Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 31-October-2025

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 14
1.	AND it came to pass, when Jesus went into the house of one of the chief of the Pharisees, on the sabbath day, to eat bread, that they watched him.	Et factum est cum intraret Jesus in domum cujusdam principis pharisæorum sabbato manducare panem, et ipsi observabant eum.	και εγενετο εν τω ελθειν αυτον εις οικον τινος των αρχοντων των φαρισαιων σαββατω φαγειν αρτον και αυτοι ησαν παρατηρουμενοι αυτον
2.	And behold, there was a certain man before him that had the dropsy.	Et ecce homo quidam hydropicus erat ante illum.	και ιδου ανθρωπος τις ην υδρωπικος εμπροσθεν αυτου
3.	And Jesus answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?	Et respondens Jesus dixit ad legisperitos et pharisæos, dicens : Si licet sabbato curare ?	και αποκριθεις ο ιησους ειπεν προς τους νομικους και φαρισαιους λεγων ει εξεστιν τω σαββατω θεραπευειν
4.	But they held their peace. But he taking him, healed him, and sent him away.	At illi tacuerunt. Ipse vero apprehensum sanavit eum, ac dimisit.	οι δε ησυχασαν και επιλαβομενος ιασατο αυτον και απελυσεν
5.	And answering them, he said: Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fall into a pit, and will not immediately draw him out, on the sabbath day?	Et respondens ad illos dixit : Cujus vestrum asinus, aut bos in puteum cadet, et non continuo extrahet illum die sabbati ?	και αποκριθεις προς αυτους ειπεν τινος υμων υιος η βους εις φρεαρ εμπεσειται και ουκ ευθεως ανασπασει αυτον εν τη ημερα του σαββατου
6.	And they could not answer him to these things.	Et non poterant ad hæc respondere illi.	και ουκ ισχυσαν ανταποκριθηναι αυτω προς ταυτα

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

14:16

1. And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

2. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

3. And Jesus answering spake unto the Lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

4. And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

5. And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

6. And they could not answer him again to these things.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. Although our Lord knew the malice of the Pharisees, yet He became their guest, that He might benefit by His words and miracles those who were present. Whence it follows, And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him; to see whether He would despise the observance of the law, or do any thing that was forbidden on the sabbath day. When then the man with the dropsy came into the midst of them, He rebukes by a question the insolence of the Pharisees, who wished to detect Him; as it is said, And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering, &c.

BEDE. When it is said that Jesus answered, there is a reference to the words which went before, And they watched him. For the Lord knew the thoughts of men.

THEOPHYLACT. But by His question He exposes their folly. For while God blessed the sabbath, (Gen. 2:1.) they forbade to do good on the sabbath; but the day which does not admit the works of the good is accursed.

BEDE. But they who were asked, are rightly silent, for they perceived that whatever they said, would be against themselves. For if it is lawful to heal on the sabbath day, why did they watch the Saviour whether He would heal? If it is not lawful, why do they take care of their cattle on the sabbath? Hence it follows, But they held their peace.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. Disregarding then the snares of the Jews, He cures the dropsical, who from fear of the Pharisees did not ask to be healed on account of the sabbath, but only stood up, that when Jesus beheld him, He might have compassion on him and heal him. And the Lord knowing this, asked not whether he wished to be made whole, but forthwith healed him. Whence it follows; And he took him, and healed him, and let him go. Wherein our Lord took no thought not to offend the Pharisees, but only that He might benefit him who needed healing. For it becomes us, when a great good is the result, not to care if fools take offence.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. But seeing the Pharisees awkwardly silent, Christ baffles their determined impudence by some important considerations. As it follows; And he answered and said unto them, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

THEOPHYLACT. As though He said, If the law forbids to have mercy on the sabbath-day, have no care of thy son when in danger on the sabbath-day. But why speak I of a son, when thou dost not even neglect an ox if thou seest it in danger?

BEDE. By these words He so refutes His watchers, the Pharisees, as to condemn them also of covetousness, who in the deliverance of animals consult their own desire of wealth. How much more then ought Christ to deliver a man, who is much better than cattle!

AUGUSTINE. (de Quæst. Evan. lib. 2. cap. 29.) Now He has aptly compared the dropsical man to an animal which has fallen into a ditch, (for he is troubled by water,) as He compared that woman, whom He spoke of as bound, and whom He Himself loosed, to a beast which is let loose to be led to water.

BEDE. By a suitable example then He settles the question, shewing that they violate the sabbath by a work of covetousness, who contend that he does so by a work of charity. Hence it follows, And they could not answer him again to these things. Mystically, the dropsical man is compared to him who is weighed down by an overflowing stream of carnal pleasures. For the disease of dropsy derives the name from a watery humour.

AUGUSTINE. (ubi sup.) Or we rightly compare the dropsical man to a covetous rich man. For as the former, the more he increases in unnatural moisture the greater his thirst; so also the other, the more abundant his riches, which he does not employ well, the more ardently he desires them.

GREGORY. (14 Mor. c. 6.) Rightly then is the dropsical man healed in the Pharisees presence, for by the bodily infirmity of the one, is expressed the mental disease of the other.

BEDE. In this example also He well refers to the ox and the ass; so as to represent either the wise and the foolish, or both nations; that is, the Jew oppressed by the burden of the law, the Gentile not subject to reason. For the Lord rescues from the pit of concupiscence all who are sunk therein.

Catena Aurea Luke 14

Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg’s Story

Wolfgang of Regensburg was born in Swabia, Germany, and was educated at a school located at the abbey of Reichenau. There he encountered Henry, a young noble who went on to become Archbishop of Trier. Meanwhile, Wolfgang remained in close contact with the archbishop, teaching in his cathedral school and supporting his efforts to reform the clergy.

At the death of the archbishop, Wolfgang of Regensburg chose to become a Benedictine monk and moved to an abbey in Einsiedeln, now part of Switzerland. Ordained a priest, he was appointed director of the monastery school there. Later he was sent to Hungary as a missionary, though his zeal and good will yielded limited results.

Emperor Otto II appointed him Bishop of Regensburg, near Munich. Wolfgang immediately initiated reform of the clergy and of religious life, preaching with vigor and effectiveness and always demonstrating special concern for the poor. He wore the habit of a monk and lived an austere life.

The draw to monastic life never left him, including the desire for a life of solitude. At one point he left his diocese so that he could devote himself to prayer, but his responsibilities as bishop called him back. In 994, Wolfgang became ill while on a journey; he died in Puppingen near Linz, Austria. He was canonized in 1052. His feast day is celebrated widely in much of central Europe.

Reflection

Wolfgang of Regensburg could be depicted as a man with rolled-up sleeves. He even tried retiring to solitary prayer, but taking his responsibilities seriously led him back into the service of his diocese. Doing what had to be done was his path to holiness—and ours.

franciscanmedia.org

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY(RSV)

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

First Reading:

From: Romans 9:1-5

The Privileges of Israel and God's Fidelity
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[1] I am speaking for the truth in Christ, I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness to the Holy Spirit, [2] that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. [3] For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen by race. [4] They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; [5] to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed for ever. Amen.

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Commentary:

Chaps. 9-11. In these chapters--as we indicate in the title given to this section of the letter--St Paul deals with "God's plan for the chosen people." The Apostle explains that Israel, as a people, in general has failed to accept the Gospel despite the fact that God's promises of salvation were made to the Jews in the first instance.

3. There is an apparent contradiction between what is said here--"I could wish that I myself was accursed and cut off from Christ'--and what is said earlier (cf. 8:31ff) about nothing being able to separate us from the love of Christ. The two ideas in fact complement one another. God's love moves us to love others so intensely that we are ready to suffer anything if it means the conversion of others to God. Paul is not referring to permanent separation from God, that is, eternal damnation, but to being ready to renounce any material or spiritual favor God might grant us. This means that we should be ready to bear public opprobrium and be taken for evildoers, as Jesus was. Some writers have interpreted the verse as meaning that the Apostle is even ready to renounce eternal happiness, but obviously what we have here is typical oriental exaggeration, rather like what Moses said when he interceded with God on behalf of those Israelites who had fallen into idolatry: "[If thou wilt not forgive their sin] blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written" (Ex 32:32). Both Moses and Paul know that God loves them and protects them and that the vision of God necessarily involves the indescribable happiness of heaven, but they want to make it plain that they put the salvation of the chosen people ahead of their own personal advantage.

4-6. The Israelites are the descendants of Jacob, to whom God gave the name Israel (cf. Gen 32:29). The fact that they are children of Israel is the basis of the privileges which God bestows on them in the course of Salvation History--firstly, their status as the people of God, chosen as the adoptive sons of Yahweh (cf. Ex 4:22; Deut 7:6); also their being given the "glory" of God who dwelt in their midst (cf. Ex 25:8; Deut 4:7; Jn 1:14); their good fortune in being able to offer worship proper to the one true God, and in receiving from him the Law of Moses, which spelt out the principles of the natural moral law and revealed other aspects of God's will; and, finally, their being the recipients of oft-repeated messianic promises.

The remarkable honor bestowed on the chosen people is to be seen most clearly in the fact that God himself chose to assume a human nature which had all the characteristics of the Israelite race. Jesus Christ, as true man, is an Israelite "according to the flesh", and he is true God because he is "God above all, blessed for ever."

Similar statements made in other epistles of St Paul about the mystery of the Incarnation manifest Christ's two natures and one Person (cf. Rom 1:3-4; Phil 2:6-7; Col 2:9; Tit 2:13-14).

In the present passage, this statement appears in the form of a "doxology" or paean of praise to God, one of the most solemn ways in which Yahweh is exalted in the Old Testament (cf. Ps 41:14; 72:19; 106:48; Neh 9:5; Dan 2:20; etc.). By calling Jesus Christ "God, blessed for ever" his divinity is being declared in a most explicit manner.

Gospel Reading:

From: Luke 14:1-6

Jesus Cures a Dropsical Man on the Sabbath
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[1] One sabbath when he (Jesus) went to dine at the house of a ruler who belonged to the Pharisees, they were watching him. [2] And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. [3] And Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, or not?" [4] But they were silent. Then he took him and healed him, and let him go. [5] And he said to them, "Which of you, having an ass or an ox that has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on a sabbath day?" [6] And they could not reply to this.

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Commentary:

1-6. Fanaticism is always evil. It often causes blindness and leads a person, as in this case, to deny the principles of justice and charity and even basic humanitarianism. We should never be fanatical about anything--no matter how sacred it is.

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Readings at Mass

I would willingly be condemned if it could help my brothers

'Is it against the law to cure a man on the sabbath?'

Christian Art

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg’s Story

Reflection