Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him"

DAILY GOSPEL: 07/01/2011

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Friday after Epiphany

First Letter of John 5:5-13.
Who (indeed) is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three that testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has testified on behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

Psalms 147:12-13.14-15.19-20.
Glorify the LORD, Jerusalem; Zion, offer praise to your God,
Who has strengthened the bars of your gates, blessed your children within you,
Brought peace to your borders, and filled you with finest wheat.
The LORD sends a command to earth; his word runs swiftly!
The LORD also proclaims his word to Jacob, decrees and laws to Israel.
God has not done this for other nations; of such laws they know nothing. Hallelujah!

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 5:12-16.
Now there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, "Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean."
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, "I do will it. Be made clean." And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but "Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them."
The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray. 

Lc 5,12-16

Commentary of the day 
Saint Bonaventure (1221-1274), Franciscan, Doctor of the Church
Life of Saint Francis, Legenda major, ch. 1 (©Classics of Western spirituality)

"Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him"

One day while Francis was praying in a secluded spot, he became totally absorbed in God through his extreme fervor, Jesus Christ appeared to him fastened to the cross. Francis's «soul melted» (Sg 5:6) at the sight, and the memory of Christ's passion was so impressed on the innermost recesses of his heart that from that hour, whenever Christ's crucifixion came to his mind, he could scarcely contain his tears and sighs, as he later revealed to his companions when he was approaching the end of his life. Through this the man of God understood as addressed to himself the Gospel text: «If you wish to come after me, deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me» (Mt 16:24).

From that time on he clothed himself with a spirit of poverty, a sense of humility and a feeling of intimate devotion. Formerly he used to be horrified not only by close dealing with lepers but by their very sight, even from a distance; but now he rendered humble service to the lepers with human concern and devoted kindness in order that he might completely despise himself, because of Christ crucified, who according to the text of the prophet was despised «as a leper» (Is 53:3).

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Friday, 07 January 2011

St. Lucian, Priest and Martyr († 312)

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SAINT LUCIAN
Priest and Martyr
(† 312)

        St. Lucian was born at Samosata in Syria. Having lost his parents in his youth, he distributed all his worldly goods, of which he inherited an abundant share, to the poor, and withdrew to Edessa, to live near a holy man named Macarius, who imbued his mind with a knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, and led him to the practice of the Christian virtues.

        Having become a priest, his time was divided between the external duties of his holy state, the performance of works of charity, and the study of sacred literature. He revised the books of the Old and New Testaments, expunging the errors which had found their way into the text either through the negligence of copyists or the malice of heretics, thus preparing the way for St. Jerome, who shortly after was to give to the world the Latin translation known as "The Vulgate."

        Having been denounced as a Christian, Lucian was thrown into prison and condemned to the torture, which was protracted for twelve whole days. Some Christian visited him in prison, on the feast of the Epiphany, and brought bread and wine to him; while bound and chained down on his back, he consecrated the divine mysteries upon his own breast, and communicated the faithful who were present.

        He finished his glorious career in prison, and died with the words, "I am a Christian," on his lips.

«The Spirit of the Lord is upon me»

DAILY GOSPEL: 06/01/2011

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Thursday after Epiphany

First Letter of John 4:19-21.5:1-4.
We love because he first loved us.
If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.
This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the father loves (also) the one begotten by him.
In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

Psalms 72:2.14-15.17.
O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son of kings; That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment,
From extortion and violence he frees them, for precious is their blood in his sight.
Long may he live, receiving gold from Arabia, prayed for without cease, blessed day by day.
May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun, may his name endure. May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name; may all the nations regard him as favored.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4:14-22.
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read
and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" 

 Lc 4,14-22

Commentary of the day 
Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (c.130-c.208), Bishop, theologian and martyr
Against the heresies, III, 17

«The Spirit of the Lord is upon me»

«The Spirit of the lord God is upon me, because the lord has anointed me» (Is 61,1). It was of the Spirit that the Lord was speaking when he said: «For it is not you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you» (Mt 10,20). And in the same way, when he gave his disciples power to bring people to be born again in God, he said to them: «Go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit» (Mt 28,19). For he had indeed promised through the prophets to pour out his Spirit in the last days on his servants and handmaids that they, too, might prophesy (cf. Jl 3,1-2).

For this reason the Spirit came down upon the Son of God become Son of Man: by this means he became used to living among humankind, resting on men and women, dwelling within the work of God's hands. In them he accomplished the Father's will and renewed them by enabling them to pass from their former mode of life to new life in Christ.

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Thursday, 06 January 2011

St. Andre Bessette, C.S.C. (1845-1937)

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Saint Brother André Bessette
C.SC.
(1845-1937)

        Brother André was born Alfred Bessette on August 9, 1845, in Quebec, Canada. By the age of twelve, André and his siblings were left orphans-their mother died of tuberculosis, and their father had died three years earlier in a lumbering accident. Though he was barely able to read or write, André was forced to leave school and learn a trade. For thirteen years he labored in various industries despite his own frail health.

        In 1870, he entered the Congregation of Holy Cross and was assigned as the doorkeeper of the community's high school in Montreal. There he welcomed the sick and suffering of the city and encouraged them to pray to Saint Joseph, to whom the Holy Cross Brothers were dedicated by their founder, The Venerable Basil Moreau, C.S.C. Brother André's visitors often found that they had been healed of their illnesses and received other spiritual favors. Brother André became known as the "Miracle Man" of Montreal, but he always gave the credit to Saint Joseph.

        So many people came to call on Brother André that he built a small chapel to Saint Joseph across the street from the school. Through André's determination and prayer, and the generosity of his many friends, the great Oratory of Saint Joseph began to rise on Mount Royal. Today millions of visitors still come to the Oratory to pray to Saint Joseph and to Blessed Brother André, and to seek physical and spiritual healing.

        Brother André died on January 6, 1937 at the age of 92. This simple man of prayer was so beloved, that more than a million people attended his funeral in a blinding snowstorm. His body lies in the beautiful basilica he built in honor of St. Joseph.

        He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 23, 1982. In his homily that day, The Holy Father said this of Brother André:

"A daily crowd of the sick, the afflicted, the poor of all kinds-those who were handicapped or wounded by life-came to him. They found in his presence a welcome ear, comfort and faith in God. Do not the poor of today have as much need of such love, of such hope, of such education in prayer?"

        He was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 17, 2010.

Evangelio del dia 06/01/2011 La Epifanía