Durham Martyrs?

Lord of the Sabbath Saturday of the Twenty-second week in Ordinary Time 4th Sept St. Cuthbert Memorial First Letter to the Corinthians 4:6-15. “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (15). Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:1-5. "The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath." (5) The Gospel this morning is “The Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.” This is another Sabbath controversy on the Pharisees and disciples plucking the corn on Sabbath. In the great book of Benedict xvi, “Jesus  of Nazareth”, has a fine section on “The Dispute Concerning the Sabbath” (p.106ff). (The Audio Version unabridged Book is helpful to the partial sighted). I don’t quote from that book. There is sufficient from Jesus words, “The Son of Man is Lord  κύριος  of the Sabbath”. I am come to punctuate the clause: “The Son of Man is Lord, ... of the Sabbath.” And endorse, 'Christ is the Sabbath'. Another perspective!.’Christ is Rest’, Sabbath is Christ.’ Instead of the nitpicking about Pharisees and disciples plucking, Christ is at the centre. Looking for the connection of the two Readings, St. Paul is seen contending with the wayward Corinthians, 1Cor. 4:6-15. The itinerant preacher is translated as the “spiritual hobo” (astatoumen). His severe words yield to his affection for the hearers, “I became your father in Christ” (15). The two Readings, Luke and Paul, centred ON Christ, IN Christ. [Son of Man is Lord (of the Sabbath): Like Matt 12:8, Luke omits the prior statement about Sabbath being made for humans in Mark 2:27. He also omits the emphatic “even” (kai) in Mark. Nor does he have the "for" (gar) of Matthew, which makes the Christological point more explicit. His conclusion is no less emphatic, however for being abrupt. For the Son of Man and his exousia, see note on 5:24. (The Gospel of Luke, Sacra Pagina, L.T. Johnson p.102)] See blow: Benedict xvi, ‘Concerning the Sabbath.’   ------------------------------------------------------------ Today is the Memorial of Saint Cuthbert of Durham. Durham Cathedral is dedicated as the Church of Christ, Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Cuthbert. The Missal fails to name St. Cuthbert. Another Memorial failed is that of the Durham (Dunbar) Martyrs.Checking from Wikipedia: Durham Cathedral (Oliver Cromwell) After the Battle of Dunbar, September 3, 1650, Durham Cathedral was used by Oliver Cromwell as a makeshift prison to hold Scottish prisoners-of-war. It is estimated that as many as 3,000 were imprisoned of whom 1,700 died in the cathedral itself, where they were kept in inhumane conditions, largely without food, water or heat. The prisoners destroyed much of the cathedral woodwork for firewood but Prior Castell's clock, which featured the Scottish thistle, was spared. The prisoners' bodies were buried in unmarked graves. The survivors were shipped as slave labour to North America. In 1946 during work to install a new central heating system for the University, a mass grave of the Scottish soldiers was uncovered. In 1993 the Scottish Covenanter's Memorials Association discussed with the Cathedral the construction of a memorial to the soldiers, but this was inconclusive. Towards the end of 2007 a campaign was launched to commemorate the Dunbar Martyrs. Among the aims of the campaigners are to gain a Christian blessing for the dead and a memorial at the Cathedral burial site. Exhumation of the remains and reburial in Scotland is also under consideration. ----------------------------------------------------- From, “Jesus of Nazareth”, Benedict XVI, ‘The Dispute Concerning the Sabbath’, pp. 108-109. ‘…For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath’ (Mt l2:5-8). Neusner comments: "He [Jesus] and his disciples may do on the Sabbath what they do because they stand in the place of the priests in the Temple; the holy place has shifted, now being lormd by the circle made up of the master and his disciples" (pp. 83f:). At this point we need to pause for a moment in order to see what the Sabbath meant for Israel. This will also help us to understand what is at stake in this dispute. Cod rested on the seventh day, as the creation account in Genesis tells us. Neusner rightly concludes that on that day we ... celebrate creation" (p. 74). He then adds: "Not working on the Sabbath stands for more than nitpicking ritual. It is a way of imitating God (p. 75). The Sabbath is therefore not just a negative matter of nor engaging in outward activities, but a positive matter of "resting” which must also he expressed in a spiritual dimension: "So to keep the Sabbath, one remains at home. It is not enough merely not to work. One also has to rest. And resting means, re-forming one day a week the circle of family and household, everyone at home and in place" (p. 80). The Sabbath is not just a matter of personal piety; it is the core of the social order. This day "makes eternal Israel what it is, the people that, like God in creating the world, rest from creation on the Seventh Day" (p. 74). We could easily stop here to consider how salutary it would also be for our society today if families set aside one day a week to stay together and make their home the dwelling place and the fulfilment of communion in God's rest. But let us forgo such reflections here and remain with the dialogue between Jesus and Israel, which is also inevitably a dialogue between Jesus and us and between us and the Jewish people of today. For Neusner, the key word rest, understood as an integral clement of the Sabbath, is the connecting link to Jesus' exclamation immediately prior to the story of the disciples plucking the cars of wheat in Matthew's Gospel. It is the so-called Messianic Jubelreuf (joyful shout), which begins as follows: "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes" (Mt. 11:25-30). We are accustomed to considering these as two totally distinct texts. The first one speaks of Jesus' divinity, the other of the dispute surrounding the Sabbath. When we read Neusner, we realize that the two texts arc closely related, for in both cases the issue is the mystery of Jesus--the "Son of Man" of the "Son" par excellence. The verses immediately preceding the Sabbath narrative read as follows: "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt ]]:28-30). This is usually interpreted in terms of the idea of the liberal Jesus, that is, moralistically, Jesus' liberal understanding of the Law makes for a less burdensome life than "Jewish legalism." This interpretation is not very convincing in practice, though, for following Christ is not comfortable--and Jesus never said it would be, either.

Fisher of Souls

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5:1-11.

---- Forwarded Message ----
From: Nivard ...>
To: ..donald...>
Sent: Thu, 2 September, 2010 10:26:04
Subject: Me, Fisher of Souls??

Mass Introduction, 22nd Thursday 2010

Fishers of Men

  "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men".


This incident tells us an important truth about how God works in and through each of us for his glory. God expects of us greater things than we can do by ourselves.  When we cooperate in his works, we accomplish far beyond what we can do on our own.

Therese of Lisieux wrote to a friend: "..Jesus has so tremendous a love for us that he wills that we have a share with him in the salvation of souls. He wills to do nothing without us. The Creator of the universe awaits the prayer of a little soul, to save other souls redeemed, like it, at the price of his precious Blood."  

 

Prayer

    Almighty God, every good thing comes from you. Fill our hearts with love of you, increase our faith, and by your constant care, protect the good you have given us.                      

    We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

 

Bidding Prayer:

 

Father, fill our hears with love and compassion for those who do not know you or follow you.

     We ask this through Christ our Lord.

 

                             Let us pray

Prayer after Communion

  

      Lord, you renew us at your table with the bread of life. May this food strengthen us in love and help us to serve you in each other.  

We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

 

Mother Regina ocso - Hijacked

Nigeria
Mother Regina - Hijacked

Friday, 27 August 2010 18:19

On Mother Regina’s return trip from Nigeria on August 19th after assisting at two Visitations, visiting the third Community and spending a few days with her own Community and family, she had a most grueling experience.

Traveling on a fourteen passenger public transportation vehicle from Enugu to Abuja to catch the plane for Rome, they were hijacked about four hours into an eight hour trip. About 11.00 AM, a large Peugeot car with dark windows stopped in front of the bus and six armed men shooting in the air, demanded entry into the bus; severely beat the driver and threw him, literally, into the back of the bus. A hijacker drove the bus on to a side road, was waved through two police check points and travelled for about an hour until they were stuck in the mud. Meanwhile the hijackers went through the bus taking the passengers money and valuables. At that point all were ordered off the bus. Each was thoroughly searched and everything of value was taken from them. Mother Regina’s passport and soggiorno fell to the ground from her purse. She was able to retrieve them unnoticed. All the baggage was taken from the bus, opened and the contents strewn around in search for valuables. Mother Regina was with another Sister who happened to be on the bus. As the passengers were being herded deeper into the woods one of the robbers who spoke Igbo, Mother Regina’s language, beckoned the nuns and two young law students to go into a wooded area while the rest went on. (Two days later there still was no information concerning the passengers marched into the woods.) After waiting in the woods for a couple hours Regina and her three companions went back to the place where all the belongings were strewn and gathered what they could and started in the direction of the main road, carrying her positions on her head, in the pouring rain. Some local villagers met them but were hostile toward them. They received a couple of short rides but anyone who offered a ride wanted money up-front and they had none. They were warned by one person who gave them a ride and a bit of money that they must get out of the territory before night-fall, or else. With it still raining, Mother Regina collapsed when they reached the highway. Her companions revived her with some water from a passerby. They flagged a bus of the same company who would only give them a ride when they produced their tickets from the bus that was hijacked. It was 11:30 PM when Mother Regina reached a convent where she had stayed the week before. Everything was locked. Fortunately a priest retreatant was out late and brought her inside the compound and with his cell phone finally woke the Sister in charge who came and cared for Mother Regina.

The first thing the robbers had done was take all the cell phones. Mother Regina’s Prioress phoned Regina’s number about 4:00 PM when Regina should have been at the airport. A very gruff masculine voiced responded, “Your church person is lost”. Regina’s family also tried to phone her and received the message that the owner of this phone had been killed! This caused great consternation. Especially considering the family’s history that Regina’s younger brother had been shot dead in an armed robbery about eight years before in almost the same spot. Then two months ago another of her brothers was dragged from his truck and severally beaten because he could not produce sufficient money. He has still not been able to return to work.

The Sisters at the retreat house were very good to Mother Regina; loaning money; giving her first-aid medical care. KLM was very efficient and took a personal interest – at a price – in getting Mother Regina to Rome Sunday morning at 9:05 via Lagos. Mother Regina has entered the usual flow of the Viale Africa Community. Whatever will assist her to integrate her experience will be available to her. Let us thank the Lord for protecting Mother Regina’s life and pray for the other victims and that the hijackers can find a new vision of life.

Five days later, the hijackers continue to phone the numbers on Mother Regina’s cell phone demanding that a ransom be paid.  The caller does not realize that she has escaped!  It must have been very disturbing for the nuns and her family to continue receiving such calls.  It was only with great difficulty that they were finally able to have the number cancelled.

From Generalate Rome: www.ocso.org

Peter's mother-in-law

Wednesday of 22nd Week 1 Cor. 3:1-9 Lk. 4:38-44 Mass Intro                    (Fr. S …) In the Gospel we find dynamics in the life of Jesus which all of us can imitate. Jesus was a man of prayer. Early in the morning he would be alone in God’s presence drawing strength for his mission.   It is amazing to see how contemplation and action have been merged in the life of Jesus. There is a perfect harmony, a blending between his interior prayer life and actions. He is so patient after days hard work of teaching and healing. He was never impatient and angry. There was no word of complaint and resentment when Jesus’ privacy was invaded by the crowds. He was very compassionate. At dusk people from everyone brought their sick and infirm. Laying his hands on them, he cured them all. There was no mass healing. Jesus touched each person personally understanding their pain and anxiety of each sick person as if they were his own, Thus we find his interior prayer life and external actions are well blended in the life of Jesus.  The world today is looking for authentic spiritual persons who would initiate them into God experience. Many critics and seekers have offered different criteria to describe the true spiritual person whom the world needs today. But there remains one test proposed by Jesus, “By their fruits you will show them.” (Lk. 6:44). The ideal of a true spiritual person is always characterized by charity, simplicity, patience, humanity, compassion and poverty. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Navarre Commentary. Luke 4. Peter’s Mother-in-law  38-39.  In the public life of Jesus we find many touching episodes (cf. for example Luk_19:1  ; Joh_2:1  ) which show the high regard He had for everyday family life. Here we can clearly see the effectiveness of prayer on behalf of other people: "No sooner did they pray to the Savior", St. Jerome says, "than He immediately healed the sick; from this we learn that He also listens to the prayers of the faithful for help against sinful passions" ("Expositio In Evangelium Sec. Lucam, in loc."). St. John Chrysostom refers to this total, instantaneous cure: "Since this was a curable type of illness He displayed His power through the way He brought healing, doing what medicine could not do.  Even after being cured of fever, patients need time to recover their former strength, but here the cure was instantaneous" ("Hom. on St. Matthew", 27). The Fathers saw in this lady's fever a symbol of concupiscence: "Peter's mother-in-law's fever represents our flesh affected by various illnesses and concupiscences; our fever is passion, our fever is lust, our fever is anger--vices which, although they affect the body, perturb the soul, the mind and the feelings" (St. Ambrose, "Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam, in loc."). On the practical consequences of this St. Cyril says: "Let us receive Jesus Christ, because when He visits us and we take Him into our minds and hearts, even our worst passions are extinguished and we are kept safe to serve Him, that is, to do what pleases Him" ("Hom. 28 In Mattheum"). 43.  Our Lord again stresses one of the reasons why He has come into the world.  St. Thomas, when discussing the purpose of the Eucharist, says that Christ "came into the world, first, to make the truth known, as He Himself says: `for this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth' ( Joh_18:37  ).  Hence it was not fitting that He should hide Himself by leading a solitary life, but rather that He should appear openly and preach in public.  For this reason He tells those who wanted to detain Him, `I must preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.'  Secondly, He came in order to free men from sin; as the Apostle says, `Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' ( 1Ti_1:15  ).  This is why Chrysostom says, `Although Christ might, while staying in the same place, have drawn all men to Himself to hear His preaching, He did not do so--in order to give us the example to go out and seek the lost sheep, as the shepherd does, or as the doctor does, who visits the sick person.'  Thirdly, He came so that `we might obtain access to God' ( Rom_5:2  )" ("Summa Theologiae", III, q. 40, a. 1, c.).

Calving harvest time

At end of August it the time of  calving time in the beef herd.
There are pictures overlooking the Thortors Reservoir.
At the higher ground the first year stirks gathered near us, drawn by the attraction for some meal feed.

New Calf. Br. Aidan succeeds attaching ear tag. The cow peaceful over watching.

The yearlings stirks follow us in hope of meal feed.

Augustine Memorial

SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
Bishop and Doctor of the Church
(354-430)

St. Augustine  28 August 2010

Intro Mass                  (Fr. Mark)

Yesterday we celebrated the feast of St. Monica.

Today we remember her son, the many sided and highly gifted St. Augustine. He is one of the greatest pastors, preachers and thinkers of the early church. His influence remains with us through his many writings.

In spite of Augustine’s later greatness, as a young man he was lax in his life and slow to answer God’s call to conversion.

As we begin this Mass, let us be confident that God always forgives any lack of love in us.    

God our Father, your love follows us through our lives, even when we fail to respond – …

Lord Jesus, you are the living proof of the Father’s care for us. - …

Spirit of God, You are the love which makes our hurts restless till they rest in you. - …

Conclusion: God our Father, in your love hear us in our need. May your gifts fill our lives and our decisions be ever satisfied in you.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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St. Augusine unwrapped

----- Forwarded Message ---- From: William J  ... To: Donald  ... Sent: Thu, 26 August, 2010 20:46:57 Subject: Re: St. Augustine's words - unwrapped... Dear Father Donald,  - - - You present me with a challenging document indeed.. I have tried to 'unwrap' St. Augustine's words: "The chief reason for Christ's coming was so that we should know how much God loves us, and knowing this be on fire with love for him who loved us first, and for our neighbour at the bidding and after the example of him who became our neighbour by loving us when we were not his neighbours[D1] but had wandered far from him". Christ came that we should know how much God loves us, that we might truly love Him and our neighbour as He bids us and shows us by His example, for He became a loving neighbour to us even before we acknowledged Him. "Moreover, all inspired scripture written before the Lord's coming was written to foretell that coming, and all that was later committed to writing and ratified by divine authority speaks of Christ and teaches us to love". All of the ancient Scriptures foretell His coming and all subsequent writings speak of Him and teach us to love.    "It is clear therefore that upon these two commandments, love of God and of our neighbour, depend not only the whole of the law and the prophets, which was all that made up holy scripture when the Lord spoke these words, but also all the divinely inspired books which were later written for our salvation and handed down to us".   And therefore, everything that is written - the whole of the law and the prophets that foretell His coming, and alone existed at that time, together with all subsequent Scriptures depend upon the two commandments of love of God and of our neighbour.   I hope I may have managed to interpret and express the meaning that is wrapped in such complex construction!   With my love in Our Lord, William. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Hi, William, Thank you for successfully editing of these lines from the Reading from St. Augustine. On Wed. 25th we were 'elevated' in the usual Augustinian in mind and heart but at this point I was stumped by the second paragraph. For the moment, I was adrift in the long sentences. My comment was,  "I can’t unravel these lines".  Your Editing makes very good sense of it. You could be guaranteed a Proof Reading carear for your retirement.  I hope you did not burn midnight light when so other exciting thing have afoot. Thank you. Yours ... Donald %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%   Wednesday, 25 August 2010 Night Office First Nocturn: 1 Timothy 1:1-20  Second Nocturn: From the writings of Saint Augustine of Hippo (De catechizandis rudibus I, 6.8: CCL 46,124.126-128) Speak that by hearing those whom you address may believe, and that belief may give them hope, and hope inspire them to love    In everything we say we should bear in mind that the purpose of our instruction is to arouse the love that comes from a pure heart, and clear conscience, and a genuine faith. (1Tim. 1:5). This is the end to which we should relate all our words, and toward which we should also move and direct the thoughts of those for whose instruction we are speaking.   Christ came that we should know how much God loves us, that we might truly love Him and our neighbour as He bids us and shows us by His example, for He became a loving neighbour to us even before we acknowledged Him.  All of the ancient Scriptures foretell His coming and all subsequent writings speak of Him and teach us to love. And therefore, everything that is written - the whole of the law and the prophets that foretell His coming, and alone existed at that time, together with all subsequent Scriptures depend upon the two commandments of love of God and of our neighbour.     In the Old Testament, then, the New is concealed, and in the New the Old is revealed. Insofar as the New Testament is concealed, worldly people, who interpret scripture in a worldly way, are now as in the past subject to the fear of punishment. But insofar the Old Testament has been revealed, spiritual people, who interpret scripture spiritually, are set free by the gift of love; that is to say, both those of old to whose devout knocking hidden things were made known, and those of today who seek without pride, for fear that even what is manifest may be hidden from them. And so, since nothing is more contrary to love than envy, and the mother of envy is pride, to cure our boundless conceit by a more powerful antidote, the Lord Jesus Christ, God and man, became both the proof of God's love for us, and the example of humility among us. Great is the misery of human pride, but even greater is the mercy of divine humility.  With this love before you, then, is the end to which you may relate everything you say, so speak that by hearing those whom you address may believe, and that belief may give them hope, and hope inspire them to love.  ---------------------------------------------------------------  St. Augustine - RESARCH Teaching Unlearned - 01 Augustine In about the year 403, Augustine wrote De catechizandis rudibus ("On Cathechizing Beginners in Faith" or "The First Catechetical Instruction" ).                      He did so at the request of Deogratias, a deacon at Carthage, who asked help from Augustine, who was a very talented instructor in the Faith. People ever afterwards have been pleased that Deogratias asked, and that Augustine responded by writing a treatise of fifty five chapters - what today would more likely be described as extended paragraphs. The written response by Augustine to Deogratias is described by Frans Van der Meer in his magnificent biography, Augustine the Bishop, as "the best thought of a great spirit in its simplest form". Although relatively brief, De catechizandis rudibus is an important work of Augustine, and very pastoral in its intention. De catechizandis rudibus is among the first texts on the practice of Christian religious instruction. Augustine even thought to include the content of a sample catechetical teaching session. Links For an English translation of the text of De catechizandis rudibus on the Internet, click here. For a page in Augnet that lists many translations of the writings of Augustine into the English language, click here.

Saint Monica

Memorial of St. Monica

Friday, August  27

Matthew 25:1-13

 

Mass: In today’s parable of Ten Bridesmaids describes to stress the fact that we must be always ready for the call of the Lord.

We are aware that the life on earth is very short

Life is given to each one of us for one purpose only to prepare ourselves for eternity. How then ought we to spend this short but precious time here on earth.

With life God has also given us responsibilities and commitments of particular vocations. We need to prioritize them.

We must seek first the Kingdom of God making God and the coming of his Kingdom our first priority.

And the second priority is to grow in holiness.

How? We can grow is holiness by our charity serving others, using every opportunity using our God’s given resources, talents and charisms.

Under God’s direction, to give Him glory and build up the Kingdom of God. The Gospel says, “But at midnight there was a cry. The bridegroom is here. Go out and meet him.”

We do not know the day, hour and the minutes of his visitation. Each one of us has responsibility to remain alert and watchful. It us up to us now to decide where we shall be found on the last days with the wise bridesmaids or with the foolish.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Monica, a wise mother who by her faith, prayers and good example won the conversion of her son, St. Augustine and made him a Saint. May she also aid us in our journey to eternity.

Fr. S …

<< ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 25 >> Matthew 25 Interlinear Bible	InterlinearBible.org Home Apostolic / Interlinear / Greek Study
The parable of the ten virgins,

Mt 25:1	5119 ADV Τότε tote then	3666 V-FPI-3S ὁμοιωθήσεται omoiōthēsetai will be like	3588 T-NSF ἡ ē the	932 N-NSF βασιλεία basileia kingdom	3588 T-GPM τῶν tōn of
3772 N-GPM οὐρανῶν ouranōn heaven	1176 A-DPF δέκα deka ten	3933 N-DPF παρθένοις, parthenois virgins	3748 R-NPF αἵτινες aitines who	2983 V-2AAP-NPF λαβοῦσαι labousai having taken	3588 T-APF τὰς tas the

 (RSV)  "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

(Vulgate)  tunc simile erit regnum caelorum decem virginibus quae accipientes lampadas suas exierunt obviam sponso et sponsae

(KJV+)  Then⁵¹¹⁹ shall the³⁵⁸⁸ kingdom⁹³² of heaven³⁷⁷² be likened unto³⁶⁶⁶ ten¹¹⁷⁶ virgins,³⁹³³ which³⁷⁴⁸ took²⁹⁶³ their⁸⁴⁸ lamps,²⁹⁸⁵ and went forth¹⁸³¹ to meet^{1519, 529} the³⁵⁸⁸ bridegroom.³⁵⁶⁶

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