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

From: Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14

Daniel’s Vision (Continuation)

[9] As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took his
seat; his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his
throne was fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. [10] A stream of fire issued
and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thou-
sand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the
books were opened.

[13] I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came
one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented
before him. [14] And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all
peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlas-
ting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be
destroyed.

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Commentary:

7:9-14. Divine judgment is passed on the kingdoms in this scene. God is depic-
ted as being seated on a throne in heaven, his glory flashing out and angels all
around. Judgment is about to take place, and it will be followed by execution of
the sentence. The books (v. 10) contain all the actions of men (cf. Jer 17:1; Mal
3:16; Ps 56:8; Rev 20:12). The seer is shown history past (not laid out accor-
ding to chronology: all the empires are included in one glance), and he notes
that a more severe sentence is passed on the blasphemous horn than on the
other beasts. They had their lives extended (v. 12), that is, their deprivation of
power did not spell the end; but the little horn is destroyed forthwith. “Following
in the steps of the prophets and John the Baptist, Jesus announced the judg-
ment of the Last Day in his preaching (cf. Dan 7:10; Joel 3-4; Mal 3:19; Mt 3:7-
42)” (”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 678).

The one “like a son of man” who comes with the clouds of heaven and who, after
the judgment, is given everlasting dominion over all the earth, is the very antithe-
sis of the beasts. He has not risen from a turbulent sea like them; there is no-
thing ferocious about him. Rather, he has been raised up by God (he comes with
the clouds of heaven) and he shares the human condition. The dignity of all man-
kind is restored through this son of man’s triumph over the beasts. This figure,
as we will discover later, stands for ‘the people of the saints of the Most High’ (7:
27), that is, faithful Israel. However, he is also an individual (just as the winged li-
on was an individual, and the little horn), and insofar as he is given a kingdom,
he is a king. What we have here is an individual who represents the people. In
Jewish circles around the time of Christ, this “son of man” was interpreted as
being the Messiah, a real person (cf. “Book of the Parables of Enoch”); but it
was a title that became linked to the sufferings of the Messiah and to his resur-
rection from the dead only when Jesus Christ applied it to himself in the Gospel.
“Jesus accepted Peter’s profession of faith, which acknowledged him to be the
Messiah, by announcing the imminent Passion of the Son of Man (cf. Mt 16:23).
He unveiled the authentic content of his messianic kingship both in the transcen-
dent identity of the Son of Man ‘who came down from heaven’ (Jn 3:13; cf. Jn 6:
62; Dan 7:13), and in his redemptive mission as the suffering Servant: ‘The Son
of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for
many’ (Mt 20:28; cf. Is 53:10-12)” (”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 440).

When the Church proclaims in the Creed that Christ is seated at the right hand
of the Father, she is saying that it was to Christ that dominion was given; “Being
seated at the Father’s right hand signifies the inauguration of the Messiah’s king-
dom, the fulfillment of the prophet Daniel’s vision concerning the Son of man; ‘To
him was given domination and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall
not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed’ (Dan 7:14). Af-
ter this event the apostles became witnesses of the ‘kingdom [that] will have no
end’ (Nicene Creed)” (”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 664).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Revelation 12:7-12ab

The Woman Fleeing from the Dragon (Continuation)

[7] Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon;
and the dragon and his angels fought, [8] but they were defeated and there was
no longer any place for them in heaven. [9] And the great dragon was thrown
down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of
the whole world — he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown
down with him. [10] And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salva-
tion and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ
have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accu-
ses them day and night before our God. [11] And they have conquered him by
the blood of the Lamb and by the word of the testimony, for they loved not their
lives even unto death. [12] Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein!”

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Commentary:

7-9. The war between the dragon with his angels, and Michael and his, and the
defeat of the former, are depicted as being closely connected with the death and
glorification of Christ (cf. vv. 5, 11). The reference to Michael and the “ancient”
serpent, and also the result of the battle (being cast down from heaven), reminds
us of the origin of the devil. Once a most exalted creature, according to certain
Jewish traditions (cf. “Latin Life of Adam and Eve”, 12-16) he became a devil be-
cause when God created man in his own image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26; 2:7),
he refused to acknowledge the dignity granted to man: Michael obeyed, but the
devil and some other angels rebelled against God because they regarded man
as beneath them. As a result the devil and his angelic followers were cast down
to earth to be imprisoned in hell, which is why they ceaselessly tempt man,
trying to make him sin so as to deprive him of the glory of God.

In the light of this tradition, the Book of Revelation emphasizes that Christ, the
new Adam, true God and true man, through his glorification merits and receives
the worship that is his due — which spells the total rout of the devil. God’s design
embraces both creation and redemption. Christ, “the image of the invisible God,
the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created” (Col 1:15-16), de-
feats the devil in a war which extends throughout human history; but the key
stage in that war was the incarnation, death and glorification of our Lord: “Now
is the judgment of this world,” Jesus says, referring to those events; “now shall
the ruler of this world be cast out and I, when I am lifted up from earth, will draw
all men to myself’ (Jn 12:31-33). And, when his disciples come to him to tell him
that demons were subject to his name, he exclaimed, “I saw Satan fall like light-
ning from heaven” (Lk 10:18).

In Daniel 10:13 and 12:1 we are told that it is the archangel Michael who defends
the chosen people on God’s behalf. His name means “Who like God?” and his
mission is to guard the rights of God against those who would usurp them, be
they human tyrants or Satan himself, who tried to make off with the body of Mo-
ses according to the Letter of St Jude (v. 9). This explains why St Michael ap-
pears in the Apocalypse as the one who confronts Satan, the ancient serpent,
although the victory and punishment is decided by God or Christ. The Church,
therefore, invokes St Michael as its guardian in adversity and its protector
against the snares of the devil (cf. “The Liturgy of the Hours”, 2nd September,
office of readings).

The Fathers of the Church interpret these verses of the Apocalypse as a refe-
rence to the battle between Michael and the devil at the dawn of history, a bat-
tle which stemmed from the test which angelic spirits had to undergo. And, in
the light of the Apocalypse, they interpret as referring to that climactic moment
the words which the prophet Isaiah uttered against the king of Babylon: “How
you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to
the ground, you who laid the nations low!” (Is 14:12). They also see this pas-
sage of the Apocalypse as referring to the war Satan wages against the Church
throughout history, a war which will take on its most dreadful form at the end of
time: “Heaven is the Church,” St Gregory writes, “which in the night of this pre-
sent life, the while it possesses in itself the countless virtues of the saints,
shines like the radiant heavenly stars; but the dragon’s tail sweeps the stars
down to the earth [...]. The stars which fall from heaven are those who have
lost hope in heavenly things and covet, under the devil’s guidance; the sphere
of earthly glory” (”Moralia”, 32, 13).

10-12. With the ascension of Christ into heaven the Kingdom of God is estab-
lished and so all those who dwell in heaven break out into a song of joy. The
devil has been deprived of his power over man in the sense that the redemptive

action of Christ and man’s faith enable man to escape from the world of sin. The
text expresses this joyful truth by saying that there is now no place for the accu-
ser, Satan whose name means and whom the Old Testament teaches to be the
accuser of men before God (cf. Job 1:6-12; 2:1-10). Given what God meant crea-
tion to be, Satan could claim as his victory anyone who, through sinning, disfi-
gured the image and likeness of God that was in him. However, once the Re-
demption has taken place, Satan no longer has power to do this, for, as St John
writes, “if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also
for the sins of the whole world” (Jn 2:1-2). Also, on ascending into heaven, Christ
sent us the Holy Spirit as “Intercessor and Advocate, especially when man, that
is, mankind, find themselves before the judgment of condemnation by that ‘accu-
ser’ about whom the Book of Revelation says that ‘he accuses them day and
night before our God”’ (Bl. John Paul II, “Dominum et Vivificantem”, 67).

Although Satan has lost this power to act in the world, he still has time left, be-
tween the resurrection of our Lord and the end of history, to put obstacles in
man’s way and frustrate Christ’s action. And so he works ever more frenetically,
as he sees time run out, in his effort to distance everyone and society itself from
the plans and commandments of God.

The author of the Book of Revelation uses this celestial chant to warn the Church
of the onset of danger as the End approaches.

*********************************************************************************************
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: John 1:47-51

The Calling of the First Disciples (Continuation)

[47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said to him, “Behold, an Israelite
indeed, in whom is no guile!” [48] Nathanael said to Him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree,
I saw you.” [49] Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You
are the King of Israel! [50] Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw
you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.”
[51] And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see Heaven opened,
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

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

45-51. The Apostle Philip is so moved that he cannot but tell his friend Nathanael
(Bartholomew) about his wonderful discovery (verse 45). “Nathanael had heard
from Scripture that Jesus must come from Bethlehem, from the people of David.
This belief prevailed among the Jews and also the prophet had proclaimed it of
old, saying: ‘But you, O Bethlehem, who are little to be among the clans of Ju-
dah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler of Israel’ (Micah 5
2). Therefore, when he heard that He was from Nazareth, he was troubled and in
doubt, since he found that the announcement of Philip was not in agreement with
the words of the prophecy” (St. John Chrysostom, “Hom. on St. John”, 20, 1).

A Christian may find that, in trying to communicate his faith to others, they raise
difficulties. What should he do? What Philip did — not trust his own explanation,
but invite them to approach Jesus personally: “Come and see” (verse 46). In other
words, a Christian should bring his fellow-men, his brothers into Jesus’ presence
through the means of grace which He has given them and which the Church mini-
sters — frequent reception of the sacraments, and devout Christian practices.

Nathanael, a sincere person (verse 47), goes along with Philip to see Jesus; he
makes personal contact with our Lord (verse 48), and the outcome is that he re-
ceives faith (the result of his ready reception of grace, which reaches him through
Christ’s human nature: verse 49).

As far as we can deduce from the Gospels, Nathanael is the first Apostle to
make an explicit confession of faith in Jesus as Messiah and as Son of God. La-
ter on, St. Peter, in a more formal way, will recognize our Lord’s divinity (cf. Mat-
thew 16:16). Here (verse 51) Jesus evokes a text from Daniel (7:13) to confirm
and give deeper meaning to the words spoken by His new disciple.

*********************************************************************************************
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.

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KEYWORDS: archangels; catholic; jn1; ordinarytimee; prayer;

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

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

EITHER:

First reading
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14 ©

His robe was white as snow

As I watched:

Thrones were set in place

and one of great age took his seat.

His robe was white as snow,

the hair of his head as pure as wool.

His throne was a blaze of flames,

its wheels were a burning fire.

A stream of fire poured out,

issuing from his presence.

A thousand thousand waited on him,

ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.

A court was held

and the books were opened.

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,

one like a son of man.

He came to the one of great age

and was led into his presence.

On him was conferred sovereignty,

glory and kingship,

and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.

His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty

which shall never pass away,

nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

OR:

Alternative First reading
Apocalypse 12:7-12 ©

Michael with his angels attacked the dragon

Now war broke out in heaven, when Michael with his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to the earth and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a voice shout from heaven, ‘Victory and power and empire for ever have been won by our God, and all authority for his Christ, now that the persecutor, who accused our brothers day and night before our God, has been brought down. They have triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the witness of their martyrdom, because even in the face of death they would not cling to life. Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there.’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 137(138):1-5 ©

In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:

you have heard the words of my mouth.

In the presence of the angels I will bless you.

I will adore before your holy temple.

In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

I thank you for your faithfulness and love,

which excel all we ever knew of you.

On the day I called, you answered;

you increased the strength of my soul.

In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

All earth’s kings shall thank you

when they hear the words of your mouth.

They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:

‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’

In the presence of the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation	Ps102:21

Alleluia, alleluia!

Give thanks to the Lord, all his hosts,

his servants who do his will.

Alleluia!

Gospel	John 1:47-51 ©

You will see heaven laid open, and the Son of Man

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming he said of him, ‘There is an Israelite who deserves the name, incapable of deceit.’ ‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’ Jesus replied, ‘You believe that just because I said: I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.’ And then he added ‘I tell you most solemnly, you will see heaven laid open and, above the Son of Man, the angels of God ascending and descending.’

May these readings be a blessing to all of us as we continue in faith, praying that the safety of unborn children be foremost in the hearts of our people.

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 1
47.	Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him: and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.	Vidit Jesus Nathanaël venientem ad se, et dicit de eo : Ecce vere Israëlita, in quo dolus non est.	ειδεν ο ιησους τον ναθαναηλ ερχομενον προς αυτον και λεγει περι αυτου ιδε αληθως ισραηλιτης εν ω δολος ουκ εστιν
48.	Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered, and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.	Dicit ei Nathanaël : Unde me nosti ? Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei : Priusquam te Philippus vocavit, cum esses sub ficu, vidi te.	λεγει αυτω ναθαναηλ ποθεν με γινωσκεις απεκριθη ιησους και ειπεν αυτω προ του σε φιλιππον φωνησαι οντα υπο την συκην ειδον σε
49.	Nathanael answered him, and said: Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel.	Respondit ei Nathanaël, et ait : Rabbi, tu es Filius Dei, tu es rex Israël.	απεκριθη ναθαναηλ και λεγει αυτω ραββι συ ει ο υιος του θεου συ ει ο βασιλευς του ισραηλ
50.	Jesus answered, and said to him: Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, thou believest: greater things than these shalt thou see.	Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei : Quia dixi tibi : Vidi te sub ficu, credis ; majus his videbis.	απεκριθη ιησους και ειπεν αυτω οτι ειπον σοι ειδον σε υποκατω της συκης πιστευεις μειζω τουτων οψει
51.	And he saith to him: Amen, amen I say to you, you shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.	Et dicit ei : Amen, amen dico vobis, videbitis cælum apertum, et angelos Dei ascendentes, et descendentes supra Filium hominis.	και λεγει αυτω αμην αμην λεγω υμιν απ αρτι οψεσθε τον ουρανον ανεωγοτα και τους αγγελους του θεου αναβαινοντας και καταβαινοντας επι τον υιον του ανθρωπου

47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
48. Nathanael said to him, Whence know you me? Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.
49. Nathanael answered and said to him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.
50. Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, believe you? you shall see greater things than these.
51. And he said to him, Verily, verily, I say to you, Hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

CHRYS. Nathanael, in difficulty as to Christ coming out of Nazareth, showed the care with which he had read the Scriptures: his not rejecting the tidings when brought him, showed his strong desire for Christ's coming. He thought that Philip might be mistaken as to the place. It follows, Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! There was no fault to be found with him, though he had spoken like one who did not believe, because he was more deeply read in the Prophets than Philip. He calls him guileless, because he had said nothing to gain favor, or gratify malice.

AUG. What means this, In whom is no guile? Had he no sin? Was no physician necessary for him? Far from it. No one was ever born, of a temper not to need the Physician. It is guile, when we say one thing, and think another. How then was there no guile in him? Because, if he was as a sinner, he confessed his sin; whereas if a man, being a sinner, pretends to be righteous, there is guile in his mouth. Our Lord then commended the confession of sin in Nathanael; He did not pronounce him not a sinner.

THEOPHYL. Nathanael however, notwithstanding this praise, does not acquiesce immediately, but waits for further evidence, and asks, Whence know You me?

CHRYS. He asks as man, Jesus answers as God: Jesus answered and said to him, Before that Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you: not having, beheld him as man, but as God discerning him from above. I saw you, He says, that is, the character of the life, when you were under the fig tree: where the two, Philip and Nathanael, had been talking together alone, nobody, seeing them; and on this account it is said, that on seeing him a long way off, He said, Behold an Israelite indeed; whence it appears that this speech was before Philip came near, so that no suspicion could attach to Christ's testimony. Christ would not say, I am not of Nazareth, as Philip told you, but of Bethlehem; in order to avoid an argument: and because it would not have been sufficient proof, had He mentioned it, of His being the Christ. He preferred rather proving this by His having been present at their conversation.

AUG. Has this fig tree any meaning? We read of one fig tree which was cursed, because it had only leaves, and no fruit. Again, at the creation, Adam and Eve, after sinning, made themselves aprons of fig leaves. Fig leaves then signify sins; and Nathanael, when he was under the fig tree, was under the shadow of death: so that our Lord seems to say, O Israel, whoever of you is without guile, O people of the Jewish faith, before that I called you by My Apostles, when you were as yet under the shadow of death, and saw Me not, I saw you.

GREG. When you were under the fig tree, I saw you; i.e. when you were yet under the shade of the law, I chose you.

AUG. Nathanael remembered that he had been under the fig tree, where Christ was not present corporeally, but only by His spiritual knowledge. Hence, knowing that he had been alone, he recognized our Lord's Divinity.

CHRYS. That our Lord then had this knowledge, had penetrated into his mind, had not blamed but praised his hesitation, proved to Nathanael that He was the true Christ: Nathanael answered and said to Him, Rabbi, You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel: as if he said, You are He who was expected, you are He who was sought for. Sure proof being obtained, he proceeds to make confession; herein showing his devotion, as his former hesitation had shown his diligence.

ID. Many when they read this passage, are perplexed at finding that, whereas Peter was pronounced blessed for having, after our Lord's miracles and teaching, confessed Him to be the Son of God, Nathanael, who makes the same confession before, has no such benediction. The reason is this. Peter and Nathanael both used the same words, l but not in the same meaning. Peter confessed our Lord to he the Son of God, in the sense of very God; the latter in the sense of mere man; for after saying, You are the Son of God, he adds, You are the King of Israel; whereas the Son of God was not the King of Israel only, but of the whole world. This is manifest from what follows. For in the case of Peter Christ added nothing, but, as if his faith were perfect, said, that he would build the Church upon his confession; whereas Nathanael, as if his confession were very deficient, is led up to higher things: Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, believe you? You shall see greater things than these. As if He said, What I have just said has appeared a great matter to you, and you have confessed Me to be King of Israel; what will you say when you see greater things than these? What that greater thing is He proceeds to show: And He said to him, Verily, verily, I say to you, Hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. See how He raises him from earth for a while, and forces him to think that Christ is not a mere man: for how could He be a mere man, whom angels ministered to? It was, as, as it were, saying, that He was Lord of the Angels; for He must be the King's own Son, on whom the servants of the King descended and ascended; descended at His crucifixion, ascended at His resurrection and ascension. Angels too before this came and ministered to Him, and angels brought the glad tidings of His birth. Our Lord made the present a proof of the future. After the powers He had already shown, Nathanael would readily believe that much more would follow.

AUG. Let us recollect the Old Testament account. Jacob saw in a dream a ladder reaching from earth to heaven; the Lord resting upon it, and the angels ascending and descending upon it. Lastly, Jacob himself understanding what the vision meant, set up a stone, and poured oil upon it. When he anointed the stone, did he make an idol? No: he only set up a symbol, not an object of worship You see here the anointing; see the Anointed also. He is the stone which the builders refused. If Jacob, who was named Israel, saw the ladder, and Nathanael was an Israelite indeed, there was a fitness in our Lord telling him Jacob's dream; as if he said, Whose name you are called by, his dream has appeared to you: for you shall see the heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. If they descend upon Him, and ascend to Him, then He is both up above and here below at the same time; above in Himself, below in His members.

AUG. Good preachers, however, who preach Christ, are as angels of God; i.e. they ascend and descend upon the Son of man; as Paul, who ascended to the third heaven, and descended so far even as to give milk to babes. He said, We shall see greater things than these: because it is a greater thing that our Lord has justified us, whom He has called, than that He saw us lying under the shadow of death. For had we remained where He saw us, what profit would it have been? It is asked why Nathanael, to whom our Lord bears such testimony, is not found among the twelve Apostles. We may believe, however, that it was because he was so learned, and versed in the law, that our Lord had not put him among the disciples. He chose the foolish, to confound the world. Intending to break the neck of the proud, He sought not to gain the fisherman through the orator, but by the fisherman the emperor. The great Cyprian was an orator; but Peter was a fisherman before him; and through him not only the orator, but the emperor, believed.

Catena Aurea John 1

Jacob's Ladder

(c.1490)
Avignon, Musee du Petit Palais

O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil , who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day. Amen

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September 29, 2018

Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels

Reading 1 Dn 7:9-10, 13-14

or Rv 12:7-12ab

Responsorial Psalm Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 4-5

Alleluia Ps 103:21

Gospel Jn 1:47-51

Readings at Mass