Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 07-02-09

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 07-02-09 | New American Bible

[Salvation]

July 2, 2009

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week                                in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading 1
Gn 22:1b-19

God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
Then God said: "Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering
on a height that I will point out to you."
Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well,
and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering,
set out for the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.
Then he said to his servants: "Both of you stay here with the donkey,
while the boy and I go on over yonder.
We will worship and then come back to you."
Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering
and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
"Father!" he said.
"Yes, son," he replied.
Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?"
"Son," Abraham answered,
"God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering."
Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Next he tied up his son Isaac,
and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am," he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
hence people now say, "On the mountain the LORD will see."
Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing all this because you obeyed my command."

Abraham then returned to his servants,
and they set out together for Beer-sheba,
where Abraham made his home.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (9) I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your kindness, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
"Where is their God?"
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone who trusts in them.
The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;
he is their help and their shield.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Mt 9:1-8

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
"This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins"–
he then said to the paralytic,
"Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

[Salvation]

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

[Salvation]

Alleluia Ping!

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

[Salvation]

On Priestly Identity
What Can I Do For the Year of the Priest?
The Rosary for the Year of the Priest [Catholic Caucus]

Pope Notes His Goal for Year for Priests
On the Year for Priests
WHY A YEAR FOR PRIESTS?
Curé d'Ars: Model Priest [Year of the Priest]
ZENIT Launches Column on Priesthood

[Justin] Cardinal Rigali on the Year for Priests
Church Being Given Chance to Rediscover Priesthood [Year of the Priest]
Celebrating the Year of the Priesthood
St. John Vianney's Pastoral Plan
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI PROCLAIMING A YEAR FOR PRIESTS [Catholic Caucus]

Year of the Priest Letter (Media immediately scrutinize its contents for controversy)
Year of the Priest [Catholic Caucus]
The Year for Priests [Catholic Caucus]
Year of the Priest Begins Friday
U.S. bishops launch website for Year for Priests

[Salvation]

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1.  Sign of the Cross:  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

2.  The Apostles Creed:  I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3.  The Lord's Prayer:  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 who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary:  HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be:  GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer.  Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, 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! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

 

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light
(Thursdays) see Rosarium Virginis Mariae
1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Gratitude for the gift of Faith]
2. Jesus' self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1- 12) [Spiritual fruit - Fidelity]
3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48, John 20:22-23) [Spiritual fruit - Desire for Holiness]
4. Jesus' Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Spiritual Courage]
5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) [Spiritual fruit - Love of our Eucharistic Lord]

[Salvation]

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
 Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we  humbly pray,
 and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
 by the power of God,
 Cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
 Amen
+

[Salvation]

Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life

Change Worth Praying For

[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries

[Salvation]

July Devotion: The Precious Blood

July Devotion: The Precious Blood 

Like the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, His Precious Blood deserves special honor because of its close relation to the Sacred Passion. That honor was given to it from the beginning by the Apostles who praised its redeeming power. (Rom. 5:9 "we are justified by His blood"; Heb. 13:12 "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate"; 1 John 1:7 "and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.") 

The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem. We continue to recognize and publicly acknowledge the profound indebtedness of the whole human race to Christ, Priest and Victim. 

 

Standing at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' head, hands, feet, and side pouring out streams of precious blood. It is precious because it: 

·      Redeems us and atones for our sins. Through His precious blood we are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Death ceases to be death and heaven's gates are opened to us.  

·      Cleanses us from all sin.  

·      Preserves us and keeps us safe from the grasp of evil.  When the Father sees us washed in the Blood of the Lamb we are spared.  

·      Comforts us. It is the constant reminder that Jesus - true God and true man suffered and died to save us and to open heaven to us because He loves us.  

·      Sanctifies us.  The same blood that justifies by taking away sin, continues to work within us.  Its action gives us the grace to continue on the path toward the Kingdom of God.  It assists us in achieving our new nature, leading us onward in subduing sin and in following the commands of God.  

Jesus shed His precious blood seven times during His life on earth.  They events were: 

·      Jesus shed His Blood in the Circumcision  

·      Jesus shed His Blood whilst praying in the Garden of Olives  

·      Jesus shed His Blood in the scourging  

·      Jesus shed His Blood in the crowning with thorns  

·      Jesus shed His Blood while carrying His cross  

·      Jesus shed His Blood in the crucifixion  

·      Jesus shed His Blood and water when His side was pierced 

The Power of the Precious Blood 

"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." (St. Albert the Great)  

 

At their recent meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for "healing and peace."   They encouraged parishes and communities to have ongoing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  In these dark months of woundedness, pain and violence we need to turn to the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, for healing, peace, and light.  

"What power we have in the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!  He is there to protect us, to be our refuge and our redemption.  (In Exodus 12, God told Moses to have His chosen people mark their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb, during the first Passover. Those who did this were spared when the Angel of the death passed by). This is why Archbishop Sheen said that we must call down the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  For, he warned, when we stop calling down the Blood of the Lamb, we start calling down the blood of each other."  (From our book Bread of Life)      

"And the Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water" (Rev 7:17). 

"In the tumultuous events of our time, it is important to look to the Eucharist: it must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people; the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate; the ideal in education and in training children, adolescents and young people; the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life."  (Pope John Paul II)  

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! 

"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night when He went into His agony.  But as often in the history of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep.  That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could you not watch one hour with Me?'" (Mt 26:40).  Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).  

 

St. Maria Goretti,  Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Feast-July 6 St. Maria of Italy (1890-1902), couldn't wait to make her First Communion.  She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart.  After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. Maria's family lived with and worked for a farmer. His son Alessandro kept trying to make Maria sin against purity.  One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed Maria and tried to make her sin.  Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. Courageously,   Maria resisted him and was stabbed fourteen times. St. Maria died the next day.  

"Look at Maria Goretti....  Like her, be capable of defending your purity of heart and body.  Be committed to the struggle against evil and sin.  Always esteem and love, purity and virginity." (Pope John Paul II, 1990)      

A Prayer for Priests 

O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support.  In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart.  Amen.  Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!A

 

menHe

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you"  (Jn 6:53).  

The Eucharist is the fruit of our Lords Passion. Jesus gave up His Body on the cross so that He may give you His Body in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus poured out His very last drop of Blood on the cross so that He may fill you with His Divine Love each time that you receive Him in Holy Communion and visit Him in Eucharistic Adoration! 

"The Eucharist, in the Mass and outside of the Mass, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and is therefore deserving of the worship that is given to the living God, and to Him alone" (Pope John Paul II, September 29, 1979, Phoenix Park, Ireland) 

"The bread and wine, fruit of human hands, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ, become a pledge of the 'new heaven and new earth,' announced by the Church in her daily mission." "In Christ, whom we adore present in the mystery of the Eucharist, the father uttered his final word with regard to humanity and human history." "To live the Eucharist, it is necessary, as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, something which I myself experience every day drawing from it strength, consolation and assistance."  "How could the Church fulfill her vocation without cultivating a constant relationship with the Eucharist, without nourishing herself with this food which sanctifies, without founding her missionary activity on this indispensable support?" "To evangelize the world there is need of apostles who are 'experts' in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist" (Pope John Paul II, World Mission Message 2004).

 

The Power of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist  

"The Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood.  Every ceremony in the Church tells of it . . . .  Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on earth is either a leaf, bud, blossom or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. To its fountains God calls the sinner, that he may be lightened of his burdens. There is no remission of him in anything else.  Only there is his lost sonship to be found. The saints are no less called by God to these invigorating streams. It is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celebacies, austerities, heroic charities, and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity.  The secret nourishment of prayer is from those fountains" (Father Faber, The Precious Blood).  

Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
FORMER PENTECOSTAL RELATES MIRACLE THAT OCCURRED WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
St.Gaspar:Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood[AKA The Hammer of Freemasons]

 

 

 Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

 

[Salvation]

Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For July 2009

General: That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation.

Mission: That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God's one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country in the world.

[Salvation]

From: Genesis 22:1b-19

The Sacrifice of Isaac and the Renewal of the Promise

---

[1b] God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.”
[2] He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains
of which I shall tell you.” [3] So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his
ass, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he cut the
wood for the burnt offering, an arose and went to the place of which God had told
him. [4] 0n the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.
[5] Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the ass; and the lad
will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” [6] And Abraham took the
wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand
the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. [7] And Isaac said to
his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said,
“Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” [8]
Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
So they went both of them together.

[9] When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an
altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on
the altar, upon the wood. [10] Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife
to slay his son. [11] But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said,
“Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” [12] He said, “Do not lay your
hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing
you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” [13] And Abraham lifted
up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket
by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt
offering instead of his son. [14] So Abraham called the name of that place The
Lord will provide; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be
provided.”

[15] And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
[16] and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done
this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, [17] I will indeed bless you,
and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand
which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their
enemies, [18] and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless
themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.” [19] So Abraham returned to
his young men, and they arose and went together to Beer-sheba; and Abraham
dwelt at Beer-sheba.

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

22:1-19. God has been true to his promise: he has given Abraham a son by Sa-
rah. Now it is Abraham who should show his fidelity to God by being ready to
sacrifice his son in recognition that the boy belongs to God. The divine command
seems to be senseless: Abraham has already lost Ishmael, when he and Hagar
were sent away; now he is being asked to sacrifice his remaining son. Disposing
of his son meant detaching himself even from the fulfillment of the promise which
Isaac represented. In spite of all this, Abraham obeys.

‘”As a final stage in the purification of his faith, Abraham ‘who had received the
promises’ (Heb 11:17) is asked to sacrifice the son God had given him. Abra-
ham’s faith does hot weaken (’God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offe-
ring’), for he ‘considered that God was able to raise men even from the dead’
(Heb 11:19). And so the father of believers is conformed to the likeness of the
Father who will not spare his own son but will deliver him up for us all (cf. Rom
8:32). Prayer restores man to God’s likeness and enables him to share in the
power of God’s love that saves the multitude (cf. Rom 4:16-21)” (”Catechism of
the Catholic Church”,2572).

By undergoing the test which God set, Abraham attains perfection (cf. Jas 2:2 1)
and he is now in a position for God to reaffirm in a solemn way the promise he
made previously (cf. Gen 12:3).

The sacrifice of Isaac has features which make it a figure of the redemptive sacri-
fice of Christ. Thus, there is father giving up his son; the son who renders himself
to his father’s will; the tools of sacrifice such as the wood, the knife and the altar.
The account reaches its climax by showing through Abraham’s obedience and
Isaac’s non-resistance, God’s blessing will reach all the nations of the earth (cf.
v. 18). So, it is not surprising that Jewish tradition should attribute a certain re-
demptive value to Isaac’s submissiveness, and that the Fathers should see this
episode prefiguring the passion of Christ, only Son of the Father.

22:2. “The land of Moriah”: according to the Syrian version of Genesis this is
“land of the Ammorites”. We do not in fact know where this place was, although
in 2 Chronicles 3:1 it is identified the mountain on which the temple Jerusalem
was built, to stress the holiness of that site.

22:12. God is satisfied just by Abraham’s sincere intention to do what he asked
of him. It is as good as if he had actually done the deed. “The patriarch turned
sacrificer of his son for the love of God; he stained his right hand with blood in
intention and offered sacrifice. But owing to God’s loving kindness beyond telling
he received his son back safe and sound and went off with him; the patriarch was
commended for his intention and bedecked with a bright crown; he had engaged
in the ultimate struggle and at every stage given evidence of his godly attitude”
(”Homiliae in Genesim”, 48, 1).

Making an implicit comparison between Isaac and Jesus, St Paul sees in the
death of Christ the culmination of God’s love; he writes: “He who did not spare
his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with
him?” (Rom 8:32).

If staying Abraham’s hand was really a sign of God’s love, an even greater one
was really a sign of God’s love, an even greater one was the fact that he allowed
Jesus to die as an expiatory sacrifice on behalf of all mankind. In that later sacri-
fice, because “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8), “the abyss of malice which sin opens wide
has been bridged by his infinite charity. God did not abandon men. His plans
foresaw that the sacrifices of the old law would be insufficient to repair our faults
and reestablish the unity which had been lost. A man who was God would have
to offer himself up” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ is Passing By”, 95).

22: 13-14. Some Fathers see this ram as a prefigurement of Jesus Christ, insofar
as, like Christ, the ram. was immolated in order to save man. In this sense, St
Ambrose wrote: “Whom does the ram represent, if not him of whom it is written,
‘He has raised up a horn for his people’ (Ps 148:14)? [...] Christ: It is He whom
Abraham saw in that sacrifice; it was his passion he saw. Thus, our Lord himself
says of Abraham: ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he
saw it and was glad’ (Jn 8:56). Therefore Scripture says: ‘Abraham called the
name of that place ‘The Lord will provide,’ so that today one can say: the Lord
appeared on the mount, that is, he appeared to Abraham revealing his future pas
sion in his body, whereby he redeemed the world; and sharing, at the same time,
the nature of his passion when he caused him to see the ram suspended by his
horns. The thicket stands for the scaffold of the cross” (”De Abraham”, 1, 8, 77-
7.8).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Matthew 9:1-8

The Curing of a Paralytic

---

[1] And getting into a boat He (Jesus) crossed over and came to His own city.
[2] And behold, they brought to Him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when
Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, My son; your sins
are forgiven.” [3] And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man
is blaspheming.” [4] But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think
evil in your hearts? [5] For which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to
say, ‘Rise and walk’? [6] But that you may know that the Son of Man has autho-
rity on earth to forgive sins” — He then said to the paralytic — “Rise, take up your
bed and go home.” [7] And He rose and went home. [8] When the crowds saw
it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

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

1. “His own city”: Capernaum (cf. Matthew 4:13 and Mark 2:1).

2-6. The sick man and those who bring him to Jesus ask Him to cure the man’s
physical illness; they believe in His supernatural powers. As in other instances
of miracles, our Lord concerns Himself more with the underlying cause of illness,
that is, sin. With divine largesse He gives more than He is asked for, even though
people do not appreciate this. St. Thomas Aquinas says that Jesus Christ acts
like a good doctor: He cures the cause of the illness (cf. “Commentary on St.
Matthew”, 9, 1-6).

2. The parallel passage of St. Mark adds a detail which helps us understand this
scene better and explains why the text refers to “their faith”: in Mark 2:2-5 we
are told that there was such a crowd around Jesus that the people carrying the
bed could not get near Him. So they had the idea of going up onto the roof and
making a hole and lowering the bed down in front of Jesus. This explains His
“seeing their faith”.

Our Lord was pleased by their boldness, a boldness which resulted from their
lively faith which brooked no obstacles. This nice example of daring indicates
how we should go about putting charity into practice—as also how Jesus feels
towards people who show real concern for others: He cures the paralytic who
was so ingeniously helped by his friends and relatives; even the sick man him-
self showed daring by not being afraid of the risk involved.

St. Thomas comments on this verse as follows: “This paralytic symbolizes the
sinner lying in sin”; just as the paralytic cannot move, so the sinner cannot help
himself. The people who bring the paralytic along represent those who, by gi-
ving him good advice, lead the sinner to God” (”Commentary on St. Matthew”,
9, 2). In order to get close to Jesus the same kind of holy daring is needed, as
the Saints show us. Anyone who does not act like this will never take important
decisions in his life as a Christian.

3-7. Here “to say” obviously means “to say and mean it”, “to say producing the
result which your words imply”. Our Lord is arguing as follows” which is easier
— to cure the paralytic’s body or to forgive the sins of his soul? Undoubtedly, to
cure his body; for the soul is superior to the body and therefore diseases of the
soul are the more difficult to cure. However, a physical cure can be seen,
whereas a cure of the soul cannot. Jesus proves the hidden cure by performing
a visible one.

The Jews thought that any illness was due to personal sin (cf. John 9:1-3); so
when they heard Jesus saying, “Your sins are forgiven”, they reasoned in their
minds as follows: only God can forgive sins (cf. Luke 5:21); this man says that
He has power to forgive sins; therefore, He is claiming a power which belongs
to God alone—which is blasphemy. Our Lord, however, forestalls them, using
their own arguments: by curing the paralytic by saying the word, He shows
them that since He has the power to cure the effects of sin (which is what they
believe disease to be), then He also has power to cure the cause of illness (sin);
therefore, He has divine power.

Jesus Christ passed on to the Apostles and their successors in the priestly mini-
stry the power to forgive sins: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive sins of any,
they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:22-23).
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven” (Matthew 18:18). Priests
exercise this power in the Sacrament of Penance: in doing so they act not in
their own name but in Christ’s—”in persona Christi”, as instruments of the Lord.

Hence the respect, the veneration and gratitude with which we should approach
Confession: in the priest we should see Christ Himself, God Himself, and we
should receive the words of absolution firmly believing that it is Christ who is
uttering them through the priest. This is why the minister does not say: “Christ
absolves you...”, but rather “I absolve you from your sins...” He speaks in the
first person, so fully is he identified with Jesus Christ Himself (cf. “St. Pius V
Catechism”, II, 5, 10).

*********************************************************************************************
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]

Thursday, July 2, 2009
Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel:

Genesis 22:1-19 Psalm 115:1-6, 8-9 Matthew 9:1-8 But the counsel of the Lord standeth for ever: the thoughts of his heart to all generations. To deliver their souls from death; and feed them in famine. -- Ps. xxxii. 11,19

[Salvation]

The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 

[Salvation]

 

 

[Salvation]

Office of Readings and Invitatory Psalm

Office of Readings

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

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 17 (18)

Thanksgiving

The word of the Lord is a shield for all who believe in him.

The Lord’s ways are pure;

  the words of the Lord are refined in the furnace;

  the Lord protects all who hope in him.

For what God is there, but our Lord?

  What help, but in the Lord our God?

God, who has wrapped me in his strength

  and set me on the perfect path,

who has made my feet like those of the deer,

  who has set me firm upon the heights,

who trains my hands for battle,

  teaches my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

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.

The word of the Lord is a shield for all who believe in him.

---

Psalm 17 (18)

Your right hand, Lord, holds me up.

You have given me the shield of your salvation;

  your right hand holds me up;

  by answering me, you give me greatness.

You have stretched the length of my stride,

  my feet do not weaken.

I pursue my enemies and surround them;

  I do not turn back until they are no more.

I smash them to pieces, they cannot stand,

  they fall beneath my feet.

You have wrapped me round with strength for war,

  and made my attackers fall under me.

You turned my enemies’ backs on me,

  you destroyed those who hated me.

They cried out, but there was no-one to save them;

  they cried to the Lord, but he did not hear.

I have ground them up until they are dust in the wind,

  trodden them down like the mud of the street.

You have delivered me from the murmurings of the people

  and placed me at the head of the nations.

A people I do not even know serves me –

  at a mere rumour of my orders, they obey.

The children of strangers beg for my favour;

  they hide away and tremble where they hide.

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.

Your right hand, Lord, holds me up.

---

Psalm 17 (18)

Long live the Lord! Praise to God my salvation!

The Lord lives, my blessed Helper.

  Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

God, you give me my revenge,

  you subject peoples to my rule,

  you free me from my enraged enemies.

You raise me up from those who attack me,

  you snatch me from the grasp of the violent.

And so I will proclaim you among the nations, Lord,

  and sing to your name.

Time and again you save your king,

  you show your loving kindness to your anointed,

  to David and his descendants for 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.

Long live the Lord! Praise to God my salvation!

---

Uncover my eyes, Lord,

– and I will consider the wonders of your Law.

---

Reading

2 Samuel 6:1-23 ©

David again mustered all the picked troops of Israel, thirty thousand men. Setting off with the whole force then with him, David went to Baalah of Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which bears the name of the Lord of Hosts who is seated on the cherubs. They placed the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it from Abinadab’s house which is on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the cart, Uzzah walked alongside the ark of God and Ahio went in front. David and all the House of Israel danced before the Lord with all their might, singing to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. When they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah stretched his hand out to the ark of God and steadied it, as the oxen were making it tilt. Then the anger of the Lord blazed out against Uzzah, and for this crime God struck him down on the spot, and he died there beside the ark of God. David was displeased that the Lord had broken out against Uzzah, and that place was called Perez-uzzah, as it still is now.   David went in fear of the Lord that day. ‘How ever can the ark of the Lord come to me?’ he said. So David decided not to take the ark into the Citadel of David and took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom of Gath for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his whole family.   Word was brought to King David that the Lord had blessed the family of Obed-edom and all that belonged to him on account of the ark of God. David accordingly went and brought the ark of God up from Obed-edom’s house to the Citadel of David with great rejoicing. When the bearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fat sheep. And David danced whirling round before the Lord with all his might, wearing a linen loincloth round him. Thus David and all the House of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with acclaim and the sound of the horn. Now as the ark of the Lord entered the Citadel of David, Michal the daughter of Saul was watching from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of the Lord in and put it in position inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered holocausts before the Lord, and communion sacrifices. And when David had finished offering holocausts and communion sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts. He then distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israelites, men and women, a roll of bread to each, a portion of dates, and a raisin cake. Then they all went away, each to his own house.   As David was coming back to bless his household Michal, the daughter of Saul, went out to meet him. ‘What a fine reputation the king of Israel has won himself today,’ she said ‘displaying himself under the eyes of his servant-maids, as any buffoon might display himself.’ David answered Michal, ‘I was dancing for the Lord, not for them. As the Lord lives, who chose me in preference to your father and his whole House to make me leader of Israel, the Lord’s people, I shall dance before the Lord and demean myself even more. In your eyes I may be base, but by the maids you speak of I shall be held in honour.’ And to the day of her death Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no children.

---

Reading	St Jerome's homily on Psalm 41 to the newly baptized
I will go up to your glorious dwelling-place
Like a deer that longs for springs of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. Now just as those deer long for springs of water, so do our deer. Fleeing Egypt – that is, fleeing worldly things – they have killed Pharaoh and drowned all his army in the waters of baptism. Now, after the devil has been killed, they long for the springs of the Church: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.   We can find the Father described as a spring in Jeremiah: They have abandoned me, the fountain of living water, to dig themselves leaky cisterns that cannot hold water. About the Son we read somewhere: They have forsaken the fountain of wisdom. Finally, of the Holy Spirit: Anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will have a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life. Here the evangelist is saying that the words of the Saviour come from the Holy Spirit. So you see it very clearly confirmed that the springs that water the Church are the mystery of the Trinity.   These are the springs that believers long for. These are the springs that the souls of the baptized seek, saying My soul thirsts for God, the living God. The soul does not just feel like seeing God, it longs for him fervently, it is on fire with thirst for him. Before they received baptism, the catechumens spoke to each other and said, When shall I come and stand before the face of God? What they asked for has now been given them: they have come and stood before the face of God. They have come before the altar and been confronted by the mystery of the Saviour.   Welcomed into the body of Christ and reborn in the springs of life, they confidently say: I will go up to your glorious dwelling-place and into the house of God. The house of God is the Church, the ‘dwelling-place’ where dwells the sound of joy and thanksgiving, the crowds at the festival.   So then, you who have followed our lead and robed yourselves in Christ, let the words of God lift you out of this turbulent age as a net lifts the little fishes out of the water. In us the laws of nature are turned upside down – for fish, taken out of the water, die; but the Apostles have fished us out of the sea that is this world not to kill us but to bring us from death to life. As long as we were in the world, our eyes were peering into the depths and we led our lives in the mud. Now we have been torn from the waves, we begin to see the true light. Moved by overwhelming joy, we say to our souls: Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still, my saviour and my God.

---

Concluding Prayer

O God, by your grace you adopted us and chose us to be children of light.

  Grant that we may not become entangled in error and shadow

  but always shine with the glory of truth.

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.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings (on USCCB site):
» July 02, 2009
(will open a new window)

Collect: Father, you call your children to walk in the light of Christ. Free us from darkness and keep us in the radiance of your truth. We ask 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.

« July 02, 2009 »

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Old Calendar: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Sts. Processus and Martinian, martyrs; St. Swithin

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According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which in the Ordinary Form has been transferred to May 31. It is also the commemoration of Sts. Processus and Martinian whose bodies lie in a chapel at St. Peter's in Rome. During the time when Sts. Peter and Paul were prisoners in the Mamertine, legend says that these two jailors together with forty others were converted through the prayers and miracles of the holy apostles. They were baptized with water that suddenly sprang out from a rock. The jailors then wished to help the apostles make their escape. Both died as martyrs for the faith (about 67 A.D.). — The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

The Roman Martyrology also includes St. Swithin, bishop, from England on this day. The Anglican Church celebrates his feast on July 15, known as "St. Swithin's Day."

---

St. Swithin (also known as St. Swithun)
St Swithun died in 862 as bishop of Winchester. It is not known when he was born, but he was a secular clerk with something of a reputation for virtue and learning. He was attached to the West Saxon court and was one of King Egbert's principal advisers. He was given the king's son, Ethelwulf, the father of Alfred the Great, to educate; and to him must go some of the credit for the strongly religious tone of the West Saxon court under Ethelwulf and his sons.

He was consecrated bishop of Winchester in 852, and as bishop was something of a builder. He may also have been one of the first contributors to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. A number of agreeably humble miracles were attributed to him - he was said to have restored a basket of eggs dropped by an old market woman when crossing a bridge. His great reputation for sanctity is, however, largely owing to the cult which sprang up at Winchester a hundred years after his death, in the time of St Ethelwold and the monastic reformation, when his body was translated. His shrine was splendid, but when it was looted by Henry VIII in 1538 its gold and jewels were found to be false.

When he died he was buried at his own request in the churchyard, in order that the passers-by would walk over his grave and the rain fall upon it. It is always said that if it rains on his feast day, it will rain for forty days after, but it is not known how St. Swithun came to be associated with the weather. Similar stories are told of SS Medard, Gervase and Protase in France.

The Saints, edited by John Coulson

The Roman Martyrology mentions St. Swithin, Bishop of Winchester, England. His holiness was made known by miracles. He died on July 2, but "St. Swithin's Day" is held on July 15 in England, the day his relics were transferred. He is another of the "weather saints" — if it rains on July 15, it will rain forty more days. If no rain, it will be fair for forty more days, as the old rhyme says:

St. Swithin's day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.

This weather patronage traces back to July 15, 871 when the monks were translating his body (relics) from the outdoor grave to an indoor shrine in the Cathedral. The saint apparently did not approve, as it rained for 40 days afterward.

Patron: drought relief; Stavenger, England; Winchester, England.

Symbols: cross; rain cloud and rain; crosier and closed book.

[annalex]

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 9
1.	AND entering into a boat, he passed over the water and came into his own city.	Et ascendens in naviculam, transfretavit, et venit in civitatem suam.	και εμβας εις το πλοιον διεπερασεν και ηλθεν εις την ιδιαν πολιν
2.	And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.	Et ecce offerebant ei paralyticum jacentem in lecto. Et videns Jesus fidem illorum, dixit paralytico : Confide fili, remittuntur tibi peccata tua.	και ιδου προσεφερον αυτω παραλυτικον επι κλινης βεβλημενον και ιδων ο ιησους την πιστιν αυτων ειπεν τω παραλυτικω θαρσει τεκνον αφεωνται σοι αι αμαρτιαι σου
3.	And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: He blasphemeth.	Et ecce quidam de scribis dixerunt intra se : Hic blasphemat.	και ιδου τινες των γραμματεων ειπον εν εαυτοις ουτος βλασφημει
4.	And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts?	Et cum vidisset Jesus cogitationes eorum, dixit : Ut quid cogitatis mala in cordibus vestris ?	και ιδων ο ιησους τας ενθυμησεις αυτων ειπεν ινα τι υμεις ενθυμεισθε πονηρα εν ταις καρδιαις υμων
5.	Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise, and walk?	Quid est facilius dicere : Dimittuntur tibi peccata tua : an dicere : Surge, et ambula ?	τι γαρ εστιν ευκοπωτερον ειπειν αφεωνται σου αι αμαρτιαι η ειπειν εγειραι και περιπατει
6.	But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then said he to the man sick of palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.	Ut autem sciatis, quia Filius hominis habet potestatem in terra dimittendi peccata, tunc ait paralytico : Surge, tolle lectum tuum, et vade in domum tuam.	ινα δε ειδητε οτι εξουσιαν εχει ο υιος του ανθρωπου επι της γης αφιεναι αμαρτιας τοτε λεγει τω παραλυτικω εγερθεις αρον σου την κλινην και υπαγε εις τον οικον σου
7.	And he arose, and went into his house.	Et surrexit, et abiit in domum suam.	και εγερθεις απηλθεν εις τον οικον αυτου
8.	And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified God that gave such power to men.	Videntes autem turbæ timuerunt, et glorificaverunt Deum, qui dedit potestatem talem hominibus.	ιδοντες δε οι οχλοι εθαυμασαν και εδοξασαν τον θεον τον δοντα εξουσιαν τοιαυτην τοις ανθρωποις

[annalex]

1. And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said to the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.
3. And, behold, certain of the Scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes.
4. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5. For whether is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven you; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6. But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then he said to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.
7. And he arose, and departed to his house.
8. But when the multitude saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power to men.

CHRYS; Christ had above shown His excellent power by teaching, when he taught them as one having authority; in the leper, when He said, I will, be clean; by the centurion, who said to Him, Speak the word, and my servant shall be healed; by the sea which He calmed by a word; by the demons who confessed Him; now again, in another and greater way, He compels His enemies to confess the equality of His honor with the Father; to this end it proceeds, And Jesus entered into a shop and passed over and came into his own city. He entered a boat to cross over, who could have crossed the sea on foot; for He would not be always working miracles, that He might not take away the reality of His incarnation.

CHRYSOLOGUS; The Creator of all things, the Lord of the world, when He had for our sakes straitened Himself in the bonds of our flesh, began to have His own country as a man, began to be a citizen of Judea, and to have parents, though Himself the parent of all, that affection might attach those whom fear had separated.

CHRYS; By his own city is here meant Capernaum. For one town, to wit, Bethlehem, had received Him to be born there; another had brought Him up, to wit, Nazareth; and a third received Him to dwell there continually namely Capernaum.

AUG; That Matthew here speaks of his own city, and Mark calls it Capernaum, would be more difficult to be reconciled if Matthew had expressed it Nazareth. But as it is, all Galilee might be called Christ's city, because Nazareth was in Galilee; just as all the Roman empire, divided into many states, was still called the Roman city. Who can doubt then that the Lord in coming to Galilee is rightly said to come into his own city, whatever was the town in which He abode, especially since Capernaum was exalted into the metropolis of Galilee?

JEROME; Or This city may be no other than Nazareth, whence He was called a Nazarene;

AUG; And if we adopt this supposition, We must say that Matthew has omitted all that was done from the time that Jesus entered into His own city till he came into Capernaum, and has proceeded on at once to the healing of the paralytic; as in many other places they pass over things that intervened, and carry on the thread of the narrative, without noticing any interval of time, to something else; so here, And, lo, they bring to him a paralytic laying on a bed.

CHRYS; This paralytic is not the same as the one in John. For he lay by the pool, this in Capliarnanun; he had none to assist him, this one was borne on a bed.

JEROME; On a bed, because he could not walk.

CHRYS; He does not universally demand faith of the sick, as, for example, when they are mad or from any other sore sickness are in possession of their minds; as it is here, seeing their faith.

JEROME; not time sick man's, but theirs that bore him.

CHRYS; Seeing then that they showed so great faith He also shows His excellent power; with full power forgiving sin, as it follows, He said to the paralytic, Be of courage, son, your sins are forgiven you.

CHRYSOLOGUS; Of how great power with God must a man's own faith be, when that of others here availed to heal a man both within and without. The paralytic hears his pardon pronounced, in silence uttering no thanks, for he was more anxious for the cure of his body than his soul. Christ therefore with good reason accepts the faith of those that bore him rather than his own hardness of heart.

CHRYS. Or, we may suppose even the sick man to have had faith; otherwise he would not have suffered himself to be let down through the roof as other Evangelist relates.

JEROME; O wonderful humility! This man feeble and despised, crippled in every limb, addresses as son. The Jewish Priests did not deign to touch him. Even therefore His son, because his sins were forgiven him. Hence we may learn that diseases are often the punishment of sin; and therefore perhaps his sins are forgiven him, that when the cause of his disease has been removed, health may be restored.

CHRYS; The Scribes in their desire to spread an ill report of Him, against their will made that which was done be more widely known; Christ using their envy to make known the miracle. For this is of His surpassing wisdom to manifest His deeds through His enemies; whence it follows, Behold, some of the Scribes said among themselves, This man blasphemes.

JEROME; We read in prophecy, I am he that blots out your transgressions; so the Scribes regarding Him as a man, and not understanding the words of God, charged Him with blasphemy. But He seeing their thoughts thus showed Himself to be God, Who alone knows the heart; and thus, as it were, said, By the same power and prerogative by which I see your thoughts, I can forgive them their sins. Learn from your own experience what the paralytic has obtained. When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?

CHRYS; He did not indeed contradict their suspicions so far as they had supposed Him to have spoken as God. For had He not been equal to God the Father, it would have been necessary Him to say, I am far from this power, that of forgiving sin. But He confirms the contrary of this, by His words and His miracle; Whether is it easier to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise, and walk? By how much the soul is better than the body, by so much is it a greater thing to forgive sin than to heal the body. But forasmuch as the one may be scene with the eyes, but the other is not sensibly perceived, He does the lesser miracle which is the more evident, to be a proof of the greater miracle which is imperceptible.

JEROME; Whether or no his sins were forgiven He alone could know who forgave; but whether he could rise and walk, not Only himself but they that looked on could judge of; but the power that heals, whether soul or body, is the same. And as there is a great difference between saying and doing, the outward Sign is given that the Spiritual effect may be proved; But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.

CHRYS; Above, He said to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you, not, I forgive you your sins; but now when the Scribes made resistance, He shows the greatness of His power by saying, The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. And to show that He was equal to the Father, He said not that the Son of Man needed any to forgive sins, but that He has power.

GLOSS; These words That you may know, may be either Christ's words, or the Evangelist's words. As though the Evangelist had said, they doubted whether He could remit sins, But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to remit sins, he said to the paralytic. If they are the words of Christ, the connection will be as follows; You doubt that I have power to remit sins, But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to remit sins - the sentence is imperfect, but the action supplies time place of the consequent clause, he said to the paralytic, Rise, take up your bed.

CHRYSOLOGUS; That that which had been proof of his sickness, should now become proof of his recovered health. And go to your house, that having been healed by Christian faith, you may not die in the faithlessness of the Jews.

CHRYS; This command He added, that it might be seen there was no delusion in the miracle; so it follows to establish the reality of the cure, And he arose, and went away to his own house. But they that stood by yet grovel in the earth whence it follows, But the multitude seeing it were afraid and glorified God who had bestowed such power among men. For had they rightly considered among themselves they would have acknowledged Him to be the Son of God. Meanwhile it was no little matter to esteem Him as one greater than men and to have come from God.

HILARY; Mystically; when driven out of Judea He returns to His own city; the city of God is the people of the faithful, into this He entered by a boat, that is, the Church.

CHRYSOLOGUS; Christ has no need of the vessel but the vessel of Christ for without the pilotage the bark of the Church cannot pass over the sea of the world to the heavenly harbor.

HILARY; In this paralytic the whole Gentile world is offered for healing, he is therefore brought by the ministration of Angels, he is called Son, because he is God's work; the sins of his soul which the Law could not remit go remitted him; for faith only justifies. Lastly he shows the power of the resurrection, by taking up his bed teaching that all sickness shall then be no more found in the body.

JEROME; Figuratively; the soul sick in the body, its powers palsied, is brought by the perfect doctor to the Lord to be healed. For every one when sick, ought to engage some to pray for his recovery, through whom the halting footsteps of our acts may be reformed by time healing power of the heavenly word. These are mental monitors, who raise the soul of the hearer to higher things, although sick and weak in the outward body.

CHRYSOLOGUS; The Lord requires not in this world the will of those who are without understanding, but looks to the faith of others; as the physician does not consult the wishes of the patient, when his malady requires other things.

RABAN; His rising up is the drawing of the soul from carnal lusts; his taking up his bed is the raising the flesh from earthly desires to spiritual pleasures; his going to his house is his returning to Paradise, or to internal watchfulness of himself against sin.

GREG; Or by the bed is denoted the pleasure of the body. He is commanded now he is made whole to bear that on which he had lain when sick, because every man who still takes pleasure in vice is laid as sick in carnal delights; but when made whole he bears this because he now endures the wantonness of that flesh in whose desires he had before reposed.

HILARY; It is a very fearful thing to be seized by death while the sins are yet unforgiven by Christ; for there is no way to the heavenly house for him whose sins have not been forgiven. But when this fear is removed, honor is rendered to God, who by His word has in this way given power to men, of forgiveness of Sins, of resurrection of the body, and of return to Heaven.

Catena Aurea Matthew 9

[annalex]

Christ and the Paralytic

[Salvation]

Lauds -- Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

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.

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A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 56 (57)

Morning prayer in time of affliction

Awake, lyre and harp: I will awaken the dawn.

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy.

  My soul flies to you for refuge.

I will hide in the shelter of your wings

  until the time of ambush is past.

I will cry to God the Most High,

  to the God who cares for me.

He will send help from heaven to set me free.

  He will disgrace those who trample me underfoot.

  He will send forth his mercy and faithfulness.

My soul lies among lion-cubs

  that would devour the children of men.

Their teeth are spears and arrows,

  their tongues are pointed swords.

May you be exalted above the heavens, O God;

  let your glory cover the whole earth.

They prepared a trap for my feet;

  my soul was bent double under its burden;

they dug a pit in front of me

 – but they fell into it themselves.

My heart is ready, God.

  My heart is ready.

  I will offer you music and song.

Awake, my glory,

  awake, lyre and harp.

  I will awaken the dawn.

I will proclaim you among the peoples, Lord,

  and make music for you among the nations,

for your mercy reaches as high as the heavens,

  your faithfulness to the clouds.

May you be exalted above the heavens, O God;

  let your glory cover the earth.

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.

Awake, lyre and harp: I will awaken the dawn.

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Canticle	Jeremiah 31
The joy of those whom God sets free
Good things will fill my people to overflowing, says the Lord.
All you nations, listen to the word of the Lord,   proclaim it in the farthest islands: “He who scattered his people Israel   has brought them back together.   He will care for them as a shepherd tends his flock.” For the Lord has redeemed Jacob   and freed him from the hand of his conqueror. They will come and sing praises on Mount Zion,   they will flood in to receive the good things of the Lord,   grain, and wine, and oil,   and the young of both herd and flock. Their spirit will be like a richly watered garden,   and they will hunger no more. The young girl will dance for joy,   young men and old men too. “I will turn their weeping into gladness,” says the Lord,   “I will comfort them and give them joy after sorrow.   I will overwhelm my priests with rich food,   and my good things will fill my people to overflowing.” 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.
Good things will fill my people to overflowing, says the Lord.

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Psalm 47 (48)

Thanksgiving for the safety of the people

The Lord is great and greatly to be praised in the city of our God.

The Lord is great and greatly to be praised

  in the city of our God.

His holy mountain is a beautiful sight,

  the joy of all the earth.

Mount Zion is at its northernmost edge,

  the city of the great king.

Here among its palaces,

  God has shown himself as its refuge.

For the kings assembled,

  made alliance against it –

but when they saw it, they were amazed.

  Panic took them and they scattered.

Trembling took hold of them,

  pain like that of childbirth.

With the east wind

  you will destroy the ships of Tarshish.

What we had heard, we saw in the city of the Lord of hosts,

  in the city of our God,

  which God has founded for ever.

We ponder your mercy, O God,

  as we stand in your temple.

Your name, O Lord, and your praise

  will reach to the ends of the earth.

  Your right hand delivers justice.

Let Mount Zion be glad

  and the daughters of Judah rejoice,

  because of your judgements.

Go round Zion, see it all,

  count every tower.

Feel its strength,

  visit its palaces,

  so that you can tell the next generation –

Here is God, our God,

  here he remains for ever;

  and for ever he will lead us and guide us.

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.

The Lord is great and greatly to be praised in the city of our God.

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Short reading	Isaiah 66:1-2 ©
Thus says the Lord: With heaven my throne and earth my footstool, what house could you build me, what place could you make for my rest? All of this was made by my hand and all this is mine – it is the Lord who speaks. But my eyes are drawn to the man of humbled and contrite spirit, who trembles at my word.

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Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
Let us serve the Lord in holiness, and he will free us from our enemies.
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.
Let us serve the Lord in holiness, and he will free us from our enemies.

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Prayers and Intercessions

?

Let us thank Christ who has given us the light of this day, and let us pray to him: – Bless us, Lord, and sanctify us. You offered yourself up for our sins:   accept all that we are doing and plan to do today. – Bless us, Lord, and sanctify us. Our eyes rejoice at the gift of a new day:   may our hearts rejoice as you dawn in them. – Bless us, Lord, and sanctify us. Grant us the gift today of being patient with everyone,   so that we can be like you. – Bless us, Lord, and sanctify us. This morning, Lord, make us understand your compassion:   may your joy give us strength through the day. – Bless us, Lord, and sanctify us.

---

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 who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

  but deliver us from evil.

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Almighty and ever-living God, we pray to you in your majesty morning, noon and night:

  erase from our hearts the shadow of sin,

  and fill them with the true light, which is Christ.

He lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

  God for ever and ever.

Amen.

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May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 9:1-8

Matthew tells us that when Jesus healed the paralyzed man, the crowd “glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings” (Matthew 9:8).

While witnessing a miracle was amazing in its own right, the people were equally amazed at the authority and dignity that Jesus manifested. They were amazed, in other words, at the sight of a man so filled with God that sickness and sin submitted to him.

Jesus’ authority shows us that God has tremendous plans for all his children. Ever since he created our first parents and gave them dominion over the earth, our Father destined us to walk with the same dignity that Jesus knew. Not even our sin changed God’s intention. He sent his Son not only to forgive us but to restore to us our rightful inheritance as his children.

How do we recapture this sense of dignity and honor? By coming to a deeper understanding of who it was who died on that cross. There is a big difference between seeing an image of our Savior and looking beyond that image to meditate on who Jesus Christ, the Son of God, really is. Gazing deeply at the Lord will help us to see that everything—sin, sickness, even death itself—is submitted to him. Everything is under his power. His authority is absolute, his power unmatched. And what’s even better is that he uses his authority and power only for good, only to bring everyone back to his Father.

On the cross, Jesus put all sin and suffering to death. He freed us from bondage to sin, he healed our minds, and he won for us all the blessings of heaven. The more we can bring ourselves to trust in his authority, the more we will be amazed by him and by the power of his love.

So take the time today to gaze on the cross. Know that as you do, you will find the freedom of the cross. The floodgates of heaven will open for you, and you will find yourself walking in the same dignity that Jesus had—all because you will be convinced that nothing can separate you from God’s amazing, powerful love.

“Jesus, I give my life to you. As I submit to you, let me know the honor and dignity that you give to all of your people. Jesus, make me like you.”

Genesis 22:1-19; Psalm 115:1-6,8-9