Saint Januarius, Bishop, Martyr
Biographical Information about St. Januarius[1]
Readings for Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
St. Paul continues his apology on the resurrection from the dead he began in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. He uses a circular argument to say if there is no resurrection then Christ did not rise and your sins are still upon you. If there is no resurrection then your faith is hollow, God’s very existence is challenged, and there is no life beyond physical death. The circle is completed as he concludes this section with “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 17:1bcd, 6-7, 8b and 15
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Psalm 17 is an individual lament. The psalmist sings for God’s help in distress, having been firm in faithfulness, the Lord is called upon for justice. Faith in God’s salvation will follow those who keep firm to God’s commands.
Gospel: Luke 8:1-3
“St. Luke presents Jesus as an itinerant preacher traveling in the company of the Twelve and of the Galilean women who are sustaining them out of their means. These Galilean women will later accompany Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem and become witnesses to his death (Luke 23:49) and resurrection (Luke 24:9-11, where Mary Magdalene and Joanna are specifically mentioned; cf also Acts 1:14). The association of women with the ministry of Jesus is most unusual in the light of the attitude of first-century Palestinian Judaism toward women. The more common attitude is expressed in John 4:27, and early rabbinic documents caution against speaking with women in public.”[3]
Reflection:
We have an interesting combination of messages today. First, we are back to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and we cannot help but think that that place must have been in turmoil given the basic level of instruction he needs to give them. In this passage he continues to address the fact that some of the new Christians in Corinth are of a Greek school of thought that does not believe in the resurrection of the body. It is easy to simply gloss over this reading, pointing out the very basic nature of Paul’s logic on the subject. But, when we go to the link to the resurrection provided earlier, we discover; “"No doctrine of the Christian Faith", says St. Augustine, "is so vehemently and so obstinately opposed as the doctrine of the resurrection of the flesh".[4]
From a logical and scientific perspective we can understand his statement. In retrospect we may have been too harsh in our criticism of the Christians in Corinth. When we examine our faith closely, looking especially at the Creed, we find that there is a statement of belief; “And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead” What gets us into trouble is when we start to think, as people do, about the mechanism, or physical manifestation of that resurrection.
We ask ourselves; when the resurrection comes, if we are going to be put back into our body, the body we now wear, for eternity, we might question if that is a good thing. When we come back we want a body un-afflicted by age, defect, or disease. Not one that is worn out, broken or deformed. And what about people who have been born handicapped, disfigured or have lost limbs? Will they be forced to live their lives in a state if infirmity? Getting into the perceived reality of the resurrection of the body is problematic taken logically. Yet, as a doctrine of faith, we must accept that we believe in the resurrection of the dead (all of the dead, not just those receiving salvation.).
To become comfortable with this precept let’s get first to the logic of our dogmatic belief:
What that resurrection of the dead means physically or even paranormally is a mystery. It must be taken on faith. But what is sure, what we believe is that, at the return of the Lord, the dead will rise from their graves and stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Those found worthy will find eternal life in Heaven. Our prayer today is that we may stand among them.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Saint Januarius” by Michelangelo Merisi di Caravaggio, c. 1600
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
[3] See NAB footnote on Luke 8:1-3
[4] In Ps. Ixxxviii, sermo ii, n. 5
[5] General Resurrection, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII, Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight
Biographical Information about St. Januarius[1]
Readings for Friday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20
St. Paul continues his apology on the resurrection from the dead he began in 1 Corinthians 15:1-11. He uses a circular argument to say if there is no resurrection then Christ did not rise and your sins are still upon you. If there is no resurrection then your faith is hollow, God’s very existence is challenged, and there is no life beyond physical death. The circle is completed as he concludes this section with “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 17:1bcd, 6-7, 8b and 15
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Psalm 17 is an individual lament. The psalmist sings for God’s help in distress, having been firm in faithfulness, the Lord is called upon for justice. Faith in God’s salvation will follow those who keep firm to God’s commands.
Gospel: Luke 8:1-3
“St. Luke presents Jesus as an itinerant preacher traveling in the company of the Twelve and of the Galilean women who are sustaining them out of their means. These Galilean women will later accompany Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem and become witnesses to his death (Luke 23:49) and resurrection (Luke 24:9-11, where Mary Magdalene and Joanna are specifically mentioned; cf also Acts 1:14). The association of women with the ministry of Jesus is most unusual in the light of the attitude of first-century Palestinian Judaism toward women. The more common attitude is expressed in John 4:27, and early rabbinic documents caution against speaking with women in public.”[3]
Reflection:
We have an interesting combination of messages today. First, we are back to Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and we cannot help but think that that place must have been in turmoil given the basic level of instruction he needs to give them. In this passage he continues to address the fact that some of the new Christians in Corinth are of a Greek school of thought that does not believe in the resurrection of the body. It is easy to simply gloss over this reading, pointing out the very basic nature of Paul’s logic on the subject. But, when we go to the link to the resurrection provided earlier, we discover; “"No doctrine of the Christian Faith", says St. Augustine, "is so vehemently and so obstinately opposed as the doctrine of the resurrection of the flesh".[4]
From a logical and scientific perspective we can understand his statement. In retrospect we may have been too harsh in our criticism of the Christians in Corinth. When we examine our faith closely, looking especially at the Creed, we find that there is a statement of belief; “And we look for (I look for) the resurrection of the dead” What gets us into trouble is when we start to think, as people do, about the mechanism, or physical manifestation of that resurrection.
We ask ourselves; when the resurrection comes, if we are going to be put back into our body, the body we now wear, for eternity, we might question if that is a good thing. When we come back we want a body un-afflicted by age, defect, or disease. Not one that is worn out, broken or deformed. And what about people who have been born handicapped, disfigured or have lost limbs? Will they be forced to live their lives in a state if infirmity? Getting into the perceived reality of the resurrection of the body is problematic taken logically. Yet, as a doctrine of faith, we must accept that we believe in the resurrection of the dead (all of the dead, not just those receiving salvation.).
To become comfortable with this precept let’s get first to the logic of our dogmatic belief:
§ As the soul has a natural propensity to the body, its
perpetual separation from the body would seem unnatural.
§ As the body
is the partner of the soul's crimes, and the companion of her virtues, the
justice of God seems to demand that the body be the sharer in the soul's
punishment and reward.
§ As the soul separated from the body is
naturally imperfect, the consummation of its happiness, replete with every good,
seems to demand the resurrection of the body.[5]
Where does that take us in our belief? We believe that Jesus, the first fruits of the dead (as Paul says) was the pattern for what may come. Yet, while he was taken bodily to heaven, he was transformed. While the stigmata were present, they did not cause him pain. When he entered the locked room, his resurrected body was not stopped by the door and we did not hear about him “climbing through a window”.
What that resurrection of the dead means physically or even paranormally is a mystery. It must be taken on faith. But what is sure, what we believe is that, at the return of the Lord, the dead will rise from their graves and stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Those found worthy will find eternal life in Heaven. Our prayer today is that we may stand among them.
Pax
[1] The picture used today is “Saint Januarius” by Michelangelo Merisi di Caravaggio, c. 1600
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
[3] See NAB footnote on Luke 8:1-3
[4] In Ps. Ixxxviii, sermo ii, n. 5
[5] General Resurrection, The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII, Copyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. Knight
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