Reading I Responsorial Psalm GospelPosted on 08/13/2002 8:45:08 AM PDT by Salvation
Reading I Responsorial Psalm GospelReading I
Ez 2:8—3:4
The Lord God said to me:
As for you, son of man, obey me when I speak to you:
be not rebellious like this house of rebellion,
but open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.
It was then I saw a hand stretched out to me,
in which was a written scroll which he unrolled before me.
It was covered with writing front and back,
and written on it was:
Lamentation and wailing and woe!
He said to me: Son of man, eat what is before you;
eat this scroll, then go, speak to the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth and he gave me the scroll to eat.
Son of man, he then said to me,
feed your belly and fill your stomach
with this scroll I am giving you.
I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
He said: Son of man, go now to the house of Israel,
and speak my words to them.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 119:14, 24, 72, 103, 111, 131
R (103a) How sweet to my taste is your promise!
In the way of your decrees I rejoice,
as much as in all riches.
R How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R How sweet to my taste is your promise!
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
R How sweet to my taste is your promise!
How sweet to my palate are your promises,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
R How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Your decrees are my inheritance forever;
the joy of my heart they are.
R How sweet to my taste is your promise!
I gasp with open mouth,
in my yearning for your commands.
R How sweet to my taste is your promise!
Gospel
Mt 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost."
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I say this "tongue-in cheek". I am not criticizing any particular person, but possibly we should meditate today on what the Lord has given us rather that what He has not shown us yet through the Word of God and the Apostles.
Be grateful.
A note to myself for today. All I need to do is to listen for the promises of God! Not talk..................................................................................................................................................................................................Just listen!
Born in Rome, he was elected on the 28th August 230 and died on the 28th September 235. He ordered the chanting of the psalms and the recital of the "Confiteor" before death and the use of the salutation "Dominus vobiscum". He was deported and condemned to work in the mines in Sardinia. He died of suffeing on the little island of Tavolara.
St. Pontian was a Roman, the son of Calpurnius. He had to face a flare-up of persecution. Alexander Severus was assassinated in 235. His successor, Maximinus, an ex-wrestler, had no great preoccupation with matters of religion, but he hated Alexander Severus, and since Alexander had favored the Christians, Maximinus hastened to persecute them. He ordered that the leaders of the Church should alone be struck. And so St. Pontian found himself hustled off to the mines of Sardinia.
In the mines he had as companion none other than the antipope Hippolytus. This priest, it may be remembered, had been so disgusted with Pope Calixtus and his edict of mercy that he had revolted and set himself up as antipope. Now in the mines of Sardinia he came to a better frame of mind. Not only did he become reconciled with St. Pontian, but he ordered all his followers to return to the Church. He made a good end, dying a confessor of Christ, and it is touching that down to this day, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Pontian, the Pope, and St. Hippolytus, once antipope, on the same day, November 19.
St. Pontian seems to have abdicated when sent to the mines and to have been succeeded at Rome by Anterus. At any rate, in November 235 he was brutally beaten to death, a martyr for Christ. Pope Fabian brought his body back to Rome and buried him in the Cemetery of Calixtus.
A silent prayer for all the children who have been sexually abused, Lord. I lift them up to you and your angels for healing.
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
Meditation
Matthew 18:1-5,10,12-14
When a couple’s first child is conceived, they immediately become parents. But each day, as that child grows, the couple learns more and more what it means to be parents. They grow into their of father and mother over time.
There is a similar dynamic in becoming children of God. We become God’s children by his will and grace—by the blood of Jesus and the water of baptism. It is a gift, and we remain his children even if we stray. At the same time, each of us must learn how to think and act as members of God’s family. We must adopt our Father’s outlook and values so that we will take on the family resemblance. This is where the effort comes in, as we learn that it’s up to us to place ourselves under his authority.
It’s very important to remember that in this process of formation, our Father is for us. He’s on our side! God is not a tyrant. He’s a merciful and understanding parent. Like any good parent, he enjoys taking the time to teach and train his children, even finding ways to have fun with them.
What parents really want to make it hard for their children to come to them? Would they really try to be cruel and suspicious and distant? Of course not. And our Father in heaven is far better at parenting than any of us. So go to your Father, and let him teach you. He has the wisdom and the power to help you mature, and he loves you perfectly. No concern is too small and no obstacle too big for him.
God created us out of love and wants to share his life with us. He doesn’t focus on our faults, and he’s not just hoping we’ll stay in line so that we won’t go to hell. He wants to see us develop all our talents and skills. He delights in training us. He can even make it fun. Imagine: Even when God disciplines us, he loves us!
“I have no one like you, Father. You see my inmost thoughts and deeds, and still you love me completely. I surrender myself to you. Teach me to live as your child.”
August 14th -- Day of Prayer and Penance for the victims of sexual abuse in the Church. Please join us in this day of fasting, prayer, and penance. Pray for a victim.
Commentary:
1-35. The teachings of Jesus recorded in chapter 18 of St. Matthew are often called the "discourse on the Church" or "ecclesiastical discourse" because they are a series of instructions on the way in which His Church is to be administered.
The first passage (Matthew 18:1-5), addressed to leaders, that is, the future hierarchy of the Church, warns them against natural tendencies to pride and ambition: even though they have positions of government, they must act with humility. In verses 6-10 Jesus emphasizes the fatherly care which pastors of the Church should have for the "little ones"--a term which covers everyone in need of special care for whatever reason (because they are recent converts, or are not well grounded in Church teaching, or are not yet adults, etc.)... God takes special care of the weak and will punish those who harm them.
Our Lord shows similar concern for those who are experiencing spiritual difficulties. Every effort, even an heroic effort, must be made to seek out the "lost sheep" (verses 12-14). If the Church in general and each Christian in particular should be concerned to spread the Gospel, all the more reason for them to try and see that those who already embraced the faith do not go astray...
Thus, the whole of Chapter 18, the "discourse of the Church", is a survey of the future history of the Church during its earthly stage, and a series of practical rules for conduct for Christians--a kind of complement to the Sermon on the Mount, (Chapters 5-7), which is a "magna carta" for the new Kingdom established by Christ.
1-6. Clearly the disciples still suffer from human ambition: they want to occupy key positions when Jesus comes to establish the Kingdom on earth (cf. Acts 1:6). To correct their pride, our Lord shows them a child and tells them that if they want to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, they must decide to be like children: children are incapable of hating anyone and are totally innocent of vice, particularly of pride, the worst vice of all. They are simple and full of trust.
Humility is one of the main pillars of the Christian life. "If you ask me", St. Augustine says, "what is the essential thing in the religion and discipline of Jesus Christ, I shall reply: first humility, second humility and third humility" ("Letter 118").
3-4. Applying these words to our Lord's virtues, Fray Luis de Granada makes the point that humility is superior to virginity: "If you cannot imitate the virginity of the humble, then imitate the humility of the virgin. Virginity is praiseworthy, but humility is more necessary. The former is recommended to us, the latter is an obligation for us; to the former we are invited, to the latter we are obliged [...]. And so we see that the former is celebrated as voluntary sacrifice, the latter required as an obligatory sacrifice. Lastly, you can be saved without virginity, but not without humility" ("Summa De La Vida Cristiana", Book 3, Part 2, Chapter 10).
5. Receiving a child in Jesus' name is the same as receiving Jesus Himself. Because children reflect the innocence, purity, simplicity and tenderness of our Lord, "In children and in the sick a soul in love sees Him" ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "The Way", 419).
10. Jesus warns that giving scandal to little children is a very serious matter, for they have angels who guard them, who will plead a case before God against those who led them to commit sin.
In this context He speaks of children having guardian angels. However, everyone, adult or child, has a guardian angel. "By God's providence angels have been entrusted with the office of guarding the human race and of accompanying every human being so as to preserve him from any serious dangers [...]. Our Heavenly Father has placed over each of us an angel under whose protection and vigilance we are" ("St. Pius V Catechism", IV, 9, 4).
This means that we should have a trusting relationship with our guardian angel. "Have confidence in your guardian Angel. Treat him as a lifelong friend--that is what he is--and he will render you a thousand services in the ordinary affairs of each day" ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "The Way", 562).
12-14. This parable clearly shows our Lord's loving concern for sinners. It expresses in human terms the joy God feels when a wayward child comes back to Him.
Seeing so many souls living away from God, Pope John Paul II comments: "Unfortunately we witness the moral pollution which is devastating humanity, disregarding especially those very little ones about whom Jesus speaks."
"What must we do? We must imitate the Good Shepherd and give ourselves without rest for the salvation of souls. Without forgetting material charity and social justice, we must be convinced that the most sublime charity is spiritual charity, that is, the commitment for the salvation of souls. And souls are saved with prayer and sacrifice. This is the mission of the Church!" ("Homily to the Poor Clares of Albano," 14 August 1979).
As the RSV points out, "other ancient authorities add verse 11, "For the Son of Man came to save the lost"--apparently taken from Luke 19:10.
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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Humility is one of the main pillars of the Christian life. "If you ask me", St. Augustine says, "what is the essential thing in the religion and discipline of Jesus Christ, I shall reply: first humility, second humility and third humility" ("Letter 118").
Yes, this is so true. And some of those people are here on FR, too.
May they become like children and be open to the truth.
We need another St. Pontian to set straight the Sunday liturgy, where the responsorial psalm should be chanted and the confiteor include other saints after the Blessed Mother, including "St. John the Baptist; the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and to you, Father, that I have sinned through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault..." I just miss those lines.
One ray of hope. I read from Adoremus that the response "And also with you" is to be changed into "And with your spirit," anytime soon.
San Ponciano, pray for us.
Here's another prayer that should be restored to our daily mass.
It was interesting because he also talked about the power we have, the power of modern technology, intellect, etc., and how sometimes it was easy to be prideful, because of these great power we have. So it's even harder sometimes to be truly humble "like children".
I also like to think that children are innocent and pure of heart and full of trust and complete faith. An infant fully and completely trusts in his mother to feed and nurture him; we need to put the same faith and trust in God to feed and nurture us.
God bless.
I think the current rubrick says the penitential rite could be a choice between "Lord, Have mercy," and the "I confess." And during the Easter season, the sprinkling of water rite could take its place. But I have to check the GIRM. Be back to you on this. ;)
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