Catholic Caucus - Daily Mass Readings

Friday April 2, 2004 Fifth Week of Lent

Reading (Jeremiah 20:10-13) Gospel (St. John 10:31-42)

In the beginning of the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, the prophet, recognizing that the people had been hatching plots against him, says, “I hear the whisperings of many: ‘Terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him!’” It is a sad thing in this world that if you want to do what is good and right, you are going to be opposed. Now what happens is that a lot of people get very frustrated with this because they of course recognize within their own intentions that they had only good in their heart – they were not intending anything that was negative – and therefore they do not understand why people do not like what they are doing. The reason is severalfold: first of all, because there are some for whom, if you are going to do what is right, you stand as a censure to their conscience because they do not want to do what is right; number two, there are lots of people who are jealous and envious because they want to be able to do what you are trying to do, but for whatever reason they will not do it or they cannot do it, and therefore in their jealousy they like to gossip and tear people down and cause all kinds of problems for people; and third, it is because if you are going to do what is right, God is going to allow you to be purified.

That is the reason we really need to look at because God will allow these other people to do whatever it is they are going to do, but as the prophet says that he has entrusted his cause to the Lord and therefore the Lord is going to free him, that is exactly what happens every single time. However, the way the Lord frees a person is not necessarily the way that one would think it ought to happen. God allows all of these things in order to purify us, to strengthen us, to really look at the whole question of what we are doing and why, because when people start speaking against us, our natural inclination is first to defend ourselves, and if it continues on, then what tends to happen is most people just give up. They figure, “If this is what happens when you do what’s right and good, then I’m not going to do it anymore.” And that is precisely what the Lord wanted to find out if we were going to do. Not that the Lord needed to know, but the problem is that in our own selves we tend to think we are very strong. We tend to think that we have everything pretty much in control and that we are, of course, exceedingly faithful to God – until things get difficult. And then we find out just how faithful we really are, or are not, as the case may be; because when the difficulties come, the saints continue to move forward, but the rest of us, we tend to give up. We tend to get frustrated and we think, “If this is the way that it’s going to be, then I’m just going to stop doing this.”

But that is not the way Jesus operated. When they opposed Him, He continued to move forward. The prophets had to do the exact same thing. If you look in the Old Testament, there is not one single prophet whom the people liked. Of course, after the fact they all thought that they were great. But, in the meantime, while they were alive, the people hated them and ultimately put every last one of them to death because they spoke the truth but the people did not want to hear. So they did not back off. They did not stop just because their message was opposed. Remember, God told Jeremiah that was going to happen. He sent Jeremiah to speak and said, “They will not listen to Me, and they will not listen to you either; but go and speak the word anyway.”

So it is a question of the obedience and the perseverance and the charity and all the other virtues that we have to look at within ourselves. Why are we doing what we are doing? If we are doing it for God, then it does not matter if people oppose us. If we are doing it for some form of human respect, then we are going to get frustrated when people do not like what we are doing and when they oppose us in whatever way. If there is anything of the self in what we are doing, we are going to give up rather easily because it is not going the way that we think it ought to go. Once again, we need to keep our focus on the Lord. As Jesus pointed out in the Gospel reading today, He asked the people, “For which of the good works do you want to stone Me?” The people really did not have a decent answer; all they could say was “It’s because of blasphemy.” Well, if you stood up and said to somebody, “I’m trying to do the work of God, why do you want to kill me? Why are you opposed to me? Why are you ridiculing me?” they will ridicule you even more. It is the same thing they did to the Lord.

But Jesus tells us that when that happens we have to rejoice and be glad. He did not say, “Give up.” He didn’t say, “Quit doing what is right and good and preaching the truth because people don’t like it.” He said, “Rejoice and be glad because that’s the way the prophets were treated.” That is the way He was treated, and if we are going to follow Him, it is the way we are going to be treated. It is not an easy message to listen to, but a necessary one, because for those who want to do what is right this is the means by which we grow in virtue. This is the means by which we become humble and obedient. And it is the means by which we are stripped of self so that we can do only the work of God.

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Faith’s Reason

by Father Shawn Aaron, LC

April 02, 2004 / Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent

John 10: 31-42
The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. He answered them, "I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?" The Jews answered him, "We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods"'? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize (and understand) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (Then) they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. He went back across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized, and there he remained. Many came to him and said, "John performed no sign, but everything John said about this man was true." And many there began to believe in him.

Introductory Prayer:God our Father, open our eyes to see your hand at work in the splendor of creation, in the beauty of human life. Touched by your hand our world is holy. Help us to cherish the gifts that surround us, to share your blessings with our brothers and sisters, and to experience the joy of life in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Petition:Lord, grant me the faith that sees your loving hand in my daily life.

1. You, a man, are making yourself God. There is an all too common tendency to accuse others of sins for which we ourselves are guilty. Ever since the fall of man every man has tended to place his life at the center of the universe and thus, in effect, consider himself God. The Copernican revolution of sin really meant that man’s world no longer revolved around Yahweh God but around man, around each individual man. Consequently strife, war and division have plagued human society and human history. So strong is this tendency in each person that we are ready to provide the incense, the altar and the libations to be offered to our cult of self. And woe to those who will not participate in this sacred ceremony! Yet in Jesus we have the rightful heir to the throne. He is the one who, as God and man, can justly demand that we recognize his authority and offer him due homage. But see how different is his attitude: “I have come not to be served, but to serve; the Son of Man has come to lay down his life so that others might have life.” This is a fresh doctrine, a new principle, a transforming revolution. In the end, we find that he, a man, has not made himself God. Rather Lord, You, who are God, have made yourself man for love of us!

2. If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me; but if I perform them. Jesus seeks to augment the faith of his listeners by appealing to reason. It is as if to say, “Reflect seriously that you may believe the deep truths of God.” Jesus constantly invites us to discover the ways of God simply by reading the lessons of daily life. Reason, God’s natural gift to man, undergirds faith, God’s supernatural gift to man. Yes, there are things that are not easy to grasp. How can God become a carpenter’s son from Nazareth? How can we eat his flesh and drink his blood? Why does evil exist and why do innocent children suffer and die? In this regard, reason has heights where it cannot go without the oxygen that faith provides. Faith is a different type of knowledge that never contradicts reason but informs and transcends it. As Pope John Paul II eloquently expresses in his encyclical, Fides et Ratio, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.”

3. And many there began to believe in him. They heard his message, they saw his signs – yet not all believed. Many did believe and this is obviously good. Still, others heard the same message and saw the same signs but refused to believe. One day a group of Pharisees witnessed a paralyzed man walk after Jesus cured him. They left that place and began to plot how he might be stopped. What happened? They closed their minds to the truth. They had already decided that he did not fit within their scheme of things and no sign, however great, was going to change that opinion. Everyday countless people see the sunrise, the moon against the starry night, the ocean waves and the majestic mountains. Motion, order, harmony, beauty – does it not speak something to them? If it does not, life will surely be extra difficult, since they cannot tap these eloquent means to reflect on what life is really about, why we are truly here and where it all leads. Faith is always a gift. Nevertheless we must also help pave the way for faith by honestly discerning the countless ways the Creator of the universe taps on the door of reason and asks us to consider creation’s origin and purpose.

Dialogue with Christ: Dear Lord, life is a gift and faith is a gift. With my reason I learn to see your hand in creation and in the events of daily life. Through faith I discern the meaning of the life you have granted me and the mission you have entrusted to me. I pray that your gift of faith will always guide my reason and my will to seek your face and choose your path. Please help me to choose you above all things. Mother of Purity, make my heart only for Jesus.

Resolution: Today I will stop and reflect on the numerous ways God reveals himself to me through persons, through creation, through the normal events of life. As a response to his presence with me, I will strive to treat each person today with charity and kindness.

Francis of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative solitude and wished only to be the "least in the household of God." Yet, when the Church called him to active service in the world, he became a miracle-worker and influenced the course of nations.

After accompanying his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, he began to live as a contemplative hermit in a remote cave near Paola, on Italy's southern seacoast. Before he was 20, he received the first followers who had come to imitate his way of life. Seventeen years later, when his disciples had grown in number, Francis established a Rule for his austere community and sought Church approval. This was the founding of the Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi, who were approved by the Holy See in 1474

In 1492, Francis changed the name of his community to "Minims" because he wanted them to be known as the least (minimi) in the household of God. Humility was to be the hallmark of the brothers as it had been in Francis's personal life. Besides the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, Francis enjoined upon his followers the fourth obligation of a perpetual Lenten fast. He felt that heroic mortification was necessary as a means for spiritual growth.

It was Francis's desire to be a contemplative hermit, yet he believed that God was calling him to the apostolic life. He began to use the gifts he had received, such as the gifts of miracles and prophecy, to minister to the people of God. A defender of the poor and oppressed, Francis incurred the wrath of King Ferdinand of Naples for the admonitions he directed towards the king and his sons.

Following the request of Pope Sixtus IV, Francis traveled to Paris to help Louis XI of France prepare for his death. While ministering to the king, Francis was able to influence the course of national politics. He helped to restore peace between France and Brittany by advising a marriage between the ruling families, and between France and Spain by persuading Louis XI to return some disputed land.

Francis died while at the French court.

Comment:

The life of Francis of Paola speaks plainly to an overactive world. He was a contemplative man called to active ministry and must have felt keenly the tension between prayer and service. Yet in Francis's life it was a productive tension, for he clearly utilized the fruits of contemplation in his ministry, which came to involve the workings of nations. He responded so readily and so well to the call of the Church from a solid foundation in prayer and mortification. When he went out to the world, it was not he who worked but Christ working through him—"the least in the household of God."

Daily Catholic Question answers your questions about the Catholic Church including "Ask a Franciscan" questions. View daily Catholic questions and answers to such matters as the Sacraments, including the Eucharist, Baptism and Marriage. Find Catholic Church questions about Doctrine, Morality, Scripture and Jesus, Mary, the Bible, the Eucharist, and the Mass. Come each day and learn something new.

Why Curse the Fig Tree?

April 2, 2004

St. Francis of Paola

(1416-1507)

Francis of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative solitude and wished only to be the "least in the household of God." Yet, when the Church called him to active service in the world, he became a miracle-worker and influenced the course of nations.

After accompanying his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, he began to live as a contemplative hermit in a remote cave near Paola, on Italy's southern seacoast. Before he was 20, he received the first followers who had come to imitate his way of life. Seventeen years later, when his disciples had grown in number, Francis established a Rule for his austere community and sought Church approval. This was the founding of the Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi, who were approved by the Holy See in 1474

In 1492, Francis changed the name of his community to "Minims" because he wanted them to be known as the least (minimi) in the household of God. Humility was to be the hallmark of the brothers as it had been in Francis's personal life. Besides the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, Francis enjoined upon his followers the fourth obligation of a perpetual Lenten fast. He felt that heroic mortification was necessary as a means for spiritual growth.

It was Francis's desire to be a contemplative hermit, yet he believed that God was calling him to the apostolic life. He began to use the gifts he had received, such as the gifts of miracles and prophecy, to minister to the people of God. A defender of the poor and oppressed, Francis incurred the wrath of King Ferdinand of Naples for the admonitions he directed towards the king and his sons.

Following the request of Pope Sixtus IV, Francis traveled to Paris to help Louis XI of France prepare for his death. While ministering to the king, Francis was able to influence the course of national politics. He helped to restore peace between France and Brittany by advising a marriage between the ruling families, and between France and Spain by persuading Louis XI to return some disputed land.

Francis died while at the French court.

Comment:

The life of Francis of Paola speaks plainly to an overactive world. He was a contemplative man called to active ministry and must have felt keenly the tension between prayer and service. Yet in Francis's life it was a productive tension, for he clearly utilized the fruits of contemplation in his ministry, which came to involve the workings of nations. He responded so readily and so well to the call of the Church from a solid foundation in prayer and mortification. When he went out to the world, it was not he who worked but Christ working through him—"the least in the household of God."

Optional Memorial of St. Francis of Paola, hermit

Old Calendar: St. Francis of Paula, confessor

St. Francis was born at Paula in Calabria; after living as a hermit for five years (from the age of fourteen to nineteen) he gathered around him some companions with whom he led the religious life. This was the origin of a new order, to which he gave the name of Minims, that is "the least" in the house of God. Pope Sixtus IV sent him to France to help Louis XI on his deathbed. He remained there and founded a house of his Minims at Tours.

The Station, at Rome, is in the church of St. Stephen on Monte Celio. This church of the great proto-martyr was chosen as the place where the faithful were to assemble on the Friday of Passion week.

St. Francis of Paola
Francis of Paola founded the Minim Order, a branch of the Franciscans (1454). These "Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi" dwelt in small houses, and as "least" brethren, endeavored to live a more austere and humble life than the "Fratres Minores."

The saint worked numerous miracles. He had a favorite ejaculation, one that welled up from the depths of his physical and spiritual being: "Out of love." This was an all-powerful ejaculation for him and for his companions. "Out of love" the heaviest stone was light; "Out of love" he admonished and punished; "Out of love" he once crossed the sea without a boat.

For on a certain occasion the saint wanted to go from the Italian mainland to Sicily. A boat was lying in the harbor. Francis asked the owner if he would take him and his companion along on the boat. "If you pay, monk," the sailor answered surlily, "I will take you along." "Out of love," the saint humbly pleaded; "for I have no money with me." "Then I have no ship for you," came the mocking reply. "Out of love," was Francis' answer, "forgive me if I go away." He walked about a stone's throw to the shore, knelt down, and blessed the sea. Then, to the sailor's great surprise, the saint suddenly stood up, stepped out on the tossing waves, and with firm foot trod over the surging sea.

St. Francis of Paula stood high in the esteem of the French king, Louis XI, whom he helped prepare for death. — The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Against fire; boatmen; Calabria, Italy (named by Pope John XXIII in 1963); mariners; naval officers; plague epidemics; sailors; sterility; travellers; watermen.

Symbols: Man with the word "charitas" levitated above a crowd; man holding a skull and scourge; man sailing on his cloak.

Prayers:

·	April Devotion: The Blessed Sacrament
·	Prayer to St. Francis of Paola

Collect:
Father of the lowly, you raised St. Francis of Paola to the glory of your saints. By his example and prayers, may we come to the rewards you have promised the humble. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Recipes:

·	Name Day Cake
·	Pasta with Sardines & Fennel

Activities:

·	Namedays
·	Turn to the Lord with a Pure Heart