Daily Bible Readings March 31 2008 Monday the Annunciation of the Lord

March 31 2008 Monday Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

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/033108.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

All text today is copied from SacredBible.org and the Haydock Commentary site linked to on the right.

Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10
DR Challoner Text

10 And the Lord spoke again to Achaz (Ahaz), saying:
11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above.
12 And Achaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord.
13 And he said: Hear ye therefore, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to men, that you are grievous to my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.
10 Take counsel together, and it shall be defeated: speak a word, and it shall not be done: because God is with us.

Responsorial Psalm 39:7-11 (40:7-11 Hebrew)
DR Challoner Text Only for Personal Reading

Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire;
but thou hast pierced ears for me.
Burnt offering and sin offering thou didst not require:
Then said I, Behold I come.
In the head of the book it is written of me
That I should do thy will: O my God,
I have desired it, and thy law in the midst of my heart.
I have declared thy justice in a great church,
lo, I will not restrain my lips:
O Lord, thou knowest it.
I have not hid thy justice within my heart:
I have declared thy truth and thy salvation.
I have not concealed thy mercy and thy truth from a great council.

The Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews 10:4-10
DR Challoner text

4 For it is impossible that with the blood of oxen and goats sin should be taken away. 5 Wherefore, when he cometh into the world he saith: Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not: but a body thou hast fitted to me. 6 Holocausts for sin did not please thee. 7 Then said I: Behold I come: in the head of the book it is written of me: that I should do thy will, O God. 8 In saying before, Sacrifices, and oblations, and holocausts for sin thou wouldest not, neither are they pleasing to thee, which are offered according to the law. 9 Then said I: Behold, I come to do thy will, O God: He taketh away the first, that he may establish that which followeth. 10 In the which will, we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ once.

The Gospel According to Saint Luke 1:26-38
DR Challoner Text

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David: and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her:

Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Who having heard, was troubled at his saying and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her:

Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.

And Mary said to the angel:

How shall this be done, because I know not man?

And the angel answering, said to her:

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren. Because no word shall be impossible with God.

And Mary said:

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word.

And the angel departed from her.

Haydock Commentary Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10

• Ver. 11. Above. Require it to thunder, (1 Kings xii. 17.) or the earth to open, Numbers xvi. 28. (Calmet)
• Ver. 12. Lord. He was afraid of being forced to relinquish his evil ways. (St. Jerome) — Though an idolater, he knew he ought not to tempt God.
• Ver. 14. Virgin, halma, (Haydock) one secluded from the company of men. Alma in Latin signifies “a holy person,” and in Punic “a virgin.” The term is never applied to any but “a young virgin.” If it meant a young woman, what sort of a sign would this be? (St. Jerome) — It was indeed above the sagacity of man to declare that the child to be born would be a boy, and live till the kings should be destroyed. But the prophet undoubtedly speaks of Jesus Christ, the wonderful, &c., (chap. ix. 5.) as well as of a boy, who should prefigure him, and be an earnest of the speedy destruction of the two kings. He was to be born of Isaias, (chap. viii. 4.) and of all the qualities belonging to the true Emmanuel, only that regards him, which intimates that the country should be delivered before he should come to years of discretion, ver. 16. (Calmet, Diss.) (Bossuet) — The Fathers generally apply all to Christ. — Called. Or shall be in effect, chap. i. 26. (Calmet) — The king hardly trusted in God’s mercies, whereupon the incarnation of Christ, &c., is foretold. (Worthington)
• Ver. 10. God. Hebrew, “Emmanuel.” We have a pledge of God’s protection.

Haydock Commentary Hebrews 10:4-10

• Ver. 3-4. But in them a remembrance of sins is made every year. For it is impossible that with the blood of oxen and goats sins should be taken way. The sacrifices of the former law, even that great sacrifice on the day of expiation, when victims were offered for the ignorances or sins of the priests, and of all the people, were only types and figures of Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross, it was impossible that they themselves should take away sins, like that one oblation of Christ, though in them was made a remembrance of sins, and of the same sins for which so many victims had been offered. (Witham)
• Ver. 5-9. Therefore, Christ as it were, coming into the world, he saith, by the psalmist, (Psalm xxxix. 7. 8.) Sacrifice and oblation thou didst not desire, &c. That is, such sacrifices as were offered in the former law, they could not please thee, appease thy anger, nor make a sufficient reparation for sin. — But a [2] body thou hast fitted to me. Thou didst decree I should be made man, to suffer and die upon a cross to redeem mankind. And I as willingly understood the work of man’s redemption. — Behold I come: in the head of the book it is written of me.[3] That is, in the volumes of the Scriptures. — He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. That is, he taketh away what I first mentioned, the imperfect sacrifices of the law of Moses, that to them might succeed the sacrifice of Christ. (Witham)
• Ver. 10. The source and primary cause of our sanctification is the will of God, who so loved the world as to give us his only Son; the meritorious cause of our sanctification is the voluntary oblation of Jesus Christ, sacrificed for us upon the cross. Methodists shamefully misrepresent the tenets of Catholics, as if we excluded Christ from the work of our salvation, or hoped to be saved not by the merits of Christ, but by our own.

Haydock Commentary Luke 1:26-38

• Ver. 27. The word Miriam, or Mary, is expounded by St. Jerome from different etymologies, to signify in Hebrew, star of the sea, and in Chaldaic, lady. Both interpretations admirably well agree with her, who is the glorious Queen of heaven, our patroness and star, to direct us in the stormy ocean of this world. — “O you,” cries out St. Bernard, “who find yourselves tossed to and fro in this tempestuous life, turn not your eyes away from the brightness of this star, if you would not be overwhelmed in these storms. If the winds of temptations arise; if you fall among the rocks of tribulation; look up to the star, call upon Mary. If your are agitated, and hard driven with the surges of pride, ambition, detraction, jealously, or envy; look up to the star, call upon Mary. If anger, covetousness, or lust, beat furiously on the vessel of your soul; look up to the star, call upon Mary. If you are beginning to founder, and are just sinking into the gulf of melancholy and despair; think on Mary. In dangers, in distresses, in perplexities, think on Mary, call on Mary. Let her name be never absent from your mouth; from your mouth let it constantly descend into your heart; and, that you may obtain the suffrage of her prayers; both in life and death, never depart from the example of her pious conversation.” (St. Bernard, hom. ii. super Missus est.)
• Ver. 28. Hail, full of grace:[5] by the greatest share of divine graces granted to any creature. This translation, approved by the ancient Fathers, agrees with the ancient Syriac and Arabic versions. There was no need therefore to change it into gracious, with Erasmus; into freely beloved, with Beza; into highly favoured, with the Protestant translators. For if seven deacons (Acts vi. 3.) are said to be full of the Holy Ghost, as it is again said of St. Stephen, (Acts vii. 55.) and also of the same St. Stephen, (Acts vi. ver. 8.) that he was full of grace, (as the learned Dr. Wells translates it in his amendments made to the Protestant translation) why should any one be offended at this salutation given to the blessed mother of God; who would not have been raised to this highest dignity, had not her soul been first prepared for it by the greatest share of divine graces? — The Lord is with thee, by his interior graces; and now, at this moment, is about to confer upon thee the highest of all dignities, by making thee truly the mother of God. (Witham) — The Catholic Church makes frequent use of these words which were brought by the archangel from heaven, as well to honour Jesus Christ and his virgin Mother, as because they were the first glad tidings of Christ’s incarnation, and man’s salvation; and are the very abridgment and sum of the whole gospel. In the Greek Church, they are used daily in the Mass [the Divine Liturgy]. See the Liturgy of St. James, and that of St. Chrysostom.
• Ver. 29. When she had heard. In the Greek text, when she had seen; as if she also saw the angel, as St. Ambrose observed. (Witham)
• Ver. 31. It may perhaps in the first instance of reflection, appear shocking to our ideas, that a God should dwell in a human body; but does not the sun emit its rays into all kinds of places, without any detriment of its purity? How much more would the Sun of justice, assuming a most pure body, formed of the purest blood of the spotless Virgin, not only remain free from every the least stain himself, but even impart additional sanctity to his virgin Mother. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
• Ver. 32. He … shall be called; i.e. according to the style of the Scriptures, he shall truly be the Son of God. (Witham)
• Ver. 33. Those are here called of the house of Jacob, who out of the multitude of the Jews believed in Christ. This is conformable to that text of St. Paul: All are not Israelites that are of Israel, but the children of the promise are accounted for the seed. (Romans ix. 6, 8.) (St. Chrysostom, hom. vii. on S. Matt.) — And of his kingdom there shall be no end: which clearly shews it was not to be a temporal, but a spiritual and an eternal kingdom. (Witham)
• Ver. 34. How shall this be done? She only asks about the manner. — Because I know not man.[6] This answer, as St. Augustine takes notice, would have been to no purpose, had she not made a vow to God to live always a virgin. (Witham) — Listen to the words of this pure Virgin. The angel tells her she shall conceive; but she insists upon her virginity, holding her purity in higher estimation than the promised dignity. (St. Gregory of Nyssa.) — She did not doubt the truth of what the angel said, (as Calvin impiously maintained) but she wished it might not happen to the prejudice of her vowed virginity. (St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, Ven. Bede, Theophylactus, &c. &c.)
• Ver. 35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, &c. By the divine power thou shalt bring forth, and yet remain always a pure virgin. — And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee, shall be called (shall be) the Son of God. The second person of the ever blessed Trinity, being united to our human nature, remaining unchangeably the same God, and being born of the Virgin Mary; it must needs be true to say that God was born, that God suffered and died for us; and consequently that the blessed Virgin Mary was truly the mother of God, or of him that is truly God; though not the mother of the Godhead: as the Catholic Church declared in the council of Ephesus, (431) against the heretic Nestorius. (Witham) — Seek not for natural order in things that transcend nature. You ask, how shall this be done, since you know not man? This, your ignorance of man, is the very reason why this will take place within you. For had you not been pure, you never would have been deemed worthy of so great a mystery. Not because marriage is bad, but because virginity is far more excellent. The common Lord of all ought in his birth to have something common with all mankind, and still something different. He was conceived and born in the womb like the rest of mankind, but he differed from them in being born of a virgin. (St. Chrysostom, xlix. in Genes.)
• Ver. 36. We find that Aaron, who was of the tribe of Levi, took a wife of the tribe of Juda, viz. Elizabeth, the sister of Naasson. In the successors of David we find that Joiada, the chief priest, took a wife of the family of David, viz. the daughter of Joram; from which it appears that both the royal and sacerdotal tribes were united, and that Mary and Elizabeth were relatives. It was certainly proper that Christ should be born of both these tribes, because he was in himself both king and priest. (Ven. Bede)
• Ver. 38. Behold the handmaid. With all modesty and humility of heart and mind, the blessed Virgin consented to the divine will: and from that moment in her was conceived the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. (Witham) — Thus ought the virgin, who brought forth meekness and humility itself, to shew forth an example of the most profound humility. (St. Ambrose)

 

Sunday Bible Readings 2nd Sunday of Easter Divine Mercy Sunday March 30 2008 Catholic Commentary

March 30 2008 Second Sunday of Easter
Divine Mercy Sunday

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/033008.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

Acts 2:42-47
Haydock NT

42 And they were persevering in the doctrine of the apostles, and in the communication of the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles in Jerusalem, and there was great fear in all. 44 And all they that believed were together, and had all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and goods, and divided them to all, according as every one had need. 46 And continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they took their meat with gladness and simplicity of heart: 47 Praising God together, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added daily to their society such as should be saved.

Responsorial Psalm 117:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 (Ps 118 Hebrew)
DR Challoner Text Only, no commentary.

Let Israel now say, that he is good:
that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let the house of Aaron now say,
that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let them that fear the Lord now say,
that his mercy endureth for ever.
Being pushed I was overturned that I might fall:
but the Lord supported me.
The Lord is my strength and my praise:
and he is become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and of salvation
is in the tabernacles of the just.
The stone which the builders rejected;
the same is become the head of the corner.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day which the Lord hath made:
let us be glad and rejoice therein.

The First Epistle of Saint Peter 1:3-9
Haydock New Testament

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy hath regenerated us unto a lively hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 Unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who by the power of God are kept by faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In which you shall greatly rejoice, now if ye must be for a little time, affected by divers temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, much more precious than gold, (which is tried by the fire) may be found unto praise, and glory, and honour, at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8 Whom having not seen you love: in whom also now, though you see him not, you believe: and believing, shall rejoice with an unspeakable and glorified joy: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

The Gospel According to Saint John 20:19-31
Haydock NT

19 Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together for fear of the Jews: Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them;

Peace be to you.

20 And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands, and his side. The disciples, therefore, were glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 He said therefore to them again;

Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.

22 When he had said this, he breathed on them, and he said to them:

Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose you shall retain, they are retained.

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples, therefore, said to him;

We have seen the Lord.

But he said to them;

Unless I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

26 And after eight days, his disciples were again within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said;

Peace be to you.

27 Then he saith to Thomas;

Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands, and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side: and be not incredulous, but faithful.

28 Thomas answeres, and said to him;

My Lord, and my God.

29 Jesus saith to him;

Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.

30 Many other signs did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing you may have life in his name.

Haydock Commentary Acts 2:42-47

• Ver. 42. In the communication of the breaking of bread, by which some understand their ordinary meals, and eating together; others, of the celestial bread of the holy Sacrament, τοῦ ἄρτουm, panis illius, scilicet Eucharistiæ. The Eucharist is called both by S. Luke and S. Paul, the breaking of bread. M. in v. 42 and 46.—In the Syriac, for ἄρτου, is a term that means Eucharist, both here and in Acts xx. As the learned Joannes Harlemius remarks in Indice Bibliorum.—S. Luke also gives here some account of the manner of living of these first Christians. 1. They were together, united in perfect charity. 2. They were frequently in the temple, and praying together. 3. They had all possessions in common. 4. They went from house to house to convert souls, taking the food they found with joy, and simplicity of heart, their number daily increasing. 5. S. Luke says they were in favour, and esteemed by all the people. 6. The apostles did many prodigies and miracles, to confirm their doctrine, while struck others with great terror and horror for their past lives. Wi.
• Ver. 44. This living in common is not a precept for all Christians, but a life of perfection and counsel, for such as are called to it by heaven. See S. Augustine in Ps. cxii. and ep. cix. The practice of which is a striking proof of the one true Church, which has come down from the apostles.
• Ver. 46. In the temple. Although by the death of our Saviour, the ceremonies and sacrifices were abrogated, and the new alliance had succeeded to the old, still it was not in the design of God, that the faithful should separate themselves from the rest of the Jews, or entirely give up the observances of the law. They continued to observe them, as long as the utility of the Church required it, but they observed them not as Jews. Thus they avoided giving scandal to the weak, and driving them from submitting to the doctrine of the Church. They disposed them insensibly to a more pure and spiritual worship. S. Chrys. in Act. hom. vii.—This was burying the synagogue with honour.
• Ver. 47. More and more he added daily to the Church, as it is clearly expressed in the Greek, προσετίθει τῇ ἐκκλησία, that we may see the visible propagation and increase of the same. We may here, and throughout the whole book, observe a visible society of men joined in Christ, which visible society may be traced through ecclesiastical history, down to our days, and which will continue, in virtue of Christ’s promise, to the end of time, as the point of union, by which the true disciples of Jesus Christ are to be connected together in one body, and one spirit; “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” Eph. iv. 5. This book can shew the true Church ever visible, and ever speaking with authority to all that do not willingly shut their eyes, as plainly as the gospel doth shew the true Christ. “Every where the Church proclaims the truth; she is the candlestick, with the seven lamps (Exod. xxv.); bearing the light of Christ, έπτάμυκος,” says S. Irenæus; which light nothing else can obscure. Hence S. Chrysostom says, “sooner shall the sun be extinguished, than the Church be obscured;”

Haydock Commentary 1 Peter 1:3-9

• Ver. 4. Reserved in heaven for you. Lit. in you; that is, it is also in you by reason of that lively faith and hope, which is in you, of enjoying Christ. Wi.
• Ver. 7. At the appearing of Jesus Christ. Lit. in the revelation; i.e. when he shall be revealed, manifested, and appear at the day of judgment. Wi.

Haydock Commentary John 20:19-31

• Ver. 19. And the doors were shut, or being shut; and remaining still shut, his glorified body entered by penetration through the doors, as he did at his resurrection. Maldonate takes notice, that Calvin was the first that denied this, against the belief of all the ancient Fathers and interpreters, who call this a miracle of divine power. Wi.—The same power which could bring Christ’s whole body, entire in all its dimensions, through the doors, can, without the least question, make the same body really present in the sacrament; though both the one and the other be above our comprehension. Ch.—Therefore it is a want of faith to limit the power of Christ, by the ordinary rules of place, and to deny that he can be in the blessed Sacrament, and on as many altars as he pleaseth. We do not sill join with the Ubiquists or Brentiani, who, quite contrary to the Zuinglians, maintain, that the humanity of Jesus Christ is in every place where his divinity is. This is contrary to faith. B.
• Ver. 21. As the Father hath sent me. The word mission, when applied to our Saviour Christ, sometimes signifies his eternal procession from the Father, and sometimes his mission, as he was sent into the world to become man, and the Redeemer of mankind: the first mission agrees with him, as the eternal Son of God; the second, a man, or as both God and man. The mission which Christ here gives his apostles, is like this latter mission, with this great difference, that graces and divine gifts were bestowed on Christ, even as man, without measure: and the apostles had a much lesser share in both these missions. See S. Aug. l. iv. de Trin. c. xix. xx. tom. 4. p. 829. and seq. Wi.—Jesus Christ here shews his commission, and so giveth power to his apostles to forgive sins, as when he gave them commission to preach and baptize throughout the world, he made mention of his own power. Hence, whosoever denies the apostles, and their successors, the right of preaching, baptizing, and remitting sins, must consequently deny that Christ, as man, had the power to do the same. S. Cyprian, in the 3d cent. ep. lxxiii. says: “for the Lord, in the first place, gave to S. Peter, on whom he built his Church, super quem ædificavit Ecclesiam, the power that what he loosed on earth, should be loosed also in heaven. And after his resurrection, he speaks also to his apostles, saying, as the Father sent me, &c. whose sins you shall forgive,” &c. Why, on this occasion, passing over the other apostles, does Jesus Christ address Peter alone? Because he was the mouth, and chief of the apostles. S. Chrys. de Sacerd. l. ii. c. 1.
• Ver. 22. Receive ye the Holy Ghost. It was said, (John vii. 39.) that the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not glorified. The sense must needs be, that the holy Spirit was not given in that solemn manner, nor with so large an effusion of spiritual gifts and graces, till the day of Pentecost, after Christ’s ascension: but the just, at all times, from the beginning of the world, were sanctified by the grace of the Holy Ghost, as no doubt the apostles were, before this time. Now at this present, he gave them the power of forgiving sins. Wi.—Some say, that our Saviour did not then confer the Holy Ghost on his disciples, but only prepared them for the receiving of the Holy Ghost. But surely we may understand, that even then they received some portion of spiritual grace, the power, not indeed of raising the dead, and working other miracles, but of forgiving sins. S. Chrys. hom. lxxxv. in Joan.—S. Cyril of Alexandria, speaking of the remission of sins, promised in this text, asks, “How then, or why, did Christ impart to his disciples a power, which belongs to the divinity alone? It seemed good to him, that they, who had within themselves his divine Spirit, should likewise possess the power of forgiving sins, and of retaining such as they judged expedient; that Holy Spirit, according to his good pleasure, forgiving and retaining through the ministry of men.” In Joan. l. xii. c. l.
• Ver. 23. Whose sins you shall forgive, &c. These words clearly express the power of forgiving sins, which, as God, he gave to his apostles, and to their successors, bishops and priests, to forgive sins in his name, as his ministers, and instruments, even though they are sinners themselves. For in this, they act not by their own power, nor in their own name, but in the name of God, who as the principal cause, always remitteth sins. This is generally allowed to be done by God’s ministers in the sacrament of baptism, as to the remission of original sin; and the Catholic Church has always held the same of God’s ministers, in the sacrament of Penance. (See the Protestant Common Prayer Book, in the Visitation of the Sick.)—Whose sins you shall retain, they are retained: by which we see, that to priests is given a power to be exercised, not only by forgiving, but also by retaining; not only by absolving and loosing, but also by binding, by refusing, or deferring absolution, according to the dispositions that are found in sinners when they accuse themselves of their sins. From hence must needs follow an obligation on the sinner’s part, to declare, and confess their sins in particular, to the ministers of God, who are appointed the spiritual judges, and physicians of their souls. A judge must know the cause, and a physician the distemper: the one to pronounce a just sentence, the other to prescribe suitable remedies. Wi.—See here the commission, stemped by the broad seal of heaven, by virtue of which, the pastors of Christ’s Church absolve repenting sinners upon their confession. Ch.
• Ver. 24. Thomas … was not with them. Yet no doubt the like power of forgiving sins was given to him, either at this time or afterwards. See S. Cyril. Wi.
• Ver. 25. I will not believe. S. Cyril thinks, that the grief and trouble S. Thomas was under, might partly excuse his want of belief: however, we may take notice with S. Gregory, that his backwardness in believing, was permitted for the good of Christians in general, that thereby they might be more convinced of Christ’s resurrection. Wi.—The doubts of S. Thomas are of greater advantage to the strengthening of our faith, than the ready belief of the rest of the apostles. For when he proceeded to touch, to assure his faith, our minds, laying aside, every, even the least doubt, are firmly established in faith. S. Greg. Great.
• Ver. 27. Put in thy finger hither. Christ, to shew he knew all things, made use of the very same words in which S. Thomas had expressed his incredulous dispositions. Our blessed Redeemer would have the mark of the spear, and the print of the nails to remain in his glorified body, to convince them it was the same body: and that they might be for ever marks of his victory and triumph over sin and the devil. The evangelist does not say, that S. Thomas went and touched Christ’s body, though it is very probable he did as he was ordered. But how could a body that entered in, when the doors were shut, be felt, or be palpable? S. Chrys. answers, that Christ at that time permitted his body to be palpable, and to resist another body, to induce S. Thomas to believe the resurrection; and that when he pleased, his body could not be felt. In like manner, his body was either visible or invisible, as he had a will it should be. In fine, he could eat in their sight, though he stood not in need of any nourishment. See S. Aug.
• Be not incredulous, but faithful. In the Greek, be not an unbeliever, but a believer.—My Lord, and my God; that is, I confess thee to be my Lord, and my God; and with the Greek article, to be him that is, the Lord, and the God. Wi.

Daily Bible Readings Saturday March 29 2008 Octave of Easter

March 29 2008 Saturday Octave of Easter

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/032908.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

Acts of the Apostles 4:13-21
Haydock NT

13 Now they, seeing the constancy of Peter and John, knowing that they were illiterate and ignorant men, they wondered: and they knew them, that they had been with Jesus: 14 Seeing also the man standing with them, who had been healed, they could say nothing against it. 15 But they commanded them to go aside out of the council: and they conferred among themselves, 16 Saying;

What shall we do to these men? For a notable miracle, indeed, hath been done by them, it is manifest to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: it is manifest, and we cannot deny it. 17 But that it may be no further divulged among the people, let us threaten them, that they speak no more in this name to any man.

18 And calling them, they charged them not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answering, said to them;

If it be just in the sight of God, to hear you rather than God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

But they, threatening them, sent them away, not finding how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified what had been done, in that which had come to pass.

Responsorial Psalm 117:1 and 14-15ab, 16-21
DR Challoner Text Only

Give praise to the Lord, for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
The Lord is my strength and my praise:
and he is become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and of salvation is in the tabernacles of the just.
The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength:
the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me:
the right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength.
I shall not die, but live:
and shall declare the works of the Lord.
The Lord chastising hath chastised me:
but he hath not delivered me over to death.
Open ye to me the gates of justice:
I will go in to them, and give praise to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord, the just shall enter into it.
I will give glory to thee because thou hast heard me:
and art become my salvation.

The Gospel According to Saint Mark 16:9-15
Haydock NT

9 But he rising early the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 She went, and told them that had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. 11 And they hearing that he was alive, and had been seen by her, did not believe. 12 And after that he appeared in another form to two of them walking, as they were going into the country. 13 And they going, told it to the rest: neither did they believe them. 14 At length he appeared to the eleven, as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart; because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. 15 And he said to them:

Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Haydock Commentary Acts 4:13-21

• Ver. 13. The constancy of Peter and John, surprised the council very much. They admired their knowledge of the Scriptures, seeing them men without learning or letters, and (as they are called idiots) they could not find how to contradict the fact, the man that was healed, being there present. Wi.—Here, with the Jewish people, you may admire the constancy, wisdom, and learning o the apostles, after the coming of the Holy Ghost, who, before that event, were simple, unlettered, and timorous men. See v. 19; and again, C. v. 29.
• Ver. 16. What shall we do to these men? They were perplexed, says S. Chrys. and in greater fear than the apostles. They saw they could do nothing but threaten and charge them to speak  no more of Jesus. Wi.
• Ver. 19. But Peter and John stopped their mouths, by asking them, if it was reasonable for them to hearken to men rather than to God. For we, say they, (v. 20.) cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Wi.
• Ver. 20. We have seen and heard. From these words, S. Chrysostom makes some important remarks on the conduct of Christians. On returning from the theatre, or any public meeting, each can relate what he had seen and heard. This is the fruit they reap from attending at the public places of amusement; and would to God it were merely pleasure unmixed with poison. But on returning from Church, where they have been for instruction, they remember nothing, speak of nothing they have seen or heard. All is silence. Not even a thought is turned on what has been performed. Hom. x. in Act.—It is a curious fact, which the apologists for the innocence of modern plays would do well to attend to, that the theatre has always been avoided by the good and the virtuous of every age. When one of the ancient Fathers was exorcising a female demoniac, who had been possessed at the theatre, and bade the devil to depart; No, replied he, I had a right to take possession of her, for I found her in my own house. A.
• Ver. 21. Threatening them. Here commences the history of the first persecution of religious opinion, which the passions of men have continued, and swelled to such a frightful length. But on this, as on all other occasions, it has defeated its own purpose, by adding firmness and constancy to the persecuted. Truth is not to be overpowered by violence. In vain have the kings and princes of the earth risen up against the Lord, and against his Christ.—When will men learn, that charity is the principle of conversion!—That is an unheard-of kind of preaching, said the great Pope, S. Gregory, which exacts belief by stripes. He was on this occasion reprehending the false zeal of certain indiscreet Christians at Rome, who were for compelling the Jews to become converts. A.—The amiable Fenelon, in a letter to Prince Charles, the son of our James the Second, says: “No human power can force the impenetrable intrenchments of the human mind. Compulsion never persuades—It only makes hypocrites. When kings interfere in matters of religion, they do not protect it; they enslave it. Give civil liberty to all; not by approving all religions, as indifferent, but, by permitting in others, what God permits.”

Haydock Commentary Mark 16:9-15

• Ver. 9. This appearance of our Saviour is more fully related by S. John. Our Lord arose early from the monument in which he had been placed late in the evening, thus fulfilling the words of the psalmist: In the evening weeping shall have place, and in the morning gladness. Ps. xxix. Ven. Bede.—Rising early. It appears from this that our Saviour arose early, about sunrise, as was the sentiment of S. Austin; though S. Gregory seems to think that he arose at midnight, in the same manner as Samson, who was a figure of Christ, arose int eh middle of the night and carried away the gates of Gaza. If we follow this opinion, we must understand the word early as referring to the verb appeared, not to the participle rising, and then the sentence will be: he rising, (having arisen) appeared early the first day of the week. The first interpretation, however, of S. Austin seems more agreeable to the text: he rising early the first day of the week, appeared, &c.
• Ver. 12. He had appeared to Magdalene in the form of a gardener, and to two disciples in the form of a traveler.
• Ver. 14. At length, &c. in the Latin text, taken according to the letter, is lastly, or last of all: but if we examine and compare the four gospels, this was not the last time that Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurrection. We can only then understand it of the last time mentioned by this evangelist.—To the eleven. If this apparition (as it was the opinion of S. Augustine) was made when S. Thomas was not with them, they were only then ten, without S. Thomas and Judas. The evangelist here calls them eleven, because the apostolical college (Judas being dead) consisted of no more than eleven. And this way of speaking may be justified by diverse examples: one instance may suffice. A meeting of the Jewish Sanhedrim might be called the Council of the Seventy-two, though it many times happened that all the seventy-two were not there present. Wi.—Some think that this was the last apparition of Jesus Christ, after which he quitted this earth, and ascended into heaven.

 

Daily Bible Readings Friday 27 2008 Octave of Easter Catholic Commentary

March 28 2008 Friday Octave of Easter

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/032808.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

The Acts of the Apostles 4:1-12
Haydock New Testament

1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests, and the officer of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead: 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody till the next day: for now it was evening. 4 But many of them, who had heard the word, believed: and the number of the men was made five thousand. 5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and ancients, and Scribes, were gathered together in Jerusalem: 6 And Annas, the high priest, and Caiphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the priestly race. 7 And setting them in the midst, they asked;

By what power, or in what name, have ye done this?

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said to them;

Ye rulers of the people, and ancients, hear: 9 If we this day are examined concerning the good deed done to the infirm man, by what means he hath been made whole, 10 Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you, whole. 11 This is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders; which is become the head of the corner: 12 Nor is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name, under heaven, given to men, whereby we must be saved.

Responsorial Psalm 117:1-2, 4, 22-27a (118 Hebrew)
DR Challoner Text Only

Give praise to the Lord, for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Let Israel now say, that he is good:
that his mercy endureth for ever.
Let them that fear the Lord now say,
that his mercy endureth for ever.
The stone which the builders rejected;
the same is become the head of the corner.
This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day which the Lord hath made:
let us be glad and rejoice therein.
O Lord, save me: O Lord, give good success.
Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God, and he hath shone upon us.

The Gospel According to Saint John 21:1-14
Haydock NT

After this Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he manifested himself after this manner: There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, who is called Didymus, and Nathanael, who was of Cana, in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter saith to them;

I go a fishing.

They say to him;

We also come with thee.

And they went forth and entered into a ship: and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore: yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them;

Children, have you any meat?

They answered him;

No.

He saith to them;

Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find.

They cast, therefore: and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. That disciple, therefore, whom Jesus loved, said to Peter;

It is the Lord.

Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girded his coast about him, (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the ship, (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits) drawing the net with fishes. As soon, then, as they came to land, they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. 10 Jesus saith to them;

Bring hither of the fishes which you have now caught.

Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty three. And although there were so many, the net was not broken. Jesus saith to them;

Come, and dine.

And none of them who were at meat, durst ask him, “Who art thou?” knowing it was the Lord. And Jesus cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish in like manner. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to his disciples, after he was risen from the dead.

Haydock Commentary Acts 4:1-12

• Ver. 1. The officer (of the guard) of the temple: lit. the magistrate of the temple. But this magistrate, by the Greek, was an officer over soldiers; we may presume, over those who were to guard the temple. Wi.
• Ver. 2. The resurrection. This vexed particularly the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection: and they had great power among the Jews. Wi.
• Ver. 4. Five thousand. Not that hereby is meant the whole number of the believers, but five thousand, by this miracle and preaching, were added to those that believed before. Wi.—Here again we remark the visible increase of the Catholic Church, by the preaching of the word.
• Ver. 5. Their rulers, &c. The chief of them, and Annas, the high priest; perhaps he had lately succeeded Caiaphas, high priest of the year before. Wi.
• Ver. 7. By what authority? Is it by your own authority, or that of some other, you have healed this lame man? They wished to know if it was a true miracle, or the effects of some secret magic or enchantment. The knowledge of this kind of affairs belonged to them. It was their duty to repress the attempts of false prophets, seducers, and magicians. But they might easily discover that the apostles were far removed from any thing of this kind. The simple narration of the fact was enough to acquit them. Calmet.
• Ver. 10. Name of our Lord Jesus. From this, S. Chrysostom takes occasion to make several pathetic exhortations against swearing and profaning this adorable name. What profit do you propose to yourselves by abusing this name? Is it to gain credit to your discourse? So you will tell me; but, believe me you are mistaken: if people saw you respected oaths, and were afraid to make free with them, then they would believe you. Not when you give them to understand that you undervalue them, by your frequent abuse of them. Break then so profane a custom. It will cost you neither money nor labour to do so: you are not required to part with any gratification for this purpose. Use only at the beginning a little diligence, and you will easily overcome so idel a practice. Wish, and it is done. S. Chrys. super Act. sparsim. A.—Whom you crucified. S. Peter, without fear or apprehension, openly and boldly tells them of their heinous crime: that Christ is the head corner stone, which they had rejected, as Christ himself had told them, (Matt. xii. 10.) and that there is no other name under heaven given to men to be saved by. Wi.

Haydock Commentary John 21:1-14

• Ver. 3. How comes it that Peter, after his conversion, should return to his fishing, when Jesus Christ had said, that he that sets his hand to the plough, and looks back, is not worthy of the kingdom of heaven? The employments they applied to before their conversion, without being guilty of sin, these they might, without fault, exercise, after their conversion: therefore Peter returned to his fishing; but S. Mattew never returned to his custom-house, because when once converted, we never can be allowed to give ourselves to these employments, which of themselves lead to sin. And there are many pursuits which can scarcely, or not at all, be followed without sin. S. Greg. hom. xxiv. In Evan.
• Ver. 5. Have you any meat? Have you any thing to eat? This is what is literally signified, both in the Latin and in the Greek text. Wi.
• Ver. 7. It is the Lord. S. Chrysostom says, we may here see the different characters of the two apostles, Peter and John; the former is more ardent, the latter more sublime; the first more vehement, the last more penetrating; for these reasons, John was the first to know Christ, Peter the first to hasten to him. Hom. lxxxvi.
• Ver. 8. The evangelist praises Peter, and excuses the other apostles: all come to Christ; the former leaving his boat, his companions, his nets and prey, arrives more expeditiously; the latter with the impediments of the boat and nets, &c. &c. arrive also, but not so readily; a just figure this of religious, who leave all to go directly to God, and of those who remain in the world, and have to navigate a treacherous element with imminent danger of shipwreck. (From Bob- I hate to say it but he’s talking about me- at least I wish that I hadn’t gone fishing for the world only to be surprised when called back and caught in a trap of worldliness that is taking great time and effort to escape) Maldonatus.—The poet Sedulius writes thus on the nets:
  

  Pendula fluctivagam traxerunt retia prædam,
  Per typicum noscenda viam; nam retia dignis
  Lucida sunt præcepts Dei, quibus omnis in illa
  Dextra parte manens concluditur, ac simul ulnis
  Fertur apostolicis Domini ad vestigial Christi.

• Ver. 9. Hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon, and bread. The fish caught in the net were not yet drawn to land. These things, then, were created out of nothing, or miraculously transported thither, by the divine power. Wi.
• Ver. 11. Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred and fifty-three; a figure of the great number to be converted by the labours of the apostles. Wi.
• Ver. 12. And none of them who were at meat, durst ask him, who art thou? Knowing it was the Lord. It is likely he appeared to them with a countenance different, and brighter than before his death; yet they were presently so convinced it was Jesus, that they were ashamed to ask or doubt of it. Wi.
• Ver. 14. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to his disciples. He had appeared to them more than thrice, even the very day of his resurrection. Matt. xxviii. 16. Here it is called the third time either because it was the third different day; or because it was the third time that he had then appeared to a considerable number together. After this, he appeared to them frequently, and conversed with them for forty days, till his ascension. See Acts, i. 3. 1 Cor. xv. 5. Wi.—This must be understood of the third day, or the third time, that our Saviour appeared to his apostles assembled: the first day, being the day of his resurrection; the second, eight days after, when S. Thomas saw, and believed; and on this day of their fishing. S. Aug. tract. 122. in Joan.—The evangelists relate ten different manifestations of our Saviour, after his resurrection. First, he was seen by the women at the sepulchre; 2dly, he was again seen by the same holy women, returning from the sepulchre; 3dly, by S. Peter; 4thly, by the two going to Emmaus; 5thly, by many at Jerusalem, when Thomas was not with them; 6thly, at the time when S. Thomas saw him; 7thly, at the sea of Tiberias; 8thly, by the eleven, on a mountain of Galilee, according to S. Mattew; 9thly, according to S. Mark, by the disciples, at their refreshment, because he was going to sup with them no more; and 10thly, on the day of his ascension, raised from the earth into heaven. S. Aug. de Concord. Ev. lib. iii. c. 25.

Daily Bible Readings Thursday March 27 2008 Octave of Easter Catholic Commentary

March 27 2008 Thursday Octave of Easter

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/032708.shtml – Note. The Official Liturgical readings may not match the current NAB you may have.

The Acts of the Apostles 3:11-26
Haydock NT

11 And as he held Peter and John, all the people, amazed, ran to them to the porch which is called Solomon’s. 12 Which Peter seeing, made answer to the people:

Ye men of Israel, why wonder you at this? Or why look upon us, as if by our strength or power, we had made this man to walk? 13 The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son, Jesus, whom you indeed delivered up and denied before the face of Pilate, when he judged he should be released. 14 But you denied the Holy and the Just one, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. 15 But the author of life you killed, whom God hath raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And hi name, through the faith of his name, hath made this man strong hwom you have seen and known: and the faith which is by him, hath given this perfect soundness in the sight of you all. 17 And now, brethren, I know that you did it through ignorance, as also your rulers. 18 But those things, which God had foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. 19 Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out: 20 That when the times of refreshment shall come from the presence of the Lord , and he shall send him who hath been preached unto, Jesus Christ, 21 Whom heaven indeed must receive until the times of the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets from the beginning of the world.

22 For Moses indeed said; A prophet shall the Lord, your God, raise up unto you out of your brethren, like unto me: him you shall hear, according to all things whatsoever he shall speak to you. 23 And it shall be, that every soul which will not heard that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people 24 And all the prophets, from Samuel and afterwards, that have spoken, have foretold these days. 25 You are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made to our fathers, saying to Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 26 To you first God, raising up his Son, sent him to bless you: that every one should convert himself from his wickedness.

Responsorial Psalm 8:2ab, 5-9
DR Challoner Text Only

O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth!
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Thou hast made him a little less than the angels,
thou hast crowned him with glory and honour:
And hast set him over the works of thy hands.
Thou hast subjected all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen:
moreover, the beasts also of the fields.
The birds of the air, and the fishes of the sea,
that pass through the paths of the sea.

The Gospel According to Saint Luke 24:35-48
Haydock NT

35 And they told what things were done in the way: and how they knew him in the breaking of bread. 36 Now whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of them, and said to them:

Peace be to you; it is I, fear not.

37 But they being troubled and affrighted, supposed that they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them:

Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and feet, that it is I myself: feel, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have.

40 And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 41 But while they yet believed not, and wondered for joy, he said:

Have you here any thing to eat?

42 And they offered him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb. 43 And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains, he gave to them. 44 And he said to them:

These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning me.

45 Then he opened their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said to them:

Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead the third day: 47 And that penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things.

Haydock Commentary Acts 3:11-26

• Ver. 11. As he held Peter and John. That is, kept close by them, and with them, out of joy and gratitude. Wi.
• Ver. 12. Peter seeing, made answer to the people. This is the second sermon, that is related, which, as S. Chrys. observes, was spoken publicly in the temple.—Why look you upon us? S. Peter, at the beginning, takes care to give the glory to God. Wi.
• Ver. 13. Who does not admire, in this second discourse of S. Peter, as well as in his first, the prudence and discretion, with which he blames the Jews? He reproaches them, but with such mildness, as not to offend them, and dispenses to them truths in proportion to their capacity to bear them; after the example of his master and Saviour, he sweetens the bitterness of the truth, by furnishing them with an excuse. They sinned through ignorance. Calmet.
• Ver. 14-15. The just one, and the holy one, even the author of life you killed: he that is the just one promised, the Messiah, the Son of God, and true God. Wi.
• Ver. 17. You did it through ignorance, but such as could not excuse the chief of you. Wi.
• Ver. 20. The times of refreshment. The time of eternal rest and happiness, &c.—These words, you may be saved, must be understood, to make the sense complete. Wi.
• Ver. 21. Whom heaven indeed must receive, as also in the Prot. Translation not contain: nor can any argument be drawn from hence, that Christ’s body cannot be truly at the same time in the holy Sacrament, especially after a different manner. The true sense of these words is, that heaven is the place of Christ’s abode, till the day of judgment, and that it was in vain for them to think that he would come to take possession of any temporal kingdom. Wi.—The restitution of all things. Jesus remains in heaven, till his second coming to judge the living and the dead. That is the great day, when every thing shall be finally settled, and restored to its proper order. He shall avenge the injuries done to God; restore peace to the afflicted just men of the earth, and justice to their persecutors. He shall exalt his Church, and himself receive the homage of adoration, from every tribe of men. Calmet.—See 2 Peter iii. 13. Which text, together with what we read in this place, joins inseparably the last coming of Jesus Christ, with the universal re-establishment promised in both these passages, and completely excludes the Millennium, which some erroneously expect to take place between the accomplishment of the first and second of these events. See Bossuet’s reflexions on the 20^th ch. of the Apocalypse, where the errors of many Protestant writers, especially Dodwell, are refuted. To shew that the error of the Millennium cannot be assigned as a general cause which impelled the primitive Christians to martyrdom, it will suffice to produce this decisive passage of S. Justin, who, after Papias, was the first supporter of that system: speaking to Tryphon concerning this temporal kingdom, which Christ was to enjoy here below, in the re-established Jerusalem with the saints risen from the dead, for a thousand years, he says: “I have already confessed that many others, with myself, were of this opinion; … but there are many others, and persons of sound faith, and exemplary conduct, who reject this opinion.” In dialog. cum Tryph. n. 84.—Clement of Alexandria, S. Cyprian, and Origen, lay down principles diametrically opposite to this system. It has also been expressly combated by Caius, and by S. Denis of Alexandria, one of the greatest luminaries of the third century, as we learn from Eusebius, and S. Jerome.
• Ver. 22. Moses said. He brings them this testimony of Moses concerning the Messiah, to shew the punishment they deserve for not receiving him. Wi.
• Ver. 23. Which will not hear that prophet. S. Peter’s argument is this. If disobedience to the ordinances of God by the voice of Moses, was punishable with death, how much more severe will be the punishment of those, who refuse obedience to the doctrines of Jesus, to whom all the prophets bore testimony, and whom the apostles them preached. How different is this system of submission tot eh teaching of the prophets, and apostles, from that libertinism, which undermines the whole fabric of religion, by taking away from the Church the power of commanding, and from the disciple the necessity of obeying. By what wonderful and progressive shades of light was the prediction of this great prophet made to man! From the fall of Adam, it was predicted, that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. Many ages after, God manifested that from Abraham’s loins the Redeemer should spring, “in whom all nations should be blessed.” The promise is renewed to Isaac, and that he is to spring from his son, but not from Esau, but from Jacob; and of the twelve sons of Jacob, the posterity of Juda is to have the privilege of bestowing a Messiah to the world, and the token of its accomplishment is, “the failure of the scepter in the posterity of Juda.” After a long series of events, and of ages, an humble shepherd is chosen in the tribe of Juda: he is led to the throne; and to this man, David, it is repeated, that from him the Messiah shall spring, and that his kingdom shall have no end. The oracle is so explicit in the psalms of that king, and in the tribe, the family, but also the character of the mother, the place of his birth, the precise period of the change of the covenant, and conversion of the world. The particular prophecies, in their accomplishment, were a visible earnest to the Jews of the accomplishment of the prophecies relative to Messiah. Hence Pascal very justly remarks: “The prophets mingle particular prophecies with those of the Messiah; that the prophecies regarding the Messiah may not be without proof, and that the particular prophecies may not be without effect.” Pensees. xv.—These oracles, which during a period of four thousand years, have been delivered to the world, and which have been completely and visibly fulfilled, still exist in books, scrupulously preserved by the greatest enemies of Christ, and of his holy religion, and satisfactorily demonstrate Jesus Christ to be the great prophet, and the Christian religion to be the new covenant, which had been announced so many ages before, in so many different manners.
• Ver. 25-26. You are the children… to you first God raising up his Son. He gives them encouragement, that not only the promise of sending the Messiah was made to them, but that he came, and is to be preached to them: and that the blessings of his coming are first offered to them. Wi.

Haydock Commentary Luke 24:35-48

• Ver. 37. The apostles though they saw a Spirit, either good or bad, that had taken the form of Jesus, and was come to deceive them. For that they did not doubt of spirits appearing, we have abundant proofs throughout the whole New Testament: and our Saviour, instead of combating this opinion, seems rather to have confirmed it on more than one occasion. Indeed S. Aug. thinks it cannot, without temerity, be denied, that there are occasional apparitions of angels, of demons, and of the souls of the dead. Calmet.—This, however, will not justify the credulity of many ignorant and weak people, who think that nobody can die, but their spirit is sure to appear; much less will it justify the superstitious observations of unusual occurrences, which are so commonly reported to happen, as significant of a departed soul. These occurrences are rare; nor should we suppose that the Almighty would be willing to suspend or change the established laws of nature without a sufficient cause, viz. some known good either to the departed soul, or surviving friends. A.
• Ver. 39. A spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have. This was one argument of a true and real body. We may take notice, that Christ brought such proofs, as he knew were sufficient to convince them of his resurrection, though they were not of themselves demonstrations. For when they imagined they saw or touched a body, and that he eat with them, these things might apparently be done by a spirit. See Gen. xviii, v. 9. and Gen. xix, v. 3. and v. 16. Where we read that angels, in the shape of men, eat, and took Lot and his wife and his daughters, by the hand, and led led them away from Sodom. Our senses, therefore, may sometimes be deceived, as may be shewn by divers other instances. But the arguments which Christ made us of at this time, to induce the apostles to believe his resurrection, are to be taken with all the circumstances: as 1^st, with the corroboration testimonies of the Holy Scriptures, in which his resurrection was foretold; 2ndly, they called to their minds what he himself had told them so often, that he would rise again the third day; 3rdly, concurred also the testimonies already given by the angels, that he was risen; 4thly, the miracles at his death and resurrection; 5thly, Christ himself at the same time opened their understanding, to know and believe this truth, that he was truly risen. Wi.
• Ver. 43. Christ eat, not because he stood in need of food to sustain himself after his resurrection, as we sustain our bodies and lives by corporal refreshment; but he did it, to shew his disciples that his body was really risen from the dead. Ven. Bede.
• Ver. 45. If, after all the extraordinary opportunities of instruction, which the apostles had had from the mouth of our divine Saviour, it was still necessary that he should instill into them a new light, by opening their minds to understand the Scriptures; what are we to think of the presumptuous attempts of the numerous tribe of modern self-inspired interpreters, who are always ready to descant on the word of the Lord; though so perfectly ignorant that their authority, so far from being admitted, would be laughed  to scorn, were they to attempt to explain the slightest difficulty, on the most indifferent subject of profane literature? To such a degree has the spirit of seduction spread itself at the present day!. A.
• Ver. 47. Beginning at Jerusalem. The sense is, that they were first to preach to the Jews, and afterwards to all nations. Wi.