Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 01-17-2021, Memorial of St. Fursey of Ireland (died 650 AD)

First reading
1 Samuel 3:3-10,19 ©

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 39(40):2,4,7-10 ©

Second reading
1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20 ©

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)	Aramaic NT: Peshitta

35.	The next day again John stood, and two of his disciples.	Altera die iterum stabat Joannes, et ex discipulis ejus duo.	τη επαυριον παλιν ειστηκει ο ιωαννης και εκ των μαθητων αυτου δυο	ܘܠܝܘܡܐ ܐܚܪܢܐ ܩܐܡ ܗܘܐ ܝܘܚܢܢ ܘܬܪܝܢ ܡܢ ܬܠܡܝܕܘܗܝ ܀	.35
36.	And beholding Jesus walking, he saith: Behold the Lamb of God.	Et respiciens Jesum ambulantem, dicit : Ecce agnus Dei.	και εμβλεψας τω ιησου περιπατουντι λεγει ιδε ο αμνος του θεου	ܘܚܪ ܒܝܫܘܥ ܟܕ ܡܗܠܟ ܘܐܡܪ ܗܐ ܐܡܪܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܀	.36
37.	And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.	Et audierunt eum duo discipuli loquentem, et secuti sunt Jesum.	και ηκουσαν αυτου οι δυο μαθηται λαλουντος και ηκολουθησαν τω ιησου	ܘܫܡܥܘ ܬܪܝܗܘܢ ܬܠܡܝܕܘܗܝ ܟܕ ܐܡܪ ܘܐܙܠܘ ܠܗܘܢ ܒܬܪܗ ܕܝܫܘܥ ܀	.37
38.	And Jesus turning, and seeing them following him, saith to them: What seek you? Who said to him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?	Conversus autem Jesus, et videns eos sequentes se, dicit eis : Quid quæritis ? Qui dixerunt ei : Rabbi (quod dicitur interpretatum Magister), ubi habitas ?	στραφεις δε ο ιησους και θεασαμενος αυτους ακολουθουντας λεγει αυτοις τι ζητειτε οι δε ειπον αυτω ραββι ο λεγεται ερμηνευομενον διδασκαλε που μενεις	ܘܐܬܦܢܝ ܝܫܘܥ ܘܚܙܐ ܐܢܘܢ ܕܐܬܝܢ ܒܬܪܗ ܘܐܡܪ ܠܗܘܢ ܡܢܐ ܒܥܝܢ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܐܡܪܝܢ ܠܗ ܪܒܢ ܐܝܟܐ ܗܘܐ ܐܢܬ ܀	.38
39.	He saith to them: Come and see. They came, and saw where he abode, and they stayed with him that day: now it was about the tenth hour.	Dicit eis : Venite et videte. Venerunt, et viderunt ubi maneret, et apud eum manserunt die illo : hora autem erat quasi decima.	λεγει αυτοις ερχεσθε και ιδετε ηλθον και ειδον που μενει και παρ αυτω εμειναν την ημεραν εκεινην ωρα ην ως δεκατη	ܐܡܪ ܠܗܘܢ ܬܘ ܘܬܚܙܘܢ ܗܢܘܢ ܕܝܢ ܐܬܘ ܘܚܙܘ ܐܝܟܐ ܕܗܘܐ ܘܠܘܬܗ ܗܘܘ ܝܘܡܐ ܗܘ ܘܐܝܬ ܗܘܝ ܐܝܟ ܫܥܐ ܥܤܪ ܀	.39
40.	And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard of John, and followed him.	Erat autem Andreas, frater Simonis Petri, unus ex duobus qui audierant a Joanne, et secuti fuerant eum.	ην ανδρεας ο αδελφος σιμωνος πετρου εις εκ των δυο των ακουσαντων παρα ιωαννου και ακολουθησαντων αυτω	ܚܕ ܕܝܢ ܡܢ ܗܢܘܢ ܕܫܡܥܘ ܡܢ ܝܘܚܢܢ ܘܐܙܠܘ ܒܬܪܗ ܕܝܫܘܥ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܗܘܐ ܐܢܕܪܐܘܤ ܐܚܘܗܝ ܕܫܡܥܘܢ ܀	.40
41.	He findeth first his brother Simon, and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.	Invenit hic primum fratrem suum Simonem, et dicit ei : Invenimus Messiam (quod est interpretatum Christus).	ευρισκει ουτος πρωτος τον αδελφον τον ιδιον σιμωνα και λεγει αυτω ευρηκαμεν τον μεσιαν ο εστιν μεθερμηνευομενον χριστος	ܗܢܐ ܚܙܐ ܠܘܩܕܡ ܠܫܡܥܘܢ ܐܚܘܗܝ ܘܐܡܪ ܠܗ ܐܫܟܚܢܝܗܝ ܠܡܫܝܚܐ ܀	.41
42.	And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter.	Et adduxit eum ad Jesum. Intuitus autem eum Jesus, dixit : Tu es Simon, filius Jona ; tu vocaberis Cephas, quod interpretatur Petrus.	και ηγαγεν αυτον προς τον ιησουν εμβλεψας [δε] αυτω ο ιησους ειπεν συ ει σιμων ο υιος ιωνα συ κληθηση κηφας ο ερμηνευεται πετρος	ܘܐܝܬܝܗ ܠܘܬ ܝܫܘܥ ܘܚܪ ܒܗ ܝܫܘܥ ܘܐܡܪ ܐܢܬ ܗܘ ܫܡܥܘܢ ܒܪܗ ܕܝܘܢܐ ܐܢܬ ܬܬܩܪܐ ܟܐܦܐ ܀	.42

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

John CHAP. 1

1:35–36

35. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

36. And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xviii. [al. xvii.] 1) Many not having attended to John’s words at first, he rouses them a second time: Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples.

BEDE. (Hom. in Vigil. S. And.) John stood, because he had ascended that citadel of all excellences, from which no temptations could cast him down: his disciples stood with him, as stout-hearted followers of their master.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xviii. [al. xvii.] c. 2) But wherefore went he not all about, preaching in every place of Judæa; instead of standing near the river, waiting for His coming, that he might point Him out? Because he wished this to be done by the works of Christ Himself. And observe how much greater an effort was produced; He struck a small spark, and suddenly it rose into a flame. Again, if John had gone about and preached, it would have seemed like human partiality, and great suspicion would have been excited. Now the Prophets and Apostles all preached Christ absent; the former before His appearance in the flesh, the latter after His assumption. But He was to be pointed out by the eye, not by the voice only; and therefore it follows: And looking upon Jesus us He walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

THEOPHYLACT. Looking he saith, as if signifying by his looks his love and admiration for Christ.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. vii. c. 8) John was the friend of the Bridegroom; he sought not his own glory, but bare witness to the truth. And therefore he wished not his disciples to remain with him, to the hindrance of their duty to follow the Lord; but rather shewed them whom they should follow, saying, Behold the Lamb of God.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xviii. 1. in Joan) He makes not a long discourse, having only one object before him, to bring them and join them to Christ; knowing that they would not any further need his witness. (c. 2.). John does not however speak to his disciples alone, but publicly in the presence of all. And so, undertaking to follow Christ, through this instruction common to all, they remained thenceforth firm, following Christ for their own advantage, not as an act of favour to their masterx. John does not exhort: he simply gazes in admiration on Christ, pointing out the gifty He came to bestow, the cleansing from sin: and the mode in which this would be accomplished: both of which the word Lamb testifies to. Lamb has the article affixed to it, as a sign of preeminence.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. vii. c. 5) For He alone and singly is the Lamb without spot, without sin; not because His spots are wiped off, but because He never had a spot. He alone is the Lamb of God, for by His blood alone can men be redeemed. (c. 6). This is the Lamb whom the wolves fear; even the slain Lamb, by whom the lion was slain.

BEDE. (Hom. 1) The Lamb therefore he calls Him; for that He was about to give us freely His fleece, that we might make of it a wedding garment; i. e. would leave us an example of life, by which we should be warmed into love.

ALCUIN. John stands in a mystical sense, the Law having ceased, and Jesus comes, bringing the grace of the Gospel, to which that same Law bears testimony. Jesus walks, to collect disciples.

BEDE. (Hom. in Vigil. S. And.) The walking of Jesus has a reference to the economy of the Incarnation, by means of which He has condescended to come to us, and give us a pattern of life.

1:37–40

37. And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto Him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

39. He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

40. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.

ALCUIN. John having borne witness that Jesus was the Lamb of God, the disciples who had been hitherto with him, in obedience to his command, followed Jesus: And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xviii. 1 et sq.) Observe; when he said, He that cometh after me is made before me, and, Whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose, he gained over none; but when he made mention of the economy, and gave his discourse a humbler turn, saying, Behold the Lamb of God, then his disciples followed Christ. For many persons are less influenced by the thoughts of God’s greatness and majesty, than when they hear of His being man’s Helper and Friend; or any thing pertaining to the salvation of men. Observe too, when John says, Behold the Lamb of God, Christ says nothing. The Bridegroom stands by in silence; others introduce Him, and deliver the Bride into His hands; He receives her, and so treats her that she no longer remembers those who gave her in marriage. Thus Christ came to unite to Himself the Church; He said nothing Himself; but John, the friend of the Bridegroom, came forth, and put the Bride’s right hand in His; i. e. by his preaching delivered into His hands men’s souls, whom receiving He so disposed of, that they returned no more to John. And observe farther; As at a marriage the maiden goes not to meet the bridegroom, (even though it be a king’s son who weds a humble handmaid,) but he hastens to her; so is it here. For human nature ascended not into heaven, but the Son of God came down to human nature, and took her to His Father’s house. Again; There were disciples of John who not only did not follow Christ, but were even enviously disposed toward Him; but the better part heard, and followed; not from contempt of their former master, but by his persuasion; because he promised them that Christ would baptize with the Holy Ghost. And see with what modesty their zeal was accompanied. They did not straight way go and interrogate Jesus on great and necessary doctrines, nor in public, but sought private converse with Him; for we are told that Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? Hence we learn, that when we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us opportunities enough of improvement. Christ asks the question, not because He needed to be told, but in order to encourage familiarity and confidence, and shew that He thought them worthy of His instructions.

THEOPHYLACT. (in loc.) Observe then, that it was upon those who followed Him, that our Lord turned His face and looked upon them. Unless thou by thy good works follow Him, thou shalt never be permitted to see His face, or enter into His dwelling.

ALCUIN. The disciples followed behind His back, in order to see Him, and did not see His face. So He turns round, and, as it were, lowers His majesty, that they might be enabled to behold His face.

ORIGEN. (tom. ii. c. 29) Perhaps it is not without a reason, that after six testimonies John ceases to bear witness, and Jesus asks seventhly, What seek ye?

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xviii. in Joan. sparsim) And besides following Him, their questions shewed their love for Christ; They said unto Him, Rabbi, (which is, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest Thou? They call Him, Master, before they have learnt any thing from Him; thus encouraging themselves in their resolution to become disciples, and to shew the reason why they followed.

ORIGEN. An avowal, befitting persons who came from hearing John’s testimony. They put themselves under Christ’s teaching, and express their desire to see the dwelling of the Son of God.

ALCUIN. They do not wish to be under His teaching for a time only, but enquire where He abides; wishing an immediate initiation in the secrets of His word, and afterwards meaning often to visit Him, and obtain fuller instruction. And, in a mystical sense too, they wish to know in whom Christ dwells, that profiting by their example they may themselves become fit to be His dwelling. Or, their seeing Jesus walking, and straightway enquiring where He resides, is an intimation to us, that we should, remembering His Incarnation, earnestly entreat Him to shew us our eternal habitation. The request being so good a one, Christ promises a free and full disclosure. He saith unto them, Come and see: that is to say, My dwelling is not to be understood by words, but by works; come, therefore, by believing and working, and then see by understanding.

ORIGEN. (tom. ii. c. 29) Or perhaps come, is an invitation to action; see, to contemplation.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xviii. [al. xvii.] 3) Christ does not describe His house and situation, but brings them after Him, shewing that he had already accepted them as His own. He says not, It is not the time now, to-morrow ye shall hear if ye wish to learn; but addresses them familiarly, as friends who had lived with him a long time. But how is it that He saith in another place, The Son of man hath not where to lay His head? (Matt. 8:20) when here He says, Come and see where I live? His not having where to lay His head, could only have meant that He had no dwelling of His own, not that He did not live in a house at all: for the next words arc, They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day. Why they stayed the Evangelist does not say: it being obviously for the sake of His teaching.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. vii. c. 9) What a blessed day and night was that! Let us too build up in our hearts within, and make Him an house, whither He may come and teach us.

THEOPHYLACT. And it was about the tenth hour. The Evangelist mentions the time of day purposely, as a hint both to teachers and learners, not to let time interfere with their work.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xviii. 3) It shewed a strong desire to hear Him, since even at sunset they did not turn from Him. To sensual persons the time after meals is unsuitable for any grave employment, their bodies being overloaded with food. But John, whose disciples these were, was not such an one. His evening was a more abstemious one than our mornings.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. vii. c. 10) The number here signifies the law, which was composed of ten commandments. The time had come when the law was to be fulfilled by love, the Jews, who acted from fear, having been unable to fulfil it, and therefore was it at the tenth hour that our Lord heard Himself called, Rabbi; none but the giver of the law is the teacher1 of the law.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xviii. 3) One of the two which heard John speak and followed Him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Why is the other name left out? Some say, because this Evangelist himself was that other. Others, that it was a disciple of no eminence, and that there was no use in telling his name any more than those of the seventy-two, which are omitted.

ALCUIN. Or it would seem that the two disciples who followed Jesus were Andrew and Philip.

1:41–42

41. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

42. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Chrys. Hom. xix. 1) Andrew kept not our Lord’s words to himself; but ran in haste to his brother, to report the good tidings: He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

BEDE. (Hom. in Vig. St. Andr.) This is truly to find the Lord; viz. to have fervent love for Him, together with a care for our brother’s salvation.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xix. [al. xviii.] 1) The Evangelist docs not mention what Christ said to those who followed Him; but we may infer it from what follows. Andrew declares in few words what he had learnt, discloses the power of that Master Who had persuaded them, and his own previous longings after Him. For this exclamation, We have found, expresses a longing for His coming, turned to exultation, now that He was really come.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. vii. c. 13) Messias in Hebrew, Christus in Greek, Unctus in Latin. Chrism is unction, and He had a special unction, which from Him extended to all Christians, as appears in the Psalm, God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows1. (Ps. 44, [45]) All holy persons arc partakers with Him; but He is specially the Holy of Holies, specially anointed.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xix. 1, 2) And therefore he said not Messias, but the Messias. Mark the obedience of Peter from the very first; ho went immediately without delay, as appears from the next words: And he brought him to Jesus. Nor let us blame him as too yielding, because he did not ask many questions, before he received the word. It is reasonable to suppose that his brother had told him all, and sufficiently fully; but the Evangelists often make omissions for the sake of brevity. But, besides this, it is not absolutely said that he did believe, but only, He took him to Jesus; i. e. to learn from the mouth of Jesus Himself, what Andrew had reported. Our Lord begins now Himself to reveal the things of His Divinity, and to exhibit them gradually by prophecy. For prophecies are no less persuasive than miracles; inasmuch as they are preeminently God’s work, and are beyond the power of devils to imitate, while miracles may be phantasy or appearance: the foretelling future events with certainty is an attribute of the incorruptible nature alone: And when Jesus beheld him, He said, Thou art Simon the son of Jonas; thou shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

BEDE. (Hom. i. Temp. Hier. in Vig. S. Andr.) He beheld him not with His natural eye only, but by the insight of His Godhead discerned from eternity the simplicity and greatness of his soul, for which he was to be elevated above the whole Church. In the word Peter, we must not look for any additional meaning, as though it were of Hebrew or Syriac derivation; for the Greek and Latin word Peter, has the same meaning as Cephas; being in both languages derived from petra. He is called Peter on account of the firmness of his faith, in cleaving to that Rock, of which the Apostle speaks, And that Rock was Christ; (1 Cor. 10:4) which secures those who trust in it from the snares of the enemy, and dispenses streams of spiritual gifts.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. vii. c. 14) There was nothing very great in our Lord saying whose son he was, for our Lord knew the names of all His saints, having predestinated them before the foundation of the world. But it was a great thing for our Lord to change his name from Simon to Peter. Peter is from petra, rock, which rock is the Church: so that the name of Peter represents the Church. And who is safe, unless he build upon a rock? Our Lord here rouses our attention: for had he been called Peter before, we should not have seen the mystery of the Rock, and should have thought that he was called so by chance, and not providentially. God therefore made him to be called by another name before, that the change of that name might give vividness to the mystery.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. xix. [al. xviii. 2]) He changed the name too to shew that He was the same who done so before in the Old Testament; who had called Abram Abraham, Sarai Sarah, Jacob Israel. Many He had named from their birth, as Isaac and Samson; others again after being named by their parents, as were Peter, and the sons of Zebedee. Those whose virtue was to be eminent from the first, have names given them from the first; those who were to be exalted afterwards, are named afterwards.

AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Evang. l. ii. c. 17) The account here of the two disciples on the Jordan, who follow Christ (before he had gone into Galilee) in obedience to John’s testimony; viz. of Andrew bringing his brother Simon to Jesus, who gave him, on this occasion, the name of Peter; disagrees considerably with the account of the other Evangelists, viz. that our Lord found these two, Simon and Andrew, fishing in Galilee, and then bid them follow Him: unless we understand that they did not regularly join our Lord when they saw Him on the Jordan; but only discovered who He was, and full of wonder, then returned to their occupations. Nor must we think that Peter first received his name on the occasion mentioned in Matthew, when our Lord says, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build My Church; (Mat. 16:18) but rather when our Lord says, Thou shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

ALCUIN. Or perhaps He does not actually give him the name now, but only fixes beforehand what He afterwards gave him when He said, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build My Church. And while about to change his name, Christ wishes to shew that even that which his parents had given him, was not without a meaning. For Simon signifies obedience, Joanna grace, Jona a dove: as if the meaning was; Thou art an obedient son of grace, or of the dove, i. e. the Holy Spirit; for thou hast received of the Holy Spirit the humility, to desire, at Andrew’s call, to see Me. The elder disdained not to follow the younger; for where there is meritorious faith, there is no order of seniority.

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

For: Sunday, January 17, 2021
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

From: 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19

God Calls Samuel (Continuation)
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[3b] Samuel was lying down within the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. [4] Then the LORD called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" [5] and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. [6] And the LORD called again, "Samuel!" And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." [7] Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. [8] And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. [9] Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for thy servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. [10] And the LORD came and stood forth, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said "Speak for thy servant hears."

[19] And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

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Commentary:

3:1-21. The account of Samuel"s vocation is a good example of a divine calling to perform a special mission: it shows both the attitudes that the person called should have and the demands that the divine call implies. Firstly (vv. 1-3), we are introduced to the protagonists (the Lord, Eli, Samuel) and the circumstances in which the action occurs--night-time when everyone is asleep, the temple, the ark, and the lamp of God still burning; all this shows that something exceptional is going on and God is behind it.

The second scene (vv. 4-8) is a charming dialogue between the Lord and Samuel, and between Samuel and Eli, at the end of which comes an unforgettable assertion of readiness on Samuel"s part, "Here I am, for you have called me" (v. 8). "This young boy gives us an example of the highest form of obedience. True obedience does not question the meaning of what is commanded, nor does it judge, since he who decides to practise perfect obedience renounces his own judgment" (St Gregory the Great, In Primum Regum, 2, 4, 10-11).

In the third scene (vv. 9-14) we can see the dual role of every prophet from Sa-muel onwards--listening carefully to God (vv. 9-10) and faithfully passing on the message received, even if his listeners find it harsh (vv. 11-14; cf. v. 18). "Greatly blessed is he who hears the [voice of the] divine whispering in the silence and who often repeats that phrase of Samuel"s: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening'" (St Bernard, Sermones De Diversis, 23, 7).

The last scene (3:19-4:1) is a summary of what will be Samuel"s future work as a prophet. A new stage is beginning in the life of the people of God; now God will make his will known through prophets who speak on God"s behalf to the people, the priests and even the king himself.

3:9-10. "Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears." This prayer marked the start of Samuel's life as a prophet called by God, and it epitomizes the way he acted: he cultivated his relationship with God assiduously and pleaded with him on behalf of the people. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2578, suggests, he learned all this from his mother from infancy onwards: "The prayer of the People of God flourishes in the shadow of God"s dwelling place, first the ark of the covenant and later the Temple. At first the leaders of the people -- the shepherds and the prophets--teach them to pray. The infant Samuel must have learned from his mother Hannah how 'to stand before the Lord' (cf. 1 Sam 1:9-18) and from the priest Eli how to listen to his word: 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening' (1 Sam 3:9-10). Later, he will also know the cost and consequence of intercession: 'Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; and I will instruct you in the good and the right way' (1 Sam 12:23)."

From: 1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20

Respect for the Body (Continuation)
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[13c] The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. [14] And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

Offense to Christ and to the Holy Spirit
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[15a] Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? [17] But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. [18] Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. [19] Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; [20] you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

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Commentary:

12-14. "All things are lawful for me": the Apostle may have used this expression himself to explain Christian freedom as opposed to the prescriptions of the Jewish law on matters of legal impurity, food, sabbath observance, etc.; and to stress the freedom which Jesus Christ won for men by dying on the cross (cf. Gal 4:31); this freedom means that the Christian is no longer a slave of the devil or of sin, and--by sharing through Baptism in Christ's kingship has obtained dominion over all the things of the earth. But some people were misinterpreting this and were using their freedom as an excuse for living without reference to the commandments of God. St Paul makes it clear that everything which is not opposed to God's law is permissible, and that everything which goes counter to that law means falling again into the old slavery: "It cannot happen that the soul should go its way without anyone to direct it; that is why it has been redeemed in such a way that it has Christ as its King--his yoke is easy and his burden light (cf. Mt 11:30)--and not the devil, whose rule is oppressive" (Origen, In Rom. Comm., V, 6).

Another sophism was to present impurity as a natural need of the body, in the same way as food is natural. St Paul rejects this argument by showing that the relationship between food and the stomach is not parallel to that of the body and fornication: the body is not even necessarily orientated to marriage, for although marriage is necessary for the spread of the human race, it is not a necessity for every individual (cf. St Pius V Catechism, II, 8, 12). The Apostle places the body on a much higher plane: "the body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body", and it is God's will to raise it up to live again in heaven (cf. Rom 8:11), where there will be no longer any need for bodily nourishment.

From this orientation of the whole person--body and soul--to God arises the eminently positive character of the virtue of purity, which tends to fill the heart with love of God, who "has not called us for uncleanness but [to live] in holiness" (1 Thess 4:7). "We belong to God completely," St. J. Escriva reminds us, "soul and body, flesh and bones, all our senses and faculties [...]. 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.

"I think of this virtue as the wings which enable us to carry God's teaching, his commandments, to every environment on this earth, without fear of becoming contaminated in the process. Wings, even in the case of those majestic beds which soar higher than the clouds, are a burden and a heavy one. But without wings, there is no way of flying. I want you to grasp this idea clearly, and to decide not to give in when you feel the sting of temptation, with its suggestion that purity is an unbearable burden. Take heart! Fly upwards, up to the sun, in pursuit of Love" (Friends of God, 177).

15-18. St Paul here explains how gravely offensive this sin is to Jesus Christ. The Christian has become a member of Christ's body through Baptism; he is meant to live in an intimate relationship with him, sharing his very life (cf. Gal 2:20, to be "one spirit with him" (cf. Rom 12:5; 1 Cor 12:27). Sexual immorality is as terrible as to hack oneself off from the body of Christ, to become one body with a prostitute. Hence the gravity of this sin, a sin against one's own body, which is part of the mystical body of Christ.

"Shun [sexual] immorality": this is the route one must take when tempted against chastity. Temptations against other virtues can be overcome by putting up resistance, but in this case "one does not win by putting up resistance, because the more one thinks about the thing, the more influenced one becomes; one wins by fleeing--that is, by avoiding unclean thoughts completely and by avoiding all occasions of sin" (St Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on 1 Cor, ad loc.). A Christian has all kinds of resources he can use to practise chastity in a very refined way: "The first is to be very vigilant about what we look at, and what we think and say and do; second, to have recourse to prayer; third, to frequent the sacraments worthily; fourth, to fly from anything which might tempt us to sin; fifth, to have great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. If we do all that, then, no matter what our enemies do, no matter how frail this virtue be, we can be quite sure of holding on to it" (St John Mary Vianney, Sermon on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, II); see also the note on Mt 5:27-30.

19-20. Fornication is not only a profanation of the body of Christ but also of the temple of the Holy Spirit--for God dwells in the soul, through grace, as in a temple (cf. note on 1 Cor 3:16-17).

"Contemplative prayer will rise within you whenever you meditate on this impressive reality: something as material as my body has been chosen by the Holy Spirit as his dwelling place.... I no longer belong to myself.... My body and soul, my whole being, belong to God.... And this prayer will be rich in practical consequences, drawn from the great consequence which the Apostle himself proposes: 'glorify God in your body' (1 Cor 6:20)” (St. J. Escriva, Conversations, 121).

"You were bought with a price": the Redemption wrought by Christ, culminating with his death on the cross, is the price paid to set mankind free from slavery to the devil, to sin and to death. "You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Pet 1:18-19; cf. Eph 1:7). That is why "you are not your own": you now belong to God; the Christian is part of Christ's body, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. Reflection on this wonderful truth should lead the Christian always to live in accordance with his new status. "Christian, remember who you are; you have been given a share in God's very nature; do not, therefore, even think of reverting by unworthy conduct to your earlier evil ways. Remember who your head is and whose body you are part of. Do not forget that you were set free from the power of darkness and brought into the light, to the Kingdom of God. Thanks to the sacrament of Baptism, you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit: do not think of turning out so noble a guest by evil deeds; do not think of subjecting yourself to the slavery of the devil: for the price paid for you was the blood of Christ" (St Leo the Great, First Nativity Sermon).

20. "So, glorify God in your body": this follows logically from what the Apostle has been saying. "Purity as a virtue, that is, an ability to 'control (one's) own body in holiness and honor' (cf. 1 Thess 4:4), allied to the gift of purity as the fruit of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the 'temple' of the body, makes for such dignity in interpersonal relationships that "God himself is glorified in the body". Purity is the glory of the human body in God's sight. It is the glory of God in the human body" (St. John Paul II, General Audience, 18 March 1981).

In commenting on this passage, St John Chrysostom recalls what our Lord says in Matthew 5:19 "that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven"--to show that a Christian's chaste life should lead those around him to God. "When they see a holy man practising the highest virtues, they feel obliged to reflect and they blush to see the difference between their life and that of a Christian. For, when they see someone who shares their own nature being so much above them (a great deal more than heaven is above each) do they not feel obliged to believe that a divine power is at work to produce such sanctity]?" (Hom. on 1 Cor, 18, ad loc.).

From: John 1:35-42

The Calling of the First Disciples
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[35] The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; [36] and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" [37] The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. [38] Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them,"What do you seek?" And they said to Him, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are You staying?" [39] He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour. [40] One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. [41] He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah' (which means Christ). [42] He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "So you are Simon, the son of John? You shall be called Cephas" (which means Peter).

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Commentary:

35-39. Through these words of the Baptist, these two disciples are moved by grace to approach the Lord. John's testimony is an example of the special graces God distributes to attract people to Himself. Sometimes He addresses a person directly by stirring his soul and inviting him to follow Him; at other times, as in the present case, He chooses to use someone close to us who knows us, to bring us to meet Christ.

The two disciples already had a keen desire to see the Messiah; John's words move them to try to become friends of our Lord: it is not merely natural curiosity but Christ's personality which attracts them. They want to get to know Him, to be taught by Him and to enjoy His company. "Come and see" (John 1:39; cf. 11:34)--a tender invitation to begin that intimate friendship they were seeking. Time and personal contact with Christ will be needed to make them more secure in their vocation. The Apostle St John, one of the protagonists in this scene, notes the exact time it took place: "it was about the tenth hour", roughly four in the afternoon.

Christian faith can never be just a matter of intellectual curiosity; it affects one's whole life: a person cannot understand it unless he really lives it; therefore, our Lord does not at this point tell them in detail about His way of life; He invites them to spend the day with Him. St Thomas Aquinas comments on this passage saying that our Lord speaks in a lofty, mystical way because what God is (in Himself or in grace) can only be understood through experience: words cannot describe it. We grow in this understanding by doing good works (they immediately accepted Christ's invitation and as a reward "they saw"), by recollection and by applying our mind to the contemplation of divine things, by desiring to taste the sweetness of God, by assiduous prayer. Our Lord invited everyone to do all this when He said, "Come and see", and the disciples discovered it all when, in obedience to our Lord, "they went" and were able to learn by personal experience, whereas they could not understand the words alone (cf. Commentary on St John, in loc .).

40-41. The Evangelist now gives us the name of one of the two disciples involved in the previous scene; he will mention Andrew again in connection with the multiplication of the loaves (John 6:8) and the last Passover (John 12:22).

We cannot be absolutely sure who the second disciple was; but since the very earliest centuries of the Christian era he has always been taken to be the Evangelist himself. The vividness of the account, the detail of giving the exact time, and even John's tendency to remain anonymous (John 19:16; 20:2; 21:7,20) seem to confirm this.

"St John the Apostle, who pours into his narrative so much that is first-hand, tells of his first unforgettable conversations with Christ. '"Master, where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They went and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.'

"This divine and human dialogue completely changed the life of John and Andrew, and Peter and James and so many others. It prepared their hearts to listen to the authoritative teaching which Jesus gave them beside the Sea of Galilee" (St. J. Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 108).

Those hours spent with our Lord soon produce the first results of apostolate. Andrew, unable to contain his joy, tells Simon Peter the news that he has found the Messiah, and brings him to Him. Now, as then, there is a pressing need to bring others to know the Lord.

"Open your own hearts to Jesus and tell Him your story. I don't want to generalize. But one day perhaps an ordinary Christian, just like you, opened your eyes to horizons both deep and new, yet as old as the Gospel. He suggested to you the prospect of following Christ earnestly, seriously, of becoming an apostle of apostles. Perhaps you lost your balance then and didn't recover it. Your complacency wasn't quite replaced by true peace until you freely said 'yes' to God, because you wanted to, which is the most supernatural of reasons. And in its wake came a strong, constant joy, which disappears only when you abandon Him" (St. J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 1).

42. What was it like when Jesus looked at someone? From what He says here, He seems both imperious and tender. On other occasions His glance is enough to invite a person to leave everything and follow Him, as in the case of Matthew (Matthew 9:9); or He seems to be full of love, as in His meeting with the rich young man (Mark 10:21), or He seems angry or sad, because of the Pharisees' unbelief (Mark 2:5), or compassionate, towards the widow of Nain (Luke 7:13). He is able to move Zacchaeus' heart to conversion (Luke 19:5); and He Himself is moved by the faith and generosity of the poor widow who gave in alms everything she had (Mark 12:41-44). His penetrating look seems to lay the soul bare to God and provoke one to self-examination and contrition -- as happened to the adulterous woman (John 8:10) and to Peter who, after denying Christ (Luke 22: 61) wept bitterly (Mark 14:72).

"You shall be called Cephas": naming something is the same as taking possession of the thing named (cf. Genesis 17:5; 22:28; 32:28; Isaiah 62:2). Thus, for example, Adam when he was made lord of creation, gave names to creating things (Genesis 2:20). "Cephas" is the Greek transcription of an Aramaic word meaning stone, rock: therefore, St. John, writing in Greek, has to explain the meaning of the word Jesus used. Cephas was not a proper name, but our Lord put it on Peter to indicate his role as His vicar, which He will later on reveal (Matthew 16:16-18): Simon was destined to be the stone, the rock, of the Church.

The first Christians regarded this new name as so significant that they used it without translating it (cf. Galatians 2:9, 11, 14); later its translation "Peter" (Petros, Petrus) became current, pushing the Apostle's old name- Simon—into the background. "Son of John": ancient manuscripts include variants, such as "son of Jona".

Daily Word For Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

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Readings at Mass

'Speak, Lord, your servant is listening'

Do not sin against your own body

'We have found the Messiah'

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

John CHAP. 1

St. Fursey