Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings 15-Dec-2021

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 7

7:18–23

18. And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.

19. And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

20. When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?

21. And in the same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.

22. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the Gospel is preached.

23. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. Certain of His disciples relate to the holy Baptist the miracle which was known to all the inhabitants of Judæa and Galilee, as it follows, And they told John, &c.

BEDE. Not, as it seems to me, in simpleness of heart, but provoked by envy. For in another place also they complain, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, behold the same baptizeth, and all men come unto him. (John 3:26.)

CHRYSOSTOM. But we are then most raised up to Him when we are fallen into straits. John therefore, being cast into prison, takes the opportunity, when his disciples were most in need of Jesus, to send them to Christ. For it follows, And John calling two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come, &c.

BEDE. He says not, Art thou He that hast come, but, Art thou he that should come. The sense is, Tell me who am to be slain by Herod, and about to descend into hell, (ad inferna) whether I should announce Thee to the souls below as I have announced Thee to those above? or is this not befitting the Son of God, and Thou art going to send another for these sacraments?

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. But we must altogether disallow such an opinion. For no where do we find the Holy Scriptures stating that John the Baptist foretold to those souls in hell the coming of our Saviour. It is also true to say, that the Baptist was not ignorant of the wonderful mystery of the incarnation of the Only-Begotten, and so also along with the other things had known this, that our Lord was about to preach the Gospel to those who were in hell, after He had tasted death for all living as well as dead. But since the word of holy Scripture indeed declared that Christ would come as the Lord and Chief, but the others were sent as servants before Him, therefore was the Lord and Saviour of all called by the prophets, He who cometh, or Who is to come; according to that, Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord; (Ps. 118:26.) and, A little while, and he who is to come shall come, and will not tarry. (Hab. 2:3.) The blessed Baptist therefore, receiving as it were this name from Holy Scripture, sent certain of his disciples to seek whether it was indeed He who cometh, or, Who is to come.

AMBROSE. But how could it come to pass, that Him of whom he said, Behold him who taketh away the sins of the world, he should still not believe to be the Son of God? For either it is presumption to attribute to Christ a divine action ignorantly, or it is unbelief to have doubted concerning the Son of God. But some suppose of John himself that he was indeed so great a prophet as to acknowledge Christ, but still as not a doubting, but pious, prophet disbelieved that He would die, whom he believed was about to come. Not therefore in his faith but in his piety, he doubted; as Peter also, when he said, Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall not be unto thee. (Mat 16:22.)

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. (Thes. lib. 11. c. 4.) Or he asks the question by economy. For as the forerunner he knew the mystery of Christ’s passion, but that his disciples might be convinced how great was the excellence of the Saviour, he sent the more understanding of them, instructing them to enquire and learn from the very words of the Saviour, whether it was He who was expected; as it is added, But when the men were come unto him, they said, John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou He, &c. But He knowing as God with what intention John had sent them, and the cause of their coming, was at the time performing many miracles, as it follows, And in the same hour he healed many of their infirmities, &c. He said not positively to them I am he, but rather leads them to the certainty of the fact, in order that receiving their faith in Him, with their reason agreeing thereto, they might return to him who sent them. Hence He made not answer to the words, but to the intention of him who sent them; as it follows, And Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things you have seen and heard: as if He said, Go and tell John the things which ye have heard indeed through the Prophets, but have seen accomplished by Me. For He was then performing those things which the Prophets prophesied He would do; that is of which it is added, For the blind see, the lame walk.

AMBROSE. An ample testimony surely by which the Prophet might recognise the Lord. For of the, Lord Himself it was prophesied, that the Lord giveth food to the hungry, raiseth up them that are bowed down, looseth the prisoners, openeth the eyes of the blind, and that he who doeth these things shall reign for ever. (Ps. 146:7–10.) Such then are not the tokens of human, but divine power. But these are found seldom or not at all before the Gospel. Tobias alone received sight, and this was the cure of an Angel, not of a man. (Tob. 11.) Elias raised the dead, but he prayed and wept, our Lord commanded. (1 Kings 17) Elisha caused the cleansing of a leper: yet then the cause was not so much in the authority of the command as in the figure of the mystery. (2 Kings 5.)

THEOPHYLACT. These are also the words of Elias, saying, The Lord himself shall come and save us. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart. (Isa. 35:4–6.)

BEDE. And what is not less than these, the poor have the Gospel preached to them, that is, the poor are enlightened by the Spirit, or hidden treasures, that there might be no difference between the rich and the poor. These things prove the faith of the Master, when all who can be saved by Him are equal.

AMBROSE. But still these are but slight examples of the testimony to the Lord. The full assurance of faith is the cross of the Lord, His death and burial. Hence He adds, And blessed is he who shall not be offended in me. For the cross may cause offence, even to the elect. But there is no greater testimony than this of a divine person. For there is nothing which seems to be more surpassing the nature of man than that one should offer Himself for the whole world.

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA. Or else, He wished by this to shew that whatever was passing in their hearts, could not be hid from His sight. For they were those who were offended at Him.

AMBROSE. But we have before said, that mystically John was the type of the Law, which was the forerunner of Christ. John then sends his disciples to Christ, that they might obtain the filling up of their knowledge, for Christ is the fulfilling of the Law. And perhaps those disciples are the two nations, of whom the one of the Jews believed, the other of the Gentiles believed because they heard. They wished then to see, because blessed are the eyes that see. But when they shall have come to the Gospel, and found that the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, then shall they say, “We have seen with our eyes,” for we seem to ourselves to see Him whom we read of. Or perhaps through the instrumentality (operatrice) of a certain part of our Body a we all seem to have traced out the course of our Lord’s passion; for faith comes through the few to the many. The Law then announces that Christ will come, the writings of the Gospel prove that He has come.

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY (RSV)

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)

From: Isaiah 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25

Cyrus' Mission
-----------------------------
[6c] I am the Lord, and there is no other.

[7] I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe, I am the Lord, who do all these things. [8] ”Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may sprout forth, and let it cause righteousness to spring up also; I the Lord have created it.

The Lord Rules Over All (Continuation)
-------------------------------------
[18] For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (he is God!), who formed the earth and made it (he established it; he did not create it a chaos, he formed it to be inhabited!): “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

[21c] "Who told this long ago? Who declared it of old? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no other god besides me, a righteous God and a Savior there is none besides me.

[22] ”Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

[23] "By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.’

[24] ”Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength; to him shall come and be ashamed, all who were incensed against him. [25] In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall triumph and glory.”

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Commentary:

45:1-13. This poetic statement is a message designed to raise the spirits of the exiles by announcing the sending of a liberator. Cyrus of Persia, whom God will use to implement his plans of salvation for Israel. The formal, very considered, mention of Cyrus, a foreign king, reveals the universal scope of God's salvific plans—which did not at all fit in with the people's own exclusive, nationalistic mentality. The prophecy can be read as an investiture oracle that maybe never reached the ears of Cyrus yet filled the exiles with hope. St Thomas comments: "Having raised the hope of the people in the divine promises (chaps. 40-44), he lists and details the promises in order to console them: first he promises freedom from all ills (chaps. 45-55), and then the restoration of all goods (chaps. 56-66)" (Expositio super Isaiam, 59).

Cyrus was a foreign king who did not know the God of the chosen people, and yet, surprisingly, has been given the title of "anointed", a title reserved to the kings of Israel. Moreover, the oracle says that the mission and conquest of this Persian king are attributable to special divine providence: God has chosen this man to deliver Israel from oppression by other nations (vv. 1-5). This message must have truly amazed those who heard the oracle. Even many centuries later it makes us realize that Gods plans can involve historical events that at first sight can seem disconcerting or at odds with those plans..

45:6-7. When these verses were written they may have been designed to counter dualism (very prevalent among the Persians and their neighbors), which held that two counterposed principles existed--good and evil; hence the emphasis on the fact that the Lord is the only God, the creator of all things of light and of darkness. That would explain why God is described as the maker of “weal” and “woe”, whereas because God is infinite goodness he cannot properly be called the author of evil. However, because Christian readers could find the statement (in v. 2) disconcerting, exegetes have commented on it. Origen, quite early on, gave this explanation: “Evil, in the absolute sense of the word, was not created by God [...]. If we speak of evil in a loose sense, meaning physical and natural evils, then we can say that God created it in order to convert men by their suffering. What is strange about this teaching? We refer to the punishments meted out by parents and teachers, and even the prescriptions and operations carried out by doctors and surgeons, as evils and sufferings, without blaming or condemning them. And that is how we should read the verse: 'I form light and create darkness, I make weal and woe' (Is 45:7)” ("Contra Celsum", 6, 55-56). And St Gregory the Great comments: “I make weal and woe: the peace of God is offered to us precisely in the moment when created things, which are good in themselves, though not always desired or sought with rectitude of heart, become the source of suffering and disgrace. Our union with God is broken by sin; it is fitting, therefore, that we return to him along the path of suffering. When any created thing, which is good in itself, causes us to suffer, it is an instrument for our conversion, so that we will return humbly to the source of peace” ("Moralia In Job", 3, 9, 15).

45:8. The terms translated as “righteousness” and “salvation” correspond to three Hebrew abstract nouns. The first and third (“righteousness”) mean the same thing. The New Vulgate translates them as “iustitia” and “salvatio”. But the Vulgate of St Jerome interpreted the first two as adjectives--”righteous” and “saving”, reading them as having more direct reference to the Messiah, the “Just (One)”, the “Savior” and giving rise to a text that is used in the Advent liturgy: “Rorate coeli desuper, et nubes pluant iustum; aperiatur terra et germinet Salvatorem, et iustitia oriantur simul” (“Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior...“). A sermon attributed to St Augustine sees these words as finding fulfillment in the birth of Christ: “Today this prophecy is fulfilled: 'Shower, 0 heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may sprout forth.' The Creator became a creature, so that the one who was lost would be found. This is what we read in the psalms: 'Before I was brought low, I sinned. Man sinned and became a criminal; God was made man so that the criminal could be set free. Man fell, but God descended [from heaven]; man fell into misery, but God came down in his mercy; man fell through his pride, God came with his grace” ("Sermones", 128). And St Proclus of Constantinople, reading these words as a figure of the virginal birth of Jesus, says: “The skies rain down righteousness: the sin of Eve has been undone and destroyed by the purity of the Virgin and by the One who was born of her, God and man. On this day, man is set free from the prison of sin and the burden of darkness that weighed him down is lifted from him” ("De Navitate Domini", 1).

45:14-25. Repeatedly the point is made that the Lord is the only God, there is no other (cf. vv. 14-15, 18, 21, 22). Only God can save. And so, all the nations are invited to acknowledge his sovereignty and worship him on Zion (vv. 22-24). Although at the start of the passage the language has resonances of war (implications of plunder and taking strong men prisoner: vv. 14-17), this is only a graphic way of speaking, In fact, the passage has to do with liberation from idolatry and with allowing oneself be captivated by the truth of that God who is hidden but who is the only God and true Savior

The words “Truly, though art a God who hidest thyself’ (v. 15) is a prophetic reflection on the nature of God, a being who is unfathomable, a mystery to the mind of man, who ordinarily acts through persons and events in history, without letting himself be seen. This idea, which has profound and universal philosophical and theological implications, is very much in line with the historical circumstances--the election of Cyrus as the person God uses to advance his plans. This whole chapter is imbued with a universalist outlook, very different from the attitudes of the people before.

The Fathers saw in Cyrus a figure of Christ. God acted in a hidden way through Cyrus to bring about the the Godhead hidden in Jesus. The Septuagint translates “Truly, thou art a God who hidest thyself’ as “Thou art God and we did not know it” which some Fathers read as a reference to the divinity of Christ: “The Son of God has always been present, though he hid who he was. When he was revealed in his glory after the resurrection, the people confessed: 'You are God, and we did not know it'. And when the one who is seen according to the Law as a mere Angel and the captain of the Lord’s host is recognized finally as the Son of God, the people give thanks, saying: 'You are God, and we did not know it'. What is meant by this is that He is the one who appeared to the patriarchs, the one who was made man and was not recognized by men” (Ambrosiaster, "Ad Romanos", 2, 22).

Verse 23b is reminiscent of Philippians 2:10-11, which attributes to Jesus Christ qualities that the Old Testament applied only to God.

From: Luke 7:18b-23

The Mission of John the Baptist
-------------------------------
[18] The disciples of John (the Baptist) told him of all these things. [19] And John, calling to him two of his disciples, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You He who is to come, or shall we look for another?" [20] And when the men had come to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, `Are You He who is to come, or shall we look for another?'" [21] In that hour He cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind He bestowed sight. [22] And He answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. [23] And blessed is he who takes no offense at Me."

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Commentary:

18-23. "It was not out of ignorance that John enquired about Christ's coming in the flesh, for he had already clearly professed his belief, saying, `I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God' (John 1:34). That is why he does not ask, `Are You He who has come?' but rather, `Are You He who is to come?' thus asking about the future, not about the past. Nor should we think that the Baptist didnot know about Christ's future passion, for it was John who said, `Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world' (John 1:29), thus foretelling His future immolation, which other prophets had already foretold, particularly Isaiah (chapter 53) [...]. It can also be replied, with St. John Chrysostom, that John made this enquiry not from doubt or ignorance, but because he wished his disciples to be satisfied on this point by Christ. Therefore, Christ gave His reply to instruct these disciples, by pointing to the evidence of His miracles (verse 22)" (St. Thomas Aquinas, "Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 2, a. 7 ad 2).

22. In His reply to these disciples of John the Baptist, Jesus points to the miracles He has worked, which show that he has investigated the Kingdom of God; He is, therefore, the promised Messiah. Along with miracles, one of the signs of the coming of the Kingdom is the preaching of salvation to the poor. On the meaning of "the poor", see the notes on Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20 and 6:24.

Following the Lord's example, the Church has always taken special care of those in need. In our own time the Popes have stressed time and again the duties of Christians in regard to poverty caused by man's injustice to man: "Selfishness and domination are permanent temptations for men. Likewise an ever finer discernment is needed, in order to strike at the roots of newly arising situations of injustice and to establish progressively a justice which will be less and less imperfect [...]. The Church directs her attention to these new `poor'—the handicapped, the maladjusted, the old, various groups on the fringe of society--in order to recognize them, help them, defend their place and dignity in a society hardened by competition and the attraction of success" (Paul VI, "Octogesima Adveniens", 15).

23. These words refer to the same thing Simeon prophesied about when he referred to Christ as a sign that is spoken against, a sign of contradiction (cf. Luke 2:34). People who reject our Lord, who are scandalized by Him, will not reach Heaven.

Source: Daily Word for Reflection—Navarre Bible Commentary

Luke
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Luke 7
18.	And John's disciples told him of all these things.	Et nuntiaverunt Joanni discipuli ejus de omnibus his.	και απηγγειλαν ιωαννη οι μαθηται αυτου περι παντων τουτων
19.	And John called to him two of his disciples, and sent them to Jesus, saying: Art thou he that art to come; or look we for another?	Et convocavit duos de discipulis suis Joannes, et misit ad Jesum, dicens : Tu es qui venturus es, an alium exspectamus ?	και προσκαλεσαμενος δυο τινας των μαθητων αυτου ο ιωαννης επεμψεν προς τον ιησουν λεγων συ ει ο ερχομενος η αλλον προσδοκωμεν
20.	And when the men were come unto him, they said: John the Baptist hath sent us to thee, saying: Art thou he that art to come; or look we for another?	Cum autem venissent ad eum viri, dixerunt : Joannes Baptista misit nos ad te dicens : Tu es qui venturus es, an alium exspectamus ?	παραγενομενοι δε προς αυτον οι ανδρες ειπον ιωαννης ο βαπτιστης απεσταλκεν ημας προς σε λεγων συ ει ο ερχομενος η αλλον προσδοκωμεν
21.	(And in that same hour, he cured many of their diseases, and hurts, and evil spirits: and to many that were blind he gave sight.)	(In ipsa autem hora multos curavit a languoribus, et plagis, et spiritibus malis, et cæcis multis donavit visum.)	εν αυτη δε τη ωρα εθεραπευσεν πολλους απο νοσων και μαστιγων και πνευματων πονηρων και τυφλοις πολλοις εχαρισατο το βλεπειν
22.	And answering, he said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen: the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, to the poor the gospel is preached:	Et respondens, dixit illis : Euntes renuntiate Joanni quæ audistis et vidistis : quia cæci vident, claudi ambulant, leprosi mundantur, surdi audiunt, mortui resurgunt, pauperes evangelizantur :	και αποκριθεις ο ιησους ειπεν αυτοις πορευθεντες απαγγειλατε ιωαννη α ειδετε και ηκουσατε οτι τυφλοι αναβλεπουσιν χωλοι περιπατουσιν λεπροι καθαριζονται κωφοι ακουουσιν νεκροι εγειρονται πτωχοι ευαγγελιζονται
23.	And blessed is he whosoever shall not be scandalized in me.	et beatus est quicumque non fuerit scandalizatus in me.	και μακαριος εστιν ος εαν μη σκανδαλισθη εν εμοι

THE LIFE OF SAINT NINA,
EQUAL TO THE APOSTLES AND ENLIGHTENER OF GEORGIA

Born in Cappadocia in the late third century, St. Nina (or Nino, the Georgian form) was the only daughter of a Roman general, Zabulon, and his wife, Susanna. On her father's side, she was related to St. George, and on her mother's, to the Patriarch of Jerusalem. When Nina was twelve, her family traveled to Jerusalem, where with the Patriarch's blessing, her father became a monk; her mother became a church worker; and Nina became the foster child of Nianfora, a pious elderly woman. Under the tutelage of her foster mother, Nina quickly learned the rules of faith and piety.

At fourteen, Nina questioned her mentor about the location of Christ's robe; Nina felt that such an important relic could not have been lost. Nianfora told her that it was in Iberia (now Georgia), a land not yet completely illumined. When the apostles had drawn lots to determine who was to preach where, the Theotokos had received the lot for Iberia, but she had been held back from going and was assured that someone would later enlighten it. In a dream, the Theotokos came to Nina and urged her to preach the gospel in Georgia. The Mother of God assured Nina that she would protect her and as a pledge, left a cross of grape vines.

The patriarch, her uncle, was delighted with the news of her vision. He eagerly gave her his blessing. When the time arrived for her departure, the patriarch led Nina into the church and up to the holy altar, and placing his hands on her head, he prayed the following words:

Lord God, Our Saviour! As I let this young girl depart to preach Thy Divinity, I commit her into Thy hands. Condescend, O Christ God, to be her Companion and Teacher everywhere that she proclaims Thy Good Tidings, and give her words with such force and wisdom that no one will be able to oppose or refute them. And Thou, most Holy Virgin Mother of God, Helper and Intercessor for all Christians, clothe with Thy strength against all enemies, visible and invisible, this girl whom Thou Thyself hast chosen to preach the Gospel of Thy Son and our God among the pagan nations. Be always for her a shield and an invincible protection, and do not deprive her of Thy favour until she has fulfilled Thy holy will.1Nina joined the party of Princess Ripsimia, which was traveling to Georgia to escape the persecution of Diocletian. All but Nina, who was sheltered in a crevice, were martyred in Armenia after Ripsimia declined to marry the king, Tiridat.

Living as pilgrim, by the grace of God and on the bounty of strangers, Nina once became weary. She wondered briefly where she was going, what she was doing. She fell, exhausted, asleep and had a vision of a majestic man who handed her a scroll in Greek, which she read upon waking:

Verily, I say unto you, Wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman has done, be told as a memorial of her. [Matt. 26:13]
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [Gal. 3:28]
Then said Jesus unto them (the women), be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. [Matt. 28:10]
He that receives you receives me, and he that receives me receives Him that sent me. [Matt. 10:40]
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist. [Luke 21:15]
And when they bring you into the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. [Luke 12:11-12]
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. [Matt. 10:28]
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. [Matt. 28:19-20]

Strengthened and reassured, Nina continued until she arrived in Georgia, where she witnessed the worship of the local gods. Praying that the idols might be destroyed, she also witnessed a downpour that washed the idols into the river and out of sight.

Nina settled in Mtskheta, the capital, where she lived in a hut near the royal gardener and his wife, Anastasia. There Nina gained a reputation for holiness both because of her daily piety and her miraculous healings. She cured Queen Nana of a disease no doctor had been able to relieve. King Mirian was converted when he was saved from a rain storm similar to the one that had destroyed his idols.

After preaching to and converting many Jews and pagans, Nina learned the story of Christ's robe: a local Jew, Elioz, had obtained the robe from the soldier to whose lot it had fallen and had carried it home to Georgia. His sister, Sidonia, had clasped the robe to her breast and had died. No one could take the robe from her, and it had been buried with her. A cedar, now part of the royal garden, was said to have grown from her grave. Nina had doubts about the identification of the particular tree, but she knew from her visions that the ground was holy.

Nina died in the early fourth century, after she had seen Christianity spread throughout Georgia and had, through her preaching, converted a neighboring queen, Sophia of Kakhetian and her kingdom. Nina was buried, near the place where she had died, in Bodbi. The church built by her grave was dedicated to St. George and became the Bodbi metropolitanate. Her cross was sent to the cathedral in Mtskheta. During wars between the Byzantine and Persian empires, the cross was taken to Armenia and eventually to Moscow. Tsar Alexander I returned it to Georgia at the beginning of the 19th century.

Icons of St. Nina are written with her holding her grapevine cross, the pledge of her relationship with the Theotokos. St. Nina is called Equal-to-the-Apostles because she preached the gospel in Georgia. Since the 17th century, iconographic tradition has revealed the scroll which she received in her second vision. Her title, her cross, and her scroll are the manifestations of her working with God to spread His word and to bring into His fold a new land.

Anonymous, The Life of St. Nina Equal to the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia with the Service, (Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Monastery, 1988) pp.6-7

saintnina-monastery.org

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December 15th, 2021

Readings at Mass

I, the Lord, shall create deliverance

'Are you the one who is to come?'

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 7

THE LIFE OF SAINT NINA,
EQUAL TO THE APOSTLES AND ENLIGHTENER OF GEORGIA

December 15th, 2021

Readings at Mass

I, the Lord, shall create deliverance

'Are you the one who is to come?'

Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aguinas

Luke CHAP. 7

THE LIFE OF SAINT NINA, EQUAL TO THE APOSTLES AND ENLIGHTENER OF GEORGIA

THE LIFE OF SAINT NINA,
EQUAL TO THE APOSTLES AND ENLIGHTENER OF GEORGIA