http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/12Apr/3eastsun.htm#haydock

Epistle: 1 Peter 2: 11 - 19

11  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from carnal desires, which war against the soul,  

Commentary on Verse 11  I beseech you....to refrain, &c. from all unlawful and disorderly passions, that the Gentiles not yet converted may have nothing to blame in your lives and conversation, but may be edified and induced to praise God. (Witham)  

12  Having your conversation good among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, by your good works, they may glorify God in the day of visitation.  

Commentary on Verse 12 In the day of visitation. God is said to visit his people, sometimes by afflictions and punishments, and sometimes by graces and favours. Some think St. Peter here, by the day of visitation, means the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and that the sense is, that the heathen Romans seeing your peaceable dispositions and pious conversations, may have a favourable opinion of the Christian religion, and be converted. Others, that you and they to whom the gospel is preached, may glorify God when he visits them with graces and favours, whether exterior or interior. (Witham) --- Be careful not to give occasion to scandal. Detraction is the life of the world, and piety is most exposed to its shafts, because it most condemns the maxims of its followers.  13   Be ye subject, therefore, to every human creature for God's sake: whether it be to the king as excelling:  Commentary on Verse 13  To every human creature, to every one whom the order of Providence has placed over you, whether it be to emperors or kings, who have the supreme power in kingdoms, or to governors of provinces; obey your temporal princes, though heathens and idolaters, (as the Roman emperors were at that time enemies to the Christian religion) in all that is not sinful and against the law of God: for this is the will of God, and all power is from God. See Romans xiii. In like manner (ver. 18.) servants must be subject and obey their masters, though they be infidels. See 1 Corinthians vii. By this you will silence the ignorance and calumnies of foolish men, who pretended that the Christian religion taught them to be disobedient to princes, and to be subjects of Christ only, their supreme spiritual king. (Witham)  

14   Or to governors, as sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of the good:  

15   For so is the will of God, that by doing well you may silence the ignorance of foolish men:  

16   As free, and not as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God.  

Commentary on Verse 16 As free; to wit, from the slavery of sin, but take care not to make this Christian freedom and liberty a cloak for malice, as they do, who pretend that this makes subjects free from their obedience to temporal princes and magistrates; or servants free from the obedience due to their masters, even when they are froward, ill-humoured, or cross to them. (Witham) --- There were some heretics in the days of St. Peter, as there are at present, who under pretext of evangelical liberty seek to be free from all even lawful subjection, and thus set themselves above the ordinances of both civil and ecclesiastical power. 17  Honour all men: love the brotherhood: fear God: honour the king:  

18  Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good, and gentle, but also to the froward.  

19  For this is praiseworthy, if for conscience towards God, a man endure sorrows, suffering wrongfully.  

Commentary on Verse 19 Take notice that this is praiseworthy, an effect of God's grace, a thing acceptable to God, when you suffer injuries patiently; whereas it is no glory, nothing that deserves commendation or reward, either before God or man, to suffer for doing ill, as a malefactor, who deserves punishments. But it is glorious and meritorious for you to suffer as Christians, and for the Christian faith: be not then ashamed to suffer in this manner. These sufferings are marks of God's favour towards you, and you have the example of Christ, which you must imitate. (Witham)


Gospel: John 16: 16-22

16   At that time Jesus said to His disciples:  A little while, and now you shall not see Me, and again a little while, and you shall see Me: because I go to the Father.  

Commentary on Verse 16  A little while, and now you shall not see Me, &c. Many expound these words in this manner: that after a little while, you shall not see me, because even to-morrow, I shall be taken from you by death: and again, after a little while, you shall see me, because the third day I shall rise again, and converse with you, till My ascension. St. Augustine gives another interpretation, (tract. 101.) that by the first little while, may be understood, the short time till Christ's Ascension, and by the latter little while, the short time that the apostles were to live in this world; after which they should see, and enjoy Christ for ever in the kingdom of Heaven. And this exposition seems to agree better with the following promise. (Witham) --- In a few hours, I shall be separated from you, to be delivered up to My enemies, and put to the cruel death of the cross; and after a short time, I shall rise again; then you shall see Me in My new state of glory. St. Chrysostom, both Sts. Cyrils, Theophylactus, Euthymius, St. Augustine, and others, interpret this verse differently; thus: Not long hence, I shall be entirely separated from you; you shall not see Me, because I shall go to the Father, by My Ascension; but you shall see Me again, after a short time, at My second coming, to judge the living and the dead. All the time, that shall pass between My Ascension, and My second coming, is in the eyes of God only as a moment. For a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday, which is past and gone. (Psalm lxxxix. ver. 4.) And the apostle calls all time a moment, a time that soon passes. (1 Corinthians vii. and 2 Corinthians iv.)  
17   Then some of the disciples said one to another, What is this that He saith to us: A little while, and you shall not see Me, and again a little while, and you shall see Me: and because I go to the Father?  

 18   They said therefore, What is this that He saith, A little while? we know not what He speaketh.  

 19   And Jesus knew that they wished to ask Him: and He said to them: Of this do you inquire among yourselves, because I said, A little while, and you shall not see Me; and again a little while, and you shall see Me.  

 20   Amen, amen, I say to you, that you shall lament and weep, but the world shall rejoice; and you shall be made sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.  

Commentary on Verse 20 Your sorrow shall be turned into joy, chiefly at the end of your mortal life; then you shall have a joy, never to be taken from you. (Witham)  21   A woman, when she is in labor, hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she hath brought forth the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

 22   So also you now indeed have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice: and your joy no man shall take from you.  

Commentary on Verse 22  The joy you will feel at my resurrection, shall ever be unalterable, and unremitting, because there I shall give you assurances and proofs of your future resurrection, and immortality. As you have been partakers in my labours, in my ignominies, and in my sorrows, so also shall you have a share in my glory, in my resurrection, and immortal bliss. Behold, these will rise to your ever unalterable and permanent joy. This is the opinion of St. Chrysostom, St. Cyril, Theophylactus, and others.

 http://www.newadvent.org/summa/2004.htm#article1

Article 1. Whether delight is required for happiness?

Objection 1. It would seem that delight is not required for happiness. For Augustine says (De Trin. i, 8) that "vision is the entire reward of faith." But the prize or reward of virtue is happiness, as the Philosopher clearly states (Ethic. i, 9). Therefore nothing besides vision is required for happiness.

Objection 2. Further, happiness is "the most self-sufficient of all goods," as the Philosopher declares (Ethic. i, 7). But that which needs something else is not self-sufficient. Since then the essence of happiness consists in seeing God, as stated above (Question 3, Article 8); it seems that delight is not necessary for happiness.

Objection 3. Further, the "operation of bliss or happiness should be unhindered" (Ethic. vii, 13). But delight hinders the operation of the intellect: since it destroys the estimate of prudence (Ethic. vi, 5). Therefore delight is not necessary for happiness.

On the contrary, Augustine says (Confess. x, 23) that happiness is "joy in truth."

I answer that, One thing may be necessary for another in four ways. First, as a preamble and preparation to it: thus instruction is necessary for science. Secondly, as perfecting it: thus the soul is necessary for the life of the body. Thirdly, as helping it from without: thus friends are necessary for some undertaking. Fourthly, as something attendant on it: thus we might say that heat is necessary for fire. And in this way delight is necessary for happiness. For it is caused by the appetite being at rest in the good attained. Wherefore, since happiness is nothing else but the attainment of the Sovereign Good, it cannot be without concomitant delight.

Reply to Objection 1. From the very fact that a reward is given to anyone, the will of him who deserves it is at rest, and in this consists delight. Consequently, delight is included in the very notion of reward.

Reply to Objection 2. The very sight of God causes delight. Consequently, he who sees God cannot need delight.

Reply to Objection 3. Delight that is attendant upon the operation of the intellect does not hinder it, rather does it perfect it, as stated in Ethic. x, 4: since what we do with delight, we do with greater care and perseverance. On the other hand, delight which is extraneous to the operation is a hindrance thereto: sometimes by distracting the attention because, as already observed, we are more attentive to those things that delight us; and when we are very attentive to one thing, we must needs be less attentive to another: sometimes on account of opposition; thus a sensual delight that is contrary to reason, hinders the estimate of prudence more than it hinders the estimate of the speculative intellect.