Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 02-14-19, M, Sts. Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 02-14-19 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

February, 2019

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Human Trafficking, For a generous welcome of the victims of human trafficking, of enforced prostitution, and of violence.

[Salvation]

'When I advise virginity, I pass no censure on marriage. . . for blame is allowed only in reference to a really bad act. But how can it attach to a Christian whose only reproach is, that he confines himself within a more modest sphere, and dares not aim at the highest efforts of virtue? I shall not, indeed, praise the vigor and energy of his courage; but neither shall I cast blame on timid reserve.

Our doctrine. . . proclaims marriage to be good, and virginity better.

. . . Marriage, which is good in itself, leads us to admire virginity, that is better, and outstrips it in dignity as much as the captain and the general are above the common soldier and sailor.'

St. John Chrysostom

[Salvation]

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.  "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)   "Blessed are you among women,  and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk 1:42).

[Salvation]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3727888/posts?page=2

Saints of the Day — Saints Cyril and Methodius

[Salvation]

The Divine Office: St. Cyril
Saints (and brothers) Cyril and Methodius

[Salvation]

Information: St. Cyril & St. Methodius

Feast Day: February 14

Born: 827 and 826, Thessaloniki, Byzantine Empire (present-day Greece)

Died: February 14, 869 and 6 April 885

Patron of: Bulgaria, Czech Republic (including Bohemia, and Moravia), Ecumenism, unity of the Eastern and Western Churches, Europe, Slovakia

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Thursday, February 14

Liturgical Color: White

Today is the Memorial of St. Cyril, monk and
St. Methodius, bishop. They were 8th century
brothers of Greek nobility with a calling to the
religious life. Together they evangelized Slavic
countries and translated the Bible into the Slavic
languages.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: February 14th

Memorial of Sts. Cyril, monk and St. Methodius, bishop

MASS READINGS

February 14, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who enlightened the Slavic peoples through the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, grant that our hearts may grasp the words of your teaching, and perfect us as a people of one accord in true faith and right confession. 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.

show

Recipes (10)

• Biskkupsky Chelbicek
• Greek Homestyle Chicken
• Heart Cake
• Heart Cakes
• Letter banket
• Peppermint Mousse
• Pirogs
• Potato Dumplings
• Saint Valentine Cookies
• Valentine Gingerbread

show

Activities (6)

• Hymn: Ubi Caritas
• Hymn: Where Charity and Love Prevail
• St. Valentine's Day
• St. Valentine's Day, Saint Exchange
• Valentine Game
• Valentine-Making Ideas

show

Prayers (1)

• Litany of the Love of God

show

Library (1)

• Sts Cyril And Methodius: Christian Faith Does Not Stifle But Purifies, Exalts, Integrates Cultural Values | Pope John Paul II

» Enjoy our Liturgical Seasons series of e-books!

Old Calendar: St. Valentine, priest and martyr ; Other Titles: St. Valentine's Day

St. Cyril was a priest and a philosopher and accompanied his brother St. Methodius to Moravia to preach the Gospel. They both perfected a Slavonic alphabet which is now known as the Cyrillic alphabet and translated the liturgy into this language. They were summoned to Rome, where Cyril died on this date in 869, and Methodius was consecrated bishop and sent to Pannonia. He died on April 6, 885, in Velehrad, Czech Republic, after working tirelessly on spreading the Gospel. According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, their feast is celebrated on July 7.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Valentine. St. Valentine, a priest of Rome, was martyred, it would appear, in about 270. On the Flaminian Way, at the site of his martyrdom, Julius I built a basilica which was visited frequently.

---

Sts. Cyril and Methodius
Cyril and Methodius, the apostles of the Slavs, were brothers who hailed from Thessalonia. After receiving an excellent education, they were sent by the Eastern Emperor Michael III (842-856) into the kingdom of Grand-Moravia; through great effort and in spite of tremendous difficulties they converted the Slavonic nations. They translated the Bible into Slavonic and devised a kind of writing, called glagolitic, which even to the present day is used in the liturgical services of some Eastern rites.
   
In 867 the two brothers came to Rome, were met by Pope Hadrian II (867-872) and the whole papal court. They gave a report of their labors but encountered opposition on the part of jealous clergy who took offense, it was said, because of their liturgical innovations. Cyril and Methodius explained their methods and from the Pope himself received episcopal consecration (868). Soon after, Cyril died at Rome, only forty-two years old, and was buried in St. Peter's; later his body was transferred to San Clemente, where his remains still rest. His funeral resembled a triumphal procession.

Methodius returned to Moravia and labored as a missionary among the Hungarians, Bulgarians, Dalmatians, and the inhabitants of Carinthia. Falling again under suspicion, he returned to Rome and defended the use of the Slavonic language in the liturgy. The Pope bestowed upon him the dignity of archbishop. After his return to Moravia, he converted the duke of Bohemia and his wife, spread the light of faith in Bohemia and Poland, is said to have gone to Moscow (after the erection of the See of Lemberg), and to have established the diocese of Kiev. After his return he died in Bohemia and was buried in the Church of St. Mary at Velehrad, the services being conducted in Greek, Slavonic, and Latin.

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

Patron: Slavic Peoples; Bohemia; Bulgaria; Bosnia; Croatia; Czech Republic; Czechoslovakia; ecumenism; Europe; Moravia; Russia; unity of the Eastern and Western Churches; Yugoslavia; ecumenism; against storms.

Symbols for St. Cyril: With Saint Methodius; Oriental monk holding a church with the help of Methodius; surrounded by Bulgarian converts; wearing a long philosopher's coat.

Symbols for St. Methodius: With Saint Cyril; Oriental bishop holding up a church with Saint Cyril; Oriental bishop holding a picture of the Last Judgement.

Things to Do:

• Learn more about the Missionaries to the Slavs.

• Read Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, Grande Munus (On Ss. Cyril And Methodius) and Pope John Paul II's encyclical, Slavorum Apostoli.

• If you are interested in languages you can learn more about the Glagolitic alphabet created by St. Cyril and Methodius.

---

St. Valentine
Legend states that Valentine, along with St. Marius, aided the Christian martyrs during the Claudian persecution. In addition to his other edicts against helping Christians, Claudius had also issued a decree forbidding marriage. In order to increase troops for his army, he forbade young men to marry, believing that single men made better soldiers than married men.

Valentine defied this decree and urged young lovers to come to him in secret so that he could join them in the sacrament of matrimony. Eventually he was discovered by the Emperor, who promptly had Valentine arrested and brought before him. Because he was so impressed with the young priest, Claudius attempted to convert him to Roman paganism rather than execute him. However, Valentine held steadfast and in turn attempted to convert Claudius to Christianity, at which point the Emperor condemned him to death.

While in prison, Valentine was tended by the jailer, Asterius, and his blind daughter. Asterius' daughter was very kind to Valentine and brought him food and messages. They developed a friendship and toward the end of his imprisonment Valentine was able to convert both father and daughter to Christianity. Legend has it that he also miraculously restored the sight of the jailer's daughter.

The night before his execution, the priest wrote a farewell message to the girl and signed it affectionately "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lives on even to today. He was executed on February 14th, 273 AD in Rome. The Martyrology says, "At Rome, on the Flaminian Way, the heavenly birthday of the blessed martyr Valentine, a priest. After performing many miraculous cures and giving much wise counsel he was beaten and beheaded under Claudius Caesar."

The church in which he is buried existed already in the fourth century and was the first sanctuary Roman pilgrims visited upon entering the Eternal City.

The valentine has become the universal symbol of friendship and affection shared each anniversary of the priest's execution -- St. Valentine's Day. Valentine has also become the patron of engaged couples.

Patron: Affianced couples; against fainting; bee keepers; betrothed couples; engaged couples; epilepsy; fainting; greeting card manufacturers; greetings; happy marriages; love; lovers; plague; travelers; young people.

Symbols: Birds; roses; bishop with a crippled or epileptic child at his feet; bishop with a rooster nearby; bishop refusing to adore an idol; bishop being beheaded; priest bearing a sword; priest holding a sun; priest giving sight to a blind girl.

Things to Do:

• Read the Golden Legend account of St. Valentine's life.

• Pray to St. Valentine for an increase of true, sacrificial love within marriages.

• Make Valentines for those closest to you — your family and friends. If you have children, teach them to make valentines from red construction paper and doilies.

• Introduce your family to some of our delicious Valentine's day recipes, such as heart cake or peppermint mousse.

• Begin to read and discuss some of St. John Paul II's works on marriage; for example, Love and Responsibility or his The Theology of the Body Human Love in the Divine Plan (Parish Resources).

---

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Genesis 2:18-25

Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop (Memorial)

It is not good for the man to be alone. (Genesis 2:18)

If you love a good romance story, especially on St. Valentine’s Day, you’ll appreciate today’s first reading. When God creates a woman out of the first man’s rib and presents her to him, the man reacts with pure delight and satisfaction. Finally he has found his soul mate, the “suitable partner” he had been searching for (Genesis 2:18).

This passage is clearly about God’s plan for marriage, but there’s another truth here that applies to everyone—married, single, divorced, widowed, priests, and religious. God never designed any of us to be alone. He created us in such a way that we thrive on the love and support of other people. We need those special people in our lives who will care for us, listen to us, and help us to grow in faith.

Yet too many people today feel lonely and isolated. Studies have shown that isolation affects us emotionally and spiritually. It can cause us to magnify our problems. It can leave us open to feelings of self-pity and self-doubt. It can even cause sickness. And it just plain hurts.

It’s very easy to become so busy and preoccupied that we lose sight of the people who might need some of our time and attention. We all know someone who suffers from loneliness; it could be a member of our extended family or even someone in our own home. A simple visit, phone call, or invitation to dinner can make a huge difference in that person’s life. It can tell them that they are valued. It can help lift them out of any sadness or fear they might be feeling. It can encourage them to reach out and form new relationships.

If you’re feeling lonely yourself, think about the people you know who might be in a similar situation. Don’t wait for someone to reach out to you; reach out to them instead. Even if you are housebound, a phone call can be a source of great blessing and comfort—and it will probably help you as well.

It’s not good for any of us to be alone. God wants us to be one body in Christ. We can be Christ’s presence today to someone who might be feeling isolated, lonely, or forgotten.

“Lord, help me to reach out in love to one lonely person today.”

Psalm 128:1-5
Mark 7:24-30

[Salvation]

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Bede the Venerable (c.673-735)
monk, Doctor of the Church
Homilies on the Gospels I.22: PL 94, 102-105 (trans. ©Cistercian Publications, 1991)

The faith of the Canaanite woman

"O woman, your faith is great. Let it be done to you as you wish" (Mt 15:28). Indeed, she had great enough faith, since she knew neither the ancient miracles, commands and promises of the prophets, nor the more recent ones of the Lord himself. In addition, as often as she was disregarded by the Lord, she persevered in her entreaties, and she did not cease knocking by asking him, though she knew only by popular opinion that he was the Savior. On account of this she secured the great object for which she implored…

If one of us has a conscience polluted by the stain of avarice, conceit, vain-glory, ndignation, irascibility, or envy and the other vices, he has "a daughter badly troubled by a demon" like the Canaanite woman. He should hasten to the Lord, making supplication for her healing… Being submissive with due humility, [such a person] must not judge himself to be worthy of the company of the sheep of Israel (that is, souls that are pure), but instead he must be of the opinion that he is unworthy of heavenly favors. Nevertheless, let him not in despair rest from the earnestness of his entreaty, but with his mind free of doubt let him trust in the goodness of the supreme Benefactor, for the one who could make a confessor from a robber (Lk 23:39f.), an apostle from a persecutor (Acts 9:1-30, an evangelist from a publican (Mt 9:9-13), and who could make sons for Abraham out of stones, could turn even the most insignificant dog into an Israelite sheep.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

February 14, 2019 – Humility and Faith: Foundation and Cathedral

14 Feb 2019

Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

Mark 7:24-30

 

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come before you today to learn the lessons of faith that you want to teach me. I want to learn to be patient when you test my faith. I know you want only to make it grow and bear more fruit in my life. In this prayer I desire to trust and love you as you deserve to be loved by me.

Petition: Lord, make my faith vibrant and persevering.

1. Seek Ye Higher Gifts: Our Lord is close to us in our sufferings. In this Gospel, a daughter suffered from a demonic possession, and her mother suffered with her. What most strikes us about this passage, however, is that Our Lord initially adds to the mother’s suffering by rebuking her. It seems so out of character, so foreign to the one who is “meek and humble of heart,” so unlike the gentle Jesus who is ever-sensitive to the needs of others. Yet Our Lord was about to confer upon her the greatest gift that could befall any human being: the gift of salvation represented by the healing of her daughter. Because the gift was so great, the vessel that was to contain it needed to be prepared.

2. Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings: It is important to remember two principles about our feelings. First, we are not to treat them as if they were the infallible compass of our spiritual lives. Second, their lack of support does not mean that Our Lord is abandoning us. We can easily forget these two principles and blindly follow our feelings, persuasions and seductions. We can wrongly confuse feelings with faith. This believing woman beautifully shows the attitude we must maintain. Her example of humility in the face of Jesus’ seemingly hostile rebuke truly astounds us. No rebellion, no complaints, no resentments, no pity party. She remains determinedly fixed on Christ. She maintains a spirit of humility and faith in him who has the power to deliver her daughter from the devil. Am I capable of persisting in my prayer even when it seems Our Lord is turning a deaf ear?

 

3. A Cathedral of Faith for All to See: If only we could learn from her example! With such a firm foundation to build on, Jesus draws out of her an even greater faith — as large as a cathedral for the entire world to see. We need to ponder and contemplate the mysterious and wise ways of Our Lord when we suffer from his rebukes. We must hold fast to humility, mindful that we are creatures always loved by Christ, our Good Shepherd. He promised he would not leave us orphans. Why then such little faith?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, let me not confuse faith with feelings. Let me not confuse trust with mere sentiment. Never let me reduce my relationship with you to feelings, no matter how pleasurable or worthy I think they may be at that moment. Help me to remain humble in my dispositions and firm in my convictions, seeking only to trust, love and please you.

Resolution: When I experience pleasant, worthy or helpful feelings, I will thank and praise God, and I will channel these feelings toward what is more relevant: living out the deeper virtue of faith.

[Salvation]

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for February 14, 2019:

Although little is known about the life of St. Valentine, we do know he died a martyr, choosing to follow Christ to the end. In the midst of your celebrations today, remember “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

[Salvation]

Homily of the Day

February 14, 2019

Today’s Gospel reading about the cure of the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman strengthens the opening of the Church to the non-Jews, to the Gentiles. A Jew, Jesus rightly pointed out his preference for the Jewish people in his public ministry. On the part of the Gentile woman, her response to Jesus showed her extraordinary humility and strong faith and trust in the goodness of this Jesus about whom she had had good things and whom she believed to be a holy man from God.

Similar to Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, this incident clarified that, though salvation was offered to the Jewish people who had been specially prepared for the coming of the Messiah, it was really for all: the early Church would further clarify this.

In the light of the inclusivity of God’s love for all people, how do we appreciate the Church’s preferential option for the poor and disadvantaged? How do we appreciate the Church’s special concern for various sectors of human society? How do we see the missionary vocation of the Church?

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espanol

All Issues > Volume 35, Issue 2

<< Thursday, February 14, 2019 >>

Sts. Cyril & Methodius

Genesis 2:18-25
View Readings

Psalm 128:1-5

Mark 7:24-30
Similar Reflections

THE REALITY OF EXTENSIVE DEMONIC ACTIVITY

"When she got home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone." �Mark 7:30

Our secular humanistic society likes to pretend that there are no demons, or, if there are demons, that not many of them are active around us. However, Pope St. John Paul II has stated that we in the Western world live in a culture of death. This implies that Satan, the prince of death (Heb 2:14), probably has his hosts of demons very active in our society, cities, neighborhoods, churches, and families. In our times, it may be even more appropriate to say that "our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above" (Eph 6:12).

When we admit the degree of demonic activity around us, we are in touch with reality and thereby have the possibility of applying Jesus' total victory over the devil to the reality of our daily lives. Jesus has already destroyed the devil's works (1 Jn 3:8). He is enthroned at the right hand of God the Father and is waiting "until His enemies are placed beneath His feet" (Heb 10:13). We can bring down all the strongholds, sophistries, and proud pretensions of the evil one (2 Cor 10:4-5) simply by following the Lord's instructions. When we have decided to obey the Lord completely, in every area of life (2 Cor 10:6), the Lord "will quickly crush Satan under [our] feet" (Rm 16:20).

Demons are all around us, but the Lord will put them under us when we accept Him over us.

Prayer: Father, put me in touch with reality, especially the effects of Jesus' Paschal mystery.

Promise: "That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body." —Gn 2:24

Praise: St. Methodius continued the mission to the Moravian nation after his brother St. Cyril died.

[Salvation]