Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 09-13-04, Memorial, St John Chrysostom, bishop & doctor-Church

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September 13, 2004
Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor of the Church

Psalm: Monday 40 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading I
1 Cor 11:17-26, 33

Brothers and sisters:
In giving this instruction, I do not praise the fact
that your meetings are doing more harm than good.
First of all, I hear that when you meet as a Church
there are divisions among you,
and to a degree I believe it;
there have to be factions among you
in order that also those who are approved among you
may become known.
When you meet in one place, then,
it is not to eat the Lord's supper,
for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper,
and one goes hungry while another gets drunk.
Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink?
Or do you show contempt for the Church of God
and make those who have nothing feel ashamed?
What can I say to you? Shall I praise you?
In this matter I do not praise you.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my Body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my Blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters,
when you come together to eat, wait for one another.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 17

R (1 Cor 11:26b) Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R Proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes again.

Gospel
Lk 7:1-10


When Jesus had finished all his words to the people,
he entered Capernaum.
A centurion there had a slave who was ill and about to die,
and he was valuable to him.
When he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to him,
asking him to come and save the life of his slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come, saying,
"He deserves to have you do this for him,
for he loves our nation and he built the synagogue for us."
And Jesus went with them,
but when he was only a short distance from the house,
the centurion sent friends to tell him,
"Lord, do not trouble yourself,
for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you;
but say the word and let my servant be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority,
with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,' and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,' and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him
and, turning, said to the crowd following him,
"I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."
When the messengers returned to the house,
they found the slave in good health.

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The Golden Mouthed Preacher-St.John Chrysostom [Bishop, Doctor of Catholic and Orthodox Churches]

PASCHAL Homily of St John Chrysostom

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From: 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33


Abuses
------
[17] But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because
when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.
[18] For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear
that there are divisions among you; and I partly believe it, [19] for
there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine
among you may be recognized. [20] When you meet together, it is not the
Lord's supper that you eat. [21] For in eating, each one goes ahead
with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. [22] What!
Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the
church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to
you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.


The Institution of the Eucharist and its Worthy Reception

---

[23] For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that
the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, [24] and
when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which
is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." [25] In the same way also
the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my
blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
[26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim
the Lord's death until he comes.


[33] So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one
another.

---

Commentary:


17-22. Here St Paul discusses a much more serious abuse. These
Christians used to combine the celebration of the Eucharist with a meal
in common. In principle, this meal was intended to be a sign of charity
and solidarity among those present: hence the fact that it was
sometimes called an agape or fraternal banquet; these meals also
provided an opportunity to help those most in need. However, certain
abuses had arisen: instead of a meal in which all shared equally, they
had been eating in groups, each group eating the food they had brought,
which meant that some ate and drank too much, while others did not have
enough or had nothing at all. The net effect was that this meal--giving
rise as it did to discontent and discord--was in sharp contrast with
the Eucharist the source of charity and unity. Very early on in the
Church the Eucharist was separated from these meals, which then became
simple fraternal meals with no liturgical significance.


23-26. These verses clearly bear witness to the early Christians' faith
in the eucharistic mystery. St Paul is writing around the year 57--only
twenty-seven years since the institution of the Eucharist--, reminding
the Corinthians of what they had been taught some years earlier ("c."
the year 51). The words "received" and "delivered" are technical terms
used to indicate that a teaching is part of apostolic Tradition; cf.
also 1 Cor 15:3. These two passages highlight the importance of that
apostolic Tradition. The words "I received from the Lord" are a
technical expression which means "I received through that Tradition
which goes back to the Lord himself."


There are three other New Testament accounts of the institution of the
Eucharist (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:16-20). This account, which
is most like St Luke's, is the earliest of the four.


The text contains the fundamental elements of Christian faith in the
mystery of the Eucharist: 1) the institution of this sacrament by Jesus
Christ and his real presence in it; 2) the institution of the Christian
priesthood; 3) the Eucharist is the sacrifice of the New Testament (cf.
notes on Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22: 16-20; 1 Cor 10: 14-22).


"Do this in remembrance of me": in instituting the Eucharist, our Lord
charged that it be re-enacted until the end of time (cf. Lk 22:19),
thereby instituting the priesthood. The Council of Trent teaches that
Jesus Christ our Lord, at the Last Supper, "offered his body and blood
under the species of bread and wine to God the Father and he gave his
body and blood under the same species to the apostles to receive,
making them priests of the New Testament at that time. [...] He ordered
the apostles and their successors in the priesthood to offer this
sacrament when he said, "Do this in remembrance of me", as the Catholic
Church has always understood and taught" ("De SS. Missae Sacrificio",
chap. 1; cf. can. 2). And so, Pope John Paul II teaches, the Eucharist
is "the principal and central reason-of-being of the sacrament of the
priesthood, which effectively came into being at the moment of the
institution of the Eucharist, and together with it" ("Letter to All
Bishops", 24 February 1980).


The word "remembrance" is charged with the meaning of a Hebrew word
which was used to convey the essence of the feast of the Passover--
commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. For the Israelites the passover
rite not only reminded them of a bygone event: they were conscious of
making that event present, reviving it, in order to participate in it,
in some way, generation after generation (cf. Ex 12:26-27; Deut 6:20-
25). So, when our Lord commands his Apostles to "do this in remembrance
of me", it is not a matter of merely recalling his supper but of
renewing his own passover sacrifice of Calvary, which already, at the
Last Supper, was present in an anticipated way.


33-34. These precise instructions show how desirous the Apostle is to
surround the mystery of the Eucharist with due adoration, respect and
reverence, which are a logical consequence of the sublimity of this
sacrament. The Church is tireless in making this point: "when
celebrating the Sacrament of the body and blood of the Lord, the full
magnitude of the divine mystery must be respected, as must the full
meaning of this sacramental sign in which Christ is really present and
is received, the soul is filled with grace and the pledge of future
glory is given (cf. Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 47).


"This is the source of the duty to carry out rigorously the
liturgical rules and everything that is a manifestation of community
worship offered to God himself, all the more so because in this
sacramental sign he entrusts himself to us with limitless trust, as if
not taking into consideration our human weakness, our unworthiness, the
force of habit, or even the possibility of insult. Every member of the
Church, especially bishops and priests, must be vigilant in seeing that
this Sacrament of love shall be at the center of the life of the people
of God, so that through all the manifestations of worship due to it
Christ shall be given back 'love for love' and truly become 'the life
of our souls' (cf. Jn 6:51-57; 14:6; Gal 2:20)" (John Paul II,
"Redemptor Hominis", 20).

---

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]

From: Luke 7:1-10


The Centurion's Faith

---

[1] After He (Jesus) had ended all His sayings in the hearing of the
people He entered Capernaum. [2] Now a centurion had a slave who was
dear to him, who was sick and at the point of death. [3] When he heard
of Jesus, he sent to Him elders of the Jews, asking Him to come and
heal his slave. [4] And when they came to Jesus, they besought Him
earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have You do this for him, [5] for he
loves our nation, and he built us our synagogue." [6] And Jesus went
with them. When He was not far from the house, the centurion sent
friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am
not worthy to have You come under my roof; [7] therefore I did not
presume to come to You. But say the word, and let my servant be
healed. [8] For I am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me:
and I say to one, `Go,' and he goes; and to another, `Come,' and he
comes; and to my slave, `Do this,' and he does it." [9] When Jesus
heard this He marvelled at him, and turned and said to the multitude
that followed Him, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such
faith." [10] And when those who had been sent returned to the house,
they found the slave well.

---

Commentary:


1-10. "They besought Him earnestly" (verse 4). Here is an example of
the effectiveness of the prayer of petition, which induces Almighty God
to work a miracle. In this connection St. Bernard explains what we
should ask God for: "As I see it, the petitions of the heart consists
in three things [...]. The first two have to do with the present, that
is, with things for the body and for the soul; the third is the
blessedness of eternal life. Do not be surprised that He says that we
should ask God for things for the body: all things come from Him,
physical as well as spiritual things [...]. However, we should pray
more often and more fervently for things our souls need, that is, for
God's grace and for virtues" ("Fifth Lenten Sermon", 8f). To obtain His
grace--of whatever kind--God Himself expects us to ask Him assiduously,
confidently, humbly and persistently.


What stands out here is the centurion's humility: he did not belong to
the chosen people, he was a pagan; but he makes his request through
friends, with deep humility. Humility is the route to faith, whether
to receive faith for the first time or to revive it. Speaking of his
own conversion experience, St. Augustine says that because he was not
humble, he could not understand how Jesus, who was such a humble
person, could be God, nor how God could teach anyone by lowering
Himself to the point of taking on our human condition. This was
precisely why the Word, eternal Truth, became man--to demolish our
pride, to encourage our love, to subdue all things and thereby be able
to raise us up (cf. "Confessions", VII, 18, 24).


6-7. Such is the faith and humility of the centurion that the Church,
in its eucharistic liturgy, gives us his very words to express our own
sentiments just before receiving Holy Communion; we too should strive
to have this interior disposition when Jesus enters our roof, our
soul.

---

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. John Chrysostom was born during the fourth century and died in
the year 407 while in exile from his diocese. St. John was born
around the year 344 in Antioch of a Christian family. John was raised
primarily by his mother, who was widowed soon after his birth and
who gave John an excellent example of virtue to follow in his own
life.

As a young man John studied rhetoric under Libanius, one of the
most famous orators of the fourth century. Around the year 374,
John retired from the world and began to lead an eremitic lifestyle
near the city of Antioch but he was forced to return to the city around
the year 386 because of poor health. While he was regaining his
health, John was ordained to the priesthood and soon gained a wide
reputation for his sermons. It is for these sermons and those given
later in his life while he served as bishop of Constantinople that
earned John the title "Chrysostom" or golden mouthed.

In the year 398, John was installed as bishop of Constantinople, the
center of the eastern empire. While John served as bishop, he used
his sermons to touch on every aspect of a Christian life. He criticized
the rich for not sharing their wealth, he sought to reform the clergy
and prevent the buying of ecclesiastical offices, he called for fidelity
in marriage and he encouraged all in the practices of perfect justice
and charity. John was energetic, outspoken and sought to lead the
faithful by his own example of holiness.

John's sermons stung the consciences of many powerful nobles and
bishops who began a movement to remove him from his diocese.
With the help of Empress Eudoxia, John was twice exiled from his
diocese. The second time John was exiled was in the year 407. He
was banished to the city of Pythius and died while on the way there.
St. John Chrysostom is the patron of preachers and of the city of
Istanbul and is considered one of the four great doctors of the
Eastern Church.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

What prayer could be more true before God the Father than that
which the Son, who is Truth, uttered with His own lips? -St. John Chrysostom


TODAY IN HISTORY

407 Death of St. John Chrysostom
604 Election of Sabinian as Pope
608 Death of St. Eulogius of Alexandria


TODAY'S TIDBIT

The four great doctors of the Eastern Church are St. John
Chrysostom (Sept 13), St. Athanasius (May 2), St. Gregory
Nazianzen (Jan 2) and St. Basil the Great (Jan 2).The four great
doctors of the Western Church are St. Augustine (Aug 28), St.
Jerome (Sept 30), St. Ambrose (Dec 7), and St. Gregory the Great
(Sept 3).


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all people working to overcome an addiction or habitual sin.

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Monday, September 13, 2004
St. John Chrysostom, Bishop, Doctor of the Church (Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33 Psalm 40:7-10, 17 Luke 7:1-10 I no longer desire to live a purely human life. Make this your choice if you yourselves would be chosen.  -- St. Ignatius of Antioch

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The Word Among Us

Monday, September 13, 2004

Meditation
Luke 7:1-10



Lord . . . I am not worthy. (Luke 7:6)

These beautiful words from the centurion here reveal much about what was going on in his heart. And as revealing as they are about this man’s state, they can also help us understand how to experience the healing power of Jesus in our lives and in the lives of those we love.

First, note that the centurion—a Gentile and a soldier—showed a deep admiration for the Jewish people by building a synagogue for them. Even though he was not a Jew, this man respected them as somehow special in God’s eyes. It’s possible that he himself even yearned for a deeper relationship with the God of Israel.

Next, after learning about Jesus, he immediately responded by sending word asking Jesus to come and heal a slave whom he loved. Again, the centurion had a great openness to—and desire for—the power of God that was evident every time Jesus met someone who was sick or hurting in any way.

Perhaps most important of all, we can see the heart of the centurion when he tells Jesus, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” (Luke 7:6). This powerful statement shows the centurion’s great humility of heart and his great faith and trust in the one who is worthy: Jesus. The centurion’s humble heart and trust in the Lord are also revealed by his actions. He never appears in person before the Lord but twice sends other messengers to Jesus, trusting that Jesus not only can heal his servant but will heal him as well. With such a heart, the power of Jesus’ healing was unleashed.

Our eager desire for Jesus, our humility of heart, and our great trust in Jesus and the power of God in him are the keys to receiving the healing that he wants to give us in the manner he wants to give it to us. The centurion’s heart and his actions brought forth God’s healing for his servant. Today, do your best to have a heart like that centurion. Take concrete action, and stand in faith as you receive Jesus’ healing touch.

“Jesus, I am truly not worthy of your great love. Still, I know that you are worthy of my love. So, trusting in you, I humbly ask you to pour out your healing power into my life.”

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Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Become a Maker of Peace
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D
Date:	Monday, September 13, 2004

1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33; Luke 7:1-10

Scholars tell us that from the beginning of recorded history, only a handful of years were marked by worldwide peace. Peace has played only a bit part on the stage of history, and yet peace is what every human heart longs for. As St. Paul reminds us today, even the early Christian communities had to struggle mightily to find it and then sustain it.

Wherever two or more people are gathered, eventual conflict is inevitable. You prefer red; he prefers blue. You like it lean; she likes fat. I like it cool, they like it warm. Who will prevail? Who will get their way? The issue becomes all the more pointed when the questions at hand are more than mere matters of taste. How does one divide a matter of principle democratically down the middle?

That brings us to the very crux of one of the greatest challenges of living as Christians: learning how to manage disagreements on matters about which there are deep feelings, without letting those feelings turn to hatred and warlike plotting.

This is no easy accomplishment, and it can come about only if we learn to look at one another through God’s eyes, and to say to ourselves, “This is a brother or a sister, beloved of God, and with the same deep longings as my own for love, peace, and harmony. I have no choice. I simply must find a way of living with him and building peace with her.”

And that’s our vocation: to become makers and builders of peace. To do that is to become like God Himself.

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One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

All Issues > Volume 20, Number 5

<< Monday, September 13, 2004 >>

St. John Chrysostom

1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33

Psalm 40

Luke 7:1-10

View Readings

THE NEW LIFE AFTER RECEIVING HOLY COMMUNION

“The Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread, and after He had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.’ ” —1 Corinthians 11:23-24

The teachings of the Church, and especially the Scriptures, are clear that we receive Jesus’ body and blood, soul and divinity when we receive Holy Communion. There are many corollaries to this amazing fact. We should therefore:

• try our very best to receive Holy Communion frequently or even daily,
• prepare for each Communion by prayer and fasting and not limit ourselves to the mandatory one-hour fast,
• go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly before going to Holy Communion,
• pray and read the daily eucharistic readings before praying the Mass,
• try to come to Mass early to recollect,
• try to stay after Mass for thanksgiving or come back later to adore the body of Jesus in the tabernacle,
• invite as many people as possible to do whatever would be necessary for them to receive Holy Communion, and
• warn others not to receive Communion if they are not Catholic or not in the state of grace for they could make themselves sick or weak (1 Cor 11:30).

Because we believe in the fact that we receive Jesus’ body and blood in Holy Communion, our entire lives change and become eucharistically centered. Live the Eucharist!

Prayer: Father, may I treasure each Communion in my life as if it were the only one.

Promise: “When the deputation returned to the house, they found the servant in perfect health.” —Lk 7:10

Praise: St. John Chrysostom could preach the word of God so effectively because he received the eucharistic Word so often.

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American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

September 13, 2004

St. John Chrysostom

(d. 407)

The ambiguity and intrigue surrounding John, the great preacher (his name means "golden-mouthed") from Antioch, are characteristic of the life of any great man in a capital city. Brought to Constantinople after a dozen years of priestly service in Syria, John found himself the reluctant victim of an imperial ruse to make him bishop in the greatest city of the empire. Ascetic, unimposing but dignified, and troubled by stomach ailments from his desert days as a monk, John began his episcopate under the cloud of imperial politics.

If his body was weak, his tongue was powerful. The content of his sermons, his exegesis of Scripture, were never without a point. Sometimes the point stung the high and mighty. Some sermons lasted up to two hours.

His life-style at the imperial court was not appreciated by some courtiers. He offered a modest table to episcopal sycophants hanging around for imperial and ecclesiastical favors. John deplored the court protocol that accorded him precedence before the highest state officials. He would not be a kept man.

His zeal led him to decisive action. Bishops who bribed their way into their office were deposed. Many of his sermons called for concrete steps to share wealth with the poor. The rich did not appreciate hearing from John that private property existed because of Adam's fall from grace any more than married men liked to hear that they were bound to marital fidelity just as much as their wives. When it came to justice and charity, John acknowledged no double standards.

Aloof, energetic, outspoken, especially when he became excited in the pulpit, John was a sure target for criticism and personal trouble. He was accused of gorging himself secretly on rich wines and fine foods. His faithfulness as spiritual director to the rich widow, Olympia, provoked much gossip attempting to prove him a hypocrite where wealth and chastity were concerned. His action taken against unworthy bishops in Asia Minor was viewed by other ecclesiastics as a greedy, uncanonical extension of his authority.

Two prominent personages who personally undertook to discredit John were Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, and Empress Eudoxia. Theophilus feared the growth in importance of the Bishop of Constantinople and took occasion to charge John with fostering heresy. Theophilus and other angered bishops were supported by Eudoxia. The empress resented his sermons contrasting gospel values with the excesses of imperial court life. Whether intended or not, sermons mentioning the lurid Jezebel and impious Herodias were associated with the empress, who finally did manage to have John exiled. He died in exile in 407.

Comment:

John Chrysostom's preaching, by word and example, exemplifies the role of the prophet to comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable. For his honesty and courage he paid the price of a turbulent ministry as bishop, personal vilification and exile.

Quote:

Bishops "should set forth the ways by which are to be solved very grave questions concerning the ownership, increase and just distribution of material goods, peace and war, and brotherly relations among all people" (Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops, 12).