Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 9-26-03, Optional, Sts. Cosmas & Damian

Reading I
Hg 2:1-9

In the second year of King Darius,
on the twenty-first day of the seventh month,
the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai:
Tell this to the governor of Judah,
Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,
and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak,
and to the remnant of the people:

Who is left among you
that saw this house in its former glory?
And how do you see it now?
Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?
But now take courage, Zerubbabel, says the LORD,
and take courage, Joshua, high priest, son of Jehozadak,
And take courage, all you people of the land,
says the LORD, and work!
For I am with you, says the LORD of hosts.
This is the pact that I made with you
when you came out of Egypt,
And my spirit continues in your midst;
do not fear!
For thus says the LORD of hosts:
One moment yet, a little while,
and I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
I will shake all the nations,
and the treasures of all the nations will come in,
And I will fill this house with glory,
says the LORD of hosts.
Mine is the silver and mine the gold,
says the LORD of hosts.
Greater will be the future glory of this house
than the former, says the LORD of hosts;
And in this place I will give you peace,
says the LORD of hosts!

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 43:1, 2, 3, 4

R (5) Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Do me justice, O God, and fight my fight
against a faithless people;
from the deceitful and impious man rescue me.
R Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
For you, O God, are my strength.
Why do you keep me so far away?
Why must I go about in mourning,
with the enemy oppressing me?
R Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Send forth your light and your fidelity;
they shall lead me on
And bring me to your holy mountain,
to your dwelling-place.
R Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.
Then will I go in to the altar of God,
the God of my gladness and joy;
Then will I give you thanks upon the harp,
O God, my God!
R Hope in God; I will praise him, my savior and my God.

Gospel
Lk 9:18-22

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude,
and the disciples were with him,
he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah;
still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'"
Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said in reply, "The Christ of God."
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised."

From: Luke 9:18-22

Peter's Confession of Faith

[18] Now it happened that as He (Jesus) was praying alone the disciples
were with Him; and He asked them, "Who do the people say that I am?"
[19] And they answered, "John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and
others, that one of the old prophets has risen." [20] And He said to
them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered, "The Christ
of God."

First Prophecy of the Passion

[21] But He charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
[22] saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by
the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the
third day be raised."

Commentary:

20. "Christ" means "anointed" and is a name indicating honor and
office. In the Old Law "priests" were anointed (Exodus 29:7 and
40:13), as were "kings" (1 Samuel 9:16), because God laid down that
they should receiving anointing in view of their position; there was
also a custom to anoint "prophets" (1 Samuel 16:13) because they were
interpreters and intermediaries of God. "When Jesus Christ our Savior
came into the world, He assumed the position and obligations of the
three offices of priest, king and prophet and was therefore called
Christ" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 3, 7).

22. Jesus prophesied His passion and death in order to help His
disciples believe in him. It also showed that He was freely accepting
these sufferings He would undergo. "Christ did not seek to be
glorified: He chose to come without glory in order to undergo
suffering; and you, who have been born without glory, do you wish to be
glorified? The route you must take is the one Christ took. This means
recognizing Him and it means imitating Him both in His ignominy and in
His good repute; thus you will glory in the Cross, which was His path
to glory. That was what Paul did, and therefore he glorified in
saying, `Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ' (Galatians 6:14)" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec.
Lucam, in loc.").

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.

FEAST OF THE DAY

Like many of the early saints, there is little solid historical information
about these twin brothers. They lived at the end of the third century
in what is modern day Syria. These two men were martyred during
the Diocletian persecutions, and there is a church built on the site of
their burial. The intercession of these saintly brothers has been
included during the Eucharistic Prayer since the sixth century.

Traditions rising up around these two saints say that they were
physicians that loved the poor so much that they did not charge for
their services. This was seen as so extraordinary, that in the East
they are venerated as the "moneyless ones". This fact was also so
extraordinary that they drew the attention of the political forces in the
area. This helped them serve the poor better, but it also marked
them for death when persecution broke out.

Cosmas and Damian were arrested and tortured for their faith by the
Governor Lysias of Cilicia. They were finally martyred by beheading
around the year 283. Cosmas and Damian are the patrons of
physicians, surgeons, druggists, barbers, and the blind.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The family is the most ancient institution which God founded in
Paradise, when He called the first pair of human beings into
existence. The first blessing which God gave was for the wellbeing of
the family. With family life, the history of the world commences. -St. John Vianney

TODAY IN HISTORY

611 Death of St. Colman of Lann Elo
1004 Death of St. Nilus of Rossano
1143 Pope Celestine II takes office

TODAY'S TIDBIT

To many people it the connection of Cosmas and Damian being
patrons of both physicians and barbers may not be readily evident. In
times when medicine was not widely practiced, barbers often served
as the physicians of the town. Their dexterity in shaving faces and
cutting hair allowed them to also perform minor surgeries with little
training.

INTENTION FOR THE DAY

Please pray, through the intercession of Sts. Cosmas and Damian,
for all physicians.

The Word Among Us

Friday, September 26, 2003

Meditation
Haggai 1:15–2:9

Imagine that you have just moved into a new city and have yet to get your bearings. Much of the city is in ruins, and you find most of your neighbors really don’t want you around. You had such high hopes of helping restore the city to its former splendor, but now you’re not sure you want to dedicate all your time and energy to such a massive project. Maybe you should just make your new home as comfortable as possible and hope for the best.

Such was the situation of Haggai when he preached to the people of Jerusalem in 520 b.c. Many had returned from the Babylonian exile only a few years earlier. Some may have remembered the glory of Jerusalem and its Temple before they were destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 b.c. How meager in comparison the new, half-built Temple looked! Into this disheartening situation, God sent Haggai with words of comfort and encouragement. God wanted his people to know that he was with them. He wanted to assure them that if they worked at it, the Temple’s future glory truly would be greater than its past.

Today, we may see the church as being less magnificent than it formerly was. Scandals have tarnished its image, and divisions have weakened its witness. But how we look at the church and how God looks at the church are two very different things. Of course God sees the weaknesses, but he also sees the strengths, as well as the great potential in the church. Just as he promised to shake the heavens and the earth in the days of Haggai, today he makes this same promise to us.

For years, Pope John Paul II has been urging his people to expect a powerful outpouring of grace during this new millennium—a “new springtime” in the church. The “work” we are to do in ushering in this new springtime is to intercede and remain ever faithful to God’s word. It’s that simple. Then, God will give us eyes to see his plan unfolding—and to see his church in a whole new light. That’s how we become instruments of his grace and renewal in our age.

“Lord, we consecrate ourselves to the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. Empower us to work and encourage others to build up the body of Christ throughout the world.”

One Bread, One Body

<< Friday, September 26, 2003 >>

Sts. Cosmas & Damian

Haggai 1:15—2:9

Psalm 43

Luke 9:18-22

View Readings

TRIPLE CROWN

“The word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: Tell this to the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak, and to the remnant of the people.” —Haggai 2:1-2

The Lord in His perfect plan of salvation put a prophet, a governor, and a priest together to rebuild the Temple, restore God’s people, and renew the world. Historically, prophets were often persecuted by government authorities and priests. Sometimes governors or kings tried to usurp the rights of the priesthood. Then prophets railed at the government for its sin, sacrilege, and idolatry. Thus, it was rare for prophets, governors or kings, and priests to converge in solidarity and bring about renewal for God’s people.

When Jesus became incarnate, these three roles, which had seldom come together, were united for the first time in the person of Jesus. He is the Prophet prophesied by Moses (Dt 18:18; Acts 3:22ff). Jesus is “the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Tm 6:15). He is the eternal High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb 5:10). Moreover, those who have been baptized into Jesus share in His prophecy, kingship, and priesthood. Thus, by living our Baptisms in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we can renew the face of the earth (see Ps 104:30).

Prayer: Father, may I love the Church so much that I am willing to die to renew her.

Promise: “Bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling-place. Then will I go in to the altar of God, the God of my gladness and joy.” —Ps 43:3-4

Praise: Sts. Cosmas and Damian, twin brothers, were martyred for love of Jesus together with their three brothers.

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