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Daily Bible Readings Friday August 26 2011 21st Week in Ordinary Time Cycle I

Friday, August 26th, 2011 at 1:00 pm 
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Friday 21st Week in Ordinary Time Cycle I
Official Readings available at http://www.usccb.org/bible/

1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Haydock New Testament

For the rest therefore, brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more.[1] For you know what commandments I have given to you by the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel[2] in sanctification and honour: Not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles, who know not God: And that no man overreach, nor deceive his brother in business:[3] because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before, and have testified.

For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness. He, therefore, that despiseth these things, despiseth not man, but God: who also hath given his holy spirit in us.

Psalm 96:1-2b, 5-6, 10-12 (Ps 97 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice:
let many islands be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him:
justice and judgment are the establishment of his throne.
The mountains melted like wax, at the presence of the Lord:
at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens declared his justice: and all people saw his glory.
You that love the Lord, hate evil:
the Lord preserveth the souls of his saints,
he will deliver them out of the hand of the sinner.
Light is risen to the just, and joy to the right of heart.
Rejoice, ye just, in the Lord:
and give praise to the remembrance of his holiness.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 25:1-13
Haydock New Testament

Jesus delivered this parable to his disciples:

 

The Wise Virgins

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins,[4] who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride. Now five of them were foolish, and five were wise. But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, took no oil with them:[5] But the wise took oil in their vessels, with the lamps.[6] And while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.[7] And at midnight there was a cry made:[8]

Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him.

Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise:

Give us of your oil: for our lamps are gone out.[9]

The wise answered, saying:

The Foolish Virgins

Lest there be not enough for us and for you, go you rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.[10]

Now while they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they who were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.[11] But at last came also the other virgins, saying:

Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answering said:

Amen, I say to you, I know you not.

Watch ye, therefore, because ye know not the day nor the hour.[12]

Footnotes    (↵ returns to text)
  1. In this chapter the apostle begins to remind them of their obligation of always striving to increase in virtue.  Though he praises them through the whole epistle, he still thinks it necessary to warn them not to be surprised in uncleanness.  He repeats what he had taught them before; first, that there is vengeance awaiting the workers of evil; and secondly, that the favour of God is the reward of those who deal with the brethren in simplicity, and preserve themselves from the defilements of the Gentiles.  S. Ambrose, Comment. hic.↵
  2. His vessel.  That is, his own body.  See 1 K. xxi. 5.  Wi.↵
  3. That no man overreach, nor deceive his brother in business.[1]  The Prot. and Mr. N. even in their translations, add, in any matter, because some expound it of frauds and circumventions in any kind of business.  But this addition of any, should be left out, seeing the best interpreters expound it of a prohibition of adultery, and the injury thereby done to another, and of sins of that kind only, which is confirmed by what follows and what goes before.  See S. Jerom in c. iv. ad Ephes. tom. 4. p. 369.  S. Chrys. serm. 3 on this place.  Here, says he, he speaks of adultery, as before of fornication, &c.  See Theodoret, Theophylact. Estius, Menochius, A. Lapide, &c.  Wi.↵
  4. Ten virgins.  By these are signified all mankind.  By the bridegroom, Christ; by the bride, the Church; by oil, grace and charity.  Wi. — The kingdom of heaven is not unfrequently compared to the Church militant; which, as it is composed of both just and wicked, reprobate and elect, is deservedly compared to five wise and five foolish virgins: the wise constantly aspiring after their blessed country; the foolish, with all their fasts and austerities, wishing to procure nothing more than the empty esteem of men.  S. Gregory. — Went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride; in the Greek, it is simply, before the bridegroom.  The custom among the Jews was, that the bridegroom should go to fetch his spouse, and conduct her with solemnity to his house.  V. — This was the conclusive ceremony, and done in the night-time.  The young women of the vicinity, in order to do her honour, went to meet her with lighted lamps.  Modern travellers inform us, that this custom still obtains with the eastern nations, particularly the Persians.  Hence the Latin phrase, ducere uxorem, to marry.↵
  5. The foolish virgins had a little oil in their lamps at first, sufficient to shine before men, by some little external shew of piety, or certain works done through fear, profit, or human respects; but had made no provision of oil in their vessels, i.e. in their hearts and conscience, no provision of solid piety and charity, by means of which they might, like the prudent virgins, produce good works to salvation.  Jans.↵
  6. But the wise took oil.  Under this parable, we have the state of all Christians in their mortal pilgrimage justly delineated.  The wise took oil in their lamps, the necessary qualifications of grace and charity, joined with divine faith, and an additional supply of oil in their vessels; i.e. they laid up in store for themselves a solid foundation of good works.  S. Gregory teaches, that by the lamps, faith is meant; and by the light, good works.  Hence he concludes that the bad, although they have lamps, i.e. faith, no less than the good, shall be excluded; because their lamps are out, i.e. their faith is dead, without charity and good works to enlighten them.  hom. xii. — S. Augustine also declares, that these lighted lamps are good works, viz. works of mercy and good conversation, which shine forth before men.  ep. 120. c. xxxiii. — And, that this oil is a right inward intention, directing all our works to the greater glory of God, and not to the praise of ourselves in the sight of men.  Idem. ibid.↵
  7. And while the bridegroom (Jesus Christ) tarried, i.e. delayed his coming, and thus protracted the time of repentance, they all slumbered and slept; viz. they all died.  Hence S. Paul, nolo vos ignorare de dormientibus.  But the reason why Jesus Christ says they slumbered is, because they were to rise again: and by the expression, whilst the bridegroom tarried, Christ wishes to shew us that a very short time will elapse between his first and second coming.  S. Jerom.↵
  8. There was a cry.  So shall we all have to rise again at the sound of the last trumpet, to meet our judge, either like the wise virgins, who having their oil ready, and their lamps trimmed and burning, soon prepare themselves to give in their accounts to their Lord; or, like the foolish, who having made no provision of the oil of good works, are compelled to seek it at the time they are to be judged.  S. Augustine. — It is said he will come at midnight; i.e. when least expected.↵
  9. For our lamps are gone out.  Thus too many trusting to their faith alone, and leading a tepid indifference life, are negligent in preparing themselves by good works for the coming of the bridegroom.  But when they perceived themselves called away from this life, to go and meet their judge, they then begin to find their lamps extinguished, and to think of procuring for themselves the oil of good works, by bequeathing their effects to the poor.  Though we ought not to despair of the salvation of these, still there is great room to fear; for, a death-bed repentance is seldom sincere, more seldom, or never perfect, and always uncertain.  Jansenius.↵
  10. Go ye rather to them that sell.  The wise virgins do not there advise the foolish to go and buy, but upbraid them for the poor store of good works they have laid up.  They had before only sought the praises of men in their good actions, and therefore are answered by the wise: “go now to those to whom you have given all your actions; go and see what their praises will avail, what peace of conscience they can give you: and, if they have praised you, and made you esteemed in the eyes of men, see if they can do the same before God.”  S. Aug.↵
  11. And the door was shut.  After the final day of judgment, there will be no room for prayers and good works.  S. Jerom. — For, after having received those within its walls, who have put on in some degree the nature of the angels, the gate to the city of bliss is closed for ever.  S. Aug.↵
  12. Watch ye.  S. Austin asks, how can we be always watching, it being necessary for each one to give himself sufficient time to sleep and rest from his many labours?  He answers the question in these words: We may always keep watching to our hearts by faith, hope, charity, and all other good works.  But when we awake, like the five wise virgins, we must arise and trim our lamps, by supplying them with the oil of good works.  Then they will not go out, nor will the soothing oil of a good conscience be wanting to us.  Then will the bridegroom come and introduce us to his house, where we shall never need sleep or rest; nor will our lamps ever be in danger of going out.  Whilst we are in this life, we labour; and our lamps, blown about by the winds of innumerable temptations, are always in danger of being extinguished; but soon their flame shall become more brilliant, and the temptations we have suffered here shall not diminish, but increase its lustre.  S. Aug. serm. xxiv.↵

Daily Scripture Readings Tuesday June 8 2010 10th Week in Ordinary Time

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 3:46 am 
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June 8 2010 Tuesday 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 17:7-16
Douay-Rheims Challoner

But after some time the torrent was dried up: for it had not rained upon the earth. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying:

Arise, and go to Sarephta of the Sidonians, and dwell there: for I have commanded a widow woman there to feed thee.

He arose, and went to Sarephta. And when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow woman gathering sticks, and he called her, and said to her:

Give me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying:

Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.

And she answered:

As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruise: behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it, for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.

And Elias said to her:

Fear not; but go, and do as thou hast said but first make for me of the same meal a little hearth cake, and bring it to me, and after make for thyself and thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: The pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruise of oil be diminished, until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth.

She went, and did according to the word of Elias: and he ate, and she, and her house: and from that day The pot of meal wasted not, and the cruise of oil was not diminished according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke in the hand of Elias.

Responsorial Psalm 4:2-5, 7b-8
DR Challoner Text Only

When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me:
when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me.
Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart?
why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?
Know ye also that the Lord hath made his holy one wonderful:
the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.
Be ye angry, and sin not: the things you say in your hearts,
be sorry for them upon your beds.
The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us:
thou hast given gladness in my heart.
By the fruit of their corn, their wine, and oil, they are multiplied:

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 5:13-16
Haydock New Testament

You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is good for nothing any more, but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men.
You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid.
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may give light to all that are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Haydock Commentary 1 Kings 17:7-16
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

  • Ver. 7. Some time. Lit. “after days,” (H.) which some explain of a year; others, of half that time, or less, as the torrent would not be long supplied with water.
  • Ver. 9. Sidonians, and nearer their city than it was to Tyre.  C. — Commanded, or provided that she shall feed thee.  So he commanded the ravens, v. 4.  M. — It appears that the widow had received no precise intimation, v. 12.  She was not an Israelite, (Luke iv. 25.) but probably a pagan.  S. Chrys. &c. — Many suppose that Elias did not know, at first, that she was to entertain him.  C. — But both the one and the other might be divinely instructed how to act.  In due time the widow and the prophet became acquainted with the will of God, and complied with it.  H.
  • Ver. 13. First. He puts the faith of the widow to a severe trial; and the gospel requires nothing more perfect than what she practised.  The true faith, which she then received, was her first and most precious recompense; and we shall soon see, that her guest drew down blessings upon her.  C.
  • Ver. 14. Until, nor for some time afterwards; otherwise they would still have been in danger of perishing, as the corn could not grow immediately.  Salien, A.C. 929.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 5:13-16

  • Ver. 13. The former instructions Jesus Christ gave to the multitude.  Now he addresses his apostles, styling them the salt of the earth, meant to preserve men from the corruption of sin, and to make them relish the truths of salvation.  He tells them not to suffer their faith or their charity to slacken, in which all their power consists, lest they come to be rejected by God, and despised by man.  C. — I send you, says Jesus Christ, not to two, ten, or twenty cities, not to one single nation, as the prophets were sent, but to the whole world, a world oppressed with numberless iniquities.  It is not the property of salt to restore what is already corrupted, but to preserve from corruption.  Therefore the virtue of the merits of Christ delivers us from the corruption of sin; but the care and labour of the apostles preserves us from again returning to it.  Chry. hom. xv. — It appears from Luke xiv. 34, that this comparison is taken from agriculture.  We observe these properties of salt in the different manures that fertilize the soil, but suffer the salts to evaporate, and all their virtue is lost.  A.
  • Ver. 15. This light of the world, city on a mountain, and candle upon a candlestick, signify the Catholic Church, so built upon Christ, the mountain, that it must be visible, and cannot be hidden or unknown.  S. Aug. cont. Fulg.  Therefore the Church being a candle not under a bushel, but shining to all in the house, i.e. in the world, what shall I say more, saith S. Aug. than that all are blind, who shut their eyes against the candle which is set on the candlestick?  Tract ii. in ep. Jo.

Daily Scripture Readings Monday May 24 2010 8th Week of Ordinary Time

Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 3:23 am 
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May 24 2010 Monday of the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

1 Peter 1:3-9
Haydock New Testament

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy hath regenerated us unto a lively hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not, reserved in heaven for you, Who by the power of God are kept by faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

In which you shall greatly rejoice, now if ye must be for a little time, afflicted by divers temptations: That the trial of your faith, much more precious than gold, (which is tried by the fire) may be found unto praise, and glory, and honour, at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen you love: in whom also now, though you see him not, you believe: and believing, shall rejoice with an unspeakable and glorified joy: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

Psalm 110:1-2, 5-6, 9 and 10c (Ps 111 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart;
in the council of the just, and in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord: sought out according to all his wills.
He hath given food to them that fear him.
He will be mindful for ever of his covenant:
He will shew forth to his people the power of his works.
He hath sent redemption to his people:
he hath commanded his covenant for ever.
Holy and terrible is his name:
His praise continueth for ever and ever.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint  Mark 10:17-27
Haydock New Testament

And when he was gone forth into the way, a certain man running up and kneeling before him, asked him:

Good Master, what shall I do that I may receive life everlasting?

And Jesus said to him:

Why callest thou me good?  None is good but one; that is God. Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, bear not false witness, do not fraud, honour thy father and mother.

But he answering, said to him:

Master, all these things I have observed from my youth.

And Jesus looking on him, loved him; and said to him:

One thing is wanting unto thee: go, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

But he being struck sad at the saying, went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looking round about, saith to his disciples:

How hardly shall they who have riches, enter into the kingdom of God!

And the disciples were astonished at his words.  But Jesus answering again, saith to them:

Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches, to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

They wondered the more, saying among themselves:

Who then can be saved?

And Jesus looking on them, saith:

With men it is impossible; but not with God: for all things are possible with God.

James Tissot: The Life of Christ

The Rich Young Man Went Away Sorrowful

Haydock Commentary 1 Peter 1:3-9
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

  • Ver. 4. Reserved in heaven for you. Lit. in you; that is, it is also in you by reason of that lively faith and hope, which is in you, of enjoying Christ.  Wi.
  • Ver. 7. At the appearing of Jesus Christ. Lit. in the revelation; i.e. when he shall be revealed, manifested, and appear at the day of judgment.  Wi.

Haydock Commentary Mark 10:17-27

  • Ver. 18. None is good. Of himself, entirely and essentially, but God alone:  men may be good also, but only by a participation of God’s goodness.  Ch.
  • Ver. 20. We must recollect, that to the faithful observers of the Mosaic law, not only present goods were given, but the happiness of a future life promised.  Hence our Lord with reason inquired, whether he had kept the commandments. The innocent life of this young man is deserving of our imitation.  Ven. Bede.
  • Ver. 21. Loved him. We need understand no more by this, than that Christ gave him some marks of his tenderness for him, and for all men by his kind instructions, and invitations to a good and perfect life.  Wi. — It is worthy of inquiry, how that could happen which the evangelist here mentions, how Jesus could love this young man; when, as it is here related, he did not follow the admonitions given him by Jesus Christ.  The reason is, Christ loved him for his past behaviour, and his strict observance of the old law.  S. Chrys. in S. Thom. Cat. aur.

Daily Bible Readings Monday October 26 2009 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 2:46 am 
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October 26 2009 Monday 30th Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – Blessed Contardo Ferrini

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/102609.shtml

Romans 8:12-17
Haydock New Testament

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you shall die: but if by the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live. For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear: but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons, whereby we cry: Abba, (Father.) For the Spirit himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God. And if sons, heirs also: heirs indeed of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him.

Responsorial Psalm 67:2 and 4, 6-7ab, 20-21 (Ps 68 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered:
and let them that hate him flee from before his face.
And let the just feast, and rejoice before God:
and be delighted with gladness.
Who is the father of orphans, and the judge of widows.
God in his holy place:
God who maketh men of one manner to dwell in a house:
Who bringeth out them that were bound in strength
Blessed be the Lord day by day:
the God of our salvation will make our journey prosperous to us.
Our God is the God of salvation:
and of the Lord, of the Lord are the issues from death.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 13:10-17
Haydock New Testament

The Woman with an Infirmity of Eighteen YearsAnd he was teaching in their synagogue on their sabbath. And behold there was a woman, who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years: and she was bent down, and could not look upwards at all. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said to her:

Woman, thou art delivered from thy infirmity.

And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue, being angry that Jesus had healed on the sabbath, answering, said to the multitude:

There are six days wherein you ought to work: in them therefore come, and be healed, and not on the sabbath-day.

And the Lord answering him, said:

Ye hypocrites, doth not every one of you, on the sabbath-day, loose his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead them to water? And ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath-day?

And when he said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the things that were gloriously done by him.

Haydock Commentary Romans 8:12-17
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

  • Ver. 14. &c. They are the sons of God, by this new grace of adoption, by which also they call God, Abba; that is to say, Father, whereas under the former law of Moses, God rather governed his people by fear; they were his servants, we are his sons; and if sons, also the heirs of God, with the promise of an eternal inheritance in his kingdom, provided we suffer for Christ’s sake, as he suffered for us.  And surely the short sufferings in this world have no proportion, nor can be put in balance with the future endless glory, which is promised and prepared for us in heaven.  Wi. — Abba is a Syriac word, which signifies my father.  This is properly the word of free and noble children; for amongst the Hebrews, the children of slaves were not allowed to call their fathers Abba, nor their mothers Imma. This kind of expression was very rarely used under the old law.  The Hebrews called the Almighty their Lord, their God, their Salvation, their King, their Protector, their Glory, &c. but seldom their father, scarcely ever, except in the case of Solomon, who was a particular figure of the Messias, the true Son of God.  On this account God said to him: “He shall call me Father and God; and I will be to him a Father, and will treat as my first-born.”  But it is the property of the Christian to call the Almighty his Father with confidence indeed, yet tempered with a filial awe; remembering at the same time that he is his judge.  Calmet. — Mat. Polus says that not any one of the just dared to call God, my Father, before the coming of Christ, as this favour was reserved for the time of the gospel.  In hunc. locum.  A. — S. Chrys.[1] takes notice, that God was also called the Father of the Israelites, and they his children, in the Old Testament, when God rather governed his people by fear of punishments, and promises of temporal blessings, but not in that particular manner as in the new law.  Wi. — The Spirit himself, &c.  By the inward motions of divine love, and the peace of conscience, which the children of God experience, they have a kind of testimony of God’s favour; by which they are much strengthened in the hope of their justification and salvation; but yet not so as to pretend to an absolute assurance, which is not usually granted in this mortal life: during which we are taught to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Phil. ii. 12.  And that he who thinketh himself to stand, must take heed lest he fall. 1 Cor. x. 12.  See also Rom. xi. 20, 21, 22.  Ch. — He hath given to us, says S. John, (c. i. 12.) the power, or dignity, of being the sons of God. Christ taught us to pray, and to begin our prayers with our Father, &c.  Matt. vi. 9.  Wi.

Haydock Commentary Luke 13:10-17

  • Ver. 14. The president of the synagogue, when he saw the woman, who before crept on the ground, now raised by the touch of Christ, and hearing the mandate of God, was filled with envy, and decried the miracle, apparently through solicitude for keeping the sabbath.  But the truth is, he would rather see the poor woman bent to the earth like a beast, than see Christ glorified by healing her.  S. Cyril ex D Thoma Aquin.

Sunday Bible Readings October 25 2009 30th Week in Ordinary Time

Sunday, October 25th, 2009 at 3:48 am 
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October 25 2009 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/102509.shtml

Jeremiah 31:7-9
Douay-Rheims Challoner

For thus saith the Lord: Rejoice ye in the joy of Jacob, and neigh before the head of the Gentiles: shout ye, and sing, and say: Save, O Lord, thy people, the remnant of Israel. Behold I will bring them from the north country, and will gather them from the ends of the earth and among them shall be the blind, and the lame, the woman with child, and she that is bringing forth, together, a great company of them returning hither. They shall come with weeping: and I will bring them back in mercy: and I will bring them through the torrents of waters in a right way, and they shall not stumble in it: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Responsorial Psalm 125:1-6 (Ps 126 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

When the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion,
we became like men comforted.
Then was our mouth filled with gladness;
and our tongue with joy.
Then shall they say among the Gentiles:
The Lord hath done great things for them.
The Lord hath done great things for us: we are become joyful.
Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.
But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.

Hebrews 5:1-6
Haydock New Testament

For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in the things that appertain to God, that he may offer up gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on them that are ignorant, and err: because he himself also is encompassed with infirmity. And therefore he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. Neither doth any man take the honour to himself but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. So also Christ did not glorify himself to be made a high priest: but he that said to him: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place: Thou art a priest forever, according to the order of Melchisedech.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Mark 10:46-52
Haydock New Testament

Christ-Healing-largeAnd they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho, with his disciples and a very great multitude, Bartimæus, the blind man, the son of Timæus, sat by the way side, begging. And when he had heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and to say:

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.

And many rebuked him, that he might hold his peace. But he cried a great deal the more:

Son of David, have mercy on me.

And Jesus standing still, commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying to him:

Be of better comfort: arise, he calleth thee.

He casting off his garment, leaped up, and came to him. And Jesus answering, said to him:

What wilt thou that I should do to thee?

And the blind man said to him:

Rabboni, that I may see.

And Jesus saith to him:

Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.

And immediately he saw, and followed him in the way.

Haydock Commentary Jeremiah 31:7-9
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

  • Ver. 7. Head. Rejoice over Babylon. — Save. Heb. Hoshang, “I beg,” was usually added; and this acclamation is used by the Church.
  • Ver. 8. Together. All shall hasten, and there shall be no impediment. Is. xxxv. 5.
  • Ver. 9. Shall, or “came” into captivity. Bar. vi. 6. Ps. cxxv. 6. Is. lxvi. 20. — Way. They shall find every accommodation, and plenty of water. Is. xxxv. 7. and xlix. 10. — Born. Chal. “beloved.” I will treat the ten tribes as well as Juda. Christ inebriates his disciples with his graces. C. — Ephraim shall be treated with all the love and attention shewn to the first-born. W.

Haydock Commentary Hebrews 5:1-6

  • Ver. 1. Every high priest. He speaks first of the office of priests in general, before he speaks of Christ’s priesthood. A priest is chosen and preferred before other men, as qualified for the divine ministry, to offer up gifts, oblations, sacrifices, in order to obtain forgiveness for his own sins and those of the people, who, by the experience he has of his own infirmities, may compassionate others who offend through frailty or ignorance, every priest (excepting our Saviour Christ) being a sinner. Nor must he take upon himself rashly and inconsiderately, for temporal motives, this sacred ministry, formidable (says S. Gregory) even for the shoulders of Angels; he must consult God by prayer, follow the advice of his spiritual guides and pious parents; by these means to know whether he has a call from God to this ministry, as Aaron had. Wi. — The priest and pastor should never forget that he is a man and a sinner; that he is honoured with this divine ministry, to offer sacrifice both for his own sins and for the sins of the faithful; that prayer should be his delight, the altar his centre, and the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ his supreme felicity. “This sacrifice of the Eucharist,” says S. Austin, “has succeeded to all the ancient victims that were immolated of old, to signify the future sacrifice.” l. 10. c. xx. de Civit. Dei. As to the word mass, it was in use to signify this holy sacrifice of the altar above thirteen hundred years ago. See the second C. of Carthage, can. 3. S. Jerom upon the Prov. c. xi. S. Ambrose, l. 2. ep. 14. Missam facere cœpi; I began to say mass. It was introduced into this country with Christianity itself. See V. Bede’s history, c. xxvii. & b. 4. c. xiv.
  • Ver. 4. See in 3 Kings xiii. 2 Paralip. xxvi. and 1 Kings xiii. the manifest punishments of the Almighty on laics that impiously and sacrilegiously attempted the ministry of priests. In the Christian dispensation, archbishop Cranmer, the very soul of the pretended reformation, dictatorially pronounces, “he that is appointed to be a bishop or priest, needeth no consecration:” words quoted by Dr. Stillingfleet from his own handwriting, in his Irenicum, p. 391, 2d ed. But the Catholic Church has given a very different decision, which is confirmed by the testimony of Scripture, apostolical tradition, and the unanimous consent of the Fathers. See Acts vi. 6. and xiii. 3. and xiv. 22. 1 Tim. iv. 14. &c. See in the history of Socrates, who lived in the fifth century, how the usurpation of Ischyras, in taking upon himself the name and office of a priest without receiving holy orders, was reprobated as a crime worthy of death. l. 1. c. xxvii. Ed. Val.
  • Ver. 5. So also Christ, as man, did not glorify himself, by assuming this dignity of high priest, but had it conferred upon him by the divine decrees of his eternal Father, who said to him: Thou art my Son, and thou art a priest forever, &c. Wi.
  • Ver. 6. Some may perhaps wonder why S. Paul does not dwell more in this epistle on the eucharistic sacrifice; but until the Hebrews understood the bloody sacrifice on the cross, they could not be supposed to understand the unbloody sacrifice of the altar. The holy Fathers observe, that the sacrifice of Melchisedech, (Gen. xiv. 18.) offered in bread and wine, prefigured the unbloody sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ at his last supper. See Clemens Alex. l. 4. Strom. c. viii. S. Cyp. l. 2. ep. 3. ad Cæul. Euseb. of Cæsar. l. 5. Dem. Evang. c. iii. S. Jerom ad Marcel. S. Aug. ep. 95. ad Inn. Pap. S. Amb. Epip. Chrys. &c. apud Bellarm. l. 1. de missa. c. vi. Hence it follows, that the holy Eucharist is truly and properly a sacrifice as well as a sacrament, as the paschal lamb or passover of the old law was both a sacrament and sacrifice. For either our Saviour offered sacrifice at his last supper under the forms of bread and wine, or he cannot be called a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech. For the different orders of priests are chiefly distinguished by their sacrifice; (see v. 1.) and if it be supposed that our Saviour only offered a bloody sacrifice, he would with more propiety have been called a priest according to the order of Aaron, and not of Melchisedech. See S. Aug. l. 16. de Civitat. Dei. c. xxii.

Haydock Commentary Mark 10:46-52

  • Ver. 46. Bartimæus is a Syriac word, and signifies, son of Timæus.
  • Ver. 51. Let us endeavour sedulously to imitate the good example of this blind man, who did not ask for honours, riches, or other worldly advantages, but only that he might receive his sight; that he might behold the light with the blessed angels, to which faith alone can conduct us. Ven. Bede. — In this worse than Cimmerian darkness, how few are found, who pray as they ought for this all-necessary light of faith!!!

Catena Aurea Mark 10:46-52
From Catechetics Online

  • JEROME; The name of the city agrees with the approaching Passion of our Lord; for it is said, And they came to Jericho. Jericho means moon or anathema; but the failing of the flesh of Christ is the preparation of the heavenly Jerusalem. It goes on: And as he went out of Jericho with his disciples, and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the wayside begging.
  • BEDE; Matthew says, that there were two blind men sitting by the wayside, who cried to the Lord, and received their sight; but Luke relates that one blind man was enlightened by Him, with a like order of circumstances, as He was going into Jericho; where no one, at least no wise human, will suppose that the Evangelists wrote things contrary to one another, but that one wrote more fully, what another has left out. We must therefore understand that one of them was the more important, which appears from this circumstance, that Mark has related the name and the name of his father.
  • AUG. It is for this reason that Mark wished to relate his case alone, because his receiving his sight had gained for the miracle a fame, illustrious in proportion to the extent of the knowledge of his affliction. But although Luke relates a miracle done entirely in the same way nevertheless we must understand that a similar miracle was wrought on another blind man, and a similar method of the same miracle. It goes on: And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, you Son of David, have mercy upon me.
  • PSEUDO-CHRYS; The blind man calls the Lord, the Son of David, hearing the way in which the passing multitude praised Him, and feeling sure that the expectation of the prophets was fulfilled There follows And many charged him that he should hold his peace.
  • ORIGEN; As if he said, Those who were foremost in believing rebuked him when to He cried, You Son of David, that he might hold his peace, and cease to call Him by a contemptible name, when he ought to say, Son of God, have pity upon me. He however did not cease; wherefore it goes on: But he cried the more a great deal, You Son of David, have mercy upon me; and the Lord hearth his cry; wherefore there follows:
    • And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. But observe, that the blind man, of whom Luke speaks, is inferior to this one; for neither did Jesus call him, nor order him to be called, but He commanded him to be brought to Him, as though unable to come by himself; but this blind man by the command of our Lord is called to Him. Wherefore it goes on: And they call the blind man, saying to him, Be of good comfort, rise, he calls you; but he casting away his garment, comes to Him.
    • It goes on: And he casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. Perchance, the garment of the blind man means the veil of blindness and poverty, with which he was surrounded, which he cast away and came to Jesus; and the Lord questions him, as he is approaching.
    • Wherefore there follows: And Jesus answered and said to him, What will you that I should do to thee.
  • BEDE; Could He who was able to restore sight be ignorant of what the blind man wanted? His reason then for asking is that prayer may be made to Him; He puts the question, to stir up the blind man’s heart to pray.
  • CHRYS. Or He asks, lest men should think that what He granted the man was not what he wanted. For it was His practice to make the good disposition of those who were to be cured known to all men, and then to apply the remedy, in order to stir up others to emulation, and to show that He who was to be cured was worthy to obtain the grace. It goes on: The blind man said to him, Lord, that I may receive my sight.
  • BEDE; For the blind man looks down upon every gift except light, because, whatever a blind man may possess, without light he cannot see what he possesses.
  • PSEUDO-JEROME; But Jesus, considering his ready will, rewards him with the fulfillment of his desire.
  • ORIGEN; Again, it is more worthy to say Rabboni, our, as it is in other places, Master, than to say Son of David; wherefore He gives him health, not on his saying, Son of David, but when he said Rabboni. Wherefore there follows: And Jesus said to him, Go your way; your faith has made you whole. And immediately he received his, sight, and followed him in the way.
  • THEOPHYL. The mind of the blind man is grateful, for when he was made whole, he did not leave Jesus, but followed Him.
  • BEDE; In a mystical sense, however, Jericho, which means the moon, points out the waning of our fleeting race. The Lord restored sight to the blind man, when drawing near to Jericho, because coming in the flesh, and drawing near to His Passion, He brought many to the faith; for it was not in the first years of His Incarnation, but in the few years before He suffered, that He showed the mystery of the Word to the world.
  • PSEUDO-JEROME; But the blindness in part, brought upon the Jews, will in the end be enlightened when He sends to them the Prophet Elias.
  • BEDE; Now in that on approaching Jericho, the restored sight to one man, and on quitting it to two, He intimated, that before His Passion He preached only to one nation, the Jews, but after His resurrection and ascension, through His Apostles He opened the mysteries both of His Divinity and His Humanity to Jews and Gentiles. Mark indeed, in writing that one receives his sight, refers to the saving of the Gentiles, that the figure might agree with the salvation of those, whom He instructed in the faith; but Matthew, who write His Gospel to the faithful among the Jews, because it was all so to reach the knowledge of the Gentiles, fitly says that two receive their sight, that He might teach us that the grace of faith belonged to each people.
    • Therefore, as the Lord was departing with His disciples and a great multitude from Jericho, the blind man was sitting, begging by the wayside; that is, when the Lord ascended into heaven, and many of the faithful followed Him, yes when all the elect from the beginning of the world entered together with Him the gate of heaven, presently the Gentile people began to have hope of its own illumination; for it now sits begging by the wayside, because it has not entered upon and reached the path of truth.
  • PSEUDO-JEROME; The people of the Jews also, because it kept the Scriptures and did not fulfill them, begs and starves by the wayside; but he cries out Son of David, have mercy upon me, because the Jewish people is enlightened by the merits of the Prophets. Many rebuke him that He may hold his peace that is sins and devils restrain the cry of the poor; and He cried out more because when the battle waxes great, hands are to be lofted up with crying to the Rock of help that is Jesus of Nazareth.
  • BEDE; Again, the people of the Gentiles having heard of the fame of the name of Christ, sought to be made a partaker of Him, but many spoke against Him, first the Jews, then also the Gentiles, but the world which was to be enlightened should call upon Christ. The furry of those who attacked Him, however, could not deprive of salvation those who where fore-ordained to life.
    • And He heard the blind man’s cry as He was passing, but stood when He restored his sight, because by His Humanity He pitied him, who by the power of His Divinity has driven away the darkness from our mind; for in that Jesus was born and suffered for our sakes, He as it were passed by, because this action is temporal; but when God is said to stand, it means, that, Himself without change, He sets in order all changeable things.
    • But the Lord calls the blind man, who cries to Him, which He sends the word of faith to the people of the Gentiles by preachers; and they call on the blind man to be of good cheer and to rise, and bid him come to the Lord, when by preaching to the simple, they bid him have hope of salvation, and rise from the sloth of vice, and gird themselves for a life or virtue. Again, he throws away his garment and heaps, who, throwing aside the bands of the world, with unencumbered pace hastens to the Giver of eternal light.
  • PSEUDO-JEROME; Again, time Jewish people comes leaping, stripped of the old man, as a hart leaping on the mountains, that is, laying aside sloth, it meditates on Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles on high, and raises itself to heights of holiness. How consistent also is the order of salvation. First we heard by the Prophets, then we cry aloud by faith, next we are called by Apostles, we rise u by penitence, we are stripped of our old garment by baptism, and of our choice we are questioned. Again, the blind man when asked requires, that he may see the will of the Lord.
  • BEDE; Therefore let us also imitate him, let us not seek for riches, earthly goods, or honors from the Lord, but for that Light, which we alone with the Angels can see, the way to which is faith; wherefore also Christ answers to the blind man, Your faith has saved you. But he sees and follows who works what his understanding tells him is good; for he follows Jesus, who understands and executes what is good, who imitates Him, who had no wish to prosper in this world, and bore reproach and derision. And because we have fallen from inward joy, by delight in the things of the body, He shows us what bitter feelings the return thither will cost us.
  • THEOPHYL. Further, it says that he followed the Lord in the way, that is, in this life, because after it all are excluded who follow Him not here, by working His commandments.
  • PSEUDO-JEROME; Or, this is the way of which He said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This is the narrow way, which leads to the heights of Jerusalem, and Bethany, to the mount of Olives, which is the mount of light and consolation.
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