Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 06-02-05, Optional, Sts. Marcellinus & Peter

YSCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 06-02-05 | New American Bible

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June 2, 2005
Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Thursday 25

Reading I
Tb 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a

When the angel Raphael and Tobiah had entered Media
and were getting close to Ecbatana,
Raphael said to the boy,
"Tobiah, my brother!"
He replied: "Here I am!"
He said: "Tonight we must stay with Raguel, who is a relative of yours.
He has a daughter named Sarah."

So he brought him to the house of Raguel,
whom they found seated by his courtyard gate.
They greeted him first.
He said to them, "Greetings to you too, brothers!
Good health to you, and welcome!"
And he brought them into his home.

Raguel slaughtered a ram from the flock
and gave them a cordial reception.
When they had bathed and reclined to eat, Tobiah said to Raphael,
"Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to let me marry
my kinswoman Sarah."
Raguel overheard the words; so he said to the boy:
"Eat and drink and be merry tonight,
for no man is more entitled
to marry my daughter Sarah than you, brother.
Besides, not even I have the right to give her to anyone but you,
because you are my closest relative.
But I will explain the situation to you very frankly.
I have given her in marriage to seven men,
all of whom were kinsmen of ours,
and all died on the very night they approached her.
But now, son, eat and drink.
I am sure the Lord will look after you both."
Tobiah answered,
"I will eat or drink nothing until you set aside what belongs to me."

Raguel said to him: "I will do it.
She is yours according to the decree of the Book of Moses.
Your marriage to her has been decided in heaven!
Take your kinswoman;
from now on you are her love, and she is your beloved.
She is yours today and ever after.
And tonight, son, may the Lord of heaven prosper you both.
May he grant you mercy and peace."
Then Raguel called his daughter Sarah, and she came to him.
He took her by the hand and gave her to Tobiah with the words:
"Take her according to the law.
According to the decree written in the Book of Moses
she is your wife.
Take her and bring her back safely to your father.
And may the God of heaven grant both of you peace and prosperity."
Raguel then called Sarah's mother and told her to bring a scroll,
so that he might draw up a marriage contract
stating that he gave Sarah to Tobiah as his wife
according to the decree of the Mosaic law.
Her mother brought the scroll,
and Raguel drew up the contract, to which they affixed their seals.

Afterward they began to eat and drink.
Later Raguel called his wife Edna and said,
"My love, prepare the other bedroom and bring the girl there."
She went and made the bed in the room, as she was told,
and brought the girl there.
After she had cried over her, she wiped away the tears and said:
"Be brave, my daughter.
May the Lord grant you joy in place of your grief.
Courage, my daughter."
Then she left.

When the girl's parents left the bedroom
and closed the door behind them,
Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife,
"My love, get up.
Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us
and to grant us deliverance."
She got up, and they started to pray
and beg that deliverance might be theirs.
And they began to say:

"Blessed are you, O God of our fathers,
praised be your name forever and ever.
Let the heavens and all your creation
praise you forever.
You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve
to be his help and support;
and from these two the human race descended.
You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone;
let us make him a partner like himself.'
Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine
not because of lust,
but for a noble purpose.
Call down your mercy on me and on her,
and allow us to live together to a happy old age."

They said together, "Amen, amen," and went to bed for the night.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R. (see 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
Blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Gospel
Mk 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

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From: Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a (New American Bible)
Tobit 6:9-10; 7:1bcde, 8bcde-18; 8:4-9a (Revised Standard Version)


Arrival in Media

---

[9] When they (the angel Raphael and Tobias) approached Ecbatana, [10] the
angel said to the young man, "Brother, today we shall stay with Raguel. He
is your relative, and he has an only daughter named Sarah."


Sarah's Hand is Sought in Marriage (Continuation)

---

[1bcde] (When they) arrived at the house of Raguel, Sarah met them and
greeted them. They returned her greeting, and she brought them
into the house. [8bcde] They received them very warmly; and they killed a ram
from the flock and set large servings of food before them.


Then Tobias said to Raphael, "Brother Azarias, speak of those things which
you talked about on the journey, and let the matter be settled." [9] So he
communicated the proposal to Raguel. And Raguel said to Tobias. "Eat, drink,
and be merry; [10] for it is your right to take my child But let me explain
the true situation to you.

[11] I have given my daughter to seven husbands, and when each came to her
he died in the night. But for the present be merry." And Tobias said, "I
will eat nothing here until you make a binding agreement with me." [12] So
Raguel said, "Take her right now, in accordance with the law. You are her
relative, and she is yours. The merciful God will guide you both for the
best." [13] Then he called his daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand he
gave her to Tobias to be his wife, saying, "Here she is; take her according
to the law of Moses, and take her with you to your father." And he blessed
them. [14] Next he called his wife Edna, and took a scroll and wrote out the
contract; and they set their seals to it. [15] Then they began to eat.

[16] And Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, "Sister, make up the
other room, and take her into it." [17] So she did as he said, and took her
there; and the girl began to weep. But the mother comforted her daughter in
her tears, and said to her, [18] "Be brave, my child; the Lord of heaven and
earth grant you joy in place of this sorrow of yours. Be brave, my daughter."


Tobias' and Sarah's Wedding Night (Continuation)

---

[4] When the door was shut and the two were alone, Tobias got up from the
bed and said, "Sister, get up, and let us pray that the Lord may have mercy
upon us." [5] And Tobias began to pray, "Blessed art thou, 0 God of our
fathers, and blessed be thy holy and glorious name for ever. Let the heavens
and all thy creatures bless thee. [6] Thou madest Adam and gayest him Eve
his wife as a helper and support. From them the race of mankind has sprung.
Thou didst say, 'It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a
helper for him like himself.' [7] And now, 0 Lord, I am not taking this
sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that I may find
mercy and may grow old together with her." [8] And she said with him,
"Amen." [9]Then they both went to sleep for the night.

---

Commentary:


6:9-17. According to the Law (cf. Num 36:1-13), when a daughter inherits
from her father (cf. Num 27:1-11) she should marry a man of her own tribe,
in order to ensure that her inheritance does not (as a dowry) become the
property of another tribe. It is up to Tobias to marry Sarah because he is
the closest relative (the text does not say whether the earlier husbands
were relatives). The angel points out the advantages of complying with that
law: Tobias will get Sarah's inheritance, but he will also get a beautiful
and sensible wife; he encourages him not to delay (v. 12).

Tobias raises weighty objections, not just because he is afraid he will
suffer the fate of the other husbands but because he feels a duty to his
elderly parents (vv. 14-15)--as indeed the Law lays down. The angel tells
him how these difficulties can be dealt with: he reminds Tobias of his
father's instruction (v. 15; 4:12) and tells him how to deal with the
demon (vv. 16-17), not only by using parts of the fish but also by having
recourse to prayer (v. 17). The words "she was destined for you from all
eternity"(v. 17) show that the love between the two young people which leads
them to marriage is being guided by divine providence and is part of a
mysterious plan of God's, an eternal plan. This is borne out by the fact
that Tobias falls in love with the girl even before meeting her (v. 18). St
J. Escrivá advises young people to put themselves under the protection of
the archangel Raphael: "How frankly you laughed when I advised you to put
the years of your youth under the protection of Saint Raphael: so that he'll
lead you, like young Tobias, to a holy marriage, with a girl who is good and
pretty and rich', I told you, jokingly. And then how thoughtful you
became!...when I went on to advise you to put yourself also under the
patronage of that young apostle John; in case God were to ask more of you"
("The Way", 360).

The Vulgate, after v. 16, adds the following: "For they who in such manner
receive matrimony, as to shut out God from themselves, and from their mind,
and to give themselves to their lust, as the horse and mule, which have not
understanding: over them the devil hath power. But thou, when thou shalt
take her, go into the chamber: and for three days keep thyself continent
from her, and give thyself to nothing else but to prayers with her. And on
that night lay the liver of the fish on the fire: and the devil shall be
driven away. But the second night, thou shalt be admitted into the society
of the holy Patriarchs. And the third night, thou shalt obtain a blessing
that sound children may be born of you. And when the third night is past,
thou shalt take the virgin with the fear of the Lord, moved rather for love
of children than for lust: that in the seed of Abraham thou mayst obtain a
blessing in children."


7:1-12. At this point Tobias takes the initiative and asks the angel to
speak on his behalf (v. 8). Raguel is clearly an upright man; he does not
hide the situation from Tobias; he does not want the young man to die, so he
tries to delay doing what the Law lays down (v. 10). Eventually he consents
to the marriage: he will obey the law of Moses (v. 13), despite the possible
consequences.

In the Vulgate, Raguel's decision is influenced by something the angel says
to him: "Be not afraid to give her to this man, for to him who feareth God
is thy daughter due to be his wife. Therefore another could not have her.
Then Raguel said: I doubt not but God hath regarded my prayers and tears in
his sight. And I believe he hath therefore made you come to me, that this
maid might be married to one of her own kindred, according to the law of
Moses: and now doubt not but I will give her to thee."

7:14-18. This is the first time we find in the Bible a formal marriage
contract involving a written document. In time, this document will be called
by Jews the "Ketubah". For Sarah's parents the wedding is almost a mournful
affair, but they still hope that things will work out well because they have
done everything according to the Law of the Lord, whom they invoke.


8:1-12. Three things happen in parallel here: the demon flees, chased off by
a puff of smoke (which shows how weak he is when man lets himself be guided
by the word of God), and the angel binds him; Sarah's father digs a grave
for Tobias (this symbolizes those who are guided by human prudence, not
trusting in divine providence; they are proved wrong); and Tobias and Sarah
spend the night in prayer and win the Lord's blessing: their prayer praises
God, recalling the creation of man and woman (cf. Gen 2:18) and implores his
blessing.

The Church offers this passage (vv. 5-7) as a reading for the rite of
marriage, because it touches on the divine and human aspects of married
love. The Second Vatican Council says that "married love is eminently human
love because it is an affection between two rooted in the will and it
embraces the good of the whole person; it can enrich the sentiments of the
spirit and their physical expression with a unique dignity and ennoble them
as the special elements and signs of the friendship proper to marriage. The
Lord, wishing to bestow special gifts of grace and divine love on it, has
restored, perfected, and elevated it. A love like that, bringing together
the human and the divine, leads the partners to a free and mutual giving of
self, experienced in tenderness and action, and permeates their whole lives;
besides, this love is actually developed and increased by the exercise of
it. This is a far cry from mere erotic attraction, which is pursued in
selfishness and soon fades away in wretchedness.

"Married love is uniquely expressed and perfected by the exercise of the
acts proper to marriage. Hence the acts in marriage by which the intimate
and chaste union of the spouses take place are noble and honorable; the
truly human performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify
and enriches the spouses in joy and gratitude'." ("Gaudium Et Spes", 49).

---

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.

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From: Mark 12:28-34


The Greatest Commandment of All

---

[28] One of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one
another, and seeing that He (Jesus) answered them well, asked Him,
"Which commandment is the first of all?" [29] Jesus answered, "The
first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; [30] and
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' [31] The
second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is
no other commandment greater than these." [32] And the scribe said to
Him, "You are right, Teacher; You have truly said that He is one, and
there is no other than He; [33] and to love with all the heart, and
with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love
one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings
and sacrifices." [34] And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He
said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And after that
no one dared to ask Him any question.

---

Commentary:


28-34. The doctor of the law who asks Jesus this question is obviously
an upright man who is sincerely seeking the truth. He was impressed by
Jesus' earlier reply (verses 18-27) and he wants to learn more from
Him. His question is to the point and Jesus devotes time to
instructing him, though he will soon castigate the scribes, of whom
this man is one (cf. Mark 12:38ff).


Jesus sees in this man not just a scribe but a person who is looking
for the truth. And His teaching finds its way into the man's heart.
The scribe repeats what Jesus says, savoring it, and our Lord offers
him an affectionate word which encourages his definitive conversion:
"You are not far from the Kingdom of God." This encounter reminds us
of His meeting with Nicodemus (cf. John 3:1ff). On the doctrinal
content of these two commandments cf. note on Matthew 22:34-40.


[Note on Matthew 22:34-40 states:


In reply to the question, our Lord points out that the whole law can
be condensed into two commandments: the first and more important
consists in unconditional love of God; the second is a consequence and
result of the first, because when man is loved, St. Thomas says, God is
loved, for man is the image of God (cf. "Commentary on St. Matthew",
22:4).


A person who genuinely loves God also loves his fellows because he
realizes that they are his brothers and sisters, children of the same
Father, redeemed by the same blood of our Lord Jesus Christ: "This
commandment we have from Him, that he who loves God should love his
brother also" (1 John 4:21). However, if we love man for man's sake
without reference to God, this love will become an obstacle in the way
of keeping the first commandment, and then it is no longer genuine love
of our neighbor. But love of our neighbor for God's sake is clear
proof that we love God: "If anyone says, `I love God', and hates his
brother, he is a liar" (1 John 4:20).


"You shall love your neighbor as yourself": here our Lord establishes
as the guideline for our love of neighbor the love each of us has for
himself; both love of others and love of self are based on love of
God. Hence, in some cases it can happen that God requires us to put
our neighbor's need before our own; in others, not: it depends on what
value, in light of God's love, needs to be put on the spiritual and
material factors involved.


Obviously spiritual goods take absolute precedence over material ones,
even over life itself. Therefore, spiritual goods, be they our own or
our neighbor's, must be the first to be safeguarded. If the spiritual
good in question is the supreme one for the salvation of the soul, no
one is justified in putting his own soul into certain danger of being
condemned in order to save another, because given human freedom we can
never be absolutely sure what personal choice another person may make:
this is the situation in the parable (cf. Matthew 25:1-13), where the
wise virgins refuse to give oil to the foolish ones; similarly St. Paul
says that he would wish himself to be rejected if that could save his
brothers (cf. Romans 9:3)--an unreal theoretical situation. However,
what is quite clear is that we have to do all we can to save our
brothers, conscious that, if someone helps to bring a sinner back to
the way, he will save himself from eternal death and cover a multitude
of his own sins (James 5:20). From all this we can deduce that
self-love of the right kind, based on God's love for man, necessarily
involves forgetting oneself in order to love God and our neighbor for
God.]


30. This commandment of the Old Law, ratified by Jesus, shows, above
all, God's great desire to engage in intimate conversation with man:
"would it not have sufficed to publish a permission giving us leave to
love Him? [...]. He makes a stronger declaration of His passionate
love for us, and commands us to love Him with all our power, lest the
consideration of His majesty and our misery, which make so great a
distance and inequality between us, or some other pretext, divert us
from His love. In this He well shows that He did not leave in us for
nothing the natural inclination to love Him, for to the end that it may
not be idle, He urges us by His general commandment to employ it, and
that this commandment may be effected, there is no living man He has
not furnished him abundantly with all means requisite thereto" (St.
Francis de Sales, "Treatise on the Love of God", Book 2, Chapter 8).

---

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.

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Thursday, June 2, 2005
Feria

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1, 9-17; 8:4-9 Psalm 128:1-5 Mark 12:28-34 We must pray without ceasing, in every occurrence and employment of our lives - that prayer which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with Him. -- St Elizabeth Ann Seton

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Catholic Culture

Collect: Father, may we benefit from the example of your martyrs Marcellinus and Peter, and be supported by their prayers. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Recipes: » Overnight Basic Italian Activities: » Fourteen Holy Helpers » Namedays » Religion in the Home for Preschool: June » What is a Nameday? Prayers: » June Devotion: The Sacred Heart » Litany of the Fourteen Holy Helpers » Novena to the Sacred Heart

June 02, 2005 Optional Memorial of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs Old Calendar: Saints Marcellinus, Peter and Erasmus, bishop, martyrs Peter and Marcellinus are two Roman martyrs who suffered under the Diocletian persecution, about the year 303; the first was an exorcist, the second a priest. Their cultus was so important that after peace was restored to the Church, Constantine built a basilica in their honor. Their names are mentioned in the Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer I). Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar this was also the feast of St. Erasmus, a bishop in Asia Minor, who was martyred in Campania at about the same time. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. St. Marcellinus and St. Peter Peter, an exorcist, was cast into prison at Rome, under the emperor Diocletian, by the judge Serenus, for confessing the Christian faith. He there set free Paulina, the daughter of Artemius, the keeper of the prison, from an evil spirit which tormented her. Upon this, Artemius and his wife and all their house, with their neighbors who had run together to see the strange thing, were converted to Jesus Christ. Peter therefore brought them to Marcellinus the priest, who baptized them all. When Serenus heard of it, he called Peter and Marcellinus before him, and sharply rebuked them, adding to his bitter words threats and terrors, unless they would deny Christ. Marcellinus answered him with Christian boldness, whereupon he caused him to be buffeted, separated him from Peter, and shut him up naked, in a prison strewn with broken glass, without either food or light. Peter also he confined. But when both of them were found to increase in faith and courage in their bonds, they were beheaded, unshaken in their testimony, and confessing Jesus Christ gloriously by their blood. Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B. Things to Do: Read an excerpt about St. Peter from Sacred and Legendary Art. St. Marcellinus and Peter are included in the Roman Martyrology, originally a written catalogue of those saints who shed their blood for Christ during the early centuries of pagan persecution. Local churches celebrated each martyr's "birthday" into heaven, assigning the day of their final victory over the world as their feastday in the liturgical calendar. When she triumphantly arose from the catacombs, the Church gradually introduced other great saints, who were not slain for their faith, into the Martyrology as she combined the recorded Acta of both east and west. An official book of the Roman liturgy it's pages contain the names of thousands of our most valiant Catholic heroes and heroines along with a very brief biographical sketch commemorating either their martyrdom or their most enduring accomplishments. If you would like to purchase a copy you can do so at Amazon.com. St. Erasmus In Campania the bishop Erasmus was, under the empire of Diocletian and Maximian, beaten with clubs and whips loaded with lead, and afterwards plunged into resin, sulphur, melted lead, boiling pitch, wax, and oil. From all this he came forth whole and sound: which wonder converted many to believe in Christ. He was remanded to prison, and bound in iron fetters. But from these he was wondrously delivered by an angel. At last, being taken to Formi, Maximian caused him to be subjected to divers torments, being clad in a coat of re-hot brass, but the power of God made him more than a conqueror in all these things also. Afterwards, having converted many to the faith and confirmed them therein, he obtained the palm of a glorious martyrdom. Excerpted from The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B. He is invoked for intestinal diseases, for his legend asserts that he was tortured by winding his entrails round a windlass. He is also called St. Elmo, and the static electricity on boats, Saint Elmo's Fire, is named after him. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Patron: Abdominal pains; ammunition workers; appendicitis; birth pains; boatmen; childbirth; childhood intestinal disease; colic; danger at sea; explosives workers; intestinal disorders; mariners; navigators; ordnance workers; sailors; seasickness; stomach diseases; storms; watermen; women in labor. Symbols: Windlass or capstan wound with his intestines; ship; ravens bringing him bread; cauldron of molten lead; red-hot armour; three-pronged hook; cauldron of boiling pitch or resin.

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St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs

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St. Marcellinus and St. Peter, Martyrs

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Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	Don’t Close the Door Too Fast
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Thursday, June 2, 2005

Tobit 6:10-11;7:1,9-17;8:4-9a / Mk 12:28b-34

We can gain a good bit of wisdom by watching for the patterns in the world around us. What does this person or that group usually do? They’re likely to do it again. If a company has lost money for five years straight, you’d better look twice before you invest in it. And if no graduates from a given school have gotten into college in the past decade, you’d better think again before enrolling your children there.

Finding patterns can tell us a lot that’s useful and they can warn us away from serious mistakes, but it can also shut doors on opportunity. We see that in today’s Old Testament reading. Tobiah was faced with some hard facts about the woman he wanted to marry: She’d been married seven times and all seven husbands had been murdered! The meaning of the pattern appeared to be clear, but it wasn’t. The murders had not been done by her but by an enemy, and the poor woman was in need of rescue.

Tobiah didn’t close the door on her, but took her to himself. Together they gave themselves into the Lord’s care, and what seemed to be a disaster in the making was a marriage the lasted into old age.

God does not see as we see. He sees life and hope where they are hidden from our view. The prudent soul always watches for the patterns in life, but also knows to look beneath the surface where hidden riches await. Learn to see as God sees and you will never close a door too early.

 

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A Voice in the Desert

 

Thursday June 2, 2005   Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading (Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1bcde, 9-17; 8:4-9a) 

Gospel (St. Mark 12:28-34)

 In the first reading today, we hear this story about Tobiah and Sarah being married. And as Sarah’s father, Raguel, pointed out, he had given his daughter seven times to men in marriage but they had never made it as far as the marriage bed. The reason for that was a curse that had been put upon Sarah. She was bothered by this demon by the name of Asmodeus, and the curse was that if anyone approached her with lust (because she was a very, very pretty girl) they would die. So the question then is how this curse is going to be broken.

The story goes on, and Raguel is actually out digging another grave when they wake up in the morning because he assumed that there was going to be another dead young man, just as there had been seven times already. But there is a great lesson for every married person here, and that is to be able to see exactly how this curse was broken. They got up from bed, he did not approach her with any kind of lust or impurity or selfishness, rather they knelt down and they prayed. It was this, which they did for three nights in a row, that broke the curse. And it is something that teaches us what married love has to be about.

 So many times, people get married for a selfish reason, whatever it might be. The worst of all of them is when somebody is looking for a trophy, because then the other person is nothing but an object. That is not what a person is. We are made to love and we are made to be loved. To approach somebody with lust, to approach somebody as an object is a violation of that person’s dignity, as well, of course, as your own. It is to be two people who truly love one another. The marital embrace, then, is to be an act of love. It is not two people using one another for selfish pleasure. It is two people giving to one another and two people receiving from one another, which is entirely different from two people taking from one another. Externally, it might look the same; internally, it is a 180° difference. It is an act of love, giving and receiving, but not taking. It is not selfish. That is where the difference comes. If it is selfish, it is not an act of love. That was precisely why these young men died. They approached Sarah out of selfishness, out of lust, and that is not the way it is to be in marriage. It is to be two persons seeking the good of one another, not looking out for their own self. And that is exactly what is vowed in marriage.

 It is also what we see in the reading today in the Gospel. The two greatest commandments are love God and love your neighbor. What did Tobiah and Sarah do? They turned immediately to God, and out of love for one another they were able to break this curse. So we see exactly the way it is to be in marriage. God has to be first, your spouse is second, and you are at the bottom rung of the ladder in your own estimation. Your spouse has to look at it the same way from his or her perspective, that God is first and spouse is second. That is not the way we learn in America. 

And I should point out that any attempt to contracept is a complete violation of the marriage vows, it is a complete violation of the dignity of your spouse, and it is a complete violation of the gift of human sexuality that God has given to each one of us; therefore, it is never – never, ever – and cannot be an act of love. To contracept is to use another person and to completely violate that person, and it violates the vows that you made on the day you got married. That holds true not only for any external form of contraception, but also for sterilization in any form. It is to be an act of love. Marriage is a covenant of love, and the expression of the marriage is to be an act of love. 

These things are of absolutely critical importance. Just look at what is happening to marriage with a nearly 60% divorce rate in this country. The reason is very simple: selfishness. And, ultimately, underneath that selfishness is the expression of selfishness – and that is contraception. It is the number one factor in the divorce rate in this country and throughout the world. So we need to look very seriously at this vocation that God has given to the vast majority of people, to recognize that this is the way you will become saints or fail to become saints. If it is to love God first, it is to obey His commandments. The very first commandment God gave to humanity is to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it – not have two kids and get fixed. Nowhere are you going to find that in the Bible, but in fact the Bible says that we are blessed when we have many children, not just one or two and then cut it off. 

We need to make sure that we are loving God first and being obedient to Him. And flowing from that love for God is the love that you have for your spouse, not only the love that you have in your heart but the love that is going to be expressed in and through the body. It must be proper. It must be true love. It must be seeking only the good of the other person and not any kind of selfish pleasure. In that way, when it is two people who are truly loving each other, then the marriage is going to build one another up, it is going to be extraordinarily beautiful, the two of you will become saints, and in this life your love will be perfected so that it will be able to have that perfect unity that will be all of ours in eternity. 

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

[Ciexyz]

Faith-sharing bump.

[Ciexyz]

"Blessed are those who fear the Lord" bump.

[Smartass]

"When people stop believing in God,
they don't believe in nothing
-- they believe in anything."
--G. K. Chesterton

[annalex]

Mk 12:28-34
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
28	And there came one of the scribes that had heard them reasoning together, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him which was the first commandment of all.	et accessit unus de scribis qui audierat illos conquirentes et videns quoniam bene illis responderit interrogavit eum quod esset primum omnium mandatum
29	And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God.	Iesus autem respondit ei quia primum omnium mandatum est audi Israhel Dominus Deus noster Deus unus est
30	And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.	et diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo et ex tota anima tua et ex tota mente tua et ex tota virtute tua hoc est primum mandatum
31	And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.	secundum autem simile illi diliges proximum tuum tamquam te ipsum maius horum aliud mandatum non est
32	And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth that there is one God and there is no other besides him.	et ait illi scriba bene magister in veritate dixisti quia unus est et non est alius praeter eum
33	And that he should be loved with the whole heart and with the whole understanding and with the whole soul and with the whole strength. And to love one's neighbour as one's self is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices.	et ut diligatur ex toto corde et ex toto intellectu et ex tota anima et ex tota fortitudine et diligere proximum tamquam se ipsum maius est omnibus holocaustomatibus et sacrificiis
34	And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.	Iesus autem videns quod sapienter respondisset dixit illi non es longe a regno Dei et nemo iam audebat eum interrogare

[annalex]

Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles

Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-11
Tempera on wood, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

Note Judas is absent, preparing the betrayal.

[Salvation]

American Cathlic's Saint of the Day

June 2, 2005

Sts. Marcellinus and Peter

(d. 304)

Marcellinus and Peter were prominent enough in the memory of Church to be included among the saints of the Roman Canon. Mention of their names is optional in our present Eucharistic Prayer I.

Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was an exorcist, that is, someone authorized by the Church to deal with cases of demonic possession. They were beheaded during the persecution of Diocletian. Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph apparently based on the report of their executioner, and Constantine erected a basilica over the crypt in which they were buried in Rome. Numerous legends sprang from an early account of their death.

Comment:

Why are these men included in our Eucharistic prayer, and given their own feast day, in spite of the fact that almost nothing is known about them? Probably because the Church respects its collective memory. They once sent an impulse of encouragement through the whole Church. They made the ultimate step of faith.

Quote:

"The Church has always believed that the apostles, and Christ's martyrs who had given the supreme witness of faith and charity by the shedding of their blood, are quite closely joined with us in Christ" (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 50).

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Thursday, June 02, 2005 Meditation Mark 12:28-34 Is anything in life more important than the call to love? No. Jesus makes that abundantly clear in today’s gospel. Love is the heart and foundation of our lives as disciples. It is God’s call to all people. And that’s why Jesus’ words about love found a home in this scribe’s heart. Jesus could see that because he grasped the centrality of love in God’s plan, this man was very close to the kingdom of God. As Christians, we have heard Jesus’ command to love many times. How are we doing? To what degree are we loving in deed and truth and not just talking about it (1 John 3:18)? True love costs. At times it is very difficult to love, especially our enemies. Jesus, however, can enlarge our hearts; his Spirit can help us love beyond our limited capacity. But this passage presents us with another question: How do we view those who are not followers of Jesus and yet are making attempts to love? Do we look with compassion and even admiration on them, even if they may not be committed Christians? Those who do not share our beliefs about God, even those who have some very mistaken views of God, may nevertheless find a place in their hearts for Jesus’ teaching. Like the scribe, they may not be far from the kingdom of God. Loving God and loving others are the most important things we can do. As St. John of the Cross once said, “At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love.” Jesus wants our lives to be marked by a love that seeks the good of other people and is willing to take a humble position of service. Day after day, Jesus gives us opportunities to love, along with the grace to seize these opportunities. As we love with his love, we have no idea of the ways we may influence the people around us. Who knows? Maybe our efforts to love will spur someone else to take steps that will bring them more fully into God’s kingdom. Let us pray for everyone who is striving to love in deed and truth. “Jesus, please give me a greater capacity for love. Help me to love as you love. Help those who are not far from your kingdom to respond ever more fully to your call to love.” Tobit 6:10-11; 7:1,9-17; 8:4-9; Psalm 128:1-5

[Ciexyz]

"A Voice in the Desert" bump.