DAILY GOSPEL

«Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.» John 6,68

Monday, 10 September 2007

Monday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time

Today the Church celebrates : St. Nicholas of Tolentino

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Aelred of Rievaulx : Enter into true Sabbath peace

Letter to the Colossians 1,24-29.2,1-3.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, of which I am a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones, to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory. It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me. For I want you to know how great a struggle I am having for you and for those in Laodicea and all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged as they are brought together in love, to have all the richness of fully assured understanding, for the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6,6-11.

On another sabbath he went into the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on the sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him. But he realized their intentions and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up and stand before us." And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" Looking around at them all, he then said to him, "Stretch out your hand." He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

Copyright © Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, USCCB

Commentary of the day :

Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167), Cistercian monk
The Mirror of Charity, III, 3-6

Enter into true Sabbath peace

When a man, breaking off from all exterior commotion, has recollected himself in the secret of his heart so as to shut his door on the noisy crowd of vanities…; when there is nothing more in him of restlessness or disorder, nothing that tears at him, nothing that racks him…, this is the happy celebration of a first Sabbath. But one can leave this interior chamber for the inn of one's heart… to enter into the joyful and peaceful rest of the sweetness of fraternal love…

Once it has been purified by these two forms of love [that of self and of one's neighbour], the soul yearns all the more ardently, insofar as it is the more certain, for the joys of the divine embrace. Afire with great longing it passes beyond the veil of the flesh and, entering into the sanctuary (Heb 10,20), where Christ Jesus is spirit before its face, it is wholly absorbed by an inexpressible light and unaccustomed sweetness. Silence having fallen with regard to all that is material, sensible, changing, it gazes unswervingly on That which Is, That which is always the same, identical to itself, That which is One. Set free to understand that the Lord himself is God (Ps 45,11), without question it celebrates here the Sabbath of all Sabbaths in the sweet embrace of Charity itself.

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