Daily Readings September 13, 2012

Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor of the Church

St. John Chrysostom.  He of the golden throat.  Read more.

Lectionary: 440

Reading 1 1 Cor 8:1b-7, 11-13

Brothers and sisters:

Knowledge inflates with pride, 

As Scripture says elsewhere, he who thinks he is wise is simply vain.

1 Corinthians 3:20King James Version (KJV)
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

but love builds up.

Love is the summary of our faith.  There is no law against love.  Love is patient, love is kind, love builds up.

1 Corinthians 13:4
King James Version (KJV)
⁴ Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

If anyone supposes he knows something,

he does not yet know as he ought to know.

He is speaking of knowledge apart from love.  Knowledge without love is nothing:

1 Corinthians 13:2
King James Version (KJV)
² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

There is no wisdom outside of God's wisdom.

But if one loves God, one is known by him.

Anyone who loves God is a child of God.

So about the eating of meat sacrificed to idols:

we know that there is no idol in the world,

and that there is no God but one.

This is a logical teaching.  There is only One God, therefore, meat sacrificed to idols is simply meat.  No harm can come of anyone eating that meat.

Indeed, even though there are so-called gods in heaven and on earth

(there are, to be sure, many 'gods' and many 'lords'),

yet for us there is

one God, the Father,

from whom all things are and for whom we exist,

and one Lord, Jesus Christ,

through whom all things are and through whom we exist.

Note the distinction.  This is a Trinitarian teaching.  God the Father is He from whom all things come and for whom all things exist.  God the Son is He through whom all things are and through whom all things exist.

But not all have this knowledge.

He's talking about the knowledge that idols are simply superstitions.  They can harm no one. 

There are some who have been so used to idolatry up until now

that, when they eat meat sacrificed to idols,

their conscience, which is weak, is defiled.

He says that some people who used to believe in idols, still felt pangs of guilt if they either ate of meat sacrificed to idols or observed others doing so.

Thus, through your knowledge, the weak person is brought to destruction,

the brother for whom Christ died.

Therefore, he says, although it is not a sin to do it, you will cause people of weak conscience to commit sin against their conscience, if you do things that they feel are wrong.

When you sin in this way against your brothers

and wound their consciences, weak as they are,

you are sinning against Christ.

Therefore, we are responsible for causing the sin of our brother, and therefore we become guilty of sin ourselves.  Because we have caused another to sin.

Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin,

I will never eat meat again,

so that I may not cause my brother to sin.

So, St. Paul concludes that it is better not to ever eat meat again, if our eating meat will cause our brothers to sin.

This, of course, translates to everything.  If wearing shorts causes our brother to sin, we should not wear shorts.  If drinking beer causes our brother to sin, we should not drink beer in front of them.  Etc. etc.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 139:1b-3, 13-14ab, 23-24

Response. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;

you know when I sit and when I stand;

you understand my thoughts from afar.

My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,

with all my ways you are familiar.

R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

Truly you have formed my inmost being;

you knit me in my mother's womb.

I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;

wonderful are your works.

R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

Probe me, O God, and know my heart;

try me, and know my thoughts;

See if my way is crooked,

and lead me in the way of old.

R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.

This is the reason I came back to Christianity.  For many years, I succumbed to atheism.  Then I realized that only God could have made something as wonderful as a living being.  The living being in question is the daughter with whom God first blest me when my wife conceived our first child.  Yes, Virginia, there is one God and He is awesome!

Gospel Lk 6:27-38

Jesus said to his disciples:

"To you who hear I say, love your enemies,

do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,

pray for those who mistreat you.

The biggest question I hear from those who don't believe in Christ is, "Is He serious?"  The answer is, "Yes."

To the person who strikes you on one cheek,

offer the other one as well,

and from the person who takes your cloak,

do not withhold even your tunic.

Give to everyone who asks of you,

and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.

Christianity is a higher form of morality.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

This is a positive reformulation of the Golden Rule.  In the Jewish tradition, it was, "Do not do unto others what you would not have them do to you."   Jesus' reformulation makes a big difference.  The difference is highlighted in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).  If you read that parable, you will see that the first two passers by met the condition of not doing anything to the injured person which the injured person would not want.  They didn't step over there and beat on him further.  But it is the Good Samaritan who met Jesus' prescription.  He did what we would someone to do for us if we were injured.  He helped.

For if you love those who love you,

what credit is that to you?

Even sinners love those who love them.

And if you do good to those who do good to you,

what credit is that to you?

Even sinners do the same.

If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment,

what credit is that to you?

Even sinners lend to sinners,

and get back the same amount.

But rather, love your enemies and do good to them,

and lend expecting nothing back;

then your reward will be great

and you will be children of the Most High,

for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.

As Jesus said elsewhere:

Matthew 5:48
King James Version (KJV)
⁴⁸ Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Catholicism is a higher form of morality which no other religion even comes close to approaching.

"Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give and gifts will be given to you;

a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing,

will be poured into your lap.

For the measure with which you measure

will in return be measured out to you."

Understand this, because this is a double edged sword.  What you do for others or against others, will be returned to you in double measure.

Hebrews 10:31
King James Version (KJV)
³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

1 Corinthians 2:9King James Version (KJV)9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Sincerely,

De Maria