Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-11-19

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

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

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

Please go to the source for pictures and links.

Christmas: January 11th
Friday Christmas Weekday

MASS READINGS
January 11, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER
Grant, we ask, almighty God, that the Nativity of the Savior of the world, made known by the guidance of a star, may be revealed ever more fully to our minds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: St. Hyginus, pope and martyr; St. Theodosius, abbot (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Hyginus. During the four years of his pontificate (138-142), he had to oppose the heresy of Valentinus who at this period came to propagate his errors in the heart of the Christian community in Rome.

It is also historically the feast of St. Theodosius, abbot, born in Cappadocia in the village of Magarisso, who after having endured great sufferings for the Catholic faith, took his rest in peace at the monastery which he had erected on a lonely hill in the diocese of Jerusalem.

Christmas Weekday - Day Eighteen
In Mexico El Día de Los Tres Reyes (Day of the Three Kings) celebrates the arrival of Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar at the place of Jesus’ birth.

The day is also known as El Día de Los Reyes Magos (Magi) in Spanish and Epiphany in English commemorates the divinity of Christ as manifested to the Magi, the kings who brought him gifts.

On the night before El Día de Los Reyes, the children fill their shoes with hay and leave them outside. It is believed that the Wise Men will stop at each home to feed their horses, leaving gifts in exchange for hay.

Finally, El Día de Los Reyes arrives, and the whole family wakes up to open the gifts left by the Three Kings. However, this is only the beginning. On that day, family and friends gather, while the children keep busy playing with their new toys.

The adults continue with the day’s activities by preparing a big dinner and serving a very special dessert, a bread known as La Rosca de Reyes or Three Kings Bread. — by Frances Chaparro, Estela Muñoz and Adrian Zamilpa

Day Eighteen activity (Los Posadas)
Day Eighteen recipe (La Rosca de Reyes)

St. Hyginus
The crown of the empire belonged to Antonius Pius. Hyginus, as Telesphorus’ successor, not only had to endure his relentless persecutions but also had to cope with the heretics who made their way to Rome.

Hyginus was a Greek from Athens who, like his contemporary Justin Martyr, was a philosopher. He is said to have done some organizing of the clergy, and it is likely that he addressed the Roman clergy on the subjects of sin in general and of obedience to the Church.

The emergence of Gnosticism is probably the most significant development of Hyginus’ pontificate. Cerdo came from Syria and Valentinus from Egypt, and together they taught this system of mystical belief, which was a combination of Greek philosophy and Oriental superstitions regarding Christ. For years Cerdo vacillated between teaching error and repenting, returning to the Church, then falling from grace. Valentinus, however, staunchly defended his cause. Hyginus perceived this as heresy, for it deviated greatly from the true teachings of the Apostles.

Hyginus was said to have suffered gloriously and he was buried on Vatican Hill.

St. Theodosius
St. Theodosius was so inspired by Abraham’s example of leaving his loved ones and homeland for God that he left his homeland of Cappadocia to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. There St. Theodosius took as his guide the holy man Longinus, who placed him in charge of a church near Bethlehem. Theodosius did not stay there long, however, but he went to live in a cave on a nearby mountain. He was known for his holiness, and many desired to dedicate their lives to God as monks under Theodosius. He built a monastery at Cathismus, as well as three hospices: for the sick, the elderly and the mentally ill. When Emperor Anastasius was persecuting Christians who did not accept the Eutychian heresy, which states that Christ has only one nature, St. Theodosius preached orthodoxy throughout Palestine, even stating from the pulpit in Jerusalem: “If anyone receives not the four general councils as the four gospels, let him be anathema.” The Saint renewed the courage of those in whom the Emperor’s edicts had instilled fear. Anastasius banished Theodosius, though he was later recalled by Anastasius’ successor. Theodosius died at the age of 105; many miracles occurred at his funeral.

— Excerpted from Saints Calendar and Daily Planner, Tan Books

Meditation: 1 John 5:5-13

Christmas Weekday
Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes? (1 John 5:5)

What is this victory “over the world” that St. John is talking about? It’s not the kind of victory that a military officer might experience on the battlefield. Neither does it come by defeating a formidable opponent in some test of wits. It’s not by domination of any kind that we overcome the unbelief in the world. No, John tells us, victory comes from faith.

This faith is not just a list of theological statements. That won’t give us the grace and conviction we need to overcome the self-centered philosophies in the world around us. Of course, we need to understand the truths of our faith, but lasting victory comes as we embrace these truths and let them change the ways we think and act.
Let’s take, for example, the renewal of our baptismal promises that we are all invited to make during the Easter season:

Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises? I do. I know that the evil one wants to use lies and half-truths to tempt me to sin. I promise to be on the lookout for his influence and to run to Jesus whenever I feel he is harassing me.

Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth? I do. I believe that I have a Father in heaven who created me out of love and who wants nothing but good for me. I promise to trust in him and his promises when the world tells me that I am alone and helpless.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? I do. I believe that Jesus has rescued me from sin and made me a child of God. I am in awe at his sacrifice for me, and I promise to stay close to him during my day. I promise to do everything I can to deepen my relationship with him and my trust in his love for me.
This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. It is the faith that can save us from every temptation the world throws at us.

“Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!”

Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20
Luke 5:12-16

Daily Gospel Commentary

Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274)
Franciscan, Doctor of the Church
Life of Saint Francis, Legenda major, ch. 1 (©Classics of Western spirituality)

"Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him"

One day while Francis was praying in a secluded spot, he became totally absorbed in God through his extreme fervor, Jesus Christ appeared to him fastened to the cross. Francis's “soul melted” (Sg 5:6) at the sight, and the memory of Christ's passion was so impressed on the innermost recesses of his heart that from that hour, whenever Christ's crucifixion came to his mind, he could scarcely contain his tears and sighs, as he later revealed to his companions when he was approaching the end of his life. Through this the man of God understood as addressed to himself the Gospel text: “If you wish to come after me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24).

From that time on he clothed himself with a spirit of poverty, a sense of humility and a feeling of intimate devotion. Formerly he used to be horrified not only by close dealing with lepers but by their very sight, even from a distance; but now he rendered humble service to the lepers with human concern and devoted kindness in order that he might completely despise himself, because of Christ crucified, who according to the text of the prophet was despised “as a leper” (Is 53:3).

January 11, 2019 – When God So Wills
11 Jan 2019
Friday after the Epiphany
Luke 5:12-16

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I approach you today with a heart as humble as this leper’s, who can claim no beauty apart from what you can give him. My willful defects have disfigured your plan for me, and I seek from you today the power to make all my works and words clean. I hope in you and trust in your infinite mercy.

Petition: Lord, grant me an unshakeable confidence in your infinite mercy.

1. “Lord, If You Wish, You Can Make Me Clean”: If God so wills…. This marks a disposition of soul that says the leper wants God more than he wants his cure. By demonstrating patience and acceptance, he shows he is ready to live his cross according to God’s plan for him. Being self-absorbed and not accepting problems and defects is, in itself, an obstacle to being cured of them. Some lose patience in the fight because they want the cure more than they want the one who cures. Such cures may heal the body but leave the soul diseased and unattractive to God. Openness to God’s time, detachment from an easy life, and total abandonment into Our Lord hands permits illness to cure the soul long before it is freed from the body. How beautiful the soul of this humble leper was in Christ’s eyes! May I let this prayer today open my heart to accept all trials of the moment with humility and love for the God who guides me.

2. “I Do Will It. Be Made Clean”: The disfigurement of leprosy becomes a symbol for the soul of a sinner in need of redemption. Suffering the miserable and disfiguring effects of sin provokes man to begin the path to conversion and change. There is something of disbelief in a new life for those who still feel the sting of a grievous sin of their past. They work to draw close to God but find it hard to believe he would ever want to be close to them. The intervention of God––definitive, eternal, absolute––moves Christ’s hand, which reaches out to touch the leper saying, “I do will it!” From his flesh to his soul––God’s will to forgive and heal surpasses our human comprehension! When we stop measuring our failures from wounded self-love and accept with living faith the decisive will of the redemptive God, we will find ourselves fully immersed in the life of the new man in Christ, dead to sin and dead to the world.

3. Then He Ordered Him Not to Tell Anyone: Our Lord imposes silence. Not all that is known needs to be said, and prudence is demanded from a disciple of Christ. How often do we slow down God’s work by speaking too much, manifesting too much of our knowledge for vanity’s sake? Christ is secure in himself because he lives his mission face-to-face with his Father, and the time and place of his formal manifestation to the Jews will come at his bidding. Discretion, as a virtue, is a self-giving work, not in the least self-serving. We speak so as to maximize the good we wish to do for others. Our Lord’s discretion proves such a posture. When will his identity be formerly declared? “When I am raised up, then I will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32). Only in his passion, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, will he fully show his hand. May I communicate my experience of Christ, my knowledge of him, with the humility, charity and restraint that prudence imposes, so that I may maximize the effect of Christ’s truth in the world.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I see your hand moving from the leper to my soul, showing its power to transform. No sin should ever break my fighting spirit; no longtime defect should ever weaken my hope in victory. Your hand but moves and all is cured, forgiven, and redeemed. Today I anchor my program of holiness with confidence in your grace and unconditional love.

Resolution: I will entrust someone I know to be living a bad life to the power of Our Lord’s mercy.

Homily of the Day

January 11, 2019

The problem with a physical miracle is that if you are not there to witness the miracle yourself, you would not believe that it happened. You would just rely on hearsay but would not be convinced. That is why, in a sense, the efficacy of a physical miracle is quite limited. The danger is that people would want to seek Jesus as a way out of sickness and physical suffering, focusing on the healing of physical sicknesses and paying less attention to the greater mission that Christ came for.

Jesus wanted salvation in a higher context for man. He wanted us to receive eternal life. Our limited and earthly vision is rooted in this world without thinking that another life exists. Christ came for a greater mission than just to cure physical sickness. He came to cure and redeem our spiritual sicknesses, to forgive sin and to bring us to the Kingdom of the Lord.

For the meaning of our lives is not just for our bodies to attain a healthy condition, not just to be free from sickness, but to form ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit to become the likeness and image of God which is one of love. That is why, even for the poor, for the sick, for the handicapped, for the children with Down syndrome – there is still meaning in their lives. There is meaning in old age, in suffering, in failure, in the crosses that we bear every day.

Let us pray that we will discover the inner joy of our souls. Even Jesus needed to withdraw to solitary places to pray. The real miracle in Lourdes, France, is that many who go there but are not cured continue to believe and have faith in God. Happy are those who don’t see but believe!

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<< Friday, January 11, 2019 >>

1 John 5:5-13
View Readings
Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20
Luke 5:12-16
Similar Reflections

THE BEST FOR LAST

“There are three that testify, the Spirit and the water and the blood.” —1 John 5:7-8

To be baptized in the Holy Spirit means to be immersed in the Holy Spirit and therefore in the Father and the Son (see Mt 28:19). This means we are no longer immersed in our own concerns, feelings, and thoughts but have died to ourselves (see Lk 9:23). To be baptized in the Spirit is to be crucified with Christ (Gal 2:19-20) and to “live no longer” for ourselves but for Him (2 Cor 5:15). Knowing this, will you still pray: “Come, Holy Spirit”?
The Holy Spirit testifies, that is, gives witness for Jesus (1 Jn 5:6; Jn 15:26). The word for “witness” in Greek is “martyr.” This shows that witnesses for Jesus are often persecuted or even killed, as was Jesus. If you pray for the Holy Spirit, you are volunteering to be a witness for Jesus. You are getting yourself in trouble, putting yourself in danger, and risking your life. Nevertheless, will you pray: “Come, Holy Spirit”?
Will you have the true Christmas Spirit, the Holy Spirit? You will have the Spirit only as much as you die to self and accept the cross. In this new year, pray, Come, Holy Spirit!

Prayer: Father, on this Epiphany, give me the Christmas Spirit no matter what. May I want the Spirit more than I want pleasure, comfort, and acceptance from others.
Promise: “Whoever possesses the Son possesses life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not possess life. I have written this to you to make you realize that you possess eternal life — you who believe in the name of the Son of God.” —1 Jn 5:12-13
Praise: Sarah kept the faith for all of her ninety years.

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January, 2019

The Holy Father's Prayer Intention

Evangelization – Religious Minorities in Asia, That Christians and other religious minorities in Asian countries, may be able to practice their faith in full freedom.