Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 27-July-2022

Universalis/Jerusalem Bible ^

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27 July 2022

Wednesday of week 17 in Ordinary Time



St. Mary's Assumption and St. Pantaleon Cathedral, Ravello, Italy

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: Green. Year: C(II).

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First reading

Jeremiah 15:10,16-21 ©

They will not overcome you, because I am with you

‘Woe is me, my mother, for you have borne me

to be a man of strife and of dissension for all the land.

I neither lend nor borrow,

yet all of them curse me.

‘When your words came, I devoured them:

your word was my delight

and the joy of my heart;

for I was called by your name,

Lord, God of Hosts.

I never took pleasure in sitting in scoffers’ company;

with your hand on me I held myself aloof,

since you had filled me with indignation.

Why is my suffering continual,

my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?

Do you mean to be for me a deceptive stream

with inconstant waters?’

To which the Lord replied,

‘If you come back,

I will take you back into my service;

and if you utter noble, not despicable, thoughts,

you shall be as my own mouth.

They will come back to you,

but you must not go back to them.

I will make you

a bronze wall fortified against this people.

They will fight against you

but they will not overcome you,

because I am with you

to save you and to deliver you

– it is the Lord who speaks.

I mean to deliver you from the hands of the wicked

and redeem you from the clutches of the violent.’

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Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 58(59):2-5,10-11,17-18 ©

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

Rescue me, God, from my foes;

  protect me from those who attack me.

O rescue me from those who do evil

  and save me from blood-thirsty men.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

See, they lie in wait for my life;

  powerful men band together against me.

For no offence, no sin of mine, Lord,

  for no guilt of mine they rush to take their stand.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn,

  for you, O God, are my stronghold,

  the God who shows me love.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

As for me, I will sing of your strength

  and each morning acclaim your love

for you have been my stronghold,

  a refuge in the day of my distress.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

O my Strength, it is you to whom I turn,

  for you, O God, are my stronghold,

  the God who shows me love.

O God, you have been a refuge in the day of my distress.

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Gospel Acclamation	Ps118:105

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your word is a lamp for my steps

and a light for my path.

Alleluia!

Or:	Jn15:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord,

because I have made known to you

everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

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Gospel

Matthew 13:44-46 ©

He sells everything he owns and buys the field

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.

  ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’

The readings on this page are from the Jerusalem Bible, which is used at Mass in most of the English-speaking world. The New American Bible readings, which are used at Mass in the United States, are available in the Universalis apps, programs and downloads.

You can also view this page with the Gospel in Greek and English.

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

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KEYWORDS: catholic; mt13; ordinarytime; prayer;

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Matthew
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Matthew 13
44.	The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field. Which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goeth, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.	Simile est regnum cælorum thesauro abscondito in agro : quem qui invenit homo, abscondit, et præ gaudio illius vadit, et vendit universa quæ habet, et emit agrum illum.	παλιν ομοια εστιν η βασιλεια των ουρανων θησαυρω κεκρυμμενω εν τω αγρω ον ευρων ανθρωπος εκρυψεν και απο της χαρας αυτου υπαγει και παντα οσα εχει πωλει και αγοραζει τον αγρον εκεινον
45.	Again the kingdom of heaven is like to a merchant seeking good pearls.	Iterum simile est regnum cælorum homini negotiatori, quærenti bonas margaritas.	παλιν ομοια εστιν η βασιλεια των ουρανων ανθρωπω εμπορω ζητουντι καλους μαργαριτας
46.	Who when he had found one pearl of great price, went his way, and sold all that he had, and bought it.	Inventa autem una pretiosa margarita, abiit, et vendidit omnia quæ habuit, et emit eam.	ος ευρων ενα πολυτιμον μαργαριτην απελθων πεπρακεν παντα οσα ειχεν και ηγορασεν αυτον

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Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Matthew CHAP. 13

13:44

44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

CHRYSOSTOM. The foregoing parables of the leaven, and the grain of mustard-seed, are referred to the power of the Gospel preaching, which has subdued the whole world; in order to shew its value and splendour, He now puts forth parables concerning a pearl and a treasure, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field. For the Gospel preaching is hidden in this world; and if you do not sell your all you will not purchase it; and this you ought to do with joy; wherefore it follows, which when a man hath found, he hideth it.

HILARY. This treasure is indeed found without cost; for the Gospel preaching is open to all, but to use and possess the treasure with its field we may not without price, for heavenly riches are not obtained without the loss of this world.

JEROME. That he hides it, does not proceed of envy towards others, but as one that treasures up what he would not lose, he hides in his heart that which he prizes above his former possessions.

GREGORY. (Hom. in Ev. xi. 1.) Otherwise; The treasure hidden in the field is the desire of heaven; the field in which the treasure is hidden is the discipline of heavenly learning; this, when a man finds, he hides, in order that he may preserve it; for zeal and affections heavenward it is not enough that we protect from evil spirits, if we do not protect from human praises. For in this present life we are in the way which leads to our country, and evil spirits as robbers beset us in our journey. Those therefore who carry their treasure openly, they seek to plunder in the way. When I say this, I do not mean that our neighbours should not see our works, but that in what we do, we should not seek praise from without. The kingdom of heaven is therefore compared to things of earth, that the mind may rise from things familiar to things unknown, and may learn to love the unknown by that which it knows is loved when known. It follows, And for joy thereof he goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. He it is that selleth all he hath and buyeth the field, who, renouncing fleshly delights, tramples upon all his worldly desires in his anxiety for the heavenly discipline.

JEROME. Or, That treasure in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3.), is either God the Word, who seems hid in Christ’s flesh, or the Holy Scriptures, in which are laid up the knowledge of the Saviour.

AUGUSTINE. (Quæst. in Ev. i. 13.) Or, He speaks of the two testaments in the Church, which, when any hath attained to a partial understanding of, he perceives how great things lie hid there, and goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that; that is, by despising temporal things he purchases to himself peace, that he may be rich in the knowledge of God.

13:45–46

45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

46. Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

CHRYSOSTOM. The Gospel preaching not only offers manifold gain as a treasure, but is precious as a pearl; wherefore after the parable concerning the treasure, He gives that concerning the pearl. And in preaching, two things are required, namely, to be detached from the business of this life, and to be watchful, which are denoted by this merchantman. Truth moreover is one, and not manifold, and for this reason it is one pearl that is said to be found. And as one who is possessed of a pearl, himself indeed knows of his wealth, but is not known to others, ofttimes concealing it in his hand because of its small bulk, so it is in the preaching of the Gospel; they who possess it know that they are rich, the unbelievers, not knowing of this treasure, know not of our wealth. Jerome; By the goodly pearls may be understood the Law and the Prophets. Hear then Marcion and Manichæus; the good pearls are the Law and the Prophets. One pearl, the most precious of all, is the knowledge of the Saviour and the sacrament of His passion and resurrection, which when the merchantman has found, like Paul the Apostle, he straightway despises all the mysteries of the Law and the Prophets and the old observances in which he had lived blameless, counting them as dung that he may win Christ. (Phil. 3:8.) Not that the finding of a new pearl is the condemnation of the old pearls, but that in omparison of that, all other pearls are worthless.

GREGORY. (Hom. in Ev. xi. 2.) Or by the pearl of price is to be understood the sweetness of the heavenly kingdom, which, he that hath found it, selleth all and buyeth. For he that, as far as is permitted, has had perfect knowledge of the sweetness of the heavenly life, readily leaves all things that he has loved on earth; all that once pleased him among earthly possessions now appears to have lost its beauty, for the splendour of that precious pearl is alone seen in his mind.

AUGUSTINE. (Quæst. in Matt. q. 13.) Or, A man seeking goodly pearls has found one pearl of great price; that is, he who is seeking good men with whom he may live profitably, finds one alone, Christ Jesus, without sin; or, seeking precepts of life, by aid of which he may dwell righteously among men, finds love of his neighbour, in which one rule, the Apostle says, (Rom. 13:9.) are comprehended all things; or, seeking good thoughts, he finds that Word in which all things are contained, In the beginning was the Word. (John 1:1.) which is lustrous with the light of truth, stedfast with the strength of eternity, and throughout like to itself with the beauty of divinity, and when we have penetrated the shell of the flesh, will be confessed as God. But whichever of these three it may be, or if there be any thing else that can occur to us, that can be signified under the figure of the one precious pearl, its preciousness is the possession of ourselves, who are not free to possess it unless we despise all things that can be possessed in this world. For having sold our possessions, we receive no other return greater than ourselves, (for while we were involved in such things we were not our own,) that we may again give ourselves for that pearl, not because we are of equal value to that, but because we cannot give any thing more.

Catena Aurea Matthew 13

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Christ the Pearl of Great Price

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St. Pantaleon: Patron Saint of Trousers and Lotteries

St. Pantaleon, (c. 275-305) whose name in Greek means “mercy for everyone,” was one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Angelo Stagnaro

I love the saints! I love everything about them. Especially the weird, implausible, miraculous and sometimes revolting stories.

Do you know why St. Lucy is the Patron of Eyesight and Ophthalmologists? Because pagans tortured for being a Christian by having her eyes gouged out!

Allow me to say it for you, “Ewww!”

But I don’t love Lucy any less — nor do I doubt the miracle God wrought by giving her a pair of brand-new eyes before she was actually killed.

Have doubts that St. Columban saddled and rode an actual bear? Are you questioning rather Sts. Francis and Blaise really parlayed with wolves? How about St. Brendan’s finding a sea monster the size of a small island or St. Columba shooing away the Loch Ness Monster? St. George vanquished a dragon? St. Anthony talked to fish? Sure — why not? If God can heal lepers and banish demons, why couldn’t He do the above miracles also? Why would we doubt any miracle? Miracles abound even today! And I’m not counting serendipity, Jungian synchronicity or just plain-old happenstance. I mean legitimate miracles over which people convert to Catholicism. The Vatican Archives are full to the gills with wall-to-wall stories of people at death’s door standing up and serving coffee and pound cake for those who came to visit them on their deathbeds.

And, frankly, St. Lucy’s story is hardly one of the really weird legends surrounding the saints. But one shouldn’t be turned off by the word “legend.” The English word legend comes from the Latin word legenda and has no connection with untrue stories. Rather, it means “things you should read/learn about.”

Speaking of which, I’d like to introduce you to St. Pantaleon―Patron of Trousers and Winning Lottery Numbers.

Yes. You read that correctly.

I know there are a lot of Catholics who are now reading this article thinking, “Gee! I coincidently have a lottery ticket in my pants pocket!”

I recommend you be attentive to the legenda I’m about to tell.

St. Pantaleon, (c. 275-305) whose name in Greek means “mercy for everyone,” was one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

He was the son of St. Eubula and her husband, Eustorgius of Nicomedia, a rich pagan businessman. After his mother’s death, he fell away from the Church and studied medicine under the tutelage of Euphrosinos. After his training, he became a physician to the Emperor Galerius.

St. Hermolaus, Bishop of Nicomedia, brought him back to the Church when he convinced Pantaleon there was a physician greater than he―Christ Himself. Hermolaus urged Pantaleon to remember that faith is to be trusted over medical knowledge saying, “But, my friend, of what use are all your acquirements in this art, as you utterly ignorant of the science of salvation?”

Pantaleon then converted his pagan father by healing a blind man in his presence merely by invoking Jesus’ name. At his father’s death, the saint received a huge fortune. He freed his father’s slaves, distributed his wealth to the poor and selflessly served their medical needs. However, green-eyed colleagues saw him as a threat. (You get a lot of that from atheists and pagans.) They denounced him to the Emperor Diocletian in AD 305. The emperor, however, had a warm spot for the Christian physician and hoped to spare him his impending martyrdom. Pantaleon refused to apostatize himself and, in fact, started preaching to the emperor. This wasn’t a good idea when it came to Diocletian who wanted nothing more than to wipe out all Christians and be worshipped as a god.

But Pantaleon was having none of it. In fact, he turned around and healed a paralyzed member of the emperor’s court. That was another bad move on Pantaleon’s part as the emperor thought the miracle was an example of “magic.”

Pantaleon was handed over to the torturers and was burned with torches. Christ appeared to all present, extinguished the torches and healed Pantaleon. This apparently only infuriated the pagans. A tub of molten lead was set to a boil and the saint was thrown into it. The fire immediately went out and the lead became cold to the touch. The pagans then tied a great stone around Pantaleon’s neck and was threw him into the sea―oddly, the stone floated and Pantaleon, being a pretty smart cookie, hung on to it.

He was then thrown to wild beasts but the animals padded up to him and fawned over him. The animals refused to leave his side until Pantaleon blessed them. The saint was bound to a wheel but the ropes immediately gave way. Also, the wheel snapped in two. One of the torturers had had just about enough of Pantaleon’s shenanigans and grabbed a sword hoping to behead him. The sword bent and the executioners abandoned their paganism and converted to Christ.

Pantaleon begged God to forgive his torturers and, for this reason, boys and girls, is the reason why he is called Panteleimon (Greek: “mercy for everyone”). At being comforted in the knowledge that God was with him, the saint earnestly desired martyrdom and gave the executioner permission to kill him. The man obliged and beheaded the saint on the spot. At that, his severed head produced both blood and a white liquid like milk.

In his Victories of the Martyrs, St. Alphonsus noted in his chapter on Pantaleon that he had personally witnessed a vial of the saint’s blood liquefy in Naples on the saint’s feast day.

That’s it for the icky part. Here comes the fun part…

Apparently, Catholics have been pestering this poor [man] saint for winning lottery numbers for several hundreds of years who then responds in dreams. (I’m going to presume that some have even gone so far as to ask him to win at bingo as well.)

St. Pantaleon has always been popular amongst Italians, and no less so in Venice. Because the saint’s name had been common there, it’s become associated with the city. The name has subsequently given to a character in a recurring in commedia dell'arte, (i.e., plays that slamming door farces full of pratfalls, seltzer bottles down the pants, coconut cream pies in the face plays that are full of puns and misunderstandings). Shakespeare, being Catholic himself, created a character named Pantalone in his hilarious play As You Like It and had the character wear pants instead of knee breeches. The trousers become so associated with Venetians and this literary character that the word “trousers” became the Italian word, pantaloni. Thus, St. Pantaleon has become the Patron of Trousers — and probably pant suits. (I just thought that needed to be pointed out.)

Now we know who’s taking up the slack of prayers after having ripped one’s trousers in embarrassing social situations.

In addition to trousers and winning lottery numbers, St. Pantalone’s sphere of influence also includes physicians, midwives and livestock. He’s also invoked against headaches, loneliness, consumption, wild locust attacks, witchcraft and accidents.

He also, and I’m not making this up, accepts prayers to stop kids from crying. (I came to this knowledge a few years too late, but at least I can recommend Pantalone to the lady in the airplane seat ahead of me.)

Like journalist Tom McDonald always suggests, let’s Catholicism weird (weirdcatholic.com). That definitely won’t be a struggle considering the stuff we believe.

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ncregister.com

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[fidelis]

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

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

From: Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21

Jeremiah's second "confession"
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[10] Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.

[16] Thy words were found, and I ate them, and thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart; for I am called by thy name, O Lord, God of hosts. [17] I did not sit in the company of merrymakers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because thy hand was upon me, for thou hadst filled me with indignation. [18] Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Wilt thou be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail?

[19] Therefore thus says the Lord: "If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless. you shall be as my mouth. They shall turn to you, but you shall not turn to them. [20] And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, says the Lord. [21] will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless."

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Commentary:

15:10-21. Jeremiah again opens his heart to the Lord. The mission God gave him has not proved easy. In vv. 10-11 he seems to share his thoughts with his mother, with himself and with God, and in vv. 15-21 he makes a prayerful complaint to God, who spells out what course he should take and offers hope of deliverance. Verses 12-14, which break the thread of the passage and are to be found again in 17:3-4, seem to stress the solidarity that exists between Jeremiah and the people.

Despite the fact that Jeremiah has sought only to serve the Lord and intercede with him even on behalf of enemies, wishing no one evil, he has been rejected and cursed and has become a source of discord. He tells the Lord how pained he feels (vv. 10-11) and he goes on to recall times when he felt very happy in his relations with God (v. 16), and other times when he felt desolate because everyone rejected him (vv. 17-18). As in the first "confession" (11:18-12:6), the Lord's reply seems harsh, calling him to personal conversion (v. 19a). Because Jeremiah must preach conversion to others, he must begin with himself, by being true to the mission entrusted to him; he must shed any feelings of pessimism. Once he is cleansed, he will be well able to speak the word of the Lord and the people will heed him (vv. 19b-21).

Jeremiah's trusting dialogue with the Lord, and the reply he is given (v. 19), are a personal call to the reader of this passage: "This is meant for everyone, for God is always calling on us to return to him" (Origen, Homiliae in Jeremiam, 14, 18).

[fidelis]

From: Matthew 13:44-46

The Hidden Treasure; The Pearl
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [44] "The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

[45] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, [46] who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it."

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Commentary:

44-46. In these two parables Jesus shows the supreme value of the Kingdom of Heaven, and the attitude people need if they are to attain it. The parables are very alike, but it is interesting to note the differences: the treasure means abundance of gifts; the pearl indicates the beauty of the Kingdom. The treasure is something stumbled upon; the pearl, the result of a lengthy search; but in both instances the finder is filled with joy. Faith, vocation, true wisdom, desire for Heaven, are things which sometimes are discovered suddenly and unexpectedly, and sometimes after much searching (cf. St. Gregory the Great, "In Evangelia Homilae", 11). However, the man's attitude is the same in both parables and is described in the same terms: "he goes and sells all that he has and buys it": detachment, generosity, is indispensable for obtaining the treasure.

"Anyone who understands the Kingdom which Christ proposes realizes that it is worth staking everything to obtain it [...]. The Kingdom of Heaven is difficult to win. No one can be sure of achieving it, but the humble cry of a repentant man can open wide its doors" (St J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 180).

Source: Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

[fidelis]

The St. Paul Center's daily audio scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma.

Why God's Truth Will Provoke Opposition - Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time

[fidelis]

The St. Paul Center's daily audio scripture reflections from the Mass for Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. John Bergsma.

Why God's Truth Will Provoke Opposition - Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time