Churches of the Day

Tuesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time, Cycle 1

Saint of the Day: November 4th; Optional Memorial of St Charles Borromeo, Card. Archbishop of Milan (at age 22), reformer, Catechist to the Council of Trent. Patron saint of catechists and seminarians
C/f A short history of today’s saint can be found below today’s Readings and Reflection.     

FIRST READING

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the  Romans     12:5-16
We belong to each other as parts.

All of us, in union with Christ, form one body, and as parts of it we belong to each other.
Our gifts differ according to the grace given us.
If your gift is prophecy, then use it as your faith suggests;
if administration, then use it for administration;
if teaching, then use it for teaching.
Let the preachers deliver sermons,
the almsgivers give freely,
the officials be diligent,
and those who do works of mercy do them cheerfully.

Do not let your love be a pretence, but sincerely prefer good to evil.
Love each other as much as brothers should, and have a profound respect for each other.
Work for the Lord with untiring effort and with great earnestness of spirit.
If you have hope, this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come; and keep on praying.
If any of the saints are in need you must share with them; and you should make hospitality your special care.

Bless those who persecute you: never curse them, bless them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice and be sad with those in sorrow.
Treat everyone with equal kindness; never be condescending but make real friends with the poor.
Do not allow yourself to become self-satisfied.

The Word of the Lord          Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm       Ps 130
Response                           Keep my soul in peace before you, O Lord.

I. O Lord, my heart is not proud nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great nor marvels beyond me.      Response

2.Truly I have set my soul in silence and peace.
A weaned child on its mother's breast, even so is my soul.              Response

3. O Israel, hope in the Lord both now and for ever.                         Response

Gospel  Acclamation          Eph 1: 17
Alleluia, alleluia!
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.
Alleluia!

Or                                             Mt 11: 28  
Alleluia, alleluia!
'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest'. says the Lord.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL                                 

The Lord be with you                          And with your spirit.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke     14:15-24         Glory to you, O Lord
Go to the open roads and force people to come in to make sure my house is full.


One of those gathered round the table said to Jesus, 'Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God!'
But he said to him,
'There was a man who gave a great banquet, and he invited a large number of people.
When the time for the banquet came, he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited,
"Come along: everything is ready now." But all alike started to make excuses.

The first said, "I have bought a piece of land and must go and see it. Please accept my apologies." Another said, "I have bought five yoke of oxen and am on my way to try them out. Please accept my apologies."
Yet another said, "I have just got married and so am unable to come". 'The servant returned and reported this to his master.

Then the householder, in a rage, said to his servant, "Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame."
"Sir" said the servant "your orders have been carried out and there is still room."
Then the master said to his servant,
"Go to the open roads and the hedgerows and force people to come in to make sure my house is full;
because, I tell you, not one of those who were invited shall have a taste of my banquet." '

The Gospel of the Lord.               Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Gospel Reflection    Tuesday,     Thirty First Week in Ordinary Time       Luke 14:15-24

November is a month when we remember our dead. It is a month when we are prone to reflecting on death, not in a morbid way but in the hopeful way that is rooted in our faith. Jesus often uses images to speak of life in the kingdom of heaven, and November can be a good month to reflect on those images. We find one such image in today’s gospel reading, the image of the great feast, which Jesus would have been familiar with from his Jewish tradition. One of Jesus’ fellow guests at table declares, ‘Happy is the one who will be at the feast in the kingdom of heaven’. Jesus responds to the beatitude with a parable about a man who gave a great banquet.

The host of this banquet is very generous and tenacious. When the original guests who had said yes to the host’s invitation changed their minds just as the banquet was ready, the host went about ensuring that his house would be full after all. He sent his servants out to bring into the feast the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame, and then, when they were all in, he sent the servants out again to bring in all they met on the open roads and by the hedgerows. The host is an image of God who keeps inviting even when people refuse his invitation and who will stop at nothing to ensure that as many as possible are present at the great feast in the kingdom of heaven.

It is a very reassuring image of God. God is not in the business of making it difficult for us to reach our eternal destiny. God’s generous, hospitable and persistent love will not be found wanting. Yet, God can be almost helpless before our failure to take seriously his invitation to his great feast, our unwillingness to respond to his loving call to fullness of life. Like the people first invited in the parable, we can allow ourselves to become so absorbed by the possessions and affairs of this life that we treat God’s invitation lightly. November is a good month to hear God’s invitation to his banquet of life afresh, and to respond to that invitation with a willing and generous heart.

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from Reflections on the Weekday Readings : Your word is a lamp for my feet and light for my path by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications , c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Saint of the day: November 4th; St Charles Borromeo, bishop, catechist, reformer
Charles was born in Arona (Italy) in 1538; twenty-two years old when appointed cardinal, secretary of state, and given the administration of the diocese of Milan by his uncle, Pius IV and prominent in the final sessions of the Council of Trent during 1562—1563.  Known for implementing the Council's of Trent's reforms in liturgy, education, presbyteral formation, and diocesan organisation. He died on this day in 1584 in Milan. Patron of catechists and seminarians.

Patrick Duffy tells his story.

At Arona near Lake Maggiore in northern Italy there is a thirty metre high copper statue of St Charles Borromeo. (<c/f image left, It is possible to climb up and look out over the Lake through his eye sockets and ear holes!) The statue is symbolic of the impact of this saint of the Counter Reformation made in the area. His care for the poor was unflinching and his reforms antagonised the higher levels of the corrupt Church.

Early Life
Charles was born into a noble family at Arona on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. His mother was Margaret de Medici, the sister of the future Pope Pius IV (Giovanni Angelo de Medici 1559-65). At the age of 21, he graduated from the University of Pavia with doctorates in canon and civil law. Appointed cardinal at 22 while still in minor orders, he was called to Rome to serve in the Vatican where he held several high offices. Soon after his arrival, as a distraction from more serious occupations, he founded a kind of literary soiré, which met nearly every evening; the literary contributions appear among the works of Charles as Noctes Vaticanae. As virtual secretary of state to his uncle, he played a prominent part in the final session of the Council of Trent (1562-3) and helped draft the Catechism it produced.

Choices and Reform
At this point his brother died. This had a profound influence and made him ponder the choices facing him. As head of his family he was expected to marry. However, Charles declined this and chose to be ordained priest secretly at 24. A few months later he was appointed archbishop of Milan. At first, he thought of entering a monastery, but sensed God calling him to a pastoral role in the Church.

In 1566 he went to reside in Milan, being the first resident archbishop there for eighty years. He now adopted a simple life-style and set about a programme of reform. He energetically visited the 1,000 parishes, established seminaries, insisted on the moral reform of the clergy and the proper performance of the liturgy. He promoted the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine to ensure children were taught their faith. Colleges for lay students were started and entrusted to the Jesuits. He generously endowed the English College in Douai. He developed a great devotion to the death of Christ.

Opposition and Conflict
Charles reforming zeal met with vigorous opposition both from within the Church and from civil authorities. Because of his attempts to reform the 12th century order of the Humiliati, a priest of that order, Girolamo Donati, also known as Farina, made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate him in 1569 while he was at evening prayer with his household. Despite the pleas of Charles for leniency, Farina and his accomplices were tortured and executed. The Humiliati were then suppressed. Despite Spanish (King Philip II's) control in Lombardy at this time, Charles withstood all efforts to introduce the Spanish Inquisition into Milan. As a reformer, he suffered much from opposition, but he did not back down easily.

Relief During the Plague
During the plague in Milan in 1570 and again in 1576 Charles organised relief-work and set up hospitals for the victims, but also personally took part in the work himself.

Apostolic Work in Switzerland
In 1583 Charles was appointed apostolic visitor in Switzerland, where he had to deal with witchcraft and sorcery as well as the consequences of the teaching of Zwingli and Calvin. One of his last undertakings was the opening of a college in Ascona.

Death and Influence
Worn out by his activity, Charles died on this day at the comparatively young age of forty-six. His tomb is in the crypt of Milan cathedral.( c/f image >)His contemporary, Cardinal Caesar Baronius, himself a holy man and a Church historian, called him "a second Ambrose, whose early death, lamented by all good men, was a great loss to the Church".
Pope Paul V canonised him in 1610.

 

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Memorable Saying for Today

 Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter.

~ St Charles Borromeo ~

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09-11- The Dedication of the St John Lateran Basilica, Rome

The Lateran Basilica is one of the four great Basilicas of Rome. The original Basilica was erected by the first Christian Emperor:  Constantine. Until the time of Constantine there were no public buildings called 'churches.' Worshippers met in people's houses. Until then this hillside site in Rome was the location of two monasteries called after 'St John the Divine', and 'St John the Baptist'. It is the Cathedral church of Rome and, also the church of the Pope, Bishop of Rome. For all these reasons, it has come to be known as the mother- church of Christendom. 

Feast of the Day:09-11- The Dedication of the St John Lateran Basilica, Rome
C/f history of today’s Feast can be found below today’s Readings and Reflection

FIRST READING         

A reading from the prophet Ezekiel     47:1-2. 8-9. 12
I saw a stream of water coming from the Temple, bringing life to all wherever it flowed.

The Angel brought me back to the entrance of the Temple, where a stream came out from under the Temple threshold and flowed eastwards, since the Temple faced east. The water flowed from under the right side of the Temple, south of the altar. He took me out by the north gate and led me right round outside as far as the outer east gate where the water flowed out on the right-hand side.

He said, 'This water flows east down to the Arabah and to the sea; and flowing into the sea it makes its waters wholesome. Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows. Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails; they will bear new fruit every month, because this water comes from the sanctuary. And their fruit will be good to eat and the leaves medicinal.'

The Word of the Lord.      Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm         Ps45:2-3,5-6,8-9 R.v.5
Response                               The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,
                                                 the holy place where the Most High dwells.

1. God is for us a refuge and strength, a helper close at hand, in time of distress:
so we shall not fear though the earth should rock, though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea. Response

2. The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within, it cannot be shaken; God will help it at the dawning of the day.                                               Response

3 The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come, consider the works of the Lord, the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.                              Response

SECOND READING  ( or Alternative First Reading )             

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians         3:9-11. 16-17 
You are the temple of God.

You are God's building.
By the grace God gave me, I succeeded as an architect and laid the foundations, on which someone else is doing the building. Everyone doing the building must work carefully. For the foundation, nobody can lay any other than the one which has already been laid, that is Jesus Christ.

Didn't you realise that you were God's temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you? If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred;
and you are that temple.

The Word of the Lord.    Thanks be to God.


Gospel Acclamation          2 Chron 7:16
Alleluia, alleluia!
I have chosen and consecrated this house, says the Lord, for my name to be there for ever.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL     

The Lord be with you                    And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to John        2:13-22    Glory to you, O Lord

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John        2:13-22
He was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body.

Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money changers sitting at their counters there. Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple, cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money changers' coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers,
'Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father's house into a market.'
Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture: 'Zeal for your house will devour me.'
The Jews intervened and said, 'What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?'
Jesus answered, 'Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up'.
The Jews replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary:
are you going to raise it up in three days?'
But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.

The Gospel of the Lord.            Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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1. Gospel Reflection     9th November.      The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, Rome       John 2:13-22

Writing to the church in Corinth about thirty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Paul says to them, in the words of today’s first reading, ‘You are God’s building… God’s temple’. For Paul, it was the Christian community, rather than any physical building, that was the place of God’s presence in the world.

In the gospel reading, Jesus points to himself as the Temple of God. He, more than any human being, is the place of God’s presence in the world. As individuals and as a community we look to the Lord to help us to be the place of God’s presence in the world, to be church, in that sense. We gather in a building we call a church, to open ourselves to the presence of the Lord, so that we can become more fully the church of God, the body of Christ, the place of God’s presence in our world.
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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from Reflections on the Weekday Readings : Your word is a lamp for my feet and light for my path by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications  c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Feast of the Day:  November 9; The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. Further reflections.

Patrick Duffy also provides some of it's brief history and commentary.

Dedication of the Church (Basilica) of St John on the Lateran. This Papal Archbasilica of St John  was dedicated to Christ the Saviour in the fourth century. The anniversary has been celebrated as a feast of the Latin Church on this date since the twelfth century. It honours the local Church of Rome as a link with earliest Christian tradition and as a sign of our communion in Christ.

Although the Pope lives in the Vatican and in the shadow of St Peter's Basilica,
the Basilica of St John Lateran is The Cathedral of the Most Holy Saviour and of Ss John the Baptist and the Evangelist in the Lateran is also known as the Papal Archbasilica of Saint John.

*It is considered the mother church of the Roman Catholic faithful, traditionally known as 'the Pope’s church' i.e.
*the cathedral church of the diocese of Rome, where the Bishop of Rome presided in the 'old days'.
*The pope is still it's bishop.
* It has as its patrons Ss John the Evangelist and John the Baptist.
*This cathedral is the seat of papal authority and therefore is, the parish church of Catholics everywhere.
*Since the 7th century it has also been known as the 'Basilica of the Most Holy Saviour, Jesus '-   it is dedicated to him.

Patrick Duffy provides some of it's brief history.

The Lateran Palace
The Lateran Palace in Rome originally belonged to the Laterani family, who served as administrators to several emperors, but Nero confiscated it. When Constantine became emperor, he built the Lateran Basilica in the fourth century on land that had belonged to the Laterani family (hence the name ‘Lateran’). he gave it over to the Church for a synod and as  the Cathedral of Rome . 


The Basilica
‘Basilica’ is the word given to an early form of building used for Christian worship.  It was modelled on the Roman Basilica - a building used as a law court and a commercial exchange. At first the name ‘basilica’ was used of churches which resembled the Roman building, but now the title of ‘basilica’ is given by the pope to certain privileged churches both in Rome and throughout the world.

Pope Sylvester I (314-335) then had the basilica (which literally means a royal hall for transacting business or legal matters).  It soon became the cathedral of the Church of Rome and the seat of the popes for a thousand years.  It was the residence of the popes until 1308. Ecumenical councils, all called Lateran, were held there: in 1123, 1139, 1179, 1215 and 1512-17. While the popes were absent from Rome in Avignon (1305-1403), the Basilica fell into disrepair. The popes did not return to live there, but resided first at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, then later at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, and now at the Vatican.

Restoration 
The palace was restored by Pope Sixtus V (Felice Peretti 1585-90). Pope Innocent X (Giovanni Battista Pamphili 1644-55) commissioned the present structure of the basilica in 1646 and Pope Clement XII (Lorenzo Corsini 1730-40) gave it a grand new façade in 1735.

[caption id="attachment_52631" align="aligncenter" width="350"] (This is a souvenir copy of the creation of the Vatican State by the Lateran Pacts with Its “trinity” of King Victor Emmanuel III, Pope Pius XI and Benito Mussolini.)[/caption]

The Lateran Treaty 1929
In 1929 the Lateran Treaty was signed in the Lateran Palace by Mussolini and Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Gasparri. Today the palace houses the Vicariate and offices of the diocese of Rome which Pope John XXIII located there.

[caption id="attachment_35238" align="alignright" width="272"] The late Bishop of Rome, and Pope of the Universal Church,  Pope Francis prayed in his parish Church, the Lateran Basilica regularly.[/caption]

The Basilica Today
St John Lateran is the cathedral of the diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides, especially on Holy Thursday for the Chrism Mass. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues - Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.

Relevance of the Feast
We are all members of our own local church, work for the universal kingdom of Christ,  are also members of this "mother-church" in Rome.

The dedication of churches can be traced back to the Jewish practice of dedicating the Temple in Jerusalem to God. Once a Temple had been dedicated, there was a feast each year to celebrate the anniversary of the dedication. This feast was celebrated not only in Jerusalem but in every synagogue as well. Similarly, and now every Western Catholic church observes the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome.

This feast helps us move beyond our narrow geographical confines to a sense of the universal Church. See also 18th November, the Dedication of the Churches of St Peter and St Paul.

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Memorable Advice for Today

Stop looking for the perfect church. It does not exist. It is not there.
Even if it did exist, the moment you or I joined it , it would no longer be perfect!

~Nicky Gumbel ~ 

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