11 FEBRUARY – QUINQUAGESIMA (SHROVE) SUNDAY

Epistle – 1 Corinthians xiii. 1‒13

Brethren, if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I should distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should deliver my body to be burned, and not have charity, it profits me nothing. Charity is patient; is kind: charity envies not; deals not perversely; is not puffed up; is not ambitious; seeks not her own; is not provoked to anger; thinks no evil; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Charity never falls away: whether prophecies will be made void, or tongues will cease, or knowledge will be destroyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is, come, that which is in part will be done away. When, I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away the things of a child. We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I will know even as I am known. And now there remain faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

How appropriate for this Sunday is the magnificent eulogy of charity here given by our Apostle! This virtue, which comprises the love both of God and our neighbour, is the light of our souls. Without charity, we are in darkness and all our works are profitless. The very power of working miracles cannot give hope of salvation, unless he who does them has charity. Unless we are in charity the most heroic acts of other virtues are but one snare more for our souls. Let us beseech our Lord to give us this light. But let us not forget, that however richly He may bless us with it here below, the fullness of its brightness is reserved for when we are in Heaven, and that the sunniest day we can have in this world is but darkness when compared with the splendour of our eternal charity. Faith will then give place, for we will be face to face with all Truth. Hope will have no object, for we will possess all Good. Charity alone will continue and, for this reason, is greater than Faith and Hope, which must needs accompany her in this present life. This being the glorious destiny reserved for man when redeemed and enlightened by Jesus —is it to be wondered at that we should leave all things in order to follow such a Master? What should surprise us, and what proves how degraded is our nature by sin, is to see Christians who have been baptised in this Faith and this Hope, and have received the first-fruits of this Love, indulging during these days in every sort of worldliness which is only the more dangerous because it is fashionable. It would seem as though they were making it their occupation to extinguish within their souls the last ray of heavenly light like men that had made a covenant with darkness. If there be charity within our souls, it will make us feel these offences that are committed against our God, and inspire us to pray to Him to have mercy on these poor blind sinners, for they are our brethren.

Gospel – Luke xviii. 31‒43

At that time, Jesus took to Him the twelve, and said to them, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things will be accomplished which were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man: for He will be delivered to the Gentiles, and will be mocked, and scourged, and spit upon; and after they have scourged Him, they will put Him to death; and the third day He will rise again.” They understood none of these things, and this word was hidden from them, and they understood not the things that were said. Now it came to pass when He drew near to Jericho that a certain blind man sat by the wayside, begging. And when he heard the multitude passing by, he asked what this meant. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried put, saying, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” They that went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried out much more, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” And Jesus standing commanded him to be brought to Him; and when he had come near, He asked him, saying, “What do you want me to I do to you?” But he said, “Lord, that I may see.” And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you whole.” Immediately he saw, and followed Him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Jesus tells His Apostles that His bitter Passion is at hand. It is a mark of His confidence in them, but they understand not what He says. They are as yet too carnal-minded to appreciate our Saviour’s mission. Still, they do not abandon Him. They love Him too much to think of separating from Him. Greater by far than this is the blindness of those false Christians who during these three days not only do not think of the God who shed His Blood and died for them, but are striving to efface from their souls every trace of the divine image! Let us adore that sweet Mercy which has drawn us, as it did Abraham, from the midst of a sinful people. And let us, like the blind man of our Gospel, cry out to our Lord, beseeching Him to grant us an increase of His holy light. This was his prayer: “Lord! that I may see.” God has given as His light but He gave it us in order to excite within us the desire of seeing more and more clearly. He promised Abraham that He would show him the place He had destined for him. May He grant us also to see the land of the living! But our first prayer must be that He show us Himself, as Saint Augustine has so beautifully expressed it, that we may love Him and show us our own selves that we may cease to love ourselves.