Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 12-01-19

First Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 1

Reading 1 Is 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come,
the mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest mountain
and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say:
"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways,
and we may walk in his paths."
For from Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another,
nor shall they train for war again.
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Responsorial Psalm Ps 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Because of my brothers and friends
I will say, "Peace be within you!"
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Reading 2 Rom 13:11-14

Brothers and sisters:
You know the time;
it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep.
For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed;
the night is advanced, the day is at hand.
Let us then throw off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light;
let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day,
not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in promiscuity and lust,
not in rivalry and jealousy.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

Alleluia Cf. Ps 85:8

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Show us Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:
"As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

For: Sunday, December 1, 2019

1st Sunday of Advent

From: Matthew 24:37-44

The Time of the Second Coming of Christ and of the Last Judgment

(Jesus said to his disciples,) [37] “As were the days of Noah, so will be the
coming of the Son of man. [38] For as in those days before the flood they were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah
entered the ark, [39] and they did not know until the flood came and swept them
all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. [40] Then two men will be in
the field; one is taken and one is left. [41] Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one is taken and one is left.

Vigilance. The Faithful Servant

[42] “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
[43] But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night
the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house
be broken into. [44] Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is co-
ming at an hour you do not expect.

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Commentary:

37-39. In a few strokes our Lord sketches man’s perennial insensitivity and care-
lessness towards the things of God. Man thinks it is more important to eat and
drink, to find a husband or wife; but if that is his attitude he is forgetting about
the most important thing — eternal life. Our Lord also foretells that the end of the
world will be like the great flood; the Son of man’s second coming will happen
unexpectedly, taking people by surprise, whether they are doing good or evil.

40. It is in the context of the ordinary affairs of life — farmwork, housework, etc.
— that God calls man, and man responds: that is where his eternal happiness
or eternal punishment is decided. To be saved, one does not need to meet any
special conditions, or to be in a special position in life: one simply has to be
faithful to the Lord in the middle of ordinary everyday affairs.

42. Jesus himself draws from this revelation about the future the practical moral
that a Christian needs to be on the watch, living each day as if it were his last.
The important thing is not to be speculating about when these events will hap-
pen and what form they will take, but to live in such a way that they find us in
the state of grace.

*********************************************************************************************
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. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.

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“Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” — St Jerome

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Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 24
37.	And as in the days of Noe, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.	Sicut autem in diebus Noë, ita erit et adventus Filii hominis :	ωσπερ δε αι ημεραι του νωε ουτως εσται και η παρουσια του υιου του ανθρωπου
38.	For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark,	sicut enim erant in diebus ante diluvium comedentes et bibentes, nubentes et nuptum tradentes, usque ad eum diem, quo intravit Noë in arcam,	ωσπερ γαρ ησαν εν ταις ημεραις ταις προ του κατακλυσμου τρωγοντες και πινοντες γαμουντες και εκγαμιζοντες αχρι ης ημερας εισηλθεν νωε εις την κιβωτον
39.	And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be.	et non cognoverunt donec venit diluvium, et tulit omnes : ita erit et adventus Filii hominis.	και ουκ εγνωσαν εως ηλθεν ο κατακλυσμος και ηρεν απαντας ουτως εσται και η παρουσια του υιου του ανθρωπου
40.	Then two shall be in the field: one shall be taken, and one shall be left.	Tunc duo erunt in agro : unus assumetur, et unus relinquetur.	τοτε δυο εσονται εν τω αγρω ο εις παραλαμβανεται και ο εις αφιεται
41.	Two women shall be grinding at the mill: one shall be taken, and one shall be left.	Duæ molentes in mola : una assumetur, et una relinquetur.	δυο αληθουσαι εν τω μυλωνι μια παραλαμβανεται και μια αφιεται
42.	Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come.	Vigilate ergo, quia nescitis qua hora Dominus vester venturus sit.	γρηγορειτε ουν οτι ουκ οιδατε ποια ωρα ο κυριος υμων ερχεται
43.	But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.	Illud autem scitote, quoniam si sciret paterfamilias qua hora fur venturus esset, vigilaret utique, et non sineret perfodi domum suam.	εκεινο δε γινωσκετε οτι ει ηδει ο οικοδεσποτης ποια φυλακη ο κλεπτης ερχεται εγρηγορησεν αν και ουκ αν ειασεν διορυγηναι την οικιαν αυτου
44.	Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.	Ideo et vos estote parati : quia qua nescitis hora Filius hominis venturus est.	δια τουτο και υμεις γινεσθε ετοιμοι οτι η ωρα ου δοκειτε ο υιος του ανθρωπου ερχεται

37. But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark,
39. And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

CHRYS. That you may perceive that it is not owing to ignorance that He is silent of the day and hour of the judgment, He brings forward another token, As it was in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.

By this He means that He shall come sudden and not looked for, and while men are taking their pleasure; of which Paul also speaks, When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them.

RABAN. Marriage and meats in themselves are not here condemned, as the error of Marcion and Manicheus teaches; for in the one the continuation of the species, in the other that of life, depends; but what is reproved is an unrestrained use of things lawful.

JEROME; It is asked here, how it was said above, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, &c. when here only tokens of peace are spoken of as what shall be then? We must suppose, that after the wars and the other miseries which shall waste the human race, shall follow a short peace, offering rest and quiet to approve the faith of the believers.

CHRYS. Or, To such as are thoughtlessly disposed, it shall be a time of peace and enjoyment; as the Apostle said not, 'When there shall be peace,' but When they shall say, Peace and safety, showing their insensibility to be such as was theirs in the days of Noah, when the wicked, and not the good, indulged themselves, but their end was sorrow and tribulation. This shows also, that when Antichrist shall come, those who are wicked, and despair of their salvation, shall run into illicit pleasures; therefore He chooses an instance suitable. For while the ark was building, Noah preached among them, foretelling the evils that should come; but those wicked giving no heed to him, went on as though no evil should ever come; so now, because many would not believe things future, He makes credible what He says from what has happened. Another token He gives to show how unexpectedly that day shall come, and that He is not ignorant of the day, Then two shall be in the field, one shall be taken and the other left. These words show that masters and servants, they that work, and they that w work not, shall be taken or left alike.

HILARY; Or, the two in the field, are the two people of believers and unbelievers, whom the day of the Lord shall overtake, as it were in the labors of this life. And they shall be separated, one being taken and the other left; this shows the separation that shall be between believers and unbelievers; when God's wrath is kindled, the saints shall be gathered into His garner, and the unbelievers shall be left as fuel for the fire from heaven. The same is the account to be given of that, Two shall be grinding at the mill. The mill is the work of the Law, but as some of the Jews believed through the Apostles, so some shall believe through Elias, and be justified through faith; and one part shall be taken through this same faith of good works, the other part shall be left unfruitful in the work of the Law, grinding in vain, and never to produce the bread of heavenly food.

JEROME; Or, Two men in one field shall be found performing the same labor, sowing corn together, but not reaping the same fruit of their labor. The two grinding together we may understand either of the Synagogue and the Church, which seem to grind together in the Law, and to make of the same Scriptures meal of the commandments of God; or of other heresies, which out of both or one Testament, seem to grind meal of their own doctrines.

HILARY; The two in one bed are those who preach alike the Lord's rest after His passion, about which heretics and Catholics have the same confession; but because the Catholic Faith preaches the unity of the Godhead of the Father and the Son, and the false creed of the heretics impugns that, therefore shall the Divine judgment decide between the confession of these two by taking one and leaving the other.

REMIG. Or, these words denote three orders in the Church. The two men in the field denote the order of preachers, to whom is committed the field of the Church; by the two grinding at the mill, the order of the married priests, who while with a divided heart they are called first to one side, then to the other, do, as it were, ever turn round a mill; by the two in one bed, the order of the continent, whose repose is signified by the bed. But in all these orders are good and bad, righteous and unrighteous, so that some shall be taken, and some left.

ORIGEN; Or otherwise; The body is laid as sick on the bed of carnal passions, the soul grinds in the mill of this world, and the bodily senses labor in the field of the world.

42. Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord does come.
43. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44. Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of Man comes.

JEROME; Having declared that of that hour knows no man but the Father only, He shows that it was not expedient for the Apostles to know, that being ignorant they might live in perpetual expectation of His coming, and thus concluding the whole, He says, Watch therefore, &c. And He does not say, 'Because we know not,' but Because you know not, showing that He Himself is not ignorant of the day of judgment.

CHRYS. He would have them ever ready and therefore He says, Watch.

GREG. To watch is to keep the eyes open, and looking out for the true light, to do and to observe that which one believes, to cast away the darkness of sloth and negligence.

ORIGEN; Those of more plain understanding say, that He spoke this of His second coming; but others would say that it applies to an intellectual coming of the word into the understanding of the disciples, for as yet He was not in their understanding as He was to be.

AUG. He said this Watch, not to those only who heard 'Him speak at the time, but to those who came after them, and to us, and to all who shall be after us, until His second coming' for it touches all in a manner. That day comes to each one of us, when it comes to him to go out of the world, such as he shall be judged , and therefore ought every Christian to watch that the Lord's coming may not find him unprepared ; and he will be unprepared for the day of His coming, whom the last day of his life shall find unprepared.

AUG. Foolish are all they, who either profess to know the day of the end of the world, when it is to come, or even the end of their own life, which no one can know unless he is illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

JEROME; And by the instance of the master of the household, He teaches more plainly why He keeps secret the day of the consummation.

ORIGEN; The master of the household is the understanding, the house is the soul, the thief is the Devil. The thief is also every contrary doctrine which enters the soul of the unwary by other than the natural entrance, breaking into the house, and pulling down the soul's natural fences, that is, the natural powers of understanding, it enters the breach, and spoils the soul. sometimes one takes the thief in the act of breaking m, and seizing him, stabs him with a word, and slays him.

And the thief comes not in the day-time, when the soul of the thoughtful man is illuminated with the Sun of righteousness, but in the night, that is, in the time of prevailing wickedness; in which when one is plunged, it is possible, though he have not the power of the sun, that he may be illuminated by some rays from the Word, as from a lamp continuing still in evil, yet having a better purpose, and watchfulness, that this his purpose should not be broken through. Or in time of temptation, or of any calamities, is the time when the thief is most found to come, seeking to break through the house of the soul.

GREG. Or, the thief breaks into the house through the neglect of the master of the house, when the spirit has slept in upon its post of guard, and death has come in unawares into the dwelling house of our flesh, and finding the lord of the house sleeping, slays him; that is, the spirit, little providing for coming evils, is taken off unprepared, to punishment, by death. But if he had watched he would have been secure from the thief; that is, looking forward to the coming of the Judge, who takes our lives unawares, he would meet Him with penitence, and not perish impenitent. And the Lord would therefore have the last hour unknown, that it might always be in suspense, and that being unable to foresee it, we might never be unprepared for it.

CHRYS. In this He rebukes such as have less care for their souls, than they have of guarding their money against an expected thief.

Catena Aurea Matthew 24

From: Isaiah 2:1-5

The Glory of Zion and Peace Among the Nations

[1] The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem.
[2] It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
[3] and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
[4] He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
[5] O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.

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Commentary:

2:1-4:6. This section opens with a new “dispute” (”rib”) in which we find echoes
of the teaching about the “day of the Lord” (2:12; cf. Amos 5:18-20). Previously,
the people were accused of forsaking God (cf. 1:2-3); now we are told why God
has forsaken them (cf. 2:6): it was on account of their arrogance and their idola-
try (cf. 2:6-4:1). However, it is not really the case that God has forsaken his peo-
ple; his “forsaking” them is a way of describing the punishment he inflicts on
them on account of their sins. When the Lord’s sentence is revealed, human
arrogance will be brought low, and the Lord will be exalted (cf. 2:9, 11, 17).

Oracles about the splendor that will be Zion’s on that day introduce (cf. 2:1-5)
and round off (4:2-6) this “dispute”.

2:1-5. Despite the sins of the people and the disastrous situation in Judah that
is described in this first part of the book, from the very start a glimmer of hope
is provided in this vision of messianic and eschatological restoration which
shows that the salvation of the world centers on Zion, “the mountain of the Lord”,
that is, Jerusalem.

All the nations will converge on the holy city, but not to despoil it of its wealth:
they will come in peace to hearken to the word of the Lord and receive instruc-
tion in his law. This note of hope, struck, strategically, at the very start of the
book, and at its end (66:18-24), constitutes one of its most important messa-
ges.

The poem in vv. 2-5 (found also, with slight variations, in Micah 4:1-3) links the
Law with the temple, the spiritual center of Jerusalem after the national recon-
struction that took place when the exiles returned from Babylon.

In contrast with the strife and desolation that sin brings in its wake (cf. 1:2-9),
peace is the outcome of reverence for God and readiness to obey his precepts,
of the practice of virtue and of love of neighbor. The weapons of war become
tools for development and agriculture: “Insofar as men are sinful, the threat of
war hangs over them, and hang over them it will until the return of Christ. But
insofar as men vanquish sin by a union of love, they will vanquish violence as
well and make these words come true: ‘They shall turn their swords into plough-
shares, and their spears into sickles. Nation shall not lift up sword against na-
tion, neither shall they learn war any more’ (Is 2:4)” (”Gaudium Et Spes”, 78).

These words of Isaiah announcing God’s salvific intervention in the fullness of
time will come true with the birth of Christ, who will open up an era of perfect
peace and reconciliation. The Church uses this text in the liturgy of the first Sun-
day in Advent, encouraging us to look forward to the second coming of Christ as
we prepare to recall his first coming at Christmas.

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

From: Romans 13:11-14

Love, the Fulfilling of the Law (Continuation)

[11] Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake
from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; [12] the
night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light; [13] let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the
day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not
in quarrelling and jealousy. [14] But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no
provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

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Commentary:

11-14. The Church uses this inspired text in the liturgy of Advent to help us pre-
pare for the coming of the Lord. Christ came into the world by his Incarnation; he
also comes to souls through grace; and at the end of time he will come as Judge.
Rising like the sun, he dispelled the darkness when he came into the world, and
he continues to dispel whatever darkness remains in souls the more he obtains
mastery over the hearts of men.

13-14. Souls who have become members of the Church through Baptism are al-
ways in need of conversion to a new life. Sometimes God uses Sacred Scripture
to awaken people from their spiritual lethargy. In fact, he used these particular
words of Scripture to move the heart of St Augustine and have him take the last
step towards casting off the attachments of the flesh. “I felt myself still enslaved
by my iniquities, and therefore did I groan to myself, ‘How long? How long must
I continue saying Tomorrow, tomorrow? Why not now? Why not, at one instant,
make an end of all uncleanness?’ [...] And behold I heard a voice, like that of a
child in the house next door, repeating in a sing-song tone, ‘Take up and read.
Take up and read’ [...]. I rose up [...] and returned to where I had left the book of
the Apostle; I took it quickly into my hand, opened it and read in silence the first
passage on which my eye happened to fall.” Having transcribed the verses we
are now commenting, Augustine continues: “I read no further, nor was there any
need to; for with the end of this sentence, as by a clear and constant light in-
fused into my heart, the darkness of all former doubts was immediately driven
away” (”Confessions”, VII, 12, 28-29).

14. All Christians “put on” Christ in Baptism (cf. Gal 3:27). Starting with this ini-
tial configuration to Christ, they are steadily transformed into him by frequent re-
ception of the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of Penance. “’Induimini
Dominum Iesum Christum.’ ‘Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,’ says St Paul to the
Romans. It is in the Sacrament of Penance that you and I put on Jesus Christ
and his merits” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 310).

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

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December 1 2019

First Sunday of AdventLectionary: 1

Reading 1 Is 2:1-5

Responsorial Psalm Ps 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Reading 2 Rom 13:11-14

Alleluia Cf. Ps 85:8

Gospel Mt 24:37-44

First Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 1