Today, August 13
Feast of the Day
No feast of the day
Saint of the Day
Pontian succeeded Pope Urban I in 230. When Maximinus became emperor in 235, a period of persecution began during which Pontian was exiled to the unhealthy mines of Sardinia. He resigned his office and died a martyr.
Hippolytus was a priest in the early third century, a well-known scholar and theologian in the early Roman church. He wrote in Greek, the language of the young Church, but only a few of his works survive, including a prayer on which our Eucharistic Prayer II is based. When Callistus became pope in 217, Hippolytus rebelled for various reasons. In 235, banished to the Sardinian mines, Hippolytus met the exiled Pontian, was reconciled to the Church, and died a martyr's death. In 1551 a marble statue of Hippolytus was found in a Roman cemetery. Erected in the 3rd century by his disciples, the statue bears a list of his works on the sides of the chair on which he, now headless, is seated. The statue is now in the Lateran museum.
©2011 Living with Christ, Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/. Reprinted with permission.
Readings of the Day
Book of Ezekiel 12,1-12.
Thus the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, you live in the midst of a rebellious house; they have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house. Now, son of man, during the day while they are looking on, prepare your baggage as though for exile, and again while they are looking on, migrate from where you live to another place; perhaps they will see that they are a rebellious house. You shall bring out your baggage like an exile in the daytime while they are looking on; in the evening, again while they are looking on, you shall go out like one of those driven into exile; while they look on, dig a hole in the wall and pass through it; while they look on, shoulder the burden and set out in the darkness; cover your face that you may not see the land, for I have made you a sign for the house of Israel. I did as I was told. During the day I brought out my baggage as though it were that of an exile, and at evening I dug a hole through the wall with my hand and, while they looked on, set out in the darkness, shouldering my burden. Then, in the morning, the word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, did not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, ask you what you were doing? Tell them: Thus says the Lord GOD: This oracle concerns Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel within it. I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; as captives they shall go into exile. The prince who is among them shall shoulder his burden and set out in darkness, going through a hole that he has dug in the wall, and covering his face lest he be seen by anyone.
Psalms 78(77),56-57.58-59.61-62.
They tempted and rebelled against God the Most High, And kept not his decrees. They turned back and were faithless like their fathers; They recoiled like a treacherous bow. They angered him with their high places And with their idols roused his jealousy. God heard and was enraged And utterly rejected Israel. And he surrendered his strength into captivity, His glory in the hands of the foe. He abandoned his people to the sword And was enraged against his inheritance.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18,21-35.19,1.
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.
Daily Reflection
Every man is God’s debtor and each has his brother in debt to him. Indeed, who could be without debt towards God if not him in whom is found no sin? And who could not have a debtor in his brother if not he whom no one has ever offended? Thus every man is both debtor and creditor… A beggar asks you for alms but you, too, are God’s beggar, for when we pray we are all beggars of God. We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves – at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11,5f.); we beseech him with groans, anxious to receive a grace from him, and this grace is God himself. What does the beggar ask of you? Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God but Christ, who said: “I am the living bread come down from heaven” (Jn 6,51). Do you want to receive pardon? Then, show pardon. “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” Do you want to receive? “Give, and gifts will be given to you” (Lk 6,37-38)… Thus we ought to be ready to forgive all the wrongs done to us if we want God to forgive us too. Truly, if we consider our sins and think over the offences we have committed, I don’t know how we can sleep without feeling the burden of our debt weighing down upon us. And this is why we make our requests to God each day. Each day our prayers strike his ears; each day we prostrate ourselves, saying: “Forgive us our debts as we ourselves forgive those who are in debt to us.” Which of your debts would you like to have remitted? All of them or only some? You are going to reply: All. So do the same for your debtor.