Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 8-13-03, Optional Sts. Pontian, Hippolytus

USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 8-13-03 | New American Bible

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August 13, 2003
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Psalm: Wednesday 35 Reading I Responsorial Psalm Gospel

Reading I
Dt 34:1-12

Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo,
the headland of Pisgah which faces Jericho,
and the LORD showed him all the land—
Gilead, and as far as Dan, all Naphtali,
the land of Ephraim and Manasseh,
all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,
the Negeb, the circuit of the Jordan
with the lowlands at Jericho, city of palms,
and as far as Zoar.
The LORD then said to him,
"This is the land
which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
that I would give to their descendants.
I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over."
So there, in the land of Moab, Moses, the servant of the LORD,
died as the LORD had said; and he was buried in the ravine
opposite Beth-peor in the land of Moab,
but to this day no one knows the place of his burial.
Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died,
yet his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.
For thirty days the children of Israel wept for Moses
in the plains of Moab, till they had completed
the period of grief and mourning for Moses.

Now Joshua, son of Nun, was filled with the spirit of wisdom,
since Moses had laid his hands upon him;
and so the children of Israel gave him their obedience,
thus carrying out the LORD's command to Moses.

Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face.
He had no equal in all the signs and wonders
the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt
against Pharaoh and all his servants and against all his land,
and for the might and the terrifying power
that Moses exhibited in the sight of all Israel.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17

R (see 20a and 10b) Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God: "How tremendous are your deeds!"
R Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.
Bless our God, you peoples;
loudly sound his praise.
R Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!
Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.
R Blessed be God who filled my soul with fire!

Gospel
Mt 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
"If your brother sins against you,
go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother.
If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you,
so that every fact may be established
on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church.
If he refuses to listen even to the Church,
then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you,
whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."

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For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments and discussion.

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I got interrupted this morning.

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FEAST OF THE DAY

St. Pontian was ordained bishop of Rome in 231 but was banished
from his diocese to the island of Sardinia four years later by Emperor
Maximinus. While exiled on Sardinia, he resigned his office so a new
pope could be elected. On the island, he was treated harshly working
in the mines and died in the year 235. After his death, his body was
taken back to Rome and buried along the Via Tiburtina.

During his lifetime, St. Hippolytus was an adamant advocate for
orthodoxy. He held back no punches and censured everyone who
did not live up to his standard. He had vocal disagreements with
several popes. Hippolytus is one of the most important theologian
and religious writer from before the age of Constantine. His writings
are the fullest source for information on liturgy and the structure of
the Church in the second and third centuries. In the year 235,
Hippolytus was banished to Sardinia with St. Pontian. He died after
harsh treatment working in mines later that year. After his death, his
body was taken back to Rome and buried along the Via Tiburtina.


QUOTE OF THE DAY

Christ, like a skillful physician, understands the weakness of men. He
loves to teach the ignorant and the erring he turns again to his own
true way. He is easily found by those who live by faith and to those of
pure eye and holy heart, who desire to knock at the door, he opens
immediately. -St. Hyppolytus (Treatise on Christ and Antichrist)


TODAY IN HISTORY

533 Election of Pope John I
587 Death of St. Radegund, Queen of the Franks
622 Death of St. Maximus the Confessor
1173 Death of St. Narses the Gracious


TODAY'S TIDBIT

Pope John I, who was elected on this day in 533, was the first pope
to change his name upon election as bishop of Rome. His given birth
name was Mercury.


INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray for the pope, for his health and for his intentions.

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**1173 Death of St. Narses the Gracious**

I didn't realize your name was a Saint's name!

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Thursday, August 14, 2003 Meditation Joshua 3:7-11,13-17 Water can seem like such a neutral, harmless substance, but it plays a powerful role in the Bible. Several times in the history of Israel, God showed his love to his people by parting a body of water and letting them pass through. He separated the Sea of Reeds so that Moses and the Israelites could escape the Egyptians and enter into a covenant with him on Mount Sinai. In the time of Joshua, God parted the Jordan River so that a new generation of Israelites could cross into the Promised Land. Just before he was taken up into heaven, the prophet Elijah miraculously parted the Jordan and walked across with Elisha. God is still parting waters today. At every baptism, the waters are parted, and Jesus leads new Christians through them to the safety and blessing of his kingdom. An old life is left behind, and a whole new life is begun—a life filled with the potential for intimacy with Jesus and empowerment by the Holy Spirit himself. Just think: Every baptized person has the potential to be Christ in this world: “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). Because God has parted the waters for us and poured his love into us, we too have the power to love. At baptism, we were not only rescued from death, but empowered to go out into the world as witnesses to Jesus. We may not feel qualified, but by his Spirit, God has empowered us to manifest his generosity and kindness both in times of crisis and in the mundane aspects of our daily lives. Once, when asked to do something she felt was beyond her, St. Thérèse of Lisieux said, “The very fact that left to myself I could do nothing made my task seem all the more simple. There was only one thing for me to do—unite myself more and more to God, knowing that he would give all the rest in addition.” “Father, I put my trust in you. Regardless of the circumstances, in whatever tasks you ask of me, I will trust that you are with me, giving me the power to see them through and even transforming them into miraculous happenings for your glory.”

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One Bread, One Body

One Bread, One Body

<< Wednesday, August 13, 2003 >>

St. Pontian & St. Hippolytus

Deuteronomy 34:1-12

Psalm 66

Matthew 18:15-20

View Readings

END-TIMES TALK

“I have let you feast your eyes upon it, but you shall not cross over.” —Deuteronomy 34:4

In American culture, movies and novels typically conclude with a happy ending. After a long struggle, the author lets justice prevail and the good guys triumph.

God, the Author of Life (Acts 3:15), is also into happy endings. His happy ending is “immeasurably more than we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20) — “life on high in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14). Yet it is sometimes difficult to resist the temptation to question God’s handling of endings in this earthly life.

Moses’ ending seems tragic. He endured forty years of revolt and grumbling, faithfully shepherding the Israelites to the border of the Promised Land. Yet God refused to allow him to enter the land (Dt 34:4). But without Moses’ demise, the Israelites would never have followed Joshua as their new leader. If Moses had a “good ending” in the Promised Land, he might have then died without publicly commissioning Joshua, leaving Israel weak and in disarray.

Our heritage is not so much the final outcome, but rather the day to day privilege of having God present in our midst (Mt 18:20). Each day in God’s service is its own reward (Is 49:4). If we daily focus on Jesus present with us, Jesus will be “the End” for us (Rv 22:13). Any circumstantial worldly ending will not leave us disappointed (Rm 5:5), for our hopes lie firmly in Jesus, the Lord of the End. “Let this, then, be the end” (2 Mc 15:39).

Prayer: Father, do in me whatever You must in order to do through me whatever You will.

Promise: “Again I tell you, if two of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by My Father in heaven.” —Mt 18:19

Praise: St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus forgave their most bitter  enemy — each other.

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Catholic Online Saints

St. Pontian Pope


Pope from 230-235 who holds the distinction of being the first pontiff to abdicate. Perhaps a Roman by birth, he was elected to succeed St. Urban I and devoted much of his reign to upholding the condemnation of the heretical aspects of Origenism and struggled against the schismatic movement which supported the antipope Hippolytus. In 235, Pontian was arrested by Roman officials at the instigation of the persecution of the Church by Emperor Maximinus I Thrax. With Hippolytus, Pontian was exiled to the infamous mines of Sardinia and, in order to make certain that the Church was not deprived of its leadership, Pontian stepped down, the first pope ever to do so. He and Hippolytus both died on Sardinia. Their remains were returned to Rome under Pope St. Fabian.

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Catholic Online Saints

St. Hippolytus
d. 235 Feastday: August 13


Martyr of Rome, with Concordia and other companions, he is a controversial figure who censured Pope St. Callistus I. Hippolytus was slain in Sardinia where he had been exiled for being elected as an antipope, the first in the history of the Church. He was reconciled to the Church before his martyrdom. His writings were important, including A Refutation of All Heresies, Song of Songs, and The Apostolic Tradition.