November 9 2009 Monday Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
Saint of the Day – Dedication of St. John Lateran

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/110909.shtml

Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Douay-Rheims Challoner

And he brought me again to the gate of the house, and behold waters issued out from under the threshold of the house toward the east: for the forefront of the house looked toward the east: but the waters came down to the right side of the temple to the south part of the altar. And he led me out by the way of the north gate, and he caused me to turn to the way without the outward gate to the way that looked toward the east: and behold there ran out waters on the right side.

And he said to me: These waters that issue forth toward the hillocks of sand to the east, and go down to the plains of the desert, shall go into the sea, and shall go out, and the waters shall be healed. And every living creature that creepeth whithersoever the torrent shall come, shall live: and there shall be fishes in abundance after these waters shall come thither, and they shall be healed, and all things shall live to which the torrent shall come. And by the torrent on the banks thereof on both sides shall grow all trees that bear fruit: their leaf shall not fall off, and their fruit shall not fail: every month shall they bring forth firstfruits, because the waters thereof shall issue out of the sanctuary: and the fruits thereof shall be for food, and the leaves thereof for medicine.

Responsorial Psalm 45:2-3, 5-6, 8-9 (Ps 46 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Our God is our refuge and strength:
a helper in troubles, which have found us exceedingly.
Therefore we will not fear, when the earth shall be troubled;
and the mountains shall be removed into the heart of the sea.
The stream of the river maketh the city of God joyful:
the most High hath sanctified his own tabernacle.
God is in the midst thereof, it shall not be moved:
God will help it in the morning early.
The Lord of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our protector.
Come and behold ye the works of the Lord:
what wonders he hath done upon earth

1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
Haydock NT

You are God’s building. According to the grace of God, that is given to me, as a wise architect, I have laid the foundation: and another buildeth thereon.  But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For no one can lay another foundation, but that which is laid: which is Christ Jesus.

Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? But if any man violate the temple of God: him shall God destroy.  For the temple of God is holy, which you are.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint John 2:13-22
Haydock New Testament

And the Pasch of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem: And he found in the temple those that sold oxen, and sheep, and doves, and the changers of mony sitting. And when he had made a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and he poured out the changers’ money, and the tables he overthrew. And he said to them that sold doves:

Take these things hence, make not the house of my Father a house of traffic.

And his disciples remembered that it was written:

The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.

The Jews therefore answered, and said to him:

What sign dost thou shew to us, seeing thou dost these things?

Jesus answered, and said to them:

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

The Jews then said:

Six and forty years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days?

But he spoke of the temple of his body. When, therefore, he was risen again from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture, and the word that Jesus had said.

Haydock Commentary Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 1. Waters. These waters are not to be understood literally, (for there were none such that flowed from the temple) but mystically of the baptism of Christ, and of his doctrine and his grace; the trees that grow on the banks are Christian virtues; the fishes are Christians, that spiritually live in and by these holy waters; the fishermen are the apostles, and apostolic preachers; the fenny places, where there is no health, are such as by being out of the Church are separated from these waters of life.  Ch. — It is not probable that real water or fishes were found, v. 9.  But this must be explained of the Church and of baptism, in a higher and more proper sense.  W. — Joel, (iii. 18.) before the captivity, and Zacharias, (xiv. 8.) after that event, speak of fountains as still to appear, and of course not in either temple, though Pilate made aqueducts for the purpose, (Jos. Bel. ii. 13.) which Tacitus, (An. v.) Maundrel, (p. 148.) and others mention.  But the prophets allude not to them, but to Christ, the fountain of water springing up unto life eternal.  John iv. 14. and vii. 38.  C. — Villalpand understands it of waters brought into the temple to wash the victims; but it seems to refer more to the grace and doctrine of Christ.  M.
• Ver. 2. East. This gate was shut, and therefore he went out at the north gate.  C.
• Ver. 8. The. Heb. “the east country,” (Prot.  H.) or “the frontiers (Gelilah) eastward,” by which some improperly suppose that one rivulet went to the sea of Galilee. — And shall. Heb. “the sea of the going out,” where the Jordan River empties itself into the Dead Sea; or, the second rivulet ran into the Mediterranean.  Zac. xiv. 8.  But this passage relates to the Dead Sea alone, (v. 18.) and Gelilah is a place near it, where the Israelites erected an altar of union.  Jos. xxii. 10.  C. — Healed. No fish can live in the sea of Sodom.  Solin xxxviii. — Yet, let the place be ever so noxious, this water shall cure it; (see 4 K. ii. 19.  C.) which must be taken in a mystical sense.  H.
• Ver. 12. First-fruits, or most excellent.  H. — S. John saw such W. a tree of life. Apoc. xxii.  H. — The doctrine of the gospel, and the study of the sacred books, have the most salutary effects; while the very leaves, or the example of the saints, heal the soul.  No more shall the deceitful fruits near Sodom be seen (C.) beautiful, but full of nothing but ashes.  Tacit.  An. v. — Where Christ instructs, a torrent of grace and glory is presently formed.  Like the mustard seed growing into a large tree, in which the birds rest, its origin in mean; yet its progress is grand and astonishing.

Haydock Commentary 1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17

• Ver. 9. We are God’s coadjutors, labouring in his service, as he hath employed us. — You are God’s husbandry, the soil, where virtues are to be planted.  You are God’s building, the edifice, the house, or even the temple of God; we are employed as builders under God.  Wi.
• Ver. 10. I have laid the foundation well, as a wise architect, not of myself, but according to the grace of God, and the gifts he bestowed upon me: and another, or several others, build upon it, continue the building. — But let every man take heed how he buildeth, and that it be always upon the same foundation, which is Christ Jesus, his faith, and his doctrine.  Wi.
• Ver. 16-17. Know you not. After the apostle had described the builders who are employed in the spiritual edifice, he then proceeds to speak of the duties of those who are the living temples of Christ.  As for you, may brethren, who are the temples of God, preserve yourselves in purity of faith, and innocence of morals.  Fly from those false apostles who seek your ruin, and remain steadfast in that faith which you have received from us; (Calmet) that is, the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic faith.  What a happiness for the faithful minister to assist in erecting and ornamenting the living temples of God; but what punishment must await the unfaithful minister, who by his own neglect and bad example, helps to ruin and destroy the temples God himself had entrusted to his care!  A. — The Spirit of God dwelleth in you, having received the grace of God at your conversion: you are the holy temple of God: But if any one violate, or profane the temple of God, either by false doctrine, or by any grievous offence, he destroys the spiritual edifice, that was built in his soul upon the faith and grace of God.  He cannot be said to be built any longer upon the same foundation: and therefore God will destroy such persons: they shall not be saved even by fire, or temporal punishments, but shall be excluded for ever from heaven, and condemned to eternal punishments.  Wi.

Haydock Commentary John 2:13-22

• Ver. 15. He drove them all out of the temple. According to S. Chrys. (hom. lxvii. in Matt.) this casting out was different from that which is there related, c. xxi. v. 12.  Wi. — How could the Son of the carpenter, Joseph, whose divinity was yet unknown to the people, succeed in expelling so great a multitude from the temple!  There was undoubtedly something divine in his whole conduct and appearance, which deterred all from making resistance.  The evangelist seems to insinuate this by putting these words: “The house of my Father,” into our Saviour’s mouth, which was making himself immediately the Son of God.  This made Origen consider this miracle, in overcoming the unruly dispositions of so many, as a superior manifestation of power to what he had shewn in changing the nature of water at Cana.  A. — Jesus Christ here shews the respect he requires should be shewn to the temple of God; and S. Paul, speaking of the profaners of God’s Church, saith: If any man defile the temple of God, him will God destroy. 1 Cor. iii. 17.  Which in a spiritual sense may be understood of the soul of man, which is the living temple of the living God.  A.
• Ver. 20. Six and forty years, &c.  This many understand of the time the second temple was building, from the edict of Cyrus to the sixth year of Darius Hystaspes.  Others, of the enlarging and beautifying the temple, which was begun by Herod the great, forty-six years before the Jews spoke this to our Saviour.  Wi. — Interpreters are much embarrassed by these words; as the building of the temple, which then existed, had been finished in much less than 46 years.  Herod renewed the temple from the foundations, and spent in that work only nine years and a half.  It was begun 46 years before the first Pasch at which our Saviour appeared.  Usher, ad an. Mundi 3987. — But this prince, according to Josephus, continued to make new building and embellishments to the very time in which the Jews uttered these words: it is now 46 years, &c.

November 8 2009 Thirty Second 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/110809.shtml

1 Kings 17:10-16 (3 Kings DRC)
Douay Rheims Challoner

He arose, and went to Sarephta. And when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow woman gathering sticks, and he called her, and said to her:

Give me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying:

Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.

And she answered:

As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruise: behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it, for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.

And Elias said to her:

Fear not; but go, and do as thou hast said but first make for me of the same meal a little hearth cake, and bring it to me, and after make for thyself and thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: The pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruise of oil be diminished, until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth.

She went, and did according to the word of Elias: and he ate, and she, and her house: and from that day The pot of meal wasted not, and the cruise of oil was not diminished according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke in the hand of Elias.

Responsorial Psalm 145:7-10
DR Challoner Text Only

Who keepeth truth for ever:
who executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong:
who giveth food to the hungry.
The Lord looseth them that are fettered:
The Lord enlighteneth the blind.
The Lord lifteth up them that are cast down:
the Lord loveth the just.
The Lord keepeth the strangers,
he will support the fatherless and the widow:
and the ways of sinners he will destroy.
The Lord shall reign for ever:
thy God, O Sion, unto generation and generation.

Hebrews 9:24-28
Haydock NT

For Jesus hath not entered into the holies made with hands, the patterns of the true: but into heaven itself, that he may appear now in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holies every year with the blood of others: For then he ought to have suffered often from the beginning of the world: but now once at the end of ages, he hath appeared for the destruction of sin, by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed for men once to die, and after this the judgment: So also Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many; the second time he shall appear without sin to them that expect him unto salvation.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Mark 12:38-44
Haydock New Testament

And he said to them in his doctrine:

Beware of the Scribes, who love to walk in long robes, and to be saluted in the market-place, And to sit in the first chairs in the synagogues, and to have the highest places at suppers: Who devour the houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer: these shall receive greater judgment.

And Jesus sitting over-against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. And calling his disciples together, he saith to them:

Amen, I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance: but she, of her want, cast in all she had, even her whole living.

Haydock Commentary 1 Kings 17:10-16
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 13. First. He puts the faith of the widow to a severe trial; and the gospel requires nothing more perfect than what she practised. The true faith, which she then received, was her first and most precious recompense; and we shall soon see, that her guest drew down blessings upon her. C.
• Ver. 14. Until, nor for some time afterwards; otherwise they would still have been in danger of perishing, as the corn could not grow immediately. Salien, A.C. 929.

Haydock Commentary Hebrews 9:24-28

• Ver. 25. Should offer himself, &c. He takes notice that Christ, by virtue of his sacrifice, and his dying once on the cross, satisfied for the sins of all men that ever were from the beginning of the world. It was decreed from eternity that the Son of God should come to redeem mankind: the ransom that was not yet paid was accepted; and all might be saved who believed in their Redeemer, who was to come, and who, by the graces that God offered and gave them, lived well. Wi. — Christ shall never more offer himself in sacrifice, in that violent, painful, and bloody manner, nor can there be any occasion for it; since by that one sacrifice upon the cross, he has furnished the full ransom, redemption, and remedy for all the sins of the world. But this hinders not that he may offer himself in the sacred mysteries in an unbloody manner, for the daily application of that one sacrifice of redemption to our souls. Ch.
• Ver. 26. He came at the end of the ages, as it were in the last age of the world, to the putting away or abrogating of sin. Wi. — Though less, viz. a single tear, might have satisfied the justice of God, nothing less than his own precious blood could satisfy the charity of Jesus Christ. By his death, as S. Austin observes, Christ has bound the devil in a chain, so that he can tempt us no further than we are able to resist: he may bark, he may tempt, he may solicit us; but he can bite none, except those that wilfully cast themselves within his reach. Serm. 1. post Trin.
• Ver. 28. To exhaust the sins of many. That is, of all, according to the style of the Scriptures. When he came first, he took upon him the load of our sins; but at his second coming, at the end of the world, he will come in a quite different manner, not as laden with our sins, not after the similitude of a sinful man, not to redeem us, but with great power and majesty to judge all men. Wi. — To exhaust. That is, to empty or draw out to the very bottom, by a plentiful and perfect redemption. Ch.

Haydock Commentary Mark 12:38-44

• Ver. 43. God accepts alms, if they are corresponding to each one’s abilities; and the more able a man is, the more must he bestow in charities. The widow’s mite was very acceptable to God, and very meritorious to herself; because though small the offering considered in itself, it was great considering her extreme indigence.
• Ver. 44. But she, of her want,[2] or indigence, out of what she wanted to subsist by, as appeareth by the Greek. Wi.

November 7 2009 Saturday Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Didacus

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/110709.shtml

Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27
Haydock New Testament

Salute Prisca, and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, (Who have for my life laid down their own necks: to whom not I only give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles) And the church which is in their house.  Salute Epænetus, my beloved, who is the first-fruits of Asia, in Christ. Salute Mary, who hath laboured much among you. Salute Andronicus, and Junias, my kinsmen and fellow-captives: who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Salute Ampliatus, most beloved to me in the Lord. Salute Urbanus, our helper in Christ Jesus, and Stachys, my beloved.

Salute one another with a holy kiss.  All the churches of Christ salute you.

I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. Caius, my host, and the whole church, saluteth you.  Erastus, the treasurer of the city, saluteth you, and Quartus, a brother. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.

Now to him that is able to establish you, according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret from eternity, (Which now is made manifest by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, for the obedience of faith) known among all nations; To God, the only wise, through Jesus Christ, to whom be honour and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.

Responsorial Psalm 144:2-5, 10-11 (Ps 145 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Every day will I bless thee:
and I will praise thy name for ever;
yea, for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised:
and of his greatness there is no end.
Generation and generation shall praise thy works:
and they shall declare thy power.
They shall speak of the magnificence of the glory of thy holiness:
and shall tell thy wondrous works.
Let all thy works, O Lord, praise thee:
and let thy saints bless thee.
They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom: and shall tell of thy power:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 16:9-15
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said:

And I say to you: Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in that which is greater: And he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater.

If then you have not been faithful in the unjust mammon, who will trust you with that which is the true? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s: who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one, and despise the other: you cannot serve God and mammon.

Now the Pharisees who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said to them:

You are they who justify yourselves before men: but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is high to men, is an abomination before God.

Haydock Commentary Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 4. It is not exactly known to what the apostle here refers.  Orig. thinks that they delivered the apostle from the snares of the Jews.  Others, that they exposed themselves for him in the sedition raised at Corinth, or in that at Ephesus, when he was in such danger, on account of the outcry of the silversmiths.  The obligations of the Churches of the Gentiles towards them must be understood of the hospitality, which these faithful servants of Christ exercised to all.  Calmet. — Ton eautwn trachlon upeqhkan, a proverbial expression, as in Latin, præbere cervices, caput objicere periculis, to support any thing, or person, that is in a sinking way, or in great danger.
• Ver. 5. This means the assembly of Christians, who probably resorted to the house of Prisca and Aquila, as to a place of retreat, and there held their religious assemblies.  Or it may mean their family only, which was as regular and holy as an assembly of saints.  The apostle, in another place, salutes the Church in the house of Nympha, and writing to Philemon, salutes the Church in his house.  1 Cor. xvi. 19.
• Ver. 16. Thus the primitive Christians express their concord and benevolence, as also their perfect equality.  For it was customary with the Persians, and all oriental nations, to salute only their equals thus; though, to their inferiors, the presented their hand to be kissed.  S. Clem. Pædog. and Polus.
• Ver. 22. This Tertius was the amanuensis, or secretary of S. Paul, and wrote this epistle as S. Paul dictated.  It is not on that account less divinely inspired than the rest.  Estius.
• Ver. 25-27. Now to him that is able, &c.  These three last verses, in divers Greek copies, were found at the end of the 14th chapter, where we find them expounded by S. Chrysostom. — According to the . . . mystery kept secret from eternity, now made manifest; he means the mystery of Christ’s incarnation, and man’s redemption, formerly revealed indeed to the prophets, but now made known to all nations, in order to bring all men to the obedience of the gospel, by embracing the faith and doctrine of Christ.  Wi.

Haydock Commentary Luke 16:9-15

• Ver. 9. Make for yourselves friends, &c.  Not that we are authorized to wrong our neighbour, to give to the poor: evil is never to be done, that good may come from it.  D. Thoma. — But we are exhorted to make the poor our friends before God, by relieving them with the riches which justly indeed belong to us, but are called the mammon of iniquity, because only the iniquitous man esteems them as riches, on which he sets his affections; whilst the riches of the virtuous are wholly celestial and spiritual.  S. Aug. de quæst. Evang. — Of the mammon of iniquity. Mammon is a Syriac word for riches; and so it might be translated, of the riches of iniquity. Riches are called unjust, and riches of iniquity, not of themselves, but because they are many times the occasion of unjust dealings, and of all kind of vices.  Wi. — Mammon signifies riches. They are here called the mammon of iniquity, because oftentimes ill-gotten, ill-bestowed, or an occasion of evil; and at the best are but worldly, and false: and not the true riches of a Christian. — They may receive. By this we see, that the poor servants of God, whom we have relieved by our alms, may hereafter, by their intercession, bring our souls to heaven.  Ch. — They may receive you into their eternal tabernacles.  What a beautiful thought this!  What a consolation to the rich man, when the term of his mortal existence is approaching, to think he shall have as many advocates to plead for his admittance into the eternal mansions of rest, as he has made friends among the poor by relieving their temporal wants.  The rich give to the poor earthly treasures, the latter return in recompense eternal and infinite happiness.  Hence we must infer, that the advantage is all on the side of the giver; according to the saying of our Lord, happier is the condition of him who gives, than of him who receives.  A.
• Ver. 10. He that is faithful in that which is least. This seems to have been a common saying, and that men judged of the honesty of their servants by their fidelity in lesser matters.  For example, a master that sees his servant will not steal a little thing, judges that he will not steal a greater, &c. — And he that is unjust in that which is little, is unjust also in that which is greater. The interpreters take notice, that here temporal goods are called little, and spiritual goods are called greater; so that the sense is, that such men as do not make a right use of their temporal goods, in the service of God, will not make a good use of spiritual graces as they ought to do.  See Maldonatus.  Wi.
• Ver. 11. If then you have not been faithful in the unjust mammon;[2] i.e. in fading and false riches, which are the occasion of unjust and wicked proceedings. — Who will trust you with that which is the true? i.e. God will not intrust you with the true and spiritual riches of his grace.  Wi.
• Ver. 12. And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s: so again is called false worldly wealth, which passeth from one to another; so that it cannot be called a man’s own, who will give you that which is your own? i.e. how can you hope that God will bestow upon you, or commit to your care, spiritual riches or gifts, which, when rightly managed, would by your own for all eternity?  See S. Aug. l. ii. qq. Evang. q. 35. p. 263.  Wi. — That which is another’s. Temporal riches may be said to belong to another, because they are the Lord’s; and we have only the dispensing of them: so that when we give alms, we are liberal of another’s goods.  But if we are not liberal in giving what is another’s, how shall we be so in giving our own?  Nothing one would have thought so properly belonged to the Jews, as the kingdom of heaven, the preaching of the gospel, and the knowledge of heavenly things.  But they were deprived of all for their infidelity in the observance of the law, which was first intrusted to them.  Calmet.
• Ver. 13. No servant can serve two masters, &c.  This is added to shew us, that to dispose of our riches according to the will of the Almighty, it is necessary to keep our minds free from all attachment to them.  Theophylactus. — Let the avaricious man here learn, that to be a lover of riches, is to be an enemy of Christ.  Ven. Bede.
• Ver. 14. Now the Pharisees, &c.  Christ had admonished the Scribes and Pharisees not to presume too much on their own sanctity, but to receive repenting sinners, and to redeem their own sins with alms.  But they derided these precepts of mercy and humility; either because they esteemed what he commanded them to be useless, or because they thought they had already complied with them.  Ven. Bede. — The Pharisees considered temporal riches as true goods, and the recompense which God had promised to such as observed his laws; they therefore laughed at the doctrine of Jesus Christ, which extolled liberality and alms-deeds, and despised the Master who, on all occasions, testified his great regard for poverty in his discourses, in his conduct, in the choice of his apostles, who were all poor, and had no pretensions whatever to exterior pomp or show.  Calmet.
• Ver. 15. Who justify yourselves, &c.  But our Lord, detecting their hidden malice, shews that their pretended justice is all hypocrisy.  Theophylactus. — But God knoweth, &c.  They justify themselves before men, whom they look upon as despicable, and abandoned sinners, and esteem themselves as not standing in need of giving alms as a remedy of sin; but he who shall lay open the secrets of hearts, sees the base atrocity of that pride which thus blinds them, and swells within their breasts.  Ven. Bede. — Yes, all those exterior actions which appeared great, and which were admired by men, being vitiated with improper motives and sinister designs, are an abomination in the sight of God.  A.

November 6 2009 Friday Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Nicholas Tavelic 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/110609.shtml

Romans 15:14-21
Haydock New Testament

And I myself also, my brethren, am assured of you, that you also are full of love, replenished with all knowledge, so that you are able to admonish one another. But I have written to you, brethren, more boldly in some sort, as putting you in mind: because of the grace which is given me from God, That I should be the minister of Christ Jesus among the Gentiles; sanctifying the gospel of God, that the oblation of the Gentiles may be made acceptable and sanctified in the Holy Ghost.

I have, therefore, glory in Christ Jesus towards God. For I dare not to speak of any of those things which Christ worketh not by me, for the obedience of the Gentiles, by word and by deed, By the virtue of signs and wonders, in the power of the Holy Ghost; so that from Jerusalem round about as far as unto Illyricum, I have spread the gospel of Christ. And I have so preached this gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build upon another man’s foundation; but as it is written:. They to whom he was not spoken of, shall see, and they that have not heard, shall understand.

Responsorial Psalm 97:1-4 (Ps 98 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle:
because he hath done wonderful things.
His right hand hath wrought for him salvation, and his arm is holy.
The Lord hath made known his salvation:
he hath revealed his justice in the sight of the Gentiles.
He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Sing joyfully to God, all the earth; make melody, rejoice and sing.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 16:1-8
Haydock New Testament

And he said also to his disciples:

There was a certain rich man who had a steward: and the same was accused unto him, that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said to him:

How is it that I hear this of thee?  Give an account of thy stewardship: for now thou canst be steward no longer.

And the steward said within himself:

What shall I do, for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship?  To dig I am not able: to beg I am ashamed. I know what I will do, that when I shall be put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.

Therefore, calling together every one of his lord’s debtors, he said to the first:

How much dost thou owe my lord?

But he said:

A hundred barrels of oil.

And he said to him:

Take thy bill: and sit down quickly, and write fifty.

Then he said to another:

And how much dost thou owe?

Who said:

A hundred quarters of wheat.

He said to him:

Take thy bill and write eighty.

And the lord commended the unjust steward, forasmuch as he had done wisely: for the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light.

Haydock Commentary Romans 15:14-21
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 15. &c. I have written to you, brethren, more boldly, &c.  S. Chrys. admires with what mildness he addresses himself to them, yet puts them in mind, that he is the minister, and the apostle of the Gentiles, in which he may have reason to glory, or boast. — Sanctifying the gospel of God, preaching it in a holy manner, that the Gentiles may be sanctified by it.  Wi. — To be the minister of Jesus Christ among the nations, exercising in their regard the rite of sacrifice, as we read in the Greek, ierourgounta. — For I dare not, I shall forbear to speak of any thing but my labours: I need not mention the power of miracles and wonders, which the Holy Ghost hath done by me in many places, from Jerusalem to Illyricum, in places where Christ had not been preached by others.  And now having no more place, nor occasion to preach in these countries, when I begin my journey to Spain, &c. by which, it appears, he designed at least to go into Spain.  Wi.
• Ver. 20. S. Paul does not mean to say, that he never preached where the gospel had before been announced; this would not have been true, for he preached at Damascus, where there were already Christians, whom he formerly wished to take in chains to Jerusalem; and again in this epistle he announces the truths of the gospel to the Romans already converted by the preaching of S. Peter.  But he means to say, that on these occasions he acts not as an apostle, whose office it is to preach to infidels; but as one that waters, confirms, comforts, as he says in the beginning of this epistle: and this he did as occasion offered, as the subsequent verses shew, where he tells us his design in calling on the Romans, in his journey to Spain.  Estius.

Haydock Commentary Luke 16:1-8

• Ver. 1. There was a certain rich man, &c.  By this parable, our Saviour advises his disciples to accompany their penitential works with deeds of mercy to the poor.  Ven. Bede. — There is a certain erroneous opinion, that obtains pretty generally amongst mankind, and which tends to increase crimes, and to lessen good works: and this is, the foolish persuasion that men are not accountable to any one, and that we can dispose as we please of the things in our possession.  S. Chrys. — Whereas we are here informed, that we are only the dispensers of another’s property, viz. God’s.  S. Amb. — When, therefore, we employ it not according to the will of our Master, but fritter and squander it away in pleasure, and in the gratification of our passions, we are, beyond all doubt, unjust stewards.  Theophylactus. — And a strict account will be required of what we have thus dissipated, by our common Lord and Master.  If then we are only stewards of that which we possess, let us cast from our minds that mean superciliousness and pride which the outward splendour of riches is so apt to inspire; and let us put on the humility, the modesty of stewards, knowing well that to whom much is given, much will be required.  Abundance of riches makes not a man great, but the dispensing them according to the will and intention of his employer.  A. — The intention of this parable, is to shew what use each one ought to make of the goods which God has committed to his charge.  In the three former parables, addressed to the murmuring Scribes and Pharisees, our Saviour shews with what goodness he seeks the salvation and conversion of a sinner; in this, he teaches how the sinner, when converted, ought to correspond to his vocation, and preserve with great care the inestimable blessing of innocence.  Calmet. — A steward, &c.  The parable puts us in mind, that let men be ever so rich or powerful in this world, God is still their master; they are his servants, and must be accountable to him how they have managed his gifts and favours; that is, all things they have had in this world.  Wi.
• Ver. 2. And he called him, &c.  Such are the words which our Lord daily addresses to us.  We daily see persons equally healthy, and likely to live as ourselves, suddenly summoned by death, to give an account of their stewardship.  Happy summons to the faithful servant, who has reason to hope in his faithful administration.  Not so to the unfaithful steward, whose pursuits are earthly: death to him is terrible indeed, and his exit is filled with sorrow.  All thunder-stricken at these words, “now thou canst be steward no longer,” he says within himself, what shall I do!  Ex D. Thoma.
• Ver. 8. And the lord commanded, &c.  By this we are given to understand, that if the lord of this unjust steward could commend him for his worldly prudence, though it were an overt act of injustice; how much more will the Almighty be pleased with those who, obedient to his command, seek to redeem their sins by alms-deeds?  Ex D. Thoma. — “Give alms out of thy substance,” says holy Toby to his son, “and turn not thy face from any poor person: for so it shall come to pass, that the face of the Lord shall not be turned from thee.  According to thy abilities be merciful.  If thou hast much, give abundantly; if thou hast little, take care, even of that little, to bestow willingly a little.  For thus thou storest up to thyself a good reward, for the day of necessity.  For alms deliver from sin, and from death, and will not suffer the soul to go into darkness.”  Tob. iv. 7, 8, &c.  Ibidem. — Children of this world, &c. are more prudent and circumspect as to what regards their temporal concerns, than they who profess themselves servants of God, are about the concerns of eternity. — Commended the unjust steward.[1]  Lit. the steward of iniquity: not for his cheating and injustice, but for his contrivances in favour of himself. — In their generation; i.e. in their concerns of this life.  They apply themselves with greater care and pains, in their temporal affairs, than the children of light, whom God has favoured with the light of faith, do to gain heaven.  Wi.

November 5 2009 Thursday Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – Venerable Solanus Casey

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/110509.shtml

Romans 14:7-12
Haydock New Testament

For none of us liveth to himself: and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live to the Lord: or whether we die, we die to the Lord.  Therefore, whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died, and rose again: that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou despise thy brother?  For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. For it is written: As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me: and every tongue shall confess to God. Therefore every one of us shall render account for himself to God.

Responsorial Psalm 26:1bcde, 4, 13-14 (Ps 27 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the protector of my life: of whom shall I be afraid?
One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit his temple.
I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Expect the Lord, do manfully,
and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 15:1-10
Haydock New Testament

Now the publicans and sinners drew near unto him, to hear him. And the Pharisees and the Scribes murmured, saying:

This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

And he spoke to them this parable, saying:

What man of you that hath a hundred sheep, and if he shall lose one of them, doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost until he find it? And when he hath found it, doth he not lay it upon his shoulders rejoicing: And coming home call together his friends and neighbours, saying to them: Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost?

I say to you, that even so there shall be joy in heaven upon one sinner that doth penance, more than upon ninety-nine just who need not penance.

Or what woman, having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle and sweep the house, and seek diligently, till she find it? And when she hath found it, call together her friends and neighbours, saying: Rejoice with me, because I have found the groat which I had lost.

So I say to you, there shall be joy before the Angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.

Haydock Commentary Romans 14:7-12
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 11. The apostle here gives a remarkable proof of the divinity of our Saviour.  He could not possibly be more express.  He had said in the preceding verse, that all men should appear before the tribunal of Christ; to prove this assertion, he adduces this testimony of the prophet Isaias: “As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”  Is. c. xlv.  Thus shall all acknowledge the power, the divinity, and sovereign dominion of Christ, by bending the knee; and by confessing to him, shall acknowledge him for the master and judge of all mankind.  Calmet.

Haydock Commentary Luke 15:1-10

• Ver. 4. What man, &c.  Christ left the ninety-nine in the desert, when he descended from the angelic choirs, in order to seek last man on the earth, that he might fill up the number of the sheepfold of heaven, from which his sins had excluded him.  S. Amb. — Neither did his affection for the last sheep make him behave cruelly to the rest; for he left them in safety, under the protection of his omnipotent hand.  S. Cyril de D. Thoma Aquin.
• Ver. 7. Joy in heaven, &c.  What incitement ought it not to be to us to practise virtue, when we reflect that our conversion causes joy to the troops of blessed spirits, whose protection we should always seek, and whose presence we should always revere.  S. Amb. — There is greater joy for the conversion of a sinner, than for the perseverance of the just; but it frequently happens, that these being free from the chain of sin, remain indeed in the path of justice, but press not on eagerly to their heavenly country; whilst such as have been sinners, are stung with grief at the remembrance of their former transgressions, and calling to mind how they have forsaken their God, endeavour by present fervour to compensate for their past misconduct.  But it must be remembered that there are many just, whose lives cause such joy to the heavenly court, that all the penitential exercises of sinners cannot be preferred before them.  S. Gregory, hom. xxxiv.
• Ver. 8. In the preceding parable, the race of mankind is compared to a lost sheep, to teach us that we are the creatures of the most high God, who made us, and not we ourselves, of whose pasture we are the sheep.  Ps. xcix.  And in this parable mankind are compared to the drachma, which was lost, to shew us that we have been made to the royal likeness and image even of the omnipotent God; for the drachma is a piece of money, bearing the image of the king.  S. Chrysos. in S. Tho. Aquin.
• Ver. 10. Before the angels. By this it is plain that the spirits in heaven have a concern for us below, and a joy at our repentance, and consequently a knowledge of it.  Ch.

November 8 2009 Thirty Second 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/110809.shtml

1 Kings 17:10-16 (3 Kings DRC)
Douay Rheims Challoner

He arose, and went to Sarephta. And when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow woman gathering sticks, and he called her, and said to her:

Give me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying:

Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.

And she answered:

As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruise: behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it, for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.

And Elias said to her:

Fear not; but go, and do as thou hast said but first make for me of the same meal a little hearth cake, and bring it to me, and after make for thyself and thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: The pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruise of oil be diminished, until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth.

She went, and did according to the word of Elias: and he ate, and she, and her house: and from that day The pot of meal wasted not, and the cruise of oil was not diminished according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke in the hand of Elias.

Responsorial Psalm 145:7-10
DR Challoner Text Only

Who keepeth truth for ever:
who executeth judgment for them that suffer wrong:
who giveth food to the hungry.
The Lord looseth them that are fettered:
The Lord enlighteneth the blind.
The Lord lifteth up them that are cast down:
the Lord loveth the just.
The Lord keepeth the strangers,
he will support the fatherless and the widow:
and the ways of sinners he will destroy.
The Lord shall reign for ever:
thy God, O Sion, unto generation and generation.

Hebrews 9:24-28
Haydock NT

For Jesus hath not entered into the holies made with hands, the patterns of the true: but into heaven itself, that he may appear now in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holies every year with the blood of others: For then he ought to have suffered often from the beginning of the world: but now once at the end of ages, he hath appeared for the destruction of sin, by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed for men once to die, and after this the judgment: So also Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many; the second time he shall appear without sin to them that expect him unto salvation.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Mark 12:38-44
Haydock New Testament

And he said to them in his doctrine:

Beware of the Scribes, who love to walk in long robes, and to be saluted in the market-place, And to sit in the first chairs in the synagogues, and to have the highest places at suppers: Who devour the houses of widows under the pretence of long prayer: these shall receive greater judgment.

And Jesus sitting over-against the treasury, beheld how the people cast money into the treasury, and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which make a farthing. And calling his disciples together, he saith to them:

Amen, I say to you, this poor widow hath cast in more than all they who have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance: but she, of her want, cast in all she had, even her whole living.

Haydock Commentary 1 Kings 17:10-16
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 13. First. He puts the faith of the widow to a severe trial; and the gospel requires nothing more perfect than what she practised.  The true faith, which she then received, was her first and most precious recompense; and we shall soon see, that her guest drew down blessings upon her.  C.
• Ver. 14. Until, nor for some time afterwards; otherwise they would still have been in danger of perishing, as the corn could not grow immediately.  Salien, A.C. 929.

Haydock Commentary Hebrews 9:24-28

• Ver. 25. Should offer himself, &c.  He takes notice that Christ, by virtue of his sacrifice, and his dying once on the cross, satisfied for the sins of all men that ever were from the beginning of the world.  It was decreed from eternity that the Son of God should come to redeem mankind: the ransom that was not yet paid was accepted; and all might be saved who believed in their Redeemer, who was to come, and who, by the graces that God offered and gave them, lived well.  Wi. — Christ shall never more offer himself in sacrifice, in that violent, painful, and bloody manner, nor can there be any occasion for it; since by that one sacrifice upon the cross, he has furnished the full ransom, redemption, and remedy for all the sins of the world.  But this hinders not that he may offer himself in the sacred mysteries in an unbloody manner, for the daily application of that one sacrifice of redemption to our souls.  Ch.
• Ver. 26. He came at the end of the ages, as it were in the last age of the world, to the putting away or abrogating of sin.  Wi. — Though less, viz. a single tear, might have satisfied the justice of God, nothing less than his own precious blood could satisfy the charity of Jesus Christ.  By his death, as S. Austin observes, Christ has bound the devil in a chain, so that he can tempt us no further than we are able to resist: he may bark, he may tempt, he may solicit us; but he can bite none, except those that wilfully cast themselves within his reach.  Serm. 1. post Trin.
• Ver. 28. To exhaust the sins of many. That is, of all, according to the style of the Scriptures.  When he came first, he took upon him the load of our sins; but at his second coming, at the end of the world, he will come in a quite different manner, not as laden with our sins, not after the similitude of a sinful man, not to redeem us, but with great power and majesty to judge all men.  Wi. — To exhaust. That is, to empty or draw out to the very bottom, by a plentiful and perfect redemption.  Ch.

Haydock Commentary Mark 12:38-44

• Ver. 43. God accepts alms, if they are corresponding to each one’s abilities; and the more able a man is, the more must he bestow in charities.  The widow’s mite was very acceptable to God, and very meritorious to herself; because though small the offering considered in itself, it was great considering her extreme indigence.
• Ver. 44. But she, of her want,[2] or indigence, out of what she wanted to subsist by, as appeareth by the Greek.  Wi.

November 4 2009 Wednesday Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Charles Borromeo

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/110409.shtml

Romans 13:8-10
Haydock NT

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbour, hath fulfilled the law. For thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shalt not bear false witness: Thou shalt not covet: and if there be any other commandment, it is comprised in this word: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The love of our neighbour worketh no evil.  Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the law.

Responsorial Psalm 111:1b-2, 4-5, 9 (Ps 112 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord:
he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth:
the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.
To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness:
he is merciful, and compassionate and just.
Acceptable is the man that sheweth mercy and lendeth:
he shall order his words with judgment:
He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor:
his justice remaineth for ever and ever:
his horn shall be exalted in glory.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 14:25-33
Haydock New Testament

And there went great multitudes with him: and turning, he said to them:

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not carry his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

For which of you, having a mind to build a tower, doth not first sit down and reckon the charges that are necessary, whether he have wherewithal to finish it? Lest after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that see it begin to mock him, Saying: This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Or what king about to go to make war against another king, doth not first sit down and think, whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that with twenty thousand cometh against him? Or else whilst the other is yet afar off, sending an embassy, he desireth conditions of peace.

So likewise every one of you that doth not renounce all that he possesseth, cannot be my disciple.

Haydock Commentary Romans 13:8-10
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 8-9. But that you love one another. This is a debt, says S. Chrys. which we are always to be paying, and yet always remains, and is to be paid again. — He that loveth his neighbour, hath fulfilled the law. Nay, he that loves his neighbour, as he ought, loves him for God’s sake, and so complies with the other great precept of loving God: and upon these two precepts (as Christ himself taught us, Matt. xxii. 40.) depends the whole law and the prophets. Wi.
• Ver. 10. Love of the neighbour worketh no evil.[2]  This, by the Latin, is the true construction; and not, love worketh no evil to the neighbour, as it might be translated from the Greek.  Wi.

Haydock Commentary Luke 14:25-33

• Ver. 26. Hate not, &c.  The law of Christ does not allow us to hate even our enemies, much less our parents: but the meaning of the text is, that we must be in that disposition of soul so as to be willing to renounce and part with every thing, how near or dear soever it may be to us, that would keep us from following Christ.  Ch. — The word hate is not to be taken in its proper sense, but to be expounded by the words of Christ, (Matt. x. 37.) that no man must love his father more than God, &c.  Wi. — Christ wishes to shew us what dispositions are necessary in him who desires to become his disciple; (Theophy.) and to teach us that we must not be discouraged, if we meet with many hardships and labours in our journey to our heavenly country.  S. Gregory. — And if for our sakes, Christ even renounced his own mother, saying, Who is my mother, and who are my brethren? why do you wish to be treated more delicately than your Lord?  S. Ambrose. — He wished also to demonstrate to us, that the hatred he here inculcates, is not to proceed from any disaffection towards our parents, but from charity for ourselves; for immediately he adds, and his own life also. From which words it is evident, that in our love we must hate our brethren as we do ourselves.
• Ver. 28. For which of you, &c.  The similitude, which our divine Saviour makes us of, represents the offices and duty of a true Christian, for he has to build within himself and conduct others by his example to war with the devil, the world, and the flesh; and he has to season, purify, and keep all his actions free from corruption by the spiritual salt of mortification and prayer.  Tirinus.
• Ver. 29. Lest after, &c.  Here he wishes to shew us, that we are not to embrace any state of life, particularly that of an ecclesiastic, without previous and serious consideration, whether we shall be able to go through with the difficulties and dangers which will inevitably befall us: lest afterwards we find ourselves constrained to yield to our enemies, who will deride us, and say: This man began to build, and was not able to finish.  Tirinus.

November 3 2009 Tuesday Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Martin de Porres

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/110309.shtml

Romans 12:5-16ab
Haydock NT

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one, members one of another. And having gifts different, according to the grace that is given us, whether prophecy, according to the proportion of faith, Or ministry, in ministering: or he that teacheth, in doctrine, He that exhorteth in exhorting; he that giveth with simplicity; he that ruleth with solicitude, he that sheweth mercy with cheerfulness.

Love without dissimulation.  Hating that which is evil, adhering to that which is good: Loving one another with brotherly love; in honour preventing one another: In solicitude not slothful: in spirit fervent: serving the Lord: Rejoicing in hope: patient in tribulation: instant in prayer: Communicating to the necessities of the saints: pursuing hospitality.

Bless them that persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that rejoice, weep with them that weep: Being of one mind one towards another: not high-minded: but condescending to the humble.

Responsorial Psalm 130:1-3 (Ps 131 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Lord, my heart is not exalted: nor are my eyes lofty.
Neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me.
If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul:
As a child that is weaned is towards his mother, so reward in my soul.
Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 14:15-24
Haydock New Testament

When one of them that sat at table with him, had heard these things, he said to him:

Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

But he said to him:

A certain man made a great supper, and invited many. And he sent his servant, at supper-time, to say to them that were invited, that they should come, for now all things are ready. And they began all at once to make excuse.  The first said to him:

I have bought a farm, and I must needs go out and see it: I pray thee, have me excused.

And another said:

I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to try them: I pray thee, have me excused.

And another said:

I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

And the servant returning, told these things to his lord.  Then the master of the house being angry, said to his servant:

Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the feeble, and the blind, and the lame.

And the servant said:

Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.

And the lord said to the servant:

Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. But I say to you, that none of those men that were invited, shall taste of my supper.

Haydock Commentary Romans 12:5-16ab
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 16. Condescending to the humble, in the spirit of charity and sweetness.  See Luke ii. 48.  Wi.
• Ver. 18. If it be possible, . . . have peace with all. That is, if it can be without prejudice to truth or justice, &c.  And even when others wrong you, seek not to revenge yourselves, but leave your cause to God.  Do good offices even to those that do evil to you.  Wi.
• Ver. 19. Give place to wrath. That we do, says S. Chrys. when we leave all to God, and endeavour to return good for evil.  Wi.
• Ver. 20. Thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. This figurative way of speaking is differently expounded.  Some say, inasmuch as by this means thou shalt make him liable to greater punishments from God.  Others, as S. Jer. and S. Aug. by coals of fire, understand kindnesses and benefits, which shall touch the heart, and inflame the affections even of thy enemies, which shall make them sorry for what they have done, and become thy friends.  Wi.
• Ver. 21. This is the apostle’s conclusion of the foregoing instructions.  Be not overcome by the malice of thy enemy, so as to wish to revenge thyself, without leaving all to the just judgment of God; but overcome his malice by thy kindness.  This is complied with, when upon occasion of injuries received we always make a return of kindness, and in proportion as the malice of our enemies increases, our spirit of benevolence should also increase.  Estius.

Haydock Commentary Luke 14:15-24

• Ver. 16. By this man we are to understand Christ Jesus, the great mediator between God and man.  He sent his servants, at supper-time, to say to them that were invited, that they should come; i.e. he sent his apostles to call the people of Israel, who had been invited to his supper on almost innumerable occasions: but they not only refused the invitation, but also murdered the Lord who had invited them.  We may remark, that the three different excuses exactly agree with what S. John says: All that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, and concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life.  The one says, I have married a wife, by which may be understood the concupiscence of the flesh; another says, I have bought five yoke of oxen, by which is denoted the concupiscence of the eyes; and the pride of life is signified by the purchase of the farm, which the third alleges in his justification.  S. Aug. de verb. Dei.
• Ver. 23. Compel them to come in. This is almost the only expression in the New Testament, which can give to the intolerant a plea for persecution.  The spirit of the gospel is the spirit of mildness, and the compulsion which it authorizes to bring infidels or heretics into the Church, is such as we use towards our friends, when we press them to accept of our hospitality.  The great pope, S. Gregory, forbade the Jews to be persecuted in Rome, who refused to receive the faith of Christ. “That is a new and unheard of kind of preaching,” says he, “which demands assent by stripes.”  A.

November 2 2009 Monday The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
Saint of the Day – Feast of All Souls

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/110209.shtml

Wisdom 3:1-9
Douay Rheims Challoner

But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery: And their going away from us, for utter destruction: but they are in peace. And though in the sight of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality. Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded: because God hath tried them, and found them worthy of himself.

As gold in the furnace, he hath proved them, and as a victim of a holocaust, he hath received them, and in time there shall be respect had to them. The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. They shall judge nations, and rule over people, and their Lord shall reign for ever. They that trust in him shall understand the truth: and they that are faithful in love, shall rest in him: for grace and peace are to his elect.

Responsorial Psalm 22 (Ps 23 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

The Lord ruleth me: and I shall want nothing.
He hath set me in a place of pasture.
He hath brought me up, on the water of refreshment:
He hath converted my soul.
He hath led me on the paths of justice, for his own name’s sake.
For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evils, for thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.
Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that afflict me.
Thou hast anointed my head with oil;
and my chalice which inebreateth me, how goodly is it!
And thy mercy will follow me all the days of my life.
And that I may dwell in the house of the Lord unto length of days.

Romans 5:5-11
Haydock New Testament

And hope confoundeth not: because the charity of God is poured out into our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us. For why did Christ, when as yet we were weak, according to the time, die for the ungodly?

For scarce for a just man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man some one would venture to die. But God commendeth his charity towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, Christ died for us: much more, therefore, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son: much more being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. And not only so: but also we glory in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 6:3-9
Haydock NT

Know you not that all we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death? For we are buried together with him by baptism unto death: that as Christ is risen from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also may walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, in like manner we shall be also of his resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, and that we may serve sin no longer.

For he that is dead, is justified from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall live also together with Christ: Knowing that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more, death shall no more have dominion over him.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint John 6:37-40
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said:

All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me: and him that cometh to me, I will not cast out: Because I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. Now this is the will of the Father, that sent me: that of all that he hath given me, I should not lose thereof, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of my Father, that sent me: that every one who seeth the Son, and believeth in him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Haydock Commentary Wisdom 3:1-9
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 1. Of death, is not in Sept.  During life the just are protected by God, (Lu. xii. 7.) and still more in death.  This passage is very applicable to martyrs.  C. — Temporal death is to the just the road to happiness, where they shall not incur damnation, or the torment of death. Though the martyrs seem to be utterly destroyed, they pass to joys eternal and unspeakable.  W.
• Ver. 2. Die. In this the wicked are not under a mistake; but they err when they suppose that the just shall be no more.  If the hopes of the pious where confined to this world, they would be the most miserable of all.  1 Cor. xv. 19.  C.
• Ver. 6. Holocaust. The sufferings (M.) which they have voluntarily endured, cause them to be pleasing to God.  H.  Zac. xiii. 9. — Time of judgment, or of death.  C. — Sept. “at the time of their visitation, they shall shine, and,” &c.  v. 7.  Matt. xiii. 43.  H.  Zac. xii. 6.
• Ver. 8. Judge. All the just shall approve of God’s condemning the wicked.  W. — They shall be invested with power, (Apoc. ii. 26.  Matthew xix. 28.) which, like that of Christ, will be of a spiritual nature, (H.) and will appear most terrible at the last day.  Matt. xxviii. 18.  Apoc. xix. 6.  C.
• Ver. 9. Elect. Sept. add, “and a visitation for his saints.”  Charity secures both faith and hope; which, without it, are unavailing to happiness.  H. — Those who have the virtue of hope, will await the completion of God’s promises.

Haydock Commentary Romans 5:5-11

• Ver. 5. God having prevented us with his gifts when we did not at all deserve them, having showered upon us the blessings of faith, charity, patience, and fidelity, we cannot but have the greatest confidence that after this pledge and assurance of his good will towards us, he well finish the work he has begun, and bring us to his heavenly kingdom.  Calmet. — Not only the gift of the Holy Spirit, but the Spirit himself, is given to us, who resides in our soul as in his own temple, who sanctifies it, and makes it partaker of his divine love.  Menochius.
• Ver. 6. &c. Why did Christ . . . die for the ungodly? He shews Christ’s great mercy and love for mankind, that he would die for us, who were sinners, and consequently his enemies.  How few are there that will lay down their lives for a just man, or for a just cause? — Perhaps for a good man. That is, for another, who has been good to him, his friend or benefactor, we may find one that will expose or lay down his life.  But Christ, in due time, appointed by the divine decree, died for sinners, for us all.  And if we have been reconciled to God, and justified by his death; now being made the children of God, and his friends, we may with greater confidence hope to be saved.  Wi. — The text of the Greek is as follows: For when we were weak, he gave us our Lord Jesus Christ to redeem us; shewing how much God loved us, to perform such stupendous acts of love in our behalf.  But the reading of the Vulgate is conformable to S. Irenæus, (lib. iii. c. 18.) and to the commentaries of this epistle, which have been published under the name of S. Ambrose, and S. Jerom.  Calmet. — S. Augustin says, those whom the apostle first calls weak, he afterwards calls impious, hos dixit infirmos quos impios.  Ep. lix. ad Paulinum. — S. Jerom, and other fathers and commentators, explain the Greek text of this verse as follows: Scarcely would any one die for a just cause; for who would ever think of dying in defence of injustice?  Others explain it thus: Scarcely a single man would die for one that was wicked and unjust: for we can hardly find a person ready to lay down his life for a good man; his friend and benefactor, who has been kind to him.  Calmet.

Haydock Commentary Romans 6:3-9

• Ver. 3. &c. We . . . are baptized in his death. Greek, unto his death. The apostle here alludes to the manner of administering the sacrament of baptism, which was then done by immersion or by plunging the person baptized under the water, in which he finds a resemblance of Christ’s death and burial under ground, and of his resurrection to an immortal life.  So must we after baptism rise to lead a quite different life: having been also, when we were baptized and made Christians, planted as branches ingrafted in Christ, let us endeavour to bring forth the fruits of a virtuous life.  Wi. — Old man . . . body of sin. Our corrupt state, subject to sin and concupiscence, coming to us from Adam, is called our old man, as our state, reformed in and by Christ, is called the new man. And the vices and sins which then ruled in us, are named the body of sin. Ch. — The old and sinful man we must look upon as crucified with him, and the body of sin, or our sinful body, destroyed.  We must look upon ourselves as dead to sin, and that we must sin no more, as Christ being once risen, dies no more.  Wi.
• Ver. 7. He that is dead is justified from sin.[1]  Some translate, is freed from sin: this is true; but perhaps it is better to retain the word justified, which is observed to be a law-word used in courts of justice, where to be justified is to be acquitted, so that a man cannot be questioned again on that account; and so are sinners, when their sins are forgiven.  Wi.

Haydock Commentary John 6:37-40

• Ver. 38. Christ does not say this as if he did not whatever he wished; but he recommends to us his humility.  He who comes to me shall not be cast forth, but shall be incorporated with me, because he shall not do his own will, but that of my Father.  And therefore he shall not be cast forth; because when he was proud, he did his own will, and was rejected.  None but the humble can come to me.  S. Hilary and S. Austin. — An humble and sincere faith is essentially necessary to believe the great mysteries of the Catholic faith, by means of which we come to God and believe in God.  A.

November 1 2009 Solemnity of All Saints

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/110109.shtml

Revelation (Apocalypse) 7:2-4, 9-14
Haydock New Testament

And I (John) saw another Angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four Angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying:

Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we seal the servants of our God in their foreheads.

And I heard the number of them that were sealed, an hundred forty-four thousand sealed, of all the tribes of the children of Israel. After this I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues: standing before the throne, and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands: And they cried with a loud voice, saying:

Salvation to our God, who setteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb.

And all the Angels stood round about the throne, and the ancients, and the four living creatures: and they fell down before the throne, upon their faces, and adored God, Saying:

Amen. Benediction and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honour, and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen

And one of the ancients answered and said to me:

Who are these that are clothed in white robes, and whence came they?

And I said to him:

My lord, thou Knowest.

And he said to me:

These are they who are come out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Responsorial Psalm 23:1-6 (Ps 24 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof:
the world, and all they that dwell therein.
For he hath founded it upon the seas;
and hath prepared it upon the rivers.
Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord:
or who shall stand in his holy place?
The innocent in hands, and clean of heart,
who hath not taken his soul in vain
He shall receive a blessing from the Lord,
and mercy from God his Saviour.
This is the generation of them that seek him,
of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob.

1 John 3:1-3
Haydock NT

Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called, and should be the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not: because it hath not known him. Dearly beloved, we are now the sons of God: and it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like to him: because we shall see him as he is. And every one that hath this hope in him, sanctifieth himself, as he also is holy.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 5:1-12a
Haydock New Testament

Beatitudes

Now Jesus seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him. And opening his mouth he taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you untruly, for my sake;
Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for your reward is very great in heaven: for so they persecuted the prophets, that were before you.

Haydock Commentary Apocalypse 7: 2-4, 9-14
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 2.
  Having the seal. This sign is generally supposed to be the sign of the cross. In the East, it was the custom to impress some indelible mark upon the soldiers. This sign amongst the ancient Christians was used on every occasion. Calmet.
  
• Ver. 3.
  Hurt not the earth, &c. Some understand Christ himself, who gives his commands in this manner to the Angels; others, an Angel of a higher rank or order. —
  Till we seal the servants of our God in their foreheads, which may be expounded, let not persecutions and trials come upon them till they are strengthened by the spirit and grace of God, with which S. Paul sometimes says the servants of God are signed and sealed. See 2 Cor. i. 22. Ephes. i. 13. He alludes to the passages of Ezech. (C. ix. 4.) where God bids and angel mark with the letter Tau the foreheads of those who should not be hurt by the judgments that were to fall upon Jerusalem; so God would protect the faithful Christians, who believe and put their trust in Christ crucified, and who from the first ages, in testimony of this faith, used to sign themselves by making the sign of the cross on their foreheads, of which the letter Tau was a figure or resemblance. See Tertul. de lib. Corona militis. I beg the readers patience, if I here set down what I find in the great Synopsis Papismi, in folio, put out by Mr. Andrew Willet, and dedicated first to queen Elizabeth, and afterwards to king James the first. Among his demonstrations, as he calls them, that the pope is the antichrist, (Controv. iv. q. 10. p. 232 and 233) he tells us in plain terms, “that the sign of the cross is one of the visible signs of antichrist. And who,” saith he, “hath taught the papists that the sign of the cross is to be borne or made on men’s foreheads? And that with crossing the forehead we are preserved from dangers? The superstitious marks of the cross had their beginning from the beast’s name, since the number of the beast’s name in the Revelation of S. John is by these Greek letters, . The first letter, , is a cross; the middle letter, , (in Latin, X) is also a side long cross; and the last letter, , contains both and of which the latter is called a headless cross;” and then Mr. Willet concludes in these words, “And thus it plainly appears, that the marks whereby the papists say they honour Christ, are rather a dishonour to him, and are in very deed the cognizance of antichrist.” Such an ingenious, and at the same time learned fancy, may perhaps outvie even those we have cited out of Mr. Brightman, and may be equally serviceable to any country parson on the fifth of November, or on any day when he shall think fit to hold forth against the pope or popery. I suppose that Mr. Willet did not know that the Christians in the first ages (as all Catholics to this day) made so frequent use of the sign of the cross, as it is witnessed by Tertullian above two hundred years before even any Protestant pretended that the popes began to be antichrists, or the great antichrist. And this, says he, they do by a tradition from father to son. At every setting forward or going about any thing, at coming home or going out, at putting on our clothes, at going to bathe, to table, to light a candle, to bed, to sit down, to any thing, we make the sign of the cross on our foreheads. And this is a tradition. The like is witnessed by S. Chrys. S. Cyril of Jerusalem, and many of the Fathers. At the same time that with our hand we make the sign of the cross, we say these words, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;” the words used when any one is made a Christian, according to the command of Christ. So that the action itself puts us in mind that Jesus Christ died for us on the cross; and by the words, we make a profession of our Christian faith, that we believe in one God and three Persons. Can we do this too often? Dare we be ashamed of doing it? Was ever any thing more ridiculous than to call this in very deed the cognizance of antichrist? What must Mr. Willet have thought of the Protestants, or what can they think of him, and such like folio scribbers, to prove the popes the beast of S. John’s Revelation? What must, I say, Mr. Willet think of the public liturgy, or the book of common prayer, approved and used by the Church of England in his time, and which ordains that the sign of the cross shall be made by the priest on the forehead of every one that is baptized? This, according to Mr. Willet, is (when any one is made a Christian) to give him the badge, and visible sign of antichrist, to the dishonour of Christ, and what in very deed is the cognizance of antichrist. Wi.
  
• Ver. 4.
  I heard the number of them that were sealed. By these determinate numbers need only be understood a great number of Jews converted and saved, though much greater was the number of the saved taken from among the Gentiles of all nations, of which it is said, I saw a great multitude, which no man could number, &c. Wi. — The number of one hundred and forty-four thousand is not to be taken in a literal and strict sense, but to express in general terms the great number of the elect; for it appears that the tribe of Dan, which certainly must have produced some elect, is not mentioned, and the tribe of Joseph is put in lieu of that of Ephraim: so that if it be supposed that these numbers must be taken literally, the tribe of Joseph would have produced a double number to that of any other tribe, since Manasses was his son, and the tribe of Dan would have produced none. Ven. Bede.
  
• Ver. 10.
  Salvation to our God; i.e. our salvation is from God, to whom be praise for ever, Amen, benediction, or blessings, thanksgiving. &c. Wi.
  
• Ver. 14. White in the blood of the Lamb. That is, they have been cleansed and purified from sin, by the death, merits, and grace of Christ crucified. Wi. — The whole of this verse must be understood in a mystical sense, for we are said to make our garments white in the blood of the Lamb, when we enter into his Church by baptism, or wash away our sins by penance or martyrdom. Calmet.
  

Haydock Commentary 1 John 3:1-3

• Ver. 1.
  Behold what manner of charity (or of love) the Father hath bestowed upon us. S. John had said in the last verse of the foregoing chapter that every one who doth justice, is born of him; i.e. is the son of God by adoption. But the world knoweth us not, nor esteems and values us as such: and no wonder, because they have not known, nor acknowledged, nor reverenced God as they ought. We indeed are the sons of God; we believe it, because God has assured us of it; but it hath not yet appeared what we shall be, (ver. 2) to what glory or happiness we shall thereby be exalted hereafter, for neither eye hath seen, nor the ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for those who love him. 1 Cor. ix. 2. We only know this, that his elect shall be like to him, because they shall see him as he is, when they shall enjoy him in heaven. Wi.
  

Haydock Commentary Matthew 5:1-12a

• Ver. 1. What is said here, does not follow immediately what was said in the preceding chapter. See Luke vi.
  
• Ver. 2.
  Opening his mouth. It is a Hebraism, to signify he began to speak. Wi. — This is a common expression in Scripture, to signify something important is about to be spoken. Thus it is used in various other places, as “Job opening his mouth cursed his day, and said,” &c. Daniel, c. x. et alibi. Jan. — And why is it added, says S. Chry. “and opening his mouth,” without doubt that we might know, that not only when he spoke, but even when silent, he gave instruction: sometimes, therefore, he opened his mouth; at other times he spoke by his very actions. Hom. xv.
  
• Ver. 3.
  The poor in spirit;[1] which, according to the common exposition, signifies the humble of mind and heart. Yet some understand it of such as are truly in poverty and want, and who bear their indigent condition with patience and resignation. Wi. — That is, the humble; and they whose spirit is not set upon riches. Ch. — It is not without reason that the beatitudes are disposed of in this order. Each preceding one prepares the way for what immediately follows, furnishing us in particular with spiritual arms of such graces as are necessary for obtaining the virtue of the subsequent beatitude. Thus the poor in spirit, i.e. the truly humble, will mourn for their transgressions, and whoever is filled with sorrow and confusion for his own sins, cannot but be just, and behave to others with meekness and clemency; when possessed of these virtues, he then becomes pure and clean of heart. Peace of conscience reigns in this assemblage of virtues, and cannot be expelled the soul by any tribulations, persecutions, or injustices of men. Chry. hom. xv. What is this poverty of spirit, but humility and contrition? This virtue of humility is placed in the first place, because it is the parent of every other virtue, as pride is the mother of every vice. Pride deprived our first parents of their original innocence, and nothing but humility can restore us to our former purity. We may pray and fast, we may be possessed of mercy, chastity, or any virtues, if humility do not accompany them, they will be like the virtue of the Pharisee, without foundation, without fruit. Hom. xv.
  
• Ver. 4. The land of the living, or the kingdom of heaven. The evangelist prefers calling it the land of the living in this place, to shew that the meek, the humble, and the oppressed, who are spoiled of the possession of this earth by the powerful and the proud, shall obtain the inheritance of a better land. M. — “They shall possess the land,” is the reward annexed by our Saviour to meekness, that he might not differ in any point from the old law, so well known to the persons he was addressing. David, in psalm xxxvi, had made the same promise to the meek. If temporal blessings are promised to some of the virtues in the beatitudes, it is that temporal blessings might always accompany the more solid rewards of grace. But spiritual rewards are always the principal, always ranked in the first place, all who practice these virtues are pronounced blessed. Hom. xv.
  
• Ver. 5. Not those that mourn for worldly motives, but such as mourn for their sins, are blessed. The sorrow that is according to God, says S. Paul, worketh penance steadfast unto salvation, but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 2 Cor. vii. 10. The same is promised in S. John; (xvi. 20,) you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. M.
  
• Ver. 6.
  Hunger and thirst; i.e. spiritually, with an earnest desire of being just and holy. But others again understand such as endure with patience the hardships of hunger and thirst. Wi. — Rupertus understands those to whom justice is denied, such as poor widows and orphans. Maldonatus those who from poverty really suffer hunger and thirst, because justice is not done them. M. — They shall be filled with every kind of good in their heavenly country. I shall be filled when thy glory shall appear. Psalm xvi.
  
• Ver. 7. Not only the giving of alms, but the practice of all works of mercy, both corporal and spiritual, are recommended here, and the reward will be given on that day when God will repay every one according to his works, and will do by us, as we have done by our brethren. A.
  
• Ver. 8. The clean of heart are either those who give themselves to the practice of every virtue, and are conscious to themselves of no evil, or those who are adorned with the virtue of charity. For nothing is so necessary as this purity in such as desire to see God. Keep peace with all and chastity, says S. Paul, for without this none can see God. Many are merciful to the poor and just in their dealings, but abstain not from luxury and lust. Therefore our Saviour, wishing to shew that mercy was not sufficient, adds, that if we would see God, we must also be possessed of the virtue of purity. S. Chry. hom. xv. By this, we shall have our heart exempt from all disordinate love of creatures, and shall be exclusively attached to God. A. —
  The clean of heart, i.e. they who are clean from sin: who are pure in body and mind, says S. Chrysostom. It seems to be a particular admonition to the Jews, who were mostly solicitous about an outward and legal cleanness. Wi.
  
• Ver. 9. To be peaceful ourselves and with others, and to bring such as are at variance together, will entitle us to be children of God. Thus we shall be raised to a participation in the honour of the only begotten Son of God, who descended from heaven to bring peace to man, and to reconcile him with his offended Creator. Chry. hom. xv.
  
• Ver. 10. Heretics and malefactors suffer occasionally, but they are not on this account blessed, because they suffer not for justice. For, says S. Aug. they cannot suffer for justice, who have divided the Church; and where sound faith or charity is wanting, there cannot be justice. Cont. epis. Parm. l. i. c. 9. ep. 50. ps. 4. conc. 2. B. — By justice here we understand virtue, piety, and the defence of our neighbour. To all who suffer on this account, he promises a seat in his heavenly kingdom. We must not think that suffering persecution only, will suffice to entitle us to the greatest promises. The persecutions we suffer must be inflicted on us on his account, and the evils spoken of us must be false and contradicted by our lives. If these are not the causes of our sufferings, so far from being happy, we shall be truly miserable, because then our irregular lives would be the occasion of the persecutions we suffer. Chry. hom. xv.
  
• Ver. 12. Reward, in Latin merces, in Greek , signifies wages done for hire, and due for work, and presupposes merit. B. — If you participate in the sufferings of the prophets, you will equally participate in their glory, their reward. A.