June 13, 2019

Anthony of Padua

June 13, 2019:  St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor

See over a dozen connections with today?
Legend below
Listen

For 1st reading
For Psalm 85
Pope Francis
To skaters:  All sports are in fact a cause and an expression of the joy of exercising, being together, being alive, and receiving God's gifts.  Skating offers an exhilarating experience of life and freedom of movement, plus training in discipline, teamwork, and pursuing excellence.  And the sport is inclusive, erasing social and age barriers.
Managers and trainers, guide young people; help them mature as productive members of the larger community.  The respect, courage, altruism, balance, and self-control learned in sport are preparation for success in life.  Sport is meant to be at the service of humanity.
World Day of the Poor message (for 11/17)
Read
  • 2 Cor 3:15—4:1, 3-6  When Moses is read, a veil lies over the Israelites' hearts, but when you turn to the Lord, the veil is removed.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom.  We who gaze on the Lord's glory are transformed into his image.  We preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for his sake.  God has shone in us to bring his glory to light.
  • Ps 85:9ab, 10-14  "The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land."  God proclaims peace to his people.   His salvation is near to those who fear him.  Kindness and truth shall meet, justice and peace kiss....
  • Mt 5:20-26  “Unless your righteousness surpasses the scribes', you won't enter the Kingdom.  Your ancestors heard, "You shall not kill," but I tell you, whoever is angry will be liable to judgment.  If you bring your gift to the altar and recall your brother has anything against you, leave your gift, be reconciled, then return and offer your gift.  Settle with your opponent quickly, or else you'll be imprisoned till you've paid the last penny.”
"Justice and peace kissing" gallery
Justice and peace/ Giaquinto
Psalm 85/ Swanson
The kiss of peace and justice/ de la Hyre
Justitia et pax osculantur/ Dell'Orto
Reflect
  • Word of the day:  Raqa (rēqā’ or rēqâ, Aramaic, from gospel):  probably 'blockhead' or 'imbecile,' a term of abuse.
  • Creighton:  Today’s gospel encourages us to forgive, show mercy and justice, and strive for unity in and with Christ. Jesus speaks, quoting from the Commandments: “you've heard it said, 'You shall not kill,' but I say whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement.” Jesus encourages us to reconciliation:  if I'm bringing my gift to the altar and remember my brother has something against me, I must be reconciled with my brother before offering God my gift.  The antidote to lack of unity is the person of Christ.  Each of us is unique and blessed by our uniqueness; in that blessing comes the invitation to seek unity in him.  We need to be proud of our unity with faithful people worldwide.
  • One Bread, One Body:  "The Spirit unveils the Word":  When I read Scripture after my Life in the Spirit seminar, God's Word came alive in a new way; the Spirit had removed the veil that was obscuring my understanding. Jesus and the Spirit are still opening my eyes.  Turn to the Lord and beg for a new outpouring of the Spirit.  When we turn, the veil is removed.  The Spirit wrote the Bible.  We understand a book more clearly when we sit with the author and ask what they meant when writing.  How much more can we understand God's Word with the Spirit's inspiration!
  • Passionist:  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presents his teaching with divine authority, to the astonishment of the scribes and Pharisees, who equated righteousness with outward observance of the law.  Jesus called his disciples to go further, to deeper righteousness, deeper obedience to God’s laws.  The disciples had to understand and obey God's law more deeply in order to enter into God's kingdom.  Jesus gave examples of the necessary behavior.  Not murdering isn't good enough.  Sin grows like a seed.  Remove the attitudes and actions that lead to killing, and every obstacle to unconditional love.  If you're angry, leave your sacrifice at the altar and seek reconciliation.  If you're in a feud, settle and avoid the risk of divine judgment against you.  Let's not proclaim the good news of God's kingdom, unless the news penetrates us and we obey the commandments of love and forgiveness.
  • DailyScripture.net:  "Be reconciled...":  God warned Cain:  Why are you angry?  Sin is at the door, but you must master it.  Sin grows as a seed in our heart and chokes us if not uprooted.  Jesus addressed the issue of keeping the commandments with his disciples.  Jesus:  unless evil desires are eradicated, we'll be corrupted.  He points to forbidden anger, selfish, long-lived anger that nurses grudges.  The antidote is mercy, kindness, and forbearance from a loving, forgiving heart.  In the cross we see the supreme example of love and forgiveness.  Only God's love and grace can free us from the tyranny of pride and revenge.  Am I quick to be reconciled?  Through the Spirit may we overcome evil with good, hatred with kindness, and injury with pardon.
May I be no one's enemy; may I be the friend of what's eternal.  May I never quarrel: and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly.  May I love, seek, and attain only what's good.  May I wish for the happiness of all and envy none.  May I never rejoice in the ill fortune of one who's wronged me.  When I've done or said what's wrong, may I never wait for others' rebuke but rebuke myself and make amends.  May I win no victory that harms my opponent or me.  May I reconcile friends who are angry with each other.  May I never fail a friend in danger.  May I soften the pain of those in grief.  May I respect myself.  May I keep tame what rages within me.  May I be gentle, never angry with people because of circumstances.  May I never discuss who's wicked and what they've done, but know good people and follow in their footsteps.  (Eusebius)
  • Universalis:  Anthony of Padua, monk, Franciscan friar; missionary to Africa, Italy, and beyond; theologian, "hammer of heretics," "evangelical doctor," "lost and found" patron; see also Wikipedia.
Dress legend
  • 'Dove' pin:  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's freedom (1st reading)
  • 'Jesus' pin:  We preach Jesus Christ as Lord (1st reading)
  • 'Street light' tie bar:  God who said, Let light shine... (1st reading)
  • 'Heart' pin:  ...has shone in our hearts... (1st reading); love your neighbor (gospel)
  • 'Peace sign' tie bar:  Justice and peace shall kiss (psalm); make peace (gospel)
      • 'Joker' tie:  Whoever says, 'You fool' will be liable to Gehenna (gospel)
      • 'Scales of justice' pin:  Justice and peace shall kiss (psalm); settle with your opponent, or the judge and guard will imprison you... (gospel)
      • 'Penny' button:  ...till you've paid the last penny (gospel)
      • Doctor's office' tie (if my "joker" tie hadn't trumped it):  Anthony of Padua, 'Doctor' of the Church
      • White and green shirt:  White for St. Anthony, green for Ordinary Time
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      June 12, 2019

      June 12

      June 12, 2019:  Wednesday, 10th week, Ordinary Time

      How many connections with today can you fine?
      Legend below
      Listen
      For Psalm 99

      Communion and ‘freedom from oneself’ are part of the Christian's DNA.  Christ’s choice of twelve Apostles shows the continuity between the Church and the people of Israel.  After Judas defected, the Apostles knew another had to take his place.  So the community joined in prayer to discern the Lord’s choice.

       Jesus told his disciples they'd be known by their love for one another and explained that their unity was their first form of witness to the Lord and his love.  Judas preferred death, but the eleven chose life and salvation and took on the responsibility of passing it on.  It became necessary to reconstitute the Twelve after the wound Judas's abandonment created.  This inaugurated community discernment, seeing reality through God's eyes, in the perspective of unity and communion.  Communion overcomes division, isolation, and prioritizing private space.

       In Acts, the Twelve manifest the style of the Lord.  Rediscover the beauty of witnessing to the Risen One, going beyond self-referential attitudes, not keeping God's gifts to ourselves, not yielding to mediocrity.  Ask the Lord to help you bear witness to God's love by our unity, which triumphs over pride and divisiveness.

      Yodh (animate)
      Read
      • 2 Cor 3:4-11  We have confidence through Christ toward God, who's qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, one of the spirit who gives life.  The ministry of the Spirit will be glorious....
      • Ps 99:5-9  "Holy is the Lord our God."  Extol and worship the Lord.  Many called upon him, he answered, and they heard the law he gave.
      • Mt 5:17-19  “I came not to abolish the law and prophets but to fulfill them.  Whoever breaks the least commandment will be called least in the Kingdom, but whoever obeys and teaches the commandments will be called great.”
      Reflect
      • Yodh (Yud), the "smallest letter" of the Hebrew alphabet, is the first letter of God's Name; its top spur is "the smallest part of a letter" (Mt 5:18).  Not the smallest letter or part will disappear from the Word.  God uses the small to demonstrate his power.  More
      • Creighton:  Paul knew the law and how easily it is to be enslaved to it.  Rules have their place, help us live our lives, and point us to invisible realities, but they often hinder our growth, understanding, and compassion.  But if they hinder compassion and mercy, they're no longer useful.  The emphasis on fulfillment doesn't negate the sacrifices Hebrews made on behalf of the law.  Jesus emphasized that he wasn't nullifying or destroying the law but fulfilling and completing it.  The ceremonies, sacrifices, restrictions, and other features of the Old Covenant were only a shadow of good things coming,  not the realities themselves.  Rediscover the law in the person of Jesus, its perfect fulfillment, who personifies the meaning behind the law.
        Tetragrammaton (YHWH)
        starting with Yodh
        (remember Hebrew is right-to-left)
      • One Bread, One Body:  "Your credit rating":  We quickly shift from giving God the credit to taking the credit ourselves.  Our perspective is wrong:  we ask God to help us instead of asking God for the privilege of helping him. "When you've done all you've been commanded to do, say, 'We're useless servants; we've just done our duty'" We owe everything to God. "Everything is grace."  "Owing to God's favor, salvation is yours through faith.  It's God's gift, not your own doing or a reward for anything you accomplished, so don't pride yourself on it."  "Every worthwhile gift... comes from above."  "Let the last word be,  He is all in all!  Praise him..."
      • Passionist:  "The letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life.”  The Holy Spirit brings us to new life in Christ.  Paul was overwhelmed with the excitement of following Christ. Though he had been a servant of the law, once he encountered Christ, he knew what a difference the new law and the Spirit could make and eager to share it.  Some people who find the Lord slip back into old ways, but Paul remained a new man forever.  In the gospel, Jesus also addressed the relationship between the old law and the new.  Jesus says he's not denying the law and the prophets but fulfilling them.  Am I alive in the Spirit, eager to live the faith Christ gave me?  Will the way I live my faith reveal the joy of discipleship and life in the Spirit?
      • DailyScripture.net:  "Great are those who teach and obey the commandments":  Jesus' loved and meditated on God's law.  "The law" referred to the 10 commandments, the Pentateuch/Torah, or God's whole teaching to his people; Jews also used it to describe the oral law to which scribes added more than God intended.  Jesus made it clear God's commandments must be fulfilled.  God's law of grace, love, and freedom flows from his love, goodness, and holiness.  Jesus taught reverence for God, the Lord's Day, parents, life, property, oneself, and others.  Respect for God's commandments teaches us love of God and neighbor.  God gives us grace to love, forgive, think, and act like him.  We must love his commandments and hate wrongdoing.  The Spirit writes God's law on our hearts, gives us wisdom and understanding, helps us in our weakness, strengthens us in temptation, and transforms us into the likeness of Christ....
      Dress legend
      • DISC lanyard, DISC 2003 T-shirt:  DISC 2019 in progress
      • 'J' tie bar (10th letter, like י):  "Not the smallest letter will pass from the law..."; Jesus is fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets (gospel); the 'letter' brings death,... (1st reading)
      • 'Dove' pin:  ...but the Spirit gives life (1st reading)
      • 'Stone' tie pin:  The ministry of the Spirit will be more glorious than the ministry of death carved on stone  (1st reading)
      • 'Phone' tie bar:  They 'called' on the Lord, and he answered (psalm)
      • Tie with 'clouds':  The Lord spoke from the pillar of cloud (psalm)
      • 'Tablet' pin (oops; forgot):  I came to fulfill, not abolish, the law...  (gospel) 
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      June 11, 2019

      Barnabas

      June 11, 2019:  St. Barnabas, Apostle

      See 17 connections with today?
      Legend below
      Listen

      For Psalm 98
      For the gospel
      Pope Francis homily

       We're called to serve and love others as God has done with us.  We can't remain stationary; our way of life impels us to hit the road, always.  Jesus has given us the mission to proclaim the kingdom of heaven, cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons.  Christian life is for service.  It saddens us to find Christians who once served but later make use of God's people, harming them.

       You can't buy salvation; God saves us free of charge.  As God has done with us, so we are to do with others.  The Lord is full of gifts for us; he only asks for an open heart.  When we pray ‘Our Father,’ we open our heart.  Often when we need a grace, we say, ‘I'll fast, do penance, pray a novena…’  But be careful:  do it to open your heart so grace may enter, not to ‘buy’ grace.

       God’s gifts are free, but a closed heart can't receive such love.  Don't bargain with God.  Give freely.  We always run the risk of slipping up on the payment question, even when praying, as if we need to bribe the Lord.  No!  I make a promise, to expand my heart to receive what's already waiting, free.  This relationship will help us to have rapport with others, in witness, service, and pastoral work.  Preach and serve, but don't use others.  Give what you've freely received.  May our life be permeated by this openness, so God's gratuitousness may enter.

      Animate
      (Thanks, WordArt and Clipart-library)
      Read
      • Acts 11:21b-26; 12:1-3  A great number turned to the Lord.  News reached Jerusalem, and they sent Spirit- and faith-filled Barnabas, who saw God's grace, rejoiced, and encouraged them to be faithful; more were added to the Lord.  He brought Saul back to Antioch; for a year they met with the Church and taught many.  The Spirit said, “Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work I've called them to....”
      • Ps 98:1-6  "The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power,"  done wondrous deeds, won victory, made his justice known, and remembered his kindness and faithfulness.  Sing joyful praise to the Lord with harp, trumpets, and horn!
      • Mt 5:13-16  “You're the salt of the earth, but if salt loses its taste, it's no longer any good.  You're the light of the world.  People put lamps on stands to give light to all.  Shine your light so others may see your good deeds and glorify your Father.”
      Reflect
      • Creighton:  The 1st reading starts, “In those days,” a phrase denoting separation between then and now.  If the time between the existence of water and the present were compressed into a single year, Jesus lived on earth about 14 seconds ago.  We can feel disconnected from our past, but we may not be as disconnected as we think....
      • One Bread, One Body:  "Name change":  Joseph's name was changed to Barnabas ("son of encouragement") because he was such an encouragement through his words and finances.  For a Jew, "Joseph" referred to Joseph from Genesis, the dreamer his brothers sold into slavery who became responsible for the survival of Egypt and the rest of the Middle East during a famine.  His story was one of recovery of freedom, family, and food; he helped others survive.  Barnabas was a builder of the kingdom, recovering from the past, building the future, breaking ground, acting (not merely reacting) in faith, attacking the gates of hell, not just playing defense. He was not only reacting in faith but acting in faith.  We too need a name change, from crisis intervention to evangelization, survival to revival, avoiding defeat to claiming victory.
      • Passionist:  Barnabas was an encourager.  The Jerusalem Church, needing someone to send to Antioch, dispatched Barnabas.  Once he arrived, he encouraged them to remain true to the Lord.  Barnabas was a friend.  Many feared and shunned Paul, the former Christian persecutor, but Barnabas befriended him and invited him to join him in his Antioch mission.  Barnabas was compassionate.  Barnabas, take us to Antioch with you.  Teach us how to encourage those who want to know the Lord.  Introduce us to those who feel shunned and lonely.  Show us how to be compassionate to the discouraged.  Show us how to reveal others' potential.  Show us how to be a compassionate encourager and friend, good, and filled with the Spirit and faith.
        St. Barnabas
      • DailyScripture.net:  "Salt of the earth, light of the world":  Jesus used ordinary images to convey extraordinary truths that transform us.  Salt was a valuable commodity.  People traded with it, and it flavored and preserved food.  Jesus used the image of salt to describe the transforming effect of God's work and how the Spirit wants to work through us to bring God's power and blessing to others.  As salt purifies, preserves, and flavors our food, we disciples of Jesus are 'salt' for human society.  The Lord wants us to help purify, preserve, and spread the flavor of God's kingdom of justice, peace, and joy in the Spirit."
      Salt was put into ovens to intensify the heat, then when no longer useful, thrown onto the ground where it would get stepped on and swept away.  The Lord wants us to preserve our "saltiness" through virtuous living and rejection of sin, for our sake and others'.  We're called to be "the aroma of Christ to God among those being saved and among those perishing."  May we let the fragrance of Christ's love, truth, and holiness permeate every area of our life...
      Jesus also used the image of light to illustrate God's transforming work.  Lamps enable people to see and work in the dark and avoid stumbling.  Light also symbolized God's beauty, truth, and goodness of God.  "In his light we see light ." "His word is a lamp that guides us."  God illumines our darkness and fills us with spiritual light, joy, and peace.  As natural light enables one to see, so the light of Christ shines in believers and enables us to see God's kingdom.  Our mission is to bear the light of Christ so others may see the truth of the gospel and be freed from sin and deception....
      Dress legend
      • 'Lights' tie, 'street light' tie bar:  You are the light of the world; shine before others, as lighted lamps give light to all (gospel)

      • 'Feet' pin:  Flat salt is good for nothing but to be trampled underfoot (gospel)

      • 'Alps' pin:  A city set on a mountain can't be hidden (gospel)

      • 'Heart' tie pin:  Barnabas encouraged them to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart (1st reading);
      • 'Dove' tie pin:  Barnabas was filled with the Spirit (1st reading)
      • 'Abacus' tie pin:  A large number was added to the Lord....  They taught a large number... (1st reading)
      • 'Phone' tie bar:  In Antioch the disciples were first 'called' Christians (1st reading)
      • 'Hands' pin:  ...then laid hands on Barnabas and Saul...  (1st reading); the Lord's right hand won victory (psalm)
      • 'Olympics' pin:  All the ends of the earth have seen God's salvation (psalm)
      • 'Angel with trumpet,' 'horn' pins:  With trumpets and the sound of the horn,... (psalm)
      • 'Musical notes with "joy"' tie pin:  ...sing joyfully before the Lord (psalm);  Barnabas rejoiced at God's grace (1st reading)
      • 'Scales of justice' pin:  The Lord has revealed his justice (psalm)
      • Red shirt for feast of apostle Barnabas
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      June 10, 2019

      Mother of the Church

      June 10, 2019:  Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

      See 16 connections with today?
      Legend below
      Read 
      • Gn 3:9-15,20  "You've eaten the fruit I forbade you to eat!"  The Lord said to the serpent:
        "You shall be banned and eat dirt.  I'll put enmity between you and the woman,
        between your offspring and hers."  Eve became the mother of all the living.
        Animate
      • Acts 1:12-14  After Jesus had been taken up to heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem, went to the upper room, and devoted themselves to prayer, together with some women, Mary, and his brothers.

      • Ps 87:1-3,5-7  "Glorious things are told of you, O city of God."  They shall say, "All were born in her, and the Lord established her.  All shall sing, "My home is within you."
      • Jn 19:25-34  At the cross Jesus told his mother, "Behold, your son," and the disciple, "Behold, your mother."  The disciple took her into his home.  Jesus said, "I thirst," drank from a vessel of common wine, and handed over the spirit.  The Jews asked Pilate that his legs be broken, but when the soldiers saw he was already dead, they didn't break his legs, but thrust a lance into his side, and Blood and water flowed out.

      Reflect
      • Creighton:  Even in his agony, Jesus shows his love for his mother (who sometimes misunderstood him).  His words encourage us to love our families and recognize our responsibility to them. The piercing of one's side was not common with crucifixion, and doubtless the blood and water have meaning.  Blood represents our redemption, achieved by Jesus' suffering and death; water symbolizes our rebirth and cleansing from sin.  The flowing signified that we receive these benefits through Christ....
        "Mother of the Church"
        ("Mary, all is yours")
        St. Peter's Square (inside story)
      • One Bread, One Body:  "Mother of us all":  Our human frailties often prevent us from serving as we should, but "the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ" (Catechism 975).  As Mary stood at the cross, mother and Son shared the rejection, but evil did not triumph; "it was impossible that death should keep its hold."  Christ's sacrifice paved the way for our rebirth.  God's plan that our salvation come through the Church was manifested when "blood and water flowed" from Jesus' side.  "As Eve was formed from Adam's side, so the Church was born from Christ's pierced heart hanging on the cross" (Catechism 766).  Eve "became the mother of all the living," but she fell into temptation.  Mary's obedience remedied Eve's disobedience.  Mary is the mother of those reborn in Christ, "those who keep God's commandments and give witness to Jesus"; she's ready, willing, and able to be your advocate.
      • Passionist:  No matter what the relationship, there seems to be a persistent connection between a mother and her children.  What must Jesus have felt as he looked down from the cross at his bereft mother?  Though he entrusted her to John, they had to let go of their bond, and their hearts were breaking.  The severing of such a bond reminds me that I can never lose my tether to God, my faithful, wise, patient, and everlasting source, and within that embrace I remain tethered to those I loved on earth.  We come from God, go to God, and are united with God and each other.  As I place myself in God’s presence in prayer, Mom is there too, along with all who have gone before me. If I let myself be open to it, it's real, true, and eternal....
      • DailyScripture.net:  "Behold, your son!  Behold, your mother!"  God created the human race in love for love, to be united with him and one another in love and peace. True love gives all for the beloved. With the gift of love and life God also gave freedom and responsibility:  freedom to choose good or evil, community or for division, peace or strife, life or death.  God gave Adam and Eve all they needed for life, happiness, and friendship with God, in a Garden full of the fruit of his creation. God took delight in them and walked with them so they could grow in knowledge of his love and wisdom.  He allowed the tempter to test them so they could freely choose whom they'd obey. The serpent tricked them into believing they'd be all-powerful and wise, like God, on their own terms.  They choose to believe him over God.  Their fall resulted in a wound only God could heal.  God in his love and wisdom disciplined them for their own good, to lead them to repentance and restoration.  He'd send them a Redeemer to restore them and their descendants. Isaiah foretold that God would send a Redeemer, born of a virgin from the house of David, to undergo affliction and shed his blood to atone for sin.  Jesus, through obedience to the Father and his sacrifice for us, won for us pardon and life; he humbled himself by taking flesh, so he could become one with us and offer himself as the perfect sacrifice.  He is the new Adam who begets a new humanity and creation through his cross and resurrection; he told Nicodemus we must be born anew, of water and the Spirit.  On the cross, seeing his mother and John, he said, "Behold your son," and "Behold, your mother”; they took each other as spiritual mother and son.  When Jesus addressed Mary as he did before as "woman" (vs. "mother"), he may have been alluding to the beginning of creation when Adam addressed Eve as Woman.  Mary's mission as God-bearer (theotokos) is linked with her son's mission. Through the gift of the Spirit she became the first disciple and a spiritual mother of a new humanity born again through her son.  Early church fathers saw her as a new Eve who cooperated with her Son through faith and devotion to and cooperation with God. 
      "The Lord, coming into his creation in visible form, was sustained by his creation which he sustains. His obedience on the cross reversed the disobedience at Eden; the good news of the truth announced to Mary  undid the evil lie that seduced Eve....  As Eve was seduced by an angel and fled from God after disobeying him, Mary was given the good news by an angel and obeyed God. As Eve was seduced into disobedience, Mary was persuaded into obedience; thus Mary became Eve's advocate....  Mary's obedience untied the knot of Eve's disobedience; her faith loosened what Eve's disbelief bound" (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, paraphrased).
      Mary remained faithful to God's call, as the mother of the Son who took flesh in her.  She's the first Christian because she accepted the Gospel and gave her "yes" to God's saving plan.  She followed her son to the cross and prayed for the outpouring of the Spirit.  She is a model of faith, obedience, hope, perseverance, love, and fidelity. May we to take up our cross and follow Jesus in his way of love and sacrifice.  Faith and trust in Jesus opens the door to all God's promises.  God gives us the grace we need and expects us to respond like Mary with obedience and trust.  May we not go our own way but rather yield to his grace.
      • Universalis:  Mary has been given the title of Mother of the Church since she gave birth to Christ, Head of the Church, and she became the Mother of the redeemed people before her Son had given up the spirit on the Cross. Paul VI confirmed the title at Vatican II on 21 November 1964 and decreed that the whole Christian people should, by the use of this beautiful title, give Mary still greater honor.
      "The joyous veneration given to the Mother of God by the contemporary Church, in light of reflection on the mystery of Christ and on his nature, cannot ignore the figure of a woman (Gal 4:4), the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church.  This was already present in the mind of the Church from the words of Augustine and Leo the Great.  The former says Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperated in their rebirth into the Church, while the latter says that the birth of the Head is the birth of the body, indicating Mary as both Mother of Christ, Son of God, and of the members of his Mystical Body, the Church" (Ecclesia Mater).
      Dress legend
      • 'Tree' pin:  Adam ate of the tree (1st reading)
      • 'Serpent' tie pin:  "The serpent tricked me" (1st reading)
      • '?' tie pin:  "Where are you?  Who told you you were naked?  Why did you do eat the forbidden fruit?" (1st reading)
      • Dirt-colored suspenders:  "You'll eat dirt" (1st reading)
      • 'Feet' pin:  "He'll strike your head while you strike his heel" (1st reading)
        • 'Fruits' tie with grapes :  Forbidden fruit (1st reading), Jesus drank common wine from the vessel (gospel)
        • 'Alps' pin:  The apostles returned from Mt. Olivet (1st reading alt.); the Lord loves his foundation on the holy mountains (psalm)
        • 'Mary' pin:  They prayed with ... Mary the mother of Jesus.... (1st reading alt.); Mary at the cross; "Behold your mother" (gospel)
        • 'Cross' necklace:  Marys stood by Jesus' cross (gospel)
        • 'Hand' tie pin:  Jesus 'handed' over his spirit (gospel)
        • 'Blood drop' pin:  Blood and water flowed out of Jesus' side (gospel)
        • White shirt:  Liturgical color of today's memorial
        • Green on tie:  Ordinary Time season resumes today
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