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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 05-September-2022
Universalis/Jerusalem Bible ^

Posted on 09/05/2022 8:14:01 AM PDT by annalex

5 September 2022

Monday of week 23 in Ordinary Time



Saint Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Church
Cottage Lake, Washington

Readings at Mass

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


First reading
1 Corinthians 5:1-8 ©

Get rid of the old yeast of evil and wickedness

I have been told as an undoubted fact that one of you is living with his father’s wife. This is a case of sexual immorality among you that must be unparalleled even among pagans. How can you be so proud of yourselves? You should be in mourning. A man who does a thing like that ought to have been expelled from the community. Though I am far away in body, I am with you in spirit, and have already condemned the man who did this thing as if I were actually present. When you are assembled together in the name of the Lord Jesus, and I am spiritually present with you, then with the power of our Lord Jesus he is to be handed over to Satan so that his sensual body may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
  The pride that you take in yourselves is hardly to your credit. You must know how even a small amount of yeast is enough to leaven all the dough, so get rid of all the old yeast, and make yourselves into a completely new batch of bread, unleavened as you are meant to be. Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed; let us celebrate the feast, then, by getting rid of all the old yeast of evil and wickedness, having only the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Responsorial PsalmPsalm 5:5-7,12 ©
Lead me, Lord, in your justice.
You are no God who loves evil;
  no sinner is your guest.
The boastful shall not stand their ground
  before your face.
Lead me, Lord, in your justice.
You hate all who do evil;
  you destroy all who lie.
The deceitful and bloodthirsty man
  the Lord detests.
Lead me, Lord, in your justice.
All those you protect shall be glad
  and ring out their joy.
You shelter them; in you they rejoice,
  those who love your name.
Lead me, Lord, in your justice.

Gospel AcclamationPs118:105
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is a lamp for my steps
and a light for my path.
Alleluia!
Or:Jn10:27
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!

GospelLuke 6:6-11 ©

Is it against the law on the sabbath to save life?

On the sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him to see if he would cure a man on the sabbath, hoping to find something to use against him. But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man with the withered hand, ‘Stand up! Come out into the middle.’ And he came out and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I put it to you: is it against the law on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it?’ Then he looked round at them all and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was better. But they were furious, and began to discuss the best way of dealing with Jesus.

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.



TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; lk6; ordinarytime; prayer
For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

1 posted on 09/05/2022 8:14:01 AM PDT by annalex
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To: All

KEYWORDS: catholic; lk6; ordinarytime; prayer


2 posted on 09/05/2022 8:14:32 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; marshmallow; ...
Alleluia Ping

Please FReepmail me to get on/off the Alleluia Ping List.


3 posted on 09/05/2022 8:15:21 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
Jim still needs our prayers. Thread 2
Prayer thread for Salvation's recovery
Pray for Ukraine
4 posted on 09/05/2022 8:15:44 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
Luke
 English: Douay-RheimsLatin: Vulgata ClementinaGreek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
 Luke 6
6And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And there was a man, whose right hand was withered. Factum est autem in alio sabbato, ut intraret in synagogam, et doceret. Et erat ibi homo, et manus ejus dextra erat arida.εγενετο δε και εν ετερω σαββατω εισελθειν αυτον εις την συναγωγην και διδασκειν και ην εκει ανθρωπος και η χειρ αυτου η δεξια ην ξηρα
7And the scribes and Pharisees watched if he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find an accusation against him. Observabant autem scribæ et pharisæi si in sabbato curaret, ut invenirent unde accusarent eum.παρετηρουν δε οι γραμματεις και οι φαρισαιοι ει εν τω σαββατω θεραπευσει ινα ευρωσιν κατηγοριαν αυτου
8But he knew their thoughts; and said to the man who had the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising he stood forth. Ipse vero sciebat cogitationes eorum : et ait homini qui habebat manum aridam : Surge, et sta in medium. Et surgens stetit.αυτος δε ηδει τους διαλογισμους αυτων και ειπεν τω ανθρωπω τω ξηραν εχοντι την χειρα εγειραι και στηθι εις το μεσον ο δε αναστας εστη
9Then Jesus said to them: I ask you, if it be lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy? Ait autem ad illos Jesus : Interrogo vos si licet sabbatis benefacere, an male : animam salvam facere, an perdere ?ειπεν ουν ο ιησους προς αυτους επερωτησω υμας τι εξεστιν τοις σαββασιν αγαθοποιησαι η κακοποιησαι ψυχην σωσαι η αποκτειναι
10And looking round about on them all, he said to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored. Et circumspectis omnibus dixit homini : Extende manum tuam. Et extendit : et restituta est manus ejus.και περιβλεψαμενος παντας αυτους ειπεν αυτω εκτεινον την χειρα σου ο δε εποιησεν και αποκατεσταθη η χειρ αυτου υγιης ως η αλλη
11And they were filled with madness; and they talked one with another, what they might do to Jesus. Ipsi autem repleti sunt insipientia, et colloquebantur ad invicem, quidnam facerent Jesu.αυτοι δε επλησθησαν ανοιας και διελαλουν προς αλληλους τι αν ποιησειαν τω ιησου

5 posted on 09/05/2022 8:19:05 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

6:6–11

6. And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.

7. And the Scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

8. But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

9. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?

10. And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

11. And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

AMBROSE. The Lord now proceeds to another work. For He who had determined to make the whole man safe, was able to cure each member. Hence it is said, And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught.

BEDE. He chiefly heals and teaches on the sabbaths, not only to convey the meaning of a spiritual sabbath, but because of the more numerous assembly of the people.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. But He taught things far beyond their comprehension, and opened to his hearers the way to future salvation by Him; and then after having first taught them, He suddenly shewed His divine power, as it follows, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

BEDE. But since the Master had excused by an undeniable example the breach of the sabbath, with which they charged His disciples, their object is now by watching to bring a false accusation against the Master Himself. As it follows, And the Scribes and Pharisees watched him, if he would heal on the sabbath, that if He did not, they might accuse Him of cruelty or impotence; if He did, of violation of the sabbath. Hence it follows, that they might find an accusation against him.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. For this is the way of the envious man, he feeds in himself his pang of grief with the praises of others. But the Lord knew all things, and searches the hearts; as it follows, But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand. And he arose, and stood forth, that perchance he might stir up the cruel Pharisees to pity, and allay the flames of their passion.

BEDE. But the Lord anticipating the false charge which they were preparing against Him, reproves those who by wrongly interpreting the law thought that they must rest on the sabbath-day even from good works; whereas the law commands us to abstain from servile works, i. e. from evil, on the sabbath. Hence it follows, Then said Jesus unto them, I ask you, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath, &c.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. This is a very useful question, for if it is lawful to do good on the sabbath, and there is no reason why those who work should not obtain mercy from God, cease to gather up accusation against Christ. But if it be not lawful to do good on the sabbath, and the law prohibits the safety of life, thou art become the accuser of the law. For if we examine the very institution of the sabbath, we shall find it was introduced for an object of mercy, for God commanded to keep holy the sabbath, that may rest thy man servant and thy maid servant, and all thy cattle. (Exod. 20:23.) But he who has mercy on his ox, and the rest of his cattle, how much rather will he not have mercy on man troubled with a severe disease?

AMBROSE. But the law by things present prefigured the form of things future, among which surely the days of rest to come are to be not from good works but from evil. For although secular works may be given up, yet it is no idle act of a good work to rest in the praise of God.

AUGUSTINE. Aug. de Qu. Ev. l. iii. qu. 7.) But though our Lord was healing the body, He asked this question, “is it lawful to save the soul or to lose it?” either because He performed His miracles on account of faith in which is the salvation of the soul; or, because the cure of the right hand signified the salvation of the soul, which ceasing to do good works, seemed in some measure to have a withered right hand, i. e. He placed the soul for the man, as men are wont to say, “So many souls were there.”

AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Ev. l. ii. c. 35.) But it may be questioned how Matthew came to say, that they asked the Lord, whether it was lawful to heal on the sabbath, when Luke in this place states that they rather were asked of the Lord. We must therefore believe that they first asked the Lord, and that then He understanding by their thoughts that they sought an opportunity to accuse Him, placed the man in the midst whom He was going to heal, and asked the question which Mark and Luke relate Him to have asked. It follows, And looking round about upon them all.

TITUS BOSTRENSIS. When the eyes of all were, as it were, riveted together, and their minds also fixed upon the consideration of the matter, he said to the man, Stretch forth thy hand; I command thee, Who created man. But he who had the withered hand hears, and is made whole, as it follows, And he stretched it, and it was restored. But they who should have been astonished at the miracle, increased in malice; as it follows, But they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they should do to Jesus.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. in Matt. 40.) And as Matthew relates, they go out to take counsel, that they should kill him.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. Thou perceivest, O Pharisee, a divine Worker, and Him Who delivers the sick by His heavenly power, and out of envy thou breathest forth death.

BEDE. The man represents the human race, withered by the unfruitfulness of good works, because of the hand in our first parent stretched forth to take the apple, which was healed by the innocent hand stretched forth on the cross. And rightly was the withered hand in the synagogue, because where there is the greater gift of knowledge, there the transgressor lies under the greater blame.

AMBROSE. You have heard then the words of Him who says, Stretch forth thy hand. That is a frequent and common cure, and thou that thinkest thy hand is whole, beware lest it be contracted by avarice or sacrilege. Stretch it forth oftener to help thy neighbour, to protect the widow, to save from injury him whom you see the victim of unjust attack; stretch it forth to the poor man who beseeches thee; stretch it forth to the Lord, to ask pardon of thy sins; as the hand is stretched forth so is it healed. (1 Kings 13:5, 6.)

Catena Aurea Luke 6

6 posted on 09/05/2022 8:20:10 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Jesus heals the man with a withered hand

Arabic manuscript of the Gospels by Matthew (Mattá), Mark (Marquṣ), Luke (Lūqā), and John (Yūḥannā)
Walters Ms. W.592, Gospels

Ilyās Bāsim Khūrī Bazzī Rāhib Anno Mundi 7192 / AD 1684

Abstract from the source

Text title
Anājīl
Vernacular: اناجيل

Abstract
This illuminated and illustrated Arabic manuscript of the Gospels by Matthew (Mattá), Mark (Marquṣ), Luke (Lūqā), and John (Yūḥannā) was copied in Egypt by Ilyās Bāsim Khūrī Bazzī Rāhib, who was most likely a Coptic monk, in Anno Mundi 7192 / 1684 CE. The text is written in naskh in black ink with rubrics in red. The decoration is comprised of illuminated headpieces, numerous floral paintings, and approximately fifty illustrations (fols. 3a, 8a, 10a, 18a, 20b, 23a, 24a, 25a, 31b, 39a, 41a, 43a, 47a, 48b, 58a, 74a, 81b, 85b, 86b, 88b, 89b, 131b, 134b, 137b, 138b, 143b, 151a, 157a, 161a, 166a, 169a, 188b, 190b, 192b, 196a, 201a, 204b, 207a, 208b, 212a, 215a, 219a, 223b, 231a, 234a, 240b, 244a, 245a, 254b, and 260a ). The brown goatskin binding with blind-tooled central oval medallion, pendants, and cornerpieces is contemporary with the manuscript.

7 posted on 09/05/2022 8:21:06 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex

 Mother Teresa of Calcutta

“By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus. ”Small of stature, rocklike in faith, Mother Teresa of Calcutta was entrusted with the mission of proclaiming GodÂ’s thirsting love for humanity, especially for the poorest of the poor. “God still loves the world and He sends you and me to be His love and His compassion to the poor.” She was a soul filled with the light of Christ, on fire with love for Him and burning with one desire: “to quench His thirst for love and for souls.” 

This luminous messenger of GodÂ’s love was born on 26 August 1910 in Skopje, a city situated at the crossroads of Balkan history. The youngest of the children born to Nikola and Drane Bojaxhiu, she was baptised Gonxha Agnes, received her First Communion at the age of five and a half and was confirmed in November 1916. From the day of her First Holy Communion, a love for souls was within her. Her fatherÂ’s sudden death when Gonxha was about eight years old left in the family in financial straits. Drane raised her children firmly and lovingly, greatly influencing her daughterÂ’s character and vocation. GonxhaÂ’s religious formation was further assisted by the vibrant Jesuit parish of the Sacred Heart in which she was much involved. 

At the age of eighteen, moved by a desire to become a missionary, Gonxha left her home in September 1928 to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Sisters of Loreto, in Ireland. There she received the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Thérèse of Lisieux. In December, she departed for India, arriving in Calcutta on 6 January 1929. After making her First Profession of Vows in May 1931, Sister Teresa was assigned to the Loreto Entally community in Calcutta and taught at St. MaryÂ’s School for girls. On 24 May 1937, Sister Teresa made her Final Profession of Vows, becoming, as she said, the “spouse of Jesus” for “all eternity.” From that time on she was called Mother Teresa. She continued teaching at St. MaryÂ’s and in 1944 became the schoolÂ’s principal. A person of profound prayer and deep love for her religious sisters and her students, Mother TeresaÂ’s twenty years in Loreto were filled with profound happiness. Noted for her charity, unselfishness and courage, her capacity for hard work and a natural talent for organization, she lived out her consecration to Jesus, in the midst of her companions, with fidelity and joy.

On 10 September 1946 during the train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat, Mother Teresa received her “inspiration,” her “call within a call.” On that day, in a way she would never explain, Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls took hold of her heart and the desire to satiate His thirst became the driving force of her life. Over the course of the next weeks and months, by means of interior locutions and visions, Jesus revealed to her the desire of His heart for “victims of love” who would “radiate His love on souls.” “Come be My light,” He begged her. “I cannot go alone.” He revealed His pain at the neglect of the poor, His sorrow at their ignorance of Him and His longing for their love. He asked Mother Teresa to establish a religious community, Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to the service of the poorest of the poor. Nearly two years of testing and discernment passed before Mother Teresa received permission to begin. On August 17, 1948, she dressed for the first time in a white, blue-bordered sari and passed through the gates of her beloved Loreto convent to enter the world of the poor.

After a short course with the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, Mother Teresa returned to Calcutta and found temporary lodging with the Little Sisters of the Poor. On 21 December she went for the first time to the slums. She visited families, washed the sores of some children, cared for an old man lying sick on the road and nursed a woman dying of hunger and TB. She started each day in communion with Jesus in the Eucharist and then went out, rosary in her hand, to find and serve Him in “the unwanted, the unloved, the uncared for.” After some months, she was joined, one by one, by her former students. 

On 7 October 1950 the new congregation of the Missionaries of Charity was officially established in the Archdiocese of Calcutta. By the early 1960s, Mother Teresa began to send her Sisters to other parts of India. The Decree of Praise granted to the Congregation by Pope Paul VI in February 1965 encouraged her to open a house in Venezuela. It was soon followed by foundations in Rome and Tanzania and, eventually, on every continent. Starting in 1980 and continuing through the 1990s, Mother Teresa opened houses in almost all of the communist countries, including the former Soviet Union, Albania and Cuba.

In order to respond better to both the physical and spiritual needs of the poor, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity Brothers in 1963, in 1976 the contemplative branch of the Sisters, in 1979 the Contemplative Brothers, and in 1984 the Missionaries of Charity Fathers. Yet her inspiration was not limited to those with religious vocations. She formed the Co-Workers of Mother Teresa and the Sick and Suffering Co-Workers, people of many faiths and nationalities with whom she shared her spirit of prayer, simplicity, sacrifice and her apostolate of humble works of love. This spirit later inspired the Lay Missionaries of Charity. In answer to the requests of many priests, in 1981 Mother Teresa also began the Corpus Christi Movement for Priests as a “little way of holiness” for those who desire to share in her charism and spirit. 

During the years of rapid growth the world began to turn its eyes towards Mother Teresa and the work she had started. Numerous awards, beginning with the Indian Padmashri Award in 1962 and notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, honoured her work, while an increasingly interested media began to follow her activities. She received both prizes and attention “for the glory of God and in the name of the poor.”

The whole of Mother TeresaÂ’s life and labour bore witness to the joy of loving, the greatness and dignity of every human person, the value of little things done faithfully and with love, and the surpassing worth of friendship with God. But there was another heroic side of this great woman that was revealed only after her death. Hidden from all eyes, hidden even from those closest to her, was her interior life marked by an experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God, even rejected by Him, along with an ever-increasing longing for His love. She called her inner experience, “the darkness.”  The “painful night” of her soul, which began around the time she started her work for the poor and continued to the end of her life, led Mother Teresa to an ever more profound union with God. Through the darkness she mystically participated in the thirst of Jesus, in His painful and burning longing for love, and she shared in the interior desolation of the poor.

During the last years of her life, despite increasingly severe health problems, Mother Teresa continued to govern her Society and respond to the needs of the poor and the Church. By 1997, Mother Teresa’s Sisters numbered nearly 4,000 members and were established in 610 foundations in 123 countries of the world. In March 1997 she blessed her newly-elected successor as Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity and then made one more trip abroad. After meeting Pope John Paul II for the last time, she returned to Calcutta and spent her final weeks receiving visitors and instructing her Sisters. On 5 September Mother Teresa’s earthly life came to an end. She was given the honour of a state funeral by the Government of India and her body was buried in the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity. Her tomb quickly became a place of pilgrimage and prayer for people of all faiths, rich and poor alike. Mother Teresa left a testament of unshakable faith, invincible hope and extraordinary charity. Her response to Jesus’ plea, “Come be My light,” made her a Missionary of Charity, a “mother to the poor,” a symbol of compassion to the world, and a living witness to the thirsting love of God.

Less than two years after her death, in view of Mother TeresaÂ’s widespread reputation of holiness and the favours being reported, Pope John Paul II permitted the opening of her Cause of Canonization. On 20 December 2002 he approved the decrees of her heroic virtues and miracles.

   

Homily of John Paul II

8 posted on 09/05/2022 8:26:57 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex

9 posted on 09/05/2022 8:28:03 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

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

From: 1 Corinthians 5:1-8

Punishment of the Sinner
------------------------
[1] It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father's wife. [2] And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

[3] For though absent in body I am present in spirit, and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment [4] in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, [5] you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

[6] Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? [7] Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. [8] Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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

5:1-6:20. These chapters cover the same general subject: after taking the Corinthians to task for their disunity (a sin which is the cause of other evils), and before replying to questions they themselves have raised (chaps. 7ff), St Paul deals with two matters which are inhibiting the Christian life of that community--sins of unchastity, and recourse to pagan courts.

He begins with the case of incest and the punishment of the man in question (5:1-8), and uses this incident to tell the Corinthians how obstinate sinners should be treated: they should be excluded from the Christian community (5:9-13).

The other matters--sins of impurity and recourse to pagan courts-- provide him with an opportunity to give more general practical advice in an elevated tone: firstly, he deals with lawsuits between Christians and how disputes should be solved (6:1-8); human injustice leads him, by association, to describe those sins which prevent people from inheriting the Kingdom of heaven (6:9-11). And then, in a lyrical passage, he extols the dignity of the human body and the need to keep it for God: this is a beautiful hymn in praise of the virtue of holy purity (6:12-20).

1-2. With sadness in his heart St Paul admonishes these Christians for their passive attitude to behavior so scandalous that even pagans would not tolerate it: a Christian was co-habiting with his stepmother-- something which even Roman law forbade. Clearly it could not have been his own mother, for no society would tolerate that; the woman would have been his father's second wife, and probably his father was dead; and the woman must have been a pagan because the Apostle's references are to the man.

It is possible that some self-opinionated Corinthians were arguing in favor of what the man was doing; it may be that they were misinterpreting the idea of conversion being a kind of new birth (cf. Jn 3:5), and using this as a pretext for saying that previous family ties were no longer binding (as some Jewish rabbis taught converts to Judaism).

The Apostle accepts no excuse for this type of behavior: he stresses the gravity of the sin and moves quickly and boldly to see that action is taken.

If the incestuous man is guilty of grave sin, also are those Christians who condone his behavior. Jesus' teaching is that one should correct an erring person (cf. Mt 18:15-17). "Therefore, when in our own life or in that of others we notice that 'something is wrong', something that requires the spiritual and human help which, as children of God, we can and ought to provide, the prudent thing to do is to apply the appropriate remedy by going to the root of the trouble, resolutely, lovingly and sincerely. There is no room here for inhibition, for it is a great mistake to think that problems can be solved by omissions or procrastination" (St J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 157).

3-5. In addition to giving his personal decision on the case of the incestuous man (v. 3), St Paul also supplies a solemn formula of excommunication (vv. 4-5). This contains four key elements: "in the name of the Lord Jesus", showing that the Church's judgment is on a higher than human plane; "with the power of our Lord Jesus", showing that the Church's authority derives from Christ himself: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Mt 18:18; cf. Mt 16:19; 28:28); "when you are assembled and my spirit is present": although this is not technical language--which would be out of place in a letter --it is easy to see here a reference to collegiality of decisions taken under the hierarchical authority of the Apostle.

And then the sentence is described: "you are to deliver this man to Satan." The erring man should be kept away from the Church, unable to draw on its spiritual resources and exposed to the hostile power of the devil. "The excommunicated, because they are outside the Church, lose some of the benefits it contains. There is an additional danger: the Church's prayer renders the devil less able to tempt us; therefore, when someone is excluded from the Church, he can be easily overcome by him. So it was that in the early Church when someone was excommunicated it was common for him to be physically tormented by the devil" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Super Symbolum Apostolorum", 10). However, this punishment is a temporary one, imposed "that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus", that is, imposed in order to bring him to correct his behavior.

Throughout history the Church has used its power to impose sanctions (even severe ones such as excommunication) when other means of persuasion have failed. "If on account of the gravity of the sin [public] punishment be necessary, they [bishops] must use rigor with meekness, justice with mercy, and severity with gentleness, so as to maintain without asperity that discipline which is good and necessary for people, and which leads those who are corrected to mend their ways; or, if they do not wish to change, so that their punishment may serve as a salutary warning to others and lead them away from vice" (Council of Trent, "De Reformatione", chap. 1).

6. Jesus used the example of leaven in dough to describe the growth of goodness (cf. Mt 13:31-33 and par.) and also of evil (cf. Mk 8:15-16 and par.): in both cases a small amount can produce a very large result. Here St Paul uses the simile to show the Corinthians the harm the incestuous man's behavior can do to the whole community through the bad example and scandal he gives and also through others' consenting to his sin and not doing what they can to get him to reform (cf. St Thomas, "Commentary on 1 Cor, ad loc.").

St Paul draws attention to the gravity of the sin of scandal--"anything said, done or omitted which leads another to commit sins" ("St Pius X Catechism", 417): "For, all other sins, no matter how grave they be, do injury only to the person who commits them; but this sin harms those others whom it steers off God's path. How can satisfaction be made for this injury, which involves killing a soul whom Christ has bought with his blood? For if gold is what gold is worth, the blood of Christ is what cost blood. Whence it follows that, if these people be condemned, not only will they undergo punishment for their faults but also for the faults of those whom they led into evil. Therefore, every Christian realizes how justly Christ spoke when he said (Mt 18:7), "Woe to the world for temptations to sin" (Fray Luis de Granada, "Sermon on Public Sins").

7-8. The Apostle is here using examples taken from the Jewish celebration of the Passover and the Azymes, to draw spiritual lessons for the Corinthians. The Passover was the principal Jewish feast, and its central rite the eating of the passover lamb. At the passover meal, as also on the seven days following, which were also feast-days, the eating of leavened bread was forbidden, which was why they were described as the days of the Azymes ("a-zyme" = without leaven). Thus, in the Book of Exodus God laid it down that during these days no leaven should be kept in Jewish homes (cf. Ex 12:15, 19).

Jesus Christ, our Passover, our paschal lamb, "has been sacrificed". The paschal lamb was a promise and prefigurement of the true Lamb, Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 1:29), who was the victim of the sacrifice on Calvary, offered on behalf of all mankind: "He is the true lamb who took away the sins of the world; by dying he destroyed our death; by rising he restored our life" ("Roman Missal", first Easter Preface). The perennial value of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross (cf. Heb 10:14), renewed every time Mass is said, means that Christians are always celebrating a festival. Therefore, the Apostle concludes, Christians should eliminate from community life and personal life—the old leaven, which in the context of the festival symbolizes impurity and sinfulness; and they should always live a genuinely Christian life, with azymes, the symbol of cleanness and purity, "of sincerity and truth".

"The present time is, then, a festival day,' St John Chrysostom comments, "for when he says 'let us celebrate the festival', Paul does not add: 'for Passover or Pentecost is imminent.' No, he is pointing out that all this life is a festival for Christians by virtue of the ineffable benefits they have received. Indeed, Christians, what wonders have you not received from God? For your sakes Jesus Christ has become man; he has freed you from eternal damnation, to call you to take possession of his kingdom. With this thought in mind, how can you not be in continuous festival right through your life on earth? Poverty, sickness or the persecution which oppresses us--these should not discourage us: this present life, the Apostle tells us, is a life of rejoicing" ("Hom. on 1 Cor, ad loc.").

10 posted on 09/05/2022 9:22:39 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis
From: Luke 6:6-11

The Cure of a Man with a Withered Hand
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[6] On another Sabbath, when He (Jesus) entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered. [7] And the scribes and the Pharisees watched Him, to see whether He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against Him. [8] But He knew their thoughts, and He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there. [9] And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" [10] And He looked around on them all, and said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored. [11] But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

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Commentary:

10. The Fathers teach us how to discover a deep spiritual meaning in apparently casual things Jesus says. St. Ambrose, for example, commenting on the phrase "Stretch out your hand," says: "This form of medicine is common and general. Offer it often, in benefit of your neighbor; defend from injury anyone who seems to be suffering as a result of calumny; stretch your hand out also to the poor man who asks for your help; stretch it out also to the Lord asking Him to forgive your sins; that is how you should stretch your hand out, and that is the way to be cured" ("Expositio Evangelii sec. Lucam, in loc".).

11. The Pharisees do not want to reply to Jesus' question and do not know how to react to the miracle which He goes on to work. It should have converted them, but their hearts were in darkness and they were full of jealousy and anger. Later on, these people, who kept quiet in our Lord's presence, began to discuss Him among themselves, not with a view to approaching Him again but with the purpose of doing away with Him. In this connection St. Cyril comments: "O Pharisee, you see Him working wonders and healing the sick by using a higher power, yet out of envy you plot His death" ("Commentarium in Lucam, in loc.").

Source: Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

11 posted on 09/05/2022 9:22:54 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis

The St. Paul Center's daily audio scripture reflections from the Mass for Monday of the Twenty-Third Week of Ordinary Time by Dr. Scott Hahn.

Why Excommunication Is an Act of Mercy - Monday of the Twenty-Third Week of Ordinary Time

12 posted on 09/05/2022 9:25:34 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis
Stretching Out Our Hands in Faith and Prayer

The fruit of prayer is a deepening of faith, and the fruit of faith is love; and the fruit of love is service, in whatever form, even in our family. Love begins at home. And how does it begin? By praying together; for the family that prays together stays together. And if you stay together, you will love God as he loves you. You will love one another as he loves you. What a wonderful thought, that God loves me, and that I can love you, and you can love me, as he loves us. What a wonderful gift of God!

Let us remember that Jesus always praised the faith of people—therefore often during the day we will pray: “Jesus in my heart, increase my faith, strengthen my faith. Let me live this faith through living, humble obedience.”

Love, to be true, has to begin with God in prayer. If we pray, we will be able to serve, and therefore today let us all promise that we will give our hands to serve the poor. That we will give our hearts to love them, for they too have been created for great things, they are the great people—the poor. Are you really in love with him, with that intimate love for him, that personal attachment like Saint Peter? It’s good for us to be here. Is it good for you to be with him?

Put your hand in the hand of Jesus—walk along with him all the way. We try to hold something else—we are human beings; that’s why people need to hold, that’s why we hold the hand of Jesus.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta

13 posted on 09/05/2022 12:31:48 PM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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