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Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings xx-April-2024
Universalis/Jerusalem Bible ^

Posted on 05/01/2024 3:44:09 AM PDT by annalex

1 May 2024

Wednesday of the 5th week of Eastertide



Saint James Cathedral in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).


First readingActs 15:1-6 ©

They were to go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders

Some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, ‘Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.’ This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas and others of the church should go up to Jerusalem and discuss the problem with the apostles and elders.
  All the members of the church saw them off, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria they told how the pagans had been converted, and this news was received with the greatest satisfaction by the brothers. When they arrived in Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church and by the apostles and elders, and gave an account of all that God had done with them.
  But certain members of the Pharisees’ party who had become believers objected, insisting that the pagans should be circumcised and instructed to keep the Law of Moses. The apostles and elders met to look into the matter.

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 121(122):1-5 ©
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
or
Alleluia!
I rejoiced when I heard them say:
  ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
And now our feet are standing
  within your gates, O Jerusalem.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
or
Alleluia!
Jerusalem is built as a city
  strongly compact.
It is there that the tribes go up,
  the tribes of the Lord.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
or
Alleluia!
For Israel’s law it is,
  there to praise the Lord’s name.
There were set the thrones of judgement
  of the house of David.
I rejoiced when I heard them say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’
or
Alleluia!

Gospel AcclamationJn10:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
Or:Jn15:4,5
Alleluia, alleluia!
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you,
says the Lord;
whoever remains in me bears fruit in plenty.
Alleluia!

GospelJohn 15:1-8 ©

I am the vine, you are the branches

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I am the true vine,
and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit
he cuts away,
and every branch that does bear fruit
he prunes to make it bear even more.
You are pruned already,
by means of the word that I have spoken to you.
Make your home in me, as I make mine in you.
As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself,
but must remain part of the vine,
neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine,
you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me, with me in him,
bears fruit in plenty;
for cut off from me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
is like a branch that has been thrown away – he withers;
these branches are collected and thrown on the fire,
and they are burnt.
If you remain in me
and my words remain in you,
you may ask what you will
and you shall get it.
It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit,
and then you will be my disciples.’

Christian Art

Illustration

Each day, The Christian Art website gives a picture and reflection on the Gospel of the day.

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; easter; jn15; prayer
For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

1 posted on 05/01/2024 3:44:09 AM PDT by annalex
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To: All

KEYWORDS: catholic; easter; jn15; prayer


2 posted on 05/01/2024 3:44:45 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 05/01/2024 3:45:28 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
My dad is back in the hospital. [JimRob update at 242]
Jim still needs our prayers. Thread 2
Prayer thread for Salvation's recovery
Pray for Ukraine
Prayer thread for Fidelis' recovery
Update on Jim Robinson's health issues
4 posted on 05/01/2024 3:45:51 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex
John
 English: Douay-RheimsLatin: Vulgata ClementinaGreek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
 John 15
1I AM the true vine; and my Father is the husbandman. Ego sum vitis vera, et Pater meus agricola est.εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν
2Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit, he will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Omnem palmitem in me non ferentem fructum, tollet eum, et omnem qui fert fructum, purgabit eum, ut fructum plus afferat.παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη
3Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you. Jam vos mundi estis propter sermonem quem locutus sum vobis.ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν
4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me. Manete in me, et ego in vobis. Sicut palmes non potest fere fructum a semetipso, nisi manserit in vite, sic nec vos, nisi in me manseritis.μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω ουτως ουδε υμεις εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε
5I am the vine; you the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. Ego sum vitis, vos palmites : qui manet in me, et ego in eo, hic fert fructum multum, quia sine me nihil potestis facere.εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν
6If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth. Si quis in me non manserit, mittetur foras sicut palmes, et arescet, et colligent eum, et in ignem mittent, et ardet.εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις το πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται
7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you. Si manseritis in me, et verba mea in vobis manserint, quodcumque volueritis petetis, et fiet vobis.εαν μεινητε εν εμοι και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε και γενησεται υμιν
8In this is my Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become my disciples. In hoc clarificatus est Pater meus, ut fructum plurimum afferatis, et efficiamini mei discipuli.εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται

5 posted on 05/01/2024 3:48:51 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

15:1–3

1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

HILARY. (ix. de Trin) He rises in haste to perform the sacrament of His final passion in the flesh, (such is His desire to fulfil His Father’s commandment:) and therefore takes occasion to unfold the mystery of His assumption of His flesh, whereby He supports us, as the vine doth its branches: I am the true vine.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. lxxx. 2) He says this as being the Head of the Church, of which we are the members, the Man Christ Jesus; for the vine and the branches are of the same nature. When He says, I am the true vine, He does not mean really a vine; for He is only called so metaphorically, not literally, even as He is called the Lamb, the Sheep, and the like; but He distinguishes Himself from that vine to whom it is said, How art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me. (Jer. 11:21) For how is that a true vine, which when grapes are expected from it, produces only thorns?

HILARY. (ix. de Trin) But He wholly separates this humiliation in the flesh from the form of the Paternal Majesty, by setting forth the Father as the diligent Husbandman of this vine: And My Father is the Husbandman.

AUGUSTINE. (de Verb. Dom. serm. lix) For we cultivate God, and God cultivates us. But our culture of God does not make Him better: our culture is that of adoration, not of ploughing: His culture of us makes us better. His culture consists in extirpating all the seeds of wickedness from our hearts, in opening our heart to the plough, as it were, of His word, in sowing in us the seeds of His commandments, in waiting for the fruits of piety.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxvi) And forasmuch as Christ was sufficient for Himself, but His disciples needed the help of the Husbandman, of the vine He says nothing, but adds concerning the branches, Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit, He taketh away. By fruit is meant life, i. e. that no one can be in Him without good works.

HILARY. (ix. de Trin) The useless and deceitful branches He cuts down for burning.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxvi. 1) And inasmuch as even the best of men require the work of the husbandman, He adds, And every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. He alludes here to the tribulations and trials which were coming upon them, the effect of which would be to purge, and so to strengthen them. By pruning the branches we make the tree shoot out the more.

AUGUSTINE. (Tr. lxxx. 3) And who is there in this world so clean, that he cannot be more and more changed? Here, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. (1 John 1:8) He cleanseth then the clean, i. e. the fruitful, that the cleaner they be, the more fruitful they may be. Christ is the vine, in that He saith, My Father is greater than I; but in that He saith, I and My Father are one, He is the husbandman; not like those who carry on an external ministry only; for He giveth increase within. Thus He calls Himself immediately the cleanser of the branches: Now ye are clean through the word, which I have spoken unto you. He performs the part of the husbandman then, as well as of the vine. But why does He not say, ye are clean by reason of the baptism wherewith ye are washed? Because it is the word in the water which cleanseth. Take away the word, and what is the water, but water? Add the word to the element, and you have a sacrament. Whence hath the water such virtue as that by touching the body, it cleanseth the heart, but by the power of the word, not spoken only, but believed? For in the word itself, the passing sound is one thing, the abiding virtue another. This word of faith is of such avail in the Church of God, that by Him who believes, presents, blesses, sprinkles the infant, it cleanseth that infant, though itself is unable to believe.

CHRYSOSTOM. Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you, i. e. ye have been enlightened by My doctrine, and been delivered from Jewish error.

15:4–7

4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxvi non occ.) Having said that they were clean through the word which He had spoken unto them, He now teaches them that they must do their part.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxxi. 1) Abide in Me, and I in you: not they in Him, as He in them; for both are for the profit not of Him, but them. The branches do not confer any advantage upon the vine, but receive their support from it: the vine supplies nourishment to the branches, takes none from them: so that the abiding in Christ, and the having Christ abiding in them, are both for the profit of the disciples, not of Christ; according to what follows, As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. Great display of grace! He strengtheneth the hearts of the humble, stoppeth the mouth of the proud. They who hold that God is not necessary for the doing of good works, the subverters, not the assertors, of free will, contradict this truth. For he who thinks that he bears fruit of himself, is not in the vine; he who is not in the vine, is not in Christ; he who is not in Christ, is not a Christian.

ALCUIN. All the fruit of good works proceeds from this root. He who hath delivered us by His grace, also carries us onward by his help, so that we bring forth more fruit. Wherefore He repeats, and explains what He has said: I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me, by believing, obeying, persevering, and I in Him, by enlightening, assisting, giving perseverance, the same, and none other, bringeth forth much fruit.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxxi. 3) But lest any should suppose that a branch could bring forth a little fruit of itself, He adds, For without Me ye can do nothing. He does not say, ye can do little. Unless the branch abides in the vine, and lives from the root, it can bear no fruit whatever. Christ, though He would not be the vine, except He were man, yet could not give this grace to the branches, except He were God.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxvi. 1) The Son then contributes no less than the Father to the help of the disciples. The Father changeth, but the Son keepeth them in Him, which is that which makes the branches fruitful. And again, the cleansing is attributed to the Son also, and the abiding in the root to the Father who begat the root. (c. 2.). It is a great loss to be able to do nothing, but He goes on to say more than this: If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, i. e. shall not benefit by the care of the husbandman, and withereth, i. e. shall lose all that it desires from the root, all that supports its life, and shall die.

ALCUIN. And men gather them, i. e. the reapers, the Angels, and cast them into the fire, everlasting fire, and they are burned.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxxi. 3) For the branches of the vine are as contemptible, if they abide not in the vine, as they are glorious, if they abide. One of the two the branch must be in, either the vine, or the fire: if it is not in the vine, it will be in the fire.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxvi. 2) Then He shews what it is to abide in Him. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. It is to be shewn by their works.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxxi. 4) For then may His words be said to abide in us, when we do what He has commanded, and love what He has promised. But when His words abide in the memory, and are not found in the life, the branch is not accounted to be in the vine, because it derives no life from its root. So far as we abide in the Saviour we cannot will any thing that is foreign to our salvation. We have one will, in so far as we are in Christ, another, in so far as we are in this world. And by reason of our abode in this world, it sometimes happens that we ask for that which is not expedient, through ignorance. But never, if we abide in Christ, will He grant it us, Who does not grant except what is expedient for us. And here we are directed to the prayer, Our Father. Let us adhere to the words and the meaning of this prayer in our petitions, and whatever we ask will be done for us.

15:8–11

8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

9. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

10. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love: even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxvi. 2) Our Lord shewed above, that those who plotted against them should be burned, inasmuch as they abode not in Christ: now He shews that they themselves would be invincible, bringing forth much fruit; Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit: as if He said, If it appertains to My Father’s glory that ye bring forth fruit, He will not despise His own glory. And he that bringeth forth fruit is Christ’s disciple: So shall ye be My disciples.

THEOPHYLACT. The fruit of the Apostles are the Gentiles, who through their teaching were converted to the faith, and brought into subjection to the glory of God.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxxii. 1) Made bright or glorified; the Greek word may be translated in either way. Δόξα signifies glory; not our own glory, we must remember, as if we had it of ourselves: it is of His grace that we have it; and therefore it is not our own but His glory. For from whom shall we derive our fruitfulness, but from His mercy preventing us. Wherefore He adds, As My Father hath loved Me, even so love I you. This then is the source of our good works. Our good works proceed from faith which worketh by love: but we could not love unless we were loved first: As My Father hath loved Me, even so love I you. This does not prove that our nature is equal to His, as His is to the Father’s, but the grace, whereby He is the Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. The Father loves us, but in Him.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxvi. 2) If then I love you, be of good cheer; if it is the Father’s glory that ye bring forth good fruit, bear no evil. Then to rouse them to exertion, He adds, Continue ye in My love; and then shews how this is to be done: If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxxii. 3. et seq.) Who doubts that love precedes the observance of the commandments? For who loves not, has not that whereby to keep the commandments. These words then do not declare whence love arises, but how it is shewn, that no one might deceive himself into thinking that he loved our Lord, when he did not keep His commandments. Though the words, Continue ye in My love, do not of themselves make it evident which love He means, ours to Him, or His to us, yet the preceding words do: I love you, He says: and then immediately after, Continue ye in My love. Continue ye in My love, then, is, continue in My grace: and, If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love, is, Your keeping of My commandments, will be evidence to you that ye abide in My love. It is not that we keep His commandments first, and that then He loves; but that He loves us, and then we keep His commandments. This is that grace, which is revealed to the humble, but hidden from the proud. But what means the next words, Even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love: i. e. the Father’s love, wherewith He loveth the Son. Must this grace, wherewith the Father loves the Son, be understood to be like the grace wherewith the Son loveth us? No; for whereas we are sons not by nature, but by grace, the Only Begotten is Son not by grace, but by nature. We must understand this then to refer to the manhood in the Son, even as the words themselves imply: As My Father hath loved Me, even so love I you. The grace of a Mediator is expressed here; and Christ is Mediator between God and man, not as God, but as man. This then we may say, that since human nature does not pertain to the nature of God, but does by grace pertain to the Person of the Son, grace also pertains to that Person; such grace as has nothing superior, nothing equal to it. For no merits on man’s part preceded the assumption of that nature.

ALCUIN. Even as I have kept My Father’s commandments. The Apostle explains what these commandments were: Christ became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Phil. 2:8)

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. lxxvii. 1) Then because the Passion was now approaching to interrupt their joy, He adds, These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may remain in you: as if He said, And if sorrow fall upon you, I will take it away; so that ye shall rejoice in the end.

AUGUSTINE. (Tract. lxxxiii. 1) And what is Christ’s joy in us, but that He deigns to rejoice on our account? And what is our joy, which He says shall be full, but to have fellowship with Him? He had perfect joy on our account, when He rejoiced in foreknowing, and predestinating us; but that joy was not in us, because then we did not exist: it began to be in us, when He called us And this joy we rightly call our own, this joy wherewith we shall be blessed; which is begun in the faith of them who are born again, and shall be fulfilled in the reward of them who rise again.


Catena Aurea John 15


6 posted on 05/01/2024 3:51:40 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


Christ Taking Leave of the Apostles

Duccio di Buoninsegna

1308-11
Tempera on wood, 50 x 53 cm
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

7 posted on 05/01/2024 3:52:03 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex

Who Was James Son of Alphaeus? The Beginner’s Guide

by | Sep 11, 2019 | Bible characters

James son of Alphaeus was one of the twelve main disciples of Jesus Christ. The New Testament only mentions him in the four lists of disciples, and always toward the end, indicating he was less important than the others.

James son of Alphaeus is traditionally identified as James the Less and James the brother of Jesus. If these are all references to the same James, that would make James son of Alphaeus the author of the Book of James and one of the three men Paul called “pillars” of the church. Some have also argued that he’s the Apostle Matthew’s brother.

Many modern scholars are more hesitant to make these associations, but one distinction is absolutely clear: James son of Alphaeus is not the same person as James son of Zebedee, one of Jesus’ closest disciples who was martyred in Acts 12:2.

So who was James son of Alphaeus, and what do we know about him? In this guide we’ll cover the facts and the ambiguities, looking at what the Bible says and what the church has concluded.

Here’s a quick look at what we know.

Who was James son of Alphaeus?

“James son of Alphaeus” is only explicitly mentioned in the four lists of disciples. But there are three people named James in the New Testament, and plenty of people in the Bible were known by multiple names or had multiple monikers. So it’s possible that this James is also another James, which would give us more passages to go on and more early Christian writings to reference.

Here’s what we can say about James son of Alphaeus.

One of the Twelve

Some of the disciples’ callings receive special attention in the gospels. Jesus calls Andrew, Peter, James, and John while they’re tending to their fishing boats. And he calls Matthew the tax collector from his tax booth.

James son of Alphaeus doesn’t get this kind of attention. But he is one of the Twelve.

The New Testament lists all twelve apostles four times—Matthew 10:2–4, Mark 3:14–19, Luke 6:13–16, and Acts 1:13–16. While there are some variations in the order the apostles appear and even the names they went by, James son of Alphaeus is listed in all of them. He’s never mentioned in the Gospel of John, but John never explicitly lists all the apostles.

This means James son of Alphaeus was one of the people who was closest to Jesus, and that he spent about three years living with him, witnessing his miracles, and hearing his teachings. He saw numerous demonstrations of Jesus’ divinity.

Even though the Book of Acts and the epistles never describe James son of Alphaeus’ ministry, he would’ve been one of the most important leaders of the early church.

Just how important, though, depends on if he can be identified with any of the other Jameses.

Possibly James the Less

James the Less, also referred to as the Lesser, the Younger, the Little, and the Minor, is mentioned four times in the gospels, always in relation to his mother, Mary, whom John refers to as Mary of Clopas in John 19:25.

Technically, the moniker “the Less” is only used once, in Mark 15:40, but early Christians used it widely to distinguish which James they were referring to. The moniker is ambiguous, but it’s clearly intended to distinguish this James from James son of Zebedee, who was one of the most prominent disciples. It could mean he was younger, shorter, or less significant.

Some scholars believe the fact that the gospel writers used “the Lesser” here implies there were only two Jameses they needed to distinguish between, and Jerome and other early Christian writers were quick to identify James the Less as James son of Alphaeus and James, the brother of Jesus (although Jerome and others argued “brothers” must’ve meant “cousins,” to maintain the perpetual virginity of Mary).

One of the key arguments for why James the Less should be identified with James son of Alphaeus depends on whether or not you consider him an apostle, and how you define apostle. Many early Christians reserved the title for members of the Twelve, or the Seventy, but it technically just means “one who is sent,” and has been applied to other early Christians.

Here’s what Jerome suggests in The Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Mary:

“Do you intend the comparatively unknown James the Less, who is called in Scripture the son of Mary, not however of Mary the mother of our Lord, to be an apostle, or not? If he is an apostle, he must be the son of Alphæus and a believer in Jesus, ‘For neither did his brethren believe in him.’

“The only conclusion is that the Mary who is described as the mother of James the Less was the wife of Alphæus and sister of Mary the Lord’s mother, the one who is called by John the Evangelist ‘Mary of Clopas’.”

Despite Jerome’s certainty, that is not the only conclusion. And while the church and many modern scholars take Jerome’s assertion for granted, some are more critical. Scripture doesn’t make these connections explicit, and while it’s certainly possible, the early church doesn’t offer much more clarity.

James the Less is as obscure and unknown as James son of Alphaeus, so little if anything is gained by their association. But if James son of Alphaeus can be identified as James, the brother of Jesus, suddenly we learn a lot more about the role he played in the early church. 

And there’s a decent link between James the Less and James the brother of Jesus: Jesus had brothers named James and Joseph (see Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55), and James the less has a brother named Joseph (Mark 15:40). This is likely why Jerome was so confident all three Jameses were the same.

Possibly James, brother of Jesus

James, brother of Jesus, also known as James the Just, was the leader of the church in Jerusalem and is the traditional author of James. Paul mentions him in Galatians 1:19, while describing a visit to Jerusalem:

“I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord’s brother.”

Some argue that by including this James as one of the apostles, Paul is identifying him as James son of Alphaeus, because “apostles” usually referred to the Twelve. James son of Zebedee wouldn’t have been described as “the Lord’s brother,” and by this point he’d already been martyred, so by default, Paul would be referring to James son of Alphaeus. (Unless Paul used the title apostle for more than just members of the Twelve, as he appears to do in 1 Corinthians 15:5–8.)

Paul continued in Galatians 2, recounting a second visit to Jerusalem, where the Council of Jerusalem took place to discuss whether Gentile believers would have to follow the Law of Moses. In Acts, James presided over this council. Here, Paul describes him as a pillar of the church, along with Peter and John:

“James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.” —Galatians 2:9

Paul doesn’t refer to this James as “the Lord’s brother” again, and he doesn’t introduce any other distinction from other Jameses. This likely means he’s discussing the same James (though it’s also possible that the James in 2:9 was so well-known that it would’ve been obvious who Paul meant).

The early church unanimously connected James, brother of Jesus to James, the leader of the early church. But other than Jerome’s inference that Paul would only call him an apostle if he were one of the Twelve, there’s no solid evidence that this James is also James son of Alphaeus. (Unless James son of Alphaeus is also James the Less.)

If he were, then we also have to piece together how James son of Alphaeus and Mary (which was a very common name) is “the brother” of Jesus, who was the son of Mary and Joseph (and God).

Did Mary and Joseph have more kids? Catholics give that a HARD “No.” Same with Mary having kids with another man. But Joseph, who phases out of the gospel narrative after Jesus’ childhood, could have divorced Mary, remarried, and had other children. Or, as Jerome argues, “brother” could’ve meant cousin—maybe.

The Mary described as James’ mother in Mark 15:40, Mark 16:1, Matthew 27:56, and Luke 24:10, is believed to be Mary of Clopas in John 19:25. These parallel passages list women who were at the foot of the cross when Jesus died. So the synoptic gospels all describe this Mary as the mother of James (and Joseph, according to Matthew and Mark), and the Gospel of John calls her Mary of Clopas and describes her as the sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother.

It’s unclear if “of Clopas” means she was married to Clopas or the daughter of Clopas. Traditionally, it was assumed Alphaeus was married to Mary, the daughter of Clopas, but some scholars argue that Alphaeus and Clopas are the same person. In either case, these assumptions led to Jerome’s conclusion that all three Jameses: James the Less, James son of Alphaeus, and James, brother of Jesus are the same person.

Unfortunately, the text doesn’t explicitly tell us, and thus we can’t say for sure how James the Just is Jesus’ brother or if that James is the same person as James son of Alphaeus. So it’s safer not to assume they are the same.

Matthew’s brother?

James isn’t the only disciple who is described as “son of Alphaeus.” Mark 2:14 identifies Levi the tax collector as the son of a man named Alphaeus, too. Levi the tax collector is the same person as Matthew the apostle. (Most likely, Levi either indicated Matthew was from the tribe of Levi, or Matthew was simply his Greek name.)

But there’s a problem.

There are at least two sets of brothers among the Twelve: Peter and Andrew, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. And the Bible treats these pairs of brothers differently than Matthew and James.

In every list of the disciples, James son of Alphaeus and Matthew, son of Alphaeus are never grouped together like the other brothers. James is always listed as “son of Alphaeus,” but Matthew never is. And if that weren’t enough: the lists of disciples explicitly call Simon Peter and Andrew brothers, and James and John brothers, but they make no mention of any association between Matthew and James son of Alphaeus.

And unfortunately, no one named Alphaeus is ever mentioned again, so there’s no way to tell if these are two different Alphaeuses.

If Matthew and James were brothers, and James son of Alphaeus was also James, brother of Jesus, then would that make Matthew the brother of Jesus, too? Yikes.

Most scholars don’t take this possibility very seriously.

A missionary?

All of the apostles were sent to be missionaries somewhere. But since the church has often assumed that James son of Alphaeus, James the Less, and James, brother of Jesus were all the same people, where James son of Alphaeus went gets a little fuzzy.

If he is Jesus’ brother, then he was “sent” to Jerusalem, where he led the church.

But the Orthodox chronicler Nikephoros suggests James son of Alphaeus wound up in Egypt, in the ancient city of Ostrakine (Historia Ecclesiastica II:40).

There’s no way to be sure where he went. But we can be confident he was sent to spread the gospel somewhere.

How did James son of Alphaeus die?

If we connect James son of Alphaeus with James the Just (the brother of Jesus), then tradition tells us that he was pushed from the pinnacle of a temple, where he was preaching, and then beaten with a fuller’s club and stoned to death. In art, James son of Alphaeus is typically portrayed with a fuller’s club, reflecting the church’s assumption that he was the same person as James the Just.

However, the tradition which claims James son of Alphaeus preached in Egypt says he was crucified in the city of Ostrakine.

Hippolytus, a theologian who lived in the second and third centuries, allegedly recorded James’ death in On the Twelve Apostles of Christ:

“And James the son of Alphaeus, when preaching in Jerusalem was stoned to death by the Jews, and was buried there beside the temple.

This is the same death tradition ascribes to James, brother of Jesus, but scholars have little reason to trust On the Twelve Apostles of Christ. The text wasn’t discovered until the nineteenth century, and most believe it’s pseudepigrapha (writing that falsely claims to be written by someone).

So unfortunately, the ambiguities and unknowns surrounding James son of Alphaeus prevent us from being certain how or where he died. However, most members of the Twelve were martyred, so it would be surprising if one of the least known disciples simply died of old age, like John.

One of the most obscure apostles

There’s really not much we can say about James son of Alphaeus without assuming he was also the brother of Jesus. But the Bible doesn’t tell us he was. It doesn’t tell us anything about him as an individual.

What we do know is this: as one of the Twelve, James son of Alphaeus certainly held an important role in the early church, and he likely played a key part in spreading the gospel somewhere in ancient Eurasia. Or Africa.

Other than the name of his father, the only concrete fact of his life that remains is his close association with Jesus Christ. And in the end, maybe that’s all that matters.


overviewbible.com

8 posted on 05/01/2024 4:01:27 AM PDT by annalex (fear them not)
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To: annalex


St. James the Minor

Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)

9 posted on 05/01/2024 4:06:15 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)

First Reading:

From: Acts 15:1-6

Dissension at Antioch; Judaizers
--------------------------------
[1] But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." [2] And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and the elders about this question.

Paul and Barnabas Go to Jerusalem
---------------------------------
[3] So, being sent on their way by the Church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great joy to all the brethren. [4] When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church and the Apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. [5] But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses."

Peter's Address to the Elders
-----------------------------
[6] The Apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

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Commentary:

1-35. This chapter is the center of Acts, not just because it comes right in the middle of the book but also because it covers the key event as far as concerns the universality of the Gospel and its unrestricted spread among the Gentiles. It is directly linked to the conversion of the pagan Cornelius; here, with the help of the Holy Spirit, all the consequences of that event are drawn out.

Christians with a Pharisee background--"certain men [who] came from James" (Galatians 2;12)—arriving in Antioch, assert categorically that salvation is impossible unless a person is circumcised and practices the Law of Moses. They accept (cf. 11:18) that Gentile converts can be baptized and become part of the Church; but they do not properly understand the economy of the Gospel, that is the "new" way; they think that the Mosaic rites and precepts are all still necessary for attaining salvation. The need arises, therefore, for the whole question to be brought to the Apostles and elders in Jerusalem, who form the government of the Church.

2. Paul and Barnabas are once again commissioned by the Antiochene community to go to Jerusalem (cf. 11:30). Paul says in Galatians 2:2 that this journey to the Holy City was due to a special revelation. Possibly the Holy Spirit inspired him to volunteer for it. "Paul", St. Ephraem writes, "so as not to change without the Apostles' accord anything which they would allow to be done perhaps because of the weakness of the Jews, make his way to Jerusalem to see to the setting aside of the Law and of circumcision in the presence of the disciples: without the Apostles' support they [Paul and Barnabas] do not want to set them aside" ("Armenian Commentary, ad loc".).

4. This does not mean that all the members of the Church were present to receive Paul: the whole Church was morally present in those brethren who attend the gathering and particularly in the Apostles and elders.

5. "Party": the Greek and the New Vulgate both literally say "heresy". However, in this context the word is not pejorative. It is a correct use of language in view of the religious exclusivity and separateness practiced by the Pharisees: they saw themselves as, and in fact were, the rightful representatives of post-exilic Judaism (cf. note on Acts 13:15). The Pharisees mentioned here were Christians who in practice still lived like Jews.

6-21. The hierarchical Church, consisting of the Apostles and elders or priests, now meets to study and decide whether baptized Gentiles are obliged or not to be circumcised and to keep the Old Law. This is a question of the utmost importance to the young Christian Church and the answer to it has to be absolutely correct. Under the leadership of St. Peter, the meeting deliberates at length, but it is not going to devise a new truth or new principles: all it does is, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to provide a correct interpretation of God's promises and commandments regarding the salvation of men and the way in which Gentiles can enter the New Israel.

This meeting is seen as the first general council of the Church, that is, the prototype of the series of councils of which the Second Vatican Council is the most recent. Thus, the Council of Jerusalem displays the same features as the later ecumenical councils in the history of the Church: a) it is a meeting of the rulers of the entire Church, not of ministers of one particular place; b) it promulgates rules which have binding force for all Christians; c) the content of its decrees deals with faith and morals; d) its decisions are recorded in a written document--a formal proclamation to the whole Church; e) Peter presides over the assembly.

According to the "Code of Canon Law" (can. 338-341) ecumenical councils are assemblies--summoned and presided over by the Pope--of bishops and some others endowed with jurisdiction; decisions of these councils do not oblige unless they are confirmed and promulgated by the Pope. This assembly at Jerusalem probably took place in the year 49 or 50.

10 posted on 05/01/2024 8:12:37 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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Gospel Reading:

From: John 15:1-8

The Vine and the Branches
-------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [1] "I am the vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. [2] Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. [3] You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. [4] Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. [5] I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. [6] If a man does not abide in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. [7] If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. [8] By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples."

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

1. This comparison of the chosen people with a vine was used in the Old Testament: Psalm 80 speaks of the uprooting of the vine in Egypt and its re-planting in another land; and in Isaiah's Song of the Vineyard (5:1-7) God complains that despite the care and love He has lavished on it, His vineyard has yielded only wild grapes. Jesus previously used this imagery in His parable about the murderous tenants (Matthew 21:33-43) to signify the Jew's rejection of the Son and the calling of the Gentiles. But here the comparison has a different, more personal meaning: Christ explains that He Himself is the true vine, because the old vine, the original chosen people, has been succeeded by the new vine, the Church, whose head is Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:9). To be fruitful one must be joined to the new, true vine, Christ: it is no longer a matter of simply belonging to a community but of living the life of Christ, the life of grace, which is the nourishment which passes life on to the believer and enables him to yield fruits of eternal life. This image of the vine also helps understand the unity of the Church, Christ's mystical body, in which all the members are intimately united with the head and thereby are also united to one another (1 Corinthians 12:12-26; Romans 12:4-5; Ephesians 4:15-16).

2. Our Lord is describing two situations: that of those who, although they are still joined to the vine externally, yield no fruit; and that of those who do yield fruit but could yield still more. The Epistle of St. James carries the same message when it says that faith alone is not enough (James 2:17). Although it is true that faith is the beginning of salvation and that without faith we cannot please God, it is also true that a living faith must yield fruit in the form of deeds. "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6). So, one can say that in order to produce fruit pleasing to God, it is not enough to have received Baptism and to profess the faith externally: a person has to share in Christ's life through grace and has to cooperate with Him in His work of redemption.

Jesus uses the same verb to refer to the pruning of the branches as He uses to refer to the cleanness of the disciples in the next verse: literally the translation should run: "He cleanses him who bears fruit so that he bear more fruit". In other words, He is making it quite clear that God is not content with half-hearted commitment, and therefore He purifies His own by means of contradictions and difficulties, which are a form of pruning, to produce more fruit. In this we can see an explanation of the purpose of suffering: "Have you not heard the Master Himself tell the parable of the vine and the branches? Here we can find consolation. He demands much of you for you are the branch that bears fruit. And He must prune you `ut fructum plus afferas": to make you bear more fruit'.

"Of course: that cutting, that pruning, hurts. But, afterwards, what richness in your fruits, what maturity in your actions" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 701).

3. After washing Peter's feet Jesus had already said that His Apostles were clean, though not all of them (cf. John 13:10). Here, once more, He refers to that inner cleansing which results from accepting His teachings. "For Christ's word in the first place cleanses us from errors, by instructing us (cf. Titus 1:9) [...]; secondly, it purifies our hearts of earthly affections, filling them with desire for Heavenly things [...]; finally, His word purifies us with the strength of faith, for `He cleansed their hearts by faith' (Acts 15:9)" (St. Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on St. John, in loc.").

4-5. Our Lord draws more conclusions from the image of the vine and the branches. Now He emphasizes that anyone who is separated from Him is good for nothing, like a branch separated from the vine. "You see, the branches are full of fruit, because they share in the sap that comes from the stem. Otherwise, from the tiny buds we knew just a few months back, they could not have produced the sweet ripe fruit that gladdens the eye and make the heart rejoice. Here and there on the ground we may find some dry twigs, lying half-buried in the soil. Once they too were branches of the vine; now they lie there withered and dead, a perfect image of barrenness: `apart from Me, you can do nothing'" (St J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 254).

The life of union with Christ is necessarily something which goes far beyond one's private life: it has to be focused on the good of others; and if this happens, a fruitful apostolate is the result, for "apostolate, of whatever kind it be, must be an overflow of the interior life" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 239). The Second Vatican Council, quoting this page from St. John, teaches what a Christian apostolate should be: "Christ, sent by the Father, is the source of the Church's whole apostolate. Clearly then, the fruitfulness of the apostolate of lay people depends on their living union with Christ; as the Lord Himself said: `He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing'. This life of intimate union with Christ in the Church is maintained by the spiritual helps common to all the faithful, chiefly by the active participation in the Liturgy. Laymen should make such a use of these helps that, while meeting their human obligations in the ordinary conditions of life, they do not separate their union with Christ from their ordinary life; but through the very performance of their tasks, which are God's will for them, actually promote the growth of their union with Him" ("Apostolicam Actuositatem", 4).

6. If a person is not united to Christ by means of grace he will ultimately meet the same fate as the dead branches--fire. There is a clear parallelism with other images our Lord uses--the parables of the sound tree and the bad tree (Matthew 7:15-20), the dragnet (Matthew 13:49-50), and the invitation to the wedding (Matthew 22:11-14), etc. Here is how St. Augustine comments on this passage: "The wood of the vine is the more contemptible if it does not abide in the vine, and the more glorious if it does abide....For, being cut off it is profitable neither for the vinedresser nor for the carpenter. For one of these only is it useful--the vine or the fire. If it is not in the vine, it goes to the fire; to avoid going to the fire it must be joined to the vine" ("In Ioann. Evang.", 81, 3).

11 posted on 05/01/2024 8:13:02 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis
Click here to go to the My Catholic Life! Devotional thread for today’s Gospel Reading
12 posted on 05/01/2024 8:13:41 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis

Please join Cardinal Burke’s novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for ‘crises of our age’ (Started March 12—Never too late to join!)

Let us pray.

O Virgin Mother of God, we fly to your protection and beg your intercession against the darkness and sin which ever more envelop the world and menace the Church. Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, gave you to us as our mother as He died on the Cross for our salvation. So too, in 1531, when darkness and sin beset us, He sent you, as Our Lady of Guadalupe, on Tepeyac to lead us to Him Who alone is our light and our salvation.

Through your apparitions on Tepeyac and your abiding presence with us on the miraculous mantle of your messenger, Saint Juan Diego, millions of souls converted to faith in your Divine Son. Through this novena and our consecration to you, we humbly implore your intercession for our daily conversion of life to Him and the conversion of millions more who do not yet believe in Him. In our homes and in our nation, lead us to Him Who alone wins the victory over sin and darkness in us and in the world.

Unite our hearts to your Immaculate Heart so that they may find their true and lasting home in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Ever guide us along the pilgrimage of life to our eternal home with Him. So may our hearts, one with yours, always trust in God's promise of salvation, in His never-failing mercy toward all who turn to Him with a humble and contrite heart. Through this novena and our consecration to you, O Virgin of Guadalupe, lead all souls in America and throughout the world to your Divine Son in Whose name we pray. Amen.

13 posted on 05/01/2024 8:14:16 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis
“Ever-living God, you have given us the water of life to drink through Christ—vine, rock, Word. Make us so thirst for him that we turn aside from all lesser thirsts, through him who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

(From Magnificat magazine)

14 posted on 05/01/2024 8:15:13 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis
May is the month of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary:


15 posted on 05/01/2024 8:15:34 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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To: fidelis
Happy Feast Day of St. Joseph the Worker!

“Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was. And during the whole course of his life he fulfilled those charges and those duties. He set himself to protect with a mighty love and a daily solicitude his spouse and the Divine Infant; regularly by his work he earned what was necessary for the one and the other for nourishment and clothing; he guarded from death the Child threatened by a monarch's jealousy, and found for Him a refuge; in the miseries of the journey and in the bitternesses of exile he was ever the companion, the assistance, and the upholder of the Virgin and of Jesus.”

Quam Quam Pluries (On Devotion to St. Joseph) Pope Leo XIII

Redemptoris Custos (Custodian of the Redeemer) Pope John Paul II

16 posted on 05/01/2024 10:42:59 AM PDT by fidelis (👈 Under no obligation to respond to rude, ignorant, abusive, bellicose, and obnoxious posts.)
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