Pope Ash Wednesday "Station Church" Santa Sabina

On Sunday we were praying for the Pope as Ash Wednesday marks the first of the 43 Lenten Station Churches, Santa Sabina..
He will be leaving the Vatican.to cross over to the Aventine, the highest of the seven hills of Rome.
He gives the lead to the beginning of Lent with Mass, the Blessing and distribution of the Ashes.

ZENIT - Pope to Begin Lent With Visit to "Station Church"

4 Mar 2011 ... ROME, MARCH 4, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will begin Lent with a visit to the Lenten Station Church for Ash Wednesday, the Basilica of ...
www.zenit.org/rssenglish-31927 - Cached

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Lenten Station Church for Ash Wednesday,
the Basilica of St. Sabina on the Aventine.

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Pope to Begin Lent With Visit to "Station Church"

Ash Wednesday March 9

ROME, MARCH 4, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI will begin Lent with a visit to the Lenten Station Church for Ash Wednesday, the Basilica of St. Sabina on the Aventine.

A note of from the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff revealed that on Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 9 this year, the Pope will preside at a 4:30 p.m. prayer service in the Church of St. Anselm on the Aventine, a procession to St. Sabina, and liturgy at the basilica.

Cardinals, archbishops, bishops, Benedictine monks of St. Anselm, Dominican Fathers of St. Sabina and some faithful will take part in the procession. At the end of the procession, the Eucharistic celebration will take place with the rite of blessing and imposition of ashes.

The custom of celebrating Mass at a Station Church during Lent dates back to the Middle Ages when popes would celebrate the Eucharist assisted by all the priests of the churches of Rome in one of the 43 "station" basilicas of the city.

After an initial prayer, the procession proceeded from one Church to another with the singing of the Litanies of the Saints, which concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist.

At the end of the Mass, the priests took the Eucharistic bread (fermentum) and brought it to the faithful who were unable to participate, to indicate communion and unity among all the members of the Church.

The imposition of ashes was a rite reserved at first for public penitents, who had asked to be reconciled during Lent. However, out of humility and recognizing themselves always in need of reconciliation, the Pope, the clergy and then all the faithful wished successively to be associated to that rite also receiving the ashes.

The Lenten Station indicates the pilgrim dimension of the People of God that, in preparation for Holy Week, intensifies the Lenten desert and experiences the distance of "Jerusalem" to which Palm Sunday is directed, so that the Lord can complete -- at Easter -- his earthly mission and fulfill the plan of the Father.

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Lenten Station Church on Ash Wednesday

From Santa Sabina, Aventine, view Tiber, l. Vatican, c. Synagouge

In February, Abbot Mark took photographs during his In-service Course in Rome.

It so happens that his views of the Basilica of Santa Sabina were anticipating the Lenten Station Church on Ash Wednesday

Mark’s photos aptly illustrate this article  of ‘The Catholic Traveler _com.

Santa Sabina Pilgrims who travel to Rome during Lent can participate in a beautiful custom that dates back to the fourth century. It’s a custom that began as a way to strengthen the sense of community in the city while honoring the holy martyrs of Rome. The faithful would journey through the streets to visit various churches. As they walked they would pray the Litany of the Saints. The bishop of Rome, that is the Holy Father, would join them, lead them in prayer and celebrate Mass at the church. Though this practice was around for years, Pope Saint Gregory the Great established the order of the churches to be visited, the prayers to be recited and designated this as a Lenten practice. The tradition continued until 1309 when the papacy moved to Avignon. Pope Leo XIII revived the tradition and it was fully restored by John XXIII in 1959. Over the next few weeks, we’ll visit these station churches together. Forty churches in all; a few are repeated. Today, Ash Wednesday,     we begin with Santa Sabina. Not far from Circus Maximus, Santa Sabina is located up on Aventine Hill. Why this church was chosen for the start of Lent is not exactly known. One thought is that because of it’s location, one had to make a strong climb uphill to reach the church, this climb was symbolic of the efforts necessary to climb to spiritual perfection. It could also be that Gregory the Great fell in love with the church when he sought refuge here during the plague, he called it “the gem of the Aventine.” Santa Sabina is one of Rome’s domus ecclesiae, or house churches. During the persecutions, Christians had to meet secretly to celebrate the sacraments. Often they would do so in the homes of the wealthy as they were the one’s who were able to accommodate the faithful. These homes were given the title, or titulus, of the owner. In this case Titulus Sabina. Once Christianity was legal, the houses were converted into churches and most of these churches kept the original name. The former property owners were often saints, Sabina was a martyr, so the Titulus changed to Santa, and now we have Santa Sabina. The basilica was originally built between AD 422-432, rebuilt in 834 and restored in 1914. The architectural highlight of this basilica has to be the cyprus doors. The doors are carved with scenes from the Old and New Testaments. The quality of the carvings vary, some panels are even missing. But what is fascinating is that the doors are original, from the fifth century. That makes these wooden doors over 1500 years old! Also interesting to note is that the crucifixion scene is thought to be one of the earliest surviving depictions of Christ’s crucifixion. One thing that stands out as you enter Santa Sabina is the light. Large windows made of silenite, not glass, let in a lot of light. This was actually quite common in early churches, but we do not see it much today. Many of the windows were covered up over time because of the idea that darkness would be more conducive to prayer and meditation. Four saints are buried here, Pope Saint Alexander, Saint Eventius, Saint Theodulus and, of course, Saint Sabina. Santa Sabina is not only one of our earliest churches, it also has an important history with a holy priest named Dominic. For it was this church that in 1218 Pope Honorius III entrusted to Dominic to establish a friary for his new order, the Dominicans. Though it is no longer the head church for the Dominicans, they do still serve Santa Sabina. If you have the opportunity to visit, find a friar and they will happily show you to Dominic’s cell and give you a peek at an orange tree descended from one planted by Saint Dominic himself. Since the time of John XXIII, the Holy Father typically travels to Santa Sabina to celebrate Mass here each year on Ash Wednesday. The Catholic Traveler _com Lenten Station Churches Santa Sabbina

Mark 12:1-12 Gospel in minature

The Parable of the Vineyard (Mk 12:1-12)

Hi, William,
Thank you for focusing on the Gospel this morning, and the remarkable Sacra Pagina Interpretation..
At the Mass.  Fr. Raymond actually Introduced the Martyrs Perpetual and Felicity as their Memorial.


Your own insightful reading compelled me to follow the inspiring Markan Interpretation, page 341. It makes a very helpful scanned page below..
Many thanks. 
Yours ...
Donald                                    + + + 

Subject: Mark 12:1-12 Sacra Pagina 

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: William J ...
To: Donald ...
Sent: Sun, 6 March, 2011 23:02:25

Dear Father Donald,

I am loving your Blog as you walk us along the path of the Liturgy towards Jerusalem...

[... unsleeping of night having just read Sacra Pagina's commentary on tomorrow morning's Gospel ...and then look on your Blog for further inspiration during the day!).

Sacra Pagina has placed a gem before me... page 341, last paragraph begins:

"However complex the origin of its components may be, Mark 12:1-12 in its present form is a rich theological text. It has been described as Mark's Gospel in miniature or even the whole Bible in miniature.... [I have no scanner and the special illumination for me runs on over the page; and most significant also is an 'echo' there of Pope Benedict XVI's passage that "the circle of accusers who instigate Jesus’ death is precisely indicated in the Fourth Gospel and clearly limited: it is the Temple aristocracy"]

Two tremendous reflections which I could never have even approached on my own. What a delight is this Sacra Pagina series that you recommended on your Blog! 

Yours in Our Lord,

William

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The Gospel of Mark
Sacra Pagina pp.341-2
The Parable of the Vineyard (12:1-12)

• … The quotation of Ps 118:22-23 in 12:10-11 is related thematicully to the parable since in both cases the "experts" (tenant farmers, builders) fail to recognize the ultimate importance of the one(s) they reject and mistreat. The Markan editorial framework (12:1a, 12) serves to emphasize that the parable and the biblical text both criticize the leaders in Jerusalem, not Israel collectively as a people.
• While the nucleus of the parable might go back to Jesus there are some factors that suggest composition or extensive editing in early Christian circles or at least an elaborate process of transmission from Jesus to Mark's Gospel. First, the biblical quotations and allusions-Is a 5:1-2 in Mark 12:1, Gen 37:20 in 12:7, and Ps 118:22-23-all reflect the wording of the Greek Septuagint. Second, while Mark 12:1-9 is not technically an allegory (since not every element is given an interpretation), it is more allegorical-the owner = God, the vineyard = Israel, the tenant farmers = Israel's leaders, the servants = the prophets, the beloved son = Jesus-than most of the parables in the Synoptic Gospels. Third, the high claim made by Jesus about himself in 12:6 ("one son, the beloved") in a public setting stands in tension with the reserve that generally surrounds Jesus' identity. Some interpreters suggest that Jesus may have originally told the parable about John the Baptist as the "one son, the beloved," but there can be little doubt that Mark interpreted it as a story told by Jesus about himself (see the Note on 12:6 and its links to Mark 1:11 and 9:7). Finally, if one reads 12:9 as referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. and to the church's Gentile mission (we do not), then even a post-70 date would be likely.
• It is possible that the "stone" quotation of Ps 118:22-23 was taken from a collection of OT quotations developed to support specific beliefs. Among the Dead Sea scrolls there are examples of anthologies of OT texts on the messiah (4Q175), the future consolations of Israel (4Q176), and the last days (4Q177). For a full presentation of the evidence see Martin C. Albl, "And Scripture Cannot Be Broken." The Form and Function of the Early Christian Testimonia Collections (Leiden: Brill, 1999). Albl points to five prominent testimonia traditions that can be glimpsed in the NT: messianic proof texts, Ps 110:1, Isa 6:9~1O and the "hardening" tradition, Zech 12:10 and the "two advents," and the "stone" testimonia (as in Mark 12:10-11).
• However complex the origin of its components may be, Mark 12:1-12 in its present form is a rich theological text. It has been described as Mark's Gospel in miniature or even the whole Bible in miniature. It roots Jesus in the context of Israel's history by its use of OT texts: the song of the vineyard (Isa 5:1-7), the history of the prophets and their rejection, the jealousy and envy shown by Joseph's brothers (Gen 37:20 = Mark 12:7), and the "stone" text (Ps 118:22-23). It places Jesus at the decisive moment in God's dealing with his people and identifies Jesus as the fully accred­ited and beloved agent (son) of God (12:6-8). And it raises the theme of God's judgment against those leaders in Israel who reject the Son of God (12:9), and holds out the promise of a marvelous vindication (resurrection) on behalf of Jesus as God's "stone" that the builders rejected.
• The surprising feature about this parable/allegory is the action of (Ill' owner who continues to send emissaries in the face of brutal rejection The question .of 12:9 ("What will the owner do?") thus engages the renders in the larger question about how they think about God. Rather than simply attacking unbelieving Israel for rejecting him, Jesus presents a Cod who is longing for a response. The prophetic books often refer to the long suffering God who reaches out for a human response (see Hos 2:2, 14-20; Jer 3:11-14; Ezek 16:59-63). In this parable Jesus brings to the fore such ,I searching God. In contrast, the dialogue of the tenants shows that they tin' a people who have eyes but do not see and who are hard of heart (Isa 6:9; Mark 4:11-12; 8:18).
• This text is sometimes read as if it teaches the replacement of Israel as God's people by the church, but as has been mentioned already, the target of the passage's criticism is not Israel as God's people but rather its politi­cal and religious leaders in the time of Jesus. These leaders are portrayed as the tenant farmers who mistreat God's emissaries (the prophets and God's Son Jesus) and as the "builders" who reject the "stone" that be­comes the most important part (whether as the cornerstone or the cap­stone) in the whole building (Jesus' place in the history of salvation). The "others" to whom the vineyard (Israel) is given are better understood as Jesus and his (Jewish) disciples than as the Romans or as Gentile Chris­tians. A careful reading of this parable can be a safeguard against its mis­use as teaching Christian theological supersessionism whereby the church replaces Israel as the people of God. 

Mark 9:1 Three Span Bridge

Markan Interpretation
COMMENT at End

Forth Bridges

 "The Markan episode traditionally known as the transfiguration actu­ally consists of three elements". (Interpenetration Sacra Pagina below) 

Mark 9:1 Bridge

A Commentator advises about taking a Verse of the Day in Bible and says it is a mistake not to read the paragraph and find the context.

The case of Mark 9:1 proves the exception.

It stands in a lonely obscurity. Mk. 9:1 is forgotten in the eminences of the Confession of Peter and the Transfiguration.

Mk. 9:1 is in a king of no-land or between two Chapters, Mk8 and Mk9.

The displacement is attributed to Jerome, (Vulgate), and also to Douai_Rheims and Ronald Knox

Mar 9:1

See Vulgate

(Vulgate)  (8:39) et dicebat illis amen dico vobis quia sunt quidam de hic stantibus qui non gustabunt mortem donec videant regnum Dei veniens in virtute  Douai-Rheims 

(DRB)  (8:39) And he said to them: Amen f say to you that there are some of them that stand here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God coming in power.

Ronald Knox
(8:39)  Believe me, there are those standing here who will not taste of death before they have seen the kingdom of God present in all its power.

The Mass Gospel passage for Fri 18^th 2011 was Mark 8. 8:34-9:1.

It is an unusual split between two Chapters.

There can be very brief Gospel passage for Mass.

One can suggest that Mark 9:1 can merit this one verse to serve as one Mass message.

Mark 9:1 (or Vulgate 8:39) is Bridge, even a three arch bridge, spanning the major link more well named sites of ‘the Confession of Peter’ and ‘the Transfiguration’.

The commentary of Sacra Pagina (pp.267-275) finds a very useful metaphor of the Bridge and it’s spans..

NOTES 

1.         And he said to them: Mark often uses this expression to make connections (SV(' 2:27; 4:11,21,24; 6:10; 7:9; 8:21), especially when, as here, the connection is not immediately obvious. The verse serves as a bridge between 8:34-38 and 9:2-8. Amen I say to you: Whereas" Amen" often concludes prayers or statements, the use of "Amen" to introduce a statement is unusual and is often regarded as a speech-characteristic of the historical Jesus. Used already in 3:28 and 8:12, it becomes increasingly frequent in the second half of Mark's Gospel (see 9:41; 10:15,29; 11:23; 12:43; 13:30; 14:9, 18, 25, 30).

2.         some people standing here: The Greek perfect participle hesukoum seems to carry a present sense here. In this context it refers most obviously to Peter, James, and John (9:2), though it could refer to the larger group of 8:34.

experience death: The verb geuesihai ("taste") is used metaphorically with re­gard to death also in J01m 8:52 and Heb 2:9.

the kingdom of God come: For the kingdom of God as the central theme of Jesus' preaching see Mark 1:15. The major interpretive problem here is posed by the perfect participle eielythuian. Should it be taken as present in sense ("come") as seems to be the case with hestekotim ("standing") earlier in the verse? Then the kingdom is still future (though imminent). Or should it be taken as a true per­fect ("has come")? Then the kingdom has already come (realized eschatology), and the task of "some standing here" is to recognize its presence. The former explanation better suits Mark's eschatology as expressed in 1:15.

with power: The term dynamis is used by Mark with reference to Jesus' miracles (6:2,5,14; 9:39), to God (12:24; 14:62), and to the heavenly "powers" and to the coming of the Son of Man (13:25-26). Its appearance here (en dynamei) con­ributes to the eschatological mood of the episode that follows.

2.after six days: This precise time reference is puzzling. To what does it refer? It is explained in several ways: as part of a pre-Markan source that the evangelist carelessly took over, as an allusion to the theophany that Moses experienced after six days on Mount Sinai according to Exod 24:15-17, as pointing back to Peter's confession in 8:29, or as pointing forward to Jesus' "Passion week" in Jerusalem.

INTERPRETATION

The Markan episode traditionally known as the transfiguration actu­ally consists of three elements: the saying about the imminent coming of God's kingdom (9:1), the narrative about the transformation or transfigu­ration of Jesus (9:2-8), and the discussion between Jesus and his disciples about Jesus as the suffering Son of Man and John the Baptist as an Elijah figure (9:9-13). While different in literary form and content, in their present place in Mark's Gospel they confront Jesus' disciples and Mark's readers with the mystery of the kingdom of God and the place of Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection within it. Mark may well have been the one who was responsible .for putting the three units together. Their com­bination evokes themes that are central to his gospel.

The saying about the imminent coming of God's kingdom (9:1) promises that some contemporaries of Jesus would see "the kingdom of God come with power" before they die. This saying, along with Mark 13:30 (see Matt 24:34; Luke 21:32) and Matt 10:23, provides the strongest evidence that Jesus regarded the kingdom of God as future and imminent (that is, 10 come soon). These sayings are balanced off by Luke 11:20 (see Matt 12:28); Matt 11:12 (see Luke 16:16); and Luke 17:21, which imply that God's kingdom is already present or at least inaugurated in Jesus' ministry. When the two sets of sayings are put together, the result is the "already / not yet" dynamic that is typical of NT eschatology.

The kingdom saying in Mark 9:1 is taken by most commentators as part of the preceding unit with 8:34-38. In fact it serves as a bridge from the final (eschatological) saying on discipleship in 8:38 to the story of the transfiguration in 9:2-8. By placing it just before the transfiguration Mark has given an interpretation to both the saying and the narrative. On the one hand Mark's readers are led to suppose that those "standing here" are Peter, James, and John, and that the transfiguration itself represents a (if not the) coming of God's kingdom in power. On the other hand the read­ers are provided with a clue toward understanding Jesus' transfiguration as a preview or anticipation of the fullness of the kingdom of God and of the risen Jesus' place within it.

The narrative about the transformation or transfiguration of Jesus (9:2- 8) describes the setting and the brilliant figure of Jesus (9:2-3), the appear­ance of Moses and Elijah as well as Peter's suggestion (9:4-6), the cloud and the voice coming from it (9:7), and the abrupt ending of the event (9:8). The major interpretive question regarding Mark 9:2-8 is, What is its literary genre? The three most prominent explanations are these: histori­cal report, resurrection appearance, and apocalyptic vision. While no one of these interpretations is entirely convincing, each contains some impor­tant truth.

Those who regard the transfiguration as a historical report cover a wide spectrum of opinions. They range from those who want to take every ele­ment as literal fact to those who say that some irrecoverable experience of the "brilliance" of Jesus on the part of his disciples led to the imaginative representation that now stands in the NT. The story certainly has many "supernatural" features that are beyond the capacity of the historian: the symbolism of the high mountain, the transfiguration itself, the appear­ance of Moses and Elijah, and the heavenly voice. That it reflects the dis­ciples' experience of Jesus' brilliance is entirely likely. But the precise details of that experience are hard to determine.

Some interpreters suggest that the transfiguration story was originally an account of an appearance of the risen Christ that has been read back into the career of the earthly Jesus. It fits well with the NT descriptions of other appearances of the risen Christ (e.g., Acts 9:3; 22:6; 26:13). The hypothesis is initially attractive (because it gives a context to the changed appearance of Jesus and to the disciples' amazement) and not implausible through a better case can be made for Mall 16:17-19 (or even Luke 5:1 II) as originally a post-Easter story. But some key elements found in the NT appearance stories, especially the theme of mission, arc missing. At any r.itc, the transfiguration is at least a preview of the glory of the risen Jesus .md so is an anticipation of the resurrection.

Still others regard the transfiguration as an apocalyptic vision such as one finds in Daniel and other Jewish apocalypses (1 Enoch, 4 Ezra, 2 Baruch, pie.). Indeed, Matt 17:9 explicitly describes the experience as a "vision" (horama), This suggestion helps to explain the supernatural elements as well as the eschatological context of the story. But there is no first-person narrative ("I saw") or an angelic interpreter and a detailed interpretation of the vision. However, it is fair to say that the transfiguration does pro­vide a preview of Jesus as a major character in the coming of God's kingdom in its fullness.

No one of these literary genres-historical report, resurrection appear once, apocalyptic vision-fully explains the transfiguration of Jesus, but each of them does explain something. A more helpful approach to the text is to say that it is a "christophany," that is, a manifestation or revelation of who Jesus Christ really is. The term is a variation of the word "theophany," a scene in which God reveals God's own self to humans (see, for example, the encounter between God and Moses in Exodus 3). In the transfiguration Jesus Christ is revealed as a glorious figure, someone on a level with (and even superior to) Moses and Elijah, and is called "Son of God" by a heavenly voice. In the Markan context of the journey narrative the transfiguration gives a glimpse of Jesus' true identity and the glorious goal to which his journey will lead. Meanwhile the disciples are understandably puzzled and react with a mixture of awe and foolishness.

If one can speak of an OT model for the transfiguration story the best candidates are the descriptions of Moses on Mount Sinai in Exodus 24 and 34. There are many common features: the high mountain (Mark 9:2 and Exod 24:12,15-18; 34:3), the presence of a special group (Mark 9:2 and Exod 24:1-2, 16), radiance from the central figure (Mark 9:6 and Exod 34:29-30,35), fear among the onlookers (Mark 9:6 and Exod 34:29-30), the loud (Mark 9:7 and Exod 24:15-18; 34:5), and the voice from the cloud (Mark 9:7 and Exod 24:16). The common features are so numerous that it is hard to escape the impression that the transfiguration story presents Jesus as not only the Son of God but also a Moses figure.

The discussion between Jesus and his disciples (9:9-13) relates Jesus' identity to the mystery of the cross and to Elijah/John the Baptist. When Jesus echoes the Passion prediction of 8:31 in 9:9 the disciples wonder how the Son of Man (whose glory they have experienced) could be put to death so as to rise from the dead. They also wonder about the sequence of eschatological events. For them resurrection is an end-time event, and Elijah must come before this can happen. This was only one of the several eschatological scenarios current among Jews in Jesus' time, but it was a common one (see 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch). But rather than rejecting their scenario, Jesus uses it to link John the Baptist to the prophet Elijah-a link already suggested by the inclusion of Mal 3:1 in the OT quotation in 1:2-3, by John's Elijah-like prophetic lifestyle (1:6), and by his fearlessness in speaking out against rulers in Israel (6:14-29). However, some people were apparently identifying Jesus with Elijah (see 6:15; 8:28), and only in 9:11-13 does it become completely clear that it is John rather than Jesus who is the Elijah figure. At Jesus' death on the cross some of the by­standers imagine that he is calling on Elijah (see 15:35-36). Nevertheless, while establishing that John the Baptist is Elijah in the eschatological scenario, Mark 9:11-13 serves to link John and Jesus, especially with re­gard to their sufferings, to the full coming of God's kingdom.

While each of the three sections in 9:1-13 can be taken separately, it is pastorally useful to follow Mark's insights in letting them interpret one another. What emerges from the combination is a deeper appreciation of Jesus' death and resurrection as pivotal events in the coming of God's kingdom in its fullness, the overwhelming brilliance of the person of the "real" Jesus, and the persistent presence of the mystery of the cross. The call to "listen to him" (9:7) highlights the proper response to Jesus and his place in the paschal mystery. It may point backward in particular to the teaching on the cost of discipleship in 8:34-38. The lectionary practice of reading the transfiguration story on the second Sunday of Lent captures the Markan dynamic nicely.

+ + +

COMMENT
 Mk 9:1 the tower of the Three Span Bridge      

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: WILLIAM ...
To: Donald ...
Sent: Sun, 20 February, 2011 14:08:38
Subject: Re: Mk 9:1 the tower of the Three Span Bridge

Dear Father Donald,

 

What an amazing conundrum, thank you! Nothing as clear or as measured as the Forth Bridge in your fabulous photo ... and with subtle complication when taken in harmony with the other Synoptics:

 

Mark 9:1 And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come withpower."

Matthew 16:28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

Luke 9:27 But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

The verse is undoubtably a 'link' between the two chapters, but so brief, we almost don't notice it! We admire the spans of the bridge but give ony little thought to the tower on which they stand.

 

The Mark Sacra Pagina commentary which you present stands out for me as the most perceptive.

 

The Luke Sacra Pagina commentary on Luke 9:27 has reference to the 'spans', and then an awareness of the 'tower':

“Notice that Luke omits “coming in power” from Mark and the specific connection to the parousia in Matthew. “This section falls into three scenes: Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah with the first prediction of the passion (9:18-22); sayings on the cost of discipleship (9:23-27); and the transfiguration (9:28-36). Taken together, they lead the disciples (and reader) into a deeper understanding of Jesus’ identity and their call.”… [And interestingly]... “by twice using the term "glory" in the story, Luke deliberately makes his version of the transfiguration the direct and immediate fulfilment of Jesus’ prediction that the Son of Man would come in ‘his glory’. The notions of ‘glory’ and ‘kingdom of God’ are closely tied by Luke to the person and words of Jesus.”

 

I tried other commentaries, and found this brilliant awareness of the 'tower' on which the span of the stories are built:

 

Jerome

Mark 9:1 “The most obvious meaning of Jesus’ promise is that it refers to the full flowering of God’s kingdom at the end of human history. The kingdom will come before some of the bystanders die. In the present context the saying may refer to the anticipation of the kingdom in Jesus’ death and resurrection, the judgement, or the transfiguration. The most convincing explanation is that Mark presents the transfiguration as a preview or anticipation of the final coming of God’s kingdom, and thus as a commentary on 9:1 itself.”

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I tried Catena Aurea Mark 9 [http://www.catecheticsonline.com]:

ORIGEN; As much as to say; The Son of Man is now come, but not in glory; for He ought not to have been ordained in His glory to bear our sins; but then He shall come in His glory, when He shall first have made ready His disciples, being made as they are, that He might make them as He is Himself, in the likeness of His glory.

JEROME; The death He speaks of as to be now, but the promise of His coming in glory is put off to a long distant time. He that knows secret things therefore requites a present fear with a present reward, saying, I say to you, There be some of those standing here that shall not taste death until the Son of Man come in His is kingdom.

and very simply:-

REMIG; What is here said, therefore, was fulfilled in the three disciples to whom the Lord, when transfigured in the mount, showed the joys of the eternal inheritance; these saw Him coming in His kingdom that is, shining in His effulgent radiance, in which, after the judgment passed, He shall be beheld by all the saints.  

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   

That was truly a challenge! I now see just how the tower of Mark 9:1 supports the spans magnificently! 

Thank you for sharing this with me, I have had a wonderful excursion over the bridge of the Firth of Thought...  

Yours  in Our Lord,

William

 

Matt 7:21-27 in the cleft of the rock is Christ

9th Sunday A. Gospel Saint Matthew 7:21-27. Mat 7:24 'Therefore, everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on rock. Night Office Reading: Saint Bernard, the mellifluous can be verbose, but his word can hit the nail on the head eloquently as this morning. Soundingly, the voice of Bernard, catches the spirit, “sees in the clefts of the rock the wounds of Christ. And quite correctly, for Christ is the rock”. Where countless monks peopled the Cistercian monasteries, inspiring abbots, like Bernard, articulated the vocation to Christ in the silent majority in praise and prayer, “because I am founded on a rock, …., because I shall remember the wounds of the Lord”. Nunraw Cloister - Crucifix, Way of  Stations Saint Bernard (1091-1153), Cistercian monk and doctor of the Church. Sermons on the Song of Songs, no.61  Set solidly on rock «My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the wall, show me your face, let your voice sound in my ears.» One writer... sees in the clefts of the rock the wounds of Christ. And quite correctly, for Christ is the rock. Good the clefts that strengthen our faith in the resurrection and the divinity of Christ. The apostle exclaimed: «My Lord and my God» (Jn 20,28). What was the source of these inspired words if not the clefts of the rock? Within them the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; in them the dove finds safety and fearlessly watches the circling hawk. This is why he says: «My dove in the clefts of the rock.» And the dove replies: «He has set me high upon a rock;» and again: «He set my feet upon a rock» (Ps 27[26],5; 40[39],3). The wise man builds his house upon a rock, because there he will fear the violence neither of storms nor of floods. Is on the rock not good? Set high on the rock, secure on the rock, I stand on the rock firmly. I am secure from the enemy, buttressed against a fall, all because I am raised up from the earth. For everything earthly is uncertain and perishable. Our homeland is in heaven, and we are not afraid of falling or being thrown down. The rock, with its durability and security, is in heaven. «The rock is a refuge for the hedgehog» (Ps 103,18). And really where is there safe sure rest for the weak except in the Saviour's wounds? There the security of my dwelling depends on the greatness of his saving power. The world rages, the body oppresses, the devil lays his snares: I do not fall because I am founded on a rock. I have sinned gravely, my conscience is disturbed but not confounded, because I shall remember the wounds of the Lord. For «he was wounded for our transgressions» (Is 53,5). What sin is so deadly as not to be forgiven in the death of Christ?

Pope excerpt from Chapter 7, Section 3, titled "Jesus Before Pilate.

Zenit Saturday 5th 2011

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Israeli Embassy Welcomes Pope's "Positive View"   

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New Book "Exonerates" Jews From Death of Jesus

ROME, MARCH 4, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The Israeli embassy to the Holy See "welcomes wholeheartedly" Benedict XVI's new book, in which the Pope reiterates that the Jews are not guilty of Jesus' death.

A statement released Thursday in English and Italian from the Israeli embassy responded to excerpts of "Jesus of Nazareth" that were released to the press this week. The book will be available March 10.

"We welcome wholeheartedly the emphasis reiterated by the Pope in his new book, in which he exonerates the Jews from responsibility for the death of Jesus," the statement says.

The embassy itself noted that this is not new teaching. In 1965, the Second Vatican Council declaration "Nostra Aetate" already explicitly stated that "what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today."

The embassy observed that the book is consistent with "the Church's official policy" and added that "Jesus of Nazareth" is a "confirmation of the Pope's known positive stance towards the Jewish People and the State of Israel."

Jesus' accusers

"Jesus of Nazareth" takes up the question of the Jews' role in Jesus' death in Chapter 7, Section 3. The Pope asks: "Now we must ask: Who exactly were Jesus’ accusers? Who insisted that he be condemned to death?"

He goes on to look at the various answers offered by the Gospels.

The Pontiff explains: "According to John it was simply 'the Jews'. But John’s use of this expression does not in any way indicate -- as the modern reader might suppose -- the people of Israel in general, even less is it 'racist' in character. After all, John himself was ethnically a Jew, as were Jesus and all his followers. The entire early Christian community was made up of Jews. In John’s Gospel this word has a precise and clearly defined meaning: he is referring to the Temple aristocracy. So the circle of accusers who instigate Jesus’ death is precisely indicated in the Fourth Gospel and clearly limited: it is the Temple aristocracy -- and not without certain exceptions, as the reference to Nicodemus (7:50–52) shows."

Benedict XVI also clarifies the phrase from Matthew, when "the 'whole people' say: 'His blood be on us and on our children' (27:25)."

He says, "[T]he Christian will remember that Jesus’ blood speaks a different language from the blood of Abel (Heb 12:24): it does not cry out for vengeance and punishment; it brings reconciliation. It is not poured out against anyone; it is poured out for many, for all. 'All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . . God put [ Jesus] forward as an expiation by his blood' (Rom 3:23, 25). Just as Caiaphas’ words about the need for Jesus’ death have to be read in an entirely new light from the perspective of faith, the same applies to Matthew’s reference to blood: read in the light of faith, it means that we all stand in need of the purifying power of love which is his blood. These words are not a curse, but rather redemption, salvation."

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Pope at Rome Synagogue  

On ZENIT’s Web page:

Excerpt from "Jesus of Nazareth": www.zenit.org/article-31923?l=english

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Excerpt of "Jesus of Nazareth": Christ's Accusers

"Who Insisted That He Be Condemned to Death?"

ROME, MARCH 4, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is an excerpt from Benedict XVI's book "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection," which is scheduled to be released worldwide March 10. The excerpt comes from Chapter 7, Section 3, titled "Jesus Before Pilate." Ignatius Press is the publisher of the volume in English. * * *

• Now we must ask: Who exactly were Jesus' accusers? Who insisted that he be condemned to death? We must take note of the different answers that the Gospels give to this question. According to John it was simply "the Jews". But John's use of this expression does not in any way indicate—as the modern reader might suppose—the people of Israel in general, even less is it "racist" in character. After all, John himself was ethnically a Jew, as were Jesus and all his followers. The entire early Christian community was made up of Jews. In John's Gospel this word has a precise and clearly defined meaning: he is referring to the Temple aristocracy. So the circle of accusers who instigate Jesus' death is precisely indicated in the Fourth Gospel and clearly limited: it is the Temple aristocracy—and not without certain exceptions, as the reference to Nicodemus (7:50–52) shows.
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• In Mark's Gospel, the circle of accusers is broadened in the context of the Passover amnesty (Barabbas or Jesus): the "ochlos" enters the scene and opts for the release of Barabbas. "Ochlos" in the first instance simply means a crowd of people, the "masses". The word frequently has a pejorative connotation, meaning "mob". In any event, it does not refer to the Jewish people as such. In the case of the Passover amnesty (which admittedly is not attested in other sources, but even so need not be doubted), the people, as so often with such amnesties, have a right to put forward a proposal, expressed by way of "acclamation".
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• Popular acclamation in this case has juridical character (cf. Pesch, Markusevangelium II, p. 466). Effectively this "crowd" is made up of the followers of Barabbas who have been mobilized to secure the amnesty for him: as a rebel against Roman power he could naturally count on a good number of supporters. So the Barabbas party, the "crowd", was conspicuous, while the followers of Jesus remained hidden out of fear; this meant that the vox populi, on which Roman law was built, was represented one-sidedly. In Mark's account, then, in addition to "the Jews", that is to say the dominant priestly circle, the ochlos comes into play, the circle of Barabbas' supporters, but not the Jewish people as such.
• 
  
• An extension of Mark's ochlos, with fateful consequences, is found in Matthew's account (27:25), which speaks of "all the people" and attributes to them the demand for Jesus' crucifixion. Matthew is certainly not recounting historical fact here: How could the whole people have been present at this moment to clamor for Jesus' death? It seems obvious that the historical reality is correctly described in John's account and in Mark's. The real group of accusers are the current Temple authorities, joined in the context of the Passover amnesty by the "crowd" of Barabbas' supporters.
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• Here we may agree with Joachim Gnilka, who argues that Matthew, going beyond historical considerations, is attempting a theological etiology with which to account  for the terrible fate of the people of Israel in the Jewish War, when land, city, and Temple were taken from them (cf. Matthausevangelium II, p. 459). Matthew is thinking here of Jesus' prophecy concerning the end of the Temple: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning
• those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken . . ." (Mt 23:37–38: cf. Gnilka, Matthausevangelium, the whole of the section entitled Gerichtsworte", II, pp. 295–308).
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• These words—as argued earlier, in the chapter on Jesus' eschatological discourse—remind us of the inner similarity between the Prophet Jeremiah's message and that of Jesus. Jeremiah—against the blindness of the then dominant circles—prophesied the destruction of the Temple and Israel's exile. But he also spoke of a "new covenant": punishment is not the last word; it leads to healing. In the same way Jesus prophesies the "deserted house" and proceeds to offer the New Covenant "in his blood": ultimately it is a question of healing, not of
• destruction and rejection.
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• When in Matthew's account the "whole people" say: "His blood be on us and on our children" (27:25), the Christian will remember that Jesus' blood speaks a different language from the blood of Abel (Heb 12:24): it does not cry out for vengeance and punishment; it brings reconciliation. It is not poured out against anyone; it is poured out for many, for all. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . . God put [ Jesus] forward as an expiation by his blood" (Rom 3:23, 25). Just as Caiaphas' words about the need for Jesus' death have to be read in an entirely new light from the perspective of faith, the same applies to Matthew's reference to blood: read in the light of faith, it means that we all stand in need of the purifying power of love which is his blood. These words are not a curse, but rather redemption, salvation. Only when understood in terms of the theology of the Last Supper and the Cross,  drawn from the whole of the New Testament, does this verse from Matthew's Gospel take on its correct meaning.

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On the Net: 

"Jesus of Nazareth": www.ignatius.com/Products/JN2-H/jesus-of-nazareth.aspx

PRAYER FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY

Friday, March 04, 2011 

Monthly Office of the Dead, and Mass

Night Office Hymn Prayer Reading

Prayer:  

For Brethren, Relatives and Benefactors

Lord God,
as you are the fount of mercy and wish all men to be saved:
have mercy then on our
deceased brethren, relatives and benefactors.
Through the intercession of Blessed Mary ever-virgin,
and of all your saints,
bring them to the fellowship of eternal joy. Amen

A Reading about Praying for the Dead.

There are many instances in the Old Testament of God forgiving sins yet demanding that reparation be made by those who have offended him. Thus, although God, as the Book of Wisdom says, "brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things" (10,2) he still condemned him to "eat his bread in the sweat of his brow" until he returned to the dust from which he was made. Again, when Moses and Aaron doubted his word, he forgave their sins but kept them from the land of promise (Num. 20, 12). David's sin was forgiven but the life of the child was declared forfeit because David had made the enemies of God blaspheme (II Kings 12, 13-14).

In the New Testament we are bidden "yield the acceptable fruit of repentance" (Matt, 3,8). The whole penitential system of the Church is clear evidence of the traditional belief in the necessity of self-denial to atone for forgiven sins and for the conviction that unless atonement is made during this life, it will have to be made after death.

St Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria and Origen are all perfectly clear in their evidence that it was just taken for granted in their day that the departed faithful were in a condition in which they could be helped by their brethren still on earth. In fact, the practice of praying for the dead soon passed into the official liturgy of the Church, and it is as clear in the fourth century as it is today in the twentieth.

In a famous passage in his 'Confessions', St Augustine writes this of his mother, St Monica: "Lay this body anywhere, she says: let not the care of it in any way disturb you. Only this do I ask of you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you are."

This is the Faith by Francis J. Ripley
(Print Origination Press, Liverpool, 1973, pp. 285, 287.) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aV5ol4-jKw&feature=player_detailpage   

Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each time it is said.

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

http://christtotheworld.blogspot.com/2009/10/pray-for-souls-in-purgatory.html

To help the Holy Souls in Purgatory

1. Have Masses offered for them.
2. Pray the Rosary and and the Chaplet for the Holy Souls.
3. Pray the Stations of the Cross.
4. Offer up little sacrifices and fast.
5. Spread devotion to them.
6. Attend Eucharistic Adoration and pray for them.