Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 05-27-19, OM, St. Augustine of Canterbury, Biishop

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Easter: May 27th
Optional Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury, bishop

MASS READINGS

May 27, 2019 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who by the preaching of the Bishop Saint Augustine of Canterbury led the English peoples to the Gospel, grant, we pray, that the fruits of his labors may remain ever abundant in your Church. 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: Wednesday after Pentecost; St. Bede the Venerable, confessor and doctor; St. John I, pope and martyr
St. Augustine was born in Rome and died in Canterbury, England, in 604. When Pope Gregory I heard that the pagans of Britain were disposed to accept the Catholic Faith, he sent the prior of St. Andrew, Augustine, and forty of his Benedictine brethren to England. Despite the great difficulties involved in the task assigned to him, Augustine and his monks obeyed. The success of their preaching was immediate. King Ethelbert was baptized on Pentecost Sunday, 596, and the greater part of the nobles and people soon followed his example. St. Augustine died as the first Archbishop of Canterbury. His feast is celebrated in the Extraordinary Form on May 28.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Bede. He was a Benedictine monk in the 8th century, who had great learning and is famous in Christian literature. He died in 735. His feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is May 25. Today is also the commemoration of St. John I, Pope and Martyr, who died in a dungeon from the hardships he had to endure, in 526. His feast in the Ordinary Form is now celebrated on May 18.

St. Augustine of Canterbury
St. Augustine was the agent of a greater man than himself, Pope St. Gregory the Great. In Gregory’s time, except for the Irish monks, missionary activity was unknown in the western Church, and it is Gregory’s glory to have revived it. He decided to begin with a mission to the pagan English, for they had cut off the Christian Celts from the rest of Christendom. The time was favorable for a mission since the ruler of the whole of southern England, Ethelbert of Kent, had married a Christian wife and had received a Gaulish bishop at his court. Gregory himself wished to come to Britain, but his election as pope put an end to any such idea, and in 596 he decided to send an Italian monk following the comparatively new Rule of St Benedict. Augustine set out with some companions, but when they reached southern Gaul a crisis occurred and Augustine was sent back to the pope for help. In reply the pope made Augustine their abbot and subjected the rest of the party to him in all things, and with this authority Augustine successfully reached England in 597, landing in Kent on the Isle of Thanet. Ethelbert and the men of Kent refused to accept Christianity at first, although an ancient British church dedicated to St Martin was restored for Augustine’s use; but very shortly afterwards Ethelbert was baptized and, the pope having been consulted, a plan was prepared for the removal of the chief see from Canterbury to London and the establishment of another province at York. Events prevented either of these projects from being fulfilled, but the progress of the mission was continuous until Augustine’s death, somewhere between 604 and 609.

The only defeat Augustine met with after he came to England was in his attempt to reconcile the Welsh Christians, to persuade them to adopt the Roman custom of reckoning the date of Easter, to correct certain minor irregularities of rite and to submit to his authority. Augustine met the leaders of the Welsh church in conference but he unfavorably impressed them by remaining seated when they came into his presence — it is likely that in this he unfavorably impressed St Bede too. Augustine was neither the most heroic of missionaries, nor the most tactful, but he did a great work, and he was one of the very few men in Gaul or Italy who, at that time, was prepared to give up everything to preach the gospel in a far country.
— Excerpted from The Saints edited by John Coulson
Patron: England.

Symbols: Banner of the crucifixion; King Ethelbert rising out of a font (Bishop baptizing a king); fountain; cross fitchée pastoral staff and book; cope, mitre and pallium.

Things to Do:
Pope Gregory brought the faith to different countries by sending groups of missionaries. Consider how you can help the missions, either monetarily or spiritually.

St. Augustine has been called “Apostle of England” because of his missionary efforts. Pray to him today that England will return to the one true Faith.

http://wau.org/meditations/current

Meditation: Acts 16:11-15

Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop (Optional Memorial)
If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home. (Acts 16:15)
Imagine hearing a knock at your door. Outside you find an unexpected visitor—a friend asking to stay with you. How would you feel? It’s likely you would pause, do a quick mental inventory of the state of your home, gulp, and smile, saying, “Of course! Come on in.” It might be a bit humbling because your visitor will see your home in a much more intimate way—including the cobwebs and messy closets.
We see something similar in today’s first reading. Lydia was a Gentile who worshipped the God of the Jews, but she listened closely to Paul’s preaching and allowed her heart to be opened further—to Jesus. God’s love for her awakened a new level of trust and action. Suddenly, she not only had the courage to invite the apostles into her house, but she persisted in asking them to stay with her. She didn’t care that they might see her true self.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have Lydia’s freedom when it comes to Jesus—the freedom to invite him into your life? Not just to have tea in your clean, tidy living room, but to stay and see the messy closets and the cluttered countertops. But you can. The more confident in Jesus’ love you become, the more readily you will fling wide your doors to welcome him in.
You might have dusty corners that you avoid or try to hide from Jesus. Of course, you know that Jesus already knows everything about you, but you’d rather not face your messy spots. Long-standing hurts or fears, a troubled relationship that needs forgiveness, or bad habits like spending too much time on social media—you might be embarrassed by these and be reluctant to let God help you with them.
Don’t let your fear or pride stop you! Jesus always responds to our inner messes with love, mercy, and yes, a readiness to help. He is like that person who comes into your messy home and then happily lends you a hand.
So don’t worry about sharing those messy struggles with the Lord. Instead, let him help you clean them up, as any good friend would do.
“Jesus, I want to open my life more fully to you. Come, Lord, and stay with me.”
Psalm 149:1-6, 9
John 15:26–16:4

Daily Gospel

Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Dominican theologian, Doctor of the Church
Commentary on Saint John's gospel, Book II § 2061

The sending of the Holy Spirit

We should bear in mind that, when it is said that the Holy Spirit is sent, it is not that he changes his location, for he "fills the whole world" as the Book of Wisdom says (cf. Wis 1:7), but that he begins to live in a completely new way, by grace, in those whom he makes God's temple: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor 3:16).

Nor is it a contradiction to say that he is sent and that he comes, for to say of him that he comes manifestly makes us see the greatness of his divinity, he who "proceeds" "as he wishes", and to say that he is sent shows that he proceeds from another. Indeed, he draws from another, from whom he holds his being, the fact that he sanctifies rational creatures by dwelling within them, just as the Son, too, holds from another everything he does.

We should also note that the Holy Spirit's mission comes from Father and Son together, as the book of Revelation explains: "The angel showed me the river of life-giving water" – namely the Holy Spirit – "flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb" – namely Christ. (Rv 22:1) This is why, regarding the mission of the Holy Spirit, mention is made of Father and Son, through whom he is sent by virtue of one and the same power. In the same way Christ sometimes represents the Father as one who sends and yet not without the Son: "the Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name" (Jn 14:26), and sometimes he represents himself as the one who sends yet not without the Father: "that I will send you from the Father", because everything the Son does he takes from the Father: "The Son can do nothing of himself." (Jn 5:19)

http://www.regnumchristi.org/en/daily-meditation/

May 27, 2019 – The Spirit’s Witness

Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Father John Doyle, LC

John 15:26-16:4a
Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”

Introductory Prayer: Lord, as I begin this prayer, I offer you my whole self: my thoughts, desires, decisions, actions, hopes, fears, weaknesses, failures and petty successes. I open my entire being to you, aware that you know everything already. I’m certain of your mercy and of the purifying power of your penetrating, loving gaze.

Petition: Lord God, help me to live as a true witness to Christ.

Witness of Christ: Some people try to invoke the Holy Spirit as justification for ideas contrary to Christ’s teaching. A careful look at today’s Gospel illustrates how this can never be according to God’s plan. The Holy Spirit is not at odds with Christ’s message, nor is he working out a plan of salvation distinct from Christ’s Church. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Christ and of the Father; his very purpose in coming is to testify to Christ. Every true inspiration of the Holy Spirit moves us to a greater fidelity to the truth. Am I attentive to the Spirit’s urging me to a greater fidelity to my Christian commitments?

Witnesses in the Spirit: Our faith is by no means a static reality. Just as the first disciples experienced Christ’s preaching, miracles and personal love, all Christians serious about their faith discover Christ’s presence throughout their daily experience. This is especially true in the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist. Jesus is always with us, and his forgiveness and closeness are the source of our joy. The Holy Spirit empowers us through the grace of our baptism to give witness to what we have freely received. Do I take seriously my Christian vocation to give testimony to Christ’s love? Do I realize that my first act of testimony needs to be the witness of a truly Christian life? Do I remember that in this seemingly daunting task I should rely heavily on the Holy Spirit as my business partner?

Fidelity Amidst Opposition: Christ shares with the apostles gathered in the Upper Room that being witnesses to him will not always be met with acceptance. Opposition seems to be an integral part of being a Christian. Deep-seated and unflinching adherence to Christ and the voice of conscience has never been compatible with the popular mindset. In fact, many times Christians are not called to “fit in” but to “stand out”, and this has inevitable consequences as it did in the life of Our Lord. The wonderful part is that we have been promised the final victory. Christ goes before us and the Holy Spirit is at our side.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, it has always been demanding to be an authentic witness to you. Teach me not to rely on my own capabilities, but to grow in strength and coherence through fidelity to the inspirations of your Holy Spirit.

Resolution: I will make some public sign of witness to my faith today.

Homily of the Day

May 27, 2019
Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter

The first reading relates the path that Paul and Barnabas took after leaving Jerusalem and as they progressed towards the area of the Gentiles. In the first reading, they meet Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, listened and as a result, the Lord enlightened and opened her heart to hear what Paul was saying.

We can relate this particular instance in our daily lives. When we allow ourselves to listen and open our hearts to what God is trying to tell us, we may be able to hear and understand him. However, there are times no matter how hard we try, it seems that his Word refuses to give meaning in our lives. During those times, we need to ask the help of the Holy Spirit to open our ears, mind and heart so that we can reap the full benefit from the Lord’s Word.

In the Gospel today, Jesus emphatically states that he will be sending the Advocate to the disciples and to us. Jesus reminds us that the Spirit of truth will testify to you and me. These words of Jesus should comfort and encourage us all. The disciples were once a group of people who were afraid for their own lives, especially during the period after Jesus was crucified. But they turned into a group of brave men, unafraid to proclaim the teachings of the Lord and enduring all kinds of suffering and persecution. In the last forty days which Jesus spent with the disciples after his resurrection, Jesus gave his disciples a lasting hope and courage which they needed to fulfill their mission that was entrusted to them — that of bringing the Word of the Lord to all nations.

http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

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St. Augustine of Canterbury

Acts 16:11-15
View Readings
Psalm 149:1-6, 9
John 15:26—16:4
Similar Reflections

KNOW SPIRIT — NO FEAR

“When the Paraclete comes, the Spirit of truth Who comes from the Father — and Whom I Myself will send from the Father — He will bear witness on My behalf.” —John 15:26

The Holy Spirit bears witness on behalf of Jesus, and those who live in the Spirit must “also witness” (Jn 15:27, our transl). To witness for the risen Jesus is beyond human power. That is why Jesus’ witnesses must receive the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

It is both liberating and fearsome to do something beyond our human powers. For example, if Jesus gave you power to walk on water, would you be afraid to take your first steps? (see Mt 14:28-31) Life in the Spirit is by definition beyond our understanding and in some ways beyond our control. This can be a problem for those who base their security on controlling some of the circumstances of life. The Holy Spirit gives us both the occasions to feel fear and the faith to overcome fears.

Moreover, if it is a struggle for someone who is a willing witness for Jesus, imagine how threatened those who oppose or are indifferent to the Holy Spirit may become when the Holy Spirit proves them wrong (Jn 16:8). It is easy to see why the Greek word translated “witness” also can be translated “martyr.” So even if Jesus’ witnesses are not fearful of the Holy Spirit, they are strongly tempted to be fearful of the world in its opposition to the Spirit.
Do not fear the Holy Spirit. Do not fear those opposed to the Holy Spirit. Be a witness for Jesus, “for the Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit” (2 Tm 1:7). Come, Holy Spirit!

Prayer: Father, may love in the Spirit leave no room for fear in my life (see 1 Jn 4:18).

Promise: “The Lord opened her heart.” —Acts 16:14

Praise: St. Augustine of Canterbury planted the seed of faith among the English. He converted many in England to the faith by working miraculous signs and wonders in the name of Jesus.

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