Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 6-16-03

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

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From: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10

St Paul, a True Servant of Christ

[1] Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the
grace of God in vain. [2] For he says, "At the acceptable time I have
listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now
is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. [3] We put
no obstacle in any one's way, so that no fault may be found with our
ministry, [4] but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way:
through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities,
[5] beatings, imprisonment, tumults, labors, watching, hunger; [6] by
purity, knowledge, forbearance, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine
love, [7] truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of
righteousness for the right hand and for the left; [8] in honor and
dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors,
and yet are true; [9] as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and
behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; [10] as sorrowful,
yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing,
and yet possessing everything.

Commentary:

1-10. St Paul concludes his long defense of his apostolic ministry (cf.
3:1-6:10) by saying that he has always tried to act as a worthy servant
of God. First he calls on the Corinthians to have a sense of
responsibility so that the grace of God be not ineffective in them (vv.
1-2), and then he briefly describes the afflictions this ministry has
meant for him. Earlier, he touched on this subject (cf. 4:7-12), and he
will deal with it again in 11:23-33.

1-2. St Paul exhorts the faithful not to accept the grace of God in
vain-which would happen if they did not cultivate the faith and initial
grace they received in Baptism and if they neglected the graces which
God continues to send them. This exhortation is valid for all
Christians: "We receive the grace of God in vain", St Francis de Sales
points out, "when we receive it at the gate of our heart, without
allowing it to enter: we receive it without receiving it; we receive it
without fruit, since there is no use in feeling the inspiration if one
does not consent unto it. And just as the sick man who has the medicine
in his hands, if he takes only part of it, will only partially benefit
from it, so too, when God sends a great and mighty inspiration to move
us to embrace his love, if we do not avail of it in its entirety, we
shall benefit from it only partially" ("Treatise on the Love of God",
book 2, chap. 11).

The Apostle urges them to cultivate the grace they have been given,
using a quotation from Isaiah (49:8): the right time has come, the day
of salvation. His words recall our Lord's preaching in the synagogue of
Nazareth (cf. Lk 4:16-21).

The "acceptable time" will last until Christ comes in glory at the end
of the world (in the life of the individual, it will last until the
hour of his death); until then, every day is "the day of salvation":
"'Ecce none dies salutis', the day of salvation is here before us. The
call of the good shepherd has reached us: '"ego vocavi te nomine too",
I have called you by name' (Is 43:1). Since love repays love, we must
reply: '"ecce ego quia vocasti me", Here I am, for you called me'
(1 Sam 3:5) [...]. I will be converted, I will turn again to the Lord
and love him as he wants to be loved" (J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing
By", 59).

3. St Paul had previously warned the Corinthians of the danger of being
a stumbling block for others (cf. 1 Cor 8:8-13). All Christians need to
heed this warning, especially those who have positions of greater
responsibility in the Church. The Apostle feels urged by this duty to
live always as a "servant of God", ensuring that his conduct is always
in accord with what he preaches and avoiding doing anything which could
in any way be misunderstood (cf. 1 Cor 9:12; 10:32f).

4-10. In these verses the Apostle outlines what his desire to be a
faithful servant of God has involved. We can distinguish four parts in
this short description: first he speaks of the sufferings he has borne
with great patience (vv. 4f); then of the virtues which help him
overcome these severe trials (vv. 6-7a); then of the weapons which he
uses in this difficult spiritual combat (vv. 7b-8a); and finally, in a
series of antitheses he contrasts human judgments of himself and his
co-workers, with the true facts (vv. 8b-10).

"These words of the Apostle", Monsignor Escriva comments, "should make
you happy, for they are, as it were, a ratification of your vocation as
ordinary Christians in the middle of the world, sharing with
others--your equals--the enthusiasms, the sorrows and the joys of human
life. All this is a way to God. What God asks of you is that you
should, always, act as his children and servants.

"But these ordinary circumstances of life will be a divine way only if
we really change ourselves, if we really give ourselves. For St Paul
uses hard words. He promises that the Christian will have a hard life,
a life of risk and of constant tension. How we disfigure Christianity
if we try to turn it into something nice and comfortable! But neither
is it correct to think that this deep, serious way of life, which is
totally bound up with all the difficulties of human existence, is
something full of anguish, oppression or fear.

"The Christian is a realist. His supernatural and human realism helps
him appreciate all the aspects of his life--sorrow and joy, his own and
other people's suffering, certainty and doubt, generosity and
selfishness. The Christian experiences all this, and he confronts it
all, with human integrity and with the strength he receives from God"
("Christ Is Passing By, 60).

4-5. Patience, which enables the Apostle to endure all his difficulties,
is a virtue necessary for the Christian's life, which helps him endure
physical or moral pain with residence, peace and serenity. St Teresa of
Avila has a poem which touches on this: "Let nothing disturb thee; let
nothing dismay thee; all things pass; God never changes; patience
attains all that it strives for. He who has God finds he lacks nothing:
God alone suffices" ("Poems", 30).

6-7. Forbearance is a virtue which helps us to seek a very distant
good, one which will take a long time to obtain, and to endure this
delay without losing heart. St Paul includes it among the fruits of the
Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22).

"By the Holy Spirit": that is, directed in apostolic work by the Holy
Spirit, who enlightens him in his preaching and moves the hearts of his
hearers, preparing them to accept the Gospel.

"By truthful speech": St Paul has already spoken to the Corinthians
about this, by pointing to the sincerity of his preaching, the fact
that he does not mislead them or flatter them (cf. 2:17; 4:2) It is not
the preacher's skill but the "power of God" that causes his message to
be accepted (cf. 1 Cor 2:4f).

7-8. "The weapons of righteousness": St Paul also calls these the
"armor of light" (Rom 13:12) as opposed to that of iniquity (cf.
Rom 6:13) and worldly weapons (cf. 2 Cor 10:4), and he will write
further about this, using the metaphor of combatants of his time:
"Take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded
your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of
righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the
gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, with which you
can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"
(Eph 6:13-17).

This reference in v. 7 to weapons for the right hand and for the left
comes from the practice of soldiers, who wielded offensive weapons--
lance and sword--with one hand and carried defensive weapons--the
shield--in the other.

8-10. In seven antitheses the Apostle contrasts his enemies' mistaken
opinions about himself and his co-workers, with the true facts. As a
faithful follower of our Lord, he bears out what Jesus said would
happen: "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his
master; it is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the
servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house
Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household" (Mt
10:24f).

It is quite possible for a disciple of Christ to meet up with
opposition from people who misread his actions or his intentions, for
there are some who "when they discover something which is clearly good,
poke at it to see if there is not something bad hidden underneath" (St
Gregory the Great, "Moralia", 6, 22). As in St Paul's case, disciples
should keep on working, and not let themselves become disillusioned or
bitter: "With me it is a very small thing I should be judged by you" (1
Cor 4:3).

10. "Always rejoicing": even in the midst of severe difficulties St
Paul always manages to remain cheerful. Joy is a Christian gift, the
result of divine filiation--our realization that God is our Father,
that he is all-powerful and that he has boundless love for us; it is
something we should never lose: "let them be sad who are determined not
to recognize that they are children of God" (J. Escriva, "Friends of
God", 108).

"As having nothing, yet possessing everything": "They have nothing and
possess everything who are the lovers of God, for when they lack
earthly things, they are content to say, 'My Lord, you alone are enough
for me', and that leaves them fully satisfied" (St Alphonsus, "The Love
of Jesus Christ Reduced to Practice", chap. 14).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 5:38-42

Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [38] "You have heard that it was said,
`An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' [39] But I say to you, Do
not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right
cheek, turn to him the other also; [40] and if any one would sue you and
take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; [41] and if any
one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. [42] Give to him
who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you."

Commentary:

38-42. Among the Semites, from whom the Israelites stemmed, the law of
vengeance ruled. It led to interminable strife, and countless crimes.
In the early centuries of the chosen people, the law of retaliation was
recognized as an ethical advance, socially and legally: no punishment
could exceed the crime, and any punitive retaliation was outlawed. In
this way, the honor of the clans and families was satisfied, and
endless feuds avoided.

As far as New Testament morality is concerned, Jesus establishes a
definitive advance: a sense of forgiveness and absence of pride play an
essential role. Every legal framework for combating evil in the world,
every reasonable defense of personal rights, should be based on this
morality. The three last verses refer to mutual charity among the
children of the Kingdom, a charity which presupposes and deeply imbues
justice.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Lutgardis was born in the Netherlands around the year 1182. At
the age of twelve, she was sent to a Benedictine monastery to
receive an education. Lutgardis did not feel that she was called to
become a Benedictine sister and expected to leave the monastery
when her education was finished. Contrary to Lutgardis' thoughts,
God had another plan in store for her. After receiving a vision of
Christ, Lutgardis realized that she was called to monastic living and
entered the Benedictine monastery.

Lutgardis flourished in the monastery and developed a deep prayer
life and spirituality. During her life, she was graced with visions of
Jesus and of the Blessed Mother. Around the year 1210, Lutgardis
felt called to a more austere monastic lifestyle joined the Cistercians
at Aywueres. Lutgardis spent the rest of her life at this monastery
and became renowned throughout Northern Europe for her deep
spirituality and her mystic experiences. Many of the faithful visited
her and benefited from her gifts of healing and prophecy. Lutgardis
died in the year 1246 after spending the final decade of her life in
physical blindness.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
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We must love our neighbor as being made in the image of God and
as an object of His love. -St. Vincent de Paul

TODAY IN HISTORY

1246 Death of St. Lutgardis
1654 Queen Christina, of Sweden a convert to Roman Catholicism,
abdicated her throne to devote the remainder of her life to religion
and art.

TODAY'S TIDBIT

Members of the clergy are men who have been ordained to Holy
Orders and who have been commissioned for sacred ministries and
assigned to pastoral and other duties for the service of the people
and the Church. These people include deacons, priests and bishops.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all people with physical disabilities.

The Word Among Us

Monday, June 16, 2003

Meditation
Matthew 5:38-42

Father Ron was trying hard to convince Jim to reconcile with his brother, who had wronged him deeply but was now beginning to feel pangs of conscience. “Your brother is on the fence,” Fr. Ron said. “If you take the initiative here, you just might change his whole life. Let him know that you want to work together and try again. We’ve all done things that are wrong. We’ve all hurt someone in our lives. Does any of us really have the right not to forgive?”

Jesus’ words about forgiveness and generosity strike right to the heart of the gospel message. If everyone lived by the old law of “an eye for an eye,” we would all be blind! Holding onto resentments over past hurts has been known to jeopardize the very survival of civilizations. How many wars have been started over ancient animosities and vendettas? How many self-proclaimed messiahs have caused havoc by pointing to people of another race and saying that they were the cause of all our problems? But even in history’s darkest hours, great saints and “ordinary” Christians have chosen the way of mercy. And this is the path that Jesus invites us to walk today as we contemplate the darkness in the world.

“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). He loves it when we give without fanfare, not just when we find it convenient and easy but “even when it hurts,” as Mother Teresa often said. By following Jesus’ command to give generously—whether it is forgiveness, a “coat” (Matthew 5:40), or our time and attention—we open the door for God’s transforming grace. Even when we give reluctantly but with a prayer telling the Lord that we want to be like him—and he honors our request. By practicing such generous mercy, we can actually be changed into the very likeness of Jesus!

“Lord, help me to be more like you every day. Each moment, help me to ‘die and rise’ in your Spirit. May I come to mirror your generosity. Teach me to forgive and to give, just as you have done for me.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, June 16, 2003 >>

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Psalm 98

Matthew 5:38-42

View Readings

THE ONLY LIFE WORTH LIVING

“In all that we do we strive to present ourselves as ministers of God.” —2 Corinthians 6:4

I hope you have made the decision of a lifetime and have decided to live for Jesus and work for Him full-time. If you are a housewife, plumber, garbageman, teacher, elected official, etc., and are serving Jesus full-time, your life is truly worthwhile, challenging, and indescribably joyous. You live “with patient endurance amid trials, difficulties, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, and riots; as men familiar with hard work, sleepless nights, and fastings” (2 Cor 6:4-5). By the power of the Holy Spirit, you have “innocence, knowledge, and patience” (2 Cor 6:6), with “weapons of righteousness with right hand and left” (2 Cor 6:7), you are even privileged to be a threat to the devil.

In Jesus, you are living such a radically new life that your life transcends typical categories. You are dying to self and thereby fully alive (see 2 Cor 6:9). You rejoice always (Phil 4:4) simultaneously with suffering frequent sorrows (see 2 Cor 6:10). By the world’s standards, you have nothing while in fact you possess everything (2 Cor 6:10), as Christ is your Treasure.

How glorious is our life in Jesus! One day in His service is better than a thousand elsewhere (see Ps 84:11). In joyful thanksgiving, serve and worship Jesus forever!

Prayer: Father, put a smile on my face and a joy in my heart forever.

Promise: “You have heard the commandment, ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ But what I say to you is: offer no resistance to injury. When a person strikes you on the right cheek, turn and offer him the other.” —Mt 5:38-39

Praise: Not until Janet lost her job did she realize what the Lord had planned for her life.

Thanks. I particulary love the first reading from Cor. today.

Many of the faithful visited her and benefited from her gifts of healing and prophecy.

St. Lutgard embraced by the crucified Christ, who frees one arm to do so (The Vision of Lutgard, painting by Abraham van Diepenbeek (?), oil on canvas, 172x 157,5 cm, ca.1601-1667, in Kerniel-Borgloon, Abbey Marienlof; source: Hogenelst and Van Oostrom, p.144).

Lutgard's biography, the Vita Piae Lutgardiâ was written by the Dominican Thomas of Cantimpre, who also wrote the Vitae of Christina the Astonishing and of Margaret of Ypres, and added to Jacques of Vitry's Vita of Marie d'Oignies. Thomas's Vita Lutgardis was most famously translated into the Brabantian dialect by the Benedictine William of Affligem. Click on the thumbnail above to see three pages from Affligem's Vita. On the first page he is depicted, not in the usual pose of writing, but as speaking. On the second page you see Lutgard on her deathbed, surrounded by fellow Cistercian nuns. On the third page, a Benedictine (possibly William of Affligem), is praying to Lutgard, who from the window of heaven places a crown on his head, as two angels hold open the shutters. (all from Hs. Copenhague, Kongelige Bibliotek, Ny kongelige samling, left to right, 168, quarto, f. 1v., quarto, f.168v., quarto, f.255r.; source: Hogenelst and Van Oostrom, p.75)