Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 2-11-03, Optional, Our Lady of Lourdes

Reading I
Gn 1:20–2:4a

God said,
"Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky."
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
"Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth."
Evening came, and morning followed–the fifth day.

Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds."
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."

God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying:
"Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth."
God also said:
"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food."
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed–the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

Gospel
Mk 7:1-13

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
(For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.)
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites,
as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.

You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He went on to say,
"How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"'
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things."

From: Mark 7:1-13

The Tradition of the Elders

[1] Now when the Pharisees gathered together to Him (Jesus), with some
of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, [2] they saw that some of
His disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. [3] (For the
Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands,
observing the tradition of the elders; [4] and when they come from the
market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there
are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and
pots and vessels of bronze.) [5] And the Pharisees and the scribes
asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not live according to the tradition
of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?" [6] And He said to them,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, `This
people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; [7]
in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'
[8] You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of
men.

[9] And He said to them, "You have a fine way of rejecting the
commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! [10] For Moses
said, "Honor your father and your mother'; and `He who speaks evil of
father or mother, let him surely die'; [11] but you say, `If a man
tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is
Corban' (that is, given to God)--[12] then you no longer permit him to
do anything for his father or mother, [13] thus making void the word of
God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you
do."

Commentary:

1-2. Hands were washed not for reasons of hygiene or good manners but
because the custom had religious significance: it was a rite of
purification. In Exodus 30:17ff the Law of God laid down how priests
should wash before offering sacrifice. Jewish tradition had extended
this to all Jews before every meal, in an effort to give meals a
religious significance, which was reflected in the blessings which
marked the start of meals. Ritual purification was a symbol of the
moral purity a person should have when approaching God (Psalm 24:3ff;
51:4 and 9); but the Pharisees had focused on the mere external rite.
Therefore Jesus restores the genuine meaning of these precepts of the
Law, whose purpose is to teach the right way to render homage to God
(cf. John 4:24).

3-5. We can see clearly from this text that very many of those to whom
St. Mark's Gospel was first addressed were Christians who had been
pagans and were unfamiliar with Jewish customs. The Evangelist
explains these customs in some detail, to help them realize the
significance of the events and teachings reported in the Gospel story.

Similarly, Sacred Scripture needs to be preached and taught in a way
which puts it within reach of its hearers. This is why Vatican II
teaches that "it is for the bishops suitable to instruct the faithful
[...] by giving them translations of the sacred texts which are
equipped with necessary and really adequate explanations. Thus the
children of the Church can familiarize themselves safely and profitably
with the Sacred Scriptures, and become steeped in their spirit" ("Dei
Verbum", 25).

11-13. For an explanation of this text cf. note on Mt. 15:5-6. Jesus
Christ, who is the authentic interpreter of the Law, because as God He
is its author, explains the scope of the fourth commandment and points
out the mistakes made by the Jewish casuistry. There were many other
occasions when He corrected mistaken interpretations offered by the
Jewish teachers: for example, when He recalls that phrase of the Old
Testament, "Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, and not
sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6, 1 Samuel 15:22; Sirach 35:4) in Matthew 9:13.

[The note on Matthew 15:5-6 states:

5-6. Over the years teachers of the Law (scribes) and priests of the
temple had distorted the true meaning of the fourth commandment. In
Jesus' time, they were saying that people who contributed to the temple
in cash or in kind were absolved from supporting their parents: it
would be sacrilegious for parents to lay claim to this "corban"
(offerings for the altar). People educated in this kind of thinking
felt that they were keeping the fourth commandment--in fact, fulfilling
it in the best way possible--and they were praised for their piety by
the religious leaders of the nation. But what in fact it meant was
that, under the cloak of piety, they were leaving elderly parents to
fend for themselves. Jesus, who is Messiah and God, is the one who can
correctly interpret the Law. Here He explains the proper scope of the
fourth commandment, exposing the error of Jewish practice at the time.

For Christians, therefore, the fourth commandment includes affectionate
help of parents if they are old or needy, even if one has other family,
social or religious obligations to attend to. Children should check
regularly on whether they are looking after their parents properly.]

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.

The Word Among Us

Tuesday, February 11, 2003

Meditation
Genesis 1:20–2:4

Scripture tells us that God created humankind simply out of a desire to share his own divine life with his creatures. We aren’t just random occurrences with no purpose in life. No, God bestowed great dignity upon us by making us in his own image and likeness and commissioning us to make this world into a place that reflects his glory more and more. It’s hard to believe that the Lord of all creation loves us so much and has honored us so highly. And yet it is true!

In his encyclical The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II echoes the truths reflected in the opening chapters of Genesis: “Man has been given a sublime dignity, based on the intimate bond which unites him to his Creator: In man there shines forth a reflection of God himself. The Book of Genesis affirms this when, in the first account of creation, it places man at the summit of God’s creative activity, as its crown, at the culmination of a process which leads from indistinct chaos to the most perfect of creatures.

In the biblical narrative, the difference between man and other creatures is shown above all by the fact that only the creation of man is presented as the result of a special decision on the part of God, a deliberation to establish a particular and specific bond with the Creator: ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’ (Genesis 1:26). The life which God offers to man is a gift by which God shares something of himself with his creature.” (34)

“God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). Do you know that you are God’s beloved handiwork? If you tend to look at yourself in negative ways, stop! You are very good. God himself says so! Ask the Holy Spirit to remove any obstacles that hinder you from receiving God’s love and to fill your heart with fresh confidence in the delight God takes in you.

“O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Who are we that you are mindful of us? Who are we that you should care for us? Yet you have crowned us with glory and honor! Thank you for bringing us into being and showering your love and favor on us.”

Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes

Novena to
Our Lady of Lourdes

Prayer
Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest your shining with life, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child, St. Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." A thousand times we congratulate you upon your Immaculate Conception. And now, O ever Immaculate Virgin, Mother of mercy, Health of the sick, Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted, you know our wants, our troubles, our sufferings deign to cast upon us a look of mercy.

By appearing in the Grotto of Lourdes, you were pleased to make it a privileged sanctuary, whence you dispense your favors, and already many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and physical. We come, therefore, with the most unbounded confidence to implore your maternal intercession. Obtain for us, O loving Mother, the granting of our request. request Through gratitude for your favors, we will endeavor to imitate your virtues, that we may one day share your glory.
Our Lady of Lourdes, Mother of Christ, you had influence with your divine son while upon earth. You have the same influence now in Heaven. Pray for us; obtain for us from your Divine Son our special requests if it be the Divine Will. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

NINE DAY NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF LOURDES

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

DAY ONE
O Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, virgin and mother, queen of heaven, chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of the Eternal Word and in virtue of this title preserved from original sin, we kneel before you as did little Bernadette at Lourdes and pray with childlike trust in you that as we contemplate your glorious appearance at Lourdes, you will look with mercy on our present petition and secure for us a favorable answer to the request for which we are making this novena.

(make your request)

O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes, glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation, show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother, be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY TWO
Be blessed, O most pure Virgin, for having vouchsafed to manifest yourself shining with light, sweetness and beauty, in the Grotto of Lourdes, saying to the child Saint Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception!" O Mary Immaculate, inflame our hearts with one ray of the burning love of your pure heart Let them be consumed with love for Jesus and for you, in order that we may merit one day to enjoy your glorious eternity. O dispenser of His graces here below, take into your keeping and present to your Divine Son the petition for which we are making this novena.

(make your request)

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY THREE
"You are all fair, O Mary, and there is in you no stain of original sin." O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. O brilliant star of sanctity, as on that lovely day, upon a rough rock in Lourdes you spoke to the child Bernadette and a fountain broke from the plain earth and miracles happened and the great shrine of Lourdes began, so now I beseech you to hear our fervent prayer and do, we beseech you, grant us the petition we now so earnestly seek.

(make your request)

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY FOUR
O Immaculate Queen of Heaven, we your wayward, erring children, join our unworthy prayers of praise and thanksgiving to those of the angels and saints and your own-the One, Holy, and Undivided Trinity may be glorified in heaven and on earth. Our Lady of Lourdes, as you looked down with love and mercy upon Bernadette as she prayed her rosary in the grotto, look down now, we beseech you, with love and mercy upon us. From the abundance of graces granted you by your Divine Son, sweet Mother of God, give to each of us all that your motherly heart sees we need and at this moment look with special favor on the grace we seek in this novena.

(make your request)

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY FIVE
O Mary Immaculate, Mother of God and our mother, from the heights of your dignity look down mercifully upon us while we, full of confidence in your unbounded goodness and confident that your Divine Son will look favorably upon any request you make of Him in our behalf, we beseech you to come to our aid and secure for us the favor we seek in this novena.

(make your request)

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY SIX
O glorious Mother of God, so powerful under your special title of Our Lady of Lourdes, to you we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the gracious Heart of Jesus all the helps and graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare and for the special favor we so earnestly seek in this novena.

(make your request)

O Lady of Bernadette, with the stars of heaven in your hair and the roses of earth at your feet, look with compassion upon us today as you did so long ago on Bernadette in the Grotto of Lourdes.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY SEVEN
O Almighty God, who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary did prepare a worthy dwelling place for your Son, we humbly beseech you that as we contemplate the apparition of Our Lady in the Grotto of Lourdes, we may be blessed with health of mind and body. O most gracious Mother Mary, beloved Mother of Our Lord and Redeemer, look with favor upon us as you did that day on Bernadette and intercede with him for us that the favor we now so earnestly seek may be granted to us.

(make your request)

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY EIGHT
O Immaculate Mother of God, from heaven itself you came to appear to the little Bernadette in the rough Grotto of Lourdes! And as Bernadette knelt at your feet and the magic spring burst forth and as multitudes have knelt ever since before your shrine, O Mother of God, we kneel before you today to ask that in your mercy you plead with your Divine Son to grant the special favor we seek in this novena.

(make your request)

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

DAY NINE
O glorious Mother of God, to you we raise our hearts and hands to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the benign Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for our spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly for the grace of a happy death. O Mother of our Divine Lord, as we conclude this novena for the special favor we seek at this time.

(make your request)

We feel animated with confidence that your prayers in our behalf will be graciously heard. O Mother of My Lord, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and for the glory of His Name, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.

Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.

Saint Bernadette, pray for us.

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