Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar

That world is best which has been done and which we see taking place, since that is what he wills; and this one can hardly refuse to believe. For if the movement of creation were irrational, and the universe were borne along without plan, a man might fairly disbelieve what we say. But if it subsists in reason and wisdom and skill and is perfectly ordered throughout, it follows that He that is over it and has ordered it is none other than the Logos or Word of God. (…) Being the good Word of the Good Father He produced the order of all things, combining one thing with its contrary, and reducing them to one harmonious order. He, being “the Power of God and Wisdom of God” (1 Cor 1:24), causes the heaven to revolve and has suspended the earth, and made it fast, though resting upon nothing, by His own will (cf. Heb 1:3). Illumined by Him, the sun gives light to the world and the moon has her measured period of shining. By reason of Him the water is suspended in the clouds; the rains shower upon the earth, and the sea is kept within bounds, while the earth bears grasses and is clothed with all manner of plants (cf. Ps 103). (…) But the reason why the Word, the Word of God, has united himself with created things is truly wonderful. (…) For the nature of created things, inasmuch as they are brought into being out of nothing, is of a fleeting sort and weak and mortal, if composed of itself only. But the God of all is good and exceedingly noble by nature and therefore is kind. (…) Seeing, then, that all created nature, as far as its own laws are concerned, is fleeting and subject to dissolution, lest it should come to this and lest the Universe should be broken up again into nothingness (…) God gave substantive existence to creation (…) so that by the governance and providence and ordering action of the Word, Creation may have light and be enabled always to abide securely. (…) lest that should come to it which would have come but for the maintenance of it by the Word, namely dissolution. “For he is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, for through him and in him all things exist, things visible and things invisible, and he is the head of the Church” (Col 1:15-18).

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

Divine strength came down, which we humans cannot touch; it covered itself with a palpable body so that the poor might touch it and, in touching Christ’s humanity, might perceive his divinity. The deaf-mute sensed that his ears and his tongue were being touched with fingers of flesh. Through those palpable fingers he perceived the intangible divinity when the bonds of his tongue were broken and the closed doors of his ears opened. For the body’s architect and artisan came to him, and with a gentle word, without pain, he created openings in deaf ears. Then, too, the mouth that had been closed and until then incapable of giving birth to a word, brought forth into the world the praise of him who thus caused its sterility to bear fruit. In the same way, the Lord made paste with his saliva and spread it over the eyes of the man born blind (Jn 9:6) so we might understand that, like the deaf-mute, he was lacking something. An inborn imperfection in our human dough was removed thanks to the leaven that comes from his perfect body (…). To complete what was missing in these human bodies of ours he gave something of himself, just as he gives himself to be eaten [in the Eucharist]. By this means he causes our deficiencies to disappear and raises the dead so that we might recognize that, thanks to his body in which “the fullness of deity resides” (Col 2:9), the deficiencies in our humanity are brought to completion and true life is given to mortals by this body in which true life resides.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team

Now we are in the time of grace revealed to us, the observance of the Sabbath, which was previously symbolized by resting on a single day, has been brought to an end where the faithful are concerned. For in this time of grace Christians observe an unending Sabbath, provided that all the good they do is done in hope of the rest to come and provided they don’t boast about the good they do as though it were a good belonging to them rather than having received it. So when they understand and receive the sacrament of baptism as a Sabbath, that is to say as the Lord’s resting in the tomb (Rm 6:4), Christians rest from their former works to walk from henceforward in a new life, recognizing that God acts within them. It is God who both works and rests together, on the one hand granting his creatures the guidance they need, and on the other rejoicing in himself in everlasting tranquillity. God was neither worn out by creating the world nor recovered his strength by ceasing to create, but he wished to invite us by these words of his Scripture – “God rested on the seventh day” (Gn 2:2) – to long for this rest by giving us the command to make this day holy.

Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team