Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Biographical Information about St. Augustine[1]
Readings for Thursday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
This reading is the beginning of St. Paul’s first letter to the Church he founded in Corinth. News has reached him of some issues with the community that must be addresses as well as some external situations for which guidance must be given. His introduction, emphasizing his own call as Apostle and the call each of the faithful has received, hints at the letter’s purpose.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes (because it is in the acrostic form – each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) although loosely assembled, praise God for his mercy and compassion and give thanks for His creation and redemption.
Gospel Matthew 24:42-51
This discourse from St. Matthew’s Gospel follows his reflections about the end times and the need for vigilance. The Lord speaks to those who follower and especially the leaders of the community he leaves behind as he tells them they will not know the time when they will be called to the Kingdom of Heaven. In the second section he tells his followers that those who are found to be vigilant will be rewarded at the end of all things while those who have fallen away will be punished.
Homily:
Following the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church is the most difficult thing we do. Some might argue that it should not be so, that our faith should be a “feel good” thing and should be made easy. I do not doubt their sincerity but the discipline embodied in Sacred Scripture and its doctrinal expression by the Church makes following the path difficult (The “Way” as it was called in the very early Church at the time of Acts of the Apostles). In the Gospel today, the Lord tells us that constancy is not optional.
To emphasize the point of how difficult the path is to follow we give you a quote from St. Augustine whose feast we celebrate today. As he reflected upon his mission this is what he wrote:
“The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint-hearted cheered up, the weak supported; the Gospel's opponents need to be refuted, its insidious enemies guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed to be liberated, the good to be encouraged, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved”.
“The Gospel terrifies me[3]” – St. Augustine
When we accept this role or if we simply agree to follow the precepts of the Church in our daily lives (all the issues St. Augustine identifies occur within us as well), we are faced with a daunting task that is only made possible because of God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and the sacramental grace provided along the way.
Today let us pray that we be given the strength to overcome our unruly hearts, to embrace the Father with confident love, and to remain constantly vigilant – “…for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “The Triumph of St. Augustine” by Claudio Coello, 1664
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
[3] Sermo 339, 4: PL 38, 1481
Biographical Information about St. Augustine[1]
Readings for Thursday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
This reading is the beginning of St. Paul’s first letter to the Church he founded in Corinth. News has reached him of some issues with the community that must be addresses as well as some external situations for which guidance must be given. His introduction, emphasizing his own call as Apostle and the call each of the faithful has received, hints at the letter’s purpose.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 145:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise. These strophes (because it is in the acrostic form – each verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet) although loosely assembled, praise God for his mercy and compassion and give thanks for His creation and redemption.
Gospel Matthew 24:42-51
This discourse from St. Matthew’s Gospel follows his reflections about the end times and the need for vigilance. The Lord speaks to those who follower and especially the leaders of the community he leaves behind as he tells them they will not know the time when they will be called to the Kingdom of Heaven. In the second section he tells his followers that those who are found to be vigilant will be rewarded at the end of all things while those who have fallen away will be punished.
Homily:
Following the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church is the most difficult thing we do. Some might argue that it should not be so, that our faith should be a “feel good” thing and should be made easy. I do not doubt their sincerity but the discipline embodied in Sacred Scripture and its doctrinal expression by the Church makes following the path difficult (The “Way” as it was called in the very early Church at the time of Acts of the Apostles). In the Gospel today, the Lord tells us that constancy is not optional.
To emphasize the point of how difficult the path is to follow we give you a quote from St. Augustine whose feast we celebrate today. As he reflected upon his mission this is what he wrote:
“The turbulent have to be corrected, the faint-hearted cheered up, the weak supported; the Gospel's opponents need to be refuted, its insidious enemies guarded against; the unlearned need to be taught, the indolent stirred up, the argumentative checked; the proud must be put in their place, the desperate set on their feet, those engaged in quarrels reconciled; the needy have to be helped, the oppressed to be liberated, the good to be encouraged, the bad to be tolerated; all must be loved”.
“The Gospel terrifies me[3]” – St. Augustine
When we accept this role or if we simply agree to follow the precepts of the Church in our daily lives (all the issues St. Augustine identifies occur within us as well), we are faced with a daunting task that is only made possible because of God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and the sacramental grace provided along the way.
Today let us pray that we be given the strength to overcome our unruly hearts, to embrace the Father with confident love, and to remain constantly vigilant – “…for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “The Triumph of St. Augustine” by Claudio Coello, 1664
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
[3] Sermo 339, 4: PL 38, 1481
No comments:
Post a Comment