Wisdom Archives

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

Friday, August 26th, 2011 at 1:00 pm 
Comments Off

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 Bible Readings Thursday August 26 2011 21st Week in Ordinary Time

Thursday, August 25th, 2011 at 4:27 am 
Comments Off

Thursday 21st Week in Ordinary Time Cycle I
Official Readings available at http://www.usccb.org/bible/

1 Thessalonians 3:7-13
Haydock New Testament

Therefore we were comforted, brethren, in you, in all our distress and tribulation, by your faith; For now we live, if you stand in the Lord.[1]

For what thanks can we return to God for you, in all the joy wherewith we rejoice for you before our God. Night and day, praying more abundantly, that we may see your face,[2] and may accomplish those things that are wanting to your faith?[3]

Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you: And may the Lord multiply you,[4] and make you abound in charity towards one another, and towards all men: as we do also towards you, to confirm your hearts without blame, in holiness before God and our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. Amen.

 Psalm 89:3-4, 12-14, 17 (Ps 90 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Turn not man away to be brought low:
and thou hast said: Be converted, O ye sons of men.
For a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday, which is past.
And as a watch in the night,
Can number thy wrath? So make thy right hand known:
and men learned in heart, in wisdom.
Return, O Lord, how long?
and be entreated in favour of thy servants.
We are filled in the morning with thy mercy:
and we have rejoiced, and are delighted all our days.
And let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us:
and direct thou the works of our hands over us;
yea, the work of our hands do thou direct.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 24:42-51
Haydock New Testament

Watch ye, therefore, because you know not at what hour your Lord will come.[5] But this know ye, that if the master of the house knew at what hour the thief would come, he would certainly watch, and would not suffer his house to be broken open. Wherefore be ye also ready, because at what hour you know not, the Son of man will come.

Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant whom his lord hath set over his family, to give them meat in season? Blessed is that servant, whom, when his lord shall come, he shall find so doing. Amen, I say to you, he shall set him over all his goods. But if that evil servant shall say in his heart: “My lord is long a coming:” and shall begin to strike his fellow servants, and shall eat, and drink with drunkards: The lord of that servant shall come, in a day that he expecteth not, and in an hour that he knoweth not: and shall separate him, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Footnotes    (↵ returns to text)
  1. We live. That is, we live in joy and comfort, if you stand firm in the faith of Christ, as you ought. Wi.—The news that you stand steadfast in the Lord, reanimates me under all my sufferings, and as it were raises me to life again from the shadow of death, under which I am placed. O that I could see you, to complete the work of instructing you in the faith, which I have begun.↵
  2. That we may see your face. Though epistles in absence give great comfort, and help to confirm the faith once delivered, it is by preaching that the faith of Jesus Christ and true religion are both begun and accomplished.↵
  3. And may accomplish those things that are wanting to your faith? That is, give you fuller instructions. Wi.↵
  4. And may the Lord multiply you. That is, increase the number of Christians among you. Wi.↵
  5. Watch ye, therefore. That men might not be attentive for a time only , but preserve a continual vigilance, the Almighty conceals from them the hour of their dissolution: they ought therefore to be ever expecting it, and ever watchful. But to the eternal infamy of Christians be it said, much more diligence is used by the worldly wise for the preservation of their wealth, than by the former for the salvation of their immortal souls. Though they are fully aware that the Lord will come, and like a thief in the night, when they least expect him, they do not persevere watching, nor guard against the irreparable misfortunate of quitting the present life without previous preparation. Therefore will the day come to the destruction of such as are reposed in sleep. S. Chrys. hom. lxxviii. On S. Mat.—Of what importance is it then that we should be found watching, and properly attentive to the one thing necessary, the salvation of our immortal souls. For what will it avail us, if we have gained the whole world, which we must then leave, and lose our immortal souls, which, owing to our supine neglect to these admonitions of Jesus Christ, must suffer in hell-flames for all eternity? A.↵

Scripture Readings Sunday August 21 2011 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 at 1:58 am 
Comments Off

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Official Readings available at http://www.usccb.org/bible/

Isaiah 22:19-23
DR Challoner

And I will drive thee out from thy station, and depose thee from thy ministry. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliacim[1] the son of Helcias, And I will clothe him with thy robe, and will strengthen him with thy girdle,[2] and will give thy power into his hand: and he shall be as a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Juda.

And I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder:[3] and he shall open, and none shall shut: and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him as a peg[4] in a sure place, and he shall be for a throne of glory to the house of his father.

Responsorial Psalm 137:1-3, 6, 8
DR Challoner Text Only

I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart:
for thou hast heard the words of my mouth.
I will sing praise to thee in the sight of the angels:
I will worship towards thy holy temple,
and I will give glory to thy name.
For thy mercy, and for thy truth:
for thou hast magnified thy holy name above all.
In what day soever I shall call upon thee, hear me:
thou shalt multiply strength in my soul.
For the Lord is high, and looketh on the low:
and the high he knoweth afar off.
The Lord will repay for me:
thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for ever:
O despise not the works of thy hands.

The Epistle of St Paul to the Romans 11:33-36
Haydock New Testament

O the depth of the riches, of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of God![5] How incomprehensible are his judgments, and how unsearchable his ways! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him? For of him, and by him, and in him, are all things: to him be glory for ever. Amen.[6]

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 16:13-20
Haydock New Testament

And Jesus came into the parts of Cæsarea Philippi:[7] and he asked his disciples saying:

Whom do men say that the Son of man is?

But they said:

Some John the Baptist, and others Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.[8]

But Jesus saith to them:

But whom do you say that I am?[9]

Simon Peter answering said:[10]

Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God.[11]

And Jesus answering, said to him:

Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona:[12] because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father, who is in heaven. And I say to thee:[13] That thou art Peter;[14] and upon this rock I will build my church,[15] and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.[16] And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.[17] And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven:[18] and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.[19]

Then he commanded his disciples, that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.[20]

Footnotes    (↵ returns to text)
  1. Eliacim, who had been displaced, v. 15.  He acted as regent after the departure of Manasses, who always followed his counsels at his return.  Judith iv. 5.  The priesthood was not then incompatible with civil and military functions.↵
  2. Girdle, the badge of power.  Job xii. 18.↵
  3. Shoulder.  Here the marks of dignity were worn.  Eliacim was appointed master of the palace, over all the other servants.  C. — Thus we may gather what power Christ conferred on S. Peter, when he gave him the keys of heaven.  Mat. xvi. 19.  Apoc. iii. 7.  H.↵
  4. Peg, on which whatever is placed shall be secure.  1 Esd. ix. 8.↵
  5. O the depth, &c.  After he hath spoken of the mysteries of God’s grace and predestination, of his mercy and justice, which we must not pretend to dive into, he concludes this part of his epistle, by an exclamation, to teach us submission of our judgment, as to the secrets of his providence, which we cannot comprehend.↵
  6. How incomprehensible are his judgments, &c. — Who hath first given to him, and recompense shall be made him?  That is, no one, by any merit on his part, can first deserve God’s favours and mercy, by which he prevents us. — For of him, from God, or from Jesus Christ, as God, and by him, who made, preserves, and governs all things, and in him, is our continual dependance: for in him we live, we move, and exist.  In the Greek, it is unto him,[3] to signify he is also our last end.  See the notes, John c. i.  Wi. — All things are from God, as their first cause and creator; all things are by God, as the ruler and governor of the universe; and all things are in God, or (as the Greek has it) for God, because they are all directed to his honour and glory.  For the hath made all things for himself.  Ps. xvi. S. Basil, lib. de Spiritu sto. c. 5.↵
  7. Cæarea Philippi, was first called Paneades, and was afterwards embellished and greatly enlarged by Philip the tetrarch, son of Herod the great, and dedicated in honour of Augustus, hence its name.  There was moreover another Cæsarea, called Straton, situated on the Mediterranean: and not in this, but in the former, did Christ interrogate his disciples. He first withdrew them from the Jews, that they might with more boldness and freedom deliver their sentiments.  S. Chry. hom. lv. — The Cæsarea here mentioned continued to be called by heathen writers Panea, from the adjoining spring Paneum, or Panium, which is usually taken for the source of the Jordan.↵
  8. Some say, &c.  Herod thought that Christ was the Baptist, on account of his prodigies.  S. Mat. xiv. 2.  Others that he was Elias: 1st. because they expected he was about to return to them, according to the prophecy of Malachias; behold I will send  you Elias; 2d. on account of the greatness of his miracles; 3d. on account of his invincible zeal and courage in the cause of truth and justice.  Others again said he was Jeremias, either on account of his great sanctity, for he was sanctified in his mother’s womb; or, on account of his great charity and love for his brethren, as it was written of Jeremias: he is a lover of his brethren.  Or, again, one of the prophets, viz. Isaias, or some other noted for eloquence; for it was the opinion of many of the Jews, as we read in S. Luke, that one of the ancient prophets had arisen again.  Dion. Carth.↵
  9. Whom do you say that I am?  You, who have been continually with me; you, who have seen me perform so many more miracles; you, who have yourselves worked miracles in my name?  From this pointed interrogation, Jesus Christ intimates, that the  opinion men had formed of him was very inadequate to the exalted dignity of his person, and that he expects they will have a juster conception of him.  Chry. hom. lv.↵
  10. Simon Peter answering.  As Simon Peter had been constituted the first in the college of apostles, (Matt. x. 2.) and therefore surpasseth the others in dignity as much as in zeal, without hesitation, and in the name of all, he answers: thou art the Christ, the Redeemer promised to the world, not a mere man, not a mere prophet like other prophets, but the true and natural Son of the living God.  Thus SS. Chrys. Cyril, Ambrose, Austin, and Tirinus.  When our Saviour inquired the opinion of him, Peter, as the mouth of the rest, and head of the whole college, steps forth, and prevents the others.  Chrys. hom. lv.↵
  11. Tu es Christus, filius Dei vivi; or, as it is in the Greek, ο χριστος, ο υιος; The Christ, the Son, the Christ formerly promised by the law and the prophets, expected and desired by all the saints, the anointed and consecrated to God: ο υιοσ, the Son, not by grace only, or an adoptive filiation like prophets, to whom Christ is here opposed, but by natural filiation, and in a manner that distinguishes him from all created beings. — Thou art[1] Christ, the Son of the living God, not by grace only, or by adoption, as saints are the sons of God, but by nature, and from all eternity, the true Son of the living God.  Wi.↵
  12. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona.  Σιμον is undoubtedly Συμεων, as written 2 Pet. i. 1.  Βαριωνα is son of Jona, or John, an abridgment for Βαριωαννα.  Bar, in Chaldaic, is son; hence S. Peter is called, in John xi, 16. and 17, Simon, son of John.  It was customary with the Jews to add to a rather common name, for the sake of discrimination, a πατρωνυμικον, or patronymic, as appears from Matt. x. 3. and xxiii. 35.  Mark ii. 14.  John vi. 42.  P.↵
  13. Κἀγὼ.  And I say to thee, and tell thee why I before declared, (John i. 42.) that thou shouldst be called Peter, for thou art constituted the rock upon which, as a foundation, I will build my Church, and that so firmly, as not to suffer the gates (i.e. the powers) of hell to prevail against its foundation; because if they overturn its foundation, (i.e. thee and thy successors) they will overturn also the Church that rests upon it.  Christ therefore here promises to Peter, that he and his successors should be to the end, as long as the Church should last, its supreme pastors and princes. T. — In the Syriac tongue, which is that which Jesus Christ spoke, there is no difference of genders, as there is in Latin, between patra, a rock, and Petrus, Peter; hence, in the original language, the allusion was both more natural and more simple.  V.↵
  14. Thou art Peter;[2] and upon this (i.e. upon thee, according to the literal and general exposition of the ancient Fathers) I will build my church.  It is true S. Augustine, in one or two places, thus expounds these words, and upon this rock, (i.e. upon myself:) or upon this rock, which Peter hath confessed: yet he owns that he had also given the other interpretation, by which Peter himself was the rock.  Some Fathers have also expounded it, upon this faith, which Peter confessed; but then they take not faith, as separated from the person of Peter, but on Peter, as holding the true faith.  No one questions but that Christ himself is the great foundation-stone, the chief corner-stone, as S. Paul tells the Ephesians; (C. ii, v. 20.) but it is also certain, that all the apostles may be called foundation-stones of the Church, as represented Apoc. xxi. 14.  In the mean time, S. Peter (called therefore Cephas, a rock) was the first and chief foundation-stone among the apostles, on whom Christ promised to build his Church.  Wi. — Thou art Peter, &c.  As S. Peter, by divine revelation, here made a solemn profession of his faith of the divinity of Christ, so in recompense of this faith and profession, our Lord here declares to him the dignity to which he is pleased to raise him: viz. that he, to whom he had already given the name of Peter, signifying a rock, (John i. 42.) should be a rock indeed, of invincible strength, for the support of the building of the church; in which building he should be next to Christ himself, the chief foundation-stone, in quality of chief pastor, ruler, and governor; and should have accordingly all fulness of ecclesiastical power, signified by the keys of the kingdom of heaven.↵
  15. Upon this rock, &c.  The words of Christ to Peter, spoken in the vulgar language of the Jews, which our Lord made use of, were the same as if he had said in English, Thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my church.  So that, by the plain course of the words, Peter is here declared to be the rock, upon which the church was to be built; Christ himself being both the principal foundation and founder of the same.  Where also note, that Christ by building his house, that is, his Church, upon a rock, has thereby secured it against all storms and floods, like the wise builder.  Matt. vii. 24, 25.↵
  16. The gates of hell, &c.  That is, the powers of darkness, and whatever Satan can do, either by himself or his agents.  For as the Church is here likened to a house, or fortress, the gates of which, i.e. the whole strength, and all the efforts it can make, will never be able to prevail over the city or Church of Christ.  By this promise we are fully assured, that neither idolatry, heresy, nor any pernicious error whatsoever shall at any time prevail over the Church of Christ.  Ch. — The gates, in the Oriental style, signify the powers; thus, to this day, we designate the Ottoman or Turkish empire by the Ottoman port.  The princes were wont to hold their courts at the gates of the city.  V.↵
  17. And I will give to thee the keys, &c.  This is another metaphor, expressing the supreme power and prerogative of the prince of the apostles.  The keys of a city, or of its gates, are presented or given to the person that hath the chief power.  We also own a power of the keys, given to the other apostles, but with a subordination to S. Peter and to his successor, as head of the Catholic Church.↵
  18. And whatsoever thou shalt bind, &c.  All the apostles, and their successors, partake also of this power of binding and loosing, but with a due subordination to one head invested with the supreme power.  Wi.↵
  19. Loose on earth.  The loosing the bands of temporal punishments due to sins, is called an indulgence: the power of which is here granted.  Ch. — Although Peter and his successors are mortal, they are nevertheless endowed with heavenly power, says S. Chry. nor is the sentence of life and death passed by Peter to be attempted to be reversed, but what he declares is to be considered a divine answer from heaven, and what he decrees, a decree of God himself.  He that heareth you, heareth me, &c.  The power of binding is exercised, 1st. by refusing to absolve; 2d. by enjoining penance for sins forgiven; 3d. by excommunication, suspension or interdict; 4th. by making rules and laws for the government of the Church; 5th. by determining what is of faith by the judgments and definitions of the Church.  T. — The terms binding and loosing, are equivalent to opening and shutting, because formerly the Jews opened the fastenings of their doors by untying it, and they shut or secured their doors by tying or binding it.  V. — Dr. Whitby, a learned Protestant divine, thus expounds this and the preceding verse: “As a suitable return to thy confession, I say also to thee, that thou art by name Peter, i.e. a rock; and upon thee, who art this rock, I will build my making laws to govern my Church.” (Tom. i, p. 143.) Dr. Hammond, another Protestant divine, explains it in the same manner.  And p. 92, he says: ” What is here meant by the keys, is best understand by Isaias xxii. 22, where they signified ruling the whole family or house of the king: and this being by Christ accommodated to the Church, denotes the power of governing it.”↵
  20. Tell no one that he was Jesus, the Christ.  In some MSS. both Greek and Latin, the name Jesus is not here found, and many interpreters think it superfluous in this place.  The Greek expressly says the Christ adjoining the article, which the Latin tongue does not express.  V. — “In a preceding part of Scripture, Jesus sending his apostles, commanded them to publish his coming; but here he seems to give a contrary mandate, tell no one, &c. but in my opinion it is one thing to preach the Christ, and another to preach Christ Jesus; for Christ is a name of dignity, but Jesus is the particular name of the Redeemer.”  S. Jer. — He did not forbid them to teach that there was a Messias a Redeemer, but to declare then that he was the person; 2d. the disciples (Matt. x,) are not sent to preach the gospel, strictly speaking, but only to prepare the minds and hearts of the people for the coming of the Messias, as is evident from Mat. x. 23.  See Mark xiv. 61. and 62.  John v. 18. and viii. 58. and x. 30. and xi. 27.  But why did he lay this injunction?  To avoid the envy of the Scribes, and not to appear to raise his own glory.  He wished the people to be induced to own him for their Messias, not from the testimony of his retainers, but from his miracles and doctrines; and lastly, because as his time was not yet come, the apostles were not yet fit to deliver, nor the people to receive, this grand tenet.  Mat. Polus. — It might moreover have proved a hinderance to his death.↵

Daily Scripture Readings Wednesday August 17 2011 20th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle I

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 at 12:01 am 
Comments Off

Wednesday 20th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle I
Official Readings available at http://www.usccb.org/bible/

Let me know if you like or dislike the new style of the footnotes. They’re still the Haydock notes, but they are noted within the text to match the notes more accurately according to the text, and so that you can hover over them to see the notes as you are reading the Scripture readings. I’m not sure if I can keep doing them that way since it takes quite a bit of time, but I tried to make it easier to study the text with the notes.

Judges 9:6-15
Douay-Rheims Challoner

And all the men of Sichem were gathered together, and all the families of the city of Mello:[1] and they went and made Abimelech king,[2] by the oak[3] that stood in Sichem. This being told to Joatham, he went, and stood on[4] the top of Mount Garizim:[5] and lifting up his voice, he cried, and said:

Hear me, ye men of Sichem, so may God hear you.

The trees went to anoint a king over them: and they said to the olive tree:

Reign thou over us.[6]

And it answered:

Can I leave[7] my fatness, which both gods and men make use of,[8] to come to be promoted[9] among the trees?

And the trees said to the fig tree:

Come thou and reign over us.

And it answered them:

Can I leave my sweetness[10], and my delicious fruits, and go to be promoted among the other trees?

And the trees said to the vine:

Come thou and reign over us.

And it answered them:

Can I forsake my wine, that cheereth God and men,[11] and be promoted among the other trees?

And all the trees said to the bramble:[12]

Come thou and reign over us.

And it answered them:

If, indeed, you mean to make me king, come ye, and rest under my shadow:[13] but if you mean it not, let fire[14] come out from the bramble, and devour the cedars of Libanus.

Psalm 20:2-7 (Ps 21 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

In thy strength, O Lord, the king shall joy;
and in thy salvation he shall rejoice exceedingly.
Thou hast given him his heart’s desire:
and hast not withholden from him the will of his lips.
For thou hast prevented him with blessings of sweetness:
thou hast set on his head a crown of precious stones.
He asked life of thee: and thou hast given him
length of days for ever and ever.
His glory is great in thy salvation:
glory and great beauty shalt thou lay upon him.
For thou shalt give him to be a blessing for ever and ever:
thou shalt make him joyful in gladness with thy countenance.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 20:1-16
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said to his disciples:

The kingdom[15] of heaven is like to a master of a family, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.[16] And having agreed with the labourers for a penny a day,[17] he sent them into his vineyard. And going about the third hour,[18] he saw others standing idle in the market-place,[19] And he said to them,  

Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just.[20]

 

Jesus Sits by the Seashore and Preaches

And they went their way.  And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner. But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he saith to them:

Why stand you here all the day idle?

They say to him:

Because no man hath hired us.[21]

He saith to them:

Go you also into my vineyard.

And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward:

Call the labourers and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first.

When therefore they came, who had come about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first also came, they thought that they should have receive more: and they likewise received every man a penny. And receiving it,[22] they murmured against the master of the house, Saying:

These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats.

But he answering one of them, said,

Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny? Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give[23] to this last even as to thee. Or is it not lawful for me to do what I will? is thy eye evil, because I am good?

So shall the last be first, and the first last.  For many are called, but few chosen.[24]

 

 

Footnotes    (↵ returns to text)
  1. Mello.  We know of no such city in the vicinity of Sichem.  Heb. “all the house of Millo:” which some take to be the town-house of Sichem, full of the chief citizens, as Mello signifies “filled up;” (Vatable) or it might designate some part of the city which had been levelled, like the deep valley at Jerusalem, (3 K. ix. 15.  H.) and where some powerful family, probably the father of Abimelech’s mother, might dwell.  C.↵
  2. This family would interest itself the most in the advancement of the tyrant, v. 3.  H.↵
  3. Oak.  Heb. “the plain, or oak of the statue,” (alluding to the monument which was left here by Josue, v. 37.  Josue xxiv. 26) or Sept. “of the station,” as those of Sichem might assemble here to deliberate on public affairs, (C.) in memory of the solemn covenant between God and the people.  H.↵
  4. Stood on.  As Abimelech was a figure of Antichrist, who will reign for a time, so Joatham denotes the pastors of the church, who shall stand up for the truth.  W.↵
  5. Garizim.  At the foot of this mountain Sichem was built.  Joatham addressed the people of the city, probably during the absence of Abimelech, (C.) when, Josephus (v. 9.) says, a great festival was celebrated.↵
  6. Us.  By this parable, Joatham expostulates with the men of Sichem, who had so basely requited the labours of Gedeon, and had given the preference to the son of a servant, who was of the most savage temper.  H. — In a spiritual sense, which the Fathers chiefly regard, heretics and schismatics act in this manner, and choose rather to be governed by those who will allow them to follow their passions, than by such governors as God has appointed, though the latter be endued with the grace of the Holy Ghost, and with all virtues, signified by the olive and other fruit trees.  They prefer the bramble, or the worst dispositions, like Nemrod, Mahomet, Antichrist, &c. who, after persecuting the virtuous, and Catholics for a time, 2 Thess. ii.) will, in the end, prove their ruin, though they themselves be involved in the common destruction.  “Fire shall rise (says V. Bede, q. 6.) against this bramble, Antichrist, and shall devour him, and all his together.”  W. — The use of parables has been very general.  M. — Agrippa brought the Roman plebeians, who had retired to the sacred mount, to a sense of their duty, and to a love of mutual harmony with the nobles, by observing that the members once refused to supply the wants  of the belly, because it did not labour like the rest.  Livy ii. — In the application of these parables, Maimonides justly remarks, that we must consider their general scope, and not pretend to explain every circumstance; (More. Neboc.) a remark which Origen had already made.  Many things are only added for the sake of ornament.  H. — Thus we need not imagine that the people of Sichem offered the sovereign authority to many, who refused to accept of it, and at last only prevailed upon Abimelech.  Gedeon had, indeed, rejected a similar offer, (C. viii. 22.) and his other sons not endeavouring to retain the authority of their father, the Sichemites acceded to the petition of Abimelech, to anoint him king.  This expression does not always imply a material unction, though such was used among the Jews.  It signifies the granting of all the power of a king; in which sense it is applied to foreign princes, (Isa. lxv. 1.) and to Jesus Christ, (Dan. ix. 24.) who received the reality of that sovereign dominion, of which this unction was only a figure.  C.↵
  7. Leave.  But, would this advancement prove any disadvantage?  The king is bound to give himself up wholly for the good of the public, so that he must frequently be full of anxiety and care. C.↵
  8. Use of.  The olive-tree is introduced, speaking in this manner, because oil was used, both in the worship of the true God, and in that of the false gods, whom the Sichemites served.  Ch. — The pagans burnt lamps in honour of their idols, and anointed their statues: unguentoque lares humescere nigro.  Prud. c. Sym. 1. — They also anointed their military standards at Rome.  Plin. xiii. 3. — The same author observes, that “two sorts of liquor are very delightful to the bodies of men: wine to drink and oil for the outside: intus vini, foris olei.  B. xiv. 22. — Men use oil to strengthen and foment their bodies, as well as to give them light.  C. — It spiritually denotes the grace of God, which establishes the peace of the soul, as the fig-tree signifies the sweetness of God’s law, producing good works, and the vine shews forth those noble actions, which are performed without the affection of outward show; and which are therefore, most agreeable both to God and to men.  W.↵
  9. Promoted.  Some translate the Heb. “to put myself in motion for.”  Syr. &c.  We might also render, “which honoureth the gods, (or the judges) and men to come to be promoted among (or disquieted on account of) the trees.”↵
  10. Sweetness.  The fig is the sweetest of fruits, and is regarded as the symbol of sweetness.  Aristop.  Bonfrere.↵
  11. Cheereth God and men.  Wine is here represented as agreeable to God, because he had appointed it to be offered up with his sacrifices.  But we are not obliged to take these words, spoken by the trees in Joatham’s parable, according to the strict rigour of divinity; but only in a sense accommodated to the design of the parable expressed in the conclusion of it.  Ch. — The same word, Elohim, which is translated God may also signify any powerful man, as in v. 9.  H. — Yet wine may be said to cheer God, in the same figurative sense, as the odour of victims is sweet and delightful to him.  C. — He is pleased with the devotion of men, and requires these things as a testimony of their love and fidelity.  H. — Joatham might speak according to the notions of the idolaters, who thought that their gods really fed on ambrosia and nectar, and were pleased with the smell of victims and of perfumes.  That wine cheereth the heart of man needs no proof.  Ps. ciii. 15. — Tunc veniunt risus, tunc pauper cornua sumit.—Tunc dolor et curæ rugaque frontis abit.  Ovid.↵
  12. Bramble.  Sept. rhamnos, “the white, or hawthorn.”  Some suppose that atad means “a wild rose, (Vatab.) thistle,” &c.  C. — It is here put for any base and ambitious man.  W.↵
  13. Shadow or protection, Ps. xvi. 8.  Baruc. i. 12.  C. — Joatham hints at the insolence of Abimelech, (H.) and foretels that he and his foolish subjects will soon be at variance, and destroy each other.↵
  14. Fire is often put for war.  The people of Sichem began soon to despise their new king, and he made war upon them, and destroyed their city; though the people afterwards took ample revenge, v. 20.  C. — Tyrants promise much, but their rage soon falls upon the more wealthy and powerful citizens, (H.) here signified by the cedars.  M.↵
  15. For the kingdom.  The participle for, is found in the Greek, and connects the present parable with the last verse of the preceding chapter: indeed it is a comment on that text, and describes to us the gospel dispensation.  Thus the conduct of God in the choice he makes of members for his spiritual kingdom, the Church, and of his elect for the kingdom of heaven, is not unlike that of the father of a family, who hires workmen to labour in his vineyard.  There are various opinions respecting who are meant by the first, and by the last, in this parable.  Many of the fathers suppose that the saints of different states and degrees are here designed, whose reward will suffer no diminution from the circumstances of their having come to the service of Christ at a late age of the world, according to SS. Hilary, Gregory, and Theophylactus; or, at a late age of life, according to SS. Basil, Jerom, and Fulgentius.  In the latter case, however, we must understand that their greater fervour in co-operating with divine grace, in the latter part of their life, has supplied and compensated for the defect of their preceding negligence; hence it may sometimes happen that the reward of such as enter late in life on the service of God, will exceed that of the less fervent who have entered at an earlier period.  But as Christ rather seems to speak here of his militant than his triumphant Church, many commentators explain the parable of the Jews and Gentiles.  For the Jews, after bearing the yoke of the Mosaic law for so many ages, received nothing more than what was promised to the observance of that law; whilst Christians receive a more plentiful reward for their more easy labour under the sweet yoke of the gospel.  In which sense Christ says to the Jews, Luke xiii. 29: Publicans and harlots shall go before you into the kingdom of heaven.  “And, strangers shall come from the east, and from the west, and the north, and the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.  And behold they are last that shall be first, and they are first that shall be last.”  Ibid. 30. — Hence the Jews may be supposed to murmur, that they who are first in their vocation to be the people of God, and first in the observance of his law, should not be preferred to others, who in these respects have been far posterior to them.  T.↵
  16. By the vineyard, says S. Chrysostom, we here understand, the commandments of God.  The time for labour is the present life.  In the first, third, sixth, ninth, and eleventh hours, i.e. in infancy, youth, manhood, declining years, and extreme decrepitude of age, many individuals, yielding to the effective call of God, labour in the exact performance of the divine commandments.  Hom. lxv.↵
  17. The Roman penny, or denarius, was the 8th part of an ounce; which, at the rate of 5s. per ounce, is 7½d. It is put here for the usual hire of a day-labourer.↵
  18. About the third hour.  As the Jews divided their nights into four watches, each watch comprehending three hours, so they divided their days into four greater hours, from sunrise to sunset, and each of these great hours contained three lesser hours; so that the whole day from sunrise to sunset, consisted of 12 hours, as also did the night.  The first of the great hours, comprehending the three first lesser hours, contained half of the space betwixt the rising of the sun and mid-day; and the end of this time was called the third hour.  The next great hour was from that time till mid-day, called the sixth hour.  The following great hour contained half of the time betwixt noon and the setting of the sun, the end of which was called the ninth hour.  The fourth great hour comprehended the last three lesser hours remaining till sunset, so that at the end of the eleventh hour, mentioned here, v. 6, began the last lesser hour of the twelve hours of the day; of which our Saviour said, (Jo. xi. 9,) are there not twelve hours in the day? — As to the moral sense of the parable, by the day is commonly expounded all the time from the creation to the end of the world, and so the third hour is reckoned from Adam to Noe; the sixth from Noe to Abraham; the ninth from Abraham to Moses; and from the ninth to the eleventh, was from Moses till Christ’s coming; and the time from Christ to the end of the world, is the 12th hour.  Other interpreters, by the day understand human life; and by the different hours, infancy, youth, the age of manhood, old age, and the last hour man’s decrepit age.  God is master and disposer of all, who by his grace calls some sooner, some later.↵
  19. The market-place, in which men are so often found idle, as to the great concern of their eternal salvation, is the world.  The design of this parable was to shew that the Gentiles, though called later than the Jews, should be made partakers of the promises made to the Jews; this is also the meaning of verse 16, where it is said: the last shall be first, and the first last.  Wi.↵
  20. I will give you what shall be just.  The prospect of a reward is therefore a good motive, authorized here by Christ himself.↵
  21. No man hath hired us.  S. Chrys. again puts us in mind, that in parables all the parts are not significant, but some things are to be taken as mere ornaments of parabolical discourses, as here murmurings, which cannot be found in heaven: nor can men pretend they are not hired into God’s service; God hath given lights, called, hired, and promised heaven to all.  The rewards in heaven are also different.  And they who are last called, if they labour with greater fervour, may deserve a greater reward than others called before them.  Wi. — The Greek text finishes with, you shall receive what is reasonable. — We must observe here, says S. Chrys. on the words, because no man hath hired us, that this is the voice of the labourers only, in excuse for their not having entered upon their work before this late hour; for the master of the vineyard had shewn his willingness to hire them all, by going out early for that purpose.  Though the fault was their own, he does not upbraid them, but abstains from all harshness and severity, that he may the more easily engage them.  Hom. lxv.↵
  22. And when they received it.  By those who laboured all the day in the vineyard, we are to understand such as have spent their whole lives in the service of God; but we are not thence to infer, that in the kingdom of heaven, where all receive their just reward, there is envy, discontent, or any complaint.  By these words, Christ wishes to convey to our minds an idea of the immense honours that will be heaped upon all such as return with sincerity, though at the decline or even verge of life, to the Almighty.  So exceeding great will be their reward, that it would excite envy, were it possible, even in the elect.  S. Chrys. hom. lxv.↵
  23. I will also give.  Some are called to the service of their God, and to a life of virtue, from their infancy, whilst others, by a powerful call from above, are converted late in life, that the former may have no occasion to glory in themselves, or to despise those who, even in the 11th hour, enter upon the path of rectitude; and that all might learn that there is time sufficient, however short, left them to repair by their diligence and fervour their past losses.  S. Chry. hom. lxv. — Jesus Christ does not count so much the number of years, as the fervour and diligence we employ in his service.  Calvin is rather unhappy in his choice of this parable to prove his favourite tenet, that salvation is not the reward of good works, but of faith alone, or predestination, since Jesus Christ represents heaven as given wholly as a just reward of meritorious labour in the vineyard, though some labour a shorter, and others a longer time, and God of his great goodness may give more to some than to others, while to all He gives at least their due.  And a truly humble Christian will be ever satisfied with his lot, without envying that of others.  A. — As star differeth from star in glory in the firmament, (1 Cor. xv. 41,) so will there be different degrees of glory in heaven.  S. Aug. de virgin. c. xxvi.↵
  24. Few chosen: only such as have not despised their caller, but followed and believed him; for men believed not, but of their own free will.  S. Aug. l. i, ad Simplic. q. ii.  B. — Hence the rejection of the Jews and of negligent Christians, and the conversion of strangers, who come and take their place, by a conversion both of faith and morals.  On the part of God all are called.  Mat. xi. 28.  Come to me all, &c.  In effect, many after their call, have attained to faith and justification; but few in comparison are elected to eternal glory, because the far greater part do not obey the call, but refuse to come, whilst many of those who come fall away again; and thus very few, in comparison with those that perish, will at the last day be selected for eternal glory.  T.↵

Daily Bible Readings Saturday August 6 2011 Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Saturday, August 6th, 2011 at 2:08 am 
Comments Off

August 6 2011 Saturday Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Saint of the Day – Transfiguration of the Lord
Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/bible/

 

The Ancient of Days William Blake

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Douay-Rheims Challoner

I beheld till thrones were placed, and the ancient of days sat: his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool: his throne like flames of fire: the wheels of it like a burning fire. A swift stream of fire issued forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened.

I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and lo, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm 96:1-2, 5-6, 9 (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.
For thou art the most high Lord over all the earth:
thou art exalted exceedingly above all gods.

2 Peter 1:16-19
Haydock New Testament

For we have not by following artificial fables, made known to you the power, and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ; but we were eye-witnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory; this voice coming down to him from the excellent glory: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am pleased; hear ye him. And this voice we heard brought from heaven, when we were with him in the holy mount. And we have the surer word of prophecy: to which you do well to attend, as to a light shining in a dark place until the day dawn, and the morning star rise in your hearts.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Matthew 17:1-9
Haydock New Testament

And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them.  And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias, talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus:

Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them.  And behold a voice out of the cloud, saying:

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.

And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them:

Arise, and be not afraid.

And lifting up their eyes, they saw no man but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying:

Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.

Haydock Commentary Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

  • Ver. 9. Ancient. The Son is born of the Father, and the Holy Ghost proceeds from both, yet all three are coeternal. W. — Hence the Father is sometimes painted in this manner, though he be a pure spirit. His throne resembled that seen by Ezechiel, C. i. H. — He takes cognizance of all, and punishes accordingly. C.
  • Ver. 10. Fire. Ps. xcvi. 3. — Thousands. Gr. implies one million and one hundred millions. M. — The angels are very numerous, particularly the highest, styled assistants. S. Tho. W.
  • Ver. 13. Heaven. Christ appeared about sixty years after the subversion of the Syrian monarchy. Yet these expressions literally refer to his second coming. Mat. xxvi. 64. C. — He had the form of man, as he had the nature. M. — He is clearly predicted. by his power antichrist is overthrown. W.
  • Ver. 14. Destroyed. The eternal dominion of Christ could not be expressed in stronger terms. He seems to allude to them, Mat. xxviii. 18. C.

Haydock Commentary 2 Peter 1:16-19

  • Ver. 16. We have not by following artificial fables. Lit. learned fables,[6] invented to promote our doctrine. We, I with others, were eye-witnesses of his glory on Mount Thabor. Wi.
  • Ver. 19. And we have the surer word of prophecy, or to make our testimonies and preaching of Christ more firm. The revelations of God made to the prophets, and contained in the holy Scriptures, give us of all others the greatest assurance. Though the mysteries in themselves remain obscure and incomprehensible, the motive of our belief is divine authority. Wi. — If our testimony be suspicious, we have what you will certainly allow, the testimony of the prophets: attend then to the prophets as to a lamp that illuminates a dark place, till the bright day of a more lively faith begins to illumine you, and the day-star arises in your heart: till this faith, which is like the day-star, give you a perfect knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is by the divine oracles you will acquire this knowledge, provided you peruse them with proper dispositions.

Haydock Commentary Matthew 17:1-9

  • Ver. 1.  And after six days.  S. Mat. reckons neither the day of the promise, nor the day of the transfiguration; S. Luke, including both, calls the interval about eight days, wsei hmerai oktw.  S. Chry. — He took Peter, as head of the apostolic college; James, as first to shed his blood for the faith; and John, as he was to survive all the rest, and to transmit to posterity the circumstances of this glorious mystery; or, according to S. Chry. on account of their more excellent love, zeal, courage, sufferings and predilection.  The mountain is generally believed to be Thabor, and as such is considered by Christians as holy, and was much frequented by pilgrims, as S. Jerom testifies.  Ven. Bede tells us that three churches were built upon it; and Mr. Maundrell, in his Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 112, says there are still three grottoes, made to represent the three tabernacles proposed by S. Peter.  According to Le Brun, Thabor is situated about 12 miles from the sea of Galilee, and eight from Nazareth.  Others, however, do not think the transfiguration took place on Mount Thabor, which was in the middle of Lower Galilee, because S. Mark (ix. 29,) says, that Christ and his apostles, departing thence, passed through Galilee, and not out of Galilee, and suppose it might be Libanus, because it was near Cæsarea Philippi; in the borders of which Christ appears at this time to have been, at least the promise of the transfiguration was made there, and this place is distant about 60 miles from Mount Thabor.  Mat. xvi. 13. — Mount Libanus is the highest in Palestine, according to S. Jerom; and of it Isaias prophesied: “the glory of Libanus is given to it, the beauty of Carmel and Saron; they shall see the glory of our God,” xxxv. 2.  T. — But, as we said above, Thabor is very generally supposed to have been the mountain.
  • Ver. 2.  Transfigured.  Let no one think that he changed his natural form, laying aside his corporeal, and assuming a spiritual form; but when the evangelist says his countenance shone like the sun, and describes the whiteness of his garments, he shews in what the transfiguration consisted.  He added to his former appearance splendour and glory, but laid not aside his substance. . . . The Lord was transfigured into that glory with which he will appear again at the day of judgment, and in his kingdom.  S. Jer. — Calvin translates metamorfousqai, transformed, but contrary to the sentiment of the holy fathers.  He did not shew them his divinity, which cannot be seen by the eyes of the body, but a certain glimpse or sign of the same: hence the hymn—
    •                         Quicunque Christum quæritis,
    •                         Oculos in altum tollite;
    •                         Illìc licebit visere
    •                         Signum perennis gloriæ.
  • Ver. 3.  Moses and Elias.  Jesus Christ had been taken by the people for Elias, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.  He therefore chose the chief of all the prophets to be present, that he might shew his great superiority over them, and verify the illustrious confession of Peter.  The Jews had accused Christ of blasphemy, and of breaking the sabbath; the presence of Moses and Elias refuted the calumny; for the founder of the Jewish laws would never have sanctioned him who was a transgressor of those laws; and Elias, so full of zeal for the glory of God, would never have paid homage to one who made himself equal to God, had he not really been the Son of the Most High.  S. Chry. hom. lvii. — S. Hilary thinks that Moses and Elias (who represent the law and the prophets, and who here bear witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ,) will be the precursors of his second coming, alluded to in Revelations, ch. xi, though the general opinion of the Fathers is, that the two witnesses there mentioned are Enoch and Elias.  Jans. — It is hence evident, that the saints departed can and do, with the permission of God, take an interest in the affairs of the living.  S. Aug. de curâ pro mort. c. xv. 16. — For as angels elsewhere, so here the saints also, served our Saviour; and as angels, both in the Old and New Testament, were frequently present at the affairs of men, so may saints.  B. — All interpreters agree, that Elias appeared in his own body, but various are their opinions with regard to the apparition of Moses.  A.
  • Ver. 6.  And were very much afraid. There were two causes that might produce this fear in the apostles, the cloud that overshadowed them, or the voice of God the Father, which they heard.  Their human weakness could not bear such refulgent beams of glory, and trembling in every limb, they fall prostrate on the ground.  S. Jer. — The Almighty, it seems, was pleased to fulfil the wish of Peter, thereby to shew that Himself is the tent or pavilion, under the shade of which the blessed shall live for ever, and to sanction the public and explicit confession of Peter relative to the divinity of Jesus Christ, by his own no less public and explicit confession, joined with an express command to hear and obey him.  S. Chrysostom very justly remarks, that this voice was not heard till after the departure of Moses and Elias, that no possible doubt might exist to whom it was referred, and that it was to Christ only and to no other. — Hear ye Him: i.e. as the law and the prophets are fulfilled and verified in Jesus Christ, your new legislator and prophet, you are to hear and obey Him in preference to either Moses or Elias, or any other teacher.  A.
  • Ver. 7.  And Jesus came and touched.  The terrified disciples were still prostrate on the ground, and unable to rise, when Jesus, with his usual benevolence, approaches, touches them, expels their fear, and restores them to the use of their limbs.  S. Jer.
  • Ver. 9.  Tell the vision to no man, till the miracle of his resurrection has prepared the minds of men for the belief of this.  Expose not an event so wonderful to the rash censure of the envious Pharisees, who calumniate and misrepresent my most evident miracles.  Jesus Christ also gave a lesson here to his followers to observe the closest secrecy in all spiritual graces and favors.

 

 Page 1 of 48  1  2  3  4  5 » ...  Last »