July 21, 2005
Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Psalm: Thursday 32
Reading IEx 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b
In the third month after their departure from the land of Egypt,
on its first day, the children of Israel came to the desert of Sinai.
After the journey from Rephidim to the desert of Sinai,
they pitched camp.
While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain,
the LORD told Moses,
"I am coming to you in a dense cloud,
so that when the people hear me speaking with you,
they may always have faith in you also."
When Moses, then, had reported to the LORD the response of the people,
the LORD added, "Go to the people
and have them sanctify themselves today and tomorrow.
Make them wash their garments and be ready for the third day;
for on the third day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai
before the eyes of all the people."
On the morning of the third day
there were peals of thunder and lightning,
and a heavy cloud over the mountain,
and a very loud trumpet blast,
so that all the people in the camp trembled.
But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God,
and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain.
Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke,
for the LORD came down upon it in fire.
The smoke rose from it as though from a furnace,
and the whole mountain trembled violently.
The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking
and God answering him with thunder.
When the LORD came down to the top of Mount Sinai,
he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain.
Responsorial PsalmDaniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56
R. (52b)
Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages."
R.
Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever."
R.
Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you on the throne of your Kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R.
Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever."
R.
Glory and praise for ever!"Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever."
R.
Glory and praise for ever!
GospelMt 13:10-17
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?"
He said to them in reply,
"Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them.
"But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
From: Matthew 13:10-17
Parable of the Sower (Continuation)
[10] Then the disciples came and said to Him (Jesus), "Why do You speak
to them in parables?" [11] And He answered them, "To you it has been
given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has
not been given. [12] For to him who has will more be given, and he
will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be
taken away. [13] This is why I speak to them in parables, because
seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they
understand. [14] With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah
which says: `You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall
indeed see but never perceive. [15] For this people's heart has grown
dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their
ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'
[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they
hear. [17] Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed
to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and
did not hear it."
Commentary:
10-13. The kind of Kingdom Jesus was going to establish did not suit
the Judaism of His time, largely because of the Jew's nationalistic,
earthbound idea of the Messiah to come. In His preaching Jesus takes
account of the different outlooks of His listeners, as can be seen in
the attitudes described in the parable of the sower. If people were
well disposed to Him, the enigmatic nature of the parable would
stimulate their interest; and Jesus later did give His many disciples a
fuller explanation of its meaning; but there was no point in doing
this if people were not ready to listen.
Besides, parables--as indeed any type of comparison or analogy--are
used to reveal or explain something which is not easy to understand, as
was the case with the supernatural things Jesus was explaining. One
has to shade one's eyes to see things if the sun is too bright;
otherwise, one is blinded and sees nothing. Similarly, parables help
to shade supernatural brightness to allow the listener to grasp meaning
without being blinded by it.
These verses also raise a very interesting question: how can divine
revelation and grace produce such widely differing responses in
people? What is at work here is the mystery of divine grace--which is
an unmerited gift--and of man's response to this grace. What Jesus
says here underlines man's responsibility to be ready to accept God's
grace and to respond to it. Jesus' reference to Isaiah (Matthew
13:14-15) is a prophecy of that hardness of heart which is a punishment
meted out to those who resist grace.
These verses need to be interpreted in the light of three points: 1)
Jesus Christ loved everyone, including people of His own home town: He
gave His life in order to save all men; 2) the parable is a literary
form designed to get ideas across clearly: its ultimate aim is to
teach, not to mislead or obscure; 3) lack of appreciation for divine
grace is something blameworthy, which does merit punishment; however,
Jesus did not come directly to punish anyone, but rather to save
everyone.
12. Jesus is addressing His disciples and explaining to them that,
precisely because they have faith in Him and want to have a good grasp
of His teaching, they will be given a deeper understanding of divine
truths. But those who do not "follow Him" (cf. note on Matthew
4:18-22) will later lose interest in the things of God and will grow
ever blinder: it is as if the little they have is being taken away from
them.
This verse also helps us understand the meaning of the parable of the
sower, a parable which gives a wonderful explanation of the
supernatural economy of divine grace: God gives grace, and man freely
responds to that grace. The result is that those who respond to grace
generously receive additional grace and so grow steadily in grace and
holiness; whereas those who reject God's gifts become closed up within
themselves; through their selfishness and attachment to sin they
eventually lose God's grace entirely. In this verse, then, our Lord
gives a clear warning: with the full weight of His divine authority He
exhorts us--without taking away our freedom--to act responsibly: the
gifts God keeps sending us should yield fruit; we should make good use
of the opportunities for Christian sanctification which are offered us
in the course of our lives.
14-15. Only well-disposed people grasp the meaning of God's words. It
is not enough just to hear them physically. In the course of Jesus'
preaching the prophetic words of Isaiah come true once again.
However, we should not think that not wanting to hear or to understand
was something exclusive to certain contemporaries of Jesus; each one of
us is at times hard of hearing, hard-hearted and dull-minded in the
presence of God's grace and saving word. Moreover, it is not enough to
be familiar with the teaching of the Church: it is absolutely necessary
to put the faith into practice, with all that that implies, morally and
ascetically. Jesus was fixed to the wood of the Cross not only by
nails and by the sins of certain Jews but also by our sins--sins
committed centuries later but which afflicted the Sacred Humanity of
Jesus Christ, who bore the burden of our sins. See the note on Mark
4:11-12.
16-17. In contrast with the closed attitude of many Jews who witnessed
Jesus' life but did not believe in Him, the disciples are praised by
our Lord for their docility to grace, their openness to recognizing Him
as the Messiah and to accepting His teaching.
He calls His disciples blessed, happy. As He says, the prophets and
just men and women of the Old Testament had for centuries lived in hope
of enjoying one day the peace the future Messiah would bring, but they
had died without experiencing this good fortune. Simeon, towards the
end of his long life, was filled with joy on seeing the infant Jesus
when He was presented in the temple: "He took Him up in his arms and
blessed God and said, `Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in
peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation'"
(Luke 2:28-30). During our Lord's public life, His disciples were
fortunate enough to see and be on close terms with Him; later they
would recall that incomparable gift, and one of them would begin his
first letter in these words: "That which was from the beginning, which
we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have
looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life;
[...] that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so
that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the
Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our
[or: your] joy may be complete (1 John 1:1-4).
This exceptional good fortune was, obviously, not theirs but of special
merit: God planned it; it was He who decided that the time had come for
the Old Testament prophecies to be fulfilled. In any event, God gives
every soul opportunities to meet Him: each of us has to be sensitive
enough to grasp them and not let them pass. There were many men and
women in Palestine who saw and heard the incarnate Son of God but did
not have the spiritual sensitivity to see in Him what the Apostles and
disciples saw.
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.
Litany of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi
This litany, with his superiors' permission, sent to our collection by its translator, Rev. Frater Roland (Dusick), O.F.M.Cap., from a German "Littanei zu Ehren des hl. Laurentius von Brindisi," in an approved booklet, Der heilige Laurentius von Brindisi, Mainz, 1919.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us!
Lord, have mercy on us! Christ hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven,
Have mercy on us!
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us!
God the Holy Ghost,
Have mercy on us!
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us!
Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us.
Holy Virgins of virgins, Pray for us.
Saint Lawrence of Brindisi, Pray for us.
Faithful son of holy Father Francis, Pray for us.
Teacher of humility, Pray for us.
Mirror of purity, Pray for us.
Champion of monastic poverty, Pray for us.
Model of absolute obedience, Pray for us.
Victim of unbloody martyrdom, Pray for us.
Marvel of fortitude, Pray for us.
Paragon of temperance, Pray for us.
Master of self-denial, Pray for us.
Model of patience, Pray for us.
Despiser of the world, Pray for us.
Ardent devotee of the host Holy Sacrament, Pray for us.
Love-glowing angel at the Altar, Pray for us.
Silent adorer of the hidden Saviour, Pray for us.
Holy Priest, Pray for us.
Childlike client of Our Lady, Pray for us.
Temple of virtues, Pray for us.
Stalwart defense against all temptations, Pray for us.
Golden vessel of heavenly comfort, Pray for us.
Celestial messenger, Pray for us.
Zealous preacher of the truth, Pray for us.
Scourge of heresy, Pray for us.
Tireless worker for the salvation of souls, Pray for us.
Zealot for conversion of the Jews, Pray for us.
Warrior for the Faith, Pray for us.
Prudent counselor, Pray for us.
Consolation of princes, Pray for us.
Joy of kings, Pray for us.
Rescuer of many lands and kingdoms, Pray for us.
Father of the poor and suffering, Pray for us.
Great wonder worker, Pray for us.
Servant of God, worthy of all honor, Pray for us.
Ornament of the Seraphic Order, Pray for us.
Blessed Father, raised to a throne of glory, Pray for us.
That we may make thy treasure of poverty our own, Pray for us.
That we may persevere in holy obedience to the commandments of God and Holy Church, Pray for us.
That, rich in poverty, adorned with chastity, and in holy obedience we may die and enjoy eternal bliss, Pray for us.
Wonder worker and holy Father, Lawrence, Pray for us.
Christ Jesus, Who didst choose Thy servant Lawrence for the Apostolic life, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst adorn Thy priest Lawrence with seraphic love toward Thee and Thy Virgin Mother, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst liberally endow Saint Lawrence with the gift of tears, with the gift of tongues, with ecstasies, with fortitude and wisdom, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst give Thy priest Lawrence the grace of wonderful recollection and devotion during the celebration of Mass, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst enrich Thy servant Lawrence with the pearl of most high poverty, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst honor Thy servant Lawrence with the precious adornment of angelic chastity, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst make Thy servant Lawrence mighty in word and work, Graciously hear
us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst distinguish Thy servant Lawrence through numerous cures and miracles, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst glorify Thy servant Lawrence by giving him the palm of victory over the enemies of Holy Church, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Who didst ordain Thy servant Lawrence to be an angel of peace to all Christendom,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Christ Jesus, Son of God, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
Spare us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
Graciously hear us, O Lord!
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world:
Have mercy on us, O Lord!
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
V. Pray for us, O Saint Lawrence:
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. O God, Who didst grant to Thy Confessor, Lawrence, the spirit of counsel and fortitude that he might accomplish most arduous tasks for Thy Name and the good of souls: grant us that in the same spirit we may know our obligations, and through his intercession fulfill them. Through Christ Our Lord. R. Amen.
Prayer Source: Kyrie Eleison — Two Hundred Litanies by Benjamin Francis Musser O.F.M., The Magnificat Press, 1944
His name was Julius Caesar, and he was born at Brindisi in the kingdom of Naples in 1559. Educated in Venice at the College of St. Mark, he entered the Capuchins and was given the name Lawrence. Finishing his studies at the University of Padua, he showed a flair for languages, mastering Hebrew, Greek, German, Bohemian, Spanish, and French, and showed an extraordinary knowledge of the text of the Bible. 
THE PING