Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 09-19-05, Optional, St. Januarius

September 19, 2005
Monday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Monday 41

Reading I
Ezra 1:1-6

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,
in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,
the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia
to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,
both by word of mouth and in writing:
“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:
‘All the kingdoms of the earth
the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,
and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem,
which is in Judah.
Therefore, whoever among you belongs to any part of his people,
let him go up, and may his God be with him!
Let everyone who has survived, in whatever place he may have dwelt,
be assisted by the people of that place
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
together with free-will offerings
for the house of God in Jerusalem.’”

Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin
and the priests and Levites–
everyone, that is, whom God had inspired to do so–
prepared to go up to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.
All their neighbors gave them help in every way,
with silver, gold, goods, and cattle,
and with many precious gifts
besides all their free-will offerings.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done marvels for us.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;

we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.

Gospel
Lk 8:16-18

Jesus said to the crowd:
“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel
or sets it under a bed;
rather, he places it on a lampstand
so that those who enter may see the light.
For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible,
and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.
Take care, then, how you hear.
To anyone who has, more will be given,
and from the one who has not,
even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

From: Luke 8:16-18

Parable of the Sower. The Meaning of the Parables (Continuation)

(Jesus told the crowd,) [16] "No one after lighting a lamp covers it
with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that
those who enter may see the light. [17] For nothing is hid that shall
not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and
come to light. [18] Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has
will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that
he has will be taken away."

Commentary:

[There is no commentary available for Luke 8:16-18. The commentary for
the same parable found in Mark 4:21-25 states:]

16-17. This parable contains a double teaching. Firstly, it says that
Christ's doctrine should not be kept hidden; rather, it must be
preached throughout the whole world. We find the same idea elsewhere
in the Gospels: "What you hear whispered, proclaim it upon the
housetops" (Mt 10:27); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to
the whole of creation..." (Mk 16:15). The other teaching is that the
Kingdom which Christ proclaims has such ability to penetrate all hearts
that, at the end of time, when Jesus comes again, not a single human
action, in favor or against Christ, will not become public or manifest.

24-25. Our Lord never gets tired of asking the Apostles, the seed which
will produce the Church, to listen carefully to the teaching he is
giving: they are receiving a treasure for which they will be held to
account. "To him who has will more be given...": he who responds to
grace will be given more grace and will yield more and more fruit; but
he who does not will become more and more impoverished (cf. Mt 25:14-
30). Therefore, there is no limit to the development of the theological
virtues: "If you say 'Enough,' you are already dead" (St. Augustine,
"Sermon" 51). A soul who wants to make progress in the interior life
will pray along these lines: "Lord, may I have due measure in
everything, except in Love" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 427).

[The commentary for still another similar parable found in Matthew 13:
12 states:]

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 Mt 4:18-22)
will later lose interest in the things of God and will grow even
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 us 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.

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, enable us who honor the memory of St. Januarius to share with him the joy of eternal life. 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:

» Pizzette di San Gennaro

Activities:

» What is a Nameday?

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Prayers:

» September Devotion: Our Lady of Sorrows

September 19, 2005

Optional Memorial of St. Januarius, bishop & martyr

Old Calendar: St. Januarius and his Companions; Our Lady of La Salette

Little is known about St. Januarius. He was Bishop of Benevento in Campania. He died near Naples, about the year 305, martyred under the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. Around the year 400 the relics of St. Januarius were moved to Naples, which honors Januarius as a patron saint. He supposedly protected Naples from a threatened eruption of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius. The "miracle of Januarius" has world-wide fame. At least three times a year—on his feast day, December 16 and the first Sunday of May—the sealed vial with congealed blood of the saint liquifies, froths and bubbles up. This miraculous event has occurred every year, with rare exceptions. Popular tradition holds that the liquefaction is a sign that the year will be preserved from disasters. (In 1939, the beginning of World War II, the blood did not bubble up.)

St. Januarius
Together with his deacons Socius and Festus, and his lector Desiderius, Januarius, bishop of Beneventum, was subjected to most atrocious torturing during the Diocletian persecution (about 304). Nevertheless, with God's aid they were preserved unmaimed. The wild animals let loose upon them would not attack. Beheaded at Puteoli, their bodies were reverently interred in the neighboring cities. Eventually the remains of St. Januarius became the prized possession of the city of Naples.

"Even to the present time the blood of the saint that is preserved in a glass vial will become fluid shortly after it is brought close to the head of the saint; then it bubbles up in a remarkable manner, as if it had just been shed" (Breviary). Cardinal Schuster makes this statement in his Liber Sacramentorum (vol. 8, p. 233): "The author has seen the marvel of the blood liquefaction at closest range and can give witness to the fact. Taking into consideration all the scientific investigations that have been made, he would say that a natural explanation of the phenomena does not seem possible."

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch.

Patron: patron of Naples, Italy; blood banks; volcanic eruptions.

Symbols: heated oven; two red vials on Bible; bishop's mitre (headdress); palm frond (symbol of martrydom); crown (of martyrdom).

Things to Do:

Find out more about this "miracle of Januarius", including pictures.
Have an Italian dinner.
If you live close to New York city you can participate in The Feast of San Gennaro celebrated in lower Manhattan.

Our Lady of La Salette

On September 19, 1846, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Maximin Giraud and Melanie Calvat on the mountain of La Salette, France. After thorough investigation the Catholic Church gave approval to the message and secret of La Salette as written by Melanie. The account was published in Lecce on November 15, 1879 with the imprimatur of Bishop Zola of Lecce. Mary's message was much the same as at Fatima, "If my people do not wish to submit themselves, I am forced to let go of the hand of my Son. It is so heavy and weighs me down so much I can no longer keep hold of it." She lamented with tears those who do not keep Sunday holy and who take the name of the Lord in vain. She indicated that if men did not stop offending Our Lord the potato crop would fail. She gave Maximin his secret which he never revealed. She then turned to Melanie and gave her a secret which she revealed 30 years later. This secret was given to the Holy Father, who gave orders that it was never to be revealed.

American Catholic’s Saint of the Day

September 19, 2005

St. Januarius

(d. 305?)

Nothing is known of Januarius's life. He is believed to have been martyred in the Diocletian persecution of 305. Legend has it that after Januarius was thrown to the bears in the amphitheater of Pozzuoli, he was beheaded, and his blood ultimately brought to Naples.

Comment:

It is defined Catholic doctrine that miracles can happen and can be recognized—hardly a mind-boggling statement to anyone who believes in God. Problems arise, however, when we must decide whether an occurrence is unexplainable in natural terms, or only unexplained. We do well to avoid an excessive credulity, which may be a sign of insecurity. On the other hand, when even scientists speak about "probabilities" rather than "laws" of nature, it is something less than imaginative for Christians to think that God is too "scientific" to work extraordinary miracles to wake us up to the everyday miracles of sparrows and dandelions, raindrops and snowflakes.

Quote:

“A dark mass that half fills a hermetically sealed four-inch glass container, and is preserved in a double reliquary in the Naples cathedral as the blood of St. January, liquefies 18 times during the year.... This phenomenon goes back to the 14th century.... Tradition connects it with a certain Eusebia, who had allegedly collected the blood after the martyrdom.... The ceremony accompanying the liquefaction is performed by holding the reliquary close to the altar on which is located what is believed to be the martyr's head. While the people pray, often tumultuously, the priest turns the reliquary up and down in the full sight of the onlookers until the liquefaction takes place.... Various experiments have been applied, but the phenomenon eludes natural explanation. There are, however, similar miraculous claims made for the blood of John the Baptist, Stephen, Pantaleon, Patricia, Nicholas of Tolentino and Aloysius Gonzaga—nearly all in the neighborhood of Naples” (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Homily of the Day

Homily of the Day

Title:	This Chance May Be Your Last!
Author:	Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.
Date:	Monday, September 19, 2005

Ezra 1:1-6 / Lk 8:16-18

Today's gospel ends with an enigmatic last line that lays itself open to confusion. "...to the one who has, more will be given; and he who has not, will lose even the little he thinks he has." That sounds like the worst side of capitalism: The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. But it's not.

The whole thing comes clear if we pay attention to the beginning of the sentence which says, "Take heed how you HEAR...." Jesus is telling us that if listen to him with open minds and open hearts, the tiny bit of wisdom and understanding that we've already gained will grow and grow with his help. If on the other hand, our hearts are closed to him, even the little bit of wisdom that we think we've got will be shown for what it is: nothing.

So many thousands of people heard Jesus speak God's Good News "in the flesh," and yet so many of them just walked away for any number of "reasons." We can always find a "reason" for stalling or putting off our listening to him until tomorrow. When we're tempted to do that, we would do well to ask how many more opportunities we're certain of having. The correct answer is: None! So seize the opportunity while it's at hand! You'll never regret it!

A Voice in the Desert

Monday September 19, 2005 Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading (Ezra 1:1-6) Gospel (St. Luke 8:16-18)

Our Lord tells us in the Gospel reading today that when a lamp is lit it is placed upon something so that everyone in the house will be able to see it, that its light will spread throughout the entire place. The importance of this statement is that He also tells us that we are the light of the world, that He Himself has ignited a fire within us and we are the ones who are supposed to bring that out into the world, that we have to make sure the light of Christ is shining in us and through us. When we hear these words, we realize then what is required of each one of us. If we are to live the life of Christ and bring His light into the world, knowing that one day we are going to have to stand before the Light and everything within our hearts that is hidden in the darkness is going to be exposed, we have to ask ourselves, “How much light is being allowed to shine through me? How much selfishness is in me that dampens it? How much of anything that is not of Christ remains within me?” It is like putting a vessel over the top. It is like hiding the light so that it cannot shine. Maybe there is a little bit of a glow from the light deep within somewhere, but if the light is not shining through us because sin and selfishness block it, then we are not doing what we are supposed to.

That light of Christ within each one of us should already be exposing everything which is not of God. Once exposed, we can bring it to the confessional where we can get rid of it. Not only can we be forgiven, but it will be destroyed so that it no longer stands as a block to the light of Christ. It is only when we can get rid of everything that is not of God that we can truly be the light we are supposed to be. What Our Lord would want for us is that the way we live our lives in this world is going to reflect what we are going to have for eternity, that when we stand before Him for judgment there should be nothing that is hidden in the darkness. The light of Christ within us should match exactly the light of Christ that is going to be revealed on the Day of Judgment. But if instead, when we stand before the Lord, the Light Who He is, the light that we will see at that moment, if that light is so much more brilliant than His light that is shining through us, then all that is hidden in the darkness is going to be exposed in His light. As long as it is not mortal sin, we will wind up for a time in Purgatory. If it is mortal sin, of course we will not be able to enter at all.

Now the question is why anybody would want to go to Purgatory. Why would anybody want to lose eternal life with Christ? If we have the opportunity now to be able to get rid of everything that blocks that light, why would we not take advantage of it? It is either because of fear or because of selfishness. We are either afraid to bring things up in the confessional, thinking that somehow we are going to be condemned when in fact the confessional is the tribunal of mercy. It is the place to be forgiven, not the place to be condemned. Or it is because in our selfishness we do not really want to get rid of the areas of sin in our lives. We like them too much, and therefore it is we ourselves who are willfully and intentionally placing things over the light so that it cannot be seen.

If we are willfully choosing sin over Christ, what does that say about us? If we have the attitude: “I just want to have as much fun as possible then I’ll deal with the rest of it in Purgatory,” we are quite literally playing with fire. We are playing footsie with Satan and we are trampling upon the borders of hell if we are doing something like that. It is pure arrogance on our part to think that we can go ahead and sin and do all kinds of things and then we will just simply go to Purgatory. The point is, if we make it to Purgatory praise God because we will go to heaven, but do not aim for Purgatory because if you miss you are in trouble forever.

The light of Christ is to shine within us, and it is to shine brilliantly. As I said, there should be no difference between the light that is shining through us now and the light that will shine upon us on the Day of Judgment. So we need to ask the Lord to allow that light to, first of all, expose what is dark within ourselves so that we can get rid of it, but we have to ask Him for the grace to desire to get rid of it so that there is nothing standing between us either in our will or in our actions or anything that we may have forgotten or are unaware of, that we will be able to get rid of it all so that the light of Christ can shine uninhibited in and through each one of us even now in this world. And as it does, we will prepare ourselves for eternity where we will enter the fullness of the light – which is Christ Himself – and then the light within us will be one and the same. We will be one with Him, He will be one with us. The light within us now and for eternity is Jesus Christ.

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

Lk 8:16-18
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
16	Now no man lighting a candle covereth it with a vessel or putteth it under a bed: but setteth it upon a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light.	nemo autem lucernam accendens operit eam vaso aut subtus lectum ponit sed supra candelabrum ponit ut intrantes videant lumen
17	For there is not any thing secret that shall not be made manifest, nor hidden that shall not be known and come abroad.	non enim est occultum quod non manifestetur nec absconditum quod non cognoscatur et in palam veniat
18	Take heed therefore how you hear. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given: and whosoever hath not, that also which he thinketh he hath shall be taken away from him.	videte ergo quomodo auditis qui enim habet dabitur illi et quicumque non habet etiam quod putat se habere auferetur ab illo

The Word Among Us

Monday, September 19, 2005

Meditation
Ezra 1:1-6

Cyrus was having a good year. Having overrun Babylon, this pagan king from Persia was now a world conqueror along the lines of Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great. Among those living in Babylon were the Jews who decades earlier had been exiled from their homeland as part of the spoils of war. Occupied by his wealth and power, Cyrus had no interest in Judaism or Yahweh, yet he was a shrewd leader who wanted to win the allegiance of his newly acquired subjects. Thus he proclaimed that the Jews could return to Jerusalem and begin to rebuild their Temple, which the Babylonians had destroyed.

To most of the Jews living in exile, Cyrus was an unlikely instrument in God’s hand. Hearing this pagan speak as if Yahweh had personally commissioned him to rebuild the Temple must have sounded like blasphemy to them. Yet God can use whom he chooses, and it seems that he chose Cyrus. All the inhabitants of earth belong to God, and he uses them and blesses them in accord with his plan.

God was also at work inspiring those Jews who heard Cyrus’ edict and chose to embark on the long and difficult journey home. As a result, their mission sparked hope in the many Jews who stayed in Babylon and supplied the departing party with money and valuable resources. Their liberation, so long hoped for yet hard to imagine, was now unfolding. In the coming years, many more Jews would be bold enough to make the hard journey, and Jerusalem would be rebuilt.

This story of Cyrus’ edict and the Jews’ response tells us that we must never give up hope—even if years pass and our prayers seem unanswered. By staying close to Jesus in prayer, we can keep cynicism and doubt at bay and become instead like those Jews who hoped against all hope and lived to see their dreams fulfilled. God will fulfill his promises, even if he uses unlikely people, unlikely events, or unlikely timing to do so.

“Father, I cannot understand your ways. Still, I marvel at your wisdom and love. Help me to trust in you when my prayers seem unanswered. Guard me from despair and open my eyes to see you at work all around me, surrounding me with your love.”

Psalm 126:1-6; Luke 8:16-18

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, September 19, 2005 >>

St. Januarius

Ezra 1:1-6

Psalm 126

Luke 8:16-18

View Readings

OUTSIDE THE BOX

"The Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation..." —Ezra 1:1

The greatest tragedy in the history of the Jewish people is the fall of Jerusalem and exile to Babylon in 587 B.C. For decades, Jews lived in Babylon with no temple and no hope of liberation. Then King Cyrus became the new king of Persia. Cyrus was a pagan who worshipped the false god Marduk. Cyrus had a policy of settling the territories in his kingdom with those who worshipped the respective "gods" of that land. Some scholars postulate that Cyrus favored religious freedom to curry the favor of the various gods so that his reign would have universal peace.

What a mysterious and mighty God we serve! God delivered Israel through a polytheistic pagan. Then God inspired Cyrus to help fund their moving expenses. The Lord even calls Cyrus His "anointed" (Is 45:1) and His "shepherd" (Is 44:28). Jeremiah proclaims that the deliverance of Israel through Cyrus is an even greater miracle than the exodus through the parted Red Sea (Jer 16:14-15; 23:7-8).

Therefore, never give up hope. No circumstance is beyond God's power to turn to the good (Rm 8:28). No person is too warped for God to use as His anointed (see Is 45:1). "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it so much as dawned on man what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor 2:9).

Prayer: Father, may I never place limits on You. Open my eyes, that I may see You at work in all circumstances (2 Kgs 6:17).

Promise: "To the man who has, more will be given; and he who has not, will lose even the little he thinks he has." —Lk 8:18

Praise: St. Januarius, bishop of Naples, gave his life in martyrdom for his Lord and has since been honored by God with miracles associated with his relics.

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