Philadelphia Chapter

So our Mass goes back, without essential change, to the age when it first developed out of the oldest liturgy of all. It is still redolent of that liturgy, of the days when Cæsar ruled the world and thought he could stamp out the faith of Christ, when our fathers met together before dawn and sang a hymn to Christ as to a God. The final result of our enquiry is that, in spite of unsolved problems, in spite of later changes, there is not in Christendom another rite so venerable as ours. ~Fortescue

REJECTED 

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” It is the voice of the Gentle Master, and oh, how long the world has kept Him standing there! Ages ago He came knocking at the doors of Bethlehem, and though the night was dark and the wind was chill and He had not where to lay His head, all doors were closed and bolted fast against the Gentle Master’s pleading.

But that was long ago. Ah, yes, but the story has not changed down through the years, and Jesus still stands knocking at the door of the world, His world, seeking admittance.

Strange, is it not? The world that is His own by divine right, the world that came from His creative hand, that very world bolts tight its door against Him as against a base intruder. And all along the years we catch the echo of that plaintive, pleading cry: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” I pity the Gentle Master when I think of the pain He must suffer at the hands of His creatures, and righteous indignation rises up within my soul against such cruelty. Yes, but what of myself? Am I utterly without reproach in the matter? What of the Gentle Master’s unheeded knocking at the door of my heart these many long years? How often He comes only to be repulsed as a troublesome nuisance! How often He stands at the door of my heart and the din within, the uproar of earthly distractions, utterly smothers the sound of His gentle knocking! How often He comes to seek admission only to find me too deeply engrossed with more welcome guests, worldly comforts and pleasures and honors, to have a care to admit Him! Worthy of pondering, surely!

Jesus, Gentle Master, have mercy on us.

EPISTLE AND GOSPEL: Taken from the Angelus Press 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

EPISTLE: Esther 13: 8-11, 15-17

Prayer of Mardochai in favor of the Jewish people, whom the impious Aman had determined to destroy. He implored the Lord God of Israel to turn their sadness into joy. The Christian people in the same way are mourning by Lenten penance and are looking forward to the holy joys of Easter.

In those days Mardochai prayed to the Lord, saying: O Lord, Lord, almighty King, for all things are in Thy power, and there is none that can resist Thy will, if Thou determine to save Israel. Thou hast made heaven and earth, and all things that are under the cope of heaven. Thou art Lord of all, and there is none that can resist Thy Majesty. And now, O Lord, O King, O God of Abraham, have mercy on Thy people, because our enemies resolve to destroy us and extinguish Thine inheritance. Despise not Thy portion which Thou hast redeemed for Thyself out of Egypt. Hear my supplication, and be merciful to Thy lot and inheritance, and turn our mourning into joy, that we may live and praise Thy name, O Lord, and shut not the mouths of them that sing to Thee, O Lord our God.

GOSPEL: Mt. 20: 17-28

Jesus foretells His Passion and Resurrection. He will make us participants in His Resurrection if we die to our sins.

At that time, as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples apart, and said to them: Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and cru-cified, and the third day He shall rise again. Then came to Him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, adoring and asking something of Him. Who said to her: What wilt thou? She saith to Him: Say that these my two sons may sit, the one on Thy right hand and the other on Thy left, in Thy kingdom. And Jesus answering, said: You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink? They say to Him: We can. He saith to them: My chalice indeed you shall drink: but to sit on My right or My left hand is not Mine to give to you, but to them for whom it is prepared by My Father. And the ten, hearing it, were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them to Him, and said: You know that the princes of the Gentiles lord it over them: and they that are the greater, exercise power upon them. It shall not be so among you: but whosoever shall be the greater among you, let him be your minister: and he that will be first among you shall be your servant. Even as the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a redemption for many.

PLAYING THE TRAITOR

He was one of the Twelve. Three years had seen him cared for with affectionate solicitude by the Gentle Master. In close familiarity with Jesus, Judas had shared the favors of the chosen ones, had even held a place of special confidence in the Heart of our Lord. But tonight he stands in the midst of the Master’s bitter enemies. Grimly he approaches the dread purpose of his errand. From his polluted lips fall words that ring like an echo awakened in the foulest depths of hell. “What will you give me,” he hisses, “and I will betray Him?”

What will you give me and I will betray Him? Instinctively we shudder at the memory of that hateful deed of treachery. And yet how many there are who, stopping short of the dread lengths to which the traitor Judas went, still in a thousand real, if lesser, ways betray the Gentle Master.

I may not sell our Lord for thirty silver coins or hand Him over to be crucified as Judas did, and yet I surely play the traitor’s part if, for some personal gain or for some bit of shameful pleasure, I turn my back upon Him and range myself with those who make His holy will a mockery. I am a traitor, surely, if because I fear the jibes and jeers of men I abandon the standard of Christlike holiness I once embraced and accept a mediocre standard in its stead. Surely it is to betray my Master if by my worldly example I lure a fellow man away from close friendship with Jesus, or if by my ridicule or selfish opposition I thwart him in his life of generous service.

Not quite like Judas, no, but not unworthy of blame.

Jesus, Gentle Master, have mercy on us.

EPISTLE AND GOSPEL: Taken from the Angelus Press 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

EPISTLE: III Kings: 17:8-16

The lesson tells of Elias going to a heathen woman, a poor widow of Sareph-ta, to ask for nourishment, when a drought had fallen on impenitent Israel. The widow took two pieces of wood and prepared a hearth cake for the Prophet and one for herself. Her charity and her compassion were rewarded, for never after did she want for bread. Whereas the Israelites suffered from the scarcity, the Gentiles, as a reward for their faith and fidelity, receive daily the Eucharistic Bread, which applies to them the merits gained for them by our Redeemer on the cross.

In those days the word of the Lord came to Elias the Thesbite, saying: Arise, and go to Sarephta of the Sidonians, and dwell there: for I have commanded a widow woman there to feed thee. He arose, and went to Sarephta. And when he was come to the gate of the city, he saw the widow woman gathering sticks, and he called her, and said to her: Give me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And when she was going to fetch it, he called after her, saying: Bring me also, I beseech thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And she answered: As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruse: behold I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elias said to her. Fear not, but go and do as thou hast said: but first make for me of the same meal a little hearth-cake, and bring it to me: and after make for thyself and thy son. For thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: The pot of meal shall not waste, nor the cruse of oil be diminished, until the day wherein the Lord will give rain upon the face of the earth. She went, and did according to the word of Elias: and he ate, and she, and her house: and from that day the pot of meal wasted not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke in the hand of Elias.

GOSPEL: Mt. 23:1-12

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ declares that the Jews who profess the law of Moses did not observe it. The Kingdom of God is open to the heathen, who by baptism become disciples of Christ and accomplish His works.

At that time Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses. All things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, observe and do; but according to their works do ye not; for they say and do not. For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them. And all their works they do for to be seen of men; for they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge their fringes. And they love the first places at feasts, and the first chairs in the synagogues, and salutations in the marketplace, and to be called by men Rabbi. But be not you called Rabbi: for one is your master, and all you are brethren. And call none your father upon earth; for one is your Father, Who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, Christ. He that is the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

INGRATITUDE 

To meet contempt where loving gratitude is due is not an easy trial to bear. When we have given freely of our love and shared unstintingly our very best with one whom God has sent into our life, oh, then indeed, it is a crushing thing to find our love despised and all our generous devotedness ignored by him whom we have favored with our heart’s best treasures.

Yes, such a trial is hard to meet, and if in that dark hour we would bear ourselves in a truly Christian manner then we must learn of Him who best can teach for having met like bitter trials at every step from Bethlehem to Calvary.

The Gentle Master came, urged by love alone; came that He might make Himself the Victim of atonement for the sins of His rebellious creatures. His life at every turning saw an overflowing of His Sacred Heart in deeds of loving kindness. The sick of body and the sick of soul were ever the objects of His merciful attention. Beneath His gentle touch blind eyes were opened to the light and withered limbs felt once again the pulse of life. A whispered word brought peace to broken hearts or saving hope to breasts long since abandoned to despair.

Yes, doing good to all, at painful cost, the Gentle Master went His blessed way. And at the end how did the world, so richly blessed, repay His loving kindness? How? Oh, shameful thought! It hung Him on a Cross and stood beneath and jeered and scoffed, as, through three tortured hours, His life was drained away in bitter agony. Thus was the Gentle Master requited for His boundless generosity. And I, should I complain if, by ungrateful treatment, I am made a little like Him?

Jesus, Gentle Master, have mercy on us.

EPISTLE AND GOSPEL:  Taken from the Angelus Press 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

EPISTLE: Dan. 9:15-19

The wrath of God, the almighty Lord of heaven and earth, which fell the first time on Jerusalem at the time of the captivity in Babylon, was renewed against Israel at the burning of the Temple. Like guilty Christians, they would only be able to return to the Lord by penance, while the heathen are called instead to believe in Jesus, to become part of His people by baptism.

In those days Daniel prayed to the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, Who hast brought forth Thy people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, and hast made Thee a name as at this day: we have sinned, we have committed iniquity, O Lord, against all Thy justice: let Thy wrath and Thine indignation be turned away, I beseech Thee, from Thy city Jerusalem and from Thy holy mountain.
For by reason of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people are a reproach to all that are round about us.
Now therefore, O our God, hear the supplication of Thy servant and his prayers: and show Thy face upon Thy sanctuary which is desolate, for Thine own sake.
Incline, O my God, Thine ear and hear: open Thine eyes and see our desolation, and the city upon which Thy name is called: for it is not for our justifications that we present our prayers before Thy face, but for the multitude of Thy tender mercies. O Lord, hear: O Lord, be appeased: hearken and do: delay not for Thine own sake, O my God: because Thy name is invoked upon Thy city and upon Thy people, O Lord our God.

GOSPEL: Jn. 8:31-39

Our Lord Jesus Christ foretells that the Jews will lift Him up on the cross, and thrice He says that they will die in their sin, because they have not believed in Him and have neglected to do His works.

At that time Jesus said to the multitudes of the Jews: I go and you shall seek Me, and you shall die in your sin. Whither I go, you cannot come.
The Jews therefore said: Will He kill Himself, because He said: Whither I go, you cannot come?
And He said to them: You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am He, you shall die in your sin.
They said therefore to Him: Who art Thou?
Jesus said to them: The beginning, Who also speak unto you. Many things I have to speak and to judge of you. But He that sent Me is true: and the things I have heard of Him, these same I speak in the world.
And they understood not that He called God His Father.
Jesus therefore said to them: When you shall have lifted up the Son of man, then shall you know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as the Father hath taught Me, these things I speak: and He that sent Me is with Me, and He hath not left Me alone: for I do always the things that please Him.

From a speech on Amoris Letitia delivered today at the University of Notre Dame in Sidney Australia:

Lastly, scandal is the public pastoral consequence of allowing persons in unrepentant manifest grave sin to receive Holy Communion. It is not simply that the faithful members of the Eucharistic community will be dismayed and likely disgruntled, but, more importantly, they will be tempted to think that they too can sin gravely and continue in good standing with the Church. Why attempt to live a holy life, even a heroic virtuous life, when the Church herself appears to demand neither such a life, nor even to encourage such a life? Here the Church becomes a mockery of herself and such a charade breeds nothing but scorn and disdain in the world, and derision and cynicism among the faithful, or, at best, a hope against hope among the little ones.

LASTING FRUIT

To live a fruitful life, a life that will be useful not only to oneself but to one’s fellow men as well, is the dream of all whose hearts are not bereft of all nobility. To ease the way a bit for one who travels by my side, to make myself a strong support that he may lean upon, to cheer the hours when the clouds of sadness settle darkly round his soul, a blessed thing, indeed, is this, and all of us should look upon such acts not only as a duty but as a precious privilege.

But there is something grander still held out by Jesus as the high ambition of His chosen followers. “I have chosen you . . . that you should bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain.”

“That your fruit should remain!” If it be a blessed thing to do a passing deed of kindness, to brighten another’s dreary life, to save a soul from just a single sin, to awaken even for a moment a spark of God’s love within a breast that long has lost the art of loving, if this be blessed, what, then, shall we say of him whose worthy deeds last not only for a moment but outlive the life of him who does them? What shall we say of him whose life is such a noble thing, whose every word and work is of such sterling quality that men shall linger over them in memory when their author has departed for a better world, and on that memory grow unto similar greatness?

A noble ambition, indeed, to live a holy life so that future generations shall find in it an inspiration to rise to higher things.

Is it thus that I am living?

Jesus, Gentle Master, have mercy on us.

EPISTLE AND GOSPEL: Taken from the Angelus Press 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

EPISTLE: 1 Thess. 5:14-23

St. Paul exhorts us to prayer, to patience, and to charity.

Brethren: We beseech you, rebuke the unquiet, comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient towards all men. See that none render evil for evil to any man: but ever follow that which is good towards each other and towards all men.
Always rejoice.
Pray without ceasing.
In all things give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all.
Extinguish not the spirit.
Despise not prophecies. But prove all things: hold fast that which is good.
From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves. And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you in all things: that your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL: Mt. 17:1-9

OUR VOCATION

“I have chosen you and have appointed you that you should bring forth fruit.” Precious words that tell us in simple terms the meaning of life, the grandeur of our Christian calling.

Whether we toil with hand or head, in field or shop or office; whether it be in the home or out in the noisy world, or in the sanctuary or cloister, whatever our lot in life, the truth remains that we have been “chosen to bring forth fruit.”

To bring forth fruit. Yes, out of my daily life, out of the big and the little things that fill my day, my thoughts and words and actions, the laughter that rings through the halls of my heart, the tears I shed, out of them all I must bring forth a bounteous harvest of good fruit, fruit for God’s honor and glory, fruit of grace for my fellow men, fruit of merit for my own soul.

Such is my noble calling. But is my life the fruitful thing it ought to be? When the day is done and I lay aside the tools of toil, what does my conscience say of the glory given to God, of the graces won for my fellow men and for my own soul?

Oh, no, indeed, by God’s good help, I have not to confess a total failure in my daily harvest, but surely with just a bit more effort for perfection, a bit more love run through the deeds that fill my day, I could unquestionably make of my life a much more fruitful thing. I could, indeed, and if I could, then surely, doing so should be for me a sacred duty.

Jesus, Gentle Master, have mercy on us.

EPISTLE AND GOSPEL: Taken from the Angelus Press 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal 

EPISTLE: Ezech. 18:20-28

The Church reminds sinners by the mouth of Ezechiel that God is ready to forgive them if they repent.

Thus saith the Lord God: The soul that sinneth, the same shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son: the justice of the just shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
But if the wicked do penance for all his sins which he hath committed and keep all my commandments, and do judgment and justice: living he shall live, and shall not die. I will not remember all his iniquities that he hath done: in his justice, which he hath wrought, he shall live. Is it My will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways and live?
But if the just man turn himself away from his justice, and do iniquity ac-cording to all the abominations which the wicked man useth to work, shall he live? All his justices which he hath done shall not be remembered: in the prevarication by which he hath pre-varicated, and in his sin which he hath committed, in them he shall die.
And you have said: The way of the Lord is not right. Hear ye, therefore, O house of Israel: Is it My way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse? For when the just turneth himself away from his justice and committeth iniquity, he shall die therein: in the injustice that he hath wrought he shall die.
And when the wicked turneth himself away from his wickedness, which he hath wrought, and doeth judgment and justice, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth and turneth away himself from all his iniquities which he hath wrought, he shall surely live and not die, saith the Lord almighty.

GOSPEL: Jn. 5:1-15

Jesus heals the paralytic. Jesus washes our souls from original sin in the waters of Baptism and from actual sin in the Sacrament of Penance.

At that time there was a festival day of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem a pond called Probatica, which in Hebrew is named Bethsaida, having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude of sick, of blind, of lame, of withered, waiting for the moving of the water. And an Angel of the Lord descended at certain times into the pond, and the water was moved. And he that went down first into the pond after the motion of the water was made whole of whatsoever infirmity he lay under.
And there was a certain man there that had been eight and thirty years under his infirmity. Him when Jesus had seen lying, and knew that he had been now a long time, He saith to him: Wilt thou be made whole? The infirm man answered Him: Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pond: for whilst I am coming, another goeth down before me.
Jesus saith to him: Arise, take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole: and he took up his bed and walked. And it was the sabbath that day.
The Jews therefore said to him that was healed: It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for thee to take up thy bed. He answered them: He that made me whole, He said to me: Take up thy bed and walk. They asked him therefore: Who is that man who said to thee, Take up thy bed and walk? But he who was healed knew not who it was. For Jesus went aside from the multitude standing in the place.
Afterwards Jesus findeth him in the temple, and saith to him: Behold thou art made whole: sin no more, lest some worse thing happen to thee. The man went his way, and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had made him whole.