Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gn 27:1-5, 15-29

When Isaac was so old that his eyesight had failed him,
he called his older son Esau and said to him, "Son!"
"Yes father!" he replied.
Isaac then said, "As you can see, I am so old
that I may now die at any time.
Take your gear, therefore–your quiver and bow–
and go out into the country to hunt some game for me.
With your catch prepare an appetizing dish for me, such as I like,
and bring it to me to eat,
so that I may give you my special blessing before I die."

Rebekah had been listening
while Isaac was speaking to his son Esau.
So, when Esau went out into the country
to hunt some game for his father,
Rebekah [then] took the best clothes of her older son Esau
that she had in the house,
and gave them to her younger son Jacob to wear;
and with the skins of the kids she covered up his hands
and the hairless parts of his neck.
Then she handed her son Jacob the appetizing dish
and the bread she had prepared.

Bringing them to his father, Jacob said, "Father!"
"Yes?" replied Isaac. "Which of my sons are you?"
Jacob answered his father: "I am Esau, your first-born.
I did as you told me.
Please sit up and eat some of my game,
so that you may give me your special blessing."
But Isaac asked, "How did you succeed so quickly, son?"
He answered,
"The LORD, your God, let things turn out well with me."
Isaac then said to Jacob,
"Come closer, son, that I may feel you,
to learn whether you really are my son Esau or not."
So Jacob moved up closer to his father.
When Isaac felt him, he said,
"Although the voice is Jacob's, the hands are Esau's."
(He failed to identify him because his hands were hairy,
like those of his brother Esau;
so in the end he gave him his blessing.)
Again he asked Jacob, "Are you really my son Esau?"
"Certainly," Jacob replied.
Then Isaac said, "Serve me your game, son, that I may eat of it
and then give you my blessing."
Jacob served it to him, and Isaac ate;
he brought him wine, and he drank.

Finally his father Isaac said to Jacob,
"Come closer, son, and kiss me."
As Jacob went up and kissed him,
Isaac smelled the fragrance of his clothes.
With that, he blessed him saying,

"Ah, the fragrance of my son
is like the fragrance of a field
that the LORD has blessed!

"May God give to you
of the dew of the heavens
And of the fertility of the earth
abundance of grain and wine.

"Let peoples serve you,
and nations pay you homage;
Be master of your brothers,
and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
and blessed be those who bless you."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6

R.(3a) Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the name of the LORD;
Praise, you servants of the LORD
Who stand in the house of the LORD,
in the courts of the house of our God.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, which we love;
For the LORD has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel for his own possession.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.
For I know that the LORD is great;
our LORD is greater than all gods.
All that the LORD wills he does
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and in all the deeps.
R. Praise the Lord for the Lord is good!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Alleluia Jn 10:27

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mt 9:14-17

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
"Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.
No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth,
for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
People do not put new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined.
Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Maria Goretti, please go here.

From: Genesis 27:1-5, 15-29

Jacob Obtains Isaac’s Blessing by Cunning

[1] When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he
called Esau his older son, and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I
am.” [2] He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. [3] Now
then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and
hunt game for me, [4] and prepare for me savory food, such as I love, and bring
it to me that I may eat; that I may bless you before I die.”

[5] Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when
Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, [15] (Then) Rebekah took
the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house and
put them on Jacob her younger son; [16] and the skins of the kids she put upon
his hands and upon the smooth part of his neck; [17] and she gave the savory
food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

[18] So he went in to his father, and said, “My father”; and said, “Here I am; who
are you, my son?” [19] Jacob said to his father “I am Esau your first-born. I have
done as you told me; now sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me.” [20]
But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”
He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” [21] Then Isaac
said to Jacob, “Come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are
really my son Esau or not.” [22] Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him
and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” [23]
And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother E-
sau’s hands; so he blessed him. He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He an-
swered, “I am.” Then he said, “Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son’s game
and bless you.” So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine,
and he drank. [26] Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me,
my son.” [27] So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his
garments, and blessed him, and said, “See, the smell of my son is as the smell
of a field which the Lord has blessed! [28] May God give you of the dew of hea-
ven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. [29] Let peo-
ples serve you, and nations bow down to you.”

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Commentary:

27:1-45. Jacob managed to get the birthright; now he is going to get the bles-
sing his father intended for his firstborn son. Seemingly, this blessing meant he
acquired a right to the inheritance he had already bought from Esau and it meant
he would be the head of the family (cf. v. 29). Moreover, by getting his father’s
blessing he also received God’s blessing. The Bible does not make a judgment
about the methods Jacob used to deflect his father’s blessing to himself; but it
does make it clear, once again, that he had no right to it as far as human laws
were concerned; no, he received both the birthright and the blessing as a gratui-
tous gift from God, who chose the younger son (cf. 25:23). Here too, as in the
case of Isaac (cf. 21:8-13), the part played by the mother is stressed; she ig-
nores custom, and plays an active part in the furthering of God’s plans. The
passage also stresses how shrewd the patriarch is by comparison with Esau.
Jacob’s action is justified in the overall context of the narrative, given that he
bought the birthright previously from his brother. However, the prophet Hosea
was of the opinion that Jacob had done something he should be sorry for; in
which case Jacob prefigures the people of Israel, whom the prophet calls to re-
pentance (cf. Hos 12:37).

This account is in a style similar to what we saw in chapter 24: the action un-
folds over five scenes, each of which includes a dialogue between two people
(their psychology is captured very well); dramatic tension is maintained by curio-
sity as to who will end up winning the blessing; the story is well told, and rather
amusing.

27:5-17. Rebekah apparently acts out of human motives, impelled by her love for
her favorite (younger) son (cf. 25:28). God will use this favoritism to guide events
so that his plans for the two sons take effect (cf. 25:23). Holy Scripture does not
justify Rebekah’s action, but God draws great good from it: the promises made
to Abraham pass, through Jacob, to the people of Israel, his descendants.

27:20. Jacob’s reply, invoking the name of God as it does, is not a little astute:
he does not explain how he obtained the game, but the reader is led to believe
that it was Rebekah’s doing.

27:26-29. The blessing Isaac gives Jacob evokes the fine qualities of this son,
the fruitfulness of the land and lordship over the nations—three things connected
with the call to Abraham and the promise of land and descendants, as will be
pointed out later on when Isaac reaffirms his blessing after he discovers he has
been deceived (cf. 28:3-4). The Letter to the Hebrews (cf. Heb 11:20) teaches
that this blessing and also that received by Esau (cf. Gen 27:39-40), are inspi-
red by faith and are given with a view to the future, that is, to the fullness of time.
And so St Augustine interprets that “what the blessing of Jacob typifies is, then,
the preaching of Christ to all nations. [...] Isaac is the law and prophecy by which
Christ is blessed by means of the mouth of the Jews. But, since law and prophe-
cy was not understood, it was as though it came from one who spoke in igno-
rance. It is with the aroma of Christ’s name that the world, like a field, is filled.

His is the blessing of the dew from heaven (meaning the shower of His divine
words) and of the fruitfulness of the earth (in the sense of the gathering in of the
peoples of the earth). His is the harvest of grain and of wine (interpreted as the
multitude of those who gather the grain and wine in the sacrament of his Body
and Blood. [...] His Father’s sons, in the sense of the sons of Abraham accor-
ding to faith, adore Him who is, in turn, a son of Abraham according to the flesh.
Anyone who curses Him is cursed, and anyone who blesses Him is blessed.
What I mean is that it is our Christ who is blessed (in the sense of being truly
announced) even by the Jews themselves, who, for all their errors of hoping for
some other Messiah and of thinking that it is he who is being blessed, still sing
in their synagogues the Laws and the Prophets” (”De Civitate Dei”, 16, 37).

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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 9:14-17

The Call of Matthew (Continuation)

[14] Then the disciples of John (the Baptist) came to Him (Jesus), saying, “Why
do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” [15] And Jesus
said them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with
them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and
then they will fast.” [16] And no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old gar-
ment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. [17]
Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine
is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins,
and so both are preserved.”

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Commentary:

14-17. This passage is interesting, not so much because it tells us about the
sort of fasting practised by the Jews of the time — particularly the Pharisees
and John the Baptist’s disciples — but because of the reason Jesus gives for not
requiring His disciples to fast in that way. His reply is both instructive and pro-
phetic. Christianity is not a mere mending or adjusting of the old suit of Judaism.
The redemption wrought by Jesus involves a total regeneration. Its spirit is too
new and too vital to be suited to old forms of penance, which will no longer apply.

We know that in our Lord’s time Jewish theology schools were in the grip of a
highly complicated casuistry to do with fasting, purifications, etc., which smo-
thered the simplicity of genuine piety. Jesus’ words point to that simplicity of
heart with which His disciples might practise prayer, fasting and almsgiving (cf.
Matthew 6:1-18 and notes to same). From apostolic times onwards it is for the
Church, using the authority given it by our Lord to set out the different forms
fasting should take in different periods and situations.

15. “The wedding guests”: literally, “the sons of the house where the wedding
is being celebrated”—an expression meaning the bridegroom’s closest friends.
This is an example of how St. Matthew uses typical Semitic turns of phrase,
presenting Jesus’ manner of speech.

This “house” to which Jesus refers has a deeper meaning; set beside the para
ble of the guests at the wedding (Matthew 22:1 ff), it symbolizes the Church as
the house of God and the body of Christ: “Moses was faithful in all God’s house
as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ was
faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are His house if we hold fast our
confidence and pride in our hope” (Hebrews 3:5-6).

The second part of the verse refers to the violent death Jesus would meet.

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
Genesis 27:1-5,15-29 ©

Jacob obtains Isaac's blessing by fraud

Isaac had grown old, and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see. He summoned his elder son Esau, ‘My son!’ he said to him, and the latter answered, ‘I am here.’ Then he said, ‘See, I am old and do not know when I may die. Now take your weapons, your quiver and bow; go out into the country and hunt me some game. Make me the kind of savoury I like and bring it to me, so that I may eat, and give you my blessing before I die.’

Rebekah happened to be listening while Isaac was talking to his son Esau. So when Esau went into the country to hunt game for his father, Rebekah took her elder son Esau’s best clothes, which she had in the house, and dressed her younger son Jacob in them, covering his arms and the smooth part of his neck with the skins of the kids. Then she handed the savoury and the bread she had made to her son Jacob.

He presented himself before his father and said, ‘Father.’ ‘I am here;’ was the reply ‘who are you, my son?’ Jacob said to his father, ‘I am Esau your first-born; I have done as you told me. Please get up and take your place and eat the game I have brought and then give me your blessing.’ Isaac said to his son, ‘How quickly you found it, my son!’ ‘It was the Lord your God’ he answered ‘who put it in my path.’ Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Come here, then, and let me touch you, my son, to know if you are my son Esau or not.’ Jacob came close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, ‘The voice is Jacob’s voice but the arms are the arms of Esau!’ He did not recognise him, for his arms were hairy like his brother Esau’s, and so he blessed him. He said, ‘Are you really my son Esau?’ And he replied, ‘I am.’ Isaac said, ‘Bring it here that I may eat the game my son has brought, and so may give you my blessing.’ He brought it to him and he ate; he offered him wine, and he drank. His father Isaac said to him, ‘Come closer, and kiss me, my son.’ He went closer and kissed his father, who smelled the smell of his clothes.

He blessed him, saying:

‘Yes, the smell of my son

is like the smell of a fertile field blessed by the Lord.

May God give you

dew from heaven,

and the richness of the earth,

abundance of grain and wine!

May nations serve you

and peoples bow down before you!

Be master of your brothers;

may the sons of your mother bow down before you!

Cursed be he who curses you;

blessed be he who blesses you!’

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 134(135):1-6 ©

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

Alleluia!

Praise the name of the Lord,

praise him, servants of the Lord,

who stand in the house of the Lord

in the courts of the house of our God.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

Alleluia!

Praise the Lord for the Lord is good.

Sing a psalm to his name for he is loving.

For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself

and Israel for his own possession.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

Alleluia!

For I know the Lord is great,

that our Lord is high above all gods.

The Lord does whatever he wills,

in heaven, on earth, in the seas.

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good.

Alleluia!

Gospel Acclamation	Ps118:135

Alleluia, alleluia!

Let your face shine on your servant,

and teach me your decrees.

Alleluia!

Or:	Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,

says the Lord,

I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Gospel	Matthew 9:14-17 ©

When the bridegroom is taken from them, then they will fast

John’s disciples came to him and said, ‘Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of mourning as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on to an old cloak, because the patch pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are lost. No; they put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved.’

Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 9
14.	Then came to him the disciples of John, saying: Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but thy disciples do not fast?	Tunc accesserunt ad eum discipuli Joannis, dicentes : Quare nos, et pharisæi, jejunamus frequenter : discipuli autem tui non jejunant ?	τοτε προσερχονται αυτω οι μαθηται ιωαννου λεγοντες δια τι ημεις και οι φαρισαιοι νηστευομεν πολλα οι δε μαθηται σου ου νηστευουσιν
15.	And Jesus said to them: Can the children of the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast.	Et ait illis Jesus : Numquid possunt filii sponsi lugere, quamdiu cum illis est sponsus ? Venient autem dies cum auferetur ab eis sponsus : et tunc jejunabunt.	και ειπεν αυτοις ο ιησους μη δυνανται οι υιοι του νυμφωνος πενθειν εφ οσον μετ αυτων εστιν ο νυμφιος ελευσονται δε ημεραι οταν απαρθη απ αυτων ο νυμφιος και τοτε νηστευσουσιν
16.	And nobody putteth a piece of raw cloth unto an old garment. For it taketh away the fullness thereof from the garment, and there is made a greater rent.	Nemo autem immittit commissuram panni rudis in vestimentum vetus : tollit enim plenitudinem ejus a vestimento, et pejor scissura fit.	ουδεις δε επιβαλλει επιβλημα ρακους αγναφου επι ιματιω παλαιω αιρει γαρ το πληρωμα αυτου απο του ιματιου και χειρον σχισμα γινεται
17.	Neither do they put new wine into old bottles. Otherwise the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish. But new wine they put into new bottles: and both are preserved.	Neque mittunt vinum novum in utres veteres : alioquin rumpuntur utres, et vinum effunditur, et utres pereunt. Sed vinum novum in utres novos mittunt : et ambo conservantur.	ουδε βαλλουσιν οινον νεον εις ασκους παλαιους ει δε μηγε ρηγνυνται οι ασκοι και ο οινος εκχειται και οι ασκοι απολουνται αλλα βαλλουσιν οινον νεον εις ασκους καινους και αμφοτεροι συντηρουνται

14. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not?
15. And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16. No man puts a piece of new cloth into an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up takes from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runs out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

GLOSS; When He had replied to them respecting eating and conversing with sinners they next assailed him on the matter of food, Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but you disciples do not?

JEROME; O boastful inquiry and ostentation of fasting much to be blamed, nor can John's disciples be excused for their taking part with the Pharisees who they knew had been condemned by John, and for bringing a false accusation against Him whom they knew their master had preached.

CHRYS; What they say comes to this, Be it that you do this as Physician of souls, but why do your disciples neglect fasting and approach such tables? And to augment the weight of their charge by comparison, they put themselves first, and then the Pharisees. They fasted as they learnt out of the Law, as the Pharisee spoke, I fast twice in the week; the others learnt it of John.

RABAN; For John drank neither wine, nor strong drink, increasing his merit by abstinence, because he had no power over nature. But the Lord who has power to forgive sins, why should He shun sinners that eat, since He has power to make them more righteous than those that eat not? Yet does Christ fast, that you should not avoid the command; but He eats with sinners that you may know His grace and power.

AUG; Though Matthew mentions only the disciples of John as having made this inquiry, the words of Mark rather seem to imply that some other persons spoke of others, that is, the guests spoke concerning the disciples of John and the Pharisees - this is still more evident from Luke; why then does Matthew here say, Then came to him the disciples of John, unless that they were there among other guests, all of whom with one consent put this objection to Him?

CHRYS; Or; Luke relates that the Pharisees, but Matthew that the disciples of John, said thus, because the Pharisees had taken them with them to ask the question , as they afterwards did the Herodians. Observe how when strangers, as before the Publicans, were to be defended, He accuses heavily those that blamed them; but when they brought a charge against His disciples, He makes answer with mildness. And Jesus said to them, Can the children of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? Before He had styled Himself Physician, now Bridegroom, calling to mind the words of John which he had said, He that has the bride is the bridegroom.

JEROME; Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church the Bride of this spiritual union the Apostles were born; they cannot mourn so long as they see the Bridegroom in the chamber with the Bride. But when the nuptials are past, and the time of the passion and resurrection is come, then shall the children of the Bridegroom fast. The days shall come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them and then shall they fast.

CHRYS; He means this; The present is a time of joy and rejoicing; sorrow is there fore not to be now brought forward and fasting is naturally grievous and to all those that are yet weak; for to those that seek to contemplate wisdom, it is pleasant; He therefore speaks here according to the former opinion. He also shows that this they did was not of gluttony but of a certain dispensation.

JEROME; Hence some thing that a fast ought to follow the forty days of Passion althought the say of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit immediately bring back our joy and festival. From this text accordingly, Montanus, Prisca, and Maximilla enjoin a forty days' abstinence after Pentecost, but it is the use of the Church too come to the Lord's passion and resurrection through humiliation of the flesh, that by carnal abstinence we may better be prepared for spiritual fullness.

CHRYS; Here again He confirms what He has said by examples of common things; No man puts a patch of undressed cloth into an old garment; for it takes away its wholeness from the garment and the rent is made worse; which is to say, My disciples are not yet become strong, but have need of much consideration; they are not yet renewed by the Spirit. On men in such a state it is not ideal to lay a burden of precepts. Herein He establishes a rule for His disciples, that they should receive with leniency disciples from out of the whole world.

REMIG; By the old garment He means His disciples, whom had not yet been renewed in all things. The patch of undressed, that is, of new cloth means the new grace, that is, time Gospel doctrine, of which fasting is a portion; and it was not meant that the stricter ordinances of fasting should be entrusted to them, lest they should be broken down by their severity, and forfeit that faith which they had; as He adds, It takes its wholeness from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

GLOSS; As much as to say, an undressed patch, that is, a new one, ought not to be put into an old garment, because it often takes away from the garment its wholeness, that is, its perfection, and then the rent is made worse. For a heavy burden laid on one that is untrained often destroys that good which was in him before.

REMIG; After two comparisons made, that of the wedding, and that of the undressed cloth, He adds a third concerning wine skins; Neither do men put new wine into old skins. By the old skins He means His disciples, who were not yet perfectly renewed. The new wine is the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and the depths of the heavenly mysteries, which His disciples could not then bear; but after the resurrection they became as new skins, and were filled with new wine when they received the Holy Spirit into their hearts. Whence also some said, These men are full of new wine.

CHRYS; Herein He also shows us the cause of those condescending words which He often addressed to them because of their weakness.

JEROME; Otherwise; By the old garment, and old skins, we must understand the Scribes and Pharisees; and by the piece of new cloth, and new wine, the Gospel precepts, which the Jews were not able to bear; so the rent was made worse. Something such the Galatians sought to do, to mix the precepts of the Law with the Gospel, and to put new wine into old skins. The word of the Gospel is therefore to be poured into the Apostles, rather than into the Scribes and Pharisees, who, corrupted by the traditions of the elders, were unable to preserve the purity of Christ's precepts.

GLOSS; This shows that the Apostles being hereafter to be replenished with newness of grace, ought not now to be bound to the old observances.

AUG; Otherwise; Every one who rightly fasts, either humbles his soul in the groaning of prayer, and bodily chastisement, or suspends the motion of carnal desire by the joys of spiritual meditation. And the Lord here makes answer respecting both kinds of fasting; concerning the first, which is in humiliation of soul, He says, The children of the bridegroom cannot mourn. Of the other which has a feast of the Spirit, He next speaks, where He says, No man puts a patch of undressed cloth. Then we must mourn because the Bridegroom is taken away from us. And we rightly mourn if we burn with desire of Him. Blessed they to whom it was granted before His passion to have Him present with them, to inquire of Him what they would, to hear what they ought to hear. Those days the fathers before His coming sought to gee, and saw them not, because they were placed in another dispensation, one in which He was proclaimed as coming, not one in which He was heard as present. For in us was fulfilled that He speaks of; The days shall come when you shall desire to see one of these days, and shall not be able. Who then will not mourn this? Who will not say, My tears have been my meat day and night, while they daily say to me , Where is now your God? With reason then did the Apostle seek to die and to be with Christ.

AUG; That Matthew writes here mourn; where Mark and Luke write fast, shows that the Lord spoke of that kind of fasting which pertains to humbling one's self in chastisement; as in the following comparisons lie may be supposed to have spoken of the other kind which pertains to the joy of a mind wrapped in spiritual thoughts, and therefore averted from the food of the body; showing that those who are occupied about the body, and owing to this retain their former desires, are not fit for this kind of fasting.

HILARY; Figuratively; this His answer, that while the Bridegroom was present with them, His disciples needed not to fast, teaches us the joy of His presence, and the sacrament of the holy food, which none shall lack, while He is present, that is, while one keeps Christ in the eye of the mind. He says, they shall fast when He is taken away from them, because all who do not believe that Christ is risen, shall not have the food of life. For in the faith of the resurrection the sacrament of the heavenly bread is received.

JEROME; Or; When He has departed from us for our sins, then is a fast to be proclaimed, then is mourning to be put on.

HILARY; By these examples He shows that neither our souls nor bodies, being so weakened by inveteracy of sin, are capable of the sacraments of the new grace.

RABAN; The different comparisons all refer to the same thing, and yet are they different; the garment by which we are covered abroad signifies our good works, which we perform when we are abroad; the wine with which we are refreshed with is the fervor of faith and charity, which creates us anew within.

Catena Aurea Matthew 9

July 6 - Memorial of Saint Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr

Saint Maria Goretti’s Story

One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a canonization—250,000—symbolized the reaction of millions touched by the simple story of Maria Goretti. She was the daughter of a poor Italian tenant farmer, had no chance to go to school, never learned to read or write. When Maria made her First Communion not long before her death at age 12, she was one of the larger and somewhat backward members of the class.

On a hot afternoon in July, Maria was sitting at the top of the stairs of her house, mending a shirt. She was not quite 12 years old, but physically mature. A cart stopped outside, and a neighbor, 18-year-old Alessandro, ran up the stairs. He seized her and pulled her into a bedroom. She struggled and tried to call for help. “No, God does not wish it,” she cried out. “It is a sin. You would go to hell for it.” Alessandro began striking at her blindly with a long dagger.

Maria was taken to a hospital. Her last hours were marked by the usual simple compassion of the good—concern about where her mother would sleep, forgiveness of her murderer (she had been in fear of him, but did not say anything lest she cause trouble to his family), and her devout welcoming of Viaticum, her last Holy Communion. She died about 24 hours after the attack.

Alessandro was sentenced to 30 years in prison. For a long time he was unrepentant and surly. One night he had a dream or vision of Maria gathering flowers and offering them to him. His life changed. When he was released after 27 years, his first act was to beg the forgiveness of Maria’s mother.

Devotion to the young martyr grew, miracles were worked, and in less than half a century she was canonized. At her beatification in 1947, her 82-year-old mother, two sisters, and her brother appeared with Pope Pius XII on the balcony of St. Peter’s. Three years later, at Maria’s canonization, a 66-year-old Alessandro Serenelli knelt among the quarter-million people and cried tears of joy.

Reflection

Maria may have had trouble with catechism, but she had no trouble with faith. God’s will was holiness, decency, respect for one’s body, absolute obedience, total trust. In a complex world, her faith was simple: It is a privilege to be loved by God, and to love him—at any cost.

Saint Maria Goretti is the Patron Saint of:

Catholic Youth
Girls
Teenagers

franciscanmedia.org

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.

To: All

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 Joyful Mysteries

(Mondays and Saturdays)

1. The Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38) [Spiritual fruit - Humility]
2. The Visitation (Luke 1: 39-56) [Spiritual fruit - Love of Neighbor]
3. The Nativity (Luke 2:1-20) [Spiritual fruit - Poverty of Spirit]
4. The Presentation (Luke 2:21-38) [Spiritual fruit - Purity of mind & body]
5. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) [Spiritual fruit - Obedience ]

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July 6 2019

Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Gn 27:1-5, 15-29

Responsorial Psalm Ps 135:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6

Alleluia Jn 10:27

Gospel Mt 9:14-17

For the readings of the Optional Memorial of Saint Maria Goretti, please go here.

Readings at Mass

July 6 - Memorial of Saint Maria Goretti, virgin and martyr

Saint Maria Goretti’s Story

Reflection

Saint Maria Goretti is the Patron Saint of: