Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00 Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:02 Before we turn to the topic today, I just, I want to speak just briefly about the cal dean's. A great number of the Keldi and Catholics in Iraq are in very dire straits and I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that side's parents sacrifice everybody that can needs to give arms. I'll read an excerpt from Saint Thomas Aquinas, great. Dr The church, which briefly explains the church's teaching there. Quote as love of our neighbors as a matter of precept, whatever's a necessary condition to the love of our neighbors and matter of precept. Also. Now the love of our neighbor requires that not only should we be our neighbors well-wishers but also his well doers. According to first John Three 18 let us not love and word nor in tongue but in deed and in truth, in order to be a person's well wisher and we'll do her.
Speaker 1 00:54 We are suckers needs. This is done by arms giving. Therefore, almsgiving is a matter of precept on the part of the giver. It must be no, that he should give of his surplus according to Luke 1141 that which remains give arms. Since it's is not possible for one individual Reeve relieved the needs of all. We're not bound relieve all who are in need, but only those who cannot be suckered if we did not sucker them for in such cases the words of the doctor, church, Saint Ambrose apply, feed him that dies of hunger. If I was not fit in, I was slaying him accordingly. We are bound to give arms of our surplus as also to give alms to one whose need is extreme close quote Saint Thomas,
Speaker 1 01:37 so it's an easy website to remember, but it's a website sponsored by the Kelvion Catholic EPR. Kill the USA. That's like an eastern diocese. So the the the Caledonian Catholic <inaudible> has a website called help iraq.org it's in the Bolton but help arac.org and they've got Kel DNS over here underwriting things. So hundred percent of the arms that you'd give to would go directly to help me, Iraqi Christians. There's also donation like there for medical emergency fund for Christian Iraqis. So the website has plenty of information. It has a message from Carlos Sacco, he's the, he's a cardinal and he's the, the Catholic Patriarchal Cal DNS. And it also has from Bishop Francis who's the bishop of the Saint Thomas The apostle and FRQ in the u s and regarding the evil and the genocide most Soules. So let us not forget them. Our country's probably gonna forget them, but we Catholics are not forgiven our turns coming.
Speaker 0 02:39 Okay,
Speaker 1 02:41 let's start this morning by spending a few minutes reviewing some aspects of the liturgy in order to be, give everyone some idea of what Pope Saint Pius the tent actually meant when he said, quote, the act of participation of the faithful and the sacred mysteries and in the public and som prayer, the church is the first, an indispensable source of the Christian spirit. Close quote. So this morning we're going to rely heavily on the teaching of great and incorrupt Benedictans, Melissa, Dawn, Columbia, Marmion. And as usual, I'm going to cut and paste quotes for the sake of time. Plus a dom Marmion quote the Church has received from our lord the power of sanctifying souls. We sanctify ourselves according to the measure in which we allow ourselves to be taught and guided by the church. It is especially by the liturgy. The church brings up the souls of her children in order to make them like onto Jesus.
Speaker 1 03:43 Close quote. Now, the blessing continues of important practical points along quote, I'll just summarize it right at the end, Don Marmion quote, if we let ourselves be guided by the liturgy, we shall infallibly come to know the mysteries of Jesus and above all enter into the thoughts and feelings of his divine heart. Why is this the church? Knowing the secret of a bridegroom takes from the Gospel, the pages which best placed each of his mysteries in relief. Then with perfect art, she lives traits in with passages of the songs, prophecies, the epistles of Saint Paul and other poses and quotations in the fathers of the church. She does place is the teachings in the divine master. The details of his life and the substance of his mysteries in a clear and fuller light at the same time, by the choice of the readings from the holy scriptures and sacred authors by the aspirations that she should suggest to us by your symbolism and ritual.
Speaker 1 04:44 She places our souls and the attitude demanded by the meaning of these mysteries she fosters in our hearts the requisite dispositions in order that we may assimilate the spiritual fruit of each mystery and the greatest measure possible. Close quote. So what does a bless it's saying that we'll penetrate into the mysteries of our Lord if we allow the readings and the riches of liturgy to guide us. Now, plus down Marmion points out that the different mysteries of our Lord's life each have different spiritual fruits. Quote. Each mystery is a fresh manifestation of Christ for us. Each has its own special beauty, its particular splendor, as likewise its own grace. The grace that flows for us from the feast and the activity has not the same characters. That which the celebration of the passion brings us close quote. So each mystery has not only its own special beauty, but it also has its own special grace to attach to it.
Speaker 1 05:45 Bless it. Don Marmion, the fathers of the church speak of what they call the virtue and signification of the mystery, which has been celebrated, some that are who see nothing. The celebration of Christ mysteries beyond perfection of the ceremonies, the beauty of the music and liturgical ornaments, the harmony of the ritual. There's all this and that is excellent. These outward elements have their use, but we must not stop exclusively at them. They are, but the fringe of Christ garment. The virtue of the mysteries of Jesus is above all interior and it is this virtue that we must seek before all it has set up. Jesus didn't always visit when he was visibly present upon earth. Virtue went out from him and healed all Christ. Jesus is ever the same. If with faith we contemplate as mysteries in the liturgy, the church sets before us that grace he merited for us when he lived.
Speaker 1 06:40 Those mysteries is produced within us. For example, each Christmas wordly celebrated is for the soul, like a new birth to divine life. Upon calvary, we died to sin with Christ. Jesus gives us the grace to test more deeply. All that offends him, falling Christ Jesus in this manner, in all his mysteries, uniting ourselves to him. We shared little by little but surely, and each time more fully and deeply in his divinity and his divine life according to the beautiful words of Saint Augustan, that which was formerly brought to pass in a divine reality is spiritual received in fervent souls by the repeated celebration of these mysteries. It is then true to say that when we contemplate Christ different mysteries we do so not only in order to recall events, rot for our salvation and to glorify God for them by our praise and thanksgiving. It is not only to see how Jesus lived and strive to imitate him, but furthermore that our souls may participate in each special state of the sacred humanity and draw forth from it the proper grace, the divine master attached to it.
Speaker 1 07:51 In Mary Miss Grace as head of the church for his mystical body. Close quote. If by faith we kind of put our Lord's mysteries in the liturgy, the church sets before us, the grace that he merited for us when he lived, those mysteries is produced within us and our souls will then draw forth from each mystery, the proper grades, the runes that attached to it in Meredith, this grace as the head of the church for his mystical body. So we want to picture the liturgical year as a sort of spiral staircase going through time if we're following our lord through the course of the year, allowing ourselves to be guided by the readings and ritual liturgy than every year when we get back to that same point on the calendar, we should penetrate deeper and deeper into the mystery and draw more fruits from it. Getting more of the spiritual fruits that he's attached to it.
Speaker 1 08:43 So the 13th Sunday after Pentecost, this year, 13th Sunday after Pentecost, next year, the next year, the next year, so forth. So each year we relive as it were, the life of Christ from advent. And in the preparation of his first calling all the way to the last Sunday after Pentecost and the preparation for a second coming St Andrew's missile points this out in another way, throughout the liturgical cycle. Every year on the altar, a new Palestine. Christ lives his whole life. A new in the same order in which in a folded itself of old this time I'll ever it is, we ourselves in union with our lawyer who enter into the mysteries of his life. Close quote. So liturgical year has two divisions that are roughly six months each from the beginning of the liturgical year, which was the first Sunday in advent, all the way to the Sunday Pentecost. We have the mysteries of life of Christ.
Speaker 1 09:39 That's the first six months, the second six months from Pentecost till the last Sunday after Pentecost. We have, as it were, the mysteries of the life of Christ, mystical body. You see more saints there on the calendar, but certainly we were to draw things about the life of the church at that. Now in that light. Let's consider the scriptural passage is fun in today's mass, but first by way of background, we're going to take a high lope through some scriptural history that everybody should know, but it's good to review just in case. So this part is a reviewed, appreciate the readings. I'm going to give a lot more detail than I'm going to talk about when we get to the readings, but it's for you. You can draw more things certainly out of out of the readings than just based on this if you haven't already. A little more enforced.
Speaker 1 10:24 Centuries after the flood, God made a covenant with Abraham and told him, among other things, that quote I'll make of thee a great nation and in thee shall all the families there be blessed, close quote, but he called Abraham to go to Palestine, the promised land. So Abraham takes his household and flocks and ends up in the promised land. Time passes his grandson, Jacob also known as Israel, has 12 sons. There's a terrible famine. These men along with their families, I'll leave the holy land and they move down in Egypt. Over the generations there. There are several things happen. These 12 families grow up into 12 tribes. It's 12 tribes of Israel and they become slaves. Moses is sent by God, delivers people from slavery to Pharaoh. Egypt struck with the 10 plagues they have the Passover Passover. Remember every foe, father slaughters a lamb, they mark the windows of the doors with, with the, the blood of that lamb.
Speaker 1 11:19 They eat the whole lamb. And in so doing they're protecting their firstborn sons from death. They fleet through the Red Sea and pass in the Sinai. Well that's called exodus. And uh, they, they get to Mount Sinai and the log gets handed down. That's 430 years after the time Abraham entered in the covenant with God to, to the get the law handed down on, on Sinai. So Moses goes up on Mount Sinai to get the law doctorate church, Saint Hillary, Podio, uh, explains the details cause we're all familiar with it. All the rumbling, a thundering and sounds of trumpets and all this stuff going on. When he's up there saying, Hilary of polio, these burning torches, these and fires, these rumbling fenders, this terror that accompanies entire comedy of the Lord or manifest the presence of the angelic ministers setting down the law through the hand of a mediator. The law was promulgated by the angels.
Speaker 1 12:13 Close quote. Now while all this is going on, that people rise up and build a golden calf. That's an idol of one of the Egyptian Pagan Gods. It's a pagan. It's a bold God called aps. And then the worship it suddenly the whole situation changes. Moses calls tremendous Stanford Lord try Mineral Tribal Levi respond and they killed idolaters. And from that point on, only men from that tribe and that tribe only will be the priest. No longer will the father's be the priest, offer up the sacrifices as a consequence of their sins and transgressions. After this point in the exodus, there are a whole slew of religious laws, ritual regulations that ended up becoming imposed on the people of Israel. And that's called the law. Okay, so more time passed till we get to just decide a thousand BC. Here comes King Solomon. We all know who he is. His father's King David is most best Sheba by special gift from God.
Speaker 1 13:08 He's the wisest man that lived about nine 61 BC or so. He builds the first temple in his royal city of Jerusalem. Unfortunately, by the end of his 40 year rule, King Solomon to become a corrupt tyrant. So after his death, his son becomes king and the northern tribes of Israel send a representative to ask him, will you go a little easier on us than your dad? Now the elders have experienced constantly go easy on the people, but it sends insecure and inexperienced and ignore their advice. It tells the people that he's going to leave. They're heavier. The Oak on Nim than Solomon head. It's a gut. There's a predictor resolve. It's disaster. The northern tribes pull away and while the smoke clears, the kingdom is broken into two, you have a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom. Northern Kingdom keeps name its the kingdom of Israel and it's made up of the 10 northern tribes.
Speaker 1 13:59 Southern Kingdom ends up being made up just to tribe, to tribe of Benjamin in the tribe of Judah, where she gets it, stay in the Kingdom of Judah. Okay? In the capital city, the kingdom, Israel ends up in a town called Sumeria, the capital city of, of to the Kim, Judas, Jerusalem. What really gets to the northern kingdom off to a rocky start religiously speaking as it's very first king to side to make sure his people, the 10 northern tribes, the 10 tribes of Israel wouldn't go up to Jerusalem to pay at the temple and offer sacrifice there because he's worried he's got political calculations. Hey, if they go up to Jerusalem, then they're going to fall in, end up in, ended up submitting to the king of Judah. So he has two golden calves built and trots them up before the people and says, you've gone to Jerusalem long enough, behold your gods mean wherever we heard this one before, but hold your gods is really brought you up out of land of Egypt.
Speaker 1 14:51 And, uh, and so then he points a new priesthood made of men who are not from the tribe of Levi. But that's kind of a no brainer because why are the tribe of Levi priests in the first place? Because they were killing the original guys that worshiped the golden calves. He sets up a golden calf on the north end of his kingdom with the, with the, you know, to go up there and worship and one down in the south. So they got two shrines. You've got to pause to see, that's the northern kingdom. So the Kingdom of Israel lurches from one wicked king to another. It's, it's sorta like the White House, and God keeps sending profits to call them back to the covenant, but they remain rebellious and just won't quit sinning. So he finally has enough. In seven 22 BC sends in as Syrians to conquer the northern kingdom.
Speaker 1 15:31 Now the Syrians come from their capital cities named Nineveh. That's most sule. The Kelty and Catholics are the direct descendants of the conquerors of the Kingdom of Israel. In order to avoid insurgencies and rebellion, the Syrians carry away thousands of Israelites and resettle them, scattered 'em out across the empire, and that's a blow from which the nation of Israel never recovered. The 10 tribes that were taken off to Syria become known as the 10 lost tribes. You've all heard of that? They've never again emerged in world history. At the same time, they carry away the 10 tribes. The Syrians locate five pagan tribes in the land surrounding the city of Symeria. These pagans intermarry with remaining Israelites and the resulting people are known as the Samaritans paranthetically. There still are some Samaritans that live in the West Bank, several hundred and early years. The Samaritans apparently had quite a hodgepodge of religious practices taken from the Israelites and the pagan ancestors, but over time, the religious practice become closer and closer to those that Jews in the southern kingdom, unlike the Jews, however, they believe they could sacrifice to God outside the temple in Jerusalem.
Speaker 1 16:37 That's obviously a big bone of contention with the Jews and the combination of their religious differences in a partial pig and ancestry makes him object of contempt by the ordinary. Jews and history seems to say that you should suggest that the feelings kind of mutual anyway. Then in the fullness of time, God becomes man. He fulfills the law perfectly and in the process really annoys the powers that be both by his actions and teachings. He knows him so much. They plot his demise at the hands of Patras pilot, so we see as it were, this great apostasy of the Jewish people who had had the true religion, had been awaiting the Messiah, but then as a collective entity reject him. When he shows up some 40 years after the crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Lord, the temple gets totally raised to the ground, destroyed by the Roman legions that are Vespasian and Titus. Here's an important point. The old covenant was between God and the descendants of Abraham, but they just killed God
Speaker 2 17:41 and of old covenant.
Speaker 1 17:45 Why is that? It's easy to say if when we make the comparison, marriage is a covenant. How do you get out of marriage? There's only one way someone dies. It's till death do us part and that's what it means. So God died. That meant a permanent end of old covenant over and now the relationship between God and man is governed by the new and everlasting covenant in his blood. It's no longer something that's one tribe. It's for everybody or one nation rather, because you have two tribes. Over time we see this absolutely amazing conversion of the various pig nations who reject in their idolatry moral depravity turn to embrace the Lord entered his new and everlasting covenant and so doing become spiritual sons of Abraham and errors of his promise, which we hear every day in the Canada, the mass. We talk about Abraham our father,
Speaker 1 18:37 but unless you're Hebrew Catholic, he's not literally your father genetically is he, but he is literally father. Spiritually. We're told at the end of the world, the gentile peoples will themselves reject one true faith and turned back to their idols and moral depravity and find during the reign of antichrist by the force, the preaching miracles of the Prophet Elias or Lija, same guy. Many of the Jews will enter into the new and everlasting covenant by becoming Catholic. Okay? That's sort of a panoramic sweep from the just after the flood dried up to the end of the world of the scriptural history, but it's all by way of general background and now we're going to use some of that cause we're going to turn to today's readings. We'll start with some comments taken largely from the Saint Andrew's missile. If you're wondering, you don't have a missile, that's the one to buy for.
Speaker 1 19:20 I want to just own one book to come to a much deeper understanding. The literature, the one in print is the 45 edition, so there's some differences, especially in holy week, but that doesn't attract it all from it's value in understanding liturgy. If you just want one book, there's nothing like that. It's brilliant. I'll even other comments, especially some made by Jacob Michael. So this is a patchwork quilt. We'll start with the words from this morning's in Troy. Now that's the after the prayers, the foot to ultimately the priest goes up and it gets to the missile. That's the first thing the priest says when he's arrived at the missile. And I'll just read the intro and then we'll talk briefly about it. I'm just going to make some reflections on some of the ring. Have regard a lord to that covenant. For Sake, not to the end.
Speaker 1 19:58 The souls of the poor arise o Lord and judge they cause, and forget not the voices of them that seek the, Oh God, why has thou cast us off into the, and why is they wrath and kindled against the sheep of the pasture? The great doctrine of the church, the venerable beat comments on this psalm, it's some 73 to synagogue speaks throughout the song stating in penitent heart of certain Jews have provoked God's chest divestment, get it prophesized that some of them shall be converted at the end of the world closed quote. So Som referring to divine judgment on the Jews, but also pointing towards a conversion at the end when they finally quit obstinately resisting grace in the call act, we ask God for the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity so that we love what he loves. Fruits by that faith manifested in good works and trust in God.
Speaker 1 20:53 That's souls that had been covered with a leprosy of sin. Our Cure, as we're reminded of in today's Gospel, the epistle is taken from Santyl Paul's letter to the Galatians. St Paul shows it's faith in Christ, which gives eternal life and not the law of Sinai to prove this. He points out that it is to Abraham and his descendants that the promises, but given what promises, well, we just heard about them. The promise to bless all the nations of the world through the seed of Abraham Saint Paul points out that the seed is Christ and now that the seed has come, now that Christ is come, the promises made to Abraham can be been began to be fulfilled. They couldn't be fulfilled to the rituals of the law. What Saint Paul refers to as work. So the law Saint RuPaul reminds us that the law of Moses was added 430 years after the covenant was sworn with Abraham and that's he could not possibly make void that promises that God himself made to Abraham.
Speaker 1 21:51 The promises made to Aaron cannot be fulfilled to later temporary provisions that were imposed because of Israel's transgressions during the exodus. Those laws were a corrective measure put in place temporarily, quote until the seed should come close quote. So they're to be fulfilled rather to Christ who inaugurates and new covenant. The old law had no other purpose but to lead men to Christ. Now think of that the old law had no other purpose but to lead men to Christ. And yet in today's Gospel we see the spectacle of nine men miraculously healed by Christ. Nine Jews, nine men who are living under the old covenant. And they missed the whole point
Speaker 1 22:45 in the Gospel for the last two weeks. We've seen righteous Samaritans. Last week of course, we had the gospel with the Good Samaritan and the Gospel. Last two weeks we've seen righteous Samaritans. And at best in different Jews. So we've been seen as drama of the members of the one true church. Being indifferent to Christ and outsiders responding with faith and good works. Obviously in the first instance, it applies to the Jewish people, but remember that at this time, the church skull year between Pentecost, which places the birthday of the church before us and last Sunday, Pentecost, which places judgment day before us, and this time of the year literature has turned towards the life of the mystical body of Christ, the life of his church, and in that light, it ought to give each one of us pause. When we think about this gospel as a member of the one true church, each one of us had to stop and check his heart is my religion largely a question of forms?
Speaker 1 23:43 Is My religion largely a question of external practices, a checklist that I can just run down. Let's be clear. Forms of external practice are important and very important. After all, wedding ring is a beautiful and important external practice, but it's principle beauty and significant significance comes from the fact that it's an external expression of an inner reality, thinner or reality of that love and reverence that the one wearing has for their spouse. Huh? So each one of us ought to ask themselves, is my religion largely a question of forms and external practices? A checklist I can run down or is it a fare? The heart in which the forms and external practices are external signs of an entered reality. External signs that in my heart Christ is rule cause I'm totally committed to him that I'm totally committed to the truth. No matter how painful it may be for me at the present, that I'm striving to submit myself as perfectly and lovingly as possible. The truth incarnate, each one of us should ask themselves, have I been at guilty?
Speaker 0 25:01 Okay,
Speaker 1 25:01 well this sort of elitist attitude insights, I'm a member of the person that has the true religion, true mass, or if I forgot, it's certainly the traditional mass is only a means to an end. Have I been guilty of confusing means with ends
Speaker 0 25:24 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 25:25 the traditional liturgy, the beauty chant, polyphony all those kinds of things are very important, but at the end of the day, they're only means
Speaker 0 25:34 <inaudible>.
Speaker 1 25:36 There only means the end is union with Christ.
Speaker 0 25:40 Okay?
Speaker 1 25:42 In other words, to end his holiness and holiness is directly proportional to my humility and my charity. Am I missing the whole point? Do I believe? Do I really believe that union with Christ is the point of our holy religion? If I believe that, then is it obvious in my thoughts and in my words and my deeds
Speaker 0 26:23 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 26:32 today's Gospel, we see a foreshadowing of the way in which our lord will bring about the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham. Salvation will come to our mankind, Jew and gentile through obedience to our Lord's commands and union with him. But once we've been healed, once you've been freed from leprosy of sin and vice, we also have to remember to imitate the Samaritan Leper by returning to our Lord to give thanks. And in St Luke's text, the word he used in Greek is Eucharist on we give thanks for our salvation, for being made heirs to the promises made by God to Abraham, by coming here to the holy sacrifice of the mass and offering to God an acceptable sacrifice. The communion verse refers to the sacrifice of thanksgiving. This eucharistic dawn, when we hear quote though, has given us the Lord bread from heaven. Having it all that is delicious and the sweetness of every taste close quote.
Speaker 2 27:39 Today
Speaker 1 27:41 as we ponder the lessons contained in this liturgy, each one of us needs to ask himself, is my religion largely a question of forms and external practices? A checklist I run down?
Speaker 0 27:59 Yeah.
Speaker 1 27:59 Or is it an affair of the heart? Do I believe really believe that union with Christ is the point of our holy religion?
Speaker 2 28:14 And if I believe that, is that obvious in my thoughts and in my words and in my deeds?
