Aug 20, Midday Prayer for Monday of the 20th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. III:
Ordinary: 659
All from the Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1154 (Midday)

Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 623
All from the Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1118 (Midday)

Midday Prayer for Monday in Ordinary Time using Current Psalmody

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

Help us, O Lord, to learn
the truths thy word imparts:
to study that thy laws may be
inscribed upon our hearts.

Help us, O Lord, to live
the faith which we proclaim,
that all our thoughts and words and deeds
may glorify thy name.

Help us, O Lord, to teach
the beauty of thy ways,
that yearning souls may find the Christ,
and sing aloud his praise.

Words: William Watkins Reid, Jr. © 1959; Music: Sandys, Dominica, St. Ethelwald, St. Michael, Day of Praise, Falcon Street; Meter: SM
“Help us, O Lord, to learn” performed by Choir of the Abbey School Tewkesbury is available from Amazon.com.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Lord, guide my steps according to your promise.

Psalm 119:129-136
XVII (Pe)
A meditation on God’s law
The whole law is summed up in love (Romans 13:10).

Your will is wonderful indeed;
therefore I obey it.
The unfolding of your word gives light
and teaches the simple.

I open my mouth and I sigh
as I yearn for your commands.
Turn and show me your mercy;
show justice to your friends.

Let my steps be guided by your promise;
let no evil rule me.
Redeem me from man’s oppression
and I will keep your precepts.

Let your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
Tears stream from my eyes
because your law is disobeyed.

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 are just, Lord God, and righteous are your judgments. Deliver those who cry to you in their affliction; give them peace and calm to reflect on your commands.

Ant. Lord, guide my steps according to your promise.

Ant. 2 There is but one lawgiver and judge; who are you to judge your neighbor?

Psalm 82
Denunciation of evil judges
Do not attempt to judge another now; the Lord’s coming will reveal all (1 Corinthians 4:5).

God stands in the divine assembly.
In the midst of the gods he gives judgment.

“How long will you judge unjustly
and favor the cause of the wicked?
Do justice for the weak and the orphan,
defend the afflicted and the needy.
Rescue the weak and the poor;
set them free from the hand of the wicked.

Unperceiving, they grope in the darkness
and the order of the world is shaken.
I have said to you: ‘You are gods,
and all of you, sons of the Most High.’
And yet, you shall die like men,
you shall fall like any of the princes.”

Arise, O God, judge the earth,
for you rule all the nations.

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 are always true to your word, Father. Look down from heaven and put an end to our foolishness. Save us from groundless fears and help us to please you with undivided heart.

Ant. There is but one lawgiver and judge; who are you to judge your neighbor?

Ant. 3 I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me.

Psalm 120
Longing for peace
Be patient in suffering; persevere in prayer (Romans 12:12).

To the Lord in the hour of my distress
I call and he answers me.
“O Lord, save my soul from lying lips,
from the tongue of the deceitful.”

What shall he pay you in return,
O treacherous tongue?
The warrior’s arrows sharpened
and coals, red-hot, blazing.

Alas, that I abide a stranger in Meshech,
dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Long enough have I been dwelling
with those who hate peace.
I am for peace, but when I speak,
they are for fighting.

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 declared peacemakers happy, Lord Jesus, since they will be called sons of God. Give us that peace which the world cannot give so that your Church may be freed from the schemes of arrogant men, and, devoted to works of peace, go forward joyfully to meet you, the King of Peace.

Ant. I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me.

READING Wisdom 15:1, 3

You, our God, are good and true,
slow to anger, and governing all with mercy.
To know you well is complete justice,
and to know your might is the root of immortality.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

Lord our God, you are tender and compassionate.
– You are patient, most merciful, and true to your word.

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Father,
yours is the harvest
and yours is the vineyard:
you assign the task
and pay a wage that is just.
Help us to meet this day’s responsibilities,
and let nothing separate us from your love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
– Amen.

ACCLAMATION (only added when praying in community)

Let us praise the Lord.
– And give him thanks.

Aug 20, Evening Prayer for Monday of the 20th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours Vol. IV:
Ordinary: 632
Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 1123
Proper of Saints: 1335
Common of Doctors: 1763
Common of Pastors: 1734

Christian Prayer:
Ordinary: 694
Psalter: Monday, Week IV, 942
Proper of Saints: tbd
Common of Doctors: 1436
Common of Pastors: 1432

Evening Prayer for Monday in Ordinary Time, for the Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor

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

Faith of our fathers, living still,
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword;
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whenever we hear that glorious Word!

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife;
And preach Thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.

Faith of our fathers, holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death.

“Faith of Our Fathers” performed by Metropolitan Boys Choir; Text: Frederick W. Faber, “Jesus and Mary” (London: 1849); refrain by James G. Walton, 1874.

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 Give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.

Psalm 136
Easter Hymn
We praise God by recalling his marvelous deeds (Cassiodorus).

I

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
for his love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods
for his love endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his love endures for ever;

who alone has wrought marvelous works,
for his love endures for ever;
whose wisdom it was made the skies,
for his love endures for ever;
who fixed the earth firmly on the seas,
for his love endures for ever.

It was he who made the great lights,
for his love endures for ever;
the sun to rule in the day,
for his love endures for ever;
the moon and the stars in the night,
for his love endures 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. Give thanks to the Lord, for his great love is without end.

Ant. 2 Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty.

II

The first-born of the Egyptians he smote,
for his love endures for ever.
He brought Israel out from their midst,
for his love endures for ever;
arm outstretched, with power in his hand,
for his love endures for ever.

He divided the Red Sea in two,
for his love endures for ever;
he made Israel pass through the midst,
for his love endures for ever;
he flung Pharaoh and his force in the sea,
for his love endures for ever.

Through the desert his people he led,
for his love endures for ever.
Nations in their greatness he struck,
for his love endures for ever.
Kings in their splendor he slew,
for his love endures for ever.

Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his love endures for ever;
and Og, the king of Bashan,
for his love endures for ever.

He let Israel inherit their land,
for his love endures for ever.
On his servant their land he bestowed,
for his love endures for ever.
He remembered us in our distress,
for his love endures for ever.

And he snatched us away from our foes,
for his love endures for ever.
He gives food to all living things,
for his love endures for ever.
To the God of heaven give thanks,
for his love endures 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

Almighty God, remember our lowliness and have mercy. Once you gave our fathers a foreign land to inherit. Free us today from sin and give us a share in your inheritance.

Ant. Great and wonderful are your deeds, Lord God the Almighty.

Ant. 3 God planned in the fullness of time to restore all things in Christ.

Canticle – Ephesians 1:3-10
God our Savior

Praised be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has bestowed on us in Christ
every spiritual blessing in the heavens.

God chose us in him
before the world began
to be holy
and blameless in his sight.

He predestined us
to be his adopted sons through Jesus Christ,
such was his will and pleasure,
that all might praise the glorious favor
he has bestowed on us in his beloved.

In him and through his blood, we have been redeemed,
and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous
is God’s favor to us.

God has given us the wisdom
to understand fully the mystery,
the plan he was pleased
to decree in Christ.

A plan to be carried out
in Christ, in the fulness of time,
to bring all things into one in him,
in the heavens and on earth.

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 planned in the fullness of time to restore all things in Christ.

READING James 3:17-18

Wisdom from above is first of all innocent. It is also peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy and the kindly deeds that are its fruits, impartial and sincere. The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

Sacred Silence (indicated by a bell)
A moment to reflect and receive in our hearts the full resonance of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and public voice of the Church.

RESPONSORY

In the midst of the Church he spoke with eloquence.
– In the midst of the Church he spoke with eloquence.

The Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding.
– He spoke with eloquence.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
– In the midst of the Church he spoke with eloquence.

CANTICLE OF MARY

Ant. Bernard, eloquent doctor of the Church, friend of Christ the Bridegroom, eminent preacher of the Virgin Mother’s glory, at Clairvaux you became the illustrious shepherd of your followers.

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. Bernard, eloquent doctor of the Church, friend of Christ the Bridegroom, eminent preacher of the Virgin Mother’s glory, at Clairvaux you became the illustrious shepherd of your followers.

INTERCESSIONS

Jesus Christ is worthy of all praise, for he was appointed high priest among men and their representative before God. We honor him and in our weakness we pray:
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

You marvelously illuminated your Church through distinguished leaders and holy men and women, let Christians rejoice always in such splendor.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

You forgave the sins of your people when their holy leaders like Moses sought your compassion,
through their intercession continue to purify and sanctify your holy people.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

In the midst of their brothers and sisters you anointed your holy ones and filled them with the Holy Spirit,
fill all the leaders of your people with the same Spirit.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

You yourself are the only visible possession of our holy pastors,
let none of them, won at the price of your blood, remain far from you.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

The shepherds of your Church keep your flock from being snatched out of your hand. Through them you give your flock eternal life,
save those who have died, those for whom you gave up your life.
– Bring salvation to your people, Lord.

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

O God,
who made the Abbot Saint Bernard
a man consumed with zeal for your house
and a light shining and burning in your Church,
grant, through his intercession,
that we may be on fire with the same spirit
and walk always as children of light.
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.
– Amen.

DISMISSAL

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

Aug 20, Night Prayer for Monday of the 20th week of Ordinary Time

Ribbon Placement:
Liturgy of the Hours:
Vol I, page 1175
Vol II, Page 1632
Vol III, Page 1275
Vol IV, Page 1239

Christian Prayer:
Page 1041

General instruction:
Please pray with us actively, especially by joining with us in saying antiphons and responses, most of which are indicated in this highlight.

Consider an examination of your own conscience before beginning to best make use of our time together in prayer.

Night Prayer for Monday

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:
We are called to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men, in our hearts and in our minds, in our actions and inactions. To do so, it is vital that we examine our conscience daily and to ask for God’s mercy as we fall short and to ask for His strength to do better.

Lord Jesus,
you came to reconcile us to one another and to the Father:
Lord, have mercy.
– Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus,
you heal the wounds of sin and division:
Christ, have mercy.
– Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus,
you intercede for us with your Father:
Lord, have mercy.
– Lord, have mercy.

HYMN

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.

“The Day Thou Gavest” by The Choir of St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral; Words: John Ellerton, 1870; Music: Clement Scholefield, 1874
“The Day Thou Gavest” by The Choir of St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral is available from Amazon.com

PSALMODY

Ant. 1 O Lord, our God, unwearied is your love for us.

Psalm 86
Poor man’s prayer in trouble
Blessed be God who comforts us in all our trials (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

Turn your ear, O Lord, and give answer
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you.

You are my God, have mercy on me, Lord,
for I cry to you all day long.
Give joy to your servant, O Lord,
for to you I lift up my soul.

O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of love to all who call.
Give heed, O Lord, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my voice.

In the day of distress I will call
and surely you will reply.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord;
nor work to compare with yours.

All the nations shall come to adore you
and glorify your name, O Lord:
for you are great and do marvelous deeds,
you who alone are God.

Show me, Lord, your way
so that I may walk in your truth.
Guide my heart to fear your name.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart
and glorify your name for ever;
for your love to me has been great:
you have saved me from the depths of the grave.

The proud have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
to you they pay no heed.

But you, God of mercy and compassion,
slow to anger, O Lord,
abounding in love and truth,
turn and take pity on me.

O give your strength to your servant
and save your handmaid’s son.
Show me the sign of your favor
that my foes may see to their shame
that you console me and give me your help.

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. O Lord, our God, unwearied is your love for us.

READING 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10

God has destined us for acquiring salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us, that all of us, whether awake or asleep, together might live with him.

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

Lord,
give our bodies restful sleep
and let the work we have done today
bear fruit in eternal life.
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

Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Saint Bernard,
Abbot and Doctor of the Church
Memorial
August 20th

Girolamo Pesce (Pesci)
Saint Bernard before Mary
1725-Oil on canvas, 330 x 205 cm
Hétkápolna, Vác

(1090-1153) Born in France, Bernard was a Cistercian abbot and legendary speaker who fought for the peace and unity of the Church against schism. He wrote many treatises on the Blessed Virgin and Jesus Christ, as well as many works of theology and ascetism. His life manifested a profound recognition of the importance of obedience in one's spiritual life.
Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003

Collect:
O God, who made of the Abbot Saint Bernard
a man consumed with zeal for your house
and a light shining and burning in your Church,
grant, through his intercession,
that we may be on fire with the same spirit
and walk always as children of light.
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. +Amen.
First Reading: Ecclesiasticus 15:1-6
The man who fears the Lord will do this, and he who holds to the law will obtain wisdom. She will come to meet him like a mother, and like the wife of his youth she will welcome him. She will feed him with the bread of understanding, and give him the water of wisdom to drink. He will lean on her and will not fall, and he will rely on her and will not be put to shame. She will exalt him above his neighbors,
and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly. He will find gladness and a crown of rejoicing, and will acquire an everlasting name.
Gospel Reading: John 17:20-26
Jesus raised His eyes to heaven and said: "Father, I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their word, that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me. The glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one, I in them and Thou in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved them even as Thou hast loved Me. Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, may be with Me where I am, to behold My glory which Thou hast given Me in Thy love for Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known Thee, but I have known thee; and these know that Thou hast sent Me. I made known to them Thy name, and I will make it known, that the love with which Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

Related Links on the Vatican Website:
Doctor Mellifluus, Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on St. Bernard of Clairvaux, the Last of the Fathers, May 24, 1953
Benedict XVI, General Audience, Saint Peter's Square. Wednesday, 21 October 2009, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

The Search for Wisdom by St. Bernard
Why I Am Catholic: For All the Saints: Bernard of Clairvaux
On St. Bernard of Clairvaux
St. Bernard on the Most Holy Name of Jesus [Ecumenical]
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Angelus, August 20, 2006
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Abbot, Doctor of the Church

Information: St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Feast Day:	August 20
Born:	1090, Fontaines, France
Died:	August 20, 1153, Clairvaux, France
Canonized:	January 18, 1174, Rome by Pope Alexander III
Major Shrine:	Ville-sous-la-Ferté
Patron of:	Cistercians, Burgundy, beekeepers, candlemakers, climbers

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Bernard

Feast Day: August 20
Born: 1090 :: Died: 1153

Bernard was born in Dijon, in France. He had six brothers and sisters and they were very well educated. He was only 17 years old when his mother died and his heart was broken.

His lively sister Humbeline did not let him remain sad and she did whatever she could to cheer him up. Soon Bernard became a very popular man. He was handsome and intelligent, full of fun and good humor and people enjoyed being with him.

Then one day, Bernard surprised all his friends by telling them he was going to join the very strict Cistercian order and become a Priest. They did all they could to make him give up the idea. But in the end, Bernard convinced his brothers, an uncle and twenty-six friends to join him.

As Bernard and his brothers left their home, they said to their little brother Nivard, who was playing with other children: "Good-bye, little Nivard. You will now have all the lands and property for yourself." But the boy answered: "What! How can all of you go to heaven and leave me here on earth? Do you call that fair?"

And when Nivard was older he too joined his brothers in the monastery. St. Bernard became a very good monk. After three years, he was sent to start a new Cistercian monastery and to be its abbot (like a parish priest).

The new monastery was in the Valley of Light which in French is called "Clairvaux" and Bernard was the abbot there for the rest of his life.

Although he would have liked to stay working and praying in his monastery, he was called out sometimes for special work. He preached, made peace between rulers, and went to advise the Pope.

He also wrote beautiful spiritual books. He became very famous and people everywhere had great respect for him. But he did not want fame. More than anything else Bernard wanted to be a monk and be close to God.

This saint had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother. It is said that when he passed her statue, he often greeted her with a "Hail Mary." One day, the Blessed Mother returned his greeting: "Hail, Bernard!" And, Our Lady showed how much his love and devotion pleased her.

When St. Bernard died in 1153, people were sad because they would miss his wonderful presence in their life.

From: Ezekiel 24:15-23

Death of Ezekiel’s wife

[15] Also the word of the Lord came to me: [16] Son of man, behold, I am about
to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not
mourn or weep nor shall your tears run down. [17] Sigh, but not aloud; make no
mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do
not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of mourners.” [18] So I spoke to the people
in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I
was commanded.

[19] And the people said to me. “Will you not tell us what these things mean
for us, that you are acting thus?” [20] Then I said to them, “The word of the Lord
came to me: [21] ‘Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I
will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and
the desire of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind
shall fall by the sword. [22] And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover
your lips, nor eat the bread of mourners. [23] Your turbans shall be on your
heads and your shoes on your feet; you shall not mourn or weep, but you shall
pine away in your iniquities and groan to one another.

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

24:15-27. The first part of the book ends here with this moving passage revealing
the prophet’s feelings about the death of his wife. All this — the sudden death of
his wife, the fact that he does not publicly mourn her, his profound, silent grief
— is the supreme symbol of what the siege of Jerusalem involved. Ezekiel’s wife
must have been still quite young, “the delight of your eyes” (v. 16; cf. Lam 2:4),
and she must have died suddenly. She is a symbol of the temple, of which the
people were so proud; no one could have imagined it would he destroyed. Mour-
ning was a function of the person’s social status and the regard in which he or
she was held (cf. 2 Sam 1:2; 3:31; 14:2; 15:30, 32), but even the humblest in so-
ciety would put on a veil and wear that sign of mourning at funeral meals, at the
“bread of mourners” (v. 17). However, Ezekiel was not to weep for his wife; nor
should the exiles show any public sign of grief; this would show that the misfor-
tunes that befell Jerusalem were a private affair between themselves and God.

The mention of the prophet’s name (v. 24), which has not appeared since the ti-
tle of the book (1:3), gives these verses the stamp of his authority. The same is
true of vv. 25-27 which tell the prophet that on the very day of his wife’s death the
fugitive will arrive reporting the destruction of Jerusalem, and Ezekiel will recover
his power of speech (cf. 3:25-27 and 33:21-22).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 19:16-22

The Rich Young Man

[16] And behold, one man came up to Him (Jesus), saying, “Teacher, what good
deed must I do, to have eternal life?” [17] And He said to him, “Why do you ask
Me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep
the commandments.” [18] He said to Him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall
not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear
false witness, [19] Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neigh-
bor as yourself.” [20] The young man said to Him, “All these I have observed;
what do I still lack?” [21] Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell
what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven;
and come, follow Me.” [22] When the young man heard this he went away sor-
rowful; for he had great possessions.

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

17. The Vulgate and other translations, supported by a good many Greek codi-
ces, fill this verse out by saying, “One alone is good, God.”

20-22. “What do I still lack?” The young man kept the commandments that were
necessary for salvation. But there is more. This is why our Lord replies, “if you
would be perfect...” that is to say, if you want to acquire what is still lacking to
you. Jesus is giving him an additional calling, “Come, follow Me”: He is showing
that He wants him to follow Him more closely, and therefore He requires, as He
does others (cf. Matthew 4:19-22), to give up anything that might hinder his full
dedication to the Kingdom of God.

The scene ends rather pathetically: the young man goes away sad. His attach-
ment to his property prevails over Jesus’ affectionate invitation. Here is sadness
of the kind that stems from cowardice, from failure to respond to God’s calling
with personal commitment.

In reporting this episode, the evangelists are actually giving us a case study
which describes a situation and formulates a law, a case study of specific divine
vocation to devote oneself to God’s service and the service of all men.

This young man has become a symbol of the kind of Christian whose mediocrity
and shortsightedness prevent him from turning his life into a generous, fruitful
self-giving to the service of God and neighbor.

What would this young man have become, had he been generous enough to res-
pond to God’s call? A great apostle, surely.

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

Catholic

Almanac:

Monday, August 20
Liturgical Color: White
Pope Pius VII died on this day in 1823. As pope he showed great compassion towards Napoleon who had persecuted him and the Church while in power. While Napoleon was in exile, the pope sent a priest to aid in his conversion.

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: August 20, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who made the Abbot Saint Bernard a man consumed with zeal for your house and a light shining and burning in your Church, grant, through his intercession, that we may be on fire with the same spirit and walk always as children of light. 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.

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

St. Bernard of Clairvaux | Pope Benedict XVI

Ordinary Time: August 20th

Memorial of St. Bernard, abbot and doctor

Old Calendar: St. Bernard

St. Bernard (1090-1153) was born near Dijon and died in Clairvaux, France. He was of a noble family and received a careful education in his youth. With his father, brother and thirty noblemen he entered the Benedictine monastery of Citeaux. Two years later he led a group of monks to establish a house at Clairvaux, and became its abbot. The monastic rule which he perfected at Clairvaux became the model for 163 monasteries of the Cistercian reform. He was a theologian, poet, orator, and writer. He is sometimes considered as a Father of the Church.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Bernard, the second founder of the Cistercians, the Mellifluous Doctor, the apostle of the Crusades, the miracle-worker, the reconciler of kings, the leader of peoples, the counselor of popes! His sermons, from which there are many excerpts in the Breviary, are conspicuous for genuine emotion and spiritual unction. The celebrated Memorare is ascribed to him.

Bernard was born in 1090, the third son of an illustrious Burgundian family. At the age of twenty-two he entered the monastery of Citeaux (where the Cistercian Order had its beginning) and persuaded thirty other youths of noble rank to follow his example. Made abbot of Clairvaux (1115), he erected numerous abbeys where his spirit flourished. To his disciple, Bernard of Pisa, who later became Pope Eugene III, he dedicated his work De Consideratione. Bernard's influence upon the princes, the clergy, and the people of his age was most remarkable. By penitential practices he so exhausted his body that it could hardly sustain his soul, ever eager to praise and honor God.

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

Patron: beekeepers; bees; candlemakers; chandlers; wax-melters; wax refiners; Gibraltar; Queens College, Cambridge.

Symbols: beehive; bees; three mitres on a book; white dog; inkhorn and pen; Passion implements; fettered demon; book.
Often Portrayed As: Cistercian having a vision of Mary; Cistercian with a beehive; Cistercian with a chained demon; Cistercian with a mitre on the ground beside him; Cistercian with a swarm of bees nearby; Cistercian with a white dog; Cistercian writing and watching Mary.

Things to Do:

Though of a rich and noble family St. Bernard continually asked the question: "For what purpose are you on earth?" Spend some time today in front of the Blessed Sacrament and ask yourself this question.
Because St. Bernard is the patron of candlemakers, a great project would be to learn how to make candles. Candles 101 discusses in brief about making homemade candles, rolled, dipped and molded. Practicing making candles now will help in preparing to make a family Christ Candle for Advent and Paschal Candle for Easter.
Read more about the life of St. Bernard.
This site — complete with words and midi files — features hymns written by St. Bernard.
Learn more about the Cistercian Order founded by St. Bernard.
From the Catholic Culture library: Preaching Conversion Through The Beatitudes: Bernard Of Clairvaux's Ad Clericos De Conversione and Pope Pius XII On St. Bernard Of Clairvaux, The Last Of The Fathers.

Doctors of the Catholic Church

Saint Bernard had more visibility, eloquence, and influence in his church and country than anyone of his day. The more he withdrew from secular affairs, the more kings, popes and bishops sought him. He was loved, hated, and the man of the twelfth century.

Bernard of Clairvaux is the eloquent and devotional doctor of the church. No other doctor or saint influenced more of his own family, friends, and relatives to join him in the service of God in religion than this humble monk. His charisma and holiness made him most noticeable and in demand by both church and country.

This holy priest and abbot efforts in the Crusades were a dismal failure from one aspect to make it known that might never makes right. His dedication especially to the Mother of God, St Mary, are well known and he is considered the last of the Fathers of the Church and a great Marian Doctor.

St. Bernard, 1091-1153. Devotional and Eloquent Doctor, Feast Aug 20th.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 19:16-22

“What good must I do to gain eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16)

Many a family vacation starts off with excitement and enthusiasm. But not too long after the journey begins, the young ones start asking: “Are we there yet?” And they ask it over and over again! But with the right perspective, and the right tools, the journey can be just as enjoyable as the destination!

The rich young man was at the early part of his journey when he stood before Jesus and asked how he could get to heaven. “Am I there yet? Am I close? Look at all the good things I’ve already done. Surely it won’t be much longer!” And so he eagerly asked Jesus what he still needed to do. Deep inside, he knew something was missing—or else he’d be there already. What he didn’t understand was that Jesus wanted to talk about the journey and not just the destination. He didn’t simply want this young man to go to heaven; he wanted him to walk in God’s love and presence every day. He wanted this fellow to know the joy of developing a living relationship with his heavenly Father.

God is surely looking forward to the day when we will be with him in heaven. But at the same time, he wants to share with us the adventure of taking each and every step of the journey together. He wants to have an active relationship with us, one that forms our hearts every day and makes us more and more ready for our heavenly home. He knows that we all have a deep longing for this relationship in our hearts, that our hearts really are restless until they find rest in him.

When we welcome Jesus into our lives, we begin a rewarding journey with him that changes us day after day. He convinces us of his love. He heals our wounds. He teaches us to be generous with the poor and outcast. He fills us with purpose for our lives, and he teaches us to be content with whatever stage of the journey we may be on. And best of all, every step we take with him brings us one step closer to our glorious, heavenly destination!

“Jesus, come into my heart and live in me. Come walk with me today and every day on the road that you have marked out for me—the road to heaven.”

Ezekiel 24:15-23; Deuteronomy 32:18-21

Compelled by Love: The Life and Legacy of St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for August 20, 2012:

(Reader’s Tip) Take a moment each day to say how much you love your spouse. Thank them for what they do for the family, or just say that you miss them when you’re apart.

Vultus Christi

O Doctor Mellifluus

By

Father Mark

on August 20, 2012 8:06 AM |

Inflamed With Zeal

The liturgy describes Saint Bernard as a man all ablaze with zeal for the house of the Lord. The little phrase, "inflamed with zeal," tells us, in effect, that God gave Saint Bernard to the Church as a new Elias, the ardent prophet given to Israel of old. When Elias was on Mount Horeb, the Lord visited him in "the whistling of a gentle air" (1 K 19:12). "And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with a mantle, and coming forth stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold a voice unto him, saying: 'What dost thou here, Elias?" And he answered: 'With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts'" (1 K 19:14).

By way of Psalm 68:9, one of the great prophetic psalms of the sufferings of Our Lord, the same expression, "inflamed with zeal," identifies Saint Bernard with Our Lord Jesus Christ in the mysteries of His Passion. After Jesus had driven the moneychangers out of the temple, His disciples remembered that it was written, "The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up" (Ps 68:9). The same burning zeal for the glory of the Father was to consume Jesus in the holocaust of His Sacrifice on Calvary.

The Mystical Embrace

The traditional iconography of Saint Bernard shows the monk held fast in the embrace of Jesus Crucified, who detaches His arm from the cross to draw Bernard to himself. The theme of the amplexus, or mystical embrace, is repeated in depictions of Saint Bernard again and again. The fire that burned in the pierced Heart of the Crucified passed into Bernard, filling him with an astonishing capacity to suffer and to love for the Church, Christ's Bride and Mystical Body.

Good Zeal

Zeal, then, characterizes Saint Bernard. A burning passion for Christ and for the Bride of Christ, the Church, consumed him. In Chapter 72 of the Holy Rule, Saint Benedict distinguishes between two kinds of zeal. The first he calls "an evil zeal rooted in bitterness, which separates from God and leads to hell" (RSB 72:1).

Evil zeal -- coldhearted, pharisaical, and grim -- always leads to rancour and strife in a community. Good zeal "separates from vice and leads to God and to eternal life" (RB 72:2). The Holy Ghost infuses the grace of good zeal into souls. Good zeal is gentle, and winning, and sweet. It is warm and attractive. It inflames others but it doesn't scorch them. It attracts souls by means of a gentle, steady radiance.

Burning and Shining

The fire of a prophetic charism made Saint Bernard burn and shine in the Church. In the 5th Chapter of Saint John, Our Lord, speaking of the Baptist, says, "He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light" (Jn 5:35). Like the Holy Forerunner, Saint Bernard was, and remains even today, a burning and shining lamp set upon a lampstand in the Church so that all might enjoy his brightness. By burning, he enkindled others; by shining, he enlightened others.

Those who read the works of Saint Bernard know that his fire has not been extinguished nor has his flame become less bright. When the Holy Ghost sets a heart aflame, nothing earthly can extinguish the blaze. "Love is strong as death," says the Canticle, "the lamps thereof are fire and flames. Many waters cannot quench charity, neither can the floods drown it" (Ct 8:6-7). Many waters and great floods have come and gone, assailing the Church over the centuries, and sweeping away the grandest monuments in their torrents. Still, after the nine centuries that separate us from Saint Bernard, his fire burns with the same intensity and his light is undimmed.

The Most Contagious Man of His Century

It was said in the twelfth century that Saint Bernard was -- spiritually -- the most contagious man alive. So powerful was his very presence that when Abbot Bernard of Clairvaux passed through a village or town, women would hide their husbands and sons, fearing that their menfolk, seduced by Bernard's preaching, might abandon wives and mothers, children and homes to follow him into the cloister. And so it happened! When Saint Bernard preached in the universities, the lecture halls would be packed with eager young listeners. Scores of students would follow him, like a kind of monastic pied-piper, begging for the grace of the holy habit and for a place in his abbey. When Saint Bernard preached, fire leaped out of his mouth into the hearts of his hearers and, when he explained the Scriptures, souls were flooded with light.

The Mediation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Like John the Baptist hidden in his mother's womb, Saint Bernard received the grace of Christ and grew in it, day by day, through the mediation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. "This, he says, "is the will of Him who wanted us to have everything through Mary.... God has placed in Mary the plenitude of every good, in order to have us understand that if there is any trace of hope in us, any trace of grace, any trace of salvation, it flows from her.... God could have dispensed His graces according to His good pleasure without making use of this channel (Mary), but it was His wish to provide this means whereby grace would reach you." This not mere theological speculation on the part of Saint Bernard, it is testimony to his personal experience. For Saint Bernard the Virgin Mother is the Mediatrix of All Graces. All that comes to us from Christ, our one Mediator with the Father, comes, necessarily, through Mary, Mother of us all, and Mediatrix with the Son.

The Liturgy

Again like Saint John the Baptist, Bernard saw himself as "the friend of the bridegroom who rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice" (Jn 3:29). Saint Bernard heard the voice of the Bridegroom in Sacred Scripture proclaimed, and sung, and held in the heart during long hours of the Opus Dei. The friend of the Bridegroom never seeks to draw the bride to himself or to possess her in any way; his whole desire is to hear the bride say: "As the apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under His shadow, whom I desired, and His fruit was sweet to my palate. He brought me into the cellar of wine, he set in order charity in me" (Ct 2:3-4).

Compassion

The friend of the Bridegroom is jubilant when the bride is brought into the banqueting house; there, the banner of love is raised over her head. Bernard, the friend of the Bridegroom became the servant of the Divine Hospitality; he was, in truth, the herald of the Bridegroom-King sent out of his cloister into the streets and lanes of the city, into the highways and the hedges, at the hour of the wedding banquet, to bring in "the poor, and the feeble, and the blind, and the lame" (Lk 14:21).

The misery of mankind was never far from Saint Bernard's heart, never absent from his prayer. Having experienced the sweet compassion of the Mother of God in his own life, Saint Bernard looked upon the world even as she does from her place of glory in heaven, with "eyes of mercy." Addressing Our Lady in a sermon for her Assumption, he asks her to obtain "pardon for the guilty, health for the sick, courage for the fainthearted, help and deliverance for the endangered."

The Bread of Life and the Water of Wisdom

Ecclesiasticus describes Divine Grace coming in the form of a mother and of a virgin bride to meet Bernard. What is warmer than the welcome of a mother? And what more enthusiastic than that of a young bride? Again, the grace of Christ came to Saint Bernard through Mary. "With the bread of life and understanding, she shall feed him, and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink: and she shall be made strong in him.... And in the midst of the Church she shall open his mouth, and shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and shall clothe him with a robe of glory" (Eccl 15: 3-5).

Devotion to Sacred Scripture

"By what doth a young man correct his way? By observing thy words" (Ps 118:9). The Abbot of Clairvaux knew that when God speaks, He communicates Himself. For Saint Bernard to be steeped in the Word of God was, as Origen teaches, to be steeped in the very Blood of Christ. Saint Bernard's lifelong attraction to Sacred Scripture was an expression of his lifelong attraction to the Sacred Side of Jesus, the wellspring of purity and of love.

The Prayer of Christ

The effect of the monastic life, with its relentless immersion in the Word of God, is that the soul loses herself, her own words, desires, inclinations, and aspirations in the prayer of the Heart of Jesus to the Father. One seasoned in monastic life begins to be able to say, "It is no longer I who pray, but Christ who prays in me." In the presence of the Father, the soul shaped by the monastic tradition has no words apart from the words of the Word, uttered in the power of the Holy Ghost.

And this, of course, is the great reality of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. When the priest goes to the altar as the representative of Christ and of the Church, he lifts his hands in prayer. At that moment, it is no longer we who pray for ourselves and by ourselves. It is Christ the Eternal High Priest who, through the priest standing before the altar, prays for us to His Father.

In every Mass, too, the embrace of Jesus Crucified is offered to each of us as it was offered to Saint Bernard. Detaching His arm from the cross, Our Lord draws us sacramentally to the wound in His Sacred Side. Through that mystic portal we pass over to the Father, in the Holy Ghost. The secret of Saint Bernard was this: guided by the Virgin Mother of Jesus, he yielded to the embrace of the Crucified and drank deeply from His open Side. May Mary, "our life, sweetness, and our hope," obtain that same grace for us today.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 19
16.	And behold one came and said to him: Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?	Et ecce unus accedens, ait illi : Magister bone, quid boni faciam ut habeam vitam æternam ?	και ιδου εις προσελθων ειπεν αυτω διδασκαλε αγαθε τι αγαθον ποιησω ινα εχω ζωην αιωνιον
17.	Who said to him: Why asketh thou me concerning good? One is good, God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.	Qui dixit ei : Quid me interrogas de bono ? Unus est bonus, Deus. Si autem vis ad vitam ingredi, serva mandata.	ο δε ειπεν αυτω τι με λεγεις αγαθον ουδεις αγαθος ει μη εις ο θεος ει δε θελεις εισελθειν εις την ζωην τηρησον τας εντολας
18.	He said to him: Which? And Jesus said: Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness.	Dicit illi : Quæ ? Jesus autem dixit : Non homicidium facies ; non adulterabis ; non facies furtum ; non falsum testimonium dices ;	λεγει αυτω ποιας ο δε ιησους ειπεν το ου φονευσεις ου μοιχευσεις ου κλεψεις ου ψευδομαρτυρησεις
19.	Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.	honora patrem tuum, et matrem tuam, et diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum.	τιμα τον πατερα και την μητερα και αγαπησεις τον πλησιον σου ως σεαυτον
20.	The young man saith to him: All these I have kept from my youth, what is yet wanting to me?	Dicit illi adolescens : Omnia hæc custodivi a juventute mea : quid adhuc mihi deest ?	λεγει αυτω ο νεανισκος παντα ταυτα εφυλαξαμην εκ νεοτητος μου τι ετι υστερω
21.	Jesus saith to him: If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come follow me.	Ait illi Jesus : Si vis perfectus esse, vade, vende quæ habes, et da pauperibus, et habebis thesaurum in cælo : et veni, sequere me.	εφη αυτω ο ιησους ει θελεις τελειος ειναι υπαγε πωλησον σου τα υπαρχοντα και δος πτωχοις και εξεις θησαυρον εν ουρανω και δευρο ακολουθει μοι
22.	And when the young man had heard this word, he went away sad: for he had great possessions.	Cum audisset autem adolescens verbum, abiit tristis : erat enim habens multas possessiones.	ακουσας δε ο νεανισκος τον λογον απηλθεν λυπουμενος ην γαρ εχων κτηματα πολλα

16. And, behold, one came and said to him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
17. And he said to him, Why do you call me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if you will enter into life, keep the commandments.
18. He said to him, Which? Jesus said, You shall do no murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
19. Honor your father and your mother: and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
20. The young man said to him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
21. Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go and sell that you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
22. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

RABAN; This man had, it may be, heard of the Lord, that only they who were like to little children were worthy to enter into the heavenly kingdom; but desiring to know more certainly, he asks to have it declared to him not in parables, but expressly, by what merits he might attain eternal life. Therefore it is said; And, behold, one came and said to him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?

JEROME; He that asks this question is both young, rich, and proud, and he asks not as one that desires to learn, but as tempting Him. This we can prove by this, that when the Lord had said to him, If you will enter into life, keep the commandments, he further insidiously asks, which are the commandments? as if he could not read them for himself, or as if the Lord could command any thing contrary to them.

CHRYS; But I for my part, though I deny not that he was a lover of money, because Christ convicts him as such, cannot consider him to have been a hypocrite, because it is unsafe to decide in uncertain cases, and especially in making charges against any. Moreover Mark removes all suspicion of this kind, for he says that he came to Him, and knelt before Him; and that Jesus when He looked on him, loved him. And if he had come to tempt Him, the Evangelist would have signified as much, as he has done in other places. Or if he had said nothing thereof, Christ would not have suffered him to be hid, but would either have convicted him openly, or have covertly suggested it. But He does not this; for it follows, He said to him, Why do you ask me concerning good?

AUG; This may seem a discrepancy, that Matthew here gives it, Why do you ask me concerning good? whereas Mark and Luke have, Why do you call me good? For this, Why do you ask me concerning good? may seem rather to be referred to his question, What good thing shall I do? for in that he both mentioned good, and asked a question. But this, Good Master, is not yet a question. Either sentence may be understood thus very appropriately to the passage.

JEROME; But because he had styled Him Good Master, and had not confessed Him as God, or as the Son of God, He tells him, that in comparison of God there is no saint to be called good, of whom it is said, Confess to the Lord, for he is good; and therefore He says, There is one good, that is, God. But that none should suppose that by this the Son of God is excluded from being good, we read in another place, The good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.

AUG; Or, because he sought eternal life, (and eternal life consists in such contemplation in which God is beheld not for punishment, but for everlasting joy,) and knew not with whom he spoke, but thought Him only a Son of Man, therefore He says, Why do you ask me concerning good, calling me in respect of what you see in me, Good Master? This form of the Son of Man shall appear in the judgment, not to the righteous only, but to the wicked, and the very sight shall be to them an evil, and their punishment. But there is a sight of My form, in which I am equal to God. That one God therefore, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is alone good, because none see Him to mourning and sorrow, but only to salvation and true joy.

JEROME; For Our Savior does not reject this witness to His goodness, but corrected the error of calling Him Good Master apart from God.

CHRYS; Wherein then was the profit that He answered thus? He leads him by degrees, and teaches him to lay aside false flattery, and rising above the things which are upon earth to cleave to God, to seek things to come, and to know Him that is truly good, the root and source of every good.

ORIGEN; Christ also answers thus, because of that He said, What good thing shall I do? For when we depart from evil and do good, that which we do is called good by comparison with what other men do. But when compared with absolute good, in the sense in which it is here said, There is one good, our good is not good. But some one may say, that because the Lord knew that the purpose of him who thus asked Him was not even to do such good as man can do, that therefore He said, Why do you ask me concerning good? as much as to say, Why do you ask me concerning good, seeing you are not prepared to do what is good. But after this He says, If you will enter into life, keep the commandments. Where note, that He speaks to him as yet standing without life; for that man is in one sense without life, who is without Him who said, I am the life. Otherwise, every man upon earth may be, not in life itself, but only in its shadow, while he is clad in a body of death. But any man shall enter into life, if he keep himself from dead works, and seek living works. But there are dead words and living words, also dead thoughts and living thoughts, and therefore He says, If you will enter into life, keep the commandments.

AUG; And He said not, If you desire life eternal; but, If you will enter into life, calling that simply life, which shall be everlasting. Here we should consider how eternal life should be loved, when this miserable and finite life is so loved.

REMIG; These words prove that the Law gave to such as kept it not only temporal promises, but also life eternal. And because the hearing these things made him thoughtful, He said to him, Which?

CHRYS; This he said not to tempt Him, but because he supposed that they were other than the commandments of the Law, which should be the means of life to him.

REMIG; And Jesus, condescending as to a weak one, most graciously set out to him the precepts of the Law; Jesus said, you shall do no murder; and of all these precepts follows the exposition, And you shall love your neighbor as yourself. For the Apostle says, Whoever loves his neighbor has fulfilled the Law? But it should be inquired, why the Lord has enumerated only the precepts of the Second Table? Perhaps because this young man was zealous in the love of God, or because love of our neighbor is the step by which we ascend to the love of God.

ORIGEN; Or perhaps these precepts are enough to introduce one, if I may say so, to the entrance of life; but neither these, nor any like them, are enough to conduct one to the more inward parts of life. But whoever transgresses one of these commandments, shall not even come to the entrance in to life.

CHRYS; But because all the commandments that the Lord had recounted were contained in the Law, The young man said to him, All these have I kept from my youth up. And did not even rest there, but asked further, What lack I yet? which alone is a mark of his intense desire.

REMIG; But to those who would be perfect in grace, He shows how they may come to perfection, Jesus said to him, If you will be perfect, go, and sell all that you have, and give to the poor. Mark the words; He said not, Go, and consume all you have; but Go, and sell; and not some, as did Ananias and Sapphira, but All. And well He added, that you have, for what we have are our lawful possessions. Those therefore that he justly possessed were to be sold; what had been gained unjustly were to be restored to those from whom they had been taken. And He said not, Give to your neighbors, nor to the rich, but to the poor.

AUG; Nor need it be made a scruple in what monasteries, or to the indigent brethren of what place, any one gives those things that he has, for there is but one commonwealth of all Christians. Therefore wherever any Christian has laid out his goods, in all places alike he shall receive what is necessary for himself, shall receive it of that which is Christ's.

RABAN; See two kinds of life which we have heard set before men; the Active, to which pertains, You shall not kill, and the rest of the Law; and the Contemplative, to which pertains this, If you will be perfect. The active pertains to the Law, the contemplative to the Gospel; for as the Old Testament went before the New, so good action goes before contemplation.

AUG; Nor are such only partakers in the kingdom of heaven, who, to the end they may be perfect, sell or part with all that they have; but in these Christian ranks are numbered by reason of a certain communication of their charity a multitude of hired troops; those to whom it shall be said in the end, I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; whom be it far from us to consider excluded from life eternal, as they who obey not the commands of the Gospel.

JEROME; That Vigilantius asserts that they who retain the use of their property, and from time to time divide their incomes among the poor, do better than they who sell their possessions and lavish them in one act of charity, to him, not I, but God shall make answer, If you will be perfect, Go and sell. That which you so extol, is but the second or third grade; which we indeed admit, only remembering that what is first is to be set before what is third or second.

PSEUDO-AUG; It is good to distribute with discrimination to the poor; it is better, with resolve of following the Lord, to strip one's self of all at once, and freed from anxiety to suffer want with Christ.

CHRYS; And because He spoke of riches warning us to strip ourselves of them, He promises to repay things greater, by how much heaven is greater than earth, and therefore He says, And you shall have treasure in heaven. By the word treasure He denotes the abundance and endurance of the reward.

ORIGEN; If every commandment is fulfilled in this one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, and if he is perfect who has fulfilled every command, how is it that the Lord said to the young man, If you will be perfect, when he had declared, All these have I kept from my youth up. Perhaps that he says, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, was not said by the Lord, but added by some one, for neither Mark nor Luke have given it in this place. Or otherwise; It is written in the Gospel according to the Hebrews, that, when the Lord said, Go, and sell all that you have, the rich man began to scratch his head, being displeased with the saying. Then the Lord said to him, How do you say, I have kept the Law, and the Prophets, since it is written in the Law, you shall love your neighbor as yourself? For how many of your brethren sons of Abraham, clothed in filth, perish for hunger? your house is full of many good things, and nothing goes out to them. The Lord then, desiring to convict this rich man, says to him, If you will be perfect, go and sell all that you have, and give to the poor; for so it will be seen if you cost indeed love your neighbor as yourself.

But if he is perfect who has all the virtues, how does he become perfect who sells all that he has and gives to the poor? For suppose one to have done this, will he thereby become forthwith free from anger, desire, having every virtue, and abandoning all vice? Perhaps wisdom may suggest, that he that has given his goods to the poor, is aided by their prayers, receiving of their spiritual abundance to his want, and is made in this way perfect, though he may have some human passions. Or thus; He that thus exchanged his riches for poverty, in order that he might become perfect, shall have assistance to become wise in Christ, just, chaste also, and devoid of all passion; but not so as that in the moment when he gave up all his goods, he should forthwith become perfect; but only that from that day forward the contemplation of God will begin to bring him to all virtues.

Or again, it will pass into a moral exposition, and say, that the possessions of a man are the acts of his mind. Christ then bids a man to sell all his evil possessions, and as it were to give them over to the virtues which should work the same, which were poor in all that is good. For as the peace of the Apostles returns to them again, unless there be a son of peace, so all sins return upon their actors, when one will no longer indulge his evil propensities; and thus there can be no doubt that he will straightway become perfect who in this sense sells all his possessions. It is manifest that he that does these things, has treasure in heaven, and is himself become of heaven; and he will have in heaven treasure of God's glory, and riches in all God's wisdom. Such an one will be able to follow Christ, for he has no evil possession to draw him off from so following.

JEROME; For many who leave their riches do not therefore follow the Lord; and it is not sufficient for perfection that they despise money, unless they also follow the Savior, that unless having forsaken evil, they also do what is good. For it is easier to contemn the hoard than quit the propensity; therefore it follows, And come and follow me; for he follows the Lord who is his imitator, and who walks in his steps. It follows, And when the young man had heard these words, he went away sorrowful. This is the sorrow that leads to death. And the cause of his sorrow is added, for he had great possessions, thorns, that is, and briars, which choked the holy leaven.

CHRYS; For they that have little, and they that abound, are not in like measure encumbered. For the acquisition of riches raises a greater flame, and desire is more violently kindled.

AUG; I know not how, but in the love of worldly superfluities, it is what we have already got, rather than what we desire to get, that most strictly enthrall us. For whence went this young man away sorrowful, but that he had great possessions? It is one thing to lay aside thoughts of further acquisition, and another to strip ourselves of what we have already made our own; one is only rejecting what is not ours, the other is like parting with one of our own limbs.

ORIGEN; But historically, the young man is to be praised for that he did not kill, did not commit adultery; but is to be blamed for that he sorrowed at Christ's words calling him to perfection. He was young indeed in soul, and therefore leaving Christ, he went his way.

Catena Aurea Matthew 19

St Anthony the Great and St. Paul of Thebes

Regnum Christi

Money Changes Everything

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Memorial of Saint Bernard, abbot and doctor of the Church

Father José LaBoy, LC

Matthew 19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, "You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself." The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Introductory Prayer: Dear Lord, I believe in you because you know what is best for me and what I must do in order to reach heaven. I hope in you because you have called me to detach myself from worldly things in order to possess you. I love you because you are greater than any of the things you have created.

Petition: Lord, grant me spiritual detachment from material things.

1. Are You Sure? Sometimes we ask for or desire something without really considering the conditions necessary to obtain it. We understand that most things cannot be obtained for free; nevertheless, in the spiritual life we easily forget this. What the rich young man asks for is the most valuable, the greatest possible achievement, but he thinks getting it will be easy. Maybe he was accustomed to being able to buy whatever he wanted with money. He probably didn’t even think that Christ might tell him to detach himself from his possessions. The fact that we could want something, but not want to do what is necessary to attain it, should raise a question: Do we really want it?

2. A First Step to Eternity: Christ takes the young man’s question seriously. He doesn’t want to waste the young man’s time allowing him to think things are easier than they really are. Sadly, in today’s society people are used to seeking what requires the least effort. This is not the way of a true Christian. To get to heaven – and everybody should really want to – one thing is totally necessary: “Keep the commandments.” That means to avoid sin. God’s love for us precedes the commandments. When we love someone, we do not treat that person in any old way, but rather in a way that reflects the love we have for that person. So, we keep the commandments not just to follow a moral code, but to show in a specific way our love for God. This step is very important, but it is only a first step to heaven.

3. Not So Sure: The rich young man had no trouble with living the commandments. Feeling confident, he asks for more, and Christ asks him to leave his possessions. He wasn’t expecting this. He went away sad, because he had many possessions. The problem is not having possessions, but that having many possessions makes us more preoccupied with material things than with “things of above,” as St. Paul would say (see Colossians 3:1). In the Gospel, Jesus says, “Where your treasure is there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Conversation with Christ: Dear Lord, help me to love you above all things. I realize that I am attached to things that sometimes lead me to forget you. And yet, I can’t avoid hearing in the depths of my soul your words: “You cannot serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Help me understand that it is not worthwhile to have many things, but not have you.

Resolution: I will examine myself to see what commandments I am not living fully and detach myself from some concrete thing that prevents me from doing so.

August 20, 2012

Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1 Ez 24:15-23

Responsorial Psalm Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21

Gospel Mt 19:16-22

St. Bernard

Daily Readings for: August 20, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Memorial of St. Bernard, abbot and doctor

Meditation: Matthew 19:16-22

O Doctor Mellifluus

August 20, 2012

Memorial of Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church

Reading 1 Ez 24:15-23

Responsorial Psalm Dt 32:18-19, 20, 21

Gospel Mt 19:16-22

St. Bernard

Daily Readings for: August 20, 2012(Readings on USCCB website)

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Memorial of St. Bernard, abbot and doctor

Meditation: Matthew 19:16-22

O Doctor Mellifluus

Daily Readings for: August 20, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)