Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 10-Sep-2021;

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 6

6:39–42

39. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

40. The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

41. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

42. Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. The Lord added to what had gone before a very necessary parable, as it is said, And he spake a parable to them, for His disciples were the future teachers of the world, and it therefore became them to know the way of a virtuous life, having their minds illuminated as it were by a divine brightness, that they should not be blind leaders of the blind. And then he adds, Can the blind lead the blind? But if any should chance to attain unto an equal degree of virtue with their teachers, let them stand in the measure of their teachers, and follow their footsteps. Hence it follows, The disciple is not above his master. Hence also Paul says, Be ye also followers of me, as I am of Christ (1 Cor. 1:11.). Since Christ therefore judged not, why judgest thou? for He came not to judge the world, but to shew mercy.

THEOPHYLACT. Or else, If thou judgest another, and in the very same way sinnest thyself, art not thou like to the blind leading the blind? For how canst thou lead him to good when thou also thyself committest sin? For the disciple is not above his master. If therefore thou sinnest, who thinkest thyself a master and guide, where will he be who is taught and led by thee? For he will be the perfect disciple who is as his master.

BEDE. Or the sense of this sentence depends upon the former, in which we are enjoined to give alms, and forgive injuries. If, says He, anger has blinded thee against the violent, and avarice against the grasping, how canst thou with thy corrupt heart cure his corruption? If even thy Master Christ, who as God might revenge His injuries, chose rather by patience to render His persecutors more merciful, it is surely binding on His disciples, who are but men, to follow the same rule of perfection.

AUGUSTINE. (de Qu. Ev. l. ii. q. 9.) Or, He has added the words, Can the blind, lead the blind, in order that they might not expect to receive from the Levites that measure of which He says, They shall give into thy bosom, because they gave tithes to them. And these He calls blind, because they received not the Gospel, that the people might the rather now begin to hope for that reward through the disciples of the Lord, whom wishing to point out as His imitators, He added, The disciple is not above his master.

THEOPHYLACT. But the Lord introduces another parable taken from the same figure, as follows, But why seest thou the mote (that is, the slight fault) which is in thy brother’s eye, but the beam which is in thine own eye (that is, thy great sin) thou regardest not?

BEDE. Now this has reference to the previous parable, in which He forewarned them that the blind cannot be led by the blind, that is, the sinner corrected by the sinner. Hence it is said, Or, how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, if thou seest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. As if He said, How can he who is guilty of grievous sins, (which He calls the beam,) condemn him who has sinned only slightly, or even in some cases not at all? For this the mote signifies.

THEOPHYLACT. But these words are applicable to all, and especially to teachers, who while they punish the least sins of those who are put under them, leave their own unpunished. Wherefore the Lord calls them hypocrites, because to this end judge they the sins of others, that they themselves might seem just. Hence it follows, Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye, &c.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. That is to say, first shew thyself clean from great sins, and then afterwards shalt thou give counsel to thy neighbour, who is guilty only of slight sins.

BASIL. (Hom. 9, in Hexameron.) In truth, self knowledge seems the most important of all. For not only the eye, looking at outward things, fails to exercise its sight upon itself, but our understanding also, though very quick in apprehending the sin of another, is slow to perceive its own defects.

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 6
39.	And he spoke also to them a similitude: Can the blind lead the blind? do they not both fall into the ditch?	Dicebat autem illis et similitudinem : Numquid potest cæcus cæcum ducere ? nonne ambo in foveam cadunt ?	ειπεν δε παραβολην αυτοις μητι δυναται τυφλος τυφλον οδηγειν ουχι αμφοτεροι εις βοθυνον πεσουνται
40.	The disciple is not above his master: but every one shall be perfect, if he be as his master.	Non est discipulus super magistrum : perfectus autem omnis erit, si sit sicut magister ejus.	ουκ εστιν μαθητης υπερ τον διδασκαλον αυτου κατηρτισμενος δε πας εσται ως ο διδασκαλος αυτου
41.	And why seest thou the mote in thy brother's eye: but the beam that is in thy own eye thou considerest not?	Quid autem vides festucam in oculo fratris tui, trabem autem, quæ in oculo tuo est, non consideras ?	τι δε βλεπεις το καρφος το εν τω οφθαλμω του αδελφου σου την δε δοκον την εν τω ιδιω οφθαλμω ου κατανοεις
42.	Or how canst thou say to thy brother: Brother, let me pull the mote out of thy eye, when thou thyself seest not the beam in thy own eye? Hypocrite, cast first the beam out of thy own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to take out the mote from thy brother's eye.	aut quomodo potes dicere fratri tuo : Frater, sine ejiciam festucam de oculo tuo : ipse in oculo tuo trabem non videns ? Hypocrita, ejice primum trabem de oculo tuo : et tunc perspicies ut educas festucam de oculo fratris tui.	η πως δυνασαι λεγειν τω αδελφω σου αδελφε αφες εκβαλω το καρφος το εν τω οφθαλμω σου αυτος την εν τω οφθαλμω σου δοκον ου βλεπων υποκριτα εκβαλε πρωτον την δοκον εκ του οφθαλμου σου και τοτε διαβλεψεις εκβαλειν το καρφος το εν τω οφθαλμω του αδελφου σου

Saint Nicholas of Tolentine

September 10

Nicholas of Tolentine (1245-1305) was a simple priest and Augustinian friar who touched the lives of many.

His sprit of prayer, penance, austerity of life and devotion to the Holy Souls were notable. His preaching brought many to Christ.

Nicholas Gurutti was born in 1245 in Sant'Angelo, Pontano, Macerata, Italy. His family was rather poor.

He joined the Augustinian Order while a young man, after hearing the inspired preaching of Reginaldo da Monterubbiano, Prior (local superior) of the Augustinian monastery in Sant'Angelo.

As a priest and religious, he was full of charity towards his brother Augustinians as well as towards the people to whom he ministered. He visited the sick and cared for the needy. He was a noted preacher of the Gospel. He gave special attention to those who had fallen away from the Church. People considered him a miracle worker.

He often fasted and performed other works of penance. He spent long hours in prayer.

The story is told that, one day, having fasted for a long time, Nicholas was physically weak. While at prayer, Jesus told him to eat some bread marked with a cross and soaked in water in order to regain his strength. Thus arose the Augustinian custom of blessing and distributing Saint Nicholas Bread in his memory.

Another story relates that Nicholas, while asleep in bed, heard the voice of a deceased friar he had known. This friar told Nicholas that he was in Purgatory, and urged him to celebrate the Eucharist for him and other souls there, so that they would be set free by the power of Christ. Nicholas did so for seven days. The friar again spoke to Nicholas, thanking him and assuring him that a large number of souls were now with God. Because of this Nicholas was proclaimed patron of the souls in Purgatory.

He is also considered the patron saint against epidemic disease and against fires.

During most of his adult life, Nicholas lived in Tolentine, Italy. There he died September 10, 1305. Canonized in 1446 by Pope Eugene IV, Nicholas is the first Augustinian friar to be canonized after the Grand Union of the Order of St. Augustine in 1256.

The remains of St. Nicholas are preserved at the Shrine of Saint Nicholas in the city of Tolentine.

midwestaugustinians.org

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

From: 1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14

Greeting

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[1] Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, [2] To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Paul Recalls His Own Conversion
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[12] I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service, [13] though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him; but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, [14] and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. [15] The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save. And I am the foremost of sinners; [16] but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. [17] To the king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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Commentary:

1-2. The heading is the standard heading used in correspondence at the time--the names of the sender and addressee, and some words of greeting (cf. note on 1 Cor 1).

"Apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God": the word can be translated as "command", "order", "disposition"; whichever is used, the expression is stronger than that used in other letters--"by the will of God" (1 Cor 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; etc.)--and it shows that St Paul holds authority from God (he wants to underline this because he has things to say in the letter about how the church at Ephesus should be organized).

"God our Savior": in other letters the Apostle seldom uses this title, "Savior", and when he does he applies it to Jesus (Eph 5:23; Phil 3:20). In the Pastoral Epistles it occurs often and is used of Jesus (cf. 2 Tim 1:10; Tit 3:6) and especially of God the Father (cf. 1 Tim 2:3; 4:10; Tit 2:10; 3:4). In the Greco-Roman world it was quite common to describe people as saviors; for example, we find the word (applied to emperors and pagan gods) in stone inscriptions. St Paul, however, uses it in a restrictive sense; reviving a very typical Old Testament teaching (cf. Deut 32:15; 1 Sam 10:19; etc.), he teaches that God is our only Savior. Reflecting on this, St John Chrysostom comments: "We suffer many evils, but we harbor great hopes; we are exposed to dangers and snares, but we have a Savior, who is not just man, but God. Strength will never fail our Savior, for he is God; no matter how great the dangers, we will overcome them" (Hom. on I Tim, ad loc.).

"Timothy, my true son in the faith": when St Paul wrote to the Philippians he praised Timothy's proven worth: "you know how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel" (Phil 2:22). Now, in this letter to his co-worker, he highlights Timothy's fidelity to Christian truth, in contrast to the behavior of self-appointed teachers who refuse to obey authority (cf. Heb 12:8).

"Grace, mercy and peace": a wish for "mercy" is added to the by now traditional wish for "grace and peace" (cf. note on Rom 1:7); perhaps this is meant to be an allusion to "the salvation accomplished by the Lord and his mercy" (John Paul II, Dives in Misericordiae, 4), for in the language of the Bible asking for mercy is the same as asking for salvation: "Show us thy steadfast love [= mercy], O Lord, and grant us thy salvation" (Ps 85:7).

12-13. This clearly autobiographical passage, which shows the Apostle's humility (cf., e.g., 1 Cor 15:9-10), is evidence of the letter's Pauline authorship: it is difficult to believe that a later disciple would have dared to call St Paul a "blasphemer", "persecutor" or "insulter" or made him describe himself as "the foremost of sinners".

St Paul's conversion is an example of a miracle of grace; only by the mercy of God could he have been changed and become the Apostle of the Gentiles and such a faithful minister of the Gospel. This change which grace worked in Paul can also help all who approach the Church to have great confidence in God's mercy and forgiveness; like a good father, God is always ready to receive the repentant sinner.

The sacred text shows quite clearly that the initiative lies with God when it comes to calling people to Church office. The call to the priesthood is a grace from God; it is God who makes the choice and then he gives the person he has chosen the strength to fulfill his office worthily. In this connection Bishop Alvaro del Portillo has written: "Christian priesthood is not, then, in the line of ethical relationships among men nor on the level of a merely human attempt to approach God: it is a gift from God and it is irreversibly located on the vertical line of the search for man by his Creator and Sanctifier and on the sacramental line of the gratuitous opening up to man of God's intimate life. In other words, Christian priesthood is essentially (this is the only possible way it can be understood) an eminently sacred mission, both in its origin (Christ) and in its content (the divine mystery) and by the very manner in which it is conferred--a sacrament" (On Priesthood, pp. 59f).

14. "In Christ Jesus": this expression is being used with a special technical meaning: it refers to the position of the new man who, after the "washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit" (Tit 3:5) which takes place at Baptism, is now united to Christ, made a Christian. At Baptism the mercy of God not only justifies the sinner but causes him to share profoundly in God's own life by means of grace, faith and love. These three gifts are a sign that the Christian has truly been built into the body of Christ (cf. 2 Tim 1:13).

From: Luke 6:39-42

Integrity
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[39] He (Jesus) told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? [40] A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher. [41] Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your eye? [42] Or how can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye."

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Commentary:

[None for Luke 6:39-42. Below is a commentary on a similar theme from Matthew 7:1-5:]

1. Jesus is condemning any rash judgments we make maliciously or carelessly about our brothers' behavior or feelings or motives. "Think badly and you will not be far wrong" is completely at odds with Jesus' teaching.

In speaking of Christian charity St. Paul lists its main features: "Love is patient and kind [...]. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Corinthians 13:4, 5, 7). Therefore, "Never think badly of anyone, not even if the words or conduct of the person in question give you good grounds for doing so" (St J. Escriva, The Way, 442).

"Let us be slow to judge.--Each one sees things from his own point of view, as his mind, with all its limitations, tells him, and through eyes that are often dimmed and clouded by passion" (ibid., 451).

1-2. As elsewhere, the verbs in the passive voice ("you will be judged", "the measure you will be given") have God as their subject, even though He is not explicitly mentioned: "Do not judge OTHERS, that you be not judged BY GOD". Clearly the judgment referred to here is always a condemnatory judgment; therefore, if we do not want to be condemned by God, we should never condemn our neighbor. "God measures out according as we measure out and forgives as we forgive, and comes to our rescue with the same tenderness as He sees us having towards others" (Fray Luis de Leon, Exposicion Del Libro De Job, chapter 29).

3-5. A person whose sight is distorted sees things as deformed, even though in fact they are not deformed. St. Augustine gives this advice: "Try to acquire those virtues which you think your brothers lack, and you will no longer see their defects, because you will not have them yourselves" (Enarrationes In Psalmos, 30, 2, 7). In this connection, the saying, "A thief thinks that everyone else is a thief" is in line with this teaching of Jesus.

Besides: "To criticize, to destroy, is not difficult; any unskilled laborer knows how to drive his pick into the noble and finely-hewn stone of a cathedral. To construct: that is what requires the skill of a master" (St J. Escriva, The Way, 456).

Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

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Readings at Mass

I used to be a blasphemer, but the mercy of God was shown me

Can the blind lead the blind?

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 6

Saint Nicholas of Tolentine