First of February - Feast of St. Brigid in Ireland. Monday of week 4 of the year, Gospel Mark 5: 1-20.
The Gadarene Swine
For the Community Mass this morning has a long Gospel.
It is easily remembered by the ‘Gadarene Swine’ drama. The words have become idiomatic in the language. Among journalists and politicians they bandy the abuse on opposition parties as the “Gadarene swine on the Gadarene slide”.
The best Catechesis on the text Mark 5: 1-20 is found from Pope Benedict xvi in one of his Audiences. He says that, “the existence of the power of evil . . . is an undeniable fact”.
See below . . .
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""".
Every thing is connected.Today, the 1st February, is the popular Saint, Brigid of the Gaels.
In many homes, the St. Brigid RUSH-CROSS is kept prominent in the house and in the places of animals.
In the late Fr. Felim’s room, the Rush-Cross still hangs. The tradition continues in so many homes as the visual memorial of St. Brigid, and a kind of sacramental of exorcism of evil in the home, protection for the family.
[St. Brigid Faughart near Dundalk.
In 2005 I had the happy occasion at the Retreat of the Order of St. Clare - Poor Clares at the birthplace of St. Bridgid at the neardy shrine of Faughart.
Faughart is a town in County Louth, Ireland, situated between Forkill and Dundalk. It was the birthplace of St. Brigid (450 A.D.), and Edward Bruce is buried in the graveyard on the hill above the town. Bruce, who had taken the title King of Ireland, was defeated and killed at the Battle of Faughart in 1318. Landmarks include St. Bridget's stone and pillar, her shrine and well, and modern religious sites devoted to the saint that attract pilgrims and tourists].
Celtic Tradition
St. Brigid (c. 451-525), the foundress of women’s religious life in Ireland, was born in Faughart, a mile down the road from our monastery. Brigid’s form of life was Celtic monasticism. Her contemporary, St. Moninna (432-518), continued this tradition and established the first women’s monastic settlement on Faughart Hill, in the foothills of the CooleyMountains. The ruins of this monastery overlook our own monastery.
Pope Benedict XVI
General Audience of 03/12/08
Mark 5:1-20."Unclean spirit, come out of the man!"
Thus, the existence of the power of evil in the human heart and in human history is an undeniable fact. The question is: how can this evil be explained?...
Faith tells us: there exist two mysteries, one of light and one of night, that is, however, enveloped by the mysteries of light.
The first mystery of light is this: faith tells us that there are not two principles, one good and one evil, but there is only one single principle, God the Creator, and this principle is good, only good, without a shadow of evil.
And therefore, being too is not a mixture of good and evil; being as such is good and therefore it is good to be, it is good to live. This is the good news of the faith: only one good source exists, the Creator...
Then follows a mystery of darkness, or night. Evil does not come from the source of being itself, it is not equally primal. Evil comes from a freedom created, from a freedom abused. How was it possible, how did it happen? This remains obscure. Evil is not logical. Only God and good are logical, are light.
Evil remains mysterious... We may guess, not explain; nor may we recount it as one fact beside another, because it is a deeper reality. It remains a mystery of darkness, of night.
But a mystery of light is immediately added. Evil comes from a subordinate source. God with his light is stronger. And therefore evil can be overcome. Thus the creature, man, can be healed... And finally, the last point: man is not only healable, but is healed de facto. God introduced healing. He entered into history in person. He set a source of pure good against the permanent source of evil.
The Crucified and Risen Christ, the new Adam, counters the murky river of evil with a river of light. And this river is present in history: we see the Saints, the great Saints but also the humble saints, the simple faithful. We see that the stream of light which flows from Christ is present, is strong.
Following visiting Kursi on two occasions, I was sorely tempted to accept the invitation to join the Volunteers in the Kursi archaeology dig at the site. There are excellent pictures of Kursi in this Website (biblewalks.com).
Mar 4:24And he said to them, "Take heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.
Mar 4:25For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away."
NRSV
Mar 4:24 And he said to them, "Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.
Mar 4:25 For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."
Vulgate
Mar 4:24et dicebat illis videte quid audiatis in qua mensura mensi fueritis remetietur vobis et adicietur vobis
Mar 4:25qui enim habet dabitur illi et qui non habet etiam quod habet auferetur ab illo
DRB
Mar 4:24And he said to them: Take heed what you hear. In what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again, and more shall be given to you.
Mar 4:25For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, that also which he hath shall be taken away from him.
----- Forwarded Message ----
From: William . . .
To: Donald . . .Sent: Sat, January 30, 2010 10:06:48 AM
Subject: re: Give - Get – Still More
Dear Father Donald,
I love your extract from St. Thomas Aquinas, and the R. Knox harmony of the Gospels. I have something to share on Mark 4: 24.
Walking passed a charity bookshop on Thursday, I was very curious about a paperback "Amplified Bible" in their window. The preface explained that it "attempts to go beyond the traditional 'word-for-word' concept of translation to bring out the richness of the Hebrew and Greek languages. Its purpose is to reveal, together with the single English word equivalent to each key Hebrew and Greek word, any other clarifying meanings that may be concealed by the traditional translation method". This was enough to tempt me, for I have neither Hebrew nor Greek understanding, and I might gain from having it by me. In the shop, I found the day's reading which I had read that morning:
Mark 4: 24 The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you - and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.
My bible commentary give little on this verse, whereas the [amplification] greatly enriches it for me. You may know of the Amplified Bible (perhaps you might know it), but the delight for me is how this passage has been running in my mind, with its 'interior' meaning, and lo! it features on your Blog! The Amplified Bible is online http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Amplified-Bible-AMP
. . .
Yours . . .
William
___________________________
Thank you, William,
Amplified Bible is OK.
I looked for Amplified Bible and after a third search found it was on our shelves..
Your COMMENT set me on further searching.
After ‘Measure and Measure’ and ‘Golden Rule’, I think the next heading should be ‘Give – Get –and still More’. That is the best version in both RSV and NRSV above.
On the other hand, the best backup however is the King James with Strong’s numbers (online explanations). That is from our e-Sword online Bible. Do you have that on board?
KJV+
Mar 4:24And2532 he said3004 unto them,846Take heed991what5101yehear:191with1722what3739measure3358yemete,3354itshallbemeasured3354toyou:5213and2532untoyou5213that hear191shallmore be given.4369
At the back of my mind, the Thomas Aquinas Catena Aurea memory prompted me to link Jesus’ ‘Measure’ with the Eucharist/Blessed Sacrament. It suggests hearing Jesus speaking in the ‘first person’ instead of the ‘third person’; “the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more”
Meanwhile, surprise, surprise, (not yet caught up with Thomas Aquinas), this is from David Wilkerson (of The Cross and the Switchblade. Fame), taking up the perspective of:
“He said unto them…with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath” (Mark 4:24–25).
Jesus knew these words might sound strange to non-spiritual ears, so he preceded his message by saying, “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:23). Jesus was telling us, “If your heart is open to God’s Spirit, you’ll understand what I have to say to you.”
What, exactly, is Jesus saying in this passage? He’s speaking of the glory of God in our lives—that is, Christ’s manifest presence. In short, the Lord measures out his glorious presence in various amounts, whether to churches or to individuals. Some don’t receive any of his glory. Yet others receive an ever-increasing measure, emanating from their lives and churches in greater and greater amounts.
God has promised to pour out his Spirit on his people in these last days. Indeed, all of Scripture points to a triumphant, glory-filled church at the close of time. Jesus himself said the gates of hell will not prevail against his church. We won’t be limping into heaven—beaten down, depressed, whimpering, defeated, discouraged. No—our Lord is going to bring greater power to his church. This power won’t be manifested merely in signs and wonders. It will be revealed in his people—in the glorious transformation of hearts touched by God’s Spirit.
How can we obtain a greater, ever-increasing measure of Christ’s glory? The Lord tells us very clearly: “With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you” (Mark 4:24).Jesus is saying, “According to the portion of yourself you allot to me, I’ll give back to you in like portion. I’ll deal with you in the manner you deal with me. Whatever measure you mete out to me, I’ll mete out to you.” If you mete out to God sloth and laziness—taking for granted his great work—you’ll be dealt a spirit of slumber. “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger” (Proverbs 19:15). As a result, your soul will go hungry, unable to be satisfied.
God’s love, mercy and grace toward us are boundless. The issue here isn’t obtaining his love, mercy or grace—but having the blessing of his glory in our lives.
Jesus states plainly that he measures out different amounts of his glory to us, according to how we measure out our hearts to him. Our part is simply to move ever closer to him—in our worship, obedience and diligence.
2 As you have judged, so you will be judged; by the same rule; award shall be made you as you have made award, in the same measure.
LUKE 6: 36-42
38 Give, and gifts will be yours; good measure pressed down and shaken up and running over, will be poured you’re your lap; the measure you award to others is the measure that will be awarded to you.
MARK 4: 1-25
24 And he said to them, Look well what it is that you hear.
The measure in which you give is the measure in which you will be repaid, and
Thursday, January 28 Memorial of Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
The “Catena Aurea”, Thomas Aquinas’ Golden Chain, is an encouraging dip into his mountain of writings.
As we celebrate the Eucharist on his Feast Day it is a wish to see a Catena Aurea, on specific passages on the Eucharistic
There is a reference, “Instructions for the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ” (Saint Thomas Aquinas). It is not easily found. . . .
Mark 4: 21-25
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you, who has, more will be given;
--------------------------------------------
MEDITATION
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The Measure We Measure With
We ought to do good because all things are naturally intended to do good and whenever a person sacrifices himself, that is a sign of divine goodness. The goodness of God is poured forth in all things. It is a great indication of divine goodness that each creature is compelled to make some sacrifice ...
We ought to do good because all things naturally desire goodness and tend to what is good. Goodness is that which is desired by all, even the sinner seeks goodness but it is only a fictitious good and not the real good which he seeks. The evil looks good to the sinner and for that reason he longs for it. …
This morning we celebrated the Mass of the Founders: Robert, Alberic and Stephen.
What does 'Founder' mean?
When we dip into the Saints and the Hagiographies we come across this funny word, ‘Equipollent Canonization’. It is a very simple translation, ‘equivalent canonisation’.
Saint Robert was the kind of popular, head hunted personality for communities, and with his Vita (Life) guaranteed his soon canonisation.
Alberic and Stephen, the equivalent canonised Saints, are the ones who did ground work of the Cistercian Order. Robert had thirteen months as Abbot in Citeaux. Alberic was Abbot for 10 years and set firm base, Stephen Harding succeeded the next 20 years, and their lives had more or less had declined awaybefore the surge of St. Bernard and his followers.
The only sense of it all is really the movement of the Holy Spirit.
+ + +
We are mindful of new FOUNDERS today, the building of the new community in Norway, Munkeby – Mariakloster.
It is the first Foundation of Citeaux Abbey since the 15th century.
It is the same Holy Spirit who leads us all in the offering of the Eucharistic celebration this morning.
Ref. The Canonization of Saints, by Mgr. P. E. Hallett.
An outline of the history and the processes of beatification and canonization.
Published by the Incorporated Catholic Truth Society, London, 1952.
--COMMENT-- --- Forwarded Message ----
From: William Sent: Tue, January 26, 2010 6:44:24 PM
Subject: Striking words
Dear Father Donald,
Thank you for these striking words of Fr Brendan which have a deep resonance at this stage in my life....
Life is a call to move out of ourselves. As youth gives way to middle age we are challenged to detach from perceived ideals. As middle age gives way to old age we are forced to give up false ambition and pretenses. As old age progresses, we are made to detach from physical health itself, our body. The world we wanted to create is slowly taken from us and something unfamiliar and new replaces it. It slowly dawns on us that God is calling us and leading us on - no matter how dark it seems or how unfamiliar the road. The new self made in this image of Christ is replacing the old self. We leave ourselves to find ourselves again. Life is teaching us.
Let us put ourselves in the hands of the Lord of Life.
Thank you - from just one of the many who will be appreciating this article on your Blog.
Today we are celebrating the feast of our three founders, Robert, Alberic and Stephen. Actually there were possibly 21 founders, but we mention only the first three abbots of the new foundation. The Rule of St. Benedict gives a lot of power to the abbot and one of the reasons the twenty-one monks left the Benedictine monastery of Molesme to settle in a place called Citeaux in Burgundy, was because they wanted a stricter interpretation of the Rule of St. Benedict. But it takes more than an abbot to make a monastery. In fact I can think of nothing worse than a monastery full of abbots bossing each other around!
Daily life in a monastery is a complex interchange between authority and obedience and often times it is difficult to know who has which - no matter what the official documents say. Take for instance the job of cantor. Who has more power than the cantor? Who could put a note on the board on a Saturday stating, "The Mass readings for Sunday have been changed from the ones given in our Mass reading booklet!" So, what if the abbot had a homily prepared based on the old readings! So the homily you are about to hear, is based on six scripture readings! It will be twice as long too!
Really, all the Mass readings are concerned with one theme, the call of God.
Our founders, all twenty-one of them, left one monastery to found another based on certain ideals they had about how the monastic life should be lived. It was not a smooth transition. The first abbot, Robert, was ordered back to his original monastery. No one joined the new group for years. They were on the verge of giving up when St. Bernard arrived with a large group and joined. After a lot of trouble they were eventually able to live out their dream.
Pastoral
Now almost a thousand years later, we are celebrating their memory. It is a good occasion to look at our own calling, our own dream. The scripture reading chosen for this celebration gives us a way of evaluating how we are doing.
The first reading, Gen 12:1-4a,is the call of Abraham. The call to leave his country, his relationship with his father's house. Each of us is free to interpret what that means for us. The early desert monks called it the three great renunciations or detachments.
Country meant all the wealth and riches of the world,
to leave your kindred and relationships meant the life of sin and vice that cling to us and become like kindred to us. To leave our father's house means the whole visible world as opposed to the invisible world of the Spirit.
These are radical renunciations just as are the ones in today's Gospel, Mt 19:27-29, and even more so the ones Paul speaks of: 1 Cor 1:26-31, leave our own wisdom and justice, even our own holiness.
What does all this mean? All this renunciation and detachment? I think it means that each of us is called to go out of ourselves, to go beyond ourselves. Take the journey to a new place, an unknown place. In the letter to the Hebrews we read that our ancestors set out on the journey not knowing where they were going. They were living on a promise and they died before the promise was fulfilled.
We too live on a promise. We can demand nothing. Monks have been accused of being Pelagians, making things happen by our own effort. If we fast or get up at 3:00 am, we will become spiritual men. Life is not like that. Life is a great teacher of detachment. We don't set our program and then watch it being fulfilled. We live our life and then come to understand it in the light of scripture. Life is a call to move out of ourselves. As youth gives way to middle age we are challenged to detach from perceived ideals. As middle age gives way to old age we are forced to give up false ambition and pretenses. As old age progresses, we are made to detach from physical health itself, our body. The world we wanted to create is slowly taken from us and something unfamiliar and new replaces it. It slowly dawns on us that God is calling us and leading us on-no matter how dark it seems or how unfamiliar the road. The new self made in this image of Christ is replacing the old self. We leave ourselves to find ourselves again. Are we good monks? Are we following our Founder? Are we good Christians? Who are we to judge? Life is teaching us.
Let us put ourselves in the hands of the Lord of Life.
Fr Brendan ocso (New Melleray)
Cistercian Publications is putting out the collection of homilies and chapter talks in April.
Sent: Sun, January 24, 2010 7:02:10 PM Subject: 3rd Sunday C
Homily - Fr. Raymond
3rd Sunday Year CLuke 4:16 seq.
In this scene we have what we mightcall the perfect setting for Jesus’ teaching.We have the crowd wrapped in attention; eager and anxious to hear what he has to say; hanging on his every word; all eyes fixed on him.But the scene ends very differently from what we would expect from such a favourable beginning.The crowd turns against him; they are enraged at him; they become an angry mob shouting for his blood; they hustle him out of the town to throw him over a cliff.
What went wrong then?What was it that so changed their attitude to him?Was it that he claimed to be from God; to be a prophet?No, they seemed to accept that on the strength of what they had heard about his miracle working in Capernaum.Was it that they were put off by his promises about deliverance from oppression; about setting the downtrodden free and bringing liberty to captives?Were they afraid that he was promising a rebellion against Rome and they were afraid of the hopeless bloodshed that would lead to?No, it was none of these things that turned them against him.
What turned them against him was the fact that he prophesied their rejection of him and God’s turning to the Gentile world with the offer of salvation.He did this by reminding them of God’s miraculous feeding of the widow of Sidon during the famine while jewish widows were dying of starvation.And he reminded them of the miraculous cure of the Syrian General Naaman while there were many lepers left to perish in Israel.
The lesson for us all is that we must be prepared to accept the word of God just as it comes at us:whether it is comforting or challenging; whether it is encouraging or warning.
The fruitfulness of God’s word in our lives depends to a great extent on the attitude we have to it; whether we accept it in faith for what it really is: God’s word for us, or whether we are indifferent to it or even antagonistic to it.
Just as we see the Fruitfulness of the words of Jesus himself depending on the basic attitude of the Crowds to whom he spoke.
. . . "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing'
The readings of the entire Pentateuch were covered in a three year cycle, much like our Christian lectionary today. Any well instructed male member of the assembly could be called upon to read and interpret the scriptures. On one occasion, Jesus was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to read (Is 61:1-2). The passage spoke of the restoration of Israel through the work of God's anointed one (the Messiah in Hebrew or Christos in Greek). Jesus announced that Isaiah's words applied to his own mission. He had been anointed by God's Spirit to announce a Jubilee year of God's favour.
Fulfilled in Your Hearing
“Truth halts at the intelligence, beauty penetrates even to the heart”. Lacordaire
Hearing the word of Jesus Christ in the Gospel, seeing his actions ... under the relief of Scripture, it is not possible for reason alone to recognize God there. Reason does not go beyond ideas, and although ideas lead it even to God, they only reveal his existence and his attributes, without revealing to it his person. There must be another light superadded to reason, in order that both together, inseparable, and convergent, may raise man to the vision of the divine personality, and prepare man one day to behold him in the impenetrable light of the uncreated essence; grace ... is that higher light which perfects reason by becoming united to it, and Jesus Christ... is the object of grace ...
Truth is not however that which first strikes us, nor is it that which most powerfully attracts to it the observation of the mind. Truth has a vesture, a halo, something which touches our inmost feeling, and against which we cannot shield ourselves save by a supreme effort of virtue; it is beauty. While truth alone leaves us masters of ourselves, beauty moves us; it attracts and enraptures us, it subjugates us even to leaving to our liberty only that which God, by his omnipotence, maintains there against all seduction. Truth halts at the intelligence, beauty penetrates even to the heart ... While truth arrests us within ourselves to consider it, beauty bears us out of ourselves towards the being in which it shines. It is, in a word and what a word! - the principle of love ...
Beauty is the creator of love ... God has sown beauty around us with a profusion that astounds and enraptures our thought ... As no beauty appears in the world without raising up a new love, Christ, the Man-God, had, as the first effect of his epiphany amongst us, the reward of a love before unknown to man, or, at least, of which he had lost all traces, in losing, with his innocence, the vision of his first days ...
Grace acts within to enlighten us. Christ appears without as the object of the light which penetrates within us; grace moves within the hidden springs of our liberty, Christ calls us without as the object of that inner emotion. And no one, however far away he may be, is sheltered from seeing and hearing him. We meet Jesus Christ here below as we meet another man.
