March 6 2010 Saturday Second Week of Lent
Saint of the Day – Servant of God Sylvester of Assisi

About the sources used. The readings on this site are from the Haydock Bible according to the daily Lectionary readings for the American Roman Catholic Church. The Haydock Bible contains traditional Catholic commentary and is free from copyright. Due to verse numbering differences and pastoral deletions in the actual Lectionary, these readings may at times vary from the actual readings.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/bible/

Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy inheritance, them that dwell alone in the forest, in the midst of Carmel: they shall feed in Basan and Galaad, according to the days of old. According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt, I will shew him wonders.

Who is a God like to thee, who takest away iniquity, and passest by the sin of the remnant of thy inheritance? he will send his fury in no more, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, and have mercy on us: he will put away our iniquities: and he will cast all our sins into the bottom of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, the mercy to Abraham: which thou hast sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

Responsorial Psalm 102:1-4, 9-12 (Ps 103 NAB/Hebrew)
DR Challoner Text Only

Bless the Lord, O my soul:
and let all that is within me bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and never forget all he hath done for thee.
Who forgiveth all thy iniquities:
who healeth all thy diseases.
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction:
who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion.
He will not always be angry:
nor will he threaten for ever.
He hath not dealt with us according to our sins:
nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For according to the height of the heaven above the earth:
he hath strengthened his mercy towards them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far hath he removed our iniquities from us.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
Haydock New Testament

NOW the publicans and sinners drew near unto him, to hear him. And the Pharisees and the Scribes murmured, saying:

This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.

And he spoke to them this parable, saying:

A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father:

Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me.

And he divided until them his substance. And not many days after, the younger son gathering all together, went abroad into a far country: and there wasted his substance by living riotously. And after he had spent all, there came a might famine in that country, and he began to be in want. And he went, and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And returning to himself, he said:

How many hired servants in my father’s house have plenty of bread, and I here perish with hunger? I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee: I am not now worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

And rising up, he went to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him, fell upon his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him:

Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee: I am not now worthy to be called thy son.

But the father said to his servants:

Bring forth, quickly, the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: Because this, my son, was dead, and is come to life again: he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.

Now his elder son was in the field: and when he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing: And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said to him:

Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe.

And he was angry, and would not go in. His father, therefore, coming out, began to entreat him. And he answering, said to his father:

Behold, for so many years do I serve thee, and I have never transgressed thy commandment, and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends: But as soon as this, thy son, is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.

But he said to him:

Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine. But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad, for this, thy brother, was dead, and is come to life again: he was lost, and is found.

Haydock Commentary Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

  • Ver. 14. Alone: destitute of all things, or in full security.  Jer. xv. 17.  Num. xxiii. 9.  God will feed his people (C.) in the most fertile places, designated by Carmel and Basan.  H. — A pastor must maintain sound doctrine and discipline.  W.
  • Ver. 15. Wonders. The prophets speaking of the return, have Christ and his religion in view; so that they seem not to find terms sufficiently magnificent.  Is. ix. 15. and xliii. 16.  Zac. x. 11.  We know from Esdras that nothing so surprising attended the liberation of the people.  C.
  • Ver. 18. No more, for past offences.  Yet, if they transgress again, they must not expect impunity.  The Jews still bleed for the murder of the Messias.  C.
  • Ver. 19. Away. Prot. “subdue,” (H.) or trample upon.  C.
  • Ver. 20. Truth, performing what he had promised out of mercy to Abraham.  W.

Haydock Commentary  Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

  • Ver. 11. A certain man had two sons. By the elder son is commonly expounded the Jewish people, who for a long time had been chosen to serve God; and by the younger son, the Gentiles, who for so many ages had run blindly on in their idolatry and vices.  Wi. — Some understand this of the Jews and Gentiles, others of the just and sinners.  The former opinion seems preferable.  The elder son, brought up in his father’s house, &c. represents the Jews; the younger prodigal is a figure of the Gentiles.  Calmet.
  • Ver. 12. It is ver probable, from this verse, that the children of the family, when come of age, could demand of their parents the share of property which would fall to their lot.  For these parables suppose the ordinary practices of the country, and are founded on what was customarily done.  Grotius thinks this was the common law among the Phœnicians. — The Gentiles, prefigured by the prodigal son, received from their father, (the Almighty,) free-will, reason, mind, health, natural knowledge, and the goods which are common to mankind, all which they dissipated and abused.  Sinners who have besides received the gift of faith and sanctification, by baptism, and who have profaned the holiness of their state, by crimes, are more express figures of the bad conduct of this son.  Calmet.
  • Ver. 16. Husks.This expresses the extreme misery of his condition.  There is no need of seeking any other mystery in this word.  Horace, by a kind of hyperbole, (B. ii, Ep. 1.) represents the miser as living upon husks to be able to save more.
    • Vivit siliquis et pane secundo.
    • — And no man gave unto him; i.e. gave him bread, mentioned before; for as for the husks, he could take what he pleased.  Wi.
  • Ver. 18. How merciful is the Almighty, who, though so much offended, still does not disdain the name of father. — I have sinned. These are the first words of a sinner’s confession to the author of nature.  God knows all things; still does he expect to hear the voice of your confession.  It is in vain to think of concealing your sins from the eyes of him whom nothing can escape; and there can be no danger of acknowledging to him what his infinite knowledge has already embraced.  Confess then that Christ may intercede for you, the Church pray for you, the people pour forth their tears for you.  Fear not that you cannot obtain pardon, for pardon is promised to you; grace, and a reconciliation with a most tender parent, are held out to you.  S. Ambrose. — Before thee, &c.  By this does our Redeemer shew, that the Almighty is here to be understood by the name of father: for the all-seeing eye of God only beholds all things, from whom even the secret machinations of the heart cannot be concealed.  S. Chrys. ex D. Tho.
  • Ver. 22. The first; i.e. the best robe: by it, is meant the habit of grace.  Wi.
  • Ver. 24. Was dead, and is come to life again. A sinner, in mortal sin, is deprived of the divine grace, which is the spiritual life of the soul.  At his conversion it is restored to him, and he begins to live again.  Wi.
  • Ver. 25. His elder son, &c.  We have already remarked, that this son represents the Jews.  He boasts of having always served his father faithfully, and of never disobeying him.  This is the language of that presumptuous people, who believe themselves alone holy; and despising the Gentiles with sovereign contempt, could not bear to see the gates of salvation laid open also to them.  The 28th, 29th, and 30th verses express admirably the genius of the Jewish people; particularly his refusing to enter his father’s house, shews their obstinacy.  Calmet.
  • Ver. 29. I have never transgressed, &c.  With what face could the Jews, represented here by the eldest son, say they have never transgressed the commandments of their father?  This made Tertullian think that this was not the expression of the Jews, but of the faithful Christians; and, therefore, he interprets the whole parable as applied to a disciple of Christ.  But we should recollect, that it is not uncommon for presumption to boast of what it never has done.  The whole history of the Jews is full of numberless details of their prevarication and disobedience.  Calmet. — A kid, &c.  The Jews demanded a kid, but the Christians a lamb; therefore was Barabbas set at liberty for them, whilst for us the lamb was immolated.  S. Amb.

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