Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 05-18-05, Optional, St. John I

May 18, 2005
Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Wednesday 23

Reading I
Sir 4:11-19

Wisdom breathes life into her children
and admonishes those who seek her.
He who loves her loves life;
those who seek her will be embraced by the Lord.
He who holds her fast inherits glory;
wherever he dwells, the LORD bestows blessings.
Those who serve her serve the Holy One;
those who love her the LORD loves.
He who obeys her judges nations;
he who hearkens to her dwells in her inmost chambers.
If one trusts her, he will possess her;
his descendants too will inherit her.
She walks with him as a stranger
and at first she puts him to the test;
Fear and dread she brings upon him
and tries him with her discipline
until she try him by her laws and trust his soul.
Then she comes back to bring him happiness
and reveal her secrets to them
and she will heap upon him
treasures of knowledge and an understanding of justice.
But if he fails her, she will abandon him
and deliver him into the hands of despoilers.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 119:165, 168, 171, 172, 174, 175

R. (165a) O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
Those who love your law have great peace,
and for them there is no stumbling block.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
I keep your precepts and your decrees,
for all my ways are before you.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
My lips pour forth your praise,
because you teach me your statutes.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
May my tongue sing of your promise,
for all your commands are just.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
I long for your salvation, O LORD,
and your law is my delight.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.
Let my soul live to praise you,
and may your ordinances help me.
R. O Lord, great peace have they who love your law.

Gospel
Mk 9:38-40

John said to Jesus,
"Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us."
Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us."

From: Sirach 4:11-19

Love of Wisdom

[11] Wisdom exalts her sons and gives help to those who seek her. [12]
Whoever loves her loves life, and those who seek her early will be filled
with joy. [13] Whoever holds her fast will obtain glory, and the Lord will
bless the place she enters. [14] Those who serve her will minister to the
Holy One; the Lord loves those who love her. [15] He who obeys her will
judge the nations, and whoever gives heed to her will dwell secure. [16] If
he has faith in her he will obtain her, and his descendants will remain in
possession of her. [17] For at first she will walk with him on tortuous
paths, she will bring fear and cowardice upon him, and will torment him by
her discipline until she. trusts I and she will test him with her ordinances.

Commentary:

4:11-19. This passage, as do others in the wisdom books, proclaims the
advantages that wisdom brings to those who seek her. Read in a Christian
context, where we can see Jesus Christ as being the Wisdom of God become
man, everything it says becomes very plain. The quest for wisdom is indeed
the quest for "the Holy One" (v. 14), that is, God himself. The path
described here (vv. 17-21) with all its twists and turns, is the path to
intimate knowledge of God.

From: Mark 9:38-40

Being the Servant of All

[38] John said to Him (Jesus), "Teacher, we saw a man casting out
demons in Your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following
us." [39] But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a
mighty work in My name will be able soon after to speak evil of Me.
[40] For he that is not against us is for us."

Commentary:

38-40. Our Lord warns the Apostles, and through them all Christians,
against exclusivism in the apostolate--the notion that "good is not
good unless I am the one who does it." We must assimilate this
teaching of Christ's: good is good, even if it is not I who do it.
Cf. note on Luke 9:49-50.

[The note on Luke 9:49-50 states:

49-50. Our Lord corrects the exclusivist and intolerant attitude of
the Apostles. St Paul later learned this lesson, as we can see from
what he wrote during his imprisonment in Rome: "Some indeed preach
Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will [...]. What
then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ
is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice" (Philippians 1:15, 18).
"Rejoice, when you see others working in good apostolic activities.
And ask God to grant them abundant grace and that they may respond to
that grace. Then, you, on your way: convince yourself that it's the
only way for you" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 965).]

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.

Catholic Culture

Collect:
God our Father, rewarder of all who believe, hear our prayers as we celebrate the martyrdom of Pope John help us to follow him in loyalty to the faith. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, one God, for ever and ever.

Activities:

less

Prayers:

less

May 18, 2005

Optional Memorial of St. John I, pope and martyr

Old Calendar: St. Venantius, martyr

John I was elected Pope in 523. The Arian King Theodoric sent him as his ambassador to Emperor Justin in Constantinople. On his return, he was captured by the king, who was displeased at the outcome of the embassy, and cast into prison at Ravenna where he died a few days later. As pope he was responsible for introducing the Alexandrian computation of the date of Easter; it came to be accepted throughout the west.

Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar St. John I's feast was celebrated on May 27. Today was the feast of St. Venantius, whose feast is no longer celebrated in the United States, but he remains on the Universal Calendar. He was born at Camerino in Umbria, and was led at the age of fifteen before Antiochus, governor of the town under the Emperor Decius. He was made to suffer cruel torments, but angels came and assisted him. His tormentors were touched with repentance by his constancy and many were converted. He was beheaded around the year 250. His body lies at Camerino in the church dedicated to him.

St. John I
This Tuscan was destined to be glorified not only during his lifetime but after his death as well. Although peace with the East had been restored, a suspicious Theodoric grumbled in his castle at Ravenna. An Arian, the king saw the new friendliness between East and West as a serious threat to his reign. To further alarm him, Emperor Justin had reinstated the laws against heretics, Arians included, and had embarked on a campaign of confiscating churches and excluding heretics from public office, causing many Arians to abandon their faith. Infuriated, Theodoric summoned John to Ravenna and ordered him to head a delegation to the orthodox emperor to ask that the persecution stop and allow forced converts to return to Arianism. At first John refused, then fearing that the king's wrath would be taken out on Western Catholics, he agreed to do Theodoric's bidding on every count save one. He boldly told the king that he would not ask the emperor to allow converts to return to heresy.

The pope arrived in Constantinople shortly before Easter in 526, and since he was the first pope to leave Italy, his reception was more than he could have dreamed. He had been met by the entire city at the twelfth milestone, where the clergy led the procession carrying candles and crosses, and even the emperor prostrated himself before the Holy Father. The day of Easter, John was seated in a throne higher than the one occupied by the patriarch, in the church of Sancta Sophia, where he celebrated Mass in the Latin tradition. John was accorded the highest honor when he placed the customary Easter crown on the head of Emperor Justin.

After meeting with Justin on Theodoric's behalf, the pope made the exhausting trip back to Ravenna. The king's fury raged. Jealous of the pope's grand reception in the East, Theodoric accused the pope of failing his mission by not securing all of the demands put to Justin. The king then ordered John to remain in Ravenna at his disposal. The aged pope was spent; the prospects before him were dismal. Already ailing, Pope John died and was hastily buried outside the castle walls. Pope John's body was exhumed and on May 27, 526, was returned to Rome and placed in the nave of St. Peter's. — The Popes: A Papal History

Things to Do:

The Church has had a long, unbroken line of popes. Have your children answer the following questions: How many popes has the Church had?; How many popes are honored with the title of saint, blessed or venerable?; Which pope reigned longest?; Which three names have been chosen most frequently by popes? You can check this page to help get the answers.
Pray especially for the Holy Father today. Make sure your children know the Morning Offering in which we pray for the Holy Father's intentions.

St. Venantius

When still a boy of fifteen, Venantius was martyred for his faith in his native city under the Emperor Decius (249-251). With heroic steadfastness he endured many and unspeakably cruel tortures. According to legend, he was scourged, burned with torches and hung headfirst over a smoking fire. He was then thrown to the lions; while they lay like lambs at his feet, he preached the Gospel to the people. This induced many pagans to accept the faith. Finally he was beheaded. — The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Camerino, Italy.

Symbols: Young man crucified upside-down with smoke coming from his head; young man holding the citadel of Camerino; young man holding the city of Camerino, a palm, and a book; young man with a banner holding a city wall.

http://www.zenit.org/english/

Code: ZE05051704

Date: 2005-05-17

Terri Schiavo's Parents Thank Vatican

Present Statues of "Missionaries of the Gospel of Life"

ROME, MAY 17, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Bob and Mary Schindler, parents of Terri Schiavo -- the American woman whose death was induced by depriving her of food and water -- visited the Vatican to say thank you.

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace council, received the two today, who thanked the cardinal for mobilizing forces in an attempt to save their daughter's life, "practically condemned to death by United States courts at the request of the woman's husband, Michael Schiavo," explained a press statement published by the council.

The cardinal expressed "his sympathy for the woman's murder by one of the most inhuman and cruel forms, hunger and thirst," said the statement.

Also present were promoters of the newly created association "Missionaries of the Gospel of Life," founded by Father Frank Pavone, who traveled to Rome to present the statutes of the association to the Holy See.

"The cardinal encouraged the initiatives of the new association in defense of human life, from conception until natural death," added the note.

"In this connection, the cardinal recalled the recent and firm affirmation of Benedict XVI, on the occasion of taking possession of the chair of St. John Lateran, when he emphasized that 'the freedom to kill is not an authentic freedom, but a tyranny that leads man to slavery,'" it continued.

"Obviously, this does not only affect abortion and euthanasia, but also the death penalty, war, terrorism, the destruction and manipulation of embryos, extermination by hunger or devastation of the natural environment," said Cardinal Martino.

Terri Schiavo's parents will attend Pope Benedict XVI's general audience on Wednesday.

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	What You Have Received as a Gift, Give as a Gift
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Sir 4:11-19 / Mk 9:38-40

Hardly a day goes by without serving up ample evidence that few of us understand or at least remember the basic truth that everything we have — our life, our talents, our world — everything we have is an unearned gift from God. And that all these gifts have been entrusted into our hands FOR A TIME, with the instruction to handle them respectfully and to carry them where they're needed.

That's the truth, but we so easily forget it and come to think of our gifts as ours and ours alone, clutching them possessively to our breast. We see that in today's gospel, where the apostles are outraged that some man who was not a member of their group was nevertheless casting out demons in Jesus' name. Somehow they'd come to think of this power as something that BELONGED to them and was for their sole use and discretion.

They still had a lot to learn, and they'd not yet taken into their hearts Jesus' words, "What you have received as a gift, give as a gift."

We each have different gifts and talents, and for each of us there are people to whom God intended those gifts to be carried. Learning how to carry our gifts of time, talent, and treasure to those who need them is one of life's most important lessons. The skill and the habit of sharing our gifts will bring us life's greatest and most lasting joys.

Mk 9:37-39
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
37	John answered him, saying: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us: and we forbade him.	respondit illi Iohannes dicens magister vidimus quendam in nomine tuo eicientem daemonia qui non sequitur nos et prohibuimus eum
38	But Jesus said: Do not forbid him. For there is no man that doth a miracle in my name and can soon speak ill of me.	Iesus autem ait nolite prohibere eum nemo est enim qui faciat virtutem in nomine meo et possit cito male loqui de me
39	For he that is not against you is for you.	qui enim non est adversum vos pro vobis est

A Voice in the Desert

Wednesday May 18, 2005 Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Reading (Sirach 4:11-19) Gospel (St. Mark 9:38-40)

In the Gospel reading today, Our Lord tells His apostles that no one can work a mighty deed in His name and then speak ill of Him, and then goes on to say, Anyone who is not against us is for us. We look around at our situation as it is and there are lots of people who will call upon the Name of the Lord; but, at the same time, as yet they do not believe in the fullness of the truth. But if they are true in calling upon the Lord, they will come to that truth eventually if they are truly seeking it. That, of course, is where the difficulty comes. They do not necessarily willfully speak ill of the Lord, although many of them do wind up speaking ill of His Church, and in that way speaking ill of the Lord without even realizing that is what they are doing. Yet, at the same time, what we are also seeing is that there are lots of people who call upon the Name of the Lord and they are becoming Catholic because they are open to the truth and they are seeking that truth.

That is precisely what we hear in the first reading when we hear about Wisdom. Remember, as we heard the other day, Saint Paul tells us that Jesus is the Wisdom of God. So we are talking here about the Second Person of the Trinity, the Wisdom of God, and it says, At first, Wisdom walks with him as a stranger. In other words, initially they are not fully aware of Who the Lord is. But then it says, She puts him to the test; fear and dread she brings upon him and tries him with discipline. We have all experienced how that works if we are going to walk with the Lord, and how there are going to be various trials and problems and difficulties.

The devil in his wily ways has convinced many people who call upon the Lord that by doing so there will be no trials; there will be no problems. It is what they call “The Gospel of Health and Wealth,” that as long as you believe in Jesus you are going to be wealthy and everything is going to be great and you will have no problem. Well, when we hear that the Lord is going to test us and He is going to try our souls and He is going to put us into fear and dread to see if we are going to remain faithful, you start out with people who already believe that there will be no suffering if they believe in Jesus, and they are not open to the truth. They are not open to be able to be formed by the Wisdom of God.

So it is imperative for us not to begin with any kind of preconceived notion of what things ought to be. Even for people who know they are going to suffer when they take up the spiritual life, they assume they are going to suffer in the way that they ought to. That is pure foolishness. You are not going to be able to tell God how you ought to do things. God, with His infinite imagination, is certainly not going to do it your way – and He has lots of interesting ways to test us. We simply have to understand, if we are going to do the work of the Lord, that we have to allow Him to be in charge, that we have to allow Him to purify us, that He is going to test us, not according to the way that we think we ought to be tested, but according to the way that He knows we truly need. As it says, She tries him with discipline, tries him by her laws to trust his soul, and then goes on to say, Then she comes back to him. The soul feels abandoned by God in the most severe trials. God is nowhere to be found, or so it seems, because He will not allow Himself to be felt. Yet if we remain faithful and we continue to grow in love, that is when all of the gifts will be given: the happiness and the secrets and the treasures of knowledge and the understanding of justice, as Sirach talks about. But that is only after things have been purified.

And so if we are going to walk with the Lord, as Sirach warned us yesterday, prepare yourself for trials. But do not try to assume what trials they are going to be because they will never be the ones that you expect. Let God lead and do not assume that because things are difficult that God hates you, that He is angry with you, that He has abandoned you, or anything else; nothing could be further from the truth. If you are going to try to do His Will, He is so grateful to you and He loves you so much – and it is because He loves you and He wants you to love even more than what you already do – that He tries you and He purifies you so that you can be perfect, so that you can fully do the Will of God in all things. That is why these things happen.

What we need to do simply is pray that God will take away all of our preconceived notions and ideas; that He will take away all of our fears; that He will give us the grace to do His Will and to truly desire the fullness of the Wisdom of God, which is union with Jesus Christ; and that we will accept whatever it takes to get there because that requires the trials, the discipline, and the difficulties that will come, but then it will bring about its fruit – which is peace of soul and union with Jesus Christ.

* This text was transcribed from the audio recording with minimal editing.

American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

May 18, 2005

St. John I

(d. 526)

Pope John I inherited the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Italy had been ruled for 30 years by an emperor who espoused the heresy, though he treated the empire’s Catholics with toleration. His policy changed at about the time the young John was elected pope.

When the eastern emperor began imposing severe measures on the Arians of his area, the western emperor forced John to head a delegation to the East to soften the measures against the heretics. Little is known of the manner or outcome of the negotiations—designed to secure continued toleration of Catholics in the West.

When John returned to Rome, he found that the emperor had begun to suspect his friendship with his eastern rival.

On his way home, John was imprisoned when he reached Ravenna because the emperor suspected a conspiracy against his throne. Shortly after his imprisonment, John died, apparently from the treatment he had received.

Comment:

We cannot choose the issues for which we have to suffer and perhaps die. John I suffered because of a power-conscious emperor. Jesus suffered because of the suspicions of those who were threatened by his freedom, openness and powerlessness. “If you find that the world hates you, know it has hated me before you.”

Quote:

“Martyrdom makes disciples like their Master, who willingly accepted death for the salvation of the world, and through it they are made like him by the shedding of blood. Therefore, the Church considers it the highest gift and supreme test of love. And while it is given to few, all however must be prepared to confess Christ before humanity and to follow him along the way of the cross amid the persecutions which the Church never lacks” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 42, Austin Flannery translation).

FEAST OF THE DAY

John I was born in the region of Tuscany, Italy during the fifth
century. Upon Pope St. Hormisdas' death in 523, John was elected
to the papacy and he took office.

At the time of John's election, the Roman Empire was ruled by
Theodoric the Goth who followed the Arian heresy. During the early
part of his reign, he tolerated Catholics and even granted several
influential government positions to Catholics. Around the time of
John's election Theodoric's policies changed drastically. This was
partially caused by the ascension of Emperor Justin I to the throne of
the Byzantine Empire. One of the things that Justin did to incur the
wrath of Theodoric was beginning a persecution of all heretics.
Theodoric responded by persecuting Catholics.

Theodoric quickly tried to enlist John's support in this political and
religious battle. John agreed to help and find a settlement, so he
headed a delegation commissioned to negotiate with Justin. The
pope's mission was successful and Justin proved to be very willing to
change his harsh policy, but Emperor Theodoric was not pleased. He
imagined that a conspiracy was forming between John and Justin
against him. While the pope was still on his return trip to Rome,
Theodoric ordered him to be kidnapped and imprisoned. The pope
soon died in prison because of thirst and starvation.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

We must above all show charity to our enemies. By this you may
know that a man is a true Christian, if he seeks to do good to those
who wish him evil. -St. Alphonsus Liguori

TODAY IN HISTORY

526 Pope St. John I dies

TODAY'S TIDBIT

Arianism believed that Jesus was not Divine. This heresy was battled
by many of the Councils of the Early Church and is one of the
reasons why the Nicene Creed has such a strong Trinitarian
formulation. This structure focuses attention on the fact that Jesus
was both truly Divine.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for all people working as missionaries.

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