Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 10-September-2024

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 6
12.	And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and he passed the whole night in the prayer of God.	Factum est autem in illis diebus, exiit in montem orare, et erat pernoctans in oratione Dei.	εγενετο δε εν ταις ημεραις ταυταις εξηλθεν εις το ορος προσευξασθαι και ην διανυκτερευων εν τη προσευχη του θεου
13.	And when day was come, he called unto him his disciples; and he chose twelve of them (whom also he named apostles):	Et cum dies factus esset, vocavit discipulos suos : et elegit duodecim ex ipsis (quos et apostolos nominavit) :	και οτε εγενετο ημερα προσεφωνησεν τους μαθητας αυτου και εκλεξαμενος απ αυτων δωδεκα ους και αποστολους ωνομασεν
14.	Simon, whom he surnamed Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,	Simonem, quem cognominavit Petrum, et Andream fratrem ejus, Jacobum, et Joannem, Philippum, et Bartholomæum,	σιμωνα ον και ωνομασεν πετρον και ανδρεαν τον αδελφον αυτου ιακωβον και ιωαννην φιλιππον και βαρθολομαιον
15.	Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon who is called Zelotes,	Matthæum, et Thomam, Jacobum Alphæi, et Simonem, qui vocatur Zelotes,	ματθαιον και θωμαν ιακωβον τον του αλφαιου και σιμωνα τον καλουμενον ζηλωτην
16.	And Jude, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor.	et Judam Jacobi, et Judam Iscariotem, qui fuit proditor.	ιουδαν ιακωβου και ιουδαν ισκαριωτην ος και εγενετο προδοτης
17.	And coming down with them, he stood in a plain place, and the company of his disciples, and a very great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast both of Tyre and Sidon,	Et descendens cum illis, stetit in loco campestri, et turba discipulorum ejus, et multitudo copiosa plebis ab omni Judæa, et Jerusalem, et maritima, et Tyri, et Sidonis,	και καταβας μετ αυτων εστη επι τοπου πεδινου και οχλος μαθητων αυτου και πληθος πολυ του λαου απο πασης της ιουδαιας και ιερουσαλημ και της παραλιου τυρου και σιδωνος οι ηλθον ακουσαι αυτου και ιαθηναι απο των νοσων αυτων
18.	Who were come to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases. And they that were troubled with unclean spirits, were cured.	qui venerant ut audirent eum, et sanarentur a languoribus suis. Et qui vexabantur a spiritibus immundis, curabantur.	και οι οχλουμενοι υπο πνευματων ακαθαρτων και εθεραπευοντο
19.	And all the multitude sought to touch him, for virtue went out from him, and healed all.	Et omnis turba quærebat eum tangere : quia virtus de illo exibat, et sanabat omnes.	και πας ο οχλος εζητει απτεσθαι αυτου οτι δυναμις παρ αυτου εξηρχετο και ιατο παντας

(*) "οι ηλθον ακουσαι αυτου και ιαθηναι απο των νοσων αυτων" begins verse 18 in the translations.

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

6:12–16

12. And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

13. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

14. Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

15. Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphæus, and Simon called Zelotes,

16. And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

GLOSS. (non occ.) When adversaries rose up against the miracles and teaching of Christ, He chose Apostles as defenders and witnesses of the truth, and prefaces their election with prayer; as it is said, And it came to pass, &c.

AMBROSE. Let not thy ears be open to deceit, that thou shouldest think that the Son of God prays from want of strength, that He may obtain what He could not perform; for being Himself the Author of power, the Master of obedience, He leads us by His own example to the precepts of virtue.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. Let us examine then in the actions which Jesus did, how He teaches us to be instant in prayer to God, going apart by ourselves, and in secret, no one seeing us; putting aside also our worldly cares, that the mind may be raised up to the height of divine contemplation; and this we have marked in the fact, that Jesus went in to a mountain apart to pray.

AMBROSE. Every where also He prays alone, for human wishes comprehend not the wisdom of God; and no one can be a partaker of the secrets of Christ. But not every one who prays ascends a mountain, he only who prays advancing from earthly things to higher, who is not anxious for the riches or honours of the world. All whose minds are raised above the world ascend the mountain. In the Gospel therefore you will find, that the disciples alone ascend the mountain with the Lord. But thou, O Christian, hast now the character given, the form prescribed which thou shouldest imitate; as it follows, And he continued all night in prayer to God. For what oughtest thou to do for thy salvation, when Christ continues all night in prayer for thee?

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. ad Pop. Ant. 42. et in Act. c. 16. Ed. Lat.) Rise then thou also at night time. The soul is then purer, the very darkness and great silence are in themselves enough to lead us to sorrow for our sins. But if thou lookest upon the heaven itself studded with stars as with unnumbered eyes, if thou thinkest that they who wanton and do unjustly in day time are then nothing different from the dead, thou wilt loathe all human undertakings. All these things serve to raise the mind. Vain-glory then disquiets not, no tumult of passion has the mastery; fire does not so destroy the rust of iron as nightly prayer the blight of sin. He whom the heat of the sun has fevered by day is refreshed by the dew; nightly tears are better than any dew, and are proof against desire and fear. But if a man is not cherished by the dew we speak of, he withers in the day. Wherefore although thou prayest not much at night, pray once with watching, and it is enough; shew that the night belongs not only to the body, but to the soul.

AMBROSE. But what does it become thee to do when thou wouldest commence any work of piety, when Christ, about to send out His disciples, first prayed? for it follows, And when it was day, he called his disciples, &c. whom truly He destined to be the means of spreading the salvation of man through the world. Turn thy eyes also to the heavenly council. Not the wise men, not the rich, not the noble, but He chose to send out fishermen and publicans, that they might not seem to turn men to their grace by riches or by the influence of power and rank, and that the force of truth, not the graces of oratory, might prevail.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. (ut sup.) But mark the great carefulness of the Evangelist. He not only says that the holy Apostles were chosen, but he enumerates them by name, that no one should dare to insert any others in the catalogue; Simon, whom he also called Peter, and Andrew his brother.

BEDE. He not only surnamed Peter first, but long before this, when he was brought by Andrew, it is said, Thou shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone (John 1:42.). But Luke, wishing to mention the names of the disciples, since it was necessary to call him Peter, wished shortly to imply that this was not his name before, but the Lord had given it to him.

EUSEBIUS. The two next are James and John, as it follows, James and John, both indeed sons of Zebedee, who were also fishermen. After them he mentions Philip and Bartholomew. John says Philip was of Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter. Bartholomew was a simple man, devoid of all worldly knowledge and guile. But Matthew was called from those who used to collect taxes; concerning whom he adds Matthew and Thomas.

BEDE. Matthew places himself after his fellow-disciple Thomas, from humility, whereas by the other Evangelists he is put before him. It follows, James the son of Alphæus, and Simon who is called Zelotes.

GLOSS. Because in truth he was of Cana in Galilee, which is interpreted zeal; and this is added to distinguish him from Simon Peter. It follows, Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

AUGUSTINE. (de Con. Ev. lib. ii. c. 30.) With respect to the name of Judas the brother of James, Luke seems to differ from Matthew, who calls him Thaddæus. But what prevented a man from being called by two or three names? Judas the traitor is chosen, not unwittingly but knowingly, for Christ had indeed taken to Himself the weakness of man, and therefore refused not even this share of human infirmity. He was willing to be betrayed by His own Apostle, that thou when betrayed by thy friend mayest bear calmly thy mistaken judgment, thy kindness thrown away.

BEDE. But in a mystical sense the mountain on which our Lord chose His disciples represents the loftiness of justice in which they were to be instructed, and which they were to preach to others; so also the law was given on a mountain.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. But if we may learn the interpretation of the Apostles’ names, know that Peter means, “loosening or knowing;” Andrew, “glorious power,” or “answering;” but James, “apostle of grief;” John, “the grace of the Lord;” Matthew, “given;” Philip, “large mouth,” or the “orifice of a torch;” Bartholomew, “the son of him who lets down water;” Thomas, “deep or twin;” James the son of Alphæus, “supplanter of the step of life;” Judas, “confession;” Simon, “obedience.”

6:17–19

17. And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judæa, and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;

18. And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

19. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. When the ordination of the Apostles was accomplished, and great numbers were collected together from the country of Judæa, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, (who were idolaters,) he gave the Apostles their commission to be the teachers of the whole world, that they might recal the Jews from the bondage of the law, but the worshippers of devils from their Gentile errors to the knowledge of the truth. Hence it is said, And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and a great multitude from Judæa, and the sea coast, &c.

BEDE. By the sea coast he does not refer to the neighbouring sea of Galilee, because this would not be accounted wonderful, but it is so called from the great sea, and therein also Tyre and Sidon may be comprehended, of which it follows, Both of Tyre and Sidon. And these states being Gentile, are purposely named here, to indicate how great was the fame and power of the Saviour which had brought even the citizens of the coast to receive His healing and teaching. Hence it follows, Which came to hear him.

THEOPHYLACT. That is, for the cure of their souls; and that they might be healed of their diseases, that is, for the cure of their bodies.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. But after that the High Priest had made publicly known His choice of Apostles, He did many and great miracles, that the Jews and Gentiles who had assembled might know that these were invested by Christ with the dignity of the Apostleship, and that He Himself was not as another man, but rather was God, as being the Incarnate Word. Hence it follows, And the whole multitude sought to touch him, for there went virtue out of him. For Christ did not receive virtue from others, but since he was by nature God, sending out His own virtue upon the sick, He healed them all.

AMBROSE. But observe all things carefully, how He both ascends with His Apostles and descends to the multitude; for how could the multitude see Christ but in a lowly place. It follows him not to the lofty places, it ascends not the heights. Lastly, when He descends, He finds the sick, for in the high places there can be no sick.

BEDE. You will scarcely find any where that the multitudes follow our Lord to the higher places, or that a sick person is healed on a mountain; but having quenched the fever of lust and lit the torch of knowledge, each man approaches by degrees to the height of the virtues. But the multitudes which were able to touch the Lord are healed by the virtue of that touch, as formerly the leper is cleansed when our Lord touched him. The touch of the Saviour then is the work of salvation, whom to touch is to believe on Him, to be touched is to be healed by His precious gifts.

Catena Aurea Luke 6

Saint Nicholas of Tolentine

September 10

Nicholas of Tolentine (1245-1305) was a simple priest and Augustinian friar who touched the lives of many.

His sprit of prayer, penance, austerity of life and devotion to the Holy Souls were notable. His preaching brought many to Christ.

Nicholas Gurutti was born in 1245 in Sant'Angelo, Pontano, Macerata, Italy. His family was rather poor.

He joined the Augustinian Order while a young man, after hearing the inspired preaching of Reginaldo da Monterubbiano, Prior (local superior) of the Augustinian monastery in Sant'Angelo.

As a priest and religious, he was full of charity towards his brother Augustinians as well as towards the people to whom he ministered. He visited the sick and cared for the needy. He was a noted preacher of the Gospel. He gave special attention to those who had fallen away from the Church. People considered him a miracle worker.

He often fasted and performed other works of penance. He spent long hours in prayer.

The story is told that, one day, having fasted for a long time, Nicholas was physically weak. While at prayer, Jesus told him to eat some bread marked with a cross and soaked in water in order to regain his strength. Thus arose the Augustinian custom of blessing and distributing Saint Nicholas Bread in his memory.

Another story relates that Nicholas, while asleep in bed, heard the voice of a deceased friar he had known. This friar told Nicholas that he was in Purgatory, and urged him to celebrate the Eucharist for him and other souls there, so that they would be set free by the power of Christ. Nicholas did so for seven days. The friar again spoke to Nicholas, thanking him and assuring him that a large number of souls were now with God. Because of this Nicholas was proclaimed patron of the souls in Purgatory.

He is also considered the patron saint against epidemic disease and against fires.

During most of his adult life, Nicholas lived in Tolentine, Italy. There he died September 10, 1305. Canonized in 1446 by Pope Eugene IV, Nicholas is the first Augustinian friar to be canonized after the Grand Union of the Order of St. Augustine in 1256.

The remains of St. Nicholas are preserved at the Shrine of Saint Nicholas in the city of Tolentine.

midwestaugustinians.org

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

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

First Reading:

From: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Recourse to Pagan Courts
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[1] When one of you has a grievance against a brother, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? [2] Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? [3] Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, matters pertaining to this life! [4] If then you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the church? [5] I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood, [6] but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?

[7] To have lawsuits at all with one another is defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? [8] But you yourselves wrong and defraud, and that even your own brethren.

[9] Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, [10] nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

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Commentary:

1-6. As usually happens in his letters, in the course of dealing with some more or less important event in the Christian community, the Apostle moves on to a much higher plane, and from there focuses light onto the particular problem.

In this case, the scandal is that Christians are involved in lawsuits against one another (v. 7) and are bringing these cases before pagan courts instead of trying to settle them within the sphere of the Church; Paul, as we can see, is quite incensed: "How dare any of your members..."

Through Baptism, Christians are become holy, justified; that is, they have obtained a share in the life and virtues of Christ and are called to follow his example. Furthermore, like the Apostles (cf. Mt 19:28; Lk 22:30), Christians will judge men and angels on the Last Day. They are, therefore, instruments of and witnesses to divine justice. So, they really should not go to law against each other; and if they do have grievances the Christian community itself should provide people who are equipped to act as arbitrators and have the grace of state to solve the problems that arise. St Paul is not down-playing civil authority and its autonomy, for all authority comes from God (Rom 13:1-5); he himself submitted to Roman tribunals, and he even appealed to Caesar (cf. Acts 25:11-12). The specific advice he gives here--that Christians should not bring cases before pagan court--ties in with Jewish practice. Primarily, the Apostle is recommending to Christians to practice fraternity and solve disagreements without going to pagan courts.

Moreover, going to law would be a great disservice to the Gospel: what attraction could a community hold which was divided within itself? [7] It is this grave scandal that he particularly wants to avoid.

3. The only Judge of the living and the dead, of angels and men, is Jesus Christ. Christians are so intimately linked to Christ that St Paul sees no objections to attributing the actions of the head to all the members. Therefore, he does not attempt to speculate on the particular form the Last Judgment will take--whether, for example, men will judge angels or at least the fallen angels. His aim here may be simply to emphasize the intimate union of the Christian with Christ, which ought to be reflected in just dealings with one another.

7-8. This is the reason why St Paul is so hard on the Corinthians. They have failed to understand and to apply what our Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount about bearing injuries (Mt 5:39-42). Worse still, they have gone to law against each other in contravention of the standard set by those early Christians, who had one heart and soul (cf. Acts 4:32). And they have tried to solve their disagreements in pagan courts which know nothing of Christian brotherhood. St John Chrysostom points out the transgressions the Corinthians are guilty of: "For one thing, not bearing injuries patiently; for another, offending others; then looking for arbitrators to decide on the matter, finally, using this procedure in a dispute with a Christian, a brother in the faith" ("Hom. on 1 Cor, ad loc.").

St Paul's advice about money can usefully be read in the light of Romans 12:17-21: this shows us that he is not saying that a passive and weak attitude to difficulties is the right one: difficulties should be faced and an effort made to do positive good, at all times, to everyone.

"Let us especially resolve not to judge others, not to doubt their good will, to drown evil in an abundance of good, sowing loyal friendship justice and peace all around us. And let us resolve never to become sad if our upright conduct is misunderstood by others; if the good which, with the continuous help of our Lord, we try to accomplish is misinterpreted by people who delight in unjustly guessing at our motives and who accuse us of wicked designs and deceitful behavior. Let us forgive always, with a smile on our lips. Let us speak clearly, without hard feelings, when in conscience we think we ought to speak. And let us leave everything in the hands of our Father God, with a divine silence--Jesus was silent' (Mt 26:63--if we are confronted with personal attacks, no matter how brutal and shameful they might be. Let us concern ourselves only with doing good deeds: God will see to it that they shine before men (Mt 5:16)" ("Christ Is Passing By", 72).

9-10. In this list of sins, similar to that given in the previous chapter (cf. 1 Cor 5:10-11), St Paul explicitly teaches that those who commit these sins will not inherit the Kingdom, that is, will not attain eternal salvation. The whole list is a kind of explanation of what "unrighteousness" means. Thus, not only those go against righteousness who wrongly go to law or defraud others: righteousness, justice, in the language of the Bible is equivalent to holiness and therefore is opposed to every kind of sin.

"Do not be deceived": the Greek can also be translated as "Do not let yourselves be deceived" (cf. Eph 5 :5-6). Certainly, to make out that such actions are good is worse than to commit them. And yet in Corinth, and in other places at other times, there have been and are false ideologies which interpret sinfulness as virtue. To combat tendencies that seek to tone down or deny the reality of grave sin, the Church points out that "a person sins mortally not only when his action comes from direct contempt for love of God and neighbor, but also when he consciously and freely, for whatever reason, chooses something which is seriously disordered [...]. Pastors of souls must exercise patience and generosity; but they are not allowed to render God's commandments null, nor to reduce unreasonably people's responsibility" (SCDF, "Declaration Concerning Sexual Ethics", 10). Like Christ, pastors should be uncompromising with evil and merciful to evildoers.

11. This reminder about the dignity of Christians brings to an end this series of warnings. It reminds the Corinthians of their Baptism, its effects and their need to return to their initial holiness.

These last words clearly contain a reference to the Trinitarian formula used at Baptism (cf. Mt 28:19). The inclusion of the name of the three persons of the Blessed Trinity implies an act of faith in God, One and Three, and recognition that grace and justification are given us by the Father, have been merited by his Son Jesus Christ, and are applied to us through the action of the Holy Spirit.

Three words sum up the effects of Baptism--"washed", "sanctified", and "justified" (cf. Acts 22:16; Eph 5:16; Tit 3:5); in addition to erasing original sin, and any personal sin, Baptism gives us sanctifying grace and the infused virtues: "The followers of Christ, called by God not in virtue of their works but by his design and grace, and justified in the Lord Jesus, have been made sons of God in baptism, the sacrament of faith, and partakers of the divine nature, and so are truly sanctified. They must therefore hold on to and perfect in their lives that sanctification which they have received from God" ("Lumen Gentium", 40).

Reminding them of baptismal innocence, St Paul encourages the Corinthians to return to that state by a new conversion. After Baptism, the sacrament of Penance received with the right dispositions restores sanctifying grace and is, moreover, a means Christ chooses to conserve men in grace and bring them growth in grace: "The sacrament of Penance contributes [much] to the development of the Christian life" (Vatican II, "Christus Dominus", 30).

Gospel Reading:

From: Luke 6:12-19

The Calling of the Apostles
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[12] In these days He (Jesus) went out into the hills to pray; and all night He continued in prayer to God. [13] And when it was day, He called His disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom He named Apostles: [14] Simon, whom He named Peter, and Andrew, his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, [15] and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, [16] and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

The Sermon on the Mount
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[17] And He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; [18] and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. [19] And all the crowd sought to touch Him, for power came forth from Him and healed them all.

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Commentary:

12-13. The evangelist writes with a certain formality when describing this important occasion on which Jesus chooses the Twelve, constituting them as the apostolic college: "The Lord Jesus, having prayed at length to the Father, called to Himself those whom He willed and appointed twelve to be with Him, whom He might send to preach the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 2:13-19; Matthew 10:1-42). These Apostles (cf. Luke 6:13) He constituted in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which He placed Peter, chosen from among them (cf. John 21:15-17). He sent them first of all to the children of Israel and then to all peoples (cf. Romans 1:16), so that, sharing in His power, they might make all peoples His disciples and sanctify and govern them (cf. Matthew 28:16-20; and par.) and thus spread the Church and, administering it under the guidance of the Lord, shepherd it all days until the end of the world (cf. Matthew 28:20). They were fully confirmed in this mission on the day of Pentecost (cf. Act 2:1-26) [...]. Through their preaching the Gospel everywhere (cf. Mark 16:20), and through its being welcomed and received under the influence of the Holy Spirit by those who hear it, the Apostles gather together the universal Church, which the Lord founded upon the Apostles and built upon Blessed Peter their leader, the chief cornerstone being Christ Jesus Himself (cf. Revelation 21:14; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20). That divine mission, which was committed by Christ to the Apostles, is destined to last until the end of the world (cf. Matthew 28:20), since the Gospel, which they were charged to hand on, is, for the Church, the principle of all its life for all time. For that very reason the Apostles were careful to appoint successors in this hierarchically constituted society" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 19-20).

Before establishing the apostolic college, Jesus spent the whole night in prayer. He often made special prayer for His Church (Luke 9:18; John 17:1ff), thereby preparing His Apostles to be its pillars (cf. Galatians 2:9). As His Passion approaches, He will pray to the Father for Simon Peter, the head of the Church, and solemnly tell Peter that He has done so: "But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail" (Luke 22:32). Following Christ's example, the Church stipulates that on many occasions liturgical prayer should be offered for the pastors of the Church (the Pope, the bishops in general, and priests) asking God to give them grace to fulfill their ministry faithfully.

Christ is continually teaching us that we need to pray always (Luke 18:1). Here He shows us by His example that we should pray with special intensity at important moments in our lives. "`Pernoctans in oratione Dei. He spent the whole night in prayer to God.' So St. Luke tells of our Lord. And you? How often have you persevered like that? Well, then...." (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 104).

On the need for prayer and the qualities our prayer should have, see the notes on Matthew 6:5-6; 7:7-11; 14:22-23; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 11:1-4; 22:41-42.

12. Since Jesus is God, why does He pray? There were two wills in Christ, one divine and one human (cf. "St. Pius X Catechism", 91), and although by virtue of His divine will He was omnipotent, His human will was not omnipotent. When we pray, what we do is make our will known to God; therefore Christ, who is like us in all things but sin (Hebrews 4:15), also had to pray in a human way (cf. "Summa Theologiae", III, q. 21, a. 1). Reflecting on Jesus at prayer, St. Ambrose comments: "The Lord prays not to ask things for Himself, but to intercede on my behalf; for although the Father has put everything into the hands of the Son, still the Son, in order to behave in accordance with His condition as man, considers it appropriate to implore the Father for our sake, for He is our Advocate [...]. A Master of obedience, by His example He instructs us concerning the precepts of virtue: `We have an advocate with the Father' (1 John 2:1)" ("Expositio Evangelii sec. Lucam, in loc.").

14-16. Jesus chose for Apostles very ordinary people, most of them poor and uneducated; apparently only Matthew and the brothers James and John had social positions of any consequence. But all of them gave up whatever they had, little or much as it was, and all of them, bar Judas, put their faith in the Lord, overcame their shortcomings and eventually proved faithful to grace and became saints, veritable pillars of the Church. We should not feel uneasy when we realize that we too are low in human qualities; what matters is being faithful to the grace God gives us.

19. God became man to save us. The divine person of the Word acts through the human nature which He took on. The cures and casting out of devils which He performed during His life on earth are also proof that Christ actually brings redemption and not just hope of redemption. The crowds of people from Judea and other parts of Israel who flock to Him, seeking even to touch Him, anticipate, in a way, Christians' devotion to the holy Humanity of Christ.

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Readings at Mass

Do not drag your brother to a pagan for judgement

Jesus chooses his twelve apostles

Christian Art

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Saint Nicholas of Tolentine

September 10