Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 06-07-12

USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 06-07-12 | Revised New American Bible

[Salvation]

June 7, 2012

 

Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

 

Reading 1 2 Tm 2:8-15

Beloved:
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David:
such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering,
even to the point of chains, like a criminal.
But the word of God is not chained.
Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus,
together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:

If we have died with him
we shall also live with him;
if we persevere
we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him
he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

Remind people of these things
and charge them before God to stop disputing about words.
This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen.
Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God,
a workman who causes no disgrace,
imparting the word of truth without deviation.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14

R. (4) Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.

Gospel Mk 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,
"Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The Lord our God is Lord alone!
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
The second is this:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
There is no other commandment greater than these."
The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher.
You are right in saying,
He is One and there is no other than he.
And to love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding,
with all your strength,
and to love your neighbor as yourself
is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,
he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

[markomalley]

Vespers

INTRODUCTION

God, + come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

HYMN

For the fruits of his creation,
   Thanks be to God;
For the gifts to every nation,
    Thanks be to God;
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
Silent growth while men are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safekeeping,
    Thanks be to God.

In the just reward of labor,
   God’s will be done;
In the help we give our neighbor,
    God’s will is done;
In our world-wise task of caring
For the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests men are sharing,
    God’s will is done.

For the harvests of his spirit,
    Thanks be to God;
For the good all men inherit,
    Thanks be to God;
For the wonders that astound us,
For the truths that still confound us,
Most of all, that love has found us,
    Thanks be to God.

Melody: East Acklam 84.84.88.84
Music: Francis Jackson
Text: F. Pratt Green

Or:

Almighty God, whose will supreme
Made ocean’s flood with life to teem;
Part in the firmament to fly,
And part in ocean depths to lie:

Appointing fishes in the sea,
And fowls in open air to be;
That each, by origin the same,
Its separate dwelling place might claim:

Grant that thy servants by the tide
Of Blood and Water purified
No guilty fall from thee may know,
Nor death eternal undergo.

Let none despair through sin’s distress,
Be none puffed up with boastfulness;
That contrite hearts be not dismayed,
Nor haughty souls in ruin laid.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son;
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Doth live and reign eternally. Amen.

Melody: Prospect L.M.
Music: W. Walker, The Southern Harmony, 1835
Text: Magnæ Deus potentiæ, attributed to Saint Gregory the Great, 540-604
Translation: William John Courthope, 1804-1885

PSALMODY

Ant.1 I cried to you, Lord, and you healed me; I will praise you for ever.

Psalm 30
Thanksgiving for deliverance from death

Christ, risen in glory, gives continual thanks to his Father (Cassian).

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me *
and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

O Lord, I cried to you for help *
and you, my God, have healed me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead, *
restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him, *
give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts but a moment; his favor through life. *
At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

I said to myself in my good fortune: *
“Nothing will ever disturb me.”
Your favor had set me on a mountain fastness, *
then you hid your face and I was put to confusion.

To you, Lord, I cried, *
to my God I made appeal:
“What profit would my death be, my going to the grave? *
Can dust give you praise or proclaim your truth?”

The Lord listened and had pity. *
The Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing, *
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
So my soul sings psalms to you unceasingly. *
O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm Prayer

God our Father, glorious in giving life, and even more glorious in restoring it, when his last night on earth came, your Son shed tears of blood, but dawn brought incomparable gladness. Do not turn away from us, or we shall fall back into dust, but rather turn our mourning into joy by raising us up with Christ.

Ant. I cried to you, Lord, and you healed me; I will praise you for ever.

Ant. 2 The one who is sinless in the eyes of God is blessed indeed.

Psalm 32
They are happy whose sins are forgiven

David speaks of the happiness of the man who is holy in God’s eyes not because of his own worth, but because God has justified him (Romans 4:6).

Happy the man whose offense is forgiven, *
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, *
in whose spirit is no guile.

I kept it secret and my frame was wasted. *
I groaned all the day long
for night and day your hand *
was heavy upon me.
Indeed, my strength was dried up *
as by the summer’s heat.

But now I have acknowledged my sins; *
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: “I will confess *
my offense to the Lord.”
And you, Lord, have forgiven *
the guilt of my sin.

So let every good man pray to you *
in the time of need.
The floods of water may reach high *
but him they shall not reach.
You are my hiding place, O Lord; †
you save me from distress. *
You surround me with cries of deliverance.

I will instruct you and teach you *
the way you should go;
I will give you counsel *
with my eye upon you.

Be not like horse and mule, unintelligent, †
needing bridle and bit, *
else they will not approach you.
Many sorrows has the wicked †
but he who trusts in the Lord, *
loving mercy surrounds him.

Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord, *
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy, *
all you upright of heart.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Psalm Prayer

You desired, Lord, to keep from us your indignation and so did not spare Jesus Christ, who was wounded for our sins. We are your prodigal children, but confessing our sins we come back to you. Embrace us that we may rejoice in your mercy together with Christ your beloved Son.

Ant. The one who is sinless in the eyes of God is blessed indeed.

Ant. 3 The Father has given Christ all power, honor and kingship; all people will obey him.

Canticle: Revelation 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a
The judgment of God

We praise you, the Lord God Almighty, *
who is and who was.
You have assumed your great power, *
you have begun your reign.

The nations have raged in anger, *
but then came your day of wrath
and the moment to judge the dead: *
the time to reward your servants the prophets
and the holy ones who revere you, *
the great and the small alike.

Now have salvation and power come, †
the reign of our God and the authority *
of his Anointed One.
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, *
who night and day accused them before God.

They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb †
and by the word of their testimony; *
love for life did not deter them from death.
So rejoice, you heavens, *
and you that dwell therein!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. The Father has given Christ all power, honor and kingship; all people will obey him.

READING
1 Peter 1:6-9

There is cause for rejoicing here. You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; but this is so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears. Although you have never seen him, you love him, and without seeing you now believe in him, and rejoice with inexpressible joy touched with glory because you are achieving faith’s goal, your salvation.

RESPONSORY

The Lord had given us food, bread of the finest wheat.
– The Lord had given us food, bread of the finest wheat.

Honey from the rock, to our heart’s content.
– bread of the finest wheat.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
– The Lord had given us food, bread of the finest wheat.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. God has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.

Luke 1:46-55
The soul rejoices in the Lord

My + soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, †
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: †
the Almighty has done great things for me, *
and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. God has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.

INTERCESSIONS

Our hope is in God, who gives us help.  Let us call upon him, and say:
Look kindly on your children, Lord.

Lord, our God, you made an eternal covenant with your preople,
– keep us ever mindful of your mighty deeds.
Look kindly on your children, Lord.

Let your ordained ministers grow toward perfect love,
– and preserve your faithful people in unity by the bond of peace.
Look kindly on your children, Lord.

Be with us in our work of building the earthly city,
– that in building we may not labor in vain.
Look kindly on your children, Lord.

Send workers into your vineyard,
– and glorify your name among the nations.
Look kindly on your children, Lord.

Welcome into the company of your saints our relatives and benefactors who have died,
– may we share their happiness one day.
Look kindly on your children, Lord.

THE LORD’S PRAYER
 
(Let us conclude our prayers with 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.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Father,
you illumine the night
and bring the dawn to scatter darkness.
Let us pass this night in safety,
free from Satan’s power,
and rise when morning comes
to give you thanks and praise.
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.

DISMISSAL

May the Lord bless +  us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen.

[markomalley]

Compline

INTRODUCTION

God, + come to my assistance.
– Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. Alleluia.

Examination of Conscience

A brief examination of conscience may be made. In the communal celebration of the Office, a Penitential Rite using the formulas of the Mass may be inserted here.

[I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

And, striking their breast, they say:

through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;

Then they continue:

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

The absolution by the Priest follows:

May almighty God have mercy on us,
forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
– Amen..]

HYMN

We praise you, Father, for your gifts
Of dusk and nightfall over earth,
Foreshadowing the mystery
Of death that leads to endless day.

Within your hands we rest secure;
In quiet sleep our strength renew;
Yet give your people hearts that wake
In love to you, unsleeping Lord.

Your glory may we ever seek
In rest, as in activity,
Until its fullness is revealed,
O source of life, O Trinity.

Melody: Te lucis ante terminum (plainchant) L.M.
Music: Anonymous, Gregorian
Text: West Malling Abbey

PSALMODY

Ant. In you, my God, my body will rest in hope.

Psalm 16
God is my portion, my inheritance

The Father raised up Jesus from the dead and broke the bonds of death (Acts 2:24).

Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you. †
I say to the Lord: “You are my God. *
My happiness lies in you alone.”

He has put into my heart a marvelous love *
for the faithful ones who dwell in his land.
Those who choose other gods increase their sorrows. †
Never will I offer their offerings of blood. *
Never will I take their name upon my lips.

O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; *
it is you yourself who are my prize.
The lot marked out for me is my delight: *
welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!

I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel, *
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight: *
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.

And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad; *
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead, *
nor let your beloved know decay.

You will show me the path of life, †
the fullness of joy in your presence, *
at your right hand happiness for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. In you, my God, my body will rest in hope.

READING
1 Thessalonians 5:23

May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

RESPONSORY

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth.
– I commend my spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit.

CANTICLE OF SIMEON

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

Luke 2:29-32
Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel

Lord, + now you let your servant go in peace; *
your word has been fulfilled:

my own eyes have seen the salvation *
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:

a light to reveal you to the nations *
and the glory of your people Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, *
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, *
and will be for ever. Amen.

Ant. Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Let us pray.

Lord God,
send peaceful sleep
to refresh our tired bodies.
May your help always renew us
and keep us strong in your service.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

BLESSING

May the all-powerful Lord
grant us a restful night
and a peaceful death.
– Amen.

Antiphon or song in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy,
our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To you do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve.
To you do we send up our sighs
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
your eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this exile
show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary.

Or:

Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with you!
Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Or:

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
 vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve,
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Evae.
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
 in hac lacrimarum valle.

Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
 illos tuos misericordes occulos
 ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
 nobis post hoc exilium ostende.
O clemens, o pia, o dulcis Virgo Maria.

Or:

Loving mother of the Redeemer,
gate of heaven, star of the sea,
assist your people who have fallen yet strive to rise again.
To the wonderment of nature you bore your Creator,
yet remained a virgin after as before.
You who received Gabriel’s joyful greeting,
have pity on us poor sinners.

[Salvation]

Information: St. Robert of Newminster

Feast Day:	June 7
Born:	1100 at Gargrave, Craven district, Yorkshire county, England
Died:	7 June 1159 at Newminster England

[Salvation]

Interactive Saints for Kids

Blessed Anne of St. Bartholomew

Feast Day: June 07
Born: 1549 :: Died: 1626

Anne Garcia was born at Almeneral, in Spain and was the daughter of peasants. She was a little shepherdess who took care of sheep until she was twenty. Four miles from her hometown was Avila, the city where St. Teresa and her Carmelite nuns lived.

Anne asked and was accepted into the order as a lay sister rather than a cloistered nun. The cloistered nuns were not allowed to leave the convent but Sister Anne could go out on errands and take care of the needs of the community.

For the last seven years of her life, St. Teresa chose this sister, Blessed Anne, to be her traveling companion. St. Teresa went around to visit the communities of nuns. Sometimes she started a new convent. Sometimes she helped the nuns become more enthusiastic about the wonderful life they had chosen.

St. Teresa loved Blessed Anne and praised her to the other nuns. Although Blessed Anne did not have the opportunity to go to school, she knew how to read and write. She wrote about her adventures with the wonderful St. Teresa. Blessed Anne was with her when she was dying and St. Teresa died in her arms.

Blessed Anne's life continued quite normally for six years after St. Teresa's death. Then the superiors decided to open a new convent in Paris, France. Five nuns were selected to go and Blessed Anne was one of them.

While the people of Paris were warmly greeting the nuns, Blessed Anne slipped into the kitchen and prepared a meal for the hungry community. In the end, four of the five nuns moved to the Netherlands. Anne remained behind because she had been appointed the Prioress or Sister Superior of the convent at Tours.

Anne reminded the Lord that most of the young French women joining the convent and their community were from rich, noble families. She explained to him that she was only a shepherdess and did not think she was worthy of being their superior. Within her heart, Blessed Anne heard the Lord's answer: "With straws I light my fire."

Anne was later sent to the Netherlands to start more new convents. She went first to Mons and then to Antwerp in Belgium. The young women who came to join the Carmelites thought of Anne as a saint. Anne finally died in Antwerp in 1626.

Reflection: Blessed Anne heard the Lord's voice within her heart: "With straws I light my fire." Knowing that God uses simple people for his work on earth can inspire us when we feel weak and unworthy.

[Salvation]

 

Catholic

Almanac:

Thursday, June 7
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church recalls St. Paul of Constantinople. He was named bishop when the area was under the influence of Arianism. Because he fought against the heresy, the Arian emperor had him exiled 4 times, finally killing him in 350 A.D.

[Salvation]

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: June 07, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, whose providence never fails in its design, keep from us, we humbly beseech you, all that might harm us and grant all that works for our good. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

ACTIVITIES

• Religion in the Home for Preschool: June

PRAYERS

• The Golden Sequence
• Ordinary Time, After Pentecost: Table Blessing 1
• June Devotion: The Sacred Heart
• Efficacious Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
• Novena to the Sacred Heart

Ordinary Time: June 7th

Thursday of the Ninth Week of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Corpus Christi; St. Robert of Newminster, priest (Hist)

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of Corpus Christi which traditionally is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. In the Ordinary Rite the Solemnity is celebrated on the Sunday after Trinity Sunday.

Today is the historical feast of St. Robert of Newminster, who was born at Gargrave in Yorkshire. He spent the early years of his priesthood as rector of his home town, but later joined the Benedictine community at Whitby. In 1132 he helped to establish Fountains Abbey which embraced the Cistercian rule of St Bernard of Clairvaux. Fountains was to have a daughter abbey at Newminster near Morpeth and Robert became the first abbot in 1138/9. He died on 7'h June 1159.

---

St. Robert of Newminster
St. Robert was born at Gargrave, England, at the beginning of the 12th century. He studied at the University of Paris, was ordained priest and served as a parish priest at Gargrave. In 1132 Robert was a monk at Whitby England. News arrived that thirteen religious had been violently expelled from the Abbey of Saint Mary in York, for having proposed to restore the Benedictine rule. In the middle of winter, he left Whitmy to join them, living on the banks of the Skeld near Ripon., in a hut made of woven branches and roofed with turf. In the spring they went to Clairvaux, and for two years struggled in extreme poverty.

Soon people heard of their sanctity. This brought another novice, Hugh, Dean of York, who endowed the community with all his wealth, and laid the foundation of Fountains Abbey. In 1137 Raynulph, Baron of Morpeth, was so taken and strengthened by the example of the monks at Fountains that he built them a monastery in Northumberland, called Newminster, of which Saint Robert became Abbot. The holiness of his life and his instructions guided his brethren to perfection, and within the next ten years three new communities migrated from this one house to become centers of holiness in other parts. He founded three other monasteries at Pipewell in 1143, Roche in 1147, and Sawley in 1148.

St. Robert was known for his kindness, austerity and holiness. He was a great man of prayer, a spiritual writer and exorcist. He led a strict way of life and fasted from food and drink, especially during Lent. One Easter Day his stomach, weakened by the fast of Lent, could take no food. Finally he consented to try to eat some bread sweetened with honey. Before it was brought, he changed his mind and sent the food, untouched, to the poor at the gate. The plate was received by a young man who took the bread and disappeared. St. Robert often visited a holy hermit, Saint Godric of Finchale. At the moment of Saint Robert’s death in 1159, Saint Godric saw his soul, like a globe of fire, taken up by the Angels in a pathway of light, while the gates of heaven opened before them. He took his name from Newminster Abbey, where he and his monks lived until his death on June 7, 1159.

—Mark Konewko, St. Robert Parish

[Salvation]

 

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for June 7, 2012:

(Reader’s Tip) Praise your spouse for something today, even if it’s something small.

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Come Unto Me

By

Father Mark

 on June 7, 2012 7:23 AM |

Intercession for other souls is a work of love.
It consists in placing oneself with Me before the Father,
with a boundless trust in the merits of My Passion
and in the wounds that I present to the Father
on behalf of all who approach Him with confidence,
through Me.

I live in the Sacrament of My Love
as I live in heaven,
in a ceaseless state of intercession
for all who believe in Me
and come to Me with the weight of life's burdens and sorrows.
There is nothing that I will not do
for the soul who approaches Me with confidence.

For this reason did I wish to remain present
in the Sacrament of My Love
until the end of time:
so that souls might know where to find Me,
and approach Me easily,
certain of being heard,
and trusting in the mercy of My Heart
for a world marked by suffering
and ravaged by sin.

There is no form of intercessory prayer more efficacious
than that of the soul who approaches My Eucharistic Presence
certain of finding Me,
and certain of being heard.
I am not distant from souls in need.
I have made Myself close to them,
as close as the nearest tabernacle.
Would that my people understood this!
My churches would be filled to overflowing
at every hour of the day and night.
I would never be left alone in the Sacrament of My Love.

The exercise of faith increases faith.
The exercise of confidence causes confidence to grow.
One who approaches My tabernacle in faith
is giving evidence of a complete reliance on My Merciful Love.
The Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar is My Heart
open to receive those who will respond
to My timeless invitation:
Come unto Me,
all you that labour, and are burdened,
and I will refresh you.
Take up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me,
because I am meek and humble of heart,
and you shall find rest to your souls.
For My yoke is sweet, and My burden light.

One who approaches Me frequently
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar
will discover that he is yoked to Me
by an unbreakable bond of love.
He will discover, by personal experience,
that I share in all his sorrows,
that I bring him relief in afflictions,
that I carry his burdens with him,
and that he is never, not even for a moment,
forsaken or left to himself alone.

What I am teaching you
is more than the simple visit to Me in the Sacrament of My Love;
it is a way of approaching Me marked by absolute confidence
in My intercession with the Father.
It is an act of faith in My Merciful Love,
and a way of disposing oneself to receive
the waters of life that stream abundantly
from My open Side.

Do souls believe in My Real Presence
in the tabernacles of My churches?
Have they altogether forgotten
who I am and where I am to be found?
Has the faith of My priests in the Sacrament of My Love
grown so tepid and so weak
that the souls entrusted to them
have lost the simple instinct of the believing heart,
that is, to seek Me out
in the Most Holy Eucharist,
and to abide in My presence,
loving Me, and allowing Me to love freely
those who come to Me,
to heal their wounds,
and to draw them into the sanctuary
of My open Side?

The emptiness of My churches
is an affront to My Love,
to the Love that compelled Me to give Myself,
by the hands of My priests,
under the forms of bread and wine,
so that no one might perish from hunger or thirst
on the road to eternity.

I am all Love in the Sacrament of My Love.
My Heart is open to receive all,
even those who have in their souls
no more than the faintest spark of faith
in My Real Presence.
Let them come to Me,
and that little spark will become a shining flame
giving joy and hope to all who perceive its light.

The emptiness of My churches
apart from the hours of the liturgical offices,
is an indictment,
first of all, of My priests,
and then, of my faithful.
My Eucharistic Presence meets with coldness,
with indifference, and with a chilling ingratitude,
even on the part of My priests
and of consecrated souls.
They fail to recognize in the mystery
of the Most Holy Eucharist
the pearl of great price,
the treasure once hidden in the field,
but now offered freely
to all who would partake of its inexhaustible riches.

I am left alone in a world where so many lament their loneliness.
If only souls would come to Me
and would tarry in My presence,
they would discover a Love that fills the heart so completely
that it dispels every loneliness
and becomes wondrously fruitful
in the live of those who accept it.

Your life, your vocation, your mission now
is to abide in My sacramental Presence.
It is to console My Eucharistic Heart
and to expose your soul to the radiance of My Eucharistic Face
for the sake of so many of your brother priests
who stumble about in a darkness
that no earthly light can dispel.

From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of a Priest

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Deus Absconditus

By

Father Mark

 on June 7, 2012 8:03 AM |

Observe Me in the Sacrament of My Love.
The Sacred Host that you see is silent,
still, humble, poor, and hidden.
Imitate Me in the Sacrament of My Love.
Become silent, still, humble, poor, and hidden.

Hide yourself in Me
as I am hidden in the tabernacle,
and as I am hidden beneath the appearance of the Sacred Host.

Outside of Me there is nothing for you,
and with Me,
in My presence,
is all that your heart desires.
Do not look outside of Me
for anything to fulfil your heart's desires.
Instead, hide yourself in Me,
as I hide myself for love of you
in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.

How I love hidden souls!
In them I see a reflection of My Mother's hiddenness,
and of the hiddenness of Saint Joseph,
My human father on earth.

Hiddenness is the virtue of those who adore Me hidden
in the Sacrament of My Love.
I am a hidden God,
but I reveal myself face-to-face
to those who hide themselves in Me.

Withdraw more and more from the sight of men.
Seek to go unnoticed.
Hide yourself in Me and with Me
in the bosom of My Father.
Rest in Me,
and be content to abide
where you are not seen, or known, or praised.

Do the work that I entrust to you,
and then be content to disappear,
once you have led souls to the contemplation of My Eucharistic Face
and to the love of My Eucharistic Heart.

The grace of hiddenness and silence
is not given to all,
but it is the grace by which I mark souls
destined to a Eucharistic life,
to a life of adoration
in which they grow in resemblance to Me
hidden in the Sacrament of My Love.
This does not happen all at once;
but it will happen to all who give their consent
to the work of My love in their souls,
and who are faithful to the adoration of My hidden Face,
My Eucharistic Face.

This hiddenness cannot be imposed from without,
nor can it be taught as one would teach a skill.
It is My gift,
and the realization of My likeness
in the souls I have called to a life of Eucharistic adoration.

See how hidden I am in the Gospels,
even when I reveal myself, I remain hidden.
Only the Father knows Me
and those to whom the Father gives the knowledge of My hiddenness.

I am a hidden God
and those whom I call to adore Me
must hide themselves in Me,
becoming hidden from the eyes of the world,
and hidden even from themselves,
having a pure gaze fixed upon Me alone,
even as My pure filial gaze is fixed upon My Father in heaven.

Learn what it means to be hidden:
it is to be free of preoccupations with yourself,
with the opinions of others,
and with what the world may say
of you or of Me.
It is to live for Me alone
even as I live for the Father.

Hide yourself in Me
as I am hidden in the glory of My Father.
Hide yourself in Me
as I am hidden in the bright cloud of the Holy Spirit.
Hide yourself in Me
as I am hidden in the sacred species.
Hide yourself in My Heart
as I am hidden in the tabernacles of the world,
unseen, unknown, and forgotten by men.

I call you to this hidden life
because I am the hidden God
and because My Eucharistic life in your midst is a hidden life.

Those who would be My adorers
must consent to live in My tabernacle hidden with Me
and, at the same time,
loving as I love:
loving the Father as I love Him,
loving souls as I love them,
suffering coldness, rejection, misunderstanding
and abandonment
with Me and for Me.

Understand these things
and you will have begun to understand the Eucharistic life
to which I call you more and more.
Apart from those souls
whom I call to this life of adoration,
such a hiddenness will appear foolish and inhuman,
but it will act as a leaven upon the whole mass of dough
until it rises and becomes a perfect loaf fit for My oblation.
It is a spark of light being kept burning
for a world plunged into darkness.
It is a drop of divine sweetness
in a sea of bitterness and misery.
It is a presence of Love
in a world from which love is absent.

Love My hiddenness
and hide yourself in Me.
Withdraw from all that solicits your attention,
your energy, and your time
into the secret of My Eucharistic Face.
There I will show you
how best to do the things I ask you to do.
There I will give you a peace
that no one will perturb or take from you.
There I will use you
for the sanctification of My priests
and for the consolation of My Church.
Do you want this?

From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of a Priest

[Salvation]

Vultus Christi

Put Nothing Before My Love for You

By

Father Mark

 on June 7, 2012 8:16 AM |

You have only to prefer My company
to every other companionship,
the love of My Heart to the love of every other heart,
and the sound of My voice in the silence of your soul
to every other voice.

I have called you to be for Me another John
and this vocation of yours remains My plan for you.
You have only to abide close to Me,
to seek Me before all else,
and to put nothing whatsoever
before My love for you
and the love I have placed in your heart
to love Me in return.

Love Me in this way
not only for yourself,
but for all your brother priests
whose hearts have grown indifferent and cold.
Love Me for them.
Take their place before My Eucharistic Face.

Persevere in loving Me and in adoring Me
for those poor priests of Mine
who no longer love Me
and who never adore Me.
They are many
and the sorrow of My Heart over such priests
is a sorrow that no human language can describe,
for it is a divine sorrow;
it is the grieving of a Divine Heart.
It is the pain of an infinite Love rejected again and again
by finite creatures who have become blind
in a terrible darkness of the spirit.

Love Me, then, and console My Heart
by adoring Me for them.
When I see you before Me,
I will see them,
and in seeing them,
I will be moved to show them pity,
and many of those who are far from Me
will return to My tabernacles;
and many of those who have spurned My Divine Friendship
will, in the end, surrender to the embrace of My mercy.
Do your part,
and I will fulfil all that I have promised.

There is no need to force your prayer
as if it were something of your own doing.
It is enough to remain with Me,
content to be in My presence
as I am content to be in yours.

Adore Me and trust Me to restore your energy,
your health, and your joy in My service.
Those who adore Me know that My presence
renews the soul and the body.
Experience this -- as you already did today --
and teach others to find in My presence
the rest for which they long,
the peace that the world cannot give,
the joy that renews the heart,
and the strength to follow Me in My sufferings,
even along the way of the Cross.

To adore Me is to demonstrate
that all your hope is in Me.
To adore Me is to show Me
that you count not on yourself nor on others,
but on Me alone.

To adore Me is to give Me the freedom to act
within you and upon you
in such a way
as to unite you wholly to myself
as you have asked Me to do:
My Heart to your heart,
My Soul to your soul,
My Body to your body,
My Blood to your blood.

The work of adoration is little understood,
even by those who claim to be My adorers.
There is no need to fill up the time of adoration
with thoughts and words,
as if it all depended on your doing something.

It is sufficient to speak to Me
as the Holy Spirit gives you to speak,
to listen to Me with the ear of your heart,
and to abide in the light of My Face
for those who languish in the darkness of sin
and in the refusal of My love, My truth, and My life.

There is no work more precious than this work.
In My presence, you are ministering to souls in every time and place.
In My presence, I am using you to accomplish
all that My Heart desires to communicate to souls,
and, first of all, to My priests.

I have not called you to build nor to organize,
nor have I called you to speak much,
nor have I called you to appear much in the sight of men.
I have called you to a life as hidden
as is My life in the Sacrament of My Love.

Consent to be hidden.
Let Me hide you
as you hide Me in the tabernacle.
My Heart is your tabernacle,
and you are My host.

From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of a Priest

[Salvation]

Regnum Christi

Self - Donation

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Thursday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Father Edward McIlmail, LC
Listen to podcast version here.

Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to him, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come before you humbly. As one who has frequently fallen into sin, I am aware of my weakness. Your great love, though, assures me that your grace can keep me on the path to holiness.

Petition: Lord, help me live according to the New Testament.

1. Getting Beyond Myself: A scribe asks Jesus a pointed question and assumes that there is only a one-step answer. In fact, Jesus goes beyond a one-step response and links love of God with love of neighbor. "Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness" (2 John 1:9). Christianity is not strictly a me-and-Jesus affair; such a faith can fall into self-centeredness and disdain for the world. We are called to be leaven in the world, to bring light to the darkness. Jesus wants us to be his arms and legs and voice in the world. Am I content to say prayers and make weekly Mass ― but to do little else? Might God be asking me to get more involved in the parish? In the school? In some kind of charity work?

2. The Gift of Self Is the Greatest Gift: The scribe senses that burnt offerings are not enough. Burnt offerings are something external to us. We let go of things (money, used clothes, old furniture) much faster than we let go of our time, our way of thinking. We give things but not ourselves. Am I loathe to give more of my time to help the Church? Why?

3. Fear of God’s Demands: The scribes understood that Jesus was raising the bar on religious observance. Sacrificing a sheep or a goat wasn´t enough anymore. Christ wanted them to give of themselves ― and that left them uneasy. The Old Testament sacrifices were giving way to the New Testament sacrifice ― the very sacrifice of self. That´s what Jesus wanted; that´s what Jesus himself gave. He gave himself up to a cross to confound our self-love. Does it scare me to die to myself? To my whims? What is Jesus asking of me that makes me uneasy?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, you know it´s costly for me to let go of my own way of thinking, to give of my time. Help me realize that this may be the more perfect offering that you seek from me.

Resolution: I will offer to do a favor that is costly in personal terms.

[Salvation]

The Word Among Us

Meditation: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

“Remember Jesus Christ… . Imparting the word of truth without deviation.” (2 Timothy 2:8,15)

“Words, words, words.” A con­temporary one-act play by that title explores the absurd proposition that if you sat a monkey down in front of a keyboard for long enough, he could eventually produce a Shakespeare play. We might think of that proposi­tion as we see Paul warning Timothy to avoid “disputing about words,” which “serves no useful purpose” (2 Timothy 2:14). Perhaps this led Timothy to examine his own speech to make sure everything he said was true, useful, and edifying—a worthy exercise for all of us!

However, Paul goes deeper than that. Timothy should never be satis­fied with just words. He should focus on Jesus Christ, the living Word of God. Words have an important role to play in leading someone to a fuller grasp of the truth, but what ulti­mately matters is a life-giving encoun­ter with the Word made flesh.

Of course, it is helpful to be famil­iar with the written word of God. But it is possible to know the word of God and still not know Jesus, the incarnate Word. Far more arresting is a person who clearly has an intimate relationship with Jesus and speaks out of that closeness. Even when he is at a loss for words, unable to come up with an adequate answer to a sin­cere question, people are drawn by his sincerity, and they feel Jesus’ love reaching out to them through him.

The Letter to the Hebrews tells us: “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son … who is … the very imprint of his being” (Hebrews 1:1-3). God has revealed many truths and aspects of his character and his plan for humanity through the words pre­served in Scripture. But Jesus doesn’t just speak these truths, he embodies them. And through the power of his Holy Spirit, he enables us to embody them as well.

So don’t be too worried about choosing the right words or mak­ing the right impression. Rather, be concerned that the people who meet you catch a glimpse of the divine Lover. Then your words will be mov­ing echoes of the Word himself.

“Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths. All your paths, O Lord, are mercy and truth.”

Psalm 25:4-5,8-10,14 Mark 12:28-34

[Salvation]

What Love Demands

• Homily of the Day
• June 7th, 2012
• Food For Thought

First Reading: 2 Tm 2:8-15

Psalm: Ps 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14

Gospel:  Mk 12:28-34

When we love with our all, we pretty much dedicate ourselves to the object of our affection. Fr. Arrupe, S.J., wrote about love dictating what determines the events of our day. In effect, it will decide everything, it will indeed change everything.

Loving God with our entirety takes everything obviously. In television dramas, the protagonist who loves passionately seems to go through endless challenges to defend that love. There’s a never-ending upheaval of emotions and we’re wondering with bated breath if there’ll be a happy ending nevertheless. Is it worth it to endure such pain and sorrow in order to fight for the one you love? We may get hooked in anxious anticipation of what unfolds, but we always hope that everything works out somehow.

At the heart of it, love demands everything. As long as our focus remains on the omnipotence, grandeur, and awesome majesty of our Creator, it is doubtful we’ll ever be shortchanged in this regard. With this offering of love comes our purpose. We know that when all has passed from this earth, we will truly be united with the One we love so much.

Yes, love at times may tear us apart and wrench our hearts into different configurations. But, the emotions of passion, dedication, triumph, sadness, joy, are the spirited movements of a loving persona. It may seem illogical to the world. It can only be logical that we give ourselves fully to God who loves us completely without question.

[Salvation]

One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 

<< Thursday, June 7, 2012 >>

Saint of the Day

2 Timothy 2:8-15
View Readings

Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14

Mark 12:28-34

WALKIE OR TALKIE?

"Charge them before God to stop disputing about mere words. This does no good and can be the ruin of those who listen." —2 Timothy 2:14

 

Millions of people, even Christians, listen to talk shows. The most popular talk shows feature constant controversy, even disputes "about mere words" (2 Tm 2:14). Some people think such talk shows are good. Most people don't see any harm in them. However, the Lord declares: "This does no good and can be the ruin of those who listen" (2 Tm 2:14). Talk shows are not just harmful to the talkers; they are also the ruin of the listeners.

"On Judgment Day," the talkers "will be held accountable for every unguarded word they speak" (Mt 12:36). Therefore, the listeners are not to give them encouragement to speak sinfully. We must stop our ears lest we "hear of bloodshed" (Is 33:15). When we carelessly open our ears to the talk of the world, we close our ears to the Word of God. However, when we close our ears to the strident controversies of the world, we open our ears to the voice of God.

The Lord commands us: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps 46:10, RSV-CE). Pray: "Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening" (1 Sm 3:9).

 

Prayer: Father, make me quick to hear You (see Jas 1:19).

Promise: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!" —Mk 12:29

Praise: Once hindered by the sin of gossip, Rachel, touched by the Holy Spirit, now speaks freely about the good qualities she sees in others.

[Salvation]

[annalex]

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 12
28.	And there came one of the scribes that had heard them reasoning together, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him which was the first commandment of all.	Et accessit unus de scribis, qui audierat illos conquirentes, et videns quoniam bene illis responderit, interrogavit eum quod esset primum omnium mandatum.	και προσελθων εις των γραμματεων ακουσας αυτων συζητουντων ειδως οτι καλως αυτοις απεκριθη επηρωτησεν αυτον ποια εστιν πρωτη παντων εντολη
29.	And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God.	Jesus autem respondit ei : Quia primum omnium mandatum est : Audi Israël, Dominus Deus tuus, Deus unus est :	ο δε ιησους απεκριθη αυτω οτι πρωτη παντων των εντολων ακουε ισραηλ κυριος ο θεος ημων κυριος εις εστιν
30.	And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.	et diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex tota corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua, et ex tota mente tua, et ex tota virtute tua. Hoc est primum mandatum.	και αγαπησεις κυριον τον θεον σου εξ ολης της καρδιας σου και εξ ολης της ψυχης σου και εξ ολης της διανοιας σου και εξ ολης της ισχυος σου αυτη πρωτη εντολη
31.	And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.	Secundum autem simile est illi : Diliges proximum tuum tamquam teipsum. Majus horum aliud mandatum non est.	και δευτερα ομοια αυτη αγαπησεις τον πλησιον σου ως σεαυτον μειζων τουτων αλλη εντολη ουκ εστιν
32.	And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is no other besides him.	Et ait illi scriba : Bene, Magister, in veritate dixisti, quia unus est Deus, et non est alius præter eum.	και ειπεν αυτω ο γραμματευς καλως διδασκαλε επ αληθειας ειπας οτι εις εστιν και ουκ εστιν αλλος πλην αυτου
33.	And that he should be loved with the whole heart, and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength; and to love one's neighbour as one's self, is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices.	Et ut diligatur ex toto corde, et ex toto intellectu, et ex tota anima, et ex tota fortitudine, et diligere proximum tamquam seipsum, majus est omnibus holocautomatibus, et sacrificiis.	και το αγαπαν αυτον εξ ολης της καρδιας και εξ ολης της συνεσεως και εξ ολης της ψυχης και εξ ολης της ισχυος και το αγαπαν τον πλησιον ως εαυτον πλειον εστιν παντων των ολοκαυτωματων και θυσιων
34.	And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.	Jesus autem videns quod sapienter respondisset, dixit illi : Non es longe a regno Dei. Et nemo jam audebat eum interrogare.	και ο ιησους ιδων αυτον οτι νουνεχως απεκριθη ειπεν αυτω ου μακραν ει απο της βασιλειας του θεου και ουδεις ουκετι ετολμα αυτον επερωτησαι

[annalex]

28. And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29. And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.
31. And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32. And the scribe said to him, Well, Master, you have said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
33. And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to hove his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.
34. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that dare ask him any question.

GLOSS. After that the Lord confuted the Pharisees, and the Sadducees, who tempted Him, it is here shown how He satisfied the Scribe who questioned Him; wherefore it is said, And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?

PSEUDO-JEROME; This question is only that which is a problem common to all skilled in the law, namely, that the commandments are differently set forth in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. Wherefore He brought forward not one but two commandments, by which, as by two paps rising on the breast of the bride, our infancy is nourished. And therefore there is added, And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord your God is one God.

He mentions the first and greatest commandment of all; this is that to which each of us must give the first place in his heart, as the only foundation of piety, that is, the knowledge and confession of the Divine Unity, with the practice of good works, which is perfected in the love of God and our neighbor; wherefore there is added, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your soul, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.

THEOPHYL. See how He has enumerated all the powers of the soul; for there is a living power in tire soul, which He explains, when He says, With all your soul, and to this belong anger and desire, all of which He will have us give to Divine love. There is also another power, which is called natural, to which belong nutriment and growth, and this also is all to be given to God, for which reason He says, With all your heart. There is also another power, the rational which He calls the mind, and that too is to be given whole to God.

GLOSS. The words which are added, And with all your strength, may be referred to the bodily powers it goes on: And the second is like, namely this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

THEOPHYL. He says, that it is like because these two commandments are harmonious one with the other, and mutually contain the other. For he who loves God, loves also His creature; but the chief of His creatures is man, wherefore he who loves God ought to love all men. But he who loves his neighbor, who so often offends him, ought much more to hove Him, who is ever giving him benefits. And therefore on account of the connection between these commandments, He adds, There is none other commandment greater than these.

It goes on, And the Scribe said to him, Well, Master, you have said the truth: for there is one God, and there is none other but he: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, cried to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

BEDE; He shows when He says, this is greater than all sacrifices, that a grave question was often debated between the scribes and Pharisees, which was the first commandment, or the greatest of the Divine law; that is, some praised offering and sacrifices, others preferred acts of faith and love, because many of the fathers before the law pleased God by that faith only, which works by love. This scribe shows that he was of the latter opinion. But it continues, And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God.

THEOPHYL. By which He shows that he was not perfect, for He did not say, You are within the kingdom of heaven, but, You are not far from the kingdom of God.

BEDE; But the reason why He was not far from the kingdom of God was, that he proved himself to be a favorer of that opinion, which is proper to the New Testament and to Gospel perfection.

AUG. Nor let it trouble us that Matthew says, that He who addressed this question to the Lord tempted Him; for it may be that though he came as a tempter, yet he was corrected by the answer of the Lord. Or at all events, We must not look upon the temptation as evil, and done with the intention of deceiving an enemy, but rather as the caution of a man who wished to try a thing unknown to him.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Or else, he is not far who comes with, knowledge; for ignorance is farther from the kingdom of God than knowledge; wherefore He says above to the Sadducees, you err, not knowing the Scriptures, or the power of God. it goes on: And no man after that dare ask him any questions.

BEDE; For since they were confuted in argument, they ask Him no farther questions, but take Him without any disguise, and give Him up to the Roman power. From which we understand that the venom of envy may be overcome, but can hardly lie quiet

Catena Aurea Mark 12

[annalex]

Savior in the Powers

From the iconostasis of the Savior-Transfiguration cathedral
Early-middle 16c.
Savior (Spassky) monastery, Yaroslavl, Russia