Luke 17:11-19 the Tenth Leper

10 October [28th Sunday in Ord. Time]
Night Office from monastic Lectionary, Christ Our Light, Exordium Books.

Lk 17:11-19 

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee.  As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean.  Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice.  He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?  Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"  Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

From a commentary on Luke by Saint Bruno of Segni
 (Pars 2, 40: PL 165, 426-428)

The universality of sin, the depth of the divine compassion, the meaning of repentance, and the value of faith are the lessons drawn from the parable of the ten lepers.

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus passed along the border between Samaria and Galilee, and when he entered one of the villages ten lepers came to meet him. What do these ten lepers stand for if not the sum total of all sinners? When Christ the Lord came not all men and women were leprous in body, but in soul they were, and to have a soul full of leprosy is much worse than to have a leprous body.

But let us see what happened next. Standing a long way off they called out to him: "Jesus, Master, take pity on us." They stood a long way off because no one in their condition dared come too close. We stand a long way off too while we continue to sin. To be restored to health and cured of the leprosy of sin, we also must cry out: Jesus, Master, take pity on us. That cry, however, must come not from our lips but from our heart, for they cry of the heart is louder: It pierces the heavens, rising up to the very throne of God.

When Jesus saw the lepers he told them to go and show themselves to the priests. God has only to look at people to be filled with compassion. He pitied these lepers as soon as he saw them, and sent them to the priests not to be cleansed by them, but to be pronounced clean.

And as they went they were cleansed. Let all sinners listen to this and try t understand it. It is easy for the Lord to forgive sins. Sinners have often been forgiven before they came to a priest. In fact, their repentance and healing occur simultaneously: at the very moment of their conversion they pas from death to life. Let them understand, however, what this conversion means; let them heed the Lord's words: Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, weeping, and mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments. To b really converted one must be converted inwardly, in one's heart, for a humbled, contrite heart God will not spurn.

One of them, when he saw that he was cured, went back again, praising God at the top of his voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. Now this man was a Samaritan. He stands for all those who, after their cleansing by the waters of baptism or healing by the sacrament of penance, renounce the devil and take Christ as their model, following him with praise, adoration, and thanksgiving, and nevermore abandoning his service.

And Jesus said to him: Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you. Great, therefore, is the power of faith. Without it, as the Apostle says, it is impossible to please God. Abraham believed God and because of this God regarded him as righteous. Faith saves, faith justifies, faith heals both body and soul.    [word count 491]

BRUNO OF SEGNI (+1123) 

was born near Asti in Piedmont, and studied at the University of Bologna before being made a canon of Siena. At the Council of Rome (1079) he defended the Catholic doctrine of the eucharist against Berengarius. In the following year Gregory VII, his personal friend, made him bishop of Segni, but he refused a cardinalate. Bruno was a zealous pastor, and shared in all the projects of Gregory VII for the reform of the Church. In his writings he attacked simony and lay investiture. He was the greatest Scripture commentator of his age. Longing for solitude, he received the monastic habit at Monte Cassino and in 1107 became abbot, but was later ordered by Pope Paschal II to return to his see.

Onesiphorus: Prayer for the Dead

Friday, 08 October 2010 Masses and Prayers for the Dead It is the day of the Monthly Memorial FOR BRETHREN, FRIENDS AND BENEFACTORS The headline, ‘Masses and Prayers for the Dead’, makes a surprising ‘wild card’ on the NET. Astonishingly Google shows up About 279,000 results (0.19 seconds) . Among them, Wikipedia took up, ‘New Testament A passage in the New Testament which may refer to a prayer for the dead is found in 2 Timothy 1:16-18, which reads as follows: May the Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain, but when he was in Rome, he sought me diligently, and found me (the Lord grant to him to find the Lord’s mercy on that day); and in how many things he served at Ephesus, you know very well. From the LINK, 2 Timothy 1:16-18, lead to 75 versions of the Bible by Bible Ref Com, http://bibref.hebtools.com/?book=2%20Timothy&verse=1:16-18&src=. We remember of St. Alphonsus Ligouri’s devotion to the Holy Souls. He may have established the Arch-confraternity of Purgatory (Purgatorium Archconfraternity), http://archconfraternity.com). The international headquarters is based at the address of the Transalpine Redemptorists at Golgotha Monastery Island, Orkney, Scotland. 2 Timothy 1:16-18 (Amplified Bible) . . .18May the Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord on that [great] day! And you know how many things he did for me and what a help he was at Ephesus [you know better than I can tell you]. Briefest comment are  two things about Paul and Onesiphorus. On the one hand is Paul’s moving affection for the man who cared for him, on the other Paul’s prayer for the soul of his friend. + + + After Mass of Monthly Memorial and the name of Onesiphorus raises great interest. By good fortune, the following Link addresses the question very clearly. Onesiphorus and Paul’s Prayer for the Dead http://www.catholic-convert.com/wp-content/uploads/Documents/Onesiphorus1.pdf No wonder William Barclay said, “Before we leave this passage we must note that in one particular connection it is a storm centre.” The Catholic conclusion has the incisive summary in the Anchor Bible. Here is what the widely respected six-volume Anchor Bible Dictionary writes, "2 Timothy also includes greetings to the household of Onesiphorus (4:19) and a prayer that the Lord might grant mercy to his household because of his service to Paul (1:16). Onesiphorus himself does not seem to be included, suggesting that he was either not envisioned as present among the (alleged) recipients of 2 Timothy, was with Paul, or was already dead. The latter is most likely since the author of 2 Timothy writes: “May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day” (1:18). If Onesiphorus had indeed died, then this prayer is the earliest one for the dead found in Christian literature. As such it has been cited as clear scriptural support (especially among Roman Catholics) for prayer for the dead. (Jewish precedent for such prayer is found in 2 Macc 12:43–45.)" I could supply myriads of such passages, including Protestant scholars, who believe that the passage is written in such a way as to leave little doubt that Onesiphorus is no longer alive and that Paul “seems to be praying for him”. Any attempts to interpret verses 16-18 differently are clumsy and tend to display a definite bias against prayer for the dead. So here Scripture itself we most certainly have a case where the Apostle Paul prays for the dead, in harmony with his earlier Jewish practice. This practice is certainly in line with the practice of the very first Christians as testified to by the graffiti in the catacombs, in the writings of the Fathers, and in the general practice of the primitive Church. Should we pray for the dead? Absolutely, we are in good company when we pray for those who have passed into the afterlife.

 

Onesiphorus and Paul's Prayer for the Dead Does the Bible record ...

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
Let's begin with Onesiphorus—a faithful Christian who cared for St. Paul ... But from all indications—certainly from the words Paul uses—Onesiphorus has ...

www.catholic-convert.com/documents/Onesiphorus1.pdf

    

Daily Gospel 09 Oct

                    

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Saturday, 09 October 2010

Bl. John Henry Newman, priest, founder of a religious community, theologian († 1890)

 Other saints of the day

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Blessed John Henry Newman
Priest, founder of a religious community, theologian
(1801-1890)

        This day that has brought us together here in Birmingham is a most auspicious one. In the first place, it is the Lord's Day, Sunday, the day when our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead and changed the course of human history for ever, offering new life and hope to all who live in darkness and in the shadow of death. (...)Yet there is another, more joyful reason why this is an auspicious day for Great Britain, for the Midlands, for Birmingham. It is the day that sees Cardinal John Henry Newman formally raised to the altars and declared Blessed.(...)

        England has a long tradition of martyr saints, whose courageous witness has sustained and inspired the Catholic community here for centuries. Yet it is right and fitting that we should recognize today the holiness of a confessor, a son of this nation who, while not called to shed his blood for the Lord, nevertheless bore eloquent witness to him in the course of a long life devoted to the priestly ministry, and especially to preaching, teaching, and writing. He is worthy to take his place in a long line of saints and scholars from these islands, Saint Bede, Saint Hilda, Saint Aelred, Blessed Duns Scotus, to name but a few. In Blessed John Henry, that tradition of gentle scholarship, deep human wisdom and profound love for the Lord has borne rich fruit, as a sign of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit deep within the heart of God's people, bringing forth abundant gifts of holiness.

        Cardinal Newman's motto, Cor ad cor loquitur, or "Heart speaks unto heart", gives us an insight into his understanding of the Christian life as a call to holiness, experienced as the profound desire of the human heart to enter into intimate communion with the Heart of God. He reminds us that faithfulness to prayer gradually transforms us into the divine likeness. As he wrote in one of his many fine sermons, "a habit of prayer, the practice of turning to God and the unseen world in every season, in every place, in every emergency - prayer, I say, has what may be called a natural effect in spiritualizing and elevating the soul. A man is no longer what he was before; gradually ... he has imbibed a new set of ideas, and become imbued with fresh principles" (Parochial and Plain Sermons, iv, 230-231). Today's Gospel tells us that no one can be the servant of two masters (cf. Lk 16:13), and Blessed John Henry's teaching on prayer explains how the faithful Christian is definitively taken into the service of the one true Master, who alone has a claim to our unconditional devotion (cf. Mt 23:10). Newman helps us to understand what this means for our daily lives: he tells us that our divine Master has assigned a specific task to each one of us, a "definite service", committed uniquely to every single person: "I have my mission", he wrote, "I am a link in a chain, a bond of connexion between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do his work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place ... if I do but keep his commandments and serve him in my calling" (Meditations and Devotions, 301-2).

        The definite service to which Blessed John Henry was called involved applying his keen intellect and his prolific pen to many of the most pressing "subjects of the day". His insights into the relationship between faith and reason, into the vital place of revealed religion in civilized society, and into the need for a broadly-based and wide-ranging approach to education were not only of profound importance for Victorian England, but continue today to inspire and enlighten many all over the world. I would like to pay particular tribute to his vision for education, which has done so much to shape the ethos that is the driving force behind Catholic schools and colleges today. Firmly opposed to any reductive or utilitarian approach, he sought to achieve an educational environment in which intellectual training, moral discipline and religious commitment would come together. The project to found a Catholic University in Ireland provided him with an opportunity to develop his ideas on the subject, and the collection of discourses that he published as The Idea of a University holds up an ideal from which all those engaged in academic formation can continue to learn. And indeed, what better goal could teachers of religion set themselves than Blessed John Henry's famous appeal for an intelligent, well-instructed laity: "I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious, but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they hold and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it" (The Present Position of Catholics in England, ix, 390). On this day when the author of those words is raised to the altars, I pray that, through his intercession and example, all who are engaged in the task of teaching and catechesis will be inspired to greater effort by the vision he so clearly sets before us.

        While it is John Henry Newman's intellectual legacy that has understandably received most attention in the vast literature devoted to his life and work, I prefer on this occasion to conclude with a brief reflection on his life as a priest, a pastor of souls. The warmth and humanity underlying his appreciation of the pastoral ministry is beautifully expressed in another of his famous sermons: "Had Angels been your priests, my brethren, they could not have condoled with you, sympathized with you, have had compassion on you, felt tenderly for you, and made allowances for you, as we can; they could not have been your patterns and guides, and have led you on from your old selves into a new life, as they can who come from the midst of you" ("Men, not Angels: the Priests of the Gospel", Discourses to Mixed Congregations, 3). He lived out that profoundly human vision of priestly ministry in his devoted care for the people of Birmingham during the years that he spent at the Oratory he founded, visiting the sick and the poor, comforting the bereaved, caring for those in prison. No wonder that on his death so many thousands of people lined the local streets as his body was taken to its place of burial not half a mile from here. One hundred and twenty years later, great crowds have assembled once again to rejoice in the Church's solemn recognition of the outstanding holiness of this much-loved father of souls. What better way to express the joy of this moment than by turning to our heavenly Father in heartfelt thanksgiving, praying in the words that Blessed John Henry Newman placed on the lips of the choirs of angels in heaven:

Praise to the Holiest in the height
And in the depth be praise;
In all his words most wonderful,
Most sure in all his ways!
(The Dream of Gerontius).

(Homily of his holiness Benedict XVI - Mass with the beatification of venerable cardinal John Henry Newman - Birmingham - Sunday, 19 September 2010)

- Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Our Lady of the Rosary

Thursday 7th Mass
Galatians 3:1-5
Gospel Luke11:5-13

----- Forwarded Message ----From: Nivard ....To: donald ....Sent: Tue, 5 October, 2010 17:20:09Subject: Our Lady of the Rosary

   Each mystery of the rosary sheds light on the mystery of man. ‘Cast your bur-den on the Lord and he will sustain you’. To pray the rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and his Mother. 

   The rosary does indeed ‘mark the rhythm of human life,’ bringing it into harmony with the ‘rhythm’ of God’s own life. In the joyful communion of the Holy Trinity we find our life’s destiny and our deepest longing.   

   These words of the Venerable John Paul II also apply to the Divine Office. The rosary is indeed the layman’s Office.

Let us pray.

   Lord, fill our hearts with your love, and as you revealed to us by an angel the coming of your Son as man, so lead us through his suffering and death to the glory of his resurrection, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

   Amen

Bidding Prayer:               Father, we thanks you for the gift of the Holy Spirit which we daily ask of you,  through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

 Prayer after Communion,

 Let us pray.

     Lord our God, in this Eucharist we have proclaimed the death and resurrection of Christ. Make us partners in his suffering and lead us to share his happiness and the glory of eternal life, where he is Lord for ever and ever.  

% % % % % % % % % % % %

Galatians 3:1-5

Gospel Luke11:5-13

Lookig for the link of the two Readings, we see  the Holy Spirit's search light on full beam!

Pope's Homily

The Cantor found the Apologia Pro Vita Sua from Newman rather weighty for the Night Reading.
The Pope's Homily for the Beatification provides very apt Feast Day passages as e.g.,
 

Feast 9 October Blessed John Henry Newman, Priest From the Common of Pastors: For One Pastor Collect O God, who bestowed on the Priest Blessed John Henry Newman the grace to follow your kindly light and find peace in your Church; graciously grant that, through his intercession and example, we may be led out of shadows and images into the fullness of your truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Blessed John Henry Newman National Calendar for England Blessed John Henry Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI at a Mass in Cofton Park, Birmingham on Sunday 19 September 2010. At the request of the Bishops he has been included in the National Calendar for England on 9 October as an optional memorial. Pope Benedict in his homily at the Mass of Beatification said: Office Reading PAPAL HOMILY AT BEATIFICATION OF CARDINAL NEWMAN "He Lived Out a Profoundly Human Vision of Priestly Ministry" Cardinal Newman’s motto, Cor ad cor loquitur, or "Heart speaks unto heart", gives us an insight into his understanding of the Christian life as a call to holiness, experienced as the profound desire of the human heart to enter into intimate communion with the Heart of God. He reminds us that faithfulness to prayer gradually transforms us into the divine likeness. As he wrote in one of his many fine sermons, "a habit of prayer, the practice of turning to God and the unseen world in every season, in every place, in every emergency – prayer, I say, has what may be called a natural effect in spiritualizing and elevating the soul. A man is no longer what he was before; gradually … he has imbibed a new set of ideas, and become imbued with fresh principles" (Parochial and Plain Sermons, iv, 230-231).  Today’s Gospel tells us that no one can be the servant of two masters (cf. Lk 16:13), and Blessed John Henry’s teaching on prayer explains how the faithful Christian is definitively taken into the service of the one true Master, who alone has a claim to our unconditional devotion (cf. Mt 23:10). Newman helps us to understand what this means for our daily lives: he tells us that our divine Master has assigned a specific task to each one of us, a "definite service", committed uniquely to every single person: "I have my mission", he wrote, "I am a link in a chain, a bond of connexion between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do his work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place … if I do but keep his commandments and serve him in my calling" (Meditations and Devotions, 301-2). … He lived out that profoundly human vision of priestly ministry in his devoted care for the people of Birmingham during the years that he spent at the Oratory he founded, visiting the sick and the poor, comforting the bereaved, caring for those in prison. No wonder that on his death so many thousands of people lined the local streets as his body was taken to its place of burial not half a mile from here. One hundred and twenty years later, great crowds have assembled once again to rejoice in the Church’s solemn recognition of the outstanding holiness of this much-loved father of souls.             (Word Count 405) A note on the date. It is customary for a Saint or a Blessed to be celebrated on the day of their death unless it is impeded by another celebration. Blessed John Henry Newman died on 11 August 1890. The Church across the world celebrates St Clare on August 11 and so another date was sought. One of the reasons that 9 October was chosen was because it falls at the beginning of the University year; an area in which Newman had a particular interest.

http://www.liturgyoffice.org.uk/Calendar/National/Newman.shtml

Feast Day Bl. Newman

Blessed John Henry Newman’s inaugural feast day Oct 9

October 4, 2010 in Catholic News & Info

Blessed John Henry Newman’s feast day will be celebrated for the first time on October 9th, the anniversary of his 1845 reception into the church.

Here is a link to liturgical texts for Newman’s feast day

Links to ON-LINE publications of Blessed John Henry Newman’s books

BLESSED JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST
Feast Day 9^th October

From the Common of Pastors: For One Pastor

COLLECT

O God, who bestowed on the Priest Blessed John Henry Newman

the grace to follow your kindly light and find peace in your Church;

graciously grant that, through his intercession and example,

we may be led out of shadows and images

into the fulness of your truth.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

BLESSED JOHN HENRY NEWMAN, PRIEST

Born in London in 1801, he was for over twenty years an Anglican clergyman and Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford. His studies of the early Church led him progressively towards Catholicism, and in 1845 he embraced “the one true fold of the Redeemer”. In 1847 he was ordained priest and went on to found the Oratory of St Philip Neri in England. He was a prolific and influential writer on a variety of subjects. In 1879 he was created Cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. Praised for his humility, unstinting care of souls and contributions to the intellectual life of the Church, he died in Birmingham on 11 August 1890.

OFFICE OF READINGS  SECOND READING

From the writings of Blessed John Henry Newman, Priest

(Apologia Pro Vita Sua, Chapter V: Position of My Mind since 1845, London 1864, pp. 238-239, 250-251)

It was like coming into port after a rough sea.

From the time that I became a Catholic, of course I have no further history of my religious opinions to narrate. In saying this, I do not mean to say that my mind has been idle, or that I have given up thinking on theological subjects; but that I have had no variations to record, and have had no anxiety of heart whatever. I have been in perfect peace and contentment; I never have had one doubt. I was not conscious to myself, on my conversion, of any change, intellectual or moral, wrought in my mind. I was not conscious of firmer faith in the fundamental truths of Revelation, or of more self-command; I had not more fervour; but it was like coming into port after a rough sea; and my happiness on that score remains to this day without interruption.

Nor had I any trouble about receiving those additional articles, which are not found in the Anglican Creed. Some of them I believed already, but not any one of them was a trial to me. I made a profession of them upon my reception with the greatest ease, and I have the same ease in believing them now. I am far of course from denying that every article of the Christian Creed, whether as held by Catholics or by Protestants, is beset with intellectual difficulties; and it is simple fact, that, for myself, I cannot answer those difficulties. Many persons are very sensitive of the difficulties of Religion; I am as sensitive of them as any one; but I have never been able to see a connexion between apprehending those difficulties, however keenly, and multiplying them to any extent, and on the other hand doubting the doctrines to which they are attached. Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt, as I understand the subject; difficulty and doubt are incommensurate. There of course may be difficulties in the evidence; but I am speaking of difficulties intrinsic to the doctrines themselves, or to their relations with each other. A man may be annoyed that he cannot work out a mathematical problem, of which the answer is or is not given to him, without doubting that it admits of an answer, or that a certain particular answer is the true one. Of all points of faith, the being of a God is, to my own apprehension, encompassed with most difficulty, and yet borne in upon our minds with most power.

People say that the doctrine of Transubstantiation is difficult to believe; I did not believe the doctrine till I was a Catholic. I had no difficulty in believing it, as soon as I believed that the Catholic Roman Church was the oracle of God, and that she had declared this doctrine to be part of the original revelation. It is difficult, impossible, to imagine, I grant;—but how is it difficult to believe? …

I believe the whole revealed dogma as taught by the Apostles, as committed by the Apostles to the Church, and as declared by the Church to me. I receive it, as it is infallibly interpreted by the authority to whom it is thus committed, and (implicitly) as it shall be, in like manner, further interpreted by that same authority till the end of time. I submit, moreover, to the universally received traditions of the Church, in which lies the matter of those new dogmatic definitions which are from time to time made, and which in all times are the clothing and the illustration of the Catholic dogma as already defined. And I submit myself to those other decisions of the Holy See, theological or not, through the organs which it has itself appointed, which, waiving the question of their infallibility, on the lowest ground come to me with a claim to be accepted and obeyed. Also, I consider that, gradually and in the course of ages, Catholic inquiry has taken certain definite shapes, and has thrown itself into the form of a science, with a method and a phraseology of its own, under the intellectual handling of great minds, such as St Athanasius, St Augustine, and St Thomas; and I feel no temptation at all to break in pieces the great legacy of thought thus committed to us for these latter days.  (Word Count 715)

PRAYER

O God, who bestowed on the Priest Blessed John Henry Newman the grace to follow your kindly light and find peace in your Church; graciously grant that, through his intercession and example, we may be led out of shadows and images into the fulness of your truth.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. 

Martha and Mary

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Mass Introduction: Fr. S…

Galatians 1:13-24 

Gospel Luke 10:38-42 

The Gospel presents the story of Martha and Mary.

Martha bustles around getting everything ready to give Jesus a meal whereas Mary sits around talking and listening to Jesus.

We tend to rate external activity and apostolic work are higher and prayer and contemplation as idleness. But Jesus placed interior life par excellance than active life. Jesus said to Martha, Mary has chosen the better part, in choosing to sit and listen to Him.”

This active life of preaching, teaching, all sorts of good works will end oneday. But our interior life, our relationship with God will never cease. In Jesus’ word “This better part shall not be taken away.”

The Angelic Doctor says that, “The contemplative life by its very nature is better and more effective than active life.”

And in St. Bernard we read the excellent qualities of contemplative life; “In contemplative life
man lives purely,
falls more rarely,
recovers more promptly,
advances more surely,
receives more graces,
reposes more serenely,
dies more calmly,
is more quickly cleansed,
and gains a greater recompense.”

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PS. The NT Readings of the Mass are selected according to a system. It is always be a good exercise to discern the link between passages.

Or to put it another way it may be illuminating to find some relationship in the Readings.

It is surprising to read Galatians 1:13-24 and find Paul starting his three years in the desert, similarly to Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking, Lk. 10:39.

The association enlightens both deepening the relationships.

At the same time, it raises a whole interest in Paul’s Galatians.

Summaries Courtesy of the Bible Book Summaries by Jay Smith The book of Galatians is a Pauline Epistle (letter from Paul). It was written by the Apostle Paul about 49 A.D. prior to the Jerusalem Council had taken place in 50 A.D. It quite possibly could have been Paul’s first letter. The key personalities of this book are the Apostle Paul, Peter, Barnabas, Abraham, Titus and false teachers. Paul writes this book to deal with the problem of circumcision and Jewish legalism toward Gentile believers. In chapters 1-2, Paul’s gives his testimony about how he had received the authentic Gospel message. He warns that if anyone presents another Gospel message other than the one he was preaching that person is “As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” (1:9). Paul was speaking of the one true Gospel that he had received; Please read 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Chapters 3-5:12, Paul begins declaring that salvation is through faith and trust in Jesus Christ “Alone”, and cannot be obtained through the keeping of the Law. “You foolish Galatians! Who put you under a spell? Was not Jesus the Messiah clearly portrayed before your very eyes as having been crucified? I want to learn only one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?  Are you so foolish? Having started out with the Spirit, are you now ending up with the flesh? (Galatians 3:1-3). The Law (10 Commandments) is our tutor to lead us to salvation in Jesus Christ, “the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (3:24). No one can obey the 10 Commandments, it is impossible, we all have broken them. Therefore, we can only attain salvation through trusting in our Savoir Christ Jesus. Chapters 5:13-6, He teaches the Fruits of the Spirit and tells us to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh” (5:16). Good works does not save us, but a Christian will have the desire to produce good fruit and obey God’s Law and live a holy and righteous life in the eyes of God. Christians should live this redeemed life.

Increase our Faith

27^th Sunday Ordinary Time (C)

Listening the Night Office the words of Gospel and St. Augustine were scintillating by the Holy Spirit. How does ‘scintillating’ describe the sense? (Synonyms: lively, brilliant, bright, dazzling, glittering, inspiring, moving rousing exciting stimulating stirring, shining, sparkling, stimulating).

Augustine said,

“Where there is no faith, there is no prayer”,

and that sparks off the flame.

On the cuff;

Google ‘Faith and Prayer Augustine’, About 1,320,000 results (0.19 seconds)  

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "Were your faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  . . .

From a sermon by Saint Augustine (Sermo 115: PL 38, 655)

Prayer and faith are interdependent. Faith enables us to pray, and prayer increases our faith 

Reading the holy gospel nourishes in us the habit of prayer, builds up our faith, and disposes us to trust in the Lord rather than in ourselves. What more powerful incentive to prayer could be proposed to us than the parable of the unjust judge? An unprincipled man, without fear of God or regard for other people, that judge nevertheless ended by granting the widow's petition. No kindly sentiment moved him to do so; he was rather worn down by her pestering. Now if a man can grant a request even when it is odious to him to be asked, how can we be refused by the one who urges us to ask?

Having persuaded us, therefore, by a comparison of opposites that we ought always to pray and never lose heart, the Lord goes on to put the question:

Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, do you think he will find faith on earth?

Where there is no faith, there is no prayer. Who would pray for something he did not believe in? So when the blessed Apostle exhorts us to pray he begins by declaring: Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved but to show that faith is the source of prayer and the stream will not flow if It springs are dried up, he continues: But how can people call on him in whom they do not believe?

We must believe, then, in order to pray; and we must ask God that the faith enabling us to pray may not fail. Faith gives rise to prayer, and this prayer obtains an increase of faith. Faith, I say, gives rise to prayer, and is in turn strengthened by prayer. It was to guard against their faith failing in times of temptation that the Lord told his disciples: Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.

Watch, he says; and pray that you may not enter into temptation. What does it mean to enter into temptation? It means to turn one's back on faith. Temptation grows stronger in proportion as faith weakens, and becomes weaker in proportion as faith grows strong. To convince you, beloved, that he was speaking of the weakening and loss of faith when he told his disciples to watch and pray that they might not enter into temptation, the Lord said in this same passage of the gospel: This night Satan has demanded to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith may not fail. Is the protector to pray, while the person in danger has no need to do so?

But in asking whether the Son of Man would find faith on earth at his coming, the Lord was speaking of perfect faith. That kind of faith is indeed hardly to be found on earth. Look at God's Church: it is full of people. Who would come here if faith were non-existent? But who would not move mountains if that faith were present in full measure? Mark the apostles: they would never have left everything they possessed and spurned worldly ambition to follow the Lord unless their faith had been great; and yet that faith of theirs could not have been perfect, otherwise they would not have asked the Lord to increase it.

Pictures Dunbar

Blogger-Com offers multiple selections of pictures.
Unfortunately the Post of "Dunbar Harbour," so far, fails to carry the graphics.
Let us see if perseverance succeeds.

So far, seven downloaded is single Picasa editing. It is not the easy way.

This one is by Easy Share loading.
It looks more helpful.

Good, learning more.
Better still, to visit the Harbours again!

Dunbar Harbour

Subject: [Dom Donald's Blog] Dunbar Harbour
Date: Friday, 1 October, 2010, 6:23

Harbour Home

Dunbar Harbour consists of two Harbours, the Victoria and the Cromwell.

Guest, friends from France , invited us to an autumn afternoon trip. Nivard was interested about the new 30 minute Tennis Court in Dunbar .

The first attraction in a seaside town must be the sea.

All these years, the Church of Our Lady of the Seas has been my stopping spot, and it faces the entrance to the harbour.

On this occasion, our friends from France looked beyond my short sighted idea of the harbour. Charles, driving, continued down through the alley ways into the harbour.

The view unfolded to me two glorious harbours.

The newer, 1882, Victoria Harbour opens on to the old Harbour (Cromwell), accessed through an Open-Up Bridge , as we came to them.

 

Instinctively I went to the edge of the pier. The seagulls gaggled and strutted waiting for food. To someone I pointed beneath at the large seal attending to our voices. He pulled out a camera for a picture. He was a German tourist.

The place was alive with interesting people at this surprising late season, visitors literally lingering and enjoying the atmosphere and scene.

For some reason we gathered along the quayside and clustered around a charming lady. As I joined the company, and caught her conversation I asked, “Are you a Guide or just love the place?” She was doing well but this opened the sluice gates as she warmed to her account of the Harbour and the life of the place. She regaled her with the folklore of the fishing, sailing and tourist fraternity and into the history of the place.

In this meeting, we learned more from her knowledge and her familiarity with the Dunbar Harbour Trust and the Lifeboats Charity than I heard of in the fifty years of ‘knowing’ Dunbar .

We followed her directions and went to explore the Old Harbour and took photographs.

Pat went to bring her camera from the car. The photos she took help to make a souvenir of a memorable Dunbar visit.

We appreciated our friends from France for coming to show the wonders of our own local seaside Dunbar .

(There is no lack of Dunbar Websites)