30. And the apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
31. And he said to them, Come you yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
32. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
33. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and out went them, and came together to him.
34. And Jesus, when he came out, saw many people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things.
GLOSS. The Evangelist, after relating the death of John, gives an account of those things which Christ did with His disciples after the death of John, saying, And the Apostles gathered themselves together to Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.
PSEUDO-JEROME; For they return to the fountain-head whence the streams flow; those who are sent by God, always offer up thanks for those things which they have received.
THEOPHYL. Let us also learn, when we are sent on any mission, not to go far away, and not to overstep the bounds of the office committed, but to go often to him, who sends us, and report all that we have done and taught; for we must not only teach but act.
BEDE; Not only do the Apostles tell the Lord what they themselves had done and taught, but also his own and John's disciples together tell him what John had suffered, during the time that they were occupied in teaching, as Matthew relates. It goes on: And he said to them, Come you yourselves apart, &c.
AUG. This is said to have taken place, after the passion of John, therefore what is first related took place last, for it was by these events that Herod was moved to say, This is John the Baptist, whom I beheaded.
THEOPHYL. Again, He goes to a desert place from His humility. But Christ makes His disciples rest, that men who are set over others may hear, that they who labor in any work or in the word deserve rest, and ought not to labor continually.
BEDE; How arose the necessity for giving rest to His disciples, He shows, when He adds, For there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat; we may then see how great was the happiness of that time, both from the toil of the teachers, and from the diligence of the learners. It goes on, And embarking into a ship, they departed into a desert place privately. The disciples did not enter into the ship alone, but taking up the Lord with them, they went to a desert place, as Matthew shows. Here He tries the faith of the multitude, and by seeking a desert place. He would see whether they care to follow Him. And they follow Him, and that not on horseback, nor in carriages, but laboriously coming on foot, they show how great is their anxiety for their salvation.
There follows, And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and out went them. In saying that they out went them on foot, it is proved that the disciples with the Lord did not reach the other bank of the sea, or of the Jordan, but they went to the nearest places of the same country, where the people of those parts could come to them on foot.
THEOPHYL. So do you not wait for Christ till He Himself call you, but outrun Him, and come before Him. There follows, And Jesus when he came out saw much people, and was moved with compassion towards them, because they were as sheep having no shepherd. The Pharisees being ravenous wolves did not feed the sheep, but devoured them; for which reason they gather themselves to Christ, the trite Shepherd, who gave them spiritual food, that is, the word of God. Wherefore it goes on, And he began to teach them many things. For seeing that those who followed Him on account of His miracles were tired from the length of the way, He pitied them, and wished to satisfy their wish by teaching them.
BEDE; Matthew says that he healed their sick, for the real way of pitying the poor is to open to them the way of truth by teaching them, and to take away their bodily pains.
PSEUDO-JEROME; Mystically, however, the Lord took apart those whom He chose, that though living amongst evil men, they might not apply their minds to evil things, as Lot in Sodom, Job in the land of Uz, and Obadiah in the house of Ahab.
BEDE; Leaving also Judea, the holy preachers, in the desert of the Church, overwhelmed by the burden of their tribulations amongst the Jews, obtained rest by the imparting of the grace of faith to the Gentiles.
PSEUDO-JEROME; Little indeed is the rest of the saints here on earth, long is their labor, but afterwards, they are bidden to rest from their labors. But as in the ark of Noah, the animals that were within were sent forth, and they that were without rushed in, so is it in the Church, Judas went, the thief came to Christ. But as long as men go back from the faith, the Church can have no refuge from grief; for Rachel weeping for her children would not be comforted. Moreover, this world is not the happiest, in which the new wine is drank, when the new song will be sung by men made anew, when this mortal shall have put in immortality.
BEDE; But when Christ goes to the deserts of the Gentiles, many bands of the faithful leaving the walls of their cities, that is their old manner of living, follow Him.
Catena Aurea Mark 6
Catholic Culture
Daily Readings for: February 09, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)
Collect: Grant us, Lord our God, that we may honor you with all our mind, and love everyone in truth of heart. 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: February 9th
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time; St. Teilo (Wales)
Old Calendar: St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and doctor; St. Apollonia, virgin and martyr
Today the feast of St. Teilo, bishop, is celebrated in Wales.
According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria, bishop and doctor, and St. Apollonia, virgin and martyr. St. Cyril's feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on June 27th. St. Apollonia was a young martyr of Alexandria. She was arrested and executed in about 250 during a riot provoked against the Christians. Her executioners broke all her teeth. She is invoked for the cure of a toothache.
St. Teilo
According to tradition Teilo, or Elios as he was sometimes known, was born about the year 480 AD at either Gumfreston or Penally in south Pembrokeshire. He studied under Paulinus at Ty Gwyn where he met Dewi (Saint David), the two becoming firm friends. Later, the two set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and en route were joined by Padarn.
Upon their return home, Teilo was given charge of the church at Llandaff and the surrounding area. Shortly afterwards there was an outbreak of Yellow Fever and Teilo led his followers to Cornwall to escape its effects. From Cornwall they travelled to Brittany where they were welcomed by Archbishop Solomon of the Church of Dol. They stayed for seven years, during which time Teilo and his followers are said to have planted three miles of fruit trees. He returned to Llandaff where he ministered for many years. He died in 566 AD.
Several churches in south Wales and Brittany are dedicated to St Teilo. He is depicted on a fifteenth century stained glass window in a church at Plogonnec, Finistére, and also in a statue in the Chapel of Our Lady, Kerdévot. In both cases he is shown wearing bishop's robes and mitre and seated on a stag, suggesting, as was the case with many other saints of the time, that he had an affinity with the natural world.
National Museum Wales
Patron: Horses and fruit trees.
Things to Do:
- Visit this interesting site which gives you information about the picturesque and ancient town of Llandeilo, Wales as well as St. Teilo.
St. Apollonia
The Martyrology reads: "At Alexandria the holy virgin Apolloniaunder the Emperor Decius (249-251) her teeth were beaten out; then the executioners built and lit a funeral pyre, and threatened to burn her alive unless she would repeat their blasphemies. After some reflection she suddenly tore herself loose from her tormentors and threw herself into the flames. The fire of the Holy Spirit that glowed within her was more intense than the burning pyre. Her executioners were astounded to see a weak woman willingly embracing death with such determination before they were ready to carry out their threats."
The saint was already well on in years. An account of St. Apollonia's martyrdom was written by Bishop Dionysius of Alexandria (died 265), a contemporary. She is honored as the patroness against toothache.
Apollonia, it might seem, committed suicide. Her act was used by the ancients as proof that it is permitted to escape dishonor or persecution through voluntary death. But the most authoritative moralists, including Saint Augustine, declare that even in such cases suicide is not permitted, and seek to justify Apollonia's heroic act by assuming that she acted according to a special mandate from God; without such a divine injunction no one is allowed to follow her example. The saints are not to be imitated on every point.
Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Patron: Dentists, tooth disease, toothache.
Symbols: Deaconess holding a set of pincers which often holds a tooth; gilded tooth; pincers grabbing a tooth; pincers; tooth and a palm branch; tooth; woman wearing a golden tooth on a chain.
Things to Do:
- Pray to St. Apollonia for a courageous and holy death. The elderly especially may beseech her to strengthen their faith as they weaken and approach death.
One Bread, One BodyOne Bread, One Body
<< Saturday, February 9, 2013 >> |
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Hebrews 13:15-17, 20-21 View Readings |
Psalm 23:1-6 |
Mark 6:30-34
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ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE
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"The apostles returned to Jesus." Mark 6:30
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When Jesus first summoned and named the apostles (Mk 3:13), all hell broke loose. Jesus' relatives declared He was out of His mind (Mk 3:21), and the religious leaders claimed He was possessed by the devil (Mk 3:22). When "Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits" (Mk 6:7), Mark believed that all hell broke loose again, for, at this point in his Gospel, Mark inserted the account of Herod's beheading of John the Baptizer (Mk 6:14ff). When Jesus, through Pope John XXIII, summoned the successors of the apostles, that is, the bishops of the world, at the Second Vatican Council, all hell seems to have broken loose. Jesus, however, has never let that bother Him. When all hell breaks loose, Jesus summons and gathers His apostles once again (see Mk 6:30ff). He shepherds, teaches, and feeds His Church. He does a miracle of multiplication (see Mk 6:41ff) and "makes all things work together for the good of those who love" Him (Rm 8:28). Jesus works through His Church, which holds the keys to God's kingdom (Mt 16:19). She can attack the gates of hell, which cannot prevail against her (Mt 16:18). Our bishops, as successors of the apostles, and we, who are under their authority, are a threat to the devil. The apostolic Church has authority and victory. Love the Church (Eph 5:25), her Head Jesus Christ, and her bishops. |
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Prayer: Father, may I, as a member of the Church, be such a threat to the devil that all hell breaks loose and all hell is defeated.
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Promise: "Through [Jesus] let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which acknowledge His name." Heb 13:15
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Praise: Ron burned his pornographic magazines and gave his life to Jesus.
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