« This is my beloved Son»

DAILY GOSPEL: 19/02/2011

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

Saturday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time

Letter to the Hebrews 11:1-7.
Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested.
By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.
By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain's. Through this he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks.
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and "he was found no more because God had taken him." Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God.
But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.

Psalms 145(144):2-3.4-5.10-11.
Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever.
Great is the LORD and worthy of high praise; God's grandeur is beyond understanding.
One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works.
They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory, tell of your wonderful deeds.
All your works give you thanks, O LORD and your faithful bless you.
They speak of the glory of your reign and tell of your great works,

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 9:2-13.
After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.
Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
He told them, "Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt?
But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him."

Mc 9,2-13

Commentary of the day 
An anonymous Syrian writer
A sermon wrongly attributed to Saint Ephrem

« This is my beloved Son»

Jesus led Peter, James and John up the mountain and showed them his divine glory even before the resurrection. So that, when he rose from the dead in the glory of his divine nature, they would recognize that he hadn't received this glory as a reward for his suffering, as though he had need of it, but that it belonged to him before the ages began at his Father's side and with the Father. This is what he himself said as his freely accepted Passion drew near: «Glory me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began» (Jn 17,5). It was this glory of his divinity, mysteriously enclosed within his humanity, that he showed his disciples on the mountain. And these... saw two suns: one shining in the sky as usual and another that shone in an unaccustomed way; one casting light on the world from high in the firmament and another radiant for them alone in the countenance turned towards them...

Then Moses and Elijah appeared... and thanked him that their words, as those of all the other prophets, had been fulfilled by his coming. They offered him worship for the salvation he would accomplish for the sake of the whole world and for the fulfilment of the mystery they had been entrusted to foretell. Thus both apostles and prophets were filled with joy on that mountain. The prophets rejoiced to see his humanity, which they had not been able to know beforehand; the apostles rejoiced to see the glory of his divinity, which they had not yet known about, and hear the Father's voice bear witness to his Son. By it, and by the glory of his divinity shining from his body, they learned about his incarnation, which up to then had remained unknown to them.

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Saturday, 19 February 2011

St. Barbatus, Bishop (+ 682)

 Other saints of the day

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SAINT BARBATUS
Bishop
(+ 682)

        St. Barbatus was born in the territory of Benevento in Italy, toward the end of the pontificate of St. Gregory the Great, in the beginning of the seventh century. His parents gave him a Christian education, and Barbatus in his youth laid the foundation of that eminent sanctity which recommends him to our veneration.

        The innocence, simplicity, and purity of his manners, and his extraordinary progress in all virtues, qualified him for the service of the altar, to which he was assumed by taking Holy Orders as soon as the canons of the Church would allow it. He was immediately employed by his bishop in preaching, for which he had an extraordinary talent, and, after some time, made curate of St. Basil's in Morcona, a town near Benevento. His parishioners were steeled in their irregularities, and they treated him as a disturber of their peace, and persecuted him with the utmost violence. Finding their malice conquered by his patience and humility, and his character shining still more bright, they had recourse to slanders, in which their virulence and success were such that he was obliged to withdraw his charitable endeavors among them.

        Barbatus returned to Benevento, where he was received with joy. When St. Barbatus entered upon his ministry in that city, the Christians themselves retained many idolatrous superstitions, which even their duke, Prince Romuald, authorized by his example, though son of Grimoald, King of the Lombards, who had edified all Italy by his conversion. They expressed a religious veneration for a golden viper, and prostrated themselves before it; they also paid superstitious honor to a tree, on which they hung the skin of a wild beast; and those ceremonies were closed by public games, in which the skin served for a mark at which bowmen shot arrows over their shoulders. St. Barbatus preached zealously against these abuses, and at length he roused the attention of the people by foretelling the distress of their city, and the calamities which it was to suffer from the army of the Emperor Constans, who, landing soon after in Italy, laid siege to Benevento.

        Ildebrand, Bishop of Benevento, dying during the siege, after the public tranquillity was restored St. Barbatus was consecrated bishop on the 10th of March, 663. Barbatus, being invested with the episcopal character, pursued and completed the good work which he had so happily begun, and destroyed every trace of superstition in the whole state. In the year 680 he assisted in a council held by Pope Agatho at Rome, and the year following in the Sixth General Council held at Constantinople against the Monothelites.

        He did not long survive this great assembly, for he died on the 29th of February, 682, being about seventy years old, almost nineteen of which he had spent in the episcopal chair.

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

«Este es mi Hijo amado»

EVANGELIO DEL DÍA: 19/02/2011

¿ Señor, a quién iremos?. Tú tienes palabras de vida eterna. Jn 6, 68

Sábado de la VI Semana del Tiempo Ordinario

Carta a los Hebreos 11,1-7.
Ahora bien, la fe es la garantía de los bienes que se esperan, la plena certeza de las realidades que no se ven.
Por ella nuestros antepasados fueron considerados dignos de aprobación.
Por la fe, comprendemos que la Palabra de Dios formó el mundo, de manera que lo visible proviene de lo invisible.
Por la fe, Abel ofreció a Dios un sacrificio superior al de Caín, y por eso fue reconocido como justo, como lo atestiguó el mismo Dios al aceptar sus dones. Y por esa misma fe, él continúa hablando, aún después de su muerte.
Por la fe, Henoc fue llevado al cielo sin pasar por la muerte. Nadie pudo encontrarlo porque Dios se lo llevó, y de él atestigua la Escritura que antes de ser llevado fue agradable a Dios.
Ahora bien, sin la fe es imposible agradar a Dios, porque aquel que se acerca a Dios debe creer que él existe y es el justo remunerador de los que lo buscan.
Por la fe, Noé, al ser advertido por Dios acerca de lo que aún no se veía, animado de santo temor, construyó un arca para salvar a su familia. Así, por esa misma fe, condenó al mundo y heredó la justicia que viene de la fe.

Salmo 145(144),2-3.4-5.10-11.
Día tras día te bendeciré, y alabaré tu Nombre sin cesar.
¡Grande es el Señor y muy digno de alabanza: su grandeza es insondable!
Cada generación celebra tus acciones y le anuncia a las otras tus portentos :
ellas hablan del esplendor de tu gloria, y yo también cantaré tus maravillas.
Que todas tus obras te den gracias, Señor, y tus fieles te bendigan;
que anuncien la gloria de tu reino y proclamen tu poder.

Evangelio según San Marcos 9,2-13.
Seis días después, Jesús tomó a Pedro, Santiago y Juan, y los llevó a ellos solos a un monte elevado. Allí se transfiguró en presencia de ellos.
Sus vestiduras se volvieron resplandecientes, tan blancas como nadie en el mundo podría blanquearlas.
Y se les aparecieron Elías y Moisés, conversando con Jesús.
Pedro dijo a Jesús: "Maestro, ¡qué bien estamos aquí! Hagamos tres carpas, una para ti, otra para Moisés y otra para Elías".
Pedro no sabía qué decir, porque estaban llenos de temor.
Entonces una nube los cubrió con su sombra, y salió de ella una voz: "Este es mi Hijo muy querido, escúchenlo".
De pronto miraron a su alrededor y no vieron a nadie, sino a Jesús solo con ellos.
Mientras bajaban del monte, Jesús les prohibió contar lo que habían visto, hasta que el Hijo del hombre resucitara de entre los muertos.
Ellos cumplieron esta orden, pero se preguntaban qué significaría "resucitar de entre los muertos".
Y le hicieron esta pregunta: "¿Por qué dicen los escribas que antes debe venir Elías?".
Jesús les respondió: "Sí, Elías debe venir antes para restablecer el orden en todo. Pero, ¿no dice la Escritura que el Hijo del hombre debe sufrir mucho y ser despreciado?
Les aseguro que Elías ya ha venido e hicieron con él lo que quisieron, como estaba escrito". 

Mc 9,2-13

Leer el comentario del Evangelio por 
Un autor siríaco anónimo
Homilía atribuida, erróneamente, a san Efrén

«Este es mi Hijo amado»

     Jesús se llevó a Pedro, a Santiago y a Juan sobre la montaña y les mostró, antes de su resurrección, la gloria de su divinidad; así, cuando resucitara de entre los muertos, en la gloria de su naturaleza divina, reconocieran que esa gloria  no la había recibido como recompensa a su sufrimiento, como su tuviera necesidad de ello, sino que era la misma gloria que ya poseía entes de los siglos, junto al Padre y con el Padre. Es lo que él mismo dijo al acercarse su voluntaria Pasión: «Padre, glorifícame cerca de ti, con la gloria que yo tenía cerca de ti antes que el mundo existiese» (Jn 17,5). Es esta misma, la gloria de su divinidad, misteriosamente escondida en su humanidad, la que mostró a sus apóstoles en la montaña. Ésos... vieron dos soles, uno en el cielo resplandeciente como de costumbre, y otro resplandeciente de manera inhabitual; uno que iluminaba al mundo desde lo alto del firmamento, el otro que brillaba para ellos solos, con el rostro girado hacia ellos...   

     Entonces aparecieron Moisés y Elías... y le agradecían que, con su venida se hubieran cumplido sus palabras, como las de todos los profetas. Le adoraban por la salvación que operaba en favor del mundo entero y por el cumplimiento del misterio que ellos habían recibido el encargo de anunciar. Así es que, en esta montaña se llenaron de gozo tanto los apóstoles como los profetas. Los profetas se alegraron al ver su humanidad que, anteriormente, no habían podido conocer; los apóstoles se alegraron al ver la gloria de su divinidad que ellos todavía no conocían, y al escuchar la voz del Padre que daba testimonio en favor de su Hijo. A través de ella y de la gloria de su divinidad que su cuerpo dejaba traslucir, conocieron su encarnación que, hasta entonces, les era desconocida.

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sábado 19 Febrero 2011

San Gabino

 Saber más cosas a propósito de los Santos del día

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Procede del adjetivo latino "gabinus", gentilicio que designaba a los habitantes de Gabio, antigua ciudad del Lacio (Italia), cercana a Roma. Según la mitología, en Gabio habrían sido criados Rómulo y Remo, recogidos por el pastor Fáustulo y su mujer Aca Larentia.

Toda la vida y entorno de san Gabino están envueltos en la leyenda. Gabino era padre de santa Susana, mártir. Susana era muy bella. Tanto, que el emperador Diocleciano quiso darla en matrimonio a Maximiano, su César.

Susana rehusó. Ante la extrañeza de Diocleciano, alegó como causa su condición de cristiana. Fue encarcelada, bajo la custodia de dos soldados. Los convirtió al cristianismo. Los tres fueron decapitados.

Gabino, su padre, era sacerdote, hermano del Papa san Cayo (283-296). Ayudaba a este Papa en las funciones pastorales. Gabino estaba emparentado con el emperador Diocleciano. Acusado de ser cristiano, fue aprehendido e invitado a sacrificar a los dioses.

Ante su rotunda negativa, de nada le valió su parentesco. Fue decapitado en el año 296. Según la tradición, sus restos se veneran en la iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad de Lyón (Francia). Su fiesta se celebra el 19 de febrero.

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Oremos 
Dios de poder y misericordia, que diste tu fuerza al mártir San Gabino para que pudiera resistir el dolor de su martirio, concédenos que quienes celebramos hoy el día de su victoria, con tu protección, vivamos libres de las acechanzas del enemigo. Por nuestro Señor Jesucristo, tu Hijo.

Nuestra  Señora de la Buena Noticia, Lempdes, Francia (1500)