Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 8
11.	And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, asking him a sign from heaven, tempting him.	Et exierunt pharisæi, et cœperunt conquirere cum eo, quærentes ab illo signum de cælo, tentantes eum.	και εξηλθον οι φαρισαιοι και ηρξαντο συζητειν αυτω ζητουντες παρ αυτου σημειον απο του ουρανου πειραζοντες αυτον
12.	And sighing deeply in spirit, he saith: Why doth this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, a sign shall not be given to this generation.	Et ingemiscens spiritu, ait : Quid generatio ista signum quærit ? Amen dico vobis, si dabitur generationi isti signum.	και αναστεναξας τω πνευματι αυτου λεγει τι η γενεα αυτη σημειον επιζητει αμην λεγω υμιν ει δοθησεται τη γενεα ταυτη σημειον
13.	And leaving them, he went up again into the ship, and passed to the other side of the water.	Et dimittens eos, ascendit iterum navim et abiit trans fretum.	και αφεις αυτους εμβας παλιν εις πλοιον απηλθεν εις το περαν

11. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
12. And He sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, Why does this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
13. And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.

AUG. Now in Matthew we read that He entered into the parts of Magdala. But we cannot doubt that it is the same place under another name; for several manuscripts even of St. Mark have only Magdala. It goes on, And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question to with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

BEDE; The Pharisees, then, seek a sign from heaven, that He, Who had for the second time fed mammy thousands of men with a few loaves of bread, should now, after the example of Moses, refresh the whole nation in the last time with manna sent down from heaven, and dispensed amongst them all.

THEOPHYL. Or they seek for a sign from heaven, that is, they wish Him to make the sun and moon stand still, to bring down hail, and change the atmosphere; for they thought that He could not perform miracles from heaven, but could only in Beelzebub perform a sign on earth.

BEDE; When, as related above, He was about to refresh the believing multitude, He gave thanks, so now, on account of the foolish petition of the Pharisees, He groans; because, bearing about with Him the feelings of human nature, as He rejoices over the salvation of men, so He grieves over their errors. Wherefore it goes on, And he groaned in spirit, and said, Why does this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, If a sign shall be given to this generation. That is, no sign shall be given; as it is written in the Psalms, I have sworn once by my holiness, if I shall fail David, that is, I will not fail David.

AUG. Let no one, however, be perplexed that the answer which Mark says was given to them, when they sought a sign from heaven, is not the same as that which Matthew relates, namely, that concerning Jonah. He says that the Lord's answer was, that no sign should be given to it; by which we must understand such a one as they asked for, that is, one from heaven; but he has omitted to say, what Matthew has related.

THEOPHYL. Now the reason why the Lord did not listen to them was, that the time of signs from heaven had not arrived, that is, the time of the second Advent, when the powers of the heaven shall be shaken, and the moon shall not give her light. But in the time of the first Advent, all things are full of mercy, and such things do not take place.

BEDE; For a sign from heaven was not to be given to a generation of men, who tempted the Lord; but to a generation of men seeking the Lord, He shows a sign from heaven when in the sight of the Apostles He ascended into heaven. It goes on, And He left them, and entering into a ship again, he departed to the other side.

THEOPHYL. The Lord indeed quits the Pharisees, as men uncorrected; for where there is a hope of correction, there it is right to remain; but where the evil is incorrigible, we should go away. There follows: Now they had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in their ship with them more than one very loaf.

Catena Aurea Mark 8

St. Onesimus

Feast Day: February 16
Born/Died: First Century

Onesimus was born in Phrygia and was a slave who robbed his master Philemon and ran away to Rome. In Rome he went to see the great apostle, St. Paul, who was a prisoner for his faith.

Paul received Onesimus with the kindness and love of a good father. Paul helped the young man realize he had done wrong to steal. But more than that, he led Onesimus to believe in Jesus and baptized him.

After Onesimus became a Christian, Paul sent him back to his master. Philemon had earlier been converted by Paul and was Paul's friend. But Paul did not send the slave back alone and defenseless.

He "armed" Onesimus with a short, powerful but beautiful letter that we know as the Epistle to Philemon. Paul hoped his letter would set everything right for his new friend, Onesimus.

Paul wrote to Philemon: "I plead with you for my own son, for Onesimus. I am sending him back to you. Welcome him as though he were my very heart." Paul asked Philemon to accept him "no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man in the Lord. So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me".

That touching letter is in the New Testament of the Bible. Philemon accepted Paul's letter and Paul's advice. When Onesimus returned to his master, he was set free. Afterwards, he went back to St. Paul and became his faithful helper.

St. Paul made Onesimus a priest and then a bishop. Later, as Saint Jerome and other Fathers tell us, he became a fervent preacher of the Good News that had changed his life forever.

He was cruelly tortured in Rome, for eighteen days, by a governor of that city, who became angry by his preaching of the Gospel. His legs were broken and he was then stoned to death.

Day 47 - Feeding the Five Thousand

Today's Reading: Matthew 14:13-21

13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a lonely place apart. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 As he went ashore he saw a great throng; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a lonely place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass; and taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Today's Commentary:

Matthew 14:13-21 -- Jesus' multiplication of loaves appears in every Gospel. The event anticipates the Eucharist, a point that Matthew reinforces by using the same series of verbs (taking . . . blessed . . . broke . . . gave) here (14:19) and at the Last Supper (26:26; Mk 14:22). The miracle also recalls the similar OT episode in 2 Kings 4:42-44, where the prophet Elisha multiplied 20 barley loaves (Jn 6:9) to feed 100 men, with some left over (CCC 1335).

Morally -- (St. John, Patriarch of Alexandria; Theophylact): the five loaves signify alms given to the poor (cf. 6:2-4). As here, the size of the donation is less significant than the generosity of one's heart (cf. Lk 21:1-4; 2 Cor 9:6-8). Gifts given to the poor are, in return, multiplied by God back to the giver as treasure in heaven (6:19-21; CCC 1434).

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:February 16, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who teach us that you abide in hearts that are just and true, grant that we may be so fashioned by your grace as to become a dwelling pleasing to you. 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 Beef Collops

o Minestrone

ACTIVITIES

o Homemade Prayer Book for Preschool Children

PRAYERS

o Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 1

LIBRARY

o Accept the call to be virtuous, for happiness is achieved by sacrifice | Pope John Paul II

· Ordinary Time: February 16th

· Monday of the Six Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: St. Juliana (Hist); St. Onesimus (Hist)

Historically today is the feast of St. Juliana, a Christian virgin of Cumae, Italy, martyred for the faith when she refused to marry a Roman prefect. She suffered terrible ordeals and was finally beheaded. One tradition reports that Juliana actually suffered martyrdom at Nicomedia and that her relics were transferred to Cumae. It is also the feast of St. Onesimus martyr and former slave. He is mentioned in St. Paul's Letter to Philemon as the slave of Philemon in Colossae, Phrygia, who ran away.

St. Juliana
St. Juliana suffered martyrdom during the Diocletian persecution. Both the Latin and Greek Churches mention a holy martyr Juliana in their lists of saints. The oldest historical notice of her is found in the "Martryologium Hieronymianum" for 16 February, the place of birth being given as Cumae in Campania (In Campania Cumbas, natale Julianae). It is true that the notice is contained only in the one chief manuscript of the above-named martyrology (the Codex Epternacensis), but that this notice is certainly authentic is clear from a letter of St. Gregory the Great, which testifies to the special veneration of St. Juliana in the neighbourhood of Naples. A pious matron named Januaria built a church on one of her estates, for the consecration of which she desired relics (sanctuaria, that is to say, objects which had been brought into contact with the graves) of Sts. Severinus and Juliana. Gregory wrote to Fortunatus, Bishop of Naples, telling him to accede to the wishes of Januaria ("Gregorii Magni epist.", lib. IX, ep. xxxv, in Migne P.L., LXXXVII, 1015).

The Acts of St. Juliana used by Bede in his "Martyrologium" are purely legendary. According to the account given in this legend, St. Juliana lived in Nicomedia and was betrothed to the Senator Eleusius. Her father Africanus was a pagan and hostile to the Christians. In the persecution of Maximianus, Juliana was beheaded after suffering frightful torturers. Soon after a noble lady, named Sephonia, came through Nicomedia and took the saint's body with her to Italy, and had it buried in Campania. Evidently it was this alleged translation that caused the martyred Juliana, honoured in Nicomedia, to be identified with St. Juliana of Cumae, although they are quite distinct persons. The veneration of St. Juliana of Cumae became very widespread, especially in the Netherlands. At the beginning of the thirteenth century her remains were transferred to Naples. The description of this translation by a contemporary writer is still extant. The feast of the saint is celebrated in the Latin Church on 16 February, in the Greek on 21 December. Her Acts describe the conflicts which she is said to have with the devil; she is represented in pictures with a winged devil whom she leads by a chain.

— Excerpted from The Catholic Encyclopedia

St. Onesimus
St. Onesimus was a slave to Philemon, an influential man who had been converted by St. Paul. Onesimus offended Philemon and fled in order to escape any sort of retribution. He then met St. Paul while Paul was in a Roman prison. Shortly after, Onesimus was baptized.

Paul then sent a letter to Philemon asking for Onesimus' freedom, so Onesimus could become one of his own assistants. This letter is the Epistle to Philemon and entreats Philemon to accept Onesimus “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me.”

Philemon pardoned Onesimus and he returned to faithfully serve St. Paul. We know that St. Paul made him, with Tychicus, the bearer of his Epistle to the Colossians. (Col. 4:7-9)

Later, as St. Jerome and other fathers testify, he became an ardent preacher of the Gospel and succeeded St. Timothy as bishop of Ephesus.

He was cruelly tortured in Rome, for 18 days, by a governor who was infuriated by his preaching on the merit of celibacy. Onesimus' legs and thighs were broken with bludgeons before he was stoned to death.

His martyrdom occurred under Domitian in the year 90.

Excerpted from Catholic News Agency

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Genesis 4:1-15, 25

6th Week in Ordinary Time

Sin is a demon lurking at the door. (Genesis 4:7)

If you have children, the following scenario is probably familiar: one child receives a shiny new toy for her birthday and is completely absorbed with it. Meanwhile, another child decides to grab the toy for himself. You hear “Let me have it!” followed by “That’s mine!” All because of a toy!

It’s this kind of jealousy that is at work in the story of Cain and Abel. Cain feels slighted because Abel is enjoying God’s favor, while he is not. But is that really the case? We’re not told that God is against Cain, only that his sacrifice was not accepted this time. On the contrary, God is very good to Cain. Not only does he warn him about the dangers of jealousy and resentment; he also treats him with great mercy after Abel’s death (Genesis 4:15).

We all know what jealousy feels like. Even if we’re not prone to it, we know it from the temptation that is common to all of us. In our competitive world, there are plenty of opportunities to get beat out at something. It could be something as major as getting hired for a job, or as minor as getting cut off in traffic. The size of the temptation is not as important as our response. We can choose to feel resentful, or we can relax, knowing that God will give us everything we need, even if it’s not what we had in mind.

The best way to counter jealousy, or any kind of discontent, is to give thanks for what you already have: the love of Jesus. Nothing, no one, can take that away from you! If you spend just ten minutes each day praising and thanking God for his love and blessings, you’ll find your outlook changing. And if you make thanksgiving your way of life, you’ll be in even better shape. Setbacks and frustration won’t find a home in you. For no matter what you have or don’t have, you are a child of God, and in him, you have everything!

“Jesus, thank you for your love, which is the most valuable gift of all! Thank you for never failing me, even when I’ve failed you. Your grace is all that I will ever need.”

Psalm 50:1, 8, 16-17, 20-21
Mark 8:11-13

Regnum Christi

Loving Christ for Who He Is

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

February 16, 2015. Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

Mark 8:11-13

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, "Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation." And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I can be so cold to your salvific presence as I hurry about living the moment and becoming so sufficient unto myself. There is little wonder that I find it hard to bring myself to prayer—to use faith to know you, divine love to live in you, and theological hope to trust in you. I approach you now, wanting only to be a more faithful disciple of your Kingdom.

Petition: Lord, grant a faith that will console your heart.

1. Sending Christ Away: G. K. Chesterton once asserted, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” Jesus truly loves us and would never refuse a humble soul the true goods he needs for fulfillment and salvation. If our wants, like those of the Pharisees, end up leaving God silent and our spiritual life cold, it may be a call for us to purify our hearts of the remaining dregs of our self-centeredness. We should carefully avoid the attitudes and words that repel Christ. Christ will not let himself be loved for who he is not, and he will not indulge the desires we have for who we are not. We can want our happiness to be many things, but Christ wants us to accept that his will is the heart of our fulfillment.

2. Prayer Is My Daily Breath of Air for the Soul: Jesus converses with our souls in a language that flows from supernatural attitudes of faith, hope and love. He will remain silent, however, if we drag him down to the small, narrow framework of our reason and calculations—wanting to “figure it out for ourselves” before we will act. Jesus does not want to be Superman, who comes into our lives only when things are really bad and all is lost. Rather, Christ intervenes because he wants a life of communion and grace day after day, sharing his life with each and every soul. He wants our living in fidelity and childlike trust to be like breathing the air.

3. The Signs That Bring Christ to Us: Christ did give us sure signs of his daily presence in our lives. The first is the sign of the cross. Only faith will unlock its mystery and bring us to the encounter between our sin and God’s mercy. Sin is at the heart of the worst that can go wrong with our life; the sign of the Crucified One is its cure. Faith will permit us, as it did the good thief, to see Christ’s love at the center of the universe and the world being drawn towards it as if into a vortex. Another sign he left us is the Eucharist. It is the most powerful sign because it contains the author of the sign himself. Christ humbles himself to stay with us at all costs. Under the appearance of bread and wine, he reveals what he wants to be for our souls; Under the veil of the sacrament, we learn to encounter Christ personally as pure love. “On the night he was betrayed he showed the depth of his love…” Let these signs be the “love language” by which we talk to Christ in the way he wants to be known, loved and adored.

Conversation with Christ: Christ, let my prideful demands melt away before a mature encounter with your divine love. Keep my immaturity from impeding the expansion of your Kingdom; rather, let me humbly accept my need to change the way I relate to your true plan for my life.

Resolution: I will spend some time today acknowledging and thanking Jesus for the signs he has given me to know, love and serve him better in my life.

Homily of the Day

February 16, 2015

Gratitude and Humility

When we are not familiar with something, we usually try to find some proof or evidence to help prove that the thing is real or really works. This requires an objective frame of mind. But sometimes, because of our preconceived notions or narrow biases, we fail to see the truth that is presented to us right under our nose.

The Pharisees wanted to embarrass Jesus by asking again for some heavenly sign from Him to prove that He is really from God. Jesus had just performed the miracle of multiplication of loaves and fish for thousands of his followers (Mk 8: 1-10) and yet the Pharisees chose not to see or recognize this wondrous sign from God. Because of their attitude that they are a select or elite group, different from the rest, the Pharisees had their own set of rules and beliefs that they clung to and basically rejected any truth that did not conform to these beliefs. Jesus became frustrated with them, gave a deep sigh and left for the other side of the lake.

It is better for us to have an attitude of humility and gratefulness because no one really knows everything or every truth, except God. All that we have and everything around us are gifts from God.

Lord, help me to have a humble and grateful heart so that I may see and recognize the gifts, wonders and truths in my life that you lay before me every day.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 31, Issue 2

<< Monday, February 16, 2015 >>

Genesis 4:1-15, 25
View Readings

Psalm 50:1, 8, 16-17, 20-21

Mark 8:11-13
Similar Reflections

THE BEST OR THE REST?

"Abel, for his part, brought one of the best firstlings of his flock." —Genesis 4:4

Both Cain and Abel brought offerings to the Lord. God accepted Abel and his offering, but He did not look with favor on Cain and his offering. Although we don't know the details of this event, Scripture does provide us with a clue into what God looks for in a sacrifice. Abel brought to the Lord his "best" (Gn 4:4). Cain simply brought "an offering" (Gn 4:3).

The Lord repeatedly emphasizes offering the best we have, without blemish (see Lv 1:10). What we give to the Lord should be as perfect as we are capable of making it. The prophet Malachi bluntly accused priests who offered tarnished sacrifices of despising the Lord (Mal 1:6ff). These priests kept the best lambs for their own meals, and burned the weak, blind, and lame ones as offerings to the Lord, in opposition to the command of the law of Moses. Malachi says to those who offered these half-hearted, self-seeking sacrifices: "Present it to your governor; see if he will accept it, or welcome you" (Mal 1:8).

Would our boss be happy to receive the same quality we give to the Lord, Who created our boss? Do we give our best time to our jobs, recreation, TV, and friends, and then give God the leftovers? Give the Lord your best, and He will multiply the rest (see Mal 3:10).

Prayer: Father, I give You my life, my energies, my entire will.

Promise: "If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." —Gn 4:7

Praise: Louise greets each dawn with praise. She obeys the psalm: "From the rising to the setting of the sun is the name of the Lord to be praised"

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