The moon is rising over the triple-decker next door, dinner needs to be started, and I ought to be doing this:

but instead I’m doing this:

Mississippi mud cake, appropriate for editing an essay on the St. Louis riverfront. There’s a lot to be done and I’m trying not to panic because that doesn’t do any good, only makes the work harder to accomplish. The grant will get done (somehow), the basement cleaned out at work (somehow), the M-B registered (somehow), the knitting of hats achieved (somehow)…mental lists are a dangerous thing.

Blah, blah, blah. Dr. Irony is traveling tomorrow, so I won’t see him until Tuesday. I still haven’t written up my homework, but I think I have an understanding of the fundamental problem, for which there is no solution.

I miss him. It is that simple. I will always miss him, probably, because for whatever reason, I loved him more than anyone else. I have come to terms with the fact that he probably loved me, too, and that in the end we lived curious parallel lives with ersatz others.

The sky deepens as the moon rises, a golden halo above the dark slant of roof. I think of winter roses, the cold smell of the streets, the wet damp of concrete as I walked home from school, and later the cold smell of an empty apartment when I drove home from work in the dark. Here I walk up to get Monkey from after-school, smell crushed Russian sage, peppery in the air above spitting diesel from a ramshackle truck. I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

That is, in some ways, the hardest thing of all. I wouldn’t trade this life, even with this deep, deep regret. Perhaps this is how I come to terms, make a balance with the paradox.

“The conjunction of temporal and eternal things is the Divine Providence of the Lord.” (DP 214)

I noticed again today a news story in which something bad happened to an innocent person. The news makes it look as if unreasonable events can suddenly occur to a random passerby who never expects it nor has any say in it.

But this cannot be true. All things are connected. External things are connected to each other, either directly, or indirectly through the invisible threads of the spiritual world. The smallest things and the biggest events hang like dew drops on a giant spider web of interconnectedness. We don’t see the web. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

In Everything Give Thanks

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1Thess 5:18 KJV)

Give thanks in everything?

Yes: in everything.

It sounds odd, doesn’t it?

Not all things are pleasant. Are we to give thanks then?

Yes, we are to give thanks in the unpleasant times.

Consider Joseph. He certainly had no apparent reason to be grateful, as he was sold into slavery by his brothers, and for a while things only went downhill from there. Four decades later, however, Joseph told his brothers it was something that was intended by God for the purpose of accomplishing good (See Genesis 50:20).

So it is in our own lives. There is the superintending hand of Divine Providence upon the lives of Christians everywhere. That hand is working to accomplish good things for those Christians (See Romans 8:28). Thus it is that we can give thanks.

An odd thing caused me to remember this truth. About six months ago a member of one of the churches that I pastor drove up (thinking that he was doing me a favor) and dropped off this wreck of a lawnmower. It was junk. When my own lawnmower broke down during the summer, I did manage to start that one, but found that it needed four new tires! I couldn’t even use it for a spare! How irritating that has been to me! Fast forward to today. My parents were over, and my dad and I were walking around outside. I commented to him that I was going to have to haul that piece of junk lawnmower to the landfill. It just so happened that he needed a new engine for his mower, and that particular engine would cost $1,600 new. He was able to take that junked out lawnmower for the engine that was on it, thus saving money that he, like so many of us, just didn’t have in his wallet, sock drawer, or Mason jar in the back yard.

In other words, my irritation has turned out to be a blessing of Sovereign Providence.

Who knows what your nerve-wracking irritation may be? Who knows what the next not-so-good situation may be? Just know that it will be used of God in some way to accomplish some form of good, so give thanks for it.

November 29 2009 First Sunday of Advent

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/112909.shtml

Jeremiah 33:14-16
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform the good word that I have spoken to the house of Israel, and to the house of Juda. In those days, and at that time, I will make the bud of justice to spring forth unto David, and he shall do judgment and justice in the earth. In those days shall Juda be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell securely: and this is the name that they shall call him, The Lord our just one.

Responsorial Psalm 24:4-5, 8-10, 14 (Ps 25 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause.
Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.
Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour;
and on thee have I waited all the day long.
The Lord is sweet and righteous:
therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.
He will guide the mild in judgment:
he will teach the meek his ways.
All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth,
to them that seek after his covenant and his testimonies.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Haydock New Testament

And may the Lord multiply you, and make you abound in charity towards one another, and towards all men: as we do also towards you, To confirm your hearts without blame, in holiness, before God and our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints. Amen.

For the rest therefore, brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more. For you know what commandments I have given to you by the Lord Jesus.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves: Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of heaven shall be moved. And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads: because your redemption is at hand.

And take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and the cares of this life: and that day come upon you suddenly. For as a snare it shall come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Haydock Commentary Jeremiah 33:14-16
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 15. Bud, or orient, Christ, (C.) of whom Zorobabel was a figure. Theodoret. All cannot be verified of the latter. v. 16. C. — The Jews themselves explain this of the Messias. Calov. — It evidently refer to him, as he was born of David, whose posterity should continue till Christ, the founder of an eternal kingdom. W.
• Ver. 16. Him. Sept. Chal. &c. The Heb. has “her” Jerusalem, or the Church, which receives all its beauty from Christ. C. — See C. xxiii. 5. where all read him. H.

Haydock Commentary 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2

• Ver. 12. And may the Lord multiply you. That is, increase the number of Christians among you. Wi.
• 1 THESSALONIANS 4
• CHAPTER IV.
• Ver. 1. In this chapter the apostle begins to remind them of their obligation of always striving to increase in virtue. Though he praises them through the whole epistle, he still thinks it necessary to warn them not to be surprised in uncleanness. He repeats what he had taught them before; first, that there is vengeance awaiting the workers of evil; and secondly, that the favour of God is the reward of those who deal with the brethren in simplicity, and preserve themselves from the defilements of the Gentiles. S. Ambrose, Comment. hic.

Haydock Commentary Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

• Ver. 26. The powers of heaven, &c. Some explain this of the angels, who shall be terrified and tremble at the sight of so many calamities. Others understand it of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, stars, &c. which shall in some sort, likewise, be confused in the general dissolution. The prophets often make use of such expressions, when speaking of the fall of monarchies, or the ruin of nations. The heavens shall be astonished and moved, &c. Ezech. xxxii. 7. Joel iii. 15. Calmet.
• Ver. 27. The Jews shall not see him corporally, but at the last judgment. Then, says the Scripture, (Zach. xii. 10.) They shall see him whom they pierced with nails. But in the ruin of Jerusalem, all who will compare his predictions with the event, can evidently see that this was the day of his coming, so plainly marked in his words. Every body could see that this was evidently the hand of God that punished them. Calmet.

Catena Aurea Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
From Catechetics Online

• BEDE; The events which were to follow the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles He explains in regular order, saying, There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars.
• AMBROSE; All which signs are more clearly described in Matthew, Then shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.
• EUSEB. For at that time when the end of this perishing life shall be accomplished, and, as the Apostle says, The fashion of this world passes away, then shall succeed a new world in which instead of sensible light, Christ Himself shall shine as a sunbeam, and as the King of the new world, and so mighty and glorious will be His light, that the sun which now dazzles so brightly, and the moon and all the stars, shall be hidden by the coming of a far greater light.
• CHRYS For as in this world the moon and the stars are soon dimmed by the rising of the sun, so at the glorious appearance of Christ shall the sun become dark, and the moon not shed her ray, and the stars shall fall from heaven, stripped of their former attire, that they may put on the robe of a better light.
• EUSEB. What things shall befall the world after the darkening of the orbs of light, and whence shall arise the straitening of nations, He next explains as follows, And of the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea. Wherein He seems to teach, that the beginning of the universal change will be owing to the failing of the watery substance. For this being first absorbed or congealed, so that no longer is heard the roaring of the sea, nor do the waves reach the shore because of the exceeding drought, the other parts of the world, ceasing to obtain the usual vapor which came forth from the watery matter, shall undergo a revolution. Accordingly since the appearance of Christ must put down the prodigies which resist God, namely, those of Antichrist, the beginnings of wrath shall take their rise from droughts, such as that neither storm nor roaring of the sea be any more heard.
• And this event shall be succeeded by the distress of the men who survive; as it follows, Men’s hearts being dried up for fear, and looking after those things which shall come upon the whole world. But the things that shall then come upon the world He proceeds to declare, adding, For the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
• THEOPHYL. Or else, When the higher world shall be changed, then also the lower elements shall suffer loss; whence it follows, And on the earth distress of nations, &c. As if He said, the sea shall roar terribly, and its shores shall be shaken with the tempest, so that of the people and nations of the earth there shall be distress, that is, a universal misery, so that they shall pine away from fear and expectation of the evils which are coming upon the world.
• AUG. But you will say, your punishment compels you to confess that the end is now approaching, seeing the fulfillment of that which was foretold. For it is certain there is no country, no place in our time, which is not affected or troubled. But if those evils which mankind now suffer are sure signs that our Lord is now about to come, what means that which the Apostle says, For when they shall say peace and safety. Let us see then if it be not perhaps better to understand the words of prophecy to be not so fulfilled, but rather that they will come to pass when the tribulation of the whole world shall be such that it shall belong to the Church, which shall be troubled by the whole world, not to those who shall trouble it. For they are those who shall say, Peace and safety. But now these evils which are counted the greatest and most immoderate, we see to be common to both the kingdoms of Christ and the Devil. For the good and the evil are alike afflicted with them, and among these great evils is the yet universal resort to licentious feasts. Is not this the being dried up from fear, or rather the being burnt up from lust?
• THEOPHYL. But not only shall men be tossed about when the world shall be changed, but angels even shall stand amazed at the terrible revolutions of the universe. Hence it follows, And the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
• GREG. For whom does He call the powers of heaven, but the angels, dominions, principalities, and powers? which at the coming of the strict Judge shall then appear visibly to our eyes, that they may strictly exact judgment of us, seeing that now our invisible Creator patiently bears with us.
• EUSEB. When also the Son of God shall come in glory, and shall crush the proud empire of the son of sin, the angels of heaven attending Him, the doors of heaven which have been shut from the foundation of the world shall be opened, that the things that are on high may be witnessed.
• CHRYS. Or the heavenly powers shall be shaken, although themselves know it not. For when they see the innumerable multitudes condemned, they shall not stand there without trembling.
• BEDE; Thus it is said in Job, the pillars of heaven tremble and are afraid at his reproof. What then do the boards do, when the pillars tremble? what does the shrub of the desert suffer, when the cedar of Paradise is shaken?
• EUSEB. Or the powers of heaven are those which preside over the sensible parts of the universe, which indeed shall then be shaken that they may attain to a better state. For they shall be discharged from the ministry with which they serve God toward the sensible bodies in their perishing condition.
• AUG. But that the Lord may not seem to have foretold as extraordinary those things concerning His second coming, which were wont to happen to this world even before His first coming, and that we may not be laughed at by those who have read more and greater events than these in the history of nations, I think what has been said may be better understood to apply to the Church. For the Church is the sun, the moon, and the stars, to whom it was said, Fair as the moon, elect as the sun. And she will then not be seen for the unbounded rage of the persecutors.
• AMBROSE; While many also fall away from religion, clear faith will be obscured by the cloud of unbelief, for to me that Sun of righteousness is either diminished or increased according to my faith; and as the moon in its monthly wanings, or when it is opposite the sun by the interposition of the earth, suffers eclipse, so also the holy Church when the sins of the flesh oppose the heavenly light, cannot borrow the brightness of divine light from Christ’s rays. For in persecutions, the love of this world generally shuts out the light of the divine Sun; the stars also fall, that is, men who shine in glory fall when the bitterness of persecution waxes sharp and prevails. And this must be until the multitude of the Church be gathered in, for thus are the good tried and the weak made manifest.
• AUG. But in the words, And upon the earth distress of nations, He would understand by nations, not those which shall be blessed in the seed of Abraham, but those which shall stand on the left hand.
• AMBROSE; So severe then will be the manifold fires of our souls, that with consciences depraved through the multitude of crimes, by reason of our fear of the coming judgment, the dew of the sacred fountain will be dried upon us. But as the Lord’s coming is looked for, in order that His presence may dwell in the whole circle of mankind or the world, which now dwells in each individual who has embraced Christ with his whole heart, so the powers of heaven shall at our Lord’s coming obtain an increase of grace, and shall be moved by the fullness of the Divine nature more closely infusing itself. There are also heavenly powers which proclaim the glory of God, which shall be stirred by a fuller infusion of Christ, that they may see Christ.
• AUG. Or the powers of heaven shall be stirred, because when the ungodly persecute, some of the most stout-hearted believers shall be troubled.
• THEOPHYL. It follows, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds. Both the believers and unbelievers shall see Him, for He Himself as well as His cross shall glisten brighter than the sun, and so shall be observed of all.
• AUG. But the words, coming in the clouds, may be taken in two ways. Either coming in His Church as it were in a cloud, as He now ceases not to come. But then it shall be with great power and majesty, for far greater will His power and might appear to His saints, to whom He will give great virtue, that they may not be overcome in such a fearful persecution. Or in His body in which He sits at His Father’s right hand He must rightly be supposed to come, and not only in His body, but also in a cloud, for He will come even as He went away, And a cloud received him out of their sight.
• CHRYS. For God ever appears in a cloud, according to the Psalms, clouds and darkness are round about him. Therefore shall the Son of man come in the clouds as God, and the Lord, not secretly, but in glory worthy of God. Therefore He adds, with great power and majesty.
• CYRIL; Great must be understood in like manner. For His first appearance He made in our weakness and lowliness, the second He shall celebrate in all His own power.
• GREG. For in power and majesty will men see Him, whom in lowly stations they refused to hear, that so much the more acutely they may feel His power, as they are now the less willing to bow the necks of their hearts to His sufferings.
• GREG. Having in what has gone before spoken against the reprobate, He now turns His words to the consolation of the elect; for it is added, When these things begin to be, look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws nigh; as if he says, When the buffetings of the world multiply, lift up your heads, that is, rejoice your hearts, for when the world closes whose friends you are not, the redemption is near which you seek. For in holy Scripture the head is often put for the mind, for as the members are ruled by the head, so are the thoughts regulated by the mind. To lift up our heads then, is to raise up our minds to the joys of the heavenly country.
• EUSEB. Or else, To those that have passed through the body and bodily things, shall be present spiritual and heavenly bodies: that is, they will have no more to pass the kingdom of the world, and then to those that are worthy shall be given the promises of salvation. For having received the promises of God which we look for, we who before were crooked shall be made upright, and we shall lift up our heads who were before bent low; because the redemption which we hoped for is at hand; that namely for which the whole creation waits.
• THEOPHYL. That is, perfect liberty of body and soul. For as the first coming of our Lord was for the restoration of our souls, so will the second be manifested to the restoration of our bodies.
• EUSEB. He speaks these things to His disciples, not as to those who would continue in this life to the end of the world, but as if uniting in one body of believers in Christ both themselves and us and our posterity, even to the end of the world.
• THEOPHYL. Our Lord declared above the fearful and sensible signs of the evils which should overtake sinners, against which the only remedy is watching and prayer, as it is said, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time, &c.
• BASIL; Every animal has within itself certain instincts which it has received from God, for the preservation of its own being. Wherefore Christ has also given us this warning, that what comes to them by nature, may be ours by the aid of reason and prudence: that we may flee from sin as the brute creatures shun deadly food, but that we seek after righteousness, as they wholesome herbs. Therefore said He, Take heed to yourselves, that is, that you may distinguish the noxious from the wholesome. But since there are two ways of taking heed to ourselves, the one with the bodily eyes, the other by the faculties of the soul, and the bodily eye does not reach to virtue; it remains that we speak of the operations of the soul. Take heed, that is, Look around you on all sides, keeping an ever watchful eye to the guardianship of your soul. He says not, Take heed to your own or to the things around, but to yourselves. For you are mind and spirit, your body is only of sense. Around you are riches, arts, and all the appendages of life, you must not mind these, but your soul, of which you must take especial care. The same admonition tends both to the healing of the sick, and the perfecting of those that are well, namely, such as are the guardians of the present, the providers of the future, not judging the actions of others, but strictly searching their own, not suffering the mind to be the slave of their passions but subduing the irrational part of the soul to the rational. But the reason why we should take heed He adds as follows, Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged, &c.
• TIT. BOST. As if He says, Beware lest the eyes of your mind wax heavy. For the cares of this life, and surfeiting, and drunkenness, scare away prudence, shatter and make shipwreck of faith.
• CLEM. ALEX. Drunkenness is an excessive use of wine; crapula is the uneasiness, and nausea attendant on drunkenness, a Greek word so called from the motion of the head. And a little below. As then we must partake of food lest we suffer hunger, so also of drink lest we thirst, but with still greater care to avoid falling into excess. For the indulgence of wine is deceitful, and the soul when free from wine will be the wisest and best, but steeped in the fumes of wine is lost as in a cloud.
• BASIL; But carefulness, or the care of this life, although it seems to have nothing unlawful in it, nevertheless if it conduce not to religion, must be avoided. And the reason why He said this He shows by what comes next, And so that day come upon you unawares.
• THEOPHYL. For that day will not come when men are expecting it, but unlooked for and by stealth, taking as a snare those who are unwary. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that sit upon the face of the earth. But this we may diligently keep far from us. For that day will take those that sit on the face of the earth, as the unthinking and slothful. But as many as are prompt and active in the way of good, not sitting and loitering on the ground, but rising from it, saying to themselves, Rise up, be gone, for here there is no rest for you. To such that day is not as a perilous snare, but a day of rejoicing.
• EUSEB. He taught them therefore to take heed to the things we have just before mentioned, lest they fall into the indolence resulting therefrom. Hence it follows, Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass.
• THEOPHYL. Namely, hunger, pestilence, and such like, which for a time only threaten the elect and others, and those things also which are hereafter the lot of the guilty for ever. For these we can in no wise escape, save by watching and prayer.
• AUG. This is supposed to be that flight which Matthew mentions; which must not be in the winter or on the sabbath day. To the winter belong the cares of this life, which are mournful as the winter, but to the sabbath surfeiting and drunkenness, which drowns and buries the heart in carnal luxury and delight, since on that day the Jews are immersed in worldly pleasure, while they are lost to a spiritual sabbath.
• THEOPHYL. And because a Christian needs not only to flee evil, but to strive to obtain glory, He adds, And to stand before the Son of man. For this is the glory of angels, to stand before the Son of man, our God, and always to behold His face.
• BEDE; Now supposing a physician should bid us beware of the juice of a certain herb, lest a sudden death overtake us, we should most earnestly attend to his command; but when our Savior warns us to shun drunkenness and surfeiting, and the cares of this world, men have no fear of being wounded and destroyed by them; for the faith which they put in the caution of the physician, they disdain to give to the words of God.

*Advent wreath photo by Micha L. Rieser used according to Creative Commons license as found HERE  at Wikipedia

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From The Editors
The College Hill Independent

November 12, 2009

The significance of Wednesday’s Veterans Day remains profound. Americans still fight and die abroad, and those who return bear the physical and emotional costs of their work. Truly honoring these Americans is at times obscured by stumping and jingoist pageantry, as well as misplaced protest. It is clarifying to recognize that at its essence, the day is about America’s proudest sacrifices, about its people—as well the weight of our most dreadful political errors, our worst scars. This season’s tug-of-war over health care shows, again, that Americans do not agree on details, nor did we ever. We cannot expect to. But there is a unifying idea behind Veterans Day: improving the quality of life for all Americans must inspire our actions.

Earlier this week, Governor Don Carcieri vetoed a bill that would have granted Rhode Island’s same-sex “domestic partners” the right to arrange each other’s funerals, a right currently reserved for heterosexual married couples. Made so close to Veterans Day, the denial of basic family rights to a group of this state’s citizens seems all the less patriotic.

On the same day of Carcieri’s veto, the Harvard Medical School released a study that calculated that 2,266 veterans under 65 years of age died in 2008 because they did not have health insurance. The study reports that this figure is “more than 14 times the number of deaths (155) suffered by US troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and more than twice as many as have died (911)…since the war began in 2001.” That translates to an average of six deaths each day as a result of reduced access to health care.

To honor—and justify—veterans’ enormous contributions to each American’s wellbeing, our politics must be guided by improving each citizen’s quality of life. That quality of life hinges on two fundamental issues: the right to health and the right to family. These rights are not fundamental for a select few, but for all of us.

KSO

Jonathan Givony of Draft Express checked out the National Prep Showcase in New Haven, Connecticut last weekend. Here is his scouting reports on the elite players that were in attendance, including our #8 recruit in the 2010 class, Future Memphis swingman, Will Barton.

Barton showed off the tools at the showcase that makes him such a highly regarded recruit, but this paragraph from Givony’s article definitely raises some questions about Barton’s character:

“Barton’s body language was probably the biggest turnoff from watching him play, as he seems far more concerned with getting his own shots than he is helping his team win games. He would visibly pout and even proceed (on multiple occasions) to chase after his teammates following plays and yell at them for not passing him the ball, even on possessions that his team scored regardless.”

“Lord, there are no streams but thine,
Can assuage a thirst like mine!
’Tis a thirst thyself didst give,
Let me therefore drink and live.”

John Newton, Olney Hymns, Book 3 (Hymn 94).

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Book 1 Chapter 16 Sections 5-9

Jonathan Edwards, the pastor of Northhampton Church during the 18th-century, oversaw and encouraged an awakening of the people to realize their position before God. This was not what was commonly called the First Great Awakening, but a smaller “awakening” that preceded it in 1734 and 1735. Edwards preached on sin, judgment, and the glory and satisfaction of God. The intended effect was to help people turn towards God and away from themselves.

This didn’t always have the intended effect. On the morning of June 1, 1735, a prominent man in the community, Joseph Hawley II, slit his throat. In the sermon the Sunday before, Edwards had spoken about men’s consciences showing them that they were bound for judgment, and the need for them to repent. Although we do not know for sure, there is a good probability that Hawley latched onto the first, and not the second.

Hawley was Edwards’ uncle, and the news of his death absolutely staggered him. This effectively ended the “awakening”, and Edwards struggled to find an answer or reason for what he labeled “awful providence.” And in his mind it must be awful, because a sovereign, huge, omnipotent God who was directly or indirectly controlling all things must be in some sense responsible for Hawley’s death.

Edwards’ viewpoint on God’s sovereignty reflected a Calvinistic worldview, one that Calvin himself would have ascribed to. To Calvin, God’s sovereignty means not just a “permission” for events that take place in time, but a causality. Talking about Augustine’s view of God’s providence, Calvin writes:

How the term “permission,” so frequently mentioned by [Augustine], ought to be understood will best appear from one passage, where he proves that God’s will is the highest and first cause of all things because nothing happens except from his command or permission. Surely he does not conjure up a God who reposes idly in a watchtower, willing the while to permit something or other, when an actual will not his own, so to speak, intervenes, which otherwise could not be deemed a cause.

Calvin goes for the jugular throughout this section; his aim is to show that nothing, small or big, falls outside of God’s control. This is especially true concerning mankind, God’s chief creation. Calvin sums up his view of God’s providence over man:

… it is clear that the prophet and Solomon ascribe to God not only might but also choice and determination… It is an absurd folly that miserable men take it upon themselves to act without God, when they cannot even speak except as he wills!

To believe Scripture is to believe that God is actually God, not a deity that lacks power or accedes to chance. The rub comes in when dealing with the presence of evil. This is the question that Edwards had to struggle with after the suicide of his uncle. If God is sovereign, why does He let evil exist? Calvin declares that all contingencies and circumstances find their original source in God’s providence, which means that evil must exist at least by His “permission”… but even that is causal. So why does evil exist?

What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

Evil exists so that we might not only see our need of mercy, but also see the extreme awesomeness of His goodness. The wicked are made “for the day of trouble” (Proverbs 16:4). Is your picture of God this big? That He can allow evil to highlight His goodness?

Today we hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner.  Family members drove up from Florida to stay with us for a few days and we had a great meal this afternoon.  My favorite part was picking vegetables out of our own garden to cook for the meal.  C and I planted our vegetables shortly after moving here, and these two crops reached maturity in time for the feast:

Mustard Greens

Green Beans

I was so excited to pick them out of the garden!  We’ve been watching these guys grow in the hard Georgia clay, getting bigger every week despite my infrequent watering.  It was really amazing for me to see what creation will yield despite my amateur attempts to help.

On the other hand, it reached my soul in a very deep level to harvest and consume something I grew myself.  A fulfilling, deep joy, almost addictive, that makes me look forward to the spring when I can plant in earnest.

Little wonder I feel this way: we’ve been hard-wired since the very beginning to take care of the earth and live close to it.

Genesis 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

To dress it and to keep it: the Hebrew can be translated “to work in it and to protect it.”

Our work in the dirt is a mirror of God’s free, gracious attention to us dirty humans: he works in us, to improve us and increase our yield, and he protects us from danger.

November 27 2009 Friday Thirty Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Francesco Antonio Fasani

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/112709.shtml

Daniel 7:2-14
Douay-Rheims Challoner

I saw in my vision by night, and behold the four winds of the heavens strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts, different one from another, came up out of the sea. The first was like a lioness, and had the wings of an eagle: I beheld till her wings were plucked off, and she was lifted up from the earth, and stood upon her feet as a man, and the heart of a man was given to her. And behold another beast, like a bear, stood up on one side: and there were three rows in the mouth thereof, and in the teeth thereof, and thus they said to it: Arise, devour much flesh.

The Ancient of Days William Blake

After this I beheld, and lo, another like a leopard, and it had upon it four wings, as of a fowl, and the beast had four heads, and power was given to it. After this I beheld in the vision of the night, and lo, a fourth beast, terrible and wonderful, and exceeding strong, it had great iron teeth, eating and breaking in pieces, and treading down the rest with his feet: and it was unlike to the other beasts which I had seen before it, and had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold another little horn sprung out of the midst of them: and three of the first horns were plucked up at the presence thereof: and behold eyes like the eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things.

I beheld till thrones were placed, and the ancient of days sat: his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool: his throne like flames of fire: the wheels of it like a burning fire. A swift stream of fire issued forth from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times a hundred thousand stood before him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened. I beheld, because of the voice of the great words which that horn spoke: and I saw that the beast was slain, and the body thereof was destroyed, and given to the fire to be burnt: And that the power of the other beasts was taken away: and that times of life were appointed them for a time, and a time.

I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and lo, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he came even to the ancient of days: and they presented him before him. And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes, and tongues shall serve him: his power is an everlasting power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that shall not be destroyed.

Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:75-81
DR Challoner Text Only

Mountains and hills, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all forever.
O all ye things that spring up in the earth, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye fountains, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord:
praise and exalt him above all for ever.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 21:29-33
Haydock New Testament

And he spoke to them a similitude:

See the fig-tree, and all the trees: When they now shoot forth their fruit, you know that summer is nigh. So you also, when you shall see these things come to pass, know that the reign of God  is at hand. Amen, I say to you, this generation shall not pass away, till all things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Haydock Commentary Daniel 7:2-14
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 2. Winds, to imply the tumults occasioned by fresh kingdoms (W.) in the world.  Theod.
• Ver. 3. Four great beasts; viz. the Chaldean, Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires.  But some rather choose to understand the fourth beast of the successors of Alexander the great, more especially of them that reigned in Asia and Syria, (Ch.) or in
• Egypt.  C. ii. 40.  H.
• Ver. 4. Man. The emperors of Babylon were forced to confess that they were nothing more.  C. — Their cruel and rapid conquests (W.) are denoted by this monstrous animal.  Its wings shew how the lands were divided between the Medes and Persians.  Perhaps Neriglissor, &c. shared a part.  C. v. 1.  C.
• Ver. 5. Bear, which is cruel, and eats what is set before it greedily.  W. — Side. Cyrus did not attack the Jews.  S. Jer. — He stood ready to attack the Chaldeans. — Three. He ruled over the Medes and Chaldeans, as well as over the Persians.  C. — Rows. Gr. “wings or sides” of an animal, (H.) or “bones.”  Grot. — Cyrus was always at war; and Justin (1.) says, that Tomyris II. of Scythia, ordered his head to be cut off, and thrown into a vessel full of blood.  His troops are styled robbers, Jer. li. 48.  The ambition of Cambyses, Hystaspes, &c. are insatiable.
• Ver. 6. Leopard, a small spotted beast, may denote the size and disposition of Alexander, as well as his rapid conquests.  When he was asked how he had subdued so many, he answered, “by never putting off.”  C. — Four. He led his forces on all sides; (H.) and after his death, his empire was divided into four, (W.) Egypt, Syria, Asia, and Macedon, (Theod.) as he had united in his person the empire of the Chaldees, Medes, Persians, and Greeks.  C.
• Ver. 7. Unlike. It is not named: but shews the incomparable power of the Romans, governed by kings, consuls, tribunes, dictators, emperors, at different times.  W. — This in the opinion generally received, which we shall explain.  Yet many think that the kingdoms of Syria and Egypt are designated, as C. ii. 40.  S. Jerom acknowledged that what is understood of antichrist, had been partly verified in Epiphanes, his figure.  The beast was to be slain before the coming of the Son of man.  v. 11, 26.  It would persecute for three years and a half; but God would grant victory to his saints, as he did to the Machabees.  Yet they only exhibited a faint idea of what has been done by the Church.  The same subject is treated, C. xi.  Many things caused the dominion of the successors of Alexander to be unlike that of others.  It was never united, and was very destructive to the Jews.  C. — Horns. That is, ten kingdoms, (as Apoc. xvii. 12.) among which the empire of the fourth beast shall be parcelled: or ten kings of the number of the successors of Alexander, as figures of such as shall be about the time of antichrist.  Ch. — Epiphanes was the eighth king, and Laomedon, Antigonus, and Demetrius, had been governors of Syria before.  Most understand this of antichrist, whom Epiphanes foreshewed.  Others think that it points out Vespasian, the tenth successor of Cæsar, who made war on the Jews.  The same prediction may regard different events, as the abomination (C. ix.) may allude to the profanations committed by Epiphanes, by the Romans at the last siege, and by antichrist.  Others apply this to the Turkish empire, which may be paving the way for the great antagonist of Christ.  C.  Dioclesian and Julian may also be meant, as well as other forerunners of the man of sin. H. — He shall overcome many, but his fury shall continue but a short time.  v. 25.  W.
• Ver. 8. Little horn. This is commonly understood of antichrist.  It may also be applied to that great persecutor, Antiochus Epiphanes, as a figure of antichrist.  Ch. — He was the youngest son of Antiochus the great, and was a hostage of Rome.  While he was returning, his elder brother died, and Epiphanes excluded his son Philometor, of Egypt, and the usurper Heliodorus.  He also defeated three, Philometor, on the south; Artaxias, king of Armenia, on the east; and the strength, or God’s people, v. 24. and C. viii. 9. — Man. He gained several at first, by his affability. — Things: blasphemy.  1 Mac. i. 23. 43.  C.
• Ver. 9. Ancient. The Son is born of the Father, and the Holy Ghost proceeds from both, yet all three are coeternal.  W. — Hence the Father is sometimes painted in this manner, though he be a pure spirit.  His throne resembled that seen by Ezechiel, C. i.  H. — He takes cognizance of all, and punishes accordingly.  C.
• Ver. 10. Fire. Ps. xcvi. 3. — Thousands. Gr. implies one million and one hundred millions.  M. — The angels are very numerous, particularly the  highest, styled assistants.  S. Tho.  W.
• Ver. 11. Spoke. I wished to see how the king would be punished.  He felt the hand of God as he was going to destroy all the Jews, when he pretended to repent.  1 Mac. vi. and 2 Mac. ix. 4.  His successors could not much disturb the Jews.  v. 13.  C.
• Ver. 12. Time. Each of the four empires had its period assigned.  That of Rome attracted the prophet’s attention most, and is mentioned first.  M.
• Ver. 13. Heaven. Christ appeared about sixty years after the subversion of the Syrian monarchy.  Yet these expressions literally refer to his second coming.  Mat. xxvi. 64.  C. — He had the form of man, as he had the nature.  M. — He is clearly predicted.  by his power antichrist is overthrown.  W.
• Ver. 14. Destroyed. The eternal dominion of Christ could not be expressed in stronger terms.  He seems to allude to them, Mat. xxviii. 18.  C.

Haydock Commentary Luke 21:29-33

• Nothing

Catena Aurea Luke 21:29-33
From Catechetics Online

• EUSEB. He speaks these things to His disciples, not as to those who would continue in this life to the end of the world, but as if uniting in one body of believers in Christ both themselves and us and our posterity, even to the end of the world.
• GREG. That the world ought to be trampled upon and despised, He proves by a wise comparison, adding, Behold the fig tree and all the trees, when they now put forth fruit, you know that summer is near. As if He says, as from the fruit of the tree the summer is perceived to be near, so from the fall of the world the kingdom of God is known to be at hand. Hereby is it manifested that the world’s fall is our fruit. For hereunto it puts forth buds, that whomever it has fostered in the bud it may consume in slaughter. But well is the kingdom of God compared to summer; for then the clouds of our sorrow flee away, and the days of life brighten up under the clear light of the Eternal Sun.
• AMBROSE; Matthew speaks of the fig-tree only, Luke of all the trees. But the fig-tree shadows forth two things, either the ripening of what is hard, or the luxuriance of sin; that is, either that, when the fruit bursts forth in all trees and the fruitful fig-tree abounds, (that is, when every tongue confesses God, even the Jewish people confessing Him,) we ought to hope for our Lord’s coming, in which shall be gathered in as at summer the fruits of the resurrection. Or, when the man of sin shall clothe himself in his light and fickle boasting as it were the leaves of the synagogue, we must then suppose the judgment to be drawing near. For the Lord hastens to reward faith, and to bring an end of sinning.
• AUG. But when He says, When you shall see these things to come to pass, what can we understand but those things which were mentioned above. But among them we read, And then shall they see the Son of man coming. When therefore this is seen, the kingdom of God is not yet, but nigh at hand. Or must we say that we are not to understand all the things before mentioned, when He says, When you shall see these things, &c. but only some of them; this for example being excepted, And then shall they see the Son of man. But Matthew would plainly have it taken with no exception, for he says, And so you, when you see all these things, among which is the seeing the coming of the Son of man; in order that it may be understood of that coming whereby He now comes in His members as in clouds, or in the Church as in a great cloud.
• TIT. BOST. Or else, He says, the kingdom of God is at hand, meaning that when these things shall be not yet shall all things come to their last end, but they shall be already tending towards it. For the very coming of our Lord itself, casting out every principality and power, is the preparation for the kingdom of God.
• EUSEB. For as in this life, when winter dies away, and spring succeeds, the sun sending forth its warm rays cherishes and quickens the seeds hid in the ground, just laying aside their first form, and the young plants sprout forth, having put on different shades of green; so also the glorious coming of the Only-begotten of God, illuminating the new world with His quickening rays shall bring forth into light from more excellent bodies than before the seeds that have long been hidden in the whole world, i.e. those who sleep in the dust of the earth. And having vanquished death, He shall reign from henceforth the life of the new world.
• GREG. But all the things before mentioned are confirmed with greet certainly, when He adds, Verily I say to you, &c.
• BEDE; He strongly commends that which he thus foretell. And, if one may so speak, his oath is this, Amen, I say to you. Amen is by interpretation “true.” Therefore the truth says, I tell you the truth, and though He spoke not thus, He could by no means lie. But by generation he means either the whole human race, or especially the Jews.
• EUSEB. Or by generation He means the new generation of His holy Church, showing that the generation of the faithful would last up to that time, when it would see all things, and embrace with its eyes the fulfillment of our Savior’s words.
• THEOPHYL. For because He had foretold that there should be commotions, and wars and changes, both of the elements and in other things, lest any one might suspect that Christianity itself also would perish, He adds, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away: as if He said, Though all things should be shaken, yet shall my faith fail not. Whereby He implies that He sets the Church before the whole creation. The creation shall suffer change, but the Church of the faithful and the words of the Gospel shall abide for ever.
• GREG. Or else, The heaven and, earth shall pass away, &c. As if He says, All that with us seems lasting, does not abide to eternity without change, and all that with Me seems to pass away is held fixed and immovable, for My word which passes away utters sentences which remain unchangeable, and abide for ever.
• BEDE; But by the heaven which shall pass away we must understand not the ethereal or the starry heaven, but the air from which the birds are named “of heaven.” But if the earth shall pass away, how does Ecclesiastes say, The earth stands for ever? Plainly then the heaven and earth in the fashion which they now have shall pass away, but in essence subsist eternally.

How can a Christian accurately interpret the intent of God in the events of history?    And if ever he may, upon what basis?

In answer to the first question we must reply that the Christian cannot always correctly interpret the events of history. Many professing German Christians made a tragic misinterpretation of the rise of Adolf Hitler.  These Germans viewed the führer as a God-appointed leader and savior from their difficult state of affairs.  But what a disastrous disillusionment was to come!  This example underlines the dangers of attempting to read God’s purposes from historic events. Anyone can prejudicially interpret the intent and purpose of an event wrongly.

Apart from God’s Word, historical facts themselves do not permit man to draw final, accurate conclusions. This is an argument from the prophets in reference to the Exodus.  Over and over again, God chastised the Israelites with the preface, “I am the Lord Thy God Who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”  Indeed, no sooner had they left the pagan cities,  the very people God had set free from their miserable life of slavery began to misinterpret the events surrounding their journey to the promised land.  When they encountered danger “…they said to Moses, ‘Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness?  Why have you dealt with us in this way bringing us out of Egypt? [i] ’” Not to know the God Who revealed Himself in the Exodus is not to know Him in the fullness of His revelation.  Even in the central event in history, the cross of Christ, requires an revealed explanation from God if it is to be interpreted correctly.  A faulty understanding of Christ’s earthly ministry and death by two disciples led them to doubt and utter despair [ii].

All events of history are related to the unified plan of the sovereign God and are correctly understood only within the interpretative framework of His Word. History must be viewed from the norm of the Bible, not from any human selection of concrete events.  Failure in this manner has given rise to many misinterpretations of historical events.  For example, Jesus rebuked the Jews for wrongly supposing that the cause of a recent mass murder was due to the victims’ sins [iii].  The Lord cautioned His listeners not to make ill use of these and similar current events. In another instance Jesus corrected His disciples for mistakenly concluding that a man’s blindness was inflicted due to some heinous crime  [iv].  These and other calamities were not due to the causes which men believed.  The infallible interpretative word of Christ assigned quite a different explanation. Gamaliel’s advice in Acts 5:38-39 was poor also because it assumed that special providence can be deduced from a course of events.

Isaiah writes, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired; His understanding is inscrutable [v].

[ii]  Luke 24:13-21

[iii]  Luke 13:2

[iv]  John 9:1-4

[v]  Isaiah 40:28

I spent another day, among other things, in the wood shop honing my skills.  Today’s project was a small table for our back porch.  This one, made out of scrap pine, is sort of a practice run for a larger al fresco dining table I’ll make out of cedar.  Don’t practice on the expensive stuff.

There are several joints, cuts, etc I was unable to do with my current tools.  I’ve realized this more and more- now that I have some tools to work with, I’m more aware of my abilities and limitations, and my need (my wife would disagree with me here) for more advanced, specific, expensive tools.  A table saw for ripping.  A router for chamfering and dadoes.  Chisels for mortising.  A drill press for boring.

I’m happy to bide my time and save up for my hobby, but today’s project got me thinking about how like grace this tool thing is.

The more grace God gives me, the more I become aware of how much I need– really need–that grace.

I had no idea how warped and knotty the recesses of my soul were until God started to work with me: simple, rough cuts eliminating a lot of material at first, moving on to more complicated and time-consuming work.  But in the end I know that my heart will be a thing of beauty that glorifies the one who made it.  And I hope it’ll look a lot better than my table.

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John 3:27 (NLT)

“John replied, “No one can receive anything unless God gives it from heaven.”

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation

Have you ever known someone who you thought was really successful and wondered why not you? Sometimes, you may even think that other people are luckier than you or have greater access to opportunities. If we are not careful, a spirit of jealousy can creep into our hearts.

However, there is no need for us to envy the blessings of our neighbors. John 3:27 tells us that all blessings are given by God in His sovereignty. God provides for each of us exactly what we need.

God’s master plan is to bring about His divine purpose. Each of us has a unique part to play. Embrace the gifts and blessings that God has bestowed upon your life because nothing is received except through the perfect providence of God. To God be all the glory!

Let us observe how God’s special providence attends all the people of God.  Before conversion, even as so as they are born, divine guidance is evident.  The apostle Paul tells us that he was “separated from my mother’s womb [i].”  This apparently refers to the fact that Paul was taken under providential care as soon as he was born. God’s eye was upon him all along, from birth to the time of conversion. 

Many men are spared from imminent danger before conversion and are thereby saved before being called, that is they are saved to be called. Many are saved from the more corrupting influences of life before conversion, though of course this is not the case with all.   Many are blessed with a Christian education from their earliest days, though this is not the blessing with everyone; yet, such is a providential favor.

At conversion the providence of God the providence of God is often remarkably concerned either in bringing the Gospel to places where people live [ii], as to Philippi for the sake of the conversion of Lydia and her household [iii], and of the jailer and his house [iv].  Very striking is the conversion of Onesimus, a runaway slave, who was cast in the same prison in which the apostle Paul was incarcerated. It was there, through the ministry of the apostle, the man was made spiritually alive [v].  At the most, ministers draw the bow at the venture: it is divine providence which in the gracious manner directs the Word of God to the sinner’s heart, where through the sovereign operation of the Holy Spirit a man is raised to life and believes in Jesus Christ.

After conversion the providence of God appears as surely as before.  God preserves His people from many evils and dangers.  God’s providence causes all things to work together for the good of His people and to the glory of Himself [vi].  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all [vii].  Our God will guide us until death [viii].

 For this grace we give thanks!

[ii]  Acts 16:6-12

[iii]  Acts 16:14-15

[iv]  Acts 16:31 and following

[v]  Philemon 10

[vi]  Romans 8:28

[vii]  Psalm 34:19

[viii]  Psalm 48:14

November 29 2009 First Sunday of Advent

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/112909.shtml

Jeremiah 33:14-16
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform the good word that I have spoken to the house of Israel, and to the house of Juda. In those days, and at that time, I will make the bud of justice to spring forth unto David, and he shall do judgment and justice in the earth. In those days shall Juda be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell securely: and this is the name that they shall call him, The Lord our just one.

Responsorial Psalm 24:4-5, 8-10, 14 (Ps 25 NAB)
DR Challoner Text Only

Let all them be confounded that act unjust things without cause.
Shew, O Lord, thy ways to me, and teach me thy paths.
Direct me in thy truth, and teach me; for thou art God my Saviour;
and on thee have I waited all the day long.
The Lord is sweet and righteous:
therefore he will give a law to sinners in the way.
He will guide the mild in judgment:
he will teach the meek his ways.
All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth,
to them that seek after his covenant and his testimonies.

1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Haydock New Testament

And may the Lord multiply you, and make you abound in charity towards one another, and towards all men: as we do also towards you, To confirm your hearts without blame, in holiness, before God and our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.  Amen.

For the rest therefore, brethren, we pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received from us, how you ought to walk, and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more. For you know what commandments I have given to you by the Lord Jesus.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea and of the waves: Men withering away for fear, and expectation of what shall come upon the whole world.  For the powers of heaven shall be moved. And then they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads: because your redemption is at hand.

And take heed to yourselves, lest perhaps your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and the cares of this life: and that day come upon you suddenly. For as a snare it shall come upon all that sit upon the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of Man.

Haydock Commentary Jeremiah 33:14-16
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 15. Bud, or orient, Christ, (C.) of whom Zorobabel was a figure.  Theodoret.   All cannot be verified of the latter.  v. 16.  C. — The Jews themselves explain this of the Messias.  Calov. — It evidently refer to him, as he was born of David, whose posterity should continue till Christ, the founder of an eternal kingdom.  W.
• Ver. 16. Him. Sept. Chal. &c.  The Heb. has “her” Jerusalem, or the Church, which receives all its beauty from Christ.  C. — See C. xxiii. 5. where all read him. H.

Haydock Commentary 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2

• Ver. 12. And may the Lord multiply you. That is, increase the number of Christians among you.  Wi.
• 1 THESSALONIANS 4
• CHAPTER IV.
• Ver. 1. In this chapter the apostle begins to remind them of their obligation of always striving to increase in virtue.  Though he praises them through the whole epistle, he still thinks it necessary to warn them not to be surprised in uncleanness.  He repeats what he had taught them before; first, that there is vengeance awaiting the workers of evil; and secondly, that the favour of God is the reward of those who deal with the brethren in simplicity, and preserve themselves from the defilements of the Gentiles.  S. Ambrose, Comment. hic.

Haydock Commentary Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

• Ver. 26. The powers of heaven, &c.  Some explain this of the angels, who shall be terrified and tremble at the sight of so many calamities.  Others understand it of the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, stars, &c. which shall in some sort, likewise, be confused in the general dissolution.  The prophets often make use of such expressions, when speaking of the fall of monarchies, or the ruin of nations.  The heavens shall be astonished and moved, &c.  Ezech. xxxii. 7.  Joel iii. 15.  Calmet.
• Ver. 27. The Jews shall not see him corporally, but at the last judgment.  Then, says the Scripture, (Zach. xii. 10.) They shall see him whom they pierced with nails.  But in the ruin of Jerusalem, all who will compare his predictions with the event, can evidently see that this was the day of his coming, so plainly marked in his words.  Every body could see that this was evidently the hand of God that punished them.  Calmet.

Catena Aurea Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
From Catechetics Online

• BEDE; The events which were to follow the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles He explains in regular order, saying, There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars.
• AMBROSE; All which signs are more clearly described in Matthew, Then shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.
• EUSEB. For at that time when the end of this perishing life shall be accomplished, and, as the Apostle says, The fashion of this world passes away, then shall succeed a new world in which instead of sensible light, Christ Himself shall shine as a sunbeam, and as the King of the new world, and so mighty and glorious will be His light, that the sun which now dazzles so brightly, and the moon and all the stars, shall be hidden by the coming of a far greater light.
• CHRYS For as in this world the moon and the stars are soon dimmed by the rising of the sun, so at the glorious appearance of Christ shall the sun become dark, and the moon not shed her ray, and the stars shall fall from heaven, stripped of their former attire, that they may put on the robe of a better light.
• EUSEB. What things shall befall the world after the darkening of the orbs of light, and whence shall arise the straitening of nations, He next explains as follows, And of the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the roaring of the sea. Wherein He seems to teach, that the beginning of the universal change will be owing to the failing of the watery substance. For this being first absorbed or congealed, so that no longer is heard the roaring of the sea, nor do the waves reach the shore because of the exceeding drought, the other parts of the world, ceasing to obtain the usual vapor which came forth from the watery matter, shall undergo a revolution. Accordingly since the appearance of Christ must put down the prodigies which resist God, namely, those of Antichrist, the beginnings of wrath shall take their rise from droughts, such as that neither storm nor roaring of the sea be any more heard.
• And this event shall be succeeded by the distress of the men who survive; as it follows, Men’s hearts being dried up for fear, and looking after those things which shall come upon the whole world. But the things that shall then come upon the world He proceeds to declare, adding, For the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
• THEOPHYL. Or else, When the higher world shall be changed, then also the lower elements shall suffer loss; whence it follows, And on the earth distress of nations, &c. As if He said, the sea shall roar terribly, and its shores shall be shaken with the tempest, so that of the people and nations of the earth there shall be distress, that is, a universal misery, so that they shall pine away from fear and expectation of the evils which are coming upon the world.
• AUG. But you will say, your punishment compels you to confess that the end is now approaching, seeing the fulfillment of that which was foretold. For it is certain there is no country, no place in our time, which is not affected or troubled. But if those evils which mankind now suffer are sure signs that our Lord is now about to come, what means that which the Apostle says, For when they shall say peace and safety. Let us see then if it be not perhaps better to understand the words of prophecy to be not so fulfilled, but rather that they will come to pass when the tribulation of the whole world shall be such that it shall belong to the Church, which shall be troubled by the whole world, not to those who shall trouble it. For they are those who shall say, Peace and safety. But now these evils which are counted the greatest and most immoderate, we see to be common to both the kingdoms of Christ and the Devil. For the good and the evil are alike afflicted with them, and among these great evils is the yet universal resort to licentious feasts. Is not this the being dried up from fear, or rather the being burnt up from lust?
• THEOPHYL. But not only shall men be tossed about when the world shall be changed, but angels even shall stand amazed at the terrible revolutions of the universe. Hence it follows, And the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
• GREG. For whom does He call the powers of heaven, but the angels, dominions, principalities, and powers? which at the coming of the strict Judge shall then appear visibly to our eyes, that they may strictly exact judgment of us, seeing that now our invisible Creator patiently bears with us.
• EUSEB. When also the Son of God shall come in glory, and shall crush the proud empire of the son of sin, the angels of heaven attending Him, the doors of heaven which have been shut from the foundation of the world shall be opened, that the things that are on high may be witnessed.
• CHRYS. Or the heavenly powers shall be shaken, although themselves know it not. For when they see the innumerable multitudes condemned, they shall not stand there without trembling.
• BEDE; Thus it is said in Job, the pillars of heaven tremble and are afraid at his reproof. What then do the boards do, when the pillars tremble? what does the shrub of the desert suffer, when the cedar of Paradise is shaken?
• EUSEB. Or the powers of heaven are those which preside over the sensible parts of the universe, which indeed shall then be shaken that they may attain to a better state. For they shall be discharged from the ministry with which they serve God toward the sensible bodies in their perishing condition.
• AUG. But that the Lord may not seem to have foretold as extraordinary those things concerning His second coming, which were wont to happen to this world even before His first coming, and that we may not be laughed at by those who have read more and greater events than these in the history of nations, I think what has been said may be better understood to apply to the Church. For the Church is the sun, the moon, and the stars, to whom it was said, Fair as the moon, elect as the sun. And she will then not be seen for the unbounded rage of the persecutors.
• AMBROSE; While many also fall away from religion, clear faith will be obscured by the cloud of unbelief, for to me that Sun of righteousness is either diminished or increased according to my faith; and as the moon in its monthly wanings, or when it is opposite the sun by the interposition of the earth, suffers eclipse, so also the holy Church when the sins of the flesh oppose the heavenly light, cannot borrow the brightness of divine light from Christ’s rays. For in persecutions, the love of this world generally shuts out the light of the divine Sun; the stars also fall, that is, men who shine in glory fall when the bitterness of persecution waxes sharp and prevails. And this must be until the multitude of the Church be gathered in, for thus are the good tried and the weak made manifest.
• AUG. But in the words, And upon the earth distress of nations, He would understand by nations, not those which shall be blessed in the seed of Abraham, but those which shall stand on the left hand.
• AMBROSE; So severe then will be the manifold fires of our souls, that with consciences depraved through the multitude of crimes, by reason of our fear of the coming judgment, the dew of the sacred fountain will be dried upon us. But as the Lord’s coming is looked for, in order that His presence may dwell in the whole circle of mankind or the world, which now dwells in each individual who has embraced Christ with his whole heart, so the powers of heaven shall at our Lord’s coming obtain an increase of grace, and shall be moved by the fullness of the Divine nature more closely infusing itself. There are also heavenly powers which proclaim the glory of God, which shall be stirred by a fuller infusion of Christ, that they may see Christ.
• AUG. Or the powers of heaven shall be stirred, because when the ungodly persecute, some of the most stout-hearted believers shall be troubled.
• THEOPHYL. It follows, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds. Both the believers and unbelievers shall see Him, for He Himself as well as His cross shall glisten brighter than the sun, and so shall be observed of all.
• AUG. But the words, coming in the clouds, may be taken in two ways. Either coming in His Church as it were in a cloud, as He now ceases not to come. But then it shall be with great power and majesty, for far greater will His power and might appear to His saints, to whom He will give great virtue, that they may not be overcome in such a fearful persecution. Or in His body in which He sits at His Father’s right hand He must rightly be supposed to come, and not only in His body, but also in a cloud, for He will come even as He went away, And a cloud received him out of their sight.
• CHRYS. For God ever appears in a cloud, according to the Psalms, clouds and darkness are round about him. Therefore shall the Son of man come in the clouds as God, and the Lord, not secretly, but in glory worthy of God. Therefore He adds, with great power and majesty.
• CYRIL; Great must be understood in like manner. For His first appearance He made in our weakness and lowliness, the second He shall celebrate in all His own power.
• GREG. For in power and majesty will men see Him, whom in lowly stations they refused to hear, that so much the more acutely they may feel His power, as they are now the less willing to bow the necks of their hearts to His sufferings.
• GREG. Having in what has gone before spoken against the reprobate, He now turns His words to the consolation of the elect; for it is added, When these things begin to be, look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws nigh; as if he says, When the buffetings of the world multiply, lift up your heads, that is, rejoice your hearts, for when the world closes whose friends you are not, the redemption is near which you seek. For in holy Scripture the head is often put for the mind, for as the members are ruled by the head, so are the thoughts regulated by the mind. To lift up our heads then, is to raise up our minds to the joys of the heavenly country.
• EUSEB. Or else, To those that have passed through the body and bodily things, shall be present spiritual and heavenly bodies: that is, they will have no more to pass the kingdom of the world, and then to those that are worthy shall be given the promises of salvation. For having received the promises of God which we look for, we who before were crooked shall be made upright, and we shall lift up our heads who were before bent low; because the redemption which we hoped for is at hand; that namely for which the whole creation waits.
• THEOPHYL. That is, perfect liberty of body and soul. For as the first coming of our Lord was for the restoration of our souls, so will the second be manifested to the restoration of our bodies.
• EUSEB. He speaks these things to His disciples, not as to those who would continue in this life to the end of the world, but as if uniting in one body of believers in Christ both themselves and us and our posterity, even to the end of the world.
• THEOPHYL. Our Lord declared above the fearful and sensible signs of the evils which should overtake sinners, against which the only remedy is watching and prayer, as it is said, And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time, &c.
• BASIL; Every animal has within itself certain instincts which it has received from God, for the preservation of its own being. Wherefore Christ has also given us this warning, that what comes to them by nature, may be ours by the aid of reason and prudence: that we may flee from sin as the brute creatures shun deadly food, but that we seek after righteousness, as they wholesome herbs. Therefore said He, Take heed to yourselves, that is, that you may distinguish the noxious from the wholesome. But since there are two ways of taking heed to ourselves, the one with the bodily eyes, the other by the faculties of the soul, and the bodily eye does not reach to virtue; it remains that we speak of the operations of the soul. Take heed, that is, Look around you on all sides, keeping an ever watchful eye to the guardianship of your soul. He says not, Take heed to your own or to the things around, but to yourselves. For you are mind and spirit, your body is only of sense. Around you are riches, arts, and all the appendages of life, you must not mind these, but your soul, of which you must take especial care. The same admonition tends both to the healing of the sick, and the perfecting of those that are well, namely, such as are the guardians of the present, the providers of the future, not judging the actions of others, but strictly searching their own, not suffering the mind to be the slave of their passions but subduing the irrational part of the soul to the rational. But the reason why we should take heed He adds as follows, Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged, &c.
• TIT. BOST. As if He says, Beware lest the eyes of your mind wax heavy. For the cares of this life, and surfeiting, and drunkenness, scare away prudence, shatter and make shipwreck of faith.
• CLEM. ALEX. Drunkenness is an excessive use of wine; crapula is the uneasiness, and nausea attendant on drunkenness, a Greek word so called from the motion of the head. And a little below. As then we must partake of food lest we suffer hunger, so also of drink lest we thirst, but with still greater care to avoid falling into excess. For the indulgence of wine is deceitful, and the soul when free from wine will be the wisest and best, but steeped in the fumes of wine is lost as in a cloud.
• BASIL; But carefulness, or the care of this life, although it seems to have nothing unlawful in it, nevertheless if it conduce not to religion, must be avoided. And the reason why He said this He shows by what comes next, And so that day come upon you unawares.
• THEOPHYL. For that day will not come when men are expecting it, but unlooked for and by stealth, taking as a snare those who are unwary. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that sit upon the face of the earth. But this we may diligently keep far from us. For that day will take those that sit on the face of the earth, as the unthinking and slothful. But as many as are prompt and active in the way of good, not sitting and loitering on the ground, but rising from it, saying to themselves, Rise up, be gone, for here there is no rest for you. To such that day is not as a perilous snare, but a day of rejoicing.
• EUSEB. He taught them therefore to take heed to the things we have just before mentioned, lest they fall into the indolence resulting therefrom. Hence it follows, Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all those things that shall come to pass.
• THEOPHYL. Namely, hunger, pestilence, and such like, which for a time only threaten the elect and others, and those things also which are hereafter the lot of the guilty for ever. For these we can in no wise escape, save by watching and prayer.
• AUG. This is supposed to be that flight which Matthew mentions; which must not be in the winter or on the sabbath day. To the winter belong the cares of this life, which are mournful as the winter, but to the sabbath surfeiting and drunkenness, which drowns and buries the heart in carnal luxury and delight, since on that day the Jews are immersed in worldly pleasure, while they are lost to a spiritual sabbath.
• THEOPHYL. And because a Christian needs not only to flee evil, but to strive to obtain glory, He adds, And to stand before the Son of man. For this is the glory of angels, to stand before the Son of man, our God, and always to behold His face.
• BEDE; Now supposing a physician should bid us beware of the juice of a certain herb, lest a sudden death overtake us, we should most earnestly attend to his command; but when our Savior warns us to shun drunkenness and surfeiting, and the cares of this world, men have no fear of being wounded and destroyed by them; for the faith which they put in the caution of the physician, they disdain to give to the words of God.

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November 25 2009 Wednesday 34^th Week in Ordinary Time
Saint of the Day – St. Columban

About the sources used. The readings on this site are not official for the Mass of Roman Rite of the Catholic Church in the USA, but are from sources free from copyright. They are here to present the comparable readings alongside traditional Catholic commentary as published in the Haydock Bible for your own personal study. Readings vary depending on your local calendar.

Official Readings of the Liturgy at – http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/112509.shtml

Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
Douay-Rheims Challoner

Baltasar, the king, made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles: and every one drank according to his age. And being now drunk, he commanded that they should bring the vessels of gold and silver, which Nabuchodonosor, his father, had brought away out of the temple, that was in Jerusalem, that the king and his nobles, and his wives, and his concubines, might drink in them. Then were the golden and silver vessels brought, which he had brought away out of the temple that was in Jerusalem: and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them. They drank wine, and praised their gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of stone.

In the same hour there appeared fingers, as it were of the hand of a man, writing over against the candlestick, upon the surface of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king beheld the joints of the hand that wrote. Then was the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him: and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees struck one against the other.

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king spoke, and said to him:

Art thou Daniel, of the children of the captivity of Juda, whom my father, the king, brought out of Judea? I have heard of thee, that thou hast the spirit of the gods, and excellent knowledge, and understanding, and wisdom are found in thee. And now the wise men, the magicians, have come in before me, to read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof; and they could not declare to me the meaning of this writing. But I have heard of thee, that thou canst interpret obscure things, and resolve difficult things: now if thou art able to read the writing, and to shew me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with purple, and shalt have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third prince in my kingdom.

To which Daniel made answer, and said before the king:

Thy rewards be to thyself, and the gifts of thy house give to another: but the writing I will read to thee, O king, and shew thee the interpretation thereof.

But hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven: and the vessels of his house have been brought before thee: and thou, and thy nobles, and thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them: and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and of gold, and of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor feel: but the God who hath thy breath in his hand, and all thy ways, thou hast not glorified. Wherefore, he hath sent the part of the hand which hath written this that is set down. And this is the writing that is written: MANE, THECEL, PHARES. And this is the interpretation of the word.

• MANE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it.
• THECEL: thou art weighed in the balance, and art found wanting.
• PHARES: thy kingdom is divided, and is given to the Medes and Persians.

Responsorial Psalm Daniel 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67
DR Challoner Text Only

O ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye fire and heat, bless the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye cold and heat, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all for ever.

The Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ According to Saint Luke 21:12-19
Haydock New Testament

Jesus said:

But before all these things they will lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and into prisons, dragging you before kings and governors, for my name`s sake: And it shall happen to you for a testimony.

Lay it up, therefore, in your hearts, not to meditate before how you shall answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to resist and gainsay. And you shall be betrayed by your parents and brethren, and kinsmen and friends: and some of you they will put to death. And you shall be hated by all men, for my name’s sake. But a hair of your head shall not perish. In your patience you shall possess your souls.

Haydock Commentary Daniel 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28
Notes Copied From Haydock Commentary Site

• Ver. 1. Baltassar. He is believed to be the same as Nabonides, the last of the Chaldean kings, grandson to Nabuchodonosor.  He is called his son v. 2, 11, &c. according to the style of the Scriptures, because he was a descendant from him.  Ch.  S. Jer. in Is. xiii.  Usher, &c. — Some think that he was brother of Evilmerodac.  v. 11.  Bar. i. 11.  But he seems rather to have been his son.  Jer. xxvii. 7.  Profane authors place Neriglissor and Laborosoarchod between them.  They were not of the royal family, and might be looked upon as usurpers, or reigned in some other place; or they did not meddle with the Jews.  C. — It is wonderful that Josephus should prefer these authors; (T.) yet he abandons the dates given by them.  Ant. x. 12. & c. Ap. 1.  They represent Nabonides as a simple Babylonian raised to the throne, defeated by Cyrus, and suffered to retire into Carmania; whereas, Baltassar was slain.  v. 29.  C. — The others were of a different lineage, and are mentioned by Eus. &c.  Evilmerodac certainly preceded him on the throne, and honoured Joachim in the 37th years of his captivity. W. — Thousand; or, “for his officers over a thousand men.”  Theodot. — Every. Chal. “and drank wine before the thousand,” more than any, for this was deemed a great perfection; or he drank in their presence, but apart.  C. — The Persian monarchs used to sit in a separate apartment, with a veil before the door, so that they could see the guests without being seen.  A great chandelier was before them; (Athen. iv. 10.) probably on the outside, otherwise it would have defeated their purpose.  Light sufficient would appear for Baltassar to see the hand-writing on his chamber wall.  v. 5.  H. — According to the order of time, this chapter should be placed after the vii. and viii.  C. — But those contain visions.  H.
• Ver. 6. Loosed, so that he quaked for fear.  Ezec. xxix. 7.  C. — He was not so drunk as to be deprived of sense.  H. — This happened in the 17th and last year of his reign, when Daniel was about a hundred years old, (W.) though we have no certain account of his age.  H. — He might be eighty-two when he died.  C.
• Ver. 16. Difficult. Lit. “things which are tied,” or perplexing.  H. — The Persians still used the like expressions, to imply an intelligent governor.  Chardin.
• Ver. 17. Another. He does not refuse the offers, but civilly replies that he will give satisfaction without regard to any recompense.
• Ver. 23. Vessels. Only part had been returned to Sedecias: (C. i. 2.) but they were taken again, and kept in the palace, or in the temple of Bel.  H. — Breath, or soul.  Gen. ii. 7.  C.
• Ver. 25. Phares. These words consist of three letters, mona, thokol, pros, as we add o merely for pronunciation.  Being unconnected and almost destitute of vowels, (H.) it is not easy even for the learned to read these words, or to ascertain their meaning.  Thus d b r being placed in a similar situation, it would be impossible to determine the sense; as it may have ten different meanings, according as it is pronounced.  v. 8.   C. — Mane is twice repeated, to shew the certainty and exactitude of the numbering.  M. — Yet in the sequel each word occurs once and unconnected, as it is here in the Vulg.; not Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin, (Prot.  H.) “He hath numbered, weighed, and the dividers or the Persians” are upon thee, (T.) as Dalila said to Samson.  Only three words (H.) were written.  S. Jer. — The rest contain the prophet’s explanation.  The Chaldean empire had now attained its utmost height.  Its king brought ruin upon himself by his wicked life.  H. — He would soon be divided with the sword, and his kingdom shared between the Medes and Persians.  S. Jer.
• Ver. 28. Persians. Those who confound Baltassar with Nabonides, say that Cyrus made himself master of all the empire.  How then was it divided?  Darius rather took possession of the greatest part while Cyrus had Persia, (C.) till his uncle’s death.  H.

Haydock Commentary Luke 21:12-19

• Ver. 12. This verse is spoken to the apostles alone; and was verified, by most of them having been martyred and put to death, before the destruction of Jerusalem.  Calmet.
• Ver. 15. I will give, &c.  In some parts it is said, that Christ himself will speak by the mouths of his disciples, as in this passage of S. Luke; in other places, as S. Matt. C. xvi. that the Father will speak; and S. Matt. C. x. that the Spirit of the Father will speak.  In these different texts there is no contradiction, but a most perfect harmony.  What one of the divine Persons says, all three say; for the voice of the Trinity is only one.  S. Ambrose.
• Ver. 18. A hair of your head, &c.  A hair shall not perish from the head of the disciples of Christ; because not only their most heroic actions, and their public confessions of his name, but even their passing thoughts shall be crowned with adequate rewards.  Ven. Bede.
• Ver. 19. In your patience, &c.  We then truly possess our souls, when we live in all things perfect, and from the citadel of virtue command and control all the motions of the mind and heart.  S. Greg. Mag. Moral. v. c. 13.

The No. 3 Lowell River Hawks (8-2-1, 4-1-1 HE) vs. the Providence College Friars (6-4-1, 1-3-1 HE)

7 p.m. Tuesday at Schneider Arena, Providence, R.I.

Lowell is third in Hockey East with nine points from six games and Providence is last in Hockey East with three points from five games.

Last three games
Lowell — 6-3 vs. Merrimack, 4-0 at Alabama-Huntsville, 3-1 at Alabama-Huntsville
Providence — 3-3 vs. Northeastern, 1-4 at Northeastern, 4-3 vs. Brown

Prior meetings
Lowell trails Providence 35-45-9 all-time.

Season series
Nothing to report.

Top scorers
Lowell:
Scott Campbell — 11 GP, 5-8-13 (6, 2-3-5 HE)
Nick Schaus — 9, 4-8-12 (6 GP, 3-6-9)
Paul Worthington — 11, 6-5-11 (6, 5-4-9)
David Vallorani — 11, 4-7-11 (6, 1-6-7)
Kory Falite — 11, 5-5-10 (6, 2-2-4)

Providence:
Matt Bergland — 11 GP, 7-3-10 (5 GP, 2-1-3 HE)
Matt Germain — 11, 3-6-9 (5, 0-4-4)
Daniel New — 11, 3-6-9 (5, 2-3-5)
Mark Fayne — 11, 2-5-7 (5, 1-2-3)
Kyle MacKinnon — 11, 2-5-7 (5, 1-1-2)

Goaltending
Lowell:
Carter Hutton (4-2-0) — 6 GP, 361:29 minutes, 2.16 GAA/.916 sv% (3 GP, 183:29 minutes, 2.94 GAA/.899 sv% HE)
Nevin Hamilton (4-0-1) — 5, 304:57, 2.36/.918 (3, 184:57, 2.60/.917 HE)

Merrimack:
Alex Beaudry (5-3-1) — 9 GP, 542:52 minutes, 2.32 GAA/.926 sv% (4 GP, 244:11, 2.70 GAA/.922 sv% HE)

Team stats
Lowell:
Overall (11 games) — 43 goals for (3.91/gm), 25 goals against (2.27/gm). Power play 16/66 (24.2%, 1 SHGA), penalty kill 39/45 (86.7%, 0 SHGF)
Hockey East (6 games) — 25 goals for (4.17/gm), 17 goal against (2.83/gm). Power play 12/39 (30.8%, 1 SHGA), penalty kill 24/29 (82.8%, 0 SHGF)

Providence:
Overall (11 games) — 29 goals for (2.64/gm), 27 goals against (2.45/gm). Power play 6/43 (14.0%, 0 SHGA), penalty kill 47/58 (81.0%, 0 SHGF)
Hockey East (5 games) — 9 goals for (1.80/gm), 16 goals against (3.20/gm). Power play 4/20 (20.0%, 0 SHGA), penalty kill 22/29 (75.9%, 0 SHGF)

Outlook

We believe in plain speaking, so here goes: Lowell needs to KILL Providence.

Why? Stats. Providence is an above-.500 team thanks to a weak out-of-conference schedule featuring 3-7-2 Holy Cross, 6-5-3 Notre Dame twice, 2-9-1 Bowling Green twice and 0-6-1. Notre Dame, which is having a down year, accounts for more than half of the wins their OOC opponents have netted this year. Take them out and PC’s opponents have a combined record of 5-22-4. Even with them, it’s 11-27-7. So that 27 goals allowed in 11 games looks decent, but it’s not. Especially considering that, even in allowing just 27 goals in 11 games, they’ve only scored 29. And EIGHT of those came in one game against Bowling Green.

The Hockey East schedule paints a more grim and therefore more appropriate picture of how bad the Friars actually are. At 1-3-1, they’re not even close to .500. They’ve scored just nine goals in five games, they’ve allowed 16. And they have allowed almost twice as many power play goals as they’ve scored because they only draw four man advantages a game while conceding close to six.

And they’re going to try to compete with Lowell? Even the good teams in Hockey East struggle to keep up, and Providence’s “Rush up the ice and shoot first, backcheck later” approach to the game isn’t going to do them too many favors tonight. Providence is good at draws, winning 53.1 percent in Hockey East games, but it’s not Lowell good (56.3). And what that, in conjunction with the above stats, tells us is that where Lowell gains meaningful possession and scoring chances off its draws, Providence wins them and does nothing with them.

And with that in mind, we’re picking Lowell to win by three and hold the Friars to one or none. Anything else would mean the River Hawks played like, we dunno, Northeastern or something.

You can see in the above picture one of the main reasons it was such a great game, such a great experience, to be at last Sunday in Providence at the Dunkin Donuts Center for the 4:05 pm meeting between the Providence Bruins and the Manchester Monarchs. The P-Bruins pulled off an astonishingly exciting comeback victory, down three goals at one point and looking completely exhausted from playing the third game in three days, as they scored the game winner with 47.2 seconds left in the game. The improbable, inspiring comeback was all the more delectable as it came against the division leading Monarchs who, early on in the contest, seemed like they were in complete control of the game and would dominate with ease.

Not so fast.

Credit to the snarliness of recently returned forward Brad Marchand who, seemingly spurred on by anger at taking an early high stick in the game and a nasty war of words with Monarchs defenseman Andrew Campbell, was a windmill of energy in the third. Throwing some nasty hits, driving to the net, buzzing in the corners. He had three assists in the game, two coming on the last two goals of the comeback as he directly set up Kirk MacDonald and Andrew Bodnarchuck for the fourth and fifth goals respectively, sealing the victory.

Guess the kid learned a little something in the month or so he spent up in Boston, eh? Work like that, it won’t be long before he’s back.

All in all it was an excellent day. Three little ladies experienced their very first hockey game ever and were key elements themselves in the victory, one could assume. When all the rest of the crowd was doubtful there were three who never stopped cheering at the top of their lungs, “Go Big B’s Go! Use your teamwork!” The non-stop dancing alone was enough to inspire the team, I would imagine. Twice they appeared on the Jumbotron on Fan Cam and I can only imagine the team looking up and saying to themselves, “You know what, boys? If those three little kids won’t quit, then neither will we. Let’s win it for them!“

Certainly, that what I told them.

Once again, it affirms what a great take minor league sports can be. Inexpensive, family friendly, entertaining in so many ways. The food at the Dunk is decent enough,though I would recommend you avoid the Johnny Rockets Milkshake stand at all costs. I pride myself as a connoisseur of milkshakes and the one I paid $5.50 for down there was thin, watery and tasteless. Very disappointing indeed.

Of course, the greatest milk shake/frappe spot in Boston has now closed it’s doors, that being Herrell’s in Harvard Square. Thick, creamy, with a vanilla flavor (I only do vanilla) that was the sugary equivalent of crystal meth when you consume it. Delicious beyond my paltry word skills to describe.

As you can see, I’m still in mourning.

Anyway, more photos from the game here.

I recently ran across a public letter written to Representative Patrick Kennedy from Bishop Tobin regarding the representative’s statement:  “[t]he fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.”  This is an important read for all Catholics.  In fact it is an important letter to read if you are a journalist, apologist for abortion, or a critic of the Catholic Church.  The Bishop states very clearly the minimum requirements fo being in communion with the Catholic Church and addresses the hypocrisy of many Catholic politicians head on.  Again well done Bishop Tobin.

Read the original publication of this letter in the Rhode Island Catholic, 11/12/2009.

Dear Congressman Kennedy:

“The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” (Congressman Patrick Kennedy)

Since our recent correspondence has been rather public, I hope you don’t mind if I share a few reflections about your practice of the faith in this public forum. I usually wouldn’t do that – that is speak about someone’s faith in a public setting – but in our well-documented exchange of letters about health care and abortion, it has emerged as an issue. I also share these words publicly with the thought that they might be instructive to other Catholics, including those in prominent positions of leadership.

For the moment I’d like to set aside the discussion of health care reform, as important and relevant as it is, and focus on one statement contained in your letter of October 29, 2009, in which you write, “The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” That sentence certainly caught my attention and deserves a public response, lest it go unchallenged and lead others to believe it’s true. And it raises an important question: What does it mean to be a Catholic?

“The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.” Well, in fact, Congressman, in a way it does. Although I wouldn’t choose those particular words, when someone rejects the teachings of the Church, especially on a grave matter, a life-and-death issue like abortion, it certainly does diminish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the Church. This principle is based on the Sacred Scripture and Tradition of the Church and is made more explicit in recent documents.

For example, the “Code of Canon Law” says, “Lay persons are bound by an obligation and possess the right to acquire a knowledge of Christian doctrine adapted to their capacity and condition so that they can live in accord with that doctrine.” (Canon 229, #1)

The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” says this: “Mindful of Christ’s words to his apostles, ‘He who hears you, hears me,’ the faithful receive with docility the teaching and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.” (#87)

Or consider this statement of the Church: “It would be a mistake to confuse the proper autonomy exercised by Catholics in political life with the claim of a principle that prescinds from the moral and social teaching of the Church.” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2002)

There’s lots of canonical and theological verbiage there, Congressman, but what it means is that if you don’t accept the teachings of the Church your communion with the Church is flawed, or in your own words, makes you “less of a Catholic.”

But let’s get down to a more practical question; let’s approach it this way: What does it mean, really, to be a Catholic? After all, being a Catholic has to mean something, right?

Well, in simple terms – and here I refer only to those more visible, structural elements of Church membership – being a Catholic means that you’re part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teachings of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals; that you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish; that you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly; that you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially.

Congressman, I’m not sure whether or not you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic, so let me ask: Do you accept the teachings of the Church on essential matters of faith and morals, including our stance on abortion? Do you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish? Do you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly? Do you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially?

In your letter you say that you “embrace your faith.” Terrific. But if you don’t fulfill the basic requirements of membership, what is it exactly that makes you a Catholic? Your baptism as an infant? Your family ties? Your cultural heritage?

Your letter also says that your faith “acknowledges the existence of an imperfect humanity.” Absolutely true. But in confronting your rejection of the Church’s teaching, we’re not dealing just with “an imperfect humanity” – as we do when we wrestle with sins such as anger, pride, greed, impurity or dishonesty. We all struggle with those things, and often fail.

Your rejection of the Church’s teaching on abortion falls into a different category – it’s a deliberate and obstinate act of the will; a conscious decision that you’ve re-affirmed on many occasions. Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an “imperfect humanity.” Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the Church.

Congressman Kennedy, I write these words not to embarrass you or to judge the state of your conscience or soul. That’s ultimately between you and God. But your description of your relationship with the Church is now a matter of public record, and it needs to be challenged. I invite you, as your bishop and brother in Christ, to enter into a sincere process of discernment, conversion and repentance. It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church, redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic “profile in courage,” especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children. And if I can ever be of assistance as you travel the road of faith, I would be honored and happy to do so.

Sincerely yours,

Thomas J. Tobin

Bishop of Providence