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So is it “not a joke”, or is it a parody? Not clear from the post above.

Click here to go to the My Catholic Life! Devotional thread for a meditation on today’s Gospel Reading.

Gospel Reading:

From: Matthew 10:1-7

The Calling and First Mission of the Apostles
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[1] And He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. [2] The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; [3] Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; [4]Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.

[5] These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, [6] but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [7] And preach as you go, saying, `The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.'

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Commentary:

1-4. Jesus calls His twelve Apostles after recommending to them to pray to the Lord to send laborers into His harvest (cf. Matthew 9:38). Christians' apostolic action should always, then, be preceded and accompanied by a life of constant prayer: apostolate is a divine affair, not a merely human one. Our Lord starts His Church by calling twelve men to be, as it were, twelve patriarchs of the new people of God, the Church. This new people is established not by physical but by spiritual generation. The names of those Apostles are specifically mentioned here. They were not scholarly, powerful or important people: they were average, ordinary people who responded faithfully to the grace of their calling--all of them, that is, except Judas Iscariot. Even before His death and resurrection Jesus confers on them the power to cast out unclean spirits and cure illnesses--as an earnest of and as training for the saving mission which He will entrust to them.

The Church reveres these first Christians in a very special way and is proud to carry on their supernatural mission, and to be faithful to the witness they bore to the teaching of Christ. The true Church is absent unless there is uninterrupted apostolic succession and identification with the spirit which the Apostles made their own.

"Apostle": this word means "sent"; Jesus sent them out to preach His Kingdom and pass on His teaching.

The Second Vatican Council, in line with Vatican I, "confesses" and "declares" that the Church has a hierarchical structure: "The Lord Jesus, having prayed at length to the Father, called to Himself those whom He willed and appointed twelve to be with Him, whom He might send to preach the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 3:13-19: Matthew 10:1-10). These Apostles (cf. Luke 6:13) He constituted in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which He placed Peter, chosen from among them (cf. John 21:15-17). He sent them first of all to the children of Israel and then to all peoples (cf. Romans 1:16), so that, sharing in His power, they might make all peoples His disciples and sanctify and govern them (cf. Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-48; John 20:21-23) and thus spread the Church and, administering it under the guidance of the Lord, shepherd it all days until the end of the world (cf. Matthew 28:28)" ("Lumen Gentium", 19). 1. In this chapter St. Matthew describes how Jesus, with a view to the spreading of the Kingdom of God which He inaugurates, decides to establish a Church, which He does by giving special powers and training to these twelve men who are its seed.

5-15. After revealing His intention to found the Church by choosing the Twelve (verses 1-4), in the present passage He shows that He intends to start training these first Apostles. In other words, from early on in His public ministry He began to lay the foundations of His Church.

Everyone needs doctrinal and apostolic training to follow his Christian calling. The Church has a duty to teach, and the faithful have a parallel duty to make that teaching their own. Therefore, every Christian should avail of the facilities for training which the Church offers him--which will vary according to each person's circumstances.

5-6. In His plan of salvation God gave certain promises (to Abraham and the patriarchs), a Covenant and a Law (the Law of Moses), and sent the prophets. The Messiah would be born into this chosen people, which explains why the Messiah and the Kingdom of God were to be preached to the house of Israel before being preached to the Gentiles. Therefore, in their early apprenticeship, Jesus restricts the Apostles' area of activity to the Jews, without this taking from the world-wide scope of the Church's mission. As we will see, much later on He charges them to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19); "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). The Apostles also, in the early days of the spread of the Church, usually sought out the Jewish community in any new city they entered, and preached first to them (cf. Acts 13:46).

7-8. Previously, the prophets, when speaking of the messianic times, had used imagery suited to the people's spiritual immaturity. Now, Jesus, in sending His Apostles to proclaim that the promised Kingdom of God is imminent, lays stress on its spiritual dimension. The powers mentioned in verse 8 are the very sign of the Kingdom of God or the reign of the Messiah proclaimed by the prophets. At first (chapters 8 and 9) it is Jesus who exercises these messianic powers; now He gives them to His disciples as proof that His mission is divine (Isaiah 35:5-6; 40:9; 52:7; 61:1).

NAVARRE BIBLE COMMENTARY(RSV)

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

From: Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a

Joseph, the Pharaoh’s Administrator (Continuation)
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[55] When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do." [56] So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. [57] "Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

The Sons of Jacob Go Down to Egypt (Continuation)
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[5] Thus the Sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. [6] Now Joseph was governor over the land; he it was who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came, and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. [7a] Joseph saw his brothers, and knew them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them.

Joseph Tests His Brothers by Keeping Simeon in Egypt (Continuation)
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[17] And he put them all together in prison for three days.

[18] 0n the third day Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: [19] if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined in your prison, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households, [20] and bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so. [21] Then they said to one another, "In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us and we would not listen; therefore is this distress come upon us." [22] And Reuben answered them, "Did I not tell you not to sin against the lad? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood." [23] They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. [24a] Then he turned away from them and wept.

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Commentary:

41:53¬57. Egypt had an elaborate irrigation system, which allowed it to protect its food supply in periods of famine caused, no doubt, by periodic droughts in the Middle East. Thanks to Joseph’s management at that time, the country was able not only to relieve famine at home when the need arose but also to relieve “all the earth” scourged by that plague. Here we see how divine providence came to the rescue of all nations through a descendant of Abraham (cf. 12:3). Yet, despite all the progress mankind has made, the plague of hunger continues to ravage areas of the world even in our own time. And so, "faced with a world today where so many people are suffering from want, the [Second Vatican] Council asks individuals and governments to remember the saying of the Fathers: 'Feed the man dying of hunger, because if you do not feed him you are killing him,' and it urges them according to their ability to share and dispose of their goods to help others, above all by giving them aid which will enable them to help and develop themselves" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 69). The pharaoh himself tells the Egyptians where to find food--by having recourse to Joseph. He is the one providentially placed by God at that time not only to save the Egyptians but also to help Jacob and his sons, the ancestors of the chosen people of the Old Testament. There is a profound analogy between this Joseph who provides nourishment to Egypt and Israel, and that other Joseph, the husband of Mary, whom God chose to care for and nourish the Holy Family, who also had to move to Egypt (cf. the note on 39:21-23). So the words spoken by the pharaoh. "Go to Joseph." can also be applied to recourse to St Joseph as an intercessor to bring us to Jesus: "Who could be a better teacher for us? If you want my advice, which I have never tired of repeating these many years, "Ite ad Ioseph": 'Go to Joseph.' He will show us definite ways, both human and divine, to approach Jesus" (St J. Escrivá, "Christ Is Passing By", 38).

42:1-47:12. Here begins what we might call the second part of the history of Joseph. This does not end with his own prosperity and happiness after his many trials; it opens the way to the salvation of all his people, thereby giving effect to God's design. This part reaches its climax with the descent of Jacob and his whole family into Egypt, and their settling there. The sons of Jacob travel into Egypt twice to buy grain (cf. chap. 42 and chaps 44-45). It may be that the writer has drawn on two separate traditions, but still the narrative has an extraordinary unity about it, evidencing the literary skill of the editor. It is a stirring account, with events and emotions building up to a climax at the end, when all Jacob's Sons are gathered around him in Egypt.

As the story develops, we see come true the dreams Joseph had in Canaan about his brothers and his father; initially some and eventually all of them bow down before him. Meanwhile, due to the strategies Joseph uses, his brothers (though not realizing what is happening) come to acknowledge and gradually confess the sin they committed against him, to the point where they sincerely repent it. We also see a sense of brotherhood and solidarity develop among them all, to the point where they are all ready to become slaves rather than abandon Benjamin (cf. 44:16); and one of them, Judah, is ready to give himself up on Benjamin's behalf. It is only then, at this point of brotherly union, that they are able to find again their lost brother, Joseph, and reconstitute the family of Jacob.

42:1-7. Jacob acts as a responsible family man concerned about his children's welfare. He is not resigned to see his family die of hunger; he thinks hard about the situation and decides to take a risky but necessary course of action--to send his sons to Egypt in search of food. Jacob's sons probably joined some caravan travelling there for the same reason. The account starts with this action on Jacob's part to explain why the Israelites went down into Egypt, leaving the land God had promised to Abraham. It rounds off this explanation when it tells how Jacob himself and all his family travelled to Egypt at God's bidding (cf. 46:1-5).

The dreams Joseph told his brothers about (cf. 37:5-9) now begin to come true. Joseph's harshness towards them does not stem from a spirit of vengeance, it is designed to give more dramatic interest to the story and to prepare for the eventual reunion, once all his brothers have admitted their fault.

42:8-24. Joseph's accusation against his brothers looks like a ruse to get them to identify what family they belong to. It is plain to see that for them Joseph "does not exist". It is possible that Joseph fears for what will happen to his mother's son, his brother Benjamin, and that that is why he insists that they bring him to him. Maybe Joseph is conscious of his father's pain and for that reason keeps Simeon rather than Reuben; or, now that he knows what Reuben did when the others wanted to kill him (cf. 37:21), maybe his decision not to detain Reuben is a form of recognition for that action. In any event, the whole story is told in a masterly way, and the reader's interest is unabated. When they see one of their brothers being taken from them by force, they begin to reflect on what they themselves did long before--consciously disposing of a brother (they thought that he was dead). They admit their fault and that it merits this sort of punishment from God. Their process of conversion has started: their conscience is beginning to accuse them. "Just as a drunkard who once he has drunk a lot of wine is not conscious of doing damage, but later on realizes how much evil he has done, so, too, sin, when it is being committed, darkens the mind and is like a dense cloud that corrupts it; but, later, one's conscience beings to wake up and it accuses one's mind vigorously, showing it how stupidly one has acted" (St John Chrysostom, "Homiliae in Genesim", 54, 2).

God's Love For You

What Do Catholics Really Believe?

Searchable Catechism of the Catholic Church
(St. Charles Borromeo Church, Picayune, Mississippi)

Prayer for Pope Leo XIV

Vicar of Christ on Earth and Shepherd of the Universal Church

O Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord of Heaven and of Earth, Our Lady of Guadalupe, guide and protect the Roman Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV. Through your intercession, may he receive in abundance the grace of the Successor of Saint Peter: the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity of our Bishops and of all our brothers and sisters in the Mystical Body of your Divine Son. Unite Pope Leo’s heart to your Immaculate Heart, leading him to rest his heart ever more securely in the glorious-pierced Heart of Jesus, so that he may confirm us in the Catholic faith, in the worship of God in spirit and truth, and in a good and holy Christian life. In the tumult of the present time, keep Pope Leo securely within the hollow of your mantle, in the crossing of your arms, protecting him from Satan, the Father of Lies, and from every evil spirit. Implore Our Lord to grant him, in particular, the wisdom and courage to be a true Shepherd of the Church throughout the world. With you, I place all my trust in Christ, the Good Shepherd, Who alone is our help and salvation. Amen.

Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mother, have mercy upon us!
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of the Apostles, pray for us!
Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!
Pope Saint Leo the Great, pray for us!

Raymond Leo Cardinal BURKE
May 18, 2025.

Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intentions for the month of July, 2025:

For formation in discernment
Let us pray that we might again learn how to discern, to know how to choose paths of life, and reject everything that leads us away from Christ and the Gospel.

The Month of July is Dedicated to the Devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

“You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, 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 Peter 1:18-19)

Click here to go to Salvation’s Catholic Caucus thread on the Daily Readings

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In Lord of the Rings, orcs were once men

According the Silmarillion, they were once elves, captured, tortured, and corrupted by Melkor, which makes their corruption even greater.

I don't "deny" any such thing,

I didn't say you did.

I think where the debate comes to heed most is the origin of man himself. (Ape vs. Adam.)

Yes, that indeed is a different argument.

7 out of 10. Don’t know much about those fancy, foreign foods.

One can either believe in a young earth (taking a literalistic view of the Scriptures) or an old earth (that the opening chapters of Genesis and subsequent texts are a poetic description of God’s Creation of all things). As long as one does not deny that God directly created all things and keeps them in existence, either view is no threat to one’s faith or to reason.

Wonder what the Jetsons would have thought.

They would have been equally unimpressed. By that time, it would have eroded down to a broad valley.

It should come as no surprise to anyone older than five that there is wickedness from men and natural evils in this world. The problem of God and evil in the world is something that the Christian especially needs to have a good grasp on before catastrophes take place, for his own peace of mind and for those who come to him looking to answers. No Christian should be left shocked at a time like this and say, "How can a good God let this happen" He should meditate on God's Word now and pray and be ready to come to terms with these things and be ready to, not give simplistic or pat answers to those who suffer, but answers that lead others to find peace in the Lord.

Of course this goes for unbelievers too, though other than take a fatalistic view of things, I don't know how satisfying an answer they can come up with.

"The move effectively calls for a carve-out for religious organizations from the rarely used IRS rule called the Johnson Amendment, put in place in 1954 and named after then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson."

It may have been "rarely used", but it has been held like a Sword of Damocles over the heads of churches to keep them in fear of saying anything political.