Daily Reading and Reflection for October 9, 2014 October 9, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------- Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time Let my prayer be directed as incense in Thy sight; the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice. -- Psalm cxl. 2 A SAINT A DAY ------------------------------ ST. DENIS Bishop Information: Feast Day: October 9 Born: Third century, Italy Died: 258 at Montmarte Major Shrine: Abbey of Saint-Denis, Saint Denis Basilica Patron of: France; Paris; against frenzy; against strife; headaches; hydrophobia; possessed people; rabies Bishop of Paris, and martyr. Born in Italy, nothing is definitely known of the time or place, or of his early life. His feast is kept on 9 October. He is usually represented with his head in his hands because, according to the legend, after his execution the corpse rose again and carried the head for some distance. That, however, while still very young he was distinguished for hisvirtuous life, knowledge of sacred things, and firm faith, is proved by the fact that Pope Fabian (236-250) sent him with some other missionary bishops to Gaul on a difficult mission. The Church of Gaul had suffered terribly under the persecution of the Emperor Decius and the new messengers of Faith were to endeavour to restore it to its former flourishing condition. Denis with his inseparable companions, the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius, arrived in the neighbourhood of the present city of Paris and settled on the island in the Seine. The earliest document giving an account of his labours and of his martyrdom (Passio SS. Dionsyii, Rustici et Eleutherii), dating from the end of the sixth or the beginning of the seventh century and wrongly attributed to the poet Venantius Fortunatus, is interwoven with much legend, from which, however, the following facts can be gleaned. On the island in the Seine Denis built a church and provided for a regular solemnization of the Divine service. His fearless and indefatigable preaching of the Gospel led to countless conversions. This aroused the envy, anger and hatred of the heathen priests. They incited the populace against the strangers and importuned the governor Fescenninus Sisinnius to put a stop by force to the new teaching. Denis with his two companions were seized and as they persevered in their faith were beheaded (about 275) after many tortures. Later accounts give a detailed description of the confessors sufferings. They were scourged, imprisoned, racked, thrown to wild beasts, burnt at the stake, and finally beheaded. Gregory of Tours simply states: Beatus Dionysius Parisiorum episcopus diversis pro Christi nomine adfectus poenis praesentem vitam gladio immente finivit (Hist. Franc. I, 30). The bodies of the three holy martyrs received an honourable burial through the efforts of a pious matron named Catulla and a small shrine was erected over their graves. This was later on replaced by a beautiful basilica (egregium templum) which Venantius celebrated in verse (Carm. I, ii). From the reign of King Dagobert (622-638) the church and the Benedictine monastery attached to it were more and more beautifully adorned; the veneration of St. Denis became by degrees a national devotion, rulers and princes vying with one another to promote it. This development is due in no small degree to an error prevailing throughout the Middle Ages, which identified St. Denis of Paris with St. Dionysius the Areopagite, and with the Pseudo-Dionysius, the composer of the Areopagitic writings. The combining of these three persons in one was doubtless effected as early as the eighth or perhaps the seventh century, but it was only through the Areopagitica written in 836 by Hilduin, Abbot of Saint-Denis, at the request of Louis the Pious, that this serious error took deep root. The investigations of Launoy first threw doubt on the story and the Bollandist de Bye entirely rejected it. Hilduin was probably deceived by the same apocryphal Latin and Greek fictions. The possession of the Areopagitic writings (since 827 in Saint-Denis) strengthened his conviction of this truth. Historiographers of the present day do not dispute this point. All attempts of Darras, Vidieu, C. Schneider, and others to throw some light on the subject have proved fruitless. (Taken from Catholic Encyclopedia) FAVOURITE QUOTES FOR DADS ------------------------------ Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson FAVOURITE QUOTES FOR MOMS ------------------------------ Woman knows what man has long forgotten, that the ultimate economic and spiritual unit of any civilization is still the family. -- Clare Boothe Luce 1ST READING (Galatians 3:1-5) ------------------------------ The uncomplimentary nature of Paul’s language here indicates the depth of his feeling about this matter. He is furious with the stupidity of the Galatians who are going back to the understanding of salvation as something they can earn through their own efforts. Objectively speaking he is totally correct; however, perhaps he might be better off expressing his displeasure in less stark terms as he has done. Maybe he has tried this and it did not work, and so he has taken his language to the next level. A reading from the Letter to the Galatians 1 O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 I want to learn only this from you: did you receive the Spirit from works of the law, or from faith in what you heard? 3 Are you so stupid? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? 4 Did you experience so many things in vain? — if indeed it was in vain. 5 Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you and works mighty deeds among you do so from works of the law or from faith in what you heard? Reader: The Word of the Lord. Response: Thanks be to God. RESPONSORIAL PSALM ------------------------------ Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75 R: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people. 69 He has raised up for us a mighty savior, born of the house of his servant David. R: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people. 70 Through his holy prophets he promised of old: 71 that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. R: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people. 72 He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. R: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people. 73 This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 74 to set us free from the hands of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, 75 holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. R: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION ------------------------------ Open our hearts, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son. GOSPEL (Luke 11:5-13) ------------------------------ Jesus encourages us to persevere in what we know is right, and hopefully, we will receive what we want in the end. This is one of the constant challenges of a life of faith — persevering in what we know to be true and right. There is no guarantee, because of the nature and prevalence of sin, that others are going to respond in a righteous or holy manner, but this is never an excuse for doing wrong. P - The Lord be with you. All - And also with you. P - A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke. All - Glory to you, Lord. 5 Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ 7 and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. 9 And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? 12 Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Priest: This is the gospel of the Lord. Response: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. -------------------------------------------------------- Lectionary for Mass, Copyright ¬© 1970, 1986, 1992, 1998, 2001 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain ¬®¬© 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. -------------------------------------------------------- REFLECTION ------------------------------ Thursday (October 9): How much more will the heavenly Father give! Meditation: What can we expect from God, especially when we recognize that he doesnt owe us anything and that we dont deserve his grace and favor? Jesus used the illustration of a late-night traveller to teach his listeners an important lesson about how God treats us in contrast to the kind of treatment we might expect from good neighbors. The rule of hospitality in biblical times required the cooperation of the entire community in entertaining an unexpected or late-night guest. Whether the guest was hungry or not, a meal would be served. In a small village it would be easy to know who had baked bread that day. Bread was essential for a meal because it served as a utensil for dipping and eating from the common dishes. Asking for bread from ones neighbor was both a common occurrence and an expected favor. To refuse to give bread would bring shame because it was a sign of in-hospitality. If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances, is generous and ready to give us what we need. Augustine of Hippo reminds us that God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously. In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confidence in his mercy and kindness? PRAYER ------------------------------ Heavenly Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May I never doubt your love nor hesitate to seek you with confidence in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and daily provision I need to live as your disciple and child. -------------------------------------------------------- Lectionary for Mass is from the USCCB website located at: usccb.org/bible/readings/ -------------------------------------------------------- This reflection is courtesy of Don Schwager, whose website is located at: rc.net/wcc/readings/ -------------------------------------------------------- You can also visit mobilegabriel/ for the complete readings and reflections for the whole month. -------------------------------------------------------- A Saint A Day courtesy of EWTN Global Catholic Network at: ewtn/saintsHoly/ -------------------------------------------------------- Inspirational message courtesy of EWTN Global Catholic Network at: ewtn/Devotionals/
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 01:48:01 +0000
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