Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 09-07-14, Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 09-07-14 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

Sunday Gospel Reflections

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Ezekiel 33 II: Romans 13:8-10

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Gospel
Matthew 18:15-20

¹⁵ "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
¹⁶ But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses.
¹⁷ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
¹⁸ Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
¹⁹ Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
²⁰ For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

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Interesting Details

• This passage showed attitudes of the community toward an erring member. Similar procedures were practiced by the Dead Sea community on the basis of Deut 19:15.
• The expression "like a Gentile and a tax collector" is odd in view of Jesus' openness to both groups; earlier in the Gospel such persons have shown great faith in Jesus ( Mt 8:1-11; 9:9-13; 11:19; 15:21-28).
• (vv.18-19) The power to bind and to loose was previously granted to Peter only, but now is given to all disciples.
• (v.20) Joining in prayer in the context continues to be judicial, not directly liturgical. God accepts the agreement of the community because He is present in the community's prayer in his special way.

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One Main Point

Jesus is not just one in a crowd, but He is in the midst of a community - as small as a family or as big as the Church - because the soul of the community is love and love creates unity. The goal of the three-step procedure for reconciliation is to win the erring brother back to the community of love and unity, even the drastic step of excommunication is to jolt the offender into reconciliation with the community.

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Reflections

1. What is your approach in reconciling with an enemy?
2. How does the Church follow Jesus' teaching in excommunicating a member? What is your own attitude and the attitude of your community toward such a case?
3. When joining in prayer with your community, do you experience God's presence and motivation? How do you feel during a payer session if you still have conflicts with some members in the praying community?
4. Are you a cross that others have to bear? Why?

[Salvation]

“Simplicity, or purity of intention, consists in keeping before yourself, in all your thoughts, words, and acts, one and the same end, one and the same object — namely, the pleasing of God, or, more accurately, the doing of His will.”

-Emmanuel de Gibergues, Strength in Simplicity

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Just A Minute (Listen) Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click.

[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. 

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Information: St. Cajetan

Feast Day: August 7

Born: October 1, 1480, Vicenza, Veneto, Republic of Venice (now Italy)

Died: August 7, 1547, Naples, Campania, Kingdom of Naples

Canonized: April 12, 1671, Rome by Pope Clement X

Patron of: workers; gamblers; job seekers; unemployed people

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Novena to Saint Cajetan, Patron of the Unemployed [Ecumenical Prayer Thread]

[Salvation]

Information: St. Anastasius the Fuller

Feast Day: September 7

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Interactive Saints for Kids

Blessed John Duckett and Blessed Ralph Corby

Feast Day: September 7
Born: (around) 1585 :: Died: 1644

John Duckett was an Englishman, who may have been the grandson of the martyr James Duckett.

Father John studied at the English college of Douay in France and became a priest in 1639. He studied for three more years in Paris, spending several hours each day in prayer.

He spent two months with the Cistercian monks, offering that time to God in prayer and retreat before he was sent back to his persecuted England.

The young priest worked hard for a year teaching people about the Catholic faith in England, but one day when he was on his way to baptize two children, he was caught with the holy oils and book of rites.

When his captors threatened harm to his family and friends if he did not tell them who he was, he admitted that he was a priest. He was immediately taken to prison in London.

There he met a Jesuit priest, Ralph Corby. Father Corby had worked in England for twelve years before they caught him celebrating Mass one day.

The Jesuit order tried hard to save Father Corby. When they finally gave him pardon, he insisted that Father John Duckett who was younger, be set free instead of him. But Father John refused to leave without his friend.

Then on September 7, 1644, at ten o'clock, the two priests were taken to Tyburn, to be executed (killed). Their heads were shaved and they wore their cassocks (long robe worn by priests). Each made a short speech, then embraced each other. They would meet again in heaven before God.

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Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 18
15.	But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother.	Si autem peccaverit in te frater tuus, vade, et corripe eum inter te, et ipsum solum : si te audierit, lucratus eris fratrem tuum.	εαν δε αμαρτηση εις σε ο αδελφος σου υπαγε και ελεγξον αυτον μεταξυ σου και αυτου μονου εαν σου ακουση εκερδησας τον αδελφον σου
16.	And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand.	Si autem te non audierit, adhibe tecum adhuc unum, vel duos, ut in ore duorum, vel trium testium stet omne verbum.	εαν δε μη ακουση παραλαβε μετα σου ετι ενα η δυο ινα επι στοματος δυο μαρτυρων η τριων σταθη παν ρημα
17.	And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.	Quod si non audierit eos : dic ecclesiæ. Si autem ecclesiam non audierit, sit tibi sicut ethnicus et publicanus.	εαν δε παρακουση αυτων ειπε τη εκκλησια εαν δε και της εκκλησιας παρακουση εστω σοι ωσπερ ο εθνικος και ο τελωνης
18.	Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.	Amen dico vobis, quæcumque alligaveritis super terram, erunt ligata et in cælo : et quæcumque solveritis super terram, erunt soluta et in cælo.	αμην λεγω υμιν οσα εαν δησητε επι της γης εσται δεδεμενα εν τω ουρανω και οσα εαν λυσητε επι της γης εσται λελυμενα εν τω ουρανω
19.	Again I say to you, that if two of you shall consent upon earth, concerning any thing whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by my Father who is in heaven.	Iterum dico vobis, quia si duo ex vobis consenserint super terram, de omni re quamcumque petierint, fiet illis a Patre meo, qui in cælis est.	παλιν αμην λεγω υμιν οτι εαν δυο υμων συμφωνησωσιν επι της γης περι παντος πραγματος ου εαν αιτησωνται γενησεται αυτοις παρα του πατρος μου του εν ουρανοις
20.	For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.	Ubi enim sunt duo vel tres congregati in nomine meo, ibi sum in medio eorum.	ου γαρ εισιν δυο η τρεις συνηγμενοι εις το εμον ονομα εκει ειμι εν μεσω αυτων

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15. Moreover if your brother shall trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone: if he shall hear you, you have gained your brother.
16. But if he will not hear you, then take with you one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the Church: but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be to you as an heathen man and a Publican.

CHRYS; Having above given a severe sentence against those who were the cause of offense, making them to fear on all sides; so now that they to whom the offense is offered should not fall into the opposite fault of supineness and indifference, seeking to spare themselves in all things, and so be puffed up; the Lord here checks such a tendency, commanding that they be reproved, saying, If your brother shall trespass against you, go, tell him his fault between you and him alone.

AUG; Our Lord admonishes us not to overlook one another's faults, yet not so as seeking formatter of blame, but watching what you may amend. For our rebuke should be in love, not eager to wound, but anxious to amend. If you pass it by, you are become worse shall he. He by doing you a wrong has done himself a great hurt; you slight your brother's wound, and are more to blame for your silence than he for his ill w words to you.

ID; For often we wrongly shun to teach and admonish, or to rebuke and check the wicked, either because the task is irksome, or because we would escape their enmity, lest they should harm or obstruct us in temporal things, whether in gaining objects we desire, or in holding what our frailty fears to love. But if any one spares reproof of evil doers, because he seeks fitter occasion, or fears to make them worse, or that they may be an impediment to the good and pious living of other weak ones, or may grieve them, or turn them from the faith; herein there is seen no considerations of covetousness, but the prudence of charity. And much weightier reason have they who are set over the churches, to the end they should not spare to rebuke sin; though not even he is free from this blame, who, though not in authority, wots of many things in them to whom he is bound by the ties of this life, which should be touched by admonition or correction, but neglects to do so; shunning their displeasure on account of things which he does not unduly use in this life, but wherewith he is unduly delighted.

CHRYS; It is to be noted, that one while the Lord brings the offender to him whom he has offended; as when He says, If you remember that your brother has something against you, go, be reconciled to your brother: meanwhile He bids him that has suffered the wrong to forgive his neighbor; as where he says, Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. Here He has devised yet another method, for He brings him who has been grieved to him that grieved him, and therefore says, If your brother sin against you; for because he that did the wrong would not readily come to make amends, because of his shame, He draws to him that has suffered the wrong; and not only draws him there, but with the very purpose of correcting what was done amiss; whence He says, Go and tell him his fault.

RABAN; He does not command us to forgive indiscriminately, but him only that will hearken and be obedient, and do penitence; that neither should forgiveness be unattainable, nor sufferance be too far relaxed.

CHRYS; And He says not, Accuse him, nor, Chide with him, nor, Demand redress, - but, Tell him of his fault; that is, remind him of his sin, tell him what things you have suffered from him. For he is held down by anger or by shame, stupefied as one in a deep slumber. Wherefore it is necessary that you who are in your right senses to go to him who is in a disease.

JEROME; If shall your brother have sinned against you, or hurt you in any matter, you have power, indeed must needs forgive him, for we are charged to forgive our debtors their debts. But if a man sin against God, it is no longer in our decision. But we do all the contrary of this; where God is wronged we are merciful, where the affront is to ourselves we prosecute the quarrel.

CHRYS; We are to tell his fault to the man himself who did it, and not to another, because the party takes it with the more patience from him, and above all when they are together alone. For when be who had a light to demand reparation, shows rather a carefulness to heal the sore, this has great power to propitiate.

AUG; When any one therefore offends against us, let us be very careful, not for ourselves, for it is glorious to forget an injury, forget therefore your own wrong, but not the wound your brother has sustained; and tell him of his fault between him and you alone, seeking his amendment and sparing his shame For it may be that out of shame he will seek to defend his fault, and thus you will only harden, while you sought to do him good.

JEROME; your brother is to be reproved in private if once he has lost a sense of shame, he should continue in sin.

AUG; But the Apostle says, They that sin rebuke before all, that others may fear to do the like. Some times therefore your brother is to be spoken to between you and him alone, sometimes to be rebuked before all. What you must do first, attend and learn; If your brother, says He, sin against you, tell him of his fault between you and him alone. Why? Because he has sinned against you. What is it that he has sinned against you? You know that he has sinned, and therefore since his sin was in private, let your rebuke be in private too. For if you alone know of his trespass, and proceed to rebuke him before all, you do not correct but betray him. Your brother has sinned against you; if you alone know thereof, then he has sinned against you only but if he did you a wrong in the presence of many, then he has sinned against those also who were witnesses of his fault. Those faults then are to be rebuked before all, that are committed before all; those which are done in private, are to be rebuked in private. Discern times, and the Scriptures are consistent. But why do you correct your neighbor? Because his trespass has hurt yourself? Far be it from you. If you do it from self love, you do nothing; if you do it from love of him, you do most rightly. Lastly, in what you shall say to him, keep in view for whose sake it is that you ought to do it, for your own or for his, for it follows, If he hear you, you has gained your brother, do it therefore for his sake, that you may gain him. And do you confess that by your sin against man you were lost; for if you were not lost, how has he gained you? Let none then make light of it when he sins against his brother.

CHRYS; In this it is made plain that enmities are a loss to both sides; for he said not, he has gained himself, but, you have gained him; which shows that both of you had suffered loss by your disagreement.

JEROME; For in saving another, salvation is gained for ourselves also.

CHRYS; What you should do if he does not yield is added, If he will not bear you, take with you one or two. For the more shameless and stubborn he shows himself, the more studious should we be of applying the medicine, and not turn to wrath and hate. As the physician, if he see that the disease does not abate, he does not slack, but redoubles his efforts to head. And observe how this reproof is not for revenge, but for correction, seeing his command is not to take two with him at first, but when he would not amend; and even then he does not send a multitude to him, but one or two, alleging the law, That in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. This is that you may have witnesses that you have done all your part.

JEROME; Or it is to be understood in this way; If he will not hear you, take with you one brother only; if he yet will not hear, take a third, either from your zeal for his amendment, that shame or admonition may move him; or for the purpose of meeting before witnesses.

GLOSS; Or, that if he affirm that it is no trespass, that they may prove to him that it is a trespass.

JEROME; If yet he will not hear them, then it must be told to many, that he may be held in abhorrence; so that he who could not be saved by his own sense of shame, may be saved by public disgrace; whence it follows, If he will not hear them, tell it to the Church.

CHRYS; That is, to those that are over the Church.

GLOSS; Or, tell it to the whole Church, that his infamy may be the greater. After all these things follows excommunication, which ought to be inflicted by the mouth of the Church, that is, by the Priest, and when he excommunicates, the whole Church works with him; as it follows, And if he will not hear the Church, let him be to you as a heathen, and a publican.

AUG; That is, regard him no longer in the number of your brethren. Though even thus we are not to neglect his salvation; for the heathens themselves, that is, the gentiles and pagans, we do not indeed regard in the number of our brethren, yet we ever seek their salvation.

CHRYS; Yet the Lord enjoins nothing of this sort to be observed towards those w ho are without the Church, such as He does in reproving a brother. Of those that are without He says, If any smite you on the one cheek, offer to him the other also. as Paul speaks, What have I to do to judge them that are without? But brethren he bids us reprove, and turn away from.

JEROME; That He says, As a heathen and a publican, shows that he is to be more abhorred, who under the name of a believer does the deeds of an unbeliever, than those that are openly gentiles. Those He calls publicans, who pursue worldly gain, and levy contributions by trading, cheating, and villainous frauds, and perjuries.

ORIGEN; Let us look well whether this precept extends to all sin; for what if any one sin any of those sins which are to death, such as unnatural crimes, adultery, homicide, or effeminacy, it cannot be meant that such as these are to be admonished privately, and if he hear you, forthwith to say that you have gained him. And not rather first put him out of the Church, or only when remaining obstinate after monition before witnesses, and by the Church? One man, looking at the infinite mercy of Christ, will say, that since the words of Christ make no distinction of sins, it is to go against Christ's mercy to limit His words only to little sins. Another, on the other hand, considering the words carefully, will aver, that they are not spoken of every sin; for that he that is guilty of those great sins is not a brother, but is called a brother, with whom, according to the Apostle, we ought not so much as to eat.

But as they who expound this as referring to every sin give encouragement to the careless to sin; so, on the other hand, he, now teaches that one having sinned in little sins and such as are not deadly, is, when he has spurned the admonition of the witnesses and the Church, to be held as a heathen and a publican, seems to introduce too great severity. For whether he finally perishes, we are not able to decide. First, because he who has been thrice told of his fault and not hearkened, may hearken the fourth time; secondly, because sometimes a man does not receive according to his creeds, but beyond his trespass, which is good for him in this world; lastly, because He said not alone, Let him be as a heathen, but Let him be to you. Whoever then when reproved three times in a light trespass, does not amend, him we ought to hold for a heathen and a publican, avoiding him, that he may be brought to confusion. But whether he is esteemed of God also as a heathen and a publican, is not ours to decide, but is in the judgment of God.

18. I say to you, Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
19. Again I say to you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

JEROME; Because He had said, If he will not hear the Church, let him be to you as a heathen, and a publican, whereupon the brother so contemned might answer, or think within himself, If you despise me, I also will despise you; if you condemn me, you shall be condemned by my sentence. He therefore confers powers upon the Apostles, that they may be assured that when any are condemned after this manner, the sentence of man is ratified by the sentence of God. Verily I say to you, Whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon the earth shall be loosed in heaven.

ORIGEN; He said not in the heavens (in caelis), as when He spoke to Peter, but in heaven (in caelis), for they are not yet attained to the like perfection with Peter.

HILARY; To hold out a great and terrible fear, by which all men should be reached in this present life, He pronounces that the judgment of the Apostles should be ratified, so that whoever they bound on earth, i.e. left entangled in the noose of sin, and whoever they loosed, i.e. accorded the pardon of God's mercy to their salvation, that these should be bound and loosed in heaven.

CHRYS; And be it noted, that He said not to the Primate of the Church, Bind such a man; but, If you shall bind him, the bonds shall be indissoluble, leaving the other to his discretion. And see how He has set the incorrigible person under the yoke of a twofold necessity; to wit, the punishment that is here, namely, the casting forth out of the Church, when He said, Let him be to you as a heathen; and the future punishment, saying, that he shall be bound in heaven; thus by the weight of his penalties lessening his brother's wrath against him.

AUG; Otherwise; When you begin to hold your brother as a publican you bind him on earth, but take heed that you bind him with just cause; for an unjust cause breaks rightful bonds. But when you have corrected him, and agreed with him, you have loosed him upon earth, and when you have loosed him upon earth, he shall be loosed also in heaven. You confer a great boon not on yourself, but on him, as he had done the hurt not to you but to himself.

GLOSS; But He holds out a ratification not only of sentences of excommunication, but of every petition which is offered by men holding together in the unity of the Church; for He adds, Again I say to you, that if two of you shall agree upon earth, whether in admitting a penitent, or casting out a forward person, touching any thing which they shall ask, any thing, that is, that is not against the unity of the Church, it shall be done for them by my Father which is in heaven. By saying, which is in heaven, He points Him out as above all, and therefore able to fulfill all that shall be asked of Him. Or, He is in the heavens, that is, with saints, proof enough that whatever worthy thing they shall ask shall be done to them, because they have with them Him of w whom they ask.

For this cause is the sentence of those that agree together ratified, because God dwells in them, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

CHRYS; Or, because He had said, It shall be done to them by My Father; therefore, to show that He is the Giver together with His Father, He adds this, where two or three, &c.

ORIGEN; And He said not, I will be, but I am in the midst of them; because straightway, as soon as they have agreed together, Christ is found among them.

HILARY; For He who is peace and charity, will set His place and habitation in good and peaceable dispositions.

JEROME; Or otherwise; All His foregoing discourse had invited us to union; now to make us embrace peace more anxiously, He holds out a reward, promising to be in the midst of two or three.

CHRYS; Yet He said not barely, Where they are gathered together, but added, in my name, as much as to say, If any man look upon Me as the chief motive of his love to his neighbor, I will be with him, though his virtue be shown towards other men. How is it then that those who thus agree together do not obtain what they ask for? First, because they ask things not expedient, and because they do not bring on their parts that which they ought to contribute; wherefore He says, If two of you, that is, who show an evangelic conversation. Thirdly, because they pray seeking vengeance against those who have grieved them. And fourthly, because they seek mercy for sinners who ho have not repented.

ORIGEN; And this also is the reason why our prayers are not granted, because we do not agree together in all things upon earth, neither in doctrine, nor in conversation. For as in music, unless the voices are in time there is no pleasure to the hearer, so in the Church, unless they are united God is not pleased therein, nor does He hear their words.

JEROME; We may also understand this spiritually; where our spirit, soul, and body are in agreement, and have not, within them conflicting wills, they shall obtain from My Father every thing they shall ask; for none can doubt that that demand is good, where the body wills the same thing as the spirit.

ORIGEN; Or, In whatever the two testaments are in agreement, for this every prayer is found acceptable to God.

Catena Aurea Matthew 18

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Tabernacle

Orcagna (architext and sculptor), Bernardo Daddi (Virgin and Child icon)

1359
Marble, lapis lazuli, gold and glass inlay
Orsanmichele, Florence

Orcagna - a painter, sculptor and architect - was commissioned to execute the only significant, large-scale sculpture of the time in Florence, the mammoth tabernacle for Orsanmichele. This Gothic marble structure, rather like a miniature church, was a religious and civic edifice built to house Bernardo Daddi's repainting of a lost image of the Virgin and Child. Hexagonal reliefs of the virtues and octagonal reliefs of the Life of the Virgin alternate on its base. The programme culminates in the large relief on the back, the Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin, where the work is signed and dated 1359.

The tabernacle is encrusted with precious lapis, gold and glass inlay that creates a brilliant, shining polychromy; it is especially dense in the celestial realm, rendering the area still flatter. The elaborate decoration is equivalent to the rich brocades in contemporary painting, a taste which blossomed with the International Gothic style.

Source

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, September 7

Liturgical Color: Green

On this day in 1644, Bl. Ralph Corby,
S.J., and Bl. John Duckett were martyred
at Tyburn in London, after being arrested
for their missionary work. They were
granted a reprieve to be used by only
one, but both refused it.

[Salvation]

Day 269 - Is globalization exclusively a matter of politics & economics? // Are poverty & underdevelopment an inescapable fate?

Is globalization exclusively a matter of politics and economics?

There used to be the idea of a division of labor: economics should be concerned about increasing wealth, and politics should be concerned about distributing it justly. In the age of globalization, however, profits are obtained globally, while politics to a great extent is still limited within national boundaries. Therefore, what is needed today is not just the strengthening of transnational political institutions, but also the initiatives of individuals and social groups that are active economically in the poorer regions of the world, not primarily for the sake of profit, but rather out of a spirit of solidarity and love. The market and the State are necessary, but so is a strong civil society. In a market, products and services are exchanged for goods having the same value. In many regions of this world, however, the people are so poor that they cannot offer anything in exchange and therefore continue to be left behind. So there is a need for economic initiatives that are defined, not by the "logic of exchange", but rather by the "logic of the unconditional gift" (Pope Benedict XVI, CiV). This means, not merely giving alms to the poor, but rather helping them to help themselves by opening up paths to economic freedom. There are Christian initiatives, for instance the "Economy of Communion" project of the Focolare Movement, which today involves more than 750 businesses worldwide. There are also non-Christian social entrepreneurs who, though profit-oriented, nevertheless work in the spirit of a "culture of giving" with the goal of alleviating poverty and marginalization.

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Are poverty and underdevelopment an inescapable fate?

God has entrusted to us a rich earth that could offer all men sufficient food and living space. Yet there are whole regions, countries, and continents in which many people have scarcely the bare necessities for living. There are complex historical causes for this division in the world, but it is not irreformable. The rich countries have the moral obligation to help the underdeveloped nations out of poverty through developmental aid and the establishment of just economic and commercial conditions. There are more than a billion people living on this earth who must make do with less than one dollar per day. They suffer from a lack of food and clean drinking water; most of them have no access to education or medical care. It is estimated that more than 25,000 people die every day from malnutrition. Many of them are children. (YOUCAT questions 447-448

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

 

Daily Readings for:September 07, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, by whom we are redeemed and receive adoption, look graciously upon your beloved sons and daughters, that those who believe in Christ may receive true freedom and an everlasting inheritance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

o    Autumn Apple Harvest Menu

ACTIVITIES

o    Home Concerts

PRAYERS

o    Ordinary Time, After Pentecost: Table Blessing 1

o    Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan)

LIBRARY

o    Lord's Day Must Be Kept Holy by Participating in Sunday Mass | Pope John Paul II

o    On Keeping the Lord's Day Holy (Dies Domini) | Pope John Paul II

o    Sunday Shows God's Love for His Creatures | Pope John Paul II

·         Ordinary Time: September 7th

·         Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

"Amen, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt 18:19-20)."

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

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Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel 33:7-9. The vocation of a prophet, as envisioned in terms of Ezekiel's oracles, is to judge the evil and the wicked and to dissuade them from their ways. The prophet has the responsibility of announcing the judgment of God, not his own judgment, and non-fulfillment of preaching the message of God involves death for the prophet, whereas he will save his life if he is faithful to the message given to him to preach. -Excerpted from A Celebrants Guide to the New Sacramentary - A Cycle by Kevin W. Irwin

The second reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 13:8-10. In the first seven verses of this chapter St. Paul urged the Christian converts of Rome to obey all lawful civil authority. He now turns to the obligation each Christian has of loving his neighbor. -Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

The Gospel is from St. Matthew 18:15-20. Unfortunately, there are far too many Christians today who pay no heed to the serious obligation of encouraging an erring brother to give up his sinful ways. They shrug it off by saying : "I have more than enough to do to keep myself from sin" or "am I my brother's keeper"? The answer is in this lesson we have just read. We are our brothers' keepers, and even if we have many temptations and inclinations to sin we shall not overcome them if we have no time to think of our neighbors' need.

There are, alas, millions of lapsed or luke-warm Christians who could and would have been active members of Christ's mystical body if their neighbors had fulfilled this grave obligation which Christ has imposed on us all. They are now a source of scandal to the weaker and youthful members of the Church, and an impediment to the possible acceptance of the faith by non-Christians. Would the Reformation, which has caused whole countries of the western world to lose almost all faith in Christ and indeed in God, have had such disastrous effects, if those who remained within the Church had put this law of fraternal charity into practice? However, it is no use crying over spilt milk! Let us see our present-day obligations and what we are doing to help our neighbors retain their Christian faith and practice. How much of the indifference to religion which the youth of today seems to be showing is due to lack of parental control and example? How many children of Christian families grow up as practical pagans because their Christian faith meant little or nothing to their parents? It is in the home that the religion of the next generation is firmly established or lost. When parents are loyal to their faith in their daily lives, their children will, as a rule, be loyal to it too; where parents are careless and lax their children will be still more careless and more lax.

Parents! the first neighbors and fellow Christians whom you must kindly and charitably correct are your own children. Their future salvation and your own too will depend on how well you fulfill this obligation. Parents who are obedient to Christ in this will find time and many opportunities to have a charitable word of help for an erring neighbor outside their household. On the other hand, the lax parents, who give little or no thought to getting to heaven or to their children getting there in God's good time, will hardly bother with their neighbor's salvation. Thus this cancer of infidelity and irreligion grows and spreads.

Let each one of us look into his past conduct in relation to this law of charity. Have we really tried to help our fellowmen on the road to heaven? Have we given them the good example of a truly Christian way of living? Have we offered advice and encouragement when it was needed, and correction in private where that was possible? If so "we have gained our brother." We have brought a prodigal son back to a loving Father and that loving Father will repay us a hundred-fold in this life and especially in the next.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Romans 13:8-10

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Romans 13:9)

Have you ever noticed how the commandments that we hear most often are the ones we have the hardest time fulfilling? Take today’s second reading as an example. We all have to deal with people who try our patience or rub us the wrong way. Then there’s the pull of the world, urging us toward a self-centered approach to life. And all the time, we hear in the back of our minds Jesus telling us to love one another, even to prefer one another to ourselves.

This is a demanding call, isn’t it? Like Jesus, we should seek to serve instead of being served (Matthew 20:28). He asks us to take the “lowest place” at the banquet (Luke 14:9). He even warns us that if we strive to be first, we will be last, but if we strive to be last, we will be first (Matthew 20:16).

In today’s readings, God is inviting us to do a little self-examination. How have you done lately in loving your neighbor as yourself? Think about hurtful things you may have said about another person. Think about ways you may have failed to defend a friend or judged someone unfairly. Or maybe you have neglected to help a friend who needed you because it was inconvenient.

These are uncomfortable questions to ask, to be sure. But God knows your heart. He knows how much you want to do good, even though you fail at times. He also knows that he has placed his Spirit in you to give you divine strength and to make changes that seem impossible. So don’t be afraid to open up to him and ask him to help you. Remember: God is love. And that love is generous and overflowing. Let him love you, and you’ll find yourself loving other people more and more.

“Heavenly Father, forgive me for putting myself first. By your Spirit, teach me how to love. Father, unite all your children as one!”

Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9; Matthew 18:15-20

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 95:1-2,6-9; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20)

1. In the first reading, the Lord tells Ezekiel that he has appointed him to be a “watchman” for his people, to warn them of their wickedness. As a Christian, in what way has the Lord called you to be a watchman to speak out against wickedness in our society? Do you do this? Why or why not?

2. The response to the responsorial psalm is, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart.” How easy it is for us to ignore the many words of Scripture we hear at Mass or in our times of prayer and Scripture reading. What steps can you take to be more alert to the Lord’s words to you through Scripture or his promptings during your day?

3. In the letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes that all the commandments can be summed up with one command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” What do you think Paul meant by these words? How can you better live these words out in your own life?

4. In the Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the importance of those in the church being accountable to one another for their actions. Why is this important? In what ways can you take some small steps to increase this accountability in your life?

5. In the meditation, we hear these words: “We all have to deal with people who try our patience or rub us the wrong way. Then there’s the pull of the world, urging us toward a self-centered approach to life. And all the time, we hear in the back of our minds Jesus telling us to love one another, even to prefer one another to ourselves. This is a demanding call, isn’t it?” Why is this “a demanding call”? What are the some obstacles that can keep you from seeking “to serve instead of being served (Matthew 20:28)”?

6. The meditation ends with these words: “God is love. And that love is generous and overflowing. Let him love you, and you’ll find yourself loving other people more and more.” Why do you think this is so? What are some ways you can open yourself more to God’s love?

7. Take some time now to pray and ask the Lord for the grace to love others as he has loved you. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

[Salvation]

A Christian Pilgrim

ASSERTIVENESS: THE IDEAL QUALITY FOR GOOD HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

(A biblical reflection on the 23rd ORDINARY SUNDAY [YEAR A], 7 September 2014)

Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:15-20

First Reading: Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalms: Psalm 95:1-2,6-9; Second Reading: Romans 13:8-10

The Scripture Text
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:15-20 RSV)

Today’s Gospel is preceded by a parable, “the parable of the Lost Sheep” (Matthew 18:12-14). This parable is addressed to the disciples to impel them to seek out lost members of the community. The parable emphasizes that the sinful member of the community is never to be despised but must become the focus of concern. Such solicitude is a reflection of God’s own love for sinners. In today’s Gospel, Matthew lays down practical procedures for handling disputes in the community (Matthew 18:15-18).

Some people in our community are too submissive. They continually back off and are afraid to voice an objection, and this gives them a sense of diminished self-worth. Others are too aggressive. They push people about in an arrogant and dominating manner. These are the people with an exaggerated view of self-importance. Abraham Lincoln once spoke to this issue when he said: “As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master.”

Between these two extremes is found the ideal quality for good human relationships – assertiveness. Assertive people neither cower from fear nor threaten with force. They frankly express their feelings and hopes to the person or people with whom they are having difficulties. Assertive people are strong, open and peace-loving.

Hurts and wrongs often go undiscussed and unattended because it is hard for us to talk about them. Although we avoid direct confrontations, we often resort to making complaints behind the scene.

“If your brother sins against you,” says Jesus in today’s Gospel, “go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone.” (Matthew 18:15).This is simply a call to be assertive. Such an action can save untold hardships and enable us to quickly solve many problems which otherwise could linger on for years or even a lifetime. This is true in cases of family life, good neighborhood, or other aspects of human relationships.

If we cannot solve our difficulties with others, Jesus recommends that we seek the help of a third person – not to provide an answer but to be an arbiter so that the disputants can better arrive at a mutual solution.

If the conflict still continues, it should be submitted to the Church for a group decision or the assistance of one who is skilled in that area. This biblical approach to conflict management seeks to achieve peace between people and to avoid lawsuits. It especially seeks to avoid the use of violence to solve problems. The power of “binding and loosing” (here referring especially to decisions about membership in the community) given to Peter in Matthew 16:19 is extended to the Church (Matthew 18:18). And, the community has definite power, particularly when united in prayer (Matthew 18:19-20), because the Risen Lord is in its midst.

Jesus expects us to love one another in an atmosphere of unity and openness, without playing the role of either slave or master. The virtue of assertiveness does not diminish the other person. Through openness, it speaks and listens and achieves a peaceful understanding.

Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray for unity in my Christian communities where I am a member, my family, with my friends, and among all people. Make me an assertive person, Lord, and may the world know that we are Christians by our love for one another. Amen.

[Salvation]

Marriage=One Man and One Woman 'Til Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for September 7, 2014:

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Mt 18:20) Did you gather in Jesus’ name today? Believe that Jesus is with you in your marriage, always.

[Salvation]

Sunday Scripture Study

Scripture  Study

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A 

Opening prayer  

Ezekiel 33:7-9 

(Ps 95:1-2,6-9)

Romans 13:8-10 

Matthew 18:15-20     

 

Overview of the Gospel:

• Since last Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 16:21-27), the readings have skipped over Matthew, chapter 17, which included an account of Jesus’ Transfiguration (verses 1-8) and a second prediction of his Passion (verses 22-23). 

• In the present chapter, Jesus is questioned by his disciples about the nature of the kingdom of heaven (verse 1). After warnings against seeking after rank or importance rather than humility (verses 1-5) and being a source of scandal to those who are the object of God’s loving concern (verses 6-14), Jesus sets forth a process for dealing with conflict and disagreements within the Church.

• The Greek word (elegxon) translated as “tell him his fault” in the New American Bible  (verse 15) has the meaning “to rebuke in order to expose sin and bring correction.” Thus, it is to be a fraternal correction, for the good of the person. It is also private to avoid scandal and to protect the good name of the innocent.

• Failing that, two witnesses are brought in (per Deuteronomy 19:15-16) with the hope the influence of good friends or respected persons may have an effect. As a last resort (verse 17) judicial correction (i.e. excommunication) may be made by reference to the Church authorities. As in verse 15, this is not a means of punishment, but of fraternal correction.

• Jesus makes it plain (here and in Matthew 16:18) that he has given the leaders of his Church authority to make decisions in these matters that are ratified by God (verse 18). 

Questions:

• According to the 1st Reading, what is our responsibility toward those who we see endangering themselves by their own sinful actions? According to the 2nd Reading, what should be our spirit and approach when we find ourselves in this postion?

• How does the Gospel passage reconcile with Matthew 7:3-5? How does it complement Matthew 16:13-20? What is the connection between verse 18 and the priestly power to forgive sins?

• The reconciliation process described by Jesus involves what three stages? Why not go public right away? What authority is given to the followers of Jesus? To the leadership of the Church (see John 20:21-23)?

• What does this passage say about the counsel of others? Of accountability to legitimate authority?

• How do you handle disagreements or wrongs done to you by others, especially by family? What pattern do you follow? How close to the model presented in this passage is your method of handling problems? 

 

Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 1088, 1373, 1444-1445 

Closing prayer 

 

Lord, in my zeal for the love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love. - St. Thomas Aquinas

[Salvation]

The Lord’s Invisible Presence

Pastor’s Column

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 7, 2014

 

“For where two or more are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

Do we really believe that the Lord is present whenever we pray together in his name? Notice that he says “where two or more are gathered…” This is why we pray together and not only individually. The Lord expects us to be in fellowship with other Christians to support and aid them as well as to receive support. The Lord never envisioned a church of one, but expects us to come together regularly, especially on Sundays.

We see this clearly in the Our Father. Notice Jesus doesn’t say My Father, but Our Father! Of course, our Lord is with us when we pray alone, but he also expects us to be praying together regularly. Without this, we are incomplete Christians!

Once in a previous parish I was called out to the home of a dying man living in a very small trailer. Rather, I should say his wife wanted me to come out. He himself wanted nothing to do with religion or a priest. As I approached the house, I could hear screaming and blasphemies, and, of course, it was with some trepidation that I knocked on the door! How could the Lord possibly be present in a situation like this?

Plucking up my courage, I knocked on the door. Inside, I found this man lying on a bed, dying and unhappy. He calmed down as I approached. After we conversed, I offered to pray with him and he said something like “If it makes you feel good, Father.” So we joined in a circle, he, the wife who invited me and this tortured soul.

As we prayed, the most remarkable thing happened! Into our circle came a dog and a cat. I had my eyes closed so I was surprised to see these two animals looking up at us happily as we finished our prayers, as if they were praying with us.  

Well, to this angry man, this was a real miracle. He told me that these two animals absolutely never got along and were always separated (he didn’t know how they both got in the house). He had never even seen them in the same room together peacefully. To him, this was a sure sign that Christ had been present in the midst of us and I am sure this was in fact the case. He died, reconciled to God and the church, convinced that the Lord had joined us in prayer!

Of course Jesus is always present with us in the Eucharist and in so many other ways as well, particularly when we join with someone else in prayer. This also applies to intercessory prayer. Though usually invisible to our sight, the Lord promised to be always with us!

                                                                                    Father Gary

[Salvation]

Reflections from Scott Hahn

To Win Them Back
: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Posted by Dr. Scott Hahn on 09.05.14 |

Readings:

Ezekiel 33:7-9

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-9

Romans 13:8-10

Matthew 18:15-20



As Ezekiel is appointed watchman over the house of Israel in today’s first Reading, so Jesus in the Gospel today establishes His disciples as guardians of the new Israel of God, the Church (see Galatians 6:16). 



He also puts in place procedures for dealing with sin and breaches of the faith, building on laws of discipline prescribed by Moses for Israel (see Leviticus 19:17-20; Deuteronomy 19:13). The heads of the new Israel, however, receive extraordinary powers - similar to those given to Peter (see Matthew 16:19). They have the power to bind and loose, to forgive sins and to reconcile sinners in His name (see John 20:21-23).



But the powers He gives the apostles and their successors depends on their communion with Him. As Ezekiel is only to teach what he hears God saying, the disciples are to gather in His name and to pray and seek the will of our heavenly Father. 



But today’s readings are more than a lesson in Church order. They also suggest how we’re to deal with those who trespass against us, a theme that we’ll hear in next week’s readings as well.



Notice that both the Gospel and the First Reading presume that believers have a duty to correct sinners in our midst. Ezekiel is even told that he will be held accountable for their souls if he fails to speak out and try to correct them. 



This is the love that Paul in today’s Epistle says we owe to our neighbors. To love our neighbors as ourselves is to be vitally concerned for their salvation.

We must make every effort, as Jesus says, to win our brothers and sisters back, to turn them from the false paths. 

We should never correct out of anger, or a desire to punish. Instead our message must be that of today’s Psalm - urging sinner to hear God’s voice, not to harden their hearts, and to remember that He is the one who made us, and the rock of our salvation.