DAILY GOSPEL: 16/08/2010
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68
Monday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Book of Ezekiel 24:15-24.
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, by a sudden blow I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes, but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead, bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet, do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died, and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, "Will you not tell us what all these things that you are doing mean for us?" I therefore spoke to the people that morning,
saying to them: Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride, the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul. The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
You shall do as I have done, not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet. You shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you: all that he did you shall do when it happens. Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
Book of Deuteronomy 32:18-19.20.21.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing and anger toward his sons and daughters.
'I will hide my face from them," he said, "and see what will then become of them. What a fickle race they are, sons with no loyalty in them!
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god' and angered me with their vain idols, I will provoke them with a 'no-people'; with a foolish nation I will anger them.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:16-22.
Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Son of man, by a sudden blow I am taking away from you the delight of your eyes, but do not mourn or weep or shed any tears.
Groan in silence, make no lament for the dead, bind on your turban, put your sandals on your feet, do not cover your beard, and do not eat the customary bread.
That evening my wife died, and the next morning I did as I had been commanded.
Then the people asked me, "Will you not tell us what all these things that you are doing mean for us?" I therefore spoke to the people that morning,
saying to them: Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD: I will now desecrate my sanctuary, the stronghold of your pride, the delight of your eyes, the desire of your soul. The sons and daughters you left behind shall fall by the sword.
You shall do as I have done, not covering your beards nor eating the customary bread.
Your turbans shall remain on your heads, your sandals on your feet. You shall not mourn or weep, but you shall rot away because of your sins and groan one to another.
Ezekiel shall be a sign for you: all that he did you shall do when it happens. Thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
Book of Deuteronomy 32:18-19.20.21.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, You forgot the God who gave you birth.
When the LORD saw this, he was filled with loathing and anger toward his sons and daughters.
'I will hide my face from them," he said, "and see what will then become of them. What a fickle race they are, sons with no loyalty in them!
"Since they have provoked me with their 'no-god' and angered me with their vain idols, I will provoke them with a 'no-people'; with a foolish nation I will anger them.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:16-22.
Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?"
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;
honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"
The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?"
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Mt 19,16-22
Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church
Counsels and maxims
"Come, follow me"
The more you detach yourself from earthly things, the closer you will draw to those of heaven and the greater the wealth you will find in God.
Whoever knows how to die in all things will find life in all things.
Detach yourself from evil, do good, seek peace (Ps 34[33],15).
Someone who complains or murmurs is neither perfect nor even a good christian.
He is humble who conceals himself within his own nothingness and abandons himself to God.
He is gentle who knows how to bear with his neighbor and with his own self.
If you would be perfect, sell your will and give it to the poor in spirit, then turn to Christ to obtain from him gentleness and humility and follow him to Calvary and to the tomb.
Whoever knows how to die in all things will find life in all things.
Detach yourself from evil, do good, seek peace (Ps 34[33],15).
Someone who complains or murmurs is neither perfect nor even a good christian.
He is humble who conceals himself within his own nothingness and abandons himself to God.
He is gentle who knows how to bear with his neighbor and with his own self.
If you would be perfect, sell your will and give it to the poor in spirit, then turn to Christ to obtain from him gentleness and humility and follow him to Calvary and to the tomb.
St. Stephen of Hungary (977-1038)
SAINT STEPHEN
King of Hungary
(977-1038)
Geysa, fourth Duke of Hungary, was, with his wife, converted to the Faith, and saw in a vision the martyr St. Stephen, who told him that he should have a son who would perfect the work he had begun. This son was born in 977, and received the name of Stephen. He was most carefully educated, and succeeded his father at an early age. He began to root out idolatry, suppressed a rebellion of his pagan subjects, and founded monasteries and churches all over the land. He sent to Pope Sylvester, begging him to appoint bishops to the eleven sees he had endowed, and to bestow on him, for the greater success of his work, the title of king. The Pope granted his requests, and sent him a cross to be borne before him, saying that he regarded him as the true apostle of his people.
His devotion was fervent. He placed his realms under the protection of our blessed Lady, and kept the feast of her Assumption with peculiar affection. He gave good laws, and saw to their execution. Throughout his life, we are told, he had Christ on his lips, Christ in his heart, and Christ in all he did. His only wars were wars of defence, and he was always successful. God sent him many and sore trials. One by one his children died, but he bore all with perfect submission to the will of God.
When St. Stephen was about to die, he summoned the bishops and nobles, and gave them charge concerning the choice of a successor. Then he urged them to nurture and cherish the Catholic Church, which was still as a tender plant in Hungary, to follow justice, humility, and charity, to be obedient to the laws, and to show ever a reverent submission to the Holy See. Then, raising his eyes towards heaven, he said, "O Queen of Heaven, august restorer of a prostrate world, to thy care I commend the Holy Church, my people, and my realm, and my own departing soul." And then, on his favorite feast of the Assumption, in 1038, he died in peace.
Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]
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