Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 10-12-16

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 10-12-16 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

October 12, 2016

Wednesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gal 5:18-25

Brothers and sisters:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R. (see Jn 8:12) Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.

Alleluia Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 11:42-46

The Lord said:
“Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honor in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”

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KEYWORDS: catholic; lk11; ordinarytime; prayer;

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From: Galatians 5:18-25

The Fruits of the Spirit and the Works of the Flesh (Continuation)

---

[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
[17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spi-
rit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from
doing what you would. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the
law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity, licentious-
ness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissen-
sion, party spirit, [21] envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you,
as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the king-
dom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such there is no
law. [24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. [25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

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

17-21. The fall of Adam and Eve left us with a tendency to seek created things
for our own pleasure, instead of using them to lead us to God. The desires of
the flesh make their appearance, urges which are at odds with God and with all
that is noble in our personality. But when grace enters our soul and justifies us,
we share in the fruits of the Redemption wrought by Christ and we are enabled
to conquer our concupiscence and life according to the flesh.

The vices referred to in vv. 19-21 have their roots in something much deeper —
life “of the flesh”. And, St Augustine asserts, “it is said that someone lives ac-
cording to the flesh when he lives for himself. Therefore, in this case, by ‘flesh’
is meant the whole person. For everything which stems from a disordered love
of oneself is called work of the flesh” (”The City of God”, 14, 2).

This is why we find included in the “works of the flesh” not only sins of impurity
(v. 19) and faults of temperance (v. 21 ) but also sins against the virtues of reli-
gion and fraternal charity (v. 20).

“Significantly, when speaking of ‘the works of the flesh’ Paul mentions not only
‘immorality [fornication], impurity, licentiousness [...], drunkenness, carousing —
all of which objectively speaking are connected with the flesh; he also names o-
ther sins which we do not usually put in the ‘carnal’ or ‘sexual’ category — ‘idola-
try, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, envy’ [...]. All these sins are the out-
come of ‘life according to the flesh’, which is the opposite to ‘life according to the
spirit”’ (John Paul 11, “Address”, 7 January 1981).

Therefore, as the Apostle says, anyone who in one way or other obstinately per-
sists in his sin will not be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven (cf. 1 Cor 6:9-10;
Eph 5:5).

22-25. When someone lets himself be led by his instincts he is said to be lea-
ding an “animal life”; whereas, if he acts as his reason advises, he is leading a
rational, human, life. Similarly, when one allows the Holy Spirit to act, one’s life
becomes life according to the Spirit — a supernatural life, a life which is no lon-
ger simply human but divine. This is what happens when a person is in the state
of grace and is mindful of the treasure he bears within.

“Alone! You are not alone. We are keeping you close company from afar. Be-
sides..., the Holy Spirit, living in your soul in grace — God with you — is giving a
supernatural tone to all your thoughts, desires and actions” (St. J. Escriva, “The
Way”, 273).

The soul then becomes a good tree which is known by its fruits. Its actions re-
veal the presence of the Paraclete, and because of the spiritual delight they give
the soul, these actions are called fruits of the Holy Spirit (cf. St Thomas Aquinas,
Summa theologiae, I-II, q. 70, a. 1).

“Those blessed fruits enumerated by the Apostle (Gal 5:22) the Spirit produces
and shows forth in the just, even in this mortal life — fruits replete with all sweet-
ness and joy. Such must, indeed, be from the Spirit ‘who in the Trinity is the love
of the Father and the Son, filling all creatures with immeasurable sweetness’ (St
Augustine, “De Trinitate”, 6, 9)” (Leo XIII, “Divinum illud munus”, 12).

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

From: Luke 11:42-46

The Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees (Continuation)

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(Jesus said to the Pharisees,) [42] “But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint
and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought
to have done, without neglecting the others. [43] Woe to you Pharisees! for you
love the best seat in the synagogues and salutations in the market places. [44]
Woe to you! for you are like graves which are not seen, and men walk over them
without knowing it.”

[45] One of the lawyers answered Him, “Teacher, in saying this You reproach
us also.” [46] And He said, “Woe to you lawyers also! for you load men with bur-
dens hard to bear and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your
fingers.”

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

42. The Law of Moses laid down that the harvest had to be tithed (cf. Leviticus
27:30-33; Deuteronomy 12:22ff; etc.) to provide for the worship offered in the
temple. Insignificant products were not subject to this Law.

Rue is a bitter medicinal plant used by the Jews in ancient times. Did it have to
be tithed?: the Pharisees, who were so nit-picking, said that it did.

44. According to the Old Law, anyone who touched a grave became unclean for
seven days (Num 19:16), but with the passage of time a grave could become so
overgrown that a person could walk on it without noticing. Our Lord uses this
comparison to unmask the hypocrisy of these people He is talking to: they are
very exact about very small details but they forget their basic duty — justice and
the love of God (verse 42). On the outside they are clean but their hearts are full
of malice and rottenness (verse 39); they pretend to be just, appearances are all
that matters to them; they know that virtue is held in high regard, therefore they
strive to appear highly virtuous (verse 43). Duplicity and deceit mark their lives.

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

---

First reading

Galatians 5:18-25 ©

If you are led by the Spirit, no law can touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels; disagreements, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and similar things. I warn you now, as I warned you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no law against things like that, of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires.

  Since the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.

---

Responsorial Psalm	Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©

Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.

Happy indeed is the man

  who follows not the counsel of the wicked;

nor lingers in the way of sinners

  nor sits in the company of scorners,

but whose delight is the law of the Lord

  and who ponders his law day and night.

Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.

He is like a tree that is planted

  beside the flowing waters,

that yields its fruit in due season

  and whose leaves shall never fade;

  and all that he does shall prosper.

Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.

Not so are the wicked, not so!

For they like winnowed chaff

  shall be driven away by the wind.

for the Lord guards the way of the just

  but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have the light of life.

---

Gospel Acclamation	cf.Ps26:11

Alleluia, alleluia!

Instruct me, Lord, in your way;

on an even path lead me.

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	Luke 11:42-46 ©

The Lord said to the Pharisees:

  ‘Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and overlook justice and the love of God! These you should have practised, without leaving the others undone. Alas for you Pharisees who like taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that men walk on without knowing it!

  A lawyer then spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘when you speak like this you insult us too.’

  ‘Alas for you lawyers also,’ he replied ‘because you load on men burdens that are unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.’

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[Salvation]

 

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.

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[Salvation]

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 Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]

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St. Michael the Archangel

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

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From an Obama bumper sticker on a car:
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PLEASE JOIN US - Evening Prayer
Someone has said that if people really understood the full extent of the power we have available through prayer, we might be speechless.
Did you know that during WWII there was an advisor to Churchill who organized a group of people who dropped what they were doing every day at a prescribed hour for one minute to collectively pray for the safety of England, its people and peace?

There is now a group of people organizing the same thing here in America. If you would like to participate: Every evening at 9:00 PM Eastern Time (8:00 PM Central) (7:00 PM Mountain) (6:00 PM Pacific), stop whatever you are doing and spend one minute praying for the safety of the United States, our troops, our citizens, and for a return to a Godly nation. If you know anyone else who would like to participate, please pass this along. Our prayers are the most powerful asset we have. Please forward this to your praying friends.