Posted on 02/09/2009 9:36:34 PM PST by Salvation
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Memorial of Saint Scholastica, virgin
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Reading 1
Gn 1:20-2:4a
God said,
"Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky."
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
"Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth."
Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.
Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds."
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."
God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying:
"Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth."
God also said:
"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food."
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.
Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
Gospel
Mk 7:1-13
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say,
"How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
'If someone says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things."
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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.
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,
Thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
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Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of February has been primarily asociated with the Holy Family, probably due to the feast of Our Lord's presentation at the temple, celebrated on February 2. At the very outset of Christ's work on earth, God showed the world a family in which, as Pope Leo XIII teaches, "all men might behold a perfect model of domestic life, and of all virtue and holiness." The harmony, unity, and holiness which characterized this holy Family make it the model for all Christian families. February Devotion: The Holy Family
INVOCATION
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph most kind, Bless us now and in death's agony.
FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY FAMILY
Grant unto us, Lord Jesus, ever to follow the example of Thy holy Family, that in the hour of our death Thy glorious Virgin Mother together with blessed Joseph may come to meet us and we may be worthily received by Thee into everlasting dwellings: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Roman Missal
CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY FAMILY
O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who having come to enlighten the world with Thy teaching and example, didst will to pass the greater part of Thy life in humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously receive our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to Thee this day. Do Thou defend us, guard us and establish amongst us Thy holy fear, true peace, and concord in Christian love: in order that, by conforming ourselves to the divine pattern of Thy family, we may be able, all of us without exception, to attain to eternal happiness.
Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us, by thy kindly intercession make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings.
O Saint Joseph, most holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by thy prayers in all our spiritual and temporal necessities; that so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and thee, for all eternity.
Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be, three times.
IN HONOR OF THE HOLY FAMILY
O God, heavenly Father, it was part of Thine eternal decree that Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, should form a holy family with Mary, His blessed mother, and His foster father, Saint Joseph. In Nazareth home life was sanctified, and a perfect example was given to every Christian family. Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may fully comprehend and faithfully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family so that we may be united with them one day in their heavenly glory. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Holy Family Chaplet
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with me in my last hour.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul
in peace with you.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Amen.
Say 3 Our Father's, 3 Hail Mary's, and 3 Glory be's.
PRAYER TO
THE HOLY FAMILY
=====================================================================================
GOD our Heavenly Father, You call all peoples to be united as one family in worshipping You as the one and true God. You willed that Your Son become man, giving Him a virgin mother and a foster father to form the Holy Family of Nazareth.
WE pray: may the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, image and model of every human family unit walk in the spirit of Nazareth and grow in the understanding of its particular mission in society and the Church. May our families be living cells of love, faithfulness and unity, thus reflecting God's covenant with humanity and Christ's redeeming love for His Church.
JESUS, Mary and Joseph protect our families from all evil; keep us, who are away from home, one in love with our dear ones.
Feast of the Holy Family (Dom Guéranger OSB)
The Holy Family vs. The Holy Innocents: A Christmas season reflection [Catholic Caucus]
The Redemption and Protection of the Family [Feast of the Holy Family]
Vatican creche to place Holy Family in Joseph's carpentry workshop
Imitating the Holy Family; Four Traits that Make It Possible
Lots of Graphics: Post your favorite image of the St. Mary and Child, the Holy Family...
Holy Father's Prayer Intentions for February 2009
General: That the Pastors of the Church may always be docile to the action of the Holy Spirit in their teaching and in their service to God's people.
Mission: That the Church in Africa may find adequate ways and means to promote reconciliation, justice and peace efficaciously, according to the indications of the Synod of the Bishops’ Special Assembly for Africa.
From: Genesis 1:20-2:4a
The Creation Account (Continued)
[24] And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their
kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their
kinds” And it was so. [25] And God made the beasts of the earth according
to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps
upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
[26] Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and
over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps
upon the earth.” [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
he created him; male and female he created them. [28] And God blessed them,
and God said to them.,”Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over
every living thing that moves upon the earth.” [29] And God said, “Behold, I have
given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and
every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. [30] And to every
beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on
the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for
food.” And it was so. [31] And God saw everything that he had made, and behold,
it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
[2:1] Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. [2]
And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested
on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. [3] So God blessed the
seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which
he had done in creation. [4a] These are the generations of the heavens and the
earth when they were created.
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Commentary:
1:26. The sacred text emphasizes the special significance of this moment: God
seems to stop to reflect and plan every detail of his next creation—man. Ancient
Jewish interpretation (followed also by some Christian writers) saw the use of
the plural “Let us make...” as meaning that God deliberated with his heavenly
court, that is, with the angels (implying that God had created them at the very
start, when he “created the heavens and the earth”). But the use of the plural
should rather be taken as reflecting the greatness and power of God. A consi-
derable part of Christian tradition has seen the “Let us make” as reflecting the
Holy Trinity, for New Testament revelation has made the Christian reader more
aware of the unfathomable greatness of the divine mystery.
“Man” here has a collective meaning: every human being, by his or her very na-
ture, is in the image and likeness of God. The human being is intelligible not by
reference to other created beings in the universe but by reference to God. The
likeness between God and man is not a physical one, for God has no body; it
is a spiritual likeness, lying in the human being’s capacity for interiority. The
Second Vatican Council teaches that man is not deceived when he regards him-
self as superior to bodily things and as more than just a speck of nature or a
nameless unit in the city of man. For by his power to know himself in the depths
of his being he rises above the whole universe of mere objects. When he is drawn
to think about his real self, he turns to those deep recesses of his being where
God who probes the heart (1 Kings 1.6:7; Jer 17:10) awaits him, and where he
himself decides his own destiny in the sight of God. So when he recognizes in
himself a spiritual and immortal soul, he is not being led astray by false imagi-
nings that are due to merely physical or social causes. On the contrary, he
grasps what is profoundly true in this matter” (”Gaudium Et Spes”, 14).
The fact that God creates man in own image and likeness “means not only
rationality and freedom as constitutive properties of human nature, but also from
the very beginning, the capacity of having a “personal relationship” with God as
‘I’ and ‘you’ and therefore the capacity “of having a covenant”, which will take place
in God’s salvific communication with man” (John Paul II, “Dominun Et Vivificantem”,
34). In the light of this communication, brought about in all its fullness by Jesus
Christ, the Fathers the Church read the words “image and likeness” as meaning,
on the one hand man’s spiritual condition, and, on the other, his sharing in the di-
vine nature through sanctifying grace. Even after the fall, man is still in the “image”
of God; through sin, however, he lost his “likeness” but this was restored through
Christ’s redemption.
It is part of God’s design that human beings should have dominion over other crea-
ted things (represented here by the animals). This dominion makes man God’s
representative (everything really belongs to God) in the created world. Therefore,
although man is going to be the lord of creation, he needs to recognize that God
alone is the Creator; man has to respect and look after creation; he is responsible
for it.
These words of Scripture show that “man is the only creature that God has loved
for itself alone, because all others were created to be at the service of man. Here
we can see, too, the basic equality of all human beings. For the Church, this
equality, which has its roots in man’s very being, takes on the very special dimen-
sion of brotherhood through the Incarnation of the Son of God. [...] Therefore,
discrimination of any type [...] is absolutely unacceptable” (John Paul II, Address,
7 July 1984).
1:27. The creation of man marks the completion of God’s plan, In presenting this
final act of creation, the sacred writer offers us a summary of the things that go
to make up the human being. As, well as repeating that God created man in his
image and likeness, he tells us that God created them man and woman, that is
to say, corporeal beings, endowed with sexuality, and designed to live in society.
“Being in the image of God, the human individual possesses the dignity of a per-
son, who is not just something, but someone. He is capable of self-knowledge,
of self-possession and of freely giving himself and entering into communion with
other persons. And he is called by grace to a covenant with his Creator to offer
him a response of faith and love that no other creature can give in his stead”
(”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 357).
“The fact that man ‘created as man and woman’ is the image of God means not
only that each of them individually is like God, as a rational and free being. It also
means that man and woman, created as a ‘unity of the two’ in their common hu-
manity, are called to live in a communion of love, and in this way to mirror in the
world the communion of love that is in God, through which the Three Persons
love each other in the intimate mystery of the one divine life. This ‘unity of the
two’, which is a sign of interpersonal communion, “shows that the creation of
man” is also marked by a certain likeness to the divine communion (”communio”)
This likeness is a quality of the personal being of both man and woman, and is
also a call and a task” (John Paul II, “Mulieris Dignitatem”, 7).
The fact that the Bible and everyday language speak of God as masculine is a
result of cultural influences and the great care taken in the Bible to avoid any
hint of polytheism (which could arise if the godhead were described as feminine,
opening the way to generations of gods, as in other religions). God transcends
the body and sexuality; therefore, both man (masc.) and woman (fem.) equally
reflect his image and likeness. In these words of Genesis, for the very first time
in history, the fundamental equality in dignity of man and woman is proclaimed
—in marked contrast with the low esteem in which women were held in the
ancient world.
According to the traditional Jewish and Christian interpretation, this verse is allu-
ding to marriage, as if God had already created the first man and the first woman
as a married couple—forming that human community which is the basis of every
society. In the second Genesis account of the creation of man and woman (cf.
2:18-24), this will emerge even more clearly.
1:28. God has already created animals, endowing them with fruitfulness (v. 22).
He now addresses these two human beings personally: “he said to them...”;
this indicates that the reproductive power of human beings (and therefore their
sexuality) are values for which they must assume responsibility before God, as
a way of co-operating in God’s plans. Thus, God, “wishing to associate them in a
special way with his own creative work, blessed man and woman with the words:
‘Be fruitful and multiply’ (Gen 1:28). Without intending to underestimate the other
ends of marriage, it must be said that true married love and the whole structure
of family life which results from it is directed to disposing the spouses to coope-
rate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will
increase and enrich his family from day to day” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”,
50).
God also commands man to make the earth serve him. Here divine Revelation is
teaching us that human work is regarded as a way by which main operates in the
plan God had when he created the world: “By the work of his hands and with the
aid of technical means man tills the earth to bring fruit and to make it a dwelling
place for all mankind; he, also consciously plays his part in the life of social
groups; in so doing he is realizing the design, which God revealed at the begin-
ning of time, to subdue the earth and perfect the work of creation, and at the
same time he is improving his own person” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 57).
>From this divine disposition we see the importance a person’s work has in his
or her personal life: “Your human vocation is a part—and an important part—of
your divine vocation. That reason why you must strive for holiness, giving a par-
ticular character to your human personality, a style to your life; contributing at
the same time to the sanctification of others, your fellow men; sanctifying your
work and your environment: the profession or job that fills day, your home and
family and the country where you were born and which you love [...]. Work, all
work, bears witness to the dignity of man, to his dominion over creation. It is an
opportunity to develop one’s personality. It is a bond of union with others, the
way to support one’s family, a means of aiding the improvement of the society
in which we live and in the progress of all mankind” (”Christ Is Passing By”,
46-47).
Man is charged by God with mastery over the earth; but he may not do whatever
he likes with it or act despotically: he should respect the universe as being the
work of the Creator. In this regard, Wisdom 9:3 says: “0 God, [...] who hast
formed man, to have dominion over the creatures thou hast made, and rule the
world in holiness and righteousness, and pronounce judgment in uprightness of
soul.” “This holds good also for out daily work. When men and women provide for
themselves and their families in such a way as to be of service to the community
as well, they can rightly look upon their work as a prolongation of the work of the
creator, a service to their fellow men, and their personal contribution to the fulfill-
ment in history of the divine plan” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 34).
1:31. These words bring to an end this first description of the work of Creation. It
is as if God, after making man, stood back to see what he had done and was very
pleased with the result. Whereas the wording previously used was “And God saw
that it was good,” now we are told that it was “very good”. In this way, the good-
ness of the created world is being stressed, indicating that “this natural goodness
of theirs receives an added dignity from their relation with the human person, for
whose use they have been created” (Vatican II, “Apostolicam Actuositatem”, 7).
>From this it follows that the human person and his/her dignity must be valued
above all other created things, and all human endeavor should be geared to foster
and defend these values.
2:1-3. From this point onwards, God will almost never intervene in creation directly.
Now it is up to man to act in the created world through the work he does.
God’s “resting” sets an example for man. By resting, we are acknowledging that
creation in the last analysis depends on and belongs to God, and that God is
watching over it. Here rest is an example set by the Creator; we shall later find it
as one of the Ten Commandments (cf. Ex 20:8-18; Deut 5:42-14). “The institution
of the Lord’s Day helps everyone enjoy adequate rest and leisure to cultivate their
familial, cultural, social and religious lives” (”Catechism of the Catholic Church”,
2184; cf. also John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, “Dies Domini”, 31 May 1998).
Apropos of the sabbath, unlike the other days there is no mention of there being
evening and morning. It is as if that rhythm of time were being broken by the sab-
bath — prefiguring the situation in which man, once he has accomplished his
mission of mastering the earth, will enjoy an unending rest, at an eternal feast in
God’s presence (cf. Heb 4:1-10). In the language of the Bible “feast” or “festival”
means three things—a) obligatory rest from everyday work; b) recognition of God
as Lord of creation, and joyful contemplation of the created world; c) a foretaste
of the enduring rest and joy that will be man’s after he leaves this world.
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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: Mark 7:1-13
The Tradition of the Elders
[9] And He said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment
of God, in order to keep your tradition! [10] For Moses said, “Honor your father
and your mother’; and `He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die’;
[11] but you say, `If a man tells his father or his mother, What you would have
gained from me is Corban’ (that is, given to God)—[12] then you no longer permit
him to do anything for his father or mother, [13] thus making void the word of
God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you do.”
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Commentary:
1-2. Hands were washed not for reasons of hygiene or good manners but be-
cause the custom had religious significance: it was a rite of purification. In Exo-
dus 30:17ff the Law of God laid down how priests should wash before offering
sacrifice. Jewish tradition had extended this to all Jews before every meal, in
an effort to give meals a religious significance, which was reflected in the bles-
sings which marked the start of meals. Ritual purification was a symbol of the
moral purity a person should have when approaching God (Psalm 24:3ff; 51:4
and 9); but the Pharisees had focused on the mere external rite. Therefore
Jesus restores the genuine meaning of these precepts of the Law, whose pur-
pose is to teach the right way to render homage to God (cf. John 4:24).
3-5. We can see clearly from this text that very many of those to whom St.
Mark’s Gospel was first addressed were Christians who had been pagans and
were unfamiliar with Jewish customs. The Evangelist explains these customs
in some detail, to help them realize the significance of the events and teachings
reported in the Gospel story.
Similarly, Sacred Scripture needs to be preached and taught in a way which
puts it within reach of its hearers. This is why Vatican II teaches that “it is for
the bishops suitable to instruct the faithful [...] by giving them translations of the
sacred texts which are equipped with necessary and really adequate explana-
tions. Thus the children of the Church can familiarize themselves safely and
profitably with the Sacred Scriptures, and become steeped in their spirit” (”Dei
Verbum”, 25).
11-13. For an explanation of this text cf. note on Mt. 15:5-6. Jesus Christ, who
is the authentic interpreter of the Law, because as God He is its author, explains
the scope of the fourth commandment and points out the mistakes made by the
Jewish casuistry. There were many other occasions when He corrected mistaken
interpretations offered by the Jewish teachers: for example, when He recalls that
phrase of the Old Testament, “Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy,
and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6, 1 Samuel 15:22; Sirach 35:4) in Matthew 9:13.
[The note on Matthew 15:5-6 states:
5-6. Over the years teachers of the Law (scribes) and priests of the temple had
distorted the true meaning of the fourth commandment. In Jesus’ time, they were
saying that people who contributed to the temple in cash or in kind were absolved
from supporting their parents: it would be sacrilegious for parents to lay claim to
this “corban” (offerings for the altar). People educated in this kind of thinking felt
that they were keeping the fourth commandment—in fact, fulfilling it in the best
way possible—and they were praised for their piety by the religious leaders of the
nation. But what in fact it meant was that, under the cloak of piety, they were lea-
ving elderly parents to fend for themselves. Jesus, who is Messiah and God, is
the one who can correctly interpret the Law. Here He explains the proper scope
of the fourth commandment, exposing the error of Jewish practice at the time.
For Christians, therefore, the fourth commandment includes affectionate help of
parents if they are old or needy, even if one has other family, social or religious
obligations to attend to. Children should check regularly on whether they are
looking after their parents properly.]
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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.
| First reading | Genesis 1:20-2:4 © |
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God said, ‘Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth within the vault of heaven.’ And so it was. God created great sea-serpents and every kind of living creature with which the waters teem, and every kind of winged creature. God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas; and let the birds multiply upon the earth.’ Evening came and morning came: the fifth day.
God said, ‘Let the earth produce every kind of living creature: cattle, reptiles, and every kind of wild beast.’ And so it was. God made every kind of wild beast, every kind of cattle, and every kind of land reptile. God saw that it was good.
God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.’
God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food. To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food.’ And so it was. God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day.
Thus heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day he had rested after all his work of creating.
Such were the origins of heaven and earth when they were created.
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| Psalm or canticle: Psalm 8:4-9 |
| Gospel | Mark 7:1-13 © |
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The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:
This people honours me only with lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.
You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ And he said to them, ‘How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! For Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. But you say, “If a man says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is Corban (that is, dedicated to God), then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother.” In this way you make God’s word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.’
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| Tuesday, February 10, 2009 St. Scholastica, Virgin (Memorial) |
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The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. |
Bump
Troparion –
“O God, to show us where innocence leads,
You made the soul of your virgin St. Scholastica soar to heaven
Like a dove in flight.
Grant through her merits and her prayers
That we may so live in innocence as to attain to joys everlasting.”
Orthodoxy, like the Latin Church, commemorates the sister of +Benedict of Nursia on February 10th.
If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 9B (10) |
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| Thanksgiving |
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The Lord will give just judgments to the poor.
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With what purpose, Lord, do you stay away,
hide yourself in time of need and trouble?
The wicked in their pride persecute the weak,
trap them in the plots they have devised.
The sinner glories in his desires,
the miser congratulates himself.
The sinner in his arrogance rejects the Lord:
“there is no God, no retribution.”
This is what he thinks
– and all goes well for him.
Your judgements are far beyond his comprehension:
he despises all who stand against him.
The sinner says to himself: “I will stand firm;
nothing can touch me, from generation to generation.”
His mouth is full of malice and deceit,
under his tongue hide trouble and distress.
He lies in ambush by the villages,
he kills the innocent in some secret place.
He watches the weak,
he hides like a lion in its lair, and makes plans.
He plans to rob the weak,
lure him to his trap and rob him.
He rushes in, makes a dive,
and the poor victim is caught.
For he has said to himself, “God has forgotten.
He is not watching, he will never see.”
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.
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The Lord will give just judgments to the poor.
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| Psalm 9B (10) |
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Lord, you see the poor man’s trouble and his suffering.
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Rise up, Lord, raise your hand!
Do not forget the weak.
Why does the wicked man spurn God?
Because he says to himself, “you will not take revenge.”
But you do see: you see the trouble and the pain,
and then you take things into your own hands.
The weak fall to your care,
and you are the help of the orphan.
Break the arms of the sinner and evil-doer:
seek out wickedness until there is no more to be found.
The Lord is King for ever and for ever.
The Gentiles have perished from his land.
You have heard the prayer of the weak, Lord,
and you will strengthen their hearts.
You will lend your ear to the pleas of the orphans and the helpless,
so mere mortals can frighten them no longer.
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.
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Lord, you see the poor man’s trouble and his suffering.
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The words of the Lord are pure words, they are silver refined in the furnace.
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Save me, Lord, for the good men are all gone:
there is no-one to be trusted among the sons of men.
Neighbour speaks falsehood to neighbour:
with lying lips and crooked hearts they speak.
Let the Lord condemn all lying lips,
all boastful tongues.
They say “Our tongues will make us great,
our lips are ours, we have no master.”
“On account of the sufferings of the poor,
the groans of the weak, I will rise up,” says the Lord.
“I will bring to safety the one whom men despise.”
The words of the Lord are pure words,
silver tried by fire, freed from dross,
silver seven times refined.
You, Lord, will help us
and guard us from now to all eternity –
while the wicked walk round outside,
where the vilest are most honoured of the children of men.
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.
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The words of the Lord are pure words, they are silver refined in the furnace.
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The Lord will guide the humble on the right path.
– He will teach his ways to the meek.
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| Reading | Galatians 2:11-3:14 © |
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When Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, since he was manifestly in the wrong. His custom had been to eat with the pagans, but after certain friends of James arrived he stopped doing this and kept away from them altogether for fear of the group that insisted on circumcision. The other Jews joined him in this pretence, and even Barnabas felt himself obliged to copy their behaviour.
When I saw they were not respecting the true meaning of the Good News, I said to Cephas in front of everyone, ‘In spite of being a Jew, you live like the pagans and not like the Jews, so you have no right to make the pagans copy Jewish ways.’
Though we were born Jews and not pagan sinners, we acknowledge that what makes a man righteous is not obedience to the Law, but faith in Jesus Christ. We had to become believers in Christ Jesus no less than you had, and now we hold that faith in Christ rather than fidelity to the Law is what justifies us, and that no one can be justified by keeping the Law. Now if we were to admit that the result of looking to Christ to justify us is to make us sinners like the rest, it would follow that Christ had induced us to sin, which would be absurd. If I were to return to a position I had already abandoned, I should be admitting I had done something wrong. In other words, through the Law I am dead to the Law, so that now I can live for God. I have been crucified with Christ, and I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in this body I live in faith: faith in the Son of God who loved me and who sacrificed himself for my sake. I cannot bring myself to give up God’s gift: if the Law can justify us, there is no point in the death of Christ.’
Are you people in Galatia mad? Has someone put a spell on you, in spite of the plain explanation you have had of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Let me ask you one question: was it because you practised the Law that you received the Spirit, or because you believed what was preached to you? Are you foolish enough to end in outward observances what you began in the Spirit? Have all the favours you received been wasted? And if this were so, they would most certainly have been wasted. Does God give you the Spirit so freely and work miracles among you because you practice Law, or because you believed what was preached to you?
Take Abraham for example: he put his faith in God, and this faith was considered as justifying him. Don’t you see that it is those who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham? Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans will be blessed. Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.
On the other hand, those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law. The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: the righteous man finds life through faith. The Law is not even based on faith, since we are told: The man who practises these precepts finds life through practising them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree. This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.
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| Reading | From the books of Dialogues by Saint Gregory the Great, pope |
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| She who loved more could do more | |
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Scholastica, the sister of Saint Benedict, had been consecrated to God from her earliest years. She was accustomed to visiting her brother once a year. He would come down to meet her at a place on the monastery property, not far outside the gate.
One day she came as usual and her saintly brother went with some of his disciples; they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things. As night fell they had supper together.
Their spiritual conversation went on and the hour grew late. The holy nun said to her brother: “Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life.” “Sister,” he replied, “what are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell.”
When she heard her brother refuse her request, the holy woman joined her hands on the table, laid her head on them and began to pray. As she raised her head from the table, there were such brilliant flashes of lightning, such great peals of thunder and such a heavy downpour of rain that neither Benedict nor his brethren could stir across the threshold of the place where they had been seated. Sadly he began to complain: “May God forgive you, sister. What have you done?” “Well,” she answered, “I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen. So now go off, if you can, leave me and return to your monastery.”
Reluctant as he was to stay of his own will, he remained against his will. So it came about that they stayed awake the whole night, engrossed in their conversation about the spiritual life.
It is not surprising that she was more effective than he, since as John says, God is love, it was absolutely right that she could do more, as she loved more.
Three days later, Benedict was in his cell. Looking up to the sky, he saw his sister’s soul leave her body in the form of a dove, and fly up to the secret places of heaven. Rejoicing in her great glory, he thanked almighty God with hymns and words of praise. He then sent his brethren to bring her body to the monastery and lay it in the tomb he had prepared for himself.
Their minds had always been united in God; their bodies were to share a common grave.
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| Concluding Prayer |
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Lord, keep your family always in your care.
Our only hope is in your divine grace:
keep us always under your protection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.
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from Altarpiece (central section)
1493-94
Wood
Benedictine Abbey Church, Blaubeuren
Saint Scholastica was the twin sister of St. Benedict. Following the rule of her brother, she founded the Order of Benedictine nuns.
Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003
Collect:
Lord,
as we recall the memory of Saint Scholastica,
we ask that by her example
we may serve you with love and obtain perfect joy.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.First Reading: Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Set me as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm; for love is strong as death, jealousy is cruel as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.Gospel Reading: Luke 10:38-42
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village; and a woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to His teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to Him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her."
Douay Rheims Version
MATINS: First Nocturn
Psalm 34
Judica Domine Nocentes Me
David, in the person of Christ, prayeth against his persecutors: prophetically foreshewing the punishments that shall fall upon them. 1 For David himself. JUDGE thou, O Lord, them that wrong me: overthrow them that fight against me. 2 Take hold of arms and shield: and rise up to help me. 3 Bring out the sword, and shut up the way against them that persecute me: say to my soul: I am thy salvation. 4 Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek after my soul. Let them be turned back and be confounded that devise evil against me. 5 Let them become as dust before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord straiten them. 6 Let their way become dark and slippery; and let the angel of the Lord pursue them. 7 For without cause they have hidden their net for me unto destruction: without cause they have upbraided my soul. 8 Let the snare which he knoweth not come upon him: and let the net which he hath hidden catch him: and into that very snare let them fall. 9 But my soul shall rejoice in the Lord; and shall be delighted in his salvation. 10 All my bones shall say: Lord, who is like to thee? Who deliverest the poor from the hand of them that are stronger than he; the needy and the poor from them that strip him. 11 Unjust witnesses rising up have asked me things I knew not. 12 They repaid me evil for good: to the depriving me of my soul. 13 But as for me, when they were troublesome to me, I was clothed with haircloth. I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer shall be turned into my bosom. 14 As a neighbour and as an own brother, so did I please: as one mourning and sorrowful so was I humbled. 15 But they rejoiced against me, and came together: scourges were gathered together upon me, and I knew not. 16 They were separated, and repented not: they tempted me, they scoffed at me with scorn: they gnashed upon me with their teeth. 17 Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? rescue thou soul from their malice: my only one from the lions. 18 I will give thanks to thee in a great church; I will praise thee in a strong people. 19 Let not them that are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: who have hated me without cause, and wink with the eyes. 20 For they spoke indeed peaceably to me; and speaking in the anger of the earth they devised guile. 21 And they opened their mouth wide against me; they said: Well done, well done, our eyes have seen it. 22 Thou hast seen, O Lord, be not thou silent: O Lord, depart not from me. 23 Arise, and be attentive to my judgment: to my cause, my God, and my Lord. 24 Judge me, O Lord my God according to thy justice, and let them not rejoice over me. 25 Let them not say in their hearts: It is well, it is well, to our mind: neither let them say: We have swallowed him up. 26 Let them blush: and be ashamed together, who rejoice at my evils. Let them be clothed with confusion and shame, who speak great things against me. 27 Let them rejoice and be glad, who are well pleased with my justice, and let them say always: The Lord be magnified, who delights in the peace of his servant. 28 And my tongue shall meditate thy justice, thy praise all the day long.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
SECOND NOCTURN:
Psalm 36
Noli AemulariAn exhortation to despise this world; and the short prosperity of the wicked; and to trust in providence. 1 A psalm for David himself. BE not emulous of evildoers; nor envy them that work iniquity. 2 For they shall shortly wither away as grass, and as the green herbs shall quickly fall. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land, and thou shalt be fed with its riches. 4 Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart. 5 Commit thy way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he will do it. 6 And he will bring forth thy justice as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Be subject to the Lord and pray to him. Envy not the man who prospereth in his way; the man who doth unjust things. 8 Cease from anger, and leave rage; have no emulation to do evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off: but they that wait upon the Lord, shall inherit the land. 10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: and thou shalt seek his place, and shalt not find it. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight in abundance of peace. 12 The sinner shall watch the just man: and shall gnash upon him with his teeth. 13 But the Lord shall laugh at him: for he foreseeth that his day shall come. 14 The wicked have drawn out the sword: they have bent their bow. To cast down the poor and needy, to kill the upright of heart. 15 Let their sword enter into their own hearts, and let their bow be broken. 16 Better is a little to the just, than the great riches of the wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken in pieces; but the Lord strengtheneth the just. 18 The Lord knoweth the days of undefiled; and their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be confounded in the evil time; and in the days of famine they shall be filled: 20 because the wicked shall perish. And the enemies of the Lord, presently after they shall be honoured and exalted, shall come to nothing and vanish like smoke. 21 The sinner shall borrow, and not pay again; but the just sheweth mercy and shall give. 22 For such as bless him shall inherit the land: but such as curse him shall perish. 23 With the Lord shall the steps of a man be directed, and he shall like well his way. 24 When he shall fall he shall not be bruised, for the Lord putteth his hand under him. 25 I have been young, and now am old; and I have not seen the just forsaken, nor his seed seeking bread. 26 He sheweth mercy, and lendeth all the day long; and his seed shall be in blessing. 27 Decline from evil and do good, and dwell for ever and ever. 28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints: they shall be preserved for ever. The unjust shall be punished, and the seed of the wicked shall perish. 29 But the just shall inherit the land, and shall dwell therein for evermore. 30 The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom: and his tongue shall speak judgment. 31 The law of his God is in his heart, and his steps shall not be supplanted. 32 The wicked watcheth the just man, and seeketh to put him to death, 33 But the Lord will not leave him in his hands; nor condemn him when he shall be judged. 34 Expect the Lord and keep his way: and he will exalt thee to inherit the land: when the sinners shall perish thou shalt see. 35 I have seen the wicked highly exalted, and lifted up like the cedars of Libanus. 36 And I passed by, and lo, he was not: and I sought him and his place was not found. 37 Keep innocence, and behold justice: for there are remnants for the peaceable man. 38 But the unjust shall be destroyed together: the remnants of the wicked shall perish. 39 But the salvation of the just is from the Lord, and he is their protector in the time of trouble. 40 And the Lord will help them and deliver them: and he will rescue them from the wicked, and save them, because they have hoped in him.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
THIRD NOCTURN
Psalm 37
Domine Ne In FuroreA prayer of a penitent for the remission of his sins. The third penitential psalm. 1 A psalm for David, for a remembrance of the sabbath. 2 REBUKE me not, O Lord, in thy indignation; nor chastise me in thy wrath. 3 For thy arrows are fastened in me: and thy hand hath been strong upon me. 4 There is no health in my flesh, because of thy wrath: there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins. 5 For my iniquities are gone over my head: and as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me. 6 My sores are putrified and corrupted, because of my foolishness. 7 I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end: I walked sorrowful all the day long. 8 For my loins are filled with illusions; and there is no health in my flesh. 9 I am afflicted and humbled exceedingly: I roared with the groaning of my heart. 10 Lord, all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hidden from thee. 11 My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me, and the light of my eyes itself is not with me. 12 My friends and my neighbours have drawn near, and stood against me. And they that were near me stood afar off: 13 And they that sought my soul used violence. And they that sought evils to me spoke vain things, and studied deceits all the day long. 14 But I, as a deaf man, heard not: and as a dumb man not opening his mouth. 15 And I became as a man that heareth not: and that hath no reproofs in his mouth. 16 For in thee, O Lord, have I hoped: thou wilt hear me, O Lord my God. 17 For I said: Lest at any time my enemies rejoice over me: and whilst my feet are moved, they speak great things against me. 18 For I am ready for scourges: and my sorrow is continually before me. 19 For I will declare my iniquity: and I will think for my sin. 20 But my enemies live, and are stronger that I: and they hate me wrongfully are multiplied. 21 They that render evil for good, have detracted me, because I followed goodness. 22 Forsake me not, O Lord my God: do not thou depart from me. 23 Attend unto my help, O Lord, the God of my salvation.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm38
Dixi CustodiamA just man's peace and patience in his sufferings; considering the vanity of the world, and the providence of God. 1 Unto the end, for Idithun himself, a canticle of David. 2 I SAID: I will take heed to my ways: that I sin not with my tongue. I have set guard to my mouth, when the sinner stood against me. 3 I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things: and my sorrow was renewed. 4 My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out. 5 I spoke with my tongue: O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me. 6 Behold thou hast made my days measurable: and my substance is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vanity: every man living. 7 Surely man passeth as an image: yea, and he is disquieted in vain. He storeth up: and he knoweth not for whom he shall gather these things. 8 And now what is my hope? is it not the Lord? and my substance is with thee. 9 Deliver thou me from all my iniquities: thou hast made me a reproach to the fool. 10 I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because thou hast done it. 11 Remove thy scourges from me. The strength of thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes: 12 thou hast corrected man for iniquity. And thou hast made his soul to waste away like a spider: surely in vain is any man disquieted. 13 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and my supplication: give ear to my tears. Be not silent: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were. 14 O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
LAUDS:
Psalm 95
Cantate DominoAn exhortation to praise God for the coming of Christ and his kingdom. 1 A canticle for David himself, when the house was built after the captivity. SING ye to the Lord a new canticle: sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing ye to the Lord and bless his name: shew forth his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people. 4 For the Lord is great, and exceedingly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. 5 For all the gods of the Gentiles are devils: but the Lord made the heavens. 6 Praise and beauty are before him: holiness and majesty in his sanctuary. 7 Bring ye to the Lord, O ye kindreds of the Gentiles, bring ye to the Lord glory and honour: 8 bring to the Lord glory unto his name. Bring up sacrifices, and come into his courts: 9 adore ye the Lord in his holy court. Let all the earth be moved at his presence. 10 Say ye among the Gentiles, the Lord hath reigned. For he hath corrected the world, which shall not be moved: he will judge the people with justice. 11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad, let the sea be moved, and the fulness thereof: 12 the fields and all things that are in them shall be joyful. Then shall all the trees of the woods rejoice 13 before the face of the Lord, because he cometh: because he cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with justice, and the people with his truth.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 42
Judica Me DeusThe prophet aspireth after the temple and altar of God. 1 A psalm for David. JUDGE me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the nation that is not holy: deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man. 2 For thou art God my strength: why hast thou cast me off? and why do I go sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me? 3 Send forth thy light and thy truth: they have conducted me, and brought me unto thy holy hill, and into thy tabernacles. 4 And I will go in to the altar of God: to God who giveth joy to my youth. 5 To thee, O God my God, I will give praise upon the harp: why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 66
Deus MisereaturA prayer for the propagation of the Church. 1 Unto the end, in hymns, a psalm of a canticle for David. 2 MAY God have mercy on us, and bless us: may he cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us. 3 That we may know thy way upon earth: thy salvation in all nations. 4 Let people confess to thee, O God: let all people give praise to thee. 5 Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and directest the nations upon earth. 6 Let the people, O God, confess to thee: let all the people give praise to thee: 7 the earth hath yielded her fruit. May God, our God bless us, 8 may God bless us: and all the ends of the earth fear him.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Canticle of Tobias Tob 13: 1-9 1 And Tobias the elder opening his mouth, blessed the Lord, and said: Thou art great, O Lord, for ever, and thy kingdom is unto all ages: 2 For thou scourgest, and thou savest: thou leadest down to hell, and bringest up again: and there is none that can escape thy hand. 3 Give glory to the Lord, ye children of Israel, and praise him in the sight of the Gentiles: 4 Because he hath therefore scattered you among the Gentiles, who know not him, that you may declare his wonderful works, and make them know that there is no other almighty God besides him. 5 He hath chastised us for our iniquities: and he will save us for his own mercy. 6 See then what he hath done with us, and with fear and trembling give ye glory to him: and extol the eternal King of worlds in your works. 7 As for me, I will praise him in the land of my captivity: because he hath shewn his majesty toward a sinful nation. 8 Be converted therefore, ye sinners, and do justice before God, believing that he will shew his mercy to you. 9 And I and my soul will rejoice in him.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 134
Laudate NomenAn exhortation to praise God: the vanity of idols. 1 Alleluia. PRAISE ye the name of the Lord: O you his servants, praise the Lord: 2 You that stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good: sing ye to his name, for it is sweet. 4 For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself: Israel for his own possession. 5 For I have known that the Lord is great, and our God is above all gods. 6 Whatsoever the Lord hath pleased he hath done, in heaven, in earth, in the sea, and in all the deeps. 7 He bringeth up clouds from the end of the earth: he hath made lightnings for the rain. He bringeth forth winds out of his stores: 8 He slew the firstborn of Egypt from man even unto beast. 9 He sent forth signs and wonders in the midst of thee, O Egypt: upon Pharao, and upon all his servants. 10 He smote many nations, and slew mighty kings: 11 Sehon king of the Amorrhites, and Og king of Basan, and all the kingdoms of Chanaan. 12 And gave their land for an inheritance, for an inheritance to his people Israel. 13 Thy name, O Lord, is for ever: thy memorial, O Lord, unto all generations. 14 For the Lord will judge his people, and will be entreated in favour of his servants. 15 The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold, the works of men's hands. 16 They have a mouth, but they speak not: they have eyes, but they see not. 17 They have ears, but they hear not: neither is there any breath in their mouths. 18 Let them that make them be like to them: and every one that trusteth in them. 19 Bless the Lord, O house of Israel: bless the Lord, O house of Aaron. 20 Bless the Lord, O house of Levi: you that fear the Lord, bless the Lord. 21 Blessed be the Lord out of Sion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
PRIME:
Psalm 24
Ad Te domine LevaviA prayer for grace, mercy, and protection against our enemies. 1 Unto the end, a psalm for David. TO thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul. 2 In thee, O my God, I put my trust; let me not be ashamed. 3 Neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on thee shall be confounded. 4 Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause. Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths. 5 Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour; and on thee have I waited all the day long. 6 Remember, O Lord, thy bowels of compassion; and thy mercies that are from the beginning of the world. 7 The sins of my youth and my ignorances do not remember. According to thy mercy remember thou me: for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. 8 The Lord is sweet and righteous: therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way. 9 He will guide the mild in judgment: he will teach the meek his ways. 10 All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth, to them that seek after his covenant and his testimonies. 11 For thy name's sake, O Lord, thou wilt pardon my sin: for it is great. 12 Who is the man that feareth the Lord? He hath appointed him a law in the way he hath chosen. 13 His soul shall dwell in good things: and his seed shall inherit the land. 14 The Lord is a firmament to them that fear him: and his covenant shall be made manifest to them. 15 My eyes are ever towards the Lord: for he shall pluck my feet out of the snare. 16 Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me; for I am alone and poor. 17 The troubles of my heart are multiplied: deliver me from my necessities. 18 See my abjection and my labour; and forgive me all my sins. 19 Consider my enemies for they are multiplied, and have hated me with an unjust hatred. 20 Keep thou my soul, and deliver me: I shall not be ashamed, for I have hoped in thee. 21 The innocent and the upright have adhered to me: because I have waited on thee. 22 Deliver Israel, O God, from all his tribulations.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
TERCE:
Psalm 39
Expectans ExpectaviChrist's coming, and redeeming mankind. 1 Unto the end, a psalm for David himself. 2 WITH expectation I have waited for the Lord, and he was attentive to me. 3 And he heard my prayers, and brought me out of the pit of misery and the mire of dregs. And he set my feet upon a rock, and directed my steps. 4 And he put a new canticle into my mouth, a song to our God. Many shall see, and shall fear: and they shall hope in the Lord. 5 Blessed is the man whose trust is in the name of the Lord; and who hath not had regard to vanities, and lying follies. 6 Thou hast multiplied thy wonderful works, O Lord my God: and in thy thoughts there is no one like to thee. I have declared and I have spoken they are multiplied above number. 7 Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire; but thou hast pierced ears for me. Burnt offering and sin offering thou didst not require: 8 then said I, Behold I come. In the head of the book it is written of me 9 that I should do thy will: O my God, I have desired it, and thy law in the midst of my heart. 10 I have declared thy justice in a great church, lo, I will not restrain my lips: O Lord, thou knowest it. 11 I have not hid thy justice within my heart: I have declared thy truth and thy salvation. I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth from a great council. 12 Withhold not thou, O Lord, thy tender mercies from me: thy mercy and thy truth have always upheld me. 13 For evils without number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I was not able to see. They are multiplied above the hairs of my head: and my heart hath forsaken me. 14 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me, look down, O Lord, to help me. 15 Let them be confounded and ashamed together, that seek after my soul to take it away. Let them be turned backward and be ashamed that desire evils to me. 16 Let them immediately bear their confusion, that say to me: 'T is well, 't is well. 17 Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say always: The Lord be magnified. 18 But I am a beggar and poor: the Lord is careful for me. Thou art my helper and my protector: O my God, be not slack.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
SEXT:
Psalm 40
Beatus Qui IntelligitThe happiness of him that shall believe in Christ; notwithstanding the humility and poverty in which he shall come: the malice of his enemies, especially the traitor Judas. 1 Unto the end, a psalm for David himself. 2 BLESSED is he that understandeth concerning the needy and the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the evil day. 3 The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. 4 The Lord help him on his bed of sorrow: thou hast turned all his couch in his sickness. 5 I said: O Lord, be thou merciful to me: heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. 6 My enemies have spoken evils against me: when shall he die and his name perish? 7 And if he came in to see me, he spoke vain things: his heart gathered together iniquity to itself. He went out and spoke to the same purpose. 8 All my enemies whispered together against me: they devised evils to me. 9 They determined against me an unjust word: shall he that sleepeth rise again no more? 10 For even the man of peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, hath greatly supplanted me. 11 But thou, O Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me up again: and I will requite them. 12 By this I know, that thou hast had a good will for me: because my enemy shall not rejoice over me. 13 But thou hast upheld me by reason of my innocence: and hast established me in thy sight for ever. 14 Blessed by the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity. So be it. So be it.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 41
Quemadmodum DesideratThe fervent desire of the just after God: hope in afflictions. 97 1 Unto the end, understanding for the sons of Core. 2 AS the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God. 3 My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God? 4 My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God? 5 These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me: for I shall go over into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God: With the voice of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting. 6 Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, 7 and my God. My soul is troubled within myself: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan and Hermoniim, from the little hill. 8 Deep calleth on deep, at the noise of thy flood-gates. All thy heights and thy billows have passed over me. 9 In the daytime the Lord hath commanded his mercy; and a canticle to him in the night. With me is prayer to the God of my life. 10 I will say to God: Thou art my support. Why hast thou forgotten me? and why go I mourning, whilst my enemy afflicteth me? 11 Whilst my bones are broken, my enemies who trouble me have reproached me; Whilst they say to me day be day: Where is thy God? 12 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope thou in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
NONE:
Psalm 43
Deus Auribus NostrisThe Church commemorates former favours, and present afflictions; under which she prays for succour. 1 Unto the end, for the sons of Core, to give understanding. 2 WE have heard, O God, with our ears: our fathers have declared to us, The work, thou hast wrought in their days, and in the days of old. 3 Thy hand destroyed the Gentiles, and thou plantedst them: thou didst afflict the people and cast them out. 4 For they got not the possession of the land by their own sword: neither did their own arm save them. But thy right hand and thy arm, and the light of thy countenance: because thou wast pleased with them. 5 Thou art thyself my king and my God, who commandest the saving of Jacob. 6 Through thee we will push down our enemies with the horn: and through thy name we will despise them that rise up against us. 7 For I will not trust in my bow: neither shall my sword save me. 8 But thou hast saved us from them that afflict us: and hast put them to shame that hate us. 9 In God shall we glory all the day long: and in thy name we will give praise for ever. 10 But now thou hast cast us off, and put us to shame: and thou, O God, wilt not go out with our armies. 11 Thou hast made us turn our back to our enemies: and they that hated us plundered for themselves. 12 Thou hast given us up like sheep to be eaten: thou hast scattered us among the nations. 13 Thou hast sold thy people for no price: and there was no reckoning in the exchange of them. 14 Thou hast made us a reproach to our neighbours, a scoff and derision to them that are round about us. 15 Thou hast made us a byword among the Gentiles: a shaking of the head among the people. 16 All the day long my shame is before me: and the confusion of my face hath covered me, 17 At the voice of him that reproacheth and detracteth me: at the face of the enemy and persecutor. 18 All these things have come upon us, yet we have not forgotten thee: and we have not done wickedly in thy covenant. 19 And our heart hath not turned back: neither hast thou turned aside our steps from thy way. 20 For thou hast humbled us in the place of affliction: and the shadow of death hath covered us. 21 If we have forgotten the name of our God, and if we have spread forth our hands to a strange god: 22 Shall not God search out these things: for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. Because for thy sake we are killed all the day long: we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. 23 Arise, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, and cast us not off to the end. 24 Why turnest thou face away? and forgettest our want and our trouble? 25 For our soul is humbled down to the dust: our belly cleaveth to the earth. 26 Arise, O Lord, help us and redeem us for thy name's sake.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
VESPERS:
Psalm 122
Ad Te LevaviA prayer in affliction, with confidence in God. 1 A gradual canticle. TO thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven. 2 Behold as the eyes of the servants are on the hands of their masters, As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us. 3 Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt. 4 For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 123
Nisi Quia DominusThe Church giveth glory to God for her deliverance from the hands of her enemies. 1 A gradual canticle. IF it had not been that the Lord was with us, let Israel now say: 2 If it had not been that the Lord was with us, When men rose up against us, 3 perhaps they had swallowed us up alive. When their fury was enkindled against us, 4 perhaps the waters had swallowed us up. 5 Our soul hath passed through a torrent: perhaps our soul had passed through a water insupportable. 6 Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us to be a prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul hath been delivered as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers. The snare is broken, and we are delivered. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 124
Qui ConfiduntThe just are always under God's protection. 1 A gradual canticle. THEY that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion: he shall not be moved for ever that dwelleth 2 in Jerusalem. Mountains are round about it: so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth now and for ever. 3 For the Lord will not leave the rod of sinners upon the lot of the just: that the just may not stretch forth their hands to iniquity. 4 Do good, O Lord, to those that are good, and to the upright of heart. 5 But such as turn aside into bonds, the Lord shall lead out with the workers of iniquity: peace upon Israel.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 125
In ConvertendoThe people of God rejoice at their delivery from captivity. 1 A gradual canticle. WHEN the lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted. 2 Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy. Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord hath done great things for them. 3 The Lord hath done great things for us: we are become joyful. 4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south. 5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 6 Going they went and wept, casting their seeds. But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 126
Nisi DominusNothing can be done without God's grace and blessing. 1 A gradual canticle of Solomon. UNLESS the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it. 2 It is vain for you to rise before light, rise ye after you have sitten, you that eat the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his beloved, 3 behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb. 4 As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken. 5 Blessed is the man that hath filled the desire with them; he shall not be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
COMPLINE:
Psalm 11
Salvum Me FacThe prophet calls for God's help against the wicked. 1 Unto the end; for the octave, a psalm for David. 2 SAVE me, O Lord, for there is now no saint: truths are decayed from among the children of men. 3 They have spoken vain things every one to his neighbour: with deceitful lips, and with a double heart have they spoken. 4 May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things. 5 Who have said: We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own; who is Lord over us? 6 By reason of the misery of the needy, and the groans of the poor, now will I arise, saith the Lord. I will set him in safety; I will deal confidently in his regard. 7 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried by the fire, purged from the earth, refined seven times. 8 Thou, O Lord, wilt preserve us.: and keep us from this generation for ever. 9 The wicked walk round about: according to thy highness, thou hast multiplied the children of men.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 12
Usquequo DomineA prayer in tribulation. 1 Unto the end, a psalm for David. HOW long, O Lord, wilt thou forget me unto the end? how long dost thou turn away thy face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsels in my soul, sorrow in my heart all the day? 3 How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 4 Consider, and hear me, O Lord my God. Enlighten my eyes that I never sleep in death: 5 lest at any time my enemy say: I have prevailed against him. They that trouble me will rejoice when I am moved: 6 but I have trusted in thy mercy. My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation: I will sing to the Lord, who giveth me good things: yea I will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Psalm 15
Conserva Me DomineChrist's future victory and triumph over the world and death. 1 The inscription of a title to David himself. PRESERVE me, O Lord, for I have put my trust in thee. 2 I have said to the Lord, thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods. 3 To the saints, who are in his land, he hath made wonderful all my desires in them. 4 Their infirmities were multiplied: afterwards they made haste. I will not gather together their meetings for blood offerings: nor will I be mindful of their names by my lips. 5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me. 6 The lines are fallen unto me in goodly places: for my inheritance is goodly to me. 7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me understanding: moreover my reins also have corrected me even till night. 8 I set the Lord always in my sight: for he is at my right hand, that I be not moved. 9 Therefore my heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced: moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope. 1 The inscription of a title to David himself. PRESERVE me, O Lord, for I have put my trust in thee. 2 I have said to the Lord, thou art my God, for thou hast no need of my goods. 3 To the saints, who are in his land, he hath made wonderful all my desires in them. 4 Their infirmities were multiplied: afterwards they made haste. I will not gather together their meetings for blood offerings: nor will I be mindful of their names by my lips. 5 The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me. 6 The lines are fallen unto me in goodly places: for my inheritance is goodly to me. 7 I will bless the Lord, who hath given me understanding: moreover my reins also have corrected me even till night. 8 I set the Lord always in my sight: for he is at my right hand, that I be not moved. 9 Therefore my heart hath been glad, and my tongue hath rejoiced: moreover my flesh also shall rest in hope. -Glory be to the Father...
Haydock’s Bible Commentary
Divine Office "Liturgy of the Hours"
The Psalms: The Perfect Prayer Book for Everyone
"Ego sum Alpha et Omega, princípium
et finis, dicit Dóminus Deus : qui est,
et qui erat, et qui ventúrus est, omnípotens".
"The psalms are prayer, in which God Himself teaches us how to pray; for they were written under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Herein we have the answer to the question: "What prayers shall I say?" Why the prayers of Holy Scripture itself! "There is no need to scrape together endless man-made prayers when Sacred Scripture frames the very thoughts of God." The psalms are the vital presentation of God's inspirations and man's aspirations; they are the ideal manifestations of man's hunger and thirst after God and of God's loving response to man. Of great age, they are ever new and appropriate. They are as satisfying and stimulating to us of the twentieth century as they were to men before the birth of Christ and down through the Apostolic and Middle Ages".
Rev. Joseph B. Frey; July 16, 1947.
From My Daily Psalm Book, Arranged by Father Joseph Frey, Confraternity of the Precious Blood (1947) pp.vi-ix.
..
| Mk 7:1-13 | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Douay-Rheims | Vulgate |
| 1 | And there assembled together unto him the Pharisees and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem. | et conveniunt ad eum Pharisaei et quidam de scribis venientes ab Hierosolymis |
| 2 | And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. | et cum vidissent quosdam ex discipulis eius communibus manibus id est non lotis manducare panes vituperaverunt |
| 3 | For the Pharisees and all the Jews eat not without often washing their hands, holding the tradition of the ancients. | Pharisaei enim et omnes Iudaei nisi crebro lavent manus non manducant tenentes traditionem seniorum |
| 4 | And when they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there are that have been delivered to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots and of brazen vessels and of beds. | et a foro nisi baptizentur non comedunt et alia multa sunt quae tradita sunt illis servare baptismata calicum et urceorum et aeramentorum et lectorum |
| 5 | And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common hands? | et interrogant eum Pharisaei et scribae quare discipuli tui non ambulant iuxta traditionem seniorum sed communibus manibus manducant panem |
| 6 | But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. | at ille respondens dixit eis bene prophetavit Esaias de vobis hypocritis sicut scriptum est populus hic labiis me honorat cor autem eorum longe est a me |
| 7 | And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men. | in vanum autem me colunt docentes doctrinas praecepta hominum |
| 8 | For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these. | relinquentes enim mandatum Dei tenetis traditionem hominum baptismata urceorum et calicum et alia similia his facitis multa |
| 9 | And he said to them: Well do you make void the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition. | et dicebat illis bene irritum facitis praeceptum Dei ut traditionem vestram servetis |
| 10 | For Moses said: Honour thy father and thy mother. And He that shall curse father or mother, dying let him die. | Moses enim dixit honora patrem tuum et matrem tuam et qui maledixerit patri aut matri morte moriatur |
| 11 | But you say: If a man shall say to his father or mother, Corban (which is a gift) whatsoever is from me shall profit thee. | vos autem dicitis si dixerit homo patri aut matri corban quod est donum quodcumque ex me tibi profuerit |
| 12 | And further you suffer him not to do any thing for his father or mother, | et ultra non dimittitis eum quicquam facere patri suo aut matri |
| 13 | Making void the word of God by your own tradition, which you have given forth. And many other such like things you do. | rescindentes verbum Dei per traditionem vestram quam tradidistis et similia huiusmodi multa facitis |
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