St Brigid's church, Killester, Ireland
Posted on 01/31/2021 11:29:02 PM PST by Cronos
Liturgical Colour: Green.
| First reading |
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| Hebrews 11:32-40 © |
| Responsorial Psalm |
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| Psalm 30(31):20-24 © |
| Gospel Acclamation | Jn17:17 |
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| Or: | Lk7:16 |
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| Gospel | Mark 5:1-20 © |
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| Mark | |||
| English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
| 1. | AND they came over the strait of the sea into the country of the Gerasens. | Et venerunt trans fretum maris in regionem Gerasenorum. | και ηλθον εις το περαν της θαλασσης εις την χωραν των γαδαρηνων |
| 2. | And as he went out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the monuments a man with an unclean spirit, | Et exeunti ei de navi, statim occurrit de monumentis homo in spiritu immundo, | και εξελθοντι αυτω εκ του πλοιου ευθεως απηντησεν αυτω εκ των μνημειων ανθρωπος εν πνευματι ακαθαρτω |
| 3. | Who had his dwelling in the tombs, and no man now could bind him, not even with chains. | qui domicilium habebat in monumentis, et neque catenis jam quisquam poterat eum ligare : | ος την κατοικησιν ειχεν εν τοις μνημασιν και ουτε αλυσεσιν ουδεις εδυνατο αυτον δησαι |
| 4. | For having been often bound with fetters and chains, he had burst the chains, and broken the fetters in pieces, and no one could tame him. | quoniam sæpe compedibus et catenis vinctus, dirupisset catenas, et compedes comminuisset, et nemo poterat eum domare : | δια το αυτον πολλακις πεδαις και αλυσεσιν δεδεσθαι και διεσπασθαι υπ αυτου τας αλυσεις και τας πεδας συντετριφθαι και ουδεις αυτον ισχυεν δαμασαι |
| 5. | And he was always day and night in the monuments and in the mountains, crying and cutting himself with stones. | et semper die ac nocte in monumentis, et in montibus erat, clamans, et concidens se lapidibus. | και δια παντος νυκτος και ημερας εν τοις ορεσιν και εν τοις μνημασιν ην κραζων και κατακοπτων εαυτον λιθοις |
| 6. | And seeing Jesus afar off, he ran and adored him. | Videns autem Jesum a longe, cucurrit, et adoravit eum : | ιδων δε τον ιησουν απο μακροθεν εδραμεν και προσεκυνησεν αυτω |
| 7. | And crying with a loud voice, he said: What have I to do with thee, Jesus the Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not. | et clamans voce magna dixit : Quid mihi et tibi, Jesu Fili Dei altissimi ? adjuro te per Deum, ne me torqueas. | και κραξας φωνη μεγαλη ειπεν τι εμοι και σοι ιησου υιε του θεου του υψιστου ορκιζω σε τον θεον μη με βασανισης |
| 8. | For he said unto him: Go out of the man, thou unclean spirit. | Dicebat enim illi : Exi spiritus immunde ab homine. | ελεγεν γαρ αυτω εξελθε το πνευμα το ακαθαρτον εκ του ανθρωπου |
| 9. | And he asked him: What is thy name? And he saith to him: My name is Legion, for we are many. | Et interrogabat eum : Quod tibi nomen est ? Et dicit ei : Legio mihi nomen est, quia multi sumus. | και επηρωτα αυτον τι σοι ονομα και απεκριθη λεγων λεγεων ονομα μοι οτι πολλοι εσμεν |
| 10. | And he besought him much, that he would not drive him away out of the country. | Et deprecabatur eum multum, ne se expelleret extra regionem. | και παρεκαλει αυτον πολλα ινα μη αυτους αποστειλη εξω της χωρας |
| 11. | And there was there near the mountain a great herd of swine, feeding. | Erat autem ibi circa montem grex porcorum magnus, pascens. | ην δε εκει προς τω ορει αγελη χοιρων μεγαλη βοσκομενη |
| 12. | And the spirits besought him, saying: Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. | Et deprecabantur eum spiritus, dicentes : Mitte nos in porcos ut in eos introëamus. | και παρεκαλεσαν αυτον παντες οι δαιμονες λεγοντες πεμψον ημας εις τους χοιρους ινα εις αυτους εισελθωμεν |
| 13. | And Jesus immediately gave them leave. And the unclean spirits going out, entered into the swine: and the herd with great violence was carried headlong into the sea, being about two thousand, and were stifled in the sea. | Et concessit eis statim Jesus. Et exeuntes spiritus immundi introierunt in porcos : et magno impetu grex præcipitatus est in mare ad duo millia, et suffocati sunt in mari. | και επετρεψεν αυτοις ευθεως ο ιησους και εξελθοντα τα πνευματα τα ακαθαρτα εισηλθον εις τους χοιρους και ωρμησεν η αγελη κατα του κρημνου εις την θαλασσαν ησαν δε ως δισχιλιοι και επνιγοντο εν τη θαλασση |
| 14. | And they that fed them fled, and told it in the city and in the fields. And they went out to see what was done: | Qui autem pascebant eos, fugerunt, et nuntiaverunt in civitatem et in agros. Et egressi sunt videre quid esset factum : | οι δε βοσκοντες τους χοιρους εφυγον και ανηγγειλαν εις την πολιν και εις τους αγρους και εξηλθον ιδειν τι εστιν το γεγονος |
| 15. | And they came to Jesus, and they see him that was troubled with the devil, sitting, clothed, and well in his wits, and they were afraid. | et veniunt ad Jesum : et vident illum qui a dæmonio vexabatur, sedentem, vestitum, et sanæ mentis, et timuerunt. | και ερχονται προς τον ιησουν και θεωρουσιν τον δαιμονιζομενον καθημενον και ιματισμενον και σωφρονουντα τον εσχηκοτα τον λεγεωνα και εφοβηθησαν |
| 16. | And they that had seen it, told them, in what manner he had been dealt with who had the devil; and concerning the swine. | Et narraverunt illis, qui viderant, qualiter factum esset ei qui dæmonium habuerat, et de porcis. | διηγησαντο δε αυτοις οι ιδοντες πως εγενετο τω δαιμονιζομενω και περι των χοιρων |
| 17. | And they began to pray him that he would depart from their coasts. | Et rogare cœperunt eum ut discederet de finibus eorum. | και ηρξαντο παρακαλειν αυτον απελθειν απο των οριων αυτων |
| 18. | And when he went up into the ship, he that had been troubled with the devil, began to beseech him that he might be with him. | Cumque ascenderet navim, cœpit illum deprecari, qui a dæmonio vexatus fuerat, ut esset cum illo, | και εμβαντος αυτου εις το πλοιον παρεκαλει αυτον ο δαιμονισθεις ινα η μετ αυτου |
| 19. | And he admitted him not, but saith to him: Go into thy house to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had mercy on thee. | et non admisit eum, sed ait illi : Vade in domum tuam ad tuos, et annuntia illis quanta tibi Dominus fecerit, et misertus sit tui. | ο δε ιησους ουκ αφηκεν αυτον αλλα λεγει αυτω υπαγε εις τον οικον σου προς τους σους και αναγγειλον αυτοις οσα σοι ο κυριος πεποιηκεν και ηλεησεν σε |
| 20. | And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men wondered. | Et abiit, et cœpit prædicare in Decapoli, quanta sibi fecisset Jesus : et omnes mirabantur. | και απηλθεν και ηρξατο κηρυσσειν εν τη δεκαπολει οσα εποιησεν αυτω ο ιησους και παντες εθαυμαζον |
1. And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3. Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4. Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7. And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11. Now there was nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
14. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
15. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
16. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
18. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
19. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
20. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
THEOPHYLACT. Those who were in the ship enquired among themselves, What manner of man is this? and now it is made known Who He is by the testimony of His enemies. For the demoniac came up confessing that He was the Son of God. Proceeding to which circumstance the Evangelist says, And they came over unto the other side, &c.
BEDE. (in Marc. 2, 21) Geraza is a noted town of Arabia, across the Jordan, near mount Galaad, which the tribe of Manasseh held, not far from the lake of Tiberias, into which the swine were precipitated.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Nevertheless the exact reading contains neither Gadarenes, nor Gerasines, but Gergesenes. For Gadara is a city of Judæa, which has no sea at all about it; and Geraza is a city of Arabia, having neither lake nor sea near it. And that the Evangelists may not be thought to have spoken so manifest a falsehood, well acquainted as they were with the parts around Judæa, Gergese, from which come the Gergesenes, was an ancient city, now called Tiberias, around which is situated a considerable laket. It continues, And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him, &c.
AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Evan. 2. 24) Though Matthew says that there were two, Mark and Luke mention one, that you may understand that one of them was a more illustrious person, concerning whose state that country was much afflicted.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc. et v. Chrys. Hom. in Matt. 28) Or else, Mark and Luke relate what was most worthy of compassion, and for this reason they put down more at length what had happened to this man; for there follows, no man could bind him, no, not with chains. They therefore simply said, a man possessed of a devil, without taking heed to the number; or else, that he might shew the greater virtue in the Worker; for He who had cured one such, might cure many others. Nor is there any discrepancy shewn here, for they did not say that there was one alone, for then they would have contradicted Matthew. Now devils dwelt in tombs, wishing to convey a false opinion to many, that the souls of the dead were changed to devils.
GREGORY OF NYSSA. (non occ.) Now the assembly of the devils had prepared itself to resist the Divine power. But when He was approaching Who had power over all things, they proclaim aloud His eminent virtue. Wherefore there follows, But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, saying, &c.
CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. (non occ.) See how the devil is divided between two passions, fear and audacity; he hangs back and prays, as if meditating a question; he wishes to know what he had to do with Jesus, as though he would say, Do you cast me out from men, who are mine?
BEDE. (ubi sup.) And how great is the impiety of the Jews, to say that He cast out devils by the prince of the devils, when the very devils confess that they have nothing in common with Him.
CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc. et v. Chrys. Hom. in Matt. 28) Then praying to Him, he subjoins, I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he considered being cast out to be a torment, or else he was also invisibly tortured. For however bad the devils are, they know that there awaits them at last a punishment for their sins; but that the time of their last punishment was not yet come, they full well knew, especially as they were permitted to mix among men. But because Christ had come upon them as they were doing such dreadful deeds, they thought that, such was the heinousness of their crimes, He would not wait for the last times, to punish them; for this reason they beg that they may not be tormented.
BEDE. (ubi sup.) For it is a great torment for a devil to cease to hurt a man, and the more severely he possesses him, the more reluctantly he lets him go. For it goes on, For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. (non occ.) Consider the unconquerable power of Christ; He makes Satan shake, for to him the words of Christ are fire and flame; as the Psalmist says, The mountains melted at the presence of the Lord, (Ps. 97:5) that is, great and proud powers. There follows, And he asked him, What is thy name?
THEOPHYLACT. The Lord indeed asks, not that He Himself required to know, but that the rest might know that there was a multitude of devils dwelling in him.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Lest he should not be believed, if He affirmed there were many, He wishes that they themselves should confess it; wherefore there follows, And he saith unto him, Legion, for we are many. He gives not a fixed number, but a multitude, for such accuracy in the number would not help us to understand it.
BEDE. (ubi sup.) But by the public declaration of the scourge which the madman suffered, the virtue of the Healer appears more gracious. And even the priests of our time, who know how to cast out devils by the grace of exorcism, are wont to say that the sufferers cannot be cured at all, unless they in confession openly declare, as far as they are able to know, what they have suffered from the unclean spirits in sight, in hearing, in taste, in touch, or any other sense of body or soul, whether awake or asleep. It goes on, And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Luke, however, says, into the abyss. (Luke 8:3.) For the abyss is the separation of this world, for devils deserve to be sent into outer darkness, prepared for the devil and his angels. This Christ might have done, but He allowed them to remain in this world, lest the absence of a tempter should deprive men of the crown of victory.
THEOPHYLACT. Also that by fighting with us, they may make us more expert. It goes on, Now there was there about the mountain a great herd of swine feeding.
AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Evan. ii. 24) What Mark here says, that the herd was about the mountain, and what Luke calls on the mountain, are by no means inconsistent. For the herd of swine was so large, that some part were on the mountain, the rest around it. It goes on: And the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
REMIGIUS. (v. Aur. Cat. in Matt p. 327) The devils entered not into the swine of their own will, but their asking for this concession, was, that it might be shewn that they cannot hurt men without Divine permission. They did not ask to be sent into men, because they saw that He, by whose power they were tortured, bore a human form. Nor did they desire to be sent into the flocks, for they are clean animals offered up in the temple of God. But they desired to be sent into the swine, because no animal is more unclean than a hog, and devils always delight in filthiness. It goes on: And forthwith Jesus gave them leave.
BEDE. (ubi sup.) And He gave them leave, that by the killing of the swine, the salvation of men might be furthered.
PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) He wished to shew publicly the fury which devils entertain against men, and that they would inflict much worse things upon men, if they were not hindered by Divine power; because, again, His compassion would not allow this to be shewn on men, He permitted them to enter into the swine, that on them the fury and power of the devils might be made known. There follows: And the unclean spirits went out.
TITUS BOSTRENSIS. But the herdsmen also took to flight, lest they should perish with the swine, and spread the same fear amongst the inhabitants of the town. Wherefore there follows: And they that fed them, &c. The necessity of their loss, however, brought these men to the Saviour; for frequently when God makes men suffer loss in their possessions, he confers a benefit on their souls. Wherefore it goes on: And they came to Jesus, and see him that was tormented by the devil, &c. that is, at the feet of Him from whom he had obtained health; a man, whom before, not even chains could bind, clothed and in his right mind, though he used to be continually naked; and they were amazed; wherefore it says, And they were afraid. This miracle then they find out partly by sight, partly by words; wherefore there follows: And they that saw it told them.
THEOPHYLACT. But amazed at the miracle, which they had heard, they were afraid, and for this reason they beseech him to depart out of their borders; which is expressed in what follows: And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts; for they feared lest some time or other they should suffer a like thing: for, saddened at the loss of their swine, they reject the presence of the Saviour.
BEDE. (ubi sup.) Or else, conscious of their own frailty, they judged themselves unworthy of the presence of the Lord. It goes on: And when he was going to the ship, he that had been tormented, &c.
THEOPHYLACT. For he feared lest some time or other the devils should find him, and enter into him a second time. But the Lord sends him back to his house, intimating to him, that though He Himself was not present, yet His power would keep him; at the same time also that he might be of use in the healing of others; wherefore it goes on: And he did not suffer him, and saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, &c. See the humility of the Saviour. He said not, Proclaim all things which I have done to you, but, all that the Lord hath done; do thou also, when thou hast done any good thing, take it not to thyself, but refer it to God.
CHRYSOSTOM. (non occ.) But although he bade others, whom he healed, to tell it to no one, he nevertheless fitly bids this one proclaim it, since all that region, being possessed by devils, remained without God.
THEOPHYLACT. (non occ.) He therefore began to proclaim it, and all wonder, which is that which follows: And he began to publish.
BEDE. (ubi sup.) Mystically, however, Gerasa or Gergese, as some read it, is interpreted casting out a dweller or a stranger approaching, because the people of the Gentiles both expelled the enemy from the heart, and he who was afar off is made near.
PSEUDO-JEROME. Here again the demoniac is the people of the Gentiles, in a most hopeless case, bound neither by the law of nature, nor of God, nor by human fear.
BEDE. (ubi sup.) Who dwelt in the tombs, because they delighted in dead works, that is, in sins; who were ever raging night and day, because whether in prosperity or in adversity, they were never free from the service of malignant spirits: again, by the foulness of their works, they lay as it were in the tombs, in their lofty pride, they wandered over the mountains, by words of most hardened infidelity, they as it were cut themselves with stones. But he said, My name is Legion, because the Gentile people were enslaved to divers idolatrous forms of worship. Again, that the unclean spirits going out from man enter into swine, which they cast headlong into the sea, implies that now that the people of the Gentiles are freed from the empire of demons, they who have not chosen to believe in Christ, work sacrilegious rites in hidden places.
THEOPHYLACT. Or by this it is signified that devils enter into those men, who live like swine, rolling themselves in the slough of pleasure; they drive them headlong into the sea down the precipice of perdition, into the sea of an evil life where they are choked.
PSEUDO-JEROME. Or they are choked in hell without any touch of mercy by the rushing on of an early death; which evils many persons thus avoid, for by the scourging of the fool, the wise is made more prudent.
BEDE. (ubi sup.) But that the Lord did not admit him, though he wished to be with Him, signifies, that every one after the remission of his sins should remember that he must work to obtain a good conscience, and serve the Gospel for the salvation of others, that at last he may rest in Christ.
GREGORY. (Mor. 6, 37) For when we have perceived ever so little of the Divine knowledge, we are at once unwilling to return to human affairs, and seek for the quiet of contemplation; but the Lord commands that the mind should first toil hard at its work, and afterwards should refresh itself with contemplation.
PSEUDO-JEROME. But the man who is healed preached in Decapolis, where the Jews, who hang on the letter of the Decalogue, are being turned away from the Roman rule.
For: Monday, February 1, 2021
4th Week in Ordinary Time
From: Hebrews 11:32-40
The Faith of Moses, of the Judges and of the Prophets
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[32] And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets -- [33] who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, [34] quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. [35] Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. [36] Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. [37] They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated -- [38] of whom the world was not worthy -- wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. [39] And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised [40] since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
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Commentary:
32-38. Up to this point, the passage has been recalling outstanding examples of faith from the time of the Patriarchs down to that of Joshua (18th to 13th century B.C.). The epistle now goes on to their exploits and sufferings, wherein their faith brought them victory; the sacred writer then mentions the testimony of faith of he- roes, judges, kings, prophets and martyrs from the time of the conquest of Palestine to that of the Maccabees (13th to 2nd centuries B.C.). Not in any strict chronological order, he mentions only the most important Judges (Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah), the greatest of the kings (David) and the most famous of the early prophets (Samuel). Finally he refers to exploits and other deeds inspired by faith and fidelity, without giving names.
We know from Sacred Scripture that many of these people had shortcomings and, in some cases, committed grave sins. However, those weaknesses did not prevent their filling key roles in God's plans: they let themselves be used by God to apply his policy and are therefore worthy of being proposed as examples of faith.
33-35a. "Through faith (they) conquered kingdoms": a reference to the men who conquer the promised land: Barak, who overcame the Canaanites (cf. Judg 11), Gideon, who conquered the Midianites (cf. Judg 7), Jephthah, who conquered the Amonnites (cf. Judg 11), Samson, who defeated the Philistines (cf. Judg 14), and David, who succeeded in subduing all the enemies of Israel (cf. 2 Sam 5:17-25; 8:1f; 10).
"Enforced justice": a reference to the authority exercised by the Judges on a tribal basis, and by Samuel and the kings over the whole of Israel (cf. 1 Sam 12:3; 2 Sam 8:15); it can also be understood as meaning those who practised righteousness in God's name and made it effective, the prophets being the outstanding examples.
"Received promises": the righteous of the Old Testament received an earnest of the messianic promises in the form of the fulfillment of certain prophecies made by God. Barak defeated Sisera as God had promised (cf. Judg 4:14f); Gideon overcame the Midianites (cf. Judg 6:14; 7:7); David brought peace to the whole land, as Nathan had predicted (cf. 2 Sam 7:11); etc.
"Stopped the mouths of lions": a reference to feats performed by Samson (cf. Jud 14:6), David (cf. 1 Sam 17:34-35), and Benaiah (cf. 2 Sam 23:20), it especially recalls the episode of Daniel in the lion's den: when thrown there by the king on account of his faith, he told him, "My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me" (Dan 6:22).
Sacred history also includes people who "quenched raging fire" (like the three young men in the fiery furnace in Babylon: cf. Dan 3:21-94); or who "escaped the edge of the sword" (as Moses did, in his flight from Pharaoh's wrath: cf. Ex 18:4); or like David, who "won strength out of weakness" in his victories over Goliath and Saul (cf. 1 Sam 17:34ff; 18:11; 19:11). Thanks to his faith Elijah found protection from Jezebel's persecution (cf. 1 Kings 19:1f); and the Jewish people were able to escape extermination during King Ahasuerus' reign thanks to the prayer and intercession of Esther and Mordecai (cf. Esther 3:6ff).
Through faith King Hezekiah was miraculously cured of mortal illness (cf. Is 38) and Samson received his strength after becoming weak and blind (cf. Judg 15:19; 16:28-30). Faith enabled the Hebrews, under the Judges, to take on and defeat the pagan peoples of Palestine; it led Judith to behead Holofernes and bring about the destruction of his army; and it enabled the Maccabees to repel the foreign armies of Antiochus (cf. 1 Mac 1:38).
Then there is the example of the widow of Zarephath, who sheltered Elijah and had her son restored when the prophet cured him (cf. 1 Kings 17:17f). And Elisha brought back to life the son of the Shunammite widow (cf. 2 Kings 4:33f).
All these examples show the effectiveness of faith, when it involves a person's whole life and lifestyle, influencing both everyday events and great exploits. 35b-36. Faith not only enables people to perform exploits and miracles: it also enables them to persevere in doing good and to bear all kinds of moral and physical pain, even torture and the most cruel forms of death. And so the text refers to various sorts of suffering inflicted on the prophets and many other just members of the people of Israel.
The writer may have in mind, for example, the death of Eleazar (cf. 2 Mac 6:19ff) and of the seven brothers (cf. 2 Mac 7), who underwent most cruel torture during the persecution mounted by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The king had promised them their lives if they gave up their faith and laws by eating forbidden meat; but they stayed true to God and were mercilessly martyred.
However, they had unshakeable faith in the rightness of God's judgment and in future resurrection (2 Mac 7:19, 14, 23, 29). They desired to "rise again to a better life": they put their faith in an incomparably more valuable, more real, life than that of a few more years on earth, which would have been the reward of apostasy. "They did not escape death," St Thomas writes, "not because God was not looking after them but so that they might obtain eternal life, which is a more excellent thing than being set free from any present affliction or being raised up again to this life" (Commentary on Heb.", 11,5).
The example of these men and women whom faith strengthened to endure suffering, should encourage Christians to face persecution courageously and defend their faith at all costs. "Let us pray to God that we do not suffer persecution, but if that does happen, let us bear it bravely. It befits a prudent man not to fling himself lightly into danger, but it befits a brave man to rise to the occasion when danger falls on him" (Hom. on Heb., 5).
37-38. Some righteous men were stoned for their faith -- Zechariah, for example, who was killed by order of King Joash (cf. 2 Chron 24:2021); Naboth, condemned to death through the lies spread by Jezebel (cf. 1 Kings 21:13); and the prophet Jeremiah also, according to an ancient tradition. Others were sawn in two -- Isaiah, for example, whom another Jewish tradition says was martyred by King Manasseh.
Elijah, in flight from persecution, went around dressed in skins (cf. 1 Kings 19:3ff); similarly Mattathias and his sons during the war against the Seleucid kings, were forced to hide in the mountains and had only goatskins to wear (cf. 1 Mac 2:28).
In our own time there are also people who profess their faith in God by undergoing comparable persecution; but usually hatred of Christ and his followers takes more subtle forms.
40. This verse is the conclusion following from all the examples provided. The righteous of the Old Law were outstanding for their faith and endurance, but for all that they did not have the strength that the grace of Christ bestows; Jesus remarked, when John the Baptist was praised to him, "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Mt 11:11); and he reminded his disciples of their privileged position: "Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Lk 10:23-24; cf. Mt 13:16-17).
God did not deny their reward to the righteous of the Old Testament, but he postponed it until heaven's gates were opened by the death and resurrection of our Lord. They too now enjoy eternal life and they will attain their final perfecting when their bodies rise in glory on the last day. God is like a good father, St John Chrysostom comments, who says to his beloved children when they finish their work, that he will not give them their supper until their other brothers come back also. "And you, are you annoyed because you have not received your reward? What should Abel do, then. He was the first to gain the victory, but remained uncrowned. And Noah? And all those of those times who are waiting for you and for those who will come after you? Do you not see how much better off we are? That is why he says: God in his providence had arranged something better for us. And, in order that it should not be thought that those people were superior to us because they received their crown earlier, God disposed that all should be crowned at the very same time; and he who won his many years earlier will be crowned along with you [...]. For if we are all the one body, this body will the more rejoice if all are crowned at the same time and not one by one" (Hom. on Heb., 28).
The Gerasene Demoniac
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[1] They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. [2] And when He (Jesus) had come out of the boat, there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, [3] who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; [4] for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. [5] Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. [6] And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him; [7] and crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure You by God, do not torment me." [8] For He had said to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" [9] And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." [10] And he begged Him eagerly not to send them out of the country. [11] Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; [12] and they begged Him, "Send us to the swine, let us enter them." [13] So, He gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.
[14] The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. [15] And they came to see Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. [16] And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine. [17] And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood. [18] And as He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged Him that he might be with Him. [19] But He refused, and said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you." [20] And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marvelled.
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Commentary:
1-20. The inhabitants of Gerasa were mostly pagans, as one can gather from the fact that there was such a huge herd of swine there (which must have belonged to a number of different people). Jews were forbidden to raise pigs or eat pork (Leviticus 11:7).
This miracle emphasizes, once more, the existence of the devil and his influence over men's lives: if God permits it, the devil can harm not only humans but also animals. When Christ allows the demons to enter the swine, the malice of the demons becomes obvious: they are tormented at not being able to do men harm and therefore they ask Christ to let them, at least, inflict themselves on animals. This He does, in order to show that they would have the same effect on men as they have on these swine, if God did not prevent them.
Clearly it was not Jesus' intention to punish the owners of the swine by the loss of the herd: since they were pagans that were not subject to the precepts of the Jewish law. Rather, the death of the swine is visible proof that the demon has gone out of the possessed man.
Jesus permitted the loss of some material goods because these were of infinitely less value than the spiritual good involved in the cure of the possessed man.
15-20. Notice the different attitudes to Jesus Christ: the Gerasenes beg Him to go away; the man freed from the devil wants to stay with Him and follow Him. The inhabitants of Gerasa have had our Lord near them, they have seen His divine powers, but they are very self-centered: all they can think about is the material damage they have suffered through the loss of the herd; they do not realize the marvel Jesus has worked. Christ has invited them and offered them His grace but they do not respond: they reject Him. The man who has been cured wants to follow Jesus with the rest of His disciples but our Lord refuses; instead He gives him a task which shows Christ's unlimited compassion for all men, even for those who reject Him: the man is to stay in Gerasa and proclaim to the whole neighborhood what the Lord has done for him. Perhaps they will think again and realize who He is who has visited them, and escape from the sins their greed has led them to commit. These two attitudes are to be found whenever Christ passes by -- as are Jesus' mercy and continuous offer of grace: our Lord does not want the death of the sinner but rather that he should turn from his way and live (cf. Ezekiel 18:23).
20. The "Decapolis" or "country of the ten cities", among the more famous of which are Damascus, Philadelphia, Scythopolis, Gadara, Pella and Gerasa. The region was located to the east of the lake of Gennesaret and was inhabited mainly by pagans of Greek and Syrian origin. This territory came under the Roman governor of Syria.
Padraig Ó Riain
In the Life he wrote for Brigid, Cogitosus, the earliest known Irish biographer of a saint, declared that because of her, Kildare’s authority extended “from sea to sea”, from one side of Ireland to the other.
Judging by the dedications to Brigid listed in this book by Noel Kissane, province by province, county by county, Cogitosus’ words certainly applied to Kildare’s patron saint.
Devotion to her extended from the south coast of Co. Cork, where there are four dedications, to the Inishowen peninsula in Co. Donegal, where two medieval churches bore her name. From Clare Island in West Mayo to Killossery parish in north Co. Dublin, where the local townland of Brazil is named after her family, the Uí Bhreasail, her memory was similarly cultivated, as also at Killester, and at St Bride’s church near St Patrick’s cathedral within the medieval town of Dublin.
Alas, the author’s native county of Kerry is one of the few that are poorly provided with dedications to the saint; under churches he list’s one only, at Duagh near Listowel.
Recommendation
Noel Kissane’s interest in the saint arose by accident; on the recommendation of his supervisor in UCD, the renowned Patrician scholar Ludwig Bieler, he chose her Latin metrical Life, written about 850 by Donatus, an Irish bishop of Fiesole, as the subject of his doctoral thesis.
Beautifully situated in the hills above Florence, Fiesole is now adjoined by a village and church of Santa Brigida, and further north, in Piacenza, near Bobbio, is another Santa Brigida, founded to provide hospitality for Irish pilgrims.
Numerous overseas dedications to the saint are listed by the author, beginning with England, Wales and Scotland. While particularly strong in Britain’s Celtic fringes, her cult was also cultivated among the ancestors of the present-day English. Indeed, one English dedication, a well in London, left its mark on the English language, in the word bridewell, which recalls a holy well in the City of London, located near a prison (formerly a royal residence of Henry VIII).
The continental traces of the saint listed here should be of particular interest to those travelling on educational or leisure trips abroad. A 13th-Century Irish poet quite properly described Brigid as ógh na hEorpa, ‘Europe’s virgin’; in medieval times, it is doubtful if any other non-biblical virgin was venerated as widely.
There are many question-marks still hovering over the record of the saint. Was she born at Faughart, near Dundalk, as Louth people maintain?
Or was this belief the result of (deliberate) confusion between Fothairt, Brigid’s people south of Kildare, and Fochairt, the Irish form of Faughart? And is she buried in Kildare, or, as many came to believe, at Downpatrick in the exalted company of Patrick and Colum Cille?
The evidence for each of these beliefs is discussed by the author. Perhaps the greatest question-mark hanging over Brigid’s record is whether she ever existed as a real person, a subject to which many pages are devoted.
Several scholars, including the present reviewer, are of the view that she was a Christianised version of a pre-Christian divinity whose cult was widespread among the Celtic peoples. But Noel Kissane joins other scholars in the view that, on the balance of probability, Brigid was a real person.
With the exception of Patrick, no other saint has been the subject of as many biographies, beginning with Cogitosus, and continuing with several anonymous biographers down to the 12th Century, when an Englishman, Laurence of Durham, compiled a very polished version of her Life.
The 16th and 17th Centuries witnessed a revival of interest in the saints, and the Louvain Franciscan John Colgan devoted 125 folio pages to Brigid in his Trias Thaumaturga (1647).
A second revival of interest took place in the late 19th Century, as is shown by over 200 pages being devoted to Brigid by Laois-born priest Canon John O’Hanlon, the energetic litterateur and painstaking scholar of the diocese of Dublin, in the February volume of his Lives of the Irish Saints (1875).
Noel Kissane’s book of over 350 pages details her story and the influence it has exercised, from earliest times down to the many modern reminders of the saint, in names of churches, parishes, townlands, schools, religious orders, and secular associations, including numerous GAA clubs.
As the author shows, wherever the Irish have gone, from earliest medieval times on the continent to modern times worldwide, devotion to Brigid has accompanied them.
By devoting what amounts to a lifetime of research to Brigid, while also engaged on his duties as Education Officer and Keeper of Manuscripts in the National Library, Noel Kissane has paid a handsome tribute to Ireland’s national female saint, Mary of the Gaeil, who, as is said in an Old Irish poem, sits “safely enthroned, triumphant upon the side of Liffey, as far as the strand of ebbing sea”.
Padraig Ó Riain is Professor Emeritus of Old and Medieval Irish at UCC.
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months to special devotions. The month of February has been primarily asociated with the Holy Family, probably due to the feast of Our Lord’s presentation at the temple, celebrated on February 2. At the very outset of Christ’s work on earth, God showed the world a family in which, as Pope Leo XIII teaches, “all men might behold a perfect model of domestic life, and of all virtue and holiness.” The harmony, unity, and holiness which characterized this holy Family make it the model for all Christian families.
INVOCATION Jesus, Mary, and Joseph most kind, Bless us now and in death’s agony.
FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE HOLY FAMILY Grant unto us, Lord Jesus, ever to follow the example of Thy holy Family, that in the hour of our death Thy glorious Virgin Mother together with blessed Joseph may come to meet us and we may be worthily received by Thee into everlasting dwellings: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. Roman Missal
CONSECRATION TO THE HOLY FAMILY O Jesus, our most loving Redeemer, who having come to enlighten the world with Thy teaching and example, didst will to pass the greater part of Thy life in humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph in the poor home of Nazareth, thus sanctifying the Family that was to be an example for all Christian families, graciously receive our family as it dedicates and consecrates itself to Thee this day. Do Thou defend us, guard us and establish amongst us Thy holy fear, true peace, and concord in Christian love: in order that, by conforming ourselves to the divine pattern of Thy family, we may be able, all of us without exception, to attain to eternal happiness.
Mary, dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us, by thy kindly intercession make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of Jesus, and obtain for us His graces and blessings.
O Saint Joseph, most holy guardian of Jesus and Mary, assist us by thy prayers in all our spiritual and temporal necessities; that so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior Jesus, together with Mary and thee, for all eternity.
Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be, three times.
IN HONOR OF THE HOLY FAMILY O God, heavenly Father, it was part of Thine eternal decree that Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, should form a holy family with Mary, His blessed mother, and His foster father, Saint Joseph. In Nazareth home life was sanctified, and a perfect example was given to every Christian family. Grant, we beseech Thee, that we may fully comprehend and faithfully imitate the virtues of the Holy Family so that we may be united with them one day in their heavenly glory. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.Prayer Source: Prayer Book, The by Reverend John P. O’Connell, M.A., S.T.D. and Jex Martin, M.A., The Catholic Press, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, 1954
Holy Family Chaplet
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with me in my last hour. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy. Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Amen.
Say 3 Our Father’s, 3 Hail Mary’s, and 3 Glory be’s.
PRAYER TO THE HOLY FAMILY ===================================================================== ================ GOD our Heavenly Father, You call all peoples to be united as one family in worshipping You as the one and true God. You willed that Your Son become man, giving Him a virgin mother and a foster father to form the Holy Family of Nazareth. WE pray: may the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, image and model of every human family unit walk in the spirit of Nazareth and grow in the understanding of its particular mission in society and the Church. May our families be living cells of love, faithfulness and unity, thus reflecting God’s covenant with humanity and Christ’s redeeming love for His Church. JESUS, Mary and Joseph protect our families from all evil; keep us, who are away from home, one in love with our dear ones.
Feast of the Holy Family: The Christian Family is a Domestic Church
Chesterton on “The Human Family and the Holy Family”
Joseph, Mary and Jesus: A Model Family
ADVICE TO PARENTS by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
The Holy Family
St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
Feast of the Holy Family
Feast of the Holy Family (Dom Guéranger OSB)
The Feast of the Holy Family
The Holy Family vs. The Holy Innocents: A Christmas season reflection [Catholic Caucus]
Vatican creche to place Holy Family in Joseph’s carpentry workshop
The Redemption and Protection of the Family [Feast of the Holy Family]
Study Backs Tradition of Loreto House – Stones in Altar Match Those in Nazareth, It Says
Unraveling Jesus’ mystery years in Egypt
Gaudi’s Church of the Holy Family to be ready for worship in 2008
Imitating the Holy Family; Four Traits that Make It Possible
Lots of Graphics: Post your favorite image of the St. Mary and Child, the Holy Family…
Thank you for these.
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