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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 03-04-13, OM, St. Casimir
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 03-04-13 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 03/03/2013 8:59:43 PM PST by Salvation

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To: Salvation
Saint Casimir

Saint Casimir
Optional Memorial
March 4th

1904 Holy Card - unknown artist

He was the son of King Casimir IV and Queen Elizabeth, monarchs of Poland and Lithuania. In contrast to the other members of the royal court, he was a shining example of faith, piety, humilty, and chasity. He had a great love for the Eucharist and for the Virgin Mary. He is the patron saint of Poland and Lithuania.

Source: Daily Roman Missal, Edited by the Rev. James Socías, Midwest Theological Forum, Chicago, Illinois ©2003

 

Collect:
Almighty God, to serve you is to reign;
grant that, with the help of Saint Casimir's intercession,
we may constantly serve you in holiness and justice.
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: Philippians 3:8-14
Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own. Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Gospel Reading: John 15:9-17
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what His master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another.


21 posted on 03/04/2013 7:50:57 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
St. Casimir of Poland
22 posted on 03/04/2013 7:52:50 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All


Information:
St. Casimir


Feast Day: March 4
Born:

October 3, 1458(1458-10-03), Wawel, Kraków

Died: March 4, 1484, Hrodna, Belarus

Canonized:

1522, Rome by Pope Adrian VI
Major Shrine: Vilnius Cathedral
Patron of: patron saint of Poland and Lithuania



23 posted on 03/04/2013 8:16:06 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Casimir

Feast Day: March 04
Born: 1458 : : Died: 1484


St. Casimir was born a Polish prince and was one of thirteen children. His father Casimir IV was king of Poland. With the help of his good and holy mother the queen and his loyal teacher; Casimir received a very good education.

When he was about fifteen years old noblemen from Hungary asked Casmir’s father to send his son to be their king. But Casimir refused. Instead, Casimir spent the rest of his life in prayer and study, trying to live as a good Christian.

He tried always to be cheerful and friendly with everybody. Under cover of his busy life, he did whatever he could to grow spiritually. He was very strict with himself and often fasted and slept on the floor of his room as penance.

He prayed daily, sometimes spending many hours of the night in prayer. He loved to think and pray about the passion of Jesus – this made his love for God grow strong. Casimir also loved the Blessed Virgin Mary with a special love. He showed his love by frequently singing a beautiful hymn named "Daily, Daily, Sing to Mary." His hand-written copy of it was buried with him.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Casimir burned with a sincere and true love for God. So rich was his love and so abundantly did it fill his heart, that it flowed out from his inner spirit toward his fellow men.

As a result, nothing was more pleasant, nothing more desirable for him, than to share his belongings, and even to dedicate and give his entire self to Christ's poor, to strangers, to the sick, to those in captivity, and to all who suffer. To widows, orphans, and the afflicted, he was not only a guardian and patron but a father, son, and brother.

Casimir fell sick often, but he was brave and strong in character always doing what he knew was right. Sometimes, with great respect, he would advise his father, the king, to rule the people fairly and his father listened to him.

St. Casimir’s mother found a very beautiful and virtuous young woman who was the Emperor’s daughter, for her son to marry. But Casimir who had decided to give his heart to God alone, refused.

While in Lithuania on an assignment of service for that country, Casimir became ill with tuberculosis. He died at the age of twenty-six and is buried in the cathedral of Vilna

24 posted on 03/04/2013 8:23:44 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
 
Catholic
Almanac:

Monday, March 4

Liturgical Color: Violet


Today is the optional memorial of St. Casimir. St. Casimir was a prince third in line to the Polish throne. He gave up the riches of royalty and lived a life deep in prayer with a great devotion to the Blessed Mother. He died in 1484.


25 posted on 03/04/2013 4:35:07 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for: March 04, 2013
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty God, to serve you is to reign; grant that, with the help of Saint Casimir's intercession, we may constantly serve you in holiness and justice. 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.

Lent: March 4th

Optional Memorial of St. Casimir of Poland

Old Calendar: St. Casimir; St. Lucius I, pope & martyr

Today is the feast of St. Casimir who was born in 1458 and was the son of the King of Poland. At an early age he saw through the superficiality and corruption of court life. Throughout his short life—he died of consumption at the age of 26—he dedicated himself wholly to the service of God and of his fellow-men. His love for the poor was immense. He was also renowned for his devotion to the Eucharist and to the Blessed Virgin. It is also the feast of St. Lucius I, pope in the 3rd century reputed to be a martyr.

Stational Church


St. Casimir
St. Casimir, to whom the Poles gave the title of "The Peace-maker," was the third of the thirteen children of Casimir IV, King of Poland, and of Elizabeth of Austria, daughter of the Emperor Albert II. ...Devout from his infancy, the boy gave himself up to devotion and penance, and had a horror of anything approaching softness or self-indulgence. His bed was often the ground, and he was wont to spend a great part of the night in prayer and meditation, chiefly on the passion of our Saviour. His clothes were plain, and under them he wore a hairshirt. Living always in the presence of God, he was invariably serene and cheerful, and pleasant to all. The saint's love of God showed itself in his love of the poor who are Christ's members, and for the relief of these the young prince gave all he possessed, using in their behalf the influence he had with his father and with his brother Ladislaus when he became king of Bohemia. In honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Casimir frequently recited the long Latin hymn "Omni die dic Mariae," a copy of which was by his desire buried with him. This hymn, part of which is familiar to us through Bittleston's version, "Daily, daily sing to Mary," is not uncommonly called the Hymn of St Casimir, but it was certainly not composed by him; it is three centuries older than his time.

The nobles of Hungary, dissatisfied with their king, Matthias Corvinus, in 1471 begged the King of Poland to allow them to place his son Casimir on the throne. The saint, at that time not fifteen years old, was very unwilling to consent, but in obedience to his father he went to the frontier at the head of an army. There, hearing that Matthias had himself assembled a large body of troops, and finding that his own soldiers were deserting in large numbers because they could not get their pay, he decided upon the advice of his officers to return home. The knowledge that Pope Sixtus IV had sent an embassy to his father to deter him from the expedition made the young prince carry out his resolution with the firmer conviction that he was acting rightly. King Casimir, however, was greatly incensed at the failure of his ambitious projects and would not permit his son to return to Cracow, but relegated him to the castle of Dobzki. The young man obeyed and remained in confinement there for three months. Convinced of the injustice of the war upon which he had so nearly embarked, and determined to have no further part in these internecine conflicts which only facilitated the further progress into Europe of the Turks, St Casimir could never again be persuaded to take up arms though urged to do so by his father and invited once more by the disaffected Hungarian magnates. He returned to his studies and his prayers, though for a time he was viceroy in Poland during an absence of his father. An attempt was made to induce him to marry a daughter of the Emperor Frederick III, but he refused to relax the celibacy he had imposed on himself.

St Casimir's austerities did nothing to help the lung trouble from which he suffered, and he died at the age of twenty-six in 1484 and was buried at Vilna, where his relics still rest in the church of St Stanislaus. Miracles were reported at his tomb, and he was canonized in 1521.

Excerpted from Butler's Lives of the Saints

Patron: Poland, Lithuania, bachelors, kings, princes

Symbols: Lily (for purity)

Things to Do:

  • St. Casimir died at age 26 due to tuberculosis. Teach the young people in your family about this saint who was so ready to die at such a young age, that they may realize that sanctity is fully attainable regardless of their state in life.

  • The story of Esther interceding on behalf of her people in today's reading is a real example of how morally influential a woman can be by virtue of her femininity. Not through leaving her femininity behind and seeking power did Esther impact her world for the good, but it was directly through her beautiful, pure womanhood that Esther swayed the King, her husband, to save her people. Tell this story to your daughters, if you have been blessed with any — they will love hearing it! Read Pope John Paul II's encyclical On the Dignity of Woman, and his message Women: Teachers of Peace to learn more about the mission of women in society today.

  • Don't be a Catholic who doesn't know Scripture! In the Gospel today there is a good Scripture verse to memorize that will deepen your trust in your Heavenly Father: "If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to anyone who asks him!" — Matt 7:11


St. Lucius I
St. Lucius, according to the "Liber Pontificalis," was a Roman, the son of Porphyrius. When he succeeded St. Comelius, the persecution of Trebonianus Gallus was still raging, and the new Pope was exiled. Soon, however, the persecution died away and Lucius was able to return to Rome. There is extant a letter from St. Cyprian congratulating the Pope on his return from exile and praising him for his confession of Christ.

St. Lucius continued the policy of Cornelius in admitting repentant apostates to communion after due penance. St. Cyprian praises him for this.

The "Liber Pontificalis" attributes to Pope Lucius a decree ordering that two priests and three deacons should live with a bishop that they might be witnesses for him. Duchesne, however, considers this decree apocryphal.

According to the "Liber Pontificalis," Pope Lucius was beheaded in the persecution of Valerian. This is almost certainly inaccurate, for Lucius died before the persecution of Valerian broke out. At any rate, St. Lucius died some time in the beginning of March 254, and was buried in the Cemetery of Calixtus. His tombstone has been discovered. The feast of St. Lucius is kept on March 4.

Excerpted from Popes Through the Ages, by Joseph Brusher


The Station is in the church of St. Mark, which was built in the fourth century in honor of the evangelist, by the holy Pope Mark, whose relics are kept there.


26 posted on 03/04/2013 4:42:45 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 4:24-30

Saint Casimir

When the people … heard this, they were all filled with fury. (Luke 4:28)

How is it possible that one minute this crowd is filled with admiration for Jesus, and the next they’re ready to kill him? Scholars think part of the answer may be that these events happened a little more slowly than told here. As you might expect, Jesus did get a great reception from the people of his hometown, but over a few days or weeks, many turned against him. There was something about him they didn’t like; he apparently wasn’t who they expected him to be.

It wasn’t that they didn’t know Jesus. They did. He had lived among them for years. But he seemed to have picked up an attitude. While they loved what he said about freeing the brokenhearted and oppressed, they weren’t so keen on his call to repentance. What did he mean by saying they needed to be poor in spirit like Naaman or the widow of Zarephath, both of whom weren’t even Jews? Such talk coming from the local carpenter’s son was just too much to bear.

Sometimes our response to Jesus can resemble this crowd’s response. We’re swept off our feet when we first experience his mercy and compassion. Then as we get closer to God, the Holy Spirit shows us areas of our lives that aren’t under his control. This may be hard to hear. Like the Nazarenes, we may be tempted to resist Jesus and even push him away. But becoming like Christ means humbling ourselves and letting the Lord smooth out our rough edges.

The best way to stay on the path of conversion is to remember why Jesus came in the first place: to “let the oppressed go free” (Luke 4:18). God wants what is best for us. He wants us to be free of all that binds us, free to be united with him and to know the joy and peace he intends for us. Getting to that place isn’t always pleasant, but it’s worth it. This Lent—this very day—can be a milestone in your walk with the Lord if you want it to be. Seek him, hear his word, and let yourself fall in love with Jesus again!

“Lord, I come to do your will. Fill me with your Spirit so that I can follow you with joy, whatever the cost.”

2 Kings 5:1-15; Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4


27 posted on 03/04/2013 4:49:55 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
 
Marriage = One Man and One Woman
Til' Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for March 4, 2013:

How does one respond in love when you’re angry with your spouse? Usually it requires calling a “time out” on yourself. After you calm down a bit, you might say, “I still feel pretty upset. Can we talk about this in an hour or later today?” How do you usually handle anger?


28 posted on 03/04/2013 4:54:38 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Vultus Christi

Into the Water with Naaman

| 

naaman_image.jpg

Water

We hear in today's Lesson how Naaman the Syrian was cleansed of leprosy in the River Jordan. Naaman descended into the very water that Our Lord Jesus Christ would sanctify in the mystery of His Holy Baptism so that we too might be cleansed of the leprosy of sin and recover the innocence of new-born lambs.

Psalm 50

Saint Benedict, in his disposition of the Divine Office, places Psalm 50 at the beginning of Lauds seven days a week. Why does the Holy Patriarch have his monks begin the day with the Miserere, David's poignant psalm of contrition?

Saint Benedict understood Psalm 50 as a daily renewal of Baptism; he prayed it as the psalm of spiritual resurrection in the joy of a heart made clean. The daily repetition of the Miserere at Lauds brightens every morning with a holy exhilaration, precisely because it declares the possibility of a fresh start, of a clean slate, of a new beginning. There is not a single day on which one cannot say, "Today, I begin" (Ps 77:11). Say this, then, as you take Holy Water in the morning: "Today, I begin, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

Wash Me Clean

In Psalm 50 we ask God, repeatedly and persistently, to cleanse us. "Blot out my iniquity" (Ps 50:3). "Wash me clean from my guilt" (Ps 50:4). "Purge me of my sin" (Ps 50:4). "Sprinkle me with a branch of hyssop, and I shall be clean" (Ps 50:9). "Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow" (Ps 50:9). We cannot cleanse ourselves thoroughly because we do not see where we are soiled. We are as blind to our own sins as we are quick to notice the sins of others. The stain of sin has seeped deep into the very crevices of our souls. God alone can reach into those hidden places and make them clean.

240px-Angelo_acquasantiera_at_Santa_Maria_degli_Angeli_-_front.jpg

Holy Water

A lot of folks, even among practicing Catholics, seem to pooh-pooh the use of Holy Water just the way Naaman, in his pride, pooh-poohed the water of the Jordan River. They find it hard to believe that God would make use of something so simple. One does well to recall what Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church, wrote about Holy Water?

From long experience I have learned that there is nothing like Holy Water to put devils to flight and prevent them from coming back again. They also flee from the Cross, but return; so Holy Water must have great value. For my own part, whenever I take it, my soul feels a particular and most notable consolation. In fact, it is quite usual for me to be conscious of a refreshment which I cannot possibly describe, resembling an inward joy which comforts my whole soul. This is not fancy, or something which has happened to me only once. It has happened again and again, and I have observed it most attentively. It is, let us say, as if someone very hot and thirsty were to drink from a jug of cold water: he would feel the refreshment throughout his body. I often reflect on the great importance of everything ordained by the Church and it makes me very happy to find that those words of the Church are so powerful that they impart their power to the water and make it so very different from water which has not been blessed.

Put the Devil to Flight

When first I visited the Franciscan Convent of Perpetual Adoration at Drumshambo in County Leitrim, many years ago, among the things that impressed me were the Holy Water fonts in alls the rooms: at the entrance to the choir, in the chapter room, in the workrooms, and in the cells. Everywhere. I saw the nuns take Holy Water and make a reverent sign of the Cross every time they passed a little font. A little splash of Holy Water puts the devil to flight, recalls the grace of Baptism, and remits venial sin.

Holy Water at Church and at Home

There is Holy Water at the entrance to our churches, so that we can enter the presence of God cleansed of the accumulated dirt of venial sins. Holy Water is necessary in our homes as well; it is an essential element in every Catholic household. Take Holy Water before going to bed, you will get a better night's sleep. Take Holy Water upon rising in the morning; you will have a better day.

Into the Jordan

Naaman, encouraged by his servants, the "little people" who surrounded him, swallowed his pride and "plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of the man of God" (2 K 5:14). "His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean" (2 K 5:14). The God who did this for Naaman is "the restorer and lover of innocence." "Unless you turn," says the Lord, "and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 17:3). Had Naaman not humbled himself by descending into the Jordan, he would have remained unclean and isolated.

In providing His Church with sacraments and sacramentals, Our Lord has equipped us with everything we need to recover and preserve our baptismal innocence, beginning with frequent Confession and the devout use of Holy Water. It is not burdensome to make use of the sacramental means given us by Christ through His Church; and there is comfort in trusting the Holy Ghost to do all that we, of ourselves and by ourselves, cannot do. A verse in the hymn at Lauds during Lent sums it all up:

The hidden wound whence flow our sins,
Wash clean by bathing in the tide;
Remove the things that, of ourselves,
We cannot reach, or put aside.


29 posted on 03/04/2013 5:04:34 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

Unwelcome Homecoming
| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY
Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Luke 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I prepare for Easter during this Lenten season, I turn to you once again in prayer. I believe that you are my creator and that you have created me to know, love and serve you. I believe that you want to help me fulfill my purpose in life; that is why you came to earth to suffer and die. I offer you my prayer today as a small token of my gratitude, a small token of my desire to live my life for you. I know that sometimes I can let things get between us. Now, during this time of prayer, I want to give all my attention to you so that you – and not my egoism or passions – may govern my life choices.

Petition: Lord, help me to have the humility to accept your will for my life.

1. No Special Privileges: Jesus’ fellow townsmen are upset with Jesus for pointing out that there were times in history that God showed his favor to Gentiles and not just Jews. They are upset because they had put their security in their Jewish heritage and the promises made to their people through the Patriarchs. They want to think that because they are Jews somehow God must show them more favor than the Gentiles. We, too, can make this mistake. We think that because we belong to this or that organization, or because we have this or that position, somehow God must give us more attention and special privileges. Isn’t this often the cause of indignation in our lives? We are upset when do not receive preferential treatment. We think that we are deserving of more.  Does that indignation ever grow so strong that I try to rid myself of Christ?

2. Seeking God’s Blessings: Why did God send Elijah to help the widow in Zarephath and Elisha to cleanse Naaman the Syrian? Surely it was not because they were more important or holier people. God chose them because they welcomed him. The widow in Zarephath happily went to fetch Elijah a drink of water when he asked for it and obediently gave him the last of the food she had. Naaman repented from his indignation and went to bathe in the Jordan as Elisha told him to do. God gives his gifts to those who welcome him.

3. Willful Acceptance of Christ: Christ is perhaps too familiar to his townsmen. They are not able to recognize who he really is. They are upset with the way he speaks, and so they do not accept him. Will I accept Christ in my life? Perhaps he is too familiar to me. I think I know who he is. Perhaps I am unwilling to accept his teachings. Perhaps I am indignant that he has blessed others more than me. The people of Nazareth tried to throw Jesus over a cliff, but they could not get rid of him. Their assault was futile. Christ simply walked away. Christ cannot be gotten rid of. Perhaps there are times in my life when I want to get rid of Christ, but I can never destroy or blot him out of existence. He is always there waiting for me to accept him.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, please help me so that my ideas about how things should be will not cloud my vision of who you are. As I prepare for the approaching Easter, help me to purify myself of all egoism, sensuality, vanity and pride so that I can accept your love with an open heart.

Resolution: I will look for an instance during the day when I can welcome Christ’s teaching into my life.


30 posted on 03/04/2013 5:08:46 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

Prophets

 

by Food For Thought on March 4, 2013 · 

This Gospel passage never wasted any time in telling us what we needed to realize. The first verse in itself already struck a chord: “And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.”

It may not be entirely true, nor can we test the validity of such a hypothesis as so-called prophets may already be extinct in this day and age. But if we are to scale it down, applying it to our own personal relationships, we oftentimes neglect to listen to people who are close to us whenever they tell us about our shortcomings, or even our triumphs.

Perhaps it’s our familiarity with them, and theirs with us. We are subconsciously bound by unwritten social contracts that require one to compliment the other for no expected reward, and we are also bound to understand the other when he or she says, “I don’t need help” or “I can deal with it”.

However, once external entities, persons who view us from an agnostic perspective, start to shower us with compliments or hit us with criticism, we tend to give a little more weight to their opinion. It is because we know that they have no reason or obligation to make us feel better or worse about ourselves.

This is probably how the countrymen of Elijah would’ve felt if he started to tell them about God. They saw, or at least assumed, that they were in the same situation, living the same daily lives. While they may not entirely reject what Elijah was telling them, they would be wary of how Elijah was suddenly talking about a very abstract concept of the workings of a Higher Being despite them learning spiritual lessons at the same rate.

But once Elijah started preaching to men neither of his nation nor kin, men who are not familiar with the way he lived, they were suddenly struck with curiosity. They probably asked, “Who is this man from another land?” “What is this God that he speaks of?” “Does he know something that we don’t?” It is probably this intrigue that gave these men more reason to mull over what he preached.

Learning lessons from other people, when our own friends have already imparted it upon us is counterproductive – it is an almost unnecessary extra step that we have to take for our personal growth. We should just stop wasting time and start listening to those who are familiar to us, and those familiar with us. The same way that the Gospel wasted no time in letting us know what we needed to know.


31 posted on 03/04/2013 5:13:12 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

 


<< Monday, March 4, 2013 >> St. Casimir
 
2 Kings 5:1-15
View Readings
Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4 Luke 4:24-30
 

MASS HEALING

 
"If the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it?" —2 Kings 5:13
 

Doctors often must prescribe difficult treatments: grueling physical therapy, radiation and chemotherapy, special diets, etc. People who want to be healed will follow the doctor's treatment. The Catholic Church offers several seemingly simple ways to be healed: Confession, the Mass, the Eucharist, daily Scripture reading, the Sacrament of the Sick. Despite this simplicity and seeming ease of access, the lines at Confession are usually not long. It's generally easy to find a seat at Sunday Mass.

Therefore, based on Catholic demand for healing, one of three conclusions could be drawn:

  1. Most Catholics are spiritually healthy and do not need healing. When nearly half of Catholic marriages end in divorce, it's safe to say many Catholic families are hurting and this conclusion is unlikely.
  2. Most Catholics don't realize that their Church has an extensive healing program through the Mass and Sacraments. They do not know that the Father is their Healer (Hos 11:4). However, most Catholics have at least heard of the Sacraments of the Sick and of Reconcilation.
  3. Many Catholics in need of healing lack the humility to avail themselves of the Church's ordinary means. This conclusion is most likely the correct one.

Therefore, humble yourself before the Lord (Jas 4:10). Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you (1 Pt 5:7). Let Jesus, the Divine Physician (Mt 9:12), heal you and love you.

 
Prayer: Father, may I come to You in Your Church's sacraments for healing even before I go to the doctor. My trust is in You.
Promise: "His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean." —2 Kgs 5:14
Praise: Out of love and solidarity for the poor, St. Casimir lived a simple lifestyle, very rare for a prince.

32 posted on 03/04/2013 5:19:23 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All


33 posted on 03/04/2013 5:21:16 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Luke
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Luke 4
24 And he said: Amen I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country. Ait autem : Amen dico vobis, quia nemo propheta acceptus est in patria sua. ειπεν δε αμην λεγω υμιν οτι ουδεις προφητης δεκτος εστιν εν τη πατριδι αυτου
25 In truth I say to you, there were many widows in the days of Elias in Israel, when heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there was a great famine throughout all the earth. In veritate dico vobis, multæ viduæ erant in diebus Eliæ in Israël, quando clausum est cælum annis tribus et mensibus sex, cum facta esset fames magna in omni terra : επ αληθειας δε λεγω υμιν πολλαι χηραι ησαν εν ταις ημεραις ηλιου εν τω ισραηλ οτε εκλεισθη ο ουρανος επι ετη τρια και μηνας εξ ως εγενετο λιμος μεγας επι πασαν την γην
26 And to none of them was Elias sent, but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman. et ad nullam illarum missus est Elias, nisi in Sarepta Sidoniæ, ad mulierem viduam. και προς ουδεμιαν αυτων επεμφθη ηλιας ει μη εις σαρεπτα της σιδωνος προς γυναικα χηραν
27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet: and none of them was cleansed but Naaman the Syrian. Et multi leprosi erant in Israël sub Elisæo propheta : et nemo eorum mundatus est nisi Naaman Syrus. και πολλοι λεπροι ησαν επι ελισσαιου του προφητου εν τω ισραηλ και ουδεις αυτων εκαθαρισθη ει μη νεεμαν ο συρος
28 And all they in the synagogue, hearing these things, were filled with anger. Et repleti sunt omnes in synagoga ira, hæc audientes. και επλησθησαν παντες θυμου εν τη συναγωγη ακουοντες ταυτα
29 And they rose up and thrust him out of the city; and they brought him to the brow of the hill, whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. Et surrexerunt, et ejecerunt illum extra civitatem : et duxerunt illum usque ad supercilium montis, super quem civitas illorum erat ædificata, ut præcipitarent eum. και ανασταντες εξεβαλον αυτον εξω της πολεως και ηγαγον αυτον εως οφρυος του ορους εφ ου η πολις αυτων ωκοδομητο εις το κατακρημνισαι αυτον
30 But he passing through the midst of them, went his way. Ipse autem transiens per medium illorum, ibat. αυτος δε διελθων δια μεσου αυτων επορευετο

34 posted on 03/04/2013 6:50:47 PM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
24. And he said, Verily I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
25. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
26. But to none of them was Elias sent, save to Sarepta, a city of Sidon, to a woman that was a widow.
27. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

AMBROSE; But the Savior purposely excuses Himself for not working miracles in His own country, that no one might suppose that love of country is a thing to be lightly esteemed by us. For it follows, But he says, Verily I say to you, that no prophet is accepted in his own country.

CYRIL; As if He says, You wish me to work many miracles among you, in whose country I have been brought up, but I am aware of a very common failing in the minds of many. To a certain extent it always happens, that even the very best things are despised when they fall to a man's lot, not scantily, but ever at his will. So it happens also with respect to men. For a friend who is ever at hand, does not meet with the respect due to him.

THEOPHYL; Now that Christ is called a Prophet in the Scriptures, Moses bears witness, saying, God shall raise up a Prophet to you from among your brethren.

AMBROSE; But this is given for an example, that in vain can you expect the aid of Divine mercy, if you grudge to others the fruits of their virtue. The Lord despises the envious, and withdraws the miracles of His power from them that are jealous of His divine blessings in others. For our Lord's Incarnation is an evidence of His divinity, and His invisible things are proved to us by those which are visible. See then what evils envy produces. For envy a country is deemed unworthy of the works of its citizen, which was worthy of the conception of the Son of God.

ORIGEN; As far as Luke's narrative is concerned, our Lord is not yet said to have worked any miracle in Capernaum. For before He came to Capernaum, He is said to have lived at Nazareth. I cannot but think therefore that in these words, "whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum," there lies a mystery concealed, and that Nazareth is a type of the Jews, Capernaum of the Gentiles. For the time will come when the people of Israel shall say, "The things which you have shown to the whole world, show also to us." Preach your word to the people of Israel, that then at least, when the fullness of the Gentiles has entered, all Israel may be saved. Our Savior seems to me to have well answered, No prophet is accepted in his own country, but rather according to the type than the letter; though neither was Jeremiah accepted in Anathoth his country, nor the rest of the Prophets. But it seems rather to be meant that we should say, that the people of the circumcision were the countrymen of all the Prophets. And the Gentiles indeed accepted the prophecy of Jesus Christ, esteeming Moses and the Prophets who preached of Christ, far higher than they who would not from these receive Jesus.

AMBROSE; By a very apt comparison the arrogance of envious citizens is put to shame, and our Lord's conduct shown to agree with the ancient Scriptures. For it follows, But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias: not that the days were his, but that he performed his works in them.

CHRYS. He himself, an earthly angel, a heavenly man, who had neither house, nor food, nor clothing like others, carries the keys of the heavens on his tongue. And this is what follows, When the heaven was shut. But as soon as he had closed the heavens and made the earth barren, hunger reigned and bodies wasted away, as it follows, when there was as famine through the land.

BASIL; For when he beheld the great disgrace that arose from universal plenty, he brought a famine that the people might fast, by which he checked their sin which was exceeding great. But crows were made the ministers of food to the righteous, which are wont to steal the food of others.

CHRYS. But when the stream was dried up by which the cup of the righteous man was filled, God said, Go to Sarepta, a city of Sidon; there I will command a widow woman to feed you. As it follows, But to none of them was Elias sent, save to Sarepta, a city of Sidon, to a woman that was a widow. And this was brought to pass by a particular appointment of God. For God made him go a long journey, as far as Sidon, in order that having seen the famine of the country he should ask for rain from the Lord. But there were many rich men at that time, but none of them did any thing like the widow. For in the respect shown by the woman toward the prophet, consisted her riches not of lands, but of good will.

AMBROSE; But he says in a mystery, "In the days of Elias," because Elias brought the day to them who saw in his works the light of spiritual grace, and so the heaven was opened to them that beheld the divine mystery, but was shut when there was famine, because there was no fruitfulness in acknowledging God. But in that widow to whom Elias was sent was prefigured a type of the Church.

ORIGEN; For when a famine came upon the people of Israel, i.e. of hearing the word of God, a prophet came to a widow, of whom it is said, For the I desolate has many more children than she which has an husband; and when he had come, he multiplies her bread and her nourishment.

THEOPHYL; Sidonia signifies a vain pursuit, Sarepta fire, or scarcity of bread. By all which things the Gentiles are signified, who, given up to vain pursuits, (following gain and worldly business,) were suffering from the flames of fleshly lusts, and the want of spiritual bread, until Elias, (i.e. the word of prophecy,) now that the interpretation of the Scriptures had ceased because of the faithlessness of the Jews, came to the Church, that being received into the hearts of believers he might feed and refresh them.

BASIL; Every widowed soul, bereft of virtue and divine knowledge, as soon as she receives the divine word, knowing her own failings, learns to nourish it with the bread of virtue, and to water the teaching of virtue from the fountain of life.

ORIGEN; He cites also another similar example, adding, And there were many lepers in Israel at the time of Eliseus the Prophet, and none of them were cleansed but Naaman the Syrian, who indeed was not of Israel.

AMBROSE; Now in a mystery the people pollute the Church, that another people might succeed, gathered together from foreigners, leprous indeed at first before it is baptized in the mystical stream, but which after the sacrament of baptism, washed from the stains of body and soul, begins to be a virgin without spot or wrinkle.

THEOPHYL; For Naaman, which means beautiful, represents the Gentile people, who is ordered to be washed seven times, because that baptism saves which the seven-fold Spirit renews. His flesh after washing began to appear as a child's, because grace like a mother begets all to one childhood, or because he is conformed to Christ, of whom it is said, to us a Child is born.

28. And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29. And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
30. But he passing through the midst of them went his way.

CYRIL; He convicted them of their evil intentions, and therefore they are enraged, and hence what follows, And all they in the synagogue when they heard these things were filled with wrath. Because He had said, This day is this prophecy fulfilled, they thought that He compared Himself to the prophets, and are therefore enraged, and expel Him out of their city, as it follows, And they rose up, and cast him out.

AMBROSE; It can not be wondered at that they lost their salvation who cast the Savior out of their city. But the Lord who taught His Apostles by the example of Himself to be all things to all men, neither repels the willing, nor chooses the unwilling; neither struggles against those who cast Him out, nor refuses to hear those who supplicate Him. But that conduct was the result of no slight enmity, which, forgetful of the feelings of fellow citizens, converts the causes of love into the bitterest hatred. For when the Lord Himself was extending His blessings among the people, they began to inflict injuries upon Him, as it follows, And they led him to the brow of the hill, that they might cast him down.

THEOPHYL; Worse are the Jewish disciples than their master the Devil. For he says, Cast yourself down; they actually attempt to cast Him down. But Jesus having suddenly changed His mind, or seized with astonishment, went away, since He still reserves for them a place of repentance. Hence it follows, He passing through the midst of them went his way.

CHRYS. Herein He shows both His human nature and His divine. To stand in the midst of those who were plotting against Him, and not be seized, betokened the loftiness of His divinity; but His departure declared the mystery of the dispensation, i.e. His incarnation.

AMBROSE; At the same time we must understand that this bodily endurance was not necessary, but voluntary. When He wills, He is taken, when He wills, He escapes. For how could He be held by a few who was not held by a whole people? But He would have the impiety to be the deed of the many, in order that by a few indeed He might be afflicted, but might die for the whole world. Moreover, He had still rather heal the Jews than destroy them, that by the fruitless issue of their rage they might be dissuaded from wishing what they could not accomplish.

THEOPHYL; The hour of His Passion had not yet come, which was to be on the preparation of the Passover, nor had He yet come to the place of His Passion, which not at Nazareth, but at Jerusalem, was prefigured by the blood of the victims; nor had He chosen this kind of death, of whom it was prophesied that He should be crucified by the world.

Catena Aurea Luke 4
35 posted on 03/04/2013 6:52:06 PM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Jesus Christ in Nazareth


36 posted on 03/04/2013 6:52:56 PM PST by annalex (fear them not)
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