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From: Hebrews 3:7-14

The Need for Faith; the Bad Example Given by the Chosen People

[7] Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, when you hear his voice, [8] do
not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,
[9] where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. [10]
Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray
in their hearts; they have not known my ways.’ [11] As I swore in my wrath, ‘They
shall never enter my rest.”’ [12] Take care, brethren, lest there be in any of you
an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [13] But
exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”, that none of you
may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. [14] For we share in Christ, if only
we hold our first confidence firm to the end.

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Commentary:

7-11. A long quotation from Psalm 95 introduces the theme of that “rest” which
the people of the promise will attain at the end of their wayfaring.

In the Book of Genesis we are told that when God finished his work of creation,
he “rested”. The “rest” prescribed in the Mosaic Law was a kind of imitation of
what God did, sharing God’s happiness, receiving the reward merited by a life
of fidelity and hard work. The Jews had gradually come to a more spiritual under-
standing of “rest” or, as they termed it, “the place of rest”. This idea reaches its
highest form of expression in the apocryphal book of Esdras (IV Esdras), where
the prayer is raised to God to grant the faithful departed “eternal rest”, “Requiem
aeternam dona eis, Domine”. The chosen people were helped to arrive at this
notion of rest by reflecting on the spiritual meaning of the Exodus and the pilgri-
mage to the promised land. The Exodus was also seen as a new creation, with
God “creating” his people. Like the first creation, this second creation would be
followed by “rest”—entry into the promised land. The Epistle to the Hebrews
shares this interpretation of the Exodus but it gives it a Christian perspective by
seeing the Exodus as the Redemption whereby Christ, a new Moses, leads us
to eternal rest.

7. The author of the letter reaffirms that Sacred Scripture—in this case Psalm
95 —is the work of the Holy Spirit. As such it always carries a contemporary
message; it is a form God uses to speak to all men in all periods of history.
Readiness to listen to God and do his will today and now is an important part
of Christian living (cf. 3:13). A Christian should be docile to God speaking in his
heart; he should be quick to respond to all the little invitations God gives him to
deny himself and advance in holiness. No excuse is ever valid for delaying to
give a positive response to grace. “Do your duty ‘now’, without looking back on
‘yesterday’, which has already passed, or worrying over ‘tomorrow’, which may
never come for you” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 253). “Now! Return to your
noble life now. Don’t let yourself be fooled: ‘now’ is not too soon...nor too late”
(”ibid.”, 254).

8. Man is free; he can resist grace, and unfortunately often does. “It is not God’s
goodness that is to blame for faith not coming to birth in men, but the inadequate
dispositions of those who hear the preaching of the word” (St Gregory Nazianzen,
“Oratio Catechetica Magna”, 31). Scripture calls this resistance to grace “hard-
ness of heart” (cf., e.g., Ex 4:21; Rom 9:18; Deut 15:7; Jer 7:26; Acts 19:6).

When withholding belief or resisting conversion, people sometimes claim to have
intellectual difficulties, but, very often, the real problem has to do with their dispo-
sitions, with not “wanting” to respond to grace. The disobedience and “hardness
of heart” or stubbornness of the chosen people is a recurring subject in the Old
Testament (cf., e.g., Ex 32:9; Deut 9:13; 2 Kings 17:14; Is 46:12; Jer 5 :3; Ezek
2:4; etc.). Their rebellion against God’s commands was due to pride, which
turned them into a people whose forehead was as hard as brass, whose neck
was “an iron sinew” (Is 48:4; cf. Acts 7:51), a people uncircumcised in heart,
with uncircumcised ears (cf. Jer 9:26; 6: 10). Conversion cannot operate if some-
one has that attitude. For this reason our Lord, and later his Apostles, referred to
the Jews’ rejection of him, in order to make Christians steadfast in faith (cf. Is 6:9;
Mt 13:13; In 12:40; Acts 28:26).

9. Psalm 95 contains a reference to the Israelites’ rebellion when God put them
to the test in the wilderness. The episode took place in Rephidim, on the border
of the wilderness of Zin, in the south-east of the Sinai peninsula. Having made
their way out of Egypt, the people grew impatient; they complained about how

Yahweh was treating them, and put him to the test by asking him to work a mira-
cle (Ex 17:1-7). God did work a miracle: at Horeb he ordered Moses to strike the
rock with his rod, and out of it flowed water to relieve the people’s thirst. The
place was therefore given the name of Massah (meaning temptation) and Meri-
bah (meaning fault-finding or exasperation). This episode in Jewish history came
to symbolize the disgruntlement which typified the Jews in the desert, an attitude
which even affected Moses in Kadesh (cf. Num 20:1-13). The leader of the chosen
people, in circumstances similar to those of the earlier incident, struck the rock
twice, not expecting anything to happen. On account of this he did not merit to
enter the promised land: he was only allowed to see it from Mount Nebo, where
he died (Deut 34:1-8).0

“Putting God to the test”, “ tempting” him, is a sin of presumption. It involves ex-
posing oneself imprudently and needlessly to physical or spiritual risk from which
God’s ordinary providence does not provide protection (cf. Mt 4:5-7).

In this passage, “putting God to the test” means demanding more proof than
necessary that God is steadfast in his will and continues to protect his chosen
people. “God should not be asked to account for his activities”, St John Chry-
sostom comments; “if one asks him to prove his power, his providence, his soli-
citude, it is the same as not yet being fully convinced of his power and goodness
and mercy” (”Hom. on Heb.”, 6).

11. There are three kinds of rest. The first is the “sabbath”, when God rested
after creating the world; then there is the rest provided by the promised land of
Canaan after countless afflictions and difficulties; and “finally there is the true
rest which belongs to the Kingdom of heaven, where the elect rest from their la-
bors and afflictions: the sabbath is a reflection and symbol of that rest” (”Hom.
on Heb.”, 6).

St Thomas Aquinas applies the term “rest” to peace of body and soul and says
that there are different kinds of peace—physical ease (cf. Lk 12:19); the peace of
conscience a person has who does right in the sight of God; and the peace of
eternal happiness in heaven (cf. “Commentary on Heb, ad loc.”).

12. “Falling away from the living God” seems to be something more serious than
reverting to Judaism; it implies the sad possibility of total loss of belief in God.
Thus, in the case of those to whom the epistle was written, a reversion from the
Gospel to Judaism would not be simply a matter of returning to a previous reli-
gious position but rather a deliberate act involving voluntary resistance to grace
and a complete break with God. For people who had not received the Revelation
of Jesus Christ, the Jewish religion certainly did provide access to God; but for
those who by embracing Christianity had thereby received the fullness of Reve-
lation, renunciation of Christ would mean a virtually irreparable sin (cf. Heb 6:4-6).
There is never a valid excuse for giving up the faith.

The Church teaches and prescribes to its children the need to be true to the faith
even at the cost of life itself. From the very beginning this was the kind of fidelity
practised by the martyrs and confessors of the faith. “They cut our hands off,
they nail us to crosses, they throw us to wild beasts, imprison us and burn us,
and we submit to every kind of torture; yet everyone knows that we do not betray
our faith. Rather, the worse our sufferings, the more there are who embrace faith
and devotion in the name of Jesus (St Justin, “Dialogue with Trypho”, 110,4).

Some Christians today are called to stay true in the face of violent persecution;
they and others also have to overcome fear of ridicule, and the temptation to hide
their convictions from unbelievers. The words of the letter remind us that there is
a danger that whereas in earlier times force failed to achieve its objective, nowa-
days fear of ridicule could cause us to be ashamed of Christ or to deny him.
“’And in a paganized or pagan environment when my life clashes with its surroun-
dings, won’t my naturalness seem artificial?’ you ask me. And I reply: ‘Undoub-
tedly your life will clash with theirs; and that contrast—faith confirmed by works!—
is exactly the naturalness I ask of you” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 380).

13. The more Christians practise charity, the easier it is for them to be steadfast
in the faith. Fraternity, mutual brotherly support, helps provide protection from the
devil’s efforts to make us sin: “’Frater qui adiuvatur a fratre quasi civitas firma”.
Brother helped by brother is a fortress.’ Think for a moment and make up your
mind to live the fraternal spirit that I have always asked of you” (St. J. Escriva,
“The Way”, 460).

Aware of his personal weakness and of the need to help others and to let him-
self be helped, the Christian keeps striving to practise this fraternity. He loves
the good he sees in others, and he tries to uproot in himself and others anything
that implies a defect. Fraternity, therefore, leads to “fraternal correction”, a word
of advice which is always full of understanding, being the outcome of a desire to
live in harmony with others and to remove divisions and barriers. Christian frater-
nity binds the Church together.

“Not in vain is there in the depths of man’s being a strong longing for peace, for
union with his fellow man, for mutual respect for personal rights, so strong that
it seeks to transform human relations into fraternity. This longing reflects some-
thing which is most deeply imprinted upon our human condition: since we are all
children of God, our fraternity is not a cliche or an empty dream; it beckons as a
goal which, though difficult, is really ours to achieve” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of
God”, 233).

14. This is a repetition of the exhortation in v. 6 to remain true to the end. “Firm
confidence’’ is the very opposite of the “falling away” mentioned in v. 12. From
the very beginning of his calling, a Christian is already sharing in Christ’s life and
in his glory, but he will not share in it fully until after death, when he will be able
actually to see the Lord.

This sharing in Christ’s grace is a treasure which we carry in “earthen vessels”
(2 Cor 4:7) and can lose at any time through sin. We need to nurture this grace
and protect our faith by being watchful and active right through our life: “We have
shared in Christ’s death through holy Baptism and we have been buried with him;
we have shared in his resurrection provided we keep our faith intact” (Theodoret
of Cyrus, “Interpretatio Ep. ad Haebreos”, III).

The Christian life is a matter of constantly returning to God, beginning anew, and
humbly and decisively correcting our course when we go astray through weak-
ness or indifference.

“What does it matter that we stumble on the way, if we find in the pain of our fall
the energy to pick ourselves up and go on with renewed vigor? Don’t forget that
the saint is not the person who never falls, but rather the one who never fails to
get up again, humbly and with a holy stubbornness. If the Book of Proverbs says
that the just man falls seven times a day (cf. Prov 24:16), who are we poor crea-
tures, you and I, to be surprised or discouraged by our own weaknesses and falls!
We will be able to keep going ahead, if only we seek our fortitude in him who says:
‘Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest’ (Mt
11:28). Thank you, Lord, “quia tu es, Deus, fortitudo mea” (Ps 42:2), because
you, and you alone, my God, have always been my strength, my refuge and my
support” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 131).

*********************************************************************************************
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: Mark 1:40-45

The Curing of a Leper

[40] And a leper came to Him (Jesus), beseeching Him, and kneeling said to
Him, “If You will, You can make me clean.” [41] Moved with pity, He stretched
out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I will; be clean.” [42] And im-
mediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. [43] And He sternly
charged him, and sent him away at once, [44] and said to him, “See that you
say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your
cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.” [45] But he went
out and began to talk freely about it, and spread the news, so that Jesus could
no longer openly enter a town, but was out in the country; and people came to
Him from every quarter.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

40-44. Leprosy was seen as a punishment from God (cf. Numbers 12:10-15). The
disappearance of the disease was regarded as one of the blessings of the messia-
nic times (Isaiah 35:8; cf. Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22). Because leprosy was conta-
gious, the Law declared that lepers were impure and that they transmitted impuri-
ty to those who touched them and to places they entered. Therefore, they had to
live apart (Numbers 5:2; 12:14ff) and to show that they were lepers by certain ex-
ternal signs. On the rite of purification, see the note on Matthew 8:4.

[The note on Matthew 8:4 states:

4. According to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 14), if a leper is cured of his disease,
e should present himself to a priest, who will register the cure and give him a cer-
tificate which he needs to be reintegrated into the civil and religious life of Israel.
Leviticus also prescribes the purifications and sacrifice he should offer. Jesus’s
instruction to the leper is, then, in keeping with the normal way of fulfilling what
the laws laid down.]

The passage shows us the faithful and confident prayer of a man needing Jesus’s
help and begging Him for it, confident that, if Our Lord wishes, He can free him
from the disease (cf. Matthew 8:2). “This man prostrated himself on the ground,
as a sign of humility and shame, to teach each of us to be ashamed of the stains
of his life. But shame should not prevent us from confessing: the leper showed
his wound and begged for healing. If You will, he says, You can make me clean;
that is, he recognized that the Lord had the power to cure him” (St. Bede, “In
Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc.”).

On the discretion and prudence Jesus required regarding His person, see the
note on Mark 1:34 and Matthew 9:30.

[The note on Mark 1:34 states:

34. Demons possess a supernatural type of knowledge and therefore they recog-
nize Jesus as the Messiah (Mark 1:24). Through the people they possess they
are able to publish this fact. But Our Lord, using His divine powers, orders them
to be silent. On other occasions He also silences His disciples (Mark 8:30; 9:9),
and He instructs people whom He has cured not to talk about their cure (Mark 1:
4; 5:43; 7:36; 8:26). He may have acted in this way to educate the people away
from a too human and political idea of the Messiah (Matthew 9:30). Therefore,
He first awakens their interest by performing miracles and gradually, through His
preaching, gives them a clearer understanding of the kind of Messiah He is.

Some Fathers of the Church point out that Jesus does not want to accept, in
support of the truth, the testimony of him who is the father of lies.]

[The note on Matthew 9:30 states:

30. Why did our Lord not want them to publicize the miracle? Because His plan
was to gradually manifest Himself as the Messiah, the Son of God. He did not
want to anticipate events which would occur in their own good time; nor did He
want the crowd to start hailing Him as Messiah King, because their notion of
messiah was nationalistic, not a spiritual one. However, the crowd did in fact pro-
claim Him when he worked the miracles of the loaves and the fish (John 6:14-15):
“When the people saw the sign which He had done, they said, ‘This is indeed
the prophet who is to come into the world!’ Perceiving then that they were about
to come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus withdrew again to the
hills by Himself.”]

*********************************************************************************************
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.

Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading
Hebrews 3:7-14 ©
Keep encouraging one another
The Holy Spirit says: If only you would listen to him today; do not harden your hearts, as happened in the Rebellion, on the Day of Temptation in the wilderness, when your ancestors challenged me and tested me, though they had seen what I could do for forty years. That was why I was angry with that generation and said: How unreliable these people who refuse to grasp my ways! And so, in anger, I swore that not one would reach the place of rest I had for them. Take care, brothers, that there is not in any one of your community a wicked mind, so unbelieving as to turn away from the living God. Every day, as long as this ‘today’ lasts, keep encouraging one another so that none of you is hardened by the lure of sin, because we shall remain co-heirs with Christ only if we keep a grasp on our first confidence right to the end.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 94(95):6-11 ©
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God who made us:
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
O that today you would listen to his voice!
‘Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as on that day at Massah in the desert
when your fathers put me to the test;
when they tried me, though they saw my work.
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’
For forty years I was wearied of these people
and I said: “Their hearts are astray,
these people do not know my ways.”
Then I took an oath in my anger:
“Never shall they enter my rest.”’
O that today you would listen to his voice! ‘Harden not your hearts.’

Gospel Acclamation
Ps118:88
Alleluia, alleluia!
Because of your love give me life,
and I will do your will.
Alleluia!
Or:
cf.Mt4:23
Alleluia, alleluia!
Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.
Alleluia!

Gospel
Mark 1:40-45 ©
The leprosy left the man at once, and he was cured
A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.’ The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.

#6

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

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 1
40.	And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down said to him: If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.	Et venit ad eum leprosus deprecans eum : et genu flexo dixit ei : Si vis, potes me mundare.	και ερχεται προς αυτον λεπρος παρακαλων αυτον και γονυπετων αυτον και λεγων αυτω οτι εαν θελης δυνασαι με καθαρισαι
41.	And Jesus having compassion on him, stretched forth his hand; and touching him, saith to him: I will. Be thou made clean.	Jesus autem misertus ejus, extendit manum suam : et tangens eum, ait illi : Volo : mundare.	ο δε ιησους σπλαγχνισθεις εκτεινας την χειρα ηψατο αυτου και λεγει αυτω θελω καθαρισθητι
42.	And when he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean.	Et cum dixisset, statim discessit ab eo lepra, et mundatus est.	και ειποντος αυτου ευθεως απηλθεν απ αυτου η λεπρα και εκαθαρισθη
43.	And he strictly charged him, and forthwith sent him away.	Et comminatus est ei, statimque ejecit illum,	και εμβριμησαμενος αυτω ευθεως εξεβαλεν αυτον
44.	And he saith to him: See thou tell no one; but go, shew thyself to the high priest, and offer for thy cleansing the things that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.	et dicit ei : Vide nemini dixeris : sed vade, ostende te principi sacerdotum, et offer pro emundatione tua, quæ præcepit Moyses in testimonium illis.	και λεγει αυτω ορα μηδενι μηδεν ειπης αλλ υπαγε σεαυτον δειξον τω ιερει και προσενεγκε περι του καθαρισμου σου α προσεταξεν μωσης εις μαρτυριον αυτοις
45.	But he being gone out, began to publish and to blaze abroad the word: so that he could not openly go into the city, but was without in desert places: and they flocked to him from all sides.	At ille egressus cœpit prædicare, et diffamare sermonem, ita ut jam non posset manifeste introire in civitatem, sed foris in desertis locis esset, et conveniebant ad eum undique.	ο δε εξελθων ηρξατο κηρυσσειν πολλα και διαφημιζειν τον λογον ωστε μηκετι αυτον δυνασθαι φανερως εις πολιν εισελθειν αλλ εξω εν ερημοις τοποις ην και ηρχοντο προς αυτον πανταχοθεν

40. And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If you will, you can make me clean.
41. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and said to him, I will; be you clean.
42. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
43. And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;
44. And said to him, See you say nothing to any man: but go your way, show yourself to the Priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.
45. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, inasmuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.

BEDE; After that the serpent-tongue of the devils was shut up, and the woman, who was first seduced, cured of a fever, in the third place, the man, who listened to the evil counsels of the woman, is cleansed from his leprosy, that the order of restoration in the Lord might be the same as was the order of the fall in our first parents; whence it goes on: And there came a leper to him, beseeching him.

AUG. Mark puts together circumstances, from which one may infer that he is the same as that one whom Matthew relates to have been cleansed, when the Lord came down from the mount, after the sermon.

BEDE, And because the Lord said that He came not to destroy the Law but to fulfill, he who was excluded by the Law, inferring that he was cleansed by the power of the Lord, showed that that grace, which could wash away the stain of the leper, was not from the Law, but over the Law. And truly, as in the Lord authoritative power, so in him the constancy of faith is shown; for there follows, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. He falls on his face, which is at once a gesture of lowliness and of shame, to show that every man should blush for the stains of his life. But his shame did not stifle confession; he showed his wound, and begged for medicine, and the confession is full of devotion and of faith, for he refers the power to the will of the Lord.

THEOPHYL. For he said not, If you will, pray unto God, but, If you will, as thinking Him very God.

BEDE; Moreover, he Bede doubted of the will of the Lord, not as disbelieving His compassion, but, as conscious of his own filth, he did not presume. He goes on; But Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and said to him, I will, be you clean. It is not, as many of the Latins think, to be taken to mean and read, He wish to cleanse thee, but that Christ should say separately, I will, and then command, be you clean.

CHRYS. Further, the reason why He touches the leper, and did not confer health upon him by word alone, was, that it is said by Moses in the Law, that he who touches a leper, shall be unclean till the evening; that is, that He might show, that this uncleanness is a natural one, that the Law was not laid down for Him, but on account of mere men. Furthermore, He shows that He Himself is the Lord of the Law; and the reason why He touched the leper, though the touch was not necessary to the working of the cure, was to show that He gives health, not as a servant, but as the Lord.

BEDE; Another reason why He touched him, was to prove that He could not be defiled, who freed others from pollution. At the same time it is remarkable, that He healed in the way in which he had been begged to heal. If you will, says the leper, you can make me clean. I will, He answered, behold, you have My will, be clean; now you have at once the effect of My compassion.

CHRYS. Moreover, by this, not only did He not take away the opinion of Him entertained by the leper, but He confirmed it; for He puts to flight the disease by a word, and what the leper had said in word, He filled up in deed; wherefore there follows, And when he had spoken, immediately, &c.

BEDE; For there is no interval between the work of God and the command, because the work is in the command, for He commanded, and they were created. There follows: And he strictly charged him, and forthwith, &c. See you tell no man.

CHRYS. As if He said, It is not yet time that My works should be preached, I require not your preaching. By which He teaches us not to seek worldly honor as a reward for our works. It goes on: But go your way, show yourself to the chief of the priests. Our Savior sent him to the priest for the trial of his cure, and that he might not he cast out of the temple, but still be numbered with the people in prayer. He sends him also, that be might fulfill all the parts of the Law, in order to stop the evil-speaking tongue of the Jews. He Himself indeed completed the work, leaving them to try it.

BEDE; This He did in order that the priest might understand that the leper was not healed by the Law, but by the grace of God above the Law. There follows: And offer for your cleansing what Moses, &c.

THEOPHYL. He ordered him to offer the gift which they who were healed were accustomed to offer, as if for a testimony, that lie was not against the Law, lint rather confirmed the Law, inasmuch as lie Himself worked out the precepts of the Law.

BEDE; If any one wonders, how the Lord seems to approve of the Jewish sacrifice, which the Church rejects, let him remember, that He had not yet offered His own holocausts in His passion. And it was not right that significative sacrifices should he taken away, before that which they signified was confirmed by the witness of the Apostles in their preaching, and by the faith of the believing people.

THEOPHYL. But the leper, although the Lord forbade him, disclosed the benefit, wherefore it goes on: But he having gone out, began to publish and to blaze abroad the tale; for the person benefited ought to be grateful, and to return thanks, even though his benefactor requires it not.

BEDE; Now it may well be asked, why our Lord ordered His action to be concealed, and yet it could not be kept hid for an hour? But it is to be observed, that the reason why, in doing a miracle, He ordered it to be kept secret, and yet for all that it was noised abroad, was, that His elect, following the example of His teaching, should wish indeed that in the great things which they do, they should remain concealed, but should nevertheless unwillingly be brought to light for the good of others. Not then that He wished any thing to be done, which He was not able to bring about, but, by the authority of His teaching, He gave an example of what His members ought to wish for, and of what should happen to them even against their will.

BEDE; Further, this perfect cure of one man brought large multitudes to the Lord; wherefore it is added, So that he could not any more openly enter into the city, but could only be without in desert places.

CHRYS. For the leper every where proclaimed his wonderful cure, so that all ran to see and to believe on the Healer; thus the Lord could not preach the Gospel, but walked in desert places; wherefore there follows, And they came together to him from all Places.

PSEUDO-JEROME; Mystically, our leprosy is the sin of the first man, which began from the head, when he desired the kingdoms of the world. For covetousness is the root of all evil; wherefore Gehazi, engaged in an avaritious pursuit, is covered with leprosy.

BEDE; But when the hand of the Savior, that is, the Incarnate Word of God, is stretched out, and touches human nature, it is cleansed from the various parts of the old error.

PSEUDO-JEROME; This leprosy is cleansed on offering an oblation to the true Priest after the order of Melchisedec; for He tells us, Give alms of such things as you have, and, behold, all things are clean to you. But in that Jesus could not openly enter into the city, it is meant to be conveyed, that Jesus is not manifested to those, who are enslaved to the love of praise in the broad highway, and to their own wills, but to those who with Peter go into the desert, which the Lord chose for prayer, and for refreshing His people; that is, those who quit the pleasures of the world, and all that they possess, that they may say, The Lord is my portion. But the glory of the Lord is manifested to those, who meet together on all sides, that is, through smooth ways and steep, whom nothing can separate from the love of Christ.

BEDE; Even after working a miracle in that city, the Lord retires into the desert, to show that He loves best a quiet life, and one far removed from the cares of the world, and that it is on account of this desire, He applied Himself to the healing of the body.

Catena Aurea Mark 1

The cure of the leper

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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
+

Feast of
the Holy Name of Jesus

Luke 2:21 "...Et vocatum est Nomen eius IESUS"
("And His Name was called JESUS")

Psalm 90:14 "Because he hoped in me I will deliver him:
I will protect him because he hath known My Name."

Zacharias 10:12 "I will strengthen them in the Lord,
and they shall walk in His Name, saith the Lord."

Apocalypse 3:8 "I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied My Name."

Apocalypse 15:4 "Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and magnify Thy Name?..."

Blessed be the most holy Name of Jesus without end!

January Devotion: The Holy Name of Jesus

The month of January is traditionally dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. This feast is also celebrated on January 3. Here is an explanation of the devotion.

Since the 16th century Catholic piety has associated entire months to special devotions. The devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus has been traditionally associated with the month of January, due to its celebration on January 3. The name Jesus was given to the Holy Child at God's command (Luke 1:31). The Holy Name is all-powerful because of the Person who bears it; we honor it because of the command of Christ, that we should pray in His Name and because it reminds us of all the blessings we receive through our Holy Redeemer. Hence St. Paul was able to write to the Philippians: ". . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" (Phil. 2:10). By means of this devotion we also make amends for improper use of the Holy Name.

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

Prayer/Hymn in Honor of the Most Holy Name of Jesus - Iesu, Dulcis Memoria

Iesu, Dulcis Memoria is a celebrated 12th century hymn attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), Doctor Mellifluus. The entire hymn has some 42 to 53 stanzas depending upon the manuscript. Parts of this hymn were used for the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, which was formerly celebrated on the Sunday between the Circumcision and Epiphany, or failing such a Sunday, on January 2. The part below was used at Vespers. In the liturgical revisions of Vatican II, the feast was deleted, though a votive Mass to the Holy Name of Jesus had been retained for devotional use. With the release of the revised Roman Missal in March 2002, the feast was restored as an optional memorial on January 3.

Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy face to see
And in Thy presence rest.

No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find,
A sweeter sound than Jesus' name,
The Savior of mankind.

O hope of every contrite heart!
0 joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love of Jesus, what it is,
None but His loved ones know.

Jesus! our only hope be Thou,
As Thou our prize shalt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity. Amen.

---Roman Breviary

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

O Divine Jesus, Thou hast promised that anything we ask of the Eternal Father in Thy name shall be granted.

O Eternal Father. In the name of Jesus, for the love of Jesus, in fulfillment of this promise, and because Jesus has said it, grant us our petitions for the sake of Jesus, Thy Divine Son. 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

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Phil:2:10-11

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Philippians 2
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.