June 7 2010 Monday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – Servant of God Joseph Perez

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not the official lectionary readings for  Mass in the US Catholic Church, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings along with traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings may vary depending on your local calendar.

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

1 Kings 17:1-6
Douay-Rheims Challoner

And Elias the Thesbite, of the inhabitants of Galaad, said to Achab:

As the Lord liveth, the God of Israel, in whose sight I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to the words of my mouth.

And the word of the Lord came to him, saying:

Get thee hence, and go towards the east, and hide thyself by the torrent of Carith, which is over against the Jordan; And there thou shalt drink of the torrent: and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

So he went, and did according to the word of the Lord: and going, he dwelt by the torrent Carith, which is over against the Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the torrent.

Responsorial Psalm 120:1bc-8  (Ps 121 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

I have lifted up my eyes to the mountains, from whence help shall come to me.
My help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
May he not suffer thy foot to be moved: neither let him slumber that keepeth thee.
Behold he shall neither slumber nor sleep, that keepeth Israel.
The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy protection upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not burn thee by day: nor the moon by night.
The Lord keepeth thee from all evil: may the Lord keep thy soul.
May the Lord keep thy coming in and thy going out; from henceforth now and for ever.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 5:1-12
Haydock New Testament

Now Jesus seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain, and when he had sat down, his disciples came to him. And opening his mouth he taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
Blesses are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you untruly, for my sake;
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward is very great in heaven: for so they persecuted the prophets, that were before you.

The Sermon on the Mount Carl Heinrich Bloch

Haydock Commentary 1 Kings 17:1-6
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

  • Ver. 1. Elias means, “the strong God.”  Some Greeks derive the name of the prophet from hlioV, “the sun,” improperly.  His parentage is not known, nor even his tribe.  Thesbe was situated in the tribe of Gad.  The Fathers agree that Elias never was married.  He seems to have had no fixed abode; but was sent to the house of Israel, to maintain the cause of the true God, with the most active and generous zeal.  He may have presided over the colleges of the prophets, (C.) which were then numerous in Israel, particularly at Mount Carmel, (T.) notwithstanding the general corruption.  C. xviii. 13. and xix. 10.  H. — I stand, to serve (Num. iii. 6.) and pray.  Jam. v. 17.  Luke iv. 25.  He calls God to witness, like S. Paul.  Gal. i. 20. — Mouth. Stupendous power and assurance of the prophet, with which the pagans have nothing to compare.  C. — God had threatened his people with drought, if they proved faithless.  Deut. xxviii. 24.  Elias begs that this punishment may now serve to open their eyes.  T.
  • Ver. 3. Carith, between Samaria and the Jordan.  It was a torrent or valley.  C.
  • Ver. 4. Ravens. Heb. horebim, (H.) is sometimes rendered “Arabs,” by the Vulg.  2 Par. xxi. 16.  Others would translate, “merchants,” or the inhabitants of Arabo, which was near Carith.  They suppose that the ravens, being unclean birds, would never have been employed.  But they were only forbidden to be eaten or touched, when dead; and God is not restricted by  his own laws.  He might thus chose to display his wonderful providence.  S. Jerom relates how S. Paul, the first hermit, was fed thus by a raven, with half a loaf a day; and a whole one was sent, when S. Anthony went to see him.  C. — Yet Kennicott mentions this as one of the improvements which might be now made in the Protestant version, “the Orbim,” or inhabitants of Oreb, or Orbo.  Orbim, accolæ villæ in finibus Arabum Eliæ dederunt alimenta. Jerom iii. 119. — It is not clear to what passage he refers.  Diss. ii. p. 581.  Another instance occurs, Judg. xv. 4, where instead of foxes, he would substitute “300 sheaves of corn, placed end to end.”  But if there were no mistranslations of great importance, the version might subsist.  H.
  • Ver. 6. And flesh. So the Heb. &c.  But some copies of the Sept. have, “bread in the morning, and flesh in the evening.”  Theod. q. 52. — It is idle to inquire whence the ravens took this food.  C. — Some say from the kitchen of Achab.  Abulensis — The minister of angels undoubtedly intervened.  T. — God provides his servant with what may support nature, without any wine or delicacies.  H.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 5:1-12

  • Ver. 1. What is said here, does not follow immediately what was said in the preceding chapter.  See Luke vi.
  • Ver. 2. Opening his mouth. It is a Hebraism, to signify he began to speak.  Wi. — This is a common expression in Scripture, to signify something important is about to be spoken.  Thus it is used in various other places, as “Job opening his mouth cursed his day, and said,” &c.  Daniel, c. x. et alibi.  Jan. — And why is it added, says S. Chry. “and opening his mouth,” without doubt that we might know, that not only when he spoke, but even when silent, he gave instruction: sometimes, therefore, he opened his mouth; at other times he spoke by his very actions.  Hom. xv.
  • Ver. 3. The poor in spirit;[1] which, according to the common exposition, signifies the humble of mind and heart.  Yet some understand it of such as are truly in poverty and want, and who bear their indigent condition with patience and resignation.  Wi. — That is, the humble; and they whose spirit is not set upon riches.  Ch. — It is not without reason that the beatitudes are disposed of in this order.  Each preceding one prepares the way for what immediately follows, furnishing us in particular with spiritual arms of such graces as are necessary for obtaining the virtue of the subsequent beatitude.  Thus the poor in spirit, i.e. the truly humble, will mourn for their transgressions, and whoever is filled with sorrow and confusion for his own sins, cannot but be just, and behave to others with meekness and clemency; when possessed of these virtues, he then becomes pure and clean of heart.  Peace of conscience reigns in this assemblage of virtues, and cannot be expelled the soul by any tribulations, persecutions, or injustices of men.  Chry. hom. xv.  What is this poverty of spirit, but humility and contrition?  This virtue of humility is placed in the first place, because it is the parent of every other virtue, as pride is the mother of every vice.  Pride deprived our first parents of their original innocence, and nothing but humility can restore us to our former purity.  We may pray and fast, we may be possessed of mercy, chastity, or any virtues, if humility do not accompany them, they will be like the virtue of the Pharisee, without foundation, without fruit.  Hom. xv.
  • Ver. 4. The land of the living, or the kingdom of heaven.  The evangelist prefers calling it the land of the living in this place, to shew that the meek, the humble, and the oppressed, who are spoiled of the possession of this earth by the powerful and the proud, shall obtain the inheritance of a better land.  M. — “They shall possess the land,” is the reward annexed by our Saviour to meekness, that he might not differ in any point from the old law, so well known to the persons he was addressing.  David, in psalm xxxvi, had made the same promise to the meek.  If temporal blessings are promised to some of the virtues in the beatitudes, it is that temporal blessings might always accompany the more solid rewards of grace.  But spiritual rewards are always the principal, always ranked in the first place, all who practice these virtues are pronounced blessed.  Hom. xv.
  • Ver. 5. Not those that mourn for worldly motives, but such as mourn for their sins, are blessed.  The sorrow that is according to God, says S. Paul, worketh penance steadfast unto salvation, but the sorrow of the world worketh death.  2 Cor. vii. 10.  The same is promised in S. John; (xvi. 20,) you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.  M.
  • Ver. 6. Hunger and thirst; i.e. spiritually, with an earnest desire of being just and holy.  But others again understand such as endure with patience the hardships of hunger and thirst.  Wi. — Rupertus understands those to whom justice is denied, such as poor widows and orphans.  Maldonatus those who from poverty really suffer hunger and thirst, because justice is not done them.  M. — They shall be filled with every kind of good in their heavenly country.  I shall be filled when thy glory shall appear.  Psalm xvi.
  • Ver. 7. Not only the giving of alms, but the practice of all works of mercy, both corporal and spiritual, are recommended here, and the reward will be given on that day when God will repay every one according to his works, and will do by us, as we have done by our brethren.  A.
  • Ver. 8. The clean of heart are either those who give themselves to the practice of every virtue, and are conscious to themselves of no evil, or those who are adorned with the virtue of chastity.  For nothing is so necessary as this purity in such as desire to see God.  Keep peace with all and chastity, says S. Paul, for without this none can see God.  Many are merciful to the poor and just in their dealings, but abstain not from luxury and lust.  Therefore our Saviour, wishing to shew that mercy was not sufficient, adds, that if we would see God, we must also be possessed of the virtue of purity.  S. Chry. hom. xv.  By this, we shall have our heart exempt from all disordinate love of creatures, and shall be exclusively attached to God.  A. — The clean of heart, i.e. they who are clean from sin: who are pure in body and mind, says S. Chrysostom.  It seems to be a particular admonition to the Jews, who were mostly solicitous about an outward and legal cleanness. Wi.
  • Ver. 9. To be peaceful ourselves and with others, and to bring such as are at variance together, will entitle us to be children of God.  Thus we shall be raised to a participation in the honour of the only begotten Son of God, who descended from heaven to bring peace to man, and to reconcile him with his offended Creator.  Chry. hom. xv.
  • Ver. 10. Heretics and malefactors suffer occasionally, but they are not on this account blessed, because they suffer not for justice.  For, says S. Aug. they cannot suffer for justice, who have divided the Church; and where sound faith or charity is wanting, there cannot be justice.  Cont. epis. Parm. l. i. c. 9. ep. 50. ps. 4. conc. 2.  B. — By justice here we understand virtue, piety, and the defence of our neighbour.  To all who suffer on this account, he promises a seat in his heavenly kingdom.  We must not think that suffering persecution only, will suffice to entitle us to the greatest promises.  The persecutions we suffer must be inflicted on us on his account, and the evils spoken of us must be false and contradicted by our lives.  If these are not the causes of our sufferings, so far from being happy, we shall be truly miserable, because then our irregular lives would be the occasion of the persecutions we suffer.  Chry. hom. xv.
  • Ver. 12. Reward, in Latin merces, in Greek misqoV, signifies wages done for hire, and due for work, and presupposes merit.  B. — If you participate in the sufferings of the prophets, you will equally participate in their glory, their reward.  A.

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