Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine)

“I have come not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it”… Indeed, at that time, by his own power and in his own person, the Lord fulfilled all the mysteries the law foretold concerning himself. All prophecies were fulfilled by his passion. When, as holy David predicted, a sponge full of vinegar was offered him on the cross, he accepted it and said: “It is fulfilled”; and bowing his head, he gave up his spirit (Jn 19,30). Now as well as carrying out himself all that had been prophesied, he also gave us commandments to carry out. Of old the easier commandments laid down by the law (Ac 15,10) were not observed, but we, by grace and the power of the cross, are expected to observe more difficult ones.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

The role of Christ, our Teacher, is, as its name suggests, to be the guide of children. But we have yet to consider what children Scripture is talking about and then to give them their Teacher. The children in question are ourselves. Scripture draws attention to us in a great many ways, making use of various images to refer to us and highlighting the simplicity of faith in many different shades. It is said in the Gospel: “The Lord was standing on the shore… and he said to the disciples – who were fishing – : ‘Children, have you caught anything?’” (Jn 21:4-5). It was his disciples whom he called ‘children’. “People brought children to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus said: ‘Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’” (Mt 19:13-14). Our Lord himself clarifies the meaning of these words when he says: “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3). This has nothing to do with being born again but puts forward the simplicity of the child for our imitation… We can, indeed, call ‘children’ those who only know God, their Father – newborn in the strict sense… There are some persons who have made progress in the Word, whom he calls to detachment from earthly concerns so as to listen only to their Father as children do. This is why he tells them: “Do not worry about tomorrow; sufficient for each day is its own evil” (Mt 6:34). See how he exhorts us to free ourselves from earthly cares so as to cleave only to our Father! Whoever carries out this command is indeed an infant, a child for God and for the world, since the latter considers him wholly ignorant and the former is an object of care.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

Jesus Christ, loaded with scorn and insults by his foes, set himself still more to doing them good… He went through towns, villages and synagogues, teaching us not to pay back calumny with calumny but with even greater generosity. If you have God’s good pleasure and not other people’s in mind when you do good to your neighbor, whatever they may do to you don’t stop doing good to them. Your reward can only be all the greater… That is why Christ did not wait for the sick to come to him; he himself went to them, taking them two essential goods at the same time: the Good News of the Kingdom and the healing of their ills. Nor even was that enough for him: he showed his concern in yet another way. “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.'” Note, once again, his distancing himself from vainglory. Not wanting to draw everyone to follow him, he sent his disciples. He wanted to train them, not just for the struggles they were going to undergo in Judea, but also for the battles they will set in motion throughout the earth… Jesus gives his disciples the power to heal bodies while waiting before confiding to them the equally important power to heal souls. Note how he demonstrates both the ease and the necessity of this work at the same time. What does he say, in fact? “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.” I am not sending you out to sow but to harvest… In speaking like this our Lord gave them confidence and showed them that the most important work had already been achieved.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

Try to gather together more frequently to give thanks to God and to praise him. For when you come together frequently, Satan’s powers are undermined, and the destruction he threatens is done away with in the unanimity of your faith. Nothing is better than peace, in which all warfare between heaven and earth is brought to an end. None of this will escape you if you have perfect faith and love toward Jesus Christ. These are the beginning and the end of life: faith the beginning, love the end. When these two are found together, there is God, and everything else concerning right living follows from them. No one professing faith sins; no one possessing love hates. “A tree is known by its fruit”. So those who profess to belong to Christ will be known by what they do. For the work we are about is not a matter of words here and now, but depends on the power of faith and on being found faithful to the end. It is better to remain silent and to be than to talk and not be. Teaching is good if the teacher also acts. Now there was one teacher who “spoke, and it was made” (Ps 33:9), and even what he did in silence is worthy of the Father. He who has the word of Jesus can truly listen also to his silence in order to be perfect, that he may act through his speech and be known by his silence. Nothing is hidden from the Lord, but even our secrets are close to him. Let us then do everything in the knowledge that he is dwelling within us so that we may be his temples and he may be God within us.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team

We should inquire as to the kind of fruit the Lord wishes us to recognize, so that we may be able to distinguish the tree. Many persons reckon as fruits certain things which are indeed the suitable clothing of sheep, for instance, fastings, prayers, and almsgivings. Such people are deceived by wolves, for, if these things could not be done also by hypocrites, the Lord would not have previously said: “Take heed not to practice your righteousness before men, in order to be seen by them” (Mt 6,1)… Many persons bestow much upon the poor, not through mercy, but for the sake of display; many persons pray-or, rather, they seem to pray-without directing their attention toward God, but seeking to please men; and many persons fast and display a wonderful degree of self-denial before those who think such things difficult and praiseworthy… These are not the fruits by which a tree can be recognized in accordance with the Lord’s admonition. When these things are truly done with a good intention, they are rightly called the clothing of sheep… The Apostle Paul tells us what are the known fruits by which we may recognize a bad tree. He says: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest: they are immorality, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, witchcraft, enmity, contention, jealousy, animosity, quarrels, heresies, faction, envy, drunkenness, carousings, and such like things” (Gal 5,19-21)… And the same Apostle goes on to tell us also what are the fruits by which we may recognize a good tree, for he says: “But the fruit of the spirit is: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, modesty, continence” (vv. 22-23). So, also, the word ‘joy’ is likewise used in its proper sense here, for evil men are not said to rejoice, but to enjoy pleasure… It is in this proper sense that the good use the word when they say: “Rejoicing is not for the wicked, says the Lord” (Is 57,21 cf. Vg.)… The same applies to the true faith. In wicked and deceitful men there are also certain semblances of the other virtues… that may thoroughly deceive anyone who does not keep clear and single the eye through which one is able to recognize those virtues.

Roman Extraordinary (Tridentine) Daily Readings – rosary,team