Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-15-05, Optional, St. Albert the Great

November 15, 2005
Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Tuesday 49

Reading I
2 Mc 6:18-31

Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes,
a man of advanced age and noble appearance,
was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork.
But preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement,
he spat out the meat,
and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food
which it is unlawful to taste even for love of life.
Those in charge of that unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately,
because of their long acquaintance with him,
and urged him to bring meat of his own providing,
such as he could legitimately eat,
and to pretend to be eating some of the meat of the sacrifice
prescribed by the king;
in this way he would escape the death penalty,
and be treated kindly because of their old friendship with him.
But Eleazar made up his mind in a noble manner,
worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced age,
the merited distinction of his gray hair,
and of the admirable life he had lived from childhood;
and so he declared that above all
he would be loyal to the holy laws given by God.

He told them to send him at once
to the abode of the dead, explaining:
“At our age it would be unbecoming to make such a pretense;
many young people would think the ninety-year-old Eleazar
had gone over to an alien religion.
Should I thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life,
they would be led astray by me,
while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men,
I shall never, whether alive or dead,
escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now,
I will prove myself worthy of my old age,
and I will leave to the young a noble example
of how to die willingly and generously
for the revered and holy laws.”

Eleazar spoke thus,
and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed,
now became hostile toward him because what he had said
seemed to them utter madness.
When he was about to die under the blows,

he groaned and said:
“The Lord in his holy knowledge knows full well that,
although I could have escaped death,
I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging,
but also suffering it with joy in my soul
because of my devotion to him.”
This is how he died,
leaving in his death a model of courage
and an unforgettable example of virtue
not only for the young but for the whole nation.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 3:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R. (6b) The Lord upholds me.
O LORD, how many are my adversaries!
Many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“There is no salvation for him in God.”
R. The Lord upholds me.
But you, O LORD, are my shield;
my glory, you lift up my head!
When I call out to the LORD,
he answers me from his holy mountain.
R. The Lord upholds me.
When I lie down in sleep,
I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
I fear not the myriads of people
arrayed against me on every side.
R. The Lord upholds me.

Gospel
Lk 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus,
who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd,
for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus,
who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said,
“Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house.”
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying,
“He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor,
and if I have extorted anything from anyone
I shall repay it four times over.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save what was lost.”

From: 2 Maccabees 6:18-31

Martyrdom of Eleazar

[18] Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced
in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to
eat swine’s flesh. [19] But he, welcoming death with honor rather than
life with pollution, went up to the rack of his own accord, spitting
out the flesh, [20] as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse
things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.

[21] Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man
aside, because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately
urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use,
and pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal which
had been commanded by the king, [22] so that by doing this he might be
saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old
friendship with them. [23] But making a high resolve, worthy of his
years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs which he had
reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood,
and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself
quickly, telling them to send him to Hades.

[24] ”Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life’ he said, “lest
many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year
has gone over to an alien religion, [25] and through my pretense, for
the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray
because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age. [26] For even
if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I
live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. [27]
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself
worthy of my old age [28] and leave to the young a noble example of
how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws.”

When he had said this, he went at once to the rack. [29] And those who
a little before had acted toward him with good will now changed to ill
will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer
madness. [30] When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned
aloud and said: “It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that,
though I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible
sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to
suffer these things because I fear him.”

[31] So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of
nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the
great body of his nation.

Commentary:

6:18-31. The story of Eleazar carries the lesson that faithfulness to
God's law is what matters most to the righteous man, and that the
example given by prominent people can have enormous consequences. St
Gregory Nazianzen calls Eleazar “the greatest of all those who
suffered before the coming of Christ; as Stephen is first among those
who endure suffering after Christ” ("Orationes", 15, 3). In ascetical
tradition, Eleazar continues to be a clear example of fortitude: “The
person with fortitude is one who perseveres in doing what his
conscience tells him he ought to do. He does not measure the value of a task
exclusively by the benefit he receives from it, but rather by the
service he renders to others. The strong man will at times suffer, but
he stands firm; he may be driven to tears, but he will brush them
aside. When difficulties come thick and fast, he does not bend before them.
Remember the example given us in the book of the Maccabees: an old
man, Eleazar, prefers to die than break God’s law. ‘By manfully giving
up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to
the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and
nobly for the revered and holy laws” (St J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 77).

6:23. The Greco-Roman world called the dwelling-place of the dead
“Hades”--in Hebrew “sheol” (cf. the note on 1 Kings 2:6).

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

From: Luke 19:1-10

The Conversion of Zacchaeus

[1] He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] And there
was a rich man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and
rich. [3] And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on
account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. [4] So he ran
on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was to
pass that way. [5] And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and
said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at
your house today." [6] So he made haste and came down, and received
Him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it they all murmured, "He has gone
in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." [8] And Zacchaeus stood
and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the
poor; and if I have defrauded any one of anything, I restore it
fourfold." [9] And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to
this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man
came to seek and save the lost."

Commentary:

1-10. Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind; He has healed many sick
people, has raised the dead to life and, particularly, has brought
forgiveness of sin and the gift of grace to those who approach Him in
faith. As in the case of the sinful woman (cf. Luke 7:36-50), here He
brings salvation to Zacchaeus, for the mission of the Son of Man is to
save that which was lost.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector and, as such, was hated by the people,
because the tax collectors were collaborators of the Roman authorities
and were often guilty of abuses. The Gospel implies that this man also
had things to seek forgiveness for (cf. verses 7-10). Certainly he was
very keen to see Jesus (no doubt moved by grace) and he did everything
he could to do so. Jesus rewards his efforts by staying as a guest in
his house. Moved by our Lord's presence Zacchaeus begins to lead a new
life.

The crowd begin to grumble against Jesus for showing affection to a man
they consider to be an evildoer. Our Lord makes no excuses for his
behavior: He explains that this is exactly why He has come--to seek out
sinners. He is putting into practice the parable of the lost sheep
(cf. Luke 15:4-7), which was already prophesied in Ezekiel: "I will seek
the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the
crippled, and I will strengthen the weak" (34:16).

4. Zacchaeus wants to see Jesus, and to do so he has to go out and mix
with the crowd. Like the blind man of Jericho he has to shed any kind
of human respect. In our own search for God we should not let false
shame or fear of ridicule prevent us from using the resources available
to us to meet our Lord. "Convince yourself that there is no such thing
as ridicule for whoever is doing what is best" ([Blessed] J. Escriva,
"The Way", 392).

5-6. This is a very good example of the way God acts to save men.
Jesus calls Zacchaeus personally, using his name, suggesting he invite
Him home. The Gospel states that Zacchaeus does so promptly and
joyfully. This is how we should respond when God calls us by means of
grace.

8. Responding immediately to grace, Zacchaeus makes it known that he
will restore fourfold anything he obtained unjustly--thereby going
beyond what is laid down in the Law of Moses (cf. Exodus 21:37f). And
in generous compensation he gives half his wealth to the poor. "Let
the rich learn", St. Ambrose comments, "that evil does not consist in
having wealth, but in not putting it to good use; for just as riches
are an obstacle to evil people, they are also a means of virtue for
good people" ("Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc."). Cf. note on
Luke 16:9-11).

10. Jesus' ardent desire to seek out a sinner to save him fills us with
hope of attaining eternal salvation. "He chooses a chief tax
collector: who can despair when such a man obtains grace?" (St.
Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc.").

Catholic Culture

Collect:
God our Father, you endowed St. Albert with the talent of combining human wisdom with divine faith. Keep us true to his teachings that the advance of human knowledge may deepen our knowledge and love of you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Prayers:

» Litany of Saint Albert the Great

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November 15, 2005

Optional Memorial of St. Albert the Great, bishop, confessor and doctor

Old Calendar: St. Albert the Great; St. Leopold of Austria

Today the Church celebrates the optional memorial of St. Albert the Great, son of a German nobleman, who was studying at Padua when the Master General of the Dominicans, Jordan of Saxony, succeeded in attracting him to that Order. He was to become one of its greatest glories. After taking his degrees at the University of Paris he taught philosophy and theology at Paris and then in Cologne. St. Thomas Aquinas was among his pupils. His knowledge was encyclopedic. In 1260 he was named Bishop of Ratisbon and devoted himself zealously to the duties of his office. But soon resigned in order to continue his teaching and research. St. Albert died in Cologne on November 15, 1280.

St. Leopold of Austria is not on the Universal Roman Calendar but is included in the Roman Martyrology. He was born at Melk in Austria, a grandson of emperor Henry III. In 1096 he succeeded his father as fourth margrave of Austria. He married Agnes, daughter of Henry IV, by whom he had eighteen children. He ruled firmly and successfully for forty years, and was especially interested in the spread of religious institutions. He was the founder of Mariazell (Benedictine), Heiligenkreuz (Cistercian) and Klosternenburg (Augustinian). He was buried in the last mentioned monastery.

St. Albert the Great

Albert, the "light of Germany," called the Great because of his encyclopedic knowledge, was born in 1193 at Lauingen, Donau. He studied at Padua, where under the influence of the second Dominican general, he joined the newly-founded Order of Preachers (1223). Soon he was sent to Germany, taught in various cities, particularly Cologne; Thomas Aquinas was his student. In 1248 he received the honor of Master in Sacred Theology at Paris. Throngs attended his lectures.

In 1254 Albert was chosen provincial of his Order in Germany. For a time he lived at the court of Pope Alexander II, who in 1260 made him bishop of Regensburg; two years later, however, he returned to his community at Cologne. There he acted as counselor, peacemaker, and shepherd of souls with great success. He died at the age of eighty-seven. Pope Pius XI numbered him among the ranks of the saints on December 16, 1931, and declared him a doctor of the Church. Much of his life was given to writing. His twenty-one folio volumes are devoted to commentaries on Aristotle (whose works were just then becoming known in the West) and the Bible. Legend credits him with drawing the ground plans for the cathedral at Cologne. Albert, the greatest German scholar of the Middle Ages, was outstanding in the fields of natural science, theology, and philosophy.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Albert is named "Doctor Universalis" because of his vast knowledge and writings.

Patron: Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Ohio; medical technicians; natural sciences; philosophers; schoolchildren; scientists; students; students of theology.

Symbols: crosier of a bishop; cap of the teacher; large book; cross over the sun, the moon and the earth (symbolizing his theological wisdom and knowledge of nature); Man dressed as a Dominican bishop lecturing from a pulpit; man arguing with Saint Thomas Aquinas; Dominican holding a globe, lecturing from a pulpit, or studying.

Things to Do:

Learn more about St. Albert from the Catholic Encyclopedia, Dominicans.
St. Albert is an especially apt patron for scientists because he made his love of truth about nature into an instrument of his love of Christ;
Read what Pope John Paul II wrote about science and faith.

St. Leopold of Austria

Born at Melk, Austria, he was educated by Bishop Altman of Passau and succeeded his father as margrave of Austria when he was twenty-three. He married the daughter of Emperor Henry IV, by whom he had eighteen children, in 1106, founded the monasteries of Heiligenkreuz in the Wienerwald, Klosterneuburg, near Vienriazell in Styria, and was known for his piety and charity. He refused the imperial crown when his brother-in-law Henry V died in 1125. Leopold died after reigning as margrave for forty years at Klosterneuburg. He was surnamed "the Good" by his people and was canonized in 1486.

Excerpted from the Dictionary of Saints, John J. Delaney.

St. Leopold is the patron saint of Austria. This day is called Goose Day in Austria, another harvest festival that includes traditional menus of roast goose and the drinking of the new wine.

Patron: Austria (so named in 1663); death of children; large families; Lower Austria; step-parents; Upper Austria.

Symbols: Armed count with a cross on his coronet, a banner with three eagles, and a model of the church of Heiligenkreuz in his hand; before the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Anne; hunting with his courtiers, and finding his wife's veil near the monastery of Klosterneuburg; with Saint Jerome; with his building Klosterneuburg; with the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing to him while hunting and the veil nearby.

Things to Do:

Prepare a dinner of Austrian Goulash or some other Austrian dish in honor of St. Leopold, or follow Austrian customs of roasting a goose and drinking new wine. See recipes for Martinmas (November 11) and Michaelmas (September 29).
Take a virtual trip to the country of Austria, Leopold's homeland.
Learn more about Klosterneuburg Abbey that St. Leopold founded and the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Through You, God Can Bring Forth Good Out of Evil
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Tuesday, November 15, 2005

2 Maccabees 6:18-31 / Lk 19:1-10

Out of every tragedy and every evil, God eventually brings a greater good, though sometimes that good remains hidden and invisible for a long time. Often, in the midst of suffering, it's difficult to understand or believe, but it is true. And from time to time we can see it happening. That's what we have in today's reading from the book of Maccabees: Good coming out of evil.

Eleazar, a ninety-year-old scholar of great dignity and preeminence, was confronted with the subtlest of all temptations, the opportunity to save his life by pretending to abandon his faith, while not really doing so at all. It was the perfect out: He could continue to enjoy his old age, while keeping his hands clean of any formal violations of God's law. Just pretend, for a few minutes! That was all.

But Eleazar refused, for he knew that he still had one gift left to give, a gift that was sorely needed, and that was the example of an old man, whose faithfulness could inspire the young to take heart and not betray what was best in them. Eleazar refused the seductive offer and was put to death amidst great agony. And the young men took heart and remained true.

Because Eleazar listened to God's voice within him, God brought forth good out of evil through him. God wants to do the same through and with you: Bring good out of evil. Are you listening to Him? Are you placing yourself entirely at His service? Some lives will be forever different if you do.

The Word Among Us

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Meditation
Luke 19:1-10

Today salvation has come to this house. (Luke 19:9)

What was it that moved Jesus to make this proclamation? Was it because Zacchaeus sought out Jesus so creatively? Or was it his decision to pay back any ill-gotten financial gain? Actually it was both. Jesus was glad that Zacchaeus had sought him out and welcomed him into his home, but he didn’t confirm Zacchaeus’ salvation until Zacchaeus made the commitment to change his ways. Jesus was watching for the moment when Zacchaeus’ faith would express itself in action.

Make no mistake about it: Salvation is a free gift from God. But our response to this free gift is crucial. What good is our faith, after all, if it doesn’t lead us into a life of love in the service of others? It would have done Zacchaeus little good to accept Jesus as the Messiah, and then continue in a life of cheating others out of their tax money. The scene of Zacchaeus walking through the streets giving back handfuls of money undoubtedly said far more than a thousand words he could have uttered about how much he loved Jesus.

Today, take a moment to examine your own walk of faith. Most of us are somewhere between a life of “faith only” on one side, and “works only” on the other. If your prayer life and religious practices are strong, consider whether you could be doing more to show your love for the Lord and for others on a regular basis. Think of a way you can serve your family today, or consider a ministry in your parish that you could join. St. Paul encouraged the Philippians to continue to work out their salvation each day (Philippians 2:12). If you are already strong on good deeds, ask if your prayer life could use a lift. Take a few moments right now to tell the Lord how much you love him. It really is a balancing act, but our goal is always that our real, life-changing faith would express itself through works.

“Jesus, I thank you for the great gift of salvation you have given me. May I never take this gift for granted. May I never become complacent in my love for you or in my service of others. Today I want to make a return to you, Lord, for all that you have done for me.”

2 Maccabees 6:18-31; Psalm 3:2-7

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

November 15, 2005

St. Albert the Great

(1206-1280)

Albert the Great was a 13th-century German Dominican who influenced decisively the stance of the Church toward Aristotelian philosophy brought to Europe by the spread of Islam.

Students of philosophy know him as the master of Thomas Aquinas. Albert’s attempt to understand Aristotle’s writings established the climate in which Thomas Aquinas developed his synthesis of Greek wisdom and Christian theology. But Albert deserves recognition on his own merits as a curious, honest and diligent scholar.

He was the eldest son of a powerful and wealthy German lord of military rank. He was educated in the liberal arts. Despite fierce family opposition, he entered the Dominican novitiate.

His boundless interests prompted him to write a compendium of all knowledge: natural science, logic, rhetoric, mathematics, astronomy, ethics, economics, politics and metaphysics. His explanation of learning took 20 years to complete. "Our intention," he said, "is to make all the aforesaid parts of knowledge intelligible to the Latins."

He achieved his goal while serving as an educator at Paris and Cologne, as Dominican provincial and even as bishop of Regensburg for a time. He defended the mendicant orders and preached the Crusade in Germany and Bohemia.

Albert, a Doctor of the Church, is the patron of scientists and philosophers.

Comment:

An information glut faces us Christians today in all branches of learning. One needs only to read current Catholic periodicals to experience the varied reactions to the findings of the social sciences, for example, in regard to Christian institutions, Christian life-styles and Christian theology. Ultimately, in canonizing Albert, the Church seems to point to his openness to truth, wherever it may be found, as his claim to holiness. His characteristic curiosity prompted Albert to mine deeply for wisdom within a philosophy his Church warmed to with great difficulty.

Quote:

"There are some who desire knowledge merely for its own sake; and that is shameful curiosity. And there are others who desire to know, in order that they may themselves be known; and that is vanity, disgraceful too. Others again desire knowledge in order to acquire money or preferment by it; that too is a discreditable quest. But there are also some who desire knowledge, that they may build up the souls of others with it; and that is charity. Others, again, desire it that they may themselves be built up thereby; and that is prudence. Of all these types, only the last two put knowledge to the right use" (St. Bernard, Sermon on the Canticle of Canticles).

A Voice in the Desert

Tuesday November 15, 2005 Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

Reading (2 Maccabees 6:18-31) Gospel (St. Luke 19:1-10)

At the very end of the Gospel reading today, Our Lord tells us that He has come to seek and to save what was lost. This is something that all of us have to take part in because, as things are today, the Lord is going to work through us, through us who believe and are trying to live the Faith. We can also learn the example of what we hear in the first reading about Eleazar, this ninety-year-old man who is being forced to violate the law of God. It seems a rather minor point: “Just eat a piece of pork. That’s all you have to do. One forkful, no big deal.” Well, of course, it was a big deal because it was a violation of the law of God. That would be like saying to somebody today, “It’s not that big a deal; it’s just one mortal sin. That’s all I’m asking you to do, and we won’t put you to death. What are you going to do?”

We also see from this, by the way, the importance of those who are more advanced in years, those who, as we hear, have the merited gray hair that is theirs because of their years, because of their experience. For those who are older, they have the experience of having seen things over and over again. They can size things up more quickly and more clearly. That is precisely what Eleazar did. He said, “You know, I could save my life here if all I did was even to pretend to eat a piece of pork, but then I’m going to scandalize people and I’m not going to be able to hide it from God. Even if I save my own life for a few short years, I’m not going to be able to keep it from the Lord.” We see, then, the example of the elderly and how important that is.

We live in a society which has rejected the elderly as somehow worthless, and we suggest that they are a drain on society. But God sees things in a very different way, that the elderly are our connection with history. They are the ones with the wisdom, the experience that comes only with years. They are the ones, then, that are able to pass that wisdom on through their example and through their prayers. This is something that every person needs to learn from, as it said that Eleazar gave an example not only to the young but to the whole nation.

But for all of us, whether we are young or whether we are old, it matters not; we all have to make the same decision. Are we going to stand for the law of God, or are we going to stand for our own selves? If we are going to look out for ourselves, we are going to have to answer for it to God anyway. If we are going to seek the Will of God then we need to be firm in living it out, not only in this theoretical generic way of saying, “Oh, if I were in that situation, here’s what I would do,” but to make sure that we are preparing ourselves in case such a situation should ever arise so that we are so committed to living the life of God, to living the Catholic life, that we are not going to budge for a minute if somebody wants us to violate the law of God.

That means we have to be striving now to live a life of virtue, to be rejecting sin in our lives and seeking to uproot every bit of sin that clings to us, not giving ourselves rationalizations and excuses for why it is okay for us to leave this sin in our life: “After all, I’m doing pretty well. I just have this one and I kind of like it anyway. I know I shouldn’t do it, but…” That is nonsense. If it is a sin, it is a sin. And if it is a sin, it is selfish and it is a violation of God’s law. What would happen if somebody were to say to you, “Commit a sin or die”? Well, if we are already justifying why it is okay for us to sin, we are going to justify it once again. But if now we are not trying to justify why it is okay to sin but we are seeking to get rid of sin and to grow in holiness, if the day comes where we have to put our faith on the line, we are going to stand firm because we have chosen the Lord and in our day-to-day lives we have lived that faith.

This is why the suffering of this life is so important, the suffering that so many people try to avoid and reject. It is the only way that we are going to know whether we will be faithful, because if we can be faithful when things are difficult for us then we can have reason to believe and to be confident that we will be faithful if things become extremely difficult. But if we cannot remain faithful even in the midst of a little bit of suffering, what are we going to do if there is an immense amount of suffering? So the Lord in His mercy gives us opportunities now. If we find ourselves falling and struggling along then we need to praise God for the opportunity to grow, for the opportunity to recognize how weak we are and our necessity to rely upon Him. In this way, we realize that, first of all, the Lord has come to seek us out because we were the ones who were lost. And when we have been truly found and we are going to be faithful to Him then He will use us as the means to seek out others, through our example, through our words, through our holy lives, so that we will be faithful to the law of God and to the Will of God right to the very end. That is what He is looking for from us.

Now

One Bread, One Body

<< Tuesday, November 15, 2005 >>

St. Albert the Great

2 Maccabees 6:18-31

Psalm 3

Luke 19:1-10

View Readings

FOR EXAMPLE

"This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young but for the whole nation." —2 Maccabees 6:31

One of the main ways of maturing in Christian life is by example. We should imitate Christ and imitate others as they imitate Christ (1 Cor 4:16; 11:1). We should be models of courage and unforgettable examples of virtue both in life and death.

Jesus is our Example in setting example. He said at the Last Supper shortly before He died: "What I just did was to give you an example: as I have done, so you must do" (Jn 13:15). Peter said: "It was for this you were called, since Christ suffered for you in just this way and left you an example, to have you follow in His footsteps" (1 Pt 2:21). Paul told Titus: "In everything set them an example by doing what is good" (1 Tm 2:7, NIV). Paul told Timothy the same. "Be a continuing example of love, faith, and purity to believers" (1 Tm 4:12).

Paul also set an example for being an example: "Not that we had no claim on you, but that we might present ourselves as an example for you to imitate" (2 Thes 3:9). He said: "Be imitators of me, my brothers. Take as your guide those who follow the example that we set" (Phil 3:17).

Our example is the first Bible most people read, the only one some will ever read. "Be an example to the flock" (1 Pt 5:3).

Prayer: Jesus, I'm sorry for taking Your name and making You look bad by misrepresenting You. Forgive me.

Promise: "Jesus said to him: "Today salvation has come to this house...the Son of Man has come to search out and save what was lost." —Lk 19:9-10

Praise: St. Albert was a teacher of not only St. Thomas Aquinas but for countless believers throughout the centuries.

Lk 19:1-10
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
1	And entering he walked through Jericho.	et ingressus perambulabat Hiericho
2	And behold, there was a man named Zacheus, who was the chief of the publicans: and he was rich.	et ecce vir nomine Zaccheus et hic erat princeps publicanorum et ipse dives
3	And he sought to see Jesus who he was: and he could not for the crowd, because he was low of stature.	et quaerebat videre Iesum quis esset et non poterat prae turba quia statura pusillus erat
4	And running before, he climbed up into a sycamore tree, that he might see him: for he was to pass that way.	et praecurrens ascendit in arborem sycomorum ut videret illum quia inde erat transiturus
5	And when Jesus was come to the place, looking up, he saw him and said to him: Zacheus, make haste and come down: for this day I must abide in thy house.	et cum venisset ad locum suspiciens Iesus vidit illum et dixit ad eum Zacchee festinans descende quia hodie in domo tua oportet me manere
6	And he made haste and came down and received him with joy.	et festinans descendit et excepit illum gaudens
7	And when all saw it, they murmured, saying, that he was gone to be a guest with a man that was a sinner.	et cum viderent omnes murmurabant dicentes quod ad hominem peccatorem devertisset
8	But Zacheus standing, said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have wronged any man of any thing, I restore him fourfold.	stans autem Zaccheus dixit ad Dominum ecce dimidium bonorum meorum Domine do pauperibus et si quid aliquem defraudavi reddo quadruplum
9	Jesus said to him: This day is salvation come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.	ait Iesus ad eum quia hodie salus domui huic facta est eo quod et ipse filius sit Abrahae
10	For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.	venit enim Filius hominis quaerere et salvum facere quod perierat

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