Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 6-13-03, Memorial, St. Anthony of Padua, priest & doctor

Reading I
2 Cor 4:7-15

Brothers and sisters:
We hold this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us.
We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained;
perplexed, but not driven to despair;
persecuted, but not abandoned;
struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according to what is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke,"
we too believe and therefore speak,
knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and place us with you in his presence.
Everything indeed is for you,
so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people
may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 116:10-11, 15-16, 17-18

R (17a) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R Alleluia.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted";
I said in my alarm,
"No man is dependable."
R To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R Alleluia.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R Alleluia.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
or:
R Alleluia.

Gospel
Mt 5:27-32

Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery.
But I say to you,
everyone who looks at a woman with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin,
tear it out and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.
And if your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and throw it away.
It is better for you to lose one of your members
than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

"It was also said,
Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.
But I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful)
causes her to commit adultery,
and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

The Word Among Us

Friday, June 13, 2003

Meditation
2 Corinthians 4:7-15

All praise to you, Lord Jesus, for pouring the treasure of your divine life into the “earthen vessels” of our all-too-mortal lives! We thought we had everything we needed until we met you, and that’s when everything changed. We tried doing good things, but nothing could overcome the frustrations, angers, and fears. So much darkness lurked in our hearts and leaped out at times, causing pain to ourselves and our loved ones. Finally, we turned to you for help, and we were not disappointed.

Thank you, Jesus, for bringing your light and life into the darkness and death of our former lives! Thank you for taking away our every sin and nailing them to the cross once and for all. We praise you for cleansing us by your blood and offering us your own risen life! We adore you, O Christ, for letting us know and experience God’s love in so intimate and life-changing a way!

Jesus, we thank you for freeing us from a life of self-reliance, a life that was blind to your loving presence. We praise you even for the times when we don’t get our way—the times when we feel “perplexed, but not driven to despair, struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8,9)! For those are the times when we can turn to you for the gifts that only you can give: gifts of forgiving others, praying for those who hurt us, and joining in your suffering, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and best of all, the gift of life eternal with you in heaven!Temptations to fall into our old familiar ways will always come, but your grace is more than sufficient to strengthen us. You will always give us the opportunity to choose life over death, and for this reason we will always be grateful for your love and your ability to intervene in our lives.

Lord Jesus, we want nothing more than to surrender to you! We were without hope and without God, and you saved us. Wherever we are, in whatever situation we find ourselves, we know you are with us and will show us the way we should go.

“Confident, Lord, in your victory over evil and death, we join the hosts of heaven in grateful thanksgiving as we cry, ‘Dying, you destroyed our death. Rising, you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory!’ ”

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195. As a young adult,
Anthony joined the Augustinian order, but moved to join the
Franciscans shortly after ordination to the priesthood. Anthony
desired to take a more active role in the evangelization of the world
and wanted especially to preach to the Moors, and the Franciscans
offered him this opportunity. However he fell ill and returned to Italy
and spent the time to recover his health in prayer and reading the
Scriptures.

After recuperating from his illness, Anthony was asked by his order
to go out and teach heretics living in France and Italy. Anthony
applied the knowledge of God he gained during his illness to convert
many heretics. Anthony gained such renown for his wisdom and
knowledge that he was asked to teach theology to his fellow
Franciscans, something no Franciscan had ever done before. His
sermons were renowned for their instruction and gentleness and is
known as the "Evangelical Doctor". St. Anthony died at Padua in
1231 and is recognized as the patron saint of barren women, lost
articles, harvests, the poor, and Portugal.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The saints are like the stars. In his providence Christ conceals them
in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they
might wish to do so. Yet they are always ready to exchange the quiet
of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive in
their heart the invitation of Christ. -St. Anthony of Padua

TODAY IN HISTORY

1231 Death of St. Anthony of Padua
1999 Four Society of the Divine Word (SVD) martyrs are beatified by
Pope John Paul II

TODAY'S TIDBIT

One of St. Anthony's nicknames is the "Evangelical Doctor." This
highlights Anthony's great knowledge of the Scriptures and his great
talent in sharing this knowledge with others. The word "evangelical"
comes from Greek roots meaning good news. Anthony let himself
become the Doctor of the Good News by allowing God to use him as
a tool to reach others.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of St. Anthony, for all couples
trying to conceive a child.

From: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15

The Trials He Has Experienced

[7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the
transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. [8] We are afflicted
in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;
[9] persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
[10] always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life
of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. [11] For while we live
we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life
of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. [12] So death is at
work in us, but life in you.

He Is Sustained By Hope in Heaven

[13] Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I
believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak,
[14] knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with
Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. [15] For it is all for
your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may
increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Commentary:

7-12. In contrast to the greatness of the Gospel--the "treasure"
entrusted to them by God--St. Paul emphasizes the limitations of its
ministers: they are "earthen vessels" (v. 7). To illustrate this he
describes the afflictions and persecution to which he finds himself
subjected and in which God's grace always comes to his aid.

In some way these sufferings of the Apostles and of all Christians
reproduce in their lives the sufferings of Christ in his passion and
death. In his case his suffering opened the way to his glorification
after the Resurrection; similarly his servants, even in this life, are
experiencing an anticipation of the life they will attain in heaven;
this helps them overcome every kind of affliction.

7. St. Paul again stresses that the effectiveness of all his apostolic
activity comes from God (cf., e.g., 1 Cor 1:26-31; 2 Cor 3:5); he it is
who places his treasures in poor earthenware vessels. The image the
Apostle uses--which is reminiscent of the clay which God used to make
Adam (cf. Gen 2:7)--helps Christians realize that through grace they
bear in their souls a wonderful treasure, God himself; like earthen
vessels they are very fragile and they need to be put together again in
the sacrament of Confession. As a gloss on these ideas Monsignor
Escriva taught that Christians by bearing God in their souls are
enabled to live at one and the same time "in heaven and on earth,
divinized: but knowing that we are of the world and made of clay, with
the frailty that is typical of clay--an earthenware pot which our Lord
has deigned to use in his service. And whenever it has got broken, we
have gone and riveted the bits together again, like the prodigal son:
'I have sinned against heaven and against you...'" (quoted in Bernal,
"Monsignor Escriva de Balaguer").

8-9. The Apostle's words assure the Christian that he or she can always
count on God's help: no matter what trials they have to undergo,
victory can be attained with the grace of God as happened in St. Paul's
case. "God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your
strength, but with temptation will also provide you the way of escape,
that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor 10:13). Moreover, St. Paul's
example reminds us that more or less severe suffering and tribulation
will be a normal thing in the lives of Christ's followers; theirs will
never be a comfortable, trouble-free life. "If it is your ambition to
win the esteem of men, if your desire to be well-regarded and seek only
a life of ease, you have gone astray [...]. In the city of the saints,
entrance is given and rest and eternal rule with the King, only to
those who have made their way along the rough, narrow way of
tribulation" (Pseudo-Macarius, "Homilies", XII, 5).

10-11. As happened in St. Paul's case, in their daily lives Christians
must relive the sufferings of Christ through self-denial and penance:
this is part of following Christ and imitating him. "The Christian
vocation is one of sacrifice, penance, expiation. We must make
reparation for our sins--for the many times we turned our face aside so
as to avoid the gaze of God--and all the sins of mankind. We must try
to imitate Christ, 'always carrying in the body the death of Christ',
his abnegation, his suffering on the cross, 'so that the life of Jesus
may be manifested in our bodies' (2 Cor 4:10). Our way is one of
immolation and, in this denial, we find "gaudium cum pace", both joy
and peace" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 9).

Self-denial, mortification, does not have to be something overt; it
should be practiced in the ordinary circumstances of life--for example,
by being punctual for appointments, carefully fulfilling one's duties,
treating everyone with as much charity as possible, accepting little
setbacks in a good-humored way (cf. [St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 138).

10. "The death of Jesus": more exactly, the "dying" of Christ: the
Greek word refers to the situation of someone who is dying.

12. In the Apostles, and also in other Christians, the paradox of
Jesus' life is verified: his death is the cause of life for all men.
"Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains
alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (Jn 12:24). Afflictions
and tribulations, physical and moral pain, daily self-denial and
penance, cause Christ's disciple to die to himself and, if united to
the sufferings of his Master, they become a source of life for others
through the communion of saints.

13-18. The Apostle explains where he gets the strength to bear all the
tribulations of life--from his hope in the resurrection and his
expectation of being in heaven with those to whom he is writing
(v. 14). There is nothing selfish about this desire for heaven: it
helps us to stay true to the faith and it enables us to see all the
sufferings of this life as something transitory and slight (v. 17), a
necessary step to heaven and a way to obtain incomparably greater
happiness. "If we wish to enjoy the pleasures of eternity," St.
Alphonsus reminds us, "we must deprive ourselves of the pleasures of
time. 'Whoever would save his life will lose it' (Mt 16:25) [...]. If
we wish to be saved, we must all be martyrs, either by the tyrant's
sword or through our own mortification. Let us have this
conviction--that everything we suffer is nothing compared with the
eternal glory that awaits us. 'I consider the sufferings of this
present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
revealed to us' (Rom 8:18). These momentary afflictions will bring us
eternal happiness (cf. 2 Cor 4:17)" ("Treasury of Preaching Material",
II, 9).

13. The Apostle's faith leads him to keep on preaching, despite all
the difficulties this may involve. There is nothing else he can do: he
is convinced that his faith is what can save the world and he cannot
but strive to spread it. If he acted otherwise it would mean his faith
was asleep and he did not truly love others. "When you find that
something has done you good," St. Gregory the Great explains, "try to
bring it to the attention of others. You should, therefore, desire
others to join you on the ways of the Lord. If you are going to the
forum or the baths, and you meet someone who is not doing anything, you
invite him to go along with you. Apply this earthly custom to the
spiritual sphere, and as you make your way to God, do not do so alone"
("In Evangelia Homiliae", 6, 6).

14. What inspires St. Paul's apostolic activity and enables him to bear
all the difficulties it involves, is his firm belief in resurrection in
glory, the basis and cause of which is Christ's resurrection. He also
has the hope of sharing this happiness in heaven, in the presence of
God, with all the faithful for whose salvation he is working on earth.

15. After reminding the Corinthians that all the sufferings he has been
speaking about he has borne for their sake (cf. 4:5), St. Paul tells
them what motivates him most--the greater glory of God, to whom the
faithful should turn in deep gratitude (cf. 1:11; 9:12). This should
be man's primary attitude to God--one of profound adoration and
thanksgiving for all his benefits, as we are daily reminded in the
Preface of the Mass.

"If life's purpose were not to give glory to God, how contemptible, how
hateful it would be" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 783).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 5:27-32

Jesus and His Teaching, the Fulfillment of the Law (Continuation)

(Jesus said to His disciples:) [27] "You have heard that it was said,
`You shall not commit adultery.' [28] But I say to you that every one
who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her
in his heart. [29] If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out
and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than
that your whole body be thrown into hell. [30] And if your right hand
causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you
lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

[31] "It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a
certificate of divorce.' [32] But I say to you that every one who
divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an
adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery."

Commentary:

27-30. This refers to a sinful glance at any woman, be she married or
not. Our Lord fills out the precepts of the Old Law, where only
adultery and the coveting of one's neighbor's wife were considered
sinful.

"Lustfully": feeling is one thing, consenting another. Consent
presupposes that one realizes the evil of these actions (looking,
imagining, having impure thoughts) and freely engages in them.

Prohibition of vices always implies a positive aspect--the contrary
virtue. Holy purity, like every other virtue, is something eminently
positive; it derives from the First Commandment and is also directed to
it: "You shall love the Lord your God WITH ALL your heart, WITH ALL
your soul, and WITH ALL your mind" (Matthew 22:37). "Purity is a
consequence of the love that prompts us to commit to Christ our soul
and body, our faculties and senses. It is not something negative; it
is a joyful affirmation" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 5). This
virtue demands that we use all the resources available to us, to the point
of heroism if necessary.

"Right eye", "right hand", refers to whatever we value most. Our Lord
lays it on the line and it not exaggerating. He obviously does not
mean that we should physically mutilate ourselves, but that we should
fight hard without making any concessions, being ready to sacrifice
anything which clearly could put us in the way of offending God.
Jesus' graphic words particularly warn us about one of the most common
occasions of sin, reminding us of how careful we need to be guarding
our sight. King David, by indulging his curiosity, went on to commit
adultery and crime. He later wept over his sins and led a holy life in
the presence of God (cf. 2 Samuel 11 and 12).

"The eyes! Through them many iniquities enter the soul. So many
experiences like David's!--If you guard your sight you will have
assured the guard of your heart: ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 183).

Among the ascetical methods of protecting the virtue of holy purity
are: frequent Confession and Communion; devotion to our Lady; a spirit
of prayer and mortification; guarding of the senses; flight from
occasions of sin; and striving to avoid idleness by always being
engaged in doing useful things. There are two further means which are
particularly relevant today: "Decorum and modesty are younger brothers
of purity" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 128). Decorum and modesty are a
sign of good taste, of respect for others and of human and Christian
dignity. To act in accord with this teaching of our Lord, the Christian has
to row against the current in a paganized environment and bring his
influence for good to bear on it.

"There is need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and
undo the savage work of those who think that man is a beast. And that
crusade is a matter for you" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 121).

31-32. The Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 24:1), which was laid down in
ancient times, had tolerated divorce due to the hardness of heart of
the early Hebrews. But it had not specified clearly the grounds on
which divorce might be obtained. The rabbis worked out different sorts
of interpretations, depending on which school they belonged
to--solutions ranging from very lax to quite rigid. In all cases, only
husband could repudiate wife, not vice-versa. A woman's inferior
position was eased somewhat by the device of a written document whereby
the husband freed the repudiated woman to marry again if she wished.
Against these rabbinical interpretations, Jesus re-establishes the
original indissolubility of marriage as God instituted it (Genesis
1:27; 2:24; cf. Matthew 19:4-6; Ephesians 1:31; 1 Corinthians 7:10).

[The RSVCE carries a note which reads: "unchastity": The Greek word
used here appears to refer to marriages which were not legally
marriages, because they were within the forbidden degrees of
consanguinity (Leviticus 18:6-16) or contracted with a Gentile. The
phrase "except on the ground of unchastity" does not occur in the
parallel passage in Luke 16:18. See also Matthew 19:9 (Mark 10:11-12),
and especially 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, which shows that the prohibition
is unconditional.] The phrase, "except on the ground of unchastity",
should not be taken as indicating an exception to the principle of
absolute indissolubility of marriage which Jesus has just
re-established. It is almost certain that the phrase refers to unions
accepted as marriage among some pagan people, but prohibited as
incestuous in the Mosaic Law (cf. Leviticus 18) and in rabbinical
tradition. The reference, then, is to unions radically invalid because
of some impediment. When persons in this position were converted to
the True Faith, it was not that their union could be dissolved; it was
declared that they had never in fact been joined in true marriage.
Therefore, this phrase does not do against the indissolubility of
marriage, but rather reaffirms it.

On the basis of Jesus' teaching and guided by the Holy Spirit, the
Church has ruled that in the specially grave case of adultery it is
permissible for a married couple to separate, but without the marriage
bond being dissolved; therefore, neither party may contract a new
marriage.

The indissolubility of marriage was unhesitatingly taught by the Church
from the very beginning; she demanded practical and legal recognition
of this doctrine, expounded with full authority by Jesus (Matthew
19:3-9; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18) and by the Apostles (1 Corinthians
6:16; 7:10-11; 39; Romans 7:2-3; Ephesians 5:31f). Here, for example,
are just a few texts from the Magisterium on this subject:

"Three blessings are ascribed to matrimony [...]. The third is the
indissolubility of matrimony--indissoluble because it signifies the
indivisible union of Christ with the Church. Although a separation
from bed may be permitted by reason of marital infidelity, nevertheless
it is not permitted to contract another matrimony since the bond of a
marriage lawfully contracted is perpetual" (Council of Florence, "Pro
Armeniis").

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