Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 05-10-08, Vigil of Pentecost

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 05-10-08 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

May 10, 2008

Pentecost Sunday                                         At the Vigil Mass

Reading 1 Responsorial Psalm Reading 2 Gospel

Reading 1
Genesis 11:1-9

The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.
While the people were migrating in the east,
they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
They said to one another,
“Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.”
They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city
and a tower with its top in the sky,
and so make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth.”

The LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built.
Then the LORD said: “If now, while they are one people,
all speaking the same language,
they have started to do this,
nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down there and confuse their language,
so that one will not understand what another says.”
Thus the LORD scattered them from there all over the earth,
and they stopped building the city.
That is why it was called Babel,
because there the LORD confused the speech of all the world.
It was from that place that he scattered them all over the earth.

or

Ex 19:3-8a, 16-20b

Moses went up the mountain to God.
Then the LORD called to him and said,
“Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob;
tell the Israelites:
You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians
and how I bore you up on eagle wings
and brought you here to myself.
Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant,
you shall be my special possession,
dearer to me than all other people,
though all the earth is mine.
You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
That is what you must tell the Israelites.”
So Moses went and summoned the elders of the people.
When he set before them
all that the LORD had ordered him to tell them,
the people all answered together,
“Everything the LORD has said, we will do.”

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.

or

Ez 37:1-14

The hand of the LORD came upon me,
and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among the bones in every direction
so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
He asked me:
Son of man, can these bones come to life?
I answered, “Lord GOD, you alone know that.”
Then he said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I, Ezekiel, prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then the LORD said to me:
Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD:
From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
“Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

or

Jl 3:1-5

Thus says the LORD:
I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.
Your sons and daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions;
even upon the servants and the handmaids,
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.
And I will work wonders in the heavens and on the earth,
blood, fire, and columns of smoke;
the sun will be turned to darkness,
and the moon to blood,
at the coming of the day of the LORD,
the great and terrible day.
Then everyone shall be rescued
who calls on the name of the LORD;
for on Mount Zion there shall be a remnant,
as the LORD has said,
and in Jerusalem survivors
whom the LORD shall call.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 104:1-2, 24, 35, 27-28, 29, 30

R. (cf. 30) Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all
the earth is full of your creatures;
bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Creatures all look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading II
Rom 8:22-27

Brothers and sisters:
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.

Gospel
Jn 7:37-39

On the last and greatest day of the feast,
Jesus stood up and exclaimed,
“Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. As Scripture says:
Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.”

He said this in reference to the Spirit
that those who came to believe in him were to receive.
There was, of course, no Spirit yet,
because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

[Salvation]

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

[Salvation]

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit [Devotional]

Novena to the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit]

The Holy Spirit: Pentecost

The Church's First Novena

Litany of the Holy Spirit for the election of a holy pope.

[Salvation]

Vigil of the Pentecost and Whitsunday

THE CHURCH IS ALWAYS IN A STATE OF PENTECOST

Father Cantalamessa on Pentecost - Pontifical Household Preacher on Sunday's Readings

The Ever-Present Pentecost

The Advocate vs. The Accuser (Fr. Euteneuer Column)

Always be followed by your conscience (Rainbow Sashers get ready for Pentecost Sunday)

Pentecost worries Vatican [Pentecostals in the Philippines]

Prayer and Meditation: Pentecost

Pentecost Anticipation: The Catholic Charismatic Renewal and Me

Paul's Teaching on the Holy Spirit

Today's Pentecost! Come, Holy Spirit!

Breath of the Savior

Pentecost: The Descent of the Holy Spirit

PENTECOST - Rite of Kneeling

CATECHISM CC - Pt. 1 - Chap. 3 - I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

CATECHISM CC - Pt 1, Chap 3, ARTICLE 8 "I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT"

[Salvation]

Alleluia Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.

[Salvation]

May Devotion: Blessed Virgin Mary

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. Toward the end of the eighteenth century a zealous Jesuit priest, Father Lalomia, started among the students of the Roman college of his Society the practice of dedicating May to Our Lady. The devotion, which others had promoted in a small way, soon spread to other Jesuit Colleges and to the entire Latin church and since that time it has been a regular feature of Catholic life.

INVOCATIONS

Thou who wast a virgin before thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.
Thou who wast a virgin in thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.
Thou who wast a virgin after thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary, etc.

My Mother, deliver me from mortal sin.
Hail Mary (three times).

Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us.

Remember, O Virgin Mother of God, when thou shalt stand before the face of the Lord, that thou speak favorable things in our behalf and that He may turn away His indignation from us.
Roman Missal

Thou art my Mother, O Virgin Mary: keep me safe lest I ever offend thy dear Son, and obtain for me the grace to please Him always and in all things.

FOR THE HELP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

May we be assisted, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, by the worshipful intercession of Thy glorious Mother, the ever-Virgin Mary; that we, who have been enriched by her perpetual blessings, may be delivered from all dangers, and through her loving kindness made to be of one heart and mind: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Roman Missal

THE SALVE REGINA

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus! O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Roman Breviary

PRAYER TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

O blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay thee thy just dues of praise and thanksgiving, thou who by the wondrous assent of thy will didst rescue a fallen world? What songs of praise can our weak human nature recite in thy honor, since it is by thy intervention alone that it has found
the way to restoration? Accept, then, such poor thanks as we have here to offer, though they be unequal to thy merits; and, receiving our vows, obtain by thy prayers the remission of our offenses. Carry thou our prayers within the sanctuary of the heavenly audience, and bring forth from it the antidote of our reconciliation. May the sins we bring before Almighty God through thee, become pardonable through thee; may what we ask for with sure confidence, through thee be granted. Take our offering, grant us our requests, obtain pardon for what we fear, for thou art the sole hope of sinners. Through thee we hope for the remission of our sins, and in thee, 0 blessed Lady, is our hope of reward. Holy Mary, succour the miserable, help the fainthearted, comfort the sorrowful, pray for thy people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated to God; may all who keep thy holy commemoration feel now thy help and protection. Be thou ever ready to assist us when we pray, and bring back to us the answers to our prayers. Make it thy continual care to pray for the people of God, thou who, blessed by God, didst merit to bear the Redeemer of the world, who liveth and reigneth, world without end. Amen.
Saint Augustine

PETITION TO MARY

Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary, to thee who art the Mother of my Lord, the queen of the universe, the advocate, the hope, the refuge of sinners, I who am the most miserable of all sinners, have recourse this day. I venerate thee, great queen, and I thank thee for the many graces thou hast bestowed upon me even unto this day; in particular for having delivered me from the hell which I have so often deserved by my sins. I love thee, most dear Lady; and for the love I bear thee, I promise to serve thee willingly for ever and to do what I can to make thee loved by others also. I place in thee all my hopes for salvation; accept me as thy servant and shelter me under thy mantle, thou who art the Mother of mercy. And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations, or at least obtain for me the strength to overcome them until death. From thee I implore a true love for Jesus Christ. Through thee I hope to die a holy death. My dear Mother, by the love thou bearest to Almighty God, I pray thee to assist me always, but most of all at the last moment of my life. Forsake me not then, until thou shalt see me safe in heaven, there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies through all eternity. Such is my hope. Amen.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Magnificat Prayer My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my savior, For he has looked upon his servant in her lowliness; all ages to come shall call me blessed. God who is mighty has done great things for me, holy is his name; His mercy is from age to age on those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm; he has confused the proud in their inmost thoughts. He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. The hungry he has given every good thing, while the rich he has sent empty away. He has upheld Israel his servant, ever mindful of his mercy; Even as he promised our fathers, promised Abraham and his descendants forever. (Lk 1:46-55)

Seen above is the Blessed Virgin Mary, portrayed as Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
It was she who was chosen by God, to provide His Son with His Sacred Humanity.
She did so in humble and total cooperation with the Holy Spirit and the Divine will of the Holy Trinity; providing God's Son with the Blood He shed for us on the Cross.

TO MARY, REFUGE OF SINNERS
Hail, most gracious Mother of mercy, hail, Mary, for whom we fondly yearn, through whom we obtain forgiveness! Who would not love thee? Thou art our light in uncertainty, our comfort in sorrow, our solace in the time of trial, our refuge from every peril and temptation. Thou art our sure hope of salvation, second only to thy only-begotten Son; blessed are they who love thee, our Lady! Incline, I beseech thee, thy ears of pity to the entreaties of this thy servant, a miserable sinner; dissipate the darkness of my sins by the bright beams of thy holiness, in order that I may be acceptable in thy sight.

FOR THE GRACE OF LOVE
O Mary, my dear Mother, how much I love thee! And yet in reality how little! Thou dost teach me what I ought to know, for thou teachest me what Jesus is to me and what I ought to be for Jesus. Dearly beloved Mother, how close to God thou art, and how utterly filled with Him! In the measure that we know God, we remind ourselves of thee. Mother of God, obtain for me the grace of loving my Jesus; obtain for me the grace of loving thee!
Cardinal Merry del Val

TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY FOR MAY

O most august and blessed Virgin Mary! Holy Mother of God! glorious Queen of heaven and earth! powerful protectress of those who love thee, and unfailing advocate of all who invoke thee! look down, I beseech thee, from thy throne of glory on thy devoted child; accept the solemn offering I present thee of this month, specially dedicated to thee, and receive my ardent, humble desire, that by my love and fervor I could worthily honor thee, who, next to God, art deserving of all honor. Receive me, 0 Mother of Mercy, among thy best beloved children; extend to me thy maternal tenderness and solicitude; obtain for me a place in the Heart of Jesus, and a special share in the gifts of His grace. 0 deign, I beseech thee, to recognize my claims on thy protection, to watch over my spiritual and temporal interests, as well as those of all who are dear to me; to infuse into my soul the spirit of Christ, and to teach me thyself to become meek, humble, charitable, patient, and submissive to the will of God.

May my heart bum with the love of thy Divine Son, and of thee, His blessed Mother, not for a month alone, but for time and eternity; may I thirst for the promotion of His honor and thine, and contribute, as far as I can, to its extension. Receive me, 0 Mary, the refuge of sinners! Grant me a Mother's blessing and a Mother's care, now, and at the hour of my death. Amen.

TO OUR LADY

Saint John Vianney, better known as the Cure of Ars, when asked how long he had loved Mary, said: "I loved her almost before I could know her." In this prayer he expresses that love.
O thou most holy virgin Mary, who dost evermore stand before the most holy Trinity, and to whom it is granted at all times to pray for us to thy most beloved Son; pray for me in all my necessities; help me, combat for me, and obtain for me the pardon of all my sins. Help me especially at my last hour; and when I can no longer give any sign of the use of reason, then do thou encourage me, make the sign of the cross for me, and fight for me against the enemy. Make in my name a profession of faith; favor me with a testimony of my salvation, and never let me despair of the mercy of God. Help me to overthrow the wicked enemy. When I can no longer say: "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I place my soul in your hands," do thou say it for me; when I can no longer hear human words of consolation, do thou comfort me. Leave me not before I have been judged; and if I have to expiate my sins in purgatory, oh! pray for me earnestly; and admonish my friends to procure for me a speedy enjoyment of the blessed sight of God. Lessen my sufferings, deliver me speedily, and lead my soul into heaven with thee: that, united with all the elect, I may there bless and praise my God and thee for all eternity. Amen.
Saint John Vianney

ACT OF REPARATION

O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous
tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever virgin, conceived without stain of sin, co-redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity, who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. 0 Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.

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

 

Memorare of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Remember O Most Gracious Virgin Mary!

That never was it known
That anyone who fled to thy protection,
Implored thy help or sought thy intercession
Was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto Thee!
O Virgin of virgins, My Mother!

To Thee I come before Thee I stand,
Sinful and Sorrowful,
Oh Mother of the Word Incarnate,
Despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy,
Hear and answer me.

Amen

May Devotion: Blessed Virgin Mary

[Salvation]

Prayer Intentions of the Holy Father for May.

 

MAY 2008
General:
That Christians may use literature, art and the media to greater advantage to favour a culture which defends and promotes the values of the human person
Mission:
That just as she accompanied the Apostles in the early stages of the Church, may the Blessed Virgin Mary, Star of Evangelization and Queen of Apostles, continue to guide missionaries throughout the world with maternal affection.

[Salvation]

From: Genesis 11:1-9

Babel: the confusion of language

---

[1] Now the whole earth had one language and few words. [2] And as men
migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
[3] And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them
thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. [4] Then they
said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens,
and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face
of the whole earth.” [5] And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower,
which the sons of men had built. [6] And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one
people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they
will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. [7]
Come, let us go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not under-
stand one another’s speech.” [8] So the Lord scattered them abroad from there
over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. [9] Therefore its
name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the
earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the
earth.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

11:1-9. The text goes on to describe the growth of evil (cf. 8:21; 9:20-27), and, as
one of its results, the fact that mankind is scattered and its God-given unity is frag-
mented. Thus, the text begins by talking about mankind when it was still together;
it came from the east, where it originated and settled in the plains of Mesopotamia
(in Shinar; cf. 10:10). But the people are filled with pride, and want to make a
name for themselves, and to guarantee their own security by reaching heaven by
their own efforts. This attitude is epitomized by the project of building a massive
tower (we can get some idea of it from the tower-temples of Mesopotamia, the
ziggurats, on whose high terraces the Babylonians thought they could gain access
to the godhead and thus dominate God).

The text also offers an explanation for why there are so many languages; it sees
language as a sign of division and misunderstanding between individuals and
nations. It is based on the popular meaning of the word “babel”, connecting it
with the Hebrew balbalah, confusion; but in fact Babel means “gate of God”. We
have here an instance of literary devices being used to expound deep convic-
tions – in this case the view that disunion in mankind is the outcome of men’s
pride and sinfulness.

Babel thus becomes the opposite of Jerusalem, the city to which, the prophets
say, all the nations will flock (cf. Is 2:2-3). And it will be in the Church, the new
Jerusalem, that men of all nations, races and tongues will join in faith and love, as
will be seen in the Pentecost event (cf. Acts 2:1-13). There the phenomenon of
Babel will be reversed: all will understand the same language. In the history of
mankind, in effect, the Church is a kind of sign or sacrament of the union of God
and men, and of the unity of the whole human race (cf. Vatican II, Lumen gen-
tium, 1).

11:4. St Augustine explains the frustration of man’s designs against God in this
way: “Where would man’s vain presumption have ended if it succeeded in rearing
a building of such size and height, even to the sky in the face of God – since they
would have been higher than any mountain and would have reached beyond the
limits of our atmosphere? In any case, no harm could have come to God from any
straining after spiritual or physical elevation” (De civitate Dei, 16, 4).

This new sin of mankind is basically the same sort of sin as was committed in
paradise; it is a kind of continuation of it. It is the sin of pride to which man is
always prone and it has been well described in the following words of Blessed
Josemaria Escriva when he comments on 1 John 2:16: “They eyes of our soul
grow dull. Reason proclaims itself sufficient to understand everything, without the
aid of God. This is a subtle temptation, which hides behind the power of our intel-
lect, given by our Father God to man so that he might know and love him freely.
Seduced by this temptation, the human mind appoints itself the centre of the uni-
verse, being thrilled with the prospect that ‘you shall be like gods’ (cf. Gen 3:5).
So, filled with love for itself, it turns its back on the love of God. In this way does
our existence fall prey unconditionally to the third enemy: pride of life. It’s not
merely a question of passing thoughts of vanity or self-love, it’s a state of general
conceit. Let’s not deceive ourselves, for this is the worst of all evils, the root of
every false step. The fight against pride has to be a constant battle, to such an
extent that someone once said that pride only disappears twenty-four hours after
a person dies. It is the arrogance of the Pharisee whom God cannot transform
because he finds in him the obstacle of self-sufficiency. It is the haughtiness
which leads to despising other people, to lording it over them, and so mistreating
them. For ‘when pride comes, then comes disgrace’ (Prov 11:2)” (Christ Is
Passing By, 6)

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

From: Exodus 19:3-8a, 16-20b

God promises a Covenant

---

[3] And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him out of the mountain
saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
[4] You have seen that I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’
wings and brought you to myself. [5] Now therefore, if you will obey my voice
and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for
all the earth is mine, [6] and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

[7] So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all
these words which the Lord had commanded him. [8] And all the people
answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

[16] On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a
thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the
people who were in the camp trembled. [17] Then Moses brought the people
out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the moun-
tain; [18] And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord descended
upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the
whole mountain quaked greatly. [19] And as the sound of the trumpet grew
louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. [20] And
the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain;

*******************************************************************************************
Commentary:

19:1-25. This chapter is written as part of a magnificent liturgy is which the
events of Sinai are re-enacted for the reader. The sacred author, then, does not
seek to provide an exact, scholarly report on what happened there; what he is
providing, rather, is a theological interpretation of the real contact which took
place between God and his people.

As in other important sections of this book, it draws on the great traditions of
Israel but combines them so skillfully that they have become inseparable; only
now and then can one identify traces of particular traditions. The text as it now
stands is all of a piece. In this chapter there is a prologue (v. 9), summing up
what follows, and the theophany proper (vv. 10-25).

19:3-9. This passage summarizes the meaning of the Covenant that is going to
be established. So, it contains the idea of election, though it does not use the
term, and the idea of demands being made by God. Furthermore, we can see
here the new status of the people (it is God’s own property) and the basis of its
hope (in the sense that Israel attains its dignity as a people to the extent that it
is faithful to the divine will).

All the basic teachings are contained herein: a) The basis of the Covenant is
Israel’s deliverance from bondage (this has already happened: v. 4): the people
are the object of God’s preferential love; God made them a people by bringing
about that deliverance. b) If they keep the Covenant, they will become a very
special kind of people. This offer will take effect the moment they take on their
commitments, but Israel will develop towards its full maturity only to the extent
that it listens to/obeys the will of God. c) What God is offering the people is
specified in three complementary expressions – “My own possession”, “holy
nation”, “kingdom of priests”.

the first of these expressions means private property, personally acquired and
carefully conserved. Of all the nations of the earth Israel is to be “God’s pro-
perty” because he has chosen it and he protects it with special care. This new
status is something which will be stressed frequently (cf. Deut 7:6; 26:17-19;
Ps 135;4; Mal 3:17).

By being God’s possession Israel shares in his holiness, it is a “holy nation”,
that is, a people separated out from among the nations so as to keep a close
relationship with God; in other passages we are told more – that this is the re-
lationship of “a son of God” (cf. 4:22; Deut 14:1). This new way if being means
that there is a moral demand on the members of the people to show by their
lives what they are by God’s election: “You shall be holy; for I the Lord your
God am holy” (Lev 19:2).

And the expression “kingdom of priests” does not mean that they will be ruled by
priests, or that the entire people will exercise the role of priest (which is in fact
reserved to the tribe of Levi); rather, it reflects the fact that God gives Israel the
privilege of being the only nation in his service. Israel alone has been chosen
to be a “kingdom for the Lord”, that is, to be the sphere where he dwells and is
recognized as the only Sovereign. Israel’s acknowledgment of God is shown by
the service the entire people renders to the Lord.

This section (vv 7-8) ends with Moses’ proposal of God’s plans to the people
and their acceptance of these plans by the elders and by all the people; “All that
the Lord has spoken we will do” (v. 8). The same wording will be used twice
again in the ceremony to ratify the Covenant (cf. 24:3, 7).

In the New Testament (1 Pet 2:5; Rev 1:6; 5:9-10) what happened here will be
picked up again with the very same words, applying it to the new situation of the
Christian in the Church, the new people of God and the true Israel (cf. Gal 3:20):
every Christian shares in Christ’s priesthood through his incorporation into
Christ and is “called to serve God by his activity in the world, because of the
common priesthood of the faithful, which makes him share in some way in the
priesthood of Christ. This priesthood – though essentially distinct from the
ministerial priesthood – gives him the capacity to take part in the worship of the
Church and to help other men in their journey to God, with the witness of his
word and his example, through his prayer and work of atonement” (Bl. J.
Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 120).

19:10-25. This description of the theopany on Sinai contains features of a
solemn liturgy in order to highlight the majesty and transcendence of God.
Verses 10-15 cover as it were the preparation for the great event, and vv. 16-20
the event itself.

The preparation is very detailed: ritual purification in the days previous, ablu-
tions and everything possible done to ensure that the participants have the right
dispositions, even a ban on sexual intercourse (cf. Lev 15:16ff) as a sign of ex-
clusive concentration on God who is coming to visit. Also, the fact that the
people have to keep within bounds is a tangible way of showing the transcen-
dence of God. Once Jesus Christ, God made man, comes, no barrier will any
longer to imposed.

The manifestation of God took place on the third day.; The smoke, the fire and
the earthquake are external signs of the presence of God, who is the master of
nature. The two trumpet blasts (vv. 16, 19), the people’s march to the foot of
the mountain and then standing to attention – all give a liturgical tone to their
acknowledgment of the Lord as their only Sovereign. All these things and even
the voice of God in the thunder convey the idea that this awesome storm was
something unique, for what was happening this special presence of God on
Sinai, could never happen again.

Israel will never forget this religious experience, as we can see from the Psalms
(cf. Ps 18:8-9; 29:3-4; 77:17-18; 97:2ff). In the New Testament, extraordinary
divine manifestations will carry echoes of this theophany (cf. Mt 27:45; 51; Acts
2:2-4).

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

From: Ezekiel 37:1-14

The dry bones

---

[1] The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the
Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; it was full of bones. [2] And he
led me round among them; and behold, there were very many upon the valley; and
lo, there were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
And I answered, “O Lord God, thou knowest.” Again he said to me, “Prophesy to
these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says
the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you
shall live. [6] And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you,
and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall
know that I am the Lord.”

[7] So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise,
and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. [8] And as
I looked, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin
had covered them; but there was no breath in them. [9] Then he said to me,
“Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says
the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain,
that they may live.” [10] So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath
came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great
host.

[11] Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut
off.’ [12] Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I
will open their graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will
bring you home into the land of Israel. [13] And you shall know that I am the
Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.
[14] And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in
your own land; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done
it, says the Lord.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

37:1-14. This remarkable vision of the bones being brought back to life sets the
scene for the climax of the resurgence of Israel, the unification of the two kingdoms
(cf. 37:15-28). The dramatic contrast drawn here between death and life, bones
and spirit, shows that the revitalization that God will bring about goes much further
than material reconstruction or simply a return to the promised land; it implies,
rather, a new beginning, both personal and social.

The vision itself (vv. 2-10) takes place on an immense plain (cf. 3:22-23) and it
addresses the exiles’ profound concern about their future: “Our bones are dried
up, and our hope is lost” (v. 11). It is one of Ezekiel’s most famous and most
commented-on visions because it is very vivid and easy to understand. The
prophet himself explains it as having to do with the destruction-restoration of
Israel (vv. 11-14), though the Fathers of the Church see in it veiled references to
the resurrection of the dead: “The Creator will revive our mortal bodies here on
earth; he promises resurrection, the opening of sepulchers and tombs, and the
gift of immortality […]. And in all this, we see that he alone is God, who can do
all things, the good Father who from his endless bounty will give life to the life-
less” (St Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, 5, 15, 1). St Jerome writes in similar
terms: “The image of the resurrection would not have been used to describe the
restoration of the people of Israel if the future resurrection of the dead had not
been foreseen, because no one can be led to draw a conclusion from an idea
that has no basis is reality” (Commentarii in Ezechielem, 27, 1ff.

“I will put my Spirit within you” (v. 14). The spirit of the Lord is, at least, the power
of God (cf. Gen 2:7) performing an act of creation. It is also the principle of life
causing man to “become a living being” (Gen 2:7); and, certainly, it is the prin-
ciple of supernatural life. The same God that created all things can revitalize his
demoralized people in Babylon and can allow humankind to partake of his own
life. This promise, like others found in the prophets (cf. 11:19; Jer 31:31-34; Joel
3:1-5) will find its complete fulfillment at Pentecost, when the Spirit descends on
the apostles: “According to these promises, at the ‘end time’ the Lord’s Spirit will
renew the hearts of men, engraving a new law in them. He will gather and recon-
cile the scattered and divided peoples; he will transform the first creation, and
God will dwell there with men in peace” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 715).

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

From: Joel 2:28-32

The Spirit poured out

---

[28] And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
[29] Even upon the menservants and maidservants
in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

[30] and I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and
columns of smoke. [31] The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to
blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. [32] And it shall
come to pass that all who call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for
in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord
has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

2:18-3:21. The second part of the book is all about salvation. The Lord’s com-
passion (2:18) is shown by the message he sends via the prophet to the people
in response to their conversion: “The Lord answered and said to his people”
(2:19). On the Lord’s behalf the prophet encourages Judah and Jerusalem, telling
them that they have no reason to be afraid, for the Lord is going to deliver them
from their afflictions and provide them with every sort of earthly good (symbolized
here by the produce of the earth – grain, wine, oil: 2:19-27).

But the high point will be when God pours out his “spirit on all flesh …” (2:28).
The outpouring of the Spirit is the definitive sign that the “day of the Lord” has
come. That “day” is mentioned five times in the book (1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14),
each time with greater emphasis. The day of the Lord is an End time when a
number of things will happen: wickedness will be punished (1:15; 2:1-3); the
power of the Lord will be manifested by portents in the heavens and on earth
(2:30-31); and, above all, it is the day when the Lord will judge all nations (3:1-8).

2:28-32. This is the great passage about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The
word “afterward” in v. 28 marks the transition from the material benefits described
in the previous verses to spiritual benefits. The outpouring of the Spirit involves
charismatic and prophetical gifts primarily (moral gifts derive from these). This
infusion of the Spirit is the fulfillment of an ancient promise, found in Numbers
11:16-30: “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, […] and I will take
some of the spirit which is upon you and put it upon them, […] Would that all the
Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” This
hope is accentuated in Joel, for now no limits are placed on who will benefit from
it – elders, young people, and even servants (vv. 28-29). And the Lord will once
more perform wondrous things through them (v. 30), like those done by prophets
in the strict sense (cf. Deut 13:2; etc.).

St Peter sees this promise being fulfilled when the Holy Spirit is poured out on the
day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21). “Peter turns to this passage from Joel to explain
the significance of what has occurred, and the signs which those present have
seen: ‘the pouring out of the Holy Spirit’. It is a super-natural work of God,
carried out with the signs typical of the coming of the Lord, as they were foretold
by the prophets and realized in the New Testament with the coming of Christ”
(John Paul II, Address, 8 November 1989). Therefore, too, in the tradition of the
Church, this descent of the Holy Spirit is seen as an extension of his descent on
Jesus in the river Jordan: “God promised through the mouths of his prophets that in
the last days he would pour out his Spirit on all his servants, and that they too
would prophesy. Thus, the Spirit of God, who had become the Son of man, so
that by remaining within him, he would inhabit the heart of mankind and animate
all the works carried out by the hands of God, fulfilling the will of the Father
through all men and making all men new – new creations in Christ. Luke tells us
that after the ascension of the Lord, the Spirit descended on the apostles at
Pentecost, to restore men to new life and to bring the new covenant to completion.
Therefore, the disciples praised God in all the tongues of men, laying all peoples
open to the action of the Spirit and all nations open to the power and authority
of God” (St Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, 3, 17, 1-2).

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

From: Romans 8:22-27

Christians are Children of God (Continuation)

---

[22] We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until
now; [3] and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of
the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our
bodies. [24] For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope.
For who hopes for what he sees? [25] But if we hope for what we do not see,
we wait for it in patience.

[26] Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to
pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for
words. [27] And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of
the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of
God.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

19-21. To make his point more vividly St Paul, in a metaphor, depicts the whole
of creation, the material universe, as a living person, groaning in pain impatiently
waiting for a future event, raising its head, straining to see something appear on
the horizon.

The material world is indeed, through God’s design, linked to man and his des-
tiny. “Sacred Scripture teaches that man was created ‘in the image of God,’ as
able to know and love his Creator, and as set by him over all earthly creatures
that he might rule them, and make use of them, while glorifying God” (Vatican
II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 12). The futility to which creation is subject is not so
much corruption and death as the disorder resulting from sin. According to God’s
plan material things should be resources which enable man to attain the ultimate
goal of his existence. By using them in a disordered way, disconnecting them
from God, man turns them into instruments of sin, which therefore are subject
to the consequences of sin.

“Are we of the twentieth century not convinced of the overpoweringly eloquent
words of the Apostle of the Gentiles concerning the ‘creation (that) has been
groaning in travail together until now’ and ‘waits with eager longing for the revea-
ling of the sons of God’, the creation that’ was subjected to futility’? Does not the
previously unknown immense progress—which has taken place especially in the
course of this century—in the field of man’s dominion over the world itself reveal—
to a previously unknown degree—that manifold subjection ‘to futility’? [...] The
world of the previously unattained conquests of science and technology—is it not
also the world ‘groaning in travail’ that ‘waits with eager longing for the revealing
of the sons of God’?” (John Paul II, “Redemptor Hominis”, 8).

Reestablishment of the order willed by God, bringing the whole world to fulfill its
true purpose, is the particular mission of the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life, the
true Lord of history: “’The arm of the Lord has not been shortened.’ God is no
less powerful today than he was in other times; his love for man is no less true.
Our faith teaches us that all creation, the movement of the earth and the other
heavenly bodies, the good actions of creatures and all the good that has been
achieved in history, in short everything, comes from God and is directed toward
him.

“The action of the Holy Spirit may pass unnoticed because God does not reveal
to us his plans, and because man’s sin obscures the divine gifts. But faith tells
us that God is always acting. He has created us and maintains us in existence,
and he is leading all creation by his grace towards the glorious freedom of the
children of God” (St J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 130).

*********************************************************************************************
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.

[Salvation]

From: John 7:37-39

Different opinions about Jesus

---

[37] On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed,
“If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. [38] He who believes in me, as
the scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” [39] Now
this he said about the Spirit which those who believed in him were to receive; for
as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

37-39. On each of the eight days of the Feast of Tabernacles the high priest went
to the pool of Siloam and, used a golden cup to bring water to the temple and
sprinkle it on the altar, in remembrance of the water which sprang up miraculously
in the desert, asking God to send rain in plenty (cf. Ex l7:1-7). Meanwhile, a
passage from the prophet Isaiah was chanted (cf. Is 12:3) which told of the com-
ing of the Saviour and of the outpouring of heavenly gifts that would accompany
him; Ezekiel 47 was also read, in which it spoke of the torrents of water which
would pour out of the temple. Jesus, who would have been at this ceremony, now
proclaims – in the presence of a huge crowd, undoubtedly, because it was the
most solemn day of the festival – that that time has come: “If any one thirst, let
him come to me and drink . . .”. This invitation recalls the words of divine wisdom:
“Come to me, you who desire me, and eat your fill” (Sir 24:19; cf. Prov 9:4-5).
Our Lord presents himself as him who can fill man’s heart and bring him peace
(cf. also Mt 11:28). In this connexion St Augustine exclaims: “You made us for
yourself, Lord, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you” (Confessions,
1, 1, 1).

Jesus’ words as preserved in v. 37 led St Alphonsus to write this tender commen-
tary full of love for our Saviour: “In Jesus Christ we have three fountains of grace.
The first is the fountain of mercy, where we can be purified of all the stains of our
sins. […] The second is that of love: no one who meditates on the suffering and
shame that Jesus Christ undergoes out of love for us, from his birth to his death,
can fail to be kindled by that happy fire which comes down on earth to set on
fire the hearts of all men. […] The third is the fountain of peace: let him who
seeks peace of heart come to me, who is the God of peace” (Meditations for Ad-
vent, med. 8).

Furthermore, when Jesus speaks of “rivers of living water” flowing out of his heart,
he is probably referring to the prophecy in Ezekiel 36:25ff where it is announced
that in messianic times the people will be sprinkled with clean water and will be
given a new spirit and their heart of stone will be changed for a heart of flesh. In
other words, Jesus, once he has been exalted as befits his position as Son of
God, will end at Pentecost the Holy Spirit, who will change the hearts of those
who believe in him. “For this reason, Christian tradition has summarized the
attitude we should adopt towards the Holy Spirit in just one idea – docility. That
means we should be aware of the work of the Holy Spirit all around us, and in our
own selves we should recognize the gifts he distributes, the movements and
institutions he in spires, the affections and decisions he provokes in our hearts”
(Bl. J. Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 130).

To say that the Holy Spirit will come visibly on the day of Pentecost does not
mean that he has not been active before: when the prophets of the Old Testa-
ment speak they are inspired by the Holy Spirit (cf. 2 Pet 1:21) and there are
countless passages in the New Testament where we are told that he is acting:
for example, he overshadows the Blessed Virgin at the Annunciation (cf. Lk 1:35);
he moves Zechariah to prophesy the wonders of the Lord (cf. Lk 1:67-79), and
Simeon to proclaim that the Saviour of the world has come (cf. Lk 2:25-38).

But, asks St Augustine, “how are the words of the Evangelist to be understood:
“The Spirit had not yet been given, since Jesus was not yet glorified’, if not in the
sense that, after the glorification of Christ, there would certainly be a giving or
sending of the Holy Spirit of such a kind as there had never been before?”
(De Trinitate, 4, 20). Our Lord was referring, therefore, to the coming of the Holy
Spirit after his ascension into heaven, an outpouring which St John sees as sym-
bolically anticipated when Christ’s side is pierced by a lance and blood and water
flow out (Jn 19:34). The Fathers saw in this the birth of the Church and the sanc-
tifying power of the sacraments, especially those of Baptism and the Eucharist.

*********************************************************************************************
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

[annalex]

Jn 7:37-39
#	Douay-Rheims	Vulgate
37	And on the last, and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried, saying: If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.	in novissimo autem die magno festivitatis stabat Iesus et clamabat dicens si quis sitit veniat ad me et bibat
38	He that believeth in me, as the scripture saith: Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.	qui credit in me sicut dixit scriptura flumina de ventre eius fluent aquae vivae
39	Now this he said of the Spirit which they should receive who believed in him: for as yet the Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.	hoc autem dixit de Spiritu quem accepturi erant credentes in eum non enim erat Spiritus quia Iesus nondum fuerat glorificatus

[annalex]

37. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.
38. He that believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39. (But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe in him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

CHRYS. The feast being over, and the people about to return home, our Lord gives them provisions for the way: On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and drink.

AUG. The feast was then going on, which is called scenopegia, i.e. building of tents.

CHRYS. Which lasted seven days. The first and last days were the most important; In the last day, that great day of the feast, says the Evangelist. Those between were given chiefly to amusements. He did not then make the offer on the first day, or the second, or the third, lest amidst the excitements that were going on, people should let it slip from their minds, He cried out, on account of the great multitude of people present.

THEOPHYL. To make Himself audible, inspire confidence in others, and show an absence of all fear in Himself.

CHRYS. If any thirsts: as if to say, I use no compulsion or violence: I but if any have the desire strong enough, let him come.

AUG. For there is an inner thirst, because there is an inner man: and the inner man of a certainty loves more than the outer. So then if we thirst, let us go not on our feet, but on our affections, not by change of place, but by love.

CHRYS. He is speaking of spiritual drink, as His next words show: He that believes in Me, as the Scripture truth said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But where here does the Scripture say this? No where. What then? We should read, He that believes in Me, as said the Scripture, putting the stop here; and then, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water: the meaning being, that that was a right kind of belief, which was formed on the evidence of Scripture, not of miracles. Search the Scriptures, he had said before. JEROME. Or this testimony is taken from the Proverbs, where it is said, Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets.

AUG. The belly of the inner man, is the heart's conscience. Let him drink from that water, and his conscience is quickened and purified; he drinks in the whole fountain, nay, becomes the very fountain itself. But what is that fountain, and what is that river, which flows from the belly of the inner man? The love of his neighbor. If any one, who drinks of the water, thinks that it is meant to satisfy himself alone, out of his belly there does not flow living water. But if he does good to his neighbor, the stream is not dried up, but flows.

GREG. When sacred preaching flows from the soul of the faithful, rivers of living water, as it were, run down from the bellies of believers. For what are the entrails of the belly but the inner part of the mind; i.e. a right intention, a holy desire, humility towards God, mercy toward man.

CHRYS. He says, rivers, not river, to show the copious and overflowing power of grace: and living water, i.e. always moving; for when the grace of the Spirit has entered into and settled in the mind, it flows freer than any fountain, and neither fails, nor empties, nor stagnates. The wisdom of Stephen, the tongue of Peter, the strength of Paul, are evidences of this. Nothing hindered them; but, like impetuous torrents, they went on, carrying every thing along with them.

AUG. What kind of drink it was, to which our Lord invited them, the Evangelist next explains; But this He spoke of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive. Whom does the Spirit mean, but the Holy Spirit; For every man has within him his own spirit.

ALCUIN. He promised the Holy Spirit to the Apostles before the Ascension; He gave it to them in fiery tongues, after the Ascension. The Evangelist's words, Which they that believe in Him should receive, refer to this.

AUG. The Spirit of God was, i.e. was with God, before now; but was not yet given to those who believed on Jesus; for our Lord had determined not to give them the Spirit, till He was risen again: The Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

CHRYS. The Apostles indeed cast out devils by the Spirit before, but only by the power which they had from Christ. For when He sent them, it is not said, He gave them the Holy Spirit, but, He gave to them power. With respect to the Prophets however, all agree that the Holy Spirit was given to them but this grace had been withdrawn from the world.

AUG. Yet we read of John the Baptist, He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb. And Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied. Mary was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied of our Lord. And so were Simeon and Anna, that they might acknowledge the greatness of the infant Christ. We are to understand then that the giving of the Holy Spirit was to be certain, after Christ's exaltation, in a way in which it never was before. It was to have a peculiarity at His coming, which it had not before. For we no where read of men under the influence of the Holy Spirit, speaking with tongues which they had never known, as then took place, when it was necessary to evidence His coming by sensible miracles.

AUG. If the Holy Spirit then is received now, why is there no one who speaks the tongues of all nations? Because now the Church herself speaks the tongues of all nations. Whoso is not in her, neither does he now receive the Holy Spirit. But if only you love unity, whoever has any thing in her, has it for you. Put away envy, and that which I have is yours. Envy separates, love unites: have it, and you have all things: whereas without it nothing that you can have, will profit you. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which its given to us. But why did our Lord give the Holy Spirit after His resurrection? That the flame of love might mount upwards to our own resurrection: separating us from the world, and devoting us wholly to God. He who said, He that believes in Me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water, has promised life eternal, free from all fear, and change, and death. Such then being the gifts which He promised to those in whom the Holy Spirit kindled the flame of love, He would not give that Spirit till He was glorified: in order that in His own person He might show us that life, which we hope to attain to in the resurrection.

AUG. If this then is the cause why the Holy Spirit was not yet given; viz. because Jesus was not yet glorified; doubtless, the glorification of Jesus when it took place, was the cause immediately of its being given. The Cataphryges, however, said that they first received the promised Paraclete, and thus strayed from the Catholic faith. The Manichaeans too apply all the promises made respecting the Holy Spirit to Manichaeus, as if there were no Holy Spirit given before.

CHRYS. Or thus; By the glory of Christ, He means the cross. For, whereas we were enemies, and gifts are not made to enemies, but to friends, it was necessary that the victim should be first offered up, and the enmity of the flesh removed; that, being made friends of God, we might be capable of receiving the gift.

Catena Aurea John 21

[annalex]

The Holy Family with God the Father and the Holy Spirit

Carlo Dolci

c. 1630
Oil on copper, 28 x 23 cm
Private collection

[annalex]

Catena Aurea John 7 is the proper link to the Catena.

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

May 9, 2008

Leo XIII on Devotion to the Holy Ghost

Invoke the Holy Spirit

We ought to pray to and invoke the Holy Spirit, for each one of us greatly needs His protection and His help. The more a man is deficient in wisdom, weak in strength, borne down with trouble, prone to sin, so ought he the more to fly to Him who is the never-ceasing fount of light, strength, consolation, and holiness.

The Forgiveness of Sins

And chiefly that first requisite of man, the forgiveness of sins, must be sought for from Him: "It is the special character of the Holy Ghost that He is the Gift of the Father and the Son. Now the remission of all sins is given by the Holy Ghost as by the Gift of God" (Summ. Th. 3a, q. iii., a. 8, ad 3m). Concerning this Spirit the words of the Liturgy are very explicit: "For He is the remission of all sins" (Roman Missal, Tuesday after Pentecost).

Sweet Guest of the Soul

How He should be invoked is clearly taught by the Church, who addresses Him in humble supplication, calling upon Him by the sweetest of names: "Come, Father of the poor! Come, Giver of gifts! Come, Light of our hearts! O, best of Consolers, sweet Guest of the soul, our refreshment!" (Veni Sancte Spiritus). She earnestly implores Him to wash, heal, water our minds and hearts, and to give to us who trust in Him "the merit of virtue, the acquirement of salvation, and joy everlasting." Nor can it be in any way doubted that He will listen to such prayer, since we read the words written by His own inspiration: "The Spirit Himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings" (Rom 8., 26).

The Pledge of Our Inheritance

Lastly, we ought confidently and continually to beg of Him to illuminate us daily more and more with His light and inflame us with His charity: for, thus inspired with faith and love, we may press onward earnestly towards our eternal reward, since He "is the pledge of our inheritance" (Eph 1, 14). . . .

With the Blessed Virgin Mary

Unite, then, Venerable Brethren, your prayers with Ours, and at your exhortation let all Christian peoples add their prayers also, invoking the powerful and ever-acceptable intercession of the Blessed Virgin. You know well the intimate and wonderful relations existing between her and the Holy Ghost, so that she is justly called His Spouse. The intercession of the Blessed Virgin was of great avail both in the mystery of the Incarnation and in the coming of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles. May she continue to strengthen our prayers with her suffrages, that, in the midst of all the stress and trouble of the nations, those divine prodigies may be happily revived by the Holy Ghost, which were foretold in the words of David: "Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created, and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth" (Ps. ciii., 30).

Pope Leo XIII
Encyclical, Divinum Illud Munus
9 May 1897