READING and REFLECTIONS For Saturday, January 10, 2015 Saturday after Epiphany - Psalter Week 2 (White) Readings: 1 Jn 5:14-21; Ps 149:1-6, 9; Jn 3:22-30 Response: The Lord takes delight in his people. Rosary: Joyful Mysteries Verse: He must grow greater, I must grow less. SAINT OF THE DAY: Saint William of Bourges Patron of University of Paris Birth: 1155 - Death: 1209 William Berruyer, of the illustrious family of the ancient counts of Nevers, was educated by Peter the hermit, archdeacon of Soissons, his uncle by the mothers side. He learned from his infancy to despise the folly and emptiness of the riches and grandeur of the world, to abhor its pleasures, and to tremble at its dangers. His only delight was in exercises of piety and in his studies, in which he employed his whole time with indefatigable application. He was made canon, first of Soissons, and afterwards of Paris: but he soon took the resolution of abandoning all commerce with the world; and retired into the solitude of Grandmont, where he lived with great regularity in that austere order, till seeing its peace disturbed by a contest which arose between the fathers and lay-brothers, he passed into the Cistercian, then in wonderful odour of sanctity. He took the habit in the abbey of Pontigny, and shining as a perfect model of monastic perfection, was after some time chosen prior of that house, and afterwards abbot, first of Fountaine-Jean, in the diocess of Sens, (a filiation of Pontigny, founded in 1124, by Peter de Courtenay, son of king Lewis the Fat,) and some time after, of Chaalis, near Senlis, a much more numerous monastery, also a filiation of Pontigny, built by Lewis the Fat in 1136, a little before his death. St. William always reputed himself the last among his brethren. The universal mortification of his senses and passions, laid in him the foundation of an admirable purity of heart, and an extraordinary gift of prayer; in which he received great heavenly lights, and tasted of the sweets which God has reserved for those to whom he is pleased to communicate himself. The sweetness and cheerfulness of his countenance testified the uninterrupted joy and peace that overflowed his soul, and made virtue appear with the most engaging charms in the midst of austerities. Eudo, accordingly, having written three billets, laid them on the altar; and having made his prayer, drew first the name of the abbot William, on whom, at the same time, the majority of the votes of the clergy had made the election fall, the 23rd of November, 1200. This news overwhelmed William with grief. He never would have acquiesced, had he not received a double command in virtue of obedience, from the Pope, and from his general, the abbot of Citeaux. He left his dear solitude with many tears, and was received at Bourges as one sent by heaven, and soon after was consecrated. In this new dignity his first care was to conform both his exterior and interior to the most perfect rules of sanctity; being very sensible that a mans first task is to honour God perfectly in his own soul. He redoubled all his austerities, saying, it was now incumbent on him to do penance for others, as well as for himself. He always wore a hair-shirt under his religious habit, and never added, nor diminished, any thing in his clothes either winter or summer. He never ate any flesh-meat, though he had it at his table for strangers. His attention to feed his flock was no less remarkable, especially in assisting the poor both spiritually and corporally, saying, that he was chiefly sent for them. He was most mild to penitent sinners; but inflexible towards the impenitent, though he refused to have recourse to the civil power against them, the usual remedy of that age. Many such he at last reclaimed by his sweetness and charity. Certain great men abusing his lenity, usurped the rights of his church; but the saint strenuously defended them even against the king himself, notwithstanding his threats to confiscate his lands. By humility and resolution he overcame several contradictions of his chapter and other clergy. By his zeal he converted many of the Albigenses, contemporary heretics, and was preparing himself for a mission among them, at the time he was seized with his last illness. He would, notwithstanding, preach a farewell sermon to his people, which increased his fever to such a degree, that he was obliged to set aside his journey, and take to his bed. Drawing near his end, he received first extreme-unction, according to the discipline of that age; 1 then, in order to receive the viaticum, he rose out of bed, fell on his knees melting in tears, and prayed long prostrate with his arms stretched out in the form of a cross. The night following, perceiving his last hour approach, he desired to anticipate the nocturns, which are said at midnight; but having made the sign of the cross on his lips and breast, was able to pronounce no more than the two first words. Then, according to a sign made by him, he was laid on ashes in the hair-cloth which he always privately wore. In this posture he soon after expired, a little past midnight, on the morning of the 10th of January, in 1209. His body was interred in his cathedral; and being honoured by many miracles, was taken up in 1217; and in the year following he was canonized by Pope Honorius III. His relics were kept with great veneration till 1562, when they were burnt, and scattered in the winds by the Huguenots, on occasion of their plundering the cathedral of Bourges, as Baillet and Bollandus mention. A bone of his arm is shown with veneration at Chaalis, whither it had been sent soon after the saints body was taken up; and a rib is preserved in the church of the college of Navarre, at Paris, on which the canons of St. Bourges bestowed it in 1399. 2 His festival is kept in that church with great solemnity, and by a great concourse of devout persons; St. William being regarded in several parts of France as one of the patrons of the nation, though his name is not mentioned in the Roman Martyrology. The celebrated Countess Maud, his niece, out of veneration for his memory, bestowed certain lands in the Nivernois, on the church of Bourges. 3 B. Philip Berruyer, a nephew of St. William, was archbishop of Bourges from the year 1236 to 1260, in which he died in the odour of sanctity. Nangi ascribes to him many miracles, and other historians bear testimony to his eminent virtue. READINGS FROM THE NEW AMERICAN BIBLE: READING 1, 1 John 5:14-21 14 Our fearlessness towards him consists in this, that if we ask anything in accordance with his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he listens to whatever we ask him, we know that we already possess whatever we have asked of him. 16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that is not a deadly sin, he has only to pray, and God will give life to this brother -- provided that it is not a deadly sin. There is sin that leads to death and I am not saying you must pray about that. 17 Every kind of wickedness is sin, but not all sin leads to death. 18 We are well aware that no one who is a child of God sins, because he who was born from God protects him, and the Evil One has no hold over him. 19 We are well aware that we are from God, and the whole world is in the power of the Evil One. 20 We are well aware also that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know the One who is true. We are in the One who is true as we are in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and this is eternal life. 21 Children, be on your guard against false gods. RESPONSORIAL PSALM, Psalms 149:1-6, 9 1 Alleluia! Sing a new song to Yahweh: his praise in the assembly of the faithful! 2 Israel shall rejoice in its Maker, the children of Zion delight in their king; 3 they shall dance in praise of his name, play to him on tambourines and harp! 4 For Yahweh loves his people, he will crown the humble with salvation. 5 The faithful exult in glory, shout for joy as they worship him, 6 praising God to the heights with their voices, a two-edged sword in their hands, 9 to execute on them the judgement passed -- to the honour of all his faithful. GOSPEL, John 3:22-30 22 After this, Jesus went with his disciples into the Judaean countryside and stayed with them there and baptised. 23 John also was baptising at Aenon near Salim, where there was plenty of water, and people were going there and were being baptised. 24 For John had not yet been put in prison. 25 Now a discussion arose between some of Johns disciples and a Jew about purification, 26 so they went to John and said, Rabbi, the man who was with you on the far side of the Jordan, the man to whom you bore witness, is baptising now, and everyone is going to him. 27 John replied: No one can have anything except what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can bear me out. I said, I am not the Christ; I am the one who has been sent to go in front of him. 29 It is the bridegroom who has the bride; and yet the bridegrooms friend, who stands there and listens to him, is filled with joy at the bridegrooms voice. This is the joy I feel, and it is complete. 30 He must grow greater, I must grow less. REFLECTIONS: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God) OPENING PRAYER: God our Father, through your Son you made us a new creation. He shared our nature and became one of us; with his help, may we become more like him, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ON READING 1: 1 John 5:14-21 (Prayer for Sinners, The Christians Confidence as a Child of God) 1 John 5, 13-21. St. Johns words in v. 13 are evocative of the first epilogue to his Gospel, where he explains why he wrote that book: that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name (Jn 20:31). In this verse of the letter, the Apostle stresses the efficacy of faith, which is already an anticipation of eternal life (cf. notes on 1 Jn 3:2; 5:9-12). His final counsels are designed to strengthen our confidence in prayer and to urge the need for prayer on behalf of sinners (vv. 14-17); they also stress the conviction and confidence that faith in the Son of God gives the believer (vv. 18-21). 1 John 5, 14-15. Earlier, the Apostle referred to confidence in prayer and to how we can be sure of receiving what we pray for: that confidence comes from the fact that we keep his commandments and do what pleases him (1 Jn 3:22). Now he stresses that God always listens to us, if we ask according to his will. This condition can be taken in two ways, as St Bede briefly explains: Insofar as we ask for the things he desires, and insofar as those of us who approach him are as he desires us to be (In I Epist. S. Ioannis, ad loc.). The asker therefore needs to strive to live in accordance with Gods will, and to identify himself in advance with Gods plans. If one does not try to live in keeping with Gods commandments, one cannot expect him to listen to ones prayers. When prayer meets those requirements, we know that we have obtained the requests made of him, as our Lord himself assured us: if you ask anything in my name, I will do it (Jn 14:14). It is not surprising, then, the Cure of Ars teaches, that the devil should do everything possible to influence us to give up prayer or to pray badly, because he knows better than we do how terrible it is for hell and how impossible it is that God should refuse us what we ask him for in prayer. How many sinners would get out of sin if they managed to have recourse to prayer! (Selected Sermons, Fifth Sunday after Easter). 1 John 5, 16-17. Mortal sin: the meaning of the original text is sin which leads to death. The gravity of this sin (St John does not specify its exact nature) recalls the gravity of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 12:31-32) and of the sin of apostasy which Hebrews speaks of (Heb 6:4-8). The Fathers have interpreted this expression in various ways, referring to different grave sins. In the context of the letter (in the previous chapters St John often speaks about the antichrists and false prophets who went out from the community: 2:19) the best interpretation seems to be that of St Bede and St Augustine, who apply it to the sin of the apostate who, in addition, attacks the faith of other Christians. My view is, St Augustine says, that the sin unto death is the sin of the brother who, after knowing God by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, attacks brotherly union and in a passion of envy reacts against that very grace by which he was reconciled to God (De Sermo Dom. in monte, l, 22, 73). If St. John does not expressly command his readers to pray for these sinners, it does not mean that they are beyond recovery, or that it is useless to pray for them. Pope St Gelasius I teaches: There is a sin of death for those who persist in that same sin; there is a sin not of death for those who desist from sin. There is, certainly, no sin for the pardon of which the Church does not pray or from which, by the power which was divinely granted to it, it cannot absolve those who desist from it (Ne forte). Referring to this passage of St John, Pope John Paul II says: Obviously, the concept of death here is a spiritual death. It is a question of the loss of the true life or eternal life, which for John is knowledge of the Father and the Son (cf. Jn 17:3), and communion and intimacy with them. In that passage the sill that leads to death seems to be the denial of the Son (cf. 1 Jn 2:22), or the worship of false gods (cf. 1 Jn 5:21). At any rate, by this distinction of concepts John seems to wish to emphasize the incalculable seriousness of what constitutes the very essence of sin, namely the rejection of God. This is manifested above all in aposta- sy and idolatry: repudiating faith in revealed truth and, making certain created realities equal to God, raising them to the status of idols; and false gods (cf. 1 Jn 5:16-21). And after referring to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (cf. Mt 12:31-32) he adds: Here of course it is a question of extreme and radical manifestations -- rejection of God, rejection of his grace, and therefore opposition to the very source of salvation (cf. St. Thomas, Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 14, a. 1-3) -- these are manifestations whereby a person seems to exclude himself voluntarily from the path of forgiveness. It is to be hoped that very few persist to the end in this attitude of rebellion or even defiance of God. Moreover, God in his merciful love is greater than our hearts, as St John further teaches us (cf. 1 Jn 3:20), and can overcome all our psychological and spiritual resistance. So that, as St. Thomas writes, consi- dering the omnipotence and mercy of God, no one should despair of the salvation of anyone in this life (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 14, a. 3, ad 1) (Reconciliatio et Paenitentia, 17). 1 John 5, 18-20. We know: each of these verses begins this way. He does not mean theoretical knowledge but that understanding that comes from living faith. St. John is once again stressing the Christians joyful confidence, which he has expounding throughout the letter (cf. 2:3-6 and note). This confidence is grounded on three basic truths: 1) he who is born of God does not sin (cf. 1 Jn 3:6-9 and note); 2) we are of God, and therefore we are particularly free of the world, which is still in the power of the evil one (cf. 4:4; 5:12); 3) the Son of God has become man (cf. 4:2; 5:1). The incarnation of the Word is the central truth which sheds light on the two previous ones, because our supernatural insight is the effect of the Incarnation (v. 20): Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is also eternal life, for only in him can we attain that life. 1 John 5, 18. In this Johannine affirmation, Pope John Paul II teaches, there is an indication of hope, based on the divine promises: the Christian has received the guarantee and the necessary strength not to sin. It is not a question therefore of a sinlessness acquired through ones own virtue or even inherent in man, as the Gnostics thought. It is a result of Gods action. In order not to sin the Christian has knowledge of God, as St John reminds us in this same passage. But a little earlier he had written: No one born of God commits sin; for Gods seed [RSV: nature] abides in him (1 Jn 3:9). If by Gods seed we understand, as some commentators suggest, Jesus the Son of God, then we can say that in order not to sin, or in order to gain freedom from sin, the Christian has within himself the presence of Christ and the mystery of Christ, which is the mystery of Gods loving kindness (Reconciliatio et Paentientia, 20). 1 John 5, 19. The whole world is in the power of the evil one: although the Greek term may be neuter and would allow a more abstract translation (in the power of evil), it is more consistent with the context to take it in a personal sense. St. John is pointing up the contrast between Christs followers and those of the evil one: whereas the world (in the pejorative sense) is like a slave in the power of the devil, true Christians are in Christ, as free people, with a share in Christs own life. We have been born of God through grace and have been reborn in Baptism through faith. On the other hand, those who love the world are in the power of the enemy, be it because they have not yet been liberated from him by the waters of regeneration or because, after their rebirth, they have once more submitted to his rule through sinning (In I Epist. S. Ioannis, ad loc.). 1 John 5, 20. Him who is true: that is, the only true God as distinct from false gods; the Jews used to refer to God as the True, without naming him. When St. John goes on to say that we are in him, who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ, he is confessing the divinity of Christ and the fact that he is the only mediator between the Father and mankind. 1 John 5, 21. Although at first sight, this formal exhortation may seem surprising, it was appropriate in its time, because these first Christians were living in the midst of a pagan world, and were exposed to the danger of idolatry. However, St. John may be speaking metaphorically: the true danger facing Christians, then and now, is that of following the idols of the heart -- that is, sin; in which case he is giving this final counsel: Keep away from sin, be on guard against those whose fallacious arguments could lead you to sin. ON THE GOSPEL: John 3:22-30 (John Again Bears Witness) Both John the Baptist and Jesus indicated a new way to the crowds. But Jesus after having adhered to the movement of John the Baptist, and after having been baptized by him, advanced a step ahead and created his own movement. He baptized the persons in the Jordan River, when John the Baptist was also doing it. Both of them attracted the poor and abandoned people of Palestine, by announcing the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Jesus, the new preacher, had a certain advantage over John the Baptist. He baptized more people and attracted more disciples. Thus, a tension arose between the disciples of John and those of Jesus, concerning the “purification”, that is, concerning the value of Baptism. The disciples of John the Baptist experienced a certain envy and went to John to speak to him and informed him about the movement of Jesus. The response of John to his disciples is a beautiful response, which reveals his great spirit. John helps his disciples to see things more objectively. And he uses three arguments: a) Nobody receives anything which is not given by God. If Jesus does such beautiful things, it is because he receives them from God (Jn 3, 27). Instead of having envy, the disciples should feel joy. b) John reaffirms once again that he, John, is not the Messiah but only the precursor (Jn 3, 28). c) And at the end he uses a comparison, taken from the wedding feast. At that time, in Palestine, on the day of the wedding, in the house of the bride, the so called “friends of the bridegroom” waited for the arrival of the bridegroom to present him to the bride. In this case, Jesus is the bridegroom, the crowd is the bride. John the friend of the bridegroom. John the Baptist says that, in the voice of Jesus, he recognizes the voice of the bridegroom and can present him to the bride, to the crowds. At this moment, the bridegroom, the people, leave the friend of the bridegroom and follow Jesus, because they recognize in him the voice of their bridegroom!. And for this reason the joy of John is great, “complete joy”. John wants nothing for himself! His mission is to present the bridegroom to the bride! The last sentence summarizes everything: “He must grow greater, I must grow less!” This phrase is also the program for any person who follows Jesus. At the end of the first century, in Palestine as well as in Asia Minor, where there were some communities of Jews, there were also people who had been in contact with John the Baptist or who had been baptized by him (Acts 19, 3). Seen from outside, the movement of John the Baptist and that of Jesus were very similar to one another. Both of them announced the coming of the Kingdom (cfr. Mt 3, 1-2; 4, 17). There must have been some confusion between the followers of John and those of Jesus. And because of this, the witness of John about Jesus was very important. The four Gospel are concerned about giving the words of John the Baptist saying that he is not the Messiah. For the Christian communities, the Christian response, the response of John, “He must grow greater and I must grow less” was valid not only for the Disciples of John at the time of Jesus, but also for the disciples of the Batiste or Cambric community of the end of the first century. John 3, 22-24. A little later on (Jn 4:2) the evangelist makes it clear that it was not Jesus himself who baptized, but his disciples. Our Lord probably wanted them from the very beginning to get practice in exhorting people to conversion. The rite referred to here was not yet Christian Baptism -- which only began after the resurrection of Christ (cf. Jn 7:39; 16:7; Mt 28 : 19) -- but both baptisms, that of St John the Baptist and that of our Lords disciples, had a single purpose-to bring the baptized to Christ and prepare the way for future faith (St John Chrysostom, Hom. on St John, 29, 1). The Gospel gives the exact time and place of this episode. Aenon is an Aramaic word meaning wells. Salim was situated to the north-east of Samaria, south of the town of Scythopolis or Beisan, near the western bank of the Jordan, about twenty kilometers (thirteen miles) to the south of the Lake of Gennesaret. The Gospel notes that John had not yet been put in prison (v. 24), thus rounding out the information given by the Synoptics (Mt 4:12; Mk 1:14). We know, therefore, that Jesus public ministry began when John the Baptists mission was still going on, and, particularly, that there was no competition of any kind between them; on the contrary, the Baptist, who was preparing the way of the Lord, had the joy of actually seeing his own disciples follow Jesus (cf. Jn 1:37). John 3, 27-29. John the Baptist is speaking in a symbolic way here, after the style of the prophets; our Lord himself does the same thing. The bridegroom is Jesus Christ. From other passages in the New Testament we know that the Church is described as the Bride (cf. Eph 5:24-32; Rev 19:7-9). This symbol of the wedding expresses the way Christ unites the Church to himself, and the way the Church is hallowed and shaped in Gods own life. The Baptist rejoices to see that the Messiah has already begun his public ministry, and he recognizes the infinite dis- tance between his position and that of Christ: his joy is full because he sees Jesus calling people and them following him. The friend of the bridegroom, according to Jewish custom, refers to the man who used to accompany the bridegroom at the start of the wedding and play a formal part in the wedding celebration -- the best man. Obviously, as the Baptist says, there is a great difference between him and the bridegroom, who occupies the center of the stage. John 3, 30. The Baptist knew his mission was one of preparing the way of the Lord; he was to fade into the background once the Messiah arrived, which he did faithfully and humbly. In the same way, a Christian, when engaged in apostolate, should try to keep out of the limelight and allow Christ to seek men out; he should be always emptying himself, to allow Christ fill his life. It is necessary for Christ to grow in you, for you to progress in your knowledge and love of him: for, the more you know him and love him, the more he grows in you. [...] Therefore, people who advance in this way need to have less self-esteem, because the more a person discovers Gods greatness the less importance he gives to his own human condition (St Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on St John, in loc.). FINAL PRAYERS: They shall dance in praise of his name, play to him on tambourines and harp! For Yahweh loves his people, he will crown the humble with salvation. (Ps 149,3-4) Lord, we surrender our life to you. Let us desire and choose only that which better leads to deepening our life in you. Amen. It is by God’s mercy that we are saved. May we never tire of spreading this joyful message to the world. -- Pope Francis Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. -- St. Jerome The Father uttered one Word; that Word is His Son, and He utters Him forever in everlasting silence; and in silence the soul has to hear it. -- St. John of the Cross
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 23:40:14 +0000
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