Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-17-04, Memorial, St. Anthony, Abbot

Reading I
1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1

There was a stalwart man from Benjamin named Kish,
who was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror,
son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite.
He had a son named Saul, who was a handsome young man.
There was no other child of Israel more handsome than Saul;
he stood head and shoulders above the people.

Now the asses of Saul's father, Kish, had wandered off.
Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you
and go out and hunt for the asses."
Accordingly they went through the hill country of Ephraim,
and through the land of Shalishah.
Not finding them there,
they continued through the land of Shaalim without success.
They also went through the land of Benjamin,
but they failed to find the animals.

When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD assured him,
"This is the man of whom I told you; he is to govern my people."

Saul met Samuel in the gateway and said,
"Please tell me where the seer lives."
Samuel answered Saul: "I am the seer.
Go up ahead of me to the high place and eat with me today.
In the morning, before dismissing you,
I will tell you whatever you wish."

Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul's head;
he also kissed him, saying:
"The LORD anoints you commander over his heritage.
You are to govern the LORD's people Israel,
and to save them from the grasp of their enemies roundabout.

"This will be the sign for you
that the LORD has anointed you commander over his heritage."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R (2a) Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
O LORD, in your strength the king is glad;
in your victory how greatly he rejoices!
You have granted him his heart's desire;
you refused not the wish of his lips.
R Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
For you welcomed him with goodly blessings,
you placed on his head a crown of pure gold.
He asked life of you: you gave him
length of days forever and ever.
R Lord, in your strength the king is glad.
Great is his glory in your victory;
majesty and splendor you conferred upon him.
For you made him a blessing forever;
you gladdened him with the joy of your face.
R Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

Gospel
Mk 2:13-17

Jesus went out along the sea.
All the crowd came to him and he taught them.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus,
sitting at the customs post.
Jesus said to him, "Follow me."
And he got up and followed Jesus.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples;
for there were many who followed him.
Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with sinners
and tax collectors and said to his disciples,
"Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
Jesus heard this and said to them,
"Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Catholic Forum

Also known as Anthony of Egypt; Anthony the Great; Father of Cenobites; Father of Western Monasticism

Readings:

When Anthony was about eighteen or twenty years old, his parents died. Not six months after his parents' death, as he was on his way to church for his usual visit, he began to think of how the apostles had left everything and followed the Savior, and also of those mentioned in the book of Acts who had sold their possessions and brought the apostles money for distribution to the needy. This was all in his mind when, entering the church just as the Gospel was being read, he head the Lord's words to the rich man: "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor - you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me."

It seemed to Anthony that it was God who had brought the saints to his mind, and that the words of the Gospel had been spoken directly to him. Immediately he left the church, and gave away to the villagers all the property he inherited, about 200 acres of very beautiful and fertile land. He sold all his other possessions, as well, giving to the poor the considerable sum of money he collected. However, to care for his sister he retained a few things.

He gave himself up to the ascetic life, not far from his own home. He did manual work because he had heard the words: "If anyone will not work, do not let him eat." He spent some of his earnings on bread and the rest he gave to the poor.

Seeing the kind of life he lived, the villagers and all the good men he knew called him the friend of God, and they loved him as a son and brother.

from the Life of Saint Anthony by Saint Athanasius

*****

Saint Anthony told his monks: When, therefore, they demons come by night to you and wish to tell the future, or say 'We are the angels,' give no heed, for they lie.... But if they shamelessly stand their ground, capering and change their forms of appearance, fear them not, nor shrink, nor heed them as though they were good spirits. For the presence either of the good or evil by the help of God can easily be distinguished. The vision of the holy ones is not fraught with distraction: 'For they will not strive, nor cry, nor shall anyone hear their voice' (Matthew 12:19; Isaiah 42:2). But it comes quietly and gently that an immediate joy, gladness, and courage arise in the soul. For the Lord who is our joy is with them, and the power of God the Father.

Ambrose: Life of Saint Anthony

The Word Among Us

Saturday, January 17, 2004

Meditation
Mark 2:13-17

Picture Jesus sitting along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Large crowds have gathered around him, and he begins to teach them. He tells them how much his Father loves them. He tells them that he has come to seek out any who have lost their way. He is gentle and kind to all who are present. As he rises to continue on his way, a great crowd of people—the poor and sinful—runs after him. Something about him is irresistible.

As Jesus passes by, Levi is also drawn to him and invites him into his home. Jesus doesn’t care that the house is filled with all kinds of undesirables. He only wants to reach out to those who are sick and lost and to show them the way back to their heavenly Father.

Now picture the reaction of those Pharisees who regarded themselves as holy, righteous, and pure but who looked down on any who didn’t live up to their standards of holiness. They take offense at Jesus and cannot understand why he would share something as intimate as a meal with such godless people. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus puts his arms around his new friends and announces that he has not come to heal the healthy but the sick. Everyone around Jesus smiles, and some even decide right then and there to follow this humble, holy man.

This Jesus who ate and drank with the lost and outcast now sits in glory at the right hand of God. The good news for us? Jesus is still as much in love with sinners as he was when he walked the face of the earth two thousand years ago. Jesus longs to make his home in the hearts of all who feel oppressed, lost, and broken—anyone who feels unworthy in any way. The only ones Jesus can’t seem to reach are those who believe themselves to be holy and healthy enough already. Don’t make that mistake! Humble yourself and invite Jesus into your home and your heart today.

“Jesus, I am amazed at your love for all men and women. Though you reign in heaven, you are still happy to come and live in the heart of anyone who invites you. And so I ask. Come and live in me today, Jesus. Cleanse me from all my sins and fill me with your love.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, January 17, 2004 >>

St. Anthony

1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1

Psalm 21

Mark 2:13-17

View Readings

GREAT SINNERS BECOME GREAT SAINTS

“As He moved on, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus at his tax collector’s post, and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ Levi got up and became His follower.” —Mark 2:14

Levi, also called Matthew, was one of the apostles, an evangelist who compiled the first book of the New Testament, a missionary, and a martyr. Matthew was also a great sinner. Jesus implied that Matthew was spiritually sick (Mk 2:17). Even after Jesus had transformed Matthew’s life, Matthew abandoned Jesus on the cross. But Matthew repented, received the Holy Spirit at the first Christian Pentecost, and became a great saint.

Each of us are called to greatness. We are called and privileged to do our unique part in God’s plan of salvation. By God’s grace and our faith, we can do even greater things than Jesus did (Jn 14:12). As adopted sons and daughters of God, we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people He claims for His own” (1 Pt 2:9). It is an understatement to say we are called to greatness.

Nonetheless, like Matthew, we have sinned before and even after our conversions. By our sins, we have done our part in contributing to Jesus’ sufferings on the cross (Catechism, 598). Yet the Lord is calling us to repentance. He wants to give us a new Pentecost in which He will restore us to greatness and lead us to greater greatness. Like Matthew, let us rise from the ruins of sin to the glorious greatness of the sons and daughters of God.

Prayer: Father, fulfill every detail of Your plan for my life.

Promise: “You are to govern the Lord’s people Israel, and to save them from the grasp of their enemies round about.” —1 Sm 10:1

Praise: St. Anthony sold all his possessions and lived a life which emphasized that the love of God took precedence over all else.

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Anthony of the desert, also spelled Antony, was born of a wealthy
Christian family in Egypt around the year 251. At the age of twenty,
his parents died and left a considerable amount of wealth for the
care and welfare of him and his younger sister. While Anthony was
deciding how he should distribute the wealth, he felt a call to
dedicate his life to asceticism and prayer. After more discernment,
Anthony set aside some money to for the care of his sister and
distributed the remaining wealth and possessions to the poor,
keeping barely enough wealth to sustain his life. When this task was
completed, he left his sister and her possessions in the care of a
convent and set out for the desert to devote himself to God through a
life of contemplation.

Anthony retired to the desert near the city of Coma, in Egypt, built a
small hermitage for himself and began to take instructions in piety
from a hermit who lived near by. Anthony devoted his waking hours
to manual labor, prayer and pious reading. Whenever Anthony
received word of any virtuous person living the life of a hermit, he
sought them out to receive instruction in piety and penance. Anthony
worked to apply all he learned to his own life and sought to live as
holy a life as possible. His reputation for holiness and the severity of
the asceticism that he practiced gained Anthony wide renown and
many people began coming to Anthony for guidance.

Around the year 304, while he was in his early fifties, Anthony
established a monastery to house the followers and, with his
example and words, served as an advisor for the people gathered
there. As the monastic house grew, Anthony found his time for
solitude diminished and was continually faced with the challenge of
finding more time and solitude for his relationship with God.

Anthony spent his whole life in devoted service to God. In the
biography of Anthony written by St. Athanasius, we learn that the
devil saw Anthony as a dangerous soldier of God and challenged
him repeatedly with physical and mental torment and temptations.
During his lifetime, Anthony's most visible contributions to the Church
were the formation of monasteries and the assistance of St.
Athanasius in battling the Arian heresy. Anthony died around the
year 356, at the age of 105, and is called the "Patriarch of Monks" for
his impact on monasticism. Anthony's patronage is invoked against
skin diseases.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Cast down upon us a glance of mercy, O most glorious Queen:
graciously receive our petitions. Through thy immaculate purity of
body and mind, which rendered thee so pleasing to God, inspire us
with a love of innocence and purity. -St. Paschasius

TODAY IN HISTORY

1377 The Papal See was moved back to Rome by Gregory XI after 72 years in
Avignon, France.

TODAY'S TIDBIT

St. Anthony is considered one of the founders of monasticism. He is
influential because when a group of men began to gather around him
seeking advice, he would organize the men into a community. They
would build housing for the whole community and do various prayers
and activities as a community instead of as individuals.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of St. Anthony, for all who
have any type of skin disease, especially for those who have skin
cancer.

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