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

I’ve asked that the error in the date be fixed.

Alleluia Ping!

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St. Augustine Zhao Rong and 119 companions, martyrs in China

No Matter What, He Always "Acts Like a Priest" [Ecumenical]
On Priestly Identity
What Can I Do For the Year of the Priest?
The Rosary for the Year of the Priest [Catholic Caucus]

Pope Notes His Goal for Year for Priests
On the Year for Priests
WHY A YEAR FOR PRIESTS?
Curé d'Ars: Model Priest [Year of the Priest]
ZENIT Launches Column on Priesthood

[Justin] Cardinal Rigali on the Year for Priests
Church Being Given Chance to Rediscover Priesthood [Year of the Priest]
Celebrating the Year of the Priesthood
St. John Vianney's Pastoral Plan
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI PROCLAIMING A YEAR FOR PRIESTS [Catholic Caucus]

Year of the Priest Letter (Media immediately scrutinize its contents for controversy)
Year of the Priest [Catholic Caucus]
The Year for Priests [Catholic Caucus]
Year of the Priest Begins Friday
U.S. bishops launch website for Year for Priests

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

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

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

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

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

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

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

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

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

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

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

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary

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

The Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light
(Thursdays) see Rosarium Virginis Mariae
1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Gratitude for the gift of Faith]
2. Jesus' self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1- 12) [Spiritual fruit - Fidelity]
3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48, John 20:22-23) [Spiritual fruit - Desire for Holiness]
4. Jesus' Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Spiritual Courage]
5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) [Spiritual fruit - Love of our Eucharistic Lord]

~ PRAYER ~

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

Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life

Change Worth Praying For

[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

Like the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, His Precious Blood deserves special honor because of its close relation to the Sacred Passion. That honor was given to it from the beginning by the Apostles who praised its redeeming power. (Rom. 5:9 "we are justified by His blood"; Heb. 13:12 "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate"; 1 John 1:7 "and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.")

The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem. We continue to recognize and publicly acknowledge the profound indebtedness of the whole human race to Christ, Priest and Victim.

Standing at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' head, hands, feet, and side pouring out streams of precious blood. It is precious because it:

· Redeems us and atones for our sins. Through His precious blood we are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Death ceases to be death and heaven's gates are opened to us.

· Cleanses us from all sin.

· Preserves us and keeps us safe from the grasp of evil. When the Father sees us washed in the Blood of the Lamb we are spared.

· Comforts us. It is the constant reminder that Jesus - true God and true man suffered and died to save us and to open heaven to us because He loves us.

· Sanctifies us. The same blood that justifies by taking away sin, continues to work within us. Its action gives us the grace to continue on the path toward the Kingdom of God. It assists us in achieving our new nature, leading us onward in subduing sin and in following the commands of God.

Jesus shed His precious blood seven times during His life on earth. They events were:

· Jesus shed His Blood in the Circumcision

· Jesus shed His Blood whilst praying in the Garden of Olives

· Jesus shed His Blood in the scourging

· Jesus shed His Blood in the crowning with thorns

· Jesus shed His Blood while carrying His cross

· Jesus shed His Blood in the crucifixion

· Jesus shed His Blood and water when His side was pierced

The Power of the Precious Blood

"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." (St. Albert the Great)

At their recent meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for "healing and peace." They encouraged parishes and communities to have ongoing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In these dark months of woundedness, pain and violence we need to turn to the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, for healing, peace, and light.

"What power we have in the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist! He is there to protect us, to be our refuge and our redemption. (In Exodus 12, God told Moses to have His chosen people mark their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb, during the first Passover. Those who did this were spared when the Angel of the death passed by). This is why Archbishop Sheen said that we must call down the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament. For, he warned, when we stop calling down the Blood of the Lamb, we start calling down the blood of each other." (From our book Bread of Life)

"And the Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water" (Rev 7:17).

"In the tumultuous events of our time, it is important to look to the Eucharist: it must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people; the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate; the ideal in education and in training children, adolescents and young people; the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life." (Pope John Paul II)

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!

"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night when He went into His agony. But as often in the history of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep. That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could you not watch one hour with Me?'" (Mt 26:40). Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).

St. Maria Goretti, Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Feast-July 6 St. Maria of Italy (1890-1902), couldn't wait to make her First Communion. She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart. After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. Maria's family lived with and worked for a farmer. His son Alessandro kept trying to make Maria sin against purity. One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed Maria and tried to make her sin. Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. Courageously, Maria resisted him and was stabbed fourteen times. St. Maria died the next day.

"Look at Maria Goretti.... Like her, be capable of defending your purity of heart and body. Be committed to the struggle against evil and sin. Always esteem and love, purity and virginity." (Pope John Paul II, 1990)

A Prayer for Priests

O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support. In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart. Amen. Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!A

menHe

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you" (Jn 6:53).

The Eucharist is the fruit of our Lords Passion. Jesus gave up His Body on the cross so that He may give you His Body in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus poured out His very last drop of Blood on the cross so that He may fill you with His Divine Love each time that you receive Him in Holy Communion and visit Him in Eucharistic Adoration!

"The Eucharist, in the Mass and outside of the Mass, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and is therefore deserving of the worship that is given to the living God, and to Him alone" (Pope John Paul II, September 29, 1979, Phoenix Park, Ireland)

"The bread and wine, fruit of human hands, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ, become a pledge of the 'new heaven and new earth,' announced by the Church in her daily mission." "In Christ, whom we adore present in the mystery of the Eucharist, the father uttered his final word with regard to humanity and human history." "To live the Eucharist, it is necessary, as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, something which I myself experience every day drawing from it strength, consolation and assistance." "How could the Church fulfill her vocation without cultivating a constant relationship with the Eucharist, without nourishing herself with this food which sanctifies, without founding her missionary activity on this indispensable support?" "To evangelize the world there is need of apostles who are 'experts' in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist" (Pope John Paul II, World Mission Message 2004).

The Power of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist

"The Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood. Every ceremony in the Church tells of it . . . . Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on earth is either a leaf, bud, blossom or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. To its fountains God calls the sinner, that he may be lightened of his burdens. There is no remission of him in anything else. Only there is his lost sonship to be found. The saints are no less called by God to these invigorating streams. It is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celebacies, austerities, heroic charities, and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity. The secret nourishment of prayer is from those fountains" (Father Faber, The Precious Blood).

Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
FORMER PENTECOSTAL RELATES MIRACLE THAT OCCURRED WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
St.Gaspar:Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood[AKA The Hammer of Freemasons]

Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For July 2009

General: That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation.

Mission: That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God's one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country in the world.

From: Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29:45:1-5

Judah’s Reaction

[18] Then Judah went up to him (Joseph) and said, “0 my lord, let your servant, I
pray you, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your
servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself. [19] My lord asked his servants, saying,
‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ [20] And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father,
an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age; and his brother is dead,
and he alone is left of his mother’s children; and his father loves him.’ [21] Then
you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon
him. [23b] Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my
face no more.’ [24] When we went back to your servant my father we told him the
words of my lord. [25] And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’
[26] we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we
will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is
with us.’ [27] Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore
me two sons; [28] one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces; and
I have never seen him since. [29] If you take this one also from me, and harm be-
falls him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.’”

Joseph Makes Himself Known

[1] Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him; and
he cried, “Make every one go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Jo-
seph made himself known to his brothers. [2] And he wept aloud, so that the
Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. [3] And Joseph said
to his brothers, “I am Joseph; is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not
answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

[4] So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, I pray you.” And they
came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.
[5] And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold
me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

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

44:1-34, The drama of the last test Joseph makes his brothers undergo is accen-
tuated by the cordial, even familial, relationship they had just before. The scene
reaches its climax with their confession that they are sinners before God (cf. v.
16) and with Judah’s very moving and winning speech (vv. 18-34). The sin they
acknowledge is not that of stealing the cup (which they did not do) but their ear-
lier treatment of Joseph in Canaan which, although they say nothing about it,
they feel God is judging them for. Juah’s final speech in which he tells about his
father’s feelings and shows that he is ready to atone for the sin they all commit-
ted, reveals how his brotherly love has come back in full force. Judah thereby
manages to save them all, in the same way as the tribe which bears his name
will save, through King David, the whole people of Israel.

45:1-28. The denouement maintains the dramatic tone typical of the story so far.
And now we are given the real reasons behind everything that Joseph, the wise
man, has done. Once he makes himself known to his brothers, they interpret his
behavior from their own, human, point of view-their fear of his vengeance (cf. v. 3
and later 50:15). Joseph explains that everything was part of God’s plan (cf. vv.
5-13). The generosity of the pharaoh was also a mark of divine mercy, but the
greatest mercy of all is that Jacob has found the son he thought he lost (cf. v.
28).

As well as revealing God’s mercy, this history shows forth the greatness of Jo-
seph, who, far from harboring rancor or even thinking of vengeance, directs all his
actions to getting back his brothers, leading them gradually to repent the sin they
committed, forgiving them from the very start and treating them as the brothers
they are. Joseph’s behavior is a model of how we should treat one another; for-
giveness should be ever-present in our relationship with others. Pope John Paul II
has written that “Society can become ‘ever more human’ only when we introduce
into all the mutual relationships which form its moral aspect the moment of for-
giveness, which is so much of the essence of the Gospel. Forgiveness demon-
strates the presence in the world of the love which is more powerful than sin. For-
giveness is also the fundamental condition for reconciliation, not only in the rela-
tionship of God with man, but also in relationships between people. A world from
which forgiveness was eliminated would be nothing but a world of cold and unfee-
ling justice, in the name of which each person would claim his or her own rights
vis-à-vis others; the various kinds of selfishness latent in man would transform
lift and human society into a system of oppression of the weak by the strong, or
into an arena of permanent strife between one group and another” (”Dives In Mise-
ricordia”, 14).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Matthew 10:7-15

The Calling and First Mission of the Apostles (Continuation)

(Jesus said to His disciples,) [7] “And preach as you go, saying,’The Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand.’ [8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out
demons. You received without pay, give without pay. [9] Take no gold, nor silver,
nor copper in your belts, [10] no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals,
nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. [11] And whatever town or village
you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. [12]
As you enter the house, salute it. [13] And if the house is worthy, let your peace
come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. [14] And if any
one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet
as you leave that house or town. [15] Truly, I say to you, it shall be more to-
lerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that
town.”

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

7-8. Previously, the prophets, when speaking of the messianic times, had used
imagery suited to the people’s spiritual immaturity. Now, Jesus, in sending His
Apostles to proclaim that the promised Kingdom of God is imminent, lays stress
on its spiritual dimension. The power mentioned in verse 8 are the very sign of
the Kingdom of God or the reign of the Messiah proclaimed by the prophets. At
first (chapters 8 and 9) it is Jesus who exercises these messianic powers; now
He gives them to His disciples as proof that His mission is divine (Isaiah 35:5-6;
40:9; 52:7; 61:1).

9. “Belts”: twin belts, stitched together leaving space where coins and other
small, heavy objects could be secreted and carried.

9-10. Jesus urges His disciples to set out on their mission without delay. They
should not be worried about material or human equipment: God will make up any
shortfall. This holy audacity in setting about God’s work is to be found throughout
the history of the Church: if Christians had bided their time, waiting until they had
the necessary material resources, many, many souls would never have received
the light of Christ. Once a Christian is clear in his mind about what God wants
him to do, he should not stay at home checking to see if he has the wherewithal
to do it. “In your apostolic undertakings you are right—it’s your duty—to consider
what means the world can offer you (2 + 2 = 4), but don’t forget—ever!—that, fortu-
nately, your calculation must include another term: God + 2 + 2...” (St. J. Es-
criva, “The Way”, 471).

However, that being said, we should not try to force God’s hand, to have Him do
something exceptional, when in fact we can meet needs by our own efforts and
work. This means that Christians should generously support those who, because
they are totally dedicated to the spiritual welfare of their brethren, have no time
left over to provide for themselves: in this connection see Jesus’ promise in Mat-
thew 10:40-42.

11-15. “Peace” was, and still is, the normal Jewish form of greeting. On the
Apostles’ lips it is meant to have a deeper meaning—to be a sign of God’s bles-
sing which Jesus’ disciples, who are His envoys, pour out on those who receive
them. The commandment our Lord gives here affects not only this specific mis-
sion; it is a kind of prophecy which applies to all times. His messenger does
not become discouraged if His word is not well received. He knows that God’s
blessing is never ineffective (cf. Isaiah 55:11), and that every generous effort a
Christian makes will always produce fruit. The word spoken in apostolate al-
ways brings with it the grace of conversion: “Many of those who heard the word
believed; and the number of the men came to about five thousand” (Acts 4:4;
cf. 10:44; Romans 10:17).

Man should listen to this word of the Gospel and believe in it (Acts 13:48; 15:7).
If he accepts it and stays faithful to it his soul is consoled, he obtains peace
(Acts 8:39) and salvation (Acts 11:4-18). But if he rejects it, he is not free from
blame and God will judge him for shutting out the grace he was offered.

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

Mass Readings

First reading	Genesis 44:18-21,23-29,45:1-5 ©
Judah went up to Joseph and said, ‘May it please my lord, let your servant have a word privately with my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord questioned his servants, “Have you father or brother?” And we said to my lord, “We have an old father, and a younger brother born of his old age. His brother is dead, so he is the only one left of his mother, and his father loves him.” Then you said to your servants, “Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.” But you said to your servants, “If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not be admitted to my presence again.” When we went back to your servant my father, we repeated to him what my lord had said. So when our father said, “Go back and buy us a little food,” we said, “We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, for we cannot be admitted to the man’s presence unless our youngest brother is with us.” So your servant our father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two children. When one left me, I said that he must have been torn to pieces. And I have not seen him to this day. If you take this one from me too and any harm comes to him, you will send me down to Sheol with my white head bowed in misery.” If I go to your servant my father now, and we have not the boy with us, he will die as soon as he sees the boy is not with us, for his heart is bound up with him. Then your servants will have sent your servant our father down to Sheol with his white head bowed in grief.’ Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his retainers, and he exclaimed, ‘Let everyone leave me.’ No one therefore was present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard, and the news reached Pharaoh’s palace. Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?’ His brothers could not answer him, they were so dismayed at the sight of him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had come closer to him he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.’

First reading

Genesis 44:18-21,23-29,45:1-5 ©

Judah went up to Joseph and said, ‘May it please my lord, let your servant have a word privately with my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. My lord questioned his servants, “Have you father or brother?” And we said to my lord, “We have an old father, and a younger brother born of his old age. His brother is dead, so he is the only one left of his mother, and his father loves him.” Then you said to your servants, “Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.” But you said to your servants, “If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not be admitted to my presence again.” When we went back to your servant my father, we repeated to him what my lord had said. So when our father said, “Go back and buy us a little food,” we said, “We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, for we cannot be admitted to the man’s presence unless our youngest brother is with us.” So your servant our father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two children. When one left me, I said that he must have been torn to pieces. And I have not seen him to this day. If you take this one from me too and any harm comes to him, you will send me down to Sheol with my white head bowed in misery.” If I go to your servant my father now, and we have not the boy with us, he will die as soon as he sees the boy is not with us, for his heart is bound up with him. Then your servants will have sent your servant our father down to Sheol with his white head bowed in grief.’

Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his retainers, and he exclaimed, ‘Let everyone leave me.’ No one therefore was present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers, but he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard, and the news reached Pharaoh’s palace.

Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?’ His brothers could not answer him, they were so dismayed at the sight of him. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ When they had come closer to him he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 104:16-21

Gospel	Matthew 10:7-15 ©
Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘As you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the workman deserves his keep. ‘Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. I tell you solemnly, on the day of Judgement it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that town.’

Gospel

Matthew 10:7-15 ©

Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘As you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge. Provide yourselves with no gold or silver, not even with a few coppers for your purses, with no haversack for the journey or spare tunic or footwear or a staff, for the workman deserves his keep.

‘Whatever town or village you go into, ask for someone trustworthy and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his house, salute it, and if the house deserves it, let your peace descend upon it; if it does not, let your peace come back to you. And if anyone does not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, as you walk out of the house or town shake the dust from your feet. I tell you solemnly, on the day of Judgement it will not go as hard with the land of Sodom and Gomorrah as with that town.’

Thursday, July 9, 2009
Weekday

First Reading:
Psalm:
Gospel:

Genesis 44:18-21, 23-29; 45:1-5
Psalm 105:16-21
Matthew 10:7-15

O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard And hushed their raging at Thy word, Who walked'st on the foaming deep, And calm amidst its rage didst sleep; Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!

-- From the U.S. Navy Hymn

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

Novena for the Protection of the Unborn

Office of Readings and Invitatory Psalm

Office of Readings

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.

– O Lord, make haste to help me.

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. Alleluia.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 43 (44)
In time of defeat
You have saved us, Lord, and we shall proclaim your name for all ages.
Our own ears have heard, O God, and our fathers have proclaimed it to us, what you did in their days, the days of old: how with your own hand you swept aside the nations and put us in their place, struck them down to make room for us. It was not by their own swords that our fathers took over the land, it was not their own strength that gave them victory; but your hand and your strength, the light of your face, for you were pleased in them. You are my God and my king, who take care for the safety of Jacob. Through you we cast down your enemies; in your name we crushed those who rose against us. I will not put my hopes in my bow, my sword will not bring me to safety; for it was you who saved us from our afflictions, you who set confusion among those who hated us. We will glory in the Lord all the day, and proclaim your name for all ages. 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.
You have saved us, Lord, and we shall proclaim your name for all ages.

Psalm 43 (44)
We are your inheritance, Lord: spare us, do not let us be a laughing-stock.
But now, God, you have spurned us and confounded us, so that we must go into battle without you. You have put us to flight in the sight of our enemies, and those who hate us plunder us at will. You have handed us over like sheep sold for food, you have scattered us among the nations. You have sold your people for no money, not even profiting by the exchange. You have made us the laughing-stock of our neighbours, mocked and derided by those who surround us. The nations have made us a by-word, the peoples toss their heads in scorn. All the day I am ashamed, I blush with shame as they reproach me and revile me, my enemies and my persecutors. 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.
We are your inheritance, Lord: spare us, do not let us be a laughing-stock.

Psalm 43 (44)
Rise up, Lord, and help us. In your mercy, redeem us.
All this happened to us, but not because we had forgotten you. We were not disloyal to your covenant; our hearts did not turn away; our steps did not wander from your path; and yet you brought us low, with horrors all about us: you overwhelmed us in the shadows of death. If we had forgotten the name of our God, if we had spread out our hands before an alien god — would God not have known? He knows what is hidden in our hearts. It is for your sake that we face death all the day, that we are reckoned as sheep to be slaughtered. Awake, Lord, why do you sleep? Rise up, do not always reject us. Why do you turn away your face? How can you forget our poverty and our tribulation? Our souls are crushed into the dust, our bodies dragged down to the earth. Rise up, Lord, and help us. In your mercy, redeem us. 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.
Rise up, Lord, and help us. In your mercy, redeem us.

Lord, to whom shall we go?

– You have the words of eternal life.

Reading	1 Chronicles 22:5-19 ©
Then David said, ‘My son Solomon is young, of tender years, and the house to be built for the Lord must be of great splendour, renowned for its magnificence in every country. I will make preparations for him.’ And so, before he died, David made ample preparations. He then summoned his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. ‘My son,’ David said to Solomon ‘my heart was set on building a house for the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, “You have shed much blood and fought great battles; it is not for you to build a house for my name, since you have shed so much blood on the earth in my presence. But now a son is born to you. He shall be a man of peace and I will give him peace from all the enemies that surround him; for Solomon is his name, and in his days I will give Israel peace and quiet. He shall build a house for my name; he shall be a son to me and I a father to him, and I will make his royal throne secure in Israel for ever.” Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and give you success in building a house for the Lord your God, as he has said concerning you. Yet may he give you discretion and discernment, may he give you his orders for Israel so that you may observe the Law of the Lord your God. Success will be yours if you carefully observe the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord has prescribed to Moses for Israel. Be strong and stand fast, be fearless, be dauntless. Poor as I am, I have set aside for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver and more bronze and iron than can be weighed; I have stored up wood and stone too, to which you must add more. You will have many workmen, stonecutters, masons, carpenters, skilled artisans of every kind, while your gold and silver, bronze and iron, will be beyond reckoning. Set to work, then, and may the Lord be with you!’ David then ordered all the Israelite leaders to help his son Solomon. ‘Is not the Lord your God with you?’ he said. ‘He has given you peace on all sides, since he has put the inhabitants of the country into my power and the land has been subdued for the Lord and for his people. So now devote heart and soul to the search for the Lord your God. Set to and build the sanctuary of the Lord your God, so that you can bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy things of God to the house that is built for the name of the Lord.’

Reading

Then David said, ‘My son Solomon is young, of tender years, and the house to be built for the Lord must be of great splendour, renowned for its magnificence in every country. I will make preparations for him.’ And so, before he died, David made ample preparations. He then summoned his son Solomon and instructed him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. ‘My son,’ David said to Solomon ‘my heart was set on building a house for the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, “You have shed much blood and fought great battles; it is not for you to build a house for my name, since you have shed so much blood on the earth in my presence. But now a son is born to you. He shall be a man of peace and I will give him peace from all the enemies that surround him; for Solomon is his name, and in his days I will give Israel peace and quiet. He shall build a house for my name; he shall be a son to me and I a father to him, and I will make his royal throne secure in Israel for ever.” Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and give you success in building a house for the Lord your God, as he has said concerning you. Yet may he give you discretion and discernment, may he give you his orders for Israel so that you may observe the Law of the Lord your God. Success will be yours if you carefully observe the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord has prescribed to Moses for Israel. Be strong and stand fast, be fearless, be dauntless. Poor as I am, I have set aside for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver and more bronze and iron than can be weighed; I have stored up wood and stone too, to which you must add more. You will have many workmen, stonecutters, masons, carpenters, skilled artisans of every kind, while your gold and silver, bronze and iron, will be beyond reckoning. Set to work, then, and may the Lord be with you!’

David then ordered all the Israelite leaders to help his son Solomon. ‘Is not the Lord your God with you?’ he said. ‘He has given you peace on all sides, since he has put the inhabitants of the country into my power and the land has been subdued for the Lord and for his people. So now devote heart and soul to the search for the Lord your God. Set to and build the sanctuary of the Lord your God, so that you can bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy things of God to the house that is built for the name of the Lord.’

Reading	An explanation of Psalm 118 by St Ambrose
God's temple is holy, and you are his temple
My father and I will come to him and make our home with him. Open wide your door to the one who comes. Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the sweetness of grace. Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of eternal light that illuminates all men. Indeed that true light shines on all; but if anyone closes his shutters against it then he will defraud himself of the eternal light. To close the doors of your mind is to exclude Christ. Of course he is capable of entering even so, but he does not want to force his way in or seize you against your will. Born of the Virgin’s womb, he shone on the whole world to give light to all. It is received by those who desire the brightness of perpetual light that no night can obscure. For the sun that we see daily in the sky is followed by darkness and night; but the Sun of righteousness never sets, since evil cannot defeat wisdom. Blessed is he, therefore, at whose door Christ comes knocking. Faith is the door of the soul, and if it is strong then it fortifies the whole house. Through this door Christ enters. Thus it is that the Church herself says, The voice of my brother is knocking on the door. Listen to him knocking, listen to him asking to be let in: Open to me, my sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my hair with the drops of night. You see that when the Word of God knocks hardest on your door, it is when his hair is wet with the dew of the night. In fact he chooses to visit those who are in tribulation and trial, lest one of them be overwhelmed by distress. So his head is covered with dew, with drops, when his body is labouring hard. It is important to keep watch so that when the Bridegroom comes, he is not shut out. If you are asleep and your heart is not keeping watch, he will go away without knocking; but if your heart is alert for his coming, he knocks and asks for the door to be opened to him. Thus you see that our soul has a door, but we have gates too, as the psalm says: Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors, and let the king of glory enter. If you choose to raise your gates, the King of glory will come to you, celebrating the triumph of his own Passion. For righteousness has gates, as we see it written when the Lord Jesus speaks through his prophets: Open to me the gates of righteousness. It is the soul that has its door, it is the soul that has its gates. To that door Christ comes and knocks, he knocks at the door. Open to him, therefore: he wishes to come in, the Bridegroom wishes to find you keeping watch.

Reading

An explanation of Psalm 118 by St Ambrose

God's temple is holy, and you are his temple

My father and I will come to him and make our home with him. Open wide your door to the one who comes. Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart to see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the sweetness of grace. Open your heart and run to meet the Sun of eternal light that illuminates all men. Indeed that true light shines on all; but if anyone closes his shutters against it then he will defraud himself of the eternal light. To close the doors of your mind is to exclude Christ. Of course he is capable of entering even so, but he does not want to force his way in or seize you against your will.

Born of the Virgin’s womb, he shone on the whole world to give light to all. It is received by those who desire the brightness of perpetual light that no night can obscure. For the sun that we see daily in the sky is followed by darkness and night; but the Sun of righteousness never sets, since evil cannot defeat wisdom.

Blessed is he, therefore, at whose door Christ comes knocking. Faith is the door of the soul, and if it is strong then it fortifies the whole house. Through this door Christ enters. Thus it is that the Church herself says, The voice of my brother is knocking on the door. Listen to him knocking, listen to him asking to be let in: Open to me, my sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my hair with the drops of night.

You see that when the Word of God knocks hardest on your door, it is when his hair is wet with the dew of the night. In fact he chooses to visit those who are in tribulation and trial, lest one of them be overwhelmed by distress. So his head is covered with dew, with drops, when his body is labouring hard. It is important to keep watch so that when the Bridegroom comes, he is not shut out. If you are asleep and your heart is not keeping watch, he will go away without knocking; but if your heart is alert for his coming, he knocks and asks for the door to be opened to him.

Thus you see that our soul has a door, but we have gates too, as the psalm says: Gates, raise your heads. Stand up, eternal doors, and let the king of glory enter. If you choose to raise your gates, the King of glory will come to you, celebrating the triumph of his own Passion. For righteousness has gates, as we see it written when the Lord Jesus speaks through his prophets: Open to me the gates of righteousness.

It is the soul that has its door, it is the soul that has its gates. To that door Christ comes and knocks, he knocks at the door. Open to him, therefore: he wishes to come in, the Bridegroom wishes to find you keeping watch.

Concluding Prayer
O God, the world had fallen flat in the dust but your Son’s humility stood it upright once more. Fill your faithful people with a holy joy: take those whom you have torn away from slavery to sin and make them rejoice eternally. 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.

St. Augustine Zhao Rong, Priest and martyr & his companions, martyrs

St. Augustine Zhao Rong,
Priest and martyr & his companions, martyrs
Optional Memorial
July 9th

from the Vatican Website

Saint Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese diocesan priest who was martyred with his 119 companions in 1815. Among their number was an eighteen-year-old boy, Chi Zhuzi, who cried out to those who had just cut off his right arm and were preparing to flay him alive: "Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will tell you that I am Christian."

Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003
Collect:
from the Common of Martryrs or Pastors
First Reading: 1 John 5:1-5
Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Gospel Reading: John 12:24-26
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 10
7.	And going, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand.	Euntes autem prædicate, dicentes : Quia appropinquavit regnum cælorum.	πορευομενοι δε κηρυσσετε λεγοντες οτι ηγγικεν η βασιλεια των ουρανων
8.	Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils: freely have you received, freely give.	Infirmos curate, mortuos suscitate, leprosos mundate, dæmones ejicite : gratis accepistis, gratis date.	ασθενουντας θεραπευετε λεπρους καθαριζετε δαιμονια εκβαλλετε δωρεαν ελαβετε δωρεαν δοτε
9.	Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses:	Nolite possidere aurum, neque argentum, neque pecuniam in zonis vestris :	μη κτησησθε χρυσον μηδε αργυρον μηδε χαλκον εις τας ζωνας υμων
10.	Nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor a staff; for the workman is worthy of his meat.	non peram in via, neque duas tunicas, neque calceamenta, neque virgam : dignus enim est operarius cibo suo.	μη πηραν εις οδον μηδε δυο χιτωνας μηδε υποδηματα μηδε ραβδους αξιος γαρ ο εργατης της τροφης αυτου εστιν
11.	And into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till you go thence.	In quamcumque autem civitatem aut castellum intraveritis, interrogate, quis in ea dignus sit : et ibi manete donec exeatis.	εις ην δ αν πολιν η κωμην εισελθητε εξετασατε τις εν αυτη αξιος εστιν κακει μεινατε εως αν εξελθητε
12.	And when you come into the house, salute it, saying: Peace be to this house.	Intrantes autem in domum, salutate eam, dicentes : Pax huic domui.	εισερχομενοι δε εις την οικιαν ασπασασθε αυτην
13.	And if that house be worthy, your peace shall come upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you.	Et siquidem fuerit domus illa digna, veniet pax vestra super eam : si autem non fuerit digna, pax vestra revertetur ad vos.	και εαν μεν η η οικια αξια ελθετω η ειρηνη υμων επ αυτην εαν δε μη η αξια η ειρηνη υμων προς υμας επιστραφητω
14.	And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet.	Et quicumque non receperit vos, neque audierit sermones vestros : exeunte foras de domo, vel civitate, excutite pulverem de pedibus vestris.	και ος εαν μη δεξηται υμας μηδε ακουση τους λογους υμων εξερχομενοι της οικιας η της πολεως εκεινης εκτιναξατε τον κονιορτον των ποδων υμων
15.	Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.	Amen dico vobis : Tolerabilius erit terræ Sodomorum et Gomorrhæorum in die judicii, quam illi civitati.	αμην λεγω υμιν ανεκτοτερον εσται γη σοδομων και γομορρων εν ημερα κρισεως η τη πολει εκεινη

7. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give.

GLOSS; Having told them to whom they should go, He now introduces what they should preach; Go and preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

RABAN; The kingdom of heaven is here said to draw nigh by the faith in the unseen Creator which is bestowed upon us, not by any movement of the visible elements. The saints are rightly denoted by the heavens, because they contain God by faith, and love Him with affection.

CHRYS; Behold the greatness of their ministry, behold the dignity of the Apostles. They are not to preach of any thing that can be an object of sense, as Moses and the Prophets did; but things new and unhooked for; those preached earthly goods, but these the kingdom of heaven and all the goods that are there.

GREG; Miracles also were granted to the that the power they should show might be a pledge of the truth of their words, and they who preached new things should also do new things; wherefore it follows, Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

JEROME; Lest peasants untaught and illiterate, without the graces of speech, should obtain credit with none when they announced the kingdom of Heaven, He gives them power to do the things above mentioned, that the greatness of the miracles might approve the greatness of their promises.

HILARY; The exercise of the Lord's power is wholly entrusted to the Apostles, that they who were formed in the image of Adam, and the likeness of God, should now obtain the perfect image of Christ; and whatever evil Satan had introduced into the body of Adam, this they should now repair by Communion with the Lord's power.

GREG; These signs were necessary in the beginning of the Church; the faith of the believers must he fed with miracles, that it might grow.

CHRYS; But afterwards they ceased when a reverence for the faith was universally established. Or, if they were continued at all, they were few and seldom; for it is usual with God to do such things when evil is increased, then He shows forth His power.

GREG; The Holy Church daily does spiritually, what it then did materially by the Apostles; yea, things far greater, inasmuch as she raises and cures souls and not bodies.

REMIG; The sick are the slothful who have not strength to live well; the lepers are the unclean in sin and animal delights; the demoniacs are they that are given up under the power of the Devil.

JEROME; And because spiritual gifts are more lightly esteemed when money is made the means of obtaining them, He adds a condemnation of avarice; Freely you have received, freely give; I your Master and Lord have imparted these to you without price, do you therefore give them to others in like manner, that the free grace of the Gospel be not corrupted.

GLOSS; This He says, that Judas who had the bag might not use the above power for getting money; a plain condemnation of time abomination of the simoniacal heresy.

GREG; For He knew before that there would be some that would turn the gift of the Spirit which they had received into merchandise, and pervert the power of miracles into an instrument of their covetousness.

CHRYS; Observe how He is as careful that they should be upright in moral virtue, as that they should have the miraculous powers, showing that miracles without these are nothing, Freely you have received, seems a check upon their pride; freely

give, a command to keep themselves pure from filthy lucre. Or, that what they should do might not be thought to be their own benevolence, He says, Freely you have received; as much as to say; you bestow nothing of your own on those you relieve; for you have not received these things for money, nor for wages of labor; as you have received them, so give to others; for indeed it is not possible to receive a price equal to their value.

9. Provide neither gold, nor silver nor brass in your purses,
10. Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

CHRYS. The Lord having forbidden to make merchandise of spiritual things, proceeds to pull up the root of all evil, saying, Possess neither gold, nor silver.

JEROME; For if they preach without receiving reward for it, the possession of gold and silver anti wealth was unnecessary. For had they had such, they would have been thought to be preaching, not for the sake of men's salvation, but their own gain.

CHRYS; This precept then first frees time Apostles from all suspicious; secondly, from all care, so that they may give up their whole time to preaching the word; thirdly, teaches them their excellence. This is what He said to them afterwards, Was any thing lacking to you, when I sent you without bag or scrip?

JEROME; As He had cut off riches, which are meant by gold and silver, He now almost cuts off necessaries of life; that the Apostles, teachers of the true religion, who taught men that all things are directed by God's providence, might show themselves to be without thought for the morrow.

GLOSS; When He adds, Neither money in your purses. For there are two kinds of things necessary; one is the means of buying necessaries, which is signified by the money in their purses; the other the necessaries themselves, which are signified by the scrip.

JEROME; In forbidding the scrip, neither scrip for your journey, He aimed at those philosophers commonly called; Bactroperatae, who being despisers of this world, and esteeming all things as nothing, yet carry a bag about with them. Nor two coats. By the two coats He seems to mean a change of raiment; not to bid us be content with a single tunic in the snow and frosts of Scythia, but that they should not carry about a change with them, wearing one, and carrying about the other as provision for the future. Nor shoes. It is a precept of Plato, that the two extremities of the body should be left unprotected, and that we should not accustom ourselves to tender care of the head and feet; for if these parts be hardy, it will follow that the rest of the body will be vigorous and healthy. Nor staff; for having the protection of the Lord, why need we seek the aid of a staff?

REMIG; The Lord shows by these words that the holy preachers were reinstated in the dignity of the first man, who as long as he possessed the heavenly treasures, did not desire other; but having lost those by sinning, he straightway began to desire the other.

CHRYS; A happy exchange! In place of gold and silver, and the like, they received power to heal time sick, to raise time dead. For He had not commanded them from the beginning, Possess neither gold nor silver; but only then when he said at time same time, Cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Whence it is clear that He made them Angels more than men, freeing them from all anxiety of this life, that they might have but one care, that of teaching; and even of that He in a manner takes away the burden, saying, Be not careful what you shall speak. Thus what seemed hard and burdensome, He shows them to be light and easy. For nothing is so pleasant as to be delivered from all care and anxiety, more especially when it is possible, being delivered from this, to lack nothing, God being present, and being to us instead of all things.

JEROME; As He had sent the Apostles forth unprovided and unencumbered on their mission, and the condition of the teachers seemed a hard one, He tempered the severity of the rules by this maxim, The laborer is worthy of his hire, i.e. Receive what you need for your food and clothing. Whence the Apostle says, Having food and raiment, let us be content. And again, Let him that is catechized communicate to him that catechizes in all good things; that they whose disciples reap spiritual things, should make them partakers of their carnal things, not for the gratification of covetousness, but for the supply of wants.

CHRYS; It fit the Apostles to be supported by their disciples, that neither they should be haughty towards those whom they taught, as though they gave all, and received nothing; and that the others, on their part, should not fall away, as over-honked by them. Also that the Apostles might not cry, he bids us lead the life of beggars, and should be ashamed thereat, he shows that this is their due, calling them laborers, and that which is given their hire. For they were not to suppose that because what they gave was only words, therefore they were to esteem it but a small benefit that they conferred; therefore He says, The laborer is worthy of his meat. This He said not to signify that the labors of the Apostles were only worth so much but laying down a rule for the Apostles and persuading those that gave, that what they gave was only what was due.

AUG; The Gospel therefore is not for sale, that it should be preached for reward. For if they so sell it, they sell a great thing for a small price. Let preachers then receive their necessary support from the people and from God the reward of their payment. For the people did not give pay to those that minister to them in the love of the Gospel but as it were a stipend that may support them to enable them to work.

AUG; Otherwise; When the Lord said to the Apostles, Possess not gold, He added immediately, The laborer is worthy of his hire, to show why He would not have them possess and carry about these things; not that these things were not needed for the support of this life, but that He sent them in such a way as to show that these things were due to them from those to whom they preached time Gospel, as pay to soldiers. It is clear that this precept of the Lord does not at all imply that they ought not according to the Gospel to live by any other means, than by the contributions of those to whom they preached; otherwise Paul transgressed this precept when he lived by the labor of his own hands. But He gave the Apostles authority that these things were due to them from the house in which they abode. But when the Lord has issued a command, if it be not performed it is the sin of disobedience; when He bestows a privilege it is in any one's power not to use it, and as it were to refrain from claiming this right. The Lord then having sanctioned this maxim, that they who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel, He spoke these things to the Apostles, that being confident they should not possess nor carry about with them the necessaries of life, neither things great not things small. Therefore He adds, Nor a staff to show that from His people all things are due to His ministers and they require no superfluities. This authority , He signifies by the staff, saying in Mark, Take nothing but a staff only. And when He forbids them (in Matthew) to take with them shoes, He forbids that carefulness and thought which would be anxious to carry them lest they should be wanting. Thus also we must understand concerning the two coats, that none should think it necessary to carry another besides that which he wore, supposing that he should have need of it; for it would be in his power to obtain one by this authority which the Lord gave. Further that we read in Mark that they should be shod with sandals, seems to imply that this kind of shoe has a mystic meaning in it, that the foot should neither be covered above, nor yet bare beneath, that is, that the Gospel should not be hid, nor yet rest itself on earthy advantage. Also when He forbids them to carry two coats, He warned them not to walk deceitfully, but in simplicity. So we cannot doubt that all these things were said by the Lord, partly in a direct, partly in a figurative sense; and that of the two Evangelists one inserted some things, the other things, in his narrative. If anyone should think that the Lord could not in one speech speak some things in a direct, and some things in a mystic sense, let him look at any other of His sayings, and he will see how hasty and unlearned his opinion is. When the Lord commands that the left hand should not know what the right hand does, does he think that almsgiving, and the rest of His precepts in that place are to be taken figuratively?

JEROME; Thus far we have expounded by the letter; but metaphorically, as we often find gold put for the sense, silver for the words, brass for the voice - all these we may say we are not to receive from others, but to have them given by the Lord. We are not to take up the teaching of heretics, of philosophers, and of corrupt doctrine.

HILARY; The girdle is the making ready for the ministry, the girding up that we may be active in duty; we may suppose that the forbidding money in the girdle is to warn us from suffering any thing in the ministry to be bought and sold. We are not to have a scrip by the way, that is, we are to leave all care of our worldly substance; for all treasure on earth is hurtful to the heart, which will be there where the treasure is. Not two coats, for it is enough to have once put on Christ, for after true knowledge of Him ought we to be clothed with any other garment of heresy or law. Not shoes, because standing on holy ground as was said to Moses not covered with the thorns and prickles of sin, we are admonished to have no other preparation of our walk than that we have received from Christ.

JEROME; Or; the Lord herein teaches us that our feet are not to be bound with the chains of death, but to be bare as we tread on the holy ground. We are not to carry a staff which may be turned into a serpent, nor to trust in any arm of flesh; for all such is a reed on which if a man lean ever so lightly, it will break and go into his hand and pierce him.

HILARY; Neither a staff; that is, We are not to seek rights of extraneous power, having a rod from the root of Jesse.

11. And into whatever city or town you shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till you go.
12. And when you come into a house, salute it.
13. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14. And whoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15. Verily I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorra in the day of judgment, than for that city.

CHRYS; The Lord had said above, The workman is worthy of his meat; that they should not suppose that He would open all doors to them, He here commands them to use much circumspection in the choice of a host, saying, Into what city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy.

JEROME; The Apostles, on entering a strange town, could not know of each inhabitant what sort of man he was; they were to choose their host therefore by the report of the people, and opinion of time neighbors, that the worthiness of the preacher might not be disgraced by the ill character of his entertainer.

CHRYS; How then did Christ Himself abide with the publican? Because he was made worthy by his conversion; for this command that he should be worthy, had respect not to their rank, but to their furnishing food. For if he be worthy he will provide them with food, especially when they need no more than bare necessaries. Observe how though He stripped them of all property, He supplied all their wants, suffering them to abide in the houses of those whom they taught. For so they were both themselves set free from care, and convinced men that it was for their salvation only that they had come, seeing they carried nothing about with them, and desired nothing beyond necessaries. And they did not lodge at all places indiscriminately, for He would not have them known only by their miracles, but much more by their virtues. But nothing is a greater mark of virtue, than to discard superfluities.

JEROME; One host is chosen who does not so much confer a favor upon him who is to abide with him, as receive one. For it is said, Who in it is worthy, that he may know that he rather receives than does a favor.

CHRYS; Also observe that He has not yet endowed them with all gifts; for He has not given them power to discern who is worthy, but bids them seek out; and not only to find out who is worthy, but also not to pass from house to house, saying, And there remain until you depart out of that city; so they would neither make their entertainer sorrowful, nor themselves incur suspicion of lightness or gluttony.

AMBROSE; The Apostles are not to choose carelessly the house into which they enter, that they may have no cause for changing their lodging; the same caution is not enforced upon the entertainer, lest in choosing his guests, his hospitality should be diminished. When you enter a house, salute it, saying, Peace be to this house.

GLOSS; As much as to say, pray for peace upon the master of the house, that all resistance to the truth may be pacified.

JEROME; Here is a latent allusion to the form of salutation in Hebrew and Syriac; they say Salemalach or Salamalach; that is, ' Peace be with you.' The command then is that on entering any house they should pray for peace for their hose and as far as they may be able, to still all discords, so that if any quarrel should arise, they, who had prayed for peace should have it - others should have the discord; as it follows, And if that house be worthy, your peace shall rest upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you again.

REMIG. Thus either the hearer, being predestined to eternal life, will follow the heavenly word when he hears it; or if there be none who will hear it, the preacher himself shall not be without fruit; for his peace returns to him when he receives of the Lord recompense for all his labor.

CHRYS; The Lord instructs them, that though they were teachers, yet they should not look to be first saluted by others; but that they should honor others by first saluting them. And then He shows them that they should give not a salutation only, but a benediction, when He says, If that house be worthy, your peace shall rest upon it.

REMIG. The Lord therefore taught his disciples to differ peace on their entering into a house, that by means of their salutation their choice might be directed to a worthy house and host. As though He had said, Offer peace to all, they will show themselves either worthy by accepting, or unworthy by not accepting it; for though you have chosen a host that is worthy by the character he hears among his neighbors, yet ought you to salute him, that the preacher may seem rather to enter by invitation, than to intrude himself. This salutation of peace in few words may indeed be referred to the trial of the worthiness of the house or master.

HILARY; The Apostles salute the house with the prayer of peace; yet so as that peace seems rather spoken than given. For their own peace which was the bowels of their pity ought not to rest upon the house if it were not worthy; then the sacrament of heavenly peace could be kept within the Apostles own bosom. Upon such as rejected the precepts of the heavenly kingdom an eternal curse is left by the departure of the Apostles, and the dust shaken from their feet; And whoever shall not receive you, not hear your words, when you go out of that house, or that town, ease the dust off your feet. For he that lives in any place seems to have a kind of fellowship with that place. By the casting the dust off the feet therefore all that belonged to that house is left behind, and nothing of healing or soundness is borrowed from the footsteps of the Apostles having trod their soil.

JEROME; Also they shake off the dust as a testimony of the Apostles' toil, that in preaching the Gospel they had come even so far, or as a token that from those that rejected the Gospel they would accept nothing, not even the necessaries of life.

RABAN; Otherwise; The feet of the disciples signify the labor and progress of preaching. The dust which covers them is the lightness of earthly thoughts, from which even the greatest doctors cannot be free; their anxiety for their hearers involves them in cares for their prosperity, and in passing through the ways of this world, they gather the dust of the earth they tread upon. They then who have despised the teaching of these doctors, turn upon themselves all the toils and dangers and anxieties of the Apostles as a witness to their damnation. And lest it should seem a slight thing not to receive the Apostles, He adds, Verily I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorra in the day of judgment than for that city.

JEROME; Because to the men of Sodom and Gomorra no man had ever preached; but this city had been preached to and had rejected time Gospel.

REMIG; Or because the men of Sodom and Gomorra were hospitable among their sensuality, but they had never entertained such strangers as the Apostles.

JEROME; But if it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for that city, hence we may learn that there is difference of degree in the punishment of sinners.

REMIG; Sodom and Gomorra are especially mentioned, to show that those sins which are against nature are particularly hateful to God, for which the world was drowned with the waters of the deluge, four towns were overthrown, and the world is daily afflicted with manifold evils.

HILARY; Figuratively, the Lord teaches us not to enter the houses or to mix in the acquaintance of those who persecute Christ, or who are ignorant of Him; and in each town to inquire who among them is worthy, i.e. where there is a Church wherein Christ dwells; and not to pass to another, because this house is worthy, this host is our right host. But there would be many of the Jews who would be so well disposed to the Law, that though they believed in Christ because they admired His works, yet they would abide in the works of the Law; and others again who, desiring to make trial of that liberty which is in Christ, would feign themselves ready to forsake the Law for the Gospel; many also would be drawn aside into heresy by perverse understanding. And since all these would falsely maintain that with them only was Catholic verity, therefore we must with great caution seek out the house, i.e. the Church.

Matthew 10