January 31, 2013

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Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Read more about St. John Bosco.

Lectionary: 320

Reading 1 from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews
Heb 10:19-25

Brothers and sisters:
Since through the Blood of Jesus

That means through the Blood which He shed for us on the Cross.  It also is a veiled reference to the Cup of Blessing, which is the Covenant of Salvation in His Blood.

His Blood is also a euphemism for Sanctifying Grace which is the Grace that He released when He was crucified and the Grace which is applied to us in the Sacraments.

Sanctifying Grace is a participation in God's life.
Blood is the life of the Body.
Therefore, Sanctifying Grace is the life of the Body of Christ.

we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary

 That means that it is now, not by works, but by our faith in Him that we are saved.

by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,
that is, his flesh,

Because Christ united God and man in His Being when He took flesh, then His Flesh is the veil between Heaven and earth.  We pass through this veil when we consume His Flesh in the Eucharist.

and since we have “a great priest over the house of God,”

The house of God is heaven.  The house of God is also the Church (1 Tim 3:15).  Christ is the great Priest over the house of God.

let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,

Because Christ is man, we can approach the Throne of God with complete trust.

The idea expressed in the past two verses is this.  Christ is man.  Therefore He is one of us.  Christ is God, therefore, He is the owner of the House.  Since He is one of us, when we enter His House, we enter our house.

Let me put it this way.  I live far from my Mom now.  When I go to see my Mom, if no one comes to the door, I take out my key and enter in with full confidence.  It is the house in which I was raised.  It is my house, too.

That is how we should feel about the Church.  That is how we should feel about heaven.

with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience
and our bodies washed in pure water.

This is a direct reference to Baptism and to the Sacraments indirectly.  The Sacraments are all effusions of the Holy Spirit.  They are all outpourings of Sanctifying Grace.  Therefore all the Sacraments may be described as a Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,
for he who made the promise is trustworthy.

Our confession is our profession of faith in God.  We must make this profession before we are baptized, we must make this profession in lieu of our children's ability to do so when we have them baptized as infants, we make this profession every time we go to Mass.

We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works.

This is a very appropriate verse for this year of the New Evangelization and year of faith wherein we are supposed to bring people to the Mass and to invite them to live a Christian life.

We should not stay away from our assembly,

That means that a remembrance of the life, suffering, death and resurrection of our Saviour is more important than even the Super Bowl.   Do not miss the Mass for inconsequential pleasures.  If you can incorporate the Mass into those celebrations, the better for you.  But do not replace the Mass with those things of the world:

Hebrews 10:25-31
King James Version (KJV)
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,  27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.  28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:  29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?  30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

as is the custom of some, but encourage one another,
and this all the more as you see the day drawing near.

So, in this year of faith, let us encourage all our neighbors, friends and especially our family members who have fallen from the Church to come back and drink from the fountain of Grace which is given us in the Sacraments.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (see 6)  Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

In the response, we declare that we are hoping and waiting for our salvation, when we enter heaven and see the Face of God.

The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

In this quatrain, we declare that God is Sovereign over all the earth.  We also declare that He made the earth and all that is in it.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.

The mountain of the Lord represents the path we take to righteousness.  It represents the process of our justification by faith and works.  No one can ascend the mountain of the Lord without the grace of God.

His Holy Place is both Heaven and the Church.  Only those who have chosen the path of righteousness and have washed their robes in the blood of Christ may stand therein.

R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks for him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Those who seek to do right and keep the Commandments will receive a blessing from God.  They shall be saved and eat of the Tree of Life.  It is only they who persevere in righteous works who shall receive this blessing:
Revelation 22:14
King James Version (KJV)
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark
Mk 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?

Jesus asked His disciples, "what do you do with a lamp?  Do you put it under a blanket?  Or do you put it on a stand where it may shed its light over the entire room?

The lamp represents our works.  Those lamps which we hide are our sins of which we are ashamed or which we hide with the wicked belief that we can avoid purnishment.

The lamps which we do for all to see are our good works, of which we are proud.

For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.

 God sees all and will bring all our works to light, whether they be good or bad.

Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”

This is hard to understand.  It think the word "hear" must mean "listen" and "obey".   In other words, "if you are listening, you ought to obey my words."

He also told them, “Take care what you hear.

 Therefore, "make sure that you do what I say."  There are consequences for obeying or disobeying the Word of God.

The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.

Because,  the good that you do will be measured out to you in reward.
But, the evil that you do will be measured out to you in punishment.

To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

To the one who has faith, more will be given.
From the one who has not, even what he has, even that will be taken from him.