Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 4-April-2022

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim. He had married Susanna daughter of Hilkiah, a woman of great beauty; and she was God-fearing, because her parents were worthy people and had instructed their daughter in the Law of Moses. Joakim was a very rich man, and had a garden attached to his house; the Jews would often visit him since he was held in greater respect than any other man. Two elderly men had been selected from the people that year to act as judges. Of such the Lord said, ‘Wickedness has come to Babylon through the elders and judges posing as guides to the people.’ These men were often at Joakim’s house, and all who were engaged in litigation used to come to them. At midday, when everyone had gone, Susanna used to take a walk in her husband’s garden. The two elders, who used to watch her every day as she came in to take her walk, gradually began to desire her. They threw reason aside, making no effort to turn their eyes to heaven, and forgetting its demands of virtue. So they waited for a favourable moment; and one day Susanna came as usual, accompanied only by two young maidservants. The day was hot and she wanted to bathe in the garden. There was no one about except the two elders, spying on her from their hiding place. She said to the servants, ‘Bring me some oil and balsam and shut the garden door while I bathe.’

Hardly were the servants gone than the two elders were there after her. ‘Look,’ they said ‘the garden door is shut, no one can see us. We want to have you, so give in and let us! Refuse, and we will both give evidence that a young man was with you and that was why you sent your maids away.’ Susanna sighed. ‘I am trapped,’ she said ‘whatever I do. If I agree, that means my death; if I resist, I cannot get away from you. But I prefer to fall innocent into your power than to sin in the eyes of the Lord.’ Then she cried out as loud as she could. The two elders began shouting too, putting the blame on her, and one of them ran to open the garden door. The household, hearing the shouting in the garden, rushed out by the side entrance to see what was happening; once the elders had told their story the servants were thoroughly taken aback, since nothing of this sort had ever been said of Susanna.

Next day a meeting was held at the house of her husband Joakim. The two elders arrived, in their vindictiveness determined to have her put to death. They addressed the company: ‘Summon Susanna daughter of Hilkiah and wife of Joakim.’ She was sent for, and came accompanied by her parents, her children and all her relations. All her own people were weeping, and so were all the others who saw her. The two elders stood up, with all the people round them, and laid their hands on the woman’s head. Tearfully she turned her eyes to heaven, her heart confident in God. The elders then spoke. ‘While we were walking by ourselves in the garden, this woman arrived with two servants. She shut the garden door and then dismissed the servants. A young man who had been hiding went over to her and they lay down together. From the end of the garden where we were, we saw this crime taking place and hurried towards them. Though we saw them together we were unable to catch the man: he was too strong for us; he opened the door and took to his heels. We did, however, catch this woman and ask her who the young man was. She refused to tell us. That is our evidence.’

Since they were elders of the people, and judges, the assembly took their word: Susanna was condemned to death. She cried out as loud as she could, ‘Eternal God, you know all secrets and everything before it happens; you know that they have given false evidence against me. And now have I to die, innocent as I am of everything their malice has invented against me?’

The Lord heard her cry and, as she was being led away to die, he roused the holy spirit residing in a young boy named Daniel who began to shout, ‘I am innocent of this woman’s death!’ At which all the people turned to him and asked, ‘What do you mean by these words?’ Standing in the middle of the crowd he replied, ‘Are you so stupid, sons of Israel, as to condemn a daughter of Israel unheard, and without troubling to find out the truth? Go back to the scene of the trial: these men have given false evidence against her.’

All the people hurried back, and the elders said to Daniel, ‘Come and sit with us and tell us what you mean, since God has given you the gifts that elders have.’ Daniel said, ‘Keep the men well apart from each other for I want to question them.’ When the men had been separated, Daniel had one of them brought to him. ‘You have grown old in wickedness,’ he said ‘and now the sins of your earlier days have overtaken you, you with your unjust judgements, your condemnation of the innocent, your acquittal of guilty men, when the Lord has said, “You must not put the innocent and the just to death.” Now then, since you saw her so clearly, tell me what tree you saw them lying under?’ He replied, ‘Under a mastic tree.’ Daniel said, ‘True enough! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God has already received your sentence from him and will slash you in half.’ He dismissed the man, ordered the other to be brought and said to him, ‘Spawn of Canaan, not of Judah, beauty has seduced you, lust has led your heart astray! This is how you have been behaving with the daughters of Israel and they were too frightened to resist; but here is a daughter of Judah who could not stomach your wickedness! Now then, tell me what tree you surprised them under?’ He replied, ‘Under a holm oak.’ Daniel said, ‘True enough! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God is waiting, with a sword to drive home and split you, and destroy the pair of you.’

Then the whole assembly shouted, blessing God, the saviour of those who trust in him. And they turned on the two elders whom Daniel had convicted of false evidence out of their own mouths. As prescribed in the Law of Moses, they sentenced them to the same punishment as they had intended to inflict on their neighbour. They put them to death; the life of an innocent woman was spared that day.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.

The Lord is my shepherd;

there is nothing I shall want.

Fresh and green are the pastures

where he gives me repose.

Near restful waters he leads me,

to revive my drooping spirit.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.

He guides me along the right path;

he is true to his name.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness

no evil would I fear.

You are there with your crook and your staff;

with these you give me comfort.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.

You have prepared a banquet for me

in the sight of my foes.

My head you have anointed with oil;

my cup is overflowing.

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me

all the days of my life.

In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell

If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear.

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Now is the favourable time:

this is the day of salvation.

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

I take pleasure, not in the death of a wicked man

– it is the Lord who speaks –

but in the turning back of a wicked man

who changes his ways to win life.

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

‘I am the light of the world;

anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark;

he will have the light of life.’

At this the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’

‘It is true that I am testifying on my own behalf,

but my testimony is still valid,

where I came from and where I am going;

where I come from or where I am going.

You judge by human standards;

but if I judge, my judgement will be sound,

because I am not alone:

the one who sent me is with me;

and in your Law it is written

that the testimony of two witnesses is valid.

I may be testifying on my own behalf,

but the Father who sent me is my witness too.’

They asked him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered:

‘You do not know me,

nor do you know my Father;

you would know my Father as well.’

He spoke these words in the Treasury, while teaching in the Temple. No one arrested him, because his time had not yet come.

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

1 posted on 04/04/2022 4:58:05 AM PDT by annalex

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 8
12.	Again therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying: I am the light of the world: he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light of life.	Iterum ergo locutus est eis Jesus, dicens : Ego sum lux mundi : qui sequitur me, non ambulat in tenebris, sed habebit lumen vitæ.	παλιν ουν αυτοις ο ιησους ελαλησεν λεγων εγω ειμι το φως του κοσμου ο ακολουθων εμοι ου μη περιπατηση εν τη σκοτια αλλ εξει το φως της ζωης
13.	The Pharisees therefore said to him: Thou givest testimony of thyself: thy testimony is not true.	Dixerunt ergo ei pharisæi : Tu de teipso testimonium perhibes ; testimonium tuum non est verum.	ειπον ουν αυτω οι φαρισαιοι συ περι σεαυτου μαρτυρεις η μαρτυρια σου ουκ εστιν αληθης
14.	Jesus answered, and said to them: Although I give testimony of myself, my testimony is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go: but you know not whence I come, or whither I go.	Respondit Jesus, et dixit eis : Et si ego testimonium perhibeo de meipso, verum est testimonium meum : quia scio unde veni et quo vado ; vos autem nescitis unde venio aut quo vado.	απεκριθη ιησους και ειπεν αυτοις καν εγω μαρτυρω περι εμαυτου αληθης εστιν η μαρτυρια μου οτι οιδα ποθεν ηλθον και που υπαγω υμεις δε ουκ οιδατε ποθεν ερχομαι και που υπαγω
15.	You judge according to the flesh: I judge not any man.	Vos secundum carnem judicatis : ego non judico quemquam ;	υμεις κατα την σαρκα κρινετε εγω ου κρινω ουδενα
16.	And if I do judge, my judgment is true: because I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.	et si judico ego, judicium meum verum est, quia solus non sum : sed ego et qui misit me, Pater.	και εαν κρινω δε εγω η κρισις η εμη αληθης εστιν οτι μονος ουκ ειμι αλλ εγω και ο πεμψας με πατηρ
17.	And in your law it is written, that the testimony of two men is true.	Et in lege vestra scriptum est, quia duorum hominum testimonium verum est.	και εν τω νομω δε τω υμετερω γεγραπται οτι δυο ανθρωπων η μαρτυρια αληθης εστιν
18.	I am one that give testimony of myself: and the Father that sent me giveth testimony of me.	Ego sum qui testimonium perhibeo de meipso, et testimonium perhibet de me qui misit me, Pater.	εγω ειμι ο μαρτυρων περι εμαυτου και μαρτυρει περι εμου ο πεμψας με πατηρ
19.	They said therefore to him: Where is thy Father? Jesus answered: Neither me do you know, nor my Father: if you did know me, perhaps you would know my Father also.	Dicebant ergo ei : Ubi est Pater tuus ? Respondit Jesus : Neque me scitis, neque Patrem meum : si me sciretis, forsitan et Patrem meum sciretis.	ελεγον ουν αυτω που εστιν ο πατηρ σου απεκριθη ιησους ουτε εμε οιδατε ουτε τον πατερα μου ει εμε ηδειτε και τον πατερα μου ηδειτε αν
20.	These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, teaching in the temple: and no man laid hands on him, because his hour was not yet come.	Hæc verba locutus est Jesus in gazophylacio, docens in templo : et nemo apprehendit eum, quia necdum venerat hora ejus.	ταυτα τα ρηματα ελαλησεν ο ιησους εν τω γαζοφυλακιω διδασκων εν τω ιερω και ουδεις επιασεν αυτον οτι ουπω εληλυθει η ωρα αυτου

2 posted on 04/04/2022 5:00:40 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

All-seeing Eye of God (Eye of Providence)
19c.

3 posted on 04/04/2022 5:05:02 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

8:12

12. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

ALCUIN. Having absolved the woman from her sin, lest some should doubt, seeing that He was really man, His power to forgive sins, He deigns to give further disclosure of His divine nature; Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world.

BEDE. Where it is to be observed, He does not say, I am the light of Angels, or of heaven, but the Light of the world, i. e. of mankind who live in darkness, as we read, To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death. (Luke 1:79)

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 2) As they had brought Galilee as an objection against Him, and doubted His being one of the Prophets, as if that was all He claimed to be, He wished to shew that He was not one of the Prophets, but the Lord of the whole earth: Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: not of Galilee, or of Palestine, or of Judæa.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiv. 2) The Manichæans suppose the sun of the natural world to be our Lord Christ; but the Catholic Church reprobates such a notion; for our Lord Christ was not made the sun, but the sun was made by Him: inasmuch as all things were made by Him. (c. 1:3) And for our sake did He come to be under the sun, being the light which made the sun: He hid Himself under the cloud of the flesh, not to obscure, but to temper His light. Speaking then through the cloud of the flesh, the Light unfailing, the Light of wisdom says to men, I am the Light of the world.

THEOPHYLACT. You may bring these words against Nestorius: for our Lord does not say, In Me is the light of the world, but, I am the Light of the world: He who appeared man, was both the Son of God, and the Light of the world; not, as Nestorius fondly holds, the Son of God dwelling in a mere man.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxiv. s. 5) He withdraws you however from the eyes of the flesh, to those of the heart, in that He adds, He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. He thinks it not enough to say, shall have light, but adds, of life. These words of our Lord agree with those of the Psalm, In Thy light shall we see light; for with Thee is the well of life. (Ps. 35) For bodily uses, light is one thing, and a well another; and a well ministers to the mouth, light to the eyes. With God the light and the well are the same. He who shines upon thee, that thou mayest see Him, the Same flows unto thee, that thou mayest drink Him. What He promises is put in the future tense; what we ought to do in the present. He that followeth Me, He says, shall have; i. e. by faith now, in sight hereafter. The visible sun accompanieth thee, only if thou goest westward, whither it goeth also; and even if thou follow it, it will forsake thee, at its setting. Thy God is every where wholly; He will not fall from thee, if thou fall not from Him. Darkness is to be feared, not that of the eyes, but that of the mind; and if of the eyes, of the inner not the outer eyes; not those by which white and black, but those by which just and unjust, are discerned.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 2) Walketh not in darkness, i. e. spiritually abideth not in error. Here He tacitly praises Nicodemus and the officers, and censures those who had plotted against Him; as being in darkness and error, and unable to come to the light.

8:13–18

13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.

14. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

15. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

17. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

18. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 2) Our Lord having said, I am the Light of the world; and, he that followeth Me, walketh not in darkness, the Jews wish to overthrow what He has said: The Pharisees therefore said unto Him, Thou bearest record of Thyself, Thy record is not true.

ALCUIN. As if our Lord Himself were the only (one that bore) witness to Himself; whereas the truth was that He had, before His incarnation, sent many witnesses to prophesy of His Sacraments.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 2) Our Lord however overthrew their argument: Jesus answered and said, Though I bear record of Myself, yet My record is true. This is an accommodation to those who thought Him no more than a mere man. He adds the reason, For I know whence I come, and whither I go; i. e. I am God, from God, and the Son of God: though this He does not say expressly, from His habit of mingling lofty and lowly words together. Now God is surely a competent witness to Himself.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxv. 6) The witness of light is true, whether the light shew itself, or other things. The Prophet spake the truth, but whence had he it, but by drawing from the fount of truth? Jesus then is a competent witness to Himself. (s. 5). For I know whence I come, and whither I go: this has reference to the Father; for the Son gave glory to the Father who sent Him. How greatly then should man glorify the Creator, who made Him. He did not separate from His Father, however, when He came, or desert us when He returned: unlike that sun which in going to the west, leaves the east. And as that sun throws its light on the faces both of him who sees, and him who sees not; only the one sees with the light, the other sees not: so the Wisdom of God, the Word, is every where present, even to the minds of unbelievers; but they have not the eyes of the understanding, wherewith to see. To distinguish then between believers and enemies among the Jews, as between light and darkness, He adds, But ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. (Tract. xxxvi. 3). These Jews saw the man, and did not believe in the God, and therefore our Lord says, Ye judge after the flesh, i. e. in saying, Thou bearest record of Thyself, Thy record is not true.

THEOPHYLACT. As if to say: Ye judge untruly, according to the flesh, thinking, because I am in the flesh, that I am flesh only, and not God.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxvi. 3. in Joan.) Understanding Me not as God, and seeing Me as man, ye think Me arrogant in bearing witness of Myself. For any man who bears high testimony to himself, is thought proud and arrogant. But men are frail, and may either speak the truth, or lie: the Light cannot lie.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. l. 2) As to live according to the flesh is to live amiss; so to judge according to the flesh, is to judge unjustly. They might say, however, If we judge wrongly, why dost Thou not convict us, why dost Thou not condemn us? So He adds, I judge no man.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxvi. s. 4) Which may be understood in two ways; I judge no man, i. e. not now: as He says elsewhere, God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved: not that He abandons, but only defers, His justice. Or having said, Ye judge according to the flesh, He says immediately, I judge no man, to let you know that Christ does not judge according to the flesh, as men judged Him. For that Christ is a judge appears from the next words, And yet if I judge, My judgment is true.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 2) As if to say: In saying, I judge no man, I meant that I did not anticipate judgment. If I judged justly, I should condemn you, but now is not the time for judging. He alludes however to the future judgment, in what follows; For I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me; which means that He will not condemn them alone, but He and the Father together. This is intended too to quiet suspicion, as men did not think the Son worthy to be believed, unless He had the testimony of the Father also.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxvi. 7) But if the Father is with Thee, how did He send Thee? O Lord, Thy mission is Thy incarnation. Christ was here according to the flesh without withdrawing from the Father, because the Father and the Son are every where. Blush, thou Sabellian; our Lord doth not say, I am the Father, and I the self-same person am the Son; but, I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. Make a distinction then of persons, and distinction of intelligences: acknowledge that the Father is the Father, the Son the Son: but beware of saying, that the Father is greater, the Son less. Theirs is one substance, one coeternity, perfect equality. Therefore, He says, My judgment is true, because I am the Son of God. But that thou mayest understand how that the Father is with Me, it is not for the Son ever to leave the Father. I have taken up the form of a servant; but I have not lost the form of God. He had spoken of judgment: now He speaks of witness: It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

AUGUSTINE. Is this made a bad use of by the Manichæans, that our Lord does not say, in the law of God, but, in your law? Who does not recognise here a manner of speaking customary in Scripture? In your law, i. e. the law given to you. The Apostle speaks of his Gospel in the same way, though he testifies to having received it not from men, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxvi. 10) There is much difficulty, and a great mystery seems to be contained, in God’s words, In the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established. (Deut. 10) It is possible that two may speak false. The chaste Susannah was arraigned by two false witnesses: the whole people spake against Christ falsely. How then must we understand the word, By the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established: except as an intimation of the mystery of the Trinity, in which is perpetual stability of truth? Receive then our testimony, lest ye feel our judgment. I delay My judgment: I delay not My testimony: I am one that beareth witnes of Myself, and the Father that sent Me beareth witness of Me.

BEDE. In many places the Father bears witness of the Son; as, This day have I begotten Thee; (Ps. 2) also, This is My beloved Son. (Matt. 3:17)

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 3) It is written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. If this is to be taken literally, in what respect does our Lord differ from men? The rule has been laid down for men, on the ground that one man alone is not to be relied on: but how can this be applicable to God? These words are quoted then with another meaning. When two men bear witness, both to an indifferent matter, their witness is true: this constitutes the testimony of two men. But if one of them bear witness to himself, then they are no longer two witnesses. Thus our Lord means to shew that He is consubstantial with the Father, and does not need another witness, i. e. besides the Father’s. I and the Father that sent Me. Again, on human principles, when a man bears witness, his honesty is supposed; he is not borne witness to; and a man is admitted as a fair and competent witness in an indifferent matter, but not in one relating to himself, unless he is supported by other testimony. But here it is quite otherwise. Our Lord, though giving testimony in His own case, and though saying that He is borne witness to by another, pronounces Himself worthy of belief; thus shewing His all-sufficiency. He says He deserves to be believed.

ALCUIN. Or it is as if He said, If your law admits the testimony of two men who may be deceived, and testify to more than is true; on what grounds can you reject Mine and My Father’s testimony, the highest and most sure of all?

8:19–20

19. Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxvii. 1) Those who had heard our Lord say, Ye judge after the flesh, shewed that they did so; for they understood what He said of His Father in a carnal sense: Then said they unto Him, Where is Thy Father? meaning, We have heard Thee say, I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent Me. We see Thee alone; prove to us then that Thy Father is with Thee.

THEOPHYLACT. Some remark that this is said in contumely and contempt; to insinuate either that He is born of fornication, and knows not who His Father is; or as a slur on the low situation of His father, i. e. Joseph; as if to say, Thy father is an obscure, ignoble person; why dost Thou so often mention him? So because they asked the question, to tempt Him, not to get at the truth, Jesus answered, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxvii. 2.) As if He said, Ye ask where is Thy Father? As if ye knew Me already, and I were nothing else but what ye see. But ye know Me not, and therefore I tell you nothing of My Father. Ye think Me indeed a mere man, and therefore among men look for My Father. But, forasmuch as I am different altogether, according to My seen and unseen natures, and speak of My Father in the hidden sense according to My hidden nature; it is plain that ye must first know Me, and then ye will know My Father; If ye had known Me, ye would have known My Father also.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lii. 3) He tells them, it is of no avail for them to say they know the Father, if they do not know the Son.

ORIGEN. (tom. xix. l. in Joan. in princ.) Ye neither know Me, nor My Father: this seems inconsistent with what was said above, Ye both know Me, and know whence I am. But the latter is spoken in reply to some from Jerusalem, who asked, Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ? Ye neither know Me is addressed to the Pharisees. To the former persons from Jerusalem however He said, He that sent Me, is true, Whom ye know not. You will ask then, How is that true, If ye know Me, ye would know My Father also? when they of Jerusalem, to whom He said, Ye know Me, did not know the Father. To this we must reply, that our Saviour sometimes speaks of Himself as man, and some-times as God. Ye both know Me, He says as man: ye neither know Me, as God.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxvii. 7) What does this mean: If ye knew Me, ye would know My Father also, but, I and My Father are one? It is a common expression, when you see one man very like another, If you have seen him, you have seen the other. You say this, because they are so like. And thus our Lord says, If ye had known Me, ye had known My Father also; not that the Father is the Son, but that the Son is like the Father.

THEOPHYLACT. Let the Arian blush: for if, as he says, the Son be a creature, how does it follow that he who knows the creature, knows God? For not even by knowing the substance of Angels, does one know the Divine Substance? Forasmuch therefore as he who knows the Son, knows the Father, it is certain that the Son is consubstantial with the Father.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxviii. s. 3) This word perhapsc is used only by way of rebuke, though it seems to express doubt. As used by men indeed it is the expression of doubt, but He who knew all things could only mean by that doubt to rebuke unbelief. Nay, even we sometimes say perhaps, when they are certain of a thing, e. g. when you are angry with your slave, and say, Do not you heed me? Consider, perhaps I am your master. So our Lord’s doubt is a reproof to the unbelievers, when He says, Ye should have known perhaps My Father also.

ORIGEN. (tom. xix. l. in Joan. in princ.) It is proper to observe, that the followers of other sects think this text proves clearly, that the God, whom the Jews worshipped, was not the Father of Christ. For if, say they, our Saviour said this to the Pharisees, who worshipped God as the Governor of the world, it is evident that the Father of Jesus, whom the Pharisees knew not, was a different person from the Creator. But they do not observe that this is a usual manner of speaking in Scripture. Though a man may know the existence of God, and have learned from the Father that He only must be worshipped, yet if his life is not good, he is said not to have the knowledge of God. Thus the sons of Eli, on account of their wickedness, are said not to have known God. And thus again the Pharisees did not know the Father; because they did not live according to their Creator’s command. And there is another thing meant too by knowing God, different from merely believing in Him. It is said, Be still then, and know that I am God. (Ps. 45:10) And this, it is certain, was written for a people that believed in the Creator. But to know by believing, and believe simply, are different things. To the Pharisees, to whom He says, Ye neither know Me, nor My Father, He could with right have said, Ye do not even believe in My Father; for he who denies the Son, has not the Father, either by faith or knowledge. But Scripture gives us another sense of knowing a thing, viz. being joined to that thing. Adam knew his wife, when he was joined to her. And if he who is joined to a woman knows that woman, he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit, and knows the Lord. And in this sense the Pharisees neither knew the Father, nor the Son. But may not a man know God, and yet not know the Father? Yes; these are two different conceptions. And therefore among an infinite number of prayers offered up in the Law, we do not find any one addressed to God the Father. They only pray to Him as God and Lord; in order not to anticipate the grace shed by Jesus over the whole world, calling all men to the Sonship, according to the Psalm, I will declare Thy name unto my brethren.

These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as He taught in the temple.

ALCUIN. Treasury (Gazophylacium): Gaza is the Persian for wealth: phylattein is to keep. It was a place in the temple, where the money was kept.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. iii. 1) He spake in the temple magisterially, and now He was speaking to those who railed at and accused Him, for making Himself equal to the Father.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. xxxvii. 8) Great however is His confidence and fearlessness: it not being possible that He should undergo any suffering, but that which He voluntarily undertook. Wherefore it follows, And no man laid hands on Him, for His hour was not yet come. Some, when they hear this, think Christ to have been under the control of fate. But if fate comes from the verb fari, to speak, as some derive it, how can the Word of God be under the control of fate? Where are the fates? In the heavens, you say, in the courses and revolutions of the stars. How then can fate have power over Him, by Whom the heavens and stars were made; when even thy will, if thou exert it aright, transcends the stars? Dost thou think that because the flesh of Christ was placed beneath the heavens, that therefore His power was subjected to the heavens? His hour then had not yet come; i. e. the hour, not on which he should be obliged to die, but on which He should deign to be put to death.

ORIGEN. (tom. xix. in Joan.) Whenever it is added, Jesus spoke these words in such a place, you will, if you attend, discover a meaning in the addition. The treasury (γαζοφυλακίῳ) was a place for keeping the money, which was given for the honour of God, and the support of the poor. The coins are the divine words, stamped with the likeness of the great King. In this sense then let every one contribute to the edification of the Church, carrying into that spiritual treasury all that he can collect, to the honour of God, and the common good. But while all were thus contributing to the treasury of the temple, it was especially the office of Jews to contribute his gifts, which were the words of eternal life. While Jesus therefore was speaking in the treasury, no one laid hands on Him; His discourse being stronger than those who wished to take Him; for there is no weakness in that which the Word of God utters.

BEDE. Or thus; Christ speaks in the treasury; i. e. He had spoken in parables to the Jews; but now that He unfolded heavenly things to His disciples, His treasury began to be opened, which was the meaning of the treasury being joined to the temple; all that the Law and the Prophets had foretold in figure, appertained to our Lord.

Catena Aurea John 8

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6 posted on 04/04/2022 5:07:16 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

7 posted on 04/04/2022 5:07:34 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

ST ISIDORE, BISHOP OF SEVILLE-636 A.D.

Feast: April 4

From his works and those of SS Braulio and Ildefonse, his disciples. His life, compiled by Luke, Bishop of Tuy, in Galicia, in 1236, extant in Mabillon, Saec. Ben. ii., shows not that accuracy and judgment which we admire in the books of that author against the Albigenses: nor is it here made use of.

St Isidore is honoured in Spain as the most illustrious doctor of that church, in which God raised him, says St. Braulio,1 to stem the torrent of barbarism and ferocity which everywhere followed the arms of the Goths, who had settled themselves in that kingdom in 412. The eighth great council of Toledo, fourteen years after his death, styles him "the excellent doctor, the late ornament of the Catholic Church, the most learned man, given to enlighten the latter ages, always to be named with reverence." The city Carthagena was the place of his birth, which his parents, Severian and Theodora, persons of the first quality in the kingdom, edified by the example of their extraordinary piety. His two brothers, Leander and Fulgentius, bishops, and his sister Florentina, are also honoured among the saints. Isidore having qualified himself in his youth for the service of the church by an uncommon stock of virtue and learning, assisted his brother, Leander, Archbishop of Seville, in the conversion of the Visigoths from the Arian heresy. This great work he had the happiness to see perfectly accomplished by his indefatigable zeal and labours, which he continued during the successive reigns of the kings Reccared, Liuba, Witeric, Gundemar, Sisebut, and Sisemund. Upon the decease of St. Leander, in 600 or 601, he succeeded him in the see of Seville. He restored and settled the discipline of the church of Spain in several councils, of all of which he was the oracle and the soul. The purity of their doctrine, and the severity of the canons enacted in them, drawn up chiefly by him, are incontestable monuments of his great learning and zeal. In the council of Seville, in 619, in which he presided, he, in a public disputation, convinced Gregory (a bishop of the Acephali) of his error, who was come over from Syria; and so evidently did he confute the Eutychian heresy that Gregory upon the spot embraced the Catholic faith. In 610, the bishops of Spain, in a council held at Toledo, agreed to declare the archbishop of that city Primate of all Spain, as, they say, he had always been acknowledged; which decree King Gundemar confirmed by a law the same year, and St. Isidore subscribed the same. Yet we find that in the fourth council of Toledo, in 633, the most famous of all the synods of Spain, though Justus, the Archbishop of Toledo, was present, St. Isidore presided, not by the privilege of his see, but on the bare consideration of his extraordinary merit; for he was regarded as the eminent doctor of the churches of Spain. The city of Toledo was honoured with the residence of the Visigoth kings.

St. Isidore, to extend to posterity the advantages which his labours had procured to the church, compiled many useful works, in which he takes in the whole circle of the sciences, and discovers a most extensive reading, and a general acquaintance with the ancient writers, both sacred and profane. In the moral parts his style is pathetic and moving, being the language of a heart overflowing with sentiments of religion and piety; and though elegance and politeness of style were not the advantage of that age, the diction of this father is agreeable and clear. The saint was well versed in the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages.

St. Ildefonse says that this saint governed his church near forty years, but cannot mean above thirty-six or thirty-seven. When he was almost fourscore years old, though age and fatigues had undermined and broken into his health, he never interrupted his usual exercises and labours. During the last six months of his life he increased his charities with such profusion that the poor of the whole country crowded his house from morning till night. Perceiving his end to draw near, he entreated two bishops to come to see him. With them he went to church, where one of them covered him with sackcloth, the other put ashes on his head. Clothed with the habit of penance, he stretched his hands towards heaven, prayed with great eagerness, and begged aloud the pardon of his sins. He then received from the hands of the bishops the body and blood of our Lord, recommended himself to the prayers of all that were present, remitted the bonds of all his debtors, exhorted the people to charity, and caused all the money which he had not as yet disposed of to be distributed among the poor. This done, he returned to his own house, and calmly departed this life on the fourth day after, which was the 4th of April, in the year 636, as is expressly testified by Aedemptus, his disciple, who was present at his death. His body was interred in his cathedral between those of his brother, St. Leander, and his sister, St. Florentina. Ferdinand, King of Castile and Leon, recovered his relics from the Moors and placed them in the church of St. John Baptist at Leon, where they still remain.

All who are employed in the functions of Martha or of an exterior active life, must always remember that action and contemplation ought to be so constantly intermingled, that the former be always animated and directed by the latter, and amid the exterior labors of the active life, we constantly enjoy the interior repose of the contemplative, and that no employments entirely interrupt the union of our souls to God; but those that are most distracting serve to make us more closely, more eagerly, and more amorously, plunge our hearts in Him, embracing him in himself by contemplation, and In our neighbor by our actions.

Endnotes

1 Praenot. lib. Isidor.

(Taken from Vol. IV of "The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints" by the Rev. Alban Butler, the 1864 edition published by D. & J. Sadlier, & Company)

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8 posted on 04/04/2022 5:10:18 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

Saint Isidor of Sevilla

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–1682)

Seville Cathedral, Spain

9 posted on 04/04/2022 5:13:11 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)

To: annalex; All

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

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

From: Daniel 13:1-9. 15-17, 19-30, 33-62

The Two Corrupt Elders
----------------------
[1] There was a man living in Babylon whose name was Joakim. [2] And he took a wife named Susanna, the daughter of Hillkiah, a very beautiful woman and one who feared the Lord. [3] Her parents were righteous, and had taught their daughter according to the law of Moses. [4] Joakim was very rich, and had a spacious garden adjoining his house; and, the Jews used to come to him because he was the most honored of them all.

[5] In that year two elders from the people, were appointed as judges. Concerning them the Lord had said: “Iniquity came forth from Babylon, from elders who were judges, who were supposed to govern the people.” [6] These men were frequently at Joakim’s house, and all who had suits at law came to them.

[7] When the people departed at noon, Susanna would go into her husband’s garden to walk. [8] The two elders used to see her every day, going in and walking about, and they began to desire her. [9] And they perverted their minds and turned away their eyes from looking to Heaven or remembering righteous judgments.

Susanna Condemned to Death
--------------------------
[15] Once, while they were watching for an opportune day, she went in as before with only two maids, and wished to bathe in the garden, for it was very hot. [16] And no one was there except the two elders, who had hid themselves and were watching her. [17] She said to her maids, “Bring, me oil and ointments, and shut the garden doors so that I may bathe."

[19] When the maids had gone out, the two elders rose and ran to her, and said: [20] ”Look, the garden doors are shut, no one sees us, and we are in love with you; so give your consent, and lie with us. [21] If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was with you, and this was why you sent your maids away?"

[22] Susanna sighed deeply, and said, “I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I shall not escape your hands. [23] I choose not to do it and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord.”

[24] Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and the two elders shouted against her. [25] And one of them ran and opened, the garden doors. [26] When the household servants heard the shouting in the garden, they rushed in at the side door to see what had happened to her. [27] And when the elders told their tale, the servants were greatly ashamed for nothing like this had ever been said about Susanna.

[28] The next day, when the people gathered at the house of her husband Joakim, the two elders came, full of their wicked plot to have Susanna put to death. [29] They said before the people, “Send for Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, who is the wife of Joakim.” [30] So they sent for her. And she came, with her parents, her children, and all her kindred.

[33] But her family and friends and all who saw her wept.

[34] Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head. [35] And she, weeping, looked up toward heaven, for her heart trusted in the Lord. [36] The elders said, “As we were walking in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, shut the garden doors, and dismissed the maids. [37] Then a young man, who had been hidden, came to her and lay with her. [38] We were in a corner of the garden and when we saw this wickedness we ran to them. [39] We saw them embracing, but we could not hold the man, for he was too strong for us, and he opened the doors and dashed out. [40] So we seized this woman and asked her who the young man was, but she would not tell us. These things we testify.”

[41] The assembly believed them because they were elders of the people and judges; and they condemned her to death.

[42] Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, “O eternal God, who dost discern what is secret, who art aware of all things before they come to be.” [43] Thou knowest that these men have borne false witness against me. And now I am to die! Yet I have done none of the things that they have wickedly invented against me!”

[44] The Lord heard her cry.

Daniel Intervenes
-----------------
[45] And as she was being led away to be put to death, God aroused the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel; [46] and he cried with a loud voice, “I am innocent of the blood of this woman.”

[47] All the people turned to him, and said, “What is this that you have said?” [48] Taking his stand in the midst of them, he said, “Are you such fools, you Sons of Israel? Have you condemned a daughter of Israel without examination and without learning the facts? [49] Return to the place of judgment. For these men have borne false witness against her.”

[50] Then all the people returned in haste. And the elders said to him, “Come, sit among us and inform us, for God has given you that right.” [51] And Daniel said to them, “Separate them far from each other, and I will examine them.”

[52] When they were separated from each other, be summoned one of them and said to him, “You old relic of wicked days, your sins have now come home, which you have committed in the past, [53] pronouncing unjust judgments, condemning the innocent and letting the guilty go free, though the Lord said, “Do not put to death an innocent and righteous person” [54] Now then, if you really saw her, tell me this: Under what tree did you see them being intimate with each other?” He answered, “Under a mastic tree." [55] And Daniel said, “Very well! You have lied against your own head for the angel of God has received the sentence from God and will immediately cut you in two.”

[56] Then he put him aside, and commanded them to bring the other. And he said to him, “You offspring of Canaan and not of Judah, beauty has deceived you and lust has perverted your heart. [57] This is how you both have been dealing with the daughters of Israel, and they were intimate with you through fear; but a daughter of Judah would not endure your wickedness. [58] Now then, tell me: "Under what tree did you catch them being intimate with each other?” He answered, “Under an evergreen oak.” [59] And Daniel said to him, “Very well! You also have lied against your own head, for the angel of God is waiting with his sword to saw you in two, that he may destroy you both.”

[60} Then all the assembly shouted loudly and blessed God, who saves those who hope in him. [61] And they rose against the two elders for out of their own mouths Daniel had convicted them of bearing false witness; [62] and they did to them as they had wickedly planned to do to their neighbor; acting in accordance with the law of Moses, they put them to death. Thus innocent blood was saved that day.

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Commentary:

13:1-14:42. These chapters which, as we have said, are to be found only in the Greek manuscripts, form an end-piece to the book of Daniel that has been passed down to the Church. It fits in with the rest of the book because it, too, has Daniel as the main protagonist; but here he is not an interpreter of dreams or a seer of visions: he is a judge raised up by God to save the innocent (chap. 13), a wise man who shows how ridiculous it is to worship idols, as pagans do (chap. 14). Taken together, these two chapters set at the end of the book show that life goes on and that God ensures that justice is done, and that he exposes idols for what they are.

13:1-64. The episode of Daniel in the lions’ den, and this story of Susanna, with its well-drawn characters and scenarios, are the two most popular passages in the book of Daniel. The Susanna story is set in a Jewish community, and it forms an independent narrative; it probably existed on its own originally, independent of the other stories in the book. The version of Theodotion puts it at the start of the book, to act as an introduction to Daniel, whose name in fact means “God is my judge”. There are notable differences between the Septuagint and the Theodotion texts, in the latter, the emphasis is put on Susanna's innocence, in the former, it is on the wickedness of the two elders. Throughout the book of Daniel we have been shown that Daniel knows the secrets about the End, in the story of Susanna we see that he can read men’s hearts and judge accordingly.

Some Fathers of the Church read this story as an allegory. St Hippolytus, for example, writes: "Susanna suffered at the hands of the elders what we still suffer today from the kings Of Babylon. Susanna is a figure of the Church; Joakim, of Christ. The garden beside their house is an image of the dwelling-place of the faithful, who are planted like fruitful trees in the Church. Babylon is the power of this world. The two elders stand for the two enemies of the Church--the Jews and the pagans. The words, [they] "were judges, who were supposed to govern the people", mean that they handed down unjust sentences against the just” ("Commentarium In Danielem", 1, 15).

13:1-14: This passage describes the context of the story--a well-to-do Jewish family, all God-fearing people. Susanna could be taken as a symbol of Israel. And then there two wicked judges, who are supposed to give people leadership. These two elders may have some link with the two false prophets who committed adultery and who are denounced in Jeremiah 29:21-23. The point is clearly made that what leads them astray is lust. A work attributed to St John Chrysostom comments on this passage: “If no passion undermines and corrupts it, the soul will remain clean and unstained. But if he does not guard his eyes, and looks at whatever he wants around him in the world, [...] the poison of desire will enter through a man’s sight and strike to the bottom of his heart; and he who once a sober and modest man will be overwhelmed by a whirlwind of passions” ("De Susanna", col. 591).

13:15-44. The dramatic tension reaches its climax with the sentence passed on Susanna. Faced with the dilemma of saving her life by sinning against the Lord, or dying by staying faithful to her husband and to God, Susanna opts for the second course of action. She is a model for the the people in the trials they have to endure. She cannot prove her innocence to the people, but she can certainly assert it to God, who knows all hidden things; and then she waits (v. 42). “How often does the trickery of those moved by envy and intrigue force many noble Christians. into the same corner? They are offered only one choice--offend God or ruin their reputation. The only acceptable and upright solution is, at the same time, highly painful. Yet they must decide: ‘Let me rather fall into your power through no act of mine, than commit sin in the Lord’s sight’ (St Josemaria Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 68).

13:45-64. Nothing can be hidden from God (“He is a great eye, ever watchful: nothing that happens in the world can be hidden from him”: St Hippolytus, "Commentarium In Danielem", 1, 33) and his judgments are just and true. Here he acts by rousing the spirit of prophecy (here called “the holy spirit”) in Daniel, who as a young man is very different to the elders. Daniel criticizes the people for being taken in so easily by the elders, and he convinces them to reopen the case. He tries to discover the truth, without being overawed by the seniority of the two judges. He uses a simple trick to divine the truth. All come to see that Susanna is a virtuous woman, true to her husband. She thus becomes a symbol of Israel’s faithfulness to her God. In the earlier part of the book Daniel was esteemed by foreign kings; now the text shows that his own people, too, hold him in high regard. This is a further reason for accepting the revelations made through him.

10 posted on 04/04/2022 6:27:37 AM PDT by fidelis (Ecce Crucem Domi/i><p>! Fugite partes adversae! Vicit Leo de tribu Juda, Radix David! Alleluia! )

From: John 8:12-20

Jesus, the Light of the World
-----------------------------
[12] Again Jesus spoke to them saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." [13] The Pharisees then said to Him, "You are bearing witness to Yourself; Your testimony is not true." [14] Jesus answered, "Even if I do bear witness to Myself, My testimony is true, for I know whence I have come and whither I am going, but you do not know whence I have come or whither I am going. [15] You judge according to the flesh, I judge no one. [16] Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true, for it is not I alone that judge, but I and He who sent Me. [17] In your law it is written that the testimony of two men is true; [18] I bear witness to Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness to Me." [19] They said to Him therefore, "Where is Your Father?" Jesus answered, "You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also." [20] These words He spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; but no one arrested Him, because His hour had not yet come.

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

12. This is the beginning of another dispute between Jesus and the Pharisees. The scene is the precincts of the temple--to be more precise, what was called the "court of the women"; this came before the court of the people, which in turn came before the court of the priests, which contained the altar of holocausts (cf. note to Luke 1:21).

It is still the feast of Tabernacles (cf. John 7:2); and it was the custom on the first night to fill the court of the women with the bright light of huge lamps which lit up the sky. This brought to mind the bright cloud of God's presence which guided the Israelites through the wilderness during the Exodus. It was probably during this feast that Jesus spoke of Himself as "the Light". In any event, the image of light is often found in the Old Testament to designate the Messiah: the prophet Isaiah predicted that a great light would shine for the people who walked in darkness, beginning with the tribes of the North (Isaiah 9:1-6; cf. Matthew 4:15-16) and that the Messiah would not only be the King of Israel but the light of the nations (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6); and David spoke of God as a light enlightening the soul of the righteous man and giving him strength (Psalm 27:1). This image, therefore, was well understood during Jesus' time: Zechariah uses it (Luke 1:78), as does Simeon (Luke 2:30-32), to show his joy on seeing the ancient prophecies fulfilled.

Our Lord applies this image to Himself in two ways: He is the light which enlightens our minds, for He is the fullness of divine Revelation (cf. John 1:9, 18); and He is also the light which enlightens our hearts to enable us to accept this Revelation and live according to it (cf. John 1:4-5). This is why Jesus asks them to follow Him and become sons of light (cf. John 12:36), although He knows that many will reject this light because they do not want their evil deeds to be uncovered (cf. John 3:20).

"See how the words of the Lord accord with the truth of the Psalm: `With Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light do we see light' (Psalm 36:10). The psalmist connects light with the source of life, and the Lord speaks of a `light of life'. When we are thirsty, we look for a fountain; when we are in darkness we look for light. [...] Not so with God: He is light and fountain. He who shines for you to enable you to see, flows for you to enable you to drink" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang., 34, 6).

13-18. The Pharisees try to dilute the force of Jesus' arguments: they make out that He has only His own word to go on and no one can bear witness on his own behalf: so what He says has no validity.

In a similar situation (cf. John 5:31ff) Jesus had cited four witnesses to support Him--John the Baptist's teaching, the miracles He Himself performed, the words His Father spoke when He was baptized in the Jordan, and Sacred Scripture. Here Jesus affirms the validity of His own testimony (verse 4) on the grounds that He is one with the Father. This is the same as saying that His is more than human testimony. "He speaks to tell them that He comes from God, that He is God, and that He is the Son of God, but He does not say so openly, because He always connects humility with profundity. God deserves that we should believe in Him" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. John", 51).

19. The Pharisees, who did not want to admit Jesus' divine origin, now ask Him for proof that what He says is true. Their question is insidious and malicious, for they do not think He can show them the Father.

Knowing Jesus, that is, believing in Him and accepting the mystery of His divinity, means knowing the Father. John 12:44-45 repeats the same teaching in other words. And Jesus is saying the same when He reproaches Philip: "Have I been with you so long and you do not know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Jesus is the visible manifestation of the invisible God, the ultimate, definitive revelation of God to men (cf. Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus Christ "by the total fact of His presence and self-manifestation--by words and works, signs and miracles, but above all by His death and glorious resurrection from the dead, and finally by sending the Spirit of truth [...] revealed that God was with us, to deliver us from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to eternal life" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 4).

20. "The treasury", where money for the poor was collected, was located in the women's courtyard. For more information see the note on Luke 21:1-4.

Source: Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

11 posted on 04/04/2022 6:28:03 AM PDT by fidelis (Ecce Crucem Domi/i><p>! Fugite partes adversae! Vicit Leo de tribu Juda, Radix David! Alleluia! )

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Readings at Mass

Susannah and the elders

'I am the light of the world'

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas