Parallel New Testaments

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10:38-42.

Martha and Mary

A homily on Martha and Mary speaks well on the hospitality of Jesus in Bethany.

In contrast plethora of New Testament versions, English Octapia, English Hexapla or more in the vernacular, the parallel NY translations must bemuse and bewilder us.. The Oxford University Press seems to have cornered a special market on parallel NY translations.

Catholic Comparative New Testament-PR-RSV/NRSV/Douay-Rheims/Nab/Gnt/Jb/NJB

By Oxford University Press 2006

The Contemporary Parallel New Testament: King James Version; New American Standard Bible Updated Edition; New Century Version; Contemporary English ... New King James Version; The Message [Hardcover] Oxford University Press, USA 1999

The most powerful argument about the collectable library of translations must be to drive Scripture students to the original languages.

The great incentive to learning Bible Greek is open to vast Internet tutorial systems.

The story of Martha and Mary makes an enjoyable exercise in the Greek analysis. The choice is plentiful in Online resources.

Luk 10:41 [But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha,] you are anxious and troubled about many things; Luk 10:42 one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her." RSV

Biblos Lk 10: 41-42

3309 V-PAI-2S μεριμνᾷς merimnas you are anxious	2532 CONJ καὶ kai and	5182 V-PPI-2S θορυβάζῃ thorubazē troubled	4012 PREP περὶ peri about	4183 A-APN πολλά, polla things	42 1520 42 A-GSN 42 ὀλίγων 42 oligōn 42 thing
1161 CONJ δέ de but	2076 V-PAI-3S ἐστιν estin is	5532 N-NSF χρεία chreia necessary	2228 PRT ἡ ē and	1520 A-GSN ἑνὸς· enos thing	3137 N-PRI Μαριὰμ mariam Mary
1063 CONJ γὰρ gar and	3588 T-ASF τὴν tēn the	18 A-ASF ἀγαθὴν agathēn good	3310 N-ASF μερίδα merida part	1586 V-AMI-3S ἐξελέξατο exelexato chosen	3748 R-NSF ἥτις ētis which
3756 PRT-N οὐκ ouk not	851 V-FPI-3S ἀφαιρεθήσεται aphairethēsetai will be taken away	846 P-GSF αὐτῆς. autēs her			Courtesy of Biblos com

Parallel New Testaments:

The Oxford University Press productions conform to a template for the two sets of eight translations, one set called Catholic set and the second set a the Others.

This synopsis of the Catholic Comparative NT is fits the template for both productions.

“The Douay-Rheims, RSVCB, NRSVCB, and NAB are called formal equivalent translations (popularly referred to as "word-for-word" translations). This means that scholars rendered the New Testament's original language into English that is as close as possible to its original wording. The result is a translation that is particularly valuable for careful analysis of the text. Meanwhile, the JB, GNB, NJB, and Christian Community Bible represent the "thought-for-thought" school of Bible translation (technically described as dynamic or functional equivalent). This method places the priority on the intended meaning of the original vocabulary, adapting it to English syntax and grammar. Such a translation tends to be easier to read and understand.”

This review is from: The Contemporary Parallel New Testament: King James Version; New American Standard Bible Updated Edition; New Century Version; Contemporary English ... New King James Version; The Message (Hardcover)

This Parallel New Testament is nothing more than a preface and foreward and the scriptures of eight more popular translations (with their preface and forewards). But that is great! The eight represent a strong cross section of translation styles, from the more literal word-for-word (NAS, NIV) to the more thought-for-thought (The Message, The Living Translation). I believe the variation of translations draws one closer to understanding what God is saying to us; this is the next best thing to reading it in the Greek (and having a Greek expert and 1st century historian available for interpretting those phrases that don't make sense in a word for word translation).

There seems the great divide between the two leagues, “from the more literal word-for-word (NAS, NIV), to the more thought-for-thought”. It seems a neat and useful distinction and hopefully not somewhat facile.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Matthew 12: 14-21

(12:20) A bruised reed shall he not break,
And smoking flax shall he not quench …

In the Media we learned of a man who suffered an accident, had extreme brain damage and has been paralysed. He has been lying in a special hospital for twelve months.

Family and friends came to the conclusion that the technology support should be terminated.

At that point the Doctors detected from the man’s eyes some reaction. The Doctors could get a response by his eyes. He was indicating that “I want to live”.

“A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench”.

The mystery of life is the life, a life within a life, within a life, within a life …

In our lives, whatever the limitations, disabilities, age or illness, is our hidden lives of grace, prayer, and response.

And so begin the offering of our Community Mass.

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Commentary PNT:

Mat 12:20 -

A bruised reed shall he not break. The reed, a hollow cylinder, if bruised has its strength destroyed. It thus becomes the symbol of the bruised spirit. The tender Savior will not break, but heal.

Smoking flax. The wick of the lamp that had ceased to burn clearly. The violent would put it out and fling it away. The Lord does not use such violence with those disciples who give forth some light, even if it is imperfect.

Till he send forth judgment. Till he shall sit in power and triumph on the throne of judgment.

Agony & Ecstasy

The great 1965 motion picture 'The Agony and the Ecstasy', which I have not seen, portrayed Michelangelo the great artist on a scaffold, painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. There is this scene were the Pope, Julius II, Michelangelo's patron and often hard-driving taskmaster, mounts the scaffold in absolute fascination to see the great artist's depiction of God Himself. Looking into the face of God, Pope Julius asks Michelangelo: 'Is that how you see Him, my son?'. How do you see Him? It is my prayer that you will see Him, this morning, as One who will not break the bruised reed, will not quench the smoking flax - and that your soul too will be quieted, soothed, comforted, encouraged and healed.

http://www.preachtheword.com/sermon/misc0075-bruisedreed.shtml

St Bonaventure.

Thursday, 15 July 2010

Saint Bonaventure
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(1218-1274)

From: Nivard …

Subject: Re: ζυγόν zugon yoke - 'My Yoke is Easy'
To: Donald
Date: Thursday, 15 July, 2010, 11:16

Introduction today's Mass What does the yoke of Jesus refer to, in today's gospel? The Jews used the image of a yoke to express submission to God. Jesus says his yoke is "easy". The Greek word for "easy" can also mean "well-fitting". Yokes were tailor-made to fit the oxen well. Oxen were yoked two by two. Jesus invites us to be yoked with him, to unite our life with his life, our will with his will, and our heart with his heart. To be yoked with Jesus is to be united with him in a relationship of love, trust, and obedience. This morning we celebrate the feast of St Bonaventure. He is styled the 'Seraphic Docter'. To know him was to love him on the spot, love at first sight! He exemplifies in a wonderful way what it means to share the single yoke with Jesus, tailor made to fit two people. (By a strange quirk of memory it calls to mind the old song: 'Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy, all for the love of you. We can't afford a new carriage But we'll look sweet going down the street on a bicycle built for two'!

Sea Sunday

----- Forwarded Message ----

From: father patrick slaney …
Sent: Wed, 7 July, 2010 0:08:04
Subject: "Sea Sunday" July 11, 2010

My dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ:

The Second Sunday of July each year is designated by the Christian Church as "Sea Sunday"

The Patron of Ministry at Sea is Our Lady of Mount Carmel,

whose Feast we celebrate on Friday, July 16th.

Sea Sunday, July 11th and Invocation to Our Lady of Mount Carmel go hand in hand.

I invite you to pray for all those who work and make a living from the Sea.

Please pray also for those who minister to those who work on the seas.

I include below

some important information

about Sea Sunday, July 11th in the Life of Seafarers.

SEA SUNDAY

Loneliness, danger and separation from loved ones are just some of the problems seafarers face.

Around the world, night and day, The Apostleship of the Sea, a branch of the Roman Catholic Church,

provides help and support to those in need.

As a Christian agency, Apostleship of the Sea operates in more than 230 ports

caring for the practical and spiritual welfare of seafarers of all nationalities and faiths.

Sea Sunday, July 11th is a day set aside in the Church’s calendar

to remember seafarers and to pray for them, their families and those that serve them.

It began in 1975 when the three Christian maritime missionary societies

– The Mission to Seafarers (Anglican),

the Apostleship of the Sea (Roman Catholic) and

the Sailors’ Society (Free Church)

decided there should be a day

in which the contributions of seafarers to the country were recognised.

Sea Sunday has gone on to become an international day with services, parades and ship blessings.

Sea Sunday A Message from the Pontifical Council, Roman Catholic Church, 2010

In many countries the second Sunday of July is traditionally set aside as Sea Sunday.

On this occasion

we would like to express our gratitude to seafarers and fishers

for their unique contribution to our society.

We remember also the chaplains and volunteers

that with their constant presence in the ports

provide pastoral care and welfare assistance

to everyone without distinction of nationality or religion.
Sea Sunday is considered also an important celebration

with which we would like to raise the awareness and support of the local Church

and the society

towards the ministry done by the Apostleship of the Sea.
We pray also for the Pontifical Council of the Roman Catholic Church which co-ordinates ministry within the maritime world.

Below please find a little additional information about "Apostleship of the Sea"

God Bless you,

as we make this prayer together

on

Sea Sunday, July 11th

and

on The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Friday, July 16th.

Sincerely in the Lord

Father Patrick

Apostleship of the Sea

The Apostleship of the Sea is the apostolic work of the Catholic Church offering hospitality and pastoral care to the People of the Sea. In almost every country bound by sea there exists a community of people who care for seafarers, fishers and their families regardless of their country or culture.

Caring for Seafarers & Fishers

Beloved, you are faithful in all that you do for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you; they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to help them in a way worthy of God as they continue their journey. (3 Jn 1:5-6)

Stella Maris Seafarers' Centres

Arriving in port seafarers and fishers often find themselves in unfamiliar surroundings, foreign language, foreign currency, and a different culture. What is familiar is the seafarers' centre. A seafarer can come to a port knowing that there is a place where he will be welcomed and cared for.
~ a home away from home

Benedict Solemnity

Sermon & Homily

Fr. T. gave us the Sermon in Chapter for the Solemnity. It might be called exciting about the 'bandits', all the citations of the shortcoming of monks through the Rule of Saint Benedict. We leave the peroration of the grace-savings of the good monk. Fr. T. is shy of publication.

The Homily for Saint Benedict at the public Mass was given by Fr. Hugh. It is his favourite subject and began from the first word in the Rule of St. Benedict, "Listen" (Ausculta), linked on to Evagre and Revelation of Vatican II. He had encourageing words for Oblates and Associates of Benedictines and Cistercians. It was excellent. Unfortunately, Fr. Hugh does not writs his Homilies.

Sunday, 11 July 2010.

We have to make do with this Reading of Aelred on Benedict.

SAINT BENEDICT
Abbot
(c. 480-547)

Patron of Europe

A Sermon for the Feast of St Benedict from St Aelred

• I know that you are accustomed to welcome with joy the feast days of the saints whenever they come, and that you increase your fervour by recalling and meditating on their lives and perfections. But I think that this feast of our Holy Father Benedict means more to you than others and is in some way more wwelcome. This is not so because it is a greater feast than all others but because he, our Father, is closer to than all the other saints, for in Christ Jesus through the Gospel he has given s birth.
  
  
• Whatever purity you have achieved through chastity, all the spiritual joy you have found in love, all the glory that is yours through a good conscience in despising worldliness, in labours, vigils, fasts, and voluntary poverty, all this comes from his teaching. Whatever progress you have made in meditation, prayer, compunction, devotion and the rest of the spiritual life, has not all of this been brought about in you by God's grace through his ministry and example? Therefore he is closer to you than the rest of the saints, so that his feast ought rightly to be. for you a day of greater joy.
  
  
• Consider Israel of the flesh, the Jews. By origin prang from the great Fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Nevertheless, the Jews glory more in Moses because through his prayers they received manna from heaven and water from the rock; because by his prayers they overcame their enemies; because they received from his hand the Law, which, if observed, would allow them to receive and possess the Land of Promise. Certainly, my brothers, if we see clearly and understand the benefits which the Lord has given us through our holy Father Benedict, we will see very clearly that monks ought not to love him any less than the Jews loved Moses. They were the slaves of the Egyptians; we, of our vices. The servants of Pharaoh spurred them on with whips, demanding bricks from mud. Perhaps you have forgotten the whipping you suffered in the world. One man sought after worldly honours and riches. What stripes he suffered from these desires; how he was beaten about by fear, by envy; how he was torn when he did not acquire what he wanted, when someone else acquired what he so ardently desired! If, however, he did acquire it how he was plagued by fear lest he lose it, and by sorrow when he did lose it! Another was driven on, wholly intent on satisfying his own wants and desires. How such a man was beaten about by erotic love, envy suspicions! And what happened when these vices were discovered? How he suffered! How downcast he was in spirit! And, over and above all this, how his conscience beat him! And what happened when each one began to think on his life and his sins?
  
  
• Each one can recall the violence which he suffered from his own evil habits and see how, by the grace of God and the doctrine of St Benedict, he is now free. He sees that God has given us greater things through St Benedict than He gave to the Jews through Moses.

(First Sermon for the Feast of st Benedict. From Cist. Studies 1969: 1, pp 70-72).

Anniversaries

Anniversaries

Brother Joseph (71). Abbot Columban (71).

Brother Joseph Woods

Brother Joseph John Woods - Founding Member

Br Joseph Woods

Founding Member

30 March 1915 - 11th July 1986

Dom Columban Mulcahy

born 1901

entered 1924

priest 1929

abbot 1948

died 15 July 1971

Dom Columban Mulcahy, First Abbot of Nunraw

COMMMENT 2 Seven significance

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: William J ....
To: Fr Donald ....
Sent: Fri, 9 July, 2010 20:59:37
Subject: Re: [Blog] Seven significance - further

Dear Father Donald,

Thank you! You have set me off...

I have found an interesting website! http://www.angelfire.com/az/rainbowbridge/seven.html

The web is like outer space... galaxy after galaxy! http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=156610

With my love in Our Lord,

William.

= = = = = = = = Thank you, William,
Angel Fire is an on target "hit".
Herewith, so helpful.
30 Paragraphs.
Donald.

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A RAINBOW BRIDGE LINKS PAGE

THE NUMBER SEVEN IN THE HOLY BIBLE

Bible. This is a chapter from the book, Biblical Mathematics,
written by Evangelist, Ed F. Vallowe.

1. When man began to analyze and combine numbers, he developed other interesting symbols. He took the perfect world number FOUR and added to it the perfect divine number, THREE, and got SEVEN, the most sacred number to the Hebrews. It was earth crowned with heaven -- the four-square earth plus the divine COMPLETENESS OF GOD. So we have SEVEN expressing COMPLETENESS through union of earth with heaven. This number is used more than all other numbers in the Word of God, save the number ONE.

2. In the Book of Revelation the number SEVEN is used throughout. There are SEVEN churches, SEVEN Spirits, SEVEN stars, SEVEN seals, SEVEN trumpets, SEVEN vials, SEVEN personages, SEVEN dooms, and SEVEN new things. SEVEN symbolizes Spiritual Perfection. 

COMMMENT Seven significance

---- Forwarded Message ----

From: William J ....
To: Donald ...
Sent: Thu, 8 July, 2010 19:49:09
Subject: [Blog] The significance of number 'Seven'

Prosper Guéranger - “The sevenfold sacraments”

Dear Father Donald,

Your Blog article which describes the 'seven' sacraments in such a fascinating way set me pondering upon the significance of the number 'seven' which has quite often caught my attention in a note in the commentary on the Gospels in the Christian Community Bible. I found the particular reference: "Our Father - in Matthew’s text 6:9 there are twelve verses expressing seven petitions: two perfect numbers: Three (God’s number) that refers to God, Four (earth’s number) that refers to our needs". Might I ask if you have any source that explains further the significance of the sacred numbers employed in the Gospels?

… in Our Lord,

William

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THANK YOU, William,

It happens that Night Office seemed to draw a blank of inspiration from the Readings or Psalms until I was taken aback (ahead?). It was nothing else than the last Response, “It is the only Son who is nearest to the Father”, Jn. 1:18

Response:.

• No one has ever seen God.
• * It is the only Son, who is nearest the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
• V: No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to the reveal him.
  

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While you are pondering about the significance of the number “seven”, the best quickie for the moment is from Collins GEM:

Seven. The only interest is in the sacred use of the numeral, a sanctity which is very ancient in the Middle East. Wisdom's House has 7 pillars (Prov. 9, I); Samson's hair was braided in 7 locks (Judg. 16, 13); to atone for a broken vow 7 sacrifices were needed (2 Sam. 21, 6). How 7 came to be so regarded is a moot point, but there were the 7 lights of heaven-sun, moon and 5 planets; and 7 is a quarter of the 28 days of the moon, which bas four phases. Its sanctity with the Jews, however, was due to their conviction that God at creation had hallowed the 7th day. See SABBATH.

Seven words. Jesus' words from the Cross. They are in order: 1. (Luke 23, 34). 2. (Luke 23, 43). 3. (John 19, 26 & 27). 4. (Mall. 27,46; Mark 15, 34). 5. (John 19, 28). 6. (John 19, 30). 7. (Luke 23,46).

Collins GEM. Dictionary of THE BIBLE.

I am just anticipating the surfing the Web to the boundless links.
Donald.