July 4, 2013

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering
on a height that I will point out to you.”
Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well,
and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering,
set out for the place of which God had told him.

On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.
Then he said to his servants: “Both of you stay here with the donkey,
while the boy and I go on over yonder.
We will worship and then come back to you.”
Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering
and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
“Father!” he said.
“Yes, son,” he replied.
Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
“Son,” Abraham answered,
“God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.”
Then the two continued going forward.

When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Next he tied up his son Isaac,
and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,
“Abraham, Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he answered.
“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.
“Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
hence people now say, “On the mountain the LORD will see.”
Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command.”

Abraham then returned to his servants,
and they set out together for Beer-sheba,
where Abraham made his home.

Responsorial Psalm PS 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R. (9) I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your kindness, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone who trusts in them.
The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;
he is their help and their shield.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel Mt 9:1-8

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
“Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he then said to the paralytic,
“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 9
1.	AND entering into a boat, he passed over the water and came into his own city.	Et ascendens in naviculam, transfretavit, et venit in civitatem suam.	και εμβας εις το πλοιον διεπερασεν και ηλθεν εις την ιδιαν πολιν
2.	And behold they brought to him one sick of the palsy lying in a bed. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man sick of the palsy: Be of good heart, son, thy sins are forgiven thee.	Et ecce offerebant ei paralyticum jacentem in lecto. Et videns Jesus fidem illorum, dixit paralytico : Confide fili, remittuntur tibi peccata tua.	και ιδου προσεφερον αυτω παραλυτικον επι κλινης βεβλημενον και ιδων ο ιησους την πιστιν αυτων ειπεν τω παραλυτικω θαρσει τεκνον αφεωνται σοι αι αμαρτιαι σου
3.	And behold some of the scribes said within themselves: He blasphemeth.	Et ecce quidam de scribis dixerunt intra se : Hic blasphemat.	και ιδου τινες των γραμματεων ειπον εν εαυτοις ουτος βλασφημει
4.	And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said: Why do you think evil in your hearts?	Et cum vidisset Jesus cogitationes eorum, dixit : Ut quid cogitatis mala in cordibus vestris ?	και ιδων ο ιησους τας ενθυμησεις αυτων ειπεν ινα τι υμεις ενθυμεισθε πονηρα εν ταις καρδιαις υμων
5.	Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven thee: or to say, Arise, and walk?	Quid est facilius dicere : Dimittuntur tibi peccata tua : an dicere : Surge, et ambula ?	τι γαρ εστιν ευκοπωτερον ειπειν αφεωνται σου αι αμαρτιαι η ειπειν εγειραι και περιπατει
6.	But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then said he to the man sick of palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.	Ut autem sciatis, quia Filius hominis habet potestatem in terra dimittendi peccata, tunc ait paralytico : Surge, tolle lectum tuum, et vade in domum tuam.	ινα δε ειδητε οτι εξουσιαν εχει ο υιος του ανθρωπου επι της γης αφιεναι αμαρτιας τοτε λεγει τω παραλυτικω εγερθεις αρον σου την κλινην και υπαγε εις τον οικον σου
7.	And he arose, and went into his house.	Et surrexit, et abiit in domum suam.	και εγερθεις απηλθεν εις τον οικον αυτου
8.	And the multitude seeing it, feared, and glorified God that gave such power to men.	Videntes autem turbæ timuerunt, et glorificaverunt Deum, qui dedit potestatem talem hominibus.	ιδοντες δε οι οχλοι εθαυμασαν και εδοξασαν τον θεον τον δοντα εξουσιαν τοιαυτην τοις ανθρωποις

1. And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.
2. And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said to the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.
3. And, behold, certain of the Scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes.
4. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5. For whether is easier, to say, Your sins are forgiven you; or to say, Arise, and walk?
6. But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins, (then he said to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.
7. And he arose, and departed to his house.
8. But when the multitude saw it, they marveled, and glorified God, which had given such power to men.

CHRYS; Christ had above shown His excellent power by teaching, when he taught them as one having authority; in the leper, when He said, I will, be clean; by the centurion, who said to Him, Speak the word, and my servant shall be healed; by the sea which He calmed by a word; by the demons who confessed Him; now again, in another and greater way, He compels His enemies to confess the equality of His honor with the Father; to this end it proceeds, And Jesus entered into a shop and passed over and came into his own city. He entered a boat to cross over, who could have crossed the sea on foot; for He would not be always working miracles, that He might not take away the reality of His incarnation.

CHRYSOLOGUS; The Creator of all things, the Lord of the world, when He had for our sakes straitened Himself in the bonds of our flesh, began to have His own country as a man, began to be a citizen of Judea, and to have parents, though Himself the parent of all, that affection might attach those whom fear had separated.

CHRYS; By his own city is here meant Capernaum. For one town, to wit, Bethlehem, had received Him to be born there; another had brought Him up, to wit, Nazareth; and a third received Him to dwell there continually namely Capernaum.

AUG; That Matthew here speaks of his own city, and Mark calls it Capernaum, would be more difficult to be reconciled if Matthew had expressed it Nazareth. But as it is, all Galilee might be called Christ's city, because Nazareth was in Galilee; just as all the Roman empire, divided into many states, was still called the Roman city. Who can doubt then that the Lord in coming to Galilee is rightly said to come into his own city, whatever was the town in which He abode, especially since Capernaum was exalted into the metropolis of Galilee?

JEROME; Or This city may be no other than Nazareth, whence He was called a Nazarene;

AUG; And if we adopt this supposition, We must say that Matthew has omitted all that was done from the time that Jesus entered into His own city till he came into Capernaum, and has proceeded on at once to the healing of the paralytic; as in many other places they pass over things that intervened, and carry on the thread of the narrative, without noticing any interval of time, to something else; so here, And, lo, they bring to him a paralytic laying on a bed.

CHRYS; This paralytic is not the same as the one in John. For he lay by the pool, this in Capliarnanun; he had none to assist him, this one was borne on a bed.

JEROME; On a bed, because he could not walk.

CHRYS; He does not universally demand faith of the sick, as, for example, when they are mad or from any other sore sickness are in possession of their minds; as it is here, seeing their faith.

JEROME; not time sick man's, but theirs that bore him.

CHRYS; Seeing then that they showed so great faith He also shows His excellent power; with full power forgiving sin, as it follows, He said to the paralytic, Be of courage, son, your sins are forgiven you.

CHRYSOLOGUS; Of how great power with God must a man's own faith be, when that of others here availed to heal a man both within and without. The paralytic hears his pardon pronounced, in silence uttering no thanks, for he was more anxious for the cure of his body than his soul. Christ therefore with good reason accepts the faith of those that bore him rather than his own hardness of heart.

CHRYS. Or, we may suppose even the sick man to have had faith; otherwise he would not have suffered himself to be let down through the roof as other Evangelist relates.

JEROME; O wonderful humility! This man feeble and despised, crippled in every limb, addresses as son. The Jewish Priests did not deign to touch him. Even therefore His son, because his sins were forgiven him. Hence we may learn that diseases are often the punishment of sin; and therefore perhaps his sins are forgiven him, that when the cause of his disease has been removed, health may be restored.

CHRYS; The Scribes in their desire to spread an ill report of Him, against their will made that which was done be more widely known; Christ using their envy to make known the miracle. For this is of His surpassing wisdom to manifest His deeds through His enemies; whence it follows, Behold, some of the Scribes said among themselves, This man blasphemes.

JEROME; We read in prophecy, I am he that blots out your transgressions; so the Scribes regarding Him as a man, and not understanding the words of God, charged Him with blasphemy. But He seeing their thoughts thus showed Himself to be God, Who alone knows the heart; and thus, as it were, said, By the same power and prerogative by which I see your thoughts, I can forgive them their sins. Learn from your own experience what the paralytic has obtained. When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?

CHRYS; He did not indeed contradict their suspicions so far as they had supposed Him to have spoken as God. For had He not been equal to God the Father, it would have been necessary Him to say, I am far from this power, that of forgiving sin. But He confirms the contrary of this, by His words and His miracle; Whether is it easier to say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise, and walk? By how much the soul is better than the body, by so much is it a greater thing to forgive sin than to heal the body. But forasmuch as the one may be scene with the eyes, but the other is not sensibly perceived, He does the lesser miracle which is the more evident, to be a proof of the greater miracle which is imperceptible.

JEROME; Whether or no his sins were forgiven He alone could know who forgave; but whether he could rise and walk, not Only himself but they that looked on could judge of; but the power that heals, whether soul or body, is the same. And as there is a great difference between saying and doing, the outward Sign is given that the Spiritual effect may be proved; But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins.

CHRYS; Above, He said to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you, not, I forgive you your sins; but now when the Scribes made resistance, He shows the greatness of His power by saying, The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. And to show that He was equal to the Father, He said not that the Son of Man needed any to forgive sins, but that He has power.

GLOSS; These words That you may know, may be either Christ's words, or the Evangelist's words. As though the Evangelist had said, they doubted whether He could remit sins, But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to remit sins, he said to the paralytic. If they are the words of Christ, the connection will be as follows; You doubt that I have power to remit sins, But that you may know that the Son of Man has power to remit sins - the sentence is imperfect, but the action supplies time place of the consequent clause, he said to the paralytic, Rise, take up your bed.

CHRYSOLOGUS; That that which had been proof of his sickness, should now become proof of his recovered health. And go to your house, that having been healed by Christian faith, you may not die in the faithlessness of the Jews.

CHRYS; This command He added, that it might be seen there was no delusion in the miracle; so it follows to establish the reality of the cure, And he arose, and went away to his own house. But they that stood by yet grovel in the earth whence it follows, But the multitude seeing it were afraid and glorified God who had bestowed such power among men. For had they rightly considered among themselves they would have acknowledged Him to be the Son of God. Meanwhile it was no little matter to esteem Him as one greater than men and to have come from God.

HILARY; Mystically; when driven out of Judea He returns to His own city; the city of God is the people of the faithful, into this He entered by a boat, that is, the Church.

CHRYSOLOGUS; Christ has no need of the vessel but the vessel of Christ for without the pilotage the bark of the Church cannot pass over the sea of the world to the heavenly harbor.

HILARY; In this paralytic the whole Gentile world is offered for healing, he is therefore brought by the ministration of Angels, he is called Son, because he is God's work; the sins of his soul which the Law could not remit go remitted him; for faith only justifies. Lastly he shows the power of the resurrection, by taking up his bed teaching that all sickness shall then be no more found in the body.

JEROME; Figuratively; the soul sick in the body, its powers palsied, is brought by the perfect doctor to the Lord to be healed. For every one when sick, ought to engage some to pray for his recovery, through whom the halting footsteps of our acts may be reformed by time healing power of the heavenly word. These are mental monitors, who raise the soul of the hearer to higher things, although sick and weak in the outward body.

CHRYSOLOGUS; The Lord requires not in this world the will of those who are without understanding, but looks to the faith of others; as the physician does not consult the wishes of the patient, when his malady requires other things.

RABAN; His rising up is the drawing of the soul from carnal lusts; his taking up his bed is the raising the flesh from earthly desires to spiritual pleasures; his going to his house is his returning to Paradise, or to internal watchfulness of himself against sin.

GREG; Or by the bed is denoted the pleasure of the body. He is commanded now he is made whole to bear that on which he had lain when sick, because every man who still takes pleasure in vice is laid as sick in carnal delights; but when made whole he bears this because he now endures the wantonness of that flesh in whose desires he had before reposed.

HILARY; It is a very fearful thing to be seized by death while the sins are yet unforgiven by Christ; for there is no way to the heavenly house for him whose sins have not been forgiven. But when this fear is removed, honor is rendered to God, who by His word has in this way given power to men, of forgiveness of Sins, of resurrection of the body, and of return to Heaven.

Catena Aurea Matthew 9

Catholic Culture

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

Collect: God of justice, Father of truth, who guide creation in wisdom and goodness to fulfillment in Christ your Son, open our hearts to the truth of his Gospel, that your peace may rule in our hearts and your justice guide our lives. 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

o Egg and Caper Sauce

o Fourth of July Dinner Menu

o Independence Barbecue Menu

o Independence Day Cake

o Poached Salmon

o Rice Waffles

o Sauce for Rice Waffles

o Special Strawberry Shortcake

o Watermelon Pickle

ACTIVITIES

o July 4: Independence Day

o Namedays

o Religion in the Home for Elementary School: July

o Religion in the Home for Preschool: July

o What is a Nameday?

PRAYERS

o July Devotion: The Precious Blood

o Serran Prayer for Vocations

LIBRARY

o Better Concept Of Freedom, A | George Weigel

o Ethics In Government | David P. Schippers

o Faith and Patriotism | Archbishop Charles J. Chaput O.F.M. Cap.

o The Philosophy of American Patriotism In the Present Crisis | Fr. H.F. Tiblier S.J.

o What Is Patriotism? | Fr. Stephen J. Brown S.J.

Ordinary Time: July 4th

· Independence Day (USA)

Old Calendar: Commemoration of All Holy Popes; Our Lady of Refuge; St. Theodore, bishop and martyr (Hist)

Today is the national celebration of our Nation's independence. As we celebrate let us remember to pray that God will strengthen and bless America and make our nation a haven of liberty and justice for all — born and unborn.

Independence Day
On April 19, 1775, American minutemen faced English soldiers on the village green in Lexington, Massachusetts. Someone — no one to this day knows who — fired a shot, and a battle followed which marked the beginning of the American Revolution.

After the Battle of Lexington, the desire of Americans for complete independence from England grew stronger. Less than a month after that battle, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. On July 4, 1776, the Congress issued a Declaration of Independence, announcing "that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states."

For a time it seemed to some that the fight for independence was a hopeless struggle, but an important American victory at Saratoga marked a turning point in the war. After that victory the Americans gained a strong ally, France. With the help of France, the Americans went on to win a final victory over the English at Yorktown. The English Parliament then decided to make peace and accept American independence.

With independence won, the thirteen states set out to form a new nation. There were strong differences among the states, but Americans came to understand the need for unity, and devised a new plan for government—the Constitution.

The new government, under the Constitution, was faced with many problems, both at home and abroad. However it found ways to solve these problems, and the United States began to grow rapidly.

Excerpted from American History, published by Laidlaw Brothers.

Things to Do:

Read the Declaration of Independence and see what grievances our Founding Fathers had with England. This same site offers links to learn more about the founding of our nation.

Catholic Culture Library Related Articles

On Being Catholic American

First Centenary of First American Bishops

How Birth Control Changed America — For The Worse

The Philosophy of American Patriotism In the Present Crisis

The Jefferson Bible

The Relevance of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson and Freedom of Religion

What Is Patriotism?

Sapientiae Christianae—On Christians as Citizens

Vultus Christi

The Charge of Weakly Souls

Dom Mark

on July 4, 2013 8:24 AM |

CHAPTER XXVII. How Solicitous the Abbot Should Be of the Excommunicate

4 Mar. 4 July. 3 Nov.

Let the Abbot exercise all diligence in his care for erring brethen, for they that are in health need not a physician, but they that are sick. He ought, therefore, as a wise physician, to use every remedy in his power. Let him send senpectae, that is old and prudent brethren, who may as it were secretly comfort the troubled brother, inducing him to make humble satisfaction and consoling him, lest he be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Let charity be strengthened towards him, and let everyone pray for him.

For the Abbot is bound to use the greatest care, and to exercise all prudence and diligence, so that he may not lose any of the sheep entrusted to him. Let him know that what he has undertaken is the charge of weakly souls, and not a tyranny over the strong; and let him fear the threat of the prophet, wherein God saith: What you saw to be fat, that ye took to yourselves: and what was feeble, ye cast away. And let him imitate the merciful example of the Good Shepherd, who left the ninety and nine sheep in the mountains and went after the one sheep that had strayed; and had so great pity on its weakness, that he deigned to place it on his own sacred shoulders and so bring it back to the flock.

To See as God Sees

Rarely does God call men of dazzling qualities, spotless integrity, and perfect health to the monastic life. A monastery is not a stadium for ascetical performances; it is an infirmary for souls in various stages of spiritual convalescence and recovery. Saint Benedict confirms this in Chapter LXXII, where he says, "Let them most patiently endure one another's infirmities, whether of body or of mind." And in today's Chapter, Saint Benedict says, "Let him [the Abbot] know that what he has undertaken is the charge of weakly souls." God does not see as men see. Where men read failure, crisis, and instability, God reads scope for the deployment of His mercy, His power, and His faithfulness.

Salvaging from the Scrap Heap of Unsuitables

"Jesus saith to them: Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? By the Lord this has been done; and it is wonderful in our eyes" (Matthew 21:42). The master-plan of the Father by which the Son, rejected by the builders of this age, became the head of the corner in the building of the Kingdom of God, is continued through the ages in the saints, known and unknown, in the lives of those canonized by the Church and in the obscurity of lives totally unknown to men. It pleases God to make use of those whom the wise and clever reject. God is forever salvaging men from the scrap-heap of unsuitables to which the world (and the worldly in the Church) have consigned them.

Saint Peter

On the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, I reflected much on Our Lord's choice of these two men as the very foundations and pillars of His Church. When Our Lord called Simon Peter, He knew in advance that Peter would prove to be a cracked and unreliable element in the foundation of His Church. He knew that Peter would deny Him. He knew that Peter would show more cowardice than courage in the face of suffering. He also knew that, after the Resurrection, a fallen Peter would make this splendid confession of confidence and of love, this perfect act of reparation: "Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:17).

Saint Paul

When Our Lord called Saul of Tarsus, He saw a man marked by pride, spiritually arrogant, excessive in word and in deed, sunk deep in self-righteousness, and tormented by an inward unrest. He also saw Paul the Apostle, profoundly humble, with entrails of mercy for sinners and compassion for the weakest among men, capable of great heroism in the service of the Gospel, totally abandoned to His all-sufficient grace, and capable of radiating the peace of the Holy Ghost.

See your vocation, brethren, that there are not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong. And the base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible, hath God chosen, and things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his sight. But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption: That, as it is written: He that glorieth, may glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

The Flawed and the Broken

An Abbot must accept the family of flawed and broken men that God has entrusted to him, fearing the threat of the prophet, wherein God saith: What you saw to be fat, that ye took to yourselves: and what was feeble, ye cast away. This is not to say that all comers are to be taken in. Vocations must be carefully discerned; some men will have to be sent away as being unsuited to the claustral life. Belief in the power of grace and reliance on the healing work of the Holy Ghost do not dispense one from exercising common sense, prudence, and due diligence.

Utterly Dysfunctional by Any Human Standards

This being said, once a man has been adopted into the monastic family by profession, he is to treated as a son of the household. By the vow of stability a monk binds himself to a particular monastic family, to its father, and to his brothers. After simple profession, the new relationship is recognized and affirmed; and the decision to go forward is made public. With solemn profession, the adoption is complete.

A monastery is not a business in which employees can be fired on grounds of unsuitable performance. It is not a university from which those who prove to be dullards can be dismissed. It is not an exclusive club denying full membership to those lacking the desirable prerequisites. A monastery is a family, utterly dysfunctional by any human standards and, at the same time, functioning by grace as a living organism of the Body of Christ.

What It Takes

Other religious Orders can reject, and rightly, men lacking in the qualities and talents needed for their specialized or characteristic apostolates. A Jesuit needs a quick brain, a readiness for abnegation, and the ability to move comfortably in the world without becoming worldly. A Dominican has to be able to preach and to demonstrate the splendour of the truth, praising God all the while. A Franciscan has to be able to live on very little, in the total renunciation of ownership, and in a joyful and carefree abandonment to Providence. A Redemptorist has to be able to evangelise the poor in the remotest places, using a language that is simple and capable of touching the heart.

Simply Monks

We Benedictines have no distinctive apostolate, no specialized ministry, no specific goal except ceaseless prayer and purity of heart. In Chapter LVIII of the Holy Rule, Saint Benedict requires but three things of a man seeking admission to the monastery: 1) that he truly be seeking God; 2) that he be zealous for the Opus Dei (the Divine Office); 3) that he embrace obedience and humiliations readily. In men having these three requisites, an abbot will find sons ready for adoption into the monastic family. If any one of the three requisites are missing, a man cannot be said to have a Benedictine vocation.

While it is true that monasteries may undertake certain works, those works do not define the monastic life. When the works undertaken by Benedictines fail, or go bankrupt, or are suppressed by a hostile government, nothing of the essence of Benedictine life is affected. Monks are not about making jellies, or cheese, or fruitcakes, or beer, though they may do all of these things, and do them very well. Monks are not about designing vestments and sewing them, or about writing icons, or about writing learned treatises, or about running excellent schools, though they may do all these things and make a success of them. Monks are not even about singing Gregorian Chant, although one might dare hope they do, and do it well!

Physician, Father, Shepherd

All of this is by way of background to Chapter XXVII. It is, to my mind, one of the most beautiful Chapters of the Rule; it reveals Saint Benedict's paternal heart. The Abbot is a physician dedicated to the care of sin-sick souls; he is a father concerned lest any one of his sons fall into too great a sadness; he is a Good Shepherd, ready to pursue the one sheep gone astray, to take pity on its weakness, and to carry it on his own shoulders over terrains that are rough and treacherous The duty of the Abbot is to keep his family together, holding as strongly and as tenderly to the feeble and fragile as to the healthy and strong.

Regnum Christi

Fathoming Christ’s Mercy

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 9:1-8

After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven." At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? Which is easier, to say, ´Your sins are forgiven,´ or to say, ´Rise and walk´? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home." He rose and went home. When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to you in this meditation ready to do whatever it is you ask. Left to myself I often take the easy and convenient path, yet I know the way of a Christian is through the narrow gate. In you I find the reason to abandon the easy path for a more perfect mission of love. I’m ready to learn the meaning of your command: “Follow me.”

Petition: Lord, grant me a deeper experience of your mercy.

1. Crippled by Control: For St. Jerome, physical paralysis is an image of man’s inability to return to God by his own efforts. It is man’s inability to create his own salvation, to set the terms by which he can say he has made peace with God. The paralysis is meant to speak more to the Pharisees about their souls than to the cripple who bears it. Christ saw stagnation in the Pharisees’ hearts. They wanted to put God in a box, where their relationship with him could neatly accommodate their status and comforts. We, like the Pharisees, like our routine. We like to coast in our spiritual life and dislike having to adjust to God’s asking for more faith, trust or charity. For saintly souls, Christ is ever new; they are always being asked for more, and new experiences of Christ fill them as a result. Their love never goes stale since they refuse to control what God can do with them.

2. The Only Real Problem Is Sin: The paralytic and his companions arrive concerned only about his physical condition. This is not, however, what is first on Christ’s priority list. What is first, rather, is the man’s state of soul. For God the problem of life is not about problems. Problems are merely the pretexts he sends us to heal and develop our relationship with him: “Your sins are forgiven.” The problem of life is all about holiness and about removing the chief obstacle to holiness: sin. Deep down, the only things that can hurt us are the obstacles of sin and an egoistic lifestyle.

3. Awaiting God’s Replies: The pause between “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven you” and the cure of the paralysis initially may have caused disappointment in those unfamiliar with Christ’s way of working. In that wait our response to God comes, and our part in the plan of salvation is played out. Instant gratification of a child’s wants spoils the meaning of his parents’ gift of loving support. To arrive to Christian maturity, we must form the virtues of faith and trust. Seeking cures must be sought more as part of God’s will than as our own self-centered relief effort. This takes time. Yet even in that pause, in the dark night of faith, something is happening. While miracles are on the way, we are being changed. The command to rise seems only to confirm or make visible something that has already occurred in the paralytic’s soul: through faith and trust, Christ reigns over his soul.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know that in you alone I shall rise, because only you can conquer sin in me. For my part, like St. Paul, I have sought to fight the good fight, strengthened by your grace and mercy. Help me to accept every difficulty as a new chance to purify my heart and sanctify my soul.

Resolution: Today I will remember to avoid rash and judgmental thoughts of others. As I do so I will keep in my heart the merciful dispositions of Christ’s heart.

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 29, Issue 4

<< Thursday, July 4, 2013 >>

St. Elizabeth of Portugal

Genesis 22:1-19
View Readings

Psalm 115:1-6, 8-9

Matthew 9:1-8
Similar Reflections

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENT DEPENDENCE

" 'To help you realize that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins' — He then said to the paralyzed man — 'Stand up! Roll up your mat, and go home.' The man stood up and went toward his home." —Matthew 9:6-7

On this Independence Day in the USA, are you independent from sin and paralysis because you are utterly dependent on the Lord? Everyone is both independent and dependent simultaneously. Everyone is both free and enslaved. The question is "whether yours is the slavery of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to justice" (Rm 6:16).

"Now that you are freed from sin and have become slaves of God, your benefit is sanctification as you tend toward eternal life" (Rm 6:22). Are you dependent on God so as to be free to trust Him even with the life of your loved one? (see Gn 22:2) Are you so free in Jesus as to lay down your own life for Him?

Independence can be a curse as well as a blessing. It depends on what we choose independence from. If we refuse to choose, the devil forces us to be dependent on him and independent of God. We don't have to decide in favor of the devil. If we just refuse to decide for Jesus, the devil can do his thing in our lives. To make no decision for Jesus is actually a decision, because Satan has no respect for our free will.

Therefore, we must decide to be totally dependent on Jesus and independent of Satan and sin. Make this Independence Day the best one of all. Make a "Declaration of Dependence" on Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, I trust You utterly.

Promise: "The house of Israel trusts in the Lord; He is their Help and their Shield." —Ps 115:9

Praise: St. Elizabeth's holiness eventually led to the conversion of her adulterous husband.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Thursday, July 4
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church honors Bl. Joseph Kowalski. He was a Polish priest arrested by the Nazis during World War II. Because he refused to trample his rosary he was tortured and drowned while in a prison camp in 1942.

The Charge of Weakly Souls

The Paralyzed Man

One Bread, One Body

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENT DEPENDENCE