Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 22-September-2025

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 8

8:16–18

16. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.

17. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

18. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

BEDE. Having before said to His Apostles, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables; He now shews that by them at length must the same mystery be revealed also to others, saying, No man when he hath lighted a candle covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it tender a bed.

EUSEBIUS. As if He said, As a lantern is lighted that it should give light, not that it should be covered under a bushel or a bed, so also the secrets of the kingdom of heaven when uttered in parables, although hid from those who are strangers to the faith, will not however to all men appear obscure. Hence he adds, For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, neither any thing hid that shall not be known, and come abroad. As if He said, Though many things are spoken in parables, that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand, because of their unbelief, yet the whole matter shall be revealed.

AUGUSTINE. (de Quæst. Ev. lib. ii. q. 12.) Or else in these words He typically sets forth the boldness of preaching, that no one should, through fear of fleshly ills, conceal the light of knowledge. For under the names of vessel and bed, he represents the flesh, but of that of lantern, the word, which whosoever keeps hid through fear of the troubles of the flesh, sets the flesh itself before the manifestation of the truth, and by it he as it were covers the word, who fears to preach it. But he places a candle upon a candlestick who so submits his body to the service of God, that the preaching of the truth stands highest in his estimation, the service of the body lowest.

ORIGEN. But he who would adapt his lantern to the more perfect disciples of Christ, must persuade us by those things which were spoken of John, for he was a burning and a shining light. (John 5:35.) It becomes not him then who lights the light of reason in his soul to hide it under a bed where men sleep, nor under any vessel, for he who does this provides not for those who enter the house for whom the candle is prepared, but they must set it upon a candlestick, that is, the whole Church.

CHRYSOSTOM. (Hom. 15. in Matt.) By these words he leads them to diligence of life, teaching them to be strong as exposed to the view of all men, and fighting in the world as on a stage. As if he said, Think not that we dwell in a small part of the world, for ye will be known of all men, since it cannot be that so great virtue should lie hid.

MAXIMUS. (Quæst. in Script. 63.) Or perhaps the Lord calls Himself a light shining to all who inhabit the house, that is, the world, since He is by nature God, but by the dispensation made flesh. And so like the light of the lamp He abides in the vessel of the flesh by means of the soul as the light in the vessel of the lamp by means of the flame. But by the candlestick he describes the Church over which the divine word shines, illuminating the house as it were by the rays of truth. But under the similitude of a vessel or bed he referred to the observance of the law, under which the word will not be contained.

BEDE. But the Lord ceases not to teach us to hearken to His word, that we may be able both to constantly meditate on it in our own minds, and to bring it forth for the instruction of others. Hence it follows, Take heed therefore how ye hear; for whosoever hath, to him shall be given. As if he says, Give heed with all your mind to the word which ye hear, for to him who has a love of the word, shall be given also the sense of understanding what he loves; but whoso hath no love of hearing the word, though he deems himself skilful either from natural genius, or the exercise of learning, will have no delight in the sweetness of wisdom; for oftentimes the slothful man is gifted with capacities, that if he neglect them he may be the more justly punished for his negligence, since that which he can obtain without labour he disdains to know, and sometimes the studious man is oppressed with slowness of apprehension, in order that the more he labours in his inquiries, the greater may be the recompense of his reward.

Catena Aurea Luke 8

Saint Emmeramus of Regensburg

Martyr

Feast Day: September 22

Biography

Saint Emmeramus of Regensburg, also known as Emmeran or Haimhramm, was a renowned priest and preacher in the region of Bavaria, Germany. Born in Poitiers, France, he dedicated his life to serving God and spreading the teachings of Christianity. Little is known about Emmeramus' early years and education, but he was known for his exceptional piety and dedication to his faith. His reputation as a gifted preacher led to his appointment as the abbot of a monastery in Regensburg. Under his leadership, the monastery flourished spiritually and grew in reputation as a center of learning and holiness. Emmeramus' commitment to the well-being of his community did not stop at the monastery. Recognizing the importance of the pastoral needs of the region, he was eventually appointed as the bishop of Regensburg. In this role, he tirelessly worked to strengthen the faith of the people, promote Christian values, and foster unity among the clergy and laity. However, Emmeramus' life was tragically cut short when he embarked on a journey to Rome, Italy. While traveling, he was murdered on the road, a victim of unknown assailants. It is believed that these attackers were nothing more than highway robbers, though some areas consider him a martyr due to the circumstances of his death. In depictions, Saint Emmeramus is often represented with a ladder and a spear. The ladder symbolizes his ascent to higher spiritual heights and his role as a guide for others seeking spiritual enlightenment. The spear is a reminder of his martyrdom, symbolizing the weapon that ended his earthly life. Emmeramus' relics were enshrined in the monastery in Regensburg, Germany, where he had served for many years. Today, the monastery continues to venerate his relics, attracting pilgrims from near and far who seek his intercession and guidance. Although Saint Emmeramus was never officially canonized by the Catholic Church, he is honored as a saint in the pre-congregation period, which predates the establishment of the formal canonization process. His feast day is celebrated on September 22nd, a day dedicated to remembering his life, legacy, and the sacrifice he made while fulfilling his mission. Saint Emmeramus is regarded as the patron saint of Regensburg, Germany, where his memory is held in high regard. His example of faith, dedication, and selflessness continues to inspire believers around the world, reminding them of the importance of living a life devoted to God and to others.

saintforaminute.com

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY(RSV)

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

First Reading:

From: Ezra 1:1-6

The exiles return from Babylon
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[1] In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

[2] Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of Heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. [3] Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel – he is the God who is in Jerusalem; [4] and let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.”

[5] Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, every one whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem; [6] and all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered.

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Commentary:

1:1-6:22. The second book of Chronicles closed with an account of the fall of the fall of Jerusalem as a consequence of the city’s repeated unfaithfulness to God (cf. 2 Chron 36:17-21), and with the news of Cyrus’ calling, in God’s name, for the rebuilding of the temple and the return of the exiles (cf. 2 Chron 36:22-23). The book of Ezra starts by covering the same ground (1:1-4) and then goes on to describe how Cyrus’ decree was implemented. It deals with the preparation for the return to Jerusalem (1:5-11), and who these repatriates were (2:1-70); how the first thing they did at Jerusalem was to build an altar and start offering sacrifices 9(3:1-6), and about how, when they began to rebuild the temple, they met with opposition from the people in the land (4:1-5), who petitioned the Persian king, with the result that the rebuilding had to cease (4:6-24). But, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, those who had returned set about their task again (5:1-2) and kept at it, in the hope that the ban on building would be lifted (5:3-5). The authorities then sent a new letter to King Darius (5:6-17), who decreed that the Jews be allowed to build the temple in peace, as Cyrus had already instructed (6:1-12). This meant that they were able to finish the building and dedicate it to the Lord (6:13-18), and then celebrate joyfully their first Passover in their homeland (6:19-22).

The first part of the book shows how devout and tenacious these repatriates were – fully committed to the worship of the Lord and the reconstruction of his temple. But it also reveals the animosity shown towards them by those living in the country. Only God’s will, expressed in decrees of the Persian kings, made it possible for this enterprise to succeed. The chosen people were springing up again in the promised land.

In Christian tradition, in the light of Jesus Christ’s message, these pages are read as having a spiritual meaning to do with the advancement of the Church: just as the people of God in the Old Testament, was able to reconstitute itself after the bitter experience of the exile, and survived despite difficulties of all sorts, so too the new people of God manages to survive over the course of the centuries even though it encounters all kinds of obstacles. “If you do not trust words, believe in deeds. How many tyrants have tried to oppress the Church? How much boiling oil! How many pyres and sharp teeth and raised swords…! And they have not triumphed! Where are they now, those who waged war against her? And where is the Church? She shines brighter than the sun. The power of her enemies is spent, but the strength of the Church is endless. Even when there were very few Christians, the Church was not overcome; now that her faith and piety have spread throughout the world, do you think you can defeat her? ‘Heaven will pass away but my words shall never fail’; it is clear: God loves the Church more than heaven itself. He did not take for himself a heavenly body but an ecclesial one. Heaven exists for the Church, not the Church for the sake of heaven” (St John Chrysostom, “Sermo antequam iret in exilium”, 2).

1:1-4 Cyrus was king of Persia from 559 to 529 BC. History portrays him as a ruler tolerant of the traditional customs of his subject peoples and respectful of their religious practices. When he entered Babylon in triumph in 539 BC, he established the cult of Marduk there, and when he heard about the position of the deportees from Jerusalem, he facilitated their return to their country to rebuild the temple of their God.

But the sacred book, which looks beneath the surface of events, points out that Cyrus’ decisions in favour of the Jews derived not just from the king’s good disposition but from God himself. The Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus (v. 1) and the heads of the houses of Judah and Benjamin (1:5) so as to bring about in this new stage of salvation history the rebuilding of the temple and to re-establish the people in Jerusalem. God uses a pagan king to achieve his saving purpose for the chosen people. That is what Isaiah 45:1 means when it calls Cyrus “the Lord’s anointed”, even though the king does not realize he is forwarding the Lord’s plans: “though you do not know me” (Is 45:4). Moreover, the “seventy years” of exile prophesied by Jeremiah (cf. 2 Chron 336:21) are shortened by Cyrus’ decree which causes the return from exile to happen in 538 BC. It all goes to show that God is above kings and nations and that he is merciful to his people.

Unlike other passages which report Cyrus’ decree (cf. 2 Chron 36:22-23; Ezra 6:3-12), here we are told that the king acknowledges that “the Lord, the God of heaven” (v. 2) – apparently the title given to the supreme Persian deity Ahura-Mazda – is one and the same as “Lord, the God of Israel who is in Jerusalem” (v. 3). This is a profession of faith in the one true God, the God who revealed himself to the Jewish people, but whose power extends over all the nations.

1:5-7. Although the decree of Cyrus was addressed to all those belonging to the people of God (1:3) living in the Persian empire, already seen as “the remnant”, the “survivors” of what was ancient Israel (1:4), now only the “heads of the houses of Judah and Benjamin” are mentioned (v. 5) – these being the two tribes that had made up the kingdom of the South, the kingdom of Judah. Those deported after the fall of the Northern kingdom (cf. 2 Kings 17:6) have disappeared from the writer’s horizon in the same way as the author of 1 and 2 Chronicles put that kingdom out of his mind. The reconstruction of the people in this new stage of its existence that begins now is based solely on what had been the kingdom of Judah, including the priests and Levites who had been attached to the temple of Jerusalem: as this writer sees things, only the men of Judah were the true people of Israel and of these, in a special way, those Jews who gave up their position in Babylon and embarked on the adventure of returning to Jerusalem.

Gospel Reading:

From: Luke 8:16-18

Parable of the Sower. The Meaning of the Parables (Continuation)
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(Jesus told the crowd,) [16] "No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light. [17] For nothing is hid that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known and come to light. [18] Take heed then how you hear; for to him who has will more be given, and from him who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away."

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Commentary:

[There is no commentary available for Luke 8:16-18. The commentary for the same parable found in Mark 4:21-25 states:]
16-17. This parable contains a double teaching. Firstly, it says that Christ's doctrine should not be kept hidden; rather, it must be preached throughout the whole world. We find the same idea elsewhere in the Gospels: "What you hear whispered, proclaim it upon the housetops" (Mt 10:27); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole of creation..." (Mk 16:15). The other teaching is that the Kingdom which Christ proclaims has such ability to penetrate all hearts that, at the end of time, when Jesus comes again, not a single human action, in favor or against Christ, will not become public or manifest.

24-25. Our Lord never gets tired of asking the Apostles, the seed which will produce the Church, to listen carefully to the teaching he is giving: they are receiving a treasure for which they will be held to account. "To him who has will more be given...": he who responds to grace will be given more grace and will yield more and more fruit; but he who does not will become more and more impoverished (cf. Mt 25:14- 30). Therefore, there is no limit to the development of the theological virtues: "If you say 'Enough,' you are already dead" (St. Augustine, "Sermon" 51). A soul who wants to make progress in the interior life will pray along these lines: "Lord, may I have due measure in everything, except in Love" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 427).

[The commentary for still another similar parable found in Matthew 13:12 states:]

12. Jesus is addressing his disciples and explaining to them that, precisely because they have faith in him and want to have a good grasp of his teaching, they will be given a deeper understanding of divine truths. But those who do not "follow him" (cf. note on Mt 4:18-22) will later lose interest in the things of God and will grow even blinder: it is as if the little they have is being taken away from them.

This verse also helps us understand the meaning of the parable of the sower, a parable which gives us a wonderful explanation of the supernatural economy of divine grace: God gives grace, and man freely responds to that grace. The result is that those who respond to grace generously receive additional grace and so grow steadily in grace and holiness; whereas those who reject God's gifts become closed up within themselves; through their selfishness and attachment to sin they eventually lose God's grace entirely. In this verse, then, our Lord gives a clear warning: with the full weight of His divine authority He exhorts us--without taking away our freedom--to act responsibly: the gifts God keeps sending us should yield fruit; we should make good use of the opportunities for Christian sanctification which are offered us in the course of our lives.

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Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 8
16.	Now no man lighting a candle covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it upon a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light.	Nemo autem lucernam accendens, operit eam vase, aut subtus lectum ponit : sed supra candelabrum ponit, ut intrantes videant lumen.	ουδεις δε λυχνον αψας καλυπτει αυτον σκευει η υποκατω κλινης τιθησιν αλλ επι λυχνιας επιτιθησιν ινα οι εισπορευομενοι βλεπωσιν το φως
17.	For there is not any thing secret that shall not be made manifest, nor hidden, that shall not be known and come abroad.	Non est enim occultum, quod non manifestetur : nec absconditum, quod non cognoscatur, et in palam veniat.	ου γαρ εστιν κρυπτον ο ου φανερον γενησεται ουδε αποκρυφον ο ου γνωσθησεται και εις φανερον ελθη
18.	Take heed therefore how you hear. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given: and whosoever hath not, that also which he thinketh he hath, shall be taken away from him.	Videte ergo quomodo audiatis ? Qui enim habet, dabitur illi : et quicumque non habet, etiam quod putat se habere, auferetur ab illo.	βλεπετε ουν πως ακουετε ος γαρ εαν εχη δοθησεται αυτω και ος εαν μη εχη και ο δοκει εχειν αρθησεται απ αυτου

Readings at Mass

Cyrus king of Persia frees the Jews to return to Jerusalem