Monday, 14 November 2011
Monday of the Thirty-third week in Ordinary Time
St. Lawrence O'Toole, Archbishop of Dublin (c. 1125-1180)
Commentary of the day
Saint Gregory the Great : "Have sight; your faith has saved you"
Reading
1 Mac. 1:10-15.41-43.54-57.62-63.
There sprang from these a sinful offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus, once a hostage at Rome. He became king in the year one hundred and thirty-seven of the kingdom of the Greeks.
In those days there appeared in Israel men who were breakers of the law, and they seduced many people, saying: "Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us; since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us."
The proposal was agreeable;
some from among the people promptly went to the king, and he authorized them to introduce the way of living of the Gentiles.
Thereupon they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem according to the Gentile custom.
They covered over the mark of their circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant; they allied themselves with the Gentiles and sold themselves to wrongdoing.
Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people,
each abandoning his particular customs. All the Gentiles conformed to the command of the king,
and many Israelites were in favor of his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.
On the fifteenth day of the month Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-five, the king erected the horrible abomination upon the altar of holocausts, and in the surrounding cities of Judah they built pagan altars.
They also burnt incense at the doors of houses and in the streets.
Any scrolls of the law which they found they tore up and burnt.
Whoever was found with a scroll of the covenant, and whoever observed the law, was condemned to death by royal decree.
But many in Israel were determined and resolved in their hearts not to eat anything unclean;
they preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Terrible affliction was upon Israel.ä»…
Ps 119(118):53.61.134.150.155.158.
Rage seizes me because of the wicked; they forsake your teaching.
Though the snares of the wicked surround me, your teaching I do not forget.
Free me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts.
Malicious persecutors draw near me; they are far from your teaching.
Salvation is far from sinners because they do not cherish your laws.
I view the faithless with loathing, because they do not heed your promise.
Lk 18:35-43.
Now as he approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging,
and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening.
They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!"
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him,
What do you want me to do for you? He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."
He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB
Commentary of the day
Saint Gregory the Great (c.540-604), Pope, Doctor of the Church
Homilies on the Gospel, no 2 (Migne) ; PL 76, 1081 (©Cistercian Fathers series)
"Have sight; your faith has saved you"
We must now look at what he said to the blind man as he came near: «What do
you want me to do for you?» Was one who could restore light ignorant of
what the blind man wanted? But he wants to be asked for what he already
knows; we shall request and he will grant. He counsels us to be untiring in
our prayers, and yet he says: For «Your Father knows what you need before
you request it of him» (Mt 6,8). And so he questions that we may ask him,
he questions to rouse our hearts to prayer... The blind man does not ask
the Lord for gold, but for light. He sets little store by asking anything
but light... Let us imitate him, dearly beloved... Let us not ask the Lord
for deceptive riches, or earthly gifts, or passing honors, but for light.
And let us not ask for light shut up in one place, or limited by time, or
ending with the coming of night. The beasts behold such light just as we
do. Let us ask for the light which we can see with anÂgels alone, light
without beginning or end. The way to this light is faith. Hence Jesus
immediately says to the blind man who is to be enlightened: «Look up, your
faith has saved you.»
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