Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-04-15

When Isaac was so old that his eyesight had failed him, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “Son!” “Yes father!” he replied. Isaac then said, “As you can see, I am so old that I may now die at any time. Take your gear, therefore–your quiver and bow– and go out into the country to hunt some game for me. With your catch prepare an appetizing dish for me, such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my special blessing before I die.”

Rebekah had been listening while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau. So, when Esau went out into the country to hunt some game for his father, Rebekah [then] took the best clothes of her older son Esau that she had in the house, and gave them to her younger son Jacob to wear; and with the skins of the kids she covered up his hands and the hairless parts of his neck. Then she handed her son Jacob the appetizing dish and the bread she had prepared.

Bringing them to his father, Jacob said, “Father!” “Yes?” replied Isaac. “Which of my sons are you?” Jacob answered his father: “I am Esau, your first-born. I did as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your special blessing.”

But Isaac asked, “How did you succeed so quickly, son?” He answered, “The LORD, your God, let things turn out well with me.”

Isaac then said to Jacob, “Come closer, son, that I may feel you, to learn whether you really are my son Esau or not.” So Jacob moved up closer to his father. When Isaac felt him, he said, “Although the voice is Jacob’s, the hands are Esau’s.” (He failed to identify him because his hands were hairy, like those of his brother Esau; so in the end he gave him his blessing.) Again he asked Jacob, “Are you really my son Esau?” “Certainly,” Jacob replied.

Then Isaac said, “Serve me your game, son, that I may eat of it and then give you my blessing.” Jacob served it to him, and Isaac ate; he brought him wine, and he drank. Finally his father Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer, son, and kiss me.” As Jacob went up and kissed him, Isaac smelled the fragrance of his clothes. With that, he blessed him saying,

“Ah, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field that the LORD has blessed!

“May God give to you of the dew of the heavens And of the fertility of the earth abundance of grain and wine.

“Let peoples serve you, and nations pay you homage; Be master of your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you.”

Praise the name of the LORD; Praise, you servants of the LORD Who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to his name, which we love; For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel for his own possession.

R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good! or: R. Alleluia. For I know that the LORD is great; our LORD is greater than all gods. All that the LORD wills he does in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all the deeps. R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good! or: R. Alleluia.

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?”

Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.

People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

From: Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29

Jacob Obtains Isaac’s Blessing by Cunning

[1] When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he
called Esau his older son, and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I
am.” [2] He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. [3] Now
then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and
hunt game for me, [4] and prepare for me savory food, such as I love, and bring
it to me that I may eat; that I may bless you before I die.”

[5] Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when
Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, [15] (Then) Rebekah took
the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house and
put them on Jacob her younger son; [16] and the skins of the kids she put upon
his hands and upon the smooth part of his neck; [17] and she gave the savory
food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

[18] So he went in to his father, and said, “My father”; and said, “Here I am; who
are you, my son?” [19] Jacob said to his father “I am Esau your first-born. I have
done as you told me; now sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me.” [20]
But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”
He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” [21] Then Isaac
said to Jacob, “Come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are
really my son Esau or not.” [22] Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him
and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” [23]
And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother E-
sau’s hands; so he blessed him. He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He an-
swered, “I am.” Then he said, “Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son’s game
and bless you.” So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine,
and he drank. [26] Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me,
my son.” [27] So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his
garments, and blessed him, and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell
of a field which the Lord has blessed! [28] May God give you of the dew of hea-
ven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. [29] Let peo-
ples serve you, and nations bow down to you.”

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Commentary:

27:1-45. Jacob managed to get the birthright; now he is going to get the bles-
sing his father intended for his firstborn son. Seemingly, this blessing meant he
acquired a right to the inheritance he had already bought from Esau and it meant
he would be the head of the family (cf. v. 29). Moreover, by getting his father’s
blessing he also received God’s blessing. The Bible does not make a judgment
about the methods Jacob used to deflect his father’s blessing to himself; but it
does make it clear, once again, that he had no right to it as far as human laws
were concerned; no, he received both the birthright and the blessing as a gratui-
tous gift from God, who chose the younger son (cf. 25:23). Here too, as in the
case of Isaac (cf. 21:8-13), the part played by the mother is stressed; she ig-
nores custom, and plays an active part in the furthering of God’s plans. The
passage also stresses how shrewd the patriarch is by comparison with Esau.
Jacob’s action is justified in the overall context of the narrative, given that he
bought the birthright previously from his brother. However, the prophet Hosea
was of the opinion that Jacob had done something he should be sorry for; in
which case Jacob prefigures the people of Israel, whom the prophet calls to re-
pentance (cf. Hos 12:37).

This account is in a style similar to what we saw in chapter 24: the action un-
folds over five scenes, each of which includes a dialogue between two people
(their psychology is captured very well); dramatic tension is maintained by curio-
sity as to who will end up winning the blessing; the story is well told, and rather
amusing.

27:5-17. Rebekah apparently acts out of human motives, impelled by her love for
her favorite (younger) son (cf. 25:28). God will use this favoritism to guide events
so that his plans for the two sons take effect (cf. 25:23). Holy Scripture does not
justify Rebekah’s action, but God draws great good from it: the promises made
to Abraham pass, through Jacob, to the people of Israel, his descendants.

27:20. Jacob’s reply, invoking the name of God as it does, is not a little astute:
he does not explain how he obtained the game, but the reader is led to believe
that it was Rebekah’s doing.

27:26-29. The blessing Isaac gives Jacob evokes the fine qualities of this son,
the fruitfulness of the land and lordship over the nations—three things connected
with the call to Abraham and the promise of land and descendants, as will be
pointed out later on when Isaac reaffirms his blessing after he discovers he has
been deceived (cf. 28:3-4). The Letter to the Hebrews (cf. Heb 11:20) teaches
that this blessing and also that received by Esau (cf. Gen 27:39-40), are inspi-
red by faith and are given with a view to the future, that is, to the fullness of time.
And so St Augustine interprets that “what the blessing of Jacob typifies is, then,
the preaching of Christ to all nations. [...] Isaac is the law and prophecy by which
Christ is blessed by means of the mouth of the Jews. But, since law and prophe-
cy was not understood, it was as though it came from one who spoke in igno-
rance. It is with the aroma of Christ’s name that the world, like a field, is filled.

His is the blessing of the dew from heaven (meaning the shower of His divine
words) and of the fruitfulness of the earth (in the sense of the gathering in of the
peoples of the earth). His is the harvest of grain and of wine (interpreted as the
multitude of those who gather the grain and wine in the sacrament of his Body
and Blood. [...] His Father’s sons, in the sense of the sons of Abraham accor-
ding to faith, adore Him who is, in turn, a son of Abraham according to the flesh.
Anyone who curses Him is cursed, and anyone who blesses Him is blessed.
What I mean is that it is our Christ who is blessed (in the sense of being truly
announced) even by the Jews themselves, who, for all their errors of hoping for
some other Messiah and of thinking that it is he who is being blessed, still sing
in their synagogues the Laws and the Prophets” (”De Civitate Dei”, 16, 37).

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

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

From: Matthew 9:14-17

The Call of Matthew (Continuation)

[14] Then the disciples of John (the Baptist) came to Him (Jesus), saying, “Why
do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” [15] And Jesus
said them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with
them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and
then they will fast.” [16] And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old gar-
ment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. [17]
Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine
is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins,
and so both are preserved.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

14-17. This passage is interesting, not so much because it tells us about the
sort of fasting practised by the Jews of the time — particularly the Pharisees
and John the Baptist’s disciples — but because of the reason Jesus gives for not
requiring His disciples to fast in that way. His reply is both instructive and pro-
phetic. Christianity is not a mere mending or adjusting of the old suit of Judaism.
The redemption wrought by Jesus involves a total regeneration. Its spirit is too
new and too vital to be suited to old forms of penance, which will no longer apply.

We know that in our Lord’s time Jewish theology schools were in the grip of a
highly complicated casuistry to do with fasting, purifications, etc., which smo-
thered the simplicity of genuine piety. Jesus’ words point to that simplicity of
heart with which His disciples might practise prayer, fasting and almsgiving (cf.
Matthew 6:1-18 and notes to same). From apostolic times onwards it is for the
Church, using the authority given it by our Lord to set out the different forms
fasting should take in different periods and situations.

15. “The wedding guests”: literally, “the sons of the house where the wedding
is being celebrated”—an expression meaning the bridegroom’s closest friends.
This is an example of how St. Matthew uses typical Semitic turns of phrase,
presenting Jesus’ manner of speech.

This “house” to which Jesus refers has a deeper meaning; set beside the para
ble of the guests at the wedding (Matthew 22:1 ff), it symbolizes the Church as
the house of God and the body of Christ: “Moses was faithful in all God’s house
as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ was
faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are His house if we hold fast our
confidence and pride in our hope” (Hebrews 3:5-6).

The second part of the verse refers to the violent death Jesus would meet.

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

Readings at Mass

First reading
Genesis 27:1-5,15-29 ©

Isaac had grown old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see. He summoned his elder son Esau, ‘My son!’ he said to him, and the latter answered, ‘I am here.’ Then he said, ‘See, I am old and do not know when I may die. Now take your weapons, your quiver and bow; go out into the country and hunt me some game. Make me the kind of savoury I like and bring it to me, so that I may eat, and give you my blessing before I die.’

Rebekah happened to be listening while Isaac was talking to his son Esau. So when Esau went into the country to hunt game for his father, Rebekah took her elder son Esau’s best clothes, which she had in the house, and dressed her younger son Jacob in them, covering his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skins of the kids. Then she handed the savoury and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

He presented himself before his father and said, ‘Father.’ ‘I am here;’ was the reply ‘who are you, my son?’ Jacob said to his father, ‘I am Esau your first-born; I have done as you told me. Please get up and take your place and eat the game I have brought and then give me your blessing.’ Isaac said to his son, ‘How quickly you found it, my son!’ ‘It was the Lord your God’ he answered ‘who put it in my path.’ Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Come here, then, and let me touch you, my son, to know if you are my son Esau or not.’ Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, ‘The voice is Jacob’s voice but the arms are the arms of Esau!’ He did not recognise him, for his arms were hairy like his brother Esau’s, and so he blessed him. He said, ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ And he replied, ‘I am.’ Isaac said, ‘Bring it here that I may eat the game my son has brought, and so may give you my blessing.’ He brought it to him and he ate; he offered him wine, and he drank. His father Isaac said to him, ‘Come closer, and kiss me, my son.’ He went closer and kissed his father, who smelled the smell of his clothes.
He blessed him, saying:

‘Yes, the smell of my son
is like the smell of a fertile field blessed by the Lord.
May God give you
dew from heaven,
and the richness of the earth,
abundance of grain and wine!
May nations serve you
and peoples bow down before you!
Be master of your brothers;
may the sons of your mother bow down before you!
Cursed be he who curses you;
blessed be he who blesses you!’

Psalm
Psalm 134:1-6 ©

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
or
Alleluia!

Praise the name of the Lord,
praise him, servants of the Lord,
who stand in the house of the Lord
in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
or
Alleluia!

Praise the Lord for the Lord is good.
Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself
and Israel for his own possession.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
or
Alleluia!

For I know the Lord is great,
that our Lord is high above all gods.
The Lord does whatever he wills,
in heaven, on earth, in the seas.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.
or
Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation

Ps118:135
Alleluia, alleluia!

Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.

Alleluia!

Or
Jn10:27
Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord, I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Matthew 9:14-17 ©
John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.’

Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry. Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Joyful Mysteries

(Mondays and Saturdays)

1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility] 2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

Saturday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day

Saint Pacian of Barcelona (?-c.390), Bishop

Homily on Baptism; PL 13, 1092

“The bridegroom is with them”

Adam’s sin was passed on to all humankind, to all his descendants... Therefore it is necessary that Christ’s righteousness be passed on to all humankind. Just as Adam, through sin, caused life to be lost to his posterity, so Christ, through his righteousness, will give life to his children (cf. Rom 5, 18f.)..

At the conclusion of the ages Christ received a soul and our flesh from Mary. It was this flesh he came to save; he did not abandon it to the nether world (Ps 16[15],10); he united it to his own spirit and made it his own. Therein lies the marriage of the Lord, his union with one flesh so that, according to “that great mystery”, “the two might become one flesh: Christ and the Church” (Eph 5,31). The christian people, on whom the Spirit of the Lord descended, was born of this union. This sowing, come down from heaven, has been immediately assimilated into the substance of our souls and mixed into them. After this we develop in our Mother’s womb and, growing up within her breast, receive life in Christ. This is what made the apostle Paul say: “The first man, Adam, became a living being; the last Adam a life-giving spirit,” (1Cor 15,45).

Thus it is that Christ begets children in the Church through his priests, as the same apostle says: “I became your father in Christ,” (1Cor 4,15). And in this way Christ brings the new man to birth, formed in his Mother’s womb and sent into the world in the waters of baptism through the hands of the priest, with faith for witness... So we should believe that we can be brought to birth... and that it is Christ who gives life to us. As the apostle John says: “To those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God,” (Jn 1,12).

http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=commentary&localdate=20150704

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