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Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings, 09-24-17, Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 09-24-17 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 09/23/2017 8:48:50 PM PDT by Salvation

September 24, 2017

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Is 55:6-9

Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

R. (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.
R. The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Reading 2 Phil 1:20c-24, 27a

Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me.
And I do not know which I shall choose.
I am caught between the two.
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better.
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.

Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ.

Alleluia Cf. Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Open our hearts, O Lord,
to listen to the words of your Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 20:1-16a

Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner
who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o'clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.'
So they went off.
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o'clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."




TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; mt20; ordinarytime; prayer; saints
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Arlington Catholic Herald

Just or generous?

Fr. Stanley J. Krempa
9/20/17

Gospel Commentary Mt 20:1-16a

Some people, maybe even many, are puzzled by today’s Gospel parable. When we hear this story told by Jesus, we focus on the seeming injustice of those who worked for only one hour being paid the same as those who worked for a full day. The thrust of this parable, however, is not on justice but on God’s generosity even to the latecomer.

There is a joyous Easter homily by St. John Chrysostom that says in part, “If anyone has labored from the first hour, let them today receive the just reward. If anyone has come at the third hour, with thanksgiving let them feast. If anyone has arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; or they will suffer no loss. If anyone has delayed until the ninth hour, let them not fear on the account of tardiness … For the Master … has mercy upon the last and cares for the first … enter all of you, therefore, into the joy of our Lord, and whether first or last, receive your reward.”

The point is not how long they answered the call when it came. The call of the Lord to us to work in the vineyard can come at all the seasons of our life. It may come when we are young or in middle age. It may come in our senior years or even at the last moments. That call is proportionate to our ability and energy.

Our God is a generous God. There is a time for justice when the judgment comes. But now, in this life, is the time and season of mercy. We all need to ask ourselves these questions.

The first is whether we want God with a “hair trigger” sending punishment in the wake of every sin? How many saints would have survived the vagaries of their youth to be able to experience the conversion of life that led to their becoming saints if God had not been generous?

What about ourselves? Do we seek justice ahead of mercy? We know that for ourselves, we want mercy. We expect it. We depend upon it. We plan on it. Are we willing to be generous to others as the Lord is to us?

As has been said many times, we are a materially generous people. We have seen the outpouring of help given to victims in times of natural disasters. Are we willing to be as generous when it comes to forgiveness, patience, tolerance and understanding? It is much easier to give someone a coat rather than to give a second chance. It is much easier to give a check rather than an encouraging word. It is much easier to give someone in need a box of dry goods rather than to volunteer three hours of our time.

This parable speaks about God’s generosity to those who answer His call at whatever hour that call may come.

Are we willing to be generous to others as God is to us? The confessional that is found in every church is a reminder of God’s generosity to us at whatever hour of life we answer the call.

Fr. Krempa is pastor of St. Bridget of Ireland Church in Berryville.


21 posted on 09/23/2017 9:21:55 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

http://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyMass/gospels.asp?key=141

Year A - 25th Sunday in ordinary time

Why be envious because I am generous?
Matthew 20:1-16
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
4 and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went.
5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same.
6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’
7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’
8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’
9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.
10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.
11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner,
12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’
13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.
15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (NRSV)

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
In the parable of the laborers for the vineyard and also in the parable of the prodigal son, I want to stress the great Divine Mercy, so that you take it as the model for your generosity and mercy.

It is so easy to receive and indeed you receive so much daily, in fact you have been receiving daily all of your life. But when it comes to give, everyone becomes mean and possessive, then generosity is given with restrain. This is not what I teach, since I teach by my actions. I am the giver of all gifts.

I have said “give and you shall be given, be merciful and mercy will be shown to you“; so whatever you do for the least of my brothers will receive a reward. I assure you, you will always be rewarded for your generosity.

Whatever work you do in my kingdom will be repaid according to my mercy, not according to your measure. I forgave the thief on the cross who accepted me as his savior and who asked me to remember him when I entered my kingdom. He received the great gift that many virtuous men seek so eagerly and at such a cost with a simple act of faith and humility.

You should rejoice and be glad because of my great mercy. I died on the cross to forgive everyone who comes to me with sincerity, asking pardon for their sins and with a desire to amend their lives.

I don’t discriminate sinners, on the contrary, I have died for them and I would die again if it were necessary to bring them to me. I am the savior of the world, my job is to forgive and to save, I want everyone to benefit from my mercy, I want everyone to be saved.

The only condition for my salvation is humble repentance. I am willing to save even those to whom the world condemns; I am the God of the outcast, the rejected, the poor, and the sinful who are desperately in need of conversion.

For this reason I call everyone to be generous as I am generous, to help others as I help everyone. Share with others as much as you can, pray for sinners so that they also obtain the rewards that you yourself expect, do not discriminate, do not underestimate anyone.

At the last moment there will be great confusion, because some who expected to be first will be last and the last will be the first.

In the meantime work diligently for the kingdom of heaven. Be good without measure, when you have to do something for someone remember that you are doing it for me, when you see someone in need do not hesitate to help. Now you know that whatever you do for others you will be doing it for me. So, love one another as I have loved you.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary


22 posted on 09/23/2017 9:25:04 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Archdiocese of Washington

Dimensions of Discipleship - A Homily for the 25th Sunday of the Year

September 23, 2017

credit: זלדה10, wikimedia

What Jesus teaches in this Sunday’s Gospel is one of those parables that rock our world and challenge our worldly way of thinking. Frankly, that is one of its purposes. We are tempted to side with the laborers who worked the longest, thinking that their being paid the same amount as those who worked only for an hour is unfair.

Think very carefully before asking God to be “fair.” What we really should ask of God is that He be merciful, for if He were fair, we’d all be in Hell right now. We have no innate capacity to stand before God in pure justice; we simply cannot measure up. It is only grace and mercy that will win the day for us. So be very careful about challenging God’s fairness. In fact, when we see Him being merciful to someone else, we ought to rejoice, for it means that we might stand a chance.

There are other aspects of this Gospel that are important to learn from, in particular, the various dispositions of discipleship. As the parable unfolds, we can see five teachings. Let’s consider each in turn.

I. The AVAILABILITY of Discipleship – The text says, A landowner went at dawn to hire laborers to work in his field … He went later and found others standing idle … “Why do you stand here all day idle?”

What are described here are “day workers” or “day laborers.” These were men who stood in public places hoping to be hired for the day. It was and still is a tough life. If you worked, you ate; if you didn’t, you might have little or nothing to eat. They were hired on a day-to-day basis, only when needed. This is a particularly burdensome form of poverty for its uncertainty and instability. Men like these were and are the poorest of the poor.

Notice, however, that their poverty, their hunger, makes them available. Each morning they show up and are ready, available to be hired. Their poverty also motivates them to seek out the landowner and indicate that they are ready and willing to work. The well-fed and the otherwise employed do not show up; they are not available. There’s something about poverty that makes these men available. Because their cup is empty, it is able to be filled.

We are these men. We are the poor who depend upon God for everything. Sometimes we don’t want to admit it, but we are. Every now and then it is made plain to us how poor, vulnerable, and needy we really are; this tends to make us seek God. In our emptiness, poverty, and powerlessness, suddenly there is room for God. Suddenly our glass, too often filled with the world, is empty enough for God to find room. In our pain we stand ready for God to usher us into the vineyard of His Kingdom. An old gospel song says, “Lord, I’m available to you; my storage is empty and I’m available to you.” It is our troubles that make us get up and go out with the poor to seek the Lord and be available to Him. When things are going too well, heaven knows where we are to be found! Another gospel song says, “Lord don’t move my mountain but give me the strength to climb it. Don’t take away my stumbling blocks but lead me all around, ’cause Lord when my life gets a little too easy, you know I tend to stray from thee.

Yes, we might wish for a trouble-free life, but then where would we be? Would we seek the Lord? Would we make ourselves available to God? Would we ever call on Him?

II. The AUTHORITY of Discipleship – The text says, The LandOWNER said, “Go into my vineyard” … HE sent them into HIS vineyard.

Notice that it is the landowner who calls the shots. Too many who call themselves the Lord’s disciples rush into His vineyard with great ideas and grand projects that they have never really asked God about. This passage teaches us that entrance into the vineyard requires the owner’s permission. If we expect to see fruits (payment for the work) at the end of the day, we have to be on the list of “approved workers.”

Fruitful discipleship is based on a call from the Lord. Scripture says, Unless the Lord builds the House, they that labor to build it labor in vain (Ps 127:1). Too many people run off and get married, take new jobs, accept promotions, start projects, and so forth without ever asking God.

True discipleship requires the Lord’s to call us first: “Go into my vineyard.” Got a bright idea? Ask God first. Discern His call with the Church and a good spiritual director, guide, or pastor.

III. The ALLOTMENT of Discipleship – The text says, The vineyard owner came at dawn, 9:00 AM, Noon, 3:00 PM, and 5:00 PM.

We may wonder why God calls some early and others late; it’s none of our business. He does call at different times. Even those whom He calls early are not always asked to do everything right now. There is a timing to discipleship.

Moses thought he was ready at age 40, and in his haste murdered a man. God said, “Not now!” and made him wait until he was 80.

Sometimes we’ve got something we want to do but the Lord says, “Not yet.” We think, “But Lord, this is a great project and many will benefit!” But the Lord says, “Not yet.” We say, “But Lord, I’m ready to do it now!” And the Lord says, “Not yet.”

Sometimes we think we’re ready, but we’re really not. An old gospel song says, “God is preparing me. He’s preparing me for something I cannot handle right now. He’s making me ready, just because he cares. He’s providing me with what I’ll need to carry out the next matter in my life. God is preparing me. Just because he cares for me. He’s maturing me, arranging me, realigning my attitude. He’s training me, teaching me, tuning me, purging me, pruning me. He’s preparing me.”

IV. The ABIDING of Discipleship – The text says, When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to the foreman, “… summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.”

Notice that the wages are paid in the evening and in the order determined by the landowner. The lesson is simple: we’ve got to stay in the vineyard. Some people start things but do not finish them. If you’re not there at the end of the day, there’s no pay.

Scripture says that we must persevere. Here are three passages carrying this message: But he who perseveres to the end will be saved (Mat 24:13). To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life (Rom 2:7). You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised (Heb 10:36).

Yes, we must work until evening comes. Saying that we had faith and received all our sacraments when we were young will not suffice. We have to work until evening. An old spiritual says, “Some go to Church for to sing and shout, before six months they’s all turned out.” How about you?

V. The ASSESSMENT of Discipleship – The text says, Those hired first grumbled … “We bore the heat of the day and burdens thereof.”

The workers hired early think of their entrance into the vineyard and its labors as a “burden.” The vineyard, of course, is really the Kingdom of God. Many lukewarm “cradle Catholics” consider the faith to be a burden; they think that sinners “have all the fun.” Never mind that such thinking is completely perverse; it is held by many anyway, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Consider the laborers hired last. Were they having a picnic? Not exactly. Most were resigning themselves to the fact that they and their families would have little or nothing to eat that night. Similarly, most sinners are not “living the life of Riley.” Repeated, lifelong sin brings much grief: disease, dissipation of wealth, regret, loss of family, and addiction. No matter what they tell you, sinners do not have all the fun.

Further, being a Christian is not a burden. If we accept it, we receive a whole new life from Christ: a life of freedom, purity, simplicity, victory over sin, joy, serenity, vision, and destiny.

How do you view the Christian life? Is it a gift, a treasure beyond compare no matter its difficulties? Or is it a burden, a bearing of labor in the heat of the day? Scripture says, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God. The passage goes on to describe our “works” not as burdens but as something God enables us to do: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Eph 2:8-10).

So these are five dispositions of discipleship, as taught by the Lord in this parable.

Note well what the Lord teaches, for too often we want to decide what it means to be a disciple. Beware, for the worst kind of disciple is the one who gets out ahead of the Lord and tries to define his or her own role. Jesus is Lord; let Him lead. Here are some final questions for you: Are you a disciple who is glad at being called, the earlier the better? Or are you like the disciples who grumbled at having to do all the work in the heat of the day? Is discipleship delightful or dreary for you?

The song in the video below says, “I’m available to you.” It reminds us that the owner still seeks souls to enter His vineyard. He wants to use your voice to say to someone, “You, too, go into my vineyard!”

23 posted on 09/23/2017 9:37:18 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Video
24 posted on 09/23/2017 9:41:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Sunday Gospel Reflections

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Isaiah 55:6-9 II: Philipians 1:20-24,27


Gospel
Matthew 20:1-16

1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place;
4 and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went.
5 Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.'
8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'
9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.
10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius.
11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder,
12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you.
15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'
16 So the last will be first, and the first last."


Interesting Details
One Main Point

Jesus confirmed the generosity and grace of God: the Kingdom of God is meant for all those who accept His preaching and follow him to build the kingdom.


Reflections
  1. Examine your attitude in responding to God's calling. Are you doing it because of love, or because of expected rewards that God has to pay you? Contemplate the generosity of God through all the graces that He has bestowed upon you, including the grace of salvation through His Son Jesus. Compare God's grace with the value of all the works that you have done for Christ, how would one need to reward the other to be fair?
  2. Sometimes you became arrogant because you believe that God has favored you over those of other religions, or over not so pious Christians. Perhaps you are those first workers who expect to be rewarded better than others, and you are obsessively contemplating those rewards. Contemplate your attitude in responding to Christ to fulfill your mission.
  3. How did, or would you react when you perceived that God is more generous with others? Put you in place of the first workers, and contemplate your feeling and the way that you should react.

25 posted on 09/23/2017 9:46:25 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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'I resolve to foster fraternal charity in myself and in others. Therefore I resolve to take care never to say an unkind word. I resolve to bear up patiently with the defects and weaknesses of others, and as far as possible to hide them with the mantle of charity unless I am in duty bound to manifest them to someone who is in a position to correct them.'

St. Conrad of Parzham, resolutions in the novitiate

26 posted on 09/23/2017 9:48:52 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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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. 


"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) 

 "Blessed are you among women,
 and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42). 


27 posted on 09/23/2017 9:50:16 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Matthew
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Matthew 20
1 THE kingdom of heaven is like to an householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. Simile est regnum cælorum homini patrifamilias, qui exiit primo mane conducere operarios in vineam suam. ομοια γαρ εστιν η βασιλεια των ουρανων ανθρωπω οικοδεσποτη οστις εξηλθεν αμα πρωι μισθωσασθαι εργατας εις τον αμπελωνα αυτου
2 And having agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Conventione autem facta cum operariis ex denario diurno, misit eos in vineam suam. και συμφωνησας μετα των εργατων εκ δηναριου την ημεραν απεστειλεν αυτους εις τον αμπελωνα αυτου
3 And going about the third hour, he saw others standing in the market place idle. Et egressus circa horam tertiam, vidit alios stantes in foro otiosos, και εξελθων περι τριτην ωραν ειδεν αλλους εστωτας εν τη αγορα αργους
4 And he said to them: Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just. et dixit illis : Ite et vos in vineam meam, et quod justum fuerit dabo vobis. και εκεινοις ειπεν υπαγετε και υμεις εις τον αμπελωνα και ο εαν η δικαιον δωσω υμιν
5 And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner. Illi autem abierunt. Iterum autem exiit circa sextam et nonam horam : et fecit similiter. οι δε απηλθον παλιν εξελθων περι εκτην και ενατην ωραν εποιησεν ωσαυτως
6 But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he saith to them: Why stand you here all the day idle? Circa undecimam vero exiit, et invenit alios stantes, et dicit illis : Quid hic statis tota die otiosi ? περι δε την ενδεκατην ωραν εξελθων ευρεν αλλους εστωτας αργους και λεγει αυτοις τι ωδε εστηκατε ολην την ημεραν αργοι
7 They say to him: Because no man hath hired us. He saith to them: Go you also into my vineyard. Dicunt ei : Quia nemo nos conduxit. Dicit illis : Ite et vos in vineam meam. λεγουσιν αυτω οτι ουδεις ημας εμισθωσατο λεγει αυτοις υπαγετε και υμεις εις τον αμπελωνα και ο εαν η δικαιον ληψεσθε
8 And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward: Call the labourers and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first. Cum sero autem factum esset, dicit dominus vineæ procuratori suo : Voca operarios, et redde illis mercedem incipiens a novissimis usque ad primos. οψιας δε γενομενης λεγει ο κυριος του αμπελωνος τω επιτροπω αυτου καλεσον τους εργατας και αποδος αυτοις τον μισθον αρξαμενος απο των εσχατων εως των πρωτων
9 When therefore they were come, that came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. Cum venissent ergo qui circa undecimam horam venerant, acceperunt singulos denarios. και ελθοντες οι περι την ενδεκατην ωραν ελαβον ανα δηναριον
10 But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more: and they also received every man a penny. Venientes autem et primi, arbitrati sunt quod plus essent accepturi : acceperunt autem et ipsi singulos denarios. ελθοντες δε οι πρωτοι ενομισαν οτι πλειονα ληψονται και ελαβον και αυτοι ανα δηναριον
11 And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house, Et accipientes murmurabant adversus patremfamilias, λαβοντες δε εγογγυζον κατα του οικοδεσποτου
12 Saying: These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats. dicentes : Hi novissimi una hora fecerunt, et pares illos nobis fecisti, qui portavimus pondus diei, et æstus. λεγοντες οτι ουτοι οι εσχατοι μιαν ωραν εποιησαν και ισους ημιν αυτους εποιησας τοις βαστασασιν το βαρος της ημερας και τον καυσωνα
13 But he answering said to one of them: Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny? At ille respondens uni eorum, dixit : Amice, non facio tibi injuriam : nonne ex denario convenisti mecum ? ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν ενι αυτων εταιρε ουκ αδικω σε ουχι δηναριου συνεφωνησας μοι
14 Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give to this last even as to thee. Tolle quod tuum est, et vade : volo autem et huic novissimo dare sicut et tibi. αρον το σον και υπαγε θελω δε τουτω τω εσχατω δουναι ως και σοι
15 Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? is thy eye evil, because I am good? Aut non licet mihi quod volo, facere ? an oculus tuus nequam est, quia ego bonus sum ? η ουκ εξεστιν μοι ποιησαι ο θελω εν τοις εμοις ει ο οφθαλμος σου πονηρος εστιν οτι εγω αγαθος ειμι
16 So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen. Sic erunt novissimi primi, et primi novissimi. Multi enim sunt vocati, pauci vero electi. ουτως εσονται οι εσχατοι πρωτοι και οι πρωτοι εσχατοι πολλοι γαρ εισιν κλητοι ολιγοι δε εκλεκτοι

28 posted on 09/24/2017 7:43:17 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
1. For the kingdom of heaven is like to a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.
2. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market-place,
4. And said to them; Go you also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
5. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
6. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why stand you here all the day idle?
7. They say to him, Because no man has hired us. He said to them, Go you also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall you receive.
8. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last to the first.
9. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
10. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
11. And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house,
12. Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and you has made them equal to us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do you no wrong: did not you agree with me for a penny?
14. Take what is yours, and go your way: I will give to this last, even as to you.
15. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own? Is your eye evil, because I am good?
16. So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

REMIG; To establish the truth of this saying, There are many, first that shall be last, and last first, the Lord subjoins a similitude.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; The Master of the household is Christ, whose house are the heavens and the earth; and the creatures of the heavens, and the earth, and beneath the earth, his family. His vineyard is righteousness, in which are set divers sorts of righteousness as vines, as meekness, chastity, patience, and the other virtues; all of which are called by one common name righteousness. Men are the cultivators of this vineyard, whence it is said, Who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. For God placed His righteousness in our senses, not for His own but for our benefit. Know then that we are the hired laborers.

But as no man gives wages to a laborer, to the end he should do nothing save only to eat, so likewise we were not thereto called by Christ, that we should labor such things only as pertain to our own good, but to the glory of God. And like as the hired laborer looks first to his task, and after to his daily food, so ought we to mind first those things which concern the glory of God, then those which concern our own profit. Also as the hired laborer occupies the whole day in his Lord's work, and takes but a single hour for his own meal; so ought we to occupy our whole life in the glory of God, taking but a very small portion of it for the uses of this world. And as the hired laborer when he has done no work is ashamed that day to enter the house, and ask his food; how should not you be ashamed to enter the church, and stand before the face of God, when you have done nothing good in the sight of God?

GREG; Or; The Master of the household, that is, our Maker, has a vineyard, that is, the Church universal, which has borne so many stocks, as many saints as it has put forth from righteous Abel to the very last saint who shall be born in the end of the world. To instruct this His people as for the dressing of a vineyard, the Lord has never ceased to send out His laborers; first by the Patriarchs, next by the teachers of the Law, then by the Prophets, and at the last by the Apostles, He has toiled ill the cultivation of His vineyard; though every man, in whatsoever measure or degree he has joined good action with right faith, has been a laborer in the vineyard.

ORIGEN; For the whole of this present life may be called one day, long to us, short compared to the existence of God.

GREG; The morning is that age of the world which was from Adam and Noah, and therefore it is said, Who went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. The terms of their hiring He adds, And when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day.

ORIGEN; The denarius I suppose here to mean salvation.

REMIG; A denarius was a coin anciently equal to ten sesterces, and bearing the king's image. Well therefore does the denarius represent the reward of the keeping of the decalogue. And that, Having agreed with them for a denarius a day, is well said, to show that every man labors in the field of the holy Church in hope of the future reward.

GREG. The third hour is the period from Noah to Abraham; of which it is said, And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the market-place idle.

ORIGEN; The market-place is all that is without the vineyard, that is, without the Church of Christ.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; For in this world men live by buying and selling, and gain their support by defrauding each other.

GREG; He that lives to himself, and feeds on the delights of the flesh, is lightly accused as idle, forasmuch as he does not seek the fruit of godly labor.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Or; The idle are not sinners, for they are called dead. But he is idle who w works not the work of God. Do you desire to be not idle? Take not that which is another's; and give of that which is your own, and you have labored in the Lord's vineyard, cultivating the vine of mercy. It follows, And he said to them, Go you also into my vineyard. Observe that it is with the first alone that He agrees upon the sum to be given, a denarius; the others are hired on no express stipulation, but What is right I will give you. For the Lord knowing that Adam would fall, and that all should hereafter perish in the deluge, made conditions for him, that he should never say that he therefore neglected righteousness, because he knew not what reward he should have. But with the rest He made no contract, seeing He was prepared to give more than the laborers could hope.

ORIGEN; Or, He did not call upon the laborers of the third hour for a complete task, but left to their own choice, how much they should work. For they might perform in the vineyard work equal to that of those who had wrought since the morning, if they chose to put forth upon their task an operative energy, such as had not yet been exerted.

GREG; The sixth hour is that from Abraham to Moses, the ninth that from Moses to the coming of the Lord.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; These two hours are coupled together, because in the sixth and ninth it was that He called the generation of the Jews, and multiplied to publish His testaments among men, whereas the appointed time of salvation now drew nigh.

GREG; The eleventh hour is that from the coming of the Lord to the end of the world. The laborer in the morning, at the third, sixth, and ninth hours, denotes the ancient Hebrew people, which in its elect from the very beginning of the world, while it zealously and with right faith served the Lord, ceased not to labor in the husbandry of the vineyard. But at the eleventh the Gentiles are called. For they who through so many ages of the world had neglected to labor for their living, were they who had stood the whole day idle.

But consider their answer; They say to him, Because no man has hired us; for neither Patriarch nor Prophet had come to them. And what is it to say, No man has hired us, but to say, None has preached to us the way of life.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; For what is our hiring, and the wages of that hiring? The promise of eternal life; for the Gentiles knew neither God, nor God's promises.

HILARY; These then are sent into the vineyard, Go you also into my vineyard.

RABAN; But when they had rendered their day's task, at the fitting time for payment, When even was come, that is, when the day of this world was drawing to its close.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Consider, He gives the reward not the next morning, but in the evening. Thus the judgment shall take place while this world is still standing, and each man shall receive that which is due to him. This is on two accounts. First, because the happiness of the world to come is to be itself the reward of righteousness; so the award is made before, and not in that world. Secondly, that sinners may not behold the blessedness of that day, The Lord said to his steward, that is, the Son to the Holy Spirit.

GLOSS; Or, if you choose, the Father said to the Son; for the Father wrought by the Son, and the Son by the Holy Spirit, not that there is any difference of substance, or majesty.

ORIGEN; Or; The Lord said to his steward, that is, to one of the Angels who was set over the payment of the laborers; or to one of those many guardians, according to what is written, that The heir as long as he is a child is under tutors and governors.

REMIG; Or, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the master of the household, and also the steward, like as He is the door, and also the keeper of the door. For He Himself will come to judgment, to render to each man according to that he has done. He therefore calls His laborers, and renders to them their wages, so that when they shall be gathered together in the judgment, each man shall receive according to his works.

ORIGEN; But the first laborers having the witness through faith have not received the promise of God, the lord of the household providing some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. And because we have obtained mercy, we hope to receive the reward first, we, that is, who are Christ's, and after us they that wrought before us; wherefore it is said, Call the labors, and give them their hire, beginning from the last to the first.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; For we always give more willingly, where we give without return, seeing it is for our own honor that we give. Therefore God in giving reward to all the saints shows himself just; in giving to us, merciful; as the Apostle speaks, That the Gentiles might glorify for his mercy; and thence it is said, Beginning from the last even to the first. Or surely that God may show His inestimable mercy, He first rewards the last and more unworthy, and afterwards the first; for of His great mercy He regarded not order of merit.

AUG; Or; The lesser are therefore taken as first, because the lesser are to be made rich.

GREG; They get alike a denarius who have wrought since the eleventh hour, (for they sought it with their whole soul,) and who have wrought since the first. They, that is, who were called from the beginning of the world have alike received the reward of eternal happiness, with those who come to the Lord in the end of the world.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; And this not with injustice. For he who was born in the first period of the world, lived no longer than the determined time of his life, and what harm was it to him, though the world continued after his leaving it? And they that shall be born towards its close will not live less than the days that are numbered to them. And how does it cut their labor shorter, that the world is speedily ended, when they have accomplished their thread of life before? Moreover it is not of man to be born sooner or later, but of the power of God. Therefore he that is born first cannot claim to himself a higher place, nor ought he to be held in contempt that was born later.

And when they had received it, they murmured against the good man of the house, saying. But if this we have said be true, that both first and last have lived their own time, and neither more nor less; and that each man's death is his consummation,

what means this that they say, We have born the burden and heat of the day? Because to know that the end of the world is at hand is of great force to make us do righteousness. Wherefore Christ in His love to us said, The kingdom of heaven shall draw nigh. Whereas it was a weakening of them to know that the duration of the world was to be yet long. So that though they did not indeed live through the whole of time, they seem in a manner to have borne its weight. Or, by the burden of the day is meant the burdensome precepts of the Law; and the heat may be that consuming temptation to error which evil spirits contrived for them, stirring them to imitate the Gentiles; from all which things the Gentiles were exempt, believing on Christ, and by grace being saved completely.

GREG; Or; To bear the burden and heat of the day, is to be wearied through a life of long duration with the heats of the flesh. But it may be asked, How can they be said to murmur, when they are called to the kingdom of heaven? For none who murmurs shall receive the kingdom, and none who receives that can murmur.

CHRYS; But we ought not to pursue through every particular the circumstances of a parable; but enter into its general scope, and seek nothing further. This then is not introduced in order to represent some as moved with envy, but to exhibit the honor that shall be given us as so great as that it might stir the jealousy of others.

GREG; Or because the old fathers down to the Lord's coming, notwithstanding their righteous lives, were not brought to the kingdom, this murmur is theirs. But we who have come at the eleventh hour, do not murmur after our labors, forasmuch as having come into this world after the coming of the Mediator, we are brought to the kingdom as soon as ever we depart out of the body.

JEROME; Or, all that were called of old envy the Gentiles, and are pained at the grace of the Gospel.

HILARY; And this murmur of the laborers corresponds with the forwardness of this nation, which even in the time of Moses were stiff-necked.

REMIG; By this one to whom his answer is given, may be understood all the believing Jews, whom he calls friends because of their faith.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Their complaint was not that they were defrauded of their rightful recompense, but that the others had received more than they deserved. For the envious have as much pain at others' success as at their own loss. From which it is clear, that envy flows from vain glory. A man is grieved to be second, because he wishes to be first. He removes this feeling of envy by saying, Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

JEROME; A denarius bears the figure of the king. You have therefore received the reward which I promised you, that is, my image and likeness; what desires you more? And yet it is not that thou should have more, but that another should have less that you seek. Take that is yours, and go your way.

REMIG; That is, take your reward, and enter into glory. I will give to this last, that is, to the gentile people, according to their deserts, as to you.

ORIGEN; Perhaps it is to Adam He says, Friend, I do you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours, and go your way. Salvation is yours, that is, the denarius. I will give to this last also as to you. A person might not improbably suppose, that this last was the Apostle Paul, who wrought but one hour, and was made equal with all who had been before him.

AUG. Because that life eternal shall be equal to all the saints, a denarius is given to all; but forasmuch as in that life eternal the light of merits shall shine diversely, there are with the Father many mansions; so that under this same denarius bestowed unequally one shall not live longer than another, but in the many mansions one shall shine with more splendor than another.

GREG; And because the attainment of this kingdom is of the goodness of His will, it is added, Is it not lawful, for me to do what I will with my own? For it is a foolish complaint of man to murmur against the goodness of God. For complaint is not when a man gives not what he is not bound to give, but if he gives not what he is bound to give; whence it is added, Is your eye evil because I am good?

REMIG; By the eye is understood his purpose. The Jews had an evil eye, that is, an evil purpose, seeing they were grieved at the salvation of the Gentiles. Whereto this parable pointed, He shows by adding, So the first shall be last, and the last first; and so the Jews of the head are become the tail, and we of the tail are become the head.

PSEUDO-CHRYS; Or; He says the first shall be last, and the last first, not that the last are to be exalted before the first, but that they should be put on an equality, so that the difference of time should make no difference in their station. That He says, For many are called, but few chosen, is not to be taken of the elder saints, but of the Gentiles; for of the Gentiles who were called being many, but few were chosen.

GREG; There be very many come to the faith, yet but few arrive at the heavenly kingdom; many follow God in words, but shun Him in their lives. Whereof spring two things to be thought upon. The first, that none should presume ought concerning himself; for though he be called to the faith, he knows not whether he shall be chosen to the kingdom. Secondly, that none should despair of his neighbor, even though he see him lying in vices; because he knows not the riches of the Divine mercy.

Or otherwise. The morning is our childhood; the third hour may be understood as our youth, the sun as it were mounting to his height is the advance of the heat of age; the sixth hour is manhood, when the sun is steady in his meridian height, representing as it were the maturity of strength; by the ninth is understood old age, in which the sun descends from his vertical height, as our age falls away from the fervor of youth; the eleventh hour is that age which is called decrepit, and doting.

CHRYS; That He called not all of them at once, but some in the morning, some at the third hour, and so forth, proceeded from the difference of their minds. He then called them when they would obey; as He also called the thief when he would obey. Whereas they say, Because no man has hired us, we ought not to force a sense out of every particular in a parable. Further, it is the laborers and not the Lord who speak thus; for that He, as far as it pertains to Him, calls all men from their earliest years, is shown in this, He went out early in the morning to hire labors.

GREG; They then who have neglected till extreme old age to live to God, have stood idle to the eleventh hour, yet even these the master of the household calls, and oftentimes gives them their reward before other, inasmuch as they depart out of the body into the kingdom before those that seemed to be called in their childhood.

ORIGEN; But this, Why stand you here all the day idle? is not said to such as having begun in the spirit, have been made perfect by the flesh, as inviting them to return again, and to live in the Spirit. This we speak not to dissuade prodigal sons, who have consumed their substance of evangelic doctrine in riotous living, from returning to their father's house; but because they are not like those who sinned in their youth, before they had learnt the things of the faith.

CHRYS; When He says, The first shall be last, and the last first, He alludes secretly to such as were at the first eminent, and afterwards set at nought virtue; and to others who have been reclaimed from wickedness, and have surpassed many. So that this parable was made to quicken the zeal of those who are converted in extreme old age, that they should not suppose that they shall have less than others.

Catena Aurea Matthew 20
29 posted on 09/24/2017 7:43:59 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

Rembrandt

1637

30 posted on 09/24/2017 7:44:36 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: All
Blessed John Henry Newman

Fr. Don Miller, OFM

<em>John Henry Newman</em> | Sir John Everett MillaisImage: John Henry Newman | Sir John Everett Millais

Blessed John Henry Newman

Saint of the Day for September 24

(February 21, 1801 – August 11, 1890)

Blessed John Henry Newman’s Story

John Henry Newman, the 19th-century’s most important English-speaking Roman Catholic theologian, spent the first half of his life as an Anglican and the second half as a Roman Catholic. He was a priest, popular preacher, writer, and eminent theologian in both Churches.

Born in London, England, he studied at Oxford’s Trinity College, was a tutor at Oriel College, and for 17 years was vicar of the university church, St. Mary the Virgin. He eventually published eight volumes of Parochial and Plain Sermons as well as two novels. His poem, “Dream of Gerontius,” was set to music by Sir Edward Elgar.

After 1833, Newman was a prominent member of the Oxford Movement, which emphasized the Church’s debt to the Church Fathers and challenged any tendency to consider truth as completely subjective.

Historical research made Newman suspect that the Roman Catholic Church was in closest continuity with the Church that Jesus established. In 1845, he was received into full communion as a Catholic. Two years later he was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome and joined the Congregation of the Oratory, founded three centuries earlier by Saint Philip Neri. Returning to England, Newman founded Oratory houses in Birmingham and London and for seven years served as rector of the Catholic University of Ireland.

Before Newman, Catholic theology tended to ignore history, preferring instead to draw deductions from first principles—much as plane geometry does. After Newman, the lived experience of believers was recognized as a key part of theological reflection.

Newman eventually wrote 40 books and 21,000 letters that survive. Most famous are his book-length Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, On Consulting the Faithful in Matters of Doctrine, Apologia Pro Vita Sua–his spiritual autobiography up to 1864–and Essay on the Grammar of Assent. He accepted Vatican I’s teaching on papal infallibility while noting its limits, which many people who favored that definition were reluctant to do.

When Newman was named a cardinal in 1879, he took as his motto Cor ad cor loquitur”–“Heart speaks to heart”. He was buried in Rednal 11 years later. After his grave was exhumed in 2008, a new tomb was prepared at the Oratory church in Birmingham.

Three years after Newman died, a Newman Club for Catholic students began at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. In time, his name was linked to ministry centers at many public and private colleges and universities in the United States.

Pope Benedict XVI beatified Newman on September 19, 2010, at Crofton Park. Benedict noted Newman’s emphasis on the vital place of revealed religion in civilized society, but also praised his pastoral zeal for the sick, the poor, the bereaved, and those in prison.


Reflection

John Henry Newman has been called the “absent Father of Vatican II” because his writings on conscience, religious liberty, Scripture, the vocation of lay people, the relation of Church and State, and other topics were extremely influential in the shaping of the Council’s documents. Although Newman was not always understood or appreciated, he steadfastly preached the Good News by word and example.


The Liturgical Feast of Blessed John Henry Newman is October 9.


Another Saint of the Day for September 24 is Saint Pacifico of San Severino.


31 posted on 09/24/2017 10:22:49 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Radio Replies Second Volume - Conversion of Cardinal Newman

[Blessed] John Henry Newman and Music
Newman’s Faith
Cardinal Newman: Doctor of the Church? [Catholic Caucus]
Happiness in the Church of Rome
Said, as it is among us. [Blessed John Henry Newman]

The `father' of the Catholic -- Blessed John Henry Newman
Three Lessons from Newman
Blessed Cardinal Newman and the Jews
Beatification of Cardinal Newman: Pope's homily [Full Text]
Beatification of John Henry Newman, Cofton Park, Birmingham Homily of the Holy Father
The Birmingham Oratory [founded by John Henry Cardinal Newman]
Cardinal Newman and Oscott College
Newman spoke this evening in Hyde Park
Catholic officials to investigate claims of second Newman miracle
Cardinal Newman: The Victorian Celebrity Intellectual Who Brought Benedict to Britain

Beyond the Beatification of Cardinal Newman
Newman and the Miraculous Medal
Liberal Jesuits Found Newman Institute in Uppsala, Sweden
Commemorative Stamps Celebrate Pope's UK Visit And Newman Beatification [Catholic Caucus]
Why John Henry Newman converted to Catholicism
[CATHOLIC/........ CAUCUS] Sun newspaper falsely alleges Cardinal Newman was a homosexual
Sorry, Professor Milbank, Newman was no ecumenist [Cardinal John Henry Newman]
Newman calls us to leave behind stale arguments
Newman & Preaching in the Byzantine Tradition
Pope's beatification of Cardinal Newman 'to take place at disused Longbridge plant'

Fighting For The Real Cardinal Newman
Saint Philip Neri: A Humble Priest {Sermon Excerpt from Ven. John Henry Newman [Catholic Caucus]
Pope Benedict "sanitising Newman"?
Newman's Biographer on His Subject's Orthodoxy and Sexuality
Why Cardinal Newman is No Saint
Pope to visit Queen, beatify Cardinal Newman during England visit
(Cardinal) Newman on Rites and Ceremonies
Deacon Cured Through Intervention of Cardinal Newman Preaches at Westminster Cathedral
John Henry Newman on "What Is a Gentleman?"
With His Daring Scheme for ........., Benedict XVI Fulfills the Hopes of Cardinal Newman

Deacon discusses miracle healings in beatification cause of John Henry Newman [Catholic Caucus]
Pope Benedict Clears Way For Cardinal John Newman To Become First English Saint In 40 Years
Pope Benedict clears way for Cardinal John Newman to become first English saint in 40 years
Newman Beatification Expected
Biographer challenges Newman revisionists
Cardinal John Newman poised for beatification after ruling
Mystery of cardinal's missing bones Cardinal John Henry Newman Faithfully Celibate
No body (found) in exhumed (Cardinal John Henry) Newman's grave
Cardinal Newman Exhumation Fails to Produce Body
Mainstream Media Slammed for Libelling John Henry Newman as Homosexual

Catholic Officials Seek Permission to Exhume Cardinal Newman's Body
John Henry Cardinal Newman to be beatified
Happy Birthday Cardinal Newman, part 2
Happy Birthday Cardinal Newman, part 1
Newman on Conversion
Cardinal Newman 'to become saint very soon'
Cardinal Newman: sainted after US 'miracle'
Searching For Authority (A Minister, finds himself surprised by Truth!) - from Cardinal Newman's writings
The Belief of Catholics concerning the Blessed Virgin: the Second Eve [Newman Reader]
Beatification soon for Cardinal Newman?

32 posted on 09/24/2017 10:27:30 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Information: St. Pacific of San Severino

Feast Day: September 24

Born: 1 March 1653 at San Severino

Died: 24 September 1721 at San Severino

Canonized: 26 May 1839 by Pope Gregory IX

33 posted on 09/24/2017 10:32:17 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

St. Pacifus

Feast Day: September 24
Born: 1653 :: Died: 1721

Charles Anthony was born in Italy and when he was just five years old his loving parents died. He was then sent to live with his uncle.

This uncle was a mean man who was always angry. He treated Charles worse than a servant. Yet the boy took this hard treatment quietly and patiently.

When he was seventeen, Charles entered a monastery so he could study to be a priest. He chose the name Pacificus, which means "peaceful."

St. Pacificus had a sad childhood and could have let himself become an angry person. Instead, he prayed to Jesus for a forgiving, patient heart.

His hard times were turned into moments of growing in his love for God and people. Because he had suffered, he could sympathize with the hurts of others and help them to find God in their lives.

After he became a priest, he was made a teacher, but his great desire was to become a preacher. How happy he was when his superior sent him on a preaching mission to many little towns and villages.

St. Pacificus was very popular with people in the country because his talks were simple and gentle. Besides that, he had the marvelous gift of reading consciences.

At confession one day he reminded a man that he had been unkind to his mother. He had also kept impure thoughts in his mind. What Father Pacificus said was true. The man was very sorry for his sins. Everywhere the priest went to preach and hear confessions, he did much good.

But six years after he started preaching, Pacificus had to give it up because he became blind, deaf and crippled. He spent his time praying and doing penance in his monastery and helping others in any way he could.

God was always very close to him. He gave him the gift of prophecy. St. Pacificus foretold the great victory of the Christian armies over the Turks at Belgrade.

He also said to a bishop, "Your Excellency-heaven! Heaven! And I will follow you soon!" About two weeks later, the bishop died. Not long after, just as he had said, St. Pacificus died, too in the year 1721. Many miracles took place at his grave.

Each of us has been blessed by God in different ways. How am I called to share my gifts with others?


34 posted on 09/24/2017 3:51:22 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, September 24

Liturgical Color: Green

Today the Church honors Mary
under her title of Our Lady of
Ransom, commemorating the
founding of the Order of Our
Lady of Mercy in 1218. This
order worked to raise money to
free Christians held captive by
the Moors.

35 posted on 09/24/2017 4:23:12 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: September 24th

Twenty-Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time

MASS READINGS

September 24, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbor, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

"Brothers and sisters: Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit (Philippians 1:20c-24)."

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 55:6-9. In this text the prophet urges the Chosen People to seek Yahweh, to come close to Him in friendship. To do this the sinner must abandon his evil ways. He need not fear: Yahweh is "rich in forgiving," He will forgive all sins of a repentant sinner. Though He is infinite and transcendent, yet He can and does come close to and is a true friend of all who seek Him. He is a personal God, not an abstract idea.

The second reading is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians 1:20c-24, 27a. St. Paul wrote the letter from a prison cell in Rome or possibly Ephesus. It is a friendly letter, giving some news of his work to the converts in Philippi, warning them against certain enemies of the faith and exhorting them to remain humble.

The Gospel is from St. Matthew 20:1-16a. The call to the vineyard (to the Church), through God's gift of faith and the sacrament of baptism, is a gift for which we can never sufficiently thank God. If we remain in the vineyard and labor honestly, that is, if we cooperate with the actual graces God is continually giving us, we are assured of reaching heaven when our earthly days are ended. The work we have to do in God's vineyard is the fulfilling of the duties of our state in life. By carrying out these duties faithfully and honestly we are doing the will of God and earning heaven. The greater part of our day and indeed of our life, will be taken up with tasks of themselves worldly, but these tasks when done in the state of grace and with the intention of honoring God, have a supernatural value. For this we have to thank God for His goodness and generosity.

He could have made the attainment of heaven so much more difficult. He could have demanded extraordinary mortifications and renunciations and the reward (heaven) would still be exceedingly great. Instead He allows us to live our everyday life, to enjoy the love and friendship of our family and friends, to satisfy the natural desires of our bodies, within the commandments, and yet to merit a supernatural reward while so doing. As He tells us through St. Paul: "whether you eat or drink or whatever else you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10 : 31)."

Looking back on our past life, how many years have we really given to God since we came to the use of reason? Those school years, the time spent learning a trade or profession, the weeks, months, years working in an office or factory or farm, the hours among the pots and pans in the kitchen — have we earned some credit in heaven for all of this, or is it all crossed off our pay sheet through lack of right intention or through sin?

If so, those years are lost to us. We were "idle" all that time. Today's parable, however, should give us new hope and courage. It may be the sixth or the ninth or even the eleventh hour of our life but we can still earn heaven if we listen to God's call and set to work diligently in His vineyard. If we put our conscience right with God today and resolve to be loyal to Him from now on He will be as generous to us, as the parable promises.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.


36 posted on 09/24/2017 4:27:58 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 20:1-16

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I will give you what is just. (Matthew 20:4)

Let’s talk about justice. The landowner in Jesus’ parable promised to pay his workers what was just, but he seemed to break that promise at the end of the day. At least, that’s what the workers who were first hired thought. In their eyes, he was treating them unjustly. They saw the workers who started later get paid just as much money as the landowner had promised to them. Where’s the justice in that?

The landowner, however, had a different kind of justice in mind. For him, justice was not primarily everyone getting what he deserves, but everyone getting what he needs. Every time he came to the marketplace, he saw more men—husbands, fathers, sons, brothers—who didn’t have steady employment, but who still had to provide food and clothing and shelter to their families. How could he turn them away? How could he think only about his bottom line?

Of course, employers can’t give away all of their money; they have families to take care of too. But Jesus isn’t talking about best business practices here. He’s talking about God’s sense of justice. For God, justice is a matter of treating everyone with dignity and honor. It’s a matter of ensuring that each person is loved and cared for. It’s a matter of making sure that no one gets left behind.

What a difference from our common idea of justice! All around us, we hear that justice is about reward and retribution. If you work hard, you are rewarded with pay. If you violate a rule, you are punished until you “pay for” what you have done. While there is some truth to these statements, God’s justice goes beyond this kind of tightfisted, tit-for-tat approach. It includes generosity and love, mercy and compassion. His justice went so far as to give up his only Son to save us from sin and death.

Like the landowner in today’s parable, our heavenly Father offers us a surprising—and subversive—kind of justice. How can we help but praise him for such a gift!

“Thank you, Father, for looking after my every need.”

Isaiah 55:6-9
Psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18
Philippians 1:20-24, 27

37 posted on 09/24/2017 4:39:28 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
A Christian Pilgrim

GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR ALL PEOPLE 

(A biblical reflection on the 25th ORDINARY SUNDAY [Year A], 24 September 2017) 

Gospel Reading: Matthew 20:1-16 

First Reading: Isaiah 55:6-9; Psalms: Psalm 145:2-3,8-9,17-18; Second Reading: Philippians 1:20-24,27 

The Scripture Text

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? So the last will be first, and the first last.” (Matthew 20:1-16 RSV)

Because people in biblical times built walls around their city for protection from hostile invaders, the only way anyone could get in or out was through the city gate. The area just inside the gate was a busy place because that was where the elders met to settle the disputes of the city’s residents, traders sold their goods, and men gathered looking for work.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard owner who went to the city gate at daybreak, midmorning, noon, mid afternoon, and late afternoon to hire men to help with the harvest. The younger and stronger workers undoubtedly got jobs first. Those who were still around later in the day were the men who could not work as fast or do as much because of old age or poor health. These men were unemployed simply because no one hired them.

When it was time for the vineyard owner to pay the workers, he gave each of them a full day’s wage; those hired first felt cheated because they worked longer and harder than those hired later in the day. Naturally, the laborers who worked all day thought the vineyard owner should have paid them more than the ones who did less work. We can sympathize with these men, but we should also consider the predicament of the others.

A man needed at least a full day’s wage to feed himself and his family for one day. If a man did not find a job, his wife and children would have to go without food and his neighbors would ridicule him because he wasn’t able to provide for his household. Therefore, the owners of the vineyard showed compassion for those he hired last by paying them more than they deserved.

The moral of the parable is clear. The owner of the vineyard is God and we are the workers. Because our God is compassionate, we can expect Him to give us our daily bread. He will provide for all people, even for those who are lowly and not wanted. All we need to do is put our trust in Him.

(Source: Jerome J. Sabatowich, Cycling Through the Gospels – Gospel Commentaries for Cycles A, B, and C, pages 94-95.)

Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, remind us constantly that our calls and rewards are totally the grace and generosity of our heavenly Father, and we cannot apply human standards and limits to His generosity. We do not ask to be treated fairly, but for our hearts that treat others as He has treated us. Amen.

38 posted on 09/24/2017 4:49:43 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Slideshow of the Gospel
39 posted on 09/24/2017 4:54:45 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for September 24, 2017:/b>

“Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Mt 20:16) In order for your marriage to be first, you must often put yourself last. In what areas of your life are you putting yourself before your marriage in a way that is detrimental to your spouse and family?

40 posted on 09/24/2017 7:41:58 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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