Reading 1 Gn 3:1-8

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
"Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?"
The woman answered the serpent:
"We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
'You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'"
But the serpent said to the woman:
"You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil."
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.

When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden
at the breezy time of the day,
the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God
among the trees of the garden.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. (1a) Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.
For this shall every faithful man pray to you
in time of stress.
Though deep waters overflow,
they shall not reach him.
R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.
R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Alleluia Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre
and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,
into the district of the Decapolis.
And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment
and begged him to lay his hand on him.
He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man's ears
and, spitting, touched his tongue;
then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,
"Ephphatha!" (that is, "Be opened!")
And immediately the man's ears were opened,
his speech impediment was removed,
and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone.
But the more he ordered them not to,
the more they proclaimed it.
They were exceedingly astonished and they said,
"He has done all things well.
He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

From: Genesis 3:1-8

Temptation and the First Sins

[1] The serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God
had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree
of the garden’?” [2] And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit
of the trees of the garden; [3] but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the
tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
[4] But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. [5] For God knows that
when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing
good and evil.” [6] So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make
one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband,
and he ate. [7] Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they
were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.

[8] And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool
of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the
Lord God among the trees of the garden.

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

3:1-24. “The account of the fall in Genesis 3 uses figurative language, but af-
firms a primeval event, a deed that took place “at the beginning of the history of
man”. Revelation gives us the certainty of faith that the whole of human history
is marked by the original fault freely committed by our first parents” (”Catechism
of the Catholic Church”, 390). The Bible is teaching us here about the origin of
evil —of all the evils mankind experiences, and particularly the evil of death. Evil
does not come from God (he created man to live a happy life and to be his friend);
it comes from sin, that is, from the fact that man broke the divine commandment,
thereby destroying the happiness he was created for, and his harmony with
God, with himself, and with creation in general. “Man, tempted by the devil, let
his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed
God’s command. This is what man’s first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin
would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness” (”Cate-
chism of the Catholic Church”, 397).

In his description of that original sin and its consequences, the sacred writer
uses symbolic language (garden, tree, serpent) in order to convey an important
historical and religious truth—that no sooner did he walk the earth than man dis-
obeyed God, and therein lies the cause of evil. We can also see here how every
sin happens and what results from it: “The eyes of our soul grow dull. Reason
proclaims itself sufficient to understand everything, without the aid of God. This
is a subtle temptation, which hides behind the power of our intellect, given by
our Father God to man so that he might know and love him freely. Seduced by
this temptation, the human mind appoints itself the center of the universe, being
thrilled with the prospect that ‘you shall be like gods’ (Gen 3:15). So filled with
love for itself, it turns its back on the love of God” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Pas-
sing By”, 6).

3:1. The serpent symbolizes the devil, a personal being who tries to frustrate
God’s plans and draw man to perdition. “Behind the disobedient choice of our
first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall in-
to death out of envy (Wis 2:24). Scripture and the Church’s Tradition see in this
being a fallen angel, called ‘Satan’ or the ‘devil’. The Church teaches what Satan
was at first a good angel, made by God: ‘The devil and the other demons were
indeed created naturally good by God, but they became evil by their own doing’
(Fourth Vatican Council)” (”Catechism of the Catholic Church”, 391.).

3:2-5. The devil’s temptation strategy is very realistically described here: he falsi-
fies what God has said, raises suspicions about God’s plans and intentions, and,
finally, portrays God as man’s enemy. “The analysis of sin in its original dimen-
sion indicates that, through the influence of the ‘father of lies’, “throughout the
history of humanity there will be a constant pressure on man to reject God”,
even to the point of hating him: ‘Love of self to the point of contempt for God,’ as
St Augustine puts it (cf. “De Civitate Dei”, 14, 28). Man will be inclined to see in
God primarily a limitation of himself, and not the source of his own freedom and
the fullness of good. We see this confirmed in the modern age, when the atheis-
tic ideologies seek “to root out religion” on the grounds that religion causes the
radical “’alienation’ of man”, as if man were dispossessed of his own humanity
when, accepting the idea of God, he attributes to God what belongs to man, and
exclusively to man! Hence a process of thought and historico-sociological prac-
tice in which the rejection of God has reached the point of declaring his ‘death’.
An absurdity, both in concept and expression!” (John Paul II, “Dominum Et Vivi-
ficantem”, 38).

3:6 And so both of them, the man and the woman, disobeyed God’s command-
ment. Genesis refers not to an apple but to a mysterious fruit: eating it symbo-
lizes Adam and Eve’s sin—one of disobedience.

The sacred writer leads us to the denouement by giving a masterly psychologi-
cal description of temptation, dialogue with the tempter, doubt about God’s truth-
fulness, and then yielding to one’s sensual appetites. This sin, Pope John Paul
II also commented, “constitutes “the principle and root of all the others”. We find
ourselves faced with the original reality of sin in human history and at the same
time in the whole of the economy of salvation. [...] This original disobedience pre-
supposes “a rejection”, or at least “a turning away from the truth contained in the
Word of God”, who creates the world. [...] ‘Disobedience’ means precisely going
beyond that limit, which remains impassable to the will and the freedom of man
as a created being. For God the Creator is the one definitive source of the moral
order in the world created by him. Man cannot decide by himself what is good
and what is evil—cannot ‘know good and evil, like God’. In the created world “God”
indeed remains the first and sovereign source “for deciding about good and evil”,
through the intimate truth of being, which is the reflection “of the Word”, the eter-
nal son, consubstantial with the Father. To man, created to the image of God,
the Holy Spirit gives the gift of “conscience”, so that in this conscience the image
may faithfully reflect its model, which is both Wisdom and eternal Law, the source
of the moral order in man and in the world. ‘Disobedience’, as the original dimen-
sion of sin, means the “rejection of this source”, through man’s claim to become
an independent and exclusive source for deciding about good and evil” (”Domi-
num Et Vivificantem”, 33-36).

3:7-13. This passage begins the description of the effects of the original sin. Man
and woman have come to know evil, and it shows, initially, in a most direct way—
in their own bodies. The inner harmony described in Genesis 2:25 is broken, and
concupiscence rears its head. Their friendship with God is also broken, and they
flee from his presence, to avoid their nakedness being seen. As if his Creator
could not see them! The harmony between man and woman is also fractured: he
puts the blame on her, and she puts it on the serpent. But all three share in the
responsibility, and therefore all three are going to pay the penalty.

“The harmony in which they found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now
destroyed: the control of the soul’s spiritual faculties over the body is shattered;
the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions (cf. Gen 3:7-16), their
relations henceforth marked by lust and domination. Harmony with creation is
broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man (cf. Gen 3:17, 19).
Because of man, creation is now subject ‘to its bondage to decay’ (Rom 8:21).
Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true:
man will ‘return to the ground’ (Gen 3:19), for out of it he was taken. “Death
makes its entrance into human history” (cf. Rom 5:12)” (”Catechism of the Ca-
tholic Church”, 400).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Mark 7:31-37

The Curing of a Deaf Man

[31] Then [Jesus] returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to
the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. [32] And they brought
Him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they be-
sought Him to lay His hand upon him. [33] And taking him aside from the mul-
titude privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and He spat and touched his
tongue; [34] and looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,”
that is, “Be opened.” [35] And his ears were opened, his tongue was released,
and he spoke plainly. [36] And He charged them to tell no one; but the more
He charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. [37] And they were
astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well; He even
makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

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

32-33. Sacred Scripture quite often shows the laying on of hands as a gesture
indicating the transfer of power or blessing (cf. Genesis 48:14ff; 2 Kings 5:11;
Luke 13:13). Everyone knows that saliva can help heal minor cuts. In the lan-
guage of Revelation fingers symbolized powerful Divine action (cf. Exodus 8:19;
Psalm 8:4; Luke 11:20). So Jesus uses signs which suit in some way the effect
He wants to achieve, though we can see from the text that the effect—the instan-
taneous cure of the deaf and dumb man—far exceeds the sign used.

In the miracle of the deaf and dumb man we can see a symbol of the way God
acts on souls: for us to believe, God must first open our heart so we can listen
to His word. Then, like the Apostles, we too can proclaim the “magnalia Dei”, the
mighty works of God (cf. Acts 2:11). In the Church’s liturgy (cf. the hymn “Veni
Creator”) the Holy Spirit is compared to the finger of the right hand of God the
Father (”Digitus paternae dexterae”). The Consoler produces in our souls, in the
supernatural order, effects comparable to those which Christ produces in the bo-
dy of the deaf and dumb man.

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

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

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading	Genesis 3:1-8 ©

The serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.” ‘ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

The man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 31(32):1-2,5-7 ©

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven.

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven,

whose sin is remitted.

O happy the man to whom the Lord

imputes no guilt,

in whose spirit is no guile.

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven.

But now I have acknowledged my sins;

my guilt I did not hide.

I said: ‘I will confess

my offence to the Lord.’

And you, Lord, have forgiven

the guilt of my sin.

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven.

So let every good man pray to you

in the time of need.

The floods of water may reach high

but him they shall not reach.

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven.

You are my hiding place, O Lord;

you save me from distress.

You surround me with cries of deliverance.

Happy the man whose offence is forgiven.

Gospel Acclamation	cf.Jn6:63,68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;

you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Or	cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,

to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Mark 7:31-37 ©

Returning from the district of Tyre, Jesus went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, right through the Decapolis region. And they brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man’s ears and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he sighed; and he said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And his ears were opened, and the ligament of his tongue was loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they published it. Their admiration was unbounded. ‘He has done all things well,’ they said ‘he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.’

Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

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

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

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

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

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

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

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

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

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

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

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

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

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

The Sorrowful Mysteries

(Tuesdays and Fridays)

1. The Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:36-46, Luke 22:39-46) [Spiritual fruit - God's will be done]
2. The Scourging at the Pillar (Matthew 27:26, Mark 15:15, John 19:1) [Spiritual fruit - Mortification of the senses]
3. The Crowning with Thorns (Matthew 27:27-30, Mark 15:16-20, John 19:2) [Spiritual fruit - Reign of Christ in our heart]
4. The Carrying of the Cross (Matthew 27:31-32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26-32, John 19:17) [Spiritual fruit - Patient bearing of trials]
5. The Crucifixion (Matthew 27:33-56, Mark 15:22-39, Luke 23:33-49, John 19:17-37) [Spiritual fruit - Pardoning of Injuries]

February Devotion: The Holy Family

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of February has been primarily asociated with the Holy Family, probably due to the feast of Our Lord's presentation at the temple, celebrated on February 2. At the very outset of Christ's work on earth, God showed the world a family in which, as Pope Leo XIII teaches, "all men might behold a perfect model of domestic life, and of all virtue and holiness." The harmony, unity, and holiness which characterized this holy Family make it the model for all Christian families.

INVOCATION
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph most kind, Bless us now and in death's agony.

FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY FAMILY
Grant unto us, Lord Jesus, ever to follow the example of Thy holy Family, that in the hour of our death Thy glorious Virgin Mother together with blessed Joseph may come to meet us and we may be worthily received by Thee into everlasting dwellings: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Roman Missal

CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY FAMILY
O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who having come to enlighten the world with Thy teaching and example, didst will to pass the greater part of Thy life in humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously receive our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to Thee this day. Do Thou defend us, guard us and establish amongst us Thy holy fear, true peace, and concord in Christian love: in order that, by conforming ourselves to the divine pattern of Thy family, we may be able, all of us without exception, to attain to eternal happiness.

Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us, by thy kindly intercession make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings.

O Saint Joseph, most holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by thy prayers in all our spiritual and temporal necessities; that so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and thee, for all eternity.

Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be, three times.

IN HONOR OF THE HOLY FAMILY
O God, heavenly Father, it was part of Thine eternal decree that Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, should form a holy family with Mary, His blessed mother, and His foster father, Saint Joseph. In Nazareth home life was sanctified, and a perfect example was given to every Christian family. Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may fully comprehend and faithfully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family so that we may be united with them one day in their heavenly glory. Through the same Christ our Lord. 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

Holy Family Chaplet

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with me in my last hour.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul
in peace with you.

Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Amen.

Say 3 Our Father's, 3 Hail Mary's, and 3 Glory be's.

The Holy Family Icon by Nicholas Markell

PRAYER TO
THE HOLY FAMILY
===================================================================== ================

GOD our Heavenly Father, You call all peoples to be united as one family in worshipping You as the one and true God. You willed that Your Son become man, giving Him a virgin mother and a foster father to form the Holy Family of Nazareth.

WE pray: may the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, image and model of every human family unit walk in the spirit of Nazareth and grow in the understanding of its particular mission in society and the Church. May our families be living cells of love, faithfulness and unity, thus reflecting God's covenant with humanity and Christ's redeeming love for His Church.

JESUS, Mary and Joseph protect our families from all evil; keep us, who are away from home, one in love with our dear ones.

Parent's Prayer

Jesus, Son of God, Son of Man, and Son of Mary, I thank you for the gift of life you have entrusted to my care. Help me be a parent both tender and wise, both loving and forgiving.

Mary, Holy Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and our Motherly Queen of Heaven, nourish our family with your heavenly grace. Help us to remain faithful to The Most Holy Trinity, in all our sorrows and joys.

Joseph, Earthly father to our Lord God, guardian and spouse of Mary, keep our family safe from harm. Help us in all times of discouragement or anxiety.

Holy Family of Nazareth, help our family to walk in your footsteps. May we be peace-loving and peace-giving.
Amen.

Imitating the Holy Family: Four Traits that Make It Possible
[Catholic Caucus] On the Holy Family [Angelus]
Biblical Teachings on Marriage and Family. A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Recovering God's Plan for Marriage and Family: A Sermon on the Feast of the Holy Family

"Why were you looking for me?" (On the Feast of The Holy Family)
U.S. Postal Service Issues Holy Family Forever Stamp
On Prayer in the Life of the Holy Family
The Holy Family - held together by Love through all their problems [Ecumenical]
Feast of the Holy Family: The Christian Family is a Domestic Church
Chesterton on "The Human Family and the Holy Family"
Joseph, Mary and Jesus: A Model Family
ADVICE TO PARENTS by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
The Holy Family
St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)

Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family (Dom Guéranger OSB)
The Feast of the Holy Family
The Holy Family vs. The Holy Innocents: A Christmas season reflection [Catholic Caucus]
Vatican creche to place Holy Family in Joseph's carpentry workshop
The Redemption and Protection of the Family [Feast of the Holy Family]
Study Backs Tradition of Loreto House - Stones in Altar Match Those in Nazareth, It Says
Unraveling Jesus' mystery years in Egypt
Gaudi's Church of the Holy Family to be ready for worship in 2008
Imitating the Holy Family; Four Traits that Make It Possible
Lots of Graphics: Post your favorite image of the St. Mary and Child, the Holy Family...

Daily Mass Commentary

Friday of the Fifth week in Ordinary Time

Commentary of the day
Saint Augustine (354-430), Bishop of Hippo (North Africa) and Doctor of the Church
Sermon on the Psalms, Ps 102[103] : 5-6 ; PL 37, 1319

"Jesus took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man's ears"

“The Lord heals all your ills” (Ps 102[103]:3). Never fear, all your ills will healed. You say they are big ones, but the doctor is even greater. For an all-powerful doctor there is no such thing as an incurable sickness. Simply let yourself be cared for, don’t push away his hand, he knows what to do. Don’t be happy only when he acts with gentleness but bear with it, too, when he prunes. Accept the unpleasantness of the cure by thinking of the healing it will bring you.

Notice all those things, brethren, that people put up with in their physical ills so as to prolong their lives a few days… You, at least, are not suffering for an uncertain result: he who has promised you your health cannot be mistaken. Why is it that doctors are sometimes mistaken? Because they have not created the body they are treating. But God has made your body, God has made your soul. He knows how to recreate what he has created; he knows how to refashion what he has formed. You have only to abandon yourself into his doctor’s hands… Endure his hands, then, O soul that “blesses him and forgets not all his benefits: he heals all your ills” (P2 102[103]:2-3).

He who had made you never to become sick if you would kept his precepts, will he not heal you? He who made the angels and, in recreating you, will make you equal to the angels: will he not heal you? He who made heaven and earth, will he not heal you after having made you in his image? (Gn 1:26) He will heal you but you must consent to be healed. He heals every sickness perfectly but he does not heal it in spite of himself… Your health is Christ.

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February 10, 2017

Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin

Reading 1 Gn 3:1-8

Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

Alleluia Acts 16:14b

Gospel Mk 7:31-37

Readings at Mass

February2017

Pope's Intention

Universal: Comfort for the Afflicted, That all those who are afflicted, especially the poor, refugees, and marginalized, may find welcome and comfort in our communities.

Friday of the Fifth week in Ordinary Time