Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 8-July-2024

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 6
1.	AND going out from thence, he went into his own country; and his disciples followed him.	Et egressus inde, abiit in patriam suam : et sequebantur eum discipuli sui :	και εξηλθεν εκειθεν και ηλθεν εις την πατριδα αυτου και ακολουθουσιν αυτω οι μαθηται αυτου
2.	And when the sabbath was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were in admiration at his doctrine, saying: How came this man by all these things? and what wisdom is this that is given to him, and such mighty works as are wrought by his hands?	et facto sabbato cœpit in synagoga docere : et multi audientes admirabantur in doctrina ejus, dicentes : Unde huic hæc omnia ? et quæ est sapientia, quæ data est illi, et virtutes tales, quæ per manus ejus efficiuntur ?	και γενομενου σαββατου ηρξατο εν τη συναγωγη διδασκειν και πολλοι ακουοντες εξεπλησσοντο λεγοντες ποθεν τουτω ταυτα και τις η σοφια η δοθεισα αυτω και δυναμεις τοιαυται δια των χειρων αυτου γινονται
3.	Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joseph, and Jude, and Simon? are not also his sisters here with us? And they were scandalized in regard of him.	Nonne hic est faber, filius Mariæ, frater Jacobi, et Joseph, et Judæ, et Simonis ? nonne et sorores ejus hic nobiscum sunt ? Et scandalizabantur in illo.	ουχ ουτος εστιν ο τεκτων ο υιος μαριας αδελφος δε ιακωβου και ιωση και ιουδα και σιμωνος και ουκ εισιν αι αδελφαι αυτου ωδε προς ημας και εσκανδαλιζοντο εν αυτω
4.	And Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor, but in his own country, and in his own house, and among his own kindred.	Et dicebat illis Jesus : Quia non est propheta sine honore nisi in patria sua, et in domo sua, et in cognatione sua.	ελεγεν δε αυτοις ο ιησους οτι ουκ εστιν προφητης ατιμος ει μη εν τη πατριδι αυτου και εν τοις συγγενεσιν και εν τη οικια αυτου
5.	And he could not do any miracles there, only that he cured a few that were sick, laying his hands upon them.	Et non poterat ibi virtutem ullam facere, nisi paucos infirmos impositis manibus curavit :	και ουκ ηδυνατο εκει ουδεμιαν δυναμιν ποιησαι ει μη ολιγοις αρρωστοις επιθεις τας χειρας εθεραπευσεν
6.	And he wondered because of their unbelief, and he went through the villages round about teaching.	et mirabatur propter incredulitatem eorum, et circuibat castella in circuitu docens.	και εθαυμαζεν δια την απιστιαν αυτων και περιηγεν τας κωμας κυκλω διδασκων

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

CHAP. 6

6:1–6

1. And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.

2. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?

3. Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

4. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

5. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.

6. And he marvelled because of their unbelief.

THEOPHYLACT. After the miracles which have been related, the Lord returns into His own country, not that He was ignorant that they would despise Him, but that they might have no reason to say, If Thou hadst come, we had believed Thee; wherefore it is said, And he went out from thence, and came into his own country.

BEDE. (in Marc. 2, 23) He means by His country, Nazareth, in which He was brought up. But how great the blindness of the Nazarenes! they despise Him, Who by His words and deeds they might know to be the Christ, solely on account of His kindred. It goes on, And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? By wisdom is meant His doctrine, by powers, the cures and miracles which He did. It goes on, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?

AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Evan. ii. 42) Matthew indeed says that He was called the son of a carpenter; nor are we to wonder, since both might have been said, for they believed Him to be a carpenter, because He was the son of a carpenter.

PSEUDO-JEROME. Jesus is called the son of a workman, of that one, however, whose work was the morning and the sun, that is, the first and second Church, as a figure of which the woman and the damsel are healed.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) For although human things are not to be compared with divine, still the type is complete, because the Father of Christ works by fire and spirit. It goes on, The brother of James, and Joses, of Jude, and, of Simon. And are not his sisters here with us? They bear witness that His brothers and sisters were with Him, who nevertheless are not to be taken for the sons of Joseph or of Mary, as heretics say, but rather, as is usual in Scripture, we must understand them to be His relations, as Abraham and Lot are called brothers, though Lot was brother’s son to Abraham. And they were offended at him. The stumbling and the error of the Jews is our salvation, and the condemnation of heretics. For so much did they despise the Lord Jesus Christ, as to call Him a carpenter, and son of a carpenter. It goes on, And Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country. Even Moses bears witness that the Lord is called a Prophet in the Scripture, for predicting His future Incarnation to the sons of Israel, he says, A Prophet shall the Lord raise up unto you of your brethren. (Acts 7:37) But not only He Himself, Who is Lord of prophets, but also Elias, Jeremiah, and the remaining lesser prophets, were worse received in their own country than in strange cities, for it is almost natural for men to envy their fellow-townsmen; for they do not consider the present works of the man, but they remember the weakness of His infancy.

PSEUDO-JEROME. Oftentimes also the origin of a man brings him contempt, as it is written, (1 Sam. 25:10. Ps. 138:6) Who is the son of Jesse? for the Lord hath respect unto the lowly; as to the proud, He beholdeth them afar off.

THEOPHYLACT. Or again, if the prophet has noble relations, his countrymen hate them, and on that account do not honour the prophet. There follows, And he could there do no mighty work, &c. What, however, is here expressed by He could not, we must take to mean, He did not choose, because it was not that He was weak, but that they were faithless; He does not therefore work any miracles there, for he spared them, lest they should be worthy of greater blame, if they believed not, even with miracles before their eyes. Or else, for the working of miracles, not only the power of the Worker is necessary, but the faith of the recipient, which was wanting in this case: therefore Jesus did not choose to work any signs there. There follows, And he marvelled at their unbelief.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) Not as if He Who knows all things before they are done, wonders at what He did not expect or look forward to, but knowing the hidden things of the heart, and wishing to intimate to men that it was wonderful, He openly shews that He wonders. And indeed the blindness of the Jews is wonderful, for they neither believed what their prophets said of Christ, nor would in their own persons believe on Christ, Who was born amongst them. Mystically again; Christ is despised in His own house and country, that is, amongst the people of the Jews, and therefore He worked few miracles there, lest they should become altogether inexcusable. But He performs greater miracles every day amongst the Gentiles, not so much in the healing of their bodies, as in the salvation of their souls.

Catena Aurea Mark 6

July 7 is the Commemoration of Saint Máel Ruain.

“Saint Máel Ruain died 792) was founder and abbot-bishop of the monastery of Tallaght (Co. Dublin, Ireland). He is often considered to be a leading figure of the monastic ‘movement’ that has become known to scholarship as the Céli Dé. He is not to be confused with the later namesake Máel Ruain, bishop of Lusca (Co. Dublin).
Little is known of his life. Máel Ruain is not his personal name bestowed at birth or baptism, but his monastic name, composed of Old Irish máel (“one who is tonsured”) and Ruain (“of Rúadán”), which may mean that he was a monk of St. Rúadán’s monastery in Lothra (north Co. Tipperary). Though his background and early career remain obscure, he is commonly credited with the foundation of the monastery of Tallaght, sometimes called “Máel Ruain’s Tallaght”, in the latter half of the 8th century. This may be supported by an entry for 10 August in the Martyrology of Tallaght, which notes that Máel Ruain came to Tallaght carrying with him “relics of the holy martyrs and virgins” (cum suis reliquiis sanctorum martirum et uirginum), apparently with an eye to founding his house. There is at any rate no evidence for a religious establishment at Tallaght prior to Máel Ruain’s arrival and although Tamlachtae, the Old Irish name for Tallaght, refers to a burial ground, it was not yet the rule for cemeteries to be located adjacent to a church. Precise details of the circumstances are unknown. A line in the Book of Leinster has been read as saying that in 774 the monk obtained the land at Tallaght from the Leinster king Cellach mac Dúnchada (d. 776), who came from the Uí Dúnchada sept of the Uí Dúnlainge branch of the Laigin, but there is no contemporary authority from the annals to support the statement. In the Martyrology of Tallaght and the entries for his death in the Irish annals (see below), he is styled a bishop.
The best known disciple of Máel Ruain’s community was Óengus the Culdee, the author of the Félire Óengusso, a versified martyrology or calendar commemorating the feasts of Irish and non-Irish saints, and possibly also of the earlier prose version, the Martyrology of Tallaght. In his epilogue to the Félire Óengusso, written sometime after Máel Ruain’s death, Óengus shows himself much indebted to his “tutor” (aite), whom he remembers elsewhere as “the great sun on Meath’s south plain” (grían már desmaig Midi). In the early ninth century, Tallaght also seems to have produced the so-called Old Irish Penitential.

Although liturgical concerns are evident in the two martyrologies, there is no strictly contemporary evidence for Máel Ruain’s own monastic principles and practices. Evidence for his teachings and their influence comes chiefly by way of a number of 9th-century writings associated with the Tallaght community known collectively as the ‘Tallaght memoir’. One of the principal texts is The Monastery of Tallaght (9th century), which claims to list the precepts and habits of Máel Ruain and some of his associates, apparently as remembered by his follower Máel Díthruib of Terryglass. Much of the text survives in a 15th-century manuscript, RIA MS 1227 (olim MS 3 B 23), and in the 17th century, an Early Modern Irish paraphrase was produced now referred to as The Teaching of Máel Ruain. Of less certain origin is the text known as the Rule of Céli Dé, which is preserved in the Leabhar Breac (15th century) and contains various instructions for the regulation and observance of monastic life, notably in liturgical matters. It is ascribed to both Óengus and Máel Ruain, but the text in its present form is a prose rendering from the original verse, possibly written in the 9th century by one of his community. These works of guidance appear to have been modelled on the sayings of the Desert Fathers of Egypt, in particular the Conferences of John Cassian. Typical concerns in them include the importance of daily recitation of the Psalter, of self-restraint and forbearance from indulgences in bodily desires and of separation from worldly concerns. Against the practices of earlier Irish monastic movements, Máel Ruain is cited as forbidding his monks to go on an overseas pilgrimage, preferring instead to foster communal life in the monastery.

Along with his disciple Aengus, Maelruain is regarded as joint author of The Rule of the Céilí Dé.

Máel Ruain’s reputation as a teacher whose influence on the monastic world extended beyond the confines of the cloister walls is further suggested by the later tract Lucht Óentad Máele Ruain (“Folk of the Unity of Máel Ruain”), which enumerates the twelve most prominent associates who embraced his teachings. They are said to include Óengus, Máel Díthruib of Terryglass, Fedelmid mac Crimthainn, king of Cashel, Diarmait ua hÁedo Róin of Castledermot (Co. Kildare) and Dímmán of Araid.
The Annals of Ulster report under the year 792 that Máel Ruain died a peaceful death, calling him a bishop (episcopus) and soldier of Christ (miles Christi). In the Annals of the Four Masters, however, in which he is also styled “bishop”, his death is assigned, probably incorrectly, to the year 787. His feast in the Martyrology of Tallaght and Félire Óengusso is on July 7. He was succeeded as abbot of Tallaght by Airerán.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1el_Ruain

Late 14th or 15th wooden statue of St. Maelruain preserved at Crossbeg near Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

“St Maelruain was the leader of the Céilí Dé, a reform movement aimed at restoring purity and austerity to Irish monasticism which had become somewhat undisciplined by the 8th century. Maelruain founded a monastery at Tallaght, in south Co Dublin. The image is of the Martyrology of Tallaght (Ms A3), a list of the names of saints and their feasts attributed to St Maelruain and his disciple St Aengus and read at their community Mass. Patrick Duffy explains the context in which Maelruain and the Céilí Dé lived.
A monastery at Tallaght
Little is know of the early life of Maelruain. Probably he was born in the Lorrha neighbourhood of north Tipperary in 720. In 755 he founded a monastery at Tallaght in south Co Dublin on land given by Cellach mac Dunchada, King of Leinster. He is associated with the monastic reform movement begun in the eighth century known as the Céilí Dé or Culdees. In both the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters, Maelruain is referred to as a “bishop”, but this terminology may reflect the Church structure of the later time of writing.
Céilí Dé
Céilí Dé probably means the ‘companions’ or ‘intimates’ of God – by analogy, for example, with bean chéile (‘wife’) or fear céile (‘husband’).
Why a reform movement?
Irish monasteries had become lax by the eighth century, possibly as a result of too much going abroad and an overemphasis on the peregrinatio pro Christo (or ‘pilgrimage for Christ’) movement to the continent begun by Saints Colmcille and Columban in the late sixth century. The fact that many monks felt called to go into wandering exile on the continent may have caused the internal discipline of the monasteries to break down somewhat.
A strong ascetical component
Maelruain’s reform at Tallaght was severe. It put more emphasis on preserving the enclosure and keeping the monks from sin than on the missionary dimension. There was a strong ascetical component, strong spiritual direction, frequent confession, as well as long fasts and harsh penances, such as standing in cold water for long periods to control the flesh.
The Rule of the Céilí Dé
Along with his disciple Aengus, Maelruain is regarded as joint author of The Rule of the Céilí Dé. A copy is preserved in the library of the Royal Irish Academy. The 19th century Celtic scholar Eoghan O’Curry says of this: “It contains a minute series of rules for the regulation of the lives of the Céilí Dé, their prayers, their preachings, their conversations, their confessions, their communions, their ablutions, their fastings, their abstinences, their relaxations, their sleep, their celebrations of the Mass, and so forth”.
Liturgy and manual work
The monks came together for a liturgical cycle of prayer, chanting psalms. There was also devotion to Our Lady and Michael the archangel. Mass was celebrated on Sundays, Thursdays and on great feasts. The monks received the consecrated bread, but not the consecrated wine. A litany of the names of the saints (The Martyrology of Tallaght) was read at every Mass. Intellectual and manual work were also valued as part of the monastery routine.
Spread of the movement
Besides Aengus, another disciple of Maelruain called Moling made a foundation similar to the Céilí Dé on the river Barrow at St Mullins in Co Carlow. Moling also became a figure of influence in the Ferns area. Other monasteries of the Céilí Dé movement were founded at Finglas, Clonenagh, Terryglass and Dairinis near Lismore. The Culdees also spread to Wales and Scotland where they survived into medieval times.”

citydesert.wordpress.com

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

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

First Reading:

From: Hosea 2:16b, 17b, 21-22 (New American Bible)
Hosea 2:14b, 15b-16, 19-20 (Revised Standard Version & New Vulgate)

Restoration and a New Covenant (Continuation)
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(Thus says the LORD, "I will) [14b] bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. [15b] And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth, as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt. [16] “And in that day, says the LORD, you will call me, ‘My husband,’ and no longer will you call me, ‘My Ba′al.’

[19] And I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. [20] I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the LORD."

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Commentary:

2:2-23. This long poem contains the key to the book of Hosea. It explains the symbolism of the account of the poet's marriage contained in these three chapters; and it sums up the content and form of the oracles in the later part of the book. The poem begins (v. 2) with a complaint by Hosea about his wife (and therefore by God about his people); and it ends with the prospect of rehabilitation and blessing (vv. 14-23); the second and third parts in the book also begin with a charge laid by the Lord against his people (4:1; 12:2), and end with a promise of salvation. The message of these verses is perfectly clear. Like the prophet's wife, Israel has prostituted herself by worshipping other gods. The Lord spies on her and punishes her, to get her to return to him (vv. 2-13). But so great is his love for Israel that, despite her infidelity, he decides to woo her all over again, to draw her to himself, and thereby to embark on a new relationship with her in which all will be wonderful and there will never again be infidelity (vv. 14-23). This passage contains very rich teaching about the nature of God: the initiative is always his; he is not indifferent to the infidelity of his followers; if he watches what they do and punishes them, he does so to encourage them to come back to him. Moreover, if that does not work, he has another approach to fall back on: he can start again from the beginning; he can renew his relationships with his faithful and with all creation. The imagery used to describe the rehabilitation of Israel (vv. 14-23) is very rich and full of meaning; meditation on this passage helps the reader to appreciate what God is really like.

The first part of the poem (vv. 2-13) begins with some words of complaint about the unfaithful wife who has left her husband and become a prostitute. However, the reader very soon sees that what is being said here also applies to Israel and the Lord. From v. 8 onwards, the perspective is slightly different: the dominant theme is the relationship between God and Israel, although the reader is also aware of the husband-wife relationship. In this way the sacred writer ensures that the reader can see the symbolism of the message; the whole story, the imagery, carries a message about the Lord and his people. The best example of the author's method is in the opening words (vv. 2-3), which summarize the passage. They declare that the marriage is over ("she is not my wife, and I am not her husband": v.2) and give the reason why ("harlotry" and "adultery" in v. 2 mean the adornments, tattoos, amulets etc. worn by prostitutes and loose women: cf. Gen 38:15; Prov 7:10); there is also a reference to the way in which an adulterous wife was shunned (v. 3): stripping the woman of her garments is known to have formed part of the punishment of her crime according to some laws in force in the ancient East (cf. Is 47:2-3; Jer 13:22; Ezek 16:37-39; etc.). But then he moves directly onto the symbolic plane of God and Israel: the Israelites pay homage to the Canaanite fertility gods, yet there is only one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who sends rain and makes things fertile. That God is the Lord: he can turn Israel into a parched land (v. 3). So, the faults that the prophet is condemning here are religious ones. He reproves the Israelites for their feast days in honor of Canaanite gods (vv. 11; 14); they think they ought to thank the Baals for bread and water and the produce of the earth (vv. 5, 9, 12), whereas all these things come in fact from the one God and Lord (v. 8).

The second part of the poem (vv. 14-23) speaks very directly about God and his people. It proclaims that a time of salvation is coming which will see the faithfulness of Old fully restored, stronger than ever. It begins (vv. 14-15) by nostalgically recalling the secluded life that they enjoyed together in the wilderness, during the exodus from Egypt--depicted here as a sort of golden age in which the Lord was his people's only God (v. 14; cf. 11:1-4; Amos 5:25). That is why it mentions the Valley of Achor (v. 15), which, being near Jericho, was the access route to the promised land. It was the scene of a sin of infidelity, which God punished (cf. Josh 7:24-26); hence its name, which means misadventure, misfortune; but because it is the only route into the holy land, the Lord now calls it a "door of hope".

The text goes on (vv. 16-23) to describe the new Covenant that will be made "on that day" (vv. 16, 18, 21). The passage deals with two distinct themes: where the second person is used (vv. 16, 19-20), the spousal covenant is being described; where it is in the third person (vv. 17-18; 21-23), it is describing the effects that that covenant will have on the whole land. The first condition of the spousal covenant is that Israel will call her God "My husband" and not "My Baal" (v. 16). Baal is a word that can mean god, and also lord or husband. In wanting to be called "My husband", the Lord is rejecting any type of mixing of religions: the God of Israel is not one more god like the Baals; he is the only God there is. This exclusiveness in the area of married love, which transfers over into the Covenant, spelt out in vv. 19-20: it will last forever, it will be made in "righteousness and in justice", that is; God will provide special protection to Israel (cf. Mic 6:5; Jer 23:6), and it will be in "steadfast love, and in mercy": the words that the text uses are "hesed" and "rahamim", taking in, then, all the nuances of faithful love (cf. the note on ls 49:15).

Later verses uses the third person (vv. 17-18,21-23) to describe the consequences that will flow from this renewed Covenant: all creation will enjoy the peace of Eden (v. 18), and the land of Israel will benefit most of all (vv. 21-23). Perhaps the most significant thing here is the use of the verb "to answer": when Israel "answers" (cf. v. 15) God's love, the heavens will answer the earth, and the earth will answer its fruits (vv. 21-22). What this means is that nothing will be barren, there will be no desire that goes unsatisfied; a proof of this is the new change of names (v. 23): names implying indictment are replaced by names of salvation.

Gospel Reading:

From: Matthew 9:18-26

The Raising of Jairus' Daughter
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[18] While He (Jesus) was speaking to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before Him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will live." [19] And Jesus rose and followed him, with His disciples.

The Curing of the Woman with a Hemorrhage
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[20] And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment; [21] for she said to herself, "If I only touch His garment, I shall be made well." [22] Jesus turned, and seeing her He said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. [23] And when Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd making a tumult, [24] He said, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at Him. [25] But when the crowd had been put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. [26] And the report of this went through all that district.

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Commentary:

18-26. Here are two miracles which occur almost simultaneously. From parallel passages in Mark (5:21-43) and Luke (8:40-56) we know that the "ruler" (of the synagogue) referred to here was called Jairus. The Gospels report Jesus raising three people to life--this girl, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus. In each case the identity of the person is clearly given.

This account shows us, once again, the role faith plays in Jesus' saving actions. In the case of the woman with the hemorrhage we should note that Jesus is won over by her sincerity and faith: she does not let obstacles get in her way. Similarly, Jairus does not care what people will say; a prominent person in his city, he humbles himself before Jesus for all to see.

18. "Knelt before Him": the eastern way of showing respect to God or to important people. In the liturgy, especially in the presence of the Blessed Eucharist, reverences are a legitimate and appropriate external sign of internal faith and adoration.

23. "The flute players": engaged to provide music at wakes and funerals.

24. "Depart, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping": Jesus says the same thing about Lazarus: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him" (John 11:11).

Although Jesus speaks of sleep, there is no question of the girl—or Lazarus, later--not being dead. For our Lord there is only one true death--that of eternal punishment (cf. Matthew 10:28).

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Readings at Mass

These rebels shall know that there is a prophet among them

The Lord's power is at its best in weakness

'A prophet is only despised in his own country'

Universalis podcast: The week ahead – from 7 to 13 July

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

CHAP. 6