Posted on 12/17/2016 9:03:14 PM PST by Salvation
KEYWORDS: advent; catholic; mt1; prayer;
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From: Isaiah 7:10-14; (8-10)
The Sign of Immanu-el (Continuation)
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
7:10-17. Even though the king did not listen, the Lord offers him a sign that he
has no reason to fear the threats made by the kings of Israel and Syria: a mai-
den will conceive and bear a son, who will be called Immanuel; within a few years,
before the boy reaches the age of reason, the two kingdoms that Ahaz fears will
be laid low, and Judah will enjoy even greater prosperity than it had prior to the
Assyrian threat.
The prophet’s words, which at the time and taken literally would have been easy
enough for the protagonists to understand, can have further significance: and as
Revelation develops this becomes clearer. Verse 14 has three elements in it
which, taken separately and together, can be read as a sign of peace and sal-
vation—the mother, the child, and his name, “Immanuel”. The mother is a maiden,
that is, a young woman who has had no children previously. This could refer to
the young wife of Ahaz or to some other young woman. In any event, by setting
her pregnancy in the context of a sign given to the king, the point is that some-
thing quite important is involved. It is not surprising, therefore, that, to stress
this, later interpreters, particularly those who translated the text into Greek in
the second century BC, translated the Hebrew word for “young woman” into the
Greek word for “virgin”. Later, the evangelists St Matthew (Mt 1:23) and St Luke
(Lk 1:26-31) indicated that the virginity of Mary was the sign that her son was
the Messiah, the true God with us, who brings salvation.
The child, the son, is the most significant part of the sign. If the prophecy refers
to the son of Ahaz, the future King Hezekiah, it would be indicating that his birth
will be a sign of divine protection, because it will mean that the dynasty will con-
tinue. If it refers to another child, not yet known, the prophet’s words would mean
that the child’s birth could manifest hope that “God was going to be with us”, and
his reaching the age of discretion (v. 16) would indicate the advent of peace; the
child’s birth would, then, be the sign that “God is with us”. In the New Testament,
the deeper meaning of these words find fulfillment: Mary is Virgin and Mother,
and her Son is not a symbol of God’s protection but God himself who dwells
among us.
The word “Immanuel” is a prophetic indication of the revelation that the child’s
birth implies, just as the names of Isaiah’s sons also contain revelation — Shear-
jashub, which means “a remnant shall return” (7:3), and Maher-shalal-hash-baz,
meaning “the spoil speeds, the prey hastens” (8:1-3). In the New Testament, the
name conveys the joyful news that Jesus is truly “God with us”.
Christian tradition has treated this lsaian oracle with great reverence: “Learn from
the prophet himself how all this could come to pass. Does it, perhaps, follow the
laws of nature? Absolutely not, replies the prophet: ‘Behold, a virgin.... What a
miracle! A virgin will become a mother and remain a virgin! [...] It is fitting that he
who enters into human life to save all mankind [...] should be born of a woman of
perfect integrity who has given herself wholly to Him” (St Gregory of Nyssa, “In
Diem Natalem Christi”, 1136).
Therefore, expounding the Church’s interpretation, the Second Vatican Council
has this to say: “The Holy Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament, as
well as ancient Tradition, show the role of the Mother of the Savior in the econo-
my of salvation in an ever clearer light and draw attention to it. The books of the
Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of Christ in-
to the world was slowly prepared. These earliest documents, as they are read in
the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the
figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer light. When
it is looked at in this way, she is already prophetically foreshadowed in the pro-
mise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after their fall
into sin (cf. Gen 3:15). Likewise she is the Virgin who shall conceive and bear a
son, whose name will be called Immanuel (Is 7:14; Mic 5:2-3; Mt 1:22-23). She
stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and
receive salvation from Him. With her the exalted Daughter of Sion, and after a
long expectation of the promise, the times are fulfilled and the new economy es-
tablished, when the Son of God took a human nature from her, that He might in
the mysteries of His flesh free man from sin” (”Lumen Gentium”, 55).
The fact that the oracle was spoken in a specific historical context does not
mean that it does not have a more transcendental, that is, messianic meaning;
in the light of salvation history, past events should be read as part of God’s plan
of salvation and of its climax, the advent of Jesus Christ. Only by adopting this
viewpoint can we see that what happened in the Old Testament, taken as a
whole and many of the stages in it, are a prophecy of New Testament events,
a “preparation for the Gospel”. Therefore, a Christian reading of the text, which
in a way enjoys “hindsight” and gives a messianic interpretation to the Imma-
nuel Oracle, is perfectly compatible with its literal meaning.
The words of the prophet, which find fulfillment in Christ, have been given many
lovely spiritual interpretations: “This Immanuel, born of the Virgin, eats curds and
honey, and asks each of us to provide him with the curds that he eats [...]. Our
good deeds, our sweet and noble words, are the honey eaten by the Immanuel
born of the Virgin [...]. For truly he consumes our good words and intentions and
actions, and feeds us, in turn, with a spiritual food that is greater and divine. As
soon as we realize that to welcome the Savior is a blessing, and open wide the
doors of our hearts, we will prepare for him the ‘honey’ and all his feast, and he
will bring us to the great feast of the Father in the kingdom of heaven, that is in
Christ Jesus” (Origen, “Homilae In Isaiam”, 2, 2).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Romans 1:1-7
Greeting
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
1-15. These opening verses of the letter are a combination of greeting, introduc-
tion of the writer and the prologue to the entire text. The passage deals with
themes in no particular order — in line with the style of some other Pauline let-
ters, especially Romans itself.
Three matters are being covered here — Paul’s introduction of himself, and his
plans to visit Rome (vv. 1, 5, 9-15); who the immediate recipients are and their
particular situation (vv. 6-8, 11, 15); and, finally, Paul’s purpose in writing to the
faithful at Rome (outlined in his greeting — vv. 2-4, 15 and, to a lesser degree, v.
9).
1-2. The word “gospel”, which St Paul uses very often, here refers to the purpose
of his vocation: he has been designated to preach the Gospel of God. This is ob-
viously not a reference to the written Gospels; he is speaking of something com-
plex and profound, already articulated by Christ in his preaching. Jesus said of
himself that he had come to bring Good News (cf. Mt 11:15; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 4:18;
etc.), as the prophets had foretold (especially is 61:1, which Jesus quoted). “As
an evangelizer, Christ first of all proclaims a kingdom, the Kingdom of God; and
this is so important that, by comparison, everything else becomes ‘the rest’,
which is ‘given in addition’ (cf. Mt 6:33).
“As the kernel and center of this Good News, Christ proclaims salvation, this
great gift of God which is liberation from everything that oppresses man but which
is above all liberation from sin and the Evil One” (Paul VI, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”,
8 and 9).
When he was about to ascend into heaven, Jesus charged his Apostles to pro-
claim the Good News (Mk 16:15; cf. Mt 28:19-20) which was to be “the source
of all saving truth and moral discipline” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 7). For the Apo-
stles this Good News was nothing more or less than Jesus Christ and his work
of salvation. That is why the Gospel (which the Church is given to hand on to all
generations) is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as passed on
to us by the Apostles. “The promises of the New Alliance in Jesus Christ, the
teaching of the Lord and the Apostles, the Word of life, the sources of grace and
of God’s loving kindness, the path of salvation — all these things have been entrus-
ted to her. It is the content of the Gospel, and therefore of evangelization” (”Evan-
gelii Nuntiandi”, 15). Thus we can say with St Thomas Aquinas (cf. “Summa Theo-
logiae”, I-II, q. 108, a.1; “Commentary on Rom.” 1, 1) that the core of the Gospel
has to do with uniting men and God, a union which takes a perfect form in Christ
but an imperfect one in us. The superiority of the Gospel over the Old Law con-
sists in the grace of the Holy Spirit, which Christ confers on us. Therefore, the
Gospel, to which the Apostles dedicated themselves, is, at one and the same
time, a series of truths revealed by our Lord, the saving power of grace and the
Church-in-action.
1. In addressing the Christians at Rome the Apostle uses, of his two names —
Saul and Paul — the one he has used since his first missionary journey (cf. Acts
13:9), a Roman name indicating his Roman citizenship (cf. Acts 16:37; 22:25-28).
It was in fact quite common for Jews to use two names — a national name, He-
brew or Aramaic, and another name, Greek or Latin, for dealings with people from
other countries in the Empire. We find a number of examples of this in the New
Testament — John-Mark, Symeon-Niger (Acts 13:1), Tabitha-Dorcas (Acts 9:36),
et cetera.
Paul, who had been born a Roman citizen, was deeply conscious of his Jewish
roots. He was of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom 11:1; Phil 3:5) and bore the name of
one of the most famous members of that tribe — King Saul, son of Kish (Acts 13:
21). He was well able to show his pride in his Jewish descent (cf. 2 Cor 11:22;
Gal 1:13-14) yet was ready to become all things to all men in order to save even
some (cf. 1 Cor 9:22).
St Paul wants to speak about Christ and his saving Gospel, but he cannot avoid
making reference to himself and the mission entrusted to him; this he does by
using three words which are full of meaning: he is a “servant” of Jesus Christ,
called by God to be his “apostle” (envoy), “set apart” or designated by God to
preach the Gospel. These three words tell the whole story of his vocation, and
each of them encapsulates something of the mystery which Paul will expound in
his epistle — the mercy of God, who saves men, justifies them, sanctifies them
and sends them out.
“Servant”: this title, also used by St James (Jas 1:1), St Peter (2 Pet 1:1) and St
Jude (Jud 1), comes from the Old Testament. There the great prophets and guides
of the chosen people described themselves as “servants” of Yahweh (cf., for exam-
ple, Samuel: 1 Sam 3:9f; Abraham: Ps 104:6; David: 2 Sam 24:10; Moses, Aaron,
Solomon, etc.), and the entire people of Israel is called the “servant” of God (Is 49:
3); but most prominently there is the Messiah, the “Servant” of God to the extent
of actually giving his life (Is 41:9; 42:1; 49:6; 53:11). In the world of the Hebrew
religion “servant of God” is the equivalent of “worshipper of God”, one who offers
religious worship: this notion of servant did not carry the overtones of inhuman
debasement that it had in Greco-Roman culture. When St Paul says that he is
a “servant” (or “slave”) of Jesus Christ he is implicitly saying that he renders him
religious adoration.
“Apostle”: this word designates preachers of the Gospel, particularly the twelve
chosen disciples of Jesus (cf. Mt 10:24 and Mk 3:16-19) it was quite logically ap-
plied to Matthias when he became one of the Twelve (Acts 1:25). Christ himself
designated Paul an apostle when he appeared to him on the road to Damascus
(Acts 26:16-18; Gal 1:15-16), called him to the faith and charged him with his
mission to preach. By describing himself as “called to be an apostle”, St Paul is
saying that he is on an equal footing with the Twelve — for example, Peter, James
and John, whom he calls “pillars” of the Church (Gal 2:9) — since he received his
calling from Christ himself, as had been the case with the other Apostles (cf.
Acts 9:3-18), and not from the leaders of the community of Antioch (Acts 13:2-3).
“Set apart”: this refers to the mission entrusted to St Paul of preaching the Gos-
pel to the Gentiles. Possibly it also refers to Paul’s place in God’s eternal plan;
in this sense he can say that he was “set apart” ever since he was in his mo-
ther’s womb (Gal 1:15; cf. Jer 1:5; Is 49:1).
St John Chrysostom comments on this verse as follows: “If Paul constantly re-
calls his vocation it is in order to show his gratitude. This gift, which he did not
solicit, took him by surprise; he simply obeyed and followed the divine inspiration.
As regards the faithful, they too, as he himself says, have been called to holiness”
(”Hom. on Rom”, 1).
3-4. Scholars are now confident that in Rom 1:3-4 St Paul is quoting from a Chris-
tological formula or hymn (like that in 1 Tim 3:16 or Phil 2:6-11) — probably used in
the very earliest Christian liturgy. In these two verses St Paul offers, as it were, a
summary of Christology: Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, is the Son sent by
his Father God (v. 3). From all eternity he is God, equal to the Father, and in the
fullness of time he has taken up a human nature which was initially capable of ex-
periencing pain (v. 3) and was later glorified (v. 4).
The Incarnation did not involve any change, as far as the Word was concerned,
either in his divine nature (which he did not shed and which did not alter) or in his
being a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, by the Incar-
nation he assumed a human nature, being born of a Virgin (cf. Lk 1:27, 35): and
so the Son of God became the Son of David, of the lineage of David. The phrase
“according to the flesh” actually emphasizes the lowliness which the Incarnation
implied — fragility, suffering, self-emptying, humiliation (cf. Jn 1:14 and note; Phil
2:7).
During Christ’s life on earth prior to his Resurrection, although it was united to
the Word, his human nature, especially his body, was not fully glorified. More-
over, although it is true that during that period of his life he showed his divinity by
his miracles (cf. In 2:11) and by words confirmed by those miracles (cf. Jn 10:37
ff), it is also true that his human nature was to the forefront most of the time. After
the Resurrection, his human body and soul were fully glorified and therefore from
then on his divine nature was the more apparent. This real change which took
place in Christ’s human nature when he rose from the dead, and the fact that his
divinity became more manifest and he was more easily recognized to be God,
are captured in what St Paul says here in v. 4.
The words “according to the Spirit of holiness” can refer both to Christ’s divine na-
ture (in the same way as “according to the flesh” refers to his human nature) and
to the action of the Holy Spirit, whose effects were more easily seen after the
Resurrection, especially from Pentecost onwards (cf. Jn 7:39 and note on same).
5. Here St Paul refers to the mission given him by God the Father through Jesus
Christ at the time of his conversion (cf. Acts 9:15) and which he mentions explicit-
ly in his letter to the Galatians (cf. Gal 2:7). Within the world-wide mission implied
in being an apostle called by Christ himself, St Paul was given a special mission
of his own — to be the Apostle of the Gentiles; he mentions this mission at the
beginning of this letter to show why he should be addressing the Christians at
Rome, a church which he had not founded.
The purpose and effect of the apostolic ministry is to bring about the “obedience
of faith”: when a person believes, he submits his mind and will to God’s authority,
freely accepting the truths which God proposes. Apropos of this obedience proper
to faith the Second Vatican Council says: “’The obedience of faith’ (Rom 16:26; cf.
Rom 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) must be given to God as he reveals himself. By faith man
freely commits his entire self to God, making ‘the full submission of his intellect
and will to God who reveals’ (Vatican I, “Dei Filius”, chap. 3) and willingly assen-
ting to the Revelation given by him. Before this faith can be exercised, man must
have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior help of
the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes
of the mind and ‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth’ (Second
Council of Orange III, “De Gratia”, can. 7; “Dei Filius, ibid.”)” (Vatican II, “Dei
Verbum”, 5).
7. “Called to be saints”: literally “called saints”. This is not just a way of spea-
king: St Paul really is saying that Christians are “called” in the same kind of way
as the Israelites were so open called through Moses (Num 10:14). In the Chris-
tians’ case, the calling is to form the new people of God, one of whose characte-
ristic features is holiness. Basing itself on this and other Pauline texts, the Se-
cond Vatican Council has this to say: “As Israel according to the flesh which
wandered in the desert was already called the Church of God (cf. 2 Ezra 13:1;
cf. Num 20:4; Deut 23:1 ff), so too, the new Israel, which advances in this pre-
sent era in search of a future and permanent city (cf. Heb 13:14), is called also
the Church of Christ (cf. Mt. 16:18) [...]. The followers of Christ, called by God
not in virtue of their works but by his design and grace, and justified in the Lord
Jesus, have been made sons of God in the baptism of faith and partakers of the
divine nature, and so are truly sanctified” (”Lumen Gentium”, 9 and 40).
This is in fact the basis of the “universal call to holiness”. All Christians, by vir-
tue of their Baptism, should live in line with what that means: they are called to
be saints and their whole life should be a pursuit of holiness: “In baptism, our
Father God has taken possession of our lives, has made us share in the life of
Christ, and has given us the Holy Spirit” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By,
128). “We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen
attentively to that cry of St Paul: ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1
Thess 4:3). Today, once again, I set myself this goal and I also remind you and
all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends
of God”, 294).
The formula “grace and peace” seems to be St Paul’s own: it is a combination of
the usual Greek greeting at the start of letters and the Hebrew shalom (peace).
The Apostle uses this double greeting very often (cf., for example, 1 Cor 1:3 2 Cor
1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; etc). It is a Christian greeting, referring to the gifts the Holy
Spirit brings us. Jewish and pagan greetings wished people material prosperity or
good fortune; the Apostle’s are wishes for something higher — divine benevolence,
which comes in the form of the gift of sanctifying grace and the virtues and gifts
of the Holy Spirit, and interior peace, which derives from reconciliation with God
brought about by Christ. These gifts, according to the Apostle, come to us from
God our Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Lord, who is equal to the Father. Thus
we see Christian life as being inserted in the intimate life of the Blessed Trinity,
for “grace and peace” came from the goodness and mercy of God, by way of the
Incarnation of the Word and the Redemption wrought by him.
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Romans 1:1-7
Greeting
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
1-15. These opening verses of the letter are a combination of greeting, introduc-
tion of the writer and the prologue to the entire text. The passage deals with
themes in no particular order — in line with the style of some other Pauline let-
ters, especially Romans itself.
Three matters are being covered here — Paul’s introduction of himself, and his
plans to visit Rome (vv. 1, 5, 9-15); who the immediate recipients are and their
particular situation (vv. 6-8, 11, 15); and, finally, Paul’s purpose in writing to the
faithful at Rome (outlined in his greeting — vv. 2-4, 15 and, to a lesser degree, v.
9).
1-2. The word “gospel”, which St Paul uses very often, here refers to the purpose
of his vocation: he has been designated to preach the Gospel of God. This is ob-
viously not a reference to the written Gospels; he is speaking of something com-
plex and profound, already articulated by Christ in his preaching. Jesus said of
himself that he had come to bring Good News (cf. Mt 11:15; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 4:18;
etc.), as the prophets had foretold (especially is 61:1, which Jesus quoted). “As
an evangelizer, Christ first of all proclaims a kingdom, the Kingdom of God; and
this is so important that, by comparison, everything else becomes ‘the rest’,
which is ‘given in addition’ (cf. Mt 6:33).
“As the kernel and center of this Good News, Christ proclaims salvation, this
great gift of God which is liberation from everything that oppresses man but which
is above all liberation from sin and the Evil One” (Paul VI, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”,
8 and 9).
When he was about to ascend into heaven, Jesus charged his Apostles to pro-
claim the Good News (Mk 16:15; cf. Mt 28:19-20) which was to be “the source
of all saving truth and moral discipline” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 7). For the Apo-
stles this Good News was nothing more or less than Jesus Christ and his work
of salvation. That is why the Gospel (which the Church is given to hand on to all
generations) is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as passed on
to us by the Apostles. “The promises of the New Alliance in Jesus Christ, the
teaching of the Lord and the Apostles, the Word of life, the sources of grace and
of God’s loving kindness, the path of salvation — all these things have been entrus-
ted to her. It is the content of the Gospel, and therefore of evangelization” (”Evan-
gelii Nuntiandi”, 15). Thus we can say with St Thomas Aquinas (cf. “Summa Theo-
logiae”, I-II, q. 108, a.1; “Commentary on Rom.” 1, 1) that the core of the Gospel
has to do with uniting men and God, a union which takes a perfect form in Christ
but an imperfect one in us. The superiority of the Gospel over the Old Law con-
sists in the grace of the Holy Spirit, which Christ confers on us. Therefore, the
Gospel, to which the Apostles dedicated themselves, is, at one and the same
time, a series of truths revealed by our Lord, the saving power of grace and the
Church-in-action.
1. In addressing the Christians at Rome the Apostle uses, of his two names —
Saul and Paul — the one he has used since his first missionary journey (cf. Acts
13:9), a Roman name indicating his Roman citizenship (cf. Acts 16:37; 22:25-28).
It was in fact quite common for Jews to use two names — a national name, He-
brew or Aramaic, and another name, Greek or Latin, for dealings with people from
other countries in the Empire. We find a number of examples of this in the New
Testament — John-Mark, Symeon-Niger (Acts 13:1), Tabitha-Dorcas (Acts 9:36),
et cetera.
Paul, who had been born a Roman citizen, was deeply conscious of his Jewish
roots. He was of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom 11:1; Phil 3:5) and bore the name of
one of the most famous members of that tribe — King Saul, son of Kish (Acts 13:
21). He was well able to show his pride in his Jewish descent (cf. 2 Cor 11:22;
Gal 1:13-14) yet was ready to become all things to all men in order to save even
some (cf. 1 Cor 9:22).
St Paul wants to speak about Christ and his saving Gospel, but he cannot avoid
making reference to himself and the mission entrusted to him; this he does by
using three words which are full of meaning: he is a “servant” of Jesus Christ,
called by God to be his “apostle” (envoy), “set apart” or designated by God to
preach the Gospel. These three words tell the whole story of his vocation, and
each of them encapsulates something of the mystery which Paul will expound in
his epistle — the mercy of God, who saves men, justifies them, sanctifies them
and sends them out.
“Servant”: this title, also used by St James (Jas 1:1), St Peter (2 Pet 1:1) and St
Jude (Jud 1), comes from the Old Testament. There the great prophets and guides
of the chosen people described themselves as “servants” of Yahweh (cf., for exam-
ple, Samuel: 1 Sam 3:9f; Abraham: Ps 104:6; David: 2 Sam 24:10; Moses, Aaron,
Solomon, etc.), and the entire people of Israel is called the “servant” of God (Is 49:
3); but most prominently there is the Messiah, the “Servant” of God to the extent
of actually giving his life (Is 41:9; 42:1; 49:6; 53:11). In the world of the Hebrew
religion “servant of God” is the equivalent of “worshipper of God”, one who offers
religious worship: this notion of servant did not carry the overtones of inhuman
debasement that it had in Greco-Roman culture. When St Paul says that he is
a “servant” (or “slave”) of Jesus Christ he is implicitly saying that he renders him
religious adoration.
“Apostle”: this word designates preachers of the Gospel, particularly the twelve
chosen disciples of Jesus (cf. Mt 10:24 and Mk 3:16-19) it was quite logically ap-
plied to Matthias when he became one of the Twelve (Acts 1:25). Christ himself
designated Paul an apostle when he appeared to him on the road to Damascus
(Acts 26:16-18; Gal 1:15-16), called him to the faith and charged him with his
mission to preach. By describing himself as “called to be an apostle”, St Paul is
saying that he is on an equal footing with the Twelve — for example, Peter, James
and John, whom he calls “pillars” of the Church (Gal 2:9) — since he received his
calling from Christ himself, as had been the case with the other Apostles (cf.
Acts 9:3-18), and not from the leaders of the community of Antioch (Acts 13:2-3).
“Set apart”: this refers to the mission entrusted to St Paul of preaching the Gos-
pel to the Gentiles. Possibly it also refers to Paul’s place in God’s eternal plan;
in this sense he can say that he was “set apart” ever since he was in his mo-
ther’s womb (Gal 1:15; cf. Jer 1:5; Is 49:1).
St John Chrysostom comments on this verse as follows: “If Paul constantly re-
calls his vocation it is in order to show his gratitude. This gift, which he did not
solicit, took him by surprise; he simply obeyed and followed the divine inspiration.
As regards the faithful, they too, as he himself says, have been called to holiness”
(”Hom. on Rom”, 1).
3-4. Scholars are now confident that in Rom 1:3-4 St Paul is quoting from a Chris-
tological formula or hymn (like that in 1 Tim 3:16 or Phil 2:6-11) — probably used in
the very earliest Christian liturgy. In these two verses St Paul offers, as it were, a
summary of Christology: Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, is the Son sent by
his Father God (v. 3). From all eternity he is God, equal to the Father, and in the
fullness of time he has taken up a human nature which was initially capable of ex-
periencing pain (v. 3) and was later glorified (v. 4).
The Incarnation did not involve any change, as far as the Word was concerned,
either in his divine nature (which he did not shed and which did not alter) or in his
being a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, by the Incar-
nation he assumed a human nature, being born of a Virgin (cf. Lk 1:27, 35): and
so the Son of God became the Son of David, of the lineage of David. The phrase
“according to the flesh” actually emphasizes the lowliness which the Incarnation
implied — fragility, suffering, self-emptying, humiliation (cf. Jn 1:14 and note; Phil
2:7).
During Christ’s life on earth prior to his Resurrection, although it was united to
the Word, his human nature, especially his body, was not fully glorified. More-
over, although it is true that during that period of his life he showed his divinity by
his miracles (cf. In 2:11) and by words confirmed by those miracles (cf. Jn 10:37
ff), it is also true that his human nature was to the forefront most of the time. After
the Resurrection, his human body and soul were fully glorified and therefore from
then on his divine nature was the more apparent. This real change which took
place in Christ’s human nature when he rose from the dead, and the fact that his
divinity became more manifest and he was more easily recognized to be God,
are captured in what St Paul says here in v. 4.
The words “according to the Spirit of holiness” can refer both to Christ’s divine na-
ture (in the same way as “according to the flesh” refers to his human nature) and
to the action of the Holy Spirit, whose effects were more easily seen after the
Resurrection, especially from Pentecost onwards (cf. Jn 7:39 and note on same).
5. Here St Paul refers to the mission given him by God the Father through Jesus
Christ at the time of his conversion (cf. Acts 9:15) and which he mentions explicit-
ly in his letter to the Galatians (cf. Gal 2:7). Within the world-wide mission implied
in being an apostle called by Christ himself, St Paul was given a special mission
of his own — to be the Apostle of the Gentiles; he mentions this mission at the
beginning of this letter to show why he should be addressing the Christians at
Rome, a church which he had not founded.
The purpose and effect of the apostolic ministry is to bring about the “obedience
of faith”: when a person believes, he submits his mind and will to God’s authority,
freely accepting the truths which God proposes. Apropos of this obedience proper
to faith the Second Vatican Council says: “’The obedience of faith’ (Rom 16:26; cf.
Rom 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) must be given to God as he reveals himself. By faith man
freely commits his entire self to God, making ‘the full submission of his intellect
and will to God who reveals’ (Vatican I, “Dei Filius”, chap. 3) and willingly assen-
ting to the Revelation given by him. Before this faith can be exercised, man must
have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior help of
the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes
of the mind and ‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth’ (Second
Council of Orange III, “De Gratia”, can. 7; “Dei Filius, ibid.”)” (Vatican II, “Dei
Verbum”, 5).
7. “Called to be saints”: literally “called saints”. This is not just a way of spea-
king: St Paul really is saying that Christians are “called” in the same kind of way
as the Israelites were so open called through Moses (Num 10:14). In the Chris-
tians’ case, the calling is to form the new people of God, one of whose characte-
ristic features is holiness. Basing itself on this and other Pauline texts, the Se-
cond Vatican Council has this to say: “As Israel according to the flesh which
wandered in the desert was already called the Church of God (cf. 2 Ezra 13:1;
cf. Num 20:4; Deut 23:1 ff), so too, the new Israel, which advances in this pre-
sent era in search of a future and permanent city (cf. Heb 13:14), is called also
the Church of Christ (cf. Mt. 16:18) [...]. The followers of Christ, called by God
not in virtue of their works but by his design and grace, and justified in the Lord
Jesus, have been made sons of God in the baptism of faith and partakers of the
divine nature, and so are truly sanctified” (”Lumen Gentium”, 9 and 40).
This is in fact the basis of the “universal call to holiness”. All Christians, by vir-
tue of their Baptism, should live in line with what that means: they are called to
be saints and their whole life should be a pursuit of holiness: “In baptism, our
Father God has taken possession of our lives, has made us share in the life of
Christ, and has given us the Holy Spirit” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By,
128). “We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen
attentively to that cry of St Paul: ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1
Thess 4:3). Today, once again, I set myself this goal and I also remind you and
all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends
of God”, 294).
The formula “grace and peace” seems to be St Paul’s own: it is a combination of
the usual Greek greeting at the start of letters and the Hebrew shalom (peace).
The Apostle uses this double greeting very often (cf., for example, 1 Cor 1:3 2 Cor
1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; etc). It is a Christian greeting, referring to the gifts the Holy
Spirit brings us. Jewish and pagan greetings wished people material prosperity or
good fortune; the Apostle’s are wishes for something higher — divine benevolence,
which comes in the form of the gift of sanctifying grace and the virtues and gifts
of the Holy Spirit, and interior peace, which derives from reconciliation with God
brought about by Christ. These gifts, according to the Apostle, come to us from
God our Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Lord, who is equal to the Father. Thus
we see Christian life as being inserted in the intimate life of the Blessed Trinity,
for “grace and peace” came from the goodness and mercy of God, by way of the
Incarnation of the Word and the Redemption wrought by him.
*********************************************************************************************
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.
The Virginal Conception of Jesus, and His Birth
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
18. St. Matthew relates here how Christ was conceived (cf. Luke 1:25-38): “We
truly honor and venerate (Mary) as Mother of God, because she gave birth to a
person who is at the same time both God and man” (”St. Pius V Catechism”,
I, 4, 7).
According to the provisions of the Law of Moses, engagement took place about
one year before marriage and enjoyed almost the same legal validity. The mar-
riage proper consisted, among other ceremonies, in the bride being brought so-
lemnly and joyously to her husband’s house (cf. Deuteronomy 20:7).
From the moment of engagement onwards, a certificate of divorce was needed
in the event of a break in the relationship between the couple.
The entire account of Jesus’ birth teaches, through the fulfillment of the prophecy
of Isaiah 7:14 (which is expressly quoted in verses 22-23) that: 1) Jesus has Da-
vid as His ancestor since Joseph is His legal father; 2) Mary is the Virgin who
gives birth according to the prophecy; 3) the Child’s conception without the inter-
vention of man was miraculous.
19. “St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great
things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event
that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture praises Joseph as ‘a just
man’. In Hebrew a just man means a good and faithful servant of God, someone
who fulfills the divine will (cf. Genesis 7:1; 18:23-32; Ezekiel 18:5ff.; Proverbs 12:
10), or who is honorable and charitable toward his neighbor (cf. Tobias 7:6; 9:6).
So a just man is someone who loves God and proves his love by keeping God’s
commandments and directing his whole life towards the service of his brothers,
his fellow men” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 40).
Joseph considered his spouse to be holy despite the signs that she was going
to have a child. He was therefore faced with a situation he could not explain. Pre-
cisely because he was trying to do God’s will, he felt obliged to put her away; but
to shield her from public shame he decided to send her away quietly.
Mary’s silence is admirable. Her perfect surrender to God even leads her to the
extreme of not defending her honor or innocence. She prefers to suffer suspicion
and shame rather than reveal the work of grace in her. Faced with a fact which
was inexplicable in human terms she abandons herself confidently to the love
and providence of God. God certainly submitted the holy souls of Joseph and Ma-
ry to a severe trial. We ought not to be surprised if we also undergo difficult trials
in the course of our lives. We ought to trust in God during them, and remain faith-
ful to Him, following the example they gave us.
20. God gives His light to those who act in an upright way and who trust in His
power and wisdom when faced with situations which exceed human understan-
ding. By calling him the son of David, the angel reminds Joseph that he is the
providential link which joins Jesus with the family of David, according to Nathan’s
messianic prophecy (cf. 2 Samuel 7:12). As St. John Chrysostom says: “At the
very start he straightaway reminds him of David, of whom the Christ was to
spring, and he does not wish him to be worried from the moment he reminds him,
through naming his most illustrious ancestor, of the promise made to all his line-
age” (”Hom. on St. Matthew”, 4).
“The same Jesus Christ, our only Lord, the Son of God, when He assumed hu-
man flesh for us in the womb of the Virgin, was not conceived like other men,
from the seed of man, but in a manner transcending the order of nature, that is,
by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that the same person, remaining God as He
was from eternity, became man, which He was not before” (”St. Pius V
Catechism”, I, 4, 1).
21. According to the Hebrew root, the name Jesus means “savior”. After our La-
dy, St. Joseph is the first person to be told by God that salvation has begun.
“Jesus is the proper name of the God-man and signifies ‘Savior’ — a name given
Him not accidentally, or by the judgment or will of man, but by the counsel and
command of God” [...]. All other names which prophecy gave to the Son of God
— Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (cf.
Isaiah 9:6) — are comprised in this one name Jesus; for while they partially sig-
nified the salvation which He was to bestow on us, this name included the force
and meaning of all human salvation” (”St. Pius V Catechism”, I, 3, 5 and 6).
23. “Emmanuel”: the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, quoted in this verse, foretold about
700 years in advance that God’s salvation would be marked by the extraordinary
event of virgin giving birth to a son. The Gospel here, therefore, reveals two truths.
The first is that Jesus is in fact the God-with-us foretold by the prophet. This is
how Christian tradition has always understood it. Indeed the Church has officially
condemned an interpretation denying the messianic sense of the Isaiah text (cf.
Pius VI, Brief, “Divina”, 1779). Christ is truly God-with-us, therefore, not only be-
cause of His God-given mission but because He is God made man (cf. John 1:
14). This does not mean that Jesus should normally be called Emmanuel, for this
name refers more directly to the mystery of His being the Incarnate Word. At the
Annunciation the angel said that He should be called Jesus, that is, Savior. And
that was the name St. Joseph gave Him.
The second truth revealed to us by the sacred text is that Mary, in whom the pro-
phecy of Isaiah 7:14 is fulfilled, was a virgin before and during the birth itself. The
miraculous sign given by God that salvation had arrived was precisely that a wo-
man would be a virgin and a mother at the same time.
“Jesus Christ came forth from His mother’s womb without injury to her maternal
virginity. This immaculate and perpetual virginity forms, therefore, the just theme
of our eulogy. Such was the work of the Holy Spirit, who at the conception and
birth of the Son so favored the Virgin Mother as to impart fruitfulness to her while
preserving inviolate her perpetual virginity” (”St. Pius V Catechism”, 1, 4, 8).
*********************************************************************************************
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.
Liturgical Colour: Violet.
| First reading | Isaiah 7:10-14 © |
|---|
| Responsorial Psalm |
|---|
| Psalm 23(24):1-6 © |
| Second reading | Romans 1:1-7 © |
|---|
| Gospel Acclamation | Mt1:23 |
|---|
| Gospel | Matthew 1:18-24 © |
|---|
Pray for Pope Francis.
Is This Bishop Right about the Rosary Conquering Boko Haram? [Catholic Caucus]
Why Boko Haram and ISIS Target Women
Report reveals scale of Boko Haram violence inflicted on Nigerian Catholics
Military evacuating girls, women rescued from Boko Haram
Echos of Lepanto Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Harm
After vision of Christ, Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Haram (Catholic Caucus)
Nigerian Bishop Says Christ Showed Him How to Beat Islamic Terror Group
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.
Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.
Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.
Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.
Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.
Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.
O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.
Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests
This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.
The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.
The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.
Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.
St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.
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
+
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.
December Devotion: The Immaculate Conception
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of December is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. The Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first moment of her conception, by a singular privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior and hers, was preserved from all stain of original sin. This age-old belief of the Church was defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 as an article of revealed truth.
Mary was in need of redemption and she was indeed redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. The manner of Mary's redemption, however, was unique. Instead of being freed from original sin after having contracted it, she was preserved from contracting it. This was a most fitting favor for the Mother of the Redeemer.
INVOCATION
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
The Immaculate Conception from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.” The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.
Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.
The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”. The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.
The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”. By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long.
PRAYER OF POPE PIUS XII
This prayer, dedicated to Mary Immaculate, was composed by the Pope for the Marian Year (December 8, 1953-December 8, 1954), which was proclaimed to mark the centenary of the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
Enraptured by the splendor of your heavenly beauty, and impelled by the anxieties of the world, we cast ourselves into your arms, 0 Immacuate Mother of Jesus and our Mother, Mary, confident of finding in your most loving heart appeasement of our ardent desires, and a safe harbor from the tempests which beset us on every side.
Though degraded by our faults and overwhelmed by infinite misery, we admire and praise the peerless richness of sublime gifts with which God has filled you, above every other mere creature, from the first moment of your conception until the day on which, after your assumption into heaven, He crowned you Queen of the Universe.
O crystal fountain of faith, bathe our minds with the eternal truths! O fragrant Lily of all holiness, captivate our hearts with your heavenly perfume! 0 Conqueress of evil and death, inspire in us a deep horror of sin, which makes the soul detestable to God and a slave of hell!
O well-beloved of God, hear the ardent cry which rises up from every heart. Bend tenderly over our aching wounds. Convert the wicked, dry the tears of the afflicted and oppressed, comfort the poor and humble, quench hatreds, sweeten harshness, safeguard the flower of purity in youth, protect the holy Church, make all men feel the attraction of Christian goodness. In your name, resounding harmoniously in heaven, may they recognize that they are brothers, and that the nations are members of one family, upon which may there shine forth the sun of a universal and sincere peace.
Receive, O most sweet Mother, our humble supplications, and above all obtain for us that, one day, happy with you, we may repeat before your throne that hymn which today is sung on earth around your altars: You are all-beautiful, O Mary! You are the glory, you are the joy, you are the honor of our people! Amen.
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
|
Lord, have mercy on us |
Why Catholics Believe in the Immaculate Conception
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION NOVENA [Prayer]
Essays for Lent: The Immaculate Conception
"I Am The Immaculate Conception"
The Corona of the Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Caucus: Immaculate Conception Novena Prayer Thread
New chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lebanon at National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the The Conception by St. Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos December 9th
On the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Mary: "Trust Jesus, he will save you" (Catholic Caucus)
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception
LAND OF MARY IMMACULATE [Ecumenical]
Mary as the New Eve - St. Irenaeus
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THE LIFE OF BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS, Defender of the Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
An Unfathomable Marian Richness [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Biblical Apologetics: The Immaculate Conception of Mary
History of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - December 8 [Catholic Caucus]
Preserved Sinless from the Moment of Humanity (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception) [Catholic Caucus]
I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception [Catholic Caucus]
Father Marquette's Devotion to the Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
St. John Neumann and the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic Caucus)
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I Love that Woman! My Unworthy Reflections on The Immaculate Conception
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Catholic/Orthodox Caucus: The Immaculate Conception: A Marvelous Theme - Novena Starts Nov. 30
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Ark of the new covenant
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The Immaculate Vs. the Proud
Immaculate Conception Novena -- starts November 30th [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
Blessed John Duns Scotus Champion Of Mary's Immaculate Conception (CATHOLIC CAUCUS)
The Crusade of Mary Immaculate - St. Maximilian Kolbe (Catholic Caucus)
The Early Church Fathers on the Immaculate Conception - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
Three Reasons the Church’s ... The Immaculate Conception
Her saving grace - the origins of the Immaculate Conception
Mary Is a Model Who Works With Us and in Us
U.S. Catholic bishops to renew consecration of nation to Immaculate Conception
Catholic Meditation: To the Immaculate Conception on this Election Day
Saint Bernadette of Lourdes (Sermon from 1934)
My visit to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
On Solemnity of Immaculate Conception - "In Mary Shines the Eternal Goodness of the Creator"
The Belief of Catholics concerning the Blessed Virgin: the Second Eve
Pope makes pilgrimage to Mary statue in Rome, marking the feast of the Immaculate Conception
Pope: Mary the Immaculate Conception... (text of BXVI speech)
"Tota pulchra es, Maria, et macula originalis non est in te" (The Immaculate Conception)
The Immaculate Conception — Essential to the Faith
"Who Are You, Immaculate Conception?"
TURKEY Ephesus: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception at Mary’s House
Coming Dec 8th. Feast of the "Immaculate Conception"
Why the Immaculate Conception?
Catholic Encyclopedia: Immaculate Conception (The Doctrine and Its Roots)
The Immaculate Conception of Our Lady December 8
Mary's Immaculate Conception: A Memorable Anniversary
Ineffabilis Deus: 8 December 1854 (Dogma of the Immaculate Conception)
Why do we believe in the Immaculate Conception?
John Paul II goes to Lourdes; reflections on the Immaculate Conception
Your Praises We Sing--on the Dogma of the Proclamation of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8th
Eastern Christianity and the Immaculate Conception (Q&A From EWTN)
Memorandum on the Immaculate Conception [Newman]
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