Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Is 66:18-21

Thus says the LORD:
I know their works and their thoughts,
and I come to gather nations of every language;
they shall come and see my glory.
I will set a sign among them;
from them I will send fugitives to the nations:
to Tarshish, Put and Lud, Mosoch, Tubal and Javan,
to the distant coastlands
that have never heard of my fame, or seen my glory;
and they shall proclaim my glory among the nations.
They shall bring all your brothers and sisters from all the nations
as an offering to the LORD,
on horses and in chariots, in carts, upon mules and dromedaries,
to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, says the LORD,
just as the Israelites bring their offering
to the house of the LORD in clean vessels.
Some of these I will take as priests and Levites, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 117:1, 2

R.(Mk 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.
For steadfast is his kindness toward us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Heb 12:5-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters,
You have forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as children:
"My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges."
Endure your trials as "discipline";
God treats you as sons.
For what "son" is there whom his father does not discipline?
At the time,
all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain,
yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness
to those who are trained by it.

So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees.
Make straight paths for your feet,
that what is lame may not be disjointed but healed.

Alleluia Jn 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father, except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
'Lord, open the door for us.'
He will say to you in reply,
'I do not know where you are from.
And you will say,
'We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.'
Then he will say to you,
'I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!'
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."

From: Isaiah 66:18-21

The nations in pilgrimage to Jerusalem

[18] For I know their works and their thoughts, and I am coming to gather all na-
tions and tongues; and they shall come and shall see my glory, [19] and I will
set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tar-
shish, Put, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands a-
far off, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory; and they shall declare my
glory among the nations. [20] And they shall bring all your brethren from all the
nations as an offering to the Lord, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters,
and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says
the Lord, just as the Israelites bring their cereal offering in a clean vessel to the
house of the Lord. [21] And some of them also I will take for priests and for Le-
vites, says the Lord.

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Commentary:

66:18-24. The book ends with a colophon, part in prose (vv. 18-21), part in verse
(vv. 22-24). It begins by announcing that the glory of the Lord will be proclaimed
to the nations, and they will respond by flocking in pilgrimage to the temple of
the Lord.

Verses 18-21 are a sort of parallel to 2:2-4: both passages act as a kind of mar-
ker, one for the beginning and one for the end of the book. In other words, the
exile in Babylon will come to be seen as divine punishment inflicted on the peo-
ple for their sins, for their breaking the Covenant. There may be an oblique refe-
rence here to the expulsion of our first parents from the garden of Eden (Gen 1:
23): Israel, too, was expelled from its land and from Zion, “the house of Jacob”
(2:6). But God, in his mercy towards his people, will pardon them and have them
come back to his “holy mountain”, Jerusalem (v. 20), and his gathering will also
involve “all nations and tongues” (v. 18). This return to Zion is a sign that their
transgression is totally forgiven. In some ways, the book of Isaiah is an (imper-
fect) anticipation and account of salvation history which runs right through the
Bible, from the expulsion from Paradise (Gen 3:23), to the vision of the “heaven-
ly Jerusalem”, in the “new heavens and the new earth” (v. 22 and Rev 21:1-27),
at the centre of which will be found the “tree of life” (Rev 22:14).

Theodoret of Cyrus reads these words as an announcement of the universal salva-
tion that stems from the Incarnation, and he comments that the prophet showed
that Christ became “a slave not only to redeem the Jews but to bring salvation to
all the nations” (Commentaria in Isaiam, 66, 18). The Second Letter to the Corin-
thians attributed to St Clement of Rome also sees v. 18 as an announcement of
the Second Coming of our Lord: “I am coming to gather all nations and tongues:
this verse prophesies the last day, when Christ will come again to reward each
man according to his deeds” (Pseudo-Clement, Epistula II and Corinthios, 17,
4).

The nations mentioned in v. 19 are not easy to identify; but Tarshish is probably
Spain; Put, Libya; Lud, Lydia; Tubal, Cilicia; and Javan, Ionia, Greece.

“And some of them also I will take for priests” (v. 21): this may mean (though one
cannot be sure) that God will choose priests and Levites from among the pagans.
Given the tenor of v. 22, it is more likely that “descendants” of Israel will hold the
office of the holy priesthood; either interpretation fits in with the general newness
and universalism that are a feature of chapters 65 and 66 (cf. 61:6).

The last oracle in the book of Isaiah is a call to an active, living hope (vv. 22-24).
Verse 23, in its initial historical context, was addressed to the chosen people of
the Old Testament, but it opens out to include all mankind; that is how the Fa-
thers interpreted it. “There will be a new heaven and a new earth, where man will
live forever united with God. Isaiah tells us that this new life will last forever: For
as the new heavens and the new earth which I shall make shall remain before
me, says the Lord; so shall your descendants and your name remain (Is 66:22)”
(St Irenaeus of Lyons, Adversus haereses, 5, 36, 1).

Even so, a warning is issued about the punishment that awaits evildoers (v. 24).
The harshness of the language here is in sharp contrast to the general tone of
hope. The prophet may have chosen to strike this dark note in order to have the
inhabitants of Zion (the saved) recognize God’s sovereignty over those who re-
ject him and have them appreciate the blessings bestowed in Zion, that is, in
heaven. Jesus uses the metaphor of the worm that does not die to describe the
punishment earned by the grave sin of scandal (cf. Mk 9:48).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13

Perseverance in Affliction

[5] And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons?—”My
son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you
are punished by him. [6] For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chas-
tises every son whom he receives.” [7] It is for discipline that you have to endure.
God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father does not dis-
cipline?

[11] For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it
yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Striving for Peace; Purity; Reverent Worship

[12] Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, [13] and
make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint
but rather be healed.

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Commentary:

4-13. Following Christ’s example, Christians should struggle to avoid sin; they
should put up with tribulation and persecution because if such adversity arises
it means that the Lord permits it for our good. The letter’s tone of encourage-
ment seems to change here to one of reproach. It is as if the writer were saying,
“Christ gave his life for your sins, contending even to the point of dying for you;
how is it that you do not put up with suffering, out of love for him? It is true that
you are being persecuted: God is disciplining you as a Father disciplines his
children. But you are children of God and therefore your attitude should be one
of abandonment to his will even when it seems hard. That is the way a Father
brings up his children.”

The main point is that the only important thing is fidelity to God, and that the sin
of apostasy is the greatest of all misfortunes. “Don’t forget, my son, that for you
on earth there is but one evil, which you must fear and avoid with the grace of
God: sin” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 386).

5-11. Suffering, the sacred writer teaches, is a sign of God’s paternal love for us;
it proves that we really are his children.

This teaching is supported by the quotation from Proverbs 3: 12, taken from a
long discourse in which a father exhorts his son to acquire true wisdom. In the
present passage the father is identified with God and we with the sons whom he
is addressing.

By being incorporated into Christ through Baptism a person becomes a child of
God: this is the very basis of the Christian life and it should be a source of sere-
nity and peace in every difficulty we meet in the course of life. The term “disci-
pline” which appears so much in this passage does not convey the full richness
of the original Greek word, “paideia”, which has to do with the educational up-
bringing of child by parent, of pupil by teacher, and also the punishment meted
out in this context. Here the focus is largely on the second aspect. However, it
should be remembered that in ancient times education and instruction always
involved the idea of punishment. God, therefore, should not be seen as a cruel
or pitiless father, but as a good father who brings up his children in an affectio-
nate yet firm way. Adversity and suffering are a sign that this divine teaching me-
thod is at work: God uses them to educate us and discipline us. “You suffer in
this present life, which is a dream, a short dream. Rejoice, because your Father-
God loves you so much, and if you put no obstacles in his way, after this bad
dream he will give you a good awakening” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 692). If we
were illegitimate children he would not bother to educate us; but because we are
true sons he disciplines us, to make us worthy of bearing his name. “Everything
that comes to us from God,” an ancient ecclesiastical writer reminds us, “and
that we initially see as beneficial or disadvantageous, is sent to us by a father
who is full of tenderness and by the wisest of physicians, with our good in mind”
(Cassian, “Collationes”, VII, 28).

When the soul has this kind of attitude, that is, when the trials the Lords sends
are willingly accepted, “with peaceful fruit of righteousness” and it yields fruit of
holiness which fills it with peace: “Jesus prays in the garden: “Pater mi” (Mt
26:39), “Abba, Pater!” (Mk 14:36). God is my Father, even though he may send
me suffering. He loves me tenderly, even while wounding me. Jesus suffers, to
fulfill the Will of the Father.... And I, who also wish to fulfill the most holy Will of
God, following in the footsteps of the Master, can I complain if I too meet suffe-
ring as my traveling companion?

“It will be a sure sign of my sonship, because God is treating me as he treated
his own divine Son. Then I, as he did, will be able to groan and weep alone in my
Gethsemani; but, as I lie prostrate on the ground, acknowledging my nothingness,
there will rise up to the Lord a cry from the depths of my soul: “Pater mi, Abba,
Pater,... fiat!” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way of the Cross”, I, 1).

12-13. This exhortation follows logically from the previous one. It seems to evoke
the world of athletic competition referred to at the beginning of the chapter. Verse
12 is like a shout of encouragement to a runner who is beginning to flag in the
middle of a race.

The author uses a quotation from Isaiah (Is 35:3) in which drooping hands and
weak knees indicate moral decline (cf. 2 Sam 2:7; 4:1; Jer 47:3). He then goes
on to use words from Proverbs 4:26 to encourage right living: “make straight
steps with your feet”: if the Christian perseveres in his efforts even if he is some-
what “lame”, that is, even if he is someone whose faith is weak and is in danger
of apostasy, he will be able to return to fitness in spite of everything.

However, this exhortation can be taken as addressed not only to those who need
to mend their ways but also to Christians in general, who should be exemplary
and never in any way be a stumbling-block to their weaker brethren.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Luke 13:22-30

The Narrow Gate

[22] He (Jesus) went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and jour-
neying toward Jerusalem. [23] And some one said to him, “Lord, will those who
are saved be few?” And he said to them, [24] “Strive to enter by the narrow door;
for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. [25] When once the
householder has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and
knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ He will answer you, ‘I do not know
where you are from.’ [26] Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your
presence, and you taught in our streets.’ [27] But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not
know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!” [28]
There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac
and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust
out. [29] And men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and
sit at table in the kingdom of God. [30] And behold, some are last who will be
first, and some are first who will be last.”

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Commentary:

23-24. Everyone is called to form part of the Kingdom of God, for he “desires all
men to be saved” (1 Tim 2:4). “Those who, through no fault of their own, do not
know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with
a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they
know it through the dictates of their conscience: those too may achieve eternal
salvation. Nor shall divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salva-
tion to those who, without any fault of theirs, have not yet arrived at an explicit
knowledge of God, and who, not without grace, strive to lead a good life. What-
ever good or truth is found among them is considered by the Church to be a pre-
paration for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may
at length have life” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 16).

Certainly, only those who make a serious effort can reach the goal of salvation
(cf. Lk 16:16; Mt 11:12). Our Lord tells us so by using the simile of the narrow
gate. “A Christian’s struggle must be unceasing, for interior life consists in begin-
ning and beginning again. This prevents us from proudly thinking that we are per-
fect already. It is inevitable that we should meet difficulties on our way. If we did
not come up against obstacles, we would not be creatures of flesh and blood.
We will always have passions that pull us downwards; we will always have to
defend ourselves against more or less self-defeating urges” (St. J. Escriva,
“Christ Is Passing By”, 75).

25-28. As at other times, Jesus describes eternal life by using the example of a
banquet (cf., e.g., Lk 12:35ff; 14:15). Knowing the Lord and listening to his prea-
ching is not enough for getting to heaven; what God judges is how we respond
to the grace he gives us: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter
the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”
(Mt 7:21).

29-30. Generally speaking, the Jewish people regarded themselves as the sole
beneficiaries of the messianic promises made by the prophets; but Jesus pro-
claims that salvation is open to everyone. The only condition he lays down is that
men freely respond to God’s merciful call. When Christ died on the cross the veil
of the temple was torn in two (Lk 23:45 and par.), a sign of the end of the distinc-
tion between Jews and Gentiles. St Paul teaches: “For he [Christ] is our peace,
who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall [...] that he
might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and
might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing
the hostility to an end” (Eph 2:14-16). Therefore, “all men are called to belong to
the new people of God. This people therefore, whilst remaining one and only one,
is to be spread throughout the whole world and to all ages in order that the de-
sign of God’s will may be fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning
and has decreed that all his children who were scattered should be finally ga-
thered together as one” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 13).

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading	Isaiah 66:18-21 ©

They will bring all your brothers from all the nations

The Lord says this: I am coming to gather the nations of every language. They shall come to witness my glory. I will give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moshech, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan, to the distant islands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations. As an offering to the Lord they will bring all your brothers, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on dromedaries, from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says the Lord, like Israelites bringing oblations in clean vessels to the Temple of the Lord. And of some of them I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm	Psalm 116(117) ©

Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.

Alleluia!

O praise the Lord, all you nations,

acclaim him all you peoples!

Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.

Alleluia!

Strong is his love for us;

he is faithful for ever.

Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.

Alleluia!

Second reading
Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13 ©

The Lord trains the one he loves

Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

and my Father will love him,

and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!

Or:	Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

No one can come to the Father except through me.’

Alleluia!

Gospel	Luke 13:22-30 ©

The last shall be first and the first last

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, ‘Sir, will there be only a few saved?’ He said to them, ‘Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.

‘Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself knocking on the door, saying, “Lord, open to us” but he will answer, “I do not know where you come from.” Then you will find yourself saying, “We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets” but he will reply, “I do not know where you come from. Away from me, all you wicked men!”

‘Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves turned outside. And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God.

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 13
22.	And he went through the cities and towns teaching, and making his journey to Jerusalem.	Et ibat per civitates et castella, docens, et iter faciens in Jerusalem.	και διεπορευετο κατα πολεις και κωμας διδασκων και πορειαν ποιουμενος εις ιερουσαλημ
23.	And a certain man said to him: Lord, are they few that are saved? But he said to them:	Ait autem illi quidam : Domine, si pauci sunt, qui salvantur ? Ipse autem dixit ad illos :	ειπεν δε τις αυτω κυριε ει ολιγοι οι σωζομενοι ο δε ειπεν προς αυτους
24.	Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, shall seek to enter, and shall not be able.	Contendite intrare per angustam portam : quia multi, dico vobis, quærent intrare, et non poterunt.	αγωνιζεσθε εισελθειν δια της στενης πυλης οτι πολλοι λεγω υμιν ζητησουσιν εισελθειν και ουκ ισχυσουσιν
25.	But when the master of the house shall be gone in, and shall shut the door, you shall begin to stand without, and knock at the door, saying: Lord, open to us. And he answering, shall say to you: I know you not, whence you are.	Cum autem intraverit paterfamilias, et clauserit ostium, incipietis foris stare, et pulsare ostium, dicentes : Domine, aperi nobis : et respondens dicet vobis : Nescio vos unde sitis :	αφ ου αν εγερθη ο οικοδεσποτης και αποκλειση την θυραν και αρξησθε εξω εσταναι και κρουειν την θυραν λεγοντες κυριε κυριε ανοιξον ημιν και αποκριθεις ερει υμιν ουκ οιδα υμας ποθεν εστε
26.	Then you shall begin to say: We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.	tunc incipietis dicere : Manducavimus coram te, et bibimus, et in plateis nostris docuisti.	τοτε αρξεσθε λεγειν εφαγομεν ενωπιον σου και επιομεν και εν ταις πλατειαις ημων εδιδαξας
27.	And he shall say to you: I know you not, whence you are: depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.	Et dicet vobis : Nescio vos unde sitis : discedite a me omnes operarii iniquitatis.	και ερει λεγω υμιν ουκ οιδα υμας ποθεν εστε αποστητε απ εμου παντες οι εργαται της αδικιας
28.	There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.	Ibi erit fletus et stridor dentium : cum videritis Abraham, et Isaac, et Jacob, et omnes prophetas in regno Dei, vos autem expelli foras.	εκει εσται ο κλαυθμος και ο βρυγμος των οδοντων οταν οψησθε αβρααμ και ισαακ και ιακωβ και παντας τους προφητας εν τη βασιλεια του θεου υμας δε εκβαλλομενους εξω
29.	And there shall come from the east and the west, and the north and the south; and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.	Et venient ab oriente, et occidente, et aquilone, et austro, et accumbent in regno Dei.	και ηξουσιν απο ανατολων και δυσμων και βορρα και νοτου και ανακλιθησονται εν τη βασιλεια του θεου
30.	And behold, they are last that shall be first; and they are first that shall be last.	Et ecce sunt novissimi qui erunt primi, et sunt primi qui erunt novissimi.	και ιδου εισιν εσχατοι οι εσονται πρωτοι και εισιν πρωτοι οι εσονται εσχατοι

22. And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.
23. Then said one to him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said to them,
24. Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25. When once the master of the house is risen up, and has shut to the door, and you begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; and he shall answer and say to you, I know you not whence you are:
26. Then shall you begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in your presence, and you have taught in our streets.
27. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence you are; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.
28. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29. And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
30. And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

GLOSS. Having spoken in parables concerning the increase of the teaching of the Gospel, he every where endeavors to spread it by preaching. Hence it is said, And he went through the cities and villages.

THEOPHYL. For he did not visit the small places only, as they do who wish to deceive the simple, nor the cities only, as they who are fond of show, and seek their own glory; but as their common Lord and Father providing for all, He went about every where. Nor again did He visit the country towns only, avoiding Jerusalem, as if He feared the cavils of the lawyers, or death, which might follow therefrom; and hence he adds, And journeying towards Jerusalem. For where there were many sick, there the Physician chiefly showed Himself. It follows, Then said one to him, Lord, are there few that be saved?

GLOSS. This question seems to have reference to what had gone before. For in the parable which was given above, He had said, that the birds of the air rested on its branches, by which it might be supposed that there would be many who would obtain the rest of salvation. And because one had asked the question for all, the Lord does not answer him individually, as it follows, And he said to them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate.

BASIL; For as in earthly life the departure from right is exceeding broad, so he who goes out of the path which leads to the kingdom of heaven, finds himself in a vast extent of error. But the right way is narrow, the slightest turning aside being full of danger, whether to the right or to the left, as on a bridge, where he who slips on either side is thrown into the river.

CYRIL; The narrow gate also represents the toils and sufferings of the saints. For as a victory in battle bears witness to the strength of the soldiers, so a courageous endurance of labors and temptations will make a man strong.

CHRYS. What then is that which our Lord says elsewhere, My yoke is easy, and my burden is light? There is indeed no contradiction, but the one was said because of the nature of temptations, the other with respect to the feeling of those who overcame them. For whatever is troublesome to our nature may be considered easy when we undertake it heartily. Besides also, though the way of salvation is narrow at its entrance, yet through it we come into a large space, but on the contrary the broad way leads to destruction.

GREG. Now when He was about to speak of the entrance of the narrow gate, He said first, strive, for unless the mind struggles manfully, the wave of the world is not overcome, by which the soul is ever thrown back again into the deep.

CYRIL; Now our Lord does not seem to satisfy him who asked whether there are few that be saved, when He declares the way by which man may become righteous. But it must be observed, that it was our Savior's custom to answer those who asked Him, not according as they might judge light, as often as they put to Him useless questions, but with regard to what might be profitable to His hearers. And what advantage would it have been to His hearers to know whether there should be many or few who would be saved. But it was more necessary to know the way by which man may come to salvation. Purposely then He says nothing in answer to the idle question, but turns His discourse to a more important subject.

AUG. Or else, our Lord confirmed the words He heard, that is, by saying that there are few who are saved for few enter by the strait gate, but in another place He says this very thing, Narrow is the way which leads to life, and few there are who enter into it. Therefore He adds, For many I say to you shall seek to enter;

BEDE; Urged thereto by their love of safety, yet shall not be able, frightened by the roughness of the road.

BASIL; For the soul wavers to and fro, at one time choosing virtue when it considers eternity, at another preferring pleasures when it looks to the present. Here it beholds ease, or the delights of the flesh, there its subjection or captive bondage; here drunkenness, there sobriety; here wanton mirth, there overflowing of tears; here dancing, there praying; here the sound of the pipe, there weeping; here lust, there chastity.

AUG. Now our Lord in no wise contradicts Himself when He says, that there are few who enter in at the strait gate, and elsewhere, Many shall come from the east and the west; for there are few in comparison with those who are lost, many when united with the angels. Scarcely do they seem a grain when the threshing floor is swept, but so great a mass will come forth from this floor, that it will fill the granary of heaven.

CYRIL; But that they who cannot enter are regarded with wrath, He has strewn by an obvious example, as follows, When once the master of the house has risen up, &c. as if when the master of the house who has called many to the banquet has entered in with his guests, and shut to the door, then shall come afterwards men knocking.

BEDE; The master of the house is Christ, who since as very God He is every where, is already said to be within those whom though He is in heaven He gladdens with His visible presence, but is as it were without to those whom while contending in this pilgrimage, He helps in secret. But He will enter in when He shall bring the whole Church to the contemplation of Himself. He will shut the door when He shall take away from the reprobate all room for repentance. Who standing without will knock, that is, separated from the righteous will in vain implore that mercy which they have despised. Therefore it follows, And he will answer and say to you, I know you not whence you are.

GREG. For God not to know is for Him to reject, as also a man who speaks the truth is said not to know how to lie, for he disdains to sin by telling a lie, not that if he wished to lie he knew not how, but that from love of truth he scorns to speak what is false. Therefore the light of truth knows not the darkness which it condemns. It follows, Then shall you begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in your presence, &c.

CYRIL; This refers to the Israelites, who, according to the practice of their law, when offering victims to God, eat and are merry. They heard also in the synagogues the books of Moses, who in his writings delivered not his own words, but the words of God.

THEOPHYL. Or it is said to the Israelites, simply because Christ was born of them according to the flesh, and they ate and drank with Him, and heard Him preaching. But these things also apply to Christians. For we eat the body of Christ and drink His blood as often as we approach the mystic table, and He teaches in the streets of our souls, which are open to receive Him.

BEDE; Or mystically, he eats and drinks in the Lord's presence who eagerly receives the food of the word. Hence it is added for explanation, You have taught in our streets. For Scripture in its more obscure places is food, since by being expounded it is as it were broken and swallowed. In the clearer places it is drink, where it is taken down just as it is found. But at a feast the banquet does not delight him whom the piety of faith commends not. The knowledge of the Scriptures does not make him known to God, whom the iniquity of his works proves to be unworthy; as it follows, And he will say to you, I know not whence you are; depart from me.

BASIL; He perhaps speaks to those whom the Apostle describes in his own person, saying, If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have all knowledge, and give all my goods to feed the poor, but have not charity, it profits me nothing. For whatever is done not from regard to the love of God, but to gain praise from men, obtains no praise from God.

THEOPHYL. Observe also that they are objects of wrath in whose street the Lord teaches. If then we have heard Him teaching not in the streets, but in poor and lowly hearts, we shall not be regarded with wrath.

BEDE; But the twofold punishment of hell is here described, that is, the feeling cold and heat. For weeping is wont to be excited by heat, gnashing of teeth by cold. Or gnashing of teeth betrays the feeling of indignation, that he who repents too late, is too late angry with himself.

GLOSS; Or the teeth will gnash which here delighted in eating, the eyes will weep which here wandered with desire. By each He represents the real resurrection of the wicked.

THEOPHYL. This also refers to the Israelites with whom He was speaking, who receive from this their severest blow, that the Gentiles have rest with the fathers, while they themselves are shut out. Hence He adds, When you shall see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of God, &c.

EUSEB. For the Fathers above mentioned, before the times of the Law, forsaking the sins of many gods to follow the Gospel way, received the knowledge of the most high God; to whom many of the Gentiles were conformed through a similar manner of life, but their children suffered estrangement from the Gospel rules; and herein it follows, And behold they are last which shall be first, and they are first which shall be last.

CYRIL; For to the Jews who held the first place have the Gentiles been preferred.

THEOPHYL. But we as it seems are the first who have received from our very cradles the rudiments of Christian teaching, and perhaps shall be last in respect of the heathens who have believed at the end of life.

BEDE; Many also at first burning with zeal, afterwards grow cold; many at first cold, on a sudden become warm; many despised in this world, will be glorified in the world to come; others renowned among men, will in the end be condemned.

Catena Aurea Luke 13

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

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, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there 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 ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. 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 Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

August Devotion -- The Immaculate Heart [of Mary]

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person: and as the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.

This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses given to her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.

INVOCATIONS

O heart most pure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain for me from Jesus a pure and humble heart.

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

ACT OF CONSECRATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss! Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ.

Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquillity of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."

Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ's one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality; arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.

Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God .and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting "Magnificat" of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. — Pope Pius XII

IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
O heart of Mary, mother of God, and our mother; heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well-pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; heart, full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, enkindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all the graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially) at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against u its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment; that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. An,; then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thine intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy, whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen.

....Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way ----From the Catechism. P:1439

From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power.
Amen. - - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps.-- >From the Catechism. P: 2669

The Salutation to the Heart of Jesus and Mary

An Offering of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Novena Prayer to Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer to the Wounded Heart of Jesus

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

Meditation & Novena Prayer on the Sacred Heart

Beads to the Sacred Heart

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Daily Offering to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Exaltation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

The Holy Heart of Mary Is, After the Heart of Jesus, the Most Exalted Throne of Divine Love
Let us recollect that God has given us the feast of the most pure Heart of the Blessed Virgin so that we may render on that day all the respect, honor and praise that we possibly can. To enkindle this spirit within us let us consider our motivating obligations.

The first is that we ought to love and honor whatever God loves and honors, and that by which He is loved and glorified. Now, after the adorable Heart of Jesus there has never been either in heaven or on earth, nor ever will be, a heart which has been so loved and honored by God, or which has given Him so much glory as that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Never has there been, nor will there ever be a more exalted throne of divine love. In that Heart divine love possesses its fullest empire, for it ever reigns without hindrance or interruption, and with it reign likewise all the laws of God, all the Gospel maxims and every Christian virtue.

This incomparable Heart of the Mother of our Redeemer is a glorious heaven, a Paradise of delights for the Most Holy Trinity. According to St. Paul, the hearts of the faithful are the dwelling place of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself assures us that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost take up Their abode in the hearts of those who love God. Who, therefore, can doubt that the Most Holy Trinity has always made His home and established the reign of His glory in an admirable and ineffable manner in the virginal Heart of her who is the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, who herself loves God more than all other creatures together?

How much then are we not obliged to love this exalted and most lovable Heart?

— St. John Eudes

Today: Immaculate Heart of Mary [DEVOTIONAL]

The Immaculate Heart of Mary [Devotional] Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Saturdays and the Immaculate Heart of Mary [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Brown Scapular (Catholic Caucus)
The History of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Catholic Caucus)
Homilies preached by Father Robert Altier on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Marian Associations Unite to Celebrate Immaculate Heart
Solemnity Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary
FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY, AUGUST 22ND
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

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August 25 2019

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Is 66:18-21

Responsorial Psalm Ps 117:1, 2

Reading 2 Heb 12:5-7, 11-13

Alleluia Jn 14:6

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

Readings at Mass

August Devotion -- The Immaculate Heart [of Mary]