Posted on 09/08/2007 9:33:01 PM PDT by Salvation
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Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Reading 1
Wis 9:13-18b
Who can know God’s counsel,
or who can conceive what the LORD intends?
For the deliberations of mortals are timid,
and unsure are our plans.
For the corruptible body burdens the soul
and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.
And scarce do we guess the things on earth,
and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty;
but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?
Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdom
and sent your holy spirit from on high?
And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14-17
R. (1) In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge.
Reading II
Phmn 9-10, 12-17
I, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus,
urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment;
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave
but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
Gospel
Lk 14:25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”
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Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Due to her feast day on September 15, the month of September has traditionally been set aside to honor Our Lady of Sorrows. All the sorrows of Mary (the prophecy of Simeon, the three days' loss, etc.) are merged in the supreme suffering at the Passion. In the Passion, Mary suffered a martyrdom of the heart because of Our Lord's torments and the greatness of her love for Him. "She it was," says Pope Pius XII, "who immune from all sin, personal or inherited, and ever more closely united with her Son, offered Him on Golgotha to the Eternal Father together with the holocaust of her maternal rights and motherly love. As a new Eve, she made this offering for all the children of Adam contaminated through his unhappy fall. Thus she, who was the mother of our Head according to the flesh, became by a new title of sorrow and glory the spiritual mother of all His members."
INVOCATIONS
Mary most sorrowful, Mother of Christians, pray for us.
Virgin most sorrowful, pray for us.
TO THE QUEEN OF MARTYRS
Mary, most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, accept the sincere homage of my filial affection. Into thy heart, pierced by so many swords, do thou welcome my poor soul. Receive it as the companion of thy sorrows at the foot of the Cross, on which Jesus died for the redemption of the world. With thee, O sorrowful Virgin, I will gladly suffer all the trials, contradictions, and infirmities which it shall please our Lord to send me. I offer them all to thee in memory of thy sorrows, so that every thought of my mind, and every beat of my heart may be an act of compassion and of love for thee. And do thou, sweet Mother, have pity on me, reconcile me to thy divine Son Jesus, keep me in His grace, and assist me in my last agony, so that I may be able to meet thee in heaven and sing thy glories. Amen.
TO THE MOTHER OF SORROWS
Most holy Virgin. and Mother, whose soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the Passion of thy divine Son, and who in His glorious Resurrection wast filled with never-ending joy at His triumph; obtain for us who call upon thee, so to be partakers in the adversities of Holy Church and the sorrows of the Sovereign Pontiff, as to be found worthy to rejoice with them in the consolations for which we pray, in the charity and peace of the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
IN HONOR OF THE SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
O most holy and afflicted Virgin! Queen of Martyrs! thou who didst stand motionless beneath the Cross, witnessing the agony of thy expiring Son--through the unceasing sufferings of thy life of sorrow, and the bliss which now more than amply repays thee for thy past trials, look down with a mother's tenderness and pity on me, who kneel before thee to venerate thy dolors, and place my requests, with filial confidence, in the sanctuary of thy wounded heart; present them, I beseech thee, on my behalf, to Jesus Christ, through the merits of His own most sacred death and passion, together with thy sufferings at the foot of the cross, and through the united efficacy of both obtain the grant of my present petition. To whom shall I resort in my wants and miseries if not to thee, O Mother of Mercy, who, having so deeply drunk of the chalice of thy Son, canst compassionate the woes of those who still sigh in the land of exile? Offer for me to my Savior one drop of the Blood which flowed from His sacred veins, one of the tears which trickled from His divine eyes, one of the sighs which rent His adorable Heart. O refuge of the universe and hope of the whole world, do not reject my humble prayer, but graciously obtain the grant of my petition.
TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS
O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and the death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that, being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforward all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object. Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen. --Saint Bonaventure
Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
| Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. God, the Father of heaven, God the Son, Redeemer of the world, . God the Holy Ghost, Holy Mary, Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of the Crucified, Sorrowful Mother, Mournful Mother, Sighing Mother, Afflicted Mother, Foresaken Mother, . Desolate Mother, Mother most sad, Mother set around with anguish, Mother overwhelmed by grief, Mother transfixed by a sword, Mother crucified in thy heart, Mother bereaved of thy Son, Sighing Dove, Mother of Dolors, Fount of tears, Sea of bitterness, Field of tribulation, Mass of suffering, Mirror of patience, Rock of constancy, Remedy in perplexity, Joy of the afflicted, Ark of the desolate, Refuge of the abandoned,. Shiled of the oppressed, Conqueror of the incredulous, Solace of the wretched, Medicine of the sick, Help of the faint, Strength of the weak, Protectress of those who fight, Haven of the shipwrecked, Calmer of tempests, Companion of the sorrowful, Retreat of those who groan, Terror of the treacherous, Standard-bearer of the Martyrs, Treasure of the Faithful, Light of Confessors, Pearl of Virgins, . Comfort of Widows, . Joy of all Saints, Queen of thy Servants, Holy Mary, who alone art unexampled, Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin, |
Christ, have mercy on us. Christ, graciously hear us. |
| Let us pray, --- O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Thy Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end, Amen. |
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| The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady 1. The Prophecy of Simeon 2. The Flight into Egypt . 3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple 4. Mary meets Jesus Carrying the Cross 5. The Crucifixion 6. Mary Receives the Dead Body of Her Son 7. The Burial of Her Son and Closing of the Tomb. |
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| Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows Most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, Mary, would that I could be in Heaven, there to contemplate the honors rendered to thee by the Most Holy Trinity and by the whole Heavenly Court! But since I am still a pilgrim in this vale of tears, receive from me, thy unworthy servant and a poor sinner, the most sincere homage and the most perfect act of vassalage a human creature can offer thee. In thy Immaculate Heart, pierced with so many swords of sorrow, I place today my poor soul forever; receive me as a partaker in thy dolors, and never suffer that I should depart from that Cross on which thy only begotten Son expired for me. With thee, O Mary, I will endure all the sufferings, contradictions, infirmities, with which it will please thy Divine Son to visit me in this life. All of them I offer to thee, in memory of the Dolors which thou didst suffer during thy life, that every thought of my mind, every beating of my heart may henceforward be an act of compassion to thy Sorrows, and of complacency for the glory thou now enjoyest in Heaven. Since then, O Dear Mother, I now compassionate thy Dolors, and rejoice in seeing thee glorified, do thou also have compassion on me, and reconcile me to thy Son Jesus, that I may become thy true and loyal son (daughter); come on my last day and assist me in my last agony, even as thou wert present at the Agony of thy Divine Son Jesus, that from this painful exile I may go to Heaven, there to be made partaker of thy glory. Amen. |
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Homilies on Our Lady of Sorrows
Starkenburg:Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Sorrows Shrine
ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, OF THE DOLOURS OF MARY, The Glories [Sorrows] of Mary
From: Wisdom 9:13-18
Wisdom essential for discerning God’s will
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Commentary:
9:13-18. These verses conclude the survey of wisdom, which as we saw is
sometimes identified with the “holy Spirit” that God sends from on high (v. 17).
The last verse says that thanks to wisdom men are saved (v. 18), for through it
they have learned to understand God’s purposes. Left to himself, man cannot
attain wisdom because his reasoning powers are quite limited and he is often
side-tracked (v. 14); moreover, the cares of life get in the way (v. 15); in the last
analysis, man is really quite limited (v. 16). In speaking like this, the writer is not
saying that we cannot discover truth; all he means is that God’s purposes, the
Wisdom of God, cannot be discovered by man on his own. But now that the
Word has become man, we can manage to know the mystery of God: “Because
God did not wish to be known any longer through the image and sign of living
wisdom to be found in created things, as happened in former times, it was his
will that Wisdom itself would become flesh, and that, having been made man, he
would suffer death on the cross; so that in all the days to come, everyone who
believed in him could be saved through their faith in the cross. In former times,
the Wisdom of God stamped his seal on all created things – and the presence of
his sign is the reason why we called them ‘created’ – to reveal himself and so
make his Father known. But later, this same Wisdom, who is the Word, was
made flesh, as St John says; and having overcome death and saved the human
race, he revealed himself in a clearer way and, through himself, revealed the
Father” (St Athanasius, Contra arianos, 2, 81-82).
Verse 15 seems to contain the Platonic idea of the body being the prison of the
soul, but the sacred writer does not think that the soul pre-existed the body: all he
is doing is making the point that the physical part of man blinds him to spiritual
things. St Paul will expand on this when he talks about how his members contend
with his “inmost self”: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this
body of death?” (Rom 7:24).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Philemon 9-10; 12-17
A Plea on Onesimus’ Behalf (Continuation)
[15] Perhaps this is why he was parted from you for a while, that you
might have him back for ever, [16] no longer as a slave but more than a
slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you,
both in the flesh and in the Lord. [17] So if you consider me your
partner, receive him as you would receive me.
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Commentary:
8-12. At this point St Paul gives his main reason for writing—to
intercede for Onesimus. Typically, he appeals to Philemon’s charity,
rather than demanding his cooperation (cf. 2 Cor 1:23), and to support
this appeal he refers to his (Paul’s) being “an old man” and a
“prisoner” for love of Jesus Christ (v. 9).
The Apostle’s generosity of spirit is plain to see: in spite of being
imprisoned he is self-forgetful and he uses every opportunity that
presents itself to win converts—as was the case with Onesimus; and
now he intercedes on his behalf. If once he was “useless” to his master,
Onesimus can now be very “useful”; there is here a play on words,
because the name Onesimus means “useful”: it is as if he were saying
that maybe Onesimus did not formerly live up to his name, but now he
does; he has been very useful to Paul and now that he is going back he
will also be useful to Philemon, who should receive him as if he were
the Apostle himself (v. 12).
We should never have fixed ideas about people; despite mistakes and
shortcomings, everyone can improve and, with God’s grace, undergo a
true change of heart.
The New Testament writings clearly show that the first Christians’
apostolate extended to all sectors of society with the result that
Christians were to be found everywhere. St John Chrysostom points
this out as follows: “Aquila worked at a manual wade; the lady who
sold purple ran a workshop, another [Christian] was in charge of a gaol;
another a centurion, like Cornelius; another was sick, like Timothy;
another, Onesimus, was a slave and a fugitive; yet none of them found
any of this an obstacle, and all shone for their holiness—men and
women, young and old, slaves and free, soldiers and civilians” (”Hom.
on St Matthew”, 43).
13-14. This is another example of the Apostle’s typical refinement.
Although his first idea was to keep Onesimus with him to help him
during his imprisonment, he prefers that he who has the force of law on
his side (Roman law, in this instance) should freely decide what action
to take (cf. his approach to making collections: 2 Cor 9:7).
In line with the teaching of Christ and his Apostles, the Second
Vatican Council “urges everyone, especially those responsible for
educating others, to try to form men and women with a respect for
the moral order and who will obey lawful authority and be lovers of
true freedom—men, and women, who direct their activities with a
sense of responsibility, and strive for what is true and just in willing
cooperation with others” (”Dignitatis Humanae”, 8).
St Paul’s refinement was not inspired only by reasons of friendship nor
was it a mere tactic: he wants people—in this case, Philemon—to come
to free personal decisions, for freedom is a great gift which God has given
to every person. “If only we lived like this, if only we knew how to imbue
our behavior with generosity, with a desire for understanding and peace!
We would encourage the rightful independence of all. Everyone would
take a responsible approach to the tasks that correspond to him in
temporal matters” ([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 124).
15-16. At this point Paul’s thinking becomes exceptionally theological
and incisive. What at first sight could have been seen as something
bad—Onesimus’ running away—can now be viewed in another light, the
sharper light of divine providence: God can draw good out of evil, for
“in everything, God works for good with those who love him” (Rom 8:28);
he has allowed this incident to happen so as to give Onesimus the
chance to discover the Christian faith.
Therefore, Philemon should now recognize him as a brother, for faith in
Jesus Christ makes us all children of the same Father (cf. Gal 3:27- 28;
Eph 6:9). “Look at Paul writing on behalf of Onesimus, a runaway slave;
he is not ashamed to call him his child, his very heart, his brother, his
partner. What can I say?”, St John Chrysostom asks; “Jesus Christ
lowered himself to the point of making our slaves his brothers. If they
are brothers of Jesus Christ, then they are also our brothers” (”Hom.
on Philem”, 2, ad loc.).
Due to this teaching slavery gradually died out. The teaching of the
Church’s Magisterium has contributed to a growing realization that all
workers have innate dignity and rights as men and as sons and daughters
of God. In an early encyclical of modern times Leo XIII called on
employers to see that “it is truly shameful and inhuman to misuse men
as though they were mere things designed just to be used in the pursuit
of gain”, and reminded them of their duties never “to look upon workers
as their bondsmen but to respect in every man his dignity and worth as
a man and a Christian” (”Rerum Novarum”, 16).
Christianity, then, elevates and gives a new dignity to interpersonal
relationships, thereby helping produce changes and improvements in
social structures. Every Christian insofar as he can should contribute
to bringing these changes about, but the methods used to do so must
always be moral. Neglect to play one’s part in social reform could even
constitute a grave sin, a “social” sin against the virtue of justice.
John Paul II teaches that “the term ‘social’ applies to every sin
against justice in interpersonal relationships, committed either by the
individual against the community or by the community against the
individual. Also ‘social’ is every sin against the rights of the human
person, beginning with the right to life and including the life of the
unborn, or against a person’s physical integrity. Likewise ‘social’ is
every sin against others’ freedom, especially against the supreme
freedom to believe in God and adore him; ‘social’ is every sin against
the dignity and honor of one’s neighbor. Also ‘social’ is every sin
against the common good and its exigencies in relation to the whole
broad spectrum of the rights and duties of citizens. The term ‘social’
can be applied to sins of commission or omission—on the part of
political, economic or trade union leaders, who though in a position to
do so do not work diligently and wisely for the improvement and
transformation of society according to the requirements and potential
of the given historic moment; as also on the part of workers who
through absenteeism or non-cooperation fail to ensure that their
industries can continue to advance the well-being of the workers
themselves, of their families, and of the whole of society”
(”Reconciliatio Et Paenitentia”, 16).
17-21. Paul identifies himself with Onesimus because they share the
same faith—and Paul is an extremely generous person. Here we can
clearly see his great charity which leads him to love everyone much
more than is his strict duly. “Be convinced that justice alone is never
enough to solve the great problems of mankind. When justice alone is
done, do not be surprised if people are hurt: the dignity of man, who
is a son of God, requires much more. Charity must penetrate and
accompany justice because it sweetens and deifies everything: ‘God
is love’ (1 Jn 4:16). Our motive in everything we do should be the Love
of God, which makes it easier for us to love our neighbor and which
purifies all earthly love and raises it on to a higher level” ([St] J. Escriva,
“Friends of God”, 172). It is not surprising, then, that the Apostle should
ask Philemon to charge it to his account if Onesimus has wronged him
or owes him anything (v. 18). And as if to confirm this commitment with
affection and good humor he as it were signs a docket promising to
pay any charge there may be. However, he immediately goes on to
remind Philemon that if they worked out their accounts Philemon would
be found to be in debt to Paul, because it was due to Paul that he
became a Christian (v. l9). On this account Paul feels that he can
ask him to forgive Onesimus: that sign of love and affection would
really do Paul good in his present circumstances. But, he goes on to
say (it is a suggestion that delicately respects Philemon’s decision)
that he hopes Philemon’s obedience will lead him to do “even more” (v.
21). As suggested in the Introduction to this letter he is probably
hoping that he will set Onesimus free. In the eyes of the law Onesimus
is still a slave; but as a Christian he is already a free man.
St Paul does not directly ask for Onesimus’ freedom, although he does
hint at it, encouraging his old master to set him free but leaving it
up to him to decide (and thereby merit). He reminds Philemon how
generous he, Paul, was towards him (vv. 18-19), in the hope that
Philemon will reciprocate. “This is a repetition of the same testimony
he expressed earlier in his letter”, St John Chrysostom points out;
“’knowing that you will do even more than I say’: it is impossible to
imagine anything more persuasive, any more convincing argument than
this tender regard of his generosity which St Paul expresses; Philemon
cannot but agree to his demand” (”Hom. on Philem, ad loc.”).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Luke 14:25-33
Conditions For Following Jesus
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Commentary:
26. These words of our Lord should not disconcert us. Love for God
and for Jesus should have pride of place in our lives and we should keep
away from anything which obstructs this love: “In this world let us love
everyone,” St. Gregory the Great comments, “even though he be our
enemy; but let us hate him who opposes us on our way to God, though
he be our relative [...]. We should then, love, our neighbor; we should
have charity towards all—towards relative and towards strangers—but
without separating ourselves from the love of God out of love for them”
(”In Evangelia Homiliae”, 37, 3). In the last analysis, it is a matter of
keeping the proper hierarchy of charity: God must take priority over
everything.
This verse must be understood, therefore, in the context of all of our
Lord’s teachings (cf. Luke 6:27-35). These are “hard words. True,
`hate’ does not exactly express what Jesus meant. Yet He did put it
very strongly, because He doesn’t just mean `love less,’ as some people
interpret it in an attempt to tone down the sentence. The force behind
these vigorous words does not lie in their implying a negative or pitiless
attitude, for the Jesus who is speaking here is none other than that Jesus
who commands us to love others as we love ourselves and who gives up
His life for mankind. These words indicate simply that we cannot be
half-hearted when it comes to loving God. Christ’s words could be
translated as `love more, love better’, in the sense that a selfish or
partial love is not enough: we have to love others with the love of God”
([St] J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 97). See the notes on
Matthew 10:34-37; Luke 2:49.
As the Second Vatican Council explains, Christians “strive to please
God rather than men, always ready to abandon everything for Christ”
(Vatican II, “Apostolicam Actuositatem, 4).
27. Christ “by suffering for us not only gave us an example so that we
might follow in His footsteps, but He also opened up a way. If we follow
that way, life and death becomes holy and acquire a new meaning”
(Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 22).
The way the Christian follows is that of imitating Christ. We can follow
Him only if we help Him bear His cross. We all have experience of
suffering, and suffering leads to unhappiness unless it is accepted
with a Christian outlook. The Cross is not a tragedy: it is God’s way
of teaching us that through sin we can be sanctified, becoming one with
Christ and winning Heaven as a reward. This is why it is so Christian
to love pain: “Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain....Glorify
pain!” ([St] J. Escriva, “The Way”, 208).
28-35. Our Lord uses different examples to show that if mere human
prudence means that a person should try to work out in advance the
risks he may run, with all the more reason should a Christian embrace
the cross voluntarily and generously, because there is no other way he
can follow Jesus Christ. “`Quia hic homo coepit aedificare et non
potuit consummare! He started to build and was unable to finish!’ A
sad commentary which, if you don’t want, need be made about you:
for you possess everything necessary to crown the edifice of your
sanctification—the grace of God and your own will.” ([St] J. Escriva,
“The Way”, 324).
33. Earlier our Lord spoke about “hating” one’s parents and one’s very
life; now He equally vigorously requires us to be completely detached
from possessions. This verse is a direct application of the two fore-
going parables: just as a king is imprudent if he goes to war with an
inadequate army, so anyone is foolish who thinks he can follow our
Lord without renouncing all his possessions. This renunciation should
really bite: our heart has to be unencumbered by anything material if
we are able to follow in our Lord’s footsteps. The reason is, as He tells
us later on, that it is impossible to “serve God and Mammon” (Luke
16:13). Not infrequently our Lord asks a person to practice total, volun-
tary poverty; and He asks everyone to practice genuine detachment
and generosity in the use of material things. If a Christian has to be
ready to give up even life itself, with all the more reason should he re-
nounce possessions: If you are a man of God, you will seek to despise
riches as intensely as men of the world seek to possess them” ([St] J.
Escriva, “The Way”, 633). See the note on Luke 12:33-34.
Besides, for a soul to become filled with God it must first be emptied
of everything that could be an obstacle to God’s indwelling: “The doc-
trine that the Son of God came to teach was contempt for all things in
order to receive as a reward the Spirit of God in himself. For, as long
as the soul does not reject all things, it has no capacity to receive the
Spirit of God in pure transformation” (St. John of the Cross, “Ascent
of Mount Carmel”, Book 1, Chapter 5, 2).
*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
| First reading | Wisdom 9:13 - 18 © |
|---|---|
| What man indeed can know the intentions of God? Who can divine the will of the Lord? The reasonings of mortals are unsure and our intentions unstable; for a perishable body presses down the soul, and this tent of clay weighs down the teeming mind. It is hard enough for us to work out what is on earth, laborious to know what lies within our reach; who, then, can discover what is in the heavens? As for your intention, who could have learnt it, had you not granted Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from above? Thus have the paths of those on earth been straightened and men been taught what pleases you, and saved, by Wisdom. |
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| Psalm or canticle: Psalm 89 |
| Second reading | Philemon 1:9 - 17 © |
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| I am appealing to your love, reminding you that this is Paul writing, an old man now and, what is more, still a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for a child of mine, whose father I became while wearing these chains: I mean Onesimus. I am sending him back to you, and with him – I could say – a part of my own self. I should have liked to keep him with me; he could have been a substitute for you, to help me while I am in the chains that the Good News has brought me. However, I did not want to do anything without your consent; it would have been forcing your act of kindness, which should be spontaneous. I know you have been deprived of Onesimus for a time, but it was only so that you could have him back for ever, not as a slave any more, but something much better than a slave, a dear brother; especially dear to me, but how much more to you, as a blood-brother as well as a brother in the Lord. So if all that we have in common means anything to you, welcome him as you would me. | |
| Gospel | Luke 14:25 - 33 © |
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| Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and spoke to them. If any man comes to me without hating his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple. Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ‘And indeed, which of you here, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and work out the cost to see if he had enough to complete it? Otherwise, if he laid the foundation and then found himself unable to finish the work, the onlookers would all start making fun of him and saying, “‘ Here is a man who started to build and was unable to finish”. Or again, what king marching to war against another king would not first sit down and consider whether with ten thousand men he could stand up to the other who advanced against him with twenty thousand? If not, then while the other king was still a long way off, he would send envoys to sue for peace. So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.’ |
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| Sunday, September 9, 2007 Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time |
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| Other Articles by Fr. Paul Scalia Printer Friendly Version |
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| Christian "Hatred" | ||
Are Christians allowed to hate? We know that our Lord commands us to love one another, and that we will be known by such love (cf. Jn 13:34-35). But consider how hateful St. Thomas Aquinas must have looked when he defied his parents and ran off to join the Dominicans. Beautiful St. Clare probably appeared ugly and cruel when she dashed her parents' hopes for her marriage and snuck off to follow St. Francis in poverty. And he himself, the "Little Poor Man" of Assisi, certainly seemed callous and unkind when he publicly renounced his father and inheritance. So if Christians are to love, how do we understand such seeming cruelty?
These saints, however hateful they may have appeared, were motivated by a love far deeper than that of those around them. It was not a lack of love, but an unwillingness to dilute that love that prompted their actions. They refused to put their love for God lower than, or even on equal footing with, their love for family or worldly comfort. They preferred nothing to the love of Christ. And for this it appeared as though they hated, and indeed they must have been made to feel as if they did. Their radical example provides the way to understand some of our Lord's most shocking words: "If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:26).
Obviously, our Lord speaks figuratively here. A Christian may never deliberately hate someone. But when we choose to love God with our whole heart, soul and mind, we will inevitably appear cruel and hateful to some. Our desire to love Him above all else puts us on a crash course with those who tempt us to divide our loyalty or compromise our devotion. They will (intentionally or not) make us feel as if we are being hateful toward our parents, spouses, siblings, children — even our very selves. Therefore, our Lord means that to follow Him we must be willing to appear hateful. In a word, we must prefer to endure division — even in our own families — than to divide our love for God.
And indeed our Lord's words have been fulfilled. Christians have been accused of hatred many times. The ancient world considered them "haters of humanity" because they refused to participate in pagan worship. Our culture levies the same accusation against us: that we hate. When the Church teaches strongly against abortion, the world spins it as hatred for women. When the Church proclaims the truth about marriage, the world accuses her of hating homosexuals. And so on. Further, each member of the Church encounters this as well. Increasingly, Catholics may be accused of hatred and be made to feel hateful by members of their own families, when out of fidelity to Christ they will not approve certain immoralities (divorce and remarriage, cohabitation, the homosexual lifestyle, etc.).
We should not think that Sts. Thomas, Clare and Francis easily and joyfully broke with their families. Doubtless, they did so with great sadness. For even when we understand our Lord's words properly, they should not sit easily in our hearts. Woe to us if we do find them easy. One writer imagines that when the apostles heard these words they were all stunned and scandalized — except Judas. He found no difficulty in them. He was more than ready to hate. His kind of heart can only distort our Lord's words. The only heart that gives them the proper reception is the one that loves family, friends and life itself — but loves God more than all these and is saddened that anyone would compete for His place.
In the end, the ancient world that accused Christians of hating humanity became Christian itself. Its conversion was due to the witness of love. "See how these Christians love one another," they would say. The world that began with accusations of Christian "hatred" ended with admiration of Christian love. So there is hope for us as well — both as the Church and members thereof — that our love will someday be made manifest even to those who accuse us of hate.
Yes, Justice of the Supreme Court, Antonin Scalia calls his son “Father”! Father Paul Scalia is his son.
Year C- 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Whoever does not carry his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:25-3325 And there went great multitudes with him. And turning, he said to them: |
What I keep saying in my word is this: I am offering unimaginable riches and glory, a life that surpasses the highest desires of man, a freedom beyond compare, a joy that never ceases and immortality combined with all the perfections of my divinity. If you want to take up my offer, you must understand that everything has a price. A cheap reward is offered for a mediocre effort, but the reward that I offer can only be attained through a life in my word. Those who reject my word will have eternal disappointment. Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary
Night Owl Ping.
How is his name pronounced?
I’ve always said it with the accent on the ness — rhyming with mess.
Sometimes the books for lector have pronunciation.
Last Friday someone gave me a new pronunciation of Philemon. I looked it up in the dictionary! Then used that pronunciation.
(My kids hated me when they were going through school. “Mom, how do you say __________?”) My standard reply was “Look it up in the dictionary.” I believe it builds up the dictionary skills, and we always had an up to date hardbound Websters Collegiate which they were taught to use with respect.
OK, off my soapbox on teacher stuff. LOL!
Thanks for stopping by, Night Owl.
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 144 (145) |
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| The greatness and goodness of God |
| I will praise you to the heights, O God, my king – I will bless your name for ever and for all time. I will bless you, O God, day after day – I will praise your name for ever and all time. The Lord is great, to him all praise is due – he is great beyond measuring. Generation will pass to generation the praise of your deeds, and tell the wonders you have done. They will tell of your overwhelming power, and pass on the tale of your greatness. They will cry out the story of your great kindness, they will celebrate your judgements. The Lord takes pity, his heart is merciful, he is patient and endlessly kind. The Lord is gentle to all – he shows his kindness to all his creation. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 144 (145) |
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| Let all your creatures proclaim you, O Lord, let your chosen ones bless you. Let them tell of the glory of your reign, let them speak of your power – so that the children of men may know what you can do, see the glory of your kingdom and its greatness. Your kingdom stands firm for all ages, your rule lasts for ever and ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Psalm 144 (145) |
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| The Lord is faithful in all his words, the Lord is holy in all his deeds. The Lord supports all who are falling, the Lord lifts up all who are oppressed. All look to you for help, and you give them their food in due season. In your goodness you open your hand, and give every creature its fill. The Lord is just in all his ways, the Lord is kind in all that he does. The Lord is near to those who call on him, to all those who call on him in truth. For those that honour him, he does what they ask, he hears all their prayers, and he keeps them safe. The Lord keeps safe all who love him, but he dooms all the wicked to destruction. My mouth shall tell the praises of the Lord. Let all flesh bless his holy name, for ever and ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Reading | Jeremiah 37:21 - 38:28 © |
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| King Zedekiah then gave an order, and Jeremiah was confined in the Court of the Guard and given a loaf of bread a day from the Street of the Bakers as long as there was bread left in the city. So Jeremiah stayed in the Court of the Guard. King Zedekiah had the prophet Jeremiah summoned to him at the third entrance to the Temple of the Lord. ‘I want to ask you for a word,’ the king said to Jeremiah ‘keep nothing back from me.’ Jeremiah answered Zedekiah, ‘If I tell you, surely you will have me put to death? And if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.’ King Zedekiah then swore this oath in secret to Jeremiah, ‘As the Lord lives, giver of this life of ours, I will neither have you put to death nor handed over into the power of these men who are determined to kill you’. Jeremiah then said to Zedekiah, ‘The Lord, the God of Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this, “If you go out and surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be safe and this city will not be burnt down; you and your family will survive. But if you do not go out and surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be handed over into the power of the king of the Chaldaeans who will burn it down; and you yourself will not escape their hands.”’ King Zedekiah then said to Jeremiah, ‘I am afraid of the Jews who have already gone over to the Chaldaeans: I might be handed over to them and they would ill-treat me’. ‘You will not be handed over to them,’ Jeremiah replied ‘just listen to the voice of the Lord, in obedience to which I have spoken, and all will go well with you and your life will be safe. But if you refuse to go, this is what the Lord has shown me: a vision of all the women left in the palace of the king of Judah being led off to the officers of the king of Babylon and singing: ‘“They have misled you, they have overreached you, your fine friends! Are your feet sinking in the mud? They are up and away!” ‘Yes, all your wives and children will be led off to the Chaldaeans, and you yourself will not escape their hands, but will be a prisoner in the clutches of the king of Babylon. And as for this city, it will be burnt down.’ Zedekiah then said to Jeremiah, ‘Do not let anyone else hear these words or you will die. If the officials hear that I have been talking to you, and come to you and say, “Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; keep nothing back from us, or we will put you to death”, you must reply, “I presented this request to the king: that he would not have me sent back to the house of Jonathan to die there”.’ All the officials did in fact come to Jeremiah to question him. He told them exactly what the king had ordered him to say. They then left him in peace, since no part of the conversation had been overheard. Jeremiah stayed in the Court of the Guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. |
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| Reading | A sermon of Pope St Leo the Great |
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| Christian wisdom | |
| The Lord then goes on to say: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. This hunger is not for bodily food, this thirst is not for any earthly drink: it is a longing to be blessed with righteousness, and, by penetrating the secret of all mysteries, to be filled with the Lord himself. Happy is the soul that longs for the food of righteousness and thirsts for this kind of drink; it would not seek such things if it had not already savoured their delight. When the soul hears the voice of the Spirit saying to it through the prophet: Taste and see that the Lord is good, it has already received a portion of God’s goodness, and is on fire with love, the love that gives joy of the utmost purity. It counts as nothing all that belongs to time; it is entirely consumed with desire to eat and drink the food of righteousness. The soul lays hold of the true meaning of the first and great commandment: You shall love the Lord God with your whole heart, and your whole mind and your whole strength, for to love God is nothing else than to love righteousness. Finally, just as concern for one’s neighbour is added to love of God, so the virtue of mercy is added to the desire for righteousness, as it is said: Blessed are the merciful, for God will be merciful to them. Remember, Christian, the surpassing worth of the wisdom that is yours. Bear in mind the kind of school in which you are to learn your skills, the rewards to which you are called. Mercy itself wishes you to be merciful, righteousness itself wishes you to be righteous, so that the Creator may shine forth in his creature, and the image of God be reflected in the mirror of the human heart as it imitates his qualities. The faith of those who live their faith is a serene faith. What you long for will be given you; what you love will be yours for ever. Since it is by giving alms that everything is pure for you, you will also receive that blessing which is promised next by the Lord: Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God. Dear friends, great is the happiness of those for whom such a reward is prepared. Who are the clean of heart if not those who strive for those virtues we have mentioned above? What mind can conceive, what words can express the great happiness of seeing God? Yet human nature will achieve this when it has been transformed so that it sees the Godhead no longer in a mirror or obscurely but face to face – the Godhead that no man has been able to see. In the inexpressible joy of this eternal vision, human nature will possess what eye has not seen or ear heard, what man’s heart has never conceived. |
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| Hymn | Te Deum |
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| God, we praise you; Lord, we proclaim you! You, the Father, the eternal – all the earth venerates you. All the angels, all the heavens, every power – The cherubim, the seraphim – unceasingly, they cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts: heaven and earth are full of the majesty of your glory!” The glorious choir of Apostles – The noble ranks of prophets – The shining army of martyrs – all praise you. Throughout the world your holy Church proclaims you. – Father of immeasurable majesty, – True Son, only-begotten, worthy of worship, – Holy Spirit, our Advocate. You, Christ: – You are the king of glory. – You are the Father’s eternal Son. – You, to free mankind, did not disdain a Virgin’s womb. – You defeated the sharp spear of Death, and opened the kingdom of heaven to those who believe in you. – You sit at God’s right hand, in the glory of the Father. – You will come, so we believe, as our Judge. And so we ask of you: give help to your servants, whom you set free at the price of your precious blood. Number them among your chosen ones in eternal glory. Bring your people to safety, Lord, and bless those who are your inheritance. Rule them and lift them high for ever. Day by day we bless you, Lord: we praise you for ever and for ever. Of your goodness, Lord, keep us without sin for today. Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us. Let your pity, Lord, be upon us, as much as we trust in you. In you, Lord, I trust: let me never be put to shame. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| Concluding Prayer |
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| O God, you have redeemed us and adopted us. Grant to your beloved children that their belief in Christ may bring them true liberty and an eternal inheritance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
Collect: God our Father, you redeem us and make us your children in Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom and bring us to the inheritance you promised. 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. Amen.
Twenty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
"If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple."
The second reading is from St. Paul to Philemon 9b-10, 12-17. This letter is the shortest of St. Paul's letters and at the same time the most personal and touching. During his first imprisonment in Rome (61-63), a slave called Onesimus, who had run away from his Christian master Philemon, a native of Colossae, came to Paul in Rome and was converted to Christianity. Paul sent him back to his master bearing this letter, in which Paul touchingly appeals to Philemon to deal kindly with the runaway.
The Gospel is from St. Luke 14:25-33 and teaches us that the essential condition for true discipleship, demanded by Christ, was, and still is, total dedication, total commitment of oneself to Him. There can be no such person as a half-Christian. "He that is not with me is against me," He said on another occasion. We cannot be for Christ on Sunday and against Him for the remainder of the week. To be His true disciples, His true followers, we must live our Christian life every day and all day.
Following Christ means making our way to heaven. It is a life-journey. We have a limited time in which to complete this journey. Therefore, we must travel a certain distance each day. This does not mean that we must spend every day in prayer and meditation. There are other tasks to be done, but we must Christianize these other tasks. Even the members of religious orders who "leave the world," that is, who are set free from the family and financial cares of this world by their vows of chastity and poverty, have to busy themselves with other cares like teaching, nursing, tilling the soil perhaps, house-keeping, writing and many such activities. They cannot and do not spend all their day and every day in prayer and meditation. Nor does Christ demand this of them.
Much less, therefore, does He demand this of the ninety-nine percent of His followers who have to take on themselves financial and family cares. It is by fulfilling these worldly duties in a Christian way that they are dedicating themselves to His service. This is their total commitment to Christ. The married man or woman who is loyal to his or her life-partner and to the family, if there is one, and who provides diligently and honestly for his own and the family's spiritual and temporal welfare, and who always does this with the intention of pleasing God, is following Christ and is moving steadily day by day towards heaven.
— Excerpted from The Sunday Readings Cycle C, Fr. Kevin O' Sullivan, O.F.M.
O God, come to my aid.
O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen. Alleluia.
A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.
| Psalm 92 (93) |
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| The magnificence of the Creator |
| The Lord reigns! He is robed in splendour, clothed in glory and wrapped round in might. He set the earth on its foundations: it will not be shaken. Your throne is secure from the beginning; from the beginning of time, Lord, you are. The rivers have raised, O Lord, the rivers have raised their voices. The rivers have raised their clamour. Over the voices of many waters, over the powerful swell of the sea, you are the Lord, powerful on high. All your promises are to be trusted: and holy is your habitation, O Lord, to the end of time. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Canticle | Daniel 3 |
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| All creatures, bless the Lord | |
| Bless the Lord, all his works, praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord, you heavens; all his angels, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, you waters above the heavens; all his powers, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, sun and moon; all stars of the sky, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, rain and dew; all you winds, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, fire and heat; cold and warmth, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, dew and frost; ice and cold, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, ice and snow; day and night, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, light and darkness; lightning and storm-clouds, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, all the earth, praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord, mountains and hills; all growing things, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, seas and rivers; springs and fountains, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, whales and fish; birds of the air, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, wild beasts and tame; sons of men, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, O Israel, praise and exalt him for ever. Bless the Lord, his priests; all his servants, bless the Lord. Bless the Lord, spirits of the just; all who are holy and humble, bless the Lord. Ananias, Azarias, Mishael, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him for ever. Let us bless Father, Son and Holy Spirit, praise and exalt them for ever. Bless the Lord in the firmament of heaven, praise and glorify him for ever. |
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| Psalm 148 |
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| An anthem to the Lord, the Creator |
| Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the highest heavens. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his powers. Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all stars that shine. Praise him, waters of the heavens, and all the waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were made. He set them firm for all ages, he made a decree that will last for ever. Praise the Lord from the earth, sea-serpents and depths of the sea, fire, hail, snow and fog, storms and gales that obey his word, mountains and hills, fruit-trees and cedars, wild beasts and tame, serpents and birds. Kings of the earth, all peoples, all leaders and judges of the earth, young men and women, old people with the young – praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted. His splendour is above heaven and earth, he has raised up the strength of his people. This song is for all his chosen ones, the children of Israel, the people close to him. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
| Short reading | Ezekiel 37:12 - 14 © |
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| The Lord says this: I am now going to open your graves; I mean to raise you from your graves, my people, and lead you back to the soil of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you from your graves, my people. And I shall put my spirit in you, and you will live, and I shall resettle you on your own soil; and you will know that I, the Lord, have said and done this – it is the Lord who speaks. | |
| Canticle | Benedictus |
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| The Messiah and his forerunner | |
| Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. |
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| Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. |
| O God, you have redeemed us and adopted us. Grant to your beloved children that their belief in Christ may bring them true liberty and an eternal inheritance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen. |
| May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life. |
| A M E N |
Magnificat I
If anyone comes to me and does not hate even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple (Lk 14:26).
Benedictus
Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me,
cannot be my disciple (Lk 14:27).
Magnificat II
Whoever does not renounce all that he has
cannot be my disciple (Lk 14:33).
Twenty-Third Sunday of the Year C
Wisdom 9:13-19
Psalm 89: 3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17 (R. 1)
Philemon 9b-10, 12-17
Luke 14:25-33
A Salutary Anguish
I was reading not long ago the counsels of Staretz Ambrose of Optino on having a daily rule of personal prayer. “Every day,” says the Staretz, “read one or more chapters of the Gospel, standing (the attitude of prayer). If you are seized with anguish, read again until it has passed. If it returns, read the Gospel again.” The reading of the Gospel does not always fill us with comfort, light, and sweet assurance. Sometimes the reading of the Gospel produces anguish. A salutary anguish.
Who Then Can Be Saved?
When the disciples heard Jesus say that, “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Lk 18:25), they experienced a salutary anguish and replied, “Who then can be saved?” (Lk 18:26). If you heard today’s Gospel, for instance, without being seized with a certain anguish, perhaps you didn’t really hear it at all? “And so it is with you; none of you can be my disciple if he does not take leave of all that he possesses” (Lk 14:33).
The Vice of Proprietorship
We hear this teaching of Jesus in its absoluteness and immediately begin to look for loopholes, for a way around it, under it, or over it. We call it impossible, forgetting that Jesus also says in another place — again concerning possessions — that “the things that are impossible with men, are possible with God” (Lk 18:27). “Surely this does cannot apply to me,” one thinks; "one must be reasonable. The scholars are not in agreement on the interpretation of the text." But if one stays with today’s Gospel and refuses to pass over it or around it, one is obliged to look at what Saint Benedict calls, “the vice of personal ownership” (RB 55:18). Vice. Not a very nice word. One does not ordinarily think of a monastery as a place of vice. And yet, Saint Benedict puts his finger on what may well be the last vice to disappear from a monastery, the last vice to be eradicated from the heart of a monk: the vice of personal proprietorship.
Accumulation
Paradoxically, the less we have in the way of material things, the more attached we become to the little things we do have, even to mere trinkets. One can begin one’s monastic life with a grand flourish of detachment, leaving everything behind; and then, little by little, one begins to take things back, until everywhere there are things we call our own. One falls into the “vice of personal proprietorship” slowly and by degrees. One begins by filling a little drawer, then two or three drawers. When the drawers are full one begins to look for a box, then for more boxes. When the boxes are full one begins to look for closets. When the closets are full one claims squatter’s rights in an empty room. Finally one dies, and then the superior has to clean out one’s room, sort through one’s accumulated junk, and then look for a very big bin. “Thou fool, this night thou must render up thy soul; and who will be master now of all thou hast laid by?” (Lk 12:20). One takes comfort in being surrounded by “one’s own things,” but how far that comfort is from the anguish produced by today’s Gospel in the heart of one who hears it rightly!
Time
The proprietary vice has to do not only with material things. One can be proprietary about the use of one’s time. Every monastery has its inveterate clock-watchers, those who having given up many things, claim ownership over time. And when the monk who spent his hoarding up time and begrudging the extra minute dies . . . there is still time.
Talents and Space
One can also be proprietary about one’s talents or abilities. “Yes, I know how to do this or that, but I will do it for whomsoever and whensoever I choose.” Again, one can be proprietary about space. Monks (and nuns) can become notoriously territorial: my table, my shelf, my choirstall, my closet, my room, my workspace. There is a reason why the wise old monastic customaries banish “my” and “mine” from our vocabulary. The corporate “our” is no mere formalism; it is reminder of the salutary anguish produced by the hearing of today’s Gospel, a call to something more. “Look well and keep yourselves clear of all covetousness. A man’s life does not consist in having more possessions than he needs” (Lk 12:15).
A Load Upon the Soul
What is the remedy for the vice of personal proprietorship? Saint Benedict tells us that the remedy is “to set nothing before the love of Christ” (RB 4:21). Saint Clare of Assisi says that, “she who loves temporal things loses the fruit of love.” Saint Teresa of Avila says that “one for whom God is not enough is by far too greedy.” Christ seeks the love of a heart undivided. Again, that terrible, salutary, evangelical anguish strikes! Christ asks of us impossible things! Listen again to what we read a few moments ago from the book of Wisdom: “Who among men is he that can know the counsel of God? or who can think what the will of God is? For the thoughts of mortal men are fearful, and our counsels uncertain. For the corruptible body is a load upon the soul, and the earthly habitation presseth down the mind that museth upon many things” (Wis 9:13:15).
Prayer Changes the Heart
Staretz Ambrose of Optino says, “If you are seized with anguish, read again until it has passed. If it returns, read the Gospel again.” Reading (lectio) is followed by repetition (meditatio). Repetition is followed by prayer (oratio). And it is prayer that changes the heart; it is prayer that eradicates the vice of personal proprietorship: not the prayer that is our work for God, but that other deeper prayer that is God at work in us. And nowhere do we experience that life-changing prayer more powerfully than in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: the prayer of Christ in us, for us, and through us.
The Risk of Holy Mass
It is dangerous to enter into the Eucharist; one risks the loss of so much “For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). It is even more dangerous to hold back from the Eucharist. “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Lk 9:25). Let us go into the Eucharist today with a salutary anguish. He who gives us His Sacred Body and Precious Blood will give us everything else besides. Love takes risks. Risk it all. Set nothing before the love of Christ. Count everything else as loss. “Indeed, “ says the Apostle, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:8). Therein lies wisdom of heart.
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