Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 4-05-03, Optional, St. Vincent Ferrer

Reading I
Jer 11:18-20

I knew their plot because the Lord informed me;
at that time you, O Lord, showed me their doings.

Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to slaughter,
had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will be spoken no more."

But, you, O Lord of hosts, O just Judge,
searcher of mind and heart,
Let me witness the vengeance you take on them,
for to you I have entrusted my cause!

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 7:2-3, 9bc-10, 11-12

R (2a) O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,
Lest I become like the lion's prey,
to be torn to pieces, with no one to rescue me.
R O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
Do me justice, O Lord, because I am just,
and because of the innocence that is mine.
Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
but sustain the just,
O searcher of heart and soul, O just God.
R O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.
A shield before me is God,
who saves the upright of heart;
A just judge is God,
a God who punishes day by day.
R O Lord, my God, in you I take refuge.

Gospel
Jn 7:40-53

Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
"This is truly the Prophet."
Others said, "This is the Christ."
But others said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he?
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David's family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?"
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.

So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?"
The guards answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man."
So the Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived?
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed."
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
"Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing?"
They answered and said to him,
"You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee."

Then each went to his own house.

From: John 7:40-53

Different Opinions About Jesus (Continuation)

[40] When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This is
really the prophet." [41] Others said, "This is the Christ." But some
said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? [42] Has not the Scripture
said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem,
the village where David was?" [43] So there was a division among the
people over Him. [44] Some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one
laid hands on Him.

[45] The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who said to them, "Why did you not bring Him?" [46] The officers
answered, "No man ever spoke like this man!" [47] The Pharisees
answered them, "Are you led astray, you also? [48] Have any of the
authorities or of the Pharisees believed in Him? [49] But this crowd,
who do not know the law, are accursed." [50] Nicodemus, who had gone
to Him before, and who was one of them, said to them, [51] "Does our
law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he
does?" [52] They replied, "Are you from Galilee too? Search and you
will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee." [53] They went each
to his own house, but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

Commentary:

40-43. "The prophet" refers to Deuteronomy 18:18, which predicts the
coming of a prophet during the last times, a prophet to whom all must
listen (cf. John 1:21; 6:14); and "the Christ" ("the Messiah") was the
title most used in the Old Testament to designate the future Savior
whom God would send. This passage shows us, once again, the range of
people's attitudes towards Jesus. Many Jews--not taking the trouble to
check--did not know that He had been born in Bethlehem, the city of
David, where Micah (5:2) says the Lord will be born. It was their own
fault that they used this ignorance as an excuse for not accepting
Christ. Others, however, realized from His miracles that He must be
the Messiah. The same pattern obtains throughout history: some people
see Him simply as an extraordinary man, not wanting to admit that His
greatness comes precisely from the fact the He is the Son of God.

46. The truth begins to influence the straightforward souls of the
servants of the Sanhedrin but it cannot make headway against the
obstinacy of the Pharisees. "Notice that the Pharisees and scribes
derive no benefit either from witnessing miracles or reading the
Scriptures; whereas their servants, without these helps, were
captivated by a single discourse, and those who set out to arrest Jesus
went back under the influence of His authority. And they did not say,
`We cannot arrest Him, the people will not let us'; instead they
extolled Christ's wisdom. Not only is their prudence admirable, for
they did not need signs; it is also impressive that they were won over
by His teaching on its own; they did not say, in effect, `No man has
ever worked such miracles,' but `No man ever spoke like this man.'
Their conviction also is worthy of admiration: they go to the
Pharisees, who were opposed to Christ, and address them in the way they
do" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom. On St. John", 9).

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

Saturday, April 05, 2003

Meditation
John 7:40-53

While the intellectuals of Jerusalem debated and argued about Jesus, the temple guards had the best response to the question of who he was: “No man ever spoke like this man” (John 7:46). While these guards were surely worldly wise and shrewd, they were clearly not educated to the same degree as the scribes and Pharisees. Yet unlike the scholars and experts of the day, these soldiers were receptive to the words of the one who taught love in a whole new way.

This contrast raises a question for us: How do we understand the relationship between knowing all the doctrines of Christianity and cultivating a heartfelt relationship with Jesus? St. Paul warned his readers that knowledge by itself “puffs up,” but that “love builds up.” He then went on to make a very bold (and often misunderstood) statement: “If any one imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2-3). Of course it is important to understand our faith, but it is just as important to have the courage to open our hearts to the love and mercy Jesus has for us. Ultimately, true knowledge of Christ reveals itself in a spiritual power that enables us to love as fully as Jesus does.

How is this power released? Through prayer, repentance, study of Scripture, and individual acts of kindness and mercy. Faith is more than an intellectual assent to doctrine: It is a light—a laser that pierces our hearts. It is the humble realization of who we are before God. Our minds must have their questions answered, and our desire to learn more must be honored. But at the end of the day, knowledge alone will fall short of the two great commands to love God with all our hearts, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Jesus came to reconcile us with the Father and to remove the sin that blocks us from realizing our destiny as children of God. When this truth seeps into our hearts as well as our heads, we have the makings of living and lasting faith.

“Jesus, I’ll never fully understand what it cost you to crucify my sins upon your cross. But I know enough to want to give my whole life to you. You have opened the way to eternal life, and I want to live for you.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, April 5, 2003 >>

St. Vincent Ferrer

Jeremiah 11:18-20

Psalm 7

John 7:40-53

View Readings

THE GREATEST SPEAKS AT EVERY MASS

“No man ever spoke like that before.” —John 7:46

When the temple guards came to arrest Jesus, they did not do it because they were so impressed by Jesus’ words. When people heard Jesus speak, they “were amazed. They began to ask one another: ‘What does this mean? A completely new teaching in a spirit of authority!’ ” (Mk 1:27) After a Samaritan woman conversed with Jesus, she said: “Come and see Someone Who told me everything I ever did. Could this not be the Messiah?” (Jn 4:29) Although the leaders of the people wanted to kill Jesus, “they had no idea how to achieve it, for indeed the entire populace was listening to Him and hanging on His words” (Lk 19:48). Jesus is the eternal, incarnate Word of God (Jn 1:1, 14). His words “are spirit and life” (Jn 6:63). We should seek His word, obey it, center our lives on it, spread it, and be in awe of His word.

At every Mass and liturgy, Jesus, the eternal High Priest, is the Priest and Preacher of God’s word. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your ears and hearts so that you are awed by Jesus’ ministry of the word at every Mass. This is the purpose of this book, One Bread, One Body: to lead as many people as possible to receive as deeply as possible Jesus’ ministry of the word at Mass daily. Hang on Jesus’ words (Lk 19:48).

Prayer: Father, in these days of Lent, may I devour Your word and may it become the “joy and the happiness of my heart” (Jer 15:16).

Promise: “To You I have entrusted my cause!” — Jer 12:20

Praise: St. Vincent was a preacher with an extraordinary gift of converting souls. In his final illness, he had the Passion of Jesus read to him, followed by the seven penitential psalms (Ps 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). Immersed in God’s word, he then died a happy death.

Lenten Reflections

Saturday, Fourth Week of Lent

Lord, my God, in you I take refuge! (Psalm 7:2)

Reflection.

"Jesus embodies the rule of God in which no one is beyond God's forgiveness no matter who they are or what they have done. Endowed with the presence and power of God through baptism by John in the Jordan, Jesus comes proclaiming that the rule of God supplants all others now. When the scribes and the Pharisees chide him for eating with the traitorous Jewish tax collectors, Jesus responds: 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.' The answer to my parishioner's burning question [about divine forgiveness] was, of course: No, you cannot be too bad to be forgiven. You can only be too good. [For example: Too self-righteous to be humble, compassionate, or receptive to God's spirit.]" ... Lewis B. Smedes

Lenten Fact

Tradition holds that our Blessed Mother visited daily the scenes of our Lord's passion.

Lenten Action.

Reach out to someone who is alienated from your group.

Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time, accepting hardships as the pathway to peace, taking, as He, did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right. If I surrender to His Will, that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with him forever in the next.
Amen.

Stations Of The Cross

I'm very devoted to St. Vincent Ferrer. I have occasion to go to Valencia every so often, and perhaps it's based on my familiarity with his city. But it's also because of his impressive life. This is from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

St. Vincent Ferrer
Famous Dominican missionary, born at Valencia, 23 January, 1350; died at Vannes, Brittany, 5 April, 1419. He was descended from the younger of two brothers who were knighted for their valour in the conquest of Valencia, 1238. In 1340 Vincent's father, William Ferrer, married Constantia Miguel, whose family had likewise been ennobled during the conquest of Valencia. Vincent was their fourth child. A brother, not unknown to history, was Boniface Ferrer, General of the Carthusians, who was employed by the antipope Benedict XIII in important diplomatic missions. Vincent was educated at Valencia, and completed his philosophy at the age of fourteen. In 1367 he entered the Dominican Order, and was sent to the house of studies at Barcelona the following year. In 1370 he taught philosophy at Lerida; one of his pupils there was Pierre Fouloup, later Grand Inquisitor of Aragon. In 1373 Vincent returned to the Dominican "Studium arabicum et hebraicum" at Barcelona. During his stay there famine was prevalent; filled with compassion for the sufferers; Vincent foretold, while preaching one day, the near approach of ships bearing wheat. His prediction was fulfilled. In 1377 he was sent to continue his studies at Toulouse, where, in his own words, "study followed prayer, and prayer succeeded study". In 1379 Vincent was retained by Cardinal Pedro de Luna, legate of the Court of Aragon, who was endeavouring to win King Peter IV to the obedience of Avignon. The saint, thoroughly convinced of the legitimacy of the claims of the Avignon pontiffs, was one of their strongest champions. From 1385 to 1390 he taught theology in the cathedral at Valencia.

After this Vincent carried on his apostolic work while in Pedro de Luna's suite. At Valladolid he converted a rabbi, later well known as Bishop Paul of Burgos. At Salamanca Queen Yolanda of Aragon chose him for her confessor, 1391-5. About this time he was cited before the Inquisiton for preaching publicly "the Judas had done penance", but Pedro de Luna, recently raised to the papal chair as Benedict XIII, cited the case before his tribunal and burned the papers. Benedict then called him to Avignon and appointed him confessor and Apostolic penitentiary. Notwithstanding the indifference of so many prelates in the papal Court, he laboured zealously among the people. He steadfastly refused the honours, including the cardinalate, which were offered to him. France withdrew from the obedience of Avignon in September, 1398, and the troops of Charles VI laid siege to the city. An attack of fever at this time brought Vincent to death's door, but during an apparition of Christ accompanied by St. Dominic and St. Francis he was miraculously cured and sent to preach penance and prepare men for the coming judgment. Not until November, 1399, did Benedict allow Vincent Ferrer to begin his apostolate, furnished with full powers of a legate a latere Christi. For twenty years he traversed western Europe, preaching penance for sin and preparation for judgment. Provence was the first field of his apostolate; he was obliged to preach in squares and open places, such were the numbers that flocked to hear him. In 1401 he evangelized Dauphiny, Savoy, and the Alpine region, converting many Catharins and Waldensians. Thence he penetrated into Lombardy. While preaching at Alexandria he singled out from among the hearers a youth who was destined to evangelize Italy, Bernadine of Siena. Another chosen soul with whom Vincent came in contact while in Italy was Margaret of Savoy. During the years 1403-4 Switzerland, Savoy, and Lyons received the missionary. He was followed by an army of penitents drawn from every rank of society, who desired to remain under his guidance. Vincent was ever watchful of his disciples, and never did the breath of scandal touch this strange assemblage, which numbered at times 10,000. Genoa, Flanders, Northern France, all heard Vincent in turn. It would be difficult to understand how he could make himself understood by the many nationalities he evangelized, as he could speak only Limousin, the language of Valencia. Many of his biographers hold that he was endowed with the gift of tongues, an opinion supported by Nicholas Clemangis, a doctor of the University of Paris, who had heard him preach.

In 1408 Vincent was at Genoa consoling the plague-stricken. A meeting had been arranged there between Gregory XII and Benedict XIII in the hope of putting an end to the schism. Vincent again urged Benedict to have pity on the afflicted Church, but in vain. Disappointed, he returned to Spain. It would be difficult to overestimate the influence which he exercised in the Iberian peninsula. Castile, Aragon, Valencia, Murcia, Granada, Andalusia, and Asturias were visited in turn, and everywhere miracles marked his progress; Christians, Jews, and Moslems were all lost in admiration of the thaumaturgus. From 1408 until 1416 he worked almost continuously south of the Pyrenees. At different times in Spanish history strenuous attempts had been made to convert the Jewish people, baptism or spoliation being the alternatives offered to them. This state of affairs existed when Vincent began to work among them; multitudes were won over by his preaching. Ranzano, his first biographer, estimates the number of Jews converted at 25,000. In the Kingdom of Granada he converted thousands of Moors. Vincent was often called upon to aid his country in temporal affairs, as the counsellor of kings and at one time the arbiter of the destiny of Spain. In 1409 he was commissioned by Benedict XIII to announce to Martin of Aragon the death of his only son and heir.

After Martin's death, the representatives of the Kingdoms of Aragon, Valencia, and Catalonia appointed Vincent one of the judges to determine the succession to the Crown. At the judgment, known as the Compromise of Caspe, he took the leading part and helped to elect Ferdinand of Castile. Vincent was one of the most resolute and faithful adherents of Benedict XIII, and by his word, sanctity, and miracles he did much to strengthen Benedict's position. It was not until 1416, when pressed by Ferdinand, King of Aragon, that he abandoned him. On 6 January, preaching at Perpignan, he declared anew to the vast throng gathered around his pulpit that Benedict XIII was the legitimate pope, but that, since he would not resign to bring peace to the Church, Ferdinand had withdrawn his states from the obedience of Avignon. This act must have caused Vincent much sorrow, for he was deeply attached to Benedict. Nevertheless, it was thought that Vincent was the only person sufficiently esteemed to announce such a step to the Spanish races. John Dominici was more fortunate in his attempts to pave the way for reunion, when he announced to the Council of Constance the resignation of Gregory XII. Vincent did not go to the Council of Constance; he continued his apostolic journeys through France, and spent the last two years of his life in Brittany, where consciences without number were reformed and instructed in a Christian way of life.

Vincent felt that he was the messenger of penance sent to prepare men for the judgment. For twenty years he traversed Western Europe preaching penance and awakening the dormant consciences of sinners by his wondrous eloquence. His austere life was but the living expression of his doctrine. The floor was his usual bed; perpetually fasting, he arose at two in the morning to chant the Office, celebrating Mass daily, afterwards preaching, sometimes three hours, and frequently working miracles. After his midday meal he would tend the sick children; at eight o'clock he prepared his sermon for the following day. He usually travelled on foot, poorly clad. Among St. Vincent's writings are: De suppositionibus dialecticis"; "De natura universalis"; "De monderno ecclesiae schismate", a defence of the Avignon pontiffs; and "De vita spirituali". His "Sermons" were published at Antwerp (1570), Augsburg (1729), and Lyons (1816); and his complete works at Valence (1591). He was canonized by Calixtus III at the Dominican Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, Rome, 3 June, 1455.

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