Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 11-04-03, Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop

Reading I
Rom 12:5-16ab

Brothers and sisters:
We, though many, are one Body in Christ
and individually parts of one another.
Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,
let us exercise them:
if prophecy, in proportion to the faith;
if ministry, in ministering;
if one is a teacher, in teaching;
if one exhorts, in exhortation;
if one contributes, in generosity;
if one is over others, with diligence;
if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be sincere;
hate what is evil,
hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection;
anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal,
be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope,
endure in affliction,
persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,
exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you,
bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another;
do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 131:1bcde, 2, 3

R In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
O LORD, my heart is not proud,
nor are my eyes haughty;
I busy not myself with great things,
nor with things too sublime for me.
R In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted
my soul like a weaned child.
Like a weaned child on its mother's lap,
so is my soul within me.
R In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.
O Israel, hope in the LORD,
both now and forever.
R In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.

Gospel
Lk 14:15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him,
"Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God."
He replied to him,
"A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
When the time for the dinner came,
he dispatched his servant to say to those invited,
‘Come, everything is now ready.'
But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves.
The first said to him,
‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it;
I ask you, consider me excused.'
And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen
and am on my way to evaluate them;
I ask you, consider me excused.'
And another said, ‘I have just married a woman,
and therefore I cannot come.'
The servant went and reported this to his master.
Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant,
‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town
and bring in here the poor and the crippled,
the blind and the lame.'
The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out
and still there is room.'
The master then ordered the servant,
‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows
and make people come in that my home may be filled.
For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

From: Romans 12:5-16

Solidarity in the Mystical Body (Continuation)

[5] So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one
of another. [6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to
us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if
service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; [8] he who
exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in his liberality; he who
gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Charity Towards All

[9] Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
[10] love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in
showing honor. [11] Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve
the Lord. [12] Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be
constant in prayer. [13] Contribute to the needs of the saints,
practise hospitality. [14] Bless those who persecute you; bless and do
not curse them. [15] Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those
who weep. [16] Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but
associate with the lowly; never be conceited.

Commentary:

4-5. The variety which is to be found in every well-organized social
structure is also, by God's will, a feature of the Church. This variety
reflects the differing needs of the Christian community, which is not an
amorphous grouping of people, each working separately for personal
salvation, but an organized body. In that body each member has a defined
role and functions for the benefit of all, while at the same time seeking
personal spiritual advancement. This variety is, moreover, consistent with
and conducive to the carrying out of God's desire to sanctify and save men,
not one by one, as if they were unconnected to each other, but rather
constituting a people which is established and governed on the basis of this
wonderful variety .This distinction was established by God in order to build
up the Church. Therefore, for example, pastors and people are of mutual
supernatural help to one another (cf. Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 9 and 32).

Each of us should feel called on to invigorate--through personal effort,
virtue--the entire Mystical Body of Christ (cf. "Introduction to the
'Theology' of St Paul", pp. 44-6 above). It is inaccurate, therefore, to
make a distinction between "personal virtues" and "social virtues".
"No virtue worthy of its name can foster selfishness. Every virtue
necessarily works to the good both of our own soul and to the good of those
around us [...]. Ties of solidarity should bind us all and, besides, in the
order of grace we are united by the supernatural links of the Communion of
Saints" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 76).

6-8. "Gifts": also called charisms, these are special, transitory, divine
graces, granted not so much for the personal benefit of the recipient as for
the general good of the Church. This term (charism), we might note, was
introduced into the New Testament by St Paul.

9-21. "After speaking about those gifts which are not common to all,
the Apostle now teaches that charity is common to all" (St Thomas,
"Commentary on Rom, ad loc".). True charity takes different forms
depending on the needs and capacity of each person; it always involves
seeking good and avoiding evil (v. 9); it has to be exercised with
those who are already Christians (vv. 10-16) and those who are not (vv.
17-21); indeed, the charity shown to the latter is instrumental in
bringing them closer to the faith. However, it is not always possible
to do to others all the good we would wish: we have limited resources,
more pressing duties; there are problems of physical distance, etc.
Only God, who is infinitely perfect and almighty, can do good to
everyone all the time; this does not mean that he always gives everyone
the same gifts: to some he gives more, to others less, according to the
designs of his Wisdom.

Even bearing in mind our own limitations, our love for others should
affect everything we do, everything we think and say. Obviously, one of
the first consequences of charity is never to judge anyone, or speak
badly about anyone, or scandalize them by what we say or do. Moreover,
we should perform positive acts of this virtue; it would be impossible
to give a complete list of the ways of being charitable but they
certainly include, Fray Luis de Granada says, "among other things,
these six--loving, counselling, assisting, suffering, forgiving and
edifying. These are so closely connected to charity that the more one
does them the more charity one has, and the less, less [...]. For,
according to this order a person can check to see what he has and what
he does not have as far as the perfection of that virtue is concerned.
For we can say that he who loves is on the first step; he who loves and
counsels, on the second; he who assists, on the third; he who suffers
on the fourth; he who forgives and suffers, on the fifth; and he who
builds on all this with his words and his good life, as is the task of
perfect and apostolic men, on the highest step of all" ("Guide to
Sinners", I, II, chap. 16).

12. The love of God makes us joyful, strong and persevering. Therefore
"one accepts tribulation with joy and hope, because one knows that what
is promised in exchange is something much better" (Pseudo-Ambrose,
"Comm. in Epist. ad Rom, ad loc".)

This setting gives us every opportunity to derive supernatural benefit
from suffering, which is quite a normal part of the Christian life: "A
whole program for a good course in the 'subject' of suffering is given
to us by the Apostle: "spe gaudentes"--rejoicing in hope, "in
tribulatione patientes"--patient in troubles, "orationi instantes"--
persevering in prayer" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 209).

Joy in the midst of difficulties is in fact one of the clearest signs
that love of God is influencing everything we do, for, as St Augustine
comments, "where one loves, either one does not feel the difficulty or
else one loves the very difficulty [...]. The tasks of those who love
are never laborious" ("De Bono Viduitatis", 21, 26).

13. "For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love
God whom he has not seen" (1 Jn 4:20). Similarly, it can be said that
Christians, that is "servants of the Lord", unless they serve their
brethren whom they see before them, cannot serve God either. Serving
God, in other words, ultimately means alleviating "the needs of the
saints " and offering hospitality to strangers, after the example of
the patriarchs Abraham and Lot (Gen 18:2-5; 19:2-3; cf. Heb 13:2).

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: Luke 14:15-24

Parable of the Invited Guests

[15] When one of those who sat at table with Him (Jesus) heard this, he
said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of
God!" [16] But He said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet, and
invited many; [17] and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant
to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.'
[18] But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him,
`I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have
me excused.' [19] And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen,
and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' [20] And
another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'
[21] So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the
householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to the
streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and
blind and lame.' [22] And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded
has been done, and still there is room.' [23] And the master said to
the servant, `Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to
come in, that my house may be filled. [24] For I tell you, none of
those who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"

Commentary:

15. In biblical language the expression "to eat bread in the Kingdom of
God" means sharing in eternal beatitude, of which this great banquet is
a symbol (cf. Isaiah 25:6; Matthew 22:1-4).

16-24. If God invites someone to know Him in faith, he should sacrifice
any human interest which gets in the way of replying to God's call, no
matter how lawful and noble it be. The objections we tend to put
forward, the duties we appeal to, are really just excuses. This is why
the ungrateful invitees are blameworthy.

"Compel people to come in": it is not a matter of forcing anyone's
freedom--God does not want us to love Him under duress--but of helping
a person to make right decisions, to shrug off any human respect, to
avoid occasions of sin, to do what he can to discover the truth.... A
person is "compelled to come in" through prayer, the example of a
Christian life, friendship--in a word, apostolate. "If in order to
save an earthly life it is praiseworthy to use force to stop a man from
committing suicide, are we not to be allowed use of the same
force--holy coercion--to save the Life (with a capital) of many who are
stupidly bent on killing their souls?" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 399).

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Charles Borromeo was born into a noble Milanese family in the
year 1538. He was related to the Medici family and was nephew to
Pope Pius IV. Charles was a bright youth and, while still a layman
and a student, he was made administrator of the Archdiocese of
Milan by his Uncle Pius IV. Because of his intelligence, he was
entrusted with several Vatican offices and was later appointed
secretary of state for Pius and had full charge of the administration of
the Papal States. While still in his twenties, Charles experienced the
death of his older brother and decided to study for the priesthood
against the wishes of his parents.

Charles was ordained at the age of 25, and soon was consecrated
bishop of Milan. At the time of his consecration, he was not allowed
to take up residence in his diocese because his presence was
required at the Council of Trent. Charles was a major presence in the
behind the scenes work at the Council, he was influential in keeping
the Council in session at several different points, and was intricately
involved in the final phase of the Council. After the Council closed,
Charles was allowed to go to Milan and serve the flock that was
entrusted to him.

Charles was tireless in serving his flock. He helped reform all
aspects of Catholic life in the clergy and in lay people. Charles
encouraged the clergy to teach by example and used this method
himself. During plague and famine in 1576, he tried to feed 60,000 to
70, 000 people a day and accomplished this by donating much of his
personal property and by borrowing large amounts of money. During
this time Charles was completely faithful to his flock. The leaders of
the city had fled, but Charles decided to stay in the city to care for
the poor and sick.

Charles held back nothing in his service of God and the people. He
died at the age of 46 in 1584 due to a failing health. He is the patron
of catechists, catechumens and seminarians.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Certainly nothing can so effectually humble us before the mercy of
God as the multitude of his benefits. Nor can anything so much
humble us before His justices as the enormity of our innumerable
offences. Let us consider what He has done for us and what we have
done against Him. -St. Francis de Sales

TODAY IN HISTORY

1584 Death of St. Charles Borromeo

TODAY'S TIDBIT

A patronal feast is the feast of the patron saint of a person.
Therefore, today is the patronal feast of Pope John Paul II whose
name Karol translates into Charles.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for the pope, for his health and for his intentions.

Tuesday (11/4): "They all alike began to make excuses"

Scripture: Luke 14:15-24

15 When one of those who sat at table with him heard this, he said to him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!" 16 But he said to him, "A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; 17 and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.' 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.' 19 And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.' 20 And another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.' 22 And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.' 23 And the master said to the servant, `Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'"

Meditation: What can a state dinner or royal banquet tell us about God's kingdom? In the scriptures heaven is frequently depicted as a great banquet or wedding celebration given by the Lord and Master of the Universe. The good news is that we have been invited to the most important banquet of all! The last book in the bible ends with an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb and his Bride, the church: The Spirit and the Bride say, Come! (Rev. 22:17). Jesus' parable of the banquet takes an unexpected twist when the invited guests make excuses. Why is this the case? A king or lord normally sent out invitations well in advance to his subjects, so they would have plenty of time to prepare for coming to the banquet. How insulting for the invited guests to then refuse when the time for celebrating came! They made light of the King's request because they put their own interests above his.

Our Heavenly Father invites us to his banquet table, each and everyday, so we can be nourished by his life-giving Word and Spirit. Unfortunately, many other things can distract us from accepting this gracious invitation. Jesus probes the reasons why people make excuses for putting off this invitation. The first excuse allows the claims of career or business to take precedence over God's claim on us. Do you allow your work to absorb you and keep you from the thought of God? The second excuse allows other things we possess or want to distract us from the most important thing of all -- God's kingdom. Does the media (television, radio, etc.) or other diversions crowd out time for God in prayer and study of his word? The third excuse puts home and family ahead of God. God never meant for our home and relationships to be used selfishly. We serve God best when we invite him into our work and homes and when we share our possessions with others.

The second part of the story focuses on those who had no claim on the king and who would never have considered getting such an invitation. The "poor, maimed, blind, and lame" represent the outcasts of society -- those who can make no claim on the King. There is even ample room at the feast of God for outsiders from the highways and hedges -- the gentiles. This is certainly an invitation of grace -- undeserved, unmerited favor and kindness! But this invitation also contains a warning for those who refuse it or who approach the wedding feast unworthily. Grace is a free gift, but it is also an awesome responsibility. Dieterich Bonhoeffer contrasts "cheap grace" and "costly grace". "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves ..the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance ..grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. ..Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life." God invites each of us to his banquet that we may share in his joy. Are you ready to feast at the Lord's banquet table?

"Lord, you withhold no good thing from us and you lavish us with the treasures of heaven. Help me to seek your kingdom first and to lay aside anything that might hinder me from doing your will."

Psalm 131

1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.

The Word Among Us

Tuesday, November 04, 2003

Meditation
Romans 12:5-16

Architects have to plan with some idea of what their concept for a building is going to look like “in the flesh.” They have to know that the materials they will use are durable and safe, and that the structure they are designing will be comfortable and practical for the people who are going to use it. They also have to think about how that structure will affect the surrounding environment, and vice versa. In short, a beautiful design is not enough.

As the writer of Romans, Paul is thinking like a good architect. In the first eleven chapters, he draws a blueprint of God’s “master plan” for salvation. First, through decisive arguments, he makes it clear that no one, neither Gentile nor Jew, can rely on their own righteousness. He explains that the justification that everyone seeks comes only through faith in Jesus Christ, not through religious affiliation. Then he explains the amazing truth that Jesus offers us a completely new life through the power of his resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now, Paul turns from the design of God’s plan to describing what it should look like in reality. He understands that his readers come from very different traditions—pagan and Jewish—and may find it difficult to put his teaching into practice. So instead of trying to arbitrate between the two groups, Paul focuses on the common element that should bring unity to all of them: Each person is an equal member of the body of Christ.

Regardless of their background, each person has important gifts to offer, and Paul exhorts them to use their gifts in humility, to love and honor one another, and to sympathize with the weak and troubled among them. As members of the same body Paul is addressing, we too can evaluate how we are “building” our Christian life. Hopefully, we realize that there is something even more exciting than knowing the truths of our faith: living them! If we are alive in Christ, if we are filled with his Spirit, then we will naturally be carriers of peace, justice, and love to those around us. By being Christ to others, we can all be forces of the unity that is our goal.

“Jesus, send your Spirit into my heart and into the hearts of all people, to bring us the unity that comes only from knowing you.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Tuesday, November 4, 2003 >>

St. Charles Borromeo

Romans 12:5-16

Psalm 131

Luke 14:15-24

View Readings

UNDER-ACHIEVERS?

“Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them.” —Romans 12:6, RNAB

The Lord has given His children great gifts. Among the greatest of these gifts are charisms, the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. We have gifts of prophecy, faith, ministry, teaching, exhortation, almsgiving, leadership, and mercy (Rm 12:6-8). None of us has all these gifts, but we have many of them — in addition to many other charisms. By the development and use of these gifts of the Spirit, we will have the power to do even greater works than Jesus did (Jn 14:12).

This comes as a surprise to most people because Christians don’t seem to be so gifted and powerful. We have been so weak as to let a culture of death develop and then dominate us — not because we are not gifted, but because we have not developed our gifts. As the Lord was giving us several opportunities to learn about our charisms and exercise them, we found excuse after excuse not to grow in His grace (see Lk 14:18ff).

The Lord has made His children the most powerful people on earth. It is a sin and a shame when we don’t try to develop our life-saving, world-changing gifts. Therefore, the Lord commands us: “Set your hearts on spiritual gifts” (1 Cor 14:1).

Prayer: Father, I repent of settling for a half-life. Give me a full life in the Spirit.

Promise: “Do not grow slack but be fervent in spirit; He Whom you serve is the Lord.” —Rm 12:11

Praise: St. Charles used his spiritual gift of administration to profoundly strengthen both his own diocese and the Vatican.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	The Decline of Civility Is Real, But Can Be Fixed
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Tuesday, November 4, 2003

Rom 12:5-16 / Lk 14:15-24

For quite a few years now, a familiar theme in more thoughtful publications has been what is described as "the decline of civility." It touches upon every aspect of life, whether it be on the highway or on television or in debates in the halls of congress. In word and deed, people are oft times stunningly aggressive, outrageously insulting, and incomprehensibly insensitive to the feelings and needs of others. It's not the whole story of our early twenty-first century society, but it's major strand that ought not to be ignored.

Jesus summed up a radically different vision of what society should be in his Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." And St Paul, in today's first reading, fleshes out a particularly pertinent element of this: "Anticipate each other in showing respect." That idea of anticipating others' needs certainly turns the table from the "grab what you can" model of living. And there's a kind of pleasure in escaping the prison of one's self and one's hasty dash to the next whatever.

Take the time, usually just a few seconds are needed, to anticipate your neighbor's need of the moment, which is mainly just to be treated like a valuable human being, and respond as your heart dictates. It's remarkable how something so simple can change a day and a life.

Father gave thank$ and he opened a door and we descended the stairs.

Lol! I had two similar experiences in Italy. One was at Pompeii where a metal box covered a portion of a fresco. For a $mall donation, a guard would whip out his keyring, spring open the wall box and reveal the missing portion of the fresco .... ahem, it was quite 'revealing' to say the least!

The other time was at the great Cathedral in Monza. The cathedral, founded (6th cent.) by the Lombard queen Theodolinda, contains the iron crown of Lombardy, which was made, according to tradition, from a nail of Christ’s cross and which was used to crown Charlemagne, Charles V, Napoleon I, and other emperors as kings of Lombardy or of Italy.

We entered a room that had a large silver panel on the wall. The monk went up to the panel and threw it up, and there laid out in all his vestments was Charles B.

Like you, I too was fortunate to see his remains. I'm embarrased to admit that I knew very little about St. Charles until last night when I watched a special about his life, on EWTN. He is supposedly my patron saint. What an honor to have someone of his caliber on my side.

Milan Cathedral

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