So too may thy Church be gathered together from the corners of the world into thy kingdom

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 15:29-37.
Moving on from there Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there.
Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.
The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way."
The disciples said to him, "Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?"
Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied, "and a few fish."
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over--seven baskets full.


Commentary of the day : Didache
« So too may thy Church be gathered together from the corners of the world into thy kingdom »

With regard to the Eucharist, this is the way you should celebrate it. First of all with regard to the cup: "We give thanks to thee, our Father, for the holy vine of thy Child David, which thou didst make known to us through Jesus thy Child. To thee be glory forever." On the morsel of bread: "We thank thee, our Father, for the life and knowledge thou has made known to us through thy Child Jesus. To thee be glory forever. As this bread was scattered on the mountains and yet was gathered and made one, so too may thy Church be gathered together from the corners of the world into thy kingdom, for thine is the glory and power through Christ Jesus forever." No one however should partake or drink of Eucharist except those that have been baptized in the name of the Lord...

And after you are filled, make your thanksgiving thus: «Holy Father, we thank thee for thy holy name, which thou hast made to dwell within our hearts, and for the knowledge, faith, and immortality, which thou has revealed to us through thy Child Jesus. To thee be glory forever. Almighty Lord, thou didst create all things for the sake of thy name: thou gavest food and drink to men for their pleasure, that they might thank thee; but thou has blest us with spiritual food and drink and with eternal life through thy Child Jesus.»

First to be called, first to bear witness

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 4:18-22.
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them,
and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.


Commentary of the day : Saint John Chrysostom
First to be called, first to bear witness

How good and how pleasant it is, brethren dwelling in unity» (Ps 131[132],1)... Andrew, having stayed with Jesus (Jn 1,39) and learned what he did, would not keep the treasure for himself but made haste and ran quickly to his brother, Simon Peter, to share with him the good things he had received ... Observe what he says to his brother: «We have found the Messiah, (which is translated 'Anointed')» (Jn 1,41). Do you see what fruit he learned in so short a time? This proves both the authority of the Teacher who has taught his disciples and also their keenness to know it right from the beginning.

Andrew's haste, and his eagerness to share such good news at once, suggests a soul burning to see the fulfilment of so many prophecies concerning the Messiah. It shows true brotherly friendship, deep affection and a simple nature, full of sincerity, that he should share his spiritual riches in this way... «We have found the Messiah» he says. Not 'a messiah' – just any messiah – but 'the Messiah', the very one we have been waiting for.

Many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 8:5-11.
When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him,
saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven,


Commentary of the day : Saint Irenaeus of Lyons
"Many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham... at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven"

''Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I shall make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Jacob... I will put my laws in their minds and will write them in their hearts» (Jr 31,31f.)... And that these promises were going to be inherited by the calling of the Gentiles, in whom also the New Covenant was opened, Isaiah says in this way, "Thus says the God of Israel, In that day man shall be confident in his Maker, and his eyes shall look to the Holy One of Israel, and they shall not be confident in altars nor in the works of their hands, which their fingers have made..." (Is 17,7f.). For most manifestly these things are said with regard to those who forsake idols and believe in God, our Maker, through the Holy One of Israel; and the Holy One of Israel is Christ...

And that he was going to be manifested to us - for the Son of God became the Son of man - and to be found amongst us who before had no knowledge of him, the Word himself says in Isaiah, thus: "I became manifest to those that sought me not; I was found by those that asked not for me. I said, Behold, I am here, to a nation that called not upon my name» (65,1). And that this race was going to be a holy people, was announced in the Twelve Prophets by Hosea in this way: "I shall call those who were Not my People, My People, and she who was Not Beloved I shall call Beloved... and they shall all be called 'sons of the living God'» (Rm 9,25-26; Hos 2,25; cf 1,9). That is what was also said by John the Baptist: «God is able from stones to raise up children to Abraham." (Mt 3,9). For our hearts, drawn out from stony services by faith, see God and become children of Abraham, who was made righteous by faith.

Be vigilant and pray that you have the strength... to stand before the Son of Man

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 24:37-44.
For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In (those) days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be (also) at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.


Commentary of the day : Saint Aelred of Rielvaux
"Be vigilant and pray that you have the strength... to stand before the Son of Man" (Lk 21,36)

This season of Advent represents the two comings of the Lord: in the first place, the sweetest coming of «the fairest of the children of men» (Ps 45[44],3) of the «Desired of all nations» (Hg 2,8 Vg), of that Son of God who has visibly manifested his long-awaited presence in the flesh to the world, so ardently desired by all our holy forefathers. This is the coming whereby he came into the world to save sinners. But this season also calls to mind the coming we are waiting for with certain hope and should often remember with tears: that which will take place when the same Lord appears manifestly in his glory...: that is to say, on the day of judgement when he will come openly to judge. The first coming was known only to few, but in the second he will manifest himself to the just and to sinners, as the prophet declares: «And all flesh shall see the salvation of God» (Is 40,5; Lk 3,6)...

So let us follow the example of those holy forefathers, dearest brethren; let us relive their desire and kindle our minds with love and desire for Christ. As you know well, the celebration of this season was instituted to renew that desire within us that the fathers of old had for the first coming of the Lord and so that, through their example, we might also learn to long for his return. Think of all the good our Lord accomplished for our sakes at his first coming. How much more will he not accomplish when he comes again! This thought will make us love all the more his former coming and all the more desire his return...

If we would experience peace at his future coming, let us strive to welcome his former coming with faith and love. Let us remain faithfully in those works he made known to us and taught us then. Let us nurture love for our Lord in our hearts and, through love, desire, so that when the Desired of the nations comes we may look on him in all confidence.

"Be vigilant at all times"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:34-36.
Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise
like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."


Commentary of the day : Catechism of the Catholic Church
"Be vigilant at all times"

According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by "distress" and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church (1Cor 7,26) and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching. Since the Ascension Christ's coming in glory has been imminent, even though "it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority" (Acts 2,7). This eschatological coming could be accomplished at any moment...

Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh (2Thes 2,3f.; 2Jn v.7)...

The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven (Rv 21,25). God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgement after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:29-33.
He taught them a lesson. "Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.


Commentary of the day : Origen
"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away"

«Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well: let your fountain be yours alone» (Prv 5,15.17). Try, then, you who are listening to me, to possess a cistern and fountain of your own in such a way that, when you take up the book of the scriptures, you too will discover some sort of interpretation from your own guide. Yes, following what you have learned in the Church, you too must try to drink from the fountain of your spirit. Deep within yourself lies «living water» (Jn 4,10). There lie the inexhaustible canals, the swollen rivers of Scripture's spiritual sense - insofar as they have not become blocked with earth and sediment. If that should be so, then what you have to do is to dig out and clean, that is to say chase away your spirit's lassitude and shake up the heaviness of your heart...

Therefore, purify your spirit that one day you may drink from your own fountain and draw living water from your own well. Because if you have taken God's word to yourself, if you have received living water from Jesus, and if you have received it with faith, if will become in you «water springing up to eternal life» (Jn 4,14).

Christ will come again in glory

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:20-28.
When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand.
Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city,
for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled.
Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people.
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.
People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand."


Commentary of the day : Catechism of the Catholic Church
Christ will come again in glory

"Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living" (Rm 14,9). Christ's Ascension into heaven signifies his participation, in his humanity, in God's power and authority. Jesus Christ is Lord: he possesses all power in heaven and on earth. He is "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion" (Ep 1,20-22), for the Father "has put all things under his feet." Christ is Lord of the cosmos and of history. In him human history and indeed all creation are "set forth" and transcendently fulfilled (Ep 1,10).

As Lord, Christ is also head of the Church, which is his Body (Ep 1,22). Taken up to heaven and glorified after he had thus fully accomplished his mission, Christ dwells on earth in his Church... "The kingdom of Christ (is) already present in mystery", "on earth, the seed and the beginning of the kingdom" (Vatican II : LG 3; 5). Since the Ascension God's plan has entered into its fulfilment. We are already at "the last hour" (1Jn 2,18)...

Though already present in his Church, Christ's reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled "with power and great glory" (Lk 21,27) by the King's return to earth. This reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they have been defeated definitively by Christ's Passover. Until everything is subject to him," (1Co 15,28), until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her 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" (LG 48; Rm 8,19.22). That is why Christians pray, above all in the Eucharist, to hasten Christ's return by saying to him: Maranatha! "Our Lord, come!" (1Co 16,22 ; Rv 22,17.20).

"By your perseverance you will secure your lives"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:12-19.
Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.


Commentary of the day : Saint Augustine
"By your perseverance you will secure your lives"

Do you want to come to that life where you will be sheltered from error forever? Who does not want this?... We all desire life and truth but how are we to attain it? What path are we to follow? Certainly, we have not reached the end of the journey yet we can already see it..., we yearn for life and truth. Christ is both one and the other. What is the way to it? «I am the way,» he says. To what will we come? «I am the truth and the life» (Jn 14,6).

This is what the martyrs loved; this is why they looked beyond the love of present goods that pass away. Don't be astonished at their bravery: in them love overcame suffering... Let us walk in their footsteps, our eyes fixed on him who is both their Leader and ours. If we would come to so great a happiness, let us not be afraid of treading difficult paths. He who has promised is true; he is faithful; he could not deceive us... Why fear the hard road of suffering and tribulation? Our Savior in person has trodden it.

You answer: «But that was him, the Savior!» Know that the apostles passed that way too. Now you're going to say: «But they were apostles!» Yes, I know. But don't forget that a great many people like yourself have trodden it in their turn..., women have trodden it, too... children, even young girls have gone that way. How could the road that so many passers-by have levelled still be too hard?

Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:5-11.
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said,
All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.
Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.


Commentary of the day : Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
« Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away » (Mt 24,35)

Our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven at the end of the world, on the last day. For the world will end and this created world will be renewed. For since corruption, theft, adultery and all kinds of sins cover the earth, and «bloodshed follows bloodshed over the land» (Hos 4,2), therefore this world will pass away and another, more lovely, will be established so that this wonderful dwelling place may not remain full of injustice...

Hear what Isaiah says: «The heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll and the stars fall like the leaves of a fig tree» (cf. Is 34,4). And the Gospel also says: «The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky» (Mt 24,29). So let us not be dismayed as though we were the only ones who must die. The stars will also die and yet perhaps they will be brought to life again. The Lord will roll away the sky, not to destroy it but to restore it to life more lovely than before. Listen to the prophet David speaking: «Of old you established the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They shall perish but you remain. They will all grow old like a garment; like clothing you change them and they will be changed» (Ps 102[101], 26-28)... Listen, too, to our Lord speaking: «Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away» (Mt 24,35), for the authority of created things does not equal that of their Master's words.

"This poor widow put in more than all the rest"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:1-4.
When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."


Commentary of the day : Saint Ambrose
"This poor widow put in more than all the rest"

In Saint Luke's gospel, our Lord teaches us how necessary it is to be merciful and generous to the poor without being held back by thoughts about our own poverty. For generosity is not assessed according to the abundance of one's inheritance but according to one's disposition towards giving. That is why the Lord's words call all to esteem the most that widow of whom it is said: «This widow has given more than all.» In the moral sense our Lord is teaching everyone that we shouldn't let ourselves be prevented from doing good because of the shame of poverty and that the wealthy have no reason to be proud because they appear to give more than the poor. One small coin drawn from little capital weighs more heavily than a large amount taken from an abundance. We don't calculate what was given but what remains. And no one has given more than she who has kept nothing for herself...

However, in the mystical sense, the woman who placed two, small coins in the treasury is not to be forgotten. Great indeed is that woman who was worthy to be preferred before everyone else according to the divine judgement! Might it not be she who has drawn the two Testaments out of her faith for the help of all humankind? Therefore no one has done more than she, and no one has been able to equal the greatness of her gift, since she joined faith to mercy. And you, too, whoever you are..., don't hesitate to bring to the treasury two coins, full of faith and grace.

Behold your King

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 23:35-43.
The people stood by and watched; the rulers, meanwhile, sneered at him and said, "He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Messiah of God."
Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine
they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself."
Above him there was an inscription that read, "This is the King of the Jews."
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us."
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation?
And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal."
Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."


Commentary of the day : Saint Gregory of Nyssa
« Pilate said:...: 'Behold your king' » (Jn 19,14)

Blessed be God! Let us celebrate the only-begotten Son, the Creator of heaven, who has risen again after descending to the depths of hell and who now covers the whole earth with rays of light. Let us celebrate the burial of the only Son and his resurrection as victor, the whole world's joy and life of all peoples...

All of this was won for us when the Creator was raised from the dead, casting off its humiliation and transfiguring what was perishable into imperishable in his divine splendor. And what is the humiliation he has cast aside? Isaiah tells us: «Without beauty, without majesty we saw him; no looks to attract our eyes, he was despised by men» (Is 53,2-3). When was he without majesty, then? When he bore the wood of the cross on his shoulders as the trophy of his victory over the devil. When a crown of thorns was placed on his head – he who crowns his faithful ones. When they clothed in purple him who clothes with immortality those who are reborn of water and the Holy Spirit. When they nailed the lord of life and death to the cross...

But he who was without majesty was transfigured in light, and the joy of the world awoke in his mortal body... «The Lord is king, he has clothed himself in beauty!» (Ps 93[92],1). What sort of beauty has he put on? Incorruptibility, immortality, the gathering of the apostles, the crown of the Church... Paul is witness to this; let us listen to him: «It was fitting that what is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility and what is mortal must clothe itself with immortality» (1Cor 15,53). The psalmist also says: «Your throne stands firm from of old; from everlasting you are, O Lord; your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and your dominion endures through all generations» (Ps 93[92],2; 145,13). And again: «The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice; let the many isles be glad» (Ps 97[96],1). To him be the glory and power, amen!

"He is not God of the dead, but of the living"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 20:27-40.
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to him,
saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, 'If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.'
Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless.
Then the second
and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless.
Finally the woman also died.
Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her."
Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.
That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called 'Lord' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
Some of the scribes said in reply, "Teacher, you have answered well."
And they no longer dared to ask him anything.


Commentary of the day : Vatican Council II
"He is not God of the dead, but of the living"

It is in the face of death that the riddle a human existence grows most acute. Not only is man tormented by pain and by the advancing deterioration of his body, but even more so by a dread of perpetual extinction. He rightly follows the intuition of his heart when he abhors and repudiates the utter ruin and total disappearance of his own person. He rebels against death because he bears in himself an eternal seed which cannot be reduced to sheer matter. All the endeavors of technology, though useful in the extreme, cannot calm his anxiety; for prolongation of biological life is unable to satisfy that desire for higher life which is inescapably lodged in his breast.

Although the mystery of death utterly beggars the imagination, the Church has been taught by divine revelation and firmly teaches that man has been created by God for a blissful purpose beyond the reach of earthly misery. In addition, that bodily death from which man would have been immune had he not sinned will be vanquished, according to the Christian faith, when man who was ruined by his own doing is restored to wholeness by an almighty and merciful Saviour. For God has called man and still calls him so that with his entire being he might be joined to Him in an endless sharing of a divine life beyond all corruption. Christ won this victory when He rose to life, for by His death He freed man from death. Hence to every thoughtful man a solidly established faith provides the answer to his anxiety about what the future holds for him. At the same time faith gives him the power to be united in Christ with his loved ones who have already been snatched away by death; faith arouses the hope that they have found true life with God.

"It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer'"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 19:45-48.
Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things,
saying to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.'"
And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death,
but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.


Commentary of the day : Saint Ignatius of Antioch
"It is written, 'My house shall be a house of prayer'"

I have therefore hastened to exhort you to set yourselves in harmony with the mind of God. For even Jesus Christ, our inseparable Life, is the Mind of the Father, as also the bishops, established in the furthest quarters, are in the mind of Jesus Christ. Hence it is fitting for you to set yourselves in harmony with the mind of the bishop, as indeed you do. For your noble presbytery, worthy of God, is fitted to the bishop, as the strings to a harp. And thus by means of your accord and harmonious love Jesus Christ is sung. Form yourselves one and all into a choir, that blending in concord, taking the key-note of God, you may sing in unison with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father...

You are stones of the temple, prepared beforehand for a building of God the Father, being raised to the heights by the engine of Jesus Christ, which is the Cross, using as your rope the Holy Spirit. Your faith is the windlass, and love is the way which leads up to God. So then, you are all companions in festal procession along the way, bearing your God and shrine, bearing Christ and your holy treasures, fully arrayed in the commandments of Jesus Christ. And in your rejoicings I too have a part...: I rejoice with you that you love nothing pertaining to the outward life, but God only.

"If this day, Jerusalem, you only knew what makes for peace!"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 19:41-44.
As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it,
saying, "If this day you only knew what makes for peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides.
They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation."


Commentary of the day : Saint Augustine
"If this day, Jerusalem, you only knew what makes for peace!"

«I rejoiced because they said to me, 'We will go up to the house of the Lord.' And now we have set foot within your gates, O Jerusalem» (Ps 122[121],1-2). What Jerusalem is this? On earth there is a city of this name but it is a mere shadow of that other Jerusalem. What kind of happiness is there in standing in a Jerusalem here below unable to stand of itself but which fell to the ground in ruins?... It is not of the Jerusalem here below that someone speaks who has such great love, such great longing, such great desire to come to the Jerusalem, «our mother», of which Saint Paul says that it is «eternal in the heavens» (Gal 4,26; 2Cor 5,1)...

«O Jerusalem, may your peace be in your strength» (Ps 122[121],7). That is to say, may your peace be in your love, for your love is your strength. Hear the Song of Songs: «Love is strong as death» (8,6)... And indeed, love destroys what we have been so that we might become, through a sort of death, what we were not... This was the sort of death that was working in him who said: «The world is crucified to me and I to the world» (Gal 6,14). It was of this death that the same apostle was speaking when he said: «You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God» (Col 3,3). Yes, «love is strong as death». If love is strong then it is powerful; it has great strength; it is strength itself... So may your peace be in your strength, O Jerusalem. May your peace be in your love.

The gift of God, the freedom of man

 

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 19:11-28.
While they were listening to him speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the kingdom of God would appear there immediately.
So he said, "A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return.
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, 'Engage in trade with these until I return.'
His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, 'We do not want this man to be our king.'
But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading.
The first came forward and said, 'Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.'
He replied, 'Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.'
Then the second came and reported, 'Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.'
And to this servant too he said, 'You, take charge of five cities.'
Then the other servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief,
for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding person; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.'
He said to him, 'With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding person, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant;
why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.'
And to those standing by he said, 'Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.'
But they said to him, 'Sir, he has ten gold coins.'
'I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.'"
After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.


Commentary of the day : Origen
The gift of God, the freedom of man

What have we to offer God? Faith and love. That is where we find what God asks of us, as it is written: «And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, and follow his ways exactly, to love and serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul» (Dt 10,12). These are the offerings and these the gifts we should make to the Lord. And if we are to offer him these gifts with all our heart, then first of all we must get to know him. We must have drunk of the knowledge of his goodness from the deep waters of his well...

People who deny that salvation lay within the power of the man's freedom should be ashamed on hearing these words! Would God ask something from him if he wasn't capable of responding to God's demand and giving him what he owed? For there is God's gift but also man's contribution. For example, it was well within the man's power that one gold coin should make ten or five more; but that the man should possess that gold coin with which to produce ten more in the first place belonged to God. Once he had given to God the ten gold coins he had made, the man received a new sort of gift: not money this time, but the power and sovereignty over ten cities.

In the same way, God asked Abraham to make an offering of his son, Isaac, on the mountain he would show him. And Abraham, without hesitation, offered his only son: he laid him on the altar and drew out his knife to slay him. But at once a voice restrained him and a ram was given him to be sacrificed in his son's place (Gn 22). So you see: what we offer God depends on us; but this offering is asked of us so that, in making our gift, we might witness to our love for God and faith in him.

«I must stay at your house today»

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 19:1-10.
He came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town.
Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man,
was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way.
When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house."
And he came down quickly and received him with joy.
When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner."
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over."
And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."


Commentary of the day : John-Paul II
«I must stay at your house today»

To me it seems that what takes place between Jesus and the «chief tax collector» of Jericho resembles in a number of ways the celebration of the sacrament of mercy... Every encounter of the priest with someone wanting to go to confession... can become, through the surprising grace of God, that «place» near the sycamore tree where Christ looked up at Zacchaeus. How deeply Christ's gaze penetrated the Jericho publican's soul is impossible for us to judge. But we do know that that same gaze looks upon each of our penitents. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation the priest is an agent of a supernatural encounter with laws of its own, an encounter which we have only to respect and facilitate.

For Zacchaeus, it must have been an stunning experience to hear himself called by his name, a name which many of his townsmen spoke with contempt. Now he hears it spoken in a tone of tenderness, expressing not just trust but familiarity, insistent friendship. Yes, Jesus speaks to Zacchaeus like an old friend, forgotten maybe, but a friend who has nonetheless remained faithful, and who enters with the gentle force of affection into the life and into the home of his re-discovered friend: «Make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today» Luke's account is remarkable for the tone of the language: everything is so personal, so tactful, so affectionate! Not only is the text filled with humanity; it suggests insistence, an urgency to which Jesus gives voice as the one offering the definitive revelation of God's mercy.

Have pity on me!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 18:35-43.
Now as he approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
What do you want me to do for you? He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.


Commentary of the day : Saint José Maria Escriva de Balaguer
"The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more"

When he heard the noise being made by the crowd, the blind man asked what was happening. Someone replied: 'It's Jesus of Nazareth!' His soul was immediately fired with such intense faith in Christ that he started to shout: «Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!» And you who have come to a standstill by the roadside of life, short as it is, wouldn't you, too, like to shout aloud? You who are lacking in lights, who stand in need of new graces if you are to commit yourself to seeking holiness. Don't you feel a pressing need to shout: «Jesus, son of David, have pity on me»? It's a wonderful prayer, brief and full of fervor, to be repeated frequently!

I advise you to take time to meditate slowly over the moments preceding this miracle so as to engrave deeply on your mind this clear thought: what a difference there is between the merciful Heart of Jesus and our own, poor hearts! This is a thought that will always assist you, especially in times of trial or temptation, at times, too, when you must respond generously to the humble demands of daily life, at times of heroism. For «many rebuked that blind man to make him be quiet.» And you, too, when you became aware that Jesus was passing close by you, your heart beat fast and you began to shout out in the grip of a profound agitation. But then your friends, your habits, your comforts, your environment advised you to be silent, not to shout: «Why call Jesus? Don't disturb him!»

As for that unfortunate blind man, he paid no attention. To the contrary, he cried out all the more: «Son of David, have pity on me!» And the Lord, who had heard him to begin with, left him to persevere in his prayer. So it is with you. Jesus is instantly aware of our soul's cry, but he waits. He wants us to be completely convinced of our need of him. He wants us to beseech him persistently like that blind man by the roadside. As Saint John Chrysostom says: «Imitate him. Even if God doesn't grant what we ask of him for the moment, even if the crowd tries to turn us away from our prayer, don't stop begging.»

The coming of Christ

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:5-19.
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, he said,
All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.
Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?"
He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end."
Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.
Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.


Commentary of the day : Saint Ambrose
The coming of Christ

Not one stone will remain upon another: all shall be destroyed.» These words were true of the Temple built by Solomon... for everything built by human hands either wears away or disintegrates or is overthrown by violence or destroyed by fire... But there is also a temple within every one of us that crumbles whenever faith is lacking and most especially if, in Christ's name, one falsely tries to gain possession of interior convictions. Perhaps this is the most helpful interpretation where we are concerned. Indeed, what is the point of my knowing the day of judgement? Being aware of so many sins, what is the point of knowing the Savior will one day come if he has not come into my soul, is not recalled to my mind, if Christ does not live in me, if Christ does not speak in me? So it is to me Christ must come and it is for my sake his coming must take place.

The Lord's second coming takes place as the world draws to a close, when we are able to say: «The world is crucified to me and I to the world» (Gal 6,14)... To the one to whom the world is dead, Christ is everlasting; to such a one the temple is spiritual, the Law spiritual, even the Passover is spiritual... And so, for that person wisdom's presence has come to pass, along with virtue and justice and the presence of the resurrection, for Christ indeed died once for the sins of the people in order daily to redeem the sins of the people.

"But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 18:1-8.
Then he told them a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said,
There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, 'Render a just decision for me against my adversary.'
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, 'While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.'"
The Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says.
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"


Commentary of the day : Saint Augustine
"But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

What more powerful incentive to prayer could be proposed to us than the parable of the unjust judge? An unprincipled man, without fear of God or regard for other people, that judge nevertheless ended by granting the widow's petition. No kindly sentiment moved him to do so; he was rather worn down by her pestering. Now if a man can grant a request even when it is odious to him to be asked, how can we be refused by the one who urges us to ask? Having persuaded us, therefore, by a comparison of opposites that «we ought always to pray and never lose heart,» the Lord goes on to put the question: «Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, do you think he will find faith on earth?»

Where there is no faith, there is no prayer. Who would pray for something he did not believe in? So when the blessed Apostle exhorts us to pray he begins by declaring: «Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.» But to show that faith is the source of prayer and the stream will not flow if its springs are dried up, he continues: «But how can people call on him in whom they do not believe?» (Rom 10,13-14). We must believe, then, in order to pray; and we must ask God that the faith enabling us to pray may not fail. Faith gives rise to prayer, and this prayer obtains an increase of faith.

"As it was in the days of Noah"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17:26-37.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building;
on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.
So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, a person who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise a person in the field must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left.
And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left."

They said to him in reply, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather."


Commentary of the day : Saint Romanos Melodios
"As it was in the days of Noah"

Noah, the wise... went into the ark at God's orders together with his sons and their wives, a mere eight souls in all. With constant groans this servant prayed thus: «Let me not perish with sinners, my Savior, for already I see chaos swamping creation and the elements shaken with fear... The clouds are ready, the sky stormy, angels run before your wrath.» At these words, God shut the ark and sealed it as his faithful one cried out: «Save mankind from wrath, O redeemer of the world, may you protect us with your love.»

Then, from the heights of heaven, the judge gives the order: immediately the floodgates open, pouring down rain and hail in torrents from one end of the world to the other; fear causes the springs of the abyss to gush forth, flooding the earth in every quarter... Such were the results of God's anger because humankind had persisted in its hardness of heart instead of hastening to cry out to him with faith: «Save all humankind from wrath in the love you have for us, O Redeemer of the world»...

Then the choir of angels cried out, seeing carnal men destroyed: «Now let the just possess the length and breadth of the earth!» For the Creator delights to behold those made in his own image (Gn 1,26); this is why he set aside his saints to save them. Noah... released the dove and in the evening it returned, bearing an olive branch in its beak, symbolically announcing God's mercy. Then Noah came out of the ark as from the tomb, according to the command he had received..., not, as formerly, like Adam, who had eaten of the tree that brings death, for Noah had brought forth the fruits of repentance, saying: «Save all humankind from wrath in the love you have for us, O Redeemer of the world.»


Corruption and wickedness have perished; the man of upright heart is victorious by his faith for he has found grace... Then the just man (Gn 6,9) offers an unblemished sacrifice to the Lord... The Creator, smelling the sweet-smelling odor, declares: «Nevermore will the world perish in a flood, even should all men lead a life of wickedness.  Today I will make with them a binding covenant. I will show my bow as a sign to all the dwellers on earth, that thus they may call upon my name: «Save all humankind from wrath in the love you have for us, O Redeemer of the world.»

"He returned, glorifying God"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17:11-19.
As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten lepers met (him). They stood at a distance from him
and raised their voice, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"
And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?"
Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."


Commentary of the day : Saint Francis of Assisi
"He returned, glorifying God"

All-powerful, most holy, most high and supreme God, Holy and just Father,
Lord, King of heaven and earth
we thank You for Yourself for through Your holy will and through Your only Son with the Holy Spirit
You have created all things spiritual and corporal and, having made us in Your own image and likeness, You placed us in paradise.
And through our own fault we have fallen.

And we thank You
for as through Your Son You created us
so also, through Your holy love with which You loved us, You brought about His birth
as true God and true man
by the glorious, ever-virgin, most blessed, holy Mary and You willed to redeem us captives
through His cross and blood and death.

And we thank You
for Your Son Himself will come again in the glory of His majesty
to send the wicked ones
who have not done penance and who have not known You into the eternal fire,
and to say to all those who have known You and have adored You
and have served You in penance:
"Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom,
which has been prepared for you from the beginning of the world" (Mt 25,34).

And because all of us wretches and sinners
are not worthy to pronounce Your name,
we humbly ask that
our Lord Jesus Christ Your beloved Son
in whom You were well pleased
together with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, give You thanks
as it pleases You and Him for everything,
[He] Who always satisfies You in everything
through Whom You have done such great things for us.
Alleluia!

Feast of the Dedication of a cathedral, feast of the Church

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 2:13-22.
Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of scripture, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?"
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.


Commentary of the day : Blessed John Henry Newman
Feast of the Dedication of a cathedral, feast of the Church

Is a Cathedral the offspring of a random thought, a thing to will and to accomplish at our pleasure?...  Surely the Churches which we inherit are not the purchase of wealth nor the creation of genius, they are the fruits of martyrdom. They come of high deeds and sufferings, as long before their very building as we are after it. Their foundations are laid very deep, even in the preaching of Apostles, and the confession of Saints, and the first victories of the Gospel in our land. All that is so noble in their architecture, all that captivates the eye and makes its way to the heart, is not a human imagination, but a divine gift, a moral result, a spiritual work.

The Cross is ever planted in hazard and suffering, and is watered with tears and blood. No where does it take root and bear fruit, except its preaching be with self-denial. It is easy, indeed, for the ruling powers to make a decree, and set religion on high, and extend its range, and herald its name; but they cannot plant it, they can but impose it. The Church alone can plant the Church. The Church alone can found her sees, and inclose herself within walls. None but saintly men, mortified men, preachers of righteousness, and confessors for the truth, can create a home for the truth in any land.

Thus the Temples of God are withal the monuments of His Saints... Their simplicity, grandeur, solidity, elevation, grace, and exuberance of ornament, do but bring to remembrance the patience and purity, the courage, meekness, and great charity, the heavenly affections, the activity in well-doing, the faith and resignation, of men who themselves did but worship in mountains, and in deserts, and in caves and dens of the earth. They laboured, but not in vain, for other men entered into their labours; (cf. Jn 4,38) and, as if by natural consequence, at length their word prospered after them, and made itself a home, even these sacred palaces in which it has so long dwelt... O happy they who, in a sorrowful time, avail themselves of this bond of communion with the saints of old and with the universal Church!... Happy they, who when they enter within their holy limits, enter in heart into the court of Heaven!

"If your brother sins... forgive him"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 17:1-6.
He said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,' you should forgive him."
And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to (this) mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.


Commentary of the day : Asterius of Amasea
"If your brother sins... forgive him"

O you who are hard-hearted, incapable of gentleness, learn of your Creator's goodness and do not be bitter judges and arbitrators of your fellow servants as you wait for the coming of him who will disclose the hidden places of the heart and will himself, the all-powerful Lord, determine each one's place in the world to come. Don't assign severe judgements that you may not be judged in the same way and rent by the words of your own mouth as if by sharp teeth. For it is against this kind of crime that these words of the Gospel seem to warn us: «Do not judge and you will not be judged» (Lk 6,37). In saying this he is not doing away with discernment and wisdom; what he is referring to as judgement is over-severe condemnation. So far as possible, then, lighten the weight of your measure if you don't want your actions to weigh too heavy on the scales when our lives are weighed as on a balance at God's judgment... Never refuse to show mercy that you may not be denied forgiveness when you are in need of it yourself.

"Make friends for yourself with dishonest wealth"

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 16:9-15.
I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them, "You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.


Commentary of the day : Saint Gaudentius of Brescia
"Make friends for yourself with dishonest wealth"

Fill the earth and subdue it.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 16:1-8.
Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said, 'What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.'
The steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.'
He called in his master's debtors one by one. To the first he said, 'How much do you owe my master?'
He replied, 'One hundred measures of olive oil.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.'
Then to another he said, 'And you, how much do you owe?' He replied, 'One hundred kors of wheat.' He said to him, 'Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.'
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. "For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light.


Commentary of the day : Vatican Council II
"Fill the earth and subdue it" (Gn 1,28)

Man, created to God's image, received a mandate to subject to himself the earth and all it contains, and to govern the world with justice and holiness; a mandate to relate himself and the totality of things to Him Who was to be acknowledged as the Lord and Creator of all. Thus, by the subjection of all things to man, the name of God would be wonderful in all the earth.

This mandate concerns the whole of everyday activity as well. For while providing the substance of life for themselves and their families, men and women are performing their activities in a way which appropriately benefits society. They can justly consider that by their labor they are unfolding the Creator's work, consulting the advantages of their brother men, and are contributing by their personal industry to the realization in history of the divine plan.

Thus, far from thinking that works produced by man's own talent and energy are in opposition to God's power, and that the rational creature exists as a kind of rival to the Creator, Christians are convinced that the triumphs of the human race are a sign of God's grace and the flowering of His own mysterious design.

The Lost Sheep

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 15:1-10.
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So to them he addressed this parable.
What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'
I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, 'Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.'
In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents."


Commentary of the day : Isaac of Stella
"Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep"

"Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep"

When the time of mercy had come (Ps 102[101],14) the Good Shepherd came down from his Father's side... as had been promised from all eternity. He came in search of the one sheep that had been lost. Promised to her from all eternity, he was sent to her in time; for her sake he was born and handed over, eternally predestined for her. She is unique, drawn from both Jews and Gentiles..., present among all peoples; she is one in her mystery, many in persons, many through the flesh according to nature, one through the Spirit according to grace - in short, one single sheep yet a crowd without number...

As for those whom this shepherd acknowledges as his own: «No one can snatch them out of his hands» (Jn 10,28). For true strength cannot be forced, wisdom cannot be deceived, charity cannot be destroyed, That is why he speaks with assurance, saying...: «I have lost none, Father, of all those you have given me» (Jn 18,9)...

He was sent as truth for the misled, way for the straying, life for the dead, wisdom for the foolish, medicine for the sick, ransom for captives and food for the starving. For all those, we might say, he was sent to «the lost sheep of the house of Israel» (Mt 15,24) that they might be lost no more. He was sent like the spirit into a rigid body so that, at his coming, its members might become warm again and quicken with a new, supernatural and divine life: this is the first resurrection (Rv 20,5). Thus he himself can say: «The hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear it will live» (Jn 5,25). And so he can say of his sheep: «They will hear my voice and follow me» (Jn 10,4-5).