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From: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Greeting

[1] Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our bro-
ther Sosthenes,

[2] To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus,
called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

[3] Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

[4] I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was
given you in Christ Jesus, [5] that in every way you were enriched in him with
all speech and all knowledge [6] even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed
among you—[7] so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for
the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ; [8] who will sustain you to the end, guilt-
less in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. [9] God is faithful, by whom you were
called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Commentary:

1-9. With slight variations almost all St Paul’s letters begin in the same kind of
way: there is a greeting (vv. 1-3), which carries the name of the writer, information
on the addressee(s), and the conventional phrase; and an act of thanksgiving to
God (vv. 4-9), in which the Apostle refers to the main qualities and endowments
of the Christians to whom he is writing. By comparing his letters with other let-
ters that have come down to us from the same period, it is quite apparent that
St Paul usually begins his letters in the style of the time. Yet he does not entire-
ly follow this rigid pattern: he changes the usual opening—”Greeting!” (cf. Acts 15:
23; 23:26)—to this more personal one, which has a pronounced Christian stamp:
“Grace to you and peace.” Also, the way in which he introduces himself and de-
scribes those he is addressing tells much more than a simple “Paul to the Corin-
thians: greeting!” Even his words of thanksgiving convey tenderness and warmth
— and their tone is not merely human, for he attributes to God the virtues he prai-
ses in the faithful.

The Fathers of the Church have drawn attention to this characteristic of Paul’s
letters — the way he manages to convey a deep doctrinal message in a familiar
style, nicely suited to whomever he happens to be addressing: “A doctor”, St
John Chrysostom explains, “does not treat the patient in the same way at the
start of his illness as when he is recovering; nor does a teacher use the same
method with children as with those who need more advanced tuition. That is how
the Apostle acts: he writes as suits the needs and the times” (”Hom. On Rom”,
Prologue).

1. St Paul attaches to his name three features which identify him — his divine
calling; his office as Apostle of Jesus Christ; and the will of God, the source of
his apostolic vocation.

“Called”: this is a carefully chosen word designed to convey the vigorous and per-
sonal way God called him. He calls all men to faith, to grace, to holiness, and to
heaven (cf., e.g. Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:2; 1:26; 7:20; Eph 1:18). By defining himself
as “called” (cf. Rom 1:1), St Paul is very probably referring to the episode on the
road to Damascus (cf. Acts 9:1-19), when Christ changed his life, as he had ear-
lier changed the lives of the Twelve.

“Apostle of Christ Jesus”: Paul can find no stronger expression than this to de-
scribe his mission: he is forever applying this title to himself—thirty-five times by
our reckoning. This fact of his apostleship is the basis of his authority — authority
to praise, teach, admonish and correct orally and in writing. He is so totally iden-
tified with this mission that he has no other purpose than to pursue it; his life is
dedicated to this end; all his thoughts, words and actions are aimed at achieving
it. Humbly (because he once persecuted the Church: 1 Cor 15:9) and yet forth-
rightly (cf. 1 Cor 9:1-2) he puts himself on the same level as the Twelve as far as
vocation and apostleship are concerned.

“By the will of God”: the Apostle’s energy and vitality are ascribable not to him-
self but to God, who had plans for Paul ever since he was in his mother’s womb
(Gal 1: 15); so much so that later in this letter he actually says, “If I preach the
Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me.
Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16).

“Our brother, Sosthenes”: it is uncertain whether this was the same person as
the ruler of the synagogue in Corinth mentioned in Acts (18:17). The prominent
position given him here suggests that he was someone well-known to the com-
munity at Corinth, either for his ministry among them or because he often ac-
companied St Paul; he may have been the secretary, or scribe, who actually
wrote the letter down (cf. 16:21).

2. “The church of God at Corinth”: the addressee of the letter. The very grammar
of the phrase emphasizes the fact that the Church is not the totality of the local
communities: rather, each local community—here, the Christians of Corinth — re-
presents the whole Church, which is one and indivisible: “The Apostle calls it
[the community] ‘the church of God’ in order to show that unity is one of its es-
sential and necessary characteristics. The Church of God is one in its members
and forms nothing but a single Church with all the communities spread through-
out the world, for the word ‘church’ does not mean schism: it means unity, har-
mony, concord” (St John Chrysostom, “Hom on 1 Cor”, 1, “ad loc”.).

In another three brush-strokes St Paul here describes those who make up the
Church — those sanctified in Jesus Christ, those called to be saints, those who
invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Those sanctified in Christ Jesus”: the faithful receive at Baptism the grace which
makes them a holy people (cf. Ex 19:6; 1 Pet 2:9); the participle “sanctified” im-
plies something stable, such as is the intimate union between the individual Chris-
tian and Jesus. The formula “in Christ Jesus” here refers to the fact that the bap-
tized are grafted on to Christ like branches attached to a wine (cf. Jn l5:1ff); this
link with Christ is what makes them saints, that is, sharers in God’s own holiness;
and it involves a duty to strive for moral perfection. “As those who profess any art,
even though they depart from its rules, are still called artists, so in like manner
the faithful, although offending in many things and violating the engagements to
which they had pledged themselves, are still called holy, because they have been
made the people of God and have consecrated themselves to Christ by faith and
Baptism. Hence, St Paul calls the Corinthians sanctified and holy, although it is
certain that among them there were some whom he severely rebuked as carnal,
and charged with grosser crimes” (”St Pius V Catechism”, I, 10, 15).

“Called to be saints”: through faith and Baptism “all Christians in any state or
walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love”
(Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 40).

“Those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”: this cir-
cumlocution describes Christian believers (cf. Acts 9:14, 21; 22:16; Rom 10:12);
what makes them different from others is that they worship Jesus Christ as Lord
and God, in the same way as the faithful of the Old Covenant invoked the name
of Yahweh. To be a member of the Church of God, therefore, it is essential that
a person believe that Christ is God. “We believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is
the Son of God. He is the eternal Word of the Father before time began, one in
substance with the Father, “homoousios to Patri”, through whom all things were
made. He was incarnate of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit and
was made man. ‘Equal, therefore, to the Father according to his divinity, less
than the Father according to his humanity, his unity deriving not from some im-
possible confusion of substance but from his Person”’ (Paul Vl, “Creed of the
People of God”, 11).

3. Peace of soul, that “serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, simplicity of heart,
bond of love, union of charity” of which St Augustine spoke (”De Verb. Dom.
Serm.”, 58), originates in the friendship with God which grace brings with it; it
is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22-23). This is the only true kind
of peace: “There is no true peace, just as there is no true grace, other than the
grace and peace which come from God,” St John Chrysostom teaches, “Pos-
sess this divine peace and you will have nothing to fear, even if you be threa-
tened by the direct danger, whether from men or even from the demons them-
selves; whereas see how everything is a cause of fear for the man who is at
war with God through sin” (”Hom. on 1 Cor”, 1, “ad loc”.).

4-9. After the greeting, words of thanksgiving conclude the introduction to the
letter, before St Paul begins the doctrinal part. He reminds the Corinthians that
they owe their privileged position to God. They, like all Christians, received God’s
grace in Christ, and that grace has enriched them in every way, for it causes
man to share in God’s very nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4), raising him to an entirely new
level of existence. This transfiguration enables a person, even here, to know the
perfections of God’s inner life and to partake of that life—albeit in a limited, imper-
fect way — through the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity, which grace
brings and which elevate the mind and will to know and love God, One and Three.

St Paul teaches the need to give thanks to God and he sets us an example in
this regard. Obdurate sinners fail to acknowledge the benefits God gives them (cf.
Rom 1:21), but Christians should always base their prayer on gratitude to God (cf.
Phil 4:6). “Nothing charms God more than a heart that is grateful either on its own
account or on account of others” (Chrysostom, “Hom. on 1 Cor”, 2, “ad loc”.).

5-6. The grace of God, mentioned in the previous verse, embraces gifts, including
those to do with eloquence and knowledge. So richly does God endow the Chris-
tian that St Alphonsus exclaims: “Our wretchedness should not make us uneasy,
for in Jesus crucified we shall find all richness and all grace (cf. 1 Cor 1:5, 7). The
merits of Jesus Christ have enriched us with all the wealth of God and there is no
grace we might desire that we cannot obtain by asking for it” (”The Love of God
Reduced to Practice”, chap. 3). The Fathers interpret these gifts as meaning that
the Corinthians had such a good grasp of Christian teaching that they were able
to express it clearly: “There are those who have the gift of knowledge but not that
of speech; and there are others who have the gift of speech but not knowledge.
The faithful in general, who are uneducated, know these truths, but they cannot
clearly explain what they have in their soul. You on the other hand, St Paul says,
are different; you know these truths and you can speak about them; you are rich
in the gift of speech and in that of knowledge” (Chrysostom, “Hom. on 1 Cor”, 2,
“ad loc”.).

8-9. “The day of our Lord’: in St Paul’s writings and in the New Testament general-
ly, this refers to the day of the General Judgment when Christ will appear as Judge,
clothed in glory (cf. 2 Cor 1:14; 1 Thess 5:2).

Christians actively hope that that Day will find them “blameless” (cf. Phil 1:10; 1
Thess 3:13; 5:23); the basis for this hope is God’s faithfulness—an attitude fre-
quently applied to him in the Old Testament (cf. Deut 7:9; Is 49:7) and in St Paul’s
letters (cf. 1 Cor 10:13; 2 Cor 1:18; 1 Thess 5:24; 2 Thess 3:3; Heb 10:23): the Co-
venant which God made with the chosen people was primarily a gift and a grace,
but it also was a legal commitment. The Covenant was grounded on God’s fidelity,
which was not merely a matter of legal obligation: it involved faithful, constant love.
The God’s fidelity will finds its fullest expression in the Redemption brought about
by Jesus Christ: “If, in fact, the reality of the Redemption,” Bl. John Paul II said,
“in its human dimension, reveals the unheard-of greatness of man, “qui talem ac
tantum meruit habere Redemptorem”, at the same time “the divine dimension of
the Redemption” enables us [...] to uncover the depth of that love which does not
recoil before the extraordinary sacrifice of the Son, in order to satisfy the fidelity
of the Creator and Father towards human beings, created in his image” (”Dives In
Misericordia”, 7).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 24:42-51

Vigilance. The Faithful Servant

(Jesus said to his disciples,) [42] “Watch therefore, for you do not know on
what day your Lord is coming. [43] But know this, that if the householder had
known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched
and would not have let his house be broken into. [44] Therefore you also must
be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

[45] “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over
his household, to give them their food at the proper time? [46] Blessed is that
servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. [47] Truly, I say
to you, he will set him over all his possessions. [48] But if that wicked servant
says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ [49] and begins to beat his fellow ser-
vants, and eats and drinks with the drunken, [50] the master of that servant
will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not
know, [51] and will punish him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men
will weep and gnash their teeth.”

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Commentary:

42. Jesus himself draws from this revelation about the future the practical moral
that a Christian needs to be on the watch, living each day as if it were his last.

The important thing is not to be speculating about when these events will hap-
pen and what form they will take, but to live in such a way that they find us in
the state of grace.

51. “And will punish him [or, cut him in pieces]”: this can be understood as a
metaphor for “will cast him away”. “Weeping and gnashing of teeth”: the pains
of hell.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Scripture readings from the Jerusalem Bible by Darton, Longman & Todd

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green.

First reading
1 Corinthians 1:1-9 ©

You have been enriched in many ways in Christ

I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother Sosthenes, send greetings to the church of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is their Lord no less than ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace.

I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the last day, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, because God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ; and God is faithful.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 144(145):2-7 ©

I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.

I will bless you day after day

and praise your name for ever.

The Lord is great, highly to be praised,

his greatness cannot be measured.

I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.

Age to age shall proclaim your works,

shall declare your mighty deeds,

shall speak of your splendour and glory,

tell the tale of your wonderful works.

I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.

They will speak of your terrible deeds,

recount your greatness and might.

They will recall your abundant goodness;

age to age shall ring out your justice.

I will bless your name for ever, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn15:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

Or:	Mt24:42,44

Alleluia, alleluia!

Stay awake and stand ready,

because you do not know the hour

when the Son of Man is coming.

Alleluia!

Gospel
Matthew 24:42-51 ©

He is coming at an hour you do not expect

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

‘What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you solemnly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the dishonest servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time,” and sets about beating his fellow servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 24
42.	Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come.	Vigilate ergo, quia nescitis qua hora Dominus vester venturus sit.	γρηγορειτε ουν οτι ουκ οιδατε ποια ωρα ο κυριος υμων ερχεται
43.	But know this ye, that if the goodman of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open.	Illud autem scitote, quoniam si sciret paterfamilias qua hora fur venturus esset, vigilaret utique, et non sineret perfodi domum suam.	εκεινο δε γινωσκετε οτι ει ηδει ο οικοδεσποτης ποια φυλακη ο κλεπτης ερχεται εγρηγορησεν αν και ουκ αν ειασεν διορυγηναι την οικιαν αυτου
44.	Wherefore be you also ready, because at what hour you know not the Son of man will come.	Ideo et vos estote parati : quia qua nescitis hora Filius hominis venturus est.	δια τουτο και υμεις γινεσθε ετοιμοι οτι η ωρα ου δοκειτε ο υιος του ανθρωπου ερχεται
45.	Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season.	Quis, putas, est fidelis servus, et prudens, quem constituit dominus suus super familiam suam ut det illis cibum in tempore ?	τις αρα εστιν ο πιστος δουλος και φρονιμος ον κατεστησεν ο κυριος αυτου επι της θεραπειας αυτου του διδοναι αυτοις την τροφην εν καιρω
46.	Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing.	Beatus ille servus, quem cum venerit dominus ejus, invenerit sic facientem.	μακαριος ο δουλος εκεινος ον ελθων ο κυριος αυτου ευρησει ποιουντα ουτως
47.	Amen I say to you, he shall place him over all his goods.	Amen dico vobis, quoniam super omnia bona sua constituet eum.	αμην λεγω υμιν οτι επι πασιν τοις υπαρχουσιν αυτου καταστησει αυτον
48.	But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: My lord is long a coming:	Si autem dixerit malus servus ille in corde suo : Moram fecit dominus meus venire :	εαν δε ειπη ο κακος δουλος εκεινος εν τη καρδια αυτου χρονιζει ο κυριος μου ελθειν
49.	And shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and shall eat and drink with drunkards:	et cœperit percutere conservos suos, manducet autem et bibat cum ebriosis :	και αρξηται τυπτειν τους συνδουλους εσθιειν δε και πινειν μετα των μεθυοντων
50.	The lord of that servant shall come in a day that he hopeth not, and at an hour that he knoweth not:	veniet dominus servi illius in die qua non sperat, et hora qua ignorat :	ηξει ο κυριος του δουλου εκεινου εν ημερα η ου προσδοκα και εν ωρα η ου γινωσκει
51.	And shall separate him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.	et dividet eum, partemque ejus ponet cum hypocritis : illic erit fletus et stridor dentium.	και διχοτομησει αυτον και το μερος αυτου μετα των υποκριτων θησει εκει εσται ο κλαυθμος και ο βρυγμος των οδοντων

42. Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord does come.
43. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44. Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of Man comes.

JEROME; Having declared that of that hour knows no man but the Father only, He shows that it was not expedient for the Apostles to know, that being ignorant they might live in perpetual expectation of His coming, and thus concluding the whole, He says, Watch therefore, &c. And He does not say, 'Because we know not,' but Because you know not, showing that He Himself is not ignorant of the day of judgment.

CHRYS. He would have them ever ready and therefore He says, Watch.

GREG. To watch is to keep the eyes open, and looking out for the true light, to do and to observe that which one believes, to cast away the darkness of sloth and negligence.

ORIGEN; Those of more plain understanding say, that He spoke this of His second coming; but others would say that it applies to an intellectual coming of the word into the understanding of the disciples, for as yet He was not in their understanding as He was to be.

AUG. He said this Watch, not to those only who heard 'Him speak at the time, but to those who came after them, and to us, and to all who shall be after us, until His second coming' for it touches all in a manner. That day comes to each one of us, when it comes to him to go out of the world, such as he shall be judged , and therefore ought every Christian to watch that the Lord's coming may not find him unprepared ; and he will be unprepared for the day of His coming, whom the last day of his life shall find unprepared.

AUG. Foolish are all they, who either profess to know the day of the end of the world, when it is to come, or even the end of their own life, which no one can know unless he is illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

JEROME; And by the instance of the master of the household, He teaches more plainly why He keeps secret the day of the consummation.

ORIGEN; The master of the household is the understanding, the house is the soul, the thief is the Devil. The thief is also every contrary doctrine which enters the soul of the unwary by other than the natural entrance, breaking into the house, and pulling down the soul's natural fences, that is, the natural powers of understanding, it enters the breach, and spoils the soul. sometimes one takes the thief in the act of breaking m, and seizing him, stabs him with a word, and slays him.

And the thief comes not in the day-time, when the soul of the thoughtful man is illuminated with the Sun of righteousness, but in the night, that is, in the time of prevailing wickedness; in which when one is plunged, it is possible, though he have not the power of the sun, that he may be illuminated by some rays from the Word, as from a lamp continuing still in evil, yet having a better purpose, and watchfulness, that this his purpose should not be broken through. Or in time of temptation, or of any calamities, is the time when the thief is most found to come, seeking to break through the house of the soul.

GREG. Or, the thief breaks into the house through the neglect of the master of the house, when the spirit has slept in upon its post of guard, and death has come in unawares into the dwelling house of our flesh, and finding the lord of the house sleeping, slays him; that is, the spirit, little providing for coming evils, is taken off unprepared, to punishment, by death. But if he had watched he would have been secure from the thief; that is, looking forward to the coming of the Judge, who takes our lives unawares, he would meet Him with penitence, and not perish impenitent. And the Lord would therefore have the last hour unknown, that it might always be in suspense, and that being unable to foresee it, we might never be unprepared for it.

CHRYS. In this He rebukes such as have less care for their souls, than they have of guarding their money against an expected thief.

45. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he come shall find so doing.
47. Verily I say to you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delays his coming;
49. And shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50. The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51. And shall cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

HILARY; Though the Lord had given above a general exhortation to all in common to unwearied vigilance, yet He adds a special charge to the rulers of the people, that is, the Bishops, of watchfulness in looking for His coming. Such He calls a faithful servant, and wise master of the household careful for the needs and interests of the people entrusted to Him.

CHRYS. That He says, Whom think you is that faithful and wise servant, does not imply ignorance, for even the Father we find asking a question, as that, Adam, where are you?

REMIG. Nor yet does it imply the impossibility of attaining perfect virtue, but only the difficulty.

GLOSS. For rare indeed is such faithful servant serving his Master for his Master s sake, feeding Christ's s sheep not for lucre but for love of Christ, skilled to discern the abilities, the life, and the manner of those put under him, whom the Lord sets over that is who is called of God, and has not thrust himself in.

CHRYS. He requires two things of such servant, fidelity and prudence, e calls him faithful . because he appropriates to himself none of his Lord s goods, and wastes nothing idly and unprofitably. He calls him prudent as knowing on what he ought to lay out the things committed to him.

ORIGEN, Or, he ought progress in the faith, though he is not yet perfect in it is ordinarily called faithful, and he who has natural quickness of intellect is called prudent. And whoever observes will find many faithful, and zealous in their belief, but not at the same time prudent; for God has chosen the foolish things of the world. Others again he will see who are quick and prudent but of weak faith; for the union of faith and prudence in the same man is most rare. To give food in due season calls for prudence in a man; not to take away the food of the needy requires faithfulness.

And this the literal sense obliges us to, that we be faithful in dispersing the revenues of the Church, that we devour not that which belongs to the widows, that we remember the poor, and that we do not take occasion from what is written, The Lord has ordained, that they which preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel, to seek more than plain food and necessary clothing, or to keep more for ourselves than we give to those who suffer want. And that we be prudent, to understand the cases of them that are in need, whence they come to be so, what has been the education and what are the necessities of each.

It needs much prudence to distribute fairly the revenues of the Church. Also let the servant be faithful and prudent, that he lavish not the intellectual and spiritual food upon those whom he ought not, but dispense according as each has need; to one is more necessary that word which shall edify his behavior, and guide his practice, than that which sheds a ray of science; but to others who can pierce more deeply let him not fail to expound the deeper things, lest if he set before them common things only, he e despised by such as have naturally keener understandings, or have been sharpened by the discipline of worldly learning.

CHRYS. This parable may be also fitted to the case of secular rulers; for each ought to employ the things he has to the common benefit, and not to the hurt of his fellow-servants, nor to his own ruin; whether it be wisdom or dominion, or whatever else he has.

RABAN. The lord is Christ, the household over which He appoints is the Church Catholic. It is hard then to find one man who is both faithful and wise, but not impossible; for He would not pronounce a blessing on a character that could never be, as when He adds, Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing.

HILARY; That is, obedient to his Lord s command, by the seasonableness of his teaching dispensing the word of life to a household which is to be nourished for the food of eternity.

REMIG. It should be observed, that as there is great difference of desert between good preachers and good hearers, so is there great difference between their rewards. The good hearers, if He finds them watching He will make to sit down to meat, as Luke speaks; but the good preachers He will set over all His goods.

ORIGEN; That he may reign with Christ, to whom the Father has committed all that is His. And as the son of a good father set over all that is his, He shall communicate of His dignity and glory to His faithful and wise stewards, that they also may be above the whole creation.

RABAN. Not that they only, but that they before others, shall be rewarded as well for their own lives as for their superintendence of the flock.

HILARY; Or, shall set him over all His goods, that is, shall place him in the glory of God because beyond this is nothing better.

CHRYS. And He instructs His hearer not only by the honor which awaits the good, but by the punishment which threatens the wicked adding, If that evil servant shall say in his heart, &c.

AUG. The temper of this servant is shown in his behavior, which is thus expressed by his good Master; his tyranny, and shall begin to beat his fellow servants, his sensuality, and to eat and drink with the drunken. So that when he said, My Lord delays His coming, he is not to be sup supposed to speak from desire to see the Lord, such was that of him who said, My soul is thirsty for the living God; when shall I come? This shows that he was grieved at the delay, seeing that what was hastening towards him seemed to his longing desires to be coming slowly.

ORIGEN; And every Bishop who ministers not as a fellow servant, but rules by might as a master, and often a harsh one, sins against God; also if he does not cherish the needy, but feasts with the drunken, and is continually slumbering because his Lord comes not till a after long time

RABAN. Typically, we may understand his beating his fellow servants, of offending the consciences of the weak by word, or by evil example.

JEROME; The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for Him, is to rouse the stewards to watchfulness and carefulness.

He shall cut him in sunder, is not to be understood of execution by the sword, but that he shall sever him from the company of the saints.

ORIGEN; Or, He shall cut him in sunder, when his spirit, that is, his spiritual gift, shall return to God who gave it; but his soul shall go with his body into hell. But the righteous man is not cut in sunder, but his soul, with his spirit, that is, with his gift, spiritual gift which was from God, but there remains to them that part which was their own, that is, their soul, which shall be punished with their body.

JEROME; And shall appoint him in the portion and the hypocrites, with those, namely, that were in the field, and grinding at the mill, and were nevertheless left. For as we often say that the hypocrite is one who is one thing, and asses himself for another; so in the field and at the mill he seemed to be doing the same as others, but the event proved that his purpose was different.

RABAN. Or, appoints him his portion with the hypocrites, that is, a twofold share of punishment, that of fire and frost; to the fire belongs the weeping, to the frost the gnashing of teeth.

ORIGEN; Or, there shall be weeping for such as have laughed amiss in this world, gnashing of teeth for those who have enjoyed an irrational peace. For being unwilling to suffer bodily pain, now the torture forces their teeth to chatter, with which they have eaten the bitterness of wickedness. From this we may learn that the Lord sets over His household not the faithful and wise only, but the wicked also; and that it will not save them to have been set over His household, but only if they have given them their food in due season, and have abstained from beating and drunkenness.

AUG. Putting aside this wicked servant, who, there is no doubt, hates his Master's coming, let us set before our eyes these good servants, who anxiously expect their Lord's coming. One looks for His coming sooner, another later, the third confesses his ignorance of the matter. Let us see which is most agreeable to the Gospel. One says, Let us watch and pray, because the Lord will quickly come; another, Let us watch and pray, because this life is short and uncertain, though the Lord's coming may be distant; and the third, Let us watch, because this life is short and uncertain, and we know not the time when the Lord will come.

What else does this man say than what we hear the Gospel say, Watch, because you know not the hour in which the Lord shall come? All indeed, through longing for the kingdom, desire that that should be true which the first thinks, and if it should so come to pass, the second and third would rejoice with him; but if it should not come to pass, it were to be feared that the belief of it supporters might be shaken by the delay, and they might begin to think that the Lord's coming shall be, not remote, but never. He who believes with the second that the Lord's coming is distant will not be shaken in faith, but will receive an unlooked for joy. He who confesses his ignorance which of these is true, wishes for the one, is resigned to the other, but errs in neither, because he neither affirms or denies either.

Catena Aurea Matthew 24

Last Judgement Triptych (central panel)

Hieronymus Bosch

1504-08
Mixed technique on panel, 163 x 128 cm
Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna

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Jesus, High Priest

We thank you, God our Father, for those who have responded to your call to priestly ministry.

Accept this prayer we offer on their behalf: Fill your priests with the sure knowledge of your love.

Open their hearts to the power and consolation of the Holy Spirit.

Lead them to new depths of union with your Son.

Increase in them profound faith in the Sacraments they celebrate as they nourish, strengthen and heal us.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant that these, your priests, may inspire us to strive for holiness by the power of their example, as men of prayer who ponder your word and follow your will.

O Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, guard with your maternal care these chosen ones, so dear to the Heart of your Son.

Intercede for our priests, that offering the Sacrifice of your Son, they may be conformed more each day to the image of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Saint John Vianney, universal patron of priests, pray for us and our priests

This icon shows Jesus Christ, our eternal high priest.

The gold pelican over His heart represents self-sacrifice.

The border contains an altar and grapevines, representing the Mass, and icons of Melchizedek and St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney.

Melchizedek: king of righteousness (left icon) was priest and king of Jerusalem. He blessed Abraham and has been considered an ideal priest-king.

St. Jean-Baptiste Vianney is the patron saint of parish priests.

Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

1. Sign of the Cross: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. The Apostles Creed: I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3. The Lord's Prayer: OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary: HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be: GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer. Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:
Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

The Mysteries of the Rosary By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary. The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.

The Luminous Mysteries or Mysteries of Light (Thursdays) see Rosarium Virginis Mariae
1. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan (II Corinthians 5:21, Matthew 3:17 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Gratitude for the gift of Faith]
2. Jesus' self-manifestation at the wedding of Cana (John 2:1- 12) [Spiritual fruit - Fidelity]
3. Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God, with His call to conversion (Mark 1:15, Mark 2:3-13; Luke 7:47- 48, John 20:22-23) [Spiritual fruit - Desire for Holiness]
4. Jesus' Transfiguration (Luke 9:35 and parallels) [Spiritual fruit - Spiritual Courage]
5. Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, as the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery. (Luke 24:13-35 and parallels, 1 Corinthians 11:24-25) [Spiritual fruit - Love of our Eucharistic Lord]

St. Michael the Archangel

~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
Cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen
+

August Devotion -- The Immaculate Heart [of Mary]

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The physical heart of Mary is venerated (and not adored as the Sacred Heart of Jesus is) because it is united to her person: and as the seat of her love (especially for her divine Son), virtue, and inner life. Such devotion is an incentive to a similar love and virtue.

This devotion has received new emphasis in this century from the visions given to Lucy Dos Santos, oldest of the visionaries of Fatima, in her convent in Tuy, in Spain, in 1925 and 1926. In the visions Our Lady asked for the practice of the Five First Saturdays to help make amends for the offenses given to her heart by the blasphemies and ingratitude of men. The practice parallels the devotion of the Nine First Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart.

On October 31, 1942, Pope Pius XII made a solemn Act of Consecration of the Church and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart. Let us remember this devotion year-round, but particularly through the month of August.

INVOCATIONS

O heart most pure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, obtain for me from Jesus a pure and humble heart.

Sweet heart of Mary, be my salvation.

ACT OF CONSECRATION
Queen of the most holy Rosary, help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own, on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities. Be thou moved by the sight of such material and moral degradation, such sorrows, such anguish, so many tormented souls in danger of eternal loss! Do thou, O Mother of mercy, obtain for us from God a Christ-like reconciliation of the nations, as well as those graces which can convert the souls of men in an instant, those graces which prepare the way and make certain the long desired coming of peace on earth. O Queen of peace, pray for us, and grant peace unto the world in the truth, the justice, and the charity of Christ.

Above all, give us peace in our hearts, so that the kingdom of God may spread its borders in the tranquillity of order. Accord thy protection to unbelievers and to all those who lie within the shadow of death; cause the Sun of Truth to rise upon them; may they be enabled to join with us in repeating before the Savior of the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will."

Give peace to the nations that are separated from us by error or discord, and in a special manner to those peoples who profess a singular devotion toward thee; bring them back to Christ's one fold, under the one true Shepherd. Obtain full freedom for the holy Church of God; defend her from her enemies; check the ever-increasing torrent of immorality; arouse in the faithful a love of purity, a practical Christian life, and an apostolic zeal, so that the multitude of those who serve God may increase in merit and in number.

Finally, even as the Church and all mankind were once consecrated to the Heart of thy Son Jesus, because He was for all those who put their hope in Him an inexhaustible source of victory and salvation, so in like manner do we consecrate ourselves forever to thee also and to thy Immaculate Heart, O Mother of us and Queen of the world; may thy love and patronage hasten the day when the kingdom of God shall be victorious and all the nations, at peace with God .and with one another, shall call thee blessed and intone with thee, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the everlasting "Magnificat" of glory, of love, of gratitude to the Heart of Jesus, in which alone we can find truth, life, and peace. — Pope Pius XII

IN HONOR OF THE IMMACULATE HEART
O heart of Mary, mother of God, and our mother; heart most worthy of love, in which the adorable Trinity is ever well-pleased, worthy of the veneration and love of all the angels and of all men; heart most like to the Heart of Jesus, of which thou art the perfect image; heart, full of goodness, ever compassionate toward our miseries; deign to melt our icy hearts and grant that they may be wholly changed into the likeness of the Heart of Jesus, our divine Savior. Pour into them the love of thy virtues, enkindle in them that divine fire with which thou thyself dost ever burn. In thee let Holy Church find a safe shelter; protect her and be her dearest refuge, her tower of strength, impregnable against every assault of her enemies. Be thou the way which leads to Jesus, and the channel, through which we receive all the graces needful for our salvation. Be our refuge in time of trouble, our solace in the midst of trial, our strength against temptation, our haven in persecution, our present help in every danger, and especially) at the hour of death, when all hell shall let loose against u its legions to snatch away our souls, at that dread moment; that hour so full of fear, whereon our eternity depends. An,; then most tender virgin, make us to feel the sweetness of thy motherly heart, and the might of thine intercession with Jesus, and open to us a safe refuge in that very fountain of mercy, whence we may come to praise Him with thee in paradise, world without end. Amen.

Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O'Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954

Sacred Heart Of Jesus

Sacred Heart Of Jesus image

Immaculate Heart of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary image

Blessed be the Most Loving Heart and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the most glorious Virgin Mary, His Mother, in eternity and forever. Amen.

....Only the Heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of his mercy in so simple and beautiful a way ----From the Catechism. P:1439

From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power.
Amen. - - St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

The prayer of the Church venerates and honors the Heart of Jesus just as it invokes his most holy name. It adores the incarnate Word and his Heart which, out of love for men, he allowed to be pierced by our sins. Christian prayer loves to follow the way of the cross in the Savior's steps.-- >From the Catechism. P: 2669

The Salutation to the Heart of Jesus and Mary

An Offering of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Novena Prayer to Sacred Heart of Jesus

Prayer to the Wounded Heart of Jesus

Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart

Meditation & Novena Prayer on the Sacred Heart

Beads to the Sacred Heart

Novena Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Daily Offering to the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Exaltation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin

The Holy Heart of Mary Is, After the Heart of Jesus, the Most Exalted Throne of Divine Love
Let us recollect that God has given us the feast of the most pure Heart of the Blessed Virgin so that we may render on that day all the respect, honor and praise that we possibly can. To enkindle this spirit within us let us consider our motivating obligations.

The first is that we ought to love and honor whatever God loves and honors, and that by which He is loved and glorified. Now, after the adorable Heart of Jesus there has never been either in heaven or on earth, nor ever will be, a heart which has been so loved and honored by God, or which has given Him so much glory as that of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Never has there been, nor will there ever be a more exalted throne of divine love. In that Heart divine love possesses its fullest empire, for it ever reigns without hindrance or interruption, and with it reign likewise all the laws of God, all the Gospel maxims and every Christian virtue.

This incomparable Heart of the Mother of our Redeemer is a glorious heaven, a Paradise of delights for the Most Holy Trinity. According to St. Paul, the hearts of the faithful are the dwelling place of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself assures us that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost take up Their abode in the hearts of those who love God. Who, therefore, can doubt that the Most Holy Trinity has always made His home and established the reign of His glory in an admirable and ineffable manner in the virginal Heart of her who is the Daughter of the Father, the Mother of the Son, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost, who herself loves God more than all other creatures together?

How much then are we not obliged to love this exalted and most lovable Heart?

— St. John Eudes

Today: Immaculate Heart of Mary [DEVOTIONAL]

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