Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 01-26-14, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Is 8:23-9:3

Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14

reading 2 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17

Gospel Mt 4:12-23

Sunday, January 26, 2014
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Isaiah 8:23 -- 9:3
Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17
Matthew 4:12-23 or 4:12-17

God is full of compassion, and never fails those who are afflicted and despised, if they trust in Him alone.

-- St Teresa of Avila

21 posted on 01/25/2014 9:58:22 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Just A Minute (Listen)
Some of EWTN's most popular hosts and guests in a collection of one minute inspirational messages. A different message each time you click.

22 posted on 01/25/2014 9:59:21 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

23 posted on 01/25/2014 10:00:04 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops

Saints Timothy & Titus, Bishops
Memorial
January 26th

unknown artist

Saints Timothy and Titus were two of the most beloved and trusted disciples of St. Paul, whom they accompanied in many of his journeys.
St. Timothy has been regarded by some as the "angel of the church of Ephesus", Rev 2:1-17. According to the ancient Roman martyrology he died Bishop of Ephesus. The Bollandists (Jan. 24) give two lives of St. Timothy, one ascribed to Polycrates (an early Bishop of Ephesus, and a contemporary of St. Irenæus) and the other by Metaphrastes, which is merely an expansion of the former. The first states that during the Neronian persecution St. John arrived at Ephesus, where he lived with St. Timothy until he was exiled to Patmos under Domitian. Timothy, who was unmarried, continued Bishop of Ephesus until, when he was over eighty years of age, he was mortally beaten by the pagans. According to early tradition Titus continued after St. Paul's death as Archbishop of Crete, and died there when he was over ninety.
(Principal source - Catholic Encyclopedia - 1913 edition, )

Collect:
O God, who adorned Saints Timothy and Titus
with apostolic virtues,
grant, through the intercession of them both,
that, living justly and devoutly in this present age,
we may merit to reach our heavenly homeland.
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: 2 Timothy 1:1-8
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus,

To Timothy, my beloved child:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when I remember you constantly in my prayers. As I remember your tears, I long night and day to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you. Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control.

Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God.

or Titus 1:1-5
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who never lies, promised ages ago and at the proper time manifested in His word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by command of God our Savior;

To Titus, my true child in a common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
This is why I left you in Crete, that you might amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.

Gospel Reading: Luke 10:1-9
After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to come. And He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

Related Link on the Vatican Website: Benedict XVI, General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall, Wednesday, 13 December 2006, Timothy and Titus

24 posted on 01/26/2014 9:31:56 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

25 posted on 01/26/2014 9:35:13 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Interactive Saints for Kids

St. Timothy and St. Titus

Feast Day: January 26

Besides being saints and bishops in the early Church, these two men have something else in common. Both received the gift of faith through the preaching of St. Paul.

Timothy was born in Lycaonia in Asia Minor. His mother Eunice was a Jew and his father was a Gentile. When Paul came to preach in Lycaonia, Timothy, his mother and his grandmother all became Christians.

Many years later, Paul went back and found Timothy grown up. He felt that Timothy had a call from God to be a missionary. Paul invited him to join him in preaching the Gospel and Timothy left his home and parents to follow Paul.

He soon began to share in Paul's sufferings as well. They joyfully brought the Word of God to many people. Timothy was Paul's beloved disciple, like a son to him. He went everywhere with Paul until he became bishop of Ephesus. Then Timothy stayed there to shepherd his people. Timothy, too, died a martyr and was stoned to death in the year 97 because he refused to worship King Dionysius.

Titus was a Gentile nonbeliever. He, too, became Paul's disciple. Titus was generous and hard-working. He joyfully preached the Good News with Paul on their missionary travels.

Because Titus was so trustworthy, Paul freely sent him on many "missions" to the Christian communities. Titus helped people strengthen their faith in Jesus. He was able to restore peace when there were arguments among the Christians. Titus had a special gift for being a peacemaker.

Paul appreciated this gift in Titus and recognized it as the Holy Spirit's work. Paul would send Titus to solve problems. When Titus would arrive among a group of Christians, the guilty ones would feel sorry. They would ask forgiveness and would make up for what they had done. When peace was restored, Titus would go back and tell Paul about the good results. This brought Paul and the first Christians much happiness.

St. Paul made Titus bishop of the island of Crete, where he stayed until his death.

26 posted on 01/26/2014 10:43:54 AM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 4
12.	And when Jesus had heard that John was delivered up, he retired into Galilee:	Cum autem audisset Jesus quod Joannes traditus esset, secessit in Galilæam :	ακουσας δε ο ιησους οτι ιωαννης παρεδοθη ανεχωρησεν εις την γαλιλαιαν
13.	And leaving the city Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capharnaum on the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim;	et, relicta civitate Nazareth, venit, et habitavit in Capharnaum maritima, in finibus Zabulon et Nephthalim :	και καταλιπων την ναζαρετ ελθων κατωκησεν εις καπερναουμ την παραθαλασσιαν εν οριοις ζαβουλων και νεφθαλειμ
14.	That it might be fulfilled which was said by Isaias the prophet:	ut adimpleretur quod dictum est per Isaiam prophetam :	ινα πληρωθη το ρηθεν δια ησαιου του προφητου λεγοντος
15.	Land of Zabulon and land of Nephthalim, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:	Terra Zabulon, et terra Nephthalim, via maris trans Jordanem, Galilæa gentium :	γη ζαβουλων και γη νεφθαλειμ οδον θαλασσης περαν του ιορδανου γαλιλαια των εθνων
16.	The people that sat in darkness, hath seen great light: and to them that sat in the region of the shadow of death, light is sprung up.	populus, qui sedebat in tenebris, vidit lucem magnam : et sedentibus in regione umbræ mortis, lux orta est eis.	ο λαος ο καθημενος εν σκοτει ειδεν φως μεγα και τοις καθημενοις εν χωρα και σκια θανατου φως ανετειλεν αυτοις
17.	From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say: Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.	Exinde cœpit Jesus prædicare, et dicere : Pœnitentiam agite : appropinquavit enim regnum cælorum.	απο τοτε ηρξατο ο ιησους κηρυσσειν και λεγειν μετανοειτε ηγγικεν γαρ η βασιλεια των ουρανων
18.	And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea (for they were fishers).	Ambulans autem Jesus juxta mare Galilææ, vidit duos fratres, Simonem, qui vocatur Petrus, et Andream fratrem ejus, mittentes rete in mare (erant enim piscatores),	περιπατων δε παρα την θαλασσαν της γαλιλαιας ειδεν δυο αδελφους σιμωνα τον λεγομενον πετρον και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου βαλλοντας αμφιβληστρον εις την θαλασσαν ησαν γαρ αλιεις
19.	And he saith to them: Come ye after me, and I will make you to be fishers of men.	et ait illis : Venite post me, et faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum.	και λεγει αυτοις δευτε οπισω μου και ποιησω υμας αλιεις ανθρωπων
20.	And they immediately leaving their nets, followed him.	At illi continuo relictis retibus secuti sunt eum.	οι δε ευθεως αφεντες τα δικτυα ηκολουθησαν αυτω
21.	And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and he called them.	Et procedens inde, vidit alios duos fratres, Jacobum Zebedæi, et Joannem fratrem ejus, in navi cum Zebedæo patre eorum, reficientes retia sua : et vocavit eos.	και προβας εκειθεν ειδεν αλλους δυο αδελφους ιακωβον τον του ζεβεδαιου και ιωαννην τον αδελφον αυτου εν τω πλοιω μετα ζεβεδαιου του πατρος αυτων καταρτιζοντας τα δικτυα αυτων και εκαλεσεν αυτους
22.	And they forthwith left their nets and father, and followed him.	Illi autem statim relictis retibus et patre, secuti sunt eum.	οι δε ευθεως αφεντες το πλοιον και τον πατερα αυτων ηκολουθησαν αυτω
23.	And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom: and healing all manner of sickness and every infirmity, among the people.	Et circuibat Jesus totam Galilæam, docens in synagogis eorum, et prædicans Evangelium regni : et sanans omnem languorem, et omnem infirmitatem in populo.	και περιηγεν ολην την γαλιλαιαν ο ιησους διδασκων εν ταις συναγωγαις αυτων και κηρυσσων το ευαγγελιον της βασιλειας και θεραπευων πασαν νοσον και πασαν μαλακιαν εν τω λαω

27 posted on 01/26/2014 11:48:37 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)

12. Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, He departed into Galilee;
13. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
15. The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nepthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16. The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

RABANUS; Matthew having related the forty days' fast, the temptation of Christ, and the ministry of Angels, proceeds, Jesus having heard that John was cast into prison.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. By God without doubt, for none can effect anything against a holy man, unless God deliver him up. He withdrew into Galilee, that is, out of Judea; both that the might reserve His passion to the fit time, and that he might set us an example of flying from danger.

CHRYS. It is not blameworthy not to throw one's self into peril, but when one has fallen into it, not to endure manfully. He departed from Judea both to soften Jewish animosity, and to fulfill a prophecy, seeking moreover to fish for those masters of the world who dwelt in Galilee. Note also how when he would depart to the Gentiles, he received good cause from the Jews; His forernuner was thrown into prison, which compelled Jesus to pass into Galilee of the Gentiles.

GLOSS. He came as Luke writes to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and there entering into the synagogue, he read and spoke many things, for which they sought to throw Him down from the rock, and thence he went to Capernaum; for which Matthew has only, And leaving the town of Nazareth, He came and dwelt at Capernum.

GLOSS; Nazareth is a village in Galilee near Mount Tabor; Capernaurn a town in Galilee of the Gentiles near the Lake of Gennesaret; and this is the meaning of the word, on the sea coast. He adds further in the borders of Zabulon and Naphtali, where was the first captivity of time Jews by the Assyrians. Thus where the Law was first forgotten, there the Gospel was first preached; and from a place as it were between the two it was spread both to Jews and Gentiles.

REMIG. He left one, viz. Nazareth, that he might enlighten more by His preaching and miracles. Thus leaving an example to all preachers that they should preach at a time and in places where they may do good, to as many as possible. In the prophecy, the words are these, At that first time the land of Zabuiloun and the land of Naphtali was lightened, and at the last time was increased the way of the sea beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

JEROME; They are said at the first time to be lightened from the burden of sin, because in the country of these two tribes, the Savior first preached the Gospel; at the last time their faith was increased, most of the Jews remaining in error. By the sea here is meant the Lake of Gennesaret, a lake formed by the waters of the Jordan, on its shores are the towns of Capernaum, Tiberias, Bethsaida, and Corozaim, in which district principally Christ preached. Or, according to the interpretation of those Hebrews who believe in Christ, the two tribes Zabulon and Naphtali were taken captive by the Assyrians, and Galilee was left desert; and the prophet therefore says that it was lightened, because it had before suffered the sins of the people; but afterwards the remaining tribes who dwelt beyond Jordan and in Samaria were led into captivity; and Scripture here means that the region which had been the first to suffer captivity, now was the first to see the light of Christ's preaching. The Nazarenes again interpret that this was the first part of the country that, on the coming of Christ, was freed from the errors of the Pharisees, and after by the Gospel of the Apostle Paul, the preaching was increased or multiplied throughout all the countries of the Gentiles.

GLOSS. But Matthew here quotes the passage as to make them all nominative cases referring to one verb. The land of Zabulon, and the land of Naphtali, which is the way of the sea, and which is beyond Jordan, viz. the people of Galilee of the Gentiles, the people which walked in darkness.

GLOSS. Note that there are two Galilees; one of the Jews, the other of the Gentiles. This division of Galilee had existed from Solomon's time, who gave twenty cities in Galilee to Hyram, King of Tyre; this part was afterwards called Galilee of the Gentiles; the remainder, of the Jews.

JEROME; Or we must read beyond Jordan, of Galilee of the Gentiles; so, I mean, that the people who either sat, or walked in darkness, have seen light, and that not a faint light, as the light of the Prophets, but a great light, as of Him who in the Gospel speaks thus, I am the light of the world. Between death and the shadow of death I suppose this difference; death is said of such as have gone down to the grave with the works of death; the shadow of such as live in sin, and have not yet departed from this world; these may, if they will, yet turn to repentance.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Otherwise, the Gentiles who worshipped idols, and demons, were they who sat in the region of the shadow of death; the Jews, who did the works of the Law, were in darkness, because the righteousness of God was not yet manifested to them.

CHRYS. But that you may learn that he speaks not of natural day and night, he calls the light, a great light, which is in other places called the true light; and he adds, the shadow of death, to explain what he means by darkness. The words arose, and shined, Show, that they found it not of their own seeking, but God Himself appeared to them they did not first run to the light; for many were in the greatest miseries before Christ's coming; they did not walk but sat in darkness; which was a sign that they hoped for deliverance; for as not knowing what way they should go, shut in by darkness they sat down, having now no power to stand. By darkness he means here, error and ungodliness.

RABAN. In allegory, John and the rest of the Prophets were the voice going before the Word. When prophecy ceased and was fettered, then came the Word, fulfilling what the Prophet had spoken of it, He departed into Galilee, i.e. from figure to verity. Or, into the Church, which is a passing from vice to virtue. Nazareth is interpreted 'a flower,' Capernaum, 'the beautiful village;' He left therefore the flower of figure, (in which was mystically intended the fruit of the Gospel,) and came into the Church, which was beautiful with Christ's virtues. It is by the sea-coast, because placed near the waves of this world, it is daily beaten by the storms of persecution. It is situated between Zabuloin and Naphtali, i.e. common to Jews and Gentiles. Zabulon is interpreted, 'the abode of strength;' because the Apostles, who were chosen from Judaea, were strong. Nephtali, 'extension,' because the Church of the Gentiles was extended through the world.

AUG. John relates in his Gospel the calling of Peter, Andrew, and Nathanael, and the miracle in Cana, before Jesus' departure into Galilee; all these things the other Evangelists have omitted, carrying on the thread of their narrative with Jesus' return into Galilee. We must understand then that some days intervened, during which the things took place concerning the calling of the disciples which John relates.

REMIG. But this should be considered with more care, viz. that John says that the Lord went into Galilee, before John the Baptist was thrown into prison. According to John's Gospel after the water turned into wine and his going down to Capernaum, and after his going up to Jerusalem, he returned into Judea and baptized, and John was not yet cast into prison. But here it is after John's imprisonment that he retires into Galilee, and with this Mark agrees. But we need not suppose any contradiction here. John speaks of the Lord's first coming into Galilee, which was before the imprisonment of John. He speaks in another place of His second coming into Galilee, and the other Evangelists mention only this second coming into Galilee which was after John's imprisonment.

EUSEB. It is related that John preached the Gospel almost up to the close of his life without setting forth anything in writing, and at length came to write for this reason. The three first written Gospels having come to his knowledge, he confirmed the truth of their history by his own testimony; but there were yet some things wanting, especially an account of what the Lord had done at the first beginning of His preaching. And it is true that the other three Gospels seem to contain only those things which were done in that year in which John the Baptist was put into prison, or executed. For Matthew, after the temptation, proceeds immediately, Hearing that John was delivered up; and Mark in like manner. Luke again, even before relating one of Christ's actions, tells that Herod had shut up John in prison. The Apostle John then was requested to put into writing what the preceding Evangelists had left out before the imprisonment of John; hence he says in his Gospel, this beginning of miracles did Jesus.

17. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Christ's Gospel should be preached by him who can control his appetites, who contemns the goods of this life, and desires not empty honors. From this time began Jesus to preach, that is, after having been tempted, he had overcome hunger in the desert, despised covetousness on the mountain, rejected ambitious desires in the temple. Or from the time that John was delivered up; for had he begun to preach while John was yet preaching, He would have made John be lightly accounted of, and John's preaching would have been thought superfluous by the side of Christ's teaching; as when the sun rises at the same time with the morning star, the star's brightness is hid.

CHRYS. For another cause also he did not preach till John was in prison, that the multitude might not be split into two parties; or as John did no miracle, all men would have been drawn to Christ by His miracles.

RABAN. In this he further teaches that none should despise the words of a person inferior to Him; as also the Apostle, If anything be revealed to him; that sits, let the first hold his peace.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. He did wisely in making new the beginning of His preaching, that he should not trample upon John's teaching, but that he might the rather confirm it and demonstrate him to have been a true witness.

JEROME; Showing also thereby that He was Son of that same God whose prophet John was; and therefore he says, Repent you.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. he does not straightway preach righteousness which all knew, but repentance, which all needed. Who then dared to say, 'I desire to be good, but am not able?' For repentance corrects the will, and if you will not repent through fear of evil, at least you may for the pleasure of good things; hence he says, the kingdom of heaven is at hand; that is, the blessings of the heavenly kingdom. As if He had said, Prepare yourselves by repentance, for the time of eternal reward is at hand.

REMIG. And note, He does not say the kingdom of the Canaanite, or the Jebusite, is at hand; but the kingdom of heaven. The law promised worldly goods, but the Lord heavenly kingdoms.

CHRYS. Also observe how that in this His first address he says nothing of Himself openly; and that very suitably to the case, for they had yet no right opinion concerning Him. In this commencement moreover he speaks nothing severe, nothing burdensome, as John bad concerning the ax laid to the root of the condemned tree, and the like; but he puts first things merciful, preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom of heaven.

JEROME; Mystically interpreted, Christ begins to preach as soon as John was delivered to prison, because when the Law ceased, the Gospel commenced.

18. And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19. And He said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20. And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him.
21. And going on from there, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them.
22. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed Him.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Before He spoke or did anything, Christ called Apostles, that neither word nor deed of His should be hid from their knowledge, so that they may afterwards say with confidence, What we have seen and heard, that we cannot but speak.

RABANIUS. The sea of Galilee, the lake of Gennesareth, the sea of Tiberias, and the salt lake, are one and the same.

GLOSS. He rightly goes to fishing places, when about to fish for fishermen.

REMIG. Saw, that is, not so much with the bodily eye, as spiritually viewing their hearts.

CHRYS. He calls them while actually working at their employment, to show that to follow Him ought to be preferred to all occupations. They were just then casting a net into the sea, which agreed with their future office.

AUG. He chose not kings, senators, philosophers, or orators, but he chose common, poor, and untaught fishermen. ID. Had one learned been chose, he might have attributed the choice to the merit of his learning. But our Lord Jesus Christ, willing to bow the necks of the proud, sought not to gain fishermen by orators, but gained an Emperor by a fisherman. Great was Cyprian the pleader, but Peter the fisherman was before him.

PSEUD-CHRYS. The operations of their secular craft were a prophecy of their future dignity. As he who casts his net into the water knows not what fishes he shall take, so the teacher casts the net of the divine word upon the people, not knowing who among them will come to God. Those whom God shall stir abide in his doctrine.

REMIG. Of these fishermen the Lord speaks by Jeremiah. I will send my fishers among you, and they shall catch you.

GLOSS. Follow me, not so much with your feet as in your hearts and your life.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. Fishers of men, that is teachers, that with the net of God's word you may catch men out of this world of storm and danger, in which men do not walk but are rather born along, the Devil by pleasure drawing them into sin where men devour one another as the stronger fishes do the weaker, withdrawn from hence they may live upon the land, being made members of Christ's body.

GREG. Peter and Andrew had seen Christ work no miracle, had heard from Him no word of the promise of eternal reward, yet at this single bidding of the Lord they forgot all that they had seemed to possess, and straightway left their nets, and followed Him. In which deed we ought rather to consider their wills than the amount of their property. He leaves much who keeps nothing for himself, he parts with much, who with his possessions renounces his lusts. Those who followed Christ gave up enough to be coveted by those who did not follow. Our outward goods, however small, are enough for the Lord; he does not weigh the sacrifice by how much is offered but out of how much it is offered. The kingdom of God is not to be valued at a certain price, but whatever a man has, much or little, is equally available.

PSEUD-CHRYS. These disciples did not follow Christ from desire of the honor of a doctor, but because they coveted the labor itself; they knew how precious is the soul of man, how pleasant to God is his salvation, and how great its reward.

CHRYS. To so great a promise they trusted, and believed that they should catch others by those same words by which themselves had been caught.

PSEUD-CHRYS. These were their desires, for which they left all and followed; teaching us thereby that none can possess earthly things and perfectly attain to heavenly things.

GLOSS. These last disciples were an example to such as leave their property for the love of Christ; now follows an example of others who postponed earthly affection to God. Observe how he calls them two and two, as he afterwards sent them two and two to preach.

GREG. Hereby we are also silently admonished, that he who wants affection towards others, ought not to take on him the office of preaching. The precepts of charity are two, and between less than two there can be no love.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Rightly did he thus build the foundations of the brotherhood of the Church on love, that from such roots a copious sap of love might flow to the branches; and that too on natural or human love, that nature as well as grace might bind their love more firmly. They were moreover brothers; and so did God in the Old Testament lay the foundations of His building on Moses and Aaron, brothers. But as the grace of the New Testament is more abundant than that of the Old, therefore the first people were built upon one pair of brethren, but the new people upon two. They were washing their nets, a proof of the most extreme indigence; they repaired the old because they had not whence they should buy new. And what shows their great filial piety, in this their great poverty they deserted not their father, but carried him with them in their vessel, not that he might aid in their labor, but have the enjoyment of his sons' presence.

CHRYS. It is no small sign of goodness, to bear poverty easily, to live by honest labor, to be bound together by virtue of affection, to keep their poor father with them, and to toil in his service.

PSEUD-CHRYS. We may not dare to consider the former disciples as more quick to preach, because they were casting their nets; and these latter as less active, because they were yet making ready only; for it is Christ alone that may know their differences. But perhaps we may say that the first were casting their nets, because Peter preached the Gospel, but committed it not to paper the others were making ready their nets, because John composed a Gospel. He called them together, for by their abode they were fellow-townsmen, in affection attached, in profession agreed, and united by brotherly tenderness. He called them then at once, that united by so many common blessings they might not be separated by a separate call.

CHRYS. He made no promise to them when he called them, as he had to the former, for the obedience of the first had made the way plain for them. Besides, they had heard many things concerning Him, as being friends and townsmen of the others.

PSEUDO-CHRYS. There are three things which we must leave who would come to Christ; carnal actions, which are signified in the fishing nets; worldly substance, in the ship; parents, which are signified in their father. They left their own vessel, that they might become governors of the vessel of the Church; they left their nets, as having no longer to draw out fishes on to the earthly shore, but men to the heavenly; they left their father, that they might become the spiritual fathers of all.

HILARY; By this that they left their occupation and their father's house we are taught, that when we would follow Christ we should not be holden of the cares of secular life, or of the society of the paternal mansion.

REMIG. Mystically, by the sea is figured this world, because of its bitterness and its tossing waves. Galilee is interpreted, 'rolling' or 'a wheel,' and shows time changeableness of the world. Jesus walked by the sea when he came to us by incarnation, for He took on Him of the Virgin not time flesh of sin, but the likeness of the flesh of sin. By the two brothers, two people are signified born of one God their Father; He saw them when he looked on them in His mercy. In Peter, (which is interpreted 'owning,') who is called Simon, (i.e. obedient,) is signified the Jewish nation, who acknowledged God in the Law, and obeyed His commandments; Andrew, which is interpreted 'manly' or 'graceful,' signifies the Gentiles, who after they had come to the knowledge of God, manfully abode in the faith. He called us His people when He sent the preachers into the world, saying, Follow me; that is, leave the deceiver, follow your Creator. Of both people there were made fishers of men, that is, preachers. Leaving their ships, that is, carnal desires, and their nets, that is, love of the world, they followed Christ. By James is understood the Jewish nation, which through their knowledge of God overthrew the Devil; by John the Gentile world, which was saved of grace alone. Zebedee whom they leave, (the name is interpreted flying or falling,) signifies the world which passes away , and the Devil who fell from Heaven. By Peter and Andrew casting their net into the sea, are meant those who in their early youth are called by the Lord, while from the vessel of their body they cast time nets of carnal concupiscence into the sea of this world. By James and John mending their nets are signified those who after sin before adversity come to Christ recovering what they had lost.

RABAN. The two vessels signify the two Churches; the one was called out of the circumcision, the other out of the uncircumcision. Any one who believes becomes Simon, i.e. obedient to God; Peter by acknowledging his sin, Andrew by enduring labors manfully, James by Overcoming vices, and John that he may ascribe the whole to God's grace. The calling of four only is mentioned, as those preachers by whom God will call the four quarters of the world.

HILARY; Or, the number that was to be of the Evangelists is figured.

REMIG. Also, the four principal Virtues are here designed; Prudence, in Peter, from his confession of God; Justice, we may refer to Andrew for his manful deeds; Fortitude, to James, for his overthrow of the Devil; Temperance, to John, for the working in him of divine grace.

AUG. It might move inquiry, why John relates that near Jordan, not in Galilee, Andrew followed the Lord with another whose naming he does not mention; and again, that Peter received that name from the Lord. Whereas the other three Evangelists write that they were called from their fishing, sufficiently agreeing with one another, especially Matthew and Mark; Luke not naming Andrew, who is however understood to have been in the same vessel with him. There is a further seeming discrepancy, that in Luke it is to Peter only that it is said, Henceforth you shall catch men; Matthew and Mark write that it was said to both. As to the different account in John, it should be carefully considered, and it will be found that it is a different time, place, and calling that is there spoken of. For Peter and Andrew had not so seen Jesus at the Jordan that they adhered inseparably ever after, but so as only to have known who he was, and wondering at Him to have gone their way. Perhaps he is returning back to something he had omitted, for he proceeds without marking any difference of time, As he walked by the sea of Galilee. It may be further asked, how Matthew and Mark relate that He called them separately two and two, when Luke relates that James and John being partners of Peter were called as it were to aid him, and bringing their barks to land followed Christ. We may then understand that the narrative of Luke relates to a prior time, after which they returned to their fishing as usual. For it had not been said to Peter that he should no more catch fishes, as he did do so again after the resurrection, but that he should catch men. Again, at a time after this happened that call of which Matthew and Mark speak; for they draw their ships to land to follow Him, not as careful to return again, but only anxious to follow Him when He bids them.

23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their Synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Kings, when about to go to war with their enemies, first gather an army, and so go out to battle; thus the Lord when about to war against the Devil, first collected Apostles, and then began to preach the Gospel.

REMIG. An example of life for doctors; that they should not be inactive, they are instructed in these words, And Jesus went about.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Because they being weak could not come to their physician, he as a zealous Physician went about to visit those who had any grievous sickness; The Lord went round the several regions, and after His example the pastors of each region ought to go round to study the several dispositions of their people, that for the remedy of each disease some medicine may be found in the Church.

REMIG. That they should not be acceptors of persons the preachers are instructed in what follows, the whole of Galilee. That they should not go about empty, by the word teaching. That they should seek to benefit not few but many, in what follows, in their synagogues.

CHRYS. By which too He showed the Jews that he came not as an enemy of God, or a seducer of souls, but as consenting with his Father.

REMIG. That they should not preach error nor fable, but sound doctrine, is inculcated in the words, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom. 'Teaching' and 'preaching' differ; teaching refers to things present, preaching to things to come; He taught present commandments and preached future promises.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or, he taught natural righteousness, those things which natural reason teaches, as chastity, humility, and the like, which all men of themselves see to be goods. Such things are necessary to be taught not so much for the sake of making them known as for stirring the heart. For beneath the prevalence of carnal delights the knowledge of natural righteousness sleeps forgotten. When then a teacher begins to denounce carnal sins, his teaching does not bring up a new knowledge, but recalls to memory one that had been forgotten. But He preached the Gospel, in telling of good things which the ancients had manifestly not heard of, as the happiness of heaven, the resurrection of the dead, and the like. Or, He taught by interpreting the prophecies concerning himself; He preached by declaring the benefits that were to come from Himself.

REMIG. That the teacher should study to commend his teaching by his own virtuous conduct is conveyed in those words, healing every sort of disease and malady among the people; maladies of the body, diseases of the soul.

PSEUD-CHRYS. Or, by disease we may understand any passion of the mind, as avarice, lust, and such like, by malady unbelief, that is, weakness of faith. Or, the diseases are the more grievous pains of the body, the maladies the slighter. As he cured the bodily pains by virtue of His divine power, so he cured the spiritual by the word of His mercy. He first teaches, and then performs the cures, for two reasons. First, that what is needed most may come first; for it is the word of holy instruction, and not miracles, that edify the soul. Secondly, because teaching is commended by miracles, not the converse.

CHRYS. We must consider that when some great change is being wrought, as the introduction of a new polity, God is accustomed to work miracles, giving pledges of His power to those who are to receive His laws. Thus when he would make man, he first created a world, and then at length gave man in paradise a law. When he would dispense a law to the holy Noah, he showed truly great wonders; and again when he was about to ordain the Law for the Jews, he first showed great prodigies, and then at length gave them the commandments. So now when about to introduce a sublime discipline of life, He first provided a sanction to His instructions by mighty signs, because the eternal kingdom He preached was not seen, by the things which did appear, he made sure that which as yet did not appear.

Catena Aurea Matthew 4

28 posted on 01/26/2014 11:49:33 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)

29 posted on 01/26/2014 11:50:28 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)

Information: St. Timothy

Feast Day: January 26

Born: 17

Died: 80, Ephesus

Patron of: intestinal disorders, stomach diseases

30 posted on 01/26/2014 12:02:52 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Information: St. Titus

Feast Day: January 26

Died: 96 at Goryna, Crete

Patron of: Crete

31 posted on 01/26/2014 12:06:21 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Saints’ Days are superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

32 posted on 01/26/2014 1:58:00 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, January 26

Liturgical Color: White

Today the Church honors St. Margaret of
Hungary. Her parents placed her in a
convent at the age of 3 and she became a nun at age 12. She lived a life of extreme
penance and fasting to the detriment of her
health. She died in 1270, when only 28.

33 posted on 01/26/2014 2:09:54 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Catholic Culture

Daily Readings for:January 26, 2014
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, direct our actions according to your good pleasure, that in the name of your beloved Son we may abound in good works. 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 Fall or Winter Sunday Dinner Menu

ACTIVITIES

o Teaching About the Mass

PRAYERS

o Ordinary Time, Pre-Lent: Table Blessing 1

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (1st Plan)

o Book of Blessings: Blessing Before and After Meals: Ordinary Time (2nd Plan)

· Ordinary Time: January 26th

· Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Old Calendar: Third Sunday after Epiphany

As He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And He said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on from there He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zeb'edee and John his brother, in the boat with Zeb'edee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.

Ordinarily today is the feast of Sts. Timothy and Titus but it is superseded by the Sunday Liturgy.

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

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 9:1-4. This reading is another prophecy, concerning the messianic days, given by Isaiah in the eighth century B.C. It describes the new era of liberty and joy, which the future Messiah will usher in.

The second reading is from the first letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 1:10-13, 17. St. Paul corrects the Corinthians for the pride that was causing them to form factions and divisions.

The Gospel is from St. Matthew 4:12-23. The prophet Isaiah announced a future of liberation and great joy for all of Galilee, through the image of light that dispels the darkness in which the people walk. The Gospel, quoting verbatim the same passage of the prophet Isaiah, presents Jesus as the Light thus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. He is the light that was promised to dispel the darkness of sin and to free man from the obscurity in which he is enclosed.

The light becomes an efficacious means to express God’s involvement in human history. God manifests Himself as ‘The Light’ that disperses the darkness. The light illuminates, encircles, defines things, emphasises the colours and gives depth to space. The light heartens and comforts: to be in an enlightened place helps us to accept reality for what it is and makes one feel happier, more certain and protected.

God’s initiative with regard to men permits them to have a renewed relationship with reality. In God’s light everything assumes a new significance, its authentic and definitive meaning. A light which illuminates gives strength and permits the disclosure of the universe and man. This is why, after saying, ‘on those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone’ (Is 9:1), the text adds, ‘you have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing’ (Is 9:2).

A joy and happiness that became real in Jesus’ presence. He is the promised light that has come into our midst, His physical presence that expresses the definitive arrival of the Light. The light that shines brightly marks God’s initiative performing His first merciful and free step towards a wounded humanity.

This dynamic is expressed through Jesus call of the first Apostles. He chooses them with an unequivocal call, ‘Follow Me’. Faced with God’s sudden interruption in their lives He invited them to abandon the nets and trust themselves totally to the Lord for a new ‘catch’, a new definitive horizon. At the Last Supper, the end of His earthly life, Jesus reminds His disciples ‘you did not choose me, no, I chose you’ (Jn 15:16).

This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to remember that our personal vocation is founded on God’s original and absolutely free choice. His invitation towards us, therefore, is an invitation to make a final decision to let Him conquer or re-conquer us to mark a turning point in our lives.

Let us ask the Lord, for us and the whole Church, for the gift of a true conversion of our hearts enabling us to receive Christ as the only Light to follow. Christ is the only one that really dispels the darkness within and around us.

From the Congregation for the Clergy

34 posted on 01/26/2014 2:18:05 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

The Word Among Us

Meditation: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

I urge … that you be united. (1 Corinthians 1:10)

The Corinthian church was out of control. Some members were visiting prostitutes. One was even having an affair with his stepmother! They were taking each other to court. Some were abusing the Lord’s Supper. Others did not believe in the resurrection. No matter where you looked, there were signs of division and discord.

Are there divisions in your home? If so, take heart, because Jesus wants to help you resolve them. Look at the way Paul responded to the Corinthians’ chaotic situation. Before he addressed any specific issues, he thanked God for all the blessings they had received. “God is faithful,” he wrote. “He will keep you firm to the end” (1 Corinthians 1:9, 8).

Paul didn’t panic. He knew the Corinthians were in God’s hands. Confident in that knowledge, he addressed their challenges one by one, patiently and carefully.

This is a model for our families. Even if your home appears to be out of control, always remember that the Lord is present with you. He is always pouring his blessings on you, always offering grace for healing and reconciliation.

So bless your home every day. Use holy water if you can. Set the tone for the rest of your family. Try to practice forgiveness at every opportunity. Without forgiveness, division gains the upper hand and can cause deep wounds. But with forgiveness, the divisions caused by all kinds of sin can be disarmed. Judgments can stop; wounds can be healed.

Not only does forgiveness resolve the specific division; it can also help heal divisive behavior in general so that there is more unity. And with more unity comes more love.

So let’s make it our goal to practice forgiveness. Let’s ask Jesus to heal all divisions!

“Lord, I consecrate my home to you. Come, Holy Spirit, and teach us how to forgive one another.”

Isaiah 8:23–9:3; Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14; Matthew 4:12-23

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(Isaiah 8:23–9:3; Psalm 27:1,4,13-14; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17; Matthew 4:12-23)

1. In the first reading, Isaiah speaks of the great promise we have been given of “abundant joy” and “great rejoicing”. This is a promise for each one of us, for in Christ the “yoke” that has “burdened” us has been “smashed.” Does your Christian witness reflect this great joy that you have received, even during difficult times? How can you make your life a greater reflection of it?

2. In the Responsorial, Psalm 27 reflects these promises as well by telling us that we shall “see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living,” not just when we get to heaven. And this will occur when we “gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate his temple.” What does this mean to you? What role does your prayer and Scripture reading play in this?

3. In the second reading, St. Paul urged that Christian brothers and sisters in the church at Corinth overcome their many “rivalries,” and be united in Christ and have no divisions. How can you help build greater unity within your parish?

4. During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, what steps can you take individually, and together, to promote Christian unity with non-Catholic Christians? Why not spend time this week praying for Christian unity.

5. In the Gospel, Jesus begins his preaching with the word “repent”. Did you spend any time during the previous week reflecting on, and repenting of any sins you may have committed (what you have done or omitted doing)? How important is it for you to have a regularly scheduled examination of conscience, for example, as part of your daily prayer life? How important should it be?

6. In the Gospel, we are also told that when called by the Lord the disciples responded “immediately,” and left everything to follow him. What are some of the obstacles that can keep you from responding immediately when the Lord calls you or reveals his will to you? What steps can you take, with the Lord, to overcome them?

7. In the meditation, we hear ends these words: “Not only does forgiveness resolve the specific division; it can also help heal divisive behavior in general so that there is more unity. And with more unity comes more love.” Do you believe this? Why or why not? The meditation then ends with these words: “So let’s make it our goal to practice forgiveness. Let’s ask Jesus to heal all divisions!” We are called to forgive one another as God has forgiven us. Is there someone in your family (or outside of it) that needs to experience your forgiveness?. Are you willing to gift them this freeing gift of forgiveness?

8. Take some time now to pray and ask the Lord to bring healing and reconciliation to your family through the gift of forgiveness. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as a starting point.

35 posted on 01/26/2014 2:41:38 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Sunday Scripture Study

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle A

Isaiah 8:23—9:3 (Ps 27:1,4,13-14) 1 Corinthians 1:10-13,17 Matthew 4:12-23

Overview of the Gospel:
• This Sunday’s Gospel reading takes place after Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) and after John the Baptist had been arrested by King Herod (Matthew 14:1-12).

• Jesus travels from the Jordan where John had been baptizing (Matthew 3:13), stops by his hometown of Nazareth, and goes to live in the fishing village of Capernaum, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (verse 13). It is from here that his ministry will be based.

• This area was called “Galilee of the Gentiles” (verse 15) because of its mixed Jewish/pagan population. When ancient Israel was overrun by the Assyrians around 733 B.C., the lands of Zebulun and Napthali were the first to be devastated, its occupants deported. The prophet Isaiah foretold they would be the first to be restored when Israel’s glory returned.

• Jesus comes preaching a gospel of repentance, using the same words as John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2). The word “repent” (Greek: metanoia ) literally means to “change (your mind)”

Questions:

• In the 1 st reading, Isaiah prophesies a time when those who historically bore the brunt of enemy oppression, will be the first to see “a great light” of deliverance. How might this translate to spiritual terms? Who is in the best position to recognize that they need a Savior?

• In the 2 nd Reading, how do rivalries among believers impede the spread of the Kingdom of God? According to Saint Paul, what core message of the Gospel should we be focusing on?
• In today’s Gospel, how does Jesus react to John’s imprisonment?
• How had the land been “sitting in darkness” (verse 16, Isaiah 8:22—9:1)? What was Jesus’ message? What is the relation between repentance, the kingdom of heaven, and the light?

• What invitations does Jesus give to the fishermen? What seems unusual about their response? What prior knowledge of Jesus do you think they had (verses 13, 17; John 1:35- 42)? How might Zebedee (verse 21, 22) have felt?

• From how far away are the crowds coming (verses 23-25; refer to a Bible map)? What needs do they have? What are they learning about God’s kingdom?

• How has coming to know Jesus been like moving from darkness to light for you? In what ways does God’s kingdom seem present for you? In what ways does it seem “not yet”?

• Spiritually, are you still preparing the nets? Leaving the boat? Following hard after Jesus? Feeling left behind? What exactly does it mean to you to “repent”?
Catechism of the Catholic Church: §§ 1720, 1989, 878

Just as at sea those who are carried away from the direction of the harbor bring themselves back on course by a clear sign, on seeing a tall beacon light or some mountain peak coming into view, so Scripture may guide those adrift on the sea of life back into the harbor of the divine will. —St. Gregory of Nyssa

36 posted on 01/26/2014 4:35:01 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Jesus is Passing By

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Pastor’s Column

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus' choice of Peter and Andrew seems almost an accident, doesn't it? Jesus just happens to be walking by the Sea of Galilee (Mt 4:12-23). Of course, he has made this area his home, at some distance from Nazareth where he grew up, but still in the northern part of the country.

Naturally, alongside this very productive lake are many fishermen. It is the most natural thing in the world to see. Peter, Andrew, James and John were in a fishing business together. They happened to be there when Jesus was passing by. Jesus watches them work, going about their daily tasks in life, going about their business.

And Jesus takes the initiative, engages them, calls them and their lives are never the same again.

Jesus is passing by. I think it is very significant that Jesus calls these first disciples while they are in the midst of their own lives and their work because this is also where Jesus wishes to engage us. This is where we will usually encounter Jesus, when we are going about the tasks that God has given us to do in life.

Sometimes we can think our lives are not important, our jobs lack meaning, our mission in life is nothing special; but this is not true with God! He makes use of everything. Everyone's role on earth is valuable in God’s plan.

Where has Christ passed by in your life today and were you able to recognize him? Will you be ready to say “yes” when he stops by to engage you in conversation or appears as someone you were not expecting?

While I was on vacation, I went to a Saturday evening Mass and sat in the pews. I don't get to do this very often. Here I am, a pastor incognito; nobody knows who I am. I looked a bit scruffy and a stranger. So what happens at the sign of peace? A man in front of me turns around (his wife does not) and I extend out my hand and say "peace". I get no hand--only a hard blank stare. OK. To the right of me is a couple who turn to greet each other profusely but who do not turn to greet me. To the left, another couple turned towards themselves. But you know Jesus was passing by all the same. A woman behind me, witnessing all this, tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a nice greeting along with a look of apology for what she had just witnessed. And Jesus was present in this greeting.

So each of us is called to make a difference right where we are in this world. Your role is very great. But it is a matter of keeping your eyes open and listening to the Holy Spirit right now. You may be slighted or overlooked by any number of people today but who really did give you Jesus?

He isn't going to appear as himself but he might appear as a stranger, incognito, looking for someone to be friendly. You can do that.

Remember, Jesus chose fishermen. Not theologians. Not professionals. No. People just like you and me. And that is the whole point.

Father Gary

37 posted on 01/26/2014 4:55:11 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

3rd Sunday -- To Preach, To Teach, To Heal

"I will make you fishers of men"

Sunday Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/012614.cfm

Is 8: 23 – 9:3
1 Cor 1: 10-13, 17
Mt 4: 12-23

Job descriptions are a very important requirement when hiring someone for a new position. They provide an explanation of duties and responsibilities of employment, a description of the expectations of the employer, and the type of work that is expected by the employee. All employers, including those in the Church, have them. The employee is given a time of initial service when they can indeed prove if they can meet the requirements of the job for which they were hired. No employer would simply hire someone without some description of their expectations.

While Jesus isn’t acting as an employer handing out job descriptions in today’s Gospel we hear him call four men from their familiar trade of fishing on the Sea of Galilee to take on a new position - something that would be well beyond what they are familiar with and something for which they will forever be remembered. He certainly doesn’t give any particulars related to his invitation. He calls out to them, in the midst of their fishing: “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” It’s an interesting play on words but a call that will forever change the direction of their lives. That’s all he says to begin with – he simply invites them to come and see.

Their reaction, according to St. Matthew, is immediate. Not rejection but acceptance of that call: “At once they left their nets and followed him.” Then Jesus doesn’t stop with them. He calls two more, also fishermen who undoubtedly Peter and Andrew knew – James and John, also brothers. Their response is the same: “. . . immediately they left their boat . . .”

Was fishing so bad that day they said to themselves: “Anything is better than this so let’s see what he has to offer.” While the Gospels are not written as historical biographies but rather as testimonies to faith, Matthew may more imply the inherent charisma of Jesus and the trust of the early disciples. Jesus' influence on people found him to be deeply mysterious and life giving. Fishing on the Sea of Galilee in ancient times was not a glorious job. In fact, it was a hard life; a life of subsistence from one meal to the next.

Yet, these brothers may have indeed had some success – not every fisherman had his own boat, nets, and the rest. Still, to what may have been a somewhat hopeful future for these men, Jesus’ call clearly had an influence on them. Far more than fish, Jesus’ invitation is a call to mission. To go from fishing for fish to fishing for men implied a new direction for one’s life. So there is the call, the response, and a new direction. To follow Jesus is a leap of faith. A call to conversion - a "metanoia" of new direction.

St. Paul in the second reading from Corinthians firmly reminds his early Christians to beware of personality cults which have drawn them away from their original call to follow Christ: “. . . each of you is saying, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas’ or ‘I belong to Christ’ . . .” Paul fears a divisive rather than a unified Christianity and knows that baptism has placed all in the same bond of unity with Christ Jesus himself as the only one whose mission we carry out.

The early disciples, later to become his Apostles, realized their special and privileged mission to carry on the work of preaching, teaching and healing in Jesus’ name that we hear of in the Gospel today: “He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.” As our Holy Father Pope Francis has reminded us time and time again that we are a missionary Church. And so it is our invitation where written on every baptism certificate is our job description – preach, teach, heal.

So the call is both specific, given to every one of us through baptism and universal as we see our lives part of the universal mission of the Church to bear witness to the Gospel.

Standing on street corners, on television or on radio all have their place in the spread of the Gospel. Our modern day technological abilities, as Pope Francis has said, are “a gift from God.” But not everyone, obviously, is called to such public fame. Still, the work of mission goes on.

In the everyday witness of our lives, conformed to the gospel, we preach his message of good news: at home, in the workplace, with one’s children and spouse, in our parish life, and especially in compassion to those in need. In the courage to stand up in love and invite others to “come and see” the Lord as Andrew did with Peter, we can teach. And in the many requests for prayer from others or volunteer time to help the elderly or sick we can heal. All as part of the mission which Jesus’ himself called us all into.

Our gathering at the Eucharist, then, is a gathering of missionary disciples around the Lord’s table as he welcomes us to share in his life and mission.

Almighty ever-living God,

direct our actions according to your good pleasure,

that in the name of your beloved Son

we may abound in good works.

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.

(Roman Missal - Collect of Sunday)

38 posted on 01/26/2014 5:09:06 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Insight Scoop

Jesus is not a mere fact, but a living invitation

"The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew" by Duccio (1311)

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, January 26, 2014 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Is 8:23-9:3
• Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
• 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17
• Mt 4:12-23

In the opening paragraphs of his encyclical on hope, Pope Benedict XVI observed that the Christian message of the Gospel is not just “informative”—that is, filled with good content—just also “performative.” This means that “the Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known—it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing. The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open” (Spe Salvi, par 2).

Sacred Scripture can be read in different ways. One way of reading it is to sift through its contents in order to gain information about, say, moral teachings, cultural artifacts, and historical facts. We can—and should—read the Gospels in order to learn about Jesus Christ. But many people read about Jesus and never believe He is the Son of God who came to save the world. On the contrary, many people who know the Bible quite well do not believe the information contained within it is true or even helpful. As Benedict wryly noted in his book, Jesus of Nazareth, there are some biblical scholars who spend much time and effort undermining and even attacking the content of Scripture.

The opening verses of Matthew 4, which come immediately prior to today’s Gospel reading, describe Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert. The evil one demonstrates how adept he is at quoting Scripture in an attempt to destroy Jesus. “The devil,” quipped Benedict, “proves to be a Bible expert who can quote the Psalm exactly” (Jesus of Nazareth, 35). Likewise, Jesus was often persecuted most intently by scribes whose lives were devoted to reading and interpreting the Law of Moses.

Today’s Gospel recounts that Jesus, following the temptation in the desert, withdrew to region of Galilee. He likely did this, on one hand, out of practical necessity, avoiding the possibility of being arrested and killed as John the Baptist had been. But Matthew explains that Jesus, in spending time in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, also brought light—that is, the good news about the Kingdom of heaven—to an area described in terms of “darkness” and “death.” Many centuries prior, around 900 B.C., these two regions, which were to the west and north of the Sea of Galilee, had been conquered by Syria. Nearly two hundred years later they were invaded and annexed by the Assyrians, and most the Jews residing there were taken into exile and replaced with pagan settlers.

It is estimated that in the time of Jesus about half of the population in Galilee was Gentile, hence the name “District of the Gentiles” used by Isaiah in today’s Old Testament reading. Into this land of darkness and death—most likely a reference to the pagan beliefs and practices common to those regions—came the light of Christ. The public ministry of Jesus began with the proclamation, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” It is the same message John the Baptist preached in the wilderness of Judea (Matt 3:1); the essential difference is the messenger. Whereas John proclaimed the Kingdom and the way of salvation, Jesus is the King and the way of salvation. John’s preaching was informative, but it could not ultimately perform what it pointed toward: the forgiveness of sins and the salvation of souls.

John’s Gospel indicates many of Jesus’ disciples had first been followers of John the Baptist (Jn 1:35-37). These men were probably somewhat familiar with Jesus prior to being called to be “fishers of men.” When the proper time came and they were called away from their boats and livelihood, they immediately followed. The message of Jesus was not, for them, merely information, but a way of living and being. The person of Jesus was not a mere fact, but a living invitation to come into saving communion with the King and His kingdom. Today, the Lord calls us as well—from darkness to light, from death to life, from being fishermen to becoming fishers of men.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the January 27, 2008, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

39 posted on 01/26/2014 5:14:00 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

Vultus Christi

Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Sunday, 26 January 2014 20:06

What matters above all else
is that you come to Me,
that you abide close to Me,
and that you have confidence in My merciful love for you.
There is nothing that can separate you from My love:
not your sins, nor your fears, nor your weaknesses,
nor your vain imaginings.
I am here for you:
to welcome you, to embrace you,
and to hold you quietly, in peace, against My Heart.
Let this be enough for you.
Do nor worry over how, or when, or in what form
I will speak to you.

Abandon yourself to My love,
and trust that I will never abandon you,
nor let you fall victim to the deceits of the Enemy.
Humility is the armour that frustrates and confounds the enemy.
Remain humble and trusting in My presence,
and the Enemy will have no way to poison your mind or your heart.

Take heart!
Trust in My love for you.
I will not abandon you.
I will never forsake you because you are Mine
and I have set My Heart upon you.
Do you think that I am fickle and unfaithful?
I am unchanging and nothing can change My will,for My will is the expression of My love,
and my love is everlasting.

There is no detail of your life that is unknown to Me,
and I see your life in the light of My Providence.
It is I who lead you, correct you, and keep you in the path
that I have prepared for you.
Be humble and trust in Me,and I will guard you.
I will provide for you.
I will show you the light that you need
to take the next step in obedience,
and in trust, and in abandonment to My Heart.

From In Sinu Iesu, The Journal of a Priest

40 posted on 01/26/2014 5:19:30 PM PST by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)

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