Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 05-21-04, Opt. St. Christopher Magallanes & companions

USCCB.Org/New American Bible ^ | 05-21-04 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

May 21, 2004
Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter

Psalm: Friday 23
Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading I
Acts 18:9-18

One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,
"Do not be afraid.
Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.
No one will attack and harm you,
for I have many people in this city."
He settled there for a year and a half
and taught the word of God among them.

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,
the Jews rose up together against Paul
and brought him to the tribunal, saying,
"This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law."
When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews,
"If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud,
I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews;
but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles
and your own law, see to it yourselves.
I do not wish to be a judge of such matters."
And he drove them away from the tribunal.
They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official,
and beat him in full view of the tribunal.
But none of this was of concern to Gallio.

Paul remained for quite some time,
and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria,
together with Priscilla and Aquila.
At Cenchreae he had shaved his head because he had taken a vow.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R (8a) God is king of all the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.
R God is king of all the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
He brings people under us;
nations under our feet.
He chooses for us our inheritance,
the glory of Jacob, whom he loves.
R God is king of all the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
R God is king of all the earth.
or:
R Alleluia.

Gospel
Jn 16:20-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you."

[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

[Salvation]

Alleluia Ping!

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[Salvation]

From: Acts 18:9-18

Preaching to the Jews and Gentiles (Continuation)

---

[9] And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, "Do not be afraid,
but speak and do not be silent; [10] for I am with you, and no man
shall attack you to harm you; for I have many people in this city."
[11] And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God
among them.

Paul before Gallio

---

[12] But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united
attack upon Paul and brought him before the tribunal, [13] saying,
"This man is persuading men to worship God contrary to the law."
[14] But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the
Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, I should
have reason to bear with you, O Jews; [15] but since it is a matter of
questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves;
I refuse to be a judge of these things." [16] And he drove them from
the tribunal. [17] And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the
synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no
attention to this.

Return to Antioch via Ephesus

---

[18] After this Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the
brethren and sailed for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At
Cencherae he cut his hair, for he had a vow.

---

Commentary:

9. In this vision, given him to strengthen his resolve, Paul sees the
Lord, that is, Jesus. The brief message he receives is reminiscent of
the language God uses when he addresses the prophets and just men of
the Old Testament (cf. Ex 3:12; Josh 1:5; Is 41 :10). The words "Do not
be afraid" occur often in divine visions and are designed to allay the
impact of God's overpowering presence (cf. Lk 1 :30).

In this case, the words are meant to allay Paul 's premonitions about
the severe treatment his opponents will hand out to him in Corinth. The
vision once again indicates the graces which the Lord is bestowing on
him to support his intense contemplative life, which is also a life of
action in the service of Jesus and the Gospel.

"I tell you," St Teresa of Avila writes, "those of you whom God is not
leading by this road [of contemplation], that, as I know from what I
have seen and been told by those who are following this road, they are
not bearing a lighter cross than you; you would be amazed at all the
ways and manners in which God sends them crosses. I know about both
types of life and I am well aware that the trials given by God to
contemplatives are intolerable; and they of such a kind that, were he
not to feed them with consolations, they could not be borne. It is
clear that, since God leads those whom he most loves by the way of
trials, the more he loves them, the greater will be their trials; and
there is no reason to suppose that he hates contemplatives, since with
his own mouth he praises them and calls them his friends.

"To suppose that he would admit to his close friendship people who are
free from all trials is ridiculous. [...] I think, when those who lead
an active life occasionally see contemplatives receiving consolations,
they suppose that they never experience anything else. But I can assure
you that you might not be able to endure their sufferings for as long
as a day" ("Way of Perfection", chap. 18).

10. God has foreseen the people who are going to follow the call of
grace. From this it follows that the Christian has a serious obligation
to preach the Gospel to as many people as he can. This preaching has a
guaranteed effectiveness, as can be seen from its capacity to convert
men and women of every race, age, social condition etc. The Gospel is
for all. God offers it, through Christians, to rich and poor, to the
educated and the uneducated. Any person can accept this invitation to
grace: "Not only philosophers and scholars believed in Christ [...l,
but also workmen and people wholly uneducated, who all scorned glory,
and fear and death" (St. Justin, "Second Apology," 10, 8).

12. Gallio was a brother of the Stoic philosopher Seneca. He had been
adopted in Rome by Lucius Iunius Gallio, whose name he took. From an
inscription at Delphi (reported in 1905) we learn that Gallio began his
proconsulship of Achaia, of which Corinth was the capital, in July 51.
Paul must have appeared before Gallio around the end of 52. This is one
of the best-established dates we have for the Apostle.

17. It is not quite clear what happened. Sosthenes may have been
assaulted by the citizens of Corinth who were using the incident to
vent their anti-Jewish feelings. But it is more likely that Sosthenes
was in sympathy with the Christians and that the Jews were venting
their frustration on him. In 1 Corinthians l:l a Christian called
Sosthenes appears as co-author (amanuensis) of the letter; some
commentators identify him with the ruler of the synagogue in this
episode.

18. The vow taken by a "Nazarite" (one "consecrated to God") is
described in the sixth chapter of the Book of Numbers. Among other
things it involved not cutting one's hair (to symbolize that one was
allowing God to act in one) and not drinking fermented drinks (meaning
a resolution to practise self-denial). It is not clear whether it was
Paul or Aquila who had taken the vow; apparently the vow ended at
Cenchreae, for the votee's hair was cut there. For more information,
see the note on Acts 21:23-24.

---

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.

[Salvation]

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Christopher Magallanes (also known as Christobal) and his
companions were martyred in Mexico during the first several
decades of the twentieth century. This group was mostly made up of
diocesan priests who did not hesitate to preach the Good News in
the face of opposition and even persecution.

These men were canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000 and their
feast was added to the Universal Calendar soon after the event.
Unfortunately, much of the information about Christopher and his
companions has yet to be translated into English.

St. Christopher was born in Mexico in 1869. After following a
vocation to the priesthood, he served in the diocese of Guadalajara.
Christopher served his people faithfully his whole life despite
vehement anti-Catholic attitudes in much of the country. One of the
things that Christopher did to expand his ministry to the people and
to provide for the future of the Church in Mexico was to establish an
underground seminary. In this institution, men could come and study
for the priesthood in relative safety.

Ultimately, Christopher's passion for proclaiming the Gospel and
standing up for the Church earned him martyrdom. He was executed
by firing squad on May 25, 1927. He was beatified in 1992 and
canonized in 2000.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

The Church in Mexico rejoices at relying on these intercessors in
heaven, models of supreme charity who followed in the footsteps of
Jesus Christ. They all dedicated their lives to God and their brethren
through martyrdom or by generously serving the needy. The
firmness of their faith and hope sustained them in the various trials
they had to endure. They are a precious legacy, a fruit of the faith
rooted in the lands of Mexico, a faith which, at the dawn of the third
millennium of Christianity, must be preserved and revitalized so that
you may continue to be faithful to Christ and to his Church as you
were in the past. Mexico ever faithful! - Excerpted from the homily of
Pope John II upon the canonization of St. Christopher and his
Companions.


TODAY IN HISTORY

996 Pope Gregory V crowns Otto III emperor
1918 House of Representatives passes amendment allowing women to vote


TODAY'S TIDBIT

The official Roman calendar of feast days for celebration by the
Universal Church, does not have a saint's feast day every day.
Saints to be celebrated worldwide are carefully chosen. They must
have a message for the church as a whole.

Religious orders, countries, localities, and individuals are free to
celebrate the feast days of saints not listed on the universal calendar
but are important to them. There are at least three saints for almost
every day.


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for peace and justice throughout the world.

[Salvation]

Friday, May 21, 2004
Easter Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Acts 18:9-18 Psalm 47:2-7 John 16:20-23 What Revelation makes known to us is confirmed by our own experience. For when man looks into his own heart he finds that he is drawn towards what is wrong and sunk in many evils which cannot come from his good Creator. Often refusing to acknowledge God as his source, man has also upset the relationship which should link him to his last end, and at the same time he has broken the right order that should reign within himself as well as between himself and other men and all creatures.  -- Gaudium et spes

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Friday, May 21, 2004

Meditation
John 16:20-23



Why did Jesus use an analogy about a woman in labor to encourage us not to give up hope and to trust in God? Men and many women have not experienced what it is like to give birth to a child, but we shouldn’t allow this lack of experience to limit the impact of Jesus’ words here.

Whether or not we have brought a new child into the world, we are all called to give birth to a new life in the Spirit. We are all called to bear Jesus into the world. We all know that there are times when welcoming this new life can be as painful as physical childbirth. And this is where Jesus’ words can be so comforting. He assures us that God is always with us—even in the most difficult of challenges.

It’s obvious to a woman when she is experiencing the pains of labor. In the same way, when we feel the grief of loneliness or are overwhelmed by sufferings in life, the pain is obvious to us. But even in the midst of this pain, we can remember Jesus’ promise that our sorrow will turn into joy.

If we wait until the anguish goes away to learn how much God loves us, we may miss out on the depth of the love he has for us. This life is not perfect, and suffering is a part of it. But God doesn’t abandon us until the pain is gone, so we shouldn’t abandon him either. His promises are for right now, at this very moment, regardless of our circumstances.

A woman in labor recognizes her ordeal as part of the joy in having a new baby. She shows us that it is possible to embrace pain and struggle with hope. Don’t deny the pain or ignore it. Just know that it doesn’t have to overpower your spirit. God sees the bigger picture, and he can use even suffering to lead you to the joy of giving birth to a deeper relationship with the Lord.

“Jesus, sometimes there seems to be no end to the pain of trouble in this world. Help me focus on the love that can strengthen me as I move through this time. I trust you are here in the midst of it and accept your promise of joy.”

[NYer]

Friday May 21, 2004   Sixth Week of Easter

Reading (Acts 18:9-18)   Gospel (St. John 16:20-23)

We see in the readings today the manner in which people who follow the Lord are going to have to deal with things. We see, for instance, Saint Paul, whom God has told that he will not be harmed in that particular city; and yet, at the same time, we hear immediately thereafter that he is dragged into court and they are accusing him of a variety of different things. We also see Our Lord telling us that there will be grief. The grief will be turned into joy, but, in the meantime, there will be grieving. So, in both of these instances, we see that the way we are going to have to live our lives is with some difficulty.

Now anybody who has tried to live their life in a good, Christian manner knows fully well that is exactly what happens, that people do not understand, that there is grief. The devil, of course, is fighting against you and he gets his minions to fight against you. The worst part is that the devil even manages to stir up people who you expect to be your friends, and they are the ones who turn against you. That is the most painful of all. The people who are in opposition to your faith and to everything you are trying to do, you expect that you are going to get some grief from them. But the people from within are the ones that you do not expect, and they are the ones who hurt the most – people who you thought were your friends, people who you thought might be on the same page, or at least people who were in the same boat with you, others who were claiming to be Christian.

We can look right in Scripture and we see that there were disagreements between Saint Peter and Saint Paul. We see that there were disagreements between Mark and Paul. We see that there were disagreements between Barnabas and Paul. There were all kinds of problems even among the early Christians. So even though we are told in Scripture that they were of one heart and one mind, they were still human and they still had all the human problems.

These are the things that all of us have to deal with. There are going to be times when we are going to feel rejected. There are going to be times when we are feeling crushed. There are going to be times when we are just simply not accepted or understood or whatever the case might be. Part of it is that we simply have to learn to accept and to be at peace. Those become part of the means by which God makes us saints. It is the way that He purifies us. It is the way that He is going to test our fidelity to Him. Are we going to continue on even when on the natural level it looks like we should give up? When do we get to the point where we say, “I’ve had enough; I just want to be like everyone else”?

When we simply look around at people that we know who have tried to live their faith in the way that they should, they do that for a little while and then they come to that exact point of saying, “You know what? I just want to be like everyone else.” Well, how often has that happened in the lives of people we know? It is not that they become bad people; they do not. They continue to go to Mass on Sunday. They continue to live a moral life; they are not in the state of mortal sin. They have just decided that being more worldly is the easier way to go. And there are hundreds of thousands, if not many more than that even, who want to call themselves Catholic who are doing exactly that.

The Lord is asking for us to unite ourselves with Him – to not be like the worldly ones – and to pay the price if that is what it is going to require. That is not an easy thing for us to do. But as we do that, we will find that we will be alone with Jesus. And when we are alone with the Lord, we are going to have a joy that no one can take from us. The grief that we feel from being rejected and ridiculed will indeed turn into joy – a deep and profound joy – when we find that the fidelity we have to Our Lord and to living the life that He has called us to live will find a great reward, a reward even in this life of union with Christ; and, of course, the greatest reward is in the next. But even now in this life, as we proceed through all the sufferings and trials, even that grief turns to joy in this world because as we share in the Lord’s passion so we share in His glory. And when we are united with Christ, that is the joy Our Lord speaks of, the joy that will be ours, the joy of which no one will ever be able to rob us

[Salvation]

Saint of the Day

May 21, 2004

St. Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions

(d. 1915-1928)

Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, S.J., Cristóbal and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. Magallanes and the other priests were forced to minister secretly to Catholics during the presidency of Plutarco Calles (1924-28).

All of these martyrs except three were diocesan priests. David, Manuel and Salvador were laymen who died with their parish priest, Luis Batis. All of these martyrs belonged to the Cristero movement, pledging their allegiance to Christ and to the Church that he established to spread the Good News in society—even if Mexico's leaders once made it a crime to receive Baptism or celebrate the Mass.

These martyrs did not die as a single group but in eight Mexican states, with Jalisco and Zacatecas having the largest number. They were beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later.

Comment:

Every martyr realizes how to avoid execution but refuses to pay the high price of doing so. A clear conscience was more valuable than a long life.

We may be tempted to compromise our faith while telling ourselves that we are simply being realistic, dealing with situations as we find them. Is survival really the ultimate value? Do our concrete, daily choices reflect our deepest values, the ones that allow us to “tick” the way we do?

Anyone can imagine situations in which being a follower of Jesus is easier than the present situation. Saints remind us that our daily choices, especially in adverse circumstances, form the pattern of our lives.

Quote:

During his homily at the canonization Mass on May 21, 2000, Pope John Paul II addressed the Mexican men, women and children present in Rome and said: “After the harsh trials that the Church endured in Mexico during those turbulent years, today Mexican Christians, encouraged by the witness of these witnesses to the faith, can live in peace and harmony, contribute the wealth of gospel values to society. The Church grows and advances, since she is the crucible in which many priestly and religious vocations are born, where families are formed according to God's plan, and where young people, a substantial part of the Mexican population, can grow with the hope of a better future. May the shining example of Cristóbal Magallanes and his companion martyrs help you to make a renewed commitment of fidelity to God, which can continue to transform Mexican society so that justice, fraternity and harmony will prevail among all.”

[NYer]

Saint(s) of the Day - Eastern Rite Churches

Sts Constantine and Helene

Flavius Valerius Constantinus, the son of the emperor Constantius Chlorus and Helena, was probably born in Naissus, Serbia, on 27 February in 272 or 273 AD. Soon after his father's death in Britain on 25 June 306, Constantine was raised to the purple by the army and the Praetorian Guard.

The Nicene Council was the most profound event of Constantine's reign because it set a precedent for future Councils. When either the Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Churches have major dogmatic or disciplinary problems to resolve, they would convene an Ecumenical Council to settle them.

All through his reign he went to great pains to bring peace within the Church and between pagans and Christians. It is difficult to state at which time he decided to embrace Christianity, but his attitude towards the Christian religion was consistently one, not only of believing but of rearing a deep and lasting respect for it. The fact that he was baptised just before his death does not prove that he was not a practicing Christian before that, but rather points to the practice at the time of deferring baptism because of fear of sinning after it and thus proving unable to be saved - as a current teaching was wrongly advocated. In 321, he decreed that Sunday be observed as a public holiday. He liberally endowed church buildings, especially at Holy Places in Palestine, such as the Church of Resurrection which his mother Helena had erected.

The centralisation of the Empire at Constantinople as the locus of power, and Constantine's preference for Christianity opened the way for an increasing control of the Eastern Church by the Emperor of Byzantium. In contrast, the Church in the West and its heading bishop, the Bishop of Rome, was allowed by circumstance to carry on his ecclesiastical leadership unhindered by State influence and intervention. Thus, the Bishop of Rome became the more prominent figure, lay or ecclesiastical, in the west. It is from the 4th century that the Papacy began to assume its ever increasing secular importance and the monocratic position it reached in the Middle Ages.

Constantine tempered the criminal law and the laws on debts, improved the conditions of slavery, and provided for poor children; as a result exposing unwanted babies was lessened. He freed celibates and unmarried persons from special taxation, introduced laws against sexual licentiousness, and exempted Christian clergy from military service. Constantine died on 22 May 337 near Nicomedia on his way east to fight the Persians. For his services to the Christian Church, Constantine has been named the 13th Apostle by the Orthodox Church and is venerated as a saint together with his mother Helena. The feast day of Sts. Constantine and Helena is celebrated on May 21st.

[annalex]

Jn 16:20-23
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
20	Amen, amen, I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice: and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.	amen amen dico vobis quia plorabitis et flebitis vos mundus autem gaudebit vos autem contristabimini sed tristitia vestra vertetur in gaudium
21	A woman, when she is in labour, hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but when she hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.	mulier cum parit tristitiam habet quia venit hora eius cum autem pepererit puerum iam non meminit pressurae propter gaudium quia natus est homo in mundum
22	So also you now indeed have sorrow: but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice. And your joy no man shall take from you.	et vos igitur nunc quidem tristitiam habetis iterum autem videbo vos et gaudebit cor vestrum et gaudium vestrum nemo tollit a vobis
23	And in that day you shall not ask me any thing. Amen, amen, I say to you: if you ask the Father any thing in my name, he will give it you.	et in illo die me non rogabitis quicquam amen amen dico vobis si quid petieritis Patrem in nomine meo dabit vobis

[annalex]

In Verse 23 we have a rare occasion when the modern translation is clearer than Douay-Rheims, and closer to Jerome's and to the Greek original.

The first "ask" in Verse 23 refers to asking a question; the second, asking for a gift. Both the Vulgate and the original use different verbs.

The two verbs in Vulgate are still recognizable in, respectively, "interrogate" and "petition".

[NYer]

In Verse 23 we have a rare occasion when the modern translation is clearer than Douay-Rheims, and closer to Jerome's and to the Greek original.

Thank you for pointing that out! Are you familiar with the Rabbula Gospels?

[Salvation]

Very true!
New American -- On that day you will not question me about anything.
Douay-Rheims -- And in that day you shall not ask me any thing.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

All Issues > Volume 20, Number 3

<< Friday, May 21, 2004 >>

Pentecost Novena - Day 1

Acts 18:9-18

Psalm 47

John 16:20-23

View Readings

FORCED TO COMMUNICATE?

“On that day you will have no questions to ask Me. I give you My assurance, whatever you ask the Father, He will give you in My name.” —John 16:23

When we pray, the Lord doesn’t usually say what we want Him to say (unless we say what He wants because we are very holy). For example, when Paul was in danger of being beaten up or murdered at Corinth, Paul probably wanted the Lord to answer his prayers by telling him to leave Corinth. However, the Lord told him to stay (Acts 18:9-11). Because we often “aren’t on the same wavelength” as God, our prayer can be anguished and laborious (see Jn 16:21). Under these circumstances, we naturally want to quit praying.

However, when we commit ourselves to pray a novena, we try to force ourselves to pray for at least nine days. We have to keep trying to communicate with the Lord, even when He doesn’t say what we want. This helps us get over the obstacles of our selfishness and sinfulness. We die to ourselves and let the Lord love us and give us more than we can ever ask for or imagine (see Eph 3:20). Our laborious prayer can be turned into joy by the Lord inspiring us to pray a novena.

Today begins the first of all novenas, the Pentecost novena. In this we have an opportunity to break through our defense mechanisms, which limit our communication with God. This breakthrough can be so life-changing as to open us up to a new Pentecost.

Prayer: Father, in the next nine days, help me to face my obstacles to communicating with You.

Promise: “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silenced, for I am with you.” —Acts 18:9-10

Praise: William’s life changed when he stopped giving orders to God and began his praying by listening to God.

[Salvation]

The Blessed Season of Easter - Fifty Days of Reflections

Read the last two entries for today's reflections.

[annalex]

Rabbula Gospels

No, I am not familiar, sorry. What are they?

[NYer]

No, I am not familiar, sorry. What are they?

"The Syrian Orthodox Church believes that the Holy Bible, which comprises of the Old Testament and the New Testament, is the divine word of God. Its Fathers labored in translating the Holy Scriptures into Syriac since the very dawn of Christianity. These Syriac translations of the Bible are the oldest and most ancient in any language. Further, the Syriac New Testament is quite unique for it presents the teachings of our Lord in an Aramaic dialect (Syriac) which is akin and would have been mutually comprehensible with the Palestinian dialect of Aramaic in which Christ taught. Since the translation of the Bible into Syriac started as early as the first century, the Syriac version preserves the very ancient renditions of the original texts. In fact, the Syriac Church Fathers produced a number of translations of the Bible and revisions of these translations from the original languages of the Bible. "

"The words of Christ were first transmitted in his native language, the Palestinian dialect of Aramaic, either orally or in a written form. It is from this Aramaic tradition that the Greek Gospels were derived. The Syriac New Testament as we know it today is an early translation of the Greek text back into Syriac, the Aramaic dialect of Edessa (Modern Urfa in Southeast Turkey). The Syriac Old Testament is a translation from the original Hebrew and Aramaic (a different Aramaic dialect from Syriac which is known by the name 'Biblical Aramaic'). "

Rabbula Madonna

They are magnificently illustrated with some of the oldest images of Our Lord and the Blessed Mother. You can read more here:

RABBULA GOSPELS

[annalex]

early translation of the Greek text back into Syriac

This, of course, makes the Syriac Gospel secondary to Greek even though the language is essentially Aramaic, doesn't it?

Fascinating page, thank you.

[NYer]

Fascinating page, thank you.

On that same web site, I came across the following. Now THIS is indeed fascinating!

In many instances the Syriac language offers interesting interpretations of Biblical verses. An understanding of Syriac homonyms, for example, help us clarify the reading in Matthew 19:25 (also Mark 10:25 and Luke 128:25), when Jesus tells us how much easier it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. The Syriac word corresponding to camel is gamlo which means 'camel.' However, gamlo has other meanings as well, one of which is given by the Syriac lexicographer Bar Bahlul (10th century) in his Syriac dictionary: "gamlo is a thick rope which is used to bind ships." Considering that Jesus was speaking to fishermen, this meaning of gamlo seems more appropriate.

The Syriac Fathers studied the Bible in a critical and scientific manner, though regarding it at the same time as a divine text. Witness to this are the numerous translations and revisions of translations and the massive body of commentaries that they have produced. Some of these translations were lost until they were discovered by Western scholars in the past 150 years.