For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

KEYWORDS: catholic; lk11; ordinarytime; prayer; saints;

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From: Joel 3:12-21 (NAB Joel 4:12-21)

A call to battle

[12] Let the nations bestir themselves,
and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
all the nations round about.

[13] Put in the sickle,
for the harvest is ripe.
Go in, tread,
for the wine press is full.
The vats overflow,
for their wickedness is great.

The day of the Lord

[14] Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.
[15] The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.

[16] And the Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth shake.
But the Lord is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.

[17] “So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
who dwell in Zion, my holy mountain.
And Jerusalem shall be holy
and strangers shall never again pass through it.

The future glory of Israel

[18] “And in that day
the mountains shall drip sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk,
and all the stream beds of Judah
shall flow with water;
and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord
and water the valley of Shittim.

[19] “Egypt shall become a desolation
and Edom a desolate wilderness,
for the violence done to the people of Judah,
because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
[20] But Judah shall be inhabited for ever,
and Jerusalem to all generations.
[21] I will avenge their blood, and I will not clear the guilty,
for the Lord dwells in Zion.”

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

3:14-17. The preceding verses were really a preparation for this final oracle which
describes the Judgment and the victory of the Lord. “The valley of decision” (v.
14) is the same valley as that of Jehoshaphat. The judgment that takes place on
the day of the Lord is compared to a harvesting; the Lord will save his faithful,
and destroy his enemies. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1040 uses this
passage, along with Daniel 7:10 and Malachi 3:19, in its teaching about the Last
Judgment (cf. the note on Jer 51:56) in which God the Father “through his Son
Jesus Christ [â€¦] will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the
ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of sal-
vation, and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence led every-
thing toward its final end”.

The core of the oracle is vv. 16-17 when Joel sees the Lord presiding over Jerusa-
lem and protecting his people, whose refuge and strength he is (cf. Ps 46). The
picture of the Lord dwelling in his temple in Jerusalem recurs throughout biblical
tradition and is probably in the background of what the fourth Gospel says about
the Word, who was God and “dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). Similarly, the reference
in v. 17 which makes Jerusalem a holy place through which strangers must not
pass (cf. also Is 52:1; Jer 31:40; Zech 9:8) later gave rise to there being a “divi-
ding wall” (cf. Eph 2:14) that prevented outsiders from entering the temple proper,
under pain of death. This is the wall that St Paul sees as being symbolically bro-
ken down by Christ’s sacrifice, which removed any distinction between Jew and
Gentile “that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so ma-
king peace, and might reconcile both to God in one body through the cross,
thereby bringing the hostility to an end” (Eph 2:16). “The passion of the Saviour
made peace between the circumcised and the uncircumcised, so that the Jew
could no longer condemn the Gentile, basing his righteousness on the power of
circumcision, nor could the Gentile denounce the Jew, asserting his superiority
by the fact that he is uncircumcised, that is, a pagan. Both are re-made, and live
out the faith of the one true God in Christ” (Ambrosiaster, “Ad Ephesios”, 2, 14).

3:18-21. The book ends with a vision of the eschatological Jerusalem in the new
golden age. Three themes typical of Joel are raised in these verses, Judah’s af-
flictions (the locust plague, and the hunger and devastation that it brought) and
here offset by an idyllic, Eden-like picture where Judah is a garden full of good
things, of sweet wine and milk (v. 18). The same imagery and themes are to be
found in Isaiah 30:25; Ezekiel 47:1-12; and Zechariah 14:8; the theme of living
water will be taken up later by St John (cf. Jn 4:10-15; Rev 22:1). Judah will be
most fertile, but God’s vengeance will be wreaked on Egypt and Edom (symbo-
lizing Israel’s enemies); they will now be the ones to suffer devastation.

Finally (vv. 20-21) comes the promise that never again will there be exile (Judah
and Jerusalem will always be inhabited), and “the Lord will dwell in Zion” (cf. v.
21) — which is their dearest wish. The entire book of Joel has been working up to
this outcome. This passage is used most notably by St John in his vision of the
messianic Jerusalem coming down from heaven (”He carried me away to a great,
high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem coming down out of hea-
ven, having the glory of God”: Rev 21:10-11); and it is an image of the heartfelt
hope of all mankind.

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

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

From: Luke 11:27-28

Responding to the Word of God

[27] As He (Jesus) said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to
Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts that You sucked!”
[28] But He said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep
it!”

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

27-28. These words proclaim and praise the Blessed Virgin’s basic attitude of
soul. As the Second Vatican Council explains: “In the course of her Son’s prea-
ching she [Mary] received the words whereby, in extolling a Kingdom beyond the
concerns and ties of flesh and blood, He declared blessed those who heard and
kept the word of God (cf. Mark 3:35; Luke 11:27-28) as she was faithfully doing
(cf. Luke 2:19-51)” (”Lumen Gentium”, 58). Therefore, by replying in this way
Jesus is not rejecting the warm praise this good lady renders His Mother; He ac-
cepts it and goes further, explaining that Mary is blessed particularly because
she has been good and faithful in putting the word of God into practice. “It was a
complement to His Mother on her “fiat”, ‘be it done’ (Luke 1:38). She lived it sin-
cerely, unstintingly, fulfilling its every consequence, but never amid fanfare, rather
in the hidden and silent sacrifice of each day” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing
By”, 177). See the note on Luke 1:34-38.

[Note on Luke 1:34-38 states:

34-38. Commenting on this passage Bl. John Paul II said: “’Virgo fidelis’, the faith-
ful virgin. What does this faithfulness of Mary mean? What are the dimensions of
this faithfulness? The first dimension is called search. Mary was faithful first of
all when she began, lovingly, to seek the deep sense of God’s plan in her and for
the world. ‘Quomodo fiet?’ How shall this be?, she asked the Angel of the An-
nunciation [...].”

“The second dimension of faithfulness is called reception, acceptance. The ‘quo-
modo fiet?’ is changed, on Mary’s lips, to a ‘fiat’: Let it be done, I am ready, I ac-
cept. This is the crucial moment of faithfulness, the moment in which man per-
ceives that he will never completely understand the ‘how’: that there are in God’s
plan more areas of mystery than of clarity; that is, however he may try, he will
never succeed in understanding it completely [...].”

“The third dimension of faithfulness is consistency to live in accordance with what
one believes; to adapt one’s own life to the object of one’s adherence. To accept
misunderstanding, persecutions, rather than a break between what one practises
and what one believes: this is consistency [...].”

“But all faithfulness must pass the most exacting test, that of duration. Therefore,
the fourth dimension of faithfulness is constancy. It is easy to be consistent for
a day or two. It is difficult and important to be consistent for one’s whole life. It is
easy to be consistent in the hour of enthusiasm, it is difficult to be so in the hour
of tribulation. And only a consistency that lasts throughout the whole life can be
called faithfulness. Mary’s ‘fiat’ in the Annunciation finds its fullness in the silent
‘fiat’ that she repeats at the foot of the Cross” (”Homily in Mexico City Cathedral”,
26 January 1979).]

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

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

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading	Joel 4:12-21 ©

The Lord says this:

‘Let the nations rouse themselves, let them march

to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,

for I am going to sit in judgement there

on all the nations round.

Put the sickle in:

the harvest is ripe;

come and tread:

the winepress is full,

the vats are overflowing,

so great is their wickedness!’

Host on host

in the Valley of Decision!

For the day of the Lord is near

in the Valley of Decision!

Sun and moon grow dark,

the stars lose their brilliance.

The Lord roars from Zion,

makes his voice heard from Jerusalem;

heaven and earth tremble.

But the Lord will be a shelter for his people,

a stronghold for the sons of Israel.

‘You will learn then that I am the Lord your God,

dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain.

Jerusalem will be a holy place,

no alien will ever pass through it again.’

When that day comes,

the mountains will run with new wine

and the hills flow with milk,

and all the river beds of Judah

will run with water.

A fountain will spring from the house of the Lord

to water the wadi of Acacias.

Egypt will become a desolation,

Edom a desert waste

on account of the violence done to the sons of Judah

whose innocent blood they shed in their country.

But Judah will be inhabited for ever,

Jerusalem from age to age.

‘I will avenge their blood and let none go unpunished’,

and the Lord shall make his home in Zion.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,11-12 ©

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,

let all the coastlands be glad.

Cloud and darkness are his raiment;

his throne, justice and right.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

The mountains melt like wax

before the Lord of all the earth.

The skies proclaim his justice;

all peoples see his glory.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

Light shines forth for the just

and joy for the upright of heart.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord;

give glory to his holy name.

Rejoice, you just, in the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

Or	Lk11:28

Alleluia, alleluia!

Happy are those

who hear the word of God

and keep it.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Luke 11:27-28 ©

As Jesus was speaking, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, ‘Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked!’ But he replied, ‘Still happier those who hear the word of God and keep it!’

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Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Joyful Mysteries

(Mondays and Saturdays)

1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

St. Michael the Archangel

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

October Devotion: The Holy Rosary

This feast was established by Pope Pius V to commemorate the great victory of the Christian army against the Turks in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.
All soldiers on the battlefield prayed the Rosary for three hours and the wind has shifted in their favor. They were able to defeat an army three times bigger, in one of the greatest naval victory in history.
Pope Pius V named this the Feast of Our Lady of Victories, to be celebrated on October 7th.
In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of this memorial to Feast of the Holy Rosary.

Pope Paul VI established the form that we celebrate this feast today, in 1969 under the name “Our Lady of the Rosary”.
“The celebration of this day invites all to mediate upon the mysteries of Christ, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was so singularly associated with the incarnation, passion and glorious resurrection of the Son of God.”

Madonna del Rosario

Caravaggio

1607

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)
5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.
Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.
End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Final step -- The Sign of the Cross
The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Joyful Mysteries
(Mondays and Saturdays)
1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

The Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light
(Thursdays) see Rosarium Virginis Mariae
1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Gratitude for the gift of Faith]
2. Jesus' self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1- 12) [Spiritual fruit - Fidelity]
3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48, John 20:22-23) [Spiritual fruit - Desire for Holiness]
4. Jesus' Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Spiritual Courage]
5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) [Spiritual fruit - Love of our Eucharistic Lord]
The Sorrowful Mysteries
(Tuesdays and Fridays)
1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]
The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

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The Battle of Lepanto
Chesterton's Lepanto
The Miracle At Lepanto...
Lepanto
The Naval Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto

October, 2017

Pope's Prayer Intention

Workers and the Unemployed, That all workers may receive respect and protection of their rights, and that the unemployed may receive the opportunity to contribute to the common good.

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saturday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Saint Sophronius of Jerusalem (?-639), monk, Bishop
Homily for the Annunciation, 2 ; PG 87, 3, 3241 (trans. breviary)

"Blessed is the womb that carried you"

“Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you.” (Lk 1:28) Could anything transcend the joy that is yours, O Virgin Mary? Could anything surpass this grace?... Truly, you are “blessed among women” (Lk 1:42), for you have changed the condemnation of Eve into a blessing. Because of you, and through you, Adam, who was hitherto cast down and condemned, received a blessing.

Truly, “you are blessed among women”, for through you the blessing of the Father came to mankind and reprieved them from the age-old sentence.
Truly, “you are blessed among women”, because through you your ancestors found salvation. You were to give birth to the Savior who would win for them God's salvation.

Truly, “you are blessed among women”, for without the seed of man you bore the fruit that gives a blessing to the whole earth and frees it from being condemned to produce only thorns.

Truly, “you are blessed among women”, for though you are a woman like any other woman you will in actual fact become the mother of God. If the one to be born of you is in truth God incarnate, you rightly deserve to be called 'she who gave birth to God', inasmuch as you truly do give birth to God.

'Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him.'

1 John 2:15

October 14, 2017

Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Jl 4:12-21

Responsorial Psalm Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12

Alleluia Lk 11:28

Gospel Lk 11:27-28

Readings at Mass

October, 2017

Pope's Prayer Intention

Workers and the Unemployed, That all workers may receive respect and protection of their rights, and that the unemployed may receive the opportunity to contribute to the common good.

Saturday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time