Daily Bible Readings Friday February 13 2009 Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

February 13 2009 Friday Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Giles Mary of St. Joseph

About the sources used. The readings on this site are from the Haydock Bible according to the daily Lectionary readings for the American Roman Catholic Church. The Haydock Bible contains traditional Catholic commentary and is free from copyright. Due to verse numbering differences and pastoral deletions in the actual Lectionary, these readings may at times vary from the actual readings.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/021309.shtml

Genesis 3:1-8
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Now the serpent was more subtle tha any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman:

Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?

And the woman answered him, saying:

Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.

And the serpent said to the woman:

No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.

And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons. And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise.

Responsorial Psalm 31:1-2, 5- 7 (Ps 32 NAB/Hebrew)
DR Challoner Text Only

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin,
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
I have acknowledged my sin to thee,
and my injustice I have not concealed.
I said I will confess against my self my injustice to the Lord:
and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.
For this shall every one that is holy
pray to thee in a seasonable time.
And yet in a flood of many waters,
they shall not come nigh unto him.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Mark 7:31-37
Haydock New Testament

And again going out of the borders of Tyre, he came to Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis. And they bring to him one that was deaf and dumb, and they besought him to lay his hand upon him. And taking him aside from the multitude, he put his fingers into his ears, and spitting, he touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to him,

Ephphetha; that is, Be opened.

And immediately his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke right. And he charged them that they should tell no man, But the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal did they publish it: And so much the more did they wonder, saying, He hath done all things well; he hath made both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

Haydock Commentary Genesis 3:1-8
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 1. Why hath God? Heb. “Indeed hath God, &c.” as if the serpent had overheard Eve arguing with herself, about God’s prohibition, with a sort of displeasure and presumption. S. Augustine thinks, she had given some entrance to these passions, and the love of her own power, and hence gave credit to the words of the serpent, de Gen. ad lit. xi. 30. She might not know or reflect that the serpent could not reason thus, naturally; and she had as yet, no idea or dread of the devil. Lombard, 2 Dist. 21. This old serpent entered into the most subtle of creatures, and either by very expressive signs, or by the motion of the serpent’s tongue, held this delusive dialogue with Eve. Moses relates what happened exteriorily; but from many expressions, and the curse, v. 15, he sufficiently indicates, that an evil spirit was the latent actor. H. — Of every tree. Satan perverts the word of God, giving it an ambiguous turn: in doing which, he has set heretics a pattern, which they follow. M.
• Ver. 3. Not touch it. She exaggerates, through dislike of restraint, S. Amb. Or through reverence, she thought it unlawful to touch what she must not eat, lest perhaps, as if there could be any doubt. “God asserts, the woman doubts, Satan denies.” S. Bern. Thus place, like Eve, between God and the devil, to whom shall we yield our assent? H. — Perhaps we die, Heb. “lest ye die.”
• Ver. 5. God. The old serpent’s aim is, to make us think God envies our happiness. H. — Or he would have Eve to suppose, she had not rightly understood her maker, who would surely never deprive her of a fruit which would give her such an increase of knowledge, as to make her conclude she was before comparatively blind. M. — As gods, Heb. Elohim, which means also princes, angels, or judges. It appears, that our first parents had flattered themselves with the hopes of attaining a divine knowledge of all things. C.
• Ver. 6. Woman saw, or gazed on with desire and fond dalliance. M. — Consulting only her senses, which represented the fruit to her as very desirable, and caused her to give credit to the devil’s insinuations, rather than to the express word of God. Do not unbelievers the like, when they refuse to admit the real presence and transubstantiation, thought they cannot be ignorant, that this way of proceeding always leads to ruin. — Her husband, who, instead of reproving her for her rashness, did eat, through excessive fondness, not being able to plead ignorance, or that he was deceived. “Earth trembled from her entails, sky loured, and muttering thunder, some sad drops wept at completing the mortal sin.” — Original, &c. Paradise Lost, ix. 1000. H. — Gen. ii. 14. In what light soever we consider the fault of this unhappy pair, it is truly enormous: the precept was so easy and just, the attempt to be like God in knowledge so extravagant, that nothing but pride could have suggested such woeful disobedience. By the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, Rom. v. 19. This ruin of himself, and of all his posterity, Adam could not hide from his own eyes. C. ii. 17. C.
• Ver. 7. And the eyes, &c. Not that they were blind before, (for the woman saw that the tree was fair to the eyes, ver. 6.) nor yet that their eyes were opened to any more perfect knowledge of good; but only to the unhappy experience of having lost the good of original grace and innocence, and incurred the dreadful evil of sin. From whence followed a shame of their being naked; which they minded not before; because being now stript of original grace, they quickly began to be subject to the shameful rebellions of the flesh. Ch. — Behold the noble acquisition of experimental knowledge! This is supposed to have taken place about a week after they had enjoyed the sweets of innocence and of Paradise, that they might afterwards be moved to repentance, when they contrasted their subsequent misery with those few golden days. They saw that they had received a dreadful wound, even in their natural perfections, and that their soul was despoiled of grace, which, of themselves, they could never regain. O! what confusion must now have seized upon them! “Confounded long they say, as stricken mute.” Milton — H.
• Aprons, or they interwove tender branches covered with leaves round their middle; a practice, which even the wild Indians and Americans observed, when they were discovered by Columbus. They will rise up in condemnation of those pretended civilized nations, who, like the Greeks, could wrestle or bathe quite naked, without any sense of shame. H. — Adam’s fig-tree, in Egypt, has leaves above a yard long, and two feet broad. C.
• Ver. 8. Afternoon air. God’s presence has often been indicated by an unusual wind. 3 Kings xix. 12. Act. ii. 2. The sovereign judge will not suffer the day to pass over, without bringing our first parents to a sense of their fault. They hid themselves, loving darkness now, because their works were evil.

Haydock Commentary Mark 7:31-37

• Ver. 32. Dumb.[2] The Greek signifies one that speaks little, or with difficulty. Wi. — The besought him. In the Greek it is, they beseech him, which agrees so well with they bring, that we have every reason to believe that this was the original reading.
• Ver. 34. Ephphetha, a Syriac word. Jesus Christ, in the cure of this man, uses many and various actions; but as of their own nature there are no ways equal to such a cure, they shew: first, that the cure was miraculous; and secondly, the virtue, which his divinity communicated to his sacred body. V. — We must not suppose that our Saviour here groaned on account of any difficulty he experienced in working this miracle, but only from commiseration for the man, whom he was about to heal; as likewise to shew, how very difficult it the cure of those who are spiritually deaf and dumb by sin. He was affected in a similar manner when he raised Lazarus to life, to shew with what difficulty a man, dead and buried in sin by evil habits, can arise from that miserable state. Dion. Carth.
  

Catena Aurea Mark 7:31-37
From Catechetics Online

• Theophylact: The Lord did not wish to stay in the parts of the Gentiles, lest He should give the Jews occasion to say, that they esteemed Him a transgressor of the law, because He held communion with the Gentiles, and therefore He immediately returns.
• Wherefore it is said, “And again departing from the coasts of Tyre, He came through Sidon, to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis.”
• Bede, in Marc., 2, 31: Decapolis is a region of ten cities, across the Jordan, to the east, over against Galilee [ed. note: It appears, however, from Reland, Pales. v.1, p198, that a portion of Decapolis, including its metropolis, Scythopolis, was on this side Jordan, and therefore this text of St. Mark may be taken literally.] When therefore it is said that the Lord came to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis, it does not mean that He entered the confines of Decapolis themselves; for He is not said to have crossed the sea, but rather to have come to the borders of the sea, and to have reached quite up to the place, which was opposite to the midst of the coasts of Decapolis, which were situated at a distance across the sea. It goes on, “And they bring Him one that was deaf and dumb, and they besought Him to lay hands upon him.”
• Theophylact: Which is rightly placed after the deliverance of one possessed with a devil, for such an instance of suffering came from the devil. There follows, “And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers into his ears.”
• Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: He takes the deaf and dumb man who was brought to Him apart from the crowd, that He might not do His divine miracles openly; teaching us to cast away vain glory and swelling of heart, for no one can work miracles as he can, who loves humility and is lowly in his conduct. But He puts His fingers into his ears, when He might have cured him with a word, to shew that His body, being united to Deity, was consecrated by Divine virtue, with all that He did. For since on account of the transgression of Adam, human nature had incurred much suffering and hurt in its members and senses, Christ coming into the world shewed the perfection of human nature in Himself, and on this account opened ears, with His fingers, and gave the power of speech by His spittle. Wherefore it goes on, “And spit, and touched his tongue.”
• Theophylact: That He might shew that all the members of His sacred body are divine and holy, even the spittle which loosed the string of the tongue. For the spittle is only the superflous moisture of the body, but in the Lord, all things are divine. It goes on, “And looking up to heaven, He groaned, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.”
• Bede: He looked up to heaven, that He might teach us that thence is to be procured speech for the dumb, hearing for the deaf, health for all who are sick. And He sighed, not that it was necessary for Him to be any thing from His Father with groaning, for He, together with the Father, gives all things to them who ask, but that He might give us an example of sighing, when for our own errors and those of our neighbours, we invoke the guardianship of the Divine mercy.
• Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: He at the same time also groaned, as taking our cause upon Himself and pitying human nature, seeing the misery into which it had fallen.
• Bede: But that which He says, “Ephphatha, that is, Be opened,” belong properly to the ears, for the ears are to be opened for hearing, but the tongue to be loosed from the bonds of its impediment, that is may be able to speak.
• Wherefore it goes on, “And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.”Where each nature of one and the same Christ is manifestly distinct, looking up indeed into Heaven as man, praying unto God, He groaned, but presently with one word, as being strong in the Divine Majesty, He healed. It goes on, “And He charged them that they should tell no man.”
• Pseudo-Chrys., Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.: By which He has taught us not to boast in our powers, but in the cross and humiliation. He also bade them conceal the miracle, lest He should excite the Jews by envy to kill Him before the time.
• Pseudo-Jerome: A city, however, placed on a hill cannot be hid, and lowliness always comes before glory. Wherefore it goes on, “but the more He charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it.”
• Theophylact: By this we are taught, when we confer benefits on any, by no means to seek for applause and praise; but when we have received benefits, to proclaim and praise our benefactors, even though they be unwilling.
• Augustine: If however He, as one Who knew the present and the future wills of men, knew that they would proclaim Him the more in proportion as He forbade them, why did He give them this command? If it were not that He wished to prove to men who are idle, how much more joyfully, with how much greater obedience, they whom He commands to proclaim Him should preach, when they who were forbidden could not hold their peace.
• Gloss.: From the preaching however of those who were healed by Christ, the wonder of the multitude, and their praise of the benefits of Christ, increased. Wherefore it goes on, “And they were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well; he maketh the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”
• Pseudo-Jerome: Mystically, Tyre is interpreted, narrowness, and signifies Judaea, to which the Lord said, “For the bed is grown too narrow,” [Isa_28:20] and from which He turns Himself to the Gentiles. Sidon means, hunting, for our race is like an untamed beast, and “sea”, which means a wavering inconstancy. Again, the Saviour comes to save the Gentiles in the midst of the coasts of Decapolis, which may be interpreted, as the commands of the Decalogue.
• Further, the human race throughout its many members is reckoned as one man, eaten up by varying pestilence, in the first created man; it is blinded, that is, its eye is evil; it becomes deaf, when it listens to, and dumb when it speaks, evil. And they prayed Him to lay His hand upon him, because many just men, and patriarchs, wished and longed for the time when the Lord should come in the flesh.
• Bede: Or he is deaf and dumb, who neither has ears to hear the words of God, nor opens his mouth to speak them, and such must be presented to the Lord for healing, by men who have already learned to hear and speak the divine oracles.
• Pseudo-Jerome: Further, he who obtains healing is always drawn aside from turbulent thoughts, disorderly actions, and incoherent speeches. And the fingers which are put into the ears are the words and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, of whom it is said, “This is the finger of God.” [Exo_8:19; Luk_11:20]
• The spittle is heavenly wisdom, which loosens the sealed lips of the human race, so that it can say, I believe in God, the Father Almighty, and the rest of the Creed. “And looking up to heaven, he groaned,” that is, He taught us to groan, and to raise up the treasures of our hearts to the heavens; because by the groaning of hearty compunction, the silly joy of the flesh is purged away. But the ears are opened to hymns, and songs, and psalms; and He looses the tongue, that it may pour forth the good word, which neither threats nor stripes can restrain.