CAtholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings August 8, 2011

Daily Readings for: August 08, 2011
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Lord, let the holiness and teaching of St. Dominic come to the aid of your Church. May he help us now with his prayers as he once inspired people by his preaching. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

RECIPES

Cherries Jubilee

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

8th

Memorial of St. Dominic, priest Old Calendar: St. John Mary Vianney, confessor; Sts. Cyriac, Largus and Smaragdus, martyrs; Fourteen Holy Helpers (Hist)

At the end of the twelfth century the Church in France was ravaged by the Albigensian heresy, a doctrine which was not only entirely unchristian but which, in addition, constituted a social evil. Effective measures were required to be taken to combat it. Where others had failed, a Spanish canon, Dominic Guzman, succeeded. He was notable for his learning and love of poverty. The Order of Friars Preachers, which he founded about the year 1215, was endowed by him with these two characteristics; instead of manual labor, as practiced by the Cistercian monks, he required his friars to work with their minds by preaching and teaching. He died at Bologna on August 6, 1221. His friend, Gregory IX, canonized him three years later.

According to the 1962 Missal of Bl. John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is the feast of St. John Mary Vianney and Sts. Cyriac, Largus and Smaragdus. St. Largus and St. Smaragdus are two Roman martyrs. They were buried at first on the Ostian Way. Their bodies were later transferred, after the peace of Constantine, to a church built near the baths of Diocletian by a Christian of the name of Cyriacus. The cult of St. Cyriacus has been joined to that of the two martyrs. St. Dominic's feast in this rite is celebrated on August 4. St. John Vianney's feast in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite is celebrated on August 4.

The Fourteen "Auxiliary Saints" or "Holy Helpers" are a group of saints invoked because they have been efficacious in assisting in trials and sufferings. Each saint has a separate feast or memorial day, and the group was collectively venerated on August 8, until the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar, when the feast was dropped.

St. Dominic
The Martyrology gives the following: "At Bologna (upper Italy) the holy confessor Dominic, the saintly and learned founder of the Order of Preachers. He preserved his virginity inviolate and gained for himself the grace of raising three dead persons to life. By his word he crushed heresy in the bud and led many souls to piety and to religious life."

Born about 1175 in Castile (Spain), Dominic hailed from the illustrious Guzman family. First he was a canon regular at Osma; then he founded the Dominican Order, which was approved in 1216. Alongside the Franciscans, it became the most powerful Order in medieval times, giving the Church illustrious preachers — St. Vincent Ferrer, and contemplatives, Sts. Thomas of Aquinas and Pius V — and contributing immeasurably to maintaining the purity of the faith. Through the example of apostolic poverty and the preaching of the word of God the Friar Preachers were to lead men to Christ. To St. Dominic is attributed the origin and spread of the holy rosary.

The two contemporaries, Dominic and Francis, effected a tremendous spiritual rejuvenation through their own spiritual personalities and through their religious foundations. Of the two, Dominic was the realist who surpassed the other intellectually and in organizational talent. His spirit of moderation, clarity of thought, and burning zeal for souls have become the heritage of the Dominican Order. Legend has contributed the following rare anecdote as preserved in the Breviary: "During pregnancy, Dominic's mother dreamed she was carrying in her womb a little dog that held a burning torch between its teeth; and when she had given birth, it set the whole world on fire. By this dream it was made manifest beforehand how Dominic would inflame the nations to the practice of Christian virtue through the brightness of his holy example and the fiery ardor of his preaching." He died at Bologna upon hearing the liturgy's prayer for the dying: "Come, ye saints of God, hasten hither, ye angels!"

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

St. Cyriac and Companions
The Acts concerning these martyrs give many fictional details. Together with Sisinius, Largus and Smaragdus, Cyriac languished a long time in prison. Among the miracles that Cyriac worked was that of freeing through his prayer Arthemia, the daughter of Emperor Diocletian, from an evil spirit. Thereupon he was sent to the Persian king Sapor and performed a similar miracle in favor of his daughter Jobias. But after baptizing the king and 430 of his entourage, he returned to Rome. Upon orders from Maximian the Emperor, he was arrested, chained, and dragged to prison. Four days later he was taken from confinement, drenched with seething pitch, and tortured on the rack; in company with Smaragdus and twenty other Christians he finally was beheaded on the Via Salaria near the gardens of Sallust."

Popular piety has numbered St. Cyriac among the "Fourteen Holy Helpers." The existence of a martyr with this name seems well attested by the trustworthy Depositio Martyrum of 354. The remaining details in the above account are pure fiction. But the story may bring to mind that endless series of heroic souls who suffered for Christ even more dreadful tortures than those fiction describes.

Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

Patron: Astronomers; astronomy; scientists; falsely accused people.

Symbols: Lily; dog; book; star in forehead; pilgrim's staff; rosary; cross and rosary; dog holding torch; books in a fire.

The Fourteen Holy Helpers
The Fourteen Holy Helpers are invoked as a group because of the Black Plague which devastated Europe from 1346 to 1349. Among its symptoms were the black tongue, a parched throat, violent headache, fever, and boils on the abdomen. The victims were attacked without warning, robbing them of their reason, and killed within a few hours; many died without the last Sacraments. No one was immune, and the disease wreaked havoc in villages and family circles. The epidemic appeared incurable. The pious turned to Heaven, begging the intervention of the saints, praying to be spared or cured. Each of these fourteen saints had been efficacious in interceding in some aspect for the stricken during the Black Plague. The dates are the traditional feast days; not all the saints are on the General Roman Calendar.

(1) St. George (April 23rd), soldier-martyr. Invoked for protection for domestic animals and against herpetic diseases. Also patron of soldiers, England, Portugal, Germany, Aragon, Genoa and Venice.
(2) St. Blaise (also Blase and Blasius) (February 3rd), bishop and martyr. He is invoked against diseases of the throat. Blessing of the throats takes place on his feast day.
(3) St. Erasmus (also St. Elmo) (June 2nd), bishop and martyr. He is invoked against diseases of the stomach and intestine, protection for domestic animals and patron of sailors.
(4) St. Pantaleon (July 27th), bishop and martyr. Invoked against consumption, protection for domestic animals and patron of physicians and midwives.
(5) St. Vitus (also St. Guy) (June 15th), martyr. Invoked in epilepsy, chorea ("St. Vitus' dance"), lethargy, and the bites of poisonous or mad animals and against storms. Also protection for domestic animals. Patron of dancer and actors.
(6) St. Christopher (also Christophorus) (July 25th), martyr. Invoked against the plague and sudden death. He is the patron of travelers, especially motorists, and is also invoked in storms.
(7) St. Denis (also Dionysius) (October 9th), bishop and martyr. Invoked against diabolical possession and headaches.
(8) St. Cyriacus (also Cyriac) (August 8th), deacon and martyr. Invoked against diseases of the eye and diabolical possession. Also interceded for those in temptation, especially at the time of death.
(9) St. Acathius (also Acacius) (May 8th), martyr. Invoked against headaches and at the time of death's agony.
(10) St. Eustace (also Eustachius, Eustathius) (September 20th), martyr. Invoked against fire — temporal and eternal. Patron of hunters. Patron in all kinds of difficulties, and invoked in family troubles.
(11) St. Giles (also Aegidius) (September 1st), hermit and abbot. Invoked against the plague, panic, epilepsy, madness, and nightmares and for a good confession. Patron of cripples, beggars, and breastfeeding mothers.
(12) St. Margaret of Antioch (July 20th), virgin and martyr. Invoked against backache. Patron for women in childbirth.
(13) St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25th), virgin and martyr. Invoked against diseases of the tongue, protection against a sudden and unprovided death. Patroness of Christian philosophers, of maidens, preachers, wheelwrights and mechanics. She is also invoked by students, orators, and barristers as "the wise counselor."
(14) St. Barbara (December 4th), virgin and martyr. Invoked against fever and sudden death. Patron of builders, artillerymen and miners. Also invoked against lightning, fire and sudden death.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Matthew 17:22-27

“The subjects are exempt.” (Matthew 17:26)

Jesus’ words often have a deeper meaning than is first apparent. That’s especially true here. When asked to pay the Temple tax, Jesus makes the point that kings collect certain taxes only from foreigners, not subjects. He says that subjects—other translations have “sons”—are exempt from this tax. As the Son of God, then, he is certainly exempt from the Temple tax. But he goes on to say that all children are exempt, meaning his followers as well. He only pays the tax so as not to offend those who had not yet grasped who he was.

What a marvelous truth: Children are free because they are children! The prodigal son, who came back to his father’s house after squandering everything, experienced this freedom in a deep way (Luke 15:11-31). He had become a virtual slave in another country—as we sometimes become slaves of sin. Yet when he came back home, his father treated him with all the dignity of a son. The father was so overjoyed that he forgot all the trouble his wayward son had wrought, and he welcomed him with open arms!

This truth of our freedom as sons and daughters of God can cut both ways. We are even free to stray from him if we choose. We are free to experience the sting of sin and its effects. Ironically, we are even free to become enslaved to a habit of sin!

Of course, we know that this is not the wisest strategy. No, real freedom is the freedom to do God’s will. It’s the freedom that “exempts” us from merely following him out of fear or obligation—the freedom to actually want to live holy lives.

So why be a slave when we can be free? Why live under the burden of divine commandments when you can know the dignity of being a child of God? You are exempt! You have nothing to fear! So go ahead and enjoy your freedom. Let it fill your heart and guide your actions. You’ll end up pleasing God much more than if you were to obey out of fear and anxiety!

“Lord, thank you for the freedom I have to love and serve you. Give me the grace to respond joyfully to whatever you ask of me today.”

Deuteronomy 10:12-22; Psalm 147:12-15,19-20

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Daily Marriage Tip for August 8, 2011:

Although it’s risky to assume your spouse can read your mind, a perceptive spouse can pick up negative feelings and attitudes through vibes and non-verbals. If you hold a negative thought toward your spouse (nag, selfish, jerk) try changing your mind; the feelings may follow.

Vultus Christi

Should diocesan priests live in community?

By

Father Mark

on August 8, 2011 12:37 PM |

"I believe that celibacy becomes a very meaningful sign, and above all becomes possible to live, when priests begin to form communities. It is important for priests not to live off on their own somewhere, in isolation, but to accompany one another in small communities, to support one another, and so to experience, and constantly realize afresh, their communion in service to Christ and in renunciation for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven."

Pope Benedict XVI Light of the World, A Conversation With Peter Seewald, San Francisco, Ignatius Press, 2010, p. 149

It takes a married Irish layman like Rob Fuller of County Galway to challenge the current model of the diocesan priesthood. This is what he writes on his brilliant blog, Faith and Life:

The Diocesan Cowboyhood

I have some good friends who are diocesan priests and I expect they'll all be annoyed with me for saying it, but here we go again: c'mon lads, this living like hermits thing really sucks.

I really think something is wrong with the Western model of diocesan priesthood where, pretty much to a man, you each live alone. Yes, I know you like it, and to be honest you've turned into a bit of an eccentric grump, so at this point I wouldn't propose that you be deprived of your status as a hermit. But I'm not talking about you - I'm talking about the model.

I know it doesn't bother you much, but you've missed out for a long time on a big part of the Christian life known as community living.

Yes, I know there's a shortage of priests. There was more of a shortage before, but that didn't seem to worry Jesus too much when he sent them out in pairs. In fact, I think we should consider that perhaps the existing model of diocesan priesthood is contributing to the shortage of priests. You probably have some close friends who left the priesthood because of loneliness or the need to live in community, and who now live fulfilled lives in small Christian communities known as families. (No, it's not the sex that keeps them there). The shortage of priests problem is going to be accentuated over the next decade, no matter what happens. Your aloneness will do nothing to alleviate that problem.

Do you think the cowboy model appeals as a benefit to a young idealist struggling with whether he has a vocation? You are comfortable with it now, and you count it with the "pros", but I expect the young lad in his early twenties has bold and underlined, "I will be a hermit cowboy" in the "cons" column. Was "living on my own" one of the features of the diocesan priesthood which initially attracted you? I doubt it.

"Two priests sharing a house isn't community,"

you say. You're right, it takes more than sharing a house. Community living means also sharing meals and prayer, maybe even some conversation and recreation. Yes, even the thought of it is unappealing. That's because you've become a hermit cowboy.

"Two isn't enough for community."

You're wrong. Two is the essential number of persons joined in a family through marriage. A married couple share in a community which grows if they are blessed with children. Jesus said, "whenever two or more are gathered in my name, there I will be in their midst". Two is enough, two is the essential minimum.

"We aren't members of a religious order, and we don't want to be."

I'm not proposing that the diocesan priesthood adopts the charism or characteristics of a religious order. I'm proposing merely that the model be adjusted to accommodate and encourage Christian community through shared accommodation, meals, prayer. I'm proposing that the norm for diocesan priesthood be community living.

"I live very much in community, but I have my own house. That's my own private space within the community with which I live and celebrate."

I'm not buying it, Father. You're a hermit cowboy. And you're stubborn. And I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the model.

"Community living is hard."

It's true. Living in community invades your privacy, restricts your freedom, and demands personal sacrifice, tolerance and compromise. It's horrible stuff altogether. But I can't believe that so many diocesan priests could be called to a hermit's life. Why not challenge yourself to broaden your experience of Christian living for a year or two: Get together with one or two of your friends and make a bold move - challenge the bishop to facilitate a change in the accommodation arrangements. Try living together with one or two others in a Christian community for two years and see what happens. You might be surprised.

Bishops, if you are living alone I'm counting you with the hermit cowboys. If the model is going to change it needs to start with your example. You're yearning for renewal in the Church, why not take Christian community living for a spin?

Regnum Christi

Death and Taxes

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Memorial of Saint Dominic, priest (August 8, 2011)

August 8, 2011
Memorial of Saint Dominic, priest

Matthew 17:22-27
As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were overwhelmed with grief. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, "Doesn´t your teacher pay the temple tax?" "Yes," he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?" When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him, "Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you."

Introductory Prayer: Lord God, I believe in your presence here with me as I begin this moment of prayer. I hope in you. I know that you will always take care of me. I want this time with you to be a sign of my love for you. I seek only to please you, without desiring any spiritual consolation for myself.

Petition: Lord, help me to acknowledge your greatness with my words and actions.

1. No Tax Loopholes, Not Even for Jesus: Jesus draws from Peter the admission that collectors of the Temple Tax did not consider him the Son of God, and that they did not consider the Temple the house of his Father. They therefore thought he was subject to the tax. In effect, by obliging him to pay the tax they implied that they considered him a subject or a foreigner. Joined with Jesus’ prediction of his Passion, the scene harkens back to the line from the opening of John’s Gospel, “He was in the world and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him” (John 1:10-11). How this must have broken the heart of Christ to find himself unwelcome among those he came to save. And how often we leave Christ alone in our churches and chapels, with no one to visit him or acknowledge his presence there.

2. A Place Where Christ Is Welcome: What does it mean for us to welcome Christ into our life? It must be more than a warm emotion. Rather it must be opening ourselves to the presence of him who comes to make his home among us and share our lives. We have a God who is so close to us and wants a relationship with us. He wants our time and our attention. Welcoming Christ into our life means recognizing him not as a foreigner who comes from afar to impose himself, but as our personal Lord -- as our master, and our savior. It is his will that must rule in our life and direct our behavior. We must acknowledge that only he has the word of life and turn our lives to him in loving obedience. The fruit of this will be interior peace and profound joy.

3. A Society Without Christ Is Empty and Confused: Today we see how frequently Christ is refused entry into the world, and how frequently he is marginalized by so many of those who have great influence in society and in our culture. He is deliberately excluded from the world of politics, from the world of science, the arts, of business, law, and medicine. Often he is treated in the media only when it chooses to ridicule him. As followers of Christ, we must bring him and his word of life back into every sphere of human activity, for a world without Christ is a world that knows neither its origin nor its destiny and will turn against man himself.

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, give me courage to make your presence felt in the world around me. Let me not be afraid to show that my faith in you is the center of my life and gives meaning to all I do. Let me give witness of the joy I experience in living by your law in my life.

Resolution: I will find time to spend with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament today or find a way to give witness to Christ in the midst of my daily occupations, manifesting my faith publicly.

Homily of the DayThe Astonishing Truth: He Is Father!
August 8th, 2011 by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D. Print This Article ·ShareThis
Dt 10:12-22 / Mt 17:22-27

Have you ever tried to imagine what 100 billion of anything might look like, or how far it is to edges of the universe, or exactly how many sub-atomic particles there were in the strawberry you ate for breakfast? Have you ever tried to wrap your mind around the idea of “forever”? Those are mind-boggling experiences, but they pale into insignificance when compared to any attempt at imagining God.

In the thirteenth century, the famous theologian St. Thomas Aquinas was blessed with an intensely personal experience of God’s presence while at prayer during Holy Week. In the days and months that followed, he told his fellow scholars that all his learned books about God and the things of God were just so much straw, and he never wrote another word for the rest of his life.

We can gain some insight into God by observing His creation: its beauty, its vastness, the power of the forces of nature which he created. They all tell us something about the One who created them, but ultimately, God is mystery, and all our efforts at naming Him come to naught. All the more precious, then, is God’s gift of His Son Jesus who freely shows us what God is truly like, most of all a loving Father.

May we give thanks always for this Father whose love is beyond all understanding, and for His Son, our Brother, Who walks with us always!

One Bread, One Body

<< Monday, August 8, 2011 >>

St. Dominic
Saint of the Day

Deuteronomy 10:12-22
View Readings

Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20

Matthew 17:22-27

PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP

"Think!" —Deuteronomy 10:14

One of the shortest sentences in the Bible is: "Think!" We are to think about how the Lord has constantly shown His love for us. "Think back on the days of old, reflect on the years of age upon age" (Dt 32:7). Come to think of it, the Lord had been awe-fully good to us. He created us. We can walk, talk, think, pray, see, hear, and love. God became man and died on the cross to give us a new nature, free us from sin, and make us His children. God Himself has risen from the dead and He promises that those who believe in Jesus will also rise. The Father and Son have poured out the Holy Spirit on us, and the Trinity lives within us.

Thinking of what God has done for us is overwhelming. "How deep are the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How inscrutable His judgments, how unsearchable His ways!" (Rm 11:33) "Let us praise Him the more, since we cannot fathom Him, for greater is He than all His works" (Sir 43:29). "Extol Him with renewed strength, and weary not, though you cannot reach the end. For who can see Him and describe Him? or who can praise Him as He is? Beyond these, many things lie hid; only a few of His works have we seen" (Sir 43:32-34). Therefore, think and thank forever.

Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to "jog my memory" about Your infinite expressions of love for me.

Promise: "With the best of wheat He fills you. He sends forth His command to the earth; swiftly runs His word!" —Ps 147:14-15

Praise: St. Dominic thought deeply about God through his practice of contemplative prayer. He thought and contemplated so deeply that he became the first Master of the Sacred Palace, theologian to the pope.

Help to stop abortion

in America

through prayer!

Daily Readings for: August 08, 2011(Readings on USCCB website)