Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 27-Nov-2021

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

KEYWORDS: catholic; lk21; ordinarytime; worship

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Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 21
34.	And take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly.	Attendite autem vobis, ne forte graventur corda vestra in crapula, et ebrietate, et curis hujus vitæ, et superveniat in vos repentina dies illa :	προσεχετε δε εαυτοις μηποτε βαρηθωσιν υμων αι καρδιαι εν κραιπαλη και μεθη και μεριμναις βιωτικαις και αιφνιδιος εφ υμας επιστη η ημερα εκεινη
35.	For as a snare shall it come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth.	tamquam laqueus enim superveniet in omnes qui sedent super faciem omnis terræ.	ως παγις γαρ επελευσεται επι παντας τους καθημενους επι προσωπον πασης της γης
36.	Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man.	Vigilate itaque, omni tempore orantes, ut digni habeamini fugere ista omnia quæ futura sunt, et stare ante Filium hominis.	αγρυπνειτε ουν εν παντι καιρω δεομενοι ινα καταξιωθητε εκφυγειν παντα τα μελλοντα γινεσθαι και σταθηναι εμπροσθεν του υιου του ανθρωπου

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

21:34–36

34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

35. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

36. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

THEOPHYLACT. Our Lord declared above the fearful and sensible signs of the evils which should overtake sinners, against which the only remedy is watching and prayer, as it is said, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time, &c.

BASIL. (Hom. 1. in illud Atten de tibi.) Every animal has within itself certain instincts which it has received from God, for the preservation of its own being. Wherefore Christ has also given us this warning, that what comes to them by nature, may be ours by the aid of reason and prudence: that we may flee from sin as the brute creatures shun deadly food, but that we seek after righteousness, as they wholesome herbs. Therefore saith He, Take heed to yourselves, that is, that you may distinguish the noxious from the wholesome. But since there are two ways of taking heed to ourselves, the one with the bodily eyes, the other by the faculties of the soul, and the bodily eye does not reach to virtue; it remains that we speak of the operations of the soul. Take heed, that is, Look around you on all sides, keeping an ever watchful eye to the guardianship of your soul. He says not, Take heed to your own or to the things around, but to yourselves. For ye are mind and spirit, your body is only of sense. Around you are riches, arts, and all the appendages of life, you must not mind these, but your soul, of which you must take especial care. The same admonition tends both to the healing of the sick, and the perfecting of those that are well, namely, such as are the guardians of the present, the providers of the future, not judging the actions of others, but strictly searching their own, not suffering the mind to be the slave of their passions, but subduing the irrational part of the soul to the rational. But the reason why we should take heed He adds as follows, Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged, &c.

TITUS BOSTRENSIS. As if He says, Beware lest the eyes of your mind wax heavy. For the cares of this life, and surfeiting, and drunkenness, scare away prudence, shatter and make shipwreck of faith.

CLEMENT OF ALEXENDRIA. (Clem. Al. lib. ii. Pædag. c. 2.) Drunkenness is an excessive use of wine; crapula1 is the uneasiness, and nausea attendant on drunkenness, a Greek word so called from the motion of the head. And a little below. As then we must partake of food lest we suffer hunger, so also of drink lest we thirst, but with still greater care to avoid falling into excess. For the indulgence of wine is deceitful, and the soul when free from wine will be the wisest and best, but steeped in the fumes of wine is lost as in a cloud.

BASIL. (in Reg. Brev. ad int. 88.) But carefulness, or the care of this life, although it seems to have nothing unlawful in it, nevertheless if it conduce not to religion, must be avoided. And the reason why He said this He shews by what comes next, And so that day come upon you unawares.

THEOPHYLACT. For that day will not come when men are expecting it, but unlooked for and by stealth, taking as a snare those who are unwary. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that sit upon the face of the earth. But this we may diligently keep far from us. For that day will take those that sit on the face of the earth, as the unthinking and slothful. But as many as are prompt and active in the way of good, not sitting and loitering on the ground, but rising from it, saying to themselves, Rise up, begone, for here there is no rest for thee. To such that day is not as a perilous snare, but a day of rejoicing.

EUSEBIUS. He taught them therefore to take heed unto the things we have just before mentioned, lest they fall into the indolence resulting therefrom. Hence it follows, Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass.

THEOPHYLACT. Namely, hunger, pestilence, and such like, which for a time only threaten the elect and others, and those things also which are hereafter the lot of the guilty for ever. For these we can in no wise escape, save by watching and prayer.

AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Ev. l. ii. c. 77.) This is supposed to be that flight which Matthew mentions; which must not be in the winter or on the sabbath day. To the winter belong the cares of this life, which are mournful as the winter, but to the sabbath surfeiting and drunkenness, which drowns and buries the heart in carnal luxury and delight, since on that day the Jews are immersed in worldly pleasure, while they are lost to a spiritual sabbath.

THEOPHYLACT. And because a Christian needs not only to flee evil, but to strive to obtain glory, He adds, And to stand before the Son of man. For this is the glory of angels, to stand before the Son of man, our God, and always to behold His face.

BEDE. Now supposing a physician should bid us beware of the juice of a certain herb, lest a sudden death overtake us, we should most earnestly attend to his command; but when our Saviour warns us to shun drunkenness and surfeiting, and the cares of this world, men have no fear of being wounded and destroyed by them; for the faith which they put in the caution of the physician, they disdain to give to the words of God.

Catena Aurea Luke 21

The Second Coming of Christ

The Virgil Story

From VIRGIL Saint & Scholar, Scientist & Bishop, A biography of the Irish Bishop of Salzburg who taught about life on the other side of the world in the Eighth Century, by Donald J. McKenna with Jeanne L. McKenna, edited by Marybeth M. Markee. Contact Donald McKenna on the Contact Us Pagefor permission to publish any of this text, which will gladly be given. © Copyright 2009 by Donald J. McKenna.

This book may be ordered in print or in electreonic versin through amazon. Search Virgil Saint and Scholar.

(For a shorter version, without the controversies, discussion and rfrences, see The Story of Virgil).

Introduction

Virgil was an amazing person.

He was the most learned man of his age. He was hailed for his scientific knowledge. He was an abbot and a bishop; an architect, builder and patron of the arts; one of the major writers and poets of his period; as well as one of the major evangelists of the middle ages. Virgil was threatened with excommunication because of his teachings, but successfully defended his science in the 700s. Virgil was hailed as a hero of during the scientific revolution of the Enlightenment.

And yet, he is mostly a mystery because all of his writings were destroyed and his name all but erased from the pages of history.

But Virgil refused to stay lost. When his buried tomb was accidently uncovered, an “astounding series of miracles” generated a widespread cult of Virgil and he was canonized.

Today, we can piece together a coherent history of this amazing man. But, really, he is more history then mystery.

We begin with a few facts. He was born Fergil, descendant of Irish high kings, in County Meath, between 700-710. He was educated at Iona Monastery. He was abbot of an Irish monastery for a short while before joining the “wandering Irish saints” who educated and converted Europe. He advised Pepin, father of Charlemagne who appointed him abbot of St. Peter’s Monastery in Salzburg. He ran the diocese in “the Irish way,” and had a series of conflicts with Boniface, papal legate and primate of Germany. The most serious dispute resulted in the threat of excommunication because Virgil taught that there could be life on the other side of the earth – the Antipodes. But Virgil’s science won the day, he was appointed bishop, built one of the largest cathedrals of the era, inspired a literary and artistic renaissance in Salzburg, and converted a large part of southeast Europe. He died in 784 and was canonized in 1233.

Or at least this is one version of the Virgil story, and a fairly traditional one. There are other perspectives on Virgil. Many of the facts about Virgil’s life are debated, — from his conflict with Boniface to his belief in the Antipodes — and much of his story is pieced together from deductions based on a few elusive hints.There are more mysteries surrounding Virgil then there are hard facts.

What are some of these mysteries?

Was Fergil of Aghaboe Abbey in Ireland the same as St. Virgil of Salzburg? Was the Virgilius criticized by Boniface the same man who was later appointed bishop of Salzburg? Was Virgil really all that smart, or was he only a superstitious Irishman talking about the underworld of Irish faeries? Did Boniface intentionally misinterpret Virgil’s scientific claims from personal animosity or could he not understand them? Did Virgil write the Cosmographica of Aethicus Ister to poke fun at his critics? Is the Virgil case proof that the Church was anti-science, or did the Church allow Virgil’s science to continue? Did Virgil translate scripture and church writings for the Slavic-speaking people, or was that the work of Saints Cyril and Methodius a century later? And perhaps the greatest mystery of all, what happened to all of Virgil’s writings and personal records? Why was his tomb buried and all memory of him erased?

There are other questions. A recent upsurge in interest stimulated by the International Year of Virgil in 1984 has produced more research and many more theories. Each theory spawns more questions, and the puzzle becomes more fascinating – and more challenging. As we add more pieces the picture becomes more detailed, but also more complex. Not only can we build a more comprehensive picture of Virgil now than we could 50 years ago, but we can also assemble more variations.

Putting together the Virgil puzzle is fun, and everyone interested in this fascinating man should have the opportunity to create their own picture. So this book will offer readers all of the theories, as well as proposing our own and sponsoring a web site for discussion and debate. (http://www.virgilofsalzburg.com)

Virgil’s life provides many lessons important for today’s reader: love of learning, faith in his God-given intellect, commitment to his science, devotion to his faith. He is such a varied and complex character that each reader will likely find their own meaning in his compelling and inspiring life story.

The picture that this book will paint of Virgil is driven by a specific point of view. Although he has become known as Virgil of Salzburg, Virgil was very much a person of his place and time. He was an Irish scholar and priest inspired by that unique Irish passion for his faith; the almost fanatical love of literature, learning and art that marked Ireland’s Golden Age; and enflamed by the Irish spirit of wanderlust which drove the Irish monks to re-educate and evangelize Europe. Virgil did things “the Irish way” and was, as one Austrian writer says, “a stiff-necked Irishman.” Although he achieved many of his greatest accomplishments on the eastern frontier of European civilization, he remained a son of that bastion of learning and enlightenment on the farthest west. Virgil’s Irish character shaped most of what he did in Austria.

Or at least that is the frame of reference this book takes in constructing our own picture of Virgil – Saint and Scholar, Scientist and Bishop. But, please, build your own, and join in the on-line discussion of Solving the Virgil Puzzle (http://www.virgilofsalzburg.com).

Notes:

References: This is not intended as a scholarly work, rather a story of a fascinating person. But, because there are so many opinions about Virgil, it is important that readers know where the ideas in this book originate. And, for those interested in building their own picture of Virgil, it is important that they can go back to the sources. So this book will have references and a bibliography for each chapter.

Sources: The study of Virgil received an enormous boost with the International Year of Virgil in 1984, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Salzburg, and the international scholarly conference on Virgil. This book owes much to the papers of this conference which are published in Virgil von Salzburg, Missionar und Gelehrter edited by historian Heinz Dopsch.

Unless otherwise noted, information on saints and Catholic history is taken from The Catholic Encyclopedia, compact disc version. The Catholic Encyclopedia is used as the standard whenever possible.

The author thanks Peter Berresford, a Celtic scholar who wrote the Fidelma series of mysteries about seventh century Ireland under the name of Peter Tremayne. These tales helped me understand and appreciate the Celtic culture of Virgil’s time.

Names: Virgil had a number of names. This book uses the simplest form of Virgil, except where context requires his Irish name, Fergil, or his Latin name, Virgilius. For example, the Annals of Ulster record the death of “Fergil, abbot of Aghaboe,” and the Pope writes of Virgilius.

Discussions: Most chapters will end with a discussion of the more controversial points in the chapter. Because much of Virgil’s story is controversial, with different opinions and theories, this book will attempt to provide balance and context by airing different ideas. This will enable readers to create their own version of the Virgil story and grasp the complexity of Virgil’s history.

...More at virgilofsalzburg.com

The Virgil Story

From VIRGIL Saint & Scholar, Scientist & Bishop, A biography of the Irish Bishop of Salzburg who taught about life on the other side of the world in the Eighth Century, by Donald J. McKenna with Jeanne L. McKenna, edited by Marybeth M. Markee. Contact Donald McKenna on the Contact Us Pagefor permission to publish any of this text, which will gladly be given. © Copyright 2009 by Donald J. McKenna.

This book may be ordered in print or in electreonic versin through amazon. Search Virgil Saint and Scholar.

(For a shorter version, without the controversies, discussion and rfrences, see The Story of Virgil).

Introduction

Virgil was an amazing person.

He was the most learned man of his age. He was hailed for his scientific knowledge. He was an abbot and a bishop; an architect, builder and patron of the arts; one of the major writers and poets of his period; as well as one of the major evangelists of the middle ages. Virgil was threatened with excommunication because of his teachings, but successfully defended his science in the 700s. Virgil was hailed as a hero of during the scientific revolution of the Enlightenment.

And yet, he is mostly a mystery because all of his writings were destroyed and his name all but erased from the pages of history.

But Virgil refused to stay lost. When his buried tomb was accidently uncovered, an “astounding series of miracles” generated a widespread cult of Virgil and he was canonized.

Today, we can piece together a coherent history of this amazing man. But, really, he is more history then mystery.

We begin with a few facts. He was born Fergil, descendant of Irish high kings, in County Meath, between 700-710. He was educated at Iona Monastery. He was abbot of an Irish monastery for a short while before joining the “wandering Irish saints” who educated and converted Europe. He advised Pepin, father of Charlemagne who appointed him abbot of St. Peter’s Monastery in Salzburg. He ran the diocese in “the Irish way,” and had a series of conflicts with Boniface, papal legate and primate of Germany. The most serious dispute resulted in the threat of excommunication because Virgil taught that there could be life on the other side of the earth – the Antipodes. But Virgil’s science won the day, he was appointed bishop, built one of the largest cathedrals of the era, inspired a literary and artistic renaissance in Salzburg, and converted a large part of southeast Europe. He died in 784 and was canonized in 1233.

Or at least this is one version of the Virgil story, and a fairly traditional one. There are other perspectives on Virgil. Many of the facts about Virgil’s life are debated, — from his conflict with Boniface to his belief in the Antipodes — and much of his story is pieced together from deductions based on a few elusive hints.There are more mysteries surrounding Virgil then there are hard facts.

What are some of these mysteries?

Was Fergil of Aghaboe Abbey in Ireland the same as St. Virgil of Salzburg? Was the Virgilius criticized by Boniface the same man who was later appointed bishop of Salzburg? Was Virgil really all that smart, or was he only a superstitious Irishman talking about the underworld of Irish faeries? Did Boniface intentionally misinterpret Virgil’s scientific claims from personal animosity or could he not understand them? Did Virgil write the Cosmographica of Aethicus Ister to poke fun at his critics? Is the Virgil case proof that the Church was anti-science, or did the Church allow Virgil’s science to continue? Did Virgil translate scripture and church writings for the Slavic-speaking people, or was that the work of Saints Cyril and Methodius a century later? And perhaps the greatest mystery of all, what happened to all of Virgil’s writings and personal records? Why was his tomb buried and all memory of him erased?

There are other questions. A recent upsurge in interest stimulated by the International Year of Virgil in 1984 has produced more research and many more theories. Each theory spawns more questions, and the puzzle becomes more fascinating – and more challenging. As we add more pieces the picture becomes more detailed, but also more complex. Not only can we build a more comprehensive picture of Virgil now than we could 50 years ago, but we can also assemble more variations.

Putting together the Virgil puzzle is fun, and everyone interested in this fascinating man should have the opportunity to create their own picture. So this book will offer readers all of the theories, as well as proposing our own and sponsoring a web site for discussion and debate. (http://www.virgilofsalzburg.com)

Virgil’s life provides many lessons important for today’s reader: love of learning, faith in his God-given intellect, commitment to his science, devotion to his faith. He is such a varied and complex character that each reader will likely find their own meaning in his compelling and inspiring life story.

The picture that this book will paint of Virgil is driven by a specific point of view. Although he has become known as Virgil of Salzburg, Virgil was very much a person of his place and time. He was an Irish scholar and priest inspired by that unique Irish passion for his faith; the almost fanatical love of literature, learning and art that marked Ireland’s Golden Age; and enflamed by the Irish spirit of wanderlust which drove the Irish monks to re-educate and evangelize Europe. Virgil did things “the Irish way” and was, as one Austrian writer says, “a stiff-necked Irishman.” Although he achieved many of his greatest accomplishments on the eastern frontier of European civilization, he remained a son of that bastion of learning and enlightenment on the farthest west. Virgil’s Irish character shaped most of what he did in Austria.

Or at least that is the frame of reference this book takes in constructing our own picture of Virgil – Saint and Scholar, Scientist and Bishop. But, please, build your own, and join in the on-line discussion of Solving the Virgil Puzzle (http://www.virgilofsalzburg.com).

Notes:

References: This is not intended as a scholarly work, rather a story of a fascinating person. But, because there are so many opinions about Virgil, it is important that readers know where the ideas in this book originate. And, for those interested in building their own picture of Virgil, it is important that they can go back to the sources. So this book will have references and a bibliography for each chapter.

Sources: The study of Virgil received an enormous boost with the International Year of Virgil in 1984, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Salzburg, and the international scholarly conference on Virgil. This book owes much to the papers of this conference which are published in Virgil von Salzburg, Missionar und Gelehrter edited by historian Heinz Dopsch.

Unless otherwise noted, information on saints and Catholic history is taken from The Catholic Encyclopedia, compact disc version. The Catholic Encyclopedia is used as the standard whenever possible.

The author thanks Peter Berresford, a Celtic scholar who wrote the Fidelma series of mysteries about seventh century Ireland under the name of Peter Tremayne. These tales helped me understand and appreciate the Celtic culture of Virgil’s time.

Names: Virgil had a number of names. This book uses the simplest form of Virgil, except where context requires his Irish name, Fergil, or his Latin name, Virgilius. For example, the Annals of Ulster record the death of “Fergil, abbot of Aghaboe,” and the Pope writes of Virgilius.

Discussions: Most chapters will end with a discussion of the more controversial points in the chapter. Because much of Virgil’s story is controversial, with different opinions and theories, this book will attempt to provide balance and context by airing different ideas. This will enable readers to create their own version of the Virgil story and grasp the complexity of Virgil’s history.

...More at virgilofsalzburg.com

Saint Virgilius of Salzburg with a drawing of Salzburg cathedral

Church gallery (1688), Saint Adolari church, Tyrol.

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

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

From: Daniel 7:15-27

The Vision Interpreted
----------------------
[15] “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious and the visions of my head alarmed me. [16] I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made known to me the interpretation of the things. [17] ’These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. [18] But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, for ever and ever.’

[19] ”Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrible, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze; and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue with its feet, [20] and concerning the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up and before which three of them fell, the horn which had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and which seemed greater than its fellows. [21] As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them [22] until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High and the time came when the saints received the kingdom

[23] "Thus he said: 'As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. [24] As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings. [25] He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time. [26] But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed to the end. [27] And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey them.'"

***********************************************************************
Commentary:

7:15-28. The interpretation focuses on the protagonists in the period when the book of Daniel was written--those to whom the kingdom will be given, that is, faithful Jews or “saints of the Most High” (vv. 18, 27); and the horn that grows from the fourth beast, Antiochus IV, who blasphemes against God, persecutes those who keep the Law and suppresses sabbaths and feasts (v. 25; cf. 1 Mac 1:41-52). But the persecution will only go on for a certain time--three and a half “times”, that is, half seven, which symbolizes completeness. The vision and its interpretation alarm Daniel on account of the sufferings that his people are undergoing and will undergo in the future; but he also says that “I kept the matter in my mind” (v. 28): his faith and hope are not affected.

From: Luke 21:34-36

The Need for Vigilance
----------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples), [34] "But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; [35] for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. [36] But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

***********************************************************************
Commentary:

34-36. At the end of His discourse Jesus emphasizes that every Christian needs to be vigilant: we do not know the day nor the hour in which He will ask us to render an account of our lives. Therefore, we must at all times be trying to do God's will, so that death, whenever it comes, will find us ready. For those who act in this way, sudden death never takes them by surprise. As St. Paul recommends: "You are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief" (1 Thessalonians 5:4). Vigilance consists in making a constant effort not to be attached to the things of this world (the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes and pride of life: cf. John 2:16) and in being assiduous in prayer, which keeps us close to God. If we live in this way, the day we die will be a day of joy and not of terror, for with God's help our vigilance will mean that our souls are ready to receive the visit of our Lord; they are in the state of grace: in meeting Christ we will not be meeting a judge who will find us guilty; instead He will embrace us and lead us into the house of His Father to remain there forever. "Does your soul not burn with the desire to make your Father-God happy when He has to judge you?" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 746).

Source: Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

Readings at Mass

His sovereignty will be an eternal sovereignty

That day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas