Daily Readings for: September 30, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: O God, who manifest your almighty power above all by pardoning and showing mercy, bestow, we pray, your grace abundantly upon us and make those hastening to attain your promises heirs to the treasures of heaven. 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.

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Ordinary Time: September 30th

Twenty-Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung round his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. (Mk. 9:42-43)."

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of Numbers 11:25-29. The book of Numbers is a narrative of the 39 years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness. Today's reading comes from the account of the journey through the wilderness.

The second reading is from the Epistle of St. James 5:1-6. The main purpose of this epistle is the teaching of morality and self-discipline. The sacred writer speaks with great severity, not mincing his words, in order to make people see that actions of the kind he condemns are incompatible with the profession of the Christian faith.

The Gospel is from St. Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48. There are two very practical lessons we must learn from today's Gospel: the grave obligation we have of not causing scandal to our fellow-Christians or indeed to any man or woman and secondly, the willingness we should have to sacrifice any earthly possession which is a cause of sin to us.

Scandal, the sin of being a cause or an occasion of another's sin, is doubly sinful involving one's own sin and the sin of the person scandalized. Scandal can be caused by word—that is, by teaching or propagating wrong doctrine or by giving sinful advice, and it can be caused by one's own sinful deeds which may be imitated by others. Those in positions of authority such as parents whose duty it is to bring up their children in the Christian faith, are especially liable to give scandal if they fail to live truly Christian lives. Christian parents who fail to live according to their faith will be held accountable not only for their own sins, but for the sins of their children and perhaps their children's children for generations to come.

Much, if not all of today's moral laxity and permissiveness can be blamed on parents who have failed to give the example of true Christian living in the home and in dealings with their neighbors. To children of such parents, Christianity is only a label; it does not inform or inspire their lives, hence they are only nominal Christians. It is true that there may be "black sheep" in the best of Christian homes. When, however, all the children of a home are "black sheep" the whiteness, the sincerity, of the parents of such a home must certainly be called into question. There may be many bad influences at work outside the home but the good example of truly Christian parents can counteract these influences. Let parents see to it that they will not be a cause of scandal and a cause of eternal loss to the children God put into their charge.

The second lesson for all of us in today's Gospel is that we should ever realize that eternal life is worth any sacrifice which we may be called on to make. The road we have to travel in life is not an easy one. As our Lord says in another place: "Enter by the narrow gate for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Mt. 7: 13). We wish to reach heaven, therefore we must be prepared to follow Christ; we must not allow others to lead us astray but be prepared and determined to conquer and resist our own evil inclinations also.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

Doctors of the Catholic Church

Saint Jerome was a brilliant scripture scholar and translator of the bible. He was a consultant to popes, bishops and monks. None before or after him were so well qualified or gifted to achieve the monumental task of translating into Latin all the Hebrew books of the bible.

He was peerless in his generation and his contributions to civilization and the church are extraordinary and unmatched. His biblical scholarship and intensity, passion and fury, in which he wrote, are emblematic of his personality traits. Our saint showed anger and deep compassion and he was held in high esteem by those who disliked and loved him. He is commonly called Hieronymus in Latin or Jerome.

The Father of Biblical Science defended the perpetual virginity in body and mind of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ. He was a faithful priest of his day and no one was more learned, prepared and achieved the tasks that he accomplished. He was a prolific writer and his works were voluminous and included the major prophets, and 120 letters. His book of short biographies has preserved much information not otherwise known.

Father Christopher Renger's, O.F.M. book on the 33 Doctors is frequently quoted and his book is listed in the doctoral sources. There is also a concise, one page, historical summary on each of the 73 books of the bible listed at the end.

Jerome will surely tell you that ignorance of the bible is ignorance of Christ. Therefore, you may be the only bible some people will ever read so be careful how you live.

St Jerome, 345-420. Doctor of Biblical Science, Feast Sept 30th.