Sunday, December 1, 2013 - Litany Lane Blog:
Advent, Psalms 122:1-9, Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew24:27-44, Pope Francis Daily - Knowledge is a Gift, Saint Andrew the Apostle, Explanation of Liturgical Calendar Year 2014 Cycle A, Catholic Catechism Part Three: Life In Christ - Part 2: The Ten Commandments - Chapter 1:1 First Commandment
Advent 2013 - Remember Christmas is the Birth of Jesus Christ
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge, reason and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. The Seven Gifts of
the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, wonder and awe (fear of the
Lord) , counsel, knowledge, fortitude, and piety (reverence) and shun
the seven Deadly sins: wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and
gluttony...Its your choice whether to embrace the Gifts of the Holy Spirit rising towards eternal light or succumb to the Seven deadly sins and lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to the Darkness, Purgatory or Heaven is our Soul...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...~ Zarya Parx 2013
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: (A) First Sunday in Advent
Rosary - Glorious Mysteries
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
Pope Francis December 1 Daily:
Knowledge is a Gift
(2013-12-01 Vatican Radio)
The Christian conforms his way of thinking to God’s, and for this reason rejects ways of thinking that are weak and restricted.
This was the central theme of Pope Francis’ homily during Mass on Friday morning in the Casa Sanctae Martha. The Lord taught his disciples to be attentive to the signs of the times, signs which the Pharisees failed to comprehend.
The Pope said that, in order to understand the signs of the times, a Christian must think not only with his head, but also with his heart and spirit. Otherwise, he cannot understand the “way of God in history”:“In the Gospel, Jesus does become angry, but pretends to when the disciples do not understand him. At Emmaus he says: ‘How foolish and slow of heart’. ‘How foolish and slow of heart’… He who does not understand the things of God is such a person. The Lord wants us to understand what happens, what happens in my heart, what happens in my life, what happens in the world, in history… What is the meaning of what is happening now? These are the signs of the times! On the other hand, the spirit of the world gives us other propositions, because the spirit of the world does not want a community: it wants a mob, thoughtless, without freedom.”
While the spirit of the world wants us to take a “restricted path,” Saint Paul warns that the “spirit of the world treats us as thought we lack the ability to think for ourselves; it treats us like people who are not free”: “Restricted thought, equal thought, weak thought, a thought so widespread. The spirit of the world does not want us to ask ourselves before God: ‘But why, why this other, why did this happen?’. Or it also offers a prêt-à-porter [‘ready to wear’] way of thinking, according to personal taste: ‘I think as I like!’. This is okay, they say…. But what the spirit of the world does not want is what Jesus asks of us: free thought, the thought of a man and a women who are part of the people of God, and salvation is exactly this! Think of the prophets… ‘You were not my people, now I say my people’: so says the Lord. And this is salvation: to make us people, God’s people, to have freedom.”
Pope Francis added that Jesus asks us “to think freely… in order to understand what happens.” The truth is that “we are not alone! We need the Lord’s help”. We need to “understand the signs of the times”: the Holy Spirit, he said, “gives us this present, a gift: the intelligence to understand”:"What path does the Lord want? Always with the spirit of intelligence with which to understand the signs of the times. It is beautiful to ask the Lord for this grace, who sends us this spirit of intelligence, because we do not have a weak thought, we do not have a restricted thought and we do not have a thought according to personal preference: we only have a thought according to God. With this thought, which is a thought of the mind, of heart, and of soul. With this thought, which is the gift of the Spirit, [we] look for the meaning of things, and to understand the signs of the time well."
The Pope concluded: This is therefore the grace for which we must ask the Lord: “the ability which gives us the spirit” to “understand the signs of the time.”
The Christian conforms his way of thinking to God’s, and for this reason rejects ways of thinking that are weak and restricted.
This was the central theme of Pope Francis’ homily during Mass on Friday morning in the Casa Sanctae Martha. The Lord taught his disciples to be attentive to the signs of the times, signs which the Pharisees failed to comprehend.
The Pope said that, in order to understand the signs of the times, a Christian must think not only with his head, but also with his heart and spirit. Otherwise, he cannot understand the “way of God in history”:“In the Gospel, Jesus does become angry, but pretends to when the disciples do not understand him. At Emmaus he says: ‘How foolish and slow of heart’. ‘How foolish and slow of heart’… He who does not understand the things of God is such a person. The Lord wants us to understand what happens, what happens in my heart, what happens in my life, what happens in the world, in history… What is the meaning of what is happening now? These are the signs of the times! On the other hand, the spirit of the world gives us other propositions, because the spirit of the world does not want a community: it wants a mob, thoughtless, without freedom.”
While the spirit of the world wants us to take a “restricted path,” Saint Paul warns that the “spirit of the world treats us as thought we lack the ability to think for ourselves; it treats us like people who are not free”: “Restricted thought, equal thought, weak thought, a thought so widespread. The spirit of the world does not want us to ask ourselves before God: ‘But why, why this other, why did this happen?’. Or it also offers a prêt-à-porter [‘ready to wear’] way of thinking, according to personal taste: ‘I think as I like!’. This is okay, they say…. But what the spirit of the world does not want is what Jesus asks of us: free thought, the thought of a man and a women who are part of the people of God, and salvation is exactly this! Think of the prophets… ‘You were not my people, now I say my people’: so says the Lord. And this is salvation: to make us people, God’s people, to have freedom.”
Pope Francis added that Jesus asks us “to think freely… in order to understand what happens.” The truth is that “we are not alone! We need the Lord’s help”. We need to “understand the signs of the times”: the Holy Spirit, he said, “gives us this present, a gift: the intelligence to understand”:"What path does the Lord want? Always with the spirit of intelligence with which to understand the signs of the times. It is beautiful to ask the Lord for this grace, who sends us this spirit of intelligence, because we do not have a weak thought, we do not have a restricted thought and we do not have a thought according to personal preference: we only have a thought according to God. With this thought, which is a thought of the mind, of heart, and of soul. With this thought, which is the gift of the Spirit, [we] look for the meaning of things, and to understand the signs of the time well."
The Pope concluded: This is therefore the grace for which we must ask the Lord: “the ability which gives us the spirit” to “understand the signs of the time.”
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Liturgical Celebrations to be presided over by Pope: Winter
Vatican City, Winter 2013 (VIS)
Victimized Children. That children who are victims of abandonment or violence may find the love and protection they need.
Prepare the Savior's Coming. That Christians, enlightened by the Word incarnate, may prepare humanity for the Savior's coming.
The Vatican has issued the calendar of liturgical celebrations due to be presided over by the Holy Father through January 2014:
DECEMBER
Sunday 1 December, first Sunday of Advent: pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “San Cirillo Alessandrino”; Mass at 6 p.m.
Sunday 8 December, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Homage to Mary Immaculate, at 4 p.m. at Piazza di Spagna.
Tuesday 24 December, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord: Midnight Mass at 21.30 p.m. in the Papal Chapel of the Vatican Basilica.
Wednesday 25 December, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord: “Urbi et Orbi” blessing at 12 p.m. from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica.
Tuesday 31 December: celebration of the first Vespers and Te Deum for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, thanksgiving for the past year, 5 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica.
JANUARY
Wednesday 1 January, Solemnity of Mary Mother of God: and 47th World Day of Peace, Mass in the Vatican Basilica at 10 a.m.
Monday 6 January, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord: Mass in the Vatican Basilica at 10 a.m.
Sunday 12 January, First Sunday after the Epiphany, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: Mass and baptism of newborns in the Sistine Chapel at 9.45 a.m.
Victimized Children. That children who are victims of abandonment or violence may find the love and protection they need.
Prepare the Savior's Coming. That Christians, enlightened by the Word incarnate, may prepare humanity for the Savior's coming.
The Vatican has issued the calendar of liturgical celebrations due to be presided over by the Holy Father through January 2014:
DECEMBER
Sunday 1 December, first Sunday of Advent: pastoral visit to the Roman parish of “San Cirillo Alessandrino”; Mass at 6 p.m.
Sunday 8 December, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Homage to Mary Immaculate, at 4 p.m. at Piazza di Spagna.
Tuesday 24 December, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord: Midnight Mass at 21.30 p.m. in the Papal Chapel of the Vatican Basilica.
Wednesday 25 December, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord: “Urbi et Orbi” blessing at 12 p.m. from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica.
Tuesday 31 December: celebration of the first Vespers and Te Deum for the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, thanksgiving for the past year, 5 p.m. in the Vatican Basilica.
JANUARY
Wednesday 1 January, Solemnity of Mary Mother of God: and 47th World Day of Peace, Mass in the Vatican Basilica at 10 a.m.
Monday 6 January, Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord: Mass in the Vatican Basilica at 10 a.m.
Sunday 12 January, First Sunday after the Epiphany, Feast of the Baptism of the Lord: Mass and baptism of newborns in the Sistine Chapel at 9.45 a.m.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 12/01/2013.
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November 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you to love; to
continually pray for the gift of love; to love the Heavenly Father above
everything. When you love Him you will love yourself and your neighbor.
This cannot be separated. The Heavenly Father is in each person. He
loves each person and calls each person by his name. Therefore, my
children, through prayer hearken to the will of the Heavenly Father.
Converse with Him. Have a personal relationship with the Father which
will deepen even more your relationship as a community of my children –
of my apostles. As a mother I desire that, through the love for the
Heavenly Father, you may be raised above earthly vanities and may help
others to gradually come to know and come closer to the Heavenly Father.
My children, pray, pray, pray for the gift of love because 'love' is my
Son. Pray for your shepherds that they may always have love for you as
my Son had and showed by giving His life for your salvation. Thank you."
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
October 25, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: “Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
October 2, 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World: "Dear children, I love you with a motherly love and with a motherly patience I wait for your love and unity. I pray that you may be a community of God’s children, of my children. I pray that as a community you may joyfully come back to life in the faith and in the love of my Son. My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son. Give me your open, purified hearts and I will fill them with the love for my Son. His love will give meaning to your life and I will walk with you. I will be with you until the meeting with the Heavenly Father. My children, it is those who walk towards the Heavenly Father with love and faith who will be saved. Do not be afraid, I am with you. Put your trust in your shepherds as my Son trusted when he chose them, and pray that they may have the strength and the love to lead you. Thank you." - See more at: http://litanylane.blogspot.com/2013/11/tuesday-november-12-2013-litany-lane.html#sthash.1QAVruYo.bk3E9rXR.dpuf
Today's Word: advent ad·vent [ad-vent]
Origin: 1125–75; Middle English < Latin adventus arrival, approach, equivalent to ad- ad- + ven- (stem of venīre to come) + -tus suffix of verbal action
noun
1. a coming into place, view, or being; arrival: the advent of the holiday season.
2. ( usually initial capital letter ) the coming of Christ into the world.
3. ( initial capital letter ) the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 122:1-9
1 [Song of Ascents Of David] I rejoiced that they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of Yahweh.'
2 At last our feet are standing at your gates, Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem, built as a city, in one united whole,
4 there the tribes go up, the tribes of Yahweh, a sign for Israel to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.
5 For there are set the thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, prosperity for your homes!
7 Peace within your walls, prosperity in your palaces!
8 For love of my brothers and my friends I will say, 'Peace upon you!'
9 For love of the house of Yahweh our God I will pray for your well-being
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Today's Epistle - Isaiah 2:1-5
1 The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem.2 It will happen in the final days that the mountain of Yahweh's house will rise higher than the mountains and tower above the heights. Then all the nations will stream to it,
3 many peoples will come to it and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths.' For the Law will issue from Zion and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem.
4 Then he will judge between the nations and arbitrate between many peoples. They will hammer their swords into ploughshares and their spears into sickles. Nation will not lift sword against nation, no longer will they learn how to make war.
5 House of Jacob, come, let us walk in Yahweh's light.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Matthew 24: 37-44
Always be ready
God can come to us at any moment
Matthew 24, 37-44
God can come to us at any moment
Matthew 24, 37-44
1. Opening prayer
Lord Jesus,
send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same
mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In
the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them
to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of
your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be
the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of
resurrection.
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.
2. Reading
a) Key for reading:
In the Liturgy of the first
Sunday of Advent, the Church places us before an extract of
the discourse of Jesus on the end of the world. Advent means Coming.
It is the time of preparation for the coming of the Son of
Man into our life. Jesus exhorts us to be vigilant. He asks
us to be attentive to the events in order to discover in them the hour
of the coming of the Son of Man.
At the beginning of Advent, it is important to purify our look and to learn anew how to read the events in the light of the Word of God. And this in order not to be surprised, because God comes without telling us, when we less expect him. To show how we should be attentive to the events, Jesus goes back to the episode of the deluge in the time of Noah.
During the reading of the text, let us pay attention to the comparisons which Jesus uses to transmit his message.
b) A division of the text to help in the reading:
Matthew 24, 37-39: The coming of the Son of Man will arrive as in the days of Noah
Matthew 24, 40-41: Jesus applies the comparison to those who listen
Matthew 24, 42: The conclusion: “Stay awake”; be “Vigilant”.
Matthew 24, 43-44: A comparison to recommend vigilance.
Matthew 24, 40-41: Jesus applies the comparison to those who listen
Matthew 24, 42: The conclusion: “Stay awake”; be “Vigilant”.
Matthew 24, 43-44: A comparison to recommend vigilance.
c) The Gospel:
37
'As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of man
comes. 38 For in those days before the Flood people were
eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to
the day Noah went into the ark, 39 and they suspected nothing
till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it
will be like when the Son of man comes. 40 Then of two men
in the fields, one is taken, one left; 41 of two women grinding
at the mill, one is taken, one left. 42 'So stay
awake, because you do not know the day when your master is
coming. 43 You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had
known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he
would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to
break through the wall of his house. 44 Therefore, you too
must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour
you do not expect.
3. A moment of prayerful silence so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.
4. Some questions to help us in our personal reflection.
i) Which part of the text struck you most? Why?
ii) Where, when and why did Jesus pronounce this discourse?
iii) In what exactly does this vigilance consist, to which Jesus exhorts us?
iv) “One is taken, one left”. What does Jesus want to teach with this affirmation?
v) At the time of Matthew, the Christian community, in a certain sense, expected the coming of the Son of Man. And today, which is our way of waiting for the coming of Jesus?
vi) According to you, which is the centre or origin of this teaching of Jesus?
ii) Where, when and why did Jesus pronounce this discourse?
iii) In what exactly does this vigilance consist, to which Jesus exhorts us?
iv) “One is taken, one left”. What does Jesus want to teach with this affirmation?
v) At the time of Matthew, the Christian community, in a certain sense, expected the coming of the Son of Man. And today, which is our way of waiting for the coming of Jesus?
vi) According to you, which is the centre or origin of this teaching of Jesus?
5. For those who desire to go deeper into the theme
a) Context of the discourse of Jesus:
The Gospel of Matthew -
In the Gospel of
Matthew there are five great discourses, as if it were a new
edition of the five books of the Law of Moses. The text on
which we are meditating this Sunday forms part of the fifth
Discourse of this New Law, Each one of the preceding four
discourses enlightens a determinate aspect of the Kingdom of God
announced by Jesus. The first one: the justice of the Kingdom
and the conditions to enter into the Kingdom (Mt from 5 to
7). The second one: the mission of the citizens of the
Kingdom (Mt 10). The third one: the mysterious presence of
the Kingdom in the life of the people (Mt 13). The fourth
one: to live the Kingdom in community (Mt 18). The fifth Sermon speaks
of vigilance in view of the definitive coming of the Kingdom.
In this last discourse, Matthew continues the outline of Mark
(cf. Mk 13, 5-37), but adds some parables which speak about
the need of vigilance and of service, of solidarity and of
fraternity.
Waiting for the coming of the Son of Man -
At the end of the
first century, the communities lived expecting the immediate
coming of Jesus (I Th 5, 1-11). Basing themselves on some
words of Paul (I Th 4, 15-18), there were some persons who
had ceased to work thinking that Jesus was about to arrive (2
Th 2, 1-2; 3, 11-12). They asked themselves: When Jesus
comes, will we be taken up to Heaven as he was? (cfr. I Th 4, 17). Will
we be taken or left behind? (cfr. Mt 24, 40-41). There was an
atmosphere similar to that of today, in which many ask
themselves: “Is this terrorism a sign that the end of the
world is close at hand?” What should we do in order not to be
surprised?” An answer to this question and concern comes to
us from the words of Jesus which Matthew transmits to us in
the Gospel of this Sunday.
b) Comment on the text:
Matthew 24, 37-39: Jesus compares the coming of the Son of Man to the days of the deluge
“As it was in Noah’s day, so it will be when the Son of Man comes”. Here, in order to clarify his call to vigilance, Jesus refers to two episodes of the Old Testament: Noah and the Son of Man. The “days of Noah” refer to the description of the deluge (Gen 6,5 to 8,14).
“As it was in Noah’s day, so it will be when the Son of Man comes”. Here, in order to clarify his call to vigilance, Jesus refers to two episodes of the Old Testament: Noah and the Son of Man. The “days of Noah” refer to the description of the deluge (Gen 6,5 to 8,14).
The image of the “Son of Man” comes
from a vision of the prophet Daniel (Dan 7, 13). In the days
of Noah the majority of persons lived without any concern,
without being aware that in the events the hour of God was
getting near. Life continued “and they were not aware of anything
until the deluge came and drowned them all”. And Jesus concludes:
“Thus it will be when the Son of Man comes”. In the vision of
Daniel, the Son of Man will come on the clouds unexpectedly
and his coming will decree the end of the oppressing empires,
which will have no future.
Matthew 24, 40-41: Jesus applies the comparison to those who listen to him.
“Two men will be in the fields: one is taken, one left”. These phrases should not be taken literally. It is a way to indicate the diverse destiny that persons will receive according to the justice of the works they did. Some will be taken, that is, will receive salvation, and others will not receive it. This is what happened in the deluge: “You alone of your contemporaries do I see before me as an upright man” (Gen 7, 1). And Noah and his family were saved.
“Two men will be in the fields: one is taken, one left”. These phrases should not be taken literally. It is a way to indicate the diverse destiny that persons will receive according to the justice of the works they did. Some will be taken, that is, will receive salvation, and others will not receive it. This is what happened in the deluge: “You alone of your contemporaries do I see before me as an upright man” (Gen 7, 1). And Noah and his family were saved.
Matthew 24, 42: Jesus draws the conclusion: “So stay awake”, be vigilant.
God is the one who determines the hour of the coming of the Son. But God’s time is not measured by our clock or calendar. For God one day can be equal to a thousand years, and a thousand years equal to one day (Ps 90; 2 Pt 3, 8). God’s time (kairos) is independent from our time (cronos). We cannot interfere in God’s time, but we should be prepared for the moment in which God’s hour becomes present in our time. It can be today, it can be from now in one thousand years.
God is the one who determines the hour of the coming of the Son. But God’s time is not measured by our clock or calendar. For God one day can be equal to a thousand years, and a thousand years equal to one day (Ps 90; 2 Pt 3, 8). God’s time (kairos) is independent from our time (cronos). We cannot interfere in God’s time, but we should be prepared for the moment in which God’s hour becomes present in our time. It can be today, it can be from now in one thousand years.
Matthew 24, 43-44: comparison: the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
God comes when we less expect him. It can also happen that He comes and people are not aware of the hour of his arrival. Jesus asks for two things: an always attentive vigilance and at the same time, a peaceful dedication of the one who is in peace. This attitude is a sign of much maturity, in which are mixed the vigilant concern and the serene tranquillity. The maturity which succeeds to combine the seriousness of the moment with the awareness that everything is relative.
God comes when we less expect him. It can also happen that He comes and people are not aware of the hour of his arrival. Jesus asks for two things: an always attentive vigilance and at the same time, a peaceful dedication of the one who is in peace. This attitude is a sign of much maturity, in which are mixed the vigilant concern and the serene tranquillity. The maturity which succeeds to combine the seriousness of the moment with the awareness that everything is relative.
c) Broadening the information in order to better understand the text:
How should we be vigilant to prepare ourselves? -
Our text is preceded by the parable of the fig tree (Mt 24,
32-33). The fig tree was a symbol of the people of Israel (Os
9, 10; Mt 21, 18). In asking to look at the fig tree, Jesus
asks to look and to analyze the facts that are taking place.
It is as if Jesus would say to us: “You should learn from the
fig tree to read the signs of the times, and in this way you would
discover where and when God breaks into our history!”
The certainty communicated to us by Jesus - Jesus
leaves us a twofold certainty to orientate our journey in
life: (1) surely the end will come; (2) certainly, nobody
knows anything about the day or hour of the end of the world.
“But as for that day and hour, nobody knows it, neither the
angels in Heaven nor the Son, no one but the Father alone!”
(Mt 24, 36). In spite of all the estimates or calculations
that men can do on the date of the end of the world, nobody can
calculate with certainty. What gives security is not the
knowledge of the hour of the end, but the Word of Jesus
present in life. the world will pass but his Word will never
pass. (cfr. Is 40, 7-8).
When will the end of the world come?
- When the bible speaks about the “end of the World”, it
refers not to the end of the world, but to the end of a
world. It refers to the end of this world, where injustice
and the power of evil reign; these which embitter life. This world of
injustice will come to an end and in its place there will be “a
new heavens and a new earth”, announced by Isaiah (Is 65,
15–17) and foreseen in the Apocalypse (Ap 21, 1). Nobody
knows when nor how the end of this world will be (Mt 24, 36),
because nobody can imagine what God has prepared for those
who love him (I Co 2, 9). The new world of life without death
exceeds everything, just like the tree exceeds the seed (I Co 15,
35-38). The first Christians were anxious to be present in
this end (2 Th 2,2). They continued to look up at heaven,
waiting for the coming of Christ (Acts 1, 11). Some no longer
worked (2 Th 3, 11). But “It is not for you to know times or
dates that the Father has decided by his own authority”
(Acts 1, 7). The only way to contribute to the coming of the end “in
order that the Lord may send the time of comfort” (Acts 3, 20),
and give witness of the Gospel everywhere, to the earth’s
remotest end (Acts 1, 8).
6. Prayer: Psalm 46 (45)
“God is our refuge! We shall not be afraid!”
God is both refuge and strength for us,
a help always ready in trouble;
so we shall not be afraid though the earth be in turmoil,
though mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
and its waters roar and seethe,
and the mountains totter as it heaves.
There is a river whose streams bring joy to God's city,
it sanctifies the dwelling of the Most High.
God is in the city, it cannot fall;
at break of day God comes to its rescue.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are tumbling,
when he raises his voice the earth crumbles away.
Yahweh Sabaoth is with us, our citadel,
the God of Jacob.
Come, consider the wonders of Yahweh,
the astounding deeds he has done on the earth;
he puts an end to wars over the whole wide world,
he breaks the bow,
he snaps the spear,
shields he burns in the fire.
'Be still and acknowledge that I am God,
supreme over nations, supreme over the world.'
a help always ready in trouble;
so we shall not be afraid though the earth be in turmoil,
though mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
and its waters roar and seethe,
and the mountains totter as it heaves.
There is a river whose streams bring joy to God's city,
it sanctifies the dwelling of the Most High.
God is in the city, it cannot fall;
at break of day God comes to its rescue.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are tumbling,
when he raises his voice the earth crumbles away.
Yahweh Sabaoth is with us, our citadel,
the God of Jacob.
Come, consider the wonders of Yahweh,
the astounding deeds he has done on the earth;
he puts an end to wars over the whole wide world,
he breaks the bow,
he snaps the spear,
shields he burns in the fire.
'Be still and acknowledge that I am God,
supreme over nations, supreme over the world.'
Yahweh Sabaoth is with us, our citadel, the God of Jacob.
7. Final Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank for the
word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the
Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us
the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us.
May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also
practise the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in
the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Saint Andrew, the Apostle
Feast Day: November 30
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| Saint Andrew the Apostle |
The New Testament states that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter,[3] by which it is inferred that he was likewise a son of John, or Jonah. He was born in the village of Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. Both he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them "fishers of men" (Greek: ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, halieĩs anthrōpōn).[4] At the beginning of Jesus' public life, they were said to have occupied the same house at Capernaum.
In the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus.[6] Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes (John 6:8), with Philip told Jesus about the Greeks seeking Him, and was present at the Last Supper.[7]
Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea, on the northern coast of the Peloponnese. Early texts, such as the Acts of Andrew known to Gregory of Tours,[9] describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called Crux decussata (X-shaped cross, or "saltire"), now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross" — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.[10] "The familiar iconography of his martyrdom, showing the apostle bound to an X-shaped cross, does not seem to have been standardized before the later Middle Ages," Judith Calvert concluded after re-examining the materials studied by Louis Réau.[11]
The Acts of Andrew
The apocryphal Acts of Andrew, mentioned by Eusebius, Epiphanius and others, is among a disparate group of Acts of the Apostles that were traditionally attributed to Leucius Charinus. "These Acts (...) belong to the third century: ca. A.D. 260," was the opinion of M. R. James, who edited them in 1924. The Acts, as well as a Gospel of St Andrew, appear among rejected books in the Decretum Gelasianum connected with the name of Pope Gelasius I. The Acts of Andrew was edited and published by Constantin von Tischendorf in the Acta Apostolorum apocrypha (Leipzig, 1821), putting it for the first time into the hands of a critical professional readership. Another version of the Andrew legend is found in the Passio Andreae, published by Max Bonnet (Supplementum II Codicis apocryphi, Paris, 1895).Relics
St Jerome wrote that the relics of St Andrew were taken from Patras to Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II around 357 and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles. The head of Andrew was given by the Byzantine despot Thomas Palaeologus to Pope Pius II in 1461. It was enshrined in one of the four central piers of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican.
In 1208, following the sack of Constantinople, those relics of St. Andrew and St. Peter which remained in the imperial city were taken to Amalfi, Italy,[12] by Cardinal Peter of Capua, a native of Amalfi. The Amalfi cathedral (Duomo), dedicated to St. Andrew (as is the town itself), contains a tomb in its crypt that it maintains still contains the rest of the relics of the apostle. On 8 May 2008, the relic believed to be Andrew's head was returned to Amalfi Cathedral.
In September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that all of the relics of St. Andrew that were in Vatican City be sent back to Patras. Cardinal Augustin Bea along with many other cardinals presented the skull to Bishop Constantine of Patras on 24 September 1964.[13][14][15] The cross of St. Andrew was taken from Greece during the Crusades by the Duke of Burgundy.[16][17] It was kept in the church of St. Victor in Marseilles[18][19] until it returned to Patras on 19 January 1980. The cross of the apostle was presented to the Bishop of Patras Nicodemus by a Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray.[20] All the relics, which consist of the small finger, the skull (part of the top of the cranium of Saint Andrew), and the cross on which he was martyred, have been kept in the Church of St. Andrew at Patras in a special shrine and are revered in a special ceremony every November 30, his feast day.
In 2006, the Catholic Church, again through Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, gave the Greek Orthodox Church another relic of St. Andrew.[21]
Traditions and legends
Georgia
The church tradition of Georgia regards St. Andrew as the first preacher of Christianity in the territory of Georgia and as the founder of the Georgian church. This tradition was apparently derived from the Byzantine sources, particularly Nicetas of Paphlagonia (died c. 890) who asserts that "Andrew preached to the Iberians, Sauromatians, Taurians, and Scythians and to every region and city, on the Black Sea, both north and south."[22] The version was adopted by the 10th-11th-century Georgian ecclesiastics and, refurbished with more details, was inserted in the Georgian Chronicles. The story of St. Andrew’s mission in the Georgian lands endowed the Georgian church with apostolic origin and served as a defense argument to George the Hagiorite against the encroachments from the Antiochian church authorities on autocephaly of the Georgian church. Another Georgian monk, Ephraim the Minor, produced a thesis, reconciling St. Andrew’s story with an earlier evidence of the 4th-century conversion of Georgians by St. Nino and explaining the necessity of the "second Christening" by Nino. The thesis was made canonical by the Georgian church council in 1103.[23][24]Cyprus
Cypriot tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Saint Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship's captain, who had been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery stood there in the 12th century, from which Isaac Comnenus negotiated his surrender to Richard the Lionheart. In the 15th century, a small chapel was built close to the shore. The main monastery of the current church dates to the 18th century.Other pilgrimages are more recent. The story is told that in 1895, the son of a Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Saint Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son's return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. Telling her story during the journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest became more and more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, he stripped off his cloths to reveal the same marks and mother and son were thus reunited.[25]
Apostolos Andreas Monastery (Greek: Απόστολος Ανδρέας) is a monastery dedicated to Saint Andrew situated just south of Cape Apostolos Andreas, which is the north-easternmost point of the island of Cyprus, in Rizokarpason in the Karpass Peninsula. The monastery is an important site to the Cypriot Orthodox Church. It was once known as 'the Lourdes of Cyprus', served not by an organized community of monks but by a changing group of volunteer priests and laymen. Both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities consider the monastery a holy place. As such it is visited by many people for votive prayers.
Malta
Romania
The official stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church is that Andrew preached the Gospel in the province of Dobruja (Scythia Minor) to the Daco-Romans, whom he is said to have converted to Christianity. This theory is based on some ancient Christian symbols found carved in a cave near Murfatlar. According to some modern Romanian scholars, the idea of early Christianisation is unsustainable, being used for propaganda purposes in the communist era as part of the ideology of protochronism, which purports that the Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian people for its entire history.[26]Another Romanian researcher, George Alexandrou [19], although he denies this theory, he maintains that St. Andrew spent 20 years in the territories of the Daco-Romans, preaching and teaching. Alexandrou also supposes that St. Andrews felt very close to the Dacians because they were monotheists. During that period St. Andrew traveled around the Lower Danube territories and along the coast of the Black Sea, but mostly he stayed in and around his cave in Dobruja (located in the vicinity of the Ion Corvin village). St. Andrew’s cave is still kept as a holy place. Later, John Cassian (360-435), Dionysius Exiguus (470-574) and Joannes Maxentius (leader of the so-called Scythian Monks) lived in the same area, known as Scythia Minor or Dobruja, in South East Romania.[27]
There are a few pre-Christian traditions connected to St. Andrew's day, some of them having their origin in the Roman celebrations of Saturn.[28][29][30] The Dacian New Year took place from 14 November until 7 December; this was considered the interval when time began its course.[31] One of the elements that came from the Roman and Thracian celebrations concerned wolves. During this night, wolves are allowed to eat all the animals they want. It is said that they can speak, too, but anyone that hears them will soon die. Early on St. Andrew’s day, the mothers go into the garden and gather tree branches, especially from apple, pear and cherry trees, and also rosebush branches. They make a bunch of branches for each family member. The one whose bunch blooms by New Year's Day will be lucky and healthy the next year.
The best known tradition connected to this night concerns matrimony and premonitory dreams. Single girls must put under their pillow a branch of sweet basil. If someone takes the plants in their dreams, that means the girl will marry soon. They can also plant wheat in a dish and water it until New Year’s Day. The nicer the wheat looks that day, the better the year to come. Saint Andrew's name is known in Romania under diverse forms: Sfântul Andrei, Sânt Andrei, Sânedru [28]
Ukraine and Russia
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It was in the obvious interest of Kievan Rus' and its later Russian and Ukraninian successors, striving in numerous ways to link themselves with the political and religious heritage of Byzantium, to claim such a direct visit from the famous. Claiming direct lineage from St. Andrew also had the effect of disregarding any theological leanings of Greek Orthodoxy over which disagreement arose, since the actual "indirect" proselytising via Byzantium was bypassed altogether. Still, as the same source quotes, Andrew only preached to the southern shore of the Black Sea (current Turkey).
Scotland
The oldest surviving manuscripts are two: one is among the manuscripts collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV of France, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, the other in the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) whose name is preserved in the tower of St Rule was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with Saint Columba; his dates, however, are c 573 – 600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but on the site of St Andrews. The connection made with Regulus is, therefore, due in all probability to the desire to date the foundation of the church at St Andrews as early as possible.
Andrew's connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been "outranked" by Peter and that Peter's brother would make a higher ranking patron. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland's conversion to Christianity by Andrew, "the first to be an Apostle". Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after Andrew. The national church of the Scottish people in Rome, Sant'Andrea degli Scozzesi is dedicated to St Andrew.
A local superstition uses the cross of Saint Andrew as a hex sign on the fireplaces in northern England and Scotland to prevent witches from flying down the chimney and entering the house to do mischief. By placing the St Andrew's cross on one of the fireplace posts or lintels, witches are prevented from entering through this opening. In this case, it is similar to the use of a witch ball, although the cross will actively prevent witches from entering, and the witch ball will passively delay or entice the witch, and perhaps entrap it.
Legacy
Andrew is the patron saint of several cities and countries including: Barbados, Scotland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Patras in Greece, Amalfi in Italy, Luqa in Malta, and Esgueira in Portugal. He was also the patron saint of Prussia and of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The flag of Scotland (and consequently the Union Flag and that of its commonwealth countries) feature St Andrew's saltire cross. The saltire is also the flag of Tenerife, the former flag of Galicia and the naval jack of Russia. The Confederate flag also features a saltire commonly referred to as a St Andrew's cross, although its designer, William Porcher Miles, said he changed it from an upright cross to a saltire so that it would not be a religious symbol but merely a heraldic device. The Florida and Alabama flags also show that device.The feast of Andrew is observed on November 30 in both the Eastern and Western churches, and is the national day of Scotland. In the traditional liturgical books of the Catholic Church, the feast of St. Andrew is the first feast day in the Proper of Saints.
References
- Etravel Pilipinas. "Philippine Heroes: Gat Andres Bonifacio y de Castro". Etravel Pilipinas. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- "St Andrew".
- John 1:40; John 6:8
- Metzger & Coogan (1993) Oxford Companion to the Bible, p 27.
- "National Shrine to St Andrew in Edinburgh Scotland". Stmaryscathedral.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Mark 13:3; John 6:8, 12:22; but in Acts there is only one mention of him. 1:13
- "MacRory, Joseph. "St. Andrew." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 29 Oct. 2012". Newadvent.org. 1907-03-01. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Encyclopedia of early Christianity by Everett Ferguson, p. 51.
- In Monumenta Germaniae Historica II, cols. 821-847, translated in M.R. James, The Apocryphal New Testament (Oxford) reprinted 1963:369.
- The legends surrounding Andrew are discussed in F. Dvornik, "The Idea of Apostolicity in Byzantium and the Legend of the Apostle Andrew", Dumbarton Oaks Studies, IV (Cambridge) 1958.
- Judith Calvert, "The Iconography of the St. Andrew Auckland Cross", The Art Bulletin 66.4 (December 1984:543-555) p. 545, note 12; according to Louis Réau, Iconographie de l'art chrétien III.1 (Paris) 1958:79, St. Andrew's Cross appeared for the first time in the tenth century, but did not become an iconographic standard before the seventeenth. Calvert was unable to find a sculptural representation of Andrew on the saltire cross earlier than an architectural capital from Quercy, of the early twelfth century.
- National Archives of Scotland (2011-11-23). "St. Andrew in the National Archives of Scotland". Nas.gov.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- "Catholic Herald 2 October 1964". Archive.catholicherald.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Reception of the precious skull of St. Andrew (in Greek)
- Video of the reception ceremony from the Hellenic National AudioVisual Archive site
- "La croix de Saint André". Vexil.prov.free.fr. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Charlotte Denoël. Saint And
- Charlotte Denoël. Saint André: culte et iconographie en France (Ve -XVe siècles). Paris : École nationale des chartes, 2004
- "Abbaye Saint-Victor de Marseille, monuments historiques en France (in French)". Monumentshistoriques.free.fr. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- George Alexandrou, THE ASTONISHING MISSIONARY JOURNEYS OF THE APOSTLE ANDREW, Road to Emmaus,Vol. V, No. 4, pp.43-45
- Historical note on the reception of the cross of St. Andrew (in Greek)
- Relic of St. Andrew Given to Greek Orthodox Church. Zenit News Agency (via Zenit.org). Published: 27 February 2006.
- Peterson, Peter Megill (1958), Andrew, Brother of Simon Peter: His History and Legends, p. 20. E. J. Brill
- Rapp, Stephen H. (2003), Studies in Medieval Georgian Historiography: Early Texts And Eurasian Contexts, p. 433. Peeters Publishers, ISBN 90-429-1318-5
- Djobadze, Wachtang Z., "Materials for the Study of Georgian Monasteries in the Western Environs of Antioch on the Orontes", pp. 82-83. Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, vol. 372, subsidia 48. Louvain, 1976.
- "Apostolos Andreas Monastery, Karpaz, North Cyprus". Whatson-northcyprus.com. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
- Lavinia Stan, Lucian Turcescu, Religion and Politics in Post-Communist Romania, , 2007, p.48
- Mircea Păcurariu- Sfinţi daco-români şi români, EDITURA MITROPOLIEI MOLDOVEI ŞI BUCOVINEI, IAŞI – 1994
- Tudor Pamfil, Mitologia poporului roman, Editura Saeculum, 2007
- Maria Filipoiu, Traditii crestine si ritualuri populare romanesti, Ed. Paideia, 2009
- "St. Andrew's Day in Romania". Traditionsacrosseurope.wordpress.com. 2008-11-25. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
- Tudor Pamfil, Sărbătorile de toamnă şi postul Crăciunului - Bucureşti, 1914, p.127-128
- Parker Lawson, John (1848). History of the Abbey and Palace of Holyroodhouse. p. 169.
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Today's Snippet I: Liturgical Calendar Year 2014 Cycle A
The liturgical year begins with First Sunday of Advent,
which starts four Sundays before Christmas (December 25). In this
Liturgical year, 2014, Circle A, the Church meditates on the Gospel of
Matthew and uses it for most of Sunday readings (St. Luke for Circle B
and St. Mark for Circle C). St. John, who appears several times in the
Liturgy of the Word of almost all three years, is offered in a special
way during the time of the Lord's Passion.
Year A -Meditating on the Gospel of Matthew*
About Matthew and his Gospel
Jesus chose one of the unlikeliest of
men to be his apostle, Matthew the much hated tax-collector who worked
for the Roman Empire (Matthew 9:9). Unlike most of the other apostles
who were skillful fishermen, Matthew was skilled with the pen and with giving an account of facts and figures.
Matthew the evangelist wrote some 1068 verses while the evangelist Mark
wrote some 661 verses. Matthew wrote his gospel sometime in the last
quarter of the first century, likely between 85 and 105 AD.
Matthew's gospel is placed first in the
canon of the New Testament, not because it was written first, some of
Paul's letters and the Gospel of Mark were written before, but because
it is a bridge between the Old and New Testament.
Main Points
Matthew focuses on the substance of
Jesus' teaching. His account of Jesus' teaching is arranged in five
sections which focus on the kingdom of God: (1) the Sermon on the Mount
or the Law of the Kingdom comprise chapters 5-7; (2) his missionary
instructions to his disciples on the duties of the leaders of the
kingdom in chapter 10; (3) the Parables of the Kingdom in chapter 13;
(4) the themes of "greatness" and "forgiveness" in the kingdom in
chapter 18; and (5) the "coming of the King" in chapters 24-25.
Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew
In his Gospel, Matthew convinced the
Jews that Jesus is their Messiah King, the Anointed One, the Christ, the
Son of God and founder of the kingdom of God. Matthew's account uses
the word "kingdom" 50 times, and the "kingdom of heaven" 32 times.
Matthew also shows Jesus' authority over nature by his miracles, his
authority over sin by forgiving sins, and his authority over death by
his resurrection.
The Gospel of the Jews
Matthew writes as a Jew to his fellow
Jews to present to them the evidence for Jesus' claim to be the King of
the Jews. He quotes extensively from the Old Testament prophets to show
how Jesus fulfilled all that was spoken about the Messiah who would
come to establish the reign [or kingdom] of God. He frequently writes, "as it is written in the prophet..." or "this was done to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets..." Nine times Matthew refers to Jesus as the "son of David".
The prophets had fortold that the Messiah would be a direct descent of
David. Matthew's gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus, tracing him
back to David, King of Israel, and then to Abraham, the first Jew.
Matthew traces Jesus' lineage through Joseph, his foster father, rather
than through Mary, his biological mother [as Luke's account does].
Matthew, the observant Jew, notes that according to Jewish genealogy,
the father's lineage counted legally for royalty.
The Meaning of the Liturgical Year
• The Liturgical Year celebrates the Mystery of Christ
By
preaching the Church “announces” “the whole mystery of Christ” (CD 12)
and with the Liturgy it “celebrates it presenting the sacred memory
(SC 102). In such a way it makes present today “the unfathomable
treasure of Christ” (Eph 3, 8 ff; cf. 1, 18; 2, 7): his signs of
salvation, with which the faithful come into contact in order to draw
from it the grace of salvation. The Liturgical Year which has its
“source” and its “summit” in the Paschal Mystery is articulated into
five “periods of time” which have a special relationship with the
diverse moments of the Mystery of Christ (SC 10; LG 11). Therefore,
they follow a progressive order: Advent and Christmas; Lent and the
Passover or Easter; Ordinary Time.
• Time of Advent and of Christmas
Advent is a time of
preparation with a twofold characteristic: it recalls the first coming
of the Son of God in humility and pre- announces the second coming in
glory: it is a time of active waiting, of expectation, of desire, of
prayer, of evangelization, of joy. Christmas is a time of joyful
contemplation of the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God and
of his first manifestations, who has come for our salvation “man among
men”. During this time Mary is particularly celebrated as “Mother of
God”.
• Time of Lent and of Passover or Easter
Lent is a time of
preparation the purpose of which is to guide to a more intense and
gradual participation in the Paschal Mystery. During this time the
catechumens are accompanied through the various degrees of Christian
initiation, and the faithful through the living memory of Baptism and
Penance. The Passover or Easter is the summit of the Liturgical Year,
from which all the other parts draw their efficacy of salvation, it is
the fulfilment of the redemption of humanity and of perfect
glorification of God: it is the destruction of sin and of death,
communication of resurrection and of life.
• Ordinary Time
During this long period of time, which
has a first stage between Christmas Time and Lent, and develops more
extensively from Pentecost to the following Advent, is a global
celebration of the mystery of Christ, which is taken up again and
deepened in many of its particular aspects.
Already, we can say that Sundays – “The Day of the Lord” – are the “Weekly Passover or Easter” and therefore, a living grafting into the central nucleus of the mystery of Christ throughout the whole year; but then the Weeks (33 and 34) develop through an intense and continued recourse to the Bible the deepening of small cycles of the mystery of Christ, offering these to the meditation of the faithful in order that this may become a stimulus to the action in the Church and in the world.
Liturgical Colors
Liturgies celebrated during the
different seasons of the liturgical year have distinctive music and
specific readings, prayers, and rituals. All of these work together to
reflect the spirit of the particular season. The colors of the
vestments that the priest wears during the liturgy also help express
the character of the mysteries being celebrated.
 |
White, the color of joy and victory, is used for the
seasons of Easter and Christmas. It is also used for the feasts of
Our Lord, for feasts of Mary, the angels, and for saints who are not
martyrs. Gold may also be used on solemn occasions. |
 |
Red (the color of blood) is used on days when we
celebrate the passion of Jesus on Passion Sunday and Good Friday. It is
also used for the birthday feasts of the apostles and evangelists and
for the celebrations of martyrs. Red (the color of fire) recalls the
Holy Spirit and is used on Pentecost and for the sacrament of
Confirmation. |
 |
Green, seen everywhere in plants and trees, symbolizes life and hope and is used during Ordinary Time. |
 |
The colors violet or purple
in Advent help us to remember that we are preparing for the coming of
Christ. Lent, the season of penance and renewal, also uses the colors
violet or purple.
|
 |
Rose may be used on the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Laetare Sunday. It expresses the joy of anticipation for Christmas and Easter, respectively. |
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Three: Life in Christ
SECTION TWO: The Ten Commandments
CHAPTER ONE : YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND
Article 1:1 First Commandment , "You Shall Worship the Lord Your God and Him Only Shall You Serve"
SECTION TWO
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
"Teacher,
what must I do . . .?"
2052
"Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" To the
young man who asked this question,
Jesus
answers first by invoking the necessity to recognize God as the "One there
is who is good," as the
supreme
Good and the source of all good. Then Jesus tells him: "If you would enter
life, keep the
commandments."
and he cites for his questioner the precepts that concern love of neighbor:
"You shall not
kill, You
shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false
witness, Honor your father
and
mother." Finally Jesus sums up these commandments positively: "You
shall love your neighbor as
yourself." Mt 19:16-19
2053
To this first reply Jesus adds a second: "If you would be perfect, go,
sell what you possess and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."Mt 19:21 This
reply does not do away with the first:
following Jesus Christ involves keeping the Commandments. the Law has not been
abolished,Mt 5:17 but rather man
is invited to rediscover it in the person of his Master who is its perfect
fulfillment. In the three synoptic
Gospels, Jesus' call to the rich young man to follow him, in the obedience of a
disciple and in the observance
of the Commandments, is joined to the call to poverty and chastity.Mt 19:6-12, ⇒ 21,
⇒ 23-29
The evangelical counsels are
inseparable from the Commandments.
2054
Jesus acknowledged the Ten Commandments, but he also showed the power of the
Spirit at work in
their
letter. He preached a "righteousness [which] exceeds that of the scribes
and Pharisees"Mt 5:20 as well as that of the
Gentiles.Mt 5:46-47 He unfolded all the demands of the Commandments. "You
have heard that it was said to the men of
old, 'You shall not kill.' . . . But I say to you that every one who is angry
with his brother shall be liable to
judgment."Mt 5:21-22
2055
When someone asks him, "Which commandment in the Law is the
greatest?"Mt 22:36 Jesus replies: "You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind. This is the greatest
and first commandment. and a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these two
commandments hang all the Law and the prophets."Mt 22:37-40; cf.
⇒ Deut 6:5; ⇒ Lev
19:18 The Decalogue
must be interpreted in light of this
twofold yet single commandment of love, the fullness of the Law:
the commandments: "You
shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall
not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence:
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a
neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.Rom 13:9-10
The
Decalogue in Sacred Scripture
2056
The word "Decalogue" means literally "ten words."Rom Ex 34:28; ⇒ Deut
4:13; ⇒ 10:4
God revealed these "ten words" to his people on the holy
mountain. They were written "with the finger of God,"Ex 31:18; ⇒ Deut 5:22
unlike the other commandments written by
Moses.Deut 31:9. 24 They are pre-eminently the words of God. They are handed on to
us in the books of Exodus Ex 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy.Deut 5:6-22 Beginning with the Old Testament, the
sacred books refer to the "ten words,"Hos 4:2; ⇒ Jer
7:9; ⇒ Ezek 18:5-9
but it is in the New Covenant in Jesus Christ that their full meaning will be
revealed.
2057
The Decalogue must first be understood in the context of the Exodus, God's
great liberating event at
the center
of the Old Covenant. Whether formulated as negative commandments, prohibitions,
or as
positive
precepts such as: "Honor your father and mother," the "ten
words" point out the conditions of a life
freed from
the slavery of sin. the Decalogue is a path of life:
If you love the LORD your God,
by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and
his ordinances, then you shall live andmultiply.Deut 30:16
This
liberating power of the Decalogue appears, for example, in the commandment
about the
sabbath
rest, directed also to foreigners and slaves:
You shall remember that you
were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out
thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.Deut 5:15
2058
The "ten words" sum up and proclaim God's law: "These words the
Lord spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire,
the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. and
he wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them to me."Deut 5:22
For this reason these two tables are called "the Testimony." In fact,
they contain the terms of the covenant concluded between God and his people.
These "tables of the Testimony" were to be deposited in "the
ark."Ex 25:16;
⇒ 31:18;
⇒ 32:15;
⇒ 34:29; ⇒ 40:1-2
2059
The "ten words" are pronounced by God in the midst of a theophany
(“The LORD spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the
fire."Deut 5:4). They belong to God's revelation of himself and his
glory. the gift of the Commandments is the gift of God himself and his holy
will. In making his will known, God reveals himself to his people.
2060
The gift of the commandments and of the Law is part of the covenant God sealed
with his own. In Exodus, the revelation of the "ten words" is granted
between the proposal of the covenant Ex 19 and its conclusion - after the
people had committed themselves to "do" all that the Lord had said,
and to "obey" it.Ex 24:7 The Decalogue is never handed on without
first recalling the covenant (“The LORD our God made
a covenant
with us in Horeb.").Deut 5:2
2061
The Commandments take on their full meaning within the covenant. According to
Scripture, man's
moral life
has all its meaning in and through the covenant. the first of the "ten
words" recalls that God loved
his people
first:
Since there was a passing from
the paradise of freedom to the slavery of this world, in punishment for sin,
the first phrase of the Decalogue, the first word of God's commandments, bears
on freedom "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of slavery."Origen, Hom. in Ex. 8,1: PG 12, 350; cf. ⇒ Ex
20:2; ⇒ Deut 5:6
2062
The Commandments properly so-called come in the second place: they express the
implications of
belonging
to God through the establishment of the covenant. Moral existence is a response
to the Lord's
loving
initiative. It is the acknowledgement and homage given to God and a worship of
thanksgiving. It is
cooperation
with the plan God pursues in history.
2063
The covenant and dialogue between God and man are also attested to by the fact
that all the obligations are stated
in the first person (“I am the Lord.") and addressed by God to another
personal subject (“you"). In all God's
commandments, the singular personal pronoun designates the recipient. God makes
his will known to each person
in particular, at the same time as he makes it known to the whole people:
The Lord prescribed love
towards God and taught justice towards neighbor, so that man would be neither
unjust, nor unworthy of God. Thus, through the Decalogue, God prepared man to
become his friend and to live in harmony with his neighbor.... the words of the
Decalogue remain likewise for us Christians. Far from being abolished, they
have received amplification and development from the fact of the coming of the
Lord in the flesh.St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres., 4, 16, 3-4: PG 7/1, 1017-1018
The
Decalogue in the Church's Tradition
2064
In fidelity to Scripture and in conformity with the example of Jesus, the
tradition of the Church has
acknowledged
the primordial importance and significance of the Decalogue.
2065
Ever
since St. Augustine, the Ten Commandments have occupied a predominant place in
the catechesis of baptismal candidates and the faithful. In the fifteenth
century, the custom arose of expressing the commandments of the Decalogue in rhymed
formulae, easy to memorize and in positive form. They are still in use today. The catechisms of the Church have often expounded Christian morality by
following the order of the Ten Commandments.
2066
The
division and numbering of the Commandments have varied in the course of
history. the present catechism follows the division of the Commandments
established by St. Augustine, which has become traditional in the Catholic
Church. It is also that of the Lutheran confessions. the Greek Fathers worked
out a slightly different division, which is found in the Orthodox Churches and
Reformed communities.
2067
The Ten Commandments state what is required in the love of God and love of
neighbor. the first three concern love of God, and the other seven love of
neighbor.
As charity comprises the two commandments to which the Lord related the
whole Law and the prophets . . . so the Ten Commandments were themselves given
on two tablets. Three were written on one tablet and seven on the
other.St. Augustine, Sermo 33, 2, 2: PL 38, 208
2068
The Council of Trent teaches that the Ten Commandments are obligatory for
Christians and that the
justified
man is still bound to keep them;Cf. DS 1569-1570 The Second Vatican Council confirms:
"The bishops, successors of the
apostles, receive from the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and
of preaching the Gospel to every
creature, so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the
observance of the Commandments."LG 24
The Unity
of the Decalogue
2069
The Decalogue forms a coherent whole. Each "word" refers to each of
the others and to all of them; they reciprocally
condition one another. the two tables shed light on one another; they form an
organic unity.
To
transgress one commandment is to infringe all the others.Jas 2:10-11 One cannot
honor another person without blessing
God his Creator. One cannot adore God without loving all men, his creatures.
the Decalogue brings man's
religious and social life into unity.
The Decalogue
ant the natural law
2070
The Ten Commandments belong to God's revelation. At the same time they teach us
the true humanity
of man.
They bring to light the essential duties, and therefore, indirectly, the
fundamental rights inherent
in the
nature of the human person. the Decalogue contains a privileged expression of
the natural law:
From the beginning, God had
implanted in the heart of man the precepts of the natural law. Then he was
content to remind him of them. This was the Decalogue.St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4, 15, 1: PG 7/l, 1012
2071
The commandments of the Decalogue, although accessible to reason alone, have
been revealed. To
attain a
complete and certain understanding of the requirements of the natural law,
sinful humanity needed
this revelation:
A full explanation of the
commandments of the Decalogue became necessary in the state of sin because the
light of reason was obscured and the will had gone astray.St. Bonaventure, Comm. sent. 4, 37, 1, 3
We know
God's commandments through the divine
revelation proposed to us in the Church, and through the voice of moral
conscience.
The Obligation of the
Decalogue
2072
Since they express man's fundamental duties towards God and towards his
neighbor, the Ten
Commandments
reveal, in their primordial content, grave obligations. They are fundamentally
immutable,
and they
oblige always and everywhere. No one can dispense from them. the Ten
Commandments are
engraved by
God in the human heart.
2073
Obedience to the Commandments also implies obligations in matter which is, in
itself, light. Thus
abusive
language is forbidden by the fifth commandment, but would be a grave offense
only as a result of
circumstances
or the offender's intention. "Apart from me you can do nothing"
2074
Jesus says: "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and
I in him, he it is that bears
much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing."Jn 15:5 The fruit referred to in
this saying is the holiness of
a life made
fruitful by union with Christ. When we believe in Jesus Christ, partake of his
mysteries, and keep
his
commandments, the Savior himself comes to love, in us, his Father and his
brethren, our Father and our
brethren.
His person becomes, through the Spirit, the living and interior rule of our
activity. "This is my
commandment,
that you love one another as I have loved you."Jn 15:12
IN BRIEF
2075 "What good deed
must I do, to have eternal life?" - "If you would enter into life,
keep the
commandments"
(⇒ Mt 19:16-17).
2076 By his life and by his
preaching Jesus attested to the permanent validity of the Decalogue. 2077 The
gift of the Decalogue is bestowed from within
the covenant concluded by God with his people. God's
commandments take on their true meaning in and
through this covenant.
2078 In fidelity to Scripture
and in conformity with Jesus' example, the tradition of the Church has always
acknowledged the primordial importance and
significance of the Decalogue.
2079 The Decalogue forms an
organic unity in which each "word" or "commandment" refers
to all the others
taken together. To transgress one commandment is
to infringe the whole Law (cf ⇒ Jas 2:10-11).
2080 The Decalogue contains a
privileged expression of the natural law. It is made known to us by divine
revelation and by human reason.
2081 The Ten Commandments, in
their fundamental content, state grave obligations. However, obedience
to these precepts also implies obligations in
matter which is, in itself, light.
2082 What God commands he
makes possible by his grace.
CHAPTER ONE: YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR
HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND
2083
Jesus summed up man's duties toward God in this saying: "You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all
your mind."Mt 22:37; cf. ⇒ Lk
10:27:". . . and with all your strength."
This immediately echoes the solemn call: "Hear,
O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD."Deut 6:4
God has loved us first. the love of the One God is recalled in the first of the "ten words." the commandments then make explicit the response of love that man is called to give to his God.
God has loved us first. the love of the One God is recalled in the first of the "ten words." the commandments then make explicit the response of love that man is called to give to his God.
Article 1
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not
make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them.Ex 20:2-5; cf.
⇒ Deut 5:6-9
It is written: "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."Mt 4:10
It is written: "You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."Mt 4:10
I. "You Shall
Worship the Lord Your God and Him Only Shall You Serve"
2084
God makes himself known by recalling his all-powerful loving, and liberating
action in the history of the one he addresses: "I brought you out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." the first word contains the
first commandment of the Law: "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall
serve him.... You shall not go after other gods."Deut 6:13-14 God's first
call and just demand is that man accept him and worship him.
2085
The one and true God first reveals his glory to Israel.Ex 19:16-25;
⇒ 24:15-18 The revelation
of the vocation and truth of man is linked to the revelation of God. Man's
vocation is to make God manifest by acting in conformity with his creation
"in the image and likeness of God":
There will never be another
God, Trypho, and there has been no other since the world began . . . than he
who made and ordered the universe. We do not think that our God is different
from yours. He is the same who brought your fathers out of Egypt "by his
powerful hand and his outstretched arm." We do not place our hope in some
other god, for there is none, but in the same God as you do: the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.St. Justin, Dial. cum Tryphone Judaeo 11, 1: PG 6, 497
2086
"The first commandment embraces faith, hope, and charity. When we say
'God' we confess a constant, unchangeable being, always the same, faithful and
just, without any evil. It follows that we must necessarily accept his words
and have complete faith in him and acknowledge his authority. He is almighty,
merciful, and infinitely beneficent. Who could not place all hope in him? Who
could not love him when contemplating the treasures of goodness and love he has
poured out on us? Hence the formula God employs in the Scripture at the
beginning and end of his commandments: 'I am the LORD.'"Roman Catechism 3, 2,4
Faith
2087
Our moral life has its source in faith in God who reveals his love to us. St.
Paul speaks of the "obedience of faith"Rom 1:5;
⇒ 16:26 as our first
obligation. He shows that "ignorance of God" is the principle and
explanation of all moral deviations.Rom 1:18-32 Our duty toward God is to
believe in him and to bear witness to him.
2088
The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with
prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. There
are various ways of sinning against faith:
Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated doubt can lead to spiritual blindness.
Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated doubt can lead to spiritual blindness.
2089
Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent
to it. "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which
must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate
doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian
faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion
with the members of the Church subject to him."CIC, can. 751: emphasis added
Hope
2090
When God reveals Himself and calls him, man cannot fully respond to the divine
love by his own powers. He must hope that God will give him the capacity to
love Him in return and to act in conformity with the commandments of charity.
Hope is the confident expectation of divine blessing and the beatific vision of
God; it is also the fear of offending God's love and of incurring punishment.
2091
The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair
and presumption:
By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to his mercy.
By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God's goodness, to his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to his mercy.
2092
There are two kinds of presumption. Either man presumes upon his own
capacities, (hoping to be able to save himself without help from on high), or
he presumes upon God's almighty power or his mercy (hoping to obtain his
forgiveness without conversion and glory without merit).
Charity
2093
Faith in God's love encompasses the call and the obligation to respond with sincere
love to divine charity. the first commandment enjoins us to love God above
everything and all creatures for him and because of him.Deut 6:4-5
2094
One can sin against God's love in various ways:
- indifference neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity; it fails to consider its prevenient goodness and denies its power.
- ingratitude fails or refuses to acknowledge divine charity and to return him love for love.
- lukewarmness is hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love; it can imply refusal to give oneself over to the prompting of charity.
- acedia or spiritual sloth goes so far as to refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine goodness.
- hatred of God comes from pride. It is contrary to love of God, whose goodness it denies, and whom it presumes to curse as the one who forbids sins and inflicts punishments.
- indifference neglects or refuses to reflect on divine charity; it fails to consider its prevenient goodness and denies its power.
- ingratitude fails or refuses to acknowledge divine charity and to return him love for love.
- lukewarmness is hesitation or negligence in responding to divine love; it can imply refusal to give oneself over to the prompting of charity.
- acedia or spiritual sloth goes so far as to refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine goodness.
- hatred of God comes from pride. It is contrary to love of God, whose goodness it denies, and whom it presumes to curse as the one who forbids sins and inflicts punishments.
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