Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-15-2021, Memorial of St. Paul the Hermit (of Egypt, born in 242 AD)

First reading
Hebrews 4:1-5,11 ©

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 77(78):3-4,6-8 ©

For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

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Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)	Aramaic NT: Peshitta
1.	AND again he entered into Capharnaum after some days.	Et iterum intravit Capharnaum post dies,	και εισηλθεν παλιν εις καπερναουμ δι ημερων και ηκουσθη οτι εις οικον εστιν	ܘܥܠ ܬܘܒ ܝܫܘܥ ܠܟܦܪܢܚܘܡ ܠܝܘܡܬܐ ܘܟܕ ܫܡܥܘ ܕܒܒܝܬܐ ܗܘ ܀	.1
2.	And it was heard that he was in the house, and many came together, so that there was no room; no, not even at the door; and he spoke to them the word.	et auditum est quod in domo esset, et convenerunt multi, ita ut non caperet neque ad januam, et loquebatur eis verbum.	και ευθεως συνηχθησαν πολλοι ωστε μηκετι χωρειν μηδε τα προς την θυραν και ελαλει αυτοις τον λογον	ܐܬܟܢܫܘ ܤܓܝܐܐ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܠܐ ܐܫܟܚ ܐܚܕ ܐܢܘܢ ܐܦܠܐ ܩܕܡ ܬܪܥܐ ܘܡܡܠܠ ܗܘܐ ܥܡܗܘܢ ܡܠܬܐ ܀	.2
3.	And they came to him, bringing one sick of the palsy, who was carried by four.	Et venerunt ad eum ferentes paralyticum, qui a quatuor portabatur.	και ερχονται προς αυτον παραλυτικον φεροντες αιρομενον υπο τεσσαρων	ܘܐܬܘ ܠܘܬܗ ܘܐܝܬܝܘ ܠܗ ܡܫܪܝܐ ܟܕ ܫܩܝܠܝܢ ܠܗ ܒܝܬ ܐܪܒܥܐ ܀	.3
4.	And when they could not offer him unto him for the multitude, they uncovered the roof where he was; and opening it, they let down the bed wherein the man sick of the palsy lay.	Et cum non possent offerre eum illi præ turba, nudaverunt tectum ubi erat : et patefacientes submiserunt grabatum in quo paralyticus jacebat.	και μη δυναμενοι προσεγγισαι αυτω δια τον οχλον απεστεγασαν την στεγην οπου ην και εξορυξαντες χαλωσιν τον κραββατον εφ ω ο παραλυτικος κατεκειτο	ܘܕܠܐ ܐܫܟܚܘ ܠܡܬܩܪܒܘ ܠܘܬܗ ܡܛܠ ܟܢܫܐ ܤܠܩܘ ܠܗܘܢ ܠܐܓܪܐ ܘܐܪܝܡܘ ܬܛܠܝܠܐ ܕܐܬܪ ܕܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܝܫܘܥ ܘܫܒܘܗ ܥܪܤܐ ܕܪܡܐ ܗܘܐ ܒܗ ܡܫܪܝܐ ܀	.4
5.	And when Jesus had seen their faith, he saith to the sick of the palsy: Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.	Cum autem vidisset Jesus fidem illorum, ait paralytico : Fili, dimittuntur tibi peccata tua.	ιδων δε ο ιησους την πιστιν αυτων λεγει τω παραλυτικω τεκνον αφεωνται σοι αι αμαρτιαι σου	ܟܕ ܚܙܐ ܕܝܢ ܝܫܘܥ ܗܝܡܢܘܬܗܘܢ ܐܡܪ ܠܗܘ ܡܫܪܝܐ ܒܪܝ ܫܒܝܩܝܢ ܠܟ ܚܛܗܝܟ ܀	.5
6.	And there were some of the scribes sitting there, and thinking in their hearts:	Erant autem illic quidam de scribis sedentes, et cogitantes in cordibus suis :	ησαν δε τινες των γραμματεων εκει καθημενοι και διαλογιζομενοι εν ταις καρδιαις αυτων	ܐܝܬ ܗܘܘ ܕܝܢ ܬܡܢ ܡܢ ܤܦܪܐ ܘܦܪܝܫܐ ܕܝܬܒܝܢ ܘܡܬܪܥܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܒܠܒܗܘܢ ܀	.6
7.	Why doth this man speak thus? he blasphemeth. Who can forgive sins, but God only?	Quid hic sic loquitur ? blasphemat. Quis potest dimittere peccata, nisi solus Deus ?	τι ουτος ουτως λαλει βλασφημιας τις δυναται αφιεναι αμαρτιας ει μη εις ο θεος	ܕܡܢܐ ܗܢܐ ܡܡܠܠ ܓܘܕܦܐ ܡܢܘ ܡܫܟܚ ܠܡܫܒܩ ܚܛܗܐ ܐܠܐ ܐܢ ܚܕ ܐܠܗܐ ܀	.7
8.	Which Jesus presently knowing in his spirit, that they so thought within themselves, saith to them: Why think you these things in your hearts?	Quo statim cognito Jesus spiritu suo, quia sic cogitarent intra se, dicit illis : Quid ista cogitatis in cordibus vestris ?	και ευθεως επιγνους ο ιησους τω πνευματι αυτου οτι ουτως αυτοι διαλογιζονται εν εαυτοις ειπεν αυτοις τι ταυτα διαλογιζεσθε εν ταις καρδιαις υμων	ܝܫܘܥ ܕܝܢ ܝܕܥ ܒܪܘܚܗ ܕܗܠܝܢ ܡܬܪܥܝܢ ܒܢܦܫܗܘܢ ܘܐܡܪ ܠܗܘܢ ܡܢܐ ܡܬܪܥܝܢ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܗܠܝܢ ܒܠܒܟܘܢ ܀	.8
9.	Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy: Thy sins are forgiven thee; or to say: Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?	Quid est facilius dicere paralytico : Dimittuntur tibi peccata tua : an dicere : Surge, tolle grabatum tuum, et ambula ?	τι εστιν ευκοπωτερον ειπειν τω παραλυτικω αφεωνται σου αι αμαρτιαι η ειπειν εγειραι και αρον σου τον κραββατον και περιπατει	ܐܝܕܐ ܦܫܝܩܐ ܠܡܐܡܪ ܠܡܫܪܝܐ ܕܫܒܝܩܝܢ ܠܟ ܚܛܗܝܟ ܐܘ ܠܡܐܡܪ ܕܩܘܡ ܫܩܘܠ ܥܪܤܟ ܘܗܠܟ ܀	.9
10.	But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)	Ut autem sciatis quia Filius hominis habet potestatem in terra dimittendi peccata (ait paralytico),	ινα δε ειδητε οτι εξουσιαν εχει ο υιος του ανθρωπου αφιεναι επι της γης αμαρτιας λεγει τω παραλυτικω	ܕܬܕܥܘܢ ܕܝܢ ܕܫܠܝܛ ܗܘ ܒܪܗ ܕܐܢܫܐ ܒܐܪܥܐ ܠܡܫܒܩ ܚܛܗܐ ܐܡܪ ܠܡܫܪܝܐ ܀	.10
11.	I say to thee: Arise, take up thy bed, and go into thy house.	tibi dico : Surge, tolle grabatum tuum, et vade in domum tuam.	σοι λεγω εγειραι και αρον τον κραββατον σου και υπαγε εις τον οικον σου	ܠܟ ܐܡܪ ܐܢܐ ܩܘܡ ܫܩܘܠ ܥܪܤܟ ܘܙܠ ܠܒܝܬܟ ܀	.11
12.	And immediately he arose; and taking up his bed, went his way in the sight of all; so that all wondered and glorified God, saying: We never saw the like.	Et statim surrexit ille : et, sublato grabato, abiit coram omnibus, ita ut mirarentur omnes, et honorificent Deum, dicentes : Quia numquam sic vidimus.	και ηγερθη ευθεως και αρας τον κραββατον εξηλθεν εναντιον παντων ωστε εξιστασθαι παντας και δοξαζειν τον θεον λεγοντας οτι ουδεποτε ουτως ειδομεν	ܘܩܡ ܒܪ ܫܥܬܗ ܘܫܩܠ ܥܪܤܗ ܘܢܦܩ ܠܥܝܢ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܐܝܟܢܐ ܕܢܬܕܡܪܘܢ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܘܢܫܒܚܘܢ ܠܐܠܗܐ ܟܕ ܐܡܪܝܢ ܕܠܐ ܡܡܬܘܡ ܚܙܝܢ ܗܟܢܐ ܀	.12

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Mark CHAP. 2

2:1–12

1. And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.

2. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.

3. And they came unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.

4. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.

5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

6. But there were certain of the Scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

7. Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

8. And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

9. Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

10. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

11. I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

12. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

BEDE. (in Marc. 1. 10) Because the compassion of God deserts not even carnal persons, He accords to them the grace of His presence, by which even they may be made spiritual. After the desert, the Lord returns into the city; wherefore it is said, And again he entered into Capernaum, &c.

AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Evan. ii. 25) But Matthew writes this miracle as if it were done in the city of the Lord, whilst Mark places it in Capernaum, which would be more difficult of solution, if Matthew had also named Nazareth. But seeing that Galilee itself might be called the city of the Lord, who can doubt but that the Lord did these things in His own city, since He did them in Capernaum, a city of Galilee; particularly as Capernaum was of such importance in Galilee as to be called its metropolis? Or else, Matthew passed by the things which were done after He came into His own city, until He came to Capernaum, and so adds on the story of the paralytic healed, subjoining, And, behold, they presented to him a man sick of the palsy, after he had said that He came into His own city.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Aut. e Cat. in Marc.) Or else, Matthew called Capernaum His city because He went there frequently, and there did many miracles. It goes on: And it was noised that he was in the house, &c. For the desire of hearing Him was stronger than the toil of approaching Him. After this, they introduce the paralytic, of whom Matthew and Luke speak; wherefore there follows: And they came unto him bearing one sick of the palsy, who was carried by four. Finding the door blocked up by the crowd, they could not by any means enter that way. Those who carried him, however, hoping that he could merit the grace of being healed, raising the bed with their burden, and uncovering the roof, lay him with his bed before the face of the Saviour. And this is that which is added: And when they could not lay him before him, &c. There follows: But when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. He did not mean the faith of the sick man, but of his bearers; for it sometimes happens, that a man is healed by the faith of another.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) It may indeed be seen, how much each person’s own faith weighs with God, when that of another had such influence that the whole man at once rose up, healed body and soul, and by one man’s merit, another should have his sins forgiven him.

THEOPHYLACT. He saw the faith of the sick man himself, since he would not have allowed himself to be carried, unless he had had faith to be healed.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Moreover, the Lord being about to cure the man of the palsy, first loosed the chains of his sins, in order to shew that he was condemned to the loosening of his joints, because of the bonds of his sins, and could not be healed to the recovery of his limbs, unless these were first loosened. But Christ’s wonderful humility calls this man, despised, weak, with all the joints of his limbs unstrung, a son, when the priests did not deign to touch him. Or at least, He therefore calls him a son, because his sins are forgiven him. It goes on: But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man speak blasphemies?

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA.a; Now they accuse Him of blasphemy, anticipating the sentence of His death: for there was a command in the Law, that whosoever blasphemed should be put to death. And this charge they laid upon Him, because He claimed for Himself the divine power of remitting sins: wherefore it is added, Who can forgive sin, save God only? For the Judge of all alone has power to forgive sin.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Who remits sin by those also to whom He has assigned the power of remitting, and therefore Christ is proved to be very God, for He is able to remit sins as God. The Jews then are in error, who although they hold the Christ both to be God, and to be able to remit sins, do not however believe that Jesus is the Christ. But the Arians err much more madly, who although overwhelmed with the words of the Evangelist, so that they cannot deny that Jesus is the Christ, and can remit sin, nevertheless fear not to deny that He is God. But He Himself, desiring to shame the traitors both by His knowledge of things hidden and by the virtue of His works, manifests Himself to be God. For there follows: And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? In which He shews Himself to be God, since He can know the hidden things of the heart; and in a manner though silent He speaks thus, With the same power and majesty, by which I look upon your thoughts, I can forgive the sins of men.

THEOPHYLACT. But though their thoughts were laid bare, still they remain insensible, refusing to believe that He who knew their hearts could forgive sins, wherefore the Lord proves to them the cure of the soul by that of the body, shewing the invisible by the visible, that which is more difficult by that which is easier, although they did not look upon it as such. For the Pharisees thought it more difficult to heal the body, as being more open to view; but the soul more easy to cure, because the cure is invisible; so that they reasoned thus, Lo, He does not now cure the body, but heals the unseen soul; if He had had more power, He would at once have cured the body, and not have fled for refuge to the unseen world. The Saviour, therefore, shewing that He can do both, says, Which is the easier? as if He said, I indeed by the healing of the body, which is in reality more easy, but appears to you more difficult, will prove to you the health of the soul, which is really more difficult.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) And because it is easier to say than to do, there was still manifestly something to say in opposition, for the work was not yet manifested; wherefore He subjoins, But that ye may know, &c. as if He said, Since ye doubt my word, I will bring on a work which will confirm what was unseen. But He says in a marked manner, On earth to forgive sins, that He might shew that He has joined the power of the divinity to the human nature by an inseparable union, because although He was made man, yet He remained the Word of God; and although by an economy He conversed on the earth with men, nevertheless He was not prevented from working miracles and from giving remission of sins. For His human nature did not in any thing take away from these things which essentially belonged to His Divinity, nor the Divinity hinder the Word of God from becoming on earth, according to the flesh, the Son of Man without change and in truth.

THEOPHYLACT. Again, He says, Take up thy bed, to prove the greater certainty of the miracle, shewing that it is not a mere illusion; and at the same time to shew that He not only healed, but gave strength; thus He not only turns away souls from sin, but gives them the power of working out the commandments.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) A carnal sign therefore is given, that the spiritual sign may be proved, although it belongs to the same power to do away with the distempers of both soul and body; whence it follows: And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.

CHRYSOSTOM. (non occ.) Further, He first healed by the remission of sins that which He had come to seek, that is, a soul, so that when they faithlessly doubted, then He might bring forward a work before them, and in this way His word might be confirmed by the work, and a hidden sign be proved by an open one, that is, the health of the soul by the healing of the body.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) We are also informed, that many sicknesses of body arise from sins, and therefore perhaps sins are first remitted, that the causes of sickness being taken away, health may be restored. For men are afflicted by fleshly troubles for five causes, in order to increase their merits, as Job and the Martyrs; or to preserve their lowliness, as Paul by the messenger of Satan; or that they may perceive and correct their sins, as Miriam, the sister of Moses, and this paralytic; or for the glory of God, as the man born blind and Lazarus; or as the beginnings of the pains of damnation, as Herod and Antiochus. But wonderful is the virtue of the Divine power, where without the least interval of time, by the command of the Saviour, a speedy health accompanies His words. Wherefore there follows: Insomuch that they were all amazed. Leaving the greater thing, that is, the remission of sins, they only wonder at that which is apparent, that is, the health of the body.

THEOPHYLACT. This is not however the paralytic, whose cure is related by John, (John 5) for he had no man with him, this one had four; he is cured in the pool of the sheep market, but this one in a house. It is the same man, however, whose cure is related by Matthew (Matt. 9) and Mark. But mystically, Christ is still in Capernaum, in the house of consolation.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Moreover, whilst the Lord is preaching in the house, there is not room for them, not even at the door, because whilst Christ is preaching in Judæa, the Gentiles are not yet able to enter to hear Him, to whom, however, though placed without, he directed the words of His doctrine by His preachers.

PSEUDO-JEROME. Again, the palsy is a type of the torpor, in which man lies slothful in the softness of the flesh, though desiring health.

THEOPHYLACT. If therefore I, having the powers of my mind unstrung, remain, whenever I attempt any thing good without strength, as a palsied man, and if I be raised on high by the four Evangelists, and be brought to Christ, and there hear myself called son, then also are my sins quitted by me; for a man is called the son of God because he works the commandments.

BEDE. Or else, because there are four virtues, by which a man is through an assured heart exalted so that he merits safety; which virtues some call prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice. Again, they desire to bring the palsied man to Christ, but they are impeded on every side by the crowd which is between them, because often the soul desires to be renewed by the medicine of Divine grace, but through the sluggishness of the grovelling body is held back by the hindrance of old custom. Oftentimes amidst the very sweetnesses of secret prayer, and, as it may be called, the pleasant converse with God, a crowd of thoughts, cutting off the clear vision of the mind, shuts out Christ from its sight. Let us not then remain in the lowest ground, where the crowds are bustling, but aim at the roof of the house, that is, the sublimity of the Holy Scripture, and meditate on the law of the Lord.

THEOPHYLACT. But how should I be borne to Christ, if the roof be not opened. For the roof is the intellect, which is set above all those things which are within us; here it has much earth about it in the tiles which are made of clay, I mean, earthly things: but if these be taken away, the virtue of the intellect within us is freed from its load. After this let it be let down, that is, humbled. For it does not teach us to be puffed up, because our intellect has its load cleared away, but to be humbled still more.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Or else, the sick man is let down after the roof is opened, because, when the Scriptures are laid open to us, we arrive at the knowledge of Christ, that is, we descend to His lowliness, by the dutifulness of faith. But by the sick man being let down with his bed, it is meant that Christ should be known by man, whilst yet in the flesh. But by rising from the bed is meant the soul’s rousing itself from carnal desires, in which it was lying in sickness. To take up the bed is to bridle the flesh itself by the bands of continence, and to separate it from earthly pleasures, through the hope of heavenly rewards. But to take up the bed and to go home is to return to paradise. Or else the man, now healed, who had been sick carries back home his bed, when the soul, after receiving remission of sins, returns, even though encompassed with the body, to its internal watch over itself.

THEOPHYLACT. It is necessary to take up also one’s bed, that is the body, to the working of good. For then shall we be able to arrive at contemplation, so that our thoughts should say within us, never have we seen in this way before, that is never understood as we have done since we have been cured of the palsy; for he who is cleansed from sin, sees more purely.

The paralytic lowered from the roof, Jesus and an apostle

Mosaic, 6c.
Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy

Saint Paul the Hermit’s Story

It is unclear what we really know of Paul’s life, how much is fable, how much is fact.

Paul was reportedly born in Egypt, where he was orphaned by age 15. He was also a learned and devout young man. During the persecution of Decius in Egypt in the year 250, Paul was forced to hide in the home of a friend. Fearing a brother-in-law would betray him, he fled in a cave in the desert. His plan was to return once the persecution ended, but the sweetness of solitude and heavenly contemplation convinced him to stay.

He went on to live in that cave for the next 90 years. A nearby spring gave him drink, a palm tree furnished him clothing and nourishment. After 21 years of solitude, a bird began bringing him half of a loaf of bread each day. Without knowing what was happening in the world, Paul prayed that the world would become a better place.

Saint Anthony of Egypt attests to his holy life and death. Tempted by the thought that no one had served God in the wilderness longer than he, Anthony was led by God to find Paul and acknowledge him as a man more perfect than himself. The raven that day brought a whole loaf of bread instead of the usual half. As Paul predicted, Anthony would return to bury his new friend.

Thought to have been about 112 when he died, Paul is known as the “First Hermit.” His feast day is celebrated in the East; he is also commemorated in the Coptic and Armenian rites of the Mass.

Reflection

The will and direction of God are seen in the circumstances of our lives. Led by the grace of God, we are free to respond with choices that bring us closer to and make us more dependent upon the God who created us. Those choices might at times seem to lead us away from our neighbor. But ultimately they lead us back both in prayer and in fellowship to one another.

franciscanmedia.org

Saint Paul the Hermit

Jusepe de Ribera

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

For: Friday, January 15, 2021
1st Week in Ordinary Time

From: Hebrews 4:1-5, 11

Through Faith We Can Attain God's "Rest"
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[1] Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest remains, let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it. [2] For good news came to us just as to them; but the message which they heard did not benefit them, because it did not meet with faith in the hearers. [3] For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said, "As I swore in my wrath, 'They shall never enter my rest,"' although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. [4] For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way, "And God rested on the seventh day from all his works." [5] And again in this place he said, "They shall never enter my rest."

[11] Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, that no one fall by the same sort of disobedience.

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Commentary:

1-11. This chapter is a further exhortation to fidelity and develops the theme of that "rest" which the people of Israel failed to attain. The comparison between Moses and Jesus (cf. 3:1ff) is now extended to Jews and Christians. Moses had tried to get the people of Israel to stay true to God and so enter their place of rest (cf. Deut 12:9-10). He laid down the precept of sabbath rest (Deut 5:12-15; Ex 20:8-11; 35:1-3; Num 15:32-36) in memory of God's resting after the Creation, and as a sign of the Covenant and a symbol of eternal rest. In the Gospel Christ promises a new kind of rest, an eternal one, in the house of the Father (cf. Jn 14:1-3, 27).

The history of the chosen people is not, then, a mere chronicle of past events. It is something meaningful to us today and full of lessons for Christian living. To Christians also, as members of the new Israel, God offers a "rest", one which is richer than the temporal rest the Jews obtained when they took possession of the promised land, for the rest promised to Christians is rest in heaven.

However, the Jews disobeyed God's commandments; they soiled themselves by worshipping idols and failed to grasp the significance of their own history. And they confused God's rest, their true destiny, with the sabbath rest--a physical rest which they practised in an almost exclusively external way (cf. Mk 3:1-6; Lk 13:10-17). Christians also can run a similar risk if they fail to hold on to everything which Jesus Christ, the mediator of the New Covenant has won for them.

1. God's promise of rest remains valid, but to attain it one needs to be faithful and obedient--to have a vigilance which comes from holy fear of God, a fear of being excluded from eternal blessedness. The text can also be interpreted as meaning "Let us fear, lest any one of you despair because he thinks he has been excluded permanently"; that is, "let us fear despair".

In this context "rest" refers to all the supernatural graces we obtain through grace, particularly that of seeing and enjoying God in the future life. This rest, which will reach its perfection in heaven and which begins in this life with faith and grace, is man's true end or destiny. "God works with creative power by sustaining in existence the world that he called into being from nothing, and he works with salvific power in the hearts of those whom from the beginning he has destined for 'rest"' (John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 25).

The saints have often liked to describe the joy which heaven gives, that eternal rest which God deigns to grant souls who depart this world. "Who can measure the happiness of heaven, where no evil at all can touch us, no good will be out of reach; where life is to be one long laud extolling God, who will be all in all [...]. This, indeed, will be that ultimate Sabbath that has no evening and which the Lord foreshadowed in the account of his creation [...]. Only when we are remade by God and perfected by a greater grace shall we have the eternal stillness of that rest in which we shall see that he is God. Then only shall we be filled with him when he will be all in all" (St Augustine, The City of God, XXII, 30).

Losing this "rest" is the only thing one should really fear.

2. The good news was proclaimed to the Jews in the sense that they also heard the preaching of Moses which aimed at preparing the chosen people to be generous in their fidelity to the Lord's promises. The Israelites, however, rebelled against those who were the first to hear the divine message--Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses himself, Joshua and the prophets.

The preaching of the Word can actually harden a person's heart if he does not listen to it with the right dispositions. "To obtain salvation it is not enough to hear the words. One needs to take them in with faith and keep a firm hold on them. What good was God's promise to those who received it if they did not receive it faithfully or failed to put their trust in his power--if they did not, so to speak, fuse with, become one with, the divine words?" (Theodoret of Cyrus, Interpretatio Ep. Ad Haebreos, IV). What proves a person's true obedience to God's word is his solidarity with those to whom God had given the authority to proclaim it.

3-8. The believer can be said to "enter God's rest" because in this life he already begins to be intimate with the three divine Persons. In biblical terms the "rest" is connected with the Covenant which God establishes with men. "Rest" is the reward for faithfulness to the Covenant; it begins in this life in the form of serenity and interior peace and the enjoyment of material things (such as the promised land), but will reach its perfection only in heaven. In this sense, as Psalm 95 reminds us, God promised his people rest repeatedly: the psalm speaks of a "today" when they will enter his "rest": everyone can begin to enjoy "today" the rest of divine friendship, provided he does not harden his heart, provided he repents and becomes faithful again.

Christians have received a further invitation from God to enter his rest: because many Jews proved to be unfaithful, a new people of God was established. This marks a new "today", a new point when one can opt for fidelity and enter the promised land. This "today" has two characteristics: it requires our free response to God's decision to call us; and it does not happen immediately: for the new people of God, also, there is a future "sabbath", that is, heaven.

To appreciate the subtle play of words, one should remember that the same term is used in Hebrew for the word "rest" and for the sabbath as a day of the week.

11. The sacred writer ends his commentary on Psalm 95 with a short, concise exhortation summing up what he has been saying and inviting his readers to enter God's rest without delay.

"There are a number of reasons why the text speaks of striving to enter (God's) rest," St Thomas comments. "First, because, there is a long road ahead. Then because time is short--and we do not know how much time we have. Third, because ours is a pressing interior call which urges us on with the stimulus of love. Finally, because of the danger of delaying, as happened in the case of the foolish virgins (Mt 25:1-13), who arrived late and failed to gain entry" (Commentary on Heb., 4, 2).

The central idea is not only urgency and eagerness but also dogged perseverance with the help of grace.

1st Week in Ordinary Time

From: Mark 2:1-12

The Curing of a Paralytic
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[1] And when [Jesus] returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that He was at home. [2] And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and He was preaching the word to them. [3] And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic carried by four men. [4] And when they could not get near Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. [5] And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "My son, your sins are forgiven."

[6] Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, [7] "Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" [8] And immediately Jesus, perceiving in His spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, "Why do you question thus in your hearts? [9] Which is easier to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your pallet and walk?' [10] But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"--He said to the paralytic--[11] "I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home." [12] And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

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Commentary:

4. Many Jewish houses had a terraced roof accessible by steps at the back. The same structure can be found even today.

5. Here Jesus emphasizes the connection between faith and the forgiveness of sins. The boldness of the people who brought in the paralytic shows their faith in Christ, and this faith moves Jesus to forgive the man's sins. We should question how God views our faith: the faith of these people leads to the instantaneous physical and spiritual curing of this man. We should notice also that one person's need can be helped by the merits of another.

In this man's physical paralysis, St. Jerome sees a type or figure of spiritual paralysis: the cripple was unable to return to God by his own efforts. Jesus, God and man, cured him of both kinds of paralysis (cf. Comm. in Marcum, in loc.). Cf. notes on Matthew 9:2-7.

Jesus' words to the paralytic--"Your sins are forgiven"--reflect the fact that his pardon involves a personal encounter with Christ; the same happens in the Sacrament of Penance: "In faithfully observing the centuries-old practice of the Sacrament of Penance--the practice of individual confession with a personal act of sorrow and an intention to amend and make satisfaction--the Church is defending the human soul's individual right, man's right to a more personal encounter with the crucified forgiving Christ, with Christ saying, through the minister of the Sacrament of Reconciliation: 'Your sins are forgiven'; 'Go, and do not sin again' (John 8:11). As is evident, this is also a right on Christ's part with regard to every human being in the soul's life constituted by the moment of conversion and forgiveness" (John Paul II, Redemptor Hominis, 20).

7-12. Here we find a number of indicators of Jesus' divinity: He forgives sins, He can read the human heart and has the power to instantly cure physical illnesses. The scribes know that only God can forgive sins. This is why they take issue with our Lord's statement and call it blasphemous. They require a sign to prove the truth of what He says. And Jesus offers them a sign. Thus just as no one can deny that the paralytic has been cured, so no one can reasonably deny that he has been forgiven his sins. Christ, God and man, exercised power to forgive sins and, in His infinite mercy, He chose to extend this power to His Church. Cf. note on Matthew 9:3-7.

Daily Word For Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

St. Paul the First Hermit, ConfessorW (III) - St. Maurus, AbbotW (Comm.)

ST. PAUL was born in Upper Egypt, about the year 230, and became an orphan at the age of 15. He was very rich and highly educated. Fearing lest the tortures of a terrible persecution might endanger his Christian perseverance, he retired into a remote village. But his pagan brother-in-law denounced him, and St. Paul, rather than remain where his faith was in danger, entered the barren desert, trusting that God would supply his wants. And his confidence was rewarded; for on the spot to which Providence led him he found the fruit of the palm-tree for food, and its leaves for clothing, and the water of a spring for drink. His first design was to return to the world when the persecution was over; but, tasting great delights in prayer and penance, he remained the rest of his life, 90 years, in penance, prayer, and contemplation.

God revealed His existence to St. Antony, who sought him for three days. Seeing a thirsty she-wolf run through an opening in the rocks, Antony followed her to look for water, and found Paul. They knew each other at once, and praised God together. When St. Antony visited him, a raven brought him a loaf, and St. Paul said, See how good God is! For 60 years this bird has brought me half a loaf every day; now thou art come, Christ has doubled the provision for His servants. Having passed the night in prayer, at dawn of day Paul told Antony that he was about to die, and asked to be buried in the cloak given to Antony by St. Athanasius. Antony hastened to fetch it, and on his way back saw Paul rise to Heaven in glory. He found his dead body kneeling as if in prayer, and two lions came and dug his grave. Paul died in his 113th year.

ReflectionWe shall never repent of having trusted in God, for He cannot fail those who lean on Him; nor shall We ever trust in ourselves without being deceived.

Readings at Mass

None of you has come too late for God's promise

The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Mark CHAP. 2