Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 06-25-16

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 06-25-16 | Revised New American Bible

[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.  "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).

[Salvation]

Information: St. William of Vercelli

Feast Day: June 25

Born: 1085 at Vercelli, Italy

Died: 25 June 1142 at Guglietto, Italy

[Salvation]

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. William of Monte Vergine

Feast Day: June 25
Born: 1085 :: Died: 1142

William was born into a wealthy family at Vercelli in Italy. His parents died when he was a baby and he was raised by relatives. When William was fourteen, he went on a pilgrimage to Saintiago de Compostela in Spain. There he decided that he wanted to live only for God and became a hermit.

One day he worked a miracle where he healed a blind man, and suddenly found himself famous. William was too humble to be happy with the people's admiration. He really wanted to remain a hermit so that he could give all his attention to God. He went away to live alone on a high, wild mountain. No one would bother him now.

But even there he was not left alone. Men gathered around the saint and they built a monastery dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. His followers became monks at the monastery. Because of William's monastery, people named the mountain, the Mountain of the Virgin.

After a while, some of the monks began to complain that life at the monastery was too hard. They wanted better food and easier work. William would not relax the rule for himself. Instead, he chose a new head for the monks. Then he and five faithful followers set out to start another monastery, as strict as they were used to.

One of his companions was St. John of Mantua. Both William and John of Mantua were leaders and great friends, but they saw things differently. They soon realized that they would do better if they split up, each to start a monastery. John went east and William went west. They both did very well. In fact, both became saints.

Later, William became the advisor of King Roger I of Naples and the king helped St. William in return. William's good influence on the king made some evil men of the court very jealous. They tried to prove to the king that William was evil, that he was hiding behind a holy habit.

They sent a bad woman to tempt William to sin, but she failed. Instead she was sorry for what she had done. She repented and gave up her life of sin. St. William died on June 25, 1142 at Guglietto in Italy.

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Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Nova Vulgata	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 8
5.	And when he had entered into Capharnaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him,	Cum autem introisset Capharnaum, accessit ad eum centurio rogans eum	εισελθοντι δε αυτω εις καπερναουμ προσηλθεν αυτω εκατονταρχος παρακαλων αυτον
6.	And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grieviously tormented.	et dicens: “ Domine, puer meus iacet in domo paralyticus et male torquetur ”.	και λεγων κυριε ο παις μου βεβληται εν τη οικια παραλυτικος δεινως βασανιζομενος
7.	And Jesus saith to him: I will come and heal him.	Et ait illi: “ Ego veniam et curabo eum ”.	και λεγει αυτω ο ιησους εγω ελθων θεραπευσω αυτον
8.	And the centurion making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.	Et respondens centurio ait: “ Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur puer meus.	και αποκριθεις ο εκατονταρχος εφη κυριε ουκ ειμι ικανος ινα μου υπο την στεγην εισελθης αλλα μονον ειπε λογω και ιαθησεται ο παις μου
9.	For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and I say to this, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.	Nam et ego homo sum sub potestate, habens sub me milites, et dico huic: “Vade”, et vadit; et alii: “Veni”, et venit; et servo meo: “Fac hoc”, et facit”.	και γαρ εγω ανθρωπος ειμι υπο εξουσιαν εχων υπ εμαυτον στρατιωτας και λεγω τουτω πορευθητι και πορευεται και αλλω ερχου και ερχεται και τω δουλω μου ποιησον τουτο και ποιει
10.	And Jesus hearing this, marvelled; and said to them that followed him: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel.	Audiens autem Iesus, miratus est et sequentibus se dixit: “Amen dico vobis: Apud nullum inveni tantam fidem in Israel!	ακουσας δε ο ιησους εθαυμασεν και ειπεν τοις ακολουθουσιν αμην λεγω υμιν ουδε εν τω ισραηλ τοσαυτην πιστιν ευρον
11.	And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven:	Dico autem vobis quod multi ab oriente et occidente venient et recumbent cum Abraham et Isaac et Iacob in regno caelorum;	λεγω δε υμιν οτι πολλοι απο ανατολων και δυσμων ηξουσιν και ανακλιθησονται μετα αβρααμ και ισαακ και ιακωβ εν τη βασιλεια των ουρανων
12.	But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.	filii autem regni eicientur in tenebras exteriores: ibi erit fletus et stridor dentium ”.	οι δε υιοι της βασιλειας εκβληθησονται εις το σκοτος το εξωτερον εκει εσται ο κλαυθμος και ο βρυγμος των οδοντων
13.	And Jesus said to the centurion: Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. And the servant was healed at the same hour.	Et dixit Iesus centurioni: “ Vade; sicut credidisti, fiat tibi ”. Et sanatus est puer in hora illa.	και ειπεν ο ιησους τω εκατονταρχη υπαγε και ως επιστευσας γενηθητω σοι και ιαθη ο παις αυτου εν τη ωρα εκεινη
14.	And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother lying, and sick of a fever:	Et cum venisset Iesus in domum Petri, vidit socrum eius iacentem et febricitantem;	και ελθων ο ιησους εις την οικιαν πετρου ειδεν την πενθεραν αυτου βεβλημενην και πυρεσσουσαν
15.	And he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she arose and ministered to them.	et tetigit manum eius, et dimisit eam febris; et surrexit et ministrabat ei.	και ηψατο της χειρος αυτης και αφηκεν αυτην ο πυρετος και ηγερθη και διηκονει αυτω
16.	And when evening was come, they brought to him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word: and all that were sick he healed:	Vespere autem facto, obtulerunt ei multos daemonia habentes; et eiciebat spiritus verbo et omnes male habentes curavit,	οψιας δε γενομενης προσηνεγκαν αυτω δαιμονιζομενους πολλους και εξεβαλεν τα πνευματα λογω και παντας τους κακως εχοντας εθεραπευσεν
17.	That it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet Isaias, saying: He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.	ut adimpleretur, quod dictum est per Isaiam prophetam dicentem: “ Ipse infirmitates nostras accepit et aegrotationes portavit ”.	οπως πληρωθη το ρηθεν δια ησαιου του προφητου λεγοντος αυτος τας ασθενειας ημων ελαβεν και τας νοσους εβαστασεν

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5. And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him,
6. And saying, Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
7. And Jesus says to him, I will come and heal him.
8. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
9. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. The Lord having taught His disciples in the mount, and healed one leper at the foot of the mount, came to Capharnaum. This is a mystery, signifying that after the purification of the Jews He went to the Gentiles.

HAYMO; For Capharnaum, which is interpreted, The town of fatness, or, The field of consolation, signifies the Church, which was gathered out of the Gentiles, which is replenished with spiritual fatness, according to that, That my soul may be filled with marrow and fatness, and under the troubles of the world is comforted concerning heavenly things, according to that, Your consolations have rejoiced my soul. Hence it is said, When he had entered into Capharnaum the centurion came to him.

AUG. This centurion was of the Gentiles, for Judea had already soldiers of the Roman empire

PSEUDO-CHRYS. This centurion was the first fruits of the Gentiles, and in comparison of his faith, all the faith of the Jews was unbelief; He neither heard Christ teaching, nor saw the leper when he was cleansed, but from hearing only that he had been healed, he believed more than he heard; and so he mystically typified the Gentiles that should come, who had neither read the Law nor the Prophets concerning Christ, nor had seen Christ Himself work His miracles. He came to Him and besought Him, saying, Lord, my servant lies at home sick of the palsy, and is grievously afflicted. Mark the goodness of the centurion, who for the health of his servant was in so great haste and anxiety, as though by his death he should suffer loss, not of money, but of his well being. For he reckoned no difference between the servant and the master; their place in this world may be different, but their nature is one. Mark also his faith, in that he said not, Come and heal him, because that Christ who stood there was present in every place; and his wisdom, in that he said not, Heal him here on this spot, for he knew that He was mighty to do, wise to understand, and merciful to hearken, therefore he did but declare the sickness, leaving it to the Lord, by His merciful power to heal. And he is grievously afflicted; this shows how he loved him, for when any that we love is pained or tormented, though it be but slightly, we think him more afflicted than he really is.

RABAN. All these things he recounts with grief, that he is sick, that it is with palsy; that he is grievously afflicted therewith, the more to show the sorrow of his own heart, and to move the Lord to have mercy. In like manner ought all to feel for their servants, and to take thought for them.

CHRYS. But some say that he says these things in excuse of himself, as reasons why he did not bring the sick man himself. For it was impossible to bring one in a palsy, in great torment, and at the point to die. But I rather think it a mark of his great faith; in as much as he knew that a word alone was enough to restore the sick man, he deemed it superfluous to bring him.

HILARY; Spiritually interpreted, the Gentiles are the sick in this world, and afflicted with the diseases of sin, all their limbs being altogether unnerved, and unfit for their duties of standing and walking. The sacrament of their salvation is fulfilled in this centurion's servant, of whom it is sufficiently declared that he was the head of the Gentiles that should believe. What sort of head this is, the song of Moses in Deuteronomy teaches, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the Angels.

REMIG. Or, in the centurion are figured those of the Gentiles who first believed, and were perfect in virtue. For a centurion is one who commands a hundred soldiers; and a hundred is a perfect number. Rightly, therefore, the centurion prays for his servant, because the first fruits of the Gentiles prayed to God for the Salvation of the whole Gentile world.

JEROME; The Lord seeing the centurion's faith, humbleness, and thoughtfulness, straightway promises to go and heal him; Jesus says to him, I will come and heal him.

CHRYS. Jesus here does what He never did; He always follows the wish of the supplicant, but here He goes before it, and not only promises to heal him, but to go to his house. This He does, that we may learn the worthiness of the centurion.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. Had not he said, I will come and heal him, the other would never have answered, I am not worthy. It was because it was a servant for whom he made petition, that Christ promised to go, in order to teach us not to have respect to the great, and overlook the little, but to honor poor and rich alike.

JEROME; As we commend the centurion's faith in that he believed that the Savior was able to heal the paralytic; so his humility is seen in his professing himself unworthy that the Lord should come under his roof; as it follows, And the centurion answered and said to him, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof.

RABAN. Conscious of his gentile life, he thought he should be more burdened than profited by this act of condescension from Him with whose faith he was indeed endued, but with whose sacraments he was not yet initiated.

AUG. By declaring himself unworthy, he showed himself worthy, not indeed into whose house, But into whose heart, Christ the Word of God should enter. Nor could He have said this with so much faith and humility, had he not borne in his heart Him whom he feared to have in his house. And indeed it would have been no great blessedness that Jesus should enter within his walls, if He had not already entered into his heart.

CHRYSOLOGUS. Mystically, his house was the body which contained his soul, which contains within it the freedom of the mind by a heavenly vision. But God disdains neither to inhabit flesh, nor to enter the roof of our body.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; And now also when the heads of Churches, holy men and acceptable to God, enter your roof, then in them the Lord also enters, and do you think of yourself as receiving the Lord. And when you eat and drink the Lord's Body, then the Lord enters under your roof, and you then should humble Yourself, saying, Lord, I am not worthy. For where He enters unworthily, there He enters to the condemnation of him who receives Him.

JEROME; The thoughtfulness of the centurion appears herein, that he saw the Divinity hidden beneath the covering of Body; wherefore he adds, But speak the word only, and my servant will be healed.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. He knew that Angels stood by unseen to minister to Him, who turn every word of his into act; you and should Angels fail, yet diseases are healed by His life-giving command.

HILARY; Also he therefore says that it needed only a word to heal his son, because all the salvation of the Gentiles is of faith, and the life of them all is in the precepts of the Lord; therefore he continues saying, For I am a man set under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say to this man, Go, and he goes; to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, amid he does it.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. He has here developed the mystery of the Father and the Son, by the secret suggestion of the Holy Spirit; as much as to say, Though I am under the command of another, yet have I power to command those who are under me; so also You, though under the command of the Father, in so far as you art man, yet have You power over the Angels. But Sabellius perhaps affirms, seeking to prove that the Son is the same as the Father, that it is to be understood thus; 'If I who am set under authority have yet power to command, how much more You who art under the authority of none.' But the words will not hear this exposition; for he said not, ' If I being a man under authority,' but, 'For I also am a man set under authority;' clearly not drawing a distinction, but pointing to a resemblance in this respect between himself and Christ.

AUG. If I who am under command have yet power to command others, how much more you whom all powers serve!

GLOSS. you art able without Your bodily presence, by the ministry of Your Angels, to say to this disease, Go, and it will leave him; and to say to health, Come, and it shall come to him.

HAYMO; Or, we may understand by those that are set under the centurion, the natural virtues in which many of the Gentiles were mighty, or even thoughts good and bad. Let us say to the bad, Depart, and they will depart; let us call the good, and they shall come; and our servant, that is, our body, let us bid that it submit itself to the Divine will.

AUG. What is here said seems to disagree with Luke's account, When the centurion heard concerning Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant. And again, When he was come nigh to the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying, Lord, trouble not Yourself, for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.

CHRYS. But Some say that these are two different occurrences; an opinion which has much to support it. Of Him in Luke it is said, He loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue; but of this one Jesus says, I have not found so great faith in Israel; whence it might seem that the other was a Jew. But in my opinion they are both the same person. What Luke relates that he sent to Jesus to come to him, betrays the friendly services of the Jews. We may suppose that when the centurion sought to go to Jesus, he was prevented by the Jews, who offered to go themselves for the purpose of bringing him. But as soon as he was delivered from their importunity, then he sent to say, Do not think that it was from want of respect that I did not come, but because I thought myself unworthy to receive you into my house. When then Matthew relates, that he spoke thus not through friends, but in his own person, it does not contradict Luke's account; for both have only represented the centurion's anxiety, and that he had a right opinion of Christ. And we may suppose that he first sent this message to Him by friends as he approached, and after, when He was come thither, repeated it Himself. But if they are relating different stories, then they do not contradict each other, but supply mutual deficiencies.

AUG. Matthew therefore intended to state summarily all that passed between the centurion and the Lord, which was indeed done through others with the view of commending his faith; as the Lord Spoke, I have not found so great faith in Israel. Luke, on the other hand, has narrated the whole as it was done, that so we might be obliged to understand in what sense Matthew, who could not err, meant that the centurion himself came to Christ, namely, in a figurative sense through faith.

CHRYS. For indeed there is no necessary contradiction between Luke's statement, that he had built a synagogue, and this, that he was not an Israelite; for it was quite possible, that one who was not a Jew should have built a synagogue, and should love the nation.

10. When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say to you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
11. And I say to you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven.
12. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall he weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13. And Jesus said to the centurion, Go your way; and as you has believed, so be it done to you. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

CHRYS. As what the leper had affirmed concerning Christ's power, If you will, you can cleanse me, was confirmed by the mouth of Christ, saying, I will, be you clean; so here He did not blame the centurion for hearing testimony to Christ's authority, but even commended him. Nay more; it is something greater than commendation that the Evangelist signifies in the words, But Jesus hearing marveled.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Observe how great and what that is at which God the Only-begotten marvels! Gold, riches, principalities, are in His sight as the shadow or the flower that fades; in the sight of God none of these things is wonderful, as though it were great or precious, but faith only; this He wonders at, and pays honor to, this He esteems acceptable to Himself.

AUG. But who was He that had created this faith in him, but only He who now marveled at it? But even had it come from any other, how should He marvel who knew all things future? When the Lord marvels, it is only to teach us what we ought to wonder at; for all these emotions in Him are not signs of passion, but examples of a teacher.

CHRYS. Wherefore He is said to have thus wondered in the presence of all the people, giving them an example that they also should wonder at Him; for it follows, And he said to them that followed, I have not found so great faith in Israel.

AUG. He praises his faith, But gives command to quit his profession of a soldier .

JEROME; This He speaks of the present generation, not of all the Patriarchs and Prophets of past ages.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. Andrew believed, but it was after John had said, Behold the Lamb of God; Peter believed, but it was at the preaching of Andrew; Philip believed, but it was by reading the Scriptures; and Nathaniel first received a proof of His Divinity, and then spoke forth his confession of faith.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; Jairus a prince in Israel, in making request for his daughter, said not, 'Speak the word,' but, 'Come quickly, Nicodemus, hearing of the sacrament of faith., asks How can these things be? Mary and Martha say, Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died; as though distrusting that God's power could be in all places at the same time.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or, if we would suppose that his faith was greater than even that of the Apostles, Christ's testimony to it must be understood as though every good in a man should be commended relatively to his character; as it were a great thing in a countryman to speak with wisdom, but in a philosopher the same would be nothing wonderful. In this way it may be said of the centurion, In none other have I found so great faith in Israel.

CHRYS. For it is a different thing for a Jew to believe and for a Gentile.

JEROME; Or perhaps in the person of the centurion the faith of the Gentiles is preferred to that of Israel; whence He proceeds, But I say to you, Many shall come from the east and from the west.

AUG He says, not 'all,' but many; yet these from the east and west; for by these two quarters the whole world is intended.

HAYMO; Or; From the east shall come they, who pass into the kingdom as soon as they are enlightened; from the west they who have suffered persecution for the faith even to death. Or, he comes from the east, who has served God from a child; he from the west who in decrepit age has turned to God.

PSEUDO-ORIGEN; How then does He say in another place, that the chosen are few? Because in each generation there are few that are chosen, but when all are gathered together in the day of visitation they shall be found many; they shall sit down, not the bodily posture, but the spiritual rest, not with human food, but with an eternal feast, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, where is light, joy, glory, and eternal length of days.

JEROME; Because the God of Abraham, the Maker of heaven, is the Father of Christ, therefore also is Abraham in the kingdom of heaven, and with him will sit down the nations who have believed in Christ the Son of the Creator.

AUG. As we see Christians called to the heavenly feast, where is the bread of righteousness, the drink of wisdom; So we see the Jews in reprobation. The children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness, that is, the Jews, who have received the Law, who observe the types of all things that were to be, yet did not acknowledge the realities when present.

JEROME; Or the Jews may be called the children of the kingdom, because God reigned among them heretofore.

CHRYS. Or, He calls them the children of the kingdom, because the kingdom was prepared for them, which was the greater grief to them.

AUG. Moses set before the people of Israel no other God than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Christ sets forth the very same God. So that so far was He from seeking to turn that people away from their own God, that He therefore threatened them with the outer darkness, because He saw them turned away from their own God. And in this kingdom He tells them the Gentiles shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for no other reason than that they held the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. To these Fathers Christ gives His testimony, not as though they had been converted after death, or had received justification after His passion.

JEROME; It is called outer darkness, because he whom the Lord casts out leaves the light.

HAYMO; What they should suffer there, He shows when He adds, There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Thus in metaphor He describes the sufferings of the tormented limbs; the eyes shed tears when filled with smoke, and the teeth chatter together from cold. This shows that the wicked in hell shall endure both extreme cold and extreme heat: according to that in Job, They shall pass from rivers of snow to the scorching heat.

JEROME; Weeping and gnashing of teeth are a proof of bones and body; truly then is there a resurrection of the same limbs, that sank into the grave.

RABAN. Or; The gnashing of teeth expresses the passion of remorse; repentance coming too late and self-accusation that he has sinned with such obstinate wickedness.

REMIG. Otherwise; By outer darkness, He means foreign nations; for these words of the Lord are a historical prediction of the destruction of the Jews, that they were to be led into captivity for their unbelief, and to be scattered ever the earth; for tears are usually caused by heat, gnashing of teeth by cold. Weeping then is described to those who should be dispersed into the warmer climates of India and Ethiopia, gnashing of teeth to those who should dwell in the colder regions, as Hyrcania and Scythia.

CHRYS. But that none might suppose that these were nothing more than fair words, He makes them credible by the miracles following, And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and be it done to you as you has believed.

RABAN. As though He had said, According to the measure of your faith, so be your grace. For the merit of the Lord may be communicated even to servants not only through the merit of their faith, but through their obedience to rule. It follows, And his servant was healed in the self-same hour.

CHRYS. Wherein admire the speediness, showing Christ's power, not only to heal, but to do it in a moment of time.

AUG. As the Lord did not enter the centurion's house with His body, but healed the servant, present in majesty, but absent in body; so He went among the Jews only in the body, but among other nations He was neither born of a Virgin, nor suffered, nor endured human sufferings, nor did divine wonders; and yet was fulfilled that which was spoken, A people that I have not known has served me, and has obeyed me by the hearing of the ear. The Jews beheld, yet crucified Him; the world heard, and believed.

14. And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.
15. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered to them.

ANSELM. Matthew having in the leper shown the healing of the whole human race, and in the centurion's servant that of the Gentiles, now figures the healing of the synagogue in Peter's mother-in-law. He relates the ease of the servant, first, because it was the greater miracle, and the grace was greater in the conversion of the Gentile; or because the synagogue should not be fully converted till the end of the age when the fullness of the Gentiles should have entered Peter's house was in Bethsaida.

CHRYS. Why did He enter into Peter's house? I think to take food; for it follows, And she arose, and ministered to them. For He abode with His disciples to do them honor, and to make them more zealous. Observe Peter's reverence towards Christ; though his mother-in-law lay at home sick of a fever, yet He did not force Him thither at once, but waited till His teaching should he completed, and others healed. For from the beginning he was instructed to prefer others to himself. Wherefore he did not even bring Him thither, but Christ went in of Himself; purposing, because the centurion had said, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, to show what He granted to a disciple. And He did not scorn to enter the humble hut of a fisherman, instructing us in everything to trample upon human pride. Sometimes He heals by a word, sometimes He reaches forth His hand; as here, He touched her hand, and the fever left her. For He would not always work miracles with display of surpassing power, but would sometimes be hid. By touching her body He not only banished the fever, but restored her to perfect health. Because her sickness was such as art could cure, He showed his power to heal, in doing what medicine could not do, giving her back perfect health and strength at once; which is intimated in what the Evangelist adds, And she arose, and ministered to them.

JEROME; For naturally the greatest weakness follows fever, and the evils of sickness begin to be felt as the patient begins to recover. but that health which is given by the Lord's power is complete at once.

GLOSS. And it is not enough that she is cured, but strength is given her besides, for she arose and ministered to them.

CHRYS. This, she arose and ministered to them, shows at once the Lord's power, and the woman's feeling towards Christ.

BEDE; Figuratively; Peter's house is the Law, or the circumcision, his mother-in-law the synagogue, which is as it were the mother of the Church committed to Peter. She is in a fever, that is, she is sick of zealous hate, and persecutes the Church. The Lord touches her hand, when He turns her carnal works to spiritual uses.

REMIG. Or by Peter's mother-in-law may be understood the law, which according to the Apostle was made weak through the flesh, i. e the carnal understanding. But when the Lord through the mystery of the incarnation appeared visibly in the synagogue, and fulfilled the Law in action, and taught that it was to be understood spiritually; straightway it thus allied with the grace of the Gospel received such strength, that what had been the minister of death and punishment, became the minister of life and glory.

RABAN. Or, every soul that struggles with fleshly lusts is sick of a fever, but touched with the hand of Divine mercy, it recovers health, and restrains the concupiscence of the flesh by the bridle of continence, and with those limbs with which it had served uncleanness, it now ministers to righteousness.

HILARY; Or; In Peter's wife's mother is shown the sickly condition of infidelity, to which freedom of will is near akin, being united by the bonds as it were of wedlock. By the Lord's entrance into Peter's house, that is into the body, unbelief is cured, which was before sick of the fever of sin, and ministers in duties of righteousness to the Savior.

AUG. When this miracle was done, that is, after what, or before what, Matthew has not said. For we need not understand that it took place just after that which it follows in the relation; he may be returning here to what he had omitted above. For Mark relates this after the cleansing of the leper, which should seem to follow the sermon on the mount, concerning which Mark is silent. Luke also follows the same order in relating this concerning Peter's mother-in-law as Mark; also inserting it before that long Sermon which seems to be the same with Matthew's sermon on the mount. But what matters it in what order the events are told, whether something omitted before is brought in after, or what was done after is told earlier, so long as in the same story he does not contradict either another or himself? For as it is in no man's power to choose in what order he shall recollect the things he has once known, it is likely enough that each of the Evangelists thought himself obliged to relate all in that order in which it pleased God to bring to his memory the various events. Therefore when the order of time is not clear, it cannot import to us what order of relation any one of them may have followed.

16. When the even was come, they brought to him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses.

CHRYS. Because the multitude of believers was now very great, they would not depart from Christ, though time pressed; but in the evening they bring to Him the sick. When it was evening, they brought to him many that had demons.

AUG. The words, Now when it was evening, show that the evening of the same day is meant, This would not have been implied, had it been only when it was evening.

REMIG. Christ the Son of God, the Author of human salvation, the fount and source of all goodness, furnished heavenly medicine, He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick. Demons and diseases He sent away with a word, that by these signs, and mighty works, He might show that He was come for the salvation of the human race.

CHRYS. Observe how great a multitude of cured the Evangelist here runs through, not relating the case of each, but in one word introducing an innumerable flood of miracles. That the greatness of the miracle should not raise unbelief that so much people and so various diseases could be healed in so short a space, he brings forward the Prophet to bear witness to the things that were done, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the Prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities.

RABAN. Took them not that He should have them Himself, but that He should take them away from us; and bore our sicknesses, in that what we were too weak to bear, He should bear for us.

REMIG. He took the infirmity of human nature so as to make us strong who had before been weak.

HILARY; And by the passion of His body, according to the words of the Prophet, He absorbed all the infirmities of human weakness.

CHRYS. The Prophet seems to have meant this of sins; how then does the Evangelist explain it of bodily diseases? It should be understood, that either he cites the text literally, or he intends to inculcate that most of our bodily diseases have their origin in sins of the soul; for death itself has its root in sin.

JEROME; It should be noted, that all the sick were healed not in the morning nor at noon, but rather about Sunset; as a corn of wheat dies in the ground that it may bring forth much fruit.

RABAN. Sunset shadows forth the passion and death of Him who said, While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Who while He lived temporally in the flesh, taught only a few of the Jews; but having trodden under foot the kingdom of death, promised the gifts of faith to all the Gentiles throughout the world.

Catena Aurea Matthew 8

[annalex]

Jesus healing the servant of a Centurion

Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)

[Salvation]

Saturday

June 25, 2016

Opening my Heart

“The Lord teaches us a lesson for our own lives too”, Pope Francis said, suggesting that we ask ourselves through a genuine examination of conscience: “Do I remember the wonders that the Lord has done in my life? Do I remember the Lord’s gifts? Am I capable of opening my heart to the prophets, to what they say to me: ‘This is wrong, you have to go there, move forward, take a risk’, as the prophets did? Am I open to that or am I afraid, preferring to lock myself in the law’s cage?’. And finally: “Do I hope in God’s promises, like our father Abraham did, who left his home without knowing where he was going, only because he hoped in God?”

~ Pope Francis, May 30, 2016

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Year of Mercy Calendar for Today: “Celebrate the Lord’s Day today.”

[Salvation]

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Saturday, June 25

Liturgical Color: Green

Today is the optional memorial
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Devotion to Mary is traced to
Apostolic times. Paintings in the
catacombs of the earliest
Christians show the developing
reverence to her.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: June 25th

Saturday of the Twelfth Week of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

June 25, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. 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.

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Recipes (2)

• Empanadas
• Monastery Soup

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Activities (1)

• Scripture in the Home

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Prayers (1)

• June Devotion: The Sacred Heart

  Old Calendar: St. William, abbot

  Saint William was born to noble parents at the beginning of the twelfth century. He was orphaned while still an infant and was raised by relatives. He built a monastery on the summit of Monte Vergine near Naples, and established a community of hermits, to whom he gave a rule inspired in great measure by that of St. Benedict. He died in 1142. According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is his feast.

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  St. William of Monte Virgine, Abbot
  William was born in Vercelli, Italy, in 1085. His parents died when he was a baby. Relatives raised him. When William grew up, he became a hermit. He worked a miracle, curing a blind man, and found himself famous. William was too humble to be happy with the people’s admiration. He really wanted to remain a hermit so that he could concentrate on God. He went away to live alone on a high, wild mountain. No one would bother him now. But even there he was not to remain alone. Men gathered around the saint and they built a monastery dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Because of William’s monastery, people gave the mountain a new name. They called it the Mountain of the Virgin.

  After a while, some of the monks began to complain that the lifestyle was too hard. They wanted better food and an easier schedule. William would not relax the rule for himself. Instead, he chose a prior for the monks. Then he and five faithful followers set out to start another monastery, as strict as they were used to. One of his companions was St. John of Mantua. Both William and John of Mantua were leaders. They realized as time went on that they would do better if they split up, each to start a monastery. They were great friends, but they saw things differently. John went east and William went west. Both did very well. In fact, both became saints.

  Later, King Roger of Naples helped St. William. William’s good influence on the king angered some evil men of the court. They tried to prove to the king that William was really evil, that he was hiding behind a holy habit. They sent a bad woman to tempt him, but she was unsuccessful. It seems that she repented and gave up her life of sin. St. William died on June 25, 1142.

  He is also known as St. William of Vercelli, or St. William of Monte Vergine.

  Symbols: Wolf; trowel; lily; passion flower.
  Often Portrayed as: a pilgrim, usually near Santiago de Compostela; abbot near a wolf wearing a saddle; receiving an appearance by Christ; saddling a wolf that killed his ass.

  Things to Do:

  • William's pilgrimage to the tomb of St. James the Apostle in Spain was the turning point of his life. Is it not easily possible for you to make a pilgrimage to some holy place in your neighborhood now during the summertime? First of all, however, are you familiar with the relics in your own parish church? Remember that any visit to a church is a pilgrimage to the grave of a saint!

  • Read more about the life of St. William here and the monastery he founded, Monte Vergine.
  
  

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 8:5-17

Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. (Matthew 8:8)

The centurion in today’s Gospel was accustomed to exerting the might of Rome over the local Jewish population. Men in his position could confiscate property and force the locals into labor. As officers of a Roman military unit, they gave orders, not requests. So, considering the centurion’s power, it’s a bit strange that he doesn’t just summon Jesus to his home and command him to heal his servant.

No—instead, the centurion shows unusual respect for Jewish religious boundaries. He knows that according to Jewish law, entering the home of a Gentile would bring about ritual uncleanness. So in a spirit of vulnerability and humble faith, the centurion appeals to Jesus for help from afar. “Only say the word and my servant will be healed” (Matthew 8:8).

What an inspiration! No matter where we think we stand in relation to God, we can approach him. Even when we consider ourselves unworthy, we can come to Jesus and ask him to look on us with mercy. The centurion’s encounter with Jesus shows us how graciously God receives people of humble heart. Far from responding with anger or impatience, he praises this pagan’s faith. He goes so far as to elevate the centurion’s faith above that of many of his fellow Jews!

The next time you approach God in prayer, try to adopt the humble attitude of the centurion—but don’t let your humility keep you away. You may not understand everything; you may not be in the best position spiritually, but you can still go to him. Jesus is there to respond with love. Even though he is almighty God, he will meet you at your level. If he is willing to enter a Gentile’s home and cure his servant in person, he surely won’t turn you away!

This is what merciful love looks like. It’s a love that involves mutual humility: ours, in acknowledging our weakness before God, and his, in extending his saving mercy! Every time you repeat the centurion’s words at Mass, make it a point to reinforce this message. Jesus will take care of your needs. He will forgive your sins. He will respond to your humility with his own humility and kindness.

“Jesus, meet me in my weakness. I need your help today, and I trust you to deliver!”

Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19
Psalm 74:1-7, 20-21

[Salvation]

Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for June 25, 2016:

Escape the noise of daily life and plan a camping trip with your spouse to a quiet destination.

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Let it be Done for You

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

June 25, 2016 - Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

Father Shawn Aaron, LC

Matthew 8:5-17

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."

He said to him, "I will come and cure him." The Centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ´Go,´ and he goes; and to another, ´Come here,´ and he comes; and to my slave, ´Do this,´ and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

And Jesus said to the Centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour his servant was healed. Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.

He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.

Introductory Prayer:

Lord I believe in you. I believe that you walk with me and accompany me with your power. I come before your holy throne, the throne of your heart. I know you want to bless me today with your friendship and to answer my prayers. Thank you for your faithful, generous love. 

Petition:

Lord, increase my faith.

1. 
   

   Humility Moves God’s Heart:
   

   
   Not only does the Centurion have great faith; he has great humility. His humility is not feigned, for the circumstances are too grave for him to pretend to be humble, especially as Jesus has already agreed to come heal his servant. Nor is his humility the result of a low self-esteem, for there is tremendous confidence in his dealing with Jesus.
   
   His is the humility born of a faith that understands who Jesus is. It is the humility that the Church invites us to share every time we approach Our Lord during Communion at Mass: “Lord, you are far too great to come to me, but thank you for coming for I will die without you.”
   

2. 
   

   When Jesus Heard This, He Was Amazed:
   

   
   Now this is amazing. Consider what it would take to amaze Jesus. Yet here we have the answer: Faith -- faith in his person, his power, his plan for our lives. One day Jesus will rebuke Peter as Our Lord grasps his hand to save him from sinking: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).
   
   The import of the question might be better seen if stated differently: “What is there in me that would make you mistrust me?” The answer is: Nothing. Any deficiency is in us, and this must be sincerely resolved in prayer, especially by contemplating the major truths of the faith: Jesus’ incarnation, passion, death and resurrection; the sacraments, especially baptism, confession and the Eucharist.
   
   If Jesus is amazed by our faith, we can rightly deduce that he is hurt by our lack of faith and trust in him.
   

3. 
   

   It Happens According to Our Faith:
   

   
   Christ’s comment is similar to what we pray in the “Our Father”: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Here we are saying, “Let my forgiveness of others be the standard by which I am forgiven.”
   
   By addressing the Centurion with these words, Jesus reveals that our degree of faith is the standard by which we possess what we ask for from God.
   
   In the First Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass we pray: “You know how firmly we believe in you and dedicate ourselves to you.” This is both consoling and alarming. It is consoling in that Christ knows the exact degree of our faith and the sincerity of our heart. We do not have to explain ourselves to him.
   
   It is alarming in that we also know that our faith is not always as strong as it should be. Therefore, we want to repeat what a man once said to Jesus: “I do believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
   

 

Conversation with Christ:

Dear Lord, you are worthy of all my faith. Like the Centurion and the great saints, help me to focus my gaze on you in faith. As well as being confident that what you ask of me is always for my best. Mother Most Pure, make my heart only for Jesus.

Resolution:

Today I will take a few minutes to read and reflect upon Hebrews, Chapter 11.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 32, Issue 4

<< Saturday, June 25, 2016 >>

Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19
View Readings

Psalm 74:1-7, 20-21

Matthew 8:5-17
Similar Reflections

FIRE EXTINGUISHER

"They did not lay bare your guilt, to avert your fate." —Lamentations 2:14

Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem as a dwelling place for the Lord. God was pleased and came to dwell in the Temple. "The Lord's glory filled the house of God" (2 Chr 5:14). During the next three-hundred years, Jerusalem was miraculously spared from attack on several occasions (e.g. 2 Kgs 19:35).

Eventually the people grew complacent and neglected the Lord's commands, falling into lifestyles of sin and injustice. Many "prophets" of the time fueled this lax attitude with "false and specious visions" and "misleading portents" (Lam 2:14). They falsely predicted divine protection rather than judgment and accountability for sin. In 587 B.C., the unthinkable occurred. Babylon besieged Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and the Lord did not intervene (2 Chr 36:19). The inhabitants of Jerusalem were killed or exiled. The temple was gone, and so, seemingly, was the Lord. All was unexpectedly lost (see Prv 29:1).

We want to hear about hope and security, but we also need to hear about our guilt (Lam 2:14). We must never grow weary of hearing about our propensity to sin and to backslide. "The things that happened to" the people of Jerusalem "serve as an example...as a warning to us" (1 Cor 10:11). Therefore, "let anyone who thinks he is standing upright watch out lest he fall!" (1 Cor 10:12) The sins of complacency and presumption lead straight to the shock of hell. Repent! Live in the fear of the Lord (Prv 9:10).

Prayer: Jesus, may You find faith in me (Mt 8:10), not smugness.

Promise: "To the centurion Jesus said, 'Go home. It shall be done because you trusted.' " —Mt 8:13

Praise: It was the consistent, frequent homilies given by a priest who did not compromise the truth that helped Vera refrain from worldly ways and lukewarmness toward Jesus.

[Salvation]

Loving Dad!