Catholic Church Daily Reading for Friday, August 18th, 2017 Catholic Online Bible

Catholic Church Daily Reading for Friday, August 18th, 2017 Catholic Online Bible

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Catholic Church Daily Reading for Friday, August 18th, 2017
Catholic Online Bible
     
First Reading, Joshua 24:1-13
1 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem; he then summoned all the elders of Israel, its leaders, judges and officials, and they presented themselves in God's presence.

2 Joshua then said to all the people: 'Yahweh, the God of Israel, says this, "From time immemorial, your ancestors, Terah, father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the River, and served other gods.

3 I then brought your ancestor Abraham from beyond the River and led him through the length and breadth of Canaan. I increased his descendants and I gave him Isaac.

4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave possession of the mountainous country of Seir. Jacob and his sons went down into Egypt.

5 I then sent Moses and Aaron, and plagued Egypt with the wonders that I worked there; finally I brought you out.

6 I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, and you came to the Sea; the Egyptians pursued your ancestors with chariots and horsemen, to the Sea of Reeds.

7 They then called to Yahweh, and he spread a thick fog between you and the Egyptians, and made the sea go back on them and cover them. You saw with your own eyes what I did in Egypt. Then, for a long while, you lived in the desert.

8 I then brought you into the country of the Amorites, who used to live on the further side of the Jordan; they made war on you and I put them at your mercy; after which, you took possession of their country, since I destroyed them before you.

9 Next, Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, rose to make war on Israel, and sent for Balaam son of Beor to come and curse you.

10 But I would not listen to Balaam; instead, he had to bless you, and I saved you from his power.

11 "You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho, but the inhabitants of Jericho made war on you: Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I put them all at your mercy.

12 I sent hornets ahead of you, which drove out the two Amorite kings before you; this was not the work of your sword or of your bow.

13 And now I have given you a country for which you have not toiled, towns you have not built, although you live in them, vineyards and olive groves you have not planted, although you eat their fruit."

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22, 24
1 Alleluia! Give thanks to Yahweh for he is good, for his faithful love endures for ever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his faithful love endures for ever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his faithful love endures for ever.

16 He led his people through the desert, for his faithful love endures for ever.

17 He struck down mighty kings, for his faithful love endures for ever.

18 Slaughtered famous kings, for his faithful love endures for ever.

21 He gave their land as a birthright, for his faithful love endures for ever.

22 A birthright to his servant Israel, for his faithful love endures for ever.

24 And rescued us from our enemies, for his faithful love endures for ever.


Gospel, Matthew 19:3-12
3 Some Pharisees approached him, and to put him to the test they said, 'Is it against the Law for a man to divorce his wife on any pretext whatever?'

4 He answered, 'Have you not read that the Creator from the beginning made them male and female

5 and that he said: This is why a man leaves his father and mother and becomes attached to his wife, and the two become one flesh?

6 They are no longer two, therefore, but one flesh. So then, what God has united, human beings must not divide.'

7 They said to him, 'Then why did Moses command that a writ of dismissal should be given in cases of divorce?'

8 He said to them, 'It was because you were so hard-hearted, that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but it was not like this from the beginning.

9 Now I say this to you: anyone who divorces his wife -- I am not speaking of an illicit marriage -- and marries another, is guilty of adultery.'

10 The disciples said to him, 'If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is advisable not to marry.'

11 But he replied, 'It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted.

12 There are eunuchs born so from their mother's womb, there are eunuchs made so by human agency and there are eunuchs who have made themselves so for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.

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HE BISHOPS OF OWERRI ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE HAVE CALLED ON ALL THE FAITHFUL OF AHIARA DIOCESE TO COMPLY WITH THE DIRECTIVES OF THE HOLY FATHER

HE BISHOPS OF OWERRI ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE HAVE CALLED ON ALL THE FAITHFUL OF AHIARA DIOCESE TO COMPLY WITH THE DIRECTIVES OF THE HOLY FATHER

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THE BISHOPS OF OWERRI ECCLESIASTICAL PROVINCE  HAVE CALLED ON  ALL THE FAITHFUL OF AHIARA DIOCESE TO COMPLY WITH THE DIRECTIVES OF THE HOLY FATHER:
The Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Owerri have called on the priests, religious and lay faithful of Ahiara Diocese to comply with the directives of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, accept Bishop Peter Okpaleke as their local ordinary and prepare for his installation.
The bishops made the call in a Pastoral Statement issued at the end of their second Plenary meeting held at the Bishops House, Christ the King Cathedral, aba, Abia State, recently. The Pastoral Statement titled: A Moment of Grace and Reparation; Praying For Church And Nation: was signed by Most Rev. Anthony J.V. Obinna of Owerri and Most Rev. Augustine Ukwuoma of Orlu, President and Secretary of the CBCN Provincial Conference.
Pointing out that the Ahiara crisis has been a very painful experience for the Church of the Ecclesiastical Province, the Bishops declared: “We in the Owerri Ecclesiastical Province and even far beyond have known and felt the scandal and pain of disunity which has attended the crisis in Ahiara Diocese. Many have been deeply wounded, and many others have felt bitter. We the Bishops and Pastors of our Province passionately plead for conversion, forgiveness and reconciliation.”
Expressing satisfaction with the personal intervention of the Holy Father in the crisis, the Bishops articulated their gratitude to the Pope and called on all the priests and faithful of the diocese to comply with the directives of the Holy Father. They said: “The June 2017 visit of members of our Owerri Ecclesiastical Province to the Vatican and to our Holy Father, Pope Francis, along with some prominent members of Nigeria’s Episcopal Hierarchy, brought to a certain climax the pain of our Local Church especially in Ahiara Diocese.”
They added: “This pain has lasted for almost five years. We are deeply grateful to the Holy Father for his personal intervention which has given the definitive way forward. We therefore earnestly call on all the priests, religious and laity of Ahiara Diocese to unconditionally obey the Pope, the Vicar of Christ, and to comply with all his directives, wholeheartedly accept Bishop Peter E. Okpaleke and prepare for his installation.”
Speaking on the political situation of the country the bishops expressed grave concern and called for concerted soul-searching as to “whether we really want to build and be an equitable, united and peaceful nation”.
Their words: “The last two years of Nigeria’s national life, 2015-2017, have seen an increased upsurge of ethnic and regional agitations which have added further political tension to the already violent state of the Nigerian nation. Unable yet to contain the murderous menace of various marauding groups across Nigeria, the agitations and denunciations by rival Nigerian blocs, some in favour of, some against restructuring Nigeria, have made Nigeria a continually troubled and worrisome nation."
They continued: "The rigging of elections by the political elite, the stealing of public funds, the owing of legitimate entitlements to workers and pensioners, the mass unemployment of our youth and the politics of exclusion have all added to the sorry state of Nigeria. We pray for Mr President, Muhammadu Buhari, appealing to him as well as to the other members of the executive and the legislature at the national and state levels, to seriously look into the problems of our people and proffer the best of solutions for their welfare."
The Bishops stated: “It will require self-sacrificing and truly patriotic leaders to move Nigerians and Nigeria towards this path of equity, friendship and peace. Where there is a corporate will to do so, it can still be done. Other nations that once had internal bloody wars have eventually overcome their hatred and hostility and become truly united – in Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Others that felt it was better to live well apart have amicably and peacefully separated, sometimes with the help of the United Nations.”
They concluded: “We are once again at a critical cross-road. Having seen a tragic civil war in Nigeria from which we are still to recover and with small-scale wars still raging, here and there in Nigeria, our government and political leaders should embrace the path of compassion, dialogue and repentance so that Nigerians and Nigeria may be repaired, renewed and truly united. We therefore urge all Nigerians to eschew all forms of hate-speech capable of inflaming passions.”

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THE ORIGIN OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY AND THE CHURCH TEACHINGS

THE ORIGIN OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY AND THE CHURCH TEACHINGS

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THE ORIGIN OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY AND THE CHURCH TEACHINGS:

August 15 is the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.
 it is a holy day of obligation.

The Assumption of Mary is the teaching that:

The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory [Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus 44].

This teaching was infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950 in the bull Munificentissimus Deus (Latin, “Most Bountiful God”).

As Pius XII explained, this is “a divinely revealed dogma” (ibid.).

This means that it is a dogma in the proper sense. It is thus a matter of faith that has been divinely revealed by God and that has been infallibly proposed by the Magisterium of the Church as such
Since it is a dogma defined by the pope (rather than by an ecumenical council, for example), it is also an “ex cathedra” statement (one delivered “from the chair” of Peter).

Because it is infallibly defined, it calls for the definitive assent of the faithful.

Pope John Paul II explained:

The definition of the dogma, in conformity with the universal faith of the People of God, definitively excludes every doubt and calls for the express assent of all Christians [General Audience, July 2, 1997].

Note that all infallibly defined teachings are things we are obliged to believe, even if they aren’t defined “ex cathedra” (by the pope acting on his own).

The bishops of the world teaching in union with the pope (either in an ecumenical council or otherwise) can also infallibly define matters, but these aren’t called “ex cathedra” since that term refers specifically to the exercise of the pope’s authority as the successor of St. Peter. (It’s Peter’s cathedra or “chair” that symbolizes the pope’s authority.)

It is the common teaching that Mary did die. In his work, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, Ludwig Ott lists this teaching as sententia communior (Latin, “the more common opinion”).

Although it is the common understanding of that Mary did die, and although her death is referred to in some of the sources Pius XII cited in Munificentissimus Deus, he deliberately refrained from defining this as a truth of the faith.

John Paul II noted:

On 1 November 1950, in defining the dogma of the Assumption, Pius XII avoided using the term "resurrection" and did not take a position on the question of the Blessed Virgin’s death as a truth of faith.

The Bull Munificentissimus Deus limits itself to affirming the elevation of Mary’s body to heavenly glory, declaring this truth a "divinely revealed dogma."



 Why should Mary die if she was free from Original Sin and its stain?

Being free of Original Sin and its stain is not the same thing as being in a glorified, deathless condition.

Jesus was also free of Original Sin and its stain, but he could—and did—die.

Expressing a common view among theologians, Ludwig Ott writes:

For Mary, death, in consequence of her freedom from original sin and from personal sin, was not a consequence of punishment of sin.


However, it seems fitting that Mary’s body, which was by nature mortal, should be, in conformity with that of her Divine Son, subject to the general law of death.



 What are the earliest surviving references to Mary’s Assumption?

John Paul II noted:

The first trace of belief in the Virgin's Assumption can be found in the apocryphal accounts entitled Transitus Mariae [Latin, “The Crossing Over of Mary”], whose origin dates to the second and third centuries.

These are popular and sometimes romanticized depictions, which in this case, however, pick up an intuition of faith on the part of God's People.


 How did the recognition of Mary’s Assumption develop in the East?

John Paul II noted:

There was a long period of growing reflection on Mary’s destiny in the next world.

This gradually led the faithful to believe in the glorious raising of the Mother of Jesus, in body and soul, and to the institution in the East of the liturgical feasts of the Dormition [“falling asleep”—i.e., death] and Assumption of Mary.

  How did Pius XII prepare for the definition of the Assumption?

John Paul II noted:

In May 1946, with the Encyclical Deiparae Virginis Mariae, Pius XII called for a broad consultation, inquiring among the Bishops and, through them, among the clergy and the People of God as to the possibility and opportuneness of defining the bodily assumption of Mary as a dogma of faith.

The result was extremely positive: only six answers out of 1,181 showed any reservations about the revealed character of this truth.

 What Scriptural basis is there for the teaching?

John Paul II noted:

Although the New Testament does not explicitly affirm Mary’s Assumption, it offers a basis for it because it strongly emphasized the Blessed Virgin's perfect union with Jesus’ destiny.

This union, which is manifested, from the time of the Savior’s miraculous conception, in the Mother’s participation in her Son’s mission and especially in her association with his redemptive sacrifice, cannot fail to require a continuation after death.

Perfectly united with the life and saving work of Jesus, Mary shares his heavenly destiny in body and soul.

There are, thus, passages in Scripture that resonate with the Assumption, even though they do not spell it out.

What are some specific Old Testament passages?

Pope Pius XII pointed to several passages that have been legitimately used in a “rather free” manner to explain belief in the Assumption (meaning: these passages resonate with it in various ways, but they don’t provide explicit proof):

Often there are theologians and preachers who, following in the footsteps of the holy Fathers, have been rather free in their use of events and expressions taken from Sacred Scripture to explain their belief in the Assumption.

Thus, to mention only a few of the texts rather frequently cited in this fashion, some have employed the words of the psalmist:

"Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark, which you have sanctified" (Ps. 131:8);

and have looked upon the Ark of the Covenant, built of incorruptible wood and placed in the Lord's temple, as a type of the most pure body of the Virgin Mary, preserved and exempt from all the corruption of the tomb and raised up to such glory in heaven.

Treating of this subject, they also describe her as the Queen entering triumphantly into the royal halls of heaven and sitting at the right hand of the divine Redeemer(Ps. 44:10-14ff).

Likewise they mention the Spouse of the Canticles "that goes up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh and frankincense" to be crowned (Song 3:6; cf. also 4:8, 6:9).

These are proposed as depicting that heavenly Queen and heavenly Spouse who has been lifted up to the courts of heaven with the divine Bridegroom [Munificentissimus Deus 26].

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ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

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                     ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The Feast of the Assumption is a very old feast of the Church, celebrated universally by the sixth century. The feast was originally celebrated in the East, where it is known as the Feast of the Dormition, a word which means "the falling asleep." The earliest printed reference to the belief that Mary's body was assumed into Heaven dates from the fourth century, in a document entitled "The Falling Asleep of the Holy Mother of God." The document is written in the voice of the Apostle John, to whom Christ on the Cross had entrusted the care of His mother, and recounts the death, laying in the tomb, and assumption of the Blessed Virgin.

Tradition variously places Mary's death at Jerusalem or at Ephesus, where John was living.

Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, continue to refer to the Feast of the Assumption as the Dormition of the Theotokos today.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life is a defined dogma of the Catholic Church.


On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII, exercising papal infallibility, declared in Munificentissimus Deus that it is a dogma of the Church "that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." As a dogma, the Assumption is a required belief of all Catholics; anyone who publicly dissents from the dogma, Pope Pius declared, "has fallen away completely from the divine and Catholic Faith."

While the Eastern Orthodox believe in the Dormition, they object to the papal definition of the dogma, seeing it as unnecessary, since belief in Mary's bodily assumption, tradition holds, goes back to apostolic times.

Pope Pius XII, in the text explaining his definition of the dogma of the Assumption, refers repeatedly to the Blessed Virgin's death before her Assumption, and the consistent tradition in both the East and the West holds that Mary did die before she was assumed into Heaven. However, since the definition of the Assumption is silent on this question, Catholics can legitimately believe that Mary did not die before the Assumption.

1. Catholics must believe this in order to hold the Faith.

The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian Dogmas (infallible teachings) that Catholics must believe (the others being the Immaculate Conception, Divine Maternity, and Perpetual Virginity of our Lady). The reason why validity of the doctrine can be trusted is that it rests on the same foundation as that of Transubstantiation or the Canon of the Bible – namely, the teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

2. There is good circumstantial, supporting evidence for the Assumption.

No Christian community has ever claimed to have the relics (bones or other mortal remains) of the Virgin Mary. When one considers how Christians venerated the relics and final resting places of important saints in the early Church period (such as St Peter’s Basilica being built over his tomb), it is remarkable that no church has ever claimed to have her relics. If the relics of the Mother of Jesus relics really did exist, they would have been prized above all others. An argument from silence isn’t always the greatest, but in this case, silence speaks volumes.

3. There is indirect, biblical support for the doctrine.

The simple fact of the matter is that, in salvation history recorded in the Bible, “assumptions happen”. Genesis speaks of Enoch, who “walked with God and was no more, because God took him” (Genesis 5:24; cf. Hebrews 11:5). Most interpreters believe that Enoch was assumed, body and soul, into heaven. Also, Elijah was taken up to heaven, body and soul, in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11).

If these holy ones of old could be translated directly to heaven, why not the “Panagia” (“All-Holy”) mother of God, who “gave the Word flesh” (cf. John 1:14)? In Revelation 12, John sees the “Ark of the (New) Covenant”, Mary in heaven.

4. Christians have believed this for centuries.

Catholics did not “invent” the doctrine of the Assumption when Pope Pius XII officially defined it in 1950. All the Pope was doing was making clear that this teaching was always true and part of the deposit of faith (Jude 3) for centuries. How do we know this? Because the Church’s liturgy (including the content of liturgical prayers and feast days) included the Assumption from the earliest times. Some even believe it was the earliest of Marian feast days, originating in Jerusalem.

Many Christian practices were suppressed under the wicked reign of Emperor Hadrian, who had levelled much of Jerusalem in 135 AD, renaming the town after the pagan god Jupiter. After Constantine’s acceptance of the faith in the fourth century, many Christian feasts were revived. The Assumption began to be celebrated in Rome as early as the seventh century. It is in the liturgy that Sacred Tradition is taught most clearly, for “the Church believes as She prays” (Lex orandi, lex credendi).

We have a powerful intercessor in heaven in Mary, who precedes all of us who look forward to life in the new heaven and the new earth in a glorified humanity of body and soul. We close with a liturgical prayer asking for that intercession: Recordare, Virgo Mater Dei, dum steteris in conspectu Domini; ut loquaris pro nobis bona (“Remember, Virgin Mother of God, when you walk in the presence of the Lord, to speak well of us”).

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WHAT ST. STEPHEN FEAST IS ALL ABOUT

WHAT ST. STEPHEN FEAST IS ALL ABOUT

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St. Stephen
The deacon Stephen, stoned in Jerusalem two years after the death of Christ, has always been the object of very special veneration by the faithful. He is the first martyr. The account in the Acts of the Apostles relating his arrest and the accusations brought against him emphasize the parallel with our Saviour's trial; he was stoned outside the city wall and died, like his Master, praying for his executioners.

Stephen belongs to the group of seven deacons whom the Apostles associated with their work in order to lighten their load. He was "filled with faith and with the Holy Spirit," "full of grace and strength" he showed himself as a man of God, radiating divine grace and apostolic zeal. As the first witness to Christ he confronted his opponents with quiet courage and the promise made by Jesus (Mark 13.11) was fulfilled: ". . .Disputing with Stephen they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke."

In St. Stephen, the first martyr, the liturgy emphasizes the imitator of Christ even to the extent of the complete gift of self, to the extent of that great charity which made him pray in his suffering for his executioners. By establishing the feast on the day after Christmas the Church draws an even closer comparison between the disciple and the Master and thus extends his witness to the whole mission of the redeeming Messiah.

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