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.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 11
29.	And the multitudes running together, he began to say: This generation is a wicked generation: it asketh a sign, and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.	Turbis autem concurrentibus cœpit dicere : Generatio hæc, generatio nequam est : signum quærit, et signum non dabitur ei, nisi signum Jonæ prophetæ.	των δε οχλων επαθροιζομενων ηρξατο λεγειν η γενεα αυτη πονηρα εστιν σημειον επιζητει και σημειον ου δοθησεται αυτη ει μη το σημειον ιωνα του προφητου
30.	For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninivites; so shall the Son of man also be to this generation.	Nam sicut fuit Jonas signum Ninivitis, ita erit et Filius hominis generationi isti.	καθως γαρ εγενετο ιωνας σημειον τοις νινευιταις ουτως εσται και ο υιος του ανθρωπου τη γενεα ταυτη
31.	The queen of the south shall rise in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold more than Solomon here.	Regina austri surget in judicio cum viris generationis hujus, et condemnabit illos : quia venit a finibus terræ audire sapientiam Salomonis : et ecce plus quam Salomon hic.	βασιλισσα νοτου εγερθησεται εν τη κρισει μετα των ανδρων της γενεας ταυτης και κατακρινει αυτους οτι ηλθεν εκ των περατων της γης ακουσαι την σοφιαν σολομωνος και ιδου πλειον σολομωνος ωδε
32.	The men of Ninive shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas; and behold more than Jonas here.	Viri Ninivitæ surgent in judicio cum generatione hac, et condemnabunt illam : quia pœnitentiam egerunt ad prædicationem Jonæ, et ecce plus quam Jonas hic.	ανδρες νινευι αναστησονται εν τη κρισει μετα της γενεας ταυτης και κατακρινουσιν αυτην οτι μετενοησαν εις το κηρυγμα ιωνα και ιδου πλειον ιωνα ωδε

29. And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
30. For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.
31. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them; for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
32. The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

BEDE; Our Lord had been assailed with two kinds of questions, for some accused Him of casting out devils through Beelzebub, to whom up to this point His answer was addressed; and others tempting Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven, and these He now proceeds to answer. As it follows, And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation, &c.

AMBROSE; That you may know that the people of the Synagogue are treated with dishonor, while the blessedness of the Church is increased. But as Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of man be to the Jews. Hence it is added, They seek a sign; and there shall no sign. be given them but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

BASIL; A sign is a thing brought openly to view, containing in itself the manifestation of something hidden, as the sign of Jonas represents the descent to hell, the ascension of Christ, and His resurrection from the dead. Hence it is added, For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. He gives them a sign, not from heaven, because they were unworthy to see it, but from the lowest depths of hell; a sign, namely, of His incarnation, not of His divinity; of His passion, not of His glorification.

AMBROSE; Now as the sign of Jonas is a type of our Lord's passion, so also is it a testimony of the grievous sins which the Jews have committed. We may remark at once both the mighty voice of warning, and the declaration of mercy. For by the example of the Ninevites both a punishment is denounced, and a remedy promised. Hence even the Jews ought not to despair of pardon, if they will but practice repentance.

THEOPHYL. Now Jonas after he came forth from the whale's belly converts the men of Nineveh by his preaching, but when Christ; rose again, the Jewish nation believed not. So there was a sentence already passed upon them, of which there follows a second example, as it is said, The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them.

BEDE; Not certainly by any authority to judge, but by the contrast of a better deed. As it follows, For she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, greater than Solomon is here. Here in this place is not the pronoun, but the adverb of place, that is, "there is one present among you who is incomparably superior to Solomon." He said not, "I am greater than Solomon," that he might teach us to be humble, though fruitful in spiritual graces. As if he said, "The barbarian woman hastened to hear Solomon, taking so long a journey to be instructed in the knowledge of visible living creatures, and the virtues of herbs. But you when you stand by and hear Wisdom herself teaching you invisible and heavenly things, and confirming her words with signs and wonders, are strangers to the word, and senselessly disregard the miracles."

BEDE; But if the queen of the South, who doubtless is of the elect, shall rise up in judgment together with the wicked, we have a proof of the one resurrection of all men, good as well as bad, and that not according to Jewish fables to happen a thousand years before the judgment, but at the judgment itself.

AMBROSE; Herein also while condemning the Jewish people, He strongly expresses the mystery of the Church, which in the queen of the South, through the desire of obtaining wisdom is gathered together from the uttermost parts of the whole earth, to hear the words of the Peacemaking Solomon; a queen plainly whose kingdom is undivided rising up from different and distant nations into one body.

GREG. NYSS.. Now as she was queen of the Ethiopians' and in a far distant country, so in the beginning the Church of the Gentiles was in darkness, and far off from the knowledge of God. But when Christ the Prince of peace shone forth, the Jews being still in darkness, thither came the Gentiles, and offered to Christ the frankincense of piety, the gold of divine knowledge, and precious stones, that is, obedience to His commands.

THEOPHYL. Or because the South is praised in Scripture as warm and life-giving, therefore the soul reigning in the south, that is, in all spiritual conversation, comes to hear the wisdom of Solomon, the Prince of peace, the Lord our God, (i.e. is raised up to contemplate Him,) to whom no one shall come except he reign in a good life. But He brings next an example from the Ninevites, saying, The men of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it.

CHRYS. The judgment of condemnation comes from men like or unlike to those who are condemned. From like, for instance, as in the parable of the ten virgins, but from unlike, when the Ninevites condemn those who lived at the time of Christ, that so their condemnation might be the more remarkable. For the Ninevites indeed were barbarians, but these Jews. The one enjoying the prophetic teaching, the other having never received the divine word. To the former came a servant, to the latter the Master, of whom the one foretold destruction, the other preached the kingdom of heaven. To all men then was it known that the Jews ought rather to have believed, but the contrary happened; therefore he adds, For they repented at the preaching of Jonas, and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

AMBROSE; Now in a mystery, the Church consists of two things, either ignorance of sin, which has reference mainly to the queen of the South, or ceasing to sin, which relates indeed to the repentant Ninevites. For repentance blots out the offense, wisdom guards against it.

AUG. Luke indeed relates this in the same place as Matthew, but in a somewhat different order. But who does not see that it is an idle question, in what order our Lord said those things, seeing that we ought to learn by the most precious authority of the Evangelist, that there is no falsehood. But not every man will repeat another's words in the same order in which they proceeded from his mouth, seeing that the order itself makes no difference with respect to the fact, whether it be so or not.

Catena Aurea Luke 11

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Felix and St. Cyprian

Feast Day: October 12
Died:484

Felix and Cyprian were African bishops. They suffered with over 4,900 martyrs in the terrible persecution by the Vandals.

Huneric, the Arian Vandal king, drove these Christians into the Libyan desert. There they were treated with great cruelty, tortured and killed by the Moors for their faith in Christ.

A holy bishop named Victor tried to help the poor Christians who had been shut up in a horrible prison and packed in without sufficient air or light.

He wrote the story of their courage and their sufferings. Bishop Victor says that when they were ordered into exile in the terrible desert, they came out of that prison singing hymns.

Other Christians burst into tears at the sight of their great courage. Even women and children went with them to exile and death.

The story is told of Bishop St. Felix. He was so old, half-paralyzed and so crippled that someone said to the Vandal king Hunneric: "You might just as well leave him here to die."

But King Huneric cruelly answered, "If he cannot ride a horse, he can be dragged by oxen." In the end, they decided to tie the brave old bishop to a donkey and he was carried off to die in the desert.

We also celebrate St. Cyprian who risked his own life to take care of as many prisoners as he could. He spent all his time and strength, plus everything he owned, to help them.

At last, he, too, was arrested and sent into exile. There he also died a martyr from the cruel treatment reserved for Christians.

These two men followed the example of Jesus as leaders in the Church. They gladly served those whom they guided with great generosity.

Day 285 - Some Greeks Wish to See Jesus

Today’s Reading: John 12:20-26
20 Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. 21 So these came to Philip, who was from Beth-sa ida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew went with Philip and they told Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.

Today’s Commentary:
some Greeks: Either Gentile converts to Judaism or “God fearers” who were attracted to Judaism but were not circumcised (Acts 13:26; 17:4). Their request for an audience with Jesus anticipates his prophecy that “all men” will be drawn to him (Jn 12:32).

unless a grain of wheat: As a planted seed must decay before it sprouts new life, so Jesus must endure death to bring us eternal life. This principle also holds true for disciples, who must die to themselves to receive the fullness of life from God and be channels of life to others (12:25; 2 Cor 4:11-12).

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: October 12th

Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week of Ordinary Time

Daily Readings for: October 12, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: May your grace, O Lord, we pray, at all times go before us and follow after and make us always determined to carry out good works. 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

ACTIVITIES

Family and Friends of Jesus Scrapbook Album

PRAYERS

Book of Blessings: Blessing of Missionaries Sent to Proclaim the Gospel

LIBRARY

Old Calendar: St. Wilfrid (Hist)

St. Wilfrid, mentioned in the Roman Martyology, was born in Northumbria and studied at Lindisfarne and Canterbury. Accompanying St. Benedict, Bishop to Rome, he tarried for a whole year at Lyons with St. Delphinus, who tried to make him marry his niece. Named Bishop of York, he came to France to receive episcopal consecration and again remained for two years. Wilfrid was to suffer from the lack of obedience shown by his fellow citizens toward the Apostolic See. The end of his life was almost exclusively devoted to the care of the monasteries he had founded.

St. Wilfrid
St. Wilfrid was a Northumbrian of noble birth. He was educated at Lindisfarne, and became infected with a love both for learning and the monastic life. When quite a young man he traveled to Canterbury and then to Rome. On his return, he founded monasteries at Ripon and Stamford, and became prominent as the successful protagonist of the Roman customs at the Synod of Whitby, 664 A.D.

He was then made Bishop of York, and went to France to be consecrated. In his absence Chad was consecrated and made Bishop of York in his place, and held the see for four years. During this time Wilfrid founded a monastery at Oundle and acted as bishop in Mercia. He was then installed at York by Archbishop Theodore, and ruled the see for nine years. He also founded the Abbey of Hexham. He managed to gain the ill-will of Egfrith, King of Northumbria, and Archbishop Theodore, who divided his diocese in four parts without his knowledge or consent.

He journeyed to Rome, and his appeal was successful, but on his return to Northumbria he was accused of having forged the pope's bull, and was thrown into prison. After his release he went to Sussex, and for five years preached the Gospel to its pagan inhabitants. When he went there the country was suffering from famine, the result of three years' drought, and its inhabitants were drowning themselves in despair. Wilfrid gained their goodwill by teaching them to fish.

"By this benefit the bishop gained the affections of them all, and they began more readily to hope for heavenly blessings, since by his help they had already received those which are temporal." His labors seem to have been abundantly successful, and he added to his success by establishing a monastery at Selsey.

Archbishop Theodore, now on his deathbed, became reconciled to Wilfrid, and even wished to nominate him as his successor in the See of Canterbury. This, however, Wilfrid refused, but used Theodore's good offices to secure his return to Northumbria.

After a few years his enemies seem to have made his position so difficult that he retired to Mercia, and when St. Chad died he succeeded to his position as Bishop of Lichfield, and labored in that diocese for ten years. He was recalled to be tried by a Northumbrian council of nobles and bishops, was once more condemned, and once more appealed to Rome. Once again his appeal was successful, and this time the Roman judgment was accepted in Northumbria.

The few remaining years of his life were spent in comparative retirement, principally at Hexham and Ripon. His last public act was the consecration of Evesham Abbey; he died on his way home at his monastery at Oundle in the year 709, and was buried at Ripon.

Wilfrid was one of the most versatile and accomplished men of his own or any other age. He was a great builder, a lover of learning, and a musician; he knew how to create splendid effects through art and through religious ceremonial. He was also a founder and a builder in men as well as stones. He was, in fact, a great creative artist.

Patron: Ripon, England.

Symbols: Fallen idols; fish; font; pallium and crosier; model of a cathedral; ship and staff.

Things to Do:

Read more about St. Wilfrid and the Monastery at Ripon.
Visit this In Search of St. Wilfrid, an Anglican site, for a collection of articles about St. Wilfrid which thoroughly explores his life and times. (Don't forget St. Wilfrid predates Henry VIII and therefore all the information is about the Catholic Church.)

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Romans 1:1-7

28th Week in Ordinary Time

Paul … called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God. (Romans 1:1)

St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans has long been recognized as a theological masterpiece, but that fact can make the letter seem awfully intimidating. So as we explore Romans over the next few weeks, let’s approach it as a real letter written by a real person and not as a philosophical, religious treatise.

Paul wrote Romans while he was in Corinth, probably in ad 57 or 58. He was preparing to take a collection of donations from the Gentile Christians in Macedonia and Achaia to the church in Jerusalem, which was struggling financially. From Jerusalem, he planned to sail to Rome, where he wanted to set up a base of operations to support a further missionary journey to Spain (Romans 15:26-33). Paul had not personally evangelized Rome, so he wrote this letter as an introduction, hoping to win the Roman Christians’ friendship and their support for his mission to Spain.

How did Paul introduce himself? By spelling out the gospel he proclaimed. He wrote about how God has made it possible for us to be reconciled to him through the gift of faith (Romans 3–5). He wrote about the life in the Spirit that Jesus has made available through his cross and resurrection (Romans 6–8). And he wrote about how everyone—Jew and Gentile alike—can come to know him and enter the kingdom of heaven (Romans 3:9-11). In a sense, Romans gives us a glimpse into Paul’s own heart and mind. It reveals an apostle who is both a deep thinker and a passionate believer—and it points the way for us to follow his example.

As you read through Romans in the next few weeks, ask the Holy Spirit to help you embrace the love of God that is embedded in the letter’s main themes. This letter carries a message that has changed the lives of millions of people over the course of two thousand years. It’s a message that never loses its power to change us as we learn that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39)!

“Father, thank you for speaking to me through the Scriptures! Holy Spirit, open my heart so that God’s love and mercy might penetrate to the depths of my soul.”

Psalm 98:1-4
Luke 11:29-32

Regnum Christi

The Queen, the Ninevites and Me

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

October 12, 2015. Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

By Father Daniel Ray, LC

Luke 11: 29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.

Petition: Lord, help me to recognize the signs of your presence in my life.

Three Days in the Fish: When Jonah is swallowed by the whale he dies, and when he is spit out onto the shore, he comes to life again. This is the only sign that Christ promises to his listeners who seek a sign. Christ will be seen by them as truly dead, swallowed by the tomb of the earth. Then, after three days, he will come to life again in the Resurrection. As Jonah preached conversion to the Ninevites after coming back from the dead, so Christ would bring conversion and peace to some of the very ones who abandoned him or cried out for his crucifixion. Even in rebuking the “evil generation”, Christ promises them a sign that will bring hope to any of them who—like the Ninevites—later repent. If later in life they realize their evilness, Christ himself will be there to guide them back to friendship with his Father.

Even the Queen Came: Christ is reminding his unbelieving listeners that the Queen of Sheba traveled from afar to hear Solomon’s wisdom. The distance from the Kingdom of Sheba in southern Arabia to Jerusalem would have taken weeks to traverse. It would have been an exhausting and expensive journey, especially considering the entourage that would have accompanied the Queen. She recognized the gift of God in him and relished the pearls of divine wisdom that he shared with her. We need to reflect on how often we avail ourselves of all that God offers us that is not a journey of weeks away, but is just a few miles away: Christ in the Eucharist. Closer still, the Bible on the shelf is filled with Christ’s message of love. All this is within easy reach and is much more than anything Solomon could share with us.

Greater than Jonah: The whale was greater than Jonah. It swallowed him whole. Yet that violent death and subsequent resurrection was the key moment in Jonah’s life and mission. It was necessary not only for Jonah’s own salvation (he had been running from God), but it also was necessary for the salvation of the whole city of Nineveh. Christ makes this reference to Jonah as a forewarning to his listeners: He is greater than Jonah. He is greater than the death that would swallow him. This should inspire our faith and confidence in Christ. There is nothing greater than he. There is no greater prophet; no greater event can consume him. All things are under his dominion except one: our free will. That he doesn’t force; that he doesn’t conquer. He leaves it perfectly intact, so that we might respond freely to his call to ongoing conversion, just like the citizens of Nineveh.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, the sign of love that you give is your willingness to die a cruel and humiliating death. Yet that is not everything: You give me your Word in the Gospel. You give me your Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Help me to appreciate these great gifts and to make the most of every opportunity to receive them.

Resolution: At some point today I will offer a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking Christ for the blessings received over the past few days.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 31, Issue 6

<< Monday, October 12, 2015 >>

Romans 1:1-7
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Psalm 98:1-4

Luke 11:29-32
Similar Reflections

THE CALLED

"Greetings from Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart to proclaim the gospel of God." —Romans 1:1

Paul, "called to be an apostle," wrote to those who had "been called to belong to Jesus Christ" (Rm 1:6) and who had been "called to holiness, grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rm 1:7). The New Testament Greek word for "church" is "ekklesia," which literally means "called out." Consequently, we, as members of Christ's Church, must "live a life worthy" of our calling (Eph 4:1) in the "one hope given all of [us] by [our] call" (Eph 4:4).

The Lord calls our names (Is 43:1), and the meaning of life is to answer the call. He calls us to deny our very selves, take up the cross each day, and be His disciples (Lk 9:23), who, in turn, make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19). He calls us to be children who love and honor their parents, to be brothers and sisters in Christ, to be single for His kingdom (Mt 19:12), to be married and lay persons open to life, letting our light shine in secular society (Mt 5:14ff), etc. The Lord calls us in many ways. He calls us to lives of communion and love. Finally, He calls us, through our deaths or His final coming, to come home to our Father in heaven. He calls us to eternal life and love.

We are the called. This is our identity and the meaning of our lives. Live a life worthy of your calling (Eph 4:1).

Prayer: Father, thank You for calling me out of the world and calling me home to You in heaven.

Promise: "Through Him we have been favored with apostleship, that we may spread His name and bring to obedient faith all the Gentiles." —Rm 1:5

Praise: Robert's making the sign of the cross at a restaurant led to a person returning to the Church.

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