Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 07-04-04

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

Alleluia Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.

Sunday, July 4, 2004
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm 66:1-7, 16, 20
Galatians 6:14-18
Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

Ah! Many of us are more afraid of poverty than of humility or modesty or any other virtue. We must therefore take to poverty resolutely if we want to resemble our Lord. Let each one of us, according to his condition, aim at having fewer and less expensive things. Let everything that we buy or receive be a tribute to the holy poverty of our Master Jesus Christ. We shall want to depend on Him for everything: on His light for our mind, on His grace for our will, on His love for our heart, on His Cross for our body. Do not seek any other. He is always here in The Blessed Sacrament.

-- St. Peter Emyard

From: Galatians 6:14-18

Conclusion

[14] But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the
world. [15] For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creation. [16] Peace and mercy be upon all
who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God.

[17] Henceforth let no man trouble me; for I bear on my body the
marks of Jesus.

[18] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brethren. Amen.

Commentary:

14. Those who had been circumcised--both Gentiles and Jews--used to
boast about bearing on their body the sign of the Old Covenant,
circumcision. St. Paul points out to them that to his mind there is
only one ground for boasting--the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
which the New Covenant has been sealed and the Redemption brought about
and which therefore has come to be the sign of the Christian. This was
the core of his preaching--the power and the wisdom of God (cf. 1 Cor.
1:23-24). The Apostle's assertion has been echoed by Christians down
the ages and has inspired pages of singular piety. For example, here
is something from an Easter homily (preacher unknown) of the second
century: "When I am overtaken by fear of God, the Cross is my
protection; when I stumble, it is my help and my support; when I engage
in combat, my prize; when I conquer, my crown. The Cross is for me a
narrow path, a narrow way--Jacob's ladder, which angels ascend and
descend, at the top of which the Lord is to be found."

From the Holy Cross our salvation comes, for it was here that Jesus
died for our sins. St. John Chrysostom, therefore, praises it: "The
Cross is the sign of victory displayed to fend off demons, the sword to
use against sin, the sword with which Christ ran the serpent through;
the Cross is the will of the Father, the glory of his Only Son, the joy
of the Holy Spirit, the ornament of the angels, the assurance of the
Church; it is what Paul glories in, it protects the saints and lights
up the whole universe ("De Coemeterio Et De Cruce", 2).

For his part St. Anselm is so moved that he exclaims: "O Cross, chosen
and designed to do such ineffable good: you are praised and exalted not
so much by the minds and tongues of men, or even angels, as by the
works that been done thanks to you. O Cross, in whom and by whom
salvation and life have come to me, in whom and by whom all good things
come to me: God would not have me glory unless it be in you (cf. Gal.
6:14)" ("Prayers and Meditations", 4).

In the Cross, therefore, every Christian should be able to find support
and strength for his daily life: "When you see a poor wooden Cross,
alone, uncared for, and of no value...and without its Crucified, don't
forget that that Cross is your Cross: the Cross of each day, the hidden
Cross, without splendor or consolation..., the Cross which is waiting
the Crucified it lacks: and that Crucified must be you" ([St] J. Escriva,
"The Way", 178).

15. The expression "new creation" is full of theological content. It
points to the fact that supernatural grace operates at a much higher
level than any mere human action: just as God in creating the world
made everything out of nothing, so too grace is granted without there
being any previous merits. The phrase also indicates that, in regard
to salvation, the only thing which matters as far as God is concerned
is grace: just as things exist because they have been created, so man
exists on the supernatural plane because he has been "created again".
Finally, "new creation" gives us a glimpse into the mystery of grace:
thus when we were originally created we were given existence, and a
nature, and certain faculties: in a similar way, on being created anew
we are made to share in God's nature, we are given a new nature
(super-nature) and a whole supernatural biology (the infused virtues
and gifts of the Holy Spirit).

The nature which God gave man through creation was damaged by the sin
of Adam, become thereby an "old creation", the old man. Our new life
or new creation is in brilliant contrast which the dark background of
sin and death caused by that original fall. "We have been created,"
St. Thomas comments, "and we have received our natural being through
Adam; but that creature grew old, and died, and therefore the Lord, by
constituting us in the state of grace, worked a new creation, 'that we
should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures' (Jas. 1:18). And he
adds 'new' because we are renewed by him, given a new life; and by the
Holy Spirit also. 'When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, the are
created, and thou renewest the face of the earth' (Ps. 104:30); and by
the Cross of Christ [...]. Thus, by means of the new creation, that
is, through faith in Christ and through the love of God, which has been
poured into our hearts, we are renewed and we are united to Christ"
("Commentary on Gal., ad loc.").

We find this parallelism between creation and the new creation
(re-creation) in a number of places in the New Testament. The new life
which is attained through union with Christ is called a "new creation"
(cf. 2 Cor. 5:17). This new creation is the new man, who is born not
of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of
God (cf. Jn. 1:12-13), man raised up to the supernatural state of
grace, created in Christ (cf. Eph. 2:10, 15) for a life of
righteousness and holiness (cf. Roman 6:4; Col. 3:9-10), man, God's
adoptive son and heir (cf. Rom. 8:16), in whom Christ's own life is
definitively manifested (cf. Gal. 2:20).

17. A reference to the sign or brand put on livestock to show which
herd it belongs to. In ancient times slaves were also branded--to show
which family they belonged to--as were the adherents of some religions.
St. Paul alludes to these customs by declaring that he is
metaphorically a servant of Christ.

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 10:1-12, 17-20

The Mission of the Seventy Disciples

[1] After this the Lord (Jesus) appointed seventy others, and sent them
on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself
was about to come. [2] And He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful,
but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to
send out laborers into His harvest. [3] Go your way; behold, I send
you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. [4] Carry no purse, no bag,
no sandals; and salute no one on the road. [5] Whatever house you
enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' [6] And if a son of peace
is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return
to you. [7] And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what
they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house
to house. [8] Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what
is set before you; [9] heal the sick in it and say to them, "The
Kingdom of God has come near to you.' [10] But whenever you enter a
town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, [11]
`Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off
against you; nevertheless know this, that the Kingdom of God has come
near.' [12] I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for
Sodom than for that town.

The Seventy Return from their Mission

[17] The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in your name!" [18] And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall
like lightning from Heaven. [19] Behold, I have given you authority to
tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy;
and nothing shall hurt you." [20] Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that
the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in
Heaven."

Commentary:

1-12. Those who followed our Lord and received a calling from Him (cf.
Luke 9:57-62) included many other disciples in addition to the Twelve
(cf. Mark 2:15). We do not know who most of them were; but undoubtedly
some of them were with Him all along, from when Jesus was baptized by
John up to the time of His ascension--for example, Joseph called
Barrabas, and Matthias (cf. Acts 1:21-26). We can also include Cleopas
and his companion, whom the risen Christ appeared to on the road to
Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:13-35).

From among these disciples, our Lord chooses seventy-two for a special
assignment. Of them, as of the Apostles (cf. Luke 9:1-5), He demands
total detachment and complete abandonment to divine providence.

From Baptism onwards every Christian is called by Christ to perform a
mission. Therefore, the Church, in our Lord's name, "makes to all the
laity an earnest appeal in the Lord to give a willing, noble and
enthusiastic response to the voice of Christ, who at this hour is
summoning them more pressingly, and to the urging of the Holy Spirit.

The younger generation should feel this call to be addressed in a
special way to themselves; they should welcome it eagerly and
generously. It is the Lord Himself, by this Council, who is once more
inviting all the laity to unite themselves to Him ever more intimately,
to consider His interests as their own (cf. Philippians 2:5), and to
join in His mission as Savior. It is the Lord who is again sending
them into every town and every place where He Himself is to come (cf.
Luke 10:1). He sends them on the Church's apostolate, an apostolate
that is one yet has different forms and methods, an apostolate that
must all the time be adapting itself to the needs of the moment; He
sends them on an apostolate where they are to show themselves His
cooperators, doing their full share continually in the work of the
Lord, knowing that in the Lord their labor cannot be lost (cf. 1
Corinthians 15:58)" (Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem", 33).

3-4. Christ wants to instill apostolic daring into His disciples; this
is why He says, "I send you out", which leads St. John Chrysostom to
comment: "This suffices to give us encouragement, to give us confidence
and to ensure that we are not afraid of our assailants" ("Hom. on St.
Matthew", 33). The Apostles' and disciples' boldness stemmed from
their firm conviction that they were on a God-given mission: they
acted, as Peter the Apostle confidently explained to the Sanhedrin, in
the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, "for there is no other name under
heaven by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

"And the Lord goes on," St. Gregory the Great adds, "Carry no purse, no
bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road.' Such should be the
confidence the preacher places in God that even if he is not provided
with the necessities of life, he is convinced that they will come his
way. This will ensure that worry about providing temporal things for
himself does not distract him from providing others with eternal
things" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", 17). Apostolate calls for generous
self-surrender which leads to detachment; therefore, Peter, following
our Lord's commandment, when the beggar at the Beautiful Gate asked him
for alms (Acts 3:2-3), said, "I have no silver or gold" ("ibid.", 3:6),
"not so as to glory in his poverty", St. Ambrose points out, "but to
obey the Lord's command. It is as if he were saying, `You see in me a
disciple of Christ, and you ask me for gold? He gave us something much
more valuable than gold, the power to act in His name. I do not have
what Christ did not give me, but I do have what He did give me: In the
name of Jesus Christ, arise and walk' (cf. Acts 3:6)" ("Expositio
Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc".). Apostolate, therefore, demands
detachment from material things and it also requires us to be always
available, for there is an urgency about apostolic work.

"And salute no one on the road": "How can it be", St. Ambrose asks
himself, "that the Lord wishes to get rid of a custom so full of
kindness? Notice, however, that He does not just say, `Do not salute
anyone', but adds, `on the road.' And there is a reason for this.

"He also commanded Elisha not to salute anyone he met, when He sent him
to lay his staff on the body of the dead child (2 Kings 4:29): He gave
him this order so as to get him to do this task without delay and
effect the raising of the child, and not waste time by stopping to talk
to any passer-by he met. Therefore, there is no question of omitting
good manners to greet others; it is a matter of removing a possible
obstacle in the way of service; when God commands, human considerations
should be set aside, at least for the time being. To greet a person is
a good thing, but it is better to carry out a divine instruction which
could easily be frustrated by a delay ("ibid.").

6. Everyone is "a son of peace" who is disposed to accept the teaching
of the Gospel which brings with it God's peace. Our Lord's
recommendation to His disciples to proclaim peace should be a constant
feature of all the apostolic action of Christians: "Christian
apostolate is not a political program or a cultural alternative. It
implies the spreading of good, `infecting' others with a desire to
love, sowing peace and joy" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 124).

Feeling peace in our soul and in our surroundings is an unmistakable
sign that God is with us, and a fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Galatians
5:22): "Get rid of these scruples that deprive you of peace. What
takes away your peace of soul cannot come from God. When God comes to
you, you will feel the truth of those greetings: My peace I give to
you..., peace I leave you..., peace be with you..., and you will feel
it even in the midst of troubles" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 258).

7. Our Lord clearly considered poverty and detachment a key feature in
an apostle. But He was aware of His disciples' material needs and
therefore stated the principle that apostolic ministry deserves its
recompense. Vatican II reminds us that we all have an obligation to
contribute to the sustenance of those who generously devote themselves
to the service of the Church: "Completely devoted as they are to the
service of God in the fulfillment of the office entrusted to them,
priests are entitled to receive a just remuneration. For `the laborer
deserves his wages' (Luke 10:7), and `the Lord commanded that they who
proclaim the Gospel should get their living by the Gospel' (1
Corinthians 9:14). For this reason, insofar as provision is not made
from some other source for the just remuneration of priests, the
faithful are bound by a real obligation of seeing to it that the
necessary provision for a decent and fitting livelihood for the priests
are available" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 20).

20. Our Lord corrects His disciples, making them see that the right
reason for rejoicing lies in hope of reaching Heaven, not in the power
to do miracles which He gave them for their mission. As He said on
another occasion, "On that day many will say to Me, `Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in Your name, and cast our demons in Your name, and do
many mighty works in Your name?' And then will I declare to them, `I
never knew you; depart from Me, you evildoers'" (Matthew 7:22-23). In
other words, in the eyes of God doing His holy will at all times is
more important than working miracles.

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.

FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Elizabeth of Portugal was born of a royal family in the year 1271.
At the age of 12, she was given in marriage to the king of Portugal
and bore him a son and a daughter. During her marriage she
remained devoted to her husband even though his infidelity was
known throughout his kingdom. She bravely endured afflictions and
troubles through prayer and works of charity. The generosity of the
queen was almost as well known as her husband's infidelity. She
personally visited the sick, welcomed strangers and pilgrims and
helped the poor with her own money.

Throughout her life, Elizabeth acted as a peacemaker among the
people around her. She is known for reconciling relations between
her husband and her son, between her son and her son-in-law, and
for making a peace between her husband and his cousin. Elizabeth
is also known for her patient prayer for the conversion of her
husband and for her prayer for his fidelity to their marriage. When
her husband died she distributed her wealth to the poor and took the
habit of the Third Order of St. Francis. Elizabeth retired to a
monastery of Poor Clares and died several years later in 1336.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I turn to you, dear parents, and implore you to imitate the Holy
Family of Nazareth. -St. John Vianney

TODAY IN HISTORY

740 Death of St. Andrew of Crete
959 Death of St. Odo the Good
973 Death of St. Ulrich, bishop & patron of Augsburg - 1st person
known to have been canonized by a Pope
1776 The United States declare independence from British rule

TODAY'S TIDBIT

Free will is the faculty or capability of making a reasonable choice
among several alternatives. Freedom of will underlies the possibility
and fact of moral responsibility.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

On this Independence Day, please pray for the United States, that it
may continue to grow as one nation under God.

The Word Among Us

Sunday, July 04, 2004

Meditation
Luke 10:1-12,17-20

Halfway into his public ministry, with thousands of people following him, Jesus took seventy disciples aside and gave them an assignment: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ask therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way” (Luke 10:2-3).

This appeal was not just one task among many. It was at the very heart of his mission—reconciliation with the Father. In order to catch the full meaning of these words and respond to them with the generosity and conviction they deserve, the disciples needed not only to hear what Jesus was saying, they needed to feel it. Can you sense the urgency in his voice? Can you feel his heart pounding with love and his voice breaking with compassion?

In his 1990 encyclical, Mission of Christ the Redeemer, Pope John Paul II exhorted us with words very similar to Jesus’ in both tone and scope: “Today, as never before, the Church has the opportunity of bringing the gospel, by witness and word, to all people and nations” (Redemptoris Missio, 92). And in making this appeal, the pope spoke not just to priests and religious: “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples” (3).

The seventy returned from their missionary trip overjoyed at how powerfully God worked through them. We may not think God can do that through us. We may consider ourselves unable to evangelize and witness to Christ. But we should remember that Jesus doesn’t call the qualified; he qualifies the called! It was his “appointment” of the seventy (Luke 10:1) that enabled them to bear fruit. By virtue of your baptism and by the power of the Holy Spirit within you, God can do and will do amazing things.

“Lord Jesus, I hear you calling me to proclaim you to others. Holy Spirit, please give me the courage and conviction I need to witness to the gospel. Jesus, I trust in you.”

Question for everyone:

Are we sent forth by Christ just as He sent forth the seventy-two?

Lk 10:1-12, 17-20
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
1	And after these things, the Lord appointed also other seventy-two. And he sent them two and two before his face into every city and place whither he himself was to come.	post haec autem designavit Dominus et alios septuaginta duos et misit illos binos ante faciem suam in omnem civitatem et locum quo erat ipse venturus
2	And he said to them: The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he send	et dicebat illis messis quidem multa operarii autem pauci rogate ergo Dominum messis ut mittat operarios in messem
3	Go: Behold I send you as lambs among wolves.	ite ecce ego mitto vos sicut agnos inter lupos
4	Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.	nolite portare sacculum neque peram neque calciamenta et neminem per viam salutaveritis
5	Into whatever house you enter, first say: Peace be to this house.	in quamcumque domum intraveritis primum dicite pax huic domui
6	And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall return to you.	et si ibi fuerit filius pacis requiescet super illam pax vestra sin autem ad vos revertetur
7	And in the same house, remain, eating and drinking such things as they have: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Remove not from house to house.	in eadem autem domo manete edentes et bibentes quae apud illos sunt dignus enim est operarius mercede sua nolite transire de domo in domum
8	And into what city soever you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.	et in quamcumque civitatem intraveritis et susceperint vos manducate quae adponuntur vobis
9	And heal the sick that are therein and say to them: The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.	et curate infirmos qui in illa sunt et dicite illis adpropinquavit in vos regnum Dei
10	But into whatsoever city you enter, and they receive you not, going forth into the streets thereof, say:	in quamcumque civitatem intraveritis et non receperint vos exeuntes in plateas eius dicite
11	Even the very dust of your city that cleaveth to us, we wipe off against you. Yet know this, that the kingdom of God is at hand.	etiam pulverem qui adhesit nobis de civitate vestra extergimus in vos tamen hoc scitote quia adpropinquavit regnum Dei
12	I say to you, it shall be more tolerable at that day for Sodom than for that city.	dico vobis quia Sodomis in die illa remissius erit quam illi civitati
[...]
17	And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying: Lord, the devils also are subject to us in thy name.	reversi sunt autem septuaginta duo cum gaudio dicentes Domine etiam daemonia subiciuntur nobis in nomine tuo
18	And he said to them: I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven.	et ait illis videbam Satanan sicut fulgur de caelo cadentem
19	Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall hurt you.	ecce dedi vobis potestatem calcandi supra serpentes et scorpiones et supra omnem virtutem inimici et nihil vobis nocebit
20	But yet rejoice not in this, that spirits are subject unto you: but rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven.	verumtamen in hoc nolite gaudere quia spiritus vobis subiciuntur gaudete autem quod nomina vestra scripta sunt in caelis

behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.

The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said,
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
Jesus said, "I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.
Behold, I have given you the power to 'tread upon serpents' and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

The 72 were just ordinary followers of Jesus like the rest of us. It looks as though Jesus has given us more power than we think to close down those abortion mills.

"It looks as though Jesus has given us more power than we think to close down those abortion mills."

Very true. A priest has an incredible amount of power in this regard that has been all but forgotten since Vatican II -- Exorcisim.

My friend who runs the NATIONAL AMERICAN HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL attended a Pro-Life rally a few years back. Fr. Pavone was there and has known Richard for more than a decade. In front of several priests and bishops Richard asked Fr. Pavone why they don't use exorcisim at the mills. Richard said the bishops looked at him as if he were some kind of wacko.

Many have lost their faith.