριακοντα [και] οκτω ετη εχων εν τη ασθενεια
6.	Him when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been now a long time, he saith to him: Wilt thou be made whole?	Hunc autem cum vidisset Jesus jacentem, et cognovisset quia jam multum tempus haberet, dicit ei : Vis sanus fieri ?	τουτον ιδων ο ιησους κατακειμενον και γνους οτι πολυν ηδη χρονον εχει λεγει αυτω θελεις υγιης γενεσθαι
7.	The infirm man answered him: Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond. For whilst I am coming, another goeth down before me.	Respondit ei languidus : Domine, hominem non habeo, ut, cum turbata fuerit aqua, mittat me in piscinam : dum venio enim ego, alius ante me descendit.	απεκριθη αυτω ο ασθενων κυριε ανθρωπον ουκ εχω ινα οταν ταραχθη το υδωρ βαλη με εις την κολυμβηθραν εν ω δε ερχομαι εγω αλλος προ εμου καταβαινει
8.	Jesus saith to him: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.	Dicit ei Jesus : Surge, tolle grabatum tuum et ambula.	λεγει αυτω ο ιησους εγειραι αρον τον κραββατον σου και περιπατει
9.	And immediately the man was made whole: and he took up his bed, and walked. And it was the sabbath that day.	Et statim sanus factus est homo ille : et sustulit grabatum suum, et ambulabat. Erat autem sabbatum in die illo.	και ευθεως εγενετο υγιης ο ανθρωπος και ηρεν τον κραββατον αυτου και περιεπατει ην δε σαββατον εν εκεινη τη ημερα
10.	The Jews therefore said to him that was healed: It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed.	Dicebant ergo Judæi illi qui sanatus fuerat : Sabbatum est, non licet tibi tollere grabatum tuum.	ελεγον ουν οι ιουδαιοι τω τεθεραπευμενω σαββατον εστιν ουκ εξεστιν σοι αραι τον κραββατον
11.	He answered them: He that made me whole, he said to me, Take up thy bed, and walk.	Respondit eis : Qui me sanum fecit, ille mihi dixit : Tolle grabatum tuum et ambula.	απεκριθη αυτοις ο ποιησας με υγιη εκεινος μοι ειπεν αρον τον κραββατον σου και περιπατει
12.	They asked him therefore: Who is that man who said to thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?	Interrogaverunt ergo eum : Quis est ille homo qui dixit tibi : Tolle grabatum tuum et ambula ?	ηρωτησαν ουν αυτον τις εστιν ο ανθρωπος ο ειπων σοι αρον τον κραββατον σου και περιπατει
13.	But he who was healed, knew not who it was; for Jesus went aside from the multitude standing in the place.	Is autem qui sanus fuerat effectus, nesciebat quis esset. Jesus enim declinavit a turba constituta in loco.	ο δε ιαθεις ουκ ηδει τις εστιν ο γαρ ιησους εξενευσεν οχλου οντος εν τω τοπω
14.	Afterwards, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith to him: Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee.	Postea invenit eum Jesus in templo, et dixit illi : Ecce sanus factus es ; jam noli peccare, ne deterius tibi aliquid contingat.	μετα ταυτα ευρισκει αυτον ο ιησους εν τω ιερω και ειπεν αυτω ιδε υγιης γεγονας μηκετι αμαρτανε ινα μη χειρον τι σοι γενηται
15.	The man went his way, and told the Jews, that it was Jesus who had made him whole.	Abiit ille homo, et nuntiavit Judæis quia Jesus esset, qui fecit eum sanum.	απηλθεν ο ανθρωπος και ανηγγειλεν τοις ιουδαιοις οτι ιησους εστιν ο ποιησας αυτον υγιη
16.	Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath.	Propterea persequebantur Judæi Jesum, quia hæc faciebat in sabbato.	και δια τουτο εδιωκον τον ιησουν οι ιουδαιοι και εζητουν αυτον αποκτειναι οτι ταυτα εποιει εν σαββατω

1. After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3. In these day a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he said to him, Will you be made whole?
7. The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down before me.
8. Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk.
9. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
10. The Jews therefore said to him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.
11. He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said to me, Take up your bed, and walk.
12. Then asked they him, What man is that which said to you, Take up your bed, and walk?
13. And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

AUG. After the miracle in Galilee, He returns to Jerusalem: After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

CHRYS. The feast of Pentecost. Jesus always went up to Jerusalem at the time of the feasts, that it might be seen that He was not an enemy to, but an observer of, the Law. And it gave Him the opportunity of impressing the simple multitude by miracles and teaching: as great numbers used then to collect from the neighboring towns.

Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep-market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having Jive porches.

ALCUIN. The pool by the sheep-market, is the place where the priest washed the animals that were going to be sacrificed.

CHRYS. This pool was one among many types of that baptism, which was to purge away sin. First God enjoined water for the cleansing from the filth of the body, and from those defilements, which were not real, but legal, e.g. those from death, or leprosy, and the like. Afterwards infirmities were healed by water, as we read: In these (the porches) lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. This was a nearer approximation to the gift of baptism, when not only defilements are cleansed, but sicknesses healed. Types are of various ranks, just as in a court, some officers are nearer to the prince, others farther off. The water, however did not heal by virtue of its own natural properties, (for if so the effect would have followed uniformly,) but by the descent of an Angel: For all Angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water. In the same way, in Baptism, water does not act simply as water, but receives first the grace of the Holy Spirit, by means of which it cleanses us from all our sins. And the Angel troubled the water, and imparted a healing virtue to it, in order to prefigure to the Jews that far greater power of the Lord of the Angels, of healing the diseases of the soul. But then their infirmities prevented their applying the cure; for it follows, Whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. But now every one may attain this blessing, for it is not an Angel which troubles the water, but the Lord of Angels, which works every where. Though the whole world come, grace fails not, but remains as full as ever; like the sun's rays which give light all day, and every day, and yet are not spent. The sun's light is not diminished by this bountiful expenditure: no more is the influence of the Holy Spirit by the largeness of its outpourings. Not more than one could be cured at the pool; God's design being to put before men's minds, and oblige them to dwell upon, the healing power of water; that from the effect of water on the body, they might believe more readily its power on the soul.

AUG. It was a greater act in Christ, to heal the diseases of the soul, than the sicknesses of the perishable body. But as the soul itself did not know its Restorer, as it had eyes in the flesh to discern visible things, but not in the heart wherewith to know God; our Lord performed cures which could be seen, that He might afterwards work cures which could not be seen. He went to the place, where day a multitude of sick. out of whom He chose one to heal: And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.

CHRYS. He did not, however, proceed immediately to heal him, but first tried by conversation to bring him into a believing state of mind. Not that He required faith in the first instance, as He did from the blind man, saying, Believe you that I am able to do this? for the lame man could not well know who He was. Persons who in different ways had had the means of knowing Him, were asked this question, and properly so. But there were some who did not and could not know Him yet, but would be made to know Him by His miracles afterwards. And in their case the demand for faith is reserved till after those miracles have taken place: When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been a long time in that case, He said to him, Will you be made whole? He does not ask this question for His own information, (this were unnecessary,) but to bring to light the great patience of the man, who for thirty and eight years had sat year after year by the place, in the hope of being cured; which sufficiently explains why Christ passed by the others, and went to him. And He does not say, Do you wish Me to heal you? for the man had not as yet any idea that He was so great a Person. Nor on the other hand did the lame man suspect any mockery in the question, to make him take offense, and say, Have you come to vex me, by asking me if I would be made whole; but he answered mildly, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool; but while I am coming, another steps down before me. He had no idea as yet that the Person who put this question to him would heal him, but thought that Christ might probably be of use in putting him into the water. But Christ's word is sufficient, Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk.

AUG. Three distinct biddings. Rise, however, is not a command, but the conferring of the cure. Two commands were given upon his cure, take up your bed, and walk.

CHRYS. Behold the richness of the Divine Wisdom. He not only heals, but bids him carry his bed also. This was to show the cure was really miraculous, and not a mere effect of the imagination; for the man's limbs must have become quite sound and compact, to allow him to take up his bed. The impotent man again did not deride and say, The Angel comes down, and troubles the water, and he only cures one each time; do You, who are a mere man, think that you can do more than an Angel? On the contrary, he heard, believed Him who bade him, and was made whole: And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked.

BEDE; There is a wide difference between our Lord's mode of healing, and a physician's. He acts by His word, and acts immediately: the other's requires a long time for its completion.

CHRYS. This was wonderful, but what follows more so. As yet he had no opposition to face. It is made more wonderful when we see him obeying Christ afterwards in spite of the rage and railing of the Jews: And on the same day was the sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him that was cured, It is the sabbath day, it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.

AUG. They did not charge our Lord with healing on the sabbath, for He would have replied that if an ox or an ass of theirs had fallen into a pit, would not they have taken it out on the sabbath day: but they addressed the man as he was carrying his bed, as if to say, Even if the healing could not be delayed, why enjoin the work? He shields himself under the authority of his Healer: He that made me whole, the Same said to me, Take up your bed, and walk: meaning, Why should not I receive a command, if I received a cure from Him?

CHRYS. Had he been inclined to deal treacherously, he might have said, If it is a crime, accuse Him Who commanded it, and I will lay down my bed. And he would have concealed his cure, knowing, as he did, that their real cause of offense was not the breaking of the Sabbath, but the miracle. But he neither concealed it, nor asked for pardon, but boldly confessed the cure. They then ask spitefully; What man is that who said to you, Take up your bed, and walk. They do not say, Who is it, who made you whole? but only mention the offense. It follows, And he that was healed wist not who it was, for Jesus had conveyed Himself away, a multitude being in that place. This He had done first, because the man who had been made whole, was the best witness of the cure, and could give his testimony with less suspicion in our Lord's absence; and secondly, that the fury of men might not be excited more than was necessary. For the mere sight of the object of envy, is no small incentive to envy. For these reasons He departed, and left them to examine the fact for themselves. Some are of opinion, that this is the same with the one who had the palsy, whom Matthew mentions. But he is not. For the latter had many to wait upon, and carry him, whereas this man had none. And the place where the miracle was performed, is different.

AUG. Judging on low and human notions of this miracle, it is not at all a striking display of power, and only a moderate one of goodness. Of so many, who lay sick, only one was healed; though, had He chosen, He could have restored them all by a single word. How must we account for this? By supposing that His power and goodness were asserted more for imparting a knowledge of eternal salvation to the soul, than working a temporal cure on the body. That which received the temporal cure was certain to decay at last, when death arrived: whereas the soul which believed passed into life eternal. The pool and the water seem to me to signify the Jewish people: for John in the Apocalypse obviously uses water to express people.

BEDE. It is fitly described as a sheep pool. By sheep are meant people, according to the passage, We are your people, and the sheep of your pasture.

AUG. The water then, i.e. the people, was enclosed within five porches, i.e. the five books of Moses. But those books only betrayed the impotent, and did not recover them; that is to say, the Law convicted the sinner, but did not absolve him.

BEDE. Lastly, many kinds of impotent folk lay near the pool: the blind, i.e. those who are without the light of knowledge; the lame, i.e. those who have not strength to do what they are commanded; the withered, i.e. those who have not the marrow of heavenly love.

AUG. So then Christ came to the Jewish people, and by means of mighty works, and profitable lessons, troubled the sinners, i.e. the water, and the stirring continued till He brought on His own passion. But He troubled the water, unknown to the world. For had they known Him, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But the troubling of the water came on all at once, and it was not seen who troubled it. Again, to go down into the troubled water, is to believe humbly on our Lord's passion. Only one was healed, to signify the unity of the Church: whoever came afterwards was not healed, to signify that whoever is out of this unity cannot be healed. Wo to them who hate unity, and raise sects. Again, he who was healed had had his infirmity thirty and eight years: this being a number which belongs to sickness, rather than to health. The number forty has a sacred character with us, and is significative of perfection. For the Law was given in Ten Commandments, and was to be preached throughout the whole world, which consists of four parts; and four multiplied into ten, make up the number forty. And the Law too is fulfilled by the Gospel, which is written in four books. So then if the number forty possesses the perfectness of the Law, and nothing fulfills the Law, except the twofold precept of love, why wonder at the impotence of him, who was two less than forty? Some man was necessary for his recovery; but it was a man who was God. He found the man falling short by the number two, and therefore gave two commandments, to fill up the deficiency. For the two precepts of our Lord signify love; the love of God being first in order of command, the love of our neighbor, in order of performance. Take up your bed, our Lord said, meaning, When you were impotent, your neighbor carried you; now you are made whole, carry your neighbor. And walk; but whither, except to the Lord your God.

BEDE. What mean the words, Arise, and walk; except that you should raise yourself from your torpor and indolence, and study to advance in good works. Take up your bed, i.e. your neighbor by which you are carried, and bear him patiently thyself.

AUG. Carry him then with whom you walk, that you may come to Him with Whom you desire to abide. As yet however he wist not who Jesus was; just as we too believe in Him though we see Him not. Jesus again does not wish to be seen, but conveys Himself out of the crowd. It is in a kind of solitude of the mind, that God is seen: the crowd is noisy; this vision requires stillness.

14. Afterward Jesus finds him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come to you.
15. The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.
16. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.

CHRYS. The man, when healed, did not proceed to the market place, or give himself up to pleasure or vain glory, but, which was a great mark of religion, went to the temple: Afterward Jesus finds him in the temple.

AUG. The Lord Jesus saw him both in the crowd, and in the temple. The impotent man does not recognize Jesus in the crowd; but in the temple, being a sacred place, he does.

ALCUIN. For; if we would know our Maker's grace, and attain to the sight of Him, we must avoid the crowd of evil thoughts and affections, convey ourselves out of the congregation of the wicked, and flee to the temple; in order that we may make ourselves the temple of God, souls whom God will visit, and in whom He will deign to dwell.

And (He) said to him, Behold, you are made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.

CHRYS. Here we learn in the first place, that his disease was the consequence of his sins. We are apt to bear with great indifference the diseases of our souls; but, should the body suffer ever so little hurt, we have recourse to the most energetic remedies. Wherefore God punishes the body for the offenses of the soul. Secondly, we learn, that there is really a Hell. Thirdly, that it is a place of lasting and infinite punishment. Some say indeed, Because we have corrupted ourselves for a short time, shall we be tormented eternally? But see how long this man was tormented for his sins. Sin is not to be measured by length of time, but by the nature of the sin itself. And besides this we learn, that if, after undergoing a heavy punishment for our sins, we fall into them again, we shall incur another and a heavier punishment still: and justly; for one, who has undergone punishment, and has not been made better by it, proves himself to be a hardened person, and a despiser; and, as such, deserving of still greater torments. Nor let it embolden us, that we do not see all punished for their offenses here: for if men do not suffer for their offenses here, it is only a sign that their punishment will be the greater hereafter. Our diseases however do not always arise from sins; but only most commonly so. For some spring from other lax habits: some are sent for the sake of trial, as Job's were. But why does Christ make mention of this palsied man's sins? Some say, because he had been an accuser of Christ. And shall we say the same of the man afflicted with the palsy? For he too was told, Your sins are forgiven you? The truth is, Christ does not find fault with the man here for his past sins, but only warns him against future. In heeling others, however, He makes no mention of sins at all: so that it would seem to be the case that the diseases of these men had arisen from their sins; whereas those of the others had come from natural causes only. Or perhaps through these, He admonishes all the rest. Or he may have admonished this men, knowing his great patience of mind, and that he w would bear an admonition. It is a disclosure too of His divinity, for He implies in saying, Sin no more, that He knew what sins He had committed.

AUG. Now that the man had seen Jesus, and knew Him to be the author of his recovers, ho was not slow in preaching Him to others: The man departed, and told the, Jews that it was Jesus which had made him whole.

CHRYS. He was not so insensible to the benefit, and the advice he had received, as to have any malignant aim in speaking this news. Had it been done to disparage Christ, he could have concealed the cure, and put forward the offense. But he does not mention Jesus' saying, Take up your bed, which was an offense in the eyes of the Jews; but told the Jews that it was Jesus which had made him whole.

AUG. This announcement enraged them, And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, because He had done these things on the sabbath day. A plain bodily work had been done before their eyes, distinct from the healing of the man's body, and which could not have been necessary, even if healing was; viz. the carrying of the bed. Wherefore our Lord openly says, that the sacrament of the Sabbath, the sign of observing one day out of seven, was only a temporary institution, which had attained its fulfillment in Him: But Jesus answered them, my Father works hitherto , and I work: as if He said, Do not suppose that My Father rested on the Sabbath in such a sense, as that from that time forth, He has ceased from working; for He works up to this time, though without labor, and so work I. God's resting means only that He made no other creature, after the creation. The Scripture calls it rest, to remind us of the rest we shall enjoy after a life of good works here. And as God only when He had made man in His own image and similitude, and finished all His works, and seen that they were very good, rested on the seventh day: so do you expect no rest, except you return to the likeness in which you were made, but which you have lost by sin; i.e. unless you do good works.

AUG. It may be said then, that the observance of the sabbath was imposed on the Jews, as the shadow of something to come; viz. that spiritual rest, which God, by the figure of His own rest promised to all who should perform good works.

AUG. There will be a sabbath of the world, when the six ages, i.e. the six days, as it were, of the world, have passed: then will come that rest which is promised to the saints.

Catena Aurea John 5

The Pool

Giovane Palma

1592
Oil on canvas
Collezione Molinari Pradelli, Castenaso