Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings xx-November-2023

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched on Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hands, with some of the furnishings of the Temple of God. He took them away to the land of Shinar, and stored the sacred vessels in the treasury of his own gods.

The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to select from the Israelites a certain number of boys of either royal or noble descent; they had to be without any physical defect, of good appearance, trained in every kind of wisdom, well-informed, quick at learning, suitable for service in the palace of the king. Ashpenaz himself was to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldaeans. The king assigned them a daily allowance of food and wine from his own royal table. They were to receive an education lasting for three years, after which they were expected to be fit for the king’s society. Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, who were Judaeans. Daniel, who was most anxious not to defile himself with the food and wine from the royal table, begged the chief eunuch to spare him this defilement; and by the grace of God Daniel met goodwill and sympathy on the part of the chief eunuch. But he warned Daniel, ‘I am afraid of my lord the king: he has assigned you food and drink, and if he sees you looking thinner in the face than the other boys of your age, my head will be in danger with the king because of you.’ At this Daniel turned to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He said, ‘Please allow your servants a ten days’ trial, during which we are given only vegetables to eat and water to drink. You can then compare our looks with those of the boys who eat the king’s food; go by what you see, and treat your servants accordingly.’ The man agreed to do what they asked and put them on ten days’ trial. When the ten days were over they looked and were in better health than any of the boys who had eaten their allowance from the royal table; so the guard withdrew their allowance of food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables. And God favoured these four boys with knowledge and intelligence in everything connected with literature, and in wisdom; while Daniel had the gift of interpreting every kind of vision and dream. When the period stipulated by the king for the boys’ training was over, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king conversed with them, and among all the boys found none to equal Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. So they became members of the king’s court, and on whatever point of wisdom or information he might question them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest, Lord God of our fathers.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

Blest your glorious holy name.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest in the temple of your glory.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest on the throne of your kingdom.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest who gaze into the depths.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

You are blest in the firmament of heaven.

To you glory and praise for evermore.

Even if you have to die, says the Lord,

keep faithful, and I will give you

Stay awake and stand ready,

because you do not know the hour

when the Son of Man is coming.

As Jesus looked up, he saw rich people putting their offerings into the treasury; then he happened to notice a poverty-stricken widow putting in two small coins, and he said, ‘I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of them; for these have all contributed money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in all she had to live on.’

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

1 posted on 11/27/2023 8:45:33 AM PST by annalex

KEYWORDS: catholic; lk21; ordinarytime; prayer

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Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 21
1.	AND looking on, he saw the rich men cast their gifts into the treasury.	Respiciens autem, vidit eos qui mittebant munera sua in gazophylacium, divites.	αναβλεψας δε ειδεν τους βαλλοντας τα δωρα αυτων εις το γαζοφυλακιον πλουσιους
2.	And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in two brass mites.	Vidit autem et quamdam viduam pauperculam mittentem æra minuta duo.	ειδεν δε τινα και χηραν πενιχραν βαλλουσαν εκει δυο λεπτα
3.	And he said: Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:	Et dixit : Vere dico vobis, quia vidua hæc pauper plus quam omnes misit.	και ειπεν αληθως λεγω υμιν οτι η χηρα η πτωχη αυτη πλειον παντων εβαλεν
4.	For all these have of their abundance cast into the offerings of God: but she of her want, hath cast in all the living that she had.	Nam omnes hi ex abundanti sibi miserunt in munera Dei : hæc autem ex eo quod deest illi, omnem victum suum quem habuit, misit.	απαντες γαρ ουτοι εκ του περισσευοντος αυτοις εβαλον εις τα δωρα του θεου αυτη δε εκ του υστερηματος αυτης απαντα τον βιον ον ειχεν εβαλεν

5 posted on 11/27/2023 8:51:26 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 21

21:1–4

1. And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.

2. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.

3. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:

4. For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.

GLOSS. (non occ.) Our Lord having rebuked the covetousness of the Scribes who devoured widows’ houses, commends the almsgiving of a widow; as it is said, And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting into the treasury, & c.

BEDE. In the Greek language, φυλάξαι signifies to keep, and gaza in Persian means riches, hence gazophylacium is used for the name of the place in which money is kept. Now there was a chest with an opening at the top placed near the altar, on the right hand of those entering the house of God, into which the Priests cast all the money, which was given for the Lord’s temple. But our Lord as He overthrows those who trade in His house, so also He remarks those who bring gifts, giving praise to the deserving, but condemning the bad. Hence it follows, And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. She offered two oboli, which with the sweat of her brow she had earned for her daily living, or what she daily begs for at the hands of others she gives to God, shewing that her poverty is fruitful to her. Therefore does she surpass the others, and by a just award receives a crown from God; as it follows, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more, &c.

BEDE. For whatever we offer with an honest heart is well pleasing to God, who hath respect unto the heart, not the substance, nor does He weigh the amount of that which is given in sacrifice, but of that from which it is taken; as it follows, For all these have cast in of their abundance, but she all that she had.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. 1. in Ep. ad Heb., Hom. 28.) For God regarded not the scantiness of the offering, but the overflowing of the affection. Almsgiving is not the bestowing a few things out of many, but it is that of the widow emptying, herself of her whole substance. But if you cannot offer as much as the widow, at least give all that remains over.

BEDE. Now mystically, the rich men who cast their gifts into the treasury signify the Jews puffed up with the righteousness of the law; the poor widow, the simplicity of the Church which is called poor, because it has either cast away the spirit of pride, or its sins, as if they were worldly riches. But the Church is a widow, because her Husband endured death for her. She cast two mites into the treasury, because in God’s sight, in whose keeping are all the offerings of our works, she presents her gifts, whether of love to God and her neighbour, or of faith and prayer. And these excel all the works of the proud Jews, for they of their abundance cast into the offerings of God, in that they presume on their righteousness, but the Church casts in all her living, for every thing that hath life she believes to be the gift of God.

THEOPHYLACT. Or the widow may be taken to mean any soul bereft as it were of her first husband, the ancient law, and not worthy to be united to the Word of God. Who brings to God instead of a dowry faith and a good conscience, and so seems to offer more than those who are rich in words, and abound in the moral virtues of the Gentiles.

Catena Aurea Luke 21

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The Widow's Mite

Greek icon

7 posted on 11/27/2023 8:53:26 AM PST by annalex (fear them not)

Despite the city attached to his name, St. Virgil of Salzburg was actually from Ireland—he was a pilgrim on his way to the Holy Land who stopped in Salzburg on his journey and stayed as its bishop.

As abbot of a monastery in Ireland in the eighth century, Virgil was one of the most learned men in Europe (he even gained the sobriquet the “The Geometer” for his knowledge of geometry). Virgil decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and he and his fellow companions sailed to France. Virgil spent two years wandering and traveling throughout Europe but did not get any farther east than Bavaria.

During a stay in Salzburg, Virgil was appointed abbot of a monastery, a role that included administrative duties for the bishop of that diocese. He performed these duties admirably and found himself compelled to accept an appointment as bishop of Salzburg.

Virgil ran into trouble with St. Boniface, who disagreed with some of his decisions and teachings and complained to the pope. These inter-saint disagreements came to nothing, however, and Virgil continued on his tenure as a fantastically effective bishop without further disruption from saint or sinner. Virgil rebuilt the cathedral in Salzburg to become an even larger and grander building than it had been originally and sent missionaries to evangelize the surrounding regions.

Virgil himself traveled to preach the Gospel to new people, as far as Hungary and is known as the Apostle to the Slovenians. When he returned from one such journey, Virgil, unfortunately, fell ill and died on this date, November 27, in 784. Virgil was renowned for his great knowledge and his holiness, and his feast is celebrated both in Ireland and throughout central Europe. The image of St. Virgil’s statue to the left is used here with permission from Catholic.org.

St. Virgil of Salzburg, Irish abbot who left for a Holy Land pilgrimage and found himself bishop of Salzburg—pray for us!

faith.nd.edu

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Readings at Mass

Daniel and his companions are trained to be the king's servants in Babylon

The widow's mite

Christian Art

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 21