EVANGELIO DEL DÍA

lunes, 10 de enero de 2011

"Have you come to destroy us?"

DAILY GOSPEL: 11/01/2011
«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Tuesday of the First week in Ordinary Time
Letter to the Hebrews 2:5-12.
For it was not to angels that he subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.
Instead, someone has testified somewhere: "What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under his feet." In "subjecting" all things (to him), he left nothing not "subject to him." Yet at present we do not see "all things subject to him,"
but we do see Jesus "crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death, he who "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels," that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering.
He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them "brothers,"
saying: "I will proclaim your name to my brothers, in the midst of the assembly I will praise you";

Psalms 8:2.5.6-7.8-9.
O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth! You have set your majesty above the heavens!
What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them?
Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them rule over the works of your hands, put all things at their feet:
All sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1:21-28.
Jesus came to Capernaum with his followers, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said, "Quiet! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another, "What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee. 
Mc 1,21-28
Commentary of the day 
Catechism of the Catholic Church
§ 2851-2854
"Have you come to destroy us?"
«But deliver us from evil»: in this petition of the Lord's Prayer, evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil (dia-bolos) is the one who "throws himself across" God's plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ. "A murderer from the beginning, . . . a liar and the father of lies," (Jn 8,44) Satan is "the deceiver of the whole world» (Rv 12,9). Through him sin and death entered the world and by his definitive defeat all creation will be "freed from the corruption of sin and death" (EP IV). Now "we know that anyone born of God does not sin, but He who was born of God keeps him, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one" (1Jn 5,18-19)...

Victory over the "prince of this world" (Jn 14,30) was won once for all at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life. This is the judgment of this world, and the prince of this world is "cast out" (Jn 12,31). "He pursued the woman" but had no hold on her: the new Eve, "full of grace" of the Holy Spirit, is preserved from sin and the corruption of death... "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring" (Rv 12,13.17). Therefore the Spirit and the Church pray: "Come, Lord Jesus," (Rv 22,17.20) since his coming will deliver us from the Evil One.

When we ask to be delivered from the Evil One, we pray as well to be freed from all evils, present, past, and future, of which he is the author or instigator. In this final petition, the Church brings before the Father all the distress of the world. Along with deliverance from the evils that overwhelm humanity, she implores the precious gift of peace and the grace of perseverance in expectation of Christ's return By praying in this way, she anticipates in humility of faith the gathering together of everyone and everything in him who has "the keys of Death and Hades," who "is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Rv 1,18.8).


Tuesday, 11 January 2011

St. Theodosius, The Cenobiarch (423-529)



SAINT THEODOSIUS, THE CENOBIARCH
(423-529)
        Theodosius was born in Cappadocia in 423. The example of Abraham urged him to leave his country, and his desire to follow Jesus Christ attracted him to the religious life. He placed himself under Longinus, a very holy hermit, who sent him to govern a monastery near Bethlehem. Unable to bring himself to command others, he fled to a cavern, where he lived in penance and prayer. His great charity, however, forbade him to refuse the charge of some disciples, who, few at first, became in time a vast number, and Theodosius built a large monastery and three churches for them. He became eventually Superior of the religious communities of Palestine.
        Theodosius accommodated himself so carefully to the characters of his subjects that his reproofs were loved rather than dreaded. But once he was obliged to separate from the communion of the others a religious guilty of a grave fault. Instead of humbly accepting his sentence, the monk was arrogant enough to pretend to excommunicate Theodosius in revenge. Theodosius thought not of indignation, nor of his own position, but meekly submitted to this false and unjust excommunication. This so touched the heart of his disciple that he submitted at once and acknowledged his fault.
        Theodosius never refused assistance to any in poverty or affliction; on some days the monks laid more than a hundred tables for those in want. In times of famine Theodosius forbade the alms to be diminished, and often miraculously multiplied the provisions. He also built five hospitals, in which he lovingly served the sick, while by assiduous spiritual reading he maintained himself in perfect recollection.
        He successfully opposed the Eutychian heresy in Jerusalem, and for this was banished by the emperor. He suffered a long and painful malady, and refused to pray to be cured, calling it a salutary penance for his former successes.
        He died at the age of a hundred and six.


Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler, Benziger Bros. ed. [1894]

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