Posted on 08/25/2016 9:32:57 PM PDT by Salvation
St. Mark the Ascetic
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The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, |
Matthew | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Matthew 25 |
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1. | THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. | Tunc simile erit regnum cælorum decem virginibus : quæ accipientes lampades suas exierunt obviam sponso et sponsæ. | τοτε ομοιωθησεται η βασιλεια των ουρανων δεκα παρθενοις αιτινες λαβουσαι τας λαμπαδας αυτων εξηλθον εις απαντησιν του νυμφιου |
2. | And five of them were foolish, and five wise. | Quinque autem ex eis erant fatuæ, et quinque prudentes : | πεντε δε ησαν εξ αυτων φρονιμοι και αι πεντε μωραι |
3. | But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them: | sed quinque fatuæ, acceptis lampadibus, non sumpserunt oleum secum : | αιτινες μωραι λαβουσαι τας λαμπαδας αυτων ουκ ελαβον μεθ εαυτων ελαιον |
4. | But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. | prudentes vero acceperunt oleum in vasis suis cum lampadibus. | αι δε φρονιμοι ελαβον ελαιον εν τοις αγγειοις αυτων μετα των λαμπαδων αυτων |
5. | And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. | Moram autem faciente sponso, dormitaverunt omnes et dormierunt. | χρονιζοντος δε του νυμφιου ενυσταξαν πασαι και εκαθευδον |
6. | And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. | Media autem nocte clamor factus est : Ecce sponsus venit, exite obviam ei. | μεσης δε νυκτος κραυγη γεγονεν ιδου ο νυμφιος ερχεται εξερχεσθε εις απαντησιν αυτου |
7. | Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. | Tunc surrexerunt omnes virgines illæ, et ornaverunt lampades suas. | τοτε ηγερθησαν πασαι αι παρθενοι εκειναι και εκοσμησαν τας λαμπαδας αυτων |
8. | And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. | Fatuæ autem sapientibus dixerunt : Date nobis de oleo vestro, quia lampades nostræ extinguuntur. | αι δε μωραι ταις φρονιμοις ειπον δοτε ημιν εκ του ελαιου υμων οτι αι λαμπαδες ημων σβεννυνται |
9. | The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. | Responderunt prudentes, dicentes : Ne forte non sufficiat nobis, et vobis, ite potius ad vendentes, et emite vobis. | απεκριθησαν δε αι φρονιμοι λεγουσαι μηποτε ουκ αρκεση ημιν και υμιν πορευεσθε δε μαλλον προς τους πωλουντας και αγορασατε εαυταις |
10. | Now whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. | Dum autem irent emere, venit sponsus : et quæ paratæ erant, intraverunt cum eo ad nuptias, et clausa est janua. | απερχομενων δε αυτων αγορασαι ηλθεν ο νυμφιος και αι ετοιμοι εισηλθον μετ αυτου εις τους γαμους και εκλεισθη η θυρα |
11. | But at last come also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. | Novissime vero veniunt et reliquæ virgines, dicentes : Domine, domine, aperi nobis. | υστερον δε ερχονται και αι λοιπαι παρθενοι λεγουσαι κυριε κυριε ανοιξον ημιν |
12. | But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not. | At ille respondens, ait : Amen dico vobis, nescio vos. | ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αμην λεγω υμιν ουκ οιδα υμας |
13. | Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour. | Vigilate itaque, quia nescitis diem, neque horam. | γρηγορειτε ουν οτι ουκ οιδατε την ημεραν ουδε την ωραν εν η ο υιος του ανθρωπου ερχεται |
St. Elizabeth Bichier
Feast Day: August 26 Born: 1773 :: Died: 1838 Elizabeth was born in France and came from a very good family. Then during the time of the French Revolution, Elizabeth's family lost everything they owned. This was because the republicans were taking property from the nobility. But this intelligent young woman of nineteen studied law so she could fight her family's case in court. Being a good lawyer, she won the case and was able to save her family. The village shoemaker exclaimed: "All you have to do now is marry a good republican!" But Elizabeth had no intention of marrying anyone republican or noble. On the back of a picture of Our Lady, she had written: "I dedicate and consecrate myself to Jesus and Mary forever." Elizabeth soon joined the convent and became a nun, with the help of St. Andrew Fournet, she started a new religious order called the Daughters of the Cross. As a little girl, her favorite game was building castles in the sand. Many years later, this holy French woman had to take charge of building many convents for the Daughters of the Cross. "I guess building was meant to be my business," she joked, "since I started it so young!" This new order taught children and cared for the sick. Elizabeth would face any danger to help people. Once she found a tramp lying sick in a barn. She brought him to the convent hospital and did all she could for him until he died. The next morning the police chief came to tell her she could be arrested for sheltering a man who was a criminal. Elizabeth was unafraid. "I only did what you yourself would have done, sir," she said. "I found this poor sick man, and took care of him until he died. I am ready to tell the judge just what happened." ` Of course, the saint's honesty and charity won her great respect. People admired her straight, clear answers. By 1830, Elizabeth had opened over sixty convents. The order's co-founder, St. Andrew Fournet, died in 1834. St. Elizabeth wrote to the sisters, "This is our greatest and most sad loss." Then four years later St. Elizabeth died on August 26, 1838. |
Friday
August 26, 2016
Yours Are...
Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours, yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out to the earth, yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now. — St. Teresa of Avila
Year of Mercy Calendar for Today: Fast from secular music today.
The Stories of Our Lady of Czestochowa [Catholic Caucus]
Our Lady of Czestochowa [Catholic Caucus]
Catholic Word of the Day: CZESTOCHOWA, 06-02-10
3,000 Priests Pilgrimage in Czestochowa (Recall Clergy Killed During Wars, Communist Regime)
The Siege of Czestochowa
What a glorious trip! Pilgrimage to Czestochowa (they have just arrived!)
Friday, August 26
Liturgical Color: Green
Today the Church honors
Irenaeus and Abundius, martyrs
of the Valerian persecution.
Influenced by fellow politicians,
the Roman emperor ordered all
Christians to renounce their faith
and offer pagan sacrifice. Those
who refused were executed.
Old Calendar: St. Zephyrinus, pope and martyr; Our Lady of Czestochowa (Hist)
Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was the feast of St. Zephyrinus whose long pontificate was a period marked by the persecution of Septimus Severus, the struggle against heresy and the organization of the Christian community in Rome. In the person of the Pope the Roman Church asserted her claim as the appointed guardian of the true faith.
Today is also the feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa. According to tradition, the icon of Jasna Góra was painted by Luke the Evangelist on a tabletop built by Jesus himself, and the icon was discovered by St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine and collector of Christian relics in the Holy Land. The icon was then enshrined in the imperial city of Constantinople, according to the legend, where it remained for the next 500 years.
St. Zephyrinus
Commodus, looked favorably on the Christians at the onset of his reign. His son Caracalla had been raised by a Christian nurse, and the emperor himself had been cured of some ailment by a Christian. However, Severus later reversed his position toward the Christians, probably due to their unpopularity with the Roman pagans, and he issued a decree forbidding any person to become either a Jew or a Christian. The persecution commenced once again.
Zephyrinus was a Roman and the son of Habundius. Some sources indicate that his strength did not lie in leadership, but that he depended greatly on the more capable and practiced Calixtus, who, since his release from the labor mines, had been rehabilitated and devoted himself to the Church. Consequently, he was appointed archdeacon. Not only did he direct the lower clergy for Zephyrinus but he was also entrusted with the administration of the official cemetery which the Church now owned.
Heresy stormed the Church from all sides, but Zephyrinus adhered firmly to the doctrine set forth by the apostles. The excommunicated tanner Theodotus continued to teach that Christ was not the true Son of God. He had even gone so far as to set up his own church and place a paid bishop in residence. This bishop, called Natalius, had previously been tortured for confessing the true faith. According to legend, angels were sent to Natalius in visions to rebuke him for joining Theodotus, since Jesus did not want anyone who had suffered for Him to be cast out of the Church. Natalius appeared to have seen the light; he threw himself upon the mercy of Zephyrinus and begged to be pardoned. Natalius was readmitted to communion by the bishop of Rome after considerable penance.
Zephyrinus decreed that all ordinations, even those of mere clerics, be performed before the assembled clergy and laity.
Another heresy, called Modalism, taught by Praxeas, Noetus, and Sabellius, was brought to the attention of Zephyrinus. Followers of this theory obliterated the distinctions between the entities of the Trinity. Zephyrinus immediately condemned this, again citing the original teachings of the apostles.
Zephyrinus was said to have been martyred and was buried in his own cemetery on the Appian Way.
The Popes: A Papal History, J.V. Bartlett
Symbols: Monstrance; triple cross.
Our Lady of Czestochowa (The Black Madonna)
The image of Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the Black Madonna, was traditionally believed to have been painted by St. Luke the Evangelist on a cypress wood panel from a table used by the Holy Family in Nazareth. It was said to have been brought from Jerusalem by St. Helen and was enshrined in Constantinople for 500 years. It was given to a Greek princess married to a Ruthenian nobleman and it was housed in the royal palace at Belz in the Ukraine for the next 600 years. Art historians believe it is a Byzantine icon of the Hodigitria type dating from the 6th - 9th Century.
The image was brought to Poland in 1382 by Ladislaus of Opole who rescued the painting from Belz while escaping an attack by the Tartars who had damaged the painting with an arrow. On his way to Silesia, Ladislaus stopped to rest in the town of Czestochowa near the church on Jasna Góra (Bright Hill). He believed that it was Our Ladys desire for her image to remain in Czestochowa so he left the image at the church and invited the Pauline monks from Hungary to be its guardians.
On April 14, 1430, robbers, sometimes associated with the Hussites of Bohemia, looted the monastery and made three slashes on the face of Our Lady in an attempt to remove valuable stones, finally smashing the image into three pieces. In order to repair the icon, the original paint was removed and the icon was repainted. Although the icon was restored, the slashes in Our Ladys face remain visible today.
The image of Our Lady of Czestochowa is associated with several miraculous events. One of the most spectacular occurred in 1655 during the height of the Protestant Revolution. The Swedish Lutheran army invaded Poland winning victories over the city after city including Cracow and Warsaw. The Polish King fled the country. When the Swedish army came to Jasna Góra hoping to plunder the sacred site, the monks refused to surrender although they were greatly outnumbered. The following account is from the Polish historian Norman Davies as quoted in Warren Carrolls series on Christianity.
When negotiations brought no result the Swedes began a violent bombardment of the walls. Then, in order to spread fear among the defenders, they started to hurl blazing firebrands, setting the monasterys barn alight together with a great quantity of corn. Next, all around the monastery, they set up a camp with wooden palisades and gun emplacements But their attack had little effect. The walls were banked with earth on the inside, and only the cannon displaced a few bricks. Before long, the defenders opened fire in reply. The aim of their gunners was so accurate that after three hours the Swedes were obliged to pull back with great loss. Meanwhile, the inhabitants of houses adjacent to the monastery, where the enemy had found shelter, set their homes on fire, not counting the cost...
The Swedes renewed their attack on the 19th of November, the day of the Transfiguration of the Virgin the official printed a description of this siege, which records that bullets and missiles fell so thick on the church and tower that they seemed to be in flames. But the cannon balls bounced off the walls and tiles or flew over the church roof, causing no damage .Muller (the Swedish commander) was most angered by the monks, who would climb to the top of the tower and in full choir pour down pious hymns on his soldiers
Jasna Góra was not saved by men A thick mist screened the monastery from attack Muller himself saw a Lady in a shining robe on the walls, priming the cannon and tossing shells back in the direction from which they came He (General Muller) launched this last attack on Christmas Day, firing off all his guns in one salvo, and sending his entire army to storm the walls But at that very moment, he suffered a fatal accident. He was eating breakfast in a fairly distant house, and cursing Jasna Góra with blasphemies, when suddenly an iron shot penetrated the wall, knocked down all the plates, bottles and glasses from the table, scattered the guests, and struck him in the arm At last, in the night before St. Stephens Day, the Swedes started to drag the guns from their emplacements, to collect their equipment, and to direct their wagons in the direction of Klobuck Of course, no heretic will believe that cannon balls were repulsed from the walls of Jasna Góra by supernatural means but all that I have described is true.
The victory of Our Lady of Czestochowa at Jasna Góra turned the tide of the war. In 1656, the Polish King Jan Casimir proclaimed the Mother of God the Queen of the Polish Crown and the shrine at Jasna Góra, the Mount of Victory and the spiritual capital of Poland. In recognition of the miraculous image, Pope Clement XI donated a crown to be placed on the image in 1717. Thieves stole the bejeweled crown in 1909. Pope St. Pius X replaced the 1717 crown with a crown of gold.
Our Lady intervened again in 1920 when the Russian army was about to invade Warsaw. As they were about to cross the Vistula River on September 15th, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa appeared in the clouds over Warsaw and the Russian Army retreated. Shortly after this Miracle of the Vistula, in 1925, Pope Pius XI designated May 3rd as the feast day of Our Lady of Czestochowa.
After the liberation of Poland from Nazi occupation, 1.5 million people gathered at Jasna Góra in 1945 to rededicate the nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pope John Paul II visited the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa four times during his pontificate. Our Ladys intercession is credited with the liberation of Poland from Communist rule.
The holy painting enshrined at Czestochowa has been a lighthouse of hope during centuries of hardship and defeat. Today, the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa attracts millions of who love and honor Our Ladys intercession.
Excerpted from St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish
Why is She Black?
There have been reports for centuries of miraculous events such as spontaneous healings occuring to those who made a pilgrimage to the portrait. It is known as the Black Madonna because of the soot residue that discolors the painting. The soot is the result of centuries of votive lights and candles burning in front of the painting. With the decline of communism in Poland, pilgrimages to the Black Madonna have increased dramatically.
Excerpted from The Mary Page
21st Week in Ordinary Time
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
Whats the most absurd thing youve ever heard?
Perhaps its a joke told by a five-year-old who laughs so hard he cant even deliver the punch line—yet gets everyone laughing with him. Perhaps its a YouTube video of an animal acting like a human being or vice versa. Perhaps its something in the natural world: fish with brilliant colors that are invisible in deep water or a hard-to-classify animal like the platypus. Who says God doesnt have a sense of humor?
When the philosophers of Athens heard St. Pauls story about Jesus, they just couldnt make any sense of it either.
Think about this for a moment. If you had never heard the story before, could you imagine it? Think about the good Creator of the universe. How does he react when his creatures turn away from him and decide they can improve on the way he has made them? Instead of giving up, destroying them, and starting over, he intervenes again and again on their behalf. When all else fails, he takes an enormous risk. The immaterial, invisible God is born as a human child. The omnipotent Creator becomes helpless and dependent. Misunderstood and rejected by those he has come to rescue, he accepts a shameful death. And then, three days later, he returns, vibrantly, indisputably alive.
Could anything be more ridiculous from a human, practical point of view? Nothing can explain it except Gods unconditional love for us and his willingness to go to any extreme to win us back to himself. Nothing, that is, but the logic of divine love.
For Pope Francis, as well as for all of us who believe, the gospel story makes perfect sense. Thats because it follows what the Holy Father has called the logic of the cross, which is not primarily that of suffering and death, but rather that of love and of the gift of self which brings life.
If we get this divine joke, the only appropriate response is gratitude and celebration.
Father, I revel in your love for me. Thank you, Jesus, for coming to share every aspect of my life. Holy Spirit, your wisdom is beyond my imagining. Blessed Trinity, I rejoice in the surprise ending of the resurrection!
Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 10-11
Matthew 25:1-13
Daily Marriage Tip for August 26, 2016:
Enjoy dancing? Look up instructional videos on YouTube or consider taking lessons with your spouse. Plus, its great exercise!
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come to you again in prayer. Even though I cannot see you, I know through faith that you are present in my life. I hope in your promise to be with me. I love you, and I know you love me. Accept this prayer as a token of my love.
Petition: Lord, make me long for and strive to enter the kingdom of heaven.
1. A Severe Oil Shortage: The Gospel invites us to have oil for our lamps, that is, to be always ready for the coming of the Lord. He appears in moments and ways we do not expect and at all times throughout our day. The foolish virgins failed to anticipate when and how the Lord would come to them, and they were not prepared. So often we, too, get caught up in a thousand affairs and worries, and we can miss what is essential. We miss the presence of Christ in the people around us, in the circumstances in which we are living. Sometimes, Christ comes to us through some sacrifice or suffering; but we do not recognize him in it, and we reject it. We need to strengthen our faith and see how the Lord may appear in our lives.
2. The Door Closes: Over and over in the New Testament, Jesus makes clear that there is a real possibility some people, due to their own choices, may not be saved. The most terrible thing that could happen to any person would be to hear those words from the Lord who created us and died to save us: I do not know you. The Lord takes our freedom to choose very seriously. He never forces our will. He never imposes himself on us. Rather he invites us to make a free response of love and obedience to him and the way of life he taught us. We must choose to remain steadfast in the way of the Christian life. God cannot save us without our cooperation.
3. Stay Awake: Saint Augustine said, Beware of the grace of God that passes and does not return. We need to perceive Gods presence in the little things of each day and never let the opportunity to love and serve him pass us by. Our faith must be ready and watching for him. If we take him for granted, or presume that we are already saved, we can miss our chance to be with him.
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, thank you for teaching us so clearly about the seriousness of our choices. How terrible it would be to opt for death instead of eternal life with you! I want to choose you and your ways, but I am weak. Make me watch and wait always, ready to see you in all things and do your will.
Resolution: I will actively look for signs of Christ in others today.
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