Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 20-Jan-2022

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 3
7.	But Jesus retired with his disciples to the sea; and a great multitude followed him from Galilee and Judea,	Jesus autem cum discipulis suis secessit ad mare : et multa turba a Galilæa et Judæa secuta est eum,	και ο ιησους ανεχωρησεν μετα των μαθητων αυτου προς την θαλασσαν και πολυ πληθος απο της γαλιλαιας ηκολουθησαν αυτω και απο της ιουδαιας
8.	And from Jerusalem, and from Idumea, and from beyond the Jordan. And they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing the things which he did, came to him.	et ab Jerosolymis, et ab Idumæa, et trans Jordanem : et qui circa Tyrum et Sidonem multitudo magna, audientes quæ faciebat, venerunt ad eum.	και απο ιεροσολυμων και απο της ιδουμαιας και περαν του ιορδανου και οι περι τυρον και σιδωνα πληθος πολυ ακουσαντες οσα εποιει ηλθον προς αυτον
9.	And he spoke to his disciples that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.	Et dicit discipulis suis ut navicula sibi deserviret propter turbam, ne comprimerent eum :	και ειπεν τοις μαθηταις αυτου ινα πλοιαριον προσκαρτερη αυτω δια τον οχλον ινα μη θλιβωσιν αυτον
10.	For he healed many, so that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had evils.	multos enim sanabat, ita ut irruerent in eum ut illum tangerent, quotquot habebant plagas.	πολλους γαρ εθεραπευσεν ωστε επιπιπτειν αυτω ινα αυτου αψωνται οσοι ειχον μαστιγας
11.	And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him: and they cried, saying:	Et spiritus immundi, cum illum videbant, procidebant ei : et clamabant, dicentes :	και τα πνευματα τα ακαθαρτα οταν αυτον εθεωρει προσεπιπτεν αυτω και εκραζεν λεγοντα οτι συ ει ο υιος του θεου
12.	Thou art the Son of God. And he strictly charged them that they should not make him known.	Tu es Filius Dei. Et vehementer comminabatur eis ne manifestarent illum.	και πολλα επετιμα αυτοις ινα μη φανερον αυτον ποιησωσιν

(*) "συ ει ο υιος του θεου" ("Thou art the Son of God") begins verse 12 in the translations.

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

3:6–12

6. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7. But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judæa,

8. And from Jerusalem, and from Idumæa, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, agr eat multitude, when they had heard what great things he did, came unto him.

9. And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him, because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.

10. For he had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon him for to touch him, as many as had plagues.

11. And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

12. And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known.

BEDE. (in Marc. i. 15) The Pharisees, thinking it a crime that at the word of the Lord the hand which was diseased was restored to a sound state, agreed to make a pretext of the words spoken by our Saviour; wherefore it is said, And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him. As if every one amongst them did not greater things on the sabbath day, carrying food, reaching forth a cup, and whatever else is necessary for meals. Neither could He, Who said and it was done, be convicted of toiling on the sabbath day.

THEOPHYLACT. But the soldiers of Herod the king are called Herodians, because a certain new heresy had sprung up, which asserted that Herod was the Christ. For the prophecy of Jacob intimated, that when the princes of Judah failed, then Christ should come; because therefore in the time of Herod none of the Jewish princes remained, and he, an alien, was the sole ruler, some thought that he was the Christ, and set on foot this heresy. These, therefore, were with the Pharisees trying to kill Christ.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Or else he calls Herodians the servants of Herod the Tetrarch, who on account of the hatred which their lord had for John, pursued with treachery and hate the Saviour also, Whom John preached. It goes on, But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea; He fled from their treachery, because the hour of His passion had not yet come, and no place away from Jerusalem was proper for His Passion. By which also He gave an example to His disciples, when they suffer persecution in one city, to flee to another.

THEOPHYLACT. At the same time again, He goes away, that by quitting the ungrateful He might do good to more, for many followed him, and he healed them. For there follows, And a great multitude from Galilee, &c. Syrians and Sidonians, being foreigners, receive benefit from Christ; but His kindred the Jews persecute Him: thus there is no profit in relationship, if there be not a similarity in goodness.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) For the strangers followed Him, because they saw the works of His powers, and in order to hear the words or His teaching. But the Jews, induced solely by their opinion of His powers, in a vast multitude come to hear Him, and to beg for His aiding health; wherefore there follows, And he spake to his disciples, that they should wait, &c.

THEOPHYLACT. Consider then how He hid His glory, for He begs for a little ship, lest the crowd should hurt Him, so that entering into it, He might remain unharmed. It follows, As many as had scourges, &c. But he means by scourges, diseases, for God scourges us, as a father does His children.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Both therefore fell down before the Lord, those who had the plagues of bodily diseases, and those who were vexed by unclean spirits. The sick did this simply with the intention of obtaining health, but the demoniacs, or rather the devils within them, because under the mastery of a fear of God they were compelled not only to fall down before Him, but also to praise His majesty; wherefore it goes on, And they cried out, saying, Thou art the Son of God. And here we must wonder at the blindness of the Arians, who, after the glory of His resurrection, deny the Son of God, Whom the devils confess to be the Son of God, though still clothed with human flesh. There follows, And he straitly charged them, that they should not make him known. (Ps. 50:16) For God said to the sinner, Why dost thou preach my laws? A sinner is forbidden to preach the Lord, lest any one listening to his preaching should follow him in his error, for the devil is an evil master, who always mingles false things with true, that the semblance of truth may cover the witness of fraud. But not only devils, but persons healed by Christ, and even Apostles, are ordered to be silent concerning Him before the Passion, lest by the preaching of the majesty of His Divinity, the economy of His Passion should be retarded. But allegorically, in the Lord’s coming out of the synagogue, and then retiring to the sea, He prefigured the salvation of the Gentiles, to whom He deigned to come through their faith, having quitted the Jews on account of their perfidy. For the nations, driven about in divers by-paths of error, are fitly compared to the unstable sea. (v. Cyprian. Ep. lxiii. Aug. de Civ. Dei, 20, 16.) Again, a great crowd from various provinces followed Him, because He has received with kindness many nations, who came to Him through the preaching of the Apostles. But the ship waiting upon the Lord in the sea is the Church, collected from amongst the nations; and He goes into it lest the crowd should throng Him, because flying from the troubled minds of carnal persons, He delights to come to those who despise the glory of this world, and to dwell within them. Further, there is a difference between thronging the Lord, and touching Him; for they throng Him, when by carnal thoughts and deeds they trouble peace, in which truth dwells; but he touches Him, who by faith and love has received Him into his heart; wherefore those who touched Him are said to have been saved.

THEOPHYLACT. Morally again, the Herodians, that is, persons who love the lusts of the flesh, wish to slay Christ. For the meaning of Herod is, ‘of skin.’ (pelliceus. v. Hier. de Nom. Hebr) But those who quit their country, that is, a carnal mode of living, follow Christ, and their plagues are healed, that is, the sins which wound their conscience. But Jesus in us is our reason, which commands that our vessel, that is, our body, should serve Him, lest the troubles of worldly affairs should press upon our reason.

Catena Aurea Mark 3

Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr, c. 200–250

January 20—Optional Memorial
Patron Saint of Rome

The popes of the third century knew how to die

In the present day suburbs of Rome, tour buses navigate winding, narrow, tree-lined roads to carry modern pilgrims to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus. The pilgrims descend a steep staircase until they find themselves in a vast, dark, underground space. The pilgrims slowly walk by early Christian graffiti blanketing the walls to their right and to their left. Marble scraps of early Christian tombstones have etched upon them Greek and Latin epigraphs briefly describing whom they honor. In 1850 an archaeologist working in the St. Callixtus catacombs discovered, incredibly, just such a small chunk of marble with the following simple epitaph etched in it: “Fabian, Bishop, Martyr.” The lifeless body of today’s saint was carried in procession to the Catacombs of St. Callixtus shortly after his death in 250 A.D. In the early 1700s, Pope Fabian’s relics were transferred to the nearby Church of Saint Sebastian, where they can be found today.

A third-century letter of St. Cyprian to the deacons and priests of Rome further confirms the virtuous life and courageous death of Pope Fabian. He reigned as Pope for fourteen years before being martyred in 250 A.D. The Roman Emperor Decius was his killer. Decius’ persecution was vicious but not universal. He tried to kill the body of the Church by cutting off the head, and so sought the Pope’s blood. It didn’t work. About 65 years later, one of Decius’ successors as emperor, Constantine, would legalize Christianity, bringing to an end almost 300 years of on-again, off-again persecution.

We can only imagine what it would be like today if the Pope were to be imprisoned and killed by the Prime Minister of Italy. Imagine the outcry! A secular power actively persecuting a religious leader! Yet perhaps such events are not so unimaginable. Pope St. John Paul II was shot, and almost killed, in 1981, probably due to dark communist forces rooted in Eastern Europe. Assassins still exist, and popes are still their targets.

According to Eusebius of Caesarea, who wrote a detailed history of the Church about fifty years after Pope Fabian’s time, Fabian was a layman who went to Rome after the prior Pope’s death. He was elected Bishop of Rome due to a miraculous sign. In other words, Fabian did not strive to his high office. He did not seek to be important. He accepted his role in the full knowledge that it could lead to big trouble for him. And that trouble eventually found him. Pope Fabian’s martyrdom shows why the Church survived its early and vicious persecutions—it had leaders who knew how to die. Great deaths don’t follow shallow lives. The early popes didn’t give up or give in. They didn’t renounce the faith. They were fearless. They felt the cold metal of a sharp knife against their neck and still persevered. A religious society with such models of courage in its highest ranks had to survive. And it did survive. We are living proof of that.

St. Fabian, your papal death proved to the faithful that their leaders personally accepted what they demanded of others. Slaves, prisoners, women, outcasts, and popes all died for the faith. Help us, Fabian, to be further links in the Church’s long chain of Christian witnesses.

mycatholic.life

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

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

From: 1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19:1-7

Saul’s Jealousy of David
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[6] As they were coming home, when David returned from slaying the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with timbrels, with songs and with instruments of music. [7] And the women sang to one another as they made merry, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” [8] And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him; he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; and what more can he have but the kingdom?” [9] And Saul eyed David from that day on.

David Flees
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[1] And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. [2] And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you; therefore take heed to yourself in the morning, stay in a secret place and hide yourself; [3] and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; and if I learn anything I will tell you.” [4] And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; [5] for he took his life in his hand and he slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” [6] And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.” [7] And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

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Commentary:

18:6-16. Saul’s admiration of David after the defeat of Goliath soon turned into envy and jealousy. The more the people’s regard and enthusiasm for David grew (to the point of composing a chant in his honor: cf. 21:12; 29:5), the more jealous the king became. Saul’s attempt on David’s life (cf. 19:9-10) confirms Saul’s malice and baseness. The key to this episode is provided by the text: “The Lord was with (David) and had departed from Saul” (v. 12; cf. 18:28). David’s successes (18:5, 14-15) are due to his skill but above all to God, who protects him.

19:1-24. David’s flight from the court of Saul allows the writer to include some episodes (not interconnected) which serve to highlight the difference between the baseness of Saul, and David’s generosity and shrewdness. At a formal government meeting (vv. 1-7) Saul proposes that David be killed. The only opposing voice is that of Jonathan, who stands up for his best friend. Friendship triumphs. Then in an informal situation at home Saul’s viciousness leads him to throw his spear at his shield-bearer, but David proves too quick. These two episodes are repeated--the first, at greater length in chapter 20, and the second, almost word for word, in 18:10-11. The sacred writer includes them here in passing, the more to contrast the two men.

The third episode takes place in David’s own house (vv. 11-17). Michal, his wife, cleverly arranges a trick to help David escape and frustrate her father’s plans. Saul can see that even his own daughter has abandoned him and is on David’s side. On the “image” ("teraphim"), see the note on Judges 17:5.

The last event (vv. 18-24) also has its parallel (10:10-12); both passages justify the popular saying recorded in v. 24: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” However, in this context the episode is a sort of legal suit in which Samuel is the witness and God the judge the verdict is in David’s favor, and Saul is condemned. Samuel who in his time anointed both of them and later came out in favor of David and against Saul (cf. 13:13-14), can now see that the Lord himself with his spirit is thwarting the evil intentions of Saul and preventing him from reaching David's base. At Gibe-ah (cf. 1 Sam 10:9ff) a prophetical ecstasy was a method the Lord used to make known his plans for Saul, but now, here at Ramah, the ecstasy paralyzes Saul, leaves him naked for a whole day and prevents him from doing away with David. This is the final proof, solemnized by the presence of Samuel that David is the one who enjoys the Lord’s protection, whereas Saul has been rejected.

From: Mark 3:7-12

Cures Beside the Sea of Galilee
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[7] Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed; also from Judea [8] and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, hearing all that He did, came to Him. [9] And He told His disciples to have a boat ready for Him; [10] for He had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon Him to touch Him. [11] And whenever the unclean spirits beheld Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." [12] And He strictly ordered them not to make Him known.

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Commentary:

10. During our Lord's public life people were constantly crowding round Him to be cured (cf. Luke 6:19; 8:45; etc). As in the case of many other cures, St. Mark gives us a graphic account of what Jesus did to these people (cf. Mark 1:31, 41; 7:31-37; 8:22-26; John 9:1-7, 11, 15). By working these cures our Lord shows that He is both God and man: He cures by virtue of His divine power and using His human nature. In other words, only in the Word of God become man is the work of our Redemption effected, and the instrument God used to save us was the human nature of Jesus--His Body and Soul--in the unity of the person of the Word (cf. Vatican II, "Sacrosanctum Concilium", 5).

This crowding round Jesus is repeated by Christians of all times: the holy human nature of our Lord is our only route to salvation; it is the essential means we must use to unite ourselves to God. Thus, we can today approach our Lord by means of the sacraments, especially and pre-eminently the Eucharist. And through the sacraments there flows to us, from God, through the human nature of the Word, a strength which cures those who receive the sacraments with faith (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa theologiae", III, q. 62, a. 5).

Source: Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

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Readings at Mass

Saul's envy and Jonathan's loyal friendship

He warned them not to make him known as the Son of God

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Saint Fabian, Pope and Martyr, c. 200–250