Sunday Bible Readings July 12 2009 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 12 2009 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/071209.shtml

Amos 7:12-15
Douay-Rheims Challoner

And Amasias said to Amos:

Thou seer, go, flee away into the land of Juda: and eat bread there, and prophesy there. But prophesy not again any more in Bethel: because it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is the house of the kingdom.

And Amos answered and said to Amasias:

I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet: but I am a herdsman plucking wild figs. And the Lord took me when I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.

.

Responsorial Psalm 84:9-14 (Ps 85 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me:
for he will speak peace unto his people:
And unto his saints:
and unto them that are converted to the heart.
Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him :
that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met each other:
justice and peace have kissed.
Truth is sprung out of the earth:
and justice hath looked down from heaven.
For the Lord will give goodness:
and our earth shall yield her fruit.
Justice shall walk before him:
and he shall set his steps in the way.

Ephesians 1:3-14
Haydock New Testament

Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ: As he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight, in charity. Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children, through Jesus Christ, unto himself: according to the purpose of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us acceptable, in his beloved Son. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace, Which hath superabounded in us in all wisdom and prudence: That he might make known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in him.

In the dispensation of the fulness of times, to establish all things in Christ, which are in heaven and on earth, in him: In whom we also are called by lot, being predestinated according to the purpose of him, who worketh all things according to the counsel of his will: That we may be to the praise of his glory, who have before hoped in Christ: In whom you also, when you have heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation: ) in whom also believing, you were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise, Who is the pledge of our inheritance, for the redemption of acquisition, unto the praise of his glory.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Mark 6:7-13
Haydock New Testament

And he called the twelve; and began to send them two and two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. And he commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, but a staff only: no scrip, no bread, nor money in their purse, But to be shod with sandals, and that they should not put on two coats. And he said to them:

Wheresoever you shall enter into a house, there abide till you depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, going forth from thence, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony to them.

And going forth they preached that they should do penance: And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Haydock Commentary Amos 7:12-15
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 12. Seer. This was the ancient title of prophets; (1 K. ix. 9. C.) but it is here used contumeliously. H. — We know not whether Amasias acted by the king’s order or not. He was less afraid of the predictions than of losing his employment. C.
• Ver. 13. Sanctuary, or “palace.” Kimchi. — The kings resided commonly in Samaria; but they came hither to practise their religion, and had a palace. C. — The king’s choice was all that Amasias regarded, as many seem still to do, without examining whether the religion be true or false! Will the king screen them from the indignation of the just Judge at the hour of death? H.
• Ver. 14. I am not a prophet. That is, I am not a prophet by education: nor is prophesying my calling or profession: but I am a herdsman, whom God was pleased to send hither to prophesy to Israel. Ch. — He speaks with the like humility as the baptist, John i. 21. Lu. vii. 26. It seems the prophets usually left their trade, and applied to meditation. Zac. viii. 5. Sept. “I was not a prophet, nor,” &c. — Plucking. Sept. (Th.) “pricking.” C. — This was requisite to make the fruit ripen in four days’ time. Pliny xiii. 7. and xvi. 27. — Wild fig-trees have three sorts of fruits. The flies which proceed from some of them, prick the sweet figs, and make them ripen. Tourefort i. let. 8. — Amos probably conveyed such wild figs to be near those of the garden, while at other times he fed his cattle.

Haydock Commentary Ephesians 1:3-14

• Ver. 3. Blessed by the God, who, through his Son Jesus Christ, made man, hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings and gifts; and by his grace, infused into our souls, has given us a title to a happy eternity in heaven. Wi. — In heavenly things; (in cælestibus) i.e. all spiritual blessings from heaven, or for eternity. This is the object of all the blessings we receive from God; and we ought, according to the first intention of them, to refer them all to eternal or heavenly beatitude. S. Paul distinguishes the blessings which we receive in Jesus Christ from those bestowed upon the Jews, which were temporal and limited to this earth. Calmet. Ch.
• Ver. 4-8. As by his eternal decree, according to the purpose of his good will and pleasure, he hath made choice of us to be his adoptive sons, and predestinated us to be saved and glorified by the merits and grace of his beloved Son, our Redeemer, without any merits of ours to the glorious praise and riches of his grace, by which he hath made us abound in all wisdom and true prudence. Wi.
• Ver. 9. That he might make known to us, and to all men, the mystery of his will and pleasure in establishing his new law, of calling all Gentiles, as well as Jews, to believe in his Son, made man for us, in the dispensation of the fulness of times, (that is, at the time decreed from eternity) to establish, to accomplish, and, as it is in the Greek, to recapitulate all things in heaven and on earth, in Christ, and through him, and his merits; on earth, by fulfilling all the types, figures, and prophecies concerning the Messias; and in heaven, by filling up the number of his elect. Wi. — The mystery of his will. The word mystery signifies a secret, an unknown design. It was the will of God, to reveal to us the great design he had in the incarnation of his Son, viz. the formation of one great body of true adorers; composed, without distinction, of Jew and Gentile: till (v. 10) when the time appointed shall come, he will reunite and perfect in or under Christ this one body, composed of the Church triumphant, Angels and saints in heaven, and the Church militant upon earth. S. Chrysostom, Estius, &c.
• Ver. 11. In Christ we also are called by lot; i.e. to this happy lot, this share and state of eternal happiness, (he seems to speak with an allusion to the manner by which the lands of a temporal inheritance was distributed to the Israelites, in Palestine) that we (v. 12) who are saved, may be to the praise of his glory; might praise God for ever in the kingdom of his glory; particularly we Jews, who before hoped in the Messias to come, and also you Gentiles, who now having heard the gospel, have believed in Christ, and who, together with all Christians, have been now sealed as it were with the holy Spirit of promise; i.e. by the Spirit promised, and all those spiritual graces which are an earnest and pledge, which give us an assurance of our future glory and happiness. For our redemption from our sins, and in order to the acquired possession, to the possession of that glorious happiness which Christ, by his incarnation and death, hath acquired for us. Wi.
• Ver. 13. In whom you . . . . were sealed, &c. Having been regenerated in baptism, you have received the Holy Spirit and the supernatural gifts which he communicates, by which he has, as it were, impressed upon you the seal of your sanctification and the pledge of your salvation. It is not an external impression, such as that by which soldiers are marked by their sovereigns, nor circumcision, as of old, but it is a mark within you — the grace with which you are filled — which shews itself outwardly by miraculous effects, &c. Calmet. — Some refer these words, in whom you were sealed, to the sacrament of baptism; others to confirmation: both, with the sacrament of holy orders, confer a character, or mark, of which S. Paul seems to speak whenever he speaks of God sealing us.

Haydock Commentary Mark 6:7-13

• Ver. 13. It was usual for the Jews to prescribe oil as a proper thing to anoint the sick; but its virtue in the present instance, when used by the apostles, was not natural but supernatural, and was derived from him who sent them; because this unction always produced a certain and constant cure in those who were anointed. This miraculous gift of healing the sick with oil, which Christ conferred on his apostles, was a prelude or gradual preparation to the dignity to which he raised this unction, when he established it a perpetual rite in his holy Church. Rutter. — With oil, &c. This anointing the sick, was at least a figure of the sacrament, which Christ was pleased to institute for the spiritual relief of persons in danger of death: and which is fully expressed by S. James, in his Catholic Epistle. C. vi. The Council of Trent says this sacrament was instituted in S. Mark, and published in the Epistle of S. James. Trid. sess. xiv. c. 1. Wi.

Daily Bible Readings Saturday July 11 2009 Memorial of Saint Benedict

July 11 2009 Saturday Memorial of Saint Benedict, abbot
Saint of the Day – St. Benedict

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/071109.shtml

Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26a
Douay-Rheims Challoner Text Only

And he charged them, saying:

I am now going to be gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hethite, Over against Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, which Abraham bought together with the field, of Ephron the Hethite, for a possession to bury in.

There they buried him, and Sara his wife: there was Isaac buried with Rebecca, his wife: there also Lia doth lie buried. And when he had ended the commandments, wherewith he instructed his sons, he drew up his feet upon the bed, and died: and he was gathered to his people.

Now he (Jacob) being dead, his (Joseph) brethren were afraid, and talked one with another:

Lest perhaps he should remember the wrong he suffered, and requite us all the evil that we did to him.

And they sent a message to him, saying:

Thy father commanded us before he died, That we should say thus much to thee from him: I beseech thee to forget the wickedness of thy brethren, and the sin and malice they practised against thee: we also pray thee, to forgive the servants of the God of thy father this wickedness.

And when Joseph heard this, he wept. And his brethren came to him; and worshipping prostrate on the ground, they said:

We are thy servants.

And he answered them:

Fear not: can we resist the will of God? You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people. Fear not: I will feed you and your children. And he comforted them, and spoke gently and mildly.

And he dwelt in Egypt with all his father’s house; and lived a hundred and ten years. And he saw the children of Ephraim to the third generation. The children also of Machir, the sons of Manasses, were born on Joseph’s knees. After which he told his brethren:

God will visit you after my death, and will make you go up out of this land, to the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And he made them swear to him, saying:

God will visit you, carry my bones with you out of this place.

And he died, being a hundred and ten years old.

Responsorial Psalm 104:1-4, 6-7 (Ps 105 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Give glory to the Lord, and call upon his name:
declare his deeds among the Gentiles.
Sing to him, yea sing praises to him:
relate all his wondrous works.
Glory ye in his holy name:
let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.
Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened:
seek his face evermore.
O ye seed of Abraham his servant;
ye sons of Jacob his chosen.
He is the Lord our God:
his judgments are in all the earth.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 10:24-33
Haydock New Testament

Jesus continued:

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household?

Therefore fear them not: for there is nothing hid, that shall not be revealed: nor secret that shall not be known. That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the house-tops. And fear not them that kill the body, and cannot kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing: and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father, who is in heaven.

But whosoever shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father, who is in heaven.

Haydock Commentary Genesis 49:29-32; 50:15-26a
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 29. To be gathered to my people. That is, I am going to die, and so to follow my ancestors that are gone before me, and to join their company in another world. Ch. — Jacob’s life was embittered with many afflictions, which he bore with admirable patience, and thus deserved to be considered as an excellent figure of Jesus Christ. — The man of sorrows. His faith in the promises of God, made him contemplate the land of Chanaan as his own, and parcel it out among his children.  C.
• GENESIS 50
• Ver. 16. A message; perhaps by Benjamin.  M. — They hope thus to obtain pardon for the sake of their deceased father, and for the sake of their common God.
• Ver. 17. Wept, that they should entertain no doubts respecting the reconciliation, which had taken place seventeen years before. H.
• Ver. 19. Resist, &c.  Heb. “Am I not subject to God; or, Am I a God,” to oppose his will.  Sept. “I belong to the Lord.”  You see that your designs against me have turned to our mutual advantage.  Can I, therefore, think of punishing you?  Repent, and obtain pardon of God: I certainly forgive you.  H. — Thus God drew good out of the evil, in which he had no share. — S. Aug. de C. D. xiv. 27.  S. Chrys. hom. 67.
• Ver. 22. And ten; consequently he had been governor of all the land eighty years; God having made him abundant recompense, even in this world, for a transient disgrace!  H. — Knees. Joseph adopted the only son of Machir.  See C. xxx. 3.; or, according to the Samaritan, “in the days of Joseph” he was born.  C.
• Ver. 24. Visit you with various persecutions; or will fulfil his promises. — Carry my bones. He would have them to keep his bones till the time of their departure, as an earnest that they should certainly obtain the land of Chanaan; and thus his bones were visited, and after death, they prophesied. Eccli. xlix. 18.  Perhaps the Egyptians would have been offended, (W.) if the corpse of Joseph had been removed out of the country immediately, as that of Jacob was; and they might have taken occasion hence to envy and persecute his brethren.  H.
• Ver. 25. Embalmed, like the Egyptian momies, or mummies, which is a Persian word, signifying a dried corpse.  Some of them are very magnificent, adorned with golden letters and hieroglyphics, various bandages, &c.  They are laid in coffins. Some pretend that Joseph was afterwards adored in Egypt, under the names of Serapis and Osiris: but the grounds of this supposition are only a few uncertain etymologies and emblems, which might agree with him as well as with those modern deities: (C.) at least it does not at all appear probable, that he was adored in Egypt before the departure of the Israelites, as the king who persecuted them did not know Joseph.  Ex. i. 8.  His greatest glory was, to have prefigured Jesus Christ in so wonderful a manner during the course of his life, and to have been replenished with all the graces which could form the character of a great man and a saint.  Some think, that the history of Joseph has been imitated in the fable of Proteus, or Cetes, king of Egypt.  See the True Hist. of Fabulous Times, by Juerin du Roche, a virtuous and learned ecclesiastic, who ws put to death for his faith, at Paris, Sept. 8, 1792.  See also Rollin’s Abridgment.  H.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 10:24-33

• Ver. 24. The disciple is not above, &c.  If we therefore are disciples of Christ, we ought to embrace with joy, opprobrious and evil language, willingly receive and bear with patience all those things which our noble Lord and Master underwent for us.  But if we will not bear these things with patience, how shall we dare to call ourselves his followers, his disciples, his servants, his children, or his domestics.  S. Austin.
• Ver. 25. Beelzebub. In the Greek Beelzeboul. It was the name the Jews gave to the greatest of the devils, and also to the idol of Accaron.  The word signifies the lord of flies; either because of the multitude of flies that were in the temple of that idol, or because the people used to sacrifice to this idol, when they were molested with flies.  Wi.
• Ver. 26. For there is nothing hid, &c.  Even in this life, for truth, however much oppressed, is yet accustomed at length to rise superior to oppression.  What Christ therefore says here is, although the wicked persecute you, yet your virtue shall at length be known.  M. — Patience for a while, and soon your charity, which is now unknown, shall be renowned throughout the whole earth.  You shall be blessed by all as the greatest benefactors, and the cultivators of virtue, while the words of your adversaries shall be heard with the greatest contempt.  S. Chrysos. hom. xxxv.
• Ver. 27. That which I tell you, &c.  We must not suppose that our Saviour was accustomed to deliver his instructions to his apostles in the secret of the night, or teach them in private by whispers.  But here he uses a figure of speech, to convey to the minds of his apostles the insignificancy of Judea, where he was speaking in comparison of the whole world, which they were to instruct; and the low whisper of his voice, compared to the sound which they shall send forth to the ends of the earth.  S. Chrysos. hom. xxxv. — Upon the house-tops. the tops of the houses in Palestine were flat, and the inhabitants were accustomed to assemble on them and discourse together in great numbers.  To preach, therefore, on the top of a house, is the same as to preach where there is a great concourse of people.  M.
• Ver. 28. Fear not those that, &c.  Men are afraid of a prison, yet they are not afraid of hell fire.  They fear temporal punishments, but dread not the torments of eternal fire.  S. Austin in Baradius. — He who continually fears hell, will never fall into it; but he who is negligent, will undoubtedly fall.  S. Chrys. in Baradius.
• Ver. 29. Are not two sparrows? The sense is, sparrows are of very small value, and yet divine Providence defends and feeds them; how much more, therefore, will not God take care of you, who so far excel them?  No one, therefore, will be able to rob you of life without God’s permission.   M.
• Ver. 30. The very hairs, &c.  God numbers not the hairs of our heads after the manner of men: but by this our Saviour shews the infinite knowledge the Almighty has of all things, and the goodness of his Providence, watching over every, even the most minute part of the creation.  S. Chrysostom. hom. xxxv.
• Ver. 31. Fear not therefore, &c.  Here Christ admonishes us, in our greatest undertakings, to put our trust in God.  S. Bernard.

Daily Bible Readings Friday July 10 2009 14th Week in Ordinary Time

July 10 2009 Friday Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Veronica Giuliani

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/071009.shtml

Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
Douay-Rheims Challoner

And Israel taking his journey, with all that he had, came to the well of the oath, and killing victims there to the God of his father Isaac, He heard him, by a vision in the night, calling him, and saying to him:

Jacob, Jacob.

And he answered him:

Lo, here I am.

God said to him:

I am the most mighty God of thy father; fear not, go down into Egypt, for I will make a great nation of thee there. I will go down with thee thither, and will bring thee back again from thence: Joseph also shall put his hands upon thy eyes.

And Jacob rose up from the well of the oath: and his sons took him up, with their children and wives in the wagons, which Pharao had sent to carry the old man, And all that he had in the land of Chanaan: and he came into Egypt with all his seed; His sons, and grandsons, daughters, and all his offspring together.

Responsorial Psalm 36:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40 (Ps 37 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land,
and thou shalt be fed with its riches.
Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart.
The Lord knoweth the days of the undefiled;
and their inheritance shall be for ever.
They shall not be confounded in the evil time;
and in the days of famine they shall be filled:
Decline from evil and do good, and dwell for ever and ever.
For the Lord loveth judgment, and will not forsake his saints:
they shall be preserved for ever.
The unjust shall be punished,
and the seed of the wicked shall perish.
But the salvation of the just is from the Lord,
and he is their protector in the time of trouble.
And the Lord will help them and deliver them:
and he will rescue them from the wicked,
and save them because they have hoped in him.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 10:16-23
Haydock New Testament

Jesus told the twelve Apostles:

Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and simple as doves. But beware of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. And you shall be brought before governors, and before kings, for my sake, for a testimony to them, and to the Gentiles. But when they shall deliver you up, be not thoughtful how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak. For it is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.

The brother also shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and shall put them to death. And you shall be hated by all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall persevere unto the end, he shall be saved. And when they shall persecute you in this city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you shall not finish all the cities of Israel, till the Son of man come.

Haydock Commentary Genesis 46:1-7, 28-30
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 1. The well of the oath. Bersabee.
• Ver. 3. Fear not. He might be apprehensive, lest his children should be depraved, living among idolaters, or prefer Egypt before the promised land.  He was also afraid to undertake this journey without consulting God.  M.
• Ver. 4. Thence; in thy posterity.  Sept. add at last, or after a long time.  Jacob’s bones were brought back and buried in Chanaan.  C. — Eyes, as he is the most dear to thee.  Parents closed the eyes of their children in death.  The Romans opened them again when the corpse was upon the funeral pire; thinking it a mark of disrespect for the eyes to be shut to heaven; “ut neque ab homine supremum eos spectari fas sit, & cœlo non ostendi, nefas.“  Plin. xi. 37.
• Ver. 7. Daughters. Dina, and grand-daughter Sara, (v. 17,) and his sons’ wives, &c.  C. — We may observe, that all here mentioned were not born at the time when Jacob went down into Egypt, but they were before he or Joseph died; that is, during the space of 17 or 71 years.  See S. Aug. q. 151. 173.  M. — The names of the Heb. and Sept. vary some little from the Vulgate, which may be attributed to the difference of pronunciation, or to the same person having many names.  The number is also different in the Sept. as the authors of that version have, perhaps, inserted some names taken from other parts of Scripture, to remove any apparent contradiction.  The genealogies of Juda, Joseph, and Benjamin, are carried farther than the rest, as those families were of greater consequence.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 10:16-23

• Ver. 16. Wise as serpents, &c.  It is a proverbial way of speaking; and an admonition to be circumspect and discreet, but harmless, innocent, sincere in all our actions and dealings.  Wi. — Simple. That is, harmless, plain, sincere, and without guile.  Ch. — In the midst of wolves. Although Christ sent his apostles not only against wolves, but even into the very midst of wolves, still he commands them to behave with the meekness of sheep, and simplicity of doves.  Thus he evinces the greatness of his power, in overcoming the wolves by the sheep, which were continually exposed to be devoured and torn in pieces by them, still never failing to change the fierce nature of the ravenous wolf into their own nature, in mildness and innocence.  As long as we retain the nature of sheep, we easily overcome our adversaries; but no sooner are we changed into wolves, than we become the derision of our enemies: the supreme Pastor, who superintends the sheep, not the wolves, withdrawing from us the powerful protection of his grace, and leaving us to the misery of our own weakness. — Our Saviour, in his infinite wisdom, knew full well the nature of things; passion was not to be overcome by passion, but by meekness only.  Thus the apostles did, when the Jews having apprehended them, said, Have we not again and again commanded you not to teach in this name?  Acts, C. iv.  Though they had the power of working the greatest miracles, yet they let nothing harsh, nothing severe, escape them, either in words or actions.  With simplicity they made answer, Judge ye, if it be just to hear you rather than God; and at the same time shewed their prudence, saying, We cannot but speak what we  have heard and seen. S. Chrysostom, hom. xxxiv. — As sheep, &c.  He compares them to sheep, not only because of their innocence, but also because they were sent unarmed and destitute of all human support.  M. — Wise, &c.  That you may guard against the snares of your enemies.  The prudence of the serpent is celebrated, because when it cannot escape, it strives at least to preserve its head free from hurt, whilst it leave the rest of its body exposed.  Thus Christians, who have Christ for their head, must preserve his faith and religion, though with the loss of every thing else.  M.
• Ver. 17. They will deliver you up in councils. Christ, in this and the following verse, warns his apostles of the many troubles and persecutions to which the preaching of the faith would expose them.  S. Chrysostom assigns several reasons for his choosing to foretell them such sufferings:  1st. that he might shew that he had the gift of prophecy; 2nd. that they might not think such evils came upon them on account of his weakness; 3rd. that knowing beforehand the great trials to which they would be exposed, they might not be discouraged when they happened.  S. Chrysostom, in S. Thos. Aquin.
• Ver. 18. For a testimony to them, &c.  That is, that by suffering with fortitude and constancy, you may bear testimony of me, as men must know, that it is not any vain thing for which they see you are prepared to die.  Or the sense may be, that this may be for you a testimony against them in the day of judgment, and may render them inexcusable, since they will be unable to say that they have not heard the gospel.  M.
• Ver. 19. Be not thoughtful, with too great a concern of mind.  Wi. — That the apostles might not be discouraged at the description, which our Saviour gave them in the two preceding verses, of the troubles which they would have to sustain in their ministry, he now endeavours to console them.  When you are called before councils, says he, do not think how or what to speak, for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak.  A truly comfortable thought for all who should afterwards engage in the ministry of Christ.  Whatever troubles, whatever persecutions may fall to your lot, if even you should be cited before kings and councils to answer for your faith, do not be troubled.  You engage in the conflict, I will fight: you speak, but I will tell you what you ought to say.  A.
• Ver. 22. He that shall persevere, &c.  We are here told, that to be saved it is not sufficient that we were once virtuous, we must persevere to the end.  We are also assured of the same truth in Ezechiel.  If the just man shall turn away from his justice, and shall commit iniquity, he shall die in his sins, and his justice which he hath done shall not be remembered. C. iii, v. 20.  A. — Some, says S. Chrysostom, are accustomed to be fervent at the beginning of their conversion, but afterwards grow remiss; of what advantage are seeds that flourish in the beginning, but afterwards wither and die?  S. Chrysos.  S. Thos. Aquin.
• Ver. 23. Flee into another. Tertullian, with some others, held it never lawful to fly in the time of persecutions, against both the doctrine and example of our Saviour, Christ. — You shall not finish, &c.  S. Chrys. thinks the sense of these words is, you shall not go through, and have finished your preaching in all the cities of Israel, till I, who follow you, shall come, and join you again.  Others expound it, till the coming of me, your Messias, shall be published, and owned after my resurrection.  Wi.

Daily Bible Readings Thursday July 9 2009 Memorial Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, priest and martyr, and his companions, martyrs

July 9 2009 Thursday
Memorial Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, priest and martyr, and his companions, martyrs
Saint of the Day – St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/070909.shtml

Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Then Juda coming nearer, said boldly:

I beseech thee, my lord, let thy servant speak a word in thy ears, and be not angry with thy servant: for after Pharao thou art. My lord.

Thou didst ask thy servants the first time: Have you a father or a brother.

And we answered thee, my lord: We have a father an old man, and a young boy, that was born in his old age; whose brother by the mother is dead; and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him tenderly.

And thou saidst to thy servants: Bring him hither to me, and I will set my eyes on him. Except your youngest brother come with you, you shall see my face no more.

Therefore when we were gone up to thy servant our father, we told him all that my lord had said. And our father said: Go again, and buy us a little wheat.

And we said to him: We cannot go: if our youngest brother go down with us, we will set out together: otherwise, without him we dare not see the man’s face.

Whereunto he answered: You know that my wife bore me two. One went out, and you said: A beast devoured him; and hitherto he appeareth not. If you take this also, and any thing befall him in the way, you will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow unto hell.

Joseph could no longer refrain himself before many that stood by: whereupon he commanded that all should go out, and no stranger be present at their knowing one another. And he lifted up his voice with weeping, which the Egyptians, and all the house of Pharao heard. And he said to his brethren:

I am Joseph: Is my father yet living?

His brethren could not answer him, being struck with exceeding great fear. And he said mildly to them:

Come nearer to me.

And when they were come near him, he said:

I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Be not afraid, and let it not seem to you a hard case that you sold me into these countries: for God sent me before you into Egypt for your preservation.

Responsorial Psalm 104:16-21 (Ps 105 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

And he called a famine upon the land:
and he broke in pieces all the support of bread.
He sent a man before them: Joseph, who was sold for a slave.
They humbled his feet in fetters: the iron pierced his soul,
Until his word came. The word of the Lord inflamed him.
The king sent, and he released him:
the ruler of the people, and he set him at liberty.
He made him master of his house, and ruler of all his possession.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 10:7-15
Haydock New Testament

Jesus sent His Apostles saying:

And going, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils: gratis you have received, gratis give.

Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses: Nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor a staff; for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy: and there abide till you go thence. And when you come into a house, salute it, saying: Peace be to this house. And if that house be worthy, your peace shall come upon it: but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you.

And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house, or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Haydock Commentary Genesis 44:18-21, 23b-29; 45:1-5
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 18. Boldly, perceiving that he had to deal with an equitable judge. — Thou art; the second man in the kingdom.  Heb. “even as Pharao.”
• Ver. 20. Is left of, (habet mater.) Rachel had been dead about twenty-four years.  H.
• GENESIS 45
• CHAPTER LV.
• Ver. 2. Weeping, with a loud cry, being unable to restrain himself.  The servants, who were in the adjoining apartments, heard this cry and declaration of Joseph, acknowledging one common father with these men; and they presently conveyed the intelligence to the king.  H.
• Ver. 4. Nearer; that no one might hear what he was going to say respecting their fault.  M. — It is thus we ought to treat those who have injured us.  He excuses his brethren as much as possible.  H.  See C. l. 20.
• Ver. 5. Hard. Heb. “Be not indignant in your eyes.”  Perhaps he was afraid, lest they should begin to accuse one another, as the authors of the deed, and thus disturb the harmony of this reconciliation.  He perfectly understands the conduct of divine Providence, which can draw good out of evil, and cause even the malice of men to co-operate in the execution of his designs.  C. — God did not sanction or will this malice, as Calvin, &c. impiously assert.  T.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 10:7-15

• Ver. 7. And going, &c.  What the apostles were to preach, is the second thing to be taken notice of in their mission.  We here learn what it is,  viz. that The kingdom of heaven is at hand. We here behold the great dignity to which the apostles were raised, when sent to preach.  For, says S. Chrysostom, they are not sent to announce sensible things, like Moses and the prophets, but something wholly new, and before unheard of.  They are not like the prophets, to confine themselves to the preaching of temporal things, their doctrine is wholly heavenly; they are sent to announce the good things of eternity.  S. Thos. Aquin.
• Ver. 8. Heal the sick, &c.  This verse contains the third observation respecting the mission of the apostles: Christ not only gave them power to preach, but also to work miracles, in order, says S. Gregory, that works might give force and efficacy to their words, that as their doctrine was new, so their works might be new, and such as were before unheard of.  S. Jerom also says, men would never have given any credit to the apostles, unlearned and illiterate as they were, had they not been able to work miracles in proof of the great promises they made to them of heaven.  It was necessary that the greatness of their work should confirm the greatness of their promises.  S. Jerom. — Gratis you have received. Here our Saviour admonishes his apostles not to work for the sake of lucre; but having themselves received gratuitously the light of faith, they should in the same manner communicate it to others.  S. Jerom. — S. Thos. also observes on this passage, that our Saviour probably wished to  repress the avarice of Judas, who as he kept the common purse, might be tempted to increase their stock, by receiving pecuniary rewards for their labours.  S. Thos. Aquin. — S. Chrysos. says, that the apostles were warned by this admonition of our Saviour against two vices, to which they might be tempted on account of the great favours and graces they had received from heaven, viz. pride and avarice: 1st. Against pride, gratis you have received; i.e. whatever you have received is the gift of God, without any merit of yours: 2ndly. Against avarice, gratis give; that is, since every thing you have received has been given you gratuitously; so if you make use of the same gifts for the good of others, act also gratuitously, without expecting any temporal reward from them.  S. Chrys. hom. xxxiii.
• Ver. 10. Nor two coats, nor shoes;[2] i.e. provide not yourselves with another coat for a reserve, but go like poor people, who have but just what is necessary.  They were not to wear shoes, but they were allowed sandals, or soles with tops tied to their feet.  Mark vi. 9. — Nor a staff. So Luke, C. ix. ver. 3: yet S. Mark says, but a staff only. To reconcile these expressions, some distinguish betwixt a staff necessary to walk with (which even the poorest people had) and another staff for their defence, which at least they were not to seek for.  And the meaning of these admonitions is that they were to go on their mission, not regarding whether they had a staff or not, unless it were necessary for them to walk with.  Wi. — In many Greek MSS. we read staffs in the plural, so that Jesus Christ orders them not to take any other than the one in their hand.
• Ver. 11. And there abide, &c.  That is, stay in the same house as long as you remain in the same city; remove not from house to house, as it is said Luke x. 7, but be content with what you meet with.  Wi. — S. Chrysostom give three reasons for this precept: 1st. that they might not afflict those whom they left; 2ndly. that the apostles might avoid the accusation of inconstancy; 3rdly. of gluttony also.  Baradict.  Into whatsoever, &c.  Lest the apostles should be induced to thin, by what our Saviour had said in the preceding verse, viz. the workman is worthy, &c. that every door would be open for their entrance, he here tells them to inquire at their entry into any city, who amongst the inhabitants were worthy.  S. Chrysostom, hom. xxxiii. — And since they could not be expected to know who in every city were worthy, they were to be informed of this by the report and opinion of the people, that so their dignity and great character of apostles might not be defamed by the bad characters of any who might receive them.  S. Jerom, in S. Thos.Aquin. — But, if such was the rule given by Christ to the apostles, some one will perhaps ask, why did not Christ also follow the same maxim, since we read in Scripture, he entered into the house of Zacheus, the publican?  S. Chrysostom answers, Zacheus was made worthy by his conversion to Christ.  S. Chrysostom, in S. Thos.Aquin.
• Ver. 12. Peace be to, &c.  Heb. shalom, “peace be to you.”  The custom of salutation here recommended by our Saviour to his disciples, as S. Jerom informs us, was very prevalent among the Hebrews and Syrians. — This was an ordinary salutation among the Jews, by which they wished happiness and prosperity.  Wi.
• Ver. 13. And if that house, &c.  i.e. if it be worthy to receive your peace.  In S. Luke (C. x, v. 6) it is written, And if the son of peace be there: that is, a lover of peace, or one worthy of peace and prosperity.  Thus a son of death means one deserving of death.  M. — Your peace shall come upon it. If men will not hearken to your instructions, you have this comfort and peace of mind, that you have discharged you duty.  Wi.
• Ver. 14. Shake off the dust from your feet. It was common enough with the Jews, or at least with the preachers and prophets, to use some extraordinary outward actions, to make what they said more taken notice of by the people, as here the shaking off the dust from their feet was to denote to the obstinate unbelievers, that the very dust which their feet had contracted, in coming to preach to them the gospel, should hereafter rise in judgment against them.  Wi.  By this, the apostles were to testify that they took nothing away with them belonging to these reprobate cities.  They likewise shewed the long and painful journeys they had undertaken for their salvation.  S. Chrysostom, hom. xxxiii. — He orders them to do this, to shew that they would have nothing in common with them, since they left them even their dust.  Or it may be to shew, that the dust which they had gathered in their journey, would be a testimony against them in the day of judgment, because they had refused to receive them, as the Jews were accustomed to perform some remarkable action, for some great crime committed; thus, when they heard blasphemy, they tore their garments.  M.

Sunday Bible Readings July 12 2009 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 12 2009 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/071209.shtml

Amos 7:12-15
Douay-Rheims Challoner

And Amasias said to Amos:

Thou seer, go, flee away into the land of Juda: and eat bread there, and prophesy there. But prophesy not again any more in Bethel: because it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is the house of the kingdom.

And Amos answered and said to Amasias:

I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet: but I am a herdsman plucking wild figs. And the Lord took me when I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me: Go, prophesy to my people Israel.

.

Responsorial Psalm 84:9-14 (Ps 85 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me:
for he will speak peace unto his people:
And unto his saints:
and unto them that are converted to the heart.
Surely his salvation is near to them that fear him :
that glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met each other:
justice and peace have kissed.
Truth is sprung out of the earth:
and justice hath looked down from heaven.
For the Lord will give goodness:
and our earth shall yield her fruit.
Justice shall walk before him:
and he shall set his steps in the way.

Ephesians 1:3-14
Haydock New Testament

Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ: As he hath chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight, in charity. Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children, through Jesus Christ, unto himself: according to the purpose of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us acceptable, in his beloved Son. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace, Which hath superabounded in us in all wisdom and prudence: That he might make known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in him.

In the dispensation of the fulness of times, to establish all things in Christ, which are in heaven and on earth, in him: In whom we also are called by lot, being predestinated according to the purpose of him, who worketh all things according to the counsel of his will: That we may be to the praise of his glory, who have before hoped in Christ: In whom you also, when you have heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation: ) in whom also believing, you were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise, Who is the pledge of our inheritance, for the redemption of acquisition, unto the praise of his glory.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Mark 6:7-13
Haydock New Testament

And he called the twelve; and began to send them two and two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. And he commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, but a staff only: no scrip, no bread, nor money in their purse, But to be shod with sandals, and that they should not put on two coats. And he said to them:

Wheresoever you shall enter into a house, there abide till you depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, going forth from thence, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony to them.

And going forth they preached that they should do penance: And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.

Haydock Commentary Amos 7:12-15
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 12. Seer. This was the ancient title of prophets; (1 K. ix. 9.  C.) but it is here used contumeliously.  H. — We know not whether Amasias acted by the king’s order or not.  He was less afraid of the predictions than of  losing his employment.  C.
• Ver. 13. Sanctuary, or “palace.”  Kimchi. — The kings resided commonly in Samaria; but they came hither to practise their religion, and had a palace.  C. — The king’s choice was all that Amasias regarded, as many seem still to do, without examining whether the religion be true or false!  Will the king screen them from the indignation of the just Judge at the hour of death?  H.
• Ver. 14. I am not a prophet. That is, I am not a prophet by education: nor is prophesying my calling or profession: but I am a herdsman, whom God was pleased to send hither to prophesy to Israel.  Ch. — He speaks with the like humility as the baptist, John i. 21.  Lu. vii. 26.  It seems the prophets usually left their trade, and applied to meditation.  Zac. viii. 5.  Sept. “I was not a prophet, nor,” &c. — Plucking. Sept. (Th.) “pricking.”  C. — This was requisite to make the fruit ripen in four days’ time.  Pliny xiii. 7. and xvi. 27. — Wild fig-trees have three sorts of fruits.  The flies which proceed from some of them, prick the sweet figs, and make them ripen.  Tourefort i. let. 8. — Amos probably conveyed such wild figs to be near those of the garden, while at other times he fed his cattle.

Haydock Commentary Ephesians 1:3-14

• Ver. 3. Blessed by the God, who, through his Son Jesus Christ, made man, hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings and gifts; and by his grace, infused into our souls, has given us a title to a happy eternity in heaven.  Wi. — In heavenly things; (in cælestibus) i.e. all spiritual blessings from heaven, or for eternity.  This is the object of all the blessings we receive from God; and we ought, according to the first intention of them, to refer them all to eternal or heavenly beatitude.  S. Paul distinguishes the blessings which we receive in Jesus Christ from those bestowed upon the Jews, which were temporal and limited to this earth.  Calmet.  Ch.
• Ver. 4-8. As by his eternal decree, according to the purpose of his good will and pleasure, he hath made choice of us to be his adoptive sons, and predestinated us to be saved and glorified by the merits and grace of his beloved Son, our Redeemer, without any merits of ours to the glorious praise and riches of his grace, by which he hath made us abound in all wisdom and true prudence. Wi.
• Ver. 9. That he might make known to us, and to all men, the mystery of his will and pleasure in establishing his new law, of calling all Gentiles, as well as Jews, to believe in his Son, made man for us, in the dispensation of the fulness of times, (that is, at the time decreed from eternity) to establish, to accomplish, and, as it is in the Greek, to recapitulate all things in heaven and on earth, in Christ, and through him, and his merits; on earth, by fulfilling all the types, figures, and prophecies concerning the Messias; and in heaven, by filling up the number of his elect.  Wi. — The mystery of his will. The word mystery signifies a secret, an unknown design.  It was the will of God, to reveal to us the great design he had in the incarnation of his Son, viz. the formation of one great body of true adorers; composed, without distinction, of Jew and Gentile: till (v. 10) when the time appointed shall come, he will reunite and perfect in or under Christ this one body, composed of the Church triumphant, Angels and saints in heaven, and the Church militant upon earth.  S. Chrysostom, Estius, &c.
• Ver. 11. In Christ we also are called by lot; i.e. to this happy lot, this share and state of eternal happiness, (he seems to speak with an allusion to the manner by which the lands of a temporal inheritance was distributed to the Israelites, in Palestine) that we (v. 12) who are saved, may be to the praise of his glory; might praise God for ever in the kingdom of his glory; particularly we Jews, who before hoped in the Messias to come, and also you Gentiles, who now having heard the gospel, have believed in Christ, and who, together with all Christians, have been now sealed as it were with the holy Spirit of promise; i.e. by the Spirit promised, and all those spiritual graces which are an earnest and pledge, which give us an assurance of our future glory and happiness.  For our redemption from our sins, and in order to the acquired possession, to the possession of that glorious  happiness which Christ, by his incarnation and death, hath acquired for us.  Wi.
• Ver. 13. In whom you . . . . were sealed, &c.  Having been regenerated in baptism, you have received the Holy Spirit and the supernatural gifts which he communicates, by which he has, as it were, impressed upon you the seal of your sanctification and the pledge of your salvation.  It is not an external impression, such as that by which soldiers are marked by their sovereigns, nor circumcision, as of old, but it is a mark within you — the grace with which you are filled — which shews itself outwardly by miraculous effects, &c.  Calmet. — Some refer these words, in whom you were sealed, to the sacrament of baptism; others to confirmation: both, with the sacrament of holy orders, confer a character, or mark, of which S. Paul seems to speak whenever he speaks of God sealing us.

Haydock Commentary Mark 6:7-13

• Ver. 13. It was usual for the Jews to prescribe oil as a proper thing to anoint the sick; but its virtue in the present instance, when used by the apostles, was not natural but supernatural, and was derived from him who sent them; because this unction always produced a certain and constant cure in those who were anointed.  This miraculous gift of healing the sick with oil, which Christ conferred on his apostles, was a prelude or gradual preparation to the dignity to which he raised this unction, when he established it a perpetual rite in his holy Church.  Rutter. — With oil, &c.  This anointing the sick, was at least a figure of the sacrament, which Christ was pleased to institute for the spiritual relief of persons in danger of death: and which is fully expressed by S. James, in his Catholic Epistle.  C. vi.  The Council of Trent says this sacrament was instituted in S. Mark, and published in the Epistle of S. James. Trid. sess. xiv. c. 1.  Wi.