Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 10-12-12

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 10-12-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

October 12, 2012

 

Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

 

Reading 1 Gal 3:7-14

Brothers and sisters:
Realize that it is those who have faith
who are children of Abraham.
Scripture, which saw in advance that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith,
foretold the good news to Abraham, saying,
Through you shall all the nations be blessed.
Consequently, those who have faith are blessed
along with Abraham who had faith.
For all who depend on works of the law are under a curse;
for it is written, Cursed be everyone
who does not persevere in doing all the things
written in the book of the law.
And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear,
for the one who is righteous by faith will live.
But the law does not depend on faith;
rather, the one who does these things will live by them.
Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,
for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree,
that the blessing of Abraham might be extended
to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus,
so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 111:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. (5) The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart
in the company and assembly of the just.
Great are the works of the LORD,
exquisite in all their delights.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
Majesty and glory are his work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the LORD.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.
He has given food to those who fear him;
he will forever be mindful of his covenant.
He has made known to his people the power of his works,
giving them the inheritance of the nations.
R. The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

Gospel Lk 11:15-26

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:
"By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

"When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
'I shall return to my home from which I came.'
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first."

[annalex]

The Fall of the Rebel Angels

Pieter Breugel the Elder

1562
Oil on oak, 117 x 162 cm
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels

[Salvation]

Information: St. Wilfrid

Feast Day:	October 12
Born:	634 in Northumbria, England
Died:	709 at Oundle, Northhamptonshire, England
Patron of:	Middlesbrough, England

[Salvation]

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Felix and St. Cyprian

 
Feast Day: October 12
Died:484

Felix and Cyprian were African bishops. They suffered with over 4,900 martyrs in the terrible persecution by the Vandals.

Huneric, the Arian Vandal king, drove these Christians into the Libyan desert. There they were treated with great cruelty, tortured and killed by the Moors for their faith in Christ.

A holy bishop named Victor tried to help the poor Christians who had been shut up in a horrible prison and packed in without sufficient air or light.

He wrote the story of their courage and their sufferings. Bishop Victor says that when they were ordered into exile in the terrible desert, they came out of that prison singing hymns.

Other Christians burst into tears at the sight of their great courage. Even women and children went with them to exile and death.

The story is told of Bishop St. Felix. He was so old, half-paralyzed and so crippled that someone said to the Vandal king Hunneric: "You might just as well leave him here to die."

But King Huneric cruelly answered, "If he cannot ride a horse, he can be dragged by oxen." In the end, they decided to tie the brave old bishop to a donkey and he was carried off to die in the desert.

We also celebrate St. Cyprian who risked his own life to take care of as many prisoners as he could. He spent all his time and strength, plus everything he owned, to help them.

At last, he, too, was arrested and sent into exile. There he also died a martyr from the cruel treatment reserved for Christians.

These two men followed the example of Jesus as leaders in the Church. They gladly served those whom they guided with great generosity.

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Friday, October 12
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church honors St. Maximilian of Lorch, bishop. St. Maximilian came from a wealthy family, but gave away his inheritance to serve God. He was beheaded in 284 A.D.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: October 12, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, who in the abundance of your kindness surpass the merits and the desires of those who entreat you, pour out your mercy upon us to pardon what conscience dreads and to give what prayer does not dare to ask. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

• Fillet of Flounder in Tomato Sauce
• Oven-Fried Fish
• Tartare Sauce

ACTIVITIES

• Religion in the Home for Elementary School: October
• Religion in the Home for Preschool: October

PRAYERS

• Blessing of Missionaries Sent to Proclaim the Gospel

LIBRARY

• Ground Plan for Catholic Reading | Frank J. Sheed
• The Antiquity of the Doctrine of Transubstantiation | W. R. Carson
• The Church’s Infallible and Immutable Doctrine on Contraception Stands Amid Growing Opposition | Raymond E. Drake
• The Jesuits | Alban Goodier

Ordinary Time: October 12th

Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Wilfrid (Hist)

St. Wilfrid, mentioned in the Roman Martyology, was born in Northumbria and studied at Lindisfarne and Canterbury. Accompanying St. Benedict, Bishop to Rome, he tarried for a whole year at Lyons with St. Delphinus, who tried to make him marry his niece. Named Bishop of York, he came to France to receive episcopal consecration and again remained for two years. Wilfrid was to suffer from the lack of obedience shown by his fellow citizens toward the Apostolic See. The end of his life was almost exclusively devoted to the care of the monasteries he had founded.

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St. Wilfrid
St. Wilfrid was a Northumbrian of noble birth. He was educated at Lindisfarne, and became infected with a love both for learning and the monastic life. When quite a young man he traveled to Canterbury and then to Rome. On his return, he founded monasteries at Ripon and Stamford, and became prominent as the successful protagonist of the Roman customs at the Synod of Whitby, 664 A.D.

He was then made Bishop of York, and went to France to be consecrated. In his absence Chad was consecrated and made Bishop of York in his place, and held the see for four years. During this time Wilfrid founded a monastery at Oundle and acted as bishop in Mercia. He was then installed at York by Archbishop Theodore, and ruled the see for nine years. He also founded the Abbey of Hexham. He managed to gain the ill-will of Egfrith, King of Northumbria, and Archbishop Theodore, who divided his diocese in four parts without his knowledge or consent.

He journeyed to Rome, and his appeal was successful, but on his return to Northumbria he was accused of having forged the pope's bull, and was thrown into prison. After his release he went to Sussex, and for five years preached the Gospel to its pagan inhabitants. When he went there the country was suffering from famine, the result of three years' drought, and its inhabitants were drowning themselves in despair. Wilfrid gained their goodwill by teaching them to fish.

"By this benefit the bishop gained the affections of them all, and they began more readily to hope for heavenly blessings, since by his help they had already received those which are temporal." His labors seem to have been abundantly successful, and he added to his success by establishing a monastery at Selsey.

Archbishop Theodore, now on his deathbed, became reconciled to Wilfrid, and even wished to nominate him as his successor in the See of Canterbury. This, however, Wilfrid refused, but used Theodore's good offices to secure his return to Northumbria.

After a few years his enemies seem to have made his position so difficult that he retired to Mercia, and when St. Chad died he succeeded to his position as Bishop of Lichfield, and labored in that diocese for ten years. He was recalled to be tried by a Northumbrian council of nobles and bishops, was once more condemned, and once more appealed to Rome. Once again his appeal was successful, and this time the Roman judgment was accepted in Northumbria.

The few remaining years of his life were spent in comparative retirement, principally at Hexham and Ripon. His last public act was the consecration of Evesham Abbey; he died on his way home at his monastery at Oundle in the year 709, and was buried at Ripon.

Wilfrid was one of the most versatile and accomplished men of his own or any other age. He was a great builder, a lover of learning, and a musician; he knew how to create splendid effects through art and through religious ceremonial. He was also a founder and a builder in men as well as stones. He was, in fact, a great creative artist.

Patron: Ripon, England.

Symbols: Fallen idols; fish; font; pallium and crosier; model of a cathedral; ship and staff.

Things to Do:

• Read more about St. Wilfrid and the Monastery at Ripon.

• Visit this In Search of St. Wilfrid, an Anglican site, for a collection of articles about St. Wilfrid which thoroughly explores his life and times. (Don't forget St. Wilfrid predates Henry VIII and therefore all the information is about the Catholic Church.)

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 11:15-26

27th Week in Ordinary Time

“The kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20)

When Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were developing the rev­olutionary Apple computer, they approached several established companies for support, but none would help him. Surely these com­panies regretted it later when Apple became one of the most success­ful companies in history. But Jobs didn’t let the rejection bother him. “We’re gambling on our vision,” he once said, “and we would rather do that than make ‘me too’ products. Let some other companies do that. For us, it’s always the next dream.”

Jesus also faced rejection from members of the religious establish­ment of his day, and for a similar reason. He wasn’t a me-too rabbi following the status quo. He had come to tell his people about God’s next dream for them. It was the dream of a life filled with the Spirit. It was a dream of intimacy with God—intimacy experienced both in corporate worship and within each person’s heart. It was a dream of restoration, healing, and redemption.

God has dreams for us today as well. He wants all of us to know how freeing and fulfilling life in his kingdom is. Long before Jesus came, he made a promise that is just as fresh today: “See, I am doing some­thing new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). Our Father is always creating “some­thing new,” both in our hearts and in the world around us.

What is Jesus’ next dream for you? One way to answer this ques­tion is to sit down with a pen and paper and try to write out all the dreams you have in your heart right now. As you write, be careful not to disqualify any of them, no mat­ter how far-fetched or absurd they sound. Then sit with this list for a bit, and see if any of them strike a chord in your heart. How might the Lord want to convert this dream into a reality that gives him glory and serves his Church?

Don’t be afraid to dream big. Maybe you will be key in overcom­ing the scourge of abortion. Maybe you will play a role in solving world hunger. You’ll never know if you don’t set your dreams free! God has wonderful plans for you!

“Holy Spirit, open my mind and my heart to your dreams and goals for my life. I want to be pleasing to you!”

Galatians 3:7-14, Psalm: 111:1-6

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for October 12, 2012:

(Reader’s Tip) Love in marriage is a responsibility to God. If that is understood all else can be resolved.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Keeping House

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week of Ordinary Time

Father Patrick Butler, LC

Luke 11: 15-26

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said, "By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons." Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ´I shall return to my home from which I came.´ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first." 

Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are omnipotent, all-powerful. For that reason alone, I ought to ally myself to you. I believe that you can do all things. I am confident that you will act in my life. I love you because even though you are the all-powerful God, you are humble, having made yourself one like me, so that I can approach you without being intimidated, with trust.

Petition: Lord Jesus, your kingdom come in my soul!

1. The Sign from Heaven: When Jesus casts out a demon from a soul, some of the bystanders then ask him to perform a sign from heaven. Jesus is the sign from heaven, the living presence of God with us. His casting out a demon already testifies that he can do what no one else can do. It proves that he is God. However, I want to fix my eyes on him as the object of my love, not on the spectacular things that he does. It is important to look at the Giver, not the gift he gives.

2. The Kingdom of God: There is combat going on, and the human soul is the battleground. In this case the man is freed of demonic possession, and one kingdom has been dispossessed of its conquest. Another Kingdom is on the move! Light is replacing darkness. Springtime melts away the winter. This brings joy and warmth to my soul.

3. The Gentle Guest: When the soul has been freed from the effects of evil, it can be likened to a tidy house. Jesus chose to clean the house, the interior dwelling place, of the possessed man. He will not, by his choice alone, take up the vacant place in that soul. He very much desires to be there, but he knocks and wants to be invited in freely by the homeowner. Once at home in my heart, Jesus is the strong man whom no one can overcome.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, I am not content just with being liberated from sin, although that is already a great gift. I know that you are knocking at the door of my heart. I ask you to come in and make my soul your dwelling place. I have been made to be a dwelling place of the Blessed Trinity, and I desire that fullness of life.

Resolution: I will be attentive to the fact that I am a dwelling of God and look to do what is worthy of that dignity. Specifically, I will be attentive to the thoughts that pass through my mind and the words that cross my lips today.

[Salvation]

With Him, Not Against Him

by Food For Thought on October 12, 2012 · 0 Comments

In the Gospel, when Jesus drives out the mute demon, the crowds are amazed. Yet some are skeptical and demand a more spectacular sign. Still others say that Jesus’ power to heal is of demonic origin. This shows that people believe what they want to believe. Those with open minds can perceive the truth while those with biased or impure thoughts see something else.

When God manifests His presence in our lives, we have a decision to make – to convert to Him or not. Some people see God doing miracles, both physical and spiritual, and still refuse to believe and change their ways. Miracles are supposed to help us believe in God and to strengthen our faith. Yet some people are so stubborn and continue to disbelieve. We cannot remain neutral in front of a clear manifestation of God’s power.

Jesus said in the Gospel, “He who is not with me is against me.” If we are with Jesus, we will recognize his works because they usually bring fruits of love, peace, and healing. We will obey and follow him because we acknowledge that he was sent by God to save men from their sins. But if we do not want to convert to God, no miracle can convince us because our eyes are closed and our hearts are hardened.

May we not be counted among the unbelievers but rather with those who have faith in Jesus.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Friday, October 12, 2012 >>

Galatians 3:7-14
View Readings

Psalm 111:1-6

Luke 11:15-26

"THE RIGHT HAND OF THE POWER" (Mt 26:64)

"If it is by the finger of God that I cast out devils, then the reign of God is upon you." —Luke 11:20

 

Jesus is stronger than the strong man (Lk 11:22). He is stronger than the devil. The One in us is greater than the one in the world (1 Jn 4:4).

Do we realize how much stronger and greater Jesus is? Jesus is so much stronger and greater that Satan is not even a close second to the Lord. Satan is not even remotely close to the all-powerful Lord, although he lies about being like God. For this reason, the angel sent by God to defeat Satan forever is named "Michael," meaning "Who is like God?" (see Rv 12:7)

Because we as Christians draw our "strength from the Lord and His mighty power" (Eph 6:10), it is important to know that the Lord is all-powerful and that the devil can't compare with Him. In Baptism, we have been "clothed with power from on high" (Lk 24:49). The devil is no match for us in Christ. When we are under the authority of Christ, we are in authority over Satan (see Mt 10:1). We can drive out Satan (Mk 16:17), disarm and despoil him (Lk 11:22), bring down his strongholds and sophistries (2 Cor 10:4), and make a public show of him (Col 2:15). In Christ, we don't have to worry about Satan. He has to worry about us.

Know and use your power in Christ.

 

Prayer: Father, I will use fully my authority and power in Jesus.

Promise: "This has happened so that through Christ Jesus the blessing bestowed on Abraham might descend on the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, thereby making it possible for us to receive the promised Spirit through faith." —Gal 3:14

Praise: Fr. Ron promotes perpetual Eucharistic adoration in Catholic churches. He has found that no person has ever been harmed traveling to or from adoration in these parishes, even in the most dangerous neighborhoods, or in the midnight hours.

[Salvation]

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