Posted on 08/29/2019 10:19:54 PM PDT by Salvation
KEYWORDS: catholic; mt25; ordinarytime; prayer;
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From: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
He Calls for Holiness and Purity
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Commentary:
1. St Paul encourages the Thessalonians “in the Lord Jesus” to follow his advice:
he does not make this plea in his own name or using his personal influence but
in the name of the Lord Jesus. Those who have positions of authority in the
Church should be obeyed, above all, for supernatural reasons (that is what God
desires) and not for any personal qualities they happen to have or simply be-
cause they are “superiors”. It is this outlook which causes St Ignatius Loyola to
say that “laying aside all private judgment, we ought to keep our minds prepared
and ready to obey in all things the true Spouse of Christ our Lord, which is our
Holy Mother, the hierarchical Church” (”Spiritual Exercises”, 353).
The Thessalonians already knew the commandments, but knowing them is not
enough; they must be put into practice. St John Chrysostom comments: “Good
land does something more than give back the grain put into it; and therefore the
soul should not limit itself to doing what is laid down, but should go further [...].
Two things make for virtue — avoiding evil and doing good. Fleeing from evil is not
the be-all of virtue; it is the beginning of the path that leads to virtue. One needs,
in addition, to have an ardent desire to be good and to do good” (”Hom. on 1
Thess, ad loc.”).
3. What the Apostle says here reflects our Lord’s teaching in the Sermon on the
Mount: “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:
48). The call to holiness is a universal one: it is not addressed only to a few, but
to everyone: “Christ, the Son of God, who with the Father and the Spirit is hailed
as ‘alone holy’, loved the Church as his Bride, giving himself up for her so as to
sanctify her (cf. Eph 5:25-26); he joined her to himself as his body and endowed
her with the gift of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. Therefore all in the Church,
whether they belong to the hierarchy or are cared for by it, are called to holiness,
according to the Apostle’s saying: ‘For this is the will of God, your sanctification’
(1 Thess 4:3; cf. Eph 1:4)” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 39).
In the Old Testament holiness is the highest attribute of God. He is holy, and he
asks men to be holy, pointing out that the model and cause of man’s holiness is
the holiness of God: “You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev
19:3).
The universal call to holiness was the core of the teaching of the founder of Opus
Dei; it was a message he preached constantly from l928 up to his death in 1975:
“We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen atten-
tively to that cry of St Paul: ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification’ [...]. He
calls each and every one to holiness; he asks each and every one to love him —
young and old, single and married, healthy and sick, learned and unlearned, no
matter where they work, or where they are” (”Friends of God”, 294).
“Christ’s invitation to holiness, which he addresses to all men without exception,
puts each one of us under an obligation to cultivate our interior life and to struggle
daily to practise the Christian virtues; and not just in any old way, nor in a way
which is above average or even excellent. No; we must strive to the point of he-
roism in the strictest and most exacting sense of the word” (”ibid.”, 3).
4-8. Man “is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since
God has created it and will raise it up on the last day [...]. His very dignity there-
fore requires that he should glorify God in his body (cf. 1 Cor 6:13-20) and not
allow to serve the evil inclinations of his heart” (Vatican II, (”Gaudium Et Spes”,
14).
“Immorality” (v. 3): the word used would be translated as “fornication”, were the
style classical Greek; however, by St Paul’s time the word had come to refer to
any kind of sexual practice outside marriage or not in accordance with the aims
of marriage. The word translated as “body” literally means “vessel” and it can re-
fer either to one’s body or to one’s own wife. If “wife” is meant, then the passage
should be taken as an exhortation to married fidelity and to proper use of marri-
age. Whichever meaning is correct, the sacred text is saying that God calls us
to exercise self-control in holiness and honor; that means that one’s body and
its functions should be used in the way God means them to be used. The Lord
of life has entrusted to men and women the mission to preserve life and to trans-
mit it in a manner in keeping with human dignity. “Man’s sexuality and the facul-
ty of reproduction wondrously surpass the endowments of lower forms of life;
therefore the acts proper to married life are to be ordered according to authentic
human dignity and must be honored with the greatest reverence” (”Gaudium Et
Spes”, 51).
“Therefore,” St. Escriva comments, “when I remind you now that Christians must
keep perfect chastity, I am referring to everyone — to the unmarried, who must
practise complete continence; and to those who are married who practise chas-
tity by fulfilling the duties of their state in life. If one has the spirit of God, chastity
is not a troublesome and humiliating burden, but a joyful affirmation. Will-power,
dominion, self-mastery do not come from the flesh or from instinct. They come
from the will, especially if it is united to the Will of God. In order to be chaste (and
not merely continent or decent) we must subject our passions to reason, but for
a noble motive, namely, the promptings of Love” (”Friends of God”, 177).
In addition to giving reasons for practising the virtue of chastity, the Apostle warns
that God will punish those who commit sins against this virtue. “These crimes
we are commenting on”, says St John Chrysostom, “will in no way be overlooked.
The enjoyment they give us is quite outweighed by the pain and suffering their pu-
nishment earns” (”Hom. on 1 Thess, ad loc.”).
*********************************************************************************************
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 25:1-13
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Maidens
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Commentary:
1-46. The whole of chapter 25 is a practical application of the teaching contained
in chapter 24. With these parables of the wise and foolish virgins and of the ta-
lents, and His teaching on the Last Judgment, our Lord is again emphasizing the
need for vigilance (cf. note on Matthew 24:42). In this sense, chapter 25 makes
chapter 24 more intelligible.
1-13. The main lesson of this parable has to do with the need to be on the alert:
in practice, this means having the light of faith, which is kept alive with the oil of
charity. Jewish weddings were held in the house of the bride’s father. The virgins
are young unmarried girls, bridesmaids who are in the bride’s house waiting for
the bridegroom to arrive. The parable centers on the attitude one should adopt
up to the time when the bridegroom comes. In other words, it is not enough to
know that one is “inside” the Kingdom, the Church: one has to be on the watch
and be preparing for Christ’s coming by doing good works.
This vigilance should be continuous and unflagging, because the devil is forever
after us, prowling around “like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pe-
ter 5:8). “Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with cha-
rity, watch with good works [...]; make ready the lamps, make sure they do not
go out [...], renew them with the inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the
Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of His love and bring you into His banquet
room, where your lamp can never be extinguished” (St. Augustine, “Sermon”,
93).
*********************************************************************************************
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.
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
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1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 © |
What God wants is for you all to be holy |
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Responsorial Psalm |
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Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,10-12 © |
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
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Or: | Lk21:36 |
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Gospel | Matthew 25:1-13 © |
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The wise and foolish virgins |
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Matthew | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Matthew 25 |
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1. | THEN shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. | Tunc simile erit regnum cælorum decem virginibus : quæ accipientes lampades suas exierunt obviam sponso et sponsæ. | τοτε ομοιωθησεται η βασιλεια των ουρανων δεκα παρθενοις αιτινες λαβουσαι τας λαμπαδας αυτων εξηλθον εις απαντησιν του νυμφιου |
2. | And five of them were foolish, and five wise. | Quinque autem ex eis erant fatuæ, et quinque prudentes : | πεντε δε ησαν εξ αυτων φρονιμοι και αι πεντε μωραι |
3. | But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them: | sed quinque fatuæ, acceptis lampadibus, non sumpserunt oleum secum : | αιτινες μωραι λαβουσαι τας λαμπαδας αυτων ουκ ελαβον μεθ εαυτων ελαιον |
4. | But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps. | prudentes vero acceperunt oleum in vasis suis cum lampadibus. | αι δε φρονιμοι ελαβον ελαιον εν τοις αγγειοις αυτων μετα των λαμπαδων αυτων |
5. | And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept. | Moram autem faciente sponso, dormitaverunt omnes et dormierunt. | χρονιζοντος δε του νυμφιου ενυσταξαν πασαι και εκαθευδον |
6. | And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him. | Media autem nocte clamor factus est : Ecce sponsus venit, exite obviam ei. | μεσης δε νυκτος κραυγη γεγονεν ιδου ο νυμφιος ερχεται εξερχεσθε εις απαντησιν αυτου |
7. | Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. | Tunc surrexerunt omnes virgines illæ, et ornaverunt lampades suas. | τοτε ηγερθησαν πασαι αι παρθενοι εκειναι και εκοσμησαν τας λαμπαδας αυτων |
8. | And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. | Fatuæ autem sapientibus dixerunt : Date nobis de oleo vestro, quia lampades nostræ extinguuntur. | αι δε μωραι ταις φρονιμοις ειπον δοτε ημιν εκ του ελαιου υμων οτι αι λαμπαδες ημων σβεννυνται |
9. | The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. | Responderunt prudentes, dicentes : Ne forte non sufficiat nobis, et vobis, ite potius ad vendentes, et emite vobis. | απεκριθησαν δε αι φρονιμοι λεγουσαι μηποτε ουκ αρκεση ημιν και υμιν πορευεσθε δε μαλλον προς τους πωλουντας και αγορασατε εαυταις |
10. | Now whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut. | Dum autem irent emere, venit sponsus : et quæ paratæ erant, intraverunt cum eo ad nuptias, et clausa est janua. | απερχομενων δε αυτων αγορασαι ηλθεν ο νυμφιος και αι ετοιμοι εισηλθον μετ αυτου εις τους γαμους και εκλεισθη η θυρα |
11. | But at last come also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us. | Novissime vero veniunt et reliquæ virgines, dicentes : Domine, domine, aperi nobis. | υστερον δε ερχονται και αι λοιπαι παρθενοι λεγουσαι κυριε κυριε ανοιξον ημιν |
12. | But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not. | At ille respondens, ait : Amen dico vobis, nescio vos. | ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αμην λεγω υμιν ουκ οιδα υμας |
13. | Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour. | Vigilate itaque, quia nescitis diem, neque horam. | γρηγορειτε ουν οτι ουκ οιδατε την ημεραν ουδε την ωραν εν η ο υιος του ανθρωπου ερχεται |
Amen!
Beautiful Readings, wise interpretations. Messages much needed in this day and age.
Pray for Pope Francis.
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Our priest preached on the first reading today. Strive for holiness — not the ways of the world.
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.
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