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From: Colossians 3:12-17
Progress in the Spiritual Life
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Commentary:
12-13. Putting on the new nature is not just an external action, like putting on dif-
ferent clothes. It is a transfiguration involving the whole person — soul and body,
mind and will. This interior change begins to operate when one makes a firm re-
solution to lead a fully Christian life; but it calls for an on-going effort, day in day
out, to practice all the virtues. “Conversion is something momentary; sanctifica-
tion is the work of a lifetime. The divine seed of charity, which God has sown in
our souls, wants to grow, to express itself in action, to yield results which continu-
ally coincide with what God wants. Therefore, we must be ready to begin again,
to find again—in new situations — the light and the stimulus of our first conversion”
(St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 58).
The virtues which the Apostle lists here as characteristic of the new man are all
expressions, in one way or another, of charity, which “binds everything together
in total harmony” (v. 14). Meekness, patience, forgiveness and gratefulness all
reect an essential virtue —humility. Only a humble person can be forgiving and tru-
ly appreciative, because only he realizes that everything he has comes from God.
This realization leads him to be understanding towards his neighbor, forgiving
him as often as needs be; by acting in this way he is proving the genuineness of
his faith and love.
See the note on Eph 4:20-24.
14. The comparison of the new nature to a new outfit is extended here by a further
metaphor: charity is the belt which keeps everything together. Without it the other
virtues would fall apart: supernatural virtue could not survive (cf. 1 Cor 13 1-3). St
Francis de Sales uses simple examples to explain this truth: “Without cement and
mortar, which knits the bricks together and strengthens the walls, the entire buil-
ding is bound to collapse; a human body would simply disintegrate unless it had
nerves, muscles and tendons; and if charity were absent, virtues simply could not
stay together” (St Francis de Sales, “Treatise on the Love of God”, 11, 9).
“Love, as the bond of perfection and fullness of the law (cf. Col 3:14; Rom 13:10),
governs, imbues, and perfects all the means of sanctification” (Vatican II, “Lumen
Gentium”, 42). Therefore, “if we want to achieve holiness — in spite of personal
shortcomings and miseries which will last as long as we live — we must make an
effort, with God’s grace, to practice charity, which is the fullness of the law and the
bond of perfection. Charity is not something abstract, it entails a real, complete,
self-giving to the service of God and all men — to the service of that God who
speaks to us in the silence of prayer and in the hubbub of the world and of those
people whose existence is interwoven with our own. By living charity — Love — we
live all the human and supernatural virtues required of a Christian” (St. J. Escriva,
“Conversations”, 62).
15. The “peace of Christ” is that which flows from the new order of grace which
he has established; grace gives man direct access to God and therefore to that
peace he so much yearns for. “Thou has made us for thyself and our hearts are
restless till they rest in thee” (St Augustine, “Confessions”, 1, 1). This is not a
peace the world can give (cf. Jn 14:27), because it is not a function of purely ma-
terial progress or well-being, nor does it derive from the sort of peace that should
obtain among nations. “Peace on earth, which men of every era have most eager-
ly yearned for, can be firmly established only if the order laid down by God is duti-
fully observed” (John XXIII, “Pacem In Terris”, 1).
The peace of Christ, then, is “a peace that comes from knowing that our Father
God loves us, and that we are made one with Christ. It results from being under
the protection of the Virgin, our Lady, and assisted by St Joseph. This is the great
light that illuminates our lives. In the midst of difficulties and of our personal failings,
it encourages us to keep up our effort” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 22).
16. “The word of Christ”: the whole corpus of our Lord’s teachings, of which the
Apostles are accredited witnesses. This should be ever-present to the Christian’s
soul and “dwell...richly” in him, imbuing everything he does: the word of Christ is
the best nourishment of one’s life of prayer and an inexhaustible source of practi-
cal teaching; and it is to be found in the first instance in the books of the New Tes-
tament. St John Chrysostom says that these writings “are teachers which never
cease to instruct us [...]. Open these books. What a treasury of good remedies
they contain! [...]. All you need do is look at the book, read it and remember well
the wise teachings therein. The source of all our evils is our ignorance of the sa-
cred books” (”Hom. on Col, ad loc.”).
St Paul also reminds us that our appreciation should lead us to glorify the Lord
with songs of joy and gratitude. We can use ready-made hymns for this purpose,
and also the Psalms, which the Church has always used in its liturgy to praise
God and to nourish the spiritual life. “Just as the mouth savors good food, so
does the heart savor the Psalms” (St Bernard, “Sermons on the Song of Songs”,
7, 5).
See the note on Eph 5:19.
17. All genuinely human things can and should be sanctified (cf. 1 Cor 10:31),
by being done perfectly and for love of God.
The Second Vatican Council has recalled this teaching: “Lay people [...], while
meeting their human obligations in the ordinary conditions of life, should not sepa-
rate their union with Christ from their ordinary life; through the very performance of
their tasks, which are God’s will for them, they actually promote the growth of their
union with him. This is the path along which lay people must advance, fervently, joy-
fully” (”Apostolicam Actuositatem”, 4).
This teaching was very much part of the message and life of the founder of Opus
Dei: “I assure you, my children, that when a Christian carries out with love the
most insignificant everyday action, that action overflows with the transcendence
of God. That is why I have told you repeatedly, and hammered away once and
again on the idea, that the Christian vocation consists in making heroic verse
out of the prose of each day. Heaven and earth seem to merge, my children, on
the horizon. But where they really meet is in your hearts, when you sanctify your
everyday lives” (”Conversations”, 116).
The Second Vatican Council also sees in this passage of Colossians a basis for
ecumenical dialogue with non-Catholics: “And if in moral matters there are many
Christians who do not always understand the Gospel in the same way as Catho-
lics, and do not admit the same solutions for the more difficult problems of modern
society, they nevertheless want to cling to Christ’s word as the source of Christian
virtue and to obey the command of the Apostle: [Col 3:17 follows]” (”Unitatis Re-
dintegratio”, 23).
*********************************************************************************************
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: Luke 6:27-38
Love of Enemies
[32] “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners
love those who love them. [33] And if you do good to those who do good to you,
what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. [34] And if you lend to
those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners
lend to sinners, to receive as much again. [35] But love your enemies, and do
good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and
you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.
[36] Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
[37] “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be
condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; [38] give, and it will be given to you;
good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your
lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:
27. “In loving our enemies there shines forth in us some likeness to God our Fa-
ther, who, by the death of His Son, ransomed from everlasting perdition and re-
conciled to Himself the human race, which previously was most unfriendly and
hostile to Him” (”St. Pius V Catechism”, IV, 14, 19). Following the example of
God our Father, we must desire for everyone (even those who say they are our
enemies) eternal life, in the first place; additionally, a Christian has a duty to re-
spect and understand everyone without exception, because of his or her intrin-
sic dignity as a human person, made in the image and likeness of the Creator.
28. Jesus Christ teaches us by example that this is a real precept and not just
a pious recommendation; even when nailed to the cross He prayed to His Father
for those who had brought Him to such a pass: “Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do” (Lk 23:34). In imitation of the Master, St Stephen, the
first martyr of the Church, when he was being stoned, prayed to our Lord not to
hold the sin against his persecutors (cf. Acts 7:60). In the liturgy of Good Friday
the Church offers prayers and suffrages to God on behalf of those outside the
Church, asking Him to give them the grace of faith; to release from their igno-
rance those who do not know Him; to give Jews the light to the truth; to bring
non-Catholic Christians, linked by true charity, into full communion with our Mo-
ther the Church.
29. Our Lord gives us more examples to show us how we should act if we want
to imitate the mercy of God. The first has to do with one of what are traditionally
called the “spiritual works of mercy” — forgiving injuries and being patient with
other people’s defects. This is what He means in the first instance about turning
the other cheek.
To understand what our Lord is saying here, St. Thomas comments that “Sa-
cred Scripture needs to be understood in the light of the example of Christ and
the saints. Christ did not offer the cheek to be struck in the house of Annas (Jn
18:22ff), nor did St. Paul when, as we are told in the Acts of the Apostles, he
was beaten in Philippi (Acts 16:22f). Therefore, we should not take it that Christ
literally meant that you should offer the other cheek to some to hit you; what He
was referring to was your interior disposition; that is, if necessary we should be
ready not to be intolerant of anyone who hurts us, and we should be ready to put
up with this kind of treatment, or worse than that. That was how the Lord acted
when He surrendered His body to death” (”Commentary on St John”, 18, 37).
36. The model of mercy which Christ sets before us is God Himself, of whom St.
Paul says, ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions” (2 Cor
1:3-4). “The first quality of this virtue”, Fray Luis de Granada explains, “is that it
makes men like God and like the most glorious thing in Him, His mercy (Lk 6:
36). For certainly the greatest perfection a creature can have is to be like his
Creator, and the more like Him he is, the more perfect he is. Certainly one of
the things which is most appropriate to God is mercy, which is what the Church
means when it says that prayer: ‘Lord God, to whom it is proper to be merciful
and forgiving...’. It says that this is proper to God, because just as a creature,
as creature, is characteristically poor and needy (and therefore characteristical-
ly receives and does not give), so, on the contrary, since God is infinitely rich
and powerful, to Him alone does it belong to give and not to receive, and there-
fore it is appropriate for Him to be merciful and forgiving” (”Book of Prayer and
Meditation”, third part, third treatise).
This is the rule a Christian should apply: be compassionate towards other peo-
ple’s afflictions as if they were one’s own, and try to remedy them. The Church
spells out this rule by giving us a series of corporal works of mercy (visiting and
caring for the sick, giving food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty...) and spiritual
works of mercy (teaching the ignorant, correcting the person who has erred,
forgiving injuries...): cf. “St Pius X Catechism”, 944f.
We should also show understanding towards people who are in error: “Love and
courtesy of this kind should not, of course, make us indifferent to truth and good-
ness. Love, in fact, impels the followers of Christ to proclaim to all men the truth
which saves. But we must distinguish between the error (which must always be
rejected) and the person in error, who never loses his dignity as a person even
though he flounders amid false or inadequate religious ideas. God alone is the
judge and searcher of hearts; He forbids us to pass judgment on the inner guilt
of others” (Vatican II, “Gaudium Et Spes”, 28).
38. We read in Sacred Scripture of the generosity of the widow of Zarephath,
whom God asked to give food to Elijah the prophet even though she had very
little left; He then rewarded her generosity by constantly renewing her supply
of meal and oil (1 Kings 17:9ff). The same sort of thing happened when the boy
supplied the five loaves and two fish which our Lord multiplied to feed a huge
crowd of people (cf. Jn 6:9) — a vivid example of what God does when we give
Him whatever we have, even if it does not amount to much.
God does not let Himself be outdone in generosity: “Go, generously and like a
child ask Him, ‘What can You mean to give me when You ask me for “this”?’”
(St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 153). However much we give God in this life, He will
give us more in life eternal.
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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.
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
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Colossians 3:12-17 © |
Be clothed in love |
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Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 150 © |
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Gospel Acclamation | Jm1:21 |
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Or: | 1Jn4:12 |
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Gospel | Luke 6:27-38 © |
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Love your enemies |
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Luke | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Luke 6 |
|||
27. | But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. | Sed vobis dico, qui auditis : diligite inimicos vestros, benefacite his qui oderunt vos. | αλλ υμιν λεγω τοις ακουουσιν αγαπατε τους εχθρους υμων καλως ποιειτε τοις μισουσιν υμας |
28. | Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you. | Benedicite maledicentibus vobis, et orate pro calumniantibus vos. | ευλογειτε τους καταρωμενους υμιν προσευχεσθε υπερ των επηρεαζοντων υμας |
29. | And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. | Et qui te percutit in maxillam, præbe et alteram. Et ab eo qui aufert tibi vestimentum, etiam tunicam noli prohibere. | τω τυπτοντι σε επι την σιαγονα παρεχε και την αλλην και απο του αιροντος σου το ιματιον και τον χιτωνα μη κωλυσης |
30. | Give to every one that asketh thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again. | Omni autem petenti te, tribue : et qui aufert quæ tua sunt, ne repetas. | παντι δε τω αιτουντι σε διδου και απο του αιροντος τα σα μη απαιτει |
31. | And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner. | Et prout vultis ut faciant vobis homines, et vos facite illis similiter. | και καθως θελετε ινα ποιωσιν υμιν οι ανθρωποι και υμεις ποιειτε αυτοις ομοιως |
32. | And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also love those that love them. | Et si diligitis eos qui vos diligunt, quæ vobis est gratia ? nam et peccatores diligentes se diligunt. | και ει αγαπατε τους αγαπωντας υμας ποια υμιν χαρις εστιν και γαρ οι αμαρτωλοι τους αγαπωντας αυτους αγαπωσιν |
33. | And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also do this. | Et si benefeceritis his qui vobis benefaciunt, quæ vobis est gratia ? siquidem et peccatores hoc faciunt. | και εαν αγαθοποιητε τους αγαθοποιουντας υμας ποια υμιν χαρις εστιν και γαρ οι αμαρτωλοι το αυτο ποιουσιν |
34. | And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much. | Et si mutuum dederitis his a quibus speratis recipere, quæ gratia est vobis ? nam et peccatores peccatoribus fnerantur, ut recipiant æqualia. | και εαν δανειζητε παρ ων ελπιζετε απολαβειν ποια υμιν χαρις εστιν και γαρ αμαρτωλοι αμαρτωλοις δανειζουσιν ινα απολαβωσιν τα ισα |
35. | But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil. | Verumtamen diligite inimicos vestros : benefacite, et mutuum date, nihil inde sperantes : et erit merces vestra multa, et eritis filii Altissimi, quia ipse benignus est super ingratos et malos. | πλην αγαπατε τους εχθρους υμων και αγαθοποιειτε και δανειζετε μηδεν απελπιζοντες και εσται ο μισθος υμων πολυς και εσεσθε υιοι υψιστου οτι αυτος χρηστος εστιν επι τους αχαριστους και πονηρους |
36. | Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. | Estote ergo misericordes sicut et Pater vester misericors est. | γινεσθε ουν οικτιρμονες καθως και ο πατηρ υμων οικτιρμων εστιν |
37. | Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. | Nolite judicare, et non judicabimini : nolite condemnare, et non condemnabimini. Dimitte, et dimittemini. | και μη κρινετε και ου μη κριθητε μη καταδικαζετε και ου μη καταδικασθητε απολυετε και απολυθησεσθε |
38. | Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again. | Date, et dabitur vobis : mensuram bonam, et confertam, et coagitatam, et supereffluentem dabunt in sinum vestrum. Eadem quippe mensura, qua mensi fueritis, remetietur vobis. | διδοτε και δοθησεται υμιν μετρον καλον πεπιεσμενον και σεσαλευμενον και υπερεκχυνομενον δωσουσιν εις τον κολπον υμων τω γαρ αυτω μετρω ω μετρειτε αντιμετρηθησεται υμιν |
This feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus; both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters.
The feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary began in Spain in 1513 and in 1671 was extended to all of Spain and the Kingdom of Naples. In 1683, John Sobieski, king of Poland, brought an army to the outskirts of Vienna to stop the advance of Muslim armies loyal to Mohammed IV of Constantinople. After Sobieski entrusted himself to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he and his soldiers thoroughly defeated the Muslims. Pope Innocent XI extended this feast to the entire Church.
Mary always points us to God, reminding us of Gods infinite goodness. She helps us to open our hearts to Gods ways, wherever those may lead us. Honored under the title Queen of Peace, Mary encourages us to cooperate with Jesus in building a peace based on justice, a peace that respects the fundamental human rights of all peoples.
Pray for Pope Francis.
I’ll pray for his conversion, but I will not pray for his intentions.
50 Boko Haram Islamic Radicals Killed; 1,000 Hostages, Women and Children, Rescued in Nigeria
Nigeria: In the Face of Ongoing Islamist Attacks, the Faith is Growing
US Promises to Help Nigeria Exterminate Boko Haram
Is This Bishop Right about the Rosary Conquering Boko Haram? [Catholic Caucus]
Why Boko Haram and ISIS Target Women
Report reveals scale of Boko Haram violence inflictef on Nigerian Catholics
Military evacuating girls, women rescued from Boko Haram
Echos of Lepanto Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Harm
After vision of Christ, Nigerian bishop says rosary will bring down Boko Haram (Catholic Caucus)
Nigerian Bishop Says Christ Showed Him How to Beat Islamic Terror Group
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.
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]
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