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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 10-23-17, OM, St. John of Capistrano, Priest
USCCB.org/RNAB ^ | 10-23-17 | Revised New American Bible

Posted on 10/22/2017 9:16:59 PM PDT by Salvation

October 23, 2017

Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Rom 4:20-25

Brothers and sisters:
Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what God had promised
he was also able to do.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
But it was not for him alone that it was written
that it was credited to him;
it was also for us, to whom it will be credited,
who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
who was handed over for our transgressions
and was raised for our justification.

Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

R. (see 68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.

Alleluia Mt 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
"Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."
He replied to him,
"Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd,
"Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions."

Then he told them a parable.
"There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, 'What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?'
And he said, 'This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!"'
But God said to him,
'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?'
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God."


TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; lk12; ordinarytime; prayer; saints
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To: All

October, 2017

Pope's Prayer Intention

Workers and the Unemployed, That all workers may receive respect and protection of their rights, and that the unemployed may receive the opportunity to contribute to the common good.


21 posted on 10/22/2017 10:06:05 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Daily Gospel Commentary

Monday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Commentary of the day
Vatican Council II
Constitution on the Church in the modern world « Gaudium et spes », § 88-90 (©Libreria Vaticana editrice; cf breviary 31st March)

Accumulating wealth for oneself or becoming rich in the sight of God?

Christians should cooperate willingly and wholeheartedly in establishing an international order that includes a genuine respect for all freedoms and amicable brotherhood between all. This is all the more pressing since the greater part of the world is still suffering from so much poverty that it is as if Christ Himself were crying out in these poor to beg the charity of the disciples. Do not let men, then, be scandalized because some countries with a majority of citizens who are counted as Christians have an abundance of wealth, whereas others are deprived of the necessities of life and are tormented with hunger, disease, and every kind of misery. The spirit of poverty and charity are the glory and witness of the Church of Christ. Those Christians, and especially the young, are to be praised and supported, therefore, who volunteer their services to help other men and nations...

Therefore, to encourage and stimulate cooperation among men, the Church must be clearly present in the midst of the community of nations both through her official channels and through the full and sincere collaboration of all Christians...  Special care must be given, in both religious and civil education, to the formation of youth in this regard...

Finally, it is very much to be desired that Catholics, in order to fulfill their role properly in the international community, will seek to cooperate actively and in a positive manner both with their separated brothers who together with them profess the Gospel of charity and with all men thirsting for true peace.

22 posted on 10/22/2017 10:08:06 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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'Dear Lord! To win my heart, from heaven Thou didst come; for me Thy blood didst shed, O King adored! and on our altars makest Thy home. So, if I may not here behold Thy Face, or catch the heavenly music of Thy Voice, I still can live, each moment, by Thy grace, and in Thy Sacred Heart I can rest.'

St. Therese of Lisieux

23 posted on 10/22/2017 10:10:09 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). 


24 posted on 10/22/2017 10:10:43 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation
Luke
  English: Douay-Rheims Latin: Vulgata Clementina Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
  Luke 12
13 And one of the multitude said to him: Master, speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me. Ait autem ei quidam de turba : Magister, dic fratri meo ut dividat mecum hæreditatem. ειπεν δε τις αυτω εκ του οχλου διδασκαλε ειπε τω αδελφω μου μερισασθαι μετ εμου την κληρονομιαν
14 But he said to him: Man, who hath appointed me judge, or divider, over you? At ille dixit illi : Homo, quis me constituit judicem, aut divisorem super vos ? ο δε ειπεν αυτω ανθρωπε τις με κατεστησεν δικαστην η μεριστην εφ υμας
15 And he said to them: Take heed and beware of all covetousness; for a man's life doth not consist in the abundance of things which he possesseth. Dixitque ad illos : Videte, et cavete ab omni avaritia : quia non in abundantia cujusquam vita ejus est ex his quæ possidet. ειπεν δε προς αυτους ορατε και φυλασσεσθε απο της πλεονεξιας οτι ουκ εν τω περισσευειν τινι η ζωη αυτω εστιν εκ των υπαρχοντων αυτου
16 And he spoke a similitude to them, saying: The land of a certain rich man brought forth plenty of fruits. Dixit autem similitudinem ad illos, dicens : Hominis cujusdam divitis uberes fructus ager attulit : ειπεν δε παραβολην προς αυτους λεγων ανθρωπου τινος πλουσιου ευφορησεν η χωρα
17 And he thought within himself, saying: What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? et cogitabat intra se dicens : Quid faciam, quia non habeo quo congregam fructus meos ? και διελογιζετο εν εαυτω λεγων τι ποιησω οτι ουκ εχω που συναξω τους καρπους μου
18 And he said: This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and will build greater; and into them will I gather all things that are grown to me, and my goods. Et dixit : Hoc faciam : destruam horrea mea, et majora faciam : et illuc congregabo omnia quæ nata sunt mihi, et bona mea, και ειπεν τουτο ποιησω καθελω μου τας αποθηκας και μειζονας οικοδομησω και συναξω εκει παντα τα γενηματα μου και τα αγαθα μου
19 And I will say to my soul: Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thy rest; eat, drink, make good cheer. et dicam animæ meæ : Anima, habes multa bona posita in annos plurimos : requiesce, comede, bibe, epulare. και ερω τη ψυχη μου ψυχη εχεις πολλα αγαθα κειμενα εις ετη πολλα αναπαυου φαγε πιε ευφραινου
20 But God said to him: Thou fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee: and whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? Dixit autem illi Deus : Stulte, hac nocte animam tuam repetunt a te : quæ autem parasti, cujus erunt ? ειπεν δε αυτω ο θεος αφρον ταυτη τη νυκτι την ψυχην σου απαιτουσιν απο σου α δε ητοιμασας τινι εσται
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God. Sic est qui sibi thesaurizat, et non est in Deum dives. ουτως ο θησαυριζων εαυτω και μη εις θεον πλουτων

25 posted on 10/23/2017 5:01:50 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
13. And one of the company said to him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.
14. And he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?
15. And he said to them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.

AMBROSE; The whole of the former passage is given to prepare us for undergoing suffering for confessing the Lord, or for contempt of death, or for the hope of reward, or for denunciation of the punishment that will await him to whom pardon will never be granted. And since covetousness is generally wont to try virtue, for destroying this also, a precept and example is added, as it is said, And one of the company said to him, Speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

THEOPHYL. As these two brothers were contending concerning the division of their paternal inheritance, it follows that one meant to defraud the other; but our Lord teaches us that we ought not to be set on earthly things, and rebukes him that called Him to the division of inheritance; as it follows, And he said to him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

BEDE; He who wills to impose the trouble of division of lands upon the Master who is commending the joys of heavenly peace, is rightly called man, according to that, whereas there is envying, strife, and divisions among you, are you not men?

CYRIL; Now the Son of God, when He was made like to us, was appointed by God the Father to be King and Prince upon his holy Mount of Sion, to make known the Divine command.

AMBROSE; Well then does He avoid earthly things who had descended for the sake of divine things, and deigns not to be a judge of strifes and arbiter of laws, having the judgment of the quick and dead and the recompensing of works. You should consider then, not what you seek, but from whom you ask it; and you should not eagerly suppose that the greater are to be disturbed by the less. Therefore is this brother deservedly disappointed who desired to occupy the steward of heavenly things with corruptible, seeing that between brothers no judge should intervene, but natural affection should be the umpire to divide the patrimony, although immortality not riches should be the patrimony which men should wait for.

BEDE; He takes occasion from this foolish petitioner to fortify both the multitudes and His disciples alike by precept and example against the plague of covetousness. Whence it follows, He said to them, Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; and he says, of all, because some things seem to be honestly done, but the internal judge decides with what intention they are done.

CYRIL; Or he says, of all covetousness, that is, great and little. For covetousness is unprofitable, as the Lord says, You shall build houses of hewn stone, and shall not dwell in them. And elsewhere, Yes ten acres of vineyards shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. But also in another way it is unprofitable, as he shows, adding, For a man's life consists not in the abundance, &c.

THEOPHYL. This our Lord says to rebuke the motives of the covetous, who seem to heap up riches as if they were going to live for a long time. But will wealth ever make you long lived? Why then cost you manifestly undergo evils for the sake of an uncertain rest? For it is doubtful whether you ought to attain to an old age, for the sake of which you are collecting treasures.

16. And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18. And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20. But God said to him, You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you: then whose shall those things be, which you have provided?
21. So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

THEOPHYL. Having said that the life of man is not extended by abundance of wealth, he adds a parable to induce belief in this, as it follows, And he spoke a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully.

BASIL; Not indeed about to reap any good from his plenty of fruits, but that the mercy of God might the more appear, which extends its goodness even to the bad; sending down His rain upon the just and the unjust. But what are the things wherewith this man repays his Benefactor? He remembered not his fellow-creatures, nor deemed that he ought to give of his superfluities to the needy. His barns indeed bursting from the abundance of his stores, yet was his greedy mind by no means satisfied. He was unwilling to put up with his old ones because of his covetousness, and not able to undertake new ones because of the number, for his counsels were imperfect, and his care barren. Hence it follows, And he thought. His complaint is like that of the poor. Does not the man oppressed with want say, What shall I do, whence can I get food, whence clothing? Such things also the rich man utters. For his mind is distressed on account of his fruits pouring out from his storehouse, lest perchance when they have come forth they should profit the poor; like the glutton who had rather burst from eating, than give any thing of what remains to the starving.

GREG. O adversity, the child of plenty. For saying, What shall I do, he surely betokens, that, oppressed by the success of his wishes, he labors as it were under a load of goods.

BASIL; It was easy for him to say, I will open my barn, I will call together the needy, but he has no thought of want, only of amassing; for it follows, And he said, This will I do, I will pull down my barns. You do well, for the storehouses of iniquity are worthy of destruction. Bull down your barns, from which no one receives comfort. He adds, I will build greater. But if you shall complete these, wilt you again destroy them? What more foolish than laboring on for ever. Your barns, if you will, are the home of the poor. But you will say, Whom do I wrong by keeping what is my own? For it follows also, And there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. Tell me what is yours, from whence did you get it and bring it into life? As he who anticipates the public games, injures those who are coming by appropriating to himself what is appointed for the common use, so likewise the rich who regard as their own the common things which they have forestalled. For if every one receiving what is sufficient for his own necessity would leave what remains to the needy, there would be no rich or poor.

CYRIL; Observe also in another respect the folly of his words, when he says, I will gather all my fruits, as if he thought that he had not obtained them from God, but that they were the fruits of his own labors.

BASIL; But if you confess that those things have come to you from God, is God then unjust in distributing to us unequally. Why do you abound while another begs? unless that you should gain the rewards of a good stewardship, and be honored with the meed of patience. Are not you then a robber, for counting as your own what you have received to distribute? It is the bread of the famished which you receive, the garment of the naked which you hoard in your chest, the shoe of the barefooted which rots in your possession, the money of the penniless which you have buried in the earth. Wherefore then do you injure so many to whom you might be a benefactor.

CHRYS. But in this he errs, that he thinks those things good which are indifferent. For there are some things good, some evil, some between the two. The good are chastity, and humility, and the like, which when a man chooses he becomes good. But opposed to these are the evil, which when a man chooses he becomes bad; and there are the neutral, as riches, which at one time indeed are directed to good, as to almsgiving, at other times to evil, as to covetousness. And in like manner poverty at one time leads to blasphemy, at another to wisdom, according to the disposition of the user.

CYRIL; The rich man then builds barns which last not, but decay, and what is still more foolish, reckons for himself upon a long life; for it follows, And I will say to my Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years. But, O rich man, you have indeed fruits in your barns, but as for many years whence can you obtain them?

ATHAN. Now if any one lives so as to die daily, seeing that our life is naturally uncertain, he will not sin, for the greater fear destroys very much pleasure, but the rich man on the contrary, promising to himself length of life, seeks after pleasures, for he says Rest, that is, from toil, eat, drink, and be merry, that is, with great luxury.

BASIL; You are so careless with respect to the goods of the soul, that you ascribe the meats of the body to the soul. If indeed it has virtue, if it is fruitful in good works, if it clings to God, it possesses many goods, and rejoices with a worthy joy. But because you art altogether carnal and subject to the passions, you speak from your belly, not from your soul.

CHRYS. Now it behoves us not to indulge in delights which fattening the body make lean the soul, and bring a heavy burden upon it, and spread darkness over it, and a thick covering, because in pleasure our governing part which is the soul becomes the slave, but the subject part, namely the body, rules. But the body is in need not of luxuries but of food, that it may be nourished, not that it may be racked and melt away. For not to the soul alone are pleasures hurtful, but to the body itself, because from being a strong body it becomes weak, from being healthy diseased, from being active slothful, from being beautiful unshapely, and from youthful old.

BASIL; But he was permitted to deliberate in every thing, and to manifest his purpose, that be might receive a sentence such as his inclinations deserved. But while he speaks in secret, his words are weighed in heaven, from whence the answers come to him. For it follows, But God said to him, you fool, this night your soul shall they require of you. Hear the name of folly, which most properly belongs to you which not man has imposed, but God Himself.

GREG. The same night he was taken away, who had expected many years, that he indeed who had in gathering stores for himself looked a long time forward, should not see even tile next day.

CHRYS.; They shall require of you, for perhaps certain dread powers were sent to require it, since if when going from city to city we want a guide, much more will the soul when released from the body, and passing to a future life, need direction. On this account many times the soul rises and sinks into the deep again, when it ought to depart from the body. For the consciousness of our sins is ever pricking us, but most of all when we are going to be dragged before the awful tribunal. For when the whole accumulation of crimes is brought up again, and placed before the eyes, it astounds the mind. And as prisoners are always indeed sorrowful, but particularly at the time when they are going to be brought before the judge; so also the soul at this time is greatly tormented by sin and afflicted, but much more after it has been removed.

GREG; But in the night the soul was taken away which had gone forth in the darkness of its heart, being unwilling to have the light of consideration, so as to foresee what it might suffer. But He adds, Then whose shall those things be which you have provided

CHRYS. For here shall you leave those things, and not only reap no advantage from them, but carry a load of sins upon your own shoulders. And these things which you have laid up will for the most part come into the hands of enemies, but of thee shall an account of them be required. It follows, So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

BEDE; For such a one is a fool, and will be taken off in the night. He then who wishes to be rich toward God, will not lay up treasures for himself, but distribute his possessions to the poor.

AMBROSE; For in vain he amasses wealth who knows not how to use it. Neither are these things ours which we cannot take away with us. Virtue alone is the companion of the dead, mercy alone follows us, which gains for the dead an everlasting habitation.

Catena Aurea Luke 12
26 posted on 10/23/2017 5:02:19 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Coronation of the Virgin (San Marco Altarpiece)

Sandro Botticelli

1490-92
Tempera on panel, 378 x 258 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

27 posted on 10/23/2017 5:02:59 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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Saint John of Capistrano

Fr. Don Miller, OFM

Saint John Capistrano | Stained glass window in the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC. | photo by Lawrence OPImage: Saint John Capistrano | Stained glass window in the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC. | photo by Lawrence OP

Saint John of Capistrano

Saint of the Day for October 23

(June 24, 1386 – October 23, 1456)

 

Saint John of Capistrano’s Story

It has been said the Christian saints are the world’s greatest optimists. Not blind to the existence and consequences of evil, they base their confidence on the power of Christ’s redemption. The power of conversion through Christ extends not only to sinful people but also to calamitous events.

Imagine being born in the 14th century. One-third of the population and nearly 40 percent of the clergy were wiped out by the bubonic plague. The Western Schism split the Church with two or three claimants to the Holy See at one time. England and France were at war. The city-states of Italy were constantly in conflict. No wonder that gloom dominated the spirit of the culture and the times.

John Capistrano was born in 1386. His education was thorough. His talents and success were great. When he was 26 he was made governor of Perugia. Imprisoned after a battle against the Malatestas, he resolved to change his way of life completely. At the age of 30 he entered the Franciscan novitiate and was ordained a priest four years later.

John’s preaching attracted great throngs at a time of religious apathy and confusion. He and 12 Franciscan brethren were received in the countries of central Europe as angels of God. They were instrumental in reviving a dying faith and devotion.

The Franciscan Order itself was in turmoil over the interpretation and observance of the Rule of St. Francis. Through John’s tireless efforts and his expertise in law, the heretical Fraticelli were suppressed and the “Spirituals” were freed from interference in their stricter observance.

John of Capistrano helped bring about a brief reunion with the Greek and Armenian Churches.

When the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, John was commissioned to preach a crusade for the defense of Europe. Gaining little response in Bavaria and Austria, he decided to concentrate his efforts in Hungary. He led the army to Belgrade. Under the great General John Hunyadi, they gained an overwhelming victory, and the siege of Belgrade was lifted. Worn out by his superhuman efforts, Capistrano was an easy prey to an infection after the battle. He died on October 23, 1456.


Reflection

John Hofer, a biographer of John Capistrano, recalls a Brussels organization named after the saint. Seeking to solve life problems in a fully Christian spirit, its motto was: “Initiative, Organization, Activity.” These three words characterized John’s life. He was not one to sit around. His deep Christian optimism drove him to battle problems at all levels with the confidence engendered by a deep faith in Christ.


Saint John of Capistrano is Patron Saint of:

Judges


28 posted on 10/23/2017 3:49:00 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Saint John Of Capistrano
St. John Capistran [John of Capistrano]
29 posted on 10/23/2017 7:01:55 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Information: St. John of Capistrano

Feast Day: October 23

Born: June 24, 1386, Capestrano, Abruzzi, Kingdom of Naples

Died: October 23, 1456, Ilok, modern Croatia

Canonized: 1690 or 1724, Rome by either Pope Alexander VIII or Pope Benedict XIII

Patron of: Jurists

30 posted on 10/23/2017 7:15:54 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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St. John of Capistrano

Feast Day: October 23
Born: 1386 :: Died: 1456

St. John was born at Capistrano in Italy. His father who was a German knight, died when John was still young. John studied law at the University of Perugia and then became a lawyer and governor of the city of Perugia.

When war broke out between Perugia and Malatesta, John tried hard to make peace but failed. Enemies of the city threw John into prison and he started to think about the real meaning of life.

John's enemies were not in a hurry to set him free. He realized that the salvation of his soul was more important than anything else.

So when he was miraculously set free, at the age of 30, John joined a Franciscan monastery. For John, life as a poor friar was a big change. He had to sacrifice his freedom for the love of Jesus and he tried with all his heart to do this.

After he became a priest, John was sent out to preach. He and St. Bernardine of Siena, spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, everywhere. John traveled all over Europe preaching for forty years and those who heard him were moved to love and serve Jesus better.

When St. John was 70 years old, The Turks decided to conquer Europe and to wipe out the Church of Jesus.

Pope Callistus II sent St. John to all the Christian kings of Europe to beg them to unite and fight the mighty Turkish army. The kings obeyed this poor, barefoot friar.

He then marched off at the head of 70,000 Christian soldiers leading them and encouraged the men to keep fighting.

He stirred up their love of God and their courage with his fiery words. But even though a big army of Christians came to fight Mohammed II and his Turks, it looked as though they would lose. The enemy army was much bigger.

Then the saint himself ran to the front lines. Holding his crucifix up high, this thin, small old man kept crying, "Victory, Jesus, victory!" And the Christian soldiers felt full of courage. They fought until the enemy ran away in fear and they won the battle of Belgrade.

St. John Capistrano died a short time later, on October 23, 1456.


31 posted on 10/23/2017 7:18:25 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Liturgical Color: Green

St. Ignatius of Constantinople
died on this day in 877 A.D. He
refused Holy Communion to the
Empress' brother for his immoral
acts. Ignatius was persecuted
for this stand, but he refused to
dishonor the Eucharist.

32 posted on 10/23/2017 7:30:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Catholic Culture

Ordinary Time: October 23rd

Optional Memorial of St. John of Capistrano, priest

MASS READINGS

October 23, 2017 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

O God, who raised up Saint John of Capistrano to comfort your faithful people in tribulation, place us, we pray, under your safe protection and keep your Church in everlasting peace. Almighty ever-living God, grant that we may always conform our will to yours and serve your majesty in sincerity of heart. 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: St. Anthony Mary Claret

John was a native of Capistrano, in Italy. He became a Franciscan and was one of the great organizers of the struggle against the Mohammedans in the 15th century, when they threatened to overrun the whole of Europe. Mohammed II had taken Constantinope and was already marching against Belgrade, when Pope Callixtus III called St. John to preach the crusade; assisted by the Hungarian John Hunyadi, he gathered a strong Christian army, which defeated the Turks in the great battle of Belgrade (1453). He died in 1456.

According to the 1962 Missal of St. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, St. John of Capistrano's feast is celebrated on March 28 and today is the feast of St. Anthony Mary Claret which is now observed on October 24 in the Ordinary Rite.


St. John of Capistrano
St. John was born in 1386 at Capistrano in the Italian Province of the Abruzzi. His father was a German knight and died when he was still young. St. John became a lawyer and attained the position of governor of Perugia. When war broke out between Perugia and Malatesta in 1416, St. John tried to broker a peace. Unfortunately, his opponents ignored the truce and St. John became a prisoner of war. On the death of his wife he entered the order of Friars Minor, was ordained and began to lead a very penitential life.

John became a disciple of Saint Bernadine of Siena and a noted preacher while still a deacon, beginning his work in 1420. The world at the time was in need of strong men to work for salvation of souls. Thirty percent of the population was killed by the Black Plague, the Church was split in schism and there were several men claiming to be pope. As an Itinerant priest throughout Italy, Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Russia, St. John preached to tens of thousands and established communities of Franciscan renewal. He reportedly healed the sick by making the Sign of the Cross over them. He also wrote extensively, mainly against the heresies of the day.

He was successful in reconciling heretics. After the fall of Constantinople, he preached a crusade against the Muslim Turks. At age 70 he was commissioned by Pope Callistus II to lead it, and marched off at the head of 70,000 Christian soldiers. He won the great battle of Belgrade in the summer of 1456. He died in the field a few months later, but his army delivered Europe from the Moslems.

Patron: chaplains; jurists; judges; military chaplains.

Symbols: man with a crucifix and lance, treading a turban underfoot; Franciscan with cross on his breast and carrying banner of the cross; Franciscan preaching, angels with rosaries and IHS above him; Franciscan pointing to a crucifix which he holds; crucifix; IHS banner; red cross; star.

Things to Do:


33 posted on 10/23/2017 7:36:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
The Word Among Us

Meditation: Luke 12:13-21

Saint John of Capistrano, Priest (Optional Memorial)

Tell my brother to share the inheritance with me. (Luke 12:13)

Every parent of more than one child has heard pleas like this one. “Tell him to stop teasing me.” “Make her share that toy.” Many parents know better than to step into the middle of a conflict like this. Instead, they might ask a few questions to help the child to think or examine his motives. They help the child find ways to handle the conflict without their direct intervention. They help build his confidence so that he can find a better way to resolve conflict than complaining.

This is not so different from what Jesus does in today’s Gospel. Instead of involving himself in a financial dispute between two brothers, Jesus exposes the greed that lurks behind the demand. The parable that he tells in response raises a more important question than the division of goods. What riches really matter in the long run—the contents of the man’s bank account or his relationship with his brother?

For Jesus, the man’s motives matter more than the outcome of his dispute. It wasn’t Jesus’ role to make the problem disappear; he wanted to teach the man how to work through it himself according to God’s ways. The solution he offered was meant to go deeper and have more permanent effects than settling this one argument. Essentially, he was teaching this man how to love his brother.

God wants to do the same for us. He wants to show us how to resolve conflicts by examining the motives and values in our own hearts. So if you’re having a hard time with someone, come to Jesus before you approach the other person. Let Jesus shine his light on your heart so that you can see what lies under the surface. Let him offer you his compassion and understanding toward the other person. Let him assure you that you are capable of working things out together as long as you respect each other and leave room for the Holy Spirit to help.

The work of mending relationships starts with each one of us. And Jesus will be right there to help us through it.

“Holy Spirit, help me to build more loving relationships with the people you have put in my life.”

Romans 4:20-25
(Psalm) Luke 1:69-75

34 posted on 10/23/2017 7:40:25 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Marriage = One Man and One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for October 23, 2017:

(Reader’s Tip) See your spouse as the most precious gift you will ever receive. Do not underestimate God’s ability to send you the spouse who will help you grow spiritually and personally.

35 posted on 10/23/2017 7:53:41 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
Regnum Christi

October 23, 2017 – Bigger Barns?

Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Father Steven Reilly, LC

Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

Introductory Prayer: O God, I come to you today with all my human frailty. You know me better than I know myself. I am in your presence to accompany and console you, not to seek consolation or a nice feeling for myself. Even if I get distracted during our time together, I offer myself to you completely.

Petition: Lord, give me wisdom to understand what is truly important in this life.

1. The Scorecard of Life: Driving down the road, a bumper sticker is often seen: “The one who dies with the most toys wins.” This is a contemporary rendition of the mantra of Jesus’ rich fool: “Eat, drink and be merry.” Juggling credit cards and all kinds of financing schemes, many people live life like the rich fool in today’s Gospel. Is the drive for material pleasure, or security, impoverishing my soul?

2. A Bigger Barn vs. a Bigger Heart: What will truly make us happy? Glossy magazine ads are, for some, a source of inspiration on this point. Basically, they are about “bigger barns”: a hotter car, redder lipstick, spectacular vacations. The rich fool believes that by increasing his capacity for material pleasure, he will be happier. But it’s an illusion. Like the running wheel for a gerbil, it is lots of movement without getting anywhere. We invest energy and effort acquiring things, but the bigger barn brings us little joy. That’s because our hearts–not our barns–are what really need to be enlarged. Our heart longs for love. That Augustinian restlessness will never leave us in peace until we have encountered the Lord who loves us and discovered him in the relationships ordained by his providence.

3. When the Final Curtain Is Drawn: At the end of this parable, Jesus in essence says, “You can’t take it with you.” There’s a place in Rome in which this is graphically depicted. The Capuchin church of St Mary of the Immaculate Conception, on Via Veneto, is affectionately known as the “Bone Church.” Inside there is an amazingly designed and arranged display made completely out of the bones of four thousand Capuchin friars! While it may strike at modern sensitivities as somewhat morbid, like today’s Gospel it teaches an important lesson. All those bones look alike. Unless you are a forensic expert, you cannot tell who was fat or thin, smart or dull, handsome or homely. Death is the great leveler. Earthly advantages dissolve. Material goods stay in this world. We go to the Lord to render an account of our lives at death. As the little sign on the wall of the Capuchin ossarium says, “One day, we were like you. One day, you will be like us.”

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, so often I find my eyes looking on the good things of this world more as ends than means. I need to keep my priorities straight always: you first and then everything else, inasmuch as they lead me to you. Give me the wisdom to realize that life is short and it must be lived for you alone.

Resolution: I will live charity today as fervently as if I knew this day were my last.

36 posted on 10/23/2017 7:57:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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Homily of the Day
October 23, 2017

The Gospel reading today exemplifies selfishness of so many. To the rich man so obsessed and successful in amassing great wealth God says: “You fool! This very night your life will be taken from you; tell me who shall get all you have put aside?” This is the lot of the one who stores up riches instead of amassing for God.

Why is there so much greed among people? Why are there so many workaholics and hoarders, misers and Scrooges, thieves and plunderers? Because for them money and wealth are happiness and power.

As the Gospel reading tells us we cannot carry our wealth with us when we die. What for have we labored for and amassed so much? Instead why have we not amassed wealth “for God”? How ready have we been to share what we have, our wealth with those in need? How generous have we been with what we have?

In the first reading we hear of Abraham who trusted in God, who amassed wealth for God and who was then rewarded by God.


37 posted on 10/23/2017 8:00:07 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All
One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Espa�ol

All Issues > Volume 33, Issue 6

<< Monday, October 23, 2017 >> St. John of Capistrano
 
Romans 4:20-25
View Readings
Luke 1:69-75 Luke 12:13-21
Similar Reflections
 

WHAT'S YOUR CREDIT SCORE?

 
"The words, 'It was credited to him,' were not written with [Abraham] alone in view; they were intended for us too. For our faith will be credited to us also if we believe in Him Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead." �Romans 4:23-24
 

The patriarch Abraham believed God in a very difficult matter. "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him" as righteousness (Rm 4:3, 22; see also Gn 15:6).

Many are focused on improving their credit score. Without a good credit score, it can be very difficult to get a loan, rent an apartment, or do basic things to make a living. Many people pay very close attention to their credit rating. They worry about it and change their lives in order to improve their credit score.

The man in today's Gospel reading who had a good harvest would have had a high credit score. He had provisions in store for years to come (Lk 12:19). Yet all his treasures existed for himself, not for God. When he died that same evening, his high worldly credit score suddenly meant nothing for his eternal future.

Deposit your treasures in heaven, not on earth (Mt 6:19-20). That is where your true treasure should lie. Set your hearts, and credit rating, on the Lord above (Col 3:1-2). God does not keep score, and we cannot earn points to curry His favor. But He does credit our obedient faith to us (Rm 4:23-24). So seek to have the faith of Abraham. Believe God for all things and at all times.

 
Prayer: "Lord, 'increase our faith' " (Lk 17:5). Give me obedient, water-walking faith.
Promise: "He has dealt mercifully with our fathers and remembered the holy covenant He made." �Lk 1:72
Praise: St. John, governor of Perugia, was taken prisoner in a war. Jesus touched his heart and, after he was released from prison, John gave his life to Jesus and became a priest. Many were converted through John's preaching.

38 posted on 10/23/2017 8:02:11 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: All

39 posted on 10/23/2017 8:03:19 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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