Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Catholic Caucus: Sunday Mass Readings 07-12-09, Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
USCCB.org/New American Bible ^ | 07-12-09 | New American Bible

Posted on 07/11/2009 9:34:40 PM PDT by Salvation

July 12, 2009

                                Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
 
 
 

Reading 1
Am 7:12-15

Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos,
"Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah!
There earn your bread by prophesying,
but never again prophesy in Bethel;
for it is the king's sanctuary and a royal temple."
Amos answered Amaziah, "I was no prophet,
nor have I belonged to a company of prophets;
I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores.
The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me,
Go, prophesy to my people Israel."


Responsorial Psalm
Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (8) Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD —for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.


Reading II
Eph 1:3-14 or Eph 1:3-10

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we have redemption by his blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.

In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,
were sealed with the promised holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance
toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory.

or

Eph 1:3-10

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of God's grace
that he granted us in the beloved.

In him we have redemption by his blood,
the forgiveness of transgressions,
in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.
In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us
the mystery of his will in accord with his favor
that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times,
to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth.


Gospel
Mk 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
"Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them."
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.




TOPICS: Catholic; General Discusssion; Prayer; Worship
KEYWORDS: catholic; catholiclist; ordinarytime
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last
For your reading, reflection, faith-sharing, comments, questions, discussion.

1 posted on 07/11/2009 9:34:41 PM PDT by Salvation
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway; Lady In Blue; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; Catholicguy; RobbyS; markomalley; ...
Alleluia Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Alleluia Ping List.

2 posted on 07/11/2009 9:35:53 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All
No Matter What, He Always "Acts Like a Priest" [Ecumenical]
On Priestly Identity
What Can I Do For the Year of the Priest?
The Rosary for the Year of the Priest [Catholic Caucus]

Pope Notes His Goal for Year for Priests
On the Year for Priests
WHY A YEAR FOR PRIESTS?
Curé d'Ars: Model Priest [Year of the Priest]
ZENIT Launches Column on Priesthood

[Justin] Cardinal Rigali on the Year for Priests
Church Being Given Chance to Rediscover Priesthood [Year of the Priest]
Celebrating the Year of the Priesthood
St. John Vianney's Pastoral Plan
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI PROCLAIMING A YEAR FOR PRIESTS [Catholic Caucus]

Year of the Priest Letter (Media immediately scrutinize its contents for controversy)
Year of the Priest [Catholic Caucus]
The Year for Priests [Catholic Caucus]
Year of the Priest Begins Friday
U.S. bishops launch website for Year for Priests

3 posted on 07/11/2009 9:37:28 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
Pray a Rosary each day for our nation.

Pray the Rosary

1.  Sign of the Cross:  In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

2.  The Apostles Creed:  I BELIEVE in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day He rose again. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

3.  The Lord's Prayer:  OUR Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

4. (3) Hail Mary:  HAIL Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and in the hour of our death. Amen. (Three times)

5. Glory Be:  GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Fatima Prayer: Oh, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.

Announce each mystery, then say 1 Our Father, 10 Hail Marys, 1 Glory Be and 1 Fatima prayer.  Repeat the process with each mystery.

End with the Hail Holy Queen:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve! To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus!

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Final step -- The Sign of the Cross

 

The Mysteries of the Rosary

By tradition, Catholics meditate on these Mysteries during prayers of the Rosary.
The biblical references follow each of the Mysteries below.


The Glorious Mysteries
(Wednesdays and Sundays)
1.The Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-8, Mark 16:1-18, Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-29) [Spiritual fruit - Faith]
2. The Ascension (Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11) [Spiritual fruit - Christian Hope]
3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:1-13) [Spiritual fruit - Gifts of the Holy Spirit]
4. The Assumption [Spiritual fruit - To Jesus through Mary]
5. The Coronation [Spiritual fruit - Grace of Final Perseverance]


4 posted on 07/11/2009 9:39:06 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: All



~ PRAYER ~

St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle
 Be our protection against the wickedness
and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we  humbly pray,
 and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
 by the power of God,
 Cast into hell Satan and all evil spirits
who prowl through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
 Amen
+

5 posted on 07/11/2009 9:39:59 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: All
Prayer Campaign Started to Convert Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians to Pro-Life

Change Worth Praying For

[Catholic Caucus] One Million Rosaries

6 posted on 07/11/2009 9:40:31 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: All
July Devotion: The Precious Blood

July Devotion: The Precious Blood 
Like the Sacred Wounds of Jesus, His Precious Blood deserves special honor because of its close relation to the Sacred Passion. That honor was given to it from the beginning by the Apostles who praised its redeeming power. (Rom. 5:9 "we are justified by His blood"; Heb. 13:12 "and so Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people by His blood, suffered outside the gate"; 1 John 1:7 "and the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.") 
The Church has always held devotion to the Precious Blood in high esteem. We continue to recognize and publicly acknowledge the profound indebtedness of the whole human race to Christ, Priest and Victim. 
 
Standing at the foot of the cross, we see Jesus' head, hands, feet, and side pouring out streams of precious blood. It is precious because it: 
·      Redeems us and atones for our sins. Through His precious blood we are reconciled to God, made one with Him. Death ceases to be death and heaven's gates are opened to us.  
·      Cleanses us from all sin.  
·      Preserves us and keeps us safe from the grasp of evil.  When the Father sees us washed in the Blood of the Lamb we are spared.  
·      Comforts us. It is the constant reminder that Jesus - true God and true man suffered and died to save us and to open heaven to us because He loves us.  
·      Sanctifies us.  The same blood that justifies by taking away sin, continues to work within us.  Its action gives us the grace to continue on the path toward the Kingdom of God.  It assists us in achieving our new nature, leading us onward in subduing sin and in following the commands of God.  
Jesus shed His precious blood seven times during His life on earth.  They events were: 
·      Jesus shed His Blood in the Circumcision  
·      Jesus shed His Blood whilst praying in the Garden of Olives  
·      Jesus shed His Blood in the scourging  
·      Jesus shed His Blood in the crowning with thorns  
·      Jesus shed His Blood while carrying His cross  
·      Jesus shed His Blood in the crucifixion  
·      Jesus shed His Blood and water when His side was pierced 
The Power of the Precious Blood 
"I adore You, O Precious Blood of Jesus, flower of creation, fruit of virginity, ineffable instrument of the Holy Spirit, and I rejoice at the thought that You came from the drop of virginal blood on which eternal Love impressed its movement; You were assumed by the Word and deified in His person. I am overcome with emotion when I think of Your passing from the Blessed Virgin's heart into the heart of the Word, and, being vivified by the breath of the Divinity, becoming adorable because You became the Blood of God." (St. Albert the Great)  
 
At their recent meeting, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had continuous Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for "healing and peace."   They encouraged parishes and communities to have ongoing Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  In these dark months of woundedness, pain and violence we need to turn to the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, for healing, peace, and light.  
"What power we have in the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!  He is there to protect us, to be our refuge and our redemption.  (In Exodus 12, God told Moses to have His chosen people mark their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb, during the first Passover. Those who did this were spared when the Angel of the death passed by). This is why Archbishop Sheen said that we must call down the Blood of the Lamb, Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  For, he warned, when we stop calling down the Blood of the Lamb, we start calling down the blood of each other."  (From our book Bread of Life)      
"And the Lamb on the throne will shepherd them. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water" (Rev 7:17). 
"In the tumultuous events of our time, it is important to look to the Eucharist: it must be at the heart of the life of priests and consecrated people; the light and strength of spouses in putting into practice their commitment to fidelity, chastity and the apostolate; the ideal in education and in training children, adolescents and young people; the comfort and support of those who are troubled, of the sick and all who are weeping in the Gethsemane of life."  (Pope John Paul II)  
Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! 
"The only time our Lord asked the Apostles for anything was the night when He went into His agony.  But as often in the history of the church since that time, evil was awake, but the disciples were asleep.  That is why there came out of His anguished and lonely Heart a sigh: 'Could you not watch one hour with Me?'" (Mt 26:40).  Not for an hour of activity did he plead, but for an hour of friendship (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen).  
 
St. Maria Goretti,  Patroness of Youth & Children of Mary, Feast-July 6 St. Maria of Italy (1890-1902), couldn't wait to make her First Communion.  She wanted to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist so that she could become more beautiful and pure like Him; she wanted Him to live in her, close to her heart.  After she received Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, she stayed in Church for a long time after Mass to talk to Him. Maria's family lived with and worked for a farmer. His son Alessandro kept trying to make Maria sin against purity.  One day, when everyone else was working, Alessandro grabbed Maria and tried to make her sin.  Maria kept crying out for him to stop, and each time she did, he stabbed her. Courageously,   Maria resisted him and was stabbed fourteen times. St. Maria died the next day.  
"Look at Maria Goretti....  Like her, be capable of defending your purity of heart and body.  Be committed to the struggle against evil and sin.  Always esteem and love, purity and virginity." (Pope John Paul II, 1990)      
A Prayer for Priests 
O my God, help those priests who are faithful to remain faithful; to those who are falling, stretch forth Your Divine Hand that they may grasp it as their support.  In the great ocean of Your mercy, lift those poor unfortunate ones who have fallen, that being engulfed therein they may receive the grace to return to Your Great Loving Heart.  Amen.  Precious Blood of Jesus, protect them!A
 
menHe
"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you"  (Jn 6:53).  
The Eucharist is the fruit of our Lords Passion. Jesus gave up His Body on the cross so that He may give you His Body in the Holy Eucharist. Jesus poured out His very last drop of Blood on the cross so that He may fill you with His Divine Love each time that you receive Him in Holy Communion and visit Him in Eucharistic Adoration! 
"The Eucharist, in the Mass and outside of the Mass, is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, and is therefore deserving of the worship that is given to the living God, and to Him alone" (Pope John Paul II, September 29, 1979, Phoenix Park, Ireland) 
"The bread and wine, fruit of human hands, transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit into the body and blood of Christ, become a pledge of the 'new heaven and new earth,' announced by the Church in her daily mission." "In Christ, whom we adore present in the mystery of the Eucharist, the father uttered his final word with regard to humanity and human history." "To live the Eucharist, it is necessary, as well, to spend much time in adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, something which I myself experience every day drawing from it strength, consolation and assistance."  "How could the Church fulfill her vocation without cultivating a constant relationship with the Eucharist, without nourishing herself with this food which sanctifies, without founding her missionary activity on this indispensable support?" "To evangelize the world there is need of apostles who are 'experts' in the celebration, adoration and contemplation of the Eucharist" (Pope John Paul II, World Mission Message 2004).
 
The Power of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist  
"The Precious Blood belongs in an especial manner to men. Much more, therefore, does God invite them to come to its heavenly baths, and receive therein, not only the cleansing of their souls, but the power of a new and amazing life. Every doctrine in theology is a call to the Precious Blood.  Every ceremony in the Church tells of it . . . .  Every supernatural act is a growth of it. Everything that is holy on earth is either a leaf, bud, blossom or fruit of the Blood of Jesus. To its fountains God calls the sinner, that he may be lightened of his burdens. There is no remission of him in anything else.  Only there is his lost sonship to be found. The saints are no less called by God to these invigorating streams. It is out of the Precious Blood that men draw martyrdoms, vocations, celebacies, austerities, heroic charities, and all the magnificent graces of high sanctity.  The secret nourishment of prayer is from those fountains" (Father Faber, The Precious Blood).  

Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood
The Traditional Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Catholic Caucus)
Devotion to the Precious Blood
DOCTRINE OF THE BLOOD OF CHRIST
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,And More on the Precious Blood

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
NOTHING IS MORE POTENT AGAINST EVIL THAN PLEADING THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST
FORMER PENTECOSTAL RELATES MIRACLE THAT OCCURRED WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD
Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
St.Gaspar:Founder of the Society of the Precious Blood[AKA The Hammer of Freemasons]

 
 
 Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ
 



7 posted on 07/11/2009 9:41:43 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: All

Holy Father's Prayer Intentions For July 2009

General: That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation.

Mission: That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God's one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country in the world.


8 posted on 07/11/2009 9:42:45 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: All

From: Amos 7:12-15

Dispute with Amaziah


[12] And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah,
and eat bread there, and prophesy there; [13] but never again prophesy at Be-
thel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

[14] Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but
I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, [15] and the Lord took me
from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people
Israel.’

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

7:1-9:10. This section is the third part of the book. It consists of five visions,
with a doxology that comes near the end (9:5-6). Mixed in are some interesting
details about Amos and his teaching — the account of his call (7:14-15), a dra-
matic description of the “day of the Lord” (8:9-14), etc. The passage ends with
an announcement of punishment (9:7-10) that serves to underscore the opti-
mism of the final oracle, which is about future restoration.

Most of this passage is taken up with the “five visions of Amos”; these are writ-
ten to a fairly fixed pattern, in a mixture of prose and verse. The visions mean
that Amos’ ministry includes that of “seer” as well as prophet. The message of
the visions is clear: the Lord cannot be appeased by external, schismatic rites
that fail to touch men’s hearts or move them to conversion.

7:7-17. The vision of the plumb line (vv. 7-9) exposes the rottenness within the
people. They are not level, not right; when they are checked, they are found to
be askew (v. 7). From now on, the Lord is not going to overlook their infidelities;
what is out of line will be destroyed (v. 9). That may be why the prophet no lon-
ger intercedes; he simply notes something that will happen inexorably.

The vision is followed by an account of Amos’ altercation with Amaziah, the
priest of the sanctuary of Bethel (vv. 10-17). Amaziah, a supporter of King Jero-
boam, sees in Amos a prophet who is only going to cause trouble in the king-
dom: he has no interest in trying to understand Amos’ message — which in fact
exposes injustices and deceit to which Amaziah is party.

Amaziah calls Amos a “seer” (a translation of one of the Hebrew terms used to
designate a prophet). But Amos does not regard himself as a prophet in the nor-
mal sense, a “son of a prophet” (v. 14), that is, a member of a group or fraternity
of prophets, of which there were many in Israel, at least from the time of King
Saul onwards (cf. 1 Sam 10:10-13; 19:20-24), nor is he an “official” prophet, a
member of the staff of the royal household. Amos’ reply is clear: he is a herds-
man and a dresser of sycamores. But the Lord sent him to “prophesy” to Israel
(v. 15). Amos, then, was an ordinary man (not a prophet, not a priest) who was
commissioned by the Lord, out of the blue, to proclaim a message. A call from
God is something so imperative that no one should refuse it (cf. 3:8), but at the
same time it gives meaning and strength to the person’s life: it confers on him a
sense of authority even over institutions such as temple and king. He therefore
has the last word (v. 17): “God’s calling gives us a mission: it invites us to share
in the unique task of the Church, to bear witness to Christ before our fellow men
and so draw all things toward God. Our calling discloses to us the meaning of
our existence. It means being convinced, through faith, of the reason for our life
on earth. Our life — present, past and future — acquires a new dimension, a
depth we did not perceive before. All happenings and events now fall within their
true perspective: we understand where God is leading us, and we feel ourselves
borne along by this task entrusted to us” (St Josemarla Escrivá, “Christ is Pas-
sing By”, 45).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.


9 posted on 07/11/2009 9:44:02 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: All

From: Ephesians 1:3-14

Hymn of Praise


[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, [4] even as he
chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
blameless before him. [5] He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus
Christ, according to the purpose of his will, [6] to the praise of his glorious grace
which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. [7] In him we have redemption
through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of
his grace [8] which he lavished upon us. [9] For he had made known to us in
all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which
he set forth in Christ [10] a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in
him, things in heaven and things on earth.

[11] In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things accor-
ding to the counsel of his will, [12] we who first hoped in Christ have been des-
tined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. [13] In him you also, who
have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in
him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, [14] who is the guarantee of
our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

3-14. Verses 3-14 are a hymn of praise to God for the plan of salvation he has
devised and brought to fulfillment in benefit of men and all creation. It is written
in a liturgical style of rhythmic prose, similar to that in Colossians 1:15-20. In
the Greek it is one long complex sentence full of relative pronouns and clauses
which give it a designed unity; we can, however, distinguish two main sections.

The first (v. 3-10), divided into four stanzas, describes the blessings contained
in God’s salvific plan; St Paul terms this plan the “mystery” of God’s will. The
section begins by praising God for his eternal design, a plan, pre-dating creation,
to call us to the Church, to form a community of saints (first stanza: vv. 3f) and
receive the grace of being children of God through Jesus Christ (second stanza:
vv. 5f). It then reflects on Christ’s work of redemption which brings this eternal
plan of God to fulfillment (third stanza: vv. 7f). This section reaches its climax in
the fourth stanza (vv. 9f) which proclaims Christ as Lord of all creation, thereby
revealing the full development of God’s salvific plan.

The second section, which divides into two stanzas, deals with the application
of this plan—first to the Jews (fifth stanza: vv. 11f) and then to the Gentiles, who
are also called to share what God has promised: Jews and Gentiles join to form
a single people, the Church (sixth stanza: vv. 13f).

Hymns in praise of God, or “eulogies”, occur in many parts of Sacred Scripture
(cf. Ps 8; Ps 19; Dan 2:20-23; Lk 1:46-54, 68-78; etc.); they praise the Lord for
the wonders of creation or for spectacular interventions on behalf of his people.
Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St Paul here praises God the Father for all Christ’s
saving work, which extends from God’s original plan which he made before he
created the world, right up to the very end of time and the recapitulation of all
things in Christ.

We too should always have this same attitude of praise of the Lord. “Our entire
life on earth should take the form of praise of God, for the never-ending joy of our
future life consists in praising God, and no one can become fit for that future life
unless he train himself to render that praise now” (St Augustine, “Enarrationes
in Psalmos”, 148).

Praise is in fact the most appropriate attitude for man to have towards God:
“How can you dare use that spark of divine intelligence—your mind—in anything
but in giving glory to your Lord?” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 782).

3. St Paul blesses God as Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because it is through
Christ that all God’s blessings and gifts reach us. God’s actions in favor of man
are actions of all three divine Persons; the divine plan which the Apostle consi-
ders here has its origin in the Blessed Trinity; it is eternal. “These three Persons
are not to be considered separable,” the Eleventh Council of Toledo teaches,
“since we believe that not one of them existed or at any time effected anything
before the other, after the other, or without the other. For in existence and ope-
ration they are found to be inseparable” (”De Trinitate” Creed, “Dz-Sch”, 531).

In the implementation of this divine plan of salvation, the work of Redemption is
attributed to the Son and that of sanctification to the Holy Spirit. “To help us
grasp in some measure this unfathomable mystery, we might imagine the Bles-
sed Trinity taking counsel together in their uninterrupted intimate relationship of
nfinite love. As a result of their eternal decision, the only-begotten Son of God
the Father takes on our human condition and bears the burden of our wretched-
ness and sorrows, to end up sewn with nails to a piece of wood” (St. J. Escriva,
“Christ Is Passing By”, 95).

St Paul describes as “spiritual blessings” all the gifts which the implementation
of God’s plan implies, gifts which are distributed by the Holy Spirit. When he
speaks of them as being “in the heavenly places” and “in Christ”, he is saying
that through Christ who has risen from the dead and ascended on high we too
have been inserted into the world of God (cf. 1:20; 2:6).

When man describes God as “blessed it means he recognizes God’s greatness
and goodness, and rejoices over the divine gifts he has received (cf. Lk 1:46, 68).
Here is what St Thomas Aquinas has to say about the meaning of this passage:
“The Apostle says, ‘Benedictus’ [Blessed be the God ...], that is, may I, and you,
and everyone bless him, with our heart, our mouth, our actions—praising him as
God and as Father, for he is God because of his essence and Father because
of his power to generate” (”Commentary on Eph.”, 1, 6).

Sacred Scripture very often invites us to praise God our Lord (cf. Ps 8:19; 33;
46-48; etc.); this is not a matter only of verbal praise: our actions should prove
that we mean what we say: “He who does good with his hands praises the Lord,
and he who confesses the Lord with his mouth praises the Lord. Praise him by
your actions” (St Augustine, “Enarrationes in Psalmos”, 91, 2).

4. As the hymn develops, the Apostle details each of the blessings contained in
God’s eternal plan. The first of these is his choice, before the foundation of the
world, of those who would become part of the Church. The word he uses, trans-
lated here as “chose”, is the same one as used in the Greek translation of the
Old Testament to refer to God’s election of Israel. The Church, the new people
of God, is constituted by assembling in and around Christ those who have been
chosen and called to holiness. This implies that although the Church was foun-
ded by Christ at a particular point in history, its origin goes right back to the
eternal divine plan. ‘The eternal Father, in accordance with the utterly gratuitous
and mysterious design of his wisdom and goodness, ... ‘predestined (the elect)
to be conformed to the image of his Son in order that he might be the first-born
among many brethren’ (Rom 8:29). He determined to call together in a holy
Church those who believe in Christ. Already present in figure at the beginning
of the world, this Church was prepared in marvelous fashion in the history of the
people of Israel and in the Old Alliance. Established in this last age of the world,
and made manifest in the outpouring of the Spirit, it will be brought to glorious
completion at the end of time” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 2).

God’s choice seeks to have us become “holy and blameless before him”. In the
same way as in the Old Testament a victim offered to God had to be unblemished,
blameless (cf. Gen 17:1), the blameless holiness to which God has destined us
admits of no imperfection. By the very fact of being baptized we are made holy
(cf. note on 1: 1), and during our lifetime we try to grow holier with the help of
God; however, complete holiness is something we shall attain only in heaven.

The holiness with which we have been endowed is an undeserved gift from God:
it is not a reward for any merit on our part: even before we were created God
chose us to be his: “’He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that
we should be holy.’ I know that such thoughts don’t fill you with pride or lead you
to think yourself better than others. That choice, the root of your vocation, should
be the basis of your humility. Do we build monuments to an artist’s paintbrush?
Granted the brush had a part in creating masterpieces, but we give credit only to
the painter. We Christians are nothing more than instruments in the hands of the
Creator of the world, the Redeemer of all men” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing
By”, 1).

“He destined us in love”: the loving initiative is God’s. “If God has honored us with
countless gifts it is thanks to his love, not to our merits. Our fervor, our strength,
our faith and our unity are the fruit of God’s benevolence and our response to his
goodness” (St John Chrysostom, “Hom. on Eph, ad loc”.).

God’s election of Christians and their vocation to holiness, as also the gift of di-
vine filiation, reveals that God is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8); we have become partakers
of God’s very nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4), sharers, that is, in the love of God.

“He destined us in love”, therefore, also includes the Christian’s love of God and
of others: charity is a sharing in God’s own love; it is the essence of holiness,
the Christian’s law; nothing has any value if it is not inspired by charity (cf. 1 Cor
13:1-3).

5. The Apostle goes on to explore the further implications of God’s eternal plan:
those chosen to form part of the Church have been given a second blessing, as
it were, by being predestined to be adoptive children of God. ‘The state of this
people is that of the dignity and freedom of the sons of God, in whose hearts the
Holy Spirit dwells as in a temple” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium, 9).

This predestination to which the Apostle refers means that God determined from
all eternity that the members of the new people of God should attain holiness
through his gift of adoptive sonship. It is God’s desire that all be saved (cf. 1 Tim
2:4) and he gives each person the means necessary for obtaining eternal life.
Therefore, no one is predestined to damnation (cf. Third Council of Valence, “De
Praedestinatione”, can. 3).

The source of the Christian’s divine sonship is Jesus Christ. God’s only Son,
one in substance with the Father, took on human nature in order to make us
sons and daughters of God by adoption (cf. Rom 8:15, 29; 9:4; Gal 4:5). This is
why every member of the Church can say: “See what love the Father has given
us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 Jn 3:1).

What is involved here is not simply formal adoption, which is something external
and does not affect the very person of the child. Divine adoption affects man’s
entire being, it inserts him into God’s own life; for Baptism makes us truly his
children, partakers of the divine nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4). Divine sonship is therefore
the greatest of the gifts God bestows on man during his life on earth. It is indeed
right to exclaim “Blessed be God” (v. 3) when one reflects on this great gift: it is
right for children openly to acknowledge their father and show their love for him.

Divine filiation has many rich effects as far as the spiritual life is concerned. “A
child of God treats the Lord as his Father. He is not obsequious and servile; he
‘is not merely formal and well-mannered: he is completely sincere and trusting.
God is not shocked by what we do. Our infidelities do not wear him out. Our
Father in heaven pardons any offense when his child returns to him, when he
repents and asks for pardon. The Lord is such a good father that he anticipates
our desire to be pardoned and comes forward to us, opening his arms laden with
grace” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is Passing By”, 64). See the notes on Jn 1:12.

6. The gift of divine filiation is the greatest expression of the glory of God (ef. note
on 1:17 below), because it reveals the full extent of God’s love for man. St Paul
stresses what the purpose of this eternal divine plan is-to promote “the praise of
his glorious grace”. God’s glory has been made manifest through his merciful love,
which has led him to make us his children in accordance with the eternal purpose
of his will. This eternal design “flows from ‘fountain-like love’, the love of God the
Father [...]. God in his great and merciful kindness freely creates us and, more-
over, graciously calls us to share in his life and glory. He generously pours out,
and never ceases to pour out, his divine goodness, so that he who is Creator of
all things might at last become ‘everything to everyone’ (1 Cor 15:28), thus simul-
taneously assuring his own glory and our happiness” (Vatican II, “Ad Gentes”, 2).

The grace which St Paul speaks of here and which manifests the glory of God
refers first to the fact that God’s blessings are totally unmerited by us and in-
clude the grace-conferring gifts of holiness and divine filiation.

“In the Beloved”: the Old Testament stresses again and again that God loves his
people and that Israel is that cherished people (cf. Deut 33:12; is 5:1, 7; 1 Mac
6:11; etc.). In the New Testament Christians are called “beloved by God” (1 Thess
1:4; cf. Col 3:12). However, there is only one “Beloved”, strictly speaking, Jesus
Christ our Lord—as God revealed from the bright cloud at the Transfiguration: “This
is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 17:5). The Son of his love
has obtained man’s redemption and brought forgiveness of sins (cf. Col 1:13ff),
and it is through his grace that we become pleasing to God, lovable by him with
the same love with which he loves his Son. At the Last Supper, Jesus asked his
Father for this very thing—”so that the world may know that thou hast sent me
and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me” (Jn 17:23). “Notice”, St John
Chrysostom points out, “that Paul does not say that this grace has been given
us for no purpose but that it has been given us to make us pleasing and lovable
in his eyes, now that we are purified of our sins” (”Hom. on Eph, ad loc.”).

7-8. St Paul now centers his attention on the redemptive work of Christ—the third
blessing—which has implemented the eternal divine plan described in the prece-
ding verses.

Redemption means “setting free”. God’s redemptive action began in the Old Tes-
tament, when he set the people of Israel free from their enslavement in Egypt (cf.
Ex 11:7ff): by smearing the lintels of their doors with the blood of the lamb, their
first-born were protected from death. In memory of this salvation God ordained
the celebration of the rite of the passover lamb (cf. Ex 12:47). However, this
redemption from Egyptian slavery was but a prefigurement of the Redemption
Christ would bring about. “Christ our Lord achieved this task [of redeeming man-
kind and giving perfect glory to God] principally by the paschal mystery of his
blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and glorious ascension” (Vatican
II, “Sacrosanctum Concilium”, 5). By shedding his blood on the Cross, Christ
has redeemed us from the slavery of sin, from the power of the devil, and from
death (cf. note on Rom 3:24-25). He is the true passover Lamb (cf. Jn 1:29).
“When we reflect that we have been ransomed ‘not with perishable things such
as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without
blemish or spot’ (1 Pet 1:18f), we are naturally led to conclude that we could
have received no gift more salutary than this power [given to the Church] of for-
giving sins, which proclaims the ineffable providence of God and the excess of
his love towards us” (”St Pius V Catechism”, I, 11, 10).

The Redemption wrought by Christ frees us from the worst of all slaveries—that
of sin. As the Second Vatican Council puts it, “Man finds that he is unable of
himself to overcome the assaults of evil successfully, so that everyone feels as
though bound by chains. But the Lord himself came to free and strengthen man,
renewing him inwardly and casting out the ‘ruler of this world’ (Jn 12:31), who held
him in the bondage of sin. For sin brought man to a lower state, forcing him away
from the completeness that is his to attain” (”Gaudium Et Spes”, 13).

In carrying out this Redemption, our Lord was motivated by his infinite love for
man. This love, which far exceeds anything man could hope for, or could merit,
is to be seen above all in the universal generosity of God’s forgiveness, for though
“sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Rom 5:20); this forgiveness,
achieved by Christ’s death on the cross, is the supreme sign of God’s love for us,
for “greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”
(Jn 15:13). If God the Father gave up his Son to death for the remission of men’s
sins, “it was to reveal the love that is always greater than the whole of creation,
the love that is he himself, since ‘God is love’ (1 Jn 4:8, 16)”, John Paul II reminds
us. “Above all, love is greater than sin, than weakness, than ‘the futility of creation’
(cf. Rom 8:20); it is stronger than death” (Redemptor Hominis”, 9).

By enabling our sins to be forgiven, the Redemption brought about by Christ has
restored man’s dignity. “Increasingly contemplating the whole of Christ’s mystery,
the Church knows with all the certainty of faith that the Redemption that took
place through the Cross has definitely restored his dignity to man and given back
meaning to his life in the world, a meaning that was lost to a considerable extent
because of sin” (”Redemptor Hominis”, 10). This action on God’s part reveals his
wisdom and prudence.

9. Through Christ’s redemptive action, God has not only pardoned sin: he has
also shown that his salvific plan embraces all history and all creation. This plan,
which was revealed in Jesus Christ, St Paul calls “the mystery” of God’s will; its
revelation is a further divine blessing. The entire mystery embraces the establish-
ment of the Church and the gift of divine filiation (vv. 4-7), the recapitulation of all
things in Christ (v. 10), and the convoking of Jews and Gentiles to form part of the
Church (vv. 11-14; cf. 3:4-7). All this has been revealed in Christ, in whom, there-
fore, God’s revelation reaches its climax. Christ “did this by the total fact of his
presence and self-manifestation—by words and works, signs and miracles, but
above all by his death and glorious resurrection from the dead, and finally by
sending the Spirit of truth. He revealed that God is with us, to deliver us from the
darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to eternal life” (Vatican II, “Dei
Verbum”, 4).

The fact that God reveals his plans of salvation is a further proof of his love and
mercy, for it enables man to recognize God’s infinite wisdom and goodness and
to hear his invitation to take part in these plans. As the Second Vatican Council
puts it, “It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to
make known the mystery of his will (cf. Eph 1:9). His will was that man should
have access to the Father through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit,
and thus become sharers in the divine nature (cf. Eph 2:18; 2 Pet 1:4). By this
revelation, then, the invisible God (cf. Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:17), from the fullness of
his love, addresses men as his friends (cf. Ex 33: 11; Jn 15:14f), and moves
among them (cf. Bar 3:38), in order to invite and receive them into his own
company” (”Dei Verbum”, 2).

On the meaning of the word “mystery” in St Paul, see the notes on 1:26, 28; 2:9.

10. The “mystery” revealed by God in his love takes shape in a harmonious way,
in different stages or moments (”kairoi”) as history progresses. The fullness of
time came with the Incarnation (cf. Gal 4:4) and it will last until the End. Through
the Redemption, Christ has rechannelled history towards God; he rules over all
human history in a supernatural way. Not only have God’s mysterious plans be-
gun to take effect: they have been revealed to the Church, which God uses to
implement these plans. “Already the final age of the world is with us (cf. 1 Cor
10:11) and the renewal of the world is irrevocably under way; it is even now anti-
cipated in a certain real way, for the Church on earth is endowed already with a
sanctity that is real though imperfect. However, until there be realized new hea-
vens and a new earth in which justice dwells (cf. 2 Pet 3:13) the pilgrim Church,
in its sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the
mark of this world which will pass, and she herself takes her place among the
creatures which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the sons of God
(cf. Rom 8:19-22)” (Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 48).

The climax of God’s pre-creation plan involves “uniting” (”recapitulating”) all things
in Christ: Christ is to be the cornerstone and head of all creation. This means that,
through his redemptive activity, Christ unites and leads the created world back to
God. Its unity had been destroyed as a result of sin, but now Christ binds it to-
gether, uniting heavenly things as well as mankind and other earthly things. St
John Chrysostom teaches that “since heavenly things and earthly things were
torn apart from each other, they had no head [...]. (God) made Christ according
to the flesh the sole head of all things, of angels and of men; that is, he provided
one single principle for angels and for men [...]; for all things will be perfectly uni-
ted as they ought to be when they are gathered together under one head, linked
by a bond which must come from on high” (”Hom. on Eph, ad loc.”).

Christ’s being head of all things—as will be made manifest at the end of time—
stems from the fact that he is true God and true man, the head and first-born of
all creation. By rising from the dead, he has overcome the power of sin and death,
and has become Lord of all creation (cf. Acts 2:36; Rom 1:4; Eph 1:19-23); all
other things, invisible as well as invisible, come under his sway.

The motto taken by Pius X when he became Pope echoes this idea of Christ’s
Lordship: “If someone were to ask us for a motto which conveys our purpose we
would always reply, ‘Reinstating all things in Christ’ [...], trying to bring all men
to return to divine obedience” (”E supremi apostolatus”).

“Uniting all things in Christ”: this includes putting Christ at the summit of human
activities, as the founder of Opus Dei points out: “St Paul gave a motto to the
Christians at Ephesus: ‘Instaurare omnia in Christo’ (Eph 1:10), to fill everything
with the spirit of Jesus, placing Christ at the center of everything. ‘And I, when
I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself’ (Jn 12:32). Through
his incarnation, through his work at Nazareth and his preaching and miracles in
the land of Judea and Galilee, through his death on the cross, and through his
resurrection, Christ is the center of the universe, the first-born and Lord of all
creation.

“Our task as Christians is to proclaim this kingship of Christ, announcing it
through what we say and do. Our Lord wants men and women of his own in all
walks of life. Some he calls away from society, asking them to give up involve-
ment in the world, so that they remind the rest of us by their example that God
exists. To others he entrusts the priestly ministry. But he wants the vast majority
to stay right where they are, in all earthly occupations in which they work—in the
factory, the laboratory, the farm, the trades, the streets of the big cities and the
trails of the mountains” (”Christ Is Passing By”, 105).

11-14. The Apostle now contemplates a further divine blessing—the implementa-
tion of the “mystery” through the Redemption wrought by Christ: God calls the
Jews (vv. 11f) and the Gentiles (v. 13) together, to form a single people (v. 14).
Paul first refers to the Jewish people, of which he himself is a member, which
is why he uses the term “we” (v. 12). He then speaks of the Gentile Christians
and refers to them as “you” (v. 13).

11-12. The Jewish people’s expectations have been fulfilled in Christ: he has
brought the Kingdom of God and the messianic gifts, designed in the first in-
stance for Israel as its inheritance (cf. Mt 4:17; 12:28; Lk 4:16-22). God’s inten-
tion in selecting Israel was to form a people of his own (cf. Ex 19:5) that would
glorify him and proclaim to the nations its hope in a coming Messiah. “God,
with loving concern contemplating, and making preparation for, the salvation of
the whole human race, in a singular undertaking chose for himself a people to
whom he would entrust his promises. By his covenant with Abraham (cf. Gen
15:18) and, through Moses, with the race of Israel (cf. Ex 24:8), he did acquire
a people for himself, and to them he revealed himself in words and deeds as
the one, true, living God, so that Israel might experience the ways of God with
men. Moreover, by listening to the voice of God speaking to them through the
prophets, they had steadily to understand his ways more fully and more clearly,
and make them more widely known among the nations (cf. Ps 21:28-9; 95:1-3;
Is 2:1-4; Jer 3:17)” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 14).

St Paul emphasizes that even before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
just of the Old Testament acted in line with their belief in the promised Messiah
(cf. Gal 3:11; Rom 1:17); not only did they look forward to his coming but their
hope was nourished by faith in Christ as a result of their acceptance of God’s
promise. As later examples of this same faith we might mention Zechariah and
Elizabeth; Simeon and Anna; and, above all, St Joseph. St Joseph’s faith was
“full, confident, complete”, Monsignor Escriva comments. “It expressed itself in
an effective dedication to the will of God and an intelligent obedience. With faith
went love. His faith nurtured his love of God, who was fulfilling the promises made
to Abraham, Jacob and Moses, and his affection for Mary his wife and his father-
ly affection for Jesus. This faith, hope and love would further the great mission
which God was beginning in the world through, among others, a carpenter in
Galilee—the redemption of mankind” (”Christ Is Passing By”, 42).

13-14. If St Paul recognizes the magnificence of God’s saving plan in the fulfill-
ment, through Jesus, of the ancient promises to the Jews, he is even more awed
by the fact that the Gentiles are being called to share in God’s largesse. This call
of the Gentiles is, as it were, a further blessing from God.

It is through the preaching of the Gospel that the Gentiles come to form part of
the Church: faith coming initially through hearing the word of God (cf. Rom 10:17).
Once a person has accepted that word, God seals the believer with the promised
Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 3:14); this seal is the pledge or guarantee of divine inheritance
and proves that we have been accepted by God, incorporated into his Church, and
given access to that salvation which had previously been reserved to Israel. Here
we can see a parallelism between the “seal” of circumcision which made the Old
Covenant believer a member of the people of Israel, and the “seal” of the Holy
Spirit in Baptism which, in the New Testament, makes people members of the
Church (Rom 4:22; 2 Cor 1:22; Eph 4:30). The “efficient cause” of our justification
s “the merciful God, who freely washes and sanctifies (cf. 1 Cor 6:11), sealing
and anointing with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is the pledge of our inheri-
tance” (Council of Trent, “De Justificatione”, chap. 7).

A seal or pledge was the mark used in business to betoken or guarantee future
payment of the agreed price in full. In this case it represents a firm commitment
on God’s part, to grant the believer full and permanent possession of eternal
blessedness, an anticipation of which is given at Baptism and thereafter (cf. 2
Cor 1:22; 5:5). Through Christ, St Basil comments, “Paradise is restored to us;
we are enabled to ascend to the kingdom of heaven; we are given back our adop-
tion as sons, our confidence to call God himself our Father; we become partakers
of Christ’s grace, and are called children of light; we are enabled to share in the
glory of heaven, to be enveloped in a plenitude of blessings both in this world and
in the world to come [...]. If this be the promise, what will the final outcome not
be? If this, the beginning, is so wonderful, what will the final consummation not
be?” (”De Spiritu Sancto”, 15, 36).

The gift of the Holy Spirit, who, through faith, dwells in the soul of the Christian
in grace, represents, in this last stanza of the hymn, the high point in the imple-
mentation of God’s salvific plan. The Holy Spirit, who gathered together the
Church at Pentecost (cf. Acts 2: 14), continues to guide and inspire the aposto-
late of the members of the new people of God down through the centuries. The
Magisterium of the Church reminds us that “throughout the ages the Holy Spirit
makes the entire Church ‘one in communion and ministry; and provides her with
different hierarchical and charismatic gifts’ (”Lumen Gentium”, 4), giving life to
ecclesiastical structures, being as it were their soul, and inspiring in the hearts
of the faithful that same spirit of mission which impelled Christ himself. He even
at times visibly anticipates apostolic action, just as in various ways he uncea-
singly accompanies and directs it” (Vatican II, “Ad Gentes”, 4).

God has acquired his new people at the cost of his Son’s blood. This people made
up of believers in Christ has replaced the people of the Old Testament, regardless
of background. As the Second Vatican Council puts it, “As Israel according to the
flesh which wandered in the desert was already called the Church of God (cf. 2
Ezra 13:1; Num 20:4; Deut23:1ff), so too, the new Israel, which advances in this
present era in search of a future and permanent city (cf. Heb 13:14), is called
also the Church of Christ (cf. Mt 16:18). It is Christ indeed who has purchased it
with his own blood (cf. Acts 20:28); he has filled it with his spirit; he has provided
means adapted to its visible and social union. All those who in faith look towards
Jesus, the author of salvation and the principle of unity and peace, God has
gathered together and established as the Church, that it may be for each and
every one the visible sacrament of this saving unity” (”Lumen Gentium”, 9).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.


10 posted on 07/11/2009 9:46:22 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: All

From: Mark 6:7-13

The Mission of the Twelve


[7] And he (Jesus) called to him the Twelve, and began to send them out two
by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. [8] He charged them
to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in
their belts; [9] but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics [10] And he said
to them, “Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. [11]
And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you
leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.”
[12] So they went out and preached that men should repent. [13] And they
cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed
them.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

7. Cf. note on Mk 1:27; 3:14-19.

[The note on Mk 1:17 states:

27. The same authority that Jesus showed in His teaching (1:22) is now to be
seen in His actions. His will is His command: He has no need of long prayers
or incantations. Jesus’ words and actions already have a divine power which
provokes wonder and fear in those who hear and see Him.

Jesus continues to impress people in this way (Mark 2:12; 5:20-42; 7:37; 15:39;
Luke 19:48; John 7:46). Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Savior. He knows
this Himself and He lets it be known by His actions and by His words; according
to the gospel accounts (Mark 1:38-39; 2:10-11; 4:39) there is complete continuity
and consistency between what He says and He does. As Vatican II teaches
(”Dei Verbum”, 2) Revelation is realized by deeds and words intimately connected
with each other: the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained
in them; the deeds confirm the teaching. In this way Jesus progressively reveals
the mystery of His Person: first the people sense His exceptional authority; later
on, the Apostles, enlightened by God’s grace, recognize the deepest source of
this authority: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).]

[The note on Mk 3:14-19 states:

14-19. The Twelve chosen by Jesus (cf. 3:14) receive a specific vocation to be
“people sent out”, which is what the word “apostles” means. Jesus chooses
them for a mission which He will give them later (6:6-13) and to enable them to
perform this mission He gives them part of His power. The fact that He chooses
“twelve” is very significant. This is the same number as the twelve Patriarchs of
Israel, and the postles represent the new people of God, the Church founded by
Christ. Jesus sought in this way to emphasize the continuity that exists be-
tween the Old and New Testaments. The Twelve are the pillars on which Christ
builds His Church (cf. Gal 2:9); their mission to make disciples of the Lord (to
teach) all nations, sanctifying and governing the believers (Mt 28:16-20; Mk 16:
15; Lk 24:45-48; Jn 20:21-23).]

8-9. Jesus requires them to be free of any form of attachment if they are to
preach the Gospel. A disciple, who has the mission of bringing the Kingdom of
God to souls through preaching, should not rely on human resources but on God’s
Providence. Whatever he does not in order to live with dignity as a herald of the
Gospel, he must obtain from those who benefit from his preaching, for the laborer
deserves his maintenance (cf. Mt 10:10).

“The preacher should so trust in God that he is convinced that he will have every-
thing he needs to support life, even if he cannot himself obtain it; for he should
not neglect eternal things worrying about temporal things” (St Bede, “In Marci
Evangelium Expositio, in loc.”). “By these instructions the Lord did not mean
that the evangelists should not seek to live in any other way than by depending
on what was offered to them by those to whom they preached the Gospel; other-
wise this very Apostle (St Paul) would have acted contrary to this precept when
he earned his living by the labors of his own hands” (St Augustine, “De Consen-
su Evangelistarum”, II, 30).

13. St Mark is the only evangelist who speaks of anointing the sick with oil. Oil
was often used for treating wounds (cf. Is 1:6; Lk 10:34), and the Apostles also
use it for the miraculous cure of physical illnesses by virtue of the power given
them by Jesus. Hence the use of oil as the matter of the sacrament of the Anoin-
ting of the Sick, which cures wounds of the soul and even, if appropriate, bodily
diseases. As the Council of Trent teaches—”Doctrina De Sacramento Extremae
Unctionis”, chap. 1—in this verse of St Mark there can be seen a “hint” of the
sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which our Lord will institute and which
later on “is recommended and promulgated to the faithful by St James the
Apostle” (cf. Jas 5:14ff).

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.


11 posted on 07/11/2009 9:47:12 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: All
Scripture readings taken from the Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd

Mass Readings

First reading Amos 7:12-15 ©
Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, said to Amos, ‘Go away, seer;’ get back to the land of Judah; earn your bread there, do your prophesying there. We want no more prophesying in Bethel; this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.’ ‘I was no prophet, neither did I belong to any of the brotherhoods of prophets,’ Amos replied to Amaziah ‘I was a shepherd, and looked after sycamores: but it was the Lord who took me from herding the flock, and the Lord who said, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”’
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 84:9-14
Second reading Ephesians 1:3-14 ©
Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.
Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ,
to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence,
determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ
for his own kind purposes,
to make us praise the glory of his grace,
his free gift to us in the Beloved,
in whom, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.
Such is the richness of the grace
which he has showered on us
in all wisdom and insight.
He has let us know the mystery of his purpose,
the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning
to act upon when the times had run their course to the end:
that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head,
everything in the heavens and everything on earth.
And it is in him that we were claimed as God’s own,
chosen from the beginning,
under the predetermined plan of the one who guides all things
as he decides by his own will;
chosen to be,
for his greater glory,
the people who would put their hopes in Christ before he came.
Now you too, in him,
have heard the message of the truth and the good news of your salvation,
and have believed it;
and you too have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit of the Promise,
the pledge of our inheritance
which brings freedom for those whom God has taken for his own, to make his glory praised.
Alternative second reading Ephesians 1:3-10 ©
Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.
Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ,
to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence,
determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ
for his own kind purposes,
to make us praise the glory of his grace,
his free gift to us in the Beloved,
in whom, through his blood, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.
Such is the richness of the grace
which he has showered on us
in all wisdom and insight.
He has let us know the mystery of his purpose,
the hidden plan he so kindly made in Christ from the beginning
to act upon when the times had run their course to the end:
that he would bring everything together under Christ, as head,
everything in the heavens and everything on earth.
Gospel Mark 6:7-13 ©
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’ And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

12 posted on 07/11/2009 9:50:32 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: All

I listened to someone read the Second Reading yesterday from the Jerusalem Bible and I almost got sick to my stomach about how sad the trasnlation of it was in the NAB. Even the RSV is readable. But in this instance, I thought the Jerusalem had the most poetic and meaningful translation.

The sooner they fix the NAB the happier I will be!

Any other thoughts?


13 posted on 07/11/2009 9:52:59 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: All
Senit -- Jesus Sends Us to Teach and Heal

Jesus Sends Us to Teach and Heal


Biblical Reflection for 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time B

Father Thomas Rosica, CSB

TORONTO, JULY 8, 2009 (Zenit.org).- When the Gospels relate to us the call extended by Jesus to his young disciples and apostles, it is always done in a very compassionate way. Jesus looks upon those whom he calls; he loves them, challenges them and calls them to be something they could hardly fathom!

Today's Gospel (Mark 6:7-13) is about the formation of those who will eventually spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Mark sees the teaching and work of the apostles as an extension of Jesus' teaching and work. In Mark's story, the preparation for the mission of the Twelve is seen in the call of the first disciples to be fishers of men (Mark 1:16-20), then of the Twelve set apart to be with Jesus and to receive authority to preach and expel demons (3:13-19). Now they are given the specific mission to exercise that authority in word and power as representatives of Jesus during the time of their formation.

In Mark's call story, Jesus does not mention any prohibition to visit pagan territory and to enter Samaritan towns. These differences indicate a certain adaptation to conditions in and outside of Palestine and suggest in Mark's account a later activity in the Church. For the rest, Jesus required of his apostles a total dependence on God for food and shelter (Cf. Mark 6:35-44; 8:1-9). Remaining in the same house as a guest (6:10), rather than moving to another offering greater comfort avoided any impression of seeking advantage for oneself and prevented dishonor to one's host. Why does Jesus tell the apostles to "travel light" with little or no provision? He wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves. He promises to work through and in each person called for his glory. The significance of shaking the dust off one's feet served as testimony against those who rejected the call to repentance.

Help or hindrance?

One of the frequent themes of Mark's Gospel is the ignorance of the disciples. When we read the whole Gospel, we realize that the disciples are as much a hindrance as a help to Jesus. They do not understand Jesus' words or support him in his mission. Repeatedly Jesus rebukes them for their inability to see and comprehend and for their hardness of heart. But when the disciples misunderstand Jesus and in other ways fail him, they are doing more than simply trying his patience. They are serving as agents of testing. As ones who "think the things of humans," rather than the things of God, they cannot comprehend that the straight and narrow path lying before Jesus must necessarily end at the cross. And so they act in ways that threaten to lead Jesus astray.

Many times we find ourselves asking, "Why did Mark portray the disciples in such a bad light?" But Mark's earliest readers would have focused not on Mark's literary strategies but on the events depicted in the narrative. They would have asked something like this: "What could it mean that the disciples whom we know as great leaders were so weak and acted so shamefully?" And the answer to that question would have been obvious: God had opened the eyes of the disciples, and had transformed them from ones who misunderstood and tested Jesus into worthy servants, even fearless leaders. There is hope for us! These famous call stories were remembered by Christians who knew the reality of their own weakness and failure, yet who also trusted in the presence of the Lord who triumphed over fear.
 
In Jesus' Name

What kind of authority and power does the Lord want us to exercise on his behalf? Jesus gave his apostles both the power and the authority to speak and to act in his name. He commanded them to do the works that he did: to cast out evil spirits, to heal, and to speak the word of God, the good news of the Gospel, which they received from Jesus. When Jesus spoke of power and authority he did something unheard of. He wedded power and authority with love and humility. The "world" and the "flesh" seek power for selfish gain. Jesus teaches us to use it for the good of our neighbor. Following Jesus is a risk, as every new way of life is. Each of us is called to teach as Jesus taught and to heal boldly and compassionately as he did.

Law, Prophets and Writings

In light of the first reading from the book of the prophet Amos (7:12-15) I would also like to offer some reflections on Jesus in relation to the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings of the Old Testament. On the one hand, Jesus knows the Law perfectly and observes it with devotion. On the other hand, however, He shows Himself perfectly free with regard to the Law. He wishes to give the authentic interpretation of the Law. He goes so far as to declare Himself the new lawgiver, with an authority equal to that of God. He Himself is the fulfillment of the Law (Cf. Romans 10:4).

Jesus also shows that He is the genuine continuation of the prophets in His message and His life. Like them, He proclaims faith in the "God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob" (Matthew 2:32). He defends the rights of God and of the poor (cf. Matthew 11:20-24). On the other hand, Jesus does not hesitate to declare Himself greater than all of them. He is superior to them, not only in the prophetic line, but He is the first, as the origin and source of all prophetic inspiration.

He is greater than Jonah and Solomon (Cf. Matthew 12:41-43; Luke 11:31-32). He is greater than Moses and he is first of all the prophets before John (John 1:15), Moses (John 6:46) and Abraham (John 8:56-58). And it is important to note that His primacy is not only temporal, but existential. His "before" is infinite, because it is eternal: "Abraham, your father, rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad. [...] Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I Am" (John 8:56-58).

Jesus also presents Himself as a fulfillment of the wisdom literature in the Old Testament. Jesus fulfills the Law and the Prophets by embodying this awareness in Himself: He embodies the way and reforms it by the witness He gives throughout His life, and even in His death. There is a radical change in values, as if a new creation would emerge from a creation undergoing a major upheaval.

By His death, Jesus explains the apparent contradiction of these values in the wisdom literature, and opens the path which had seemed to become as impasse for humankind. For those who follow Jesus, and hopefully that is each one of us, we must walk in his footsteps, enduring all of his misunderstanding, suffering, and even death, in order to truly be his disciples. The more we probe the depths of the very Scriptures which he fulfilled with his life, the more we will become like him.

Extended call

Spend some time this week reflecting on how the Lord has called you to be a disciple. In what ways have you felt the personal call of Christ? How does Christ make a difference in your life? What has his call demanded of you? What experiences or people in your life have been instrumental in deepening your faith? Is it possible to be a committed disciple of Jesus, yet still experience weakness and failure? In what ways can you, as a disciple of Jesus, share in his mission of teaching and healing today? To whom are you being sent, to teach and to heal?

[The readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time B are Amos 7:12-15; Ephesians 1:3-14 or Ephesians 1:3-10; and Mark 6:7-13]

 

Basilian Father Thomas Rosica, chief executive officer of the Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation and Television Network in Canada, is a consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. He can be reached at: rosica@saltandlighttv.org.


14 posted on 07/11/2009 10:07:00 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: All
Nothing But the Clothes on Their Backs

Nothing But the Clothes on Their Backs

July 11th, 2009 by Fr. Paul Grankauskas

Last summer, as I was preparing for the journey to World Youth Day in Australia, I remember checking my suitcase over and over again to make sure I had everything I needed for the two-week trip. It made for a heavier suitcase, but I did not have to worry about buying things along the way.

Whenever we travel, we certainly like to be well-prepared. We have directions to get us where we are going, we have a place to stay all lined up, and we make sure we have enough clothes and money to see us through. There are plenty of daring souls out there who do not mind roughing it — traveling light, sleeping under the stars, planning things as they go along — but most of us like to travel in comfort.

The kicker is that these daring souls can probably relate a little better to the Apostles in this week’s Gospel. Our Lord sends them out two by two to surrounding villages with instructions to take “nothing for the journey but a walking stick — no food, no sack, no money in their belts.” These guys are to travel light, taking only the clothes on their backs.

Why would Our Lord send them out on a journey and ask them to take almost nothing with them?

To begin with, there is a lesson in trusting God’s providence. The Apostles are not going out completely empty-handed. Our Lord gave them authority over unclean spirits and directions to heal the sick and preach a message of repentance. All they are being asked to do, they are asked to do in Christ’s name. They are doing nothing on their own, and they are to focus more on what they are to give than on what they are to receive. They are placing their trust in the word of their Master that all they need — the words to speak, strength and courage, even their material needs — will ultimately be provided for.

Second, the simplicity of the Apostles is truly something to be admired. Not bogged down with “things,” they can focus completely on their mission. They can go where they are needed at the direction of their Master. The example of these men, who gave up everything for the sake of the Gospel and Christ, has had a profound effect on some key figures in the history of the Church: St. Anthony of the Desert, St. Francis of Assisi, and Teresa of Calcutta to name a few.

Perhaps it is from these men who learned to do without that we can draw a lesson for life. The Apostles were to be concerned only with their mission. St. Paul tells us that all of us should be concerned with only one thing. We are to set our sights on heaven, where Christ reigns in glory. Part of the theological virtue of hope involves knowing that God has promised us a heavenly inheritance, and that we trust He will provide all that we need to enter into that inheritance. We may seek the grace of repentance and sorrow for sins, we may seek the strength to endure trials and sufferings, we may seek the grace to be more merciful and forgiving, to be more ardent in defending our Faith. These things are all gifts that come from God, and we are called to trust in His providence.

Keeping our eyes fixed on the kingdom also means not allowing ourselves to be bogged down by “things.” There was something liberating about that trip to Australia. The cell phone was off for two weeks, there was no easy access to computers and the Internet. In other words, there were limited distractions on what was meant to be a pilgrimage. For some, perhaps not having the iPod for two whole weeks was a challenge. But no distractions meant the heart was not divided. One could be open to hearing the Word of God.

Here we are in the middle of summer, a time of vacations and rest. Perhaps part of the rest should involve setting aside those “things” that keep us from seeing the big picture. Christians are called to set their hearts not on worldly things that are passing away, but on the good things of heaven — to pursue all that is good, virtuous, admirable and true. I suppose one last point we can reflect on with regards to this Gospel reading is that God does try to break through to us. Christ sends out the Apostles to proclaim that God is present with us. In the mystery of the Incarnation, heaven and earth meet. How sad if we were to tune out the voice of the Son of God, speaking to us through the Apostles and His Church, because we are too plugged in to everything else to pay attention. We are called to pay attention to the words of the Apostles as they proclaim, “Repent. The Kingdom of God is at hand.”

 
Fr. Paul Grankauskas is parochial vicar at St. Mary of Sorrows Parish in Fairfax, Virginia.

(This article courtesy of the
Arlington Catholic Herald.)

15 posted on 07/11/2009 10:13:20 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: All
The Work of God

 And he called the twelve; and began to send them in pairs, and gave them power over unclean spirits. Catholic Gospels - Homilies - Matthew, Luke, Mark, John - Inspirations of the Holy Spirit

Year B

 -  15 th Sunday in ordinary time

And he called the twelve; and began to send them in pairs, and gave them power over unclean spirits.

And he called the twelve; and began to send them in pairs, and gave them power over unclean spirits. Catholic Gospels - Matthew, Luke, Mark, John - Inspirations of the Holy Spirit Mark 6:7-13

7 And he called the twelve; and began to send them two and two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.
8 And he commanded them that they should take nothing for the way, but a staff only: no haversack, no bread, nor money in their purse,
9 But towear sandals, and that they should not put on two coats.
10 And he said to them: Wherever you shall enter into a house, there abide till you depart from that place.
11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you; going forth from there, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony to them.
12 And going forth they preached that men should do penance:
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

15 th Sunday in ordinary time - And he called the twelve; and began to send them in pairs, and gave them power over unclean spirits. My apostles received the important mission of carrying my testimony; something that characterized them very specially, was the power to cast out evil spirits. They also had the gift of praying over the sick, which would in turn be cured.

Today’s world is plagued with evil spirits, the perversion is collective and evil is like a black cloud that covers all humanity. During the ministry of the apostles, many demons were horrified before those who were filled with God.

Demons still feel terror when they meet with a person who is filled with God. But, oh, so few are filled with God.

How can someone be filled with God, when they fill themselves voluntarily with the corruption of the world? How can a temple of the Holy Spirit open its senses which are the doors of the soul to the perversion that exists, how can a human being who wants to find God, fill himself of all the rubbish of the world and contaminate in such way that in the end, he can not really be filled with God, but with the world. This is why it is so easy to lose the perception of the evil spirits, when the spirit is not united to God’s Spirit.

My words continue to be valid for mi believers, in my name they can cast out evil spirits, they can pray over the sick and they will be healed. But to believe in me, is to accept my yoke of perfection, to surrender in obedience to my call, to fulfill my will, to practice charity and to desire to be holy as I am holy.

He who follows me receives my peace, this accompanies him and becomes the tool that allows him to open hearts and fill them with God. My word strengthens him and gives him confidence to speak; my Spirit guides him and takes him through my luminous path to extend my love everywhere he goes.

Where there are two or more gathered in my name, I am there in their midst, I listen to them, I instruct them and entrust them with my desire to fill the world with my love. Get together in prayer groups and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you. I reward faith, I instruct those who wish to be instructed, I console the afflicted, strengthen the weak, heal the sick and fill the soul with virtue, so that it can carry my cross and live exemplarily.

Faith is like a little flame that burns in the heart, he who wishes to have more faith must provide the necessary fuel to make his flame grow to become a radiant sun; this can be achieved through prayer, the sacraments and good deeds. He, who wishes to have much faith, will receive much faith, he who searches will find, but he who sleeps will miss out on my visitation, because I rejoice meeting with those who are eager to meet me.

In order to grow in the faith, you must grow in desire to live in me and not in sin, many people desire ardently to sin and end up living in sin, I ask you, burn with great passion for me and live in my Love.
 

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary


16 posted on 07/11/2009 10:17:02 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: Quix

An example.


17 posted on 07/11/2009 10:18:41 PM PDT by narses (http://www.theobamadisaster.com/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: All
The Road to Emmaus

 
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
By Brian Pizzalato *
 

First ReadingAmos 7:12-15

Responsorial PsalmPs. 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14

Second ReadingEph. 1:3-14

Gospel ReadingMk. 6:7-13

 

In this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus begins to send the Twelve out two by two. Up until this point in the Gospel, it is Jesus and Jesus alone who speaks with divine authority, and then acts with divine authority through casting out demons, curing illnesses and raising the dead. The Apostles have not done much.

Jesus now begins to share his authority with the Twelve. He “…gave them authority over unclean spirits” (Mark 6:7b). They are now called to do some of what Jesus has been doing. Jesus will from this point forward share more and more of his authority with the Twelve. They will fully become Christ to the world when he ascends into heaven and the Holy Spirit is poured out. Their mission is, and will continue to be, the mission of Christ.

The fact that the Twelve will be Christ to the world is made even clearer toward the end of the passage: “So they went out and preached that men should repent” (Mark 6:12). This is precisely how Jesus began his public ministry. After being baptized in the Jordan and tempted in the desert, Jesus “…came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15). The Twelve do what Jesus did, not by imitation, but by participation. They participate in the very authority that the Father has given the Son.

The Twelve then “cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them” (Mark 6:13).

 

Connection with Amos

 

Now we might ask, how is all of this connected with the Old Testament reading for this Sunday taken from the book of the prophet Amos?

Amos was a prophet who spoke to the ten tribes of the northern Kingdom of Israel after the division of the twelve tribes into two separate kingdoms in 930 B.C.

In the passage for this Sunday we are told the Amaziah, a wicked priest, who is loyal to the wicked King Jeroboam II, comes to Amos and basically tells him to get out of town and go prophesy somewhere else. Amos responds by saying, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman [shepherd], and a dresser of sycamore trees, and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophecy to my people Israel’” (Amos 7:14-15).

Amos is saying that he is not a prophet because of his own doing, or because of family lineage, like the pagan prophets. He is a mere shepherd. God called him to go and prophesy. It is God doing the sending out of Amos as a prophet. God calls him, and gives him the gift of prophecy, which is spoken with divine authority.

This is how it is for all authentic prophets of Yahweh. We see this clearly with the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah “heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’ And he said, ‘Go, and say to my people…” (Isaiah 6:8-9a).

We hear this from the prophet Jeremiah: “Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms…” (Jeremiah 1:9-10a).

Of course there is also the obvious example of the prophet Jonah as well.

What might this Old Testament background have to teach us in relation to the Gospel reading from Mark?

God does the calling, God does the sending and God gives the authority to the prophets in the Old Testament. In the Gospel, Jesus does the calling, Jesus does the sending and Jesus gives the authority. The conclusion we must draw is that Jesus is God, and the Twelve are indeed prophets in the Kingdom of God.

In conclusion, let us listen to the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Jesus is the Father's Emissary. From the beginning of his ministry, he ‘called to him those whom he desired;…and he appointed twelve, whom also he named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to preach.’ From then on, they would also be his ‘emissaries’ (Greek apostoloi). In them, Christ continues his own mission: ‘As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ The apostles' ministry is the continuation of his mission; Jesus said to the Twelve: ‘he who receives you receives me’” (858; Mark 3:13-14; John 20:21; Matthew 10:40).


18 posted on 07/11/2009 10:28:04 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: All



The Angelus 

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: 
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen. 


19 posted on 07/11/2009 10:35:21 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: All

Prayer for Those Who Are Terminally Ill

 
Lord Jesus, you healed so many people during your public ministry. I bring before you now, in prayer, all those who are terminally ill -- those afflicted with cancer, AIDS, and other illnesses.
 
Look lovingly and compassionately upon them. Let them feel the strength of your consolation. Help them and their families to accept this cross they are asked to carry.  Protect them from euthanasia, Lord.
 
Let them see you carrying their cross with them, at their side, as you once carried yours to Calvary. May Mary be there, too, to comfort them. 
 
Lord Jesus, I know and believe that, if it is your will, you can cure those I pray for (especially N.). I place my trust in you. I pray with faith, but I also pray as you did in Gethsemane: your will be done. 
 
Bless us, Lord, and hear my prayer. Amen.
 
Reprinted from "Queen of Apostles Prayerbook" with permission of copyright holder, Pauline Books & Media,

20 posted on 07/11/2009 10:41:06 PM PDT by Salvation (With God all things are possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-40 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson