Reading I - A reading from
the acts of the Apostles (Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48):
When Peter entered, Cornelius met
him
and, falling at his feet, paid him homage.
Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
"Get up. I myself am also a human being."
Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,
"In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him."
While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.
Then Peter responded,
"Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?"
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4):
R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has
revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his
saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his
saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations
his saving power.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. John (1 John 4:7-10):
Beloved, let us love one another,
because love is of God;
everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.
In this way the love of God was revealed to us:
God sent his only Son into the world
so that we might have life through him.
In this is love:
not that we have loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 15:9-17):
Jesus said to his disciples:
"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father's commandments
and remain in his love."
"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you
and your joy might be complete.
This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."
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05/13/2012: Prayer
to the Mother of the Lord for All Mothers -
Mary, on this day when we honor all
mothers, we turn to you. We thank the Lord whom
you serve for the great gift of motherhood. Never has it been known that
anyone who sought your intercession was left
unaided by grace. Dear Mother, thank you for your “Yes” to the invitation of
the angel which brought
heaven to earth and changed human history. You opened yourself to
God’s word and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
Dear mother, intercede for all of our mothers. Ask your Divine Son to give
them the grace of surrendered love so that they
could join with you in giving their own “Fiat.” May they find daily
strength to say yes to the call to the
sacrificial love- the very heart of the vocation of motherhood. May their
love and witness be a source of great
inspiration for all of us called to follow your
Son.
On this Mothers day, Mother of the Word Incarnate, pray for us who have
recourse to you…
In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Reading I - A reading from
the acts of the Apostles (Acts 9:26-31):
When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he
tried to join the disciples,
but they were all afraid of him,
not believing that he was a disciple.
Then Barnabas took charge of him and brought him to the apostles,
and he reported to them how he had seen the Lord,
and that he had spoken to him,
and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.
He moved about freely with them in Jerusalem,
and spoke out boldly in the name of the Lord.
He also spoke and debated with the Hellenists,
but they tried to kill him.
And when the brothers learned of this,
they took him down to Caesarea
and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
The church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria was at peace.
It was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit it grew in numbers.
R. (26a) I will praise you,
Lord, in the assembly of your people.
I will fulfill my vows before those who fear the LORD.
The lowly shall eat their fill;
they who seek the LORD shall praise him:
"May your hearts live forever!"
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of
your people.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember and turn to the LORD;
all the families of the nations
shall bow down before him.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of
your people.
To him alone shall bow down
all who sleep in the earth;
before him shall bend
all who go down into the dust.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of
your people.
And to him my soul shall live;
my descendants shall serve him.
Let the coming generation be told of the LORD
that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born
the justice he has shown.
R. I will praise you, Lord, in the
assembly of your people.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. John (1 John 3:18-24):
Children, let us love not in word or
speech
but in deed and truth.
Now this is how we shall know that we belong to the truth
and reassure our hearts before him
in whatever our hearts condemn,
for God is greater than our hearts and knows everything.
Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God
and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 15:1-8):
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.
He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit,
and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.
You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you.
Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own
unless it remains on the vine,
so neither can you unless you remain in me.
I am the vine, you are the branches.
Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit,
because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me
will be thrown out like a branch and wither;
people will gather them and throw them into a fire
and they will be burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you,
ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.
By this is my Father glorified,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Reading I - A reading from
the acts of the Apostles (Acts 4:8-12):
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit,
said:
"Leaders of the people and elders:
If we are being examined today
about a good deed done to a cripple,
namely, by what means he was saved,
then all of you and all the people of Israel should know
that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;
in his name this man stands before you healed.
He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved."
R. (22) The stone rejected
by the builders has become the cornerstone.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has
become the cornerstone.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has
become the cornerstone.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his kindness endures forever.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has
become the cornerstone.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. John (1 John 3:1-2):
Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 10:11-18):
Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father."
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04/29/2012 - St. Rose of
Viterbo (1235-1252): In St.
Rose of Viterbo is remarkable grace. At only the age of 3 she is said to
have raised her aunt from the dead. By age 7 she lived in seclusion and
gave herself harsh penances which hurt her health...at age 8 the Blessed Virgin
Mary appeared to her and miraculously cured her. The Virgin Mary also
instructed her to join the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi and preach
penance in Viterbo. Later in life, numerous miracles were attributed to
St. Rose of Viterbo, including communicating with animals, especially birds;
also, she and a stone platform she stood on levitated before spectators as she
spoke to the crowd. Her body at death has remained incorruptible (mostly
her heart)...her body (still incorrupt) is now dark, but still flexible and is
exposed in a reliquary. Her incorruptible heart is paraded through the
city every September 4th, which is her feast day.
Almighty God did marvelous things in
the soul of St. Rose. It appears that her parents gave her that name by
divine inspiration, for it was symbolic of her entire career. As long as she
lived, she bloomed like a sweet-scented rose in the garden of the Church,
and in full bloom as she transplanted to Paradise. Before she was able to
speak, Rose attempted to pronounce the sweet names of Jesus and Mary; and as
soon as she had learned to walk, she asked to be taken to church and to
other retired and quiet places to pray. When religious discourses were
given, she would listen with great attention.
When Rose was only 3 years old, God
showed how pleased He was with her in a most wonderful way. One of her
maternal aunts died. The family were standing around the bier weeping aloud.
Deeply moved by the sorrow of her relatives, little Rose went to the coffin,
raised her eyes to heaven, and prayed silently. Then she placed her little
hand on the body of her deceased aunt and called her by name. The dead woman
immediately opened her eyes and reached out to embrace her little niece, who
had raised her to life again.
The child entertained a great
compassion for the poor; she always tried to save some food to give to the
poor. One day when she left the house with some bread in her apron, she met
her father, who asked her in curt fashion what she was carrying off now. The
affrighted child opened her apron and fragrant roses were found in it.
When she was 7 years old, Rose
retired to a little cell in her father's house. There she spent almost all
her time in contemplation and in practicing rigorous penance. She prayed
much for the conversion of sinners. Meanwhile our dear Lord was preparing
her for an extraordinary mission.
Rose was not yet 10 years old when
the Blessed Mother of God instructed her to join the Third Order of St.
Francis. Shortly after, our Lord appeared to her on the Cross, wearing the
crown of thorns on His head and bleeding profusely from all His wounds.
Rose, aghast at the sight, called out: "O my Lord, who has reduced Thee to
this state?" Our Lord replied, "My love, my deep love for men has done
this." "But," asked Rose, "who has so pierced and torn Thee?" "The sins of
men have done it," was our Lord's answer. "Sin, sin!" cried the saint, and
she scourged herself to make atonement for the sins of the world.
By divine inspiration, Rose then
took a cross in her hand and went up and down the streets and public squares
of her city telling people of the terrible tortures our Lord suffered and of
the heinousness of sin. Every now and then she would emerge from her
solitude to entreat the people to do penance.
The town of Viterbo, which belonged
to the Papal States, had revolted against the authority of the pope.
Disregard for religion and moral degradation were the order of the day. But
the sermons of this little missionary had marvelous results. the people came
in crowds to hear her. The stone on which she stood was seen to rise in the
air, and she was sustained there by a miracle while burning words issued
from her lips. The greater part of the citizenry had already resolved to do
penance and to return to the legitimate papal allegiance when Rose and her
parents were repelled by the civil authorities.
The result was that she now had a
wider field of activity. At Soriano and later at Vitorchiano, her preaching
had the same blessed results. In the latter place, a sorceress had done much
harm among the inhabitants. Fearing that after her departure this woman
would undo the good effected there, Rose was desirous of her conversion. Her
initial efforts failed. Then our saint had an immense pile of wood prepared
in the public square; fire was set to it, and Rose stepped into the fire and
mounted to the top of the pile. She remained untouched for three hours in
the midst of the flames, singing the praises of God. The sorceress now cast
herself at Rose's feet and was sincerely converted.
Meanwhile the rightful authority of
the pope had been re-established at Viterbo, and Rose could return. She was
now 15 years old and anxious to enter the convent of the Poor Clares. As she
had no dowry, she could not be admitted. "Well," said Rose, "you will not
receive me while I am alive, but you will receive me after I am dead." She
and several companions repaired to a secluded dwelling, where they intended
to live as a community. The ecclesiastical authorities, however, did not
approve of the plan, and Rose returned home. She died 2 years later, filled
with the joyous desire of being united with her God.
Two and a half years after her death
she appeared three times to Pope Alexander IV, who was in Viterbo at the
time, told him to have her body removed to the convent of the Poor Clares.
When this was done, her body was found incorrupt; and it has remained in
that condition to this day. Miracles are constantly occurring at her tomb.
Pope Callistus III canonized her in 1457.
Reading I - A reading from
the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 3:13-15, 17-19):
Peter said to the people:
"The God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus,
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate's presence
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
Now I know, brothers,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away."
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9):
R. (7a)
Lord, let your face shine on us.
When I call, answer me, O my just God,
you who relieve me when I am in distress;
have pity on me, and hear my prayer!
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one;
the LORD will hear me when I call upon him.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us!
You put gladness into my heart.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep,
for you alone, O LORD,
bring security to my dwelling.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. John (1 John 2:1-5a):
My children, I am writing this to
you
so that you may not commit sin.
But if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous one.
He is expiation for our sins,
and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
The way we may be sure that we know him is to keep
his commandments.
Those who say, "I know him," but do not keep his commandments
are liars, and the truth is not in them.
But whoever keeps his word,
the love of God is truly perfected in him.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 24:35-48):
The two disciples recounted what had
taken place on the way,
and how Jesus was made known to them
in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have."
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things."
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04/22/2012 - St. Martin de
Porres (1579-1639) - Dominican
known for his charitable works, austerity, ministrations and miraculous healings
of people, service to animals (and he seemed able to communicate with them), as
well as prophecy, clairvoyance, levitations and bilocations. He could also
enter and exit closed monastery doors without a key.
Saint Martin de Porres was born in
Lima, Peru in 1579, during the days when Spanish noblemen and many
adventurers were still in the land, fascinated by the lure of the gold and
silver which abounded there. He was the natural son of one of these and a
young Indian woman. It was not long before his dark complexion caused his
father to be ashamed of him and his mother, and to abandon them. Later the
father would regret his too rapid decision, and take Martin under his
protection.
When he was 24, he was given the
habit of a Coadjutor Brother and assigned to the infirmary of that convent,
where he would remain in service until his death at the age of sixty. His
superiors saw in him the virtues necessary to exercise unfailing patience in
this difficult role, and he never disappointed them. On the contrary, it was
not long before miracles began to happen, and Saint Martin was working also
with the sick outside his convent, often bringing them healing with only a
simple glass of water. He begged for alms to procure for them necessities
the Convent could not provide, and Providence always supplied what he
sought.
One day an aged beggar, covered with
ulcers and almost naked, stretched out his hand, and Saint Martin, seeing
the Divine Mendicant in him, took him to his own bed, paying no heed to the
fact that he was not perfectly neat and clean. One of his brethren,
considering he had gone too far in his charity, reproved him. Saint Martin
replied: “Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect
that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a
torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness
toward the unfortunate would create.”
When an epidemic struck Lima, there
were in this single convent of the Rosary sixty religious who were sick,
many of them novices in a distant and locked section of the convent,
separated from the professed. Saint Martin is known to have passed through
the locked doors to care for them, a phenomenon which was observed in the
residence more than once. The professed, too, saw him suddenly beside them
without the doors having been opened; and these facts were duly verified by
the surprised Superiors. Martin continued to transport the sick to the
convent until the provincial Superior, alarmed by the contagion threatening
the religious, forbid him to continue to do so. His sister, who lived in the
country, offered her house to lodge those whom the residence of the
religious could not hold. One day he found on the street a poor Indian,
bleeding to death from a dagger wound, and took him to his own room until he
could transport him to his sister’s hospice. The Superior, when he heard of
this, reprimanded his subject for disobedience. He was extremely edified by
his reply: “Forgive my error, and please instruct me, for I did not know
that the precept of obedience took precedence over that of charity.” In
effect, there are situations where charity must prevail; and instruction is
very necessary. The Superior gave him liberty thereafter to follow his
inspirations in the exercise of mercy.
In normal times Saint Martin
succeeded with his alms to feed 160 poor persons every day, and distributed
a remarkable sum of money every week to the indigent — the latter phenomenon
hard to explain by ordinary calculations. To Saint Martin the city of Lima
owed a famous residence founded for orphans and abandoned children, where
they were formed in piety for a creative Christian life. This lay Brother
had always wanted to be a missionary, but never left his native city; yet
even during his lifetime he was seen elsewhere, in regions as far distant as
Africa, China, Algeria, Japan. An African slave who had been in irons said
he had known Martin when he came to relieve and console many like himself,
telling them of heaven. When later the same slave saw him in Peru, he was
very happy to meet him again and asked him if he had had a good voyage; only
later did he learn that Saint Martin had never left Lima. A merchant from
Lima was in Mexico and fell ill; he said aloud: “Oh, Brother Martin, if only
you were here to care for me..!” and immediately saw him enter his room. And
again, this man did not know until later that he had never been in Mexico.
When he died in 1639, Saint Martin
was known to the entire city of Lima; word of his miracles had made him
known as a Saint to every resident of the region. After his death, the
miracles and graces received when he was invoked multiplied in such
profusion that his body was exhumed after 25 years and found intact, and
exhaling a fine fragrance. Letters to Rome pleaded for his beatification;
the decree affirming the heroism of his virtues was issued in 1763 by
Clement XIII; Gregory XVI beatified him in 1836, and in 1962 Pope John XXIII
canonized him. The poor and the sick will never fail to find in him a friend
having great power over the Heart of God.
Moreover, he had the gift of prophecy and invisibility. He
could read the people’s hearts and understand unexpressed desires even at
great distances. He experienced visions and ecstasies. At certain times, God
allowed the friars to see him accompanied by angels or enveloped in light
during ecstasy. He had bilocations and levitations. Although he never left
Lima, he personally assisted the sick and distressed people in France,
Alegria, Mexico, the Philippines, China, and Japan. Aware of his boundless
charity, his superiors grave him free hand to distribute the convents daily
alms of food to the poor and abandoned. Sometimes he increased the food
supplies miraculously. He cared for the slaves who were brought to Peru from
Africa and visited the hovels of the wretched, the miserable, and the dying.
Filled with love and sympathy for mankind, everywhere he went St. Martin
brought comfort and consolation to all classes in every condition of life.
Selfless, practical, and capable, he used the money and goods that he
solicited carefully and methodically in his charities. It was through his
efforts that the Orphanage of the Holy Cross was built for the poor and
homeless children of Peru. Thus, he was affectionately called the “Father of
the Poor.” He also showed a great control and care for animals, which
surprised Spaniards, extending his love even to rats and mice whose
scavenging he excused on the grounds that the poor little things were
insufficiently fed.
Reading I - A reading from the Acts
of the Apostles (Acts 4:32-35):
The community of believers was of
one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.
R. (1)
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say,
"His mercy endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
his love is everlasting.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
his love is everlasting.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
his love is everlasting.
Reading II - A reading
from the first epistle of John (1 John 5:1-6):
Beloved:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God,
and everyone who loves the Father
loves also the one begotten by him.
In this way we know that we love the children of God
when we love God and obey his commandments.
For the love of God is this,
that we keep his commandments.
And his commandments are not burdensome,
for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world.
And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and blood.
The Spirit is the one that testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 20:19-31):
On the evening of that first day of
the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
But he said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
---------------------
04/15/2012 - Venerable
Mary of Agreda (1602-1665) Abbess; mystic:
Here you find a saint whose parents
founded the Convent of the Immaculate Conception for discalced nuns in Agreda,
Spain. Her mother, herself, and her sister entered a convent and her
father entered the order of St. Francis of Assisi. After entering the
convent, Mary began to experience numerous ecstasies, bilocations, was witnessed
levitating, and had several other mystical experiences. During her
bilocations, she travelled extensively to isolated tribes in the Americas,
especially in New Mexico and Texas, teaching the Indians, and telling them where
to find missions. The Indians called her the Lady in Blue, because of her
blue mantle. She spoke in Spanish, but the Indians understood as if she
spoke their own language. Mary also had several visitations by Mary the
virgin mother of God, and received instruction to write "The Mystical City of
God."
Mary of Agreda was born at
Agreda in Spain in 1602, of noble parents, whose virtues surpassed the
nobility of their birth. Very early the child showed special signs of grace.
At the age of six she had attained a high degree of prayer, which was
noticeable in her devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the sufferings
of our Lord. Her confessor recognized the great graces with which she was
favored, and permitted her at a tender age to receive Holy Communion and to
practice extraordinary works of penance. Painful illness which afflicter
her, she bore with the greatest patience, strengthened by the remembrance of
Christ’s sufferings.
In her seventeenth year Mary
entered the convent of Poor Clares of the Immaculate Conception at Agreda.
As a novice she excelled in the exercises of convent life. She made her
profession on the feast of the Purification in 1620 as Sister Mary of Jesus.
After she had consecrated herself to God through the holy vows, the young
religious strove for perfection with holy earnestness and cheerful surrender
to God. At the same time her unassuming humility and kindness of heart made
her so beloved by her fellow sisters, that at the age of twenty-five she was
elected abbess. The pope confirmed her election to office; and she was
obliged to accept it repeatedly for thirty-eight years until her death. Only
once, at her most earnest request, was she released for a period of three
years.
As the superior, Mary was
always the first among her associates to engage in lowly work. She swept the
halls, nursed the sick, washed their linens, and appeared to have a special
preference for the most menial services. Her way of life was so austere that
one wonders how she could do her work. She not only abstained from meat, but
never partook of eggs, milk, or cheese; she slept on a board for only two or
three hours; the remaining time of the night she spent in exercises of
devotion.
Every night, laden with a heavy
cross, she made the Way of the Cross. Even as the superior she strove to
practice obedience, following the suggestions of her higher superiors, and
in spiritual matters submitting wholly to the guidance of her confessor. For
a time she had a confessor who dealt harshly with her and never granted her
any request she made; but Mary obeyed him cheerfully, and often said later:
“He acted well; I always thought that he was right, and because of obedience
I felt great peace of soul.”
Venerable Mary
of Agreda governed her subjects with as much wisdom as love. She was endowed
with great wisdom, so that persons of the highest rank, also prelates and
bishops, and even the king of Spain, asked her for advice. When she spoke of
God, all who heard her were inflamed with the love of God. She received
special revelations concerning the life of the Virgin Mother Mention should
be made about Mary of Agreda’s work among the Indians of Texas and New
Mexico. Her ardent desire, prayers, and sacrifices for their conversion were
apparently rewarded with the gift of bilocation. Between 1621 and 1631, when
Mary of Agreda was between nineteen and twenty-nine years of age, she made
some five hundred visits to the Texas Indians, coming, as it seemed to them,
from the hills on their horizon and returning that way after her
instructions were over. When these Indians presented themselves to the
Franciscan missionaries in New Mexico and asked that fathers be sent among
them, it was learned that a Lady in Blue had often come among them,
instructed them, and ordered them to seek out missionaries to baptize them.
Upon investigation it was
learned that this Lady in Blue was Mary of Agreda, who, when she was put
under obedience to tell what had happened, said she had no explanation. She
could not say how she got there, only that when she was praying for the
welfare of the Indians, she just found herself among them and began to
instruct them. Presently she found herself home again. This happened many
times.
A bishop testified that when
Venerable Mary of Agreda went into an ecstacy her body was raised a bit
above the ground and appeared to have no weight, moving even to a slight
breeze. Her face was very beautiful, though somewhat pallid compaired to her
normal swarthy hue. She would often remain in this state for hours.
Mary
died on Pentecost morning, May 24, 1667, at nine o’clock, at the time the
Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles and when the “Veni, Creator Spiritus,
Come, Holy Ghost Creator!” was being recited in the canonical hours.
When she passed away a heavenly
voice was heard to say: “Come! – Come! – Come!”
At her grave many miracles were
wrought; and her cause of beatification is now being carried on in Rome.
from The
Franciscan Book of Saints, edited by Marion Habig, OFM
In the early days of her novitiate,
the rarified experiences of Sister Maria increased. One day 1620, in the
throes of ecstasy after receiving communion, Sister Maria levitated while in
deep prayer. There were witnesses. Sister Maria became an overnight
sensation although she was not aware of it. No one told her that she had
been seen levitating. Soon the other nuns took turns watching her during her
private prayer session. They even carved a hole in her cell door to observe
her and brought in outsiders to observe her who would try to move her while
she was levitating by fanning or blowing through the hole.
Ximinez Samaniego wrote “Whenever
she was rapt in ecstasy, her body was raised a little distance above the
earth where it remained motionless”. Many religious and seculars tried the
experiment on her body, which by a slight motion of air, could be moved
easily as if it had been a feather. When sister later Maria found out about
these violations of her privacy she was mortified and tried to prevent the
ecstasies by locking herself in the lower choir and breaking her fasts so
she could not receive communion but she was not successful. The ecstasies,
levitations and violations of her privacy continued.
Sunday,
April 8, 2012: (THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD -
THE MASS OF EASTER SUNDAY)
Readings for today: Acts 10:34a, 37-43 / Colossians 3:1-4
/ John 20:1-9:
Reading I - A reading from the Acts
of the Apostles (Acts 10:34a, 37-43):
Peter proceeded to speak and said:
"You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."
R. (24)
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us
rejoice and be glad.
"The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD."
R. This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad.
The stone which the builders
rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad.
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Colossians (Colossians 3:1-4):
Brothers and sisters:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 20:1-9):
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
--------------------
04/08/2012- What is Easter
in the Catholic tradition?:
Easter is the greatest feast in
the Christian calendar. On this Sunday, Christians celebrate the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. For Catholics, Easter Sunday
comes at the end of 40 days of
prayer,
fasting, and almsgiving known as
Lent. Through spiritual struggle and
self-denial, we have prepared ourselves to die spiritually with Christ
on
Good Friday, the day of His
Crucifixion, so that we can rise again with Him in new life on Easter.
Easter is a day of celebration
because it represents the fulfillment of our faith as Christians. St.
Paul wrote that, unless Christ rose from the dead, our faith is in vain
(1 Corinthians 15:17). Through his death, Christ saved mankind from
bondage to sin, and He destroyed the hold that death has on all of us;
but it is His Resurrection that gives us the promise of new life, both
in this world and the next.
The Coming of the Kingdom:
That new life began on Easter
Sunday. In the
Our Father, we pray that "Thy Kingdom
come, on earth as it is in Heaven." And Christ told His disciples that
some of them would not die until they saw the Kingdom of God "coming in
power" (Mark 9:1). The early Christian Fathers saw Easter as the
fulfillment of that promise. With the resurrection of Christ, God's
Kingdom is established on earth, in the form of the Church.
New Life in Christ:
That is why people who are
converting to Catholicism traditionally are baptized at the Easter Vigil
service, which takes place on
Holy Saturday (the day before Easter),
starting sometime after sunset. They have usually undergone a long
process of study and preparation known as the Rite of Christian
Initiation for Adults (RCIA). Their
baptism parallels Christ's own Death
and Resurrection, as they die to sin and rise to new life in the Kingdom
of God.
Because of the central
importance of Easter to the Christian faith, the Catholic Church
requires that all Catholics who have made their
First Communion receive the Holy
Eucharist sometime during the
Easter season, which lasts through
Pentecost, 50 days after Easter. (The
Church also urges us to take part in the
Sacrament of Confession before
receiving this Easter communion.) This reception of the Eucharist is a
visible sign of our faith and our participation in the Kingdom of God.
Of course, we should receive
Communion as frequently as possible;
this "Easter
Duty" is simply the minimum requirement set by the Church.
Reading I - A reading from the book
of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-2:2):
In the beginning, when God created
the heavens and the earth,
the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss,
while a mighty wind swept over the waters.
Then God said,
"Let there be light," and there was light.
God saw how good the light was.
God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night."
Thus evening came, and morning followed-the first day.
Then God said,
"Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters,
to separate one body of water from the other."
And so it happened:
God made the dome,
and it separated the water above the dome from the water below it.
God called the dome "the sky."
Evening came, and morning followed-the second day.
Then God said,
"Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin,
so that the dry land may appear."
And so it happened:
the water under the sky was gathered into its basin,
and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land "the earth, "
and the basin of the water he called "the sea."
God saw how good it was.
Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth vegetation:
every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it."
And so it happened:
the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed
and every kind of fruit tree on earth
that bears fruit with its seed in it.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed-the third day.
Then God said:
"Let there be lights in the dome of the sky,
to separate day from night.
Let them mark the fixed times, the days and the years,
and serve as luminaries in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth."
And so it happened:
God made the two great lights,
the greater one to govern the day,
and the lesser one to govern the night;
and he made the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky,
to shed light upon the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate the light from the darkness.
God saw how good it was.
Evening came, and morning followed-the fourth day.
Then God said,
"Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky."
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
"Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth."
Evening came, and morning followed-the fifth day.
Then God said,
"Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds."
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."
God created man in his image;
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying:
"Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth."
God also said:
"See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food."
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed-the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished
with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
R. (30)Lord, send out your
Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the
face of the earth.
You fixed the earth upon its foundation,
not to be moved forever;
with the ocean, as with a garment, you covered it;
above the mountains the waters stood.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the
face of the earth.
You send forth springs into the watercourses
that wind among the mountains.
Beside them the birds of heaven dwell;
from among the branches they send forth their song.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the
face of the earth.
You water the mountains from your palace;
the earth is replete with the fruit of your works.
You raise grass for the cattle,
and vegetation for man's use,
Producing bread from the earth.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the
face of the earth.
How manifold are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you have wrought them all-the earth is full of your creatures.
Bless the LORD, O my soul! Alleluia.
R. Lord, send out your Spirit, and
renew the face of the earth.
Reading II - A reading
from the book of Genesis (Genesis 22:1-18):
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am, " he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."
Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took with him his son Isaac and two of his servants as well,
and with the wood that he had cut for the holocaust,
set out for the place of which God had told him.
On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.
Then he said to his servants:
"Both of you stay here with the donkey,
while the boy and I go on over yonder.
We will worship and then come back to you."
Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the holocaust
and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
"Father!" Isaac said.
"Yes, son, " he replied.
Isaac continued, "Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for the holocaust?"
"Son," Abraham answered,
"God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust."
Then the two continued going forward.
When they came to the place of which
God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Next he tied up his son Isaac,
and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
hence people now say, "On the mountain the LORD will see."
Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing—
all this because you obeyed my command."
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11):
R. (1) You are my
inheritance, O Lord.
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Reading III - A reading
from the book of Exodus (Exodus 14:15-15:1):
The LORD said to Moses, "Why are you
crying out to me?
Tell the Israelites to go forward.
And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea,
split the sea in two,
that the Israelites may pass through it on dry land.
But I will make the Egyptians so obstinate
that they will go in after them.
Then I will receive glory through Pharaoh and all his army,
his chariots and charioteers.
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,
when I receive glory through Pharaoh
and his chariots and charioteers."
The angel of God, who had been leading Israel's camp,
now moved and went around behind them.
The column of cloud also, leaving the front,
took up its place behind them,
so that it came between the camp of the Egyptians
and that of Israel.
But the cloud now became dark, and thus the night passed
without the rival camps coming any closer together
all night long.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
and the LORD swept the sea
with a strong east wind throughout the night
and so turned it into dry land.
When the water was thus divided,
the Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land,
with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.
The Egyptians followed in pursuit;
all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and charioteers went after them
right into the midst of the sea.
In the night watch just before dawn
the LORD cast through the column of the fiery cloud
upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic;
and he so clogged their chariot wheels
that they could hardly drive.
With that the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel,
because the LORD was fighting for them against the Egyptians.
Then the LORD told Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea,
that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians,
upon their chariots and their charioteers."
So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,
and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth.
The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea,
when the LORD hurled them into its midst.
As the water flowed back,
it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh's whole army
which had followed the Israelites into the sea.
Not a single one of them escaped.
But the Israelites had marched on dry land
through the midst of the sea,
with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.
Thus the LORD saved Israel on that day
from the power of the Egyptians.
When Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the seashore
and beheld the great power that the LORD
had shown against the Egyptians,
they feared the LORD and believed in him and in his servant Moses.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD:
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
R. (1b) Let us sing to the
Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
He is my God, I praise him;
the God of my father, I extol him.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered
himself in glory.
The LORD is a warrior,
LORD is his name!
Pharaoh's chariots and army he hurled into the sea;
the elite of his officers were submerged in the Red Sea.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered
himself in glory.
The flood waters covered them,
they sank into the depths like a stone.
Your right hand, O LORD, magnificent in power,
your right hand, O LORD, has shattered the enemy.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered
himself in glory.
You brought in the people you redeemed
and planted them on the mountain of your inheritance
the place where you made your seat, O LORD,
the sanctuary, LORD, which your hands established.
The LORD shall reign forever and ever.
R. Let us sing to the Lord; he has
covered himself in glory.
Reading IV - A reading
from the book of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 54:5-14):
The One who has become your husband
is your Maker;
his name is the LORD of hosts;
your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
called God of all the earth.
The LORD calls you back,
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
a wife married in youth and then cast off,
says your God.
For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great tenderness I will take you back.
In an outburst of wrath, for a moment
I hid my face from you;
but with enduring love I take pity on you,
says the LORD, your redeemer.
This is for me like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah
should never again deluge the earth;
so I have sworn not to be angry with you,
or to rebuke you.
Though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be shaken,
my love shall never leave you
nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
O afflicted one, storm-battered and unconsoled,
I lay your pavements in carnelians,
and your foundations in sapphires;
I will make your battlements of rubies,
your gates of carbuncles,
and all your walls of precious stones.
All your children shall be taught by the LORD,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
In justice shall you be established,
far from the fear of oppression,
where destruction cannot come near you.
R. (2a) I will praise you,
Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O
LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Reading V - A reading from
the book of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 55:1-11):
Thus says the LORD:
All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!
You who have no money,
come, receive grain and eat;
come, without paying and without cost,
drink wine and milk!
Why spend your money for what is not bread,
your wages for what fails to satisfy?
Heed me, and you shall eat well,
you shall delight in rich fare.
Come to me heedfully,
listen, that you may have life.
I will renew with you the everlasting covenant,
the benefits assured to David.
As I made him a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander of nations,
so shall you summon a nation you knew not,
and nations that knew you not shall run to you,
because of the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, who has glorified you.
Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call him while he is near.
Let the scoundrel forsake his way,
and the wicked man his thoughts;
let him turn to the LORD for mercy;
to our God, who is generous in forgiving.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.
As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so high are my ways above your ways
and my thoughts above your thoughts.
For just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
and do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
my word shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.
Responsorial Psalm -
(Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6):
R. (3) You will draw water
joyfully from the springs of salvation.
God indeed is my
savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of
salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of
salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of
salvation.
Reading VI - Baruch
3:9-15, 32-4:4):
Hear, O Israel, the commandments of
life:
listen, and know prudence!
How is it, Israel,
that you are in the land of your foes,
grown old in a foreign land,
defiled with the dead,
accounted with those destined for the netherworld?
You have forsaken the fountain of wisdom!
Had you walked in the way of God,
you would have dwelt in enduring peace.
Learn where prudence is,
where strength, where understanding;
that you may know also
where are length of days, and life,
where light of the eyes, and peace.
Who has found the place of wisdom,
who has entered into her treasuries?
The One who knows all things knows her;
he has probed her by his knowledge—
The One who established the earth for all time,
and filled it with four-footed beasts;
he who dismisses the light, and it departs,
calls it, and it obeys him trembling;
before whom the stars at their posts
shine and rejoice;
when he calls them, they answer, "Here we are!"
shining with joy for their Maker.
Such is our God;
no other is to be compared to him:
He has traced out the whole way of understanding,
and has given her to Jacob, his servant,
to Israel, his beloved son.
Since then she has appeared on earth,
and moved among people.
She is the book of the precepts of God,
the law that endures forever;
all who cling to her will live,
but those will die who forsake her.
Turn, O Jacob, and receive her:
walk by her light toward splendor.
Give not your glory to another,
your privileges to an alien race.
Blessed are we, O Israel;
for what pleases God is known to us!
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11):
R.
(John 6:68c) Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting life.
Reading VII - A reading
from the book of the Prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28):
The word of the LORD came to me,
saying:
Son of man, when the house of Israel lived in their land,
they defiled it by their conduct and deeds.
Therefore I poured out my fury upon them
because of the blood that they poured out on the ground,
and because they defiled it with idols.
I scattered them among the nations,
dispersing them over foreign lands;
according to their conduct and deeds I judged them.
But when they came among the nations wherever they came,
they served to profane my holy name,
because it was said of them: "These are the people of the LORD,
yet they had to leave their land."
So I have relented because of my holy name
which the house of Israel profaned
among the nations where they came.
Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord GOD:
Not for your sakes do I act, house of Israel,
but for the sake of my holy name,
which you profaned among the nations to which you came.
I will prove the holiness of my great name, profaned among the nations,
in whose midst you have profaned it.
Thus the nations shall know that I am the LORD, says the Lord GOD,
when in their sight I prove my holiness through you.
For I will take you away from among the nations,
gather you from all the foreign lands,
and bring you back to your own land.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities,
and from all your idols I will cleanse you.
I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts.
I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes,
careful to observe my decrees.
You shall live in the land I gave your fathers;
you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Responsorial Psalm -
(Isaiah 12:2-3, 4bcd, 5-6):
When baptism is not celebrated.
R. (3) You will draw water joyfully from the springs
of salvation.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of
salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of
salvation.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. You will draw water joyfully from the springs of
salvation.
Epistle - A reading from
the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (Romans 6:3-11):
Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
As to his death, he died to sin once and for all;
as to his life, he lives for God.
Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin
and living for God in Christ Jesus.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 16:1-7):
When the sabbath was over,
Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
Very early when the sun had risen,
on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
They were saying to one another,
"Who will roll back the stone for us
from the entrance to the tomb?"
When they looked up,
they saw that the stone had been rolled back;
it was very large.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,
and they were utterly amazed.
He said to them, "Do not be amazed!
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him.
But go and tell his disciples and Peter,
'He is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him, as he told you.'"
Reading I - A reading from the book
of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 52:13-53:12):
See, my servant shall prosper,
he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.
Even as many were amazed at him—
so marred was his look beyond human semblance
and his appearance beyond that of the sons of man—
so shall he startle many nations,
because of him kings shall stand speechless;
for those who have not been told shall see,
those who have not heard shall ponder it.
Who would believe what we have heard?
To whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
He grew up like a sapling before him,
like a shoot from the parched earth;
there was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him,
nor appearance that would attract us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by people,
a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
one of those from whom people hide their faces,
spurned, and we held him in no esteem.
Yet it was our infirmities that he bore,
our sufferings that he endured,
while we thought of him as stricken,
as one smitten by God and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep,
each following his own way;
but the LORD laid upon him
the guilt of us all.
Though he was harshly treated, he submitted
and opened not his mouth;
like a lamb led to the slaughter
or a sheep before the shearers,
he was silent and opened not his mouth.
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away,
and who would have thought any more of his destiny?
When he was cut off from the land of the living,
and smitten for the sin of his people,
a grave was assigned him among the wicked
and a burial place with evildoers,
though he had done no wrong
nor spoken any falsehood.
But the LORD was pleased
to crush him in infirmity.
If he gives his life as an offering for sin,
he shall see his descendants in a long life,
and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction
he shall see the light in fullness of days;
through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
Therefore I will give him his portion among the great,
and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty,
because he surrendered himself to death
and was counted among the wicked;
and he shall take away the sins of many,
and win pardon for their offenses.
R. (Lk 23:46) Father, into
your hands I commend my spirit.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my
spirit.
For all my foes I am an object of reproach,
a laughingstock to my neighbors, and a dread to my friends;
they who see me abroad flee from me.
I am forgotten like the unremembered dead;
I am like a dish that is broken.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my
spirit.
But my trust is in you, O LORD;
I say, "You are my God.
In your hands is my destiny; rescue me
from the clutches of my enemies and my persecutors."
R. Father, into your hands I commend my
spirit.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
Take courage and be stouthearted,
all you who hope in the LORD.
R. Father, into your hands I commend my
spirit.
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews (Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9):
Brothers and sisters:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus, the Son of God,
let us hold fast to our confession.
For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses,
but one who has similarly been tested in every way,
yet without sin.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace
to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.
In the days when Christ was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 18:1-19:42):
Jesus went out with his disciples
across the Kidron valley
to where there was a garden,
into which he and his disciples entered.
Judas his betrayer also knew the place,
because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.
So Judas got a band of soldiers and guards
from the chief priests and the Pharisees
and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen to him,
went out and said to them, "Whom are you looking for?"
They answered him, "Jesus the Nazorean."
He said to them, "I AM."
Judas his betrayer was also with them.
When he said to them, "I AM, "
they turned away and fell to the ground.
So he again asked them,
"Whom are you looking for?"
They said, "Jesus the Nazorean."
Jesus answered,
"I told you that I AM.
So if you are looking for me, let these men go."
This was to fulfill what he had said,
"I have not lost any of those you gave me."
Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it,
struck the high priest's slave, and cut off his right ear.
The slave's name was Malchus.
Jesus said to Peter,
"Put your sword into its scabbard.
Shall I not drink the cup that the Father gave me?"
So the band of soldiers, the tribune, and the Jewish guards seized Jesus,
bound him, and brought him to Annas first.
He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,
who was high priest that year.
It was Caiaphas who had counseled the Jews
that it was better that one man should die rather than the people.
Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.
Now the other disciple was known to the high priest,
and he entered the courtyard of the high priest with Jesus.
But Peter stood at the gate outside.
So the other disciple, the acquaintance of the high priest,
went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter in.
Then the maid who was the gatekeeper said to Peter,
"You are not one of this man's disciples, are you?"
He said, "I am not."
Now the slaves and the guards were standing around a charcoal fire
that they had made, because it was cold,
and were warming themselves.
Peter was also standing there keeping warm.
The high priest questioned Jesus
about his disciples and about his doctrine.
Jesus answered him,
"I have spoken publicly to the world.
I have always taught in a synagogue
or in the temple area where all the Jews gather,
and in secret I have said nothing. Why ask me?
Ask those who heard me what I said to them.
They know what I said."
When he had said this,
one of the temple guards standing there struck Jesus and said,
"Is this the way you answer the high priest?"
Jesus answered him,
"If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong;
but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?"
Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
Now Simon Peter was standing there keeping warm.
And they said to him,
"You are not one of his disciples, are you?"
He denied it and said,
"I am not."
One of the slaves of the high priest,
a relative of the one whose ear Peter had cut off, said,
"Didn't I see you in the garden with him?"
Again Peter denied it.
And immediately the cock crowed.
Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium.
It was morning.
And they themselves did not enter the praetorium,
in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover.
So Pilate came out to them and said,
"What charge do you bring against this man?"
They answered and said to him,
"If he were not a criminal,
we would not have handed him over to you."
At this, Pilate said to them,
"Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law."
The Jews answered him,
"We do not have the right to execute anyone, "
in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled
that he said indicating the kind of death he would die.
So Pilate went back into the praetorium
and summoned Jesus and said to him,
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus answered,
"Do you say this on your own
or have others told you about me?"
Pilate answered,
"I am not a Jew, am I?
Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me.
What have you done?"
Jesus answered,
"My kingdom does not belong to this world.
If my kingdom did belong to this world,
my attendants would be fighting
to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.
But as it is, my kingdom is not here."
So Pilate said to him,
"Then you are a king?"
Jesus answered,
"You say I am a king.
For this I was born and for this I came into the world,
to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
Pilate said to him, "What is truth?"
When he had said this,
he again went out to the Jews and said to them,
"I find no guilt in him.
But you have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at Passover.
Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"
They cried out again,
"Not this one but Barabbas!"
Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head,
and clothed him in a purple cloak,
and they came to him and said,
"Hail, King of the Jews!"
And they struck him repeatedly.
Once more Pilate went out and said to them,
"Look, I am bringing him out to you,
so that you may know that I find no guilt in him."
So Jesus came out,
wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak.
And he said to them, "Behold, the man!"
When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out,
"Crucify him, crucify him!"
Pilate said to them,
"Take him yourselves and crucify him.
I find no guilt in him."
The Jews answered,
"We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die,
because he made himself the Son of God."
Now when Pilate heard this statement,
he became even more afraid,
and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus,
"Where are you from?"
Jesus did not answer him.
So Pilate said to him,
"Do you not speak to me?
Do you not know that I have power to release you
and I have power to crucify you?"
Jesus answered him,
"You would have no power over me
if it had not been given to you from above.
For this reason the one who handed me over to you
has the greater sin."
Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out,
"If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.
Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar."
When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out
and seated him on the judge's bench
in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.
And he said to the Jews,
"Behold, your king!"
They cried out,
"Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!"
Pilate said to them,
"Shall I crucify your king?"
The chief priests answered,
"We have no king but Caesar."
Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself,
he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull,
in Hebrew, Golgotha.
There they crucified him, and with him two others,
one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.
Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.
It read,
"Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews."
Now many of the Jews read this inscription,
because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city;
and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,
"Do not write 'The King of the Jews,'
but that he said, 'I am the King of the Jews'."
Pilate answered,
"What I have written, I have written."
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,
a share for each soldier.
They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,
woven in one piece from the top down.
So they said to one another,
"Let's not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, "
in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says: They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots.
This is what the soldiers did.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, "I thirst."
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
"It is finished."
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and that they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately blood and water flowed out.
An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true;
he knows that he is speaking the truth,
so that you also may come to believe.
For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled: Not a bone of it will be broken.
And again another passage says: They will look upon him whom they have pierced.
After this, Joseph of Arimathea,
secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews,
asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus.
And Pilate permitted it.
So he came and took his body.
Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night,
also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
weighing about one hundred pounds.
They took the body of Jesus
and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices,
according to the Jewish burial custom.
Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden,
and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day;
for the tomb was close by.
Reading I - A reading from the book
of Exodus (Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14):
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in
the land of Egypt,
"This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel:
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
R. (cf. 1 Cor 10:16) Our
blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the
Blood of Christ.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the
Blood of Christ.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with
the Blood of Christ.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23-26):
Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 13:1-15):
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus
knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him
over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples' feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
"Master, are you going to wash my feet?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later."
Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."
Jesus answered him,
"Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."
Simon Peter said to him,
"Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."
Jesus said to him,
"Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed,
for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all."
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean."
So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another's feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do."
Sunday,
April 1, 2012: (PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF
THE LORD)
Readings for today: Mark 11:1-10 / Isaiah 50:4-7 /
Philippians 2:6-11 / Mark 14:1 - 15:47:
At the Procession With
Palms - Gospel - A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark
11:1-10):
When Jesus and his disciples drew
near to Jerusalem,
to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives,
he sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately on entering it,
you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone should say to you,
'Why are you doing this?' reply,
'The Master has need of it
and will send it back here at once.'"
So they went off
and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street,
and they untied it.
Some of the bystanders said to them,
"What are you doing, untying the colt?"
They answered them just as Jesus had told them to,
and they permitted them to do it.
So they brought the colt to Jesus
and put their cloaks over it.
And he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road,
and others spread leafy branches
that they had cut from the fields.
Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out:
"Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Hosanna in the highest!"
At the Mass - Reading I -
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 50:4-7):
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
R. (2a) My
God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
All who see me scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads: "He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, if he loves him."
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Indeed, many dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers closes in upon me; They have pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones.
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
They divide my garments among them, and for my vesture they cast lots. But you, O LORD, be not far from me; O my help, hasten to aid me.
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you: "You who fear the LORD, praise him; all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him; revere him, all you descendants of Israel!"
R.
My God, my God,
why have you abandoned me?
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 2:6-11):
Christ Jesus, though he was in the
form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 14:1: 15:47):
The Passover and the Feast of
Unleavened Bread
were to take place in two days' time.
So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way
to arrest him by treachery and put him to death.
They said, "Not during the festival,
for fear that there may be a riot among the people."
When he was in Bethany reclining at table
in the house of Simon the leper,
a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil,
costly genuine spikenard.
She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head.
There were some who were indignant.
"Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil?
It could have been sold for more than three hundred days' wages
and the money given to the poor."
They were infuriated with her.
Jesus said, "Let her alone.
Why do you make trouble for her?
She has done a good thing for me.
The poor you will always have with you,
and whenever you wish you can do good to them,
but you will not always have me.
She has done what she could.
She has anticipated anointing my body for burial.
Amen, I say to you,
wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world,
what she has done will be told in memory of her."
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve,
went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them.
When they heard him they were pleased and promised to pay him money.
Then he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
his disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he came with the Twelve.
And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said,
"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me,
one who is eating with me."
They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one,
"Surely it is not I?"
He said to them,
"One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish.
For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus said to them,
"All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be dispersed.
But after I have been raised up,
I shall go before you to Galilee."
Peter said to him,
"Even though all should have their faith shaken,
mine will not be."
Then Jesus said to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the cock crows twice
you will deny me three times."
But he vehemently replied,
"Even though I should have to die with you,
I will not deny you."
And they all spoke similarly.
Then they came to a place named Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
"Sit here while I pray."
He took with him Peter, James, and John,
and began to be troubled and distressed.
Then he said to them, "My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch."
He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed
that if it were possible the hour might pass by him;
he said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible to you.
Take this cup away from me,
but not what I will but what you will."
When he returned he found them asleep.
He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep?
Could you not keep watch for one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing.
Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
for they could not keep their eyes open
and did not know what to answer him.
He returned a third time and said to them,
"Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
It is enough. The hour has come.
Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
See, my betrayer is at hand."
Then, while he was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs
who had come from the chief priests,
the scribes, and the elders.
His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying,
"The man I shall kiss is the one;
arrest him and lead him away securely."
He came and immediately went over to him and said,
"Rabbi." And he kissed him.
At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.
One of the bystanders drew his sword,
struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his ear.
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Have you come out as against a robber,
with swords and clubs, to seize me?
Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area,
yet you did not arrest me;
but that the Scriptures may be fulfilled."
And they all left him and fled.
Now a young man followed him
wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body.
They seized him,
but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.
They led Jesus away to the high priest,
and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.
Peter followed him at a distance into the high priest's courtyard
and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the fire.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus
in order to put him to death, but they found none.
Many gave false witness against him,
but their testimony did not agree.
Some took the stand and testified falsely against him,
alleging, "We heard him say,
'I will destroy this temple made with hands
and within three days I will build another
not made with hands.'"
Even so their testimony did not agree.
The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus,
saying, "Have you no answer?
What are these men testifying against you?"
But he was silent and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked him and said to him,
"Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One?"
Then Jesus answered, "I am;
and 'you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power
and coming with the clouds of heaven.'"
At that the high priest tore his garments and said,
"What further need have we of witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy.
What do you think?"
They all condemned him as deserving to die.
Some began to spit on him.
They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, "Prophesy!"
And the guards greeted him with blows.
While Peter was below in the courtyard,
one of the high priest's maids came along.
Seeing Peter warming himself,
she looked intently at him and said,
"You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus."
But he denied it saying,
"I neither know nor understand what you are talking about."
So he went out into the outer court.
Then the cock crowed.
The maid saw him and began again to say to the bystanders,
"This man is one of them."
Once again he denied it.
A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more,
"Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean."
He began to curse and to swear,
"I do not know this man about whom you are talking."
And immediately a cock crowed a second time.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him,
"Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times."
He broke down and wept.
As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?"
He said to him in reply, "You say so."
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
"Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of."
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?"
For he knew that it was out of envy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
"Then what do you want me to do
with the man you call the king of the Jews?"
They shouted again, "Crucify him."
Pilate said to them, "Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder, "Crucify him."
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place of Golgotha
— which is translated Place of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
"The King of the Jews."
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and saying,
"Aha! You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down from the cross."
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and believe."
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"
which is translated,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"Look, he is calling Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink saying,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
"Truly this man was the Son of God!"
There were also women looking on from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome.
These women had followed him when he was in Galilee
and ministered to him.
There were also many other women
who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
When it was already evening,
since it was the day of preparation,
the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea,
a distinguished member of the council,
who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God,
came and courageously went to Pilate
and asked for the body of Jesus.
Pilate was amazed that he was already dead.
He summoned the centurion
and asked him if Jesus had already died.
And when he learned of it from the centurion,
he gave the body to Joseph.
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down,
wrapped him in the linen cloth,
and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock.
Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses
watched where he was laid.
--------------------
04/01/2012 - St. Dominic
(Founder of the Order of Preachers, known as the Dominicans) [ca. 1170-1221]:
St. Dominic is known for
much, and especially for numerous miracles of various sorts. He used holy
water and prayer to raise from the dead a cardinal's nephew who was killed
after being thrown from a horse; he had the gift of miraculous transport (of
himself and of others); he once prayed and angels in guise of beautiful young men
gave each brother an entire loaf of bread and wine before disappearing; he was an
accurate prophet and foretold deaths; he had the gift of tongues; he could control the
elements and even tame storms; he was immune to fire, and once in a debate with
heretics, the heretic judges decided on a trial by fire on the writings of their
leaders vs. the writings of St. Dominic...the writings of the heretics burned
instantly, but those of St. Dominic flew out of the fire, not once, not twice,
but THREE times.
In the year 1170, the same year in which Saint
Thomas Becket was martyred in England, Dominic de Guzman was born in Calarogo,
now Caleruega, Spain, about 20 miles from the Cathedral in Osma.
Before his mother conceived him, she saw in a vision that a dog
with a burning torch in its mouth would come forth from her womb and set the
world aflame. Later, she saw the moon on his forehead, yet at his Baptism, his
godmother perceived it as a star. The boy was christened probably after Saint
Dominic of Silas whose nearby shrine was a favorite of his mother.
Dominic
accompanied his holy bishop in 1203 to the Marches of France, in the Languedoc
region, because of a royal wedding. It was there that they were struck by the
spread of falsehood. People were adopting Albigensianism which considered all
material things to be evil. While at Toulouse, Dominic stayed up all night
until he had persuaded the innkeeper to accept the true faith. About that time,
the pope had called upon the Cistercian abbots to preach against this heresy.
At Montpellier, Bishop Diego convinced them to abandon their ostentatious
retinues. He himself put on the Cistercian habit and joined the mission, taking
Dominic with him. From then on, the subprior was called "Brother Dominic."
The preachers held disputations from town to town, attended by the lowly and
the noble alike. At Fanjeaux, arbiters held a trial by fire for the manuscripts
written by Dominic and his adversaries. The one written by Saint Dominic flew
out of the flames three times. A similar miracle took place at Montreal.
The
Albigensians were extremely austere, but Dominic surpassed them all by his
charitable sacrifices. He might eat a bit of dried fish or a little bread and
soup. Women who often fed him testified that he never ate more than two eggs,
and his wine was about two-thirds water. Dominic wore an abrasive hairshirt,
and had an iron chain forged around his waist. He slept very little, and when
he did, it was always on the floor, preferably in the chapel. There, the fire
of the Holy Spirit even dried his rain-soaked habit better than those of his
companions who spent the night by the fireplace.
In 1211, while the war continued , a group of English pilgrims were on their
way to Saint James of Compostela in Spain. While crossing the River Garonne,
the overloaded boat capsized. Dominic, in a nearby church, heard the cries of
bystanders and soldiers. Many of the pilgrims were already underwater. Dominic
prostrated himself, prayed and loudly commanded their safety in the Name of
Jesus Christ. Immediately, the pilgrims emerged near the shore and were pulled
to the riverbank. One of the pilgrims, named Lawrence, would be one of the
first members of the Order of Preachers. In another incident, a ferryman
demanded payment from Dominic, who then prayed and picked up a coin at his
feet. Later, eyewitnesses would testify to these and many other miracles at his
canonization process.
At Castres, Dominic was praying in the church. The prior sent one of the
canons to fetch him for dinner. Seeing Dominic floating in the air, he returned
to tell the prior who went to see for himself. So moved was he by the
phenomenon, the prior, Matthew of France, became another of Dominic's first
followers. Eventually, a new group of preachers gathered to support his
mission.
In 1215, Dominic accompanied Foulques to Rome for the Lateran Council.
While in Rome for the Council, it is believed that Saint Dominic met Saint
Francis of Assisi. Both of them would establish a new kind of religious life,
which is mendicant and apostolic. At a later time, one or the other founder got
angry at his sons for extravagant buildings and held up the other Order as an
example of simplicity. Members of both Orders call both saints "Holy Father."
For centuries, it has also been the custom for Friars Preachers to invite a
Friar Minor to preach on the feast of Saint Dominic, and vice versa. Pope
Innocent III was inspired to approve these new Orders because he saw in a dream
one or the other of these saints reaching up to support the tottering Church,
lest it fall to ruins. Today in Saint Peter's Basilica, colossal statues of
Saints Francis and Dominic flank both sides of the Chair of Saint Peter.
Once, while praying in the old Saint Peter's Basilica, Saint
Dominic saw a vision. The Apostle Peter handed him a staff, and the Apostle
Paul handed him a book. Together, they spoke to him, saying, "Go and preach,
because you have been chosen by God for this work." Immediately, it seemed to
Dominic that he saw all his children preaching two by two throughout the world.
From then on, Saint Dominic was often seen on the road carrying a walking stick
and the Epistles of Saint Paul. He also carried the Gospel of Saint Matthew,
and could recite these Scriptures by heart.
Saint Dominic too had seen visions of Our Lady. Once he saw Her
in the dormitory sprinkling the brethren with holy water as they slept.
Therefore, today, the prior or prioress in every Dominican convent sprinkles the
community at night prayers (Compline) during the Hail, Holy Queen (Salve
Regina).
Due to the generosity of Pope Honorius, a Dominican priory was established at
San Sisto (Pope Saint Sixtus II, Martyr) on the Appian Way. Dominic, having
received a revelation from God, called the brethren to the chapter room to
announce the proximate deaths of four friars, two physically and two
spiritually. Soon thereafter, his prediction proved true, for two men died, and
two others left the Order for worldliness.
The community at San Sisto had grown very numerous. One day, Dominic was
informed by the procurator that their begging had produced almost no food. He
ordered the brethren, nevertheless, to gather at table for their meal. He then
prayed and suddenly two young men or angels, looking mysteriously alike, came
into the refectory to dispense a portion of bread and wine to each friar. The
same procurator told of a similar miracle on another occasion.
Dominic then traveled through France to his Spanish homeland,
and then as far as Paris by June of 1219. For a few days, German pilgrims, who
traveled on the same road, fed him, so he prayed for the ability to speak their
language, and the gift was given to him. Neither language nor locked doors
could obstruct him. More than one porter wondered how he got beyond their
gates.
Dominic is a saint because of his great charity, not because of
his miracles, yet the greatness of his miracles is a sign of his love. Of all
his well attested prodigies, the most remarkable are the resuscitations of the
dead. Our saintly Father once rescued a workman who was crushed by a fallen
wall at San Sisto. Another time, the nephew of a cardinal fell from his horse
and suffered mortal injuries. Almost immediately, Dominic celebrated Mass.
Hours passed before he raised the man to life, with all his wounds healed. In
another case, a woman went to hear Dominic preach at San Marco in Rome, but
later she returned home and found her little boy dead. She rushed the child to
Dominic who brought him back to life. When the pope expressed his desire to
publicize the miracle, Dominic threatened to leave town. People were already
clipping bits of his habit for relics.
When he was about to die,
he told his order:
Heaven had warned the "Athlete of Christ" that his life was about to end.
His work was bearing fruit. Already the Order had grown to eight provinces:
Spain, Provence, France, Lombardy, Rome, Germany, Hungary, and England. By the
time he reached Bologna in August, it was very hot and humid.
The heat compounded his fever. He could no longer stand, but refused to be
put on a bed. He lay on the floor of a borrowed cell, in a borrowed habit, for
he had none of his own. He had bequeathed to his children this testimony:
"Have charity one for another; guard humility; make your treasure out of
voluntary poverty." He then emphasized poverty, saying, "May my malediction and
that of God fall upon him who shall bring possessions into this Order." When
asked about burial, he expressed his wish to be "under the feet of the
brethren," that is, under the feet of those who bring Good News. He assured
them, "Do not weep, my children; I shall be more useful to you where I am now
going, than I have ever been in this life."
Saint Dominic had lived 51 years.
He died Friday, August 6, 1221, about 6 o'clock in the evening: fittingly the
Transfiguration, a feast regarding prophets and apostles.
Miracles followed and devotion to the
saint grew, so the church building needed to be expanded and Dominic's body
moved. Hundreds of people of every rank attended the Translation on May 24,
1233. When the stone covering his remains was lifted, a gentle aroma, like a
sweet perfume, filled the air to the delight of all. The sacred relics have
since been revered in a sepulcher befitting his glory. Within a year after the
Translation of the Body, after collecting depositions and testimonies, Dominic
was canonized a saint. His feast is celebrated on the eighth of August.
Reading I - A reading from
the book of the Prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34):
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews (Hebrews 5:7-9):
In the days when Christ Jesus was in
the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 12:20-33):
Some Greeks who had come to worship
at the Passover Feast
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus."
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.
"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
'Father, save me from this hour?'
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name."
Then a voice came from heaven,
"I have glorified it and will glorify it again."
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, "An angel has spoken to him."
Jesus answered and said,
"This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself."
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.
-----------------------
03/25/2012 - St. Gemma
Galgani: Another mystical
saint that is a favorite of mine is St. Gemma Galgani, who had numerous visions
of Jesus, saw the body of Christ on a crucifix come to life and speak with her,
and was seen levitating when Jesus beckoned her to come to him on the
cross...she was seen levitating while kissing Jesus on the crucifix.
Source for this information is from a rare book entitled
“A Lover of the Cross –St Gemma Galgani” published in May 1940 by
the Passionist Nuns of the Monastero-Santuario di Santa Gemma in Lucca,
Italy and also “The
Life of St Gemma Galgani” by her spiritual director, Venerable
Father Germano Ruoppolo CP
The Miracle of the Crucifix
"In September 1901, while working in the kitchen, Gemma frequently
paused out of her great love for Jesus to contemplate the large Crucifix
that hung on the kitchen wall of the Giannini home.
“The more she looked at it” - says
Venerable Father Germano in his biography of St Gemma – “the more her
heart beat in her breast". She strongly desired to come to Him
and unite with Him, and many a time she attempted to. At last she cried:
- ’Let me come to You, for I am thirsting for You!’. -
Marvellous to say, as it already happened to St. Francis of Assisi and
our holy Father, St. Paul of the Cross,
the Corpus on the Cross became alive, and Jesus appeared to her and with
His right hand detached from the Cross, with a loving look He beckoned
his faithful Bride to come to Him. Immediately, Gemma rushed to Him and
reached Him, and while miraculously held aloft in the air, Jesus
embraces her and lays her lips on the wound in His Holy Side; Gemma,
keeping tight to Him with both arms, drank plentifully out of that
divine spring, while remaining with her body as if she rested upon a
cloud”.
(Note: The Photograph above is the actual Crucifix that came alive
during the miraculous vision related above. It is currently on display
along with other articles pertaining to the life of St Gemma at the
"Casa Della Stimmate" or "House of the Stigmata" in Lucca, Italy.
-Editor).
"I am the Alpha and
the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from
the fountain of the water of life without payment."
(Revelation 21:6)
On another occasion Jesus appeared to Gemma with the Cross on His
shoulders and said: "Gemma, will you
take my Cross? See, this is the present I have prepared for you."
And she replied, "My Jesus, yes, give
it me, but give me also the strength to carry it, because my shoulders
are weak; at least that I may not fall under it."
And Jesus again: "Would it sadden you if
I were to give you to drink of My chalice, even to the last drop?"
And Gemma replied: "Jesus, may Your most Holy Will be done."
(Photograph
on the left is a closeup of the actual Crucifix that came alive during
the miraculous vision related at the top of this article) .
Her devotion to the Passion and Jesus
Crucified
On another occasion, He appeared to Gemma nailed to the Cross, all
covered with wounds and bleeding. "At
that sight," she said to me [Father Germanus], "I felt such a great
sorrow, thinking of the infinite love of Jesus for us, and of the
sufferings that He had endured for our salvation, I then fainted and
fell. After the lapse of an hour or so I came to myself, and then there
arose in my heart such an immense desire to suffer something for Him who
had suffered so much for me."
From that day forward Gemma did not seem herself. The sight of Jesus
suffering and the thought of the mission entrusted to her by God had, as
it were, transformed her into another creature. The thirst to suffer
torments of every kind seemed to consume and rend her whole being. To
satisfy her, torrents of fire would be needed. Listen to her
exclamation: "To suffer, but without
any consolation, without any comfort; to suffer for love alone."
Her sufferings were but trials in which grace advanced step by step,
preparing her for the grand immolation that was to be accomplished on
the Calvary of Jesus-her deathbed. Hence she added: "I am very happy.
Jesus does not cease to love me; I mean that He does not cease to
afflict me more than usual." It was indeed Our Lord Himself who had
taught her this sublime doctrine.
"On Saturday evening," she writes to me,
"I went to make a visit to the most holy crucifix. There came upon me an
ardent longing for suffering, and with all my heart I implored of Jesus
to satisfy me. And, since that
evening, He has granted me a ceaseless pain in my head, but such a
violent pain! And I am almost always crying through fear of not being
able to bear it." We can see by these words that she feels that
she may not be able to hold out, and yet she does not desist, but
continues to pray that her great longing to suffer more and more may be
gratified. Nay, she declares that in suffering she finds all her
delight. "Yes," she says, "I am happy
in every way that Jesus wills, and if Jesus wants the sacrifice of my
life, I give it to Him at once. If He wants anything else I am ready.
One thing alone is enough for me, to be His victim, in order to atone
for my own innumerable sins, and, if possible, for those of the whole
world."
From Thursday evening to Friday afternoon each week, as we know, this
heroic child went over all Calvary in body and soul, suffering
unspeakable agony in company with Jesus Crucified. Whoever could have
passed but once through such torments would shudder at the thought of
them. Gemma, who again and again passed over that way of sorrow and
pain, longed for the day, counted the hours she had to wait until it
came, and, in the words of those who were around her, "prepared to
suffer as if she were preparing for a banquet."
(Picture
on the left is a image of Gemma embracing Jesus as occured in several of
her visions) Our Lord took infinite delight in such great generosity and
heroism, and by open proofs of tenderness, showed His great joy and
happiness at having chosen a spouse so entirely according to His Heart.
Thus, on one of many occasions, making His presence felt in her soul, He
asked her if she had suffered much in a long trial that she was still
undergoing. Gemma's answer: "With Thee,
oh Jesus, one suffers so well! What is it to suffer thus for many days,
if afterwards You come quickly and console?" And Jesus replied:
"Know that when you were suffering, I
was always at your side. I beheld your distress and I was gratified by
it."
Then to reward her for the courage she had displayed in the conflict, He
told her she might draw close and kiss His sacred Wounds. And she, all
humility: "But, oh Jesus, why for so little, do
you give me a reward so great?" Then emboldened by her filial
confidence she approached her Saviour, and kneeling with her heart all
on fire, she kissed one by one those precious Wounds. But when she came
to the Wound in His Side she could hold out no longer, and fell in a
swoon at the Feet of her Jesus."
"Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me
and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his
heart shall flow rivers of living water'."
(John 7:37-38)
Thanks be to Thee,
oh God, forever! Thanks be to Jesus for His gifts and for His Cross!
-St Gemma Galgani
Reading I - A reading from the
second book of Chronicles (2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23):
In those days, all the princes of
Judah, the priests, and the people
added infidelity to infidelity,
practicing all the abominations of the nations
and polluting the LORD's temple
which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers,
send his messengers to them,
for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.
But they mocked the messengers of God,
despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,
until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed
that there was no remedy.
Their enemies burnt the house of God,
tore down the walls of Jerusalem,
set all its palaces afire,
and destroyed all its precious objects.
Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon,
where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons
until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.
All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah:
"Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths,
during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest
while seventy years are fulfilled."
In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,
in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,
the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia
to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,
both by word of mouth and in writing:
"Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth
the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,
and he has also charged me to build him a house
in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people,
let him go up, and may his God be with him!"
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm
137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6:
R. (6ab) Let my tongue be
silenced, if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget
you!
For there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
"Sing for us the songs of Zion!"
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget
you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget
you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever
forget you!
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians (Ephesians 2:4-10):
Brothers and sisters:
God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ -by grace you have been saved-,
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 3:14-21):
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
"Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
--------------------
03/18/2012:
St. Anthony Mary Claret
- Another
saint in Catholic tradition. This particular saint was known as a wonder
worker, had the gift of prophecy and could read peoples' consciences, was
witnessed on several occasions levitating while in prayer, and had the gift of
miraculous transport.
Reading I - A reading from the book
of Exodus (Exodus 20:1-17):
In those days, God delivered all
these commandments:
"I, the LORD, am your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.
You shall not have other gods besides me.
You shall not carve idols for yourselves
in the shape of anything in the sky above
or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth;
you shall not bow down before them or worship them.
For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God,
inflicting punishment for their fathers' wickedness
on the children of those who hate me,
down to the third and fourth generation;
but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation
on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.
"You shall not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.
For the LORD will not leave unpunished
the one who takes his name in vain.
"Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.
Six days you may labor and do all your work,
but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD, your God.
No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter,
or your male or female slave, or your beast,
or by the alien who lives with you.
In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
but on the seventh day he rested.
That is why the LORD has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
"Honor your father and your mother,
that you may have a long life in the land
which the LORD, your God, is giving you.
You shall not kill.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor's house.
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,
nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass,
nor anything else that belongs to him."
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 19:8, 9,
10, 11:
R. (John 6:68c)Lord, you
have the words of everlasting life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul;
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting
life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting
life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Lord, you have the words of everlasting
life.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. Lord, you have the words of
everlasting life.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:22-25):
Brothers and sisters:
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we proclaim Christ crucified,
a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike,
Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 2:13-25):
Since the Passover of the Jews was
near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
"Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
"What sign can you show us for doing this?"
Jesus answered and said to them,
"Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
The Jews said,
"This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?"
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.
While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
many began to believe in his name
when they saw the signs he was doing.
But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all,
and did not need anyone to testify about human nature.
He himself understood it well.
Reading I - A reading from the book
of Genesis (Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18):
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he replied.
Then God said:
"Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a holocaust
on a height that I will point out to you."
When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD's messenger called to him from heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!"
"Here I am!" he answered.
"Do not lay your hand on the boy," said the messenger.
"Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son."
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son.
Again the LORD's messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
"I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing-
all this because you obeyed my command."
R. (116:9) I will walk
before the Lord, in the land of the living.
I believed, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of
the living.
O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of
the living.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the
land of the living.
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (Romans 8:31b-34):
Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us, who will condemn?
Christ Jesus it is who died-or, rather, was raised-
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 9:2-10):
Jesus took Peter, James, and John
and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them,
and his clothes became dazzling white,
such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.
Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,
and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here!
Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."
He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.
Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,
"This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain,
he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,
except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves,
questioning what rising from the dead meant.
----------------------
03/04/2012 - New Roman
Missal Changes to Greeting, the Penitential Act, Gloria, Dialogue at Gospel,
Nicene Creed, Apostles' Creed, the Invitation to Prayer, Preface Dialogue,
Preface Acclamation, Mystery of Faith, Sign of Peace, Invitation to Communion,
and Concluding Rites of Mass:
Changes in the Parts of
the People in the Order of Mass in the Roman
Missal, Third
Edition (approved June
15, 2006 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; confirmed March
26, 2010 by the Holy See [Prot n. 1464/06/L]) Page 1 of 4
www.USCCB.org/romanmissal
PART
OF MASS
PRESENT TEXT FOR PEOPLE
NEW TEXT FOR PEOPLE
Greeting
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also
with you.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with
your spirit.
Penitential Act (Form A)
I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and
sisters,
that I have sinned
through my own fault, in my
thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask
blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord, our God.
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done
and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask
blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Penitential Act (Form B)
Priest: Lord, we
have sinned against you:
Lord, have mercy.
People: Lord, have
mercy.
Priest: Lord, show
us your mercy and love.
People:
And grant us your salvation.
Priest: Have mercy
on us, O Lord.
People: For we have
sinned against you.
Priest: Show us, O
Lord, your mercy.
People:
And grant us your salvation.
Gloria
Glory to God in the highest, and
peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of
the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to people of
good will.
We praise you, we bless you,
we adore you, we glorify you,
we give you thanks for your great glory,
Lord God, heavenly King,
O God, almighty Father.
Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten
Son,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father,
have mercy on us.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Dialogue at the Gospel
Deacon (or Priest): A reading
from the Holy Gospel according to N.
People: Glory to
you, Lord.
Deacon (or Priest): A reading
from the Holy Gospel according to N.
People: Glory to
you, O Lord.
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord,
Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the
Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
one in Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the
Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake
he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord,
the giver of life, who proceeds
from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and
glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy
catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the
resurrection
of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and
invisible.
I believe in one Lord
Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the
Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy
Spirit
was incarnate of the
Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake
he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated
at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord,
the giver of life, who proceeds
from the Father and the Son,
who with the
Father and the Son
is adored and
glorified,
who has spoken
through the prophets.
I believe in one,
holy, catholic
and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the
resurrection
of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven
and earth.
I believe in Jesus
Christ, his only Son,
our Lord.
He was
conceived by the power
of the Holy Spirit
and born of the
Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand
of the Father.
He will come again to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven
and earth,
and in Jesus
Christ, his only Son,
our Lord,
who was
conceived
by the Holy
Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again
from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand
of God the Father
almighty;
from there he will come
to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Invitation to Prayer
May the Lord accept the sacrifice
at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good,
and the good of all his Church.
May the Lord accept the sacrifice
at your hands
for the praise and glory of his name,
for our good
and the good of all his holy Church.
Preface Dialogue
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also
with you. Priest:
Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them
up to the Lord. Priest: Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God.
People: It is right
to give him
thanks and praise.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with
your spirit.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them
up to the Lord. Priest: Let us give thanks
to the Lord our God.
People: It is right
and just.
Preface Acclamation
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might. Heaven and
earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Mystery of Faith
Priest: Let us proclaim
the mystery of faith: People:
A – Christ has died, Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
or B – Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life.
Lord Jesus, come in glory.
or C – When we eat this bread
and drink this cup,
we proclaim your death,
Lord Jesus,
until you come in glory.
or D – Lord,
by your cross
and resurrection,
you have set us free.
You are the Savior of the World.
Priest: The mystery of faith.
People:
A – We proclaim
your Death, O Lord,
and profess your Resurrection
until you come again.
or B – When we eat
this Bread
and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death,
O Lord,
until you come again.
or C – Save us,
Savior of the world,
for by your
Cross
and Resurrection,
you have set us free.
Sign of Peace
Priest: The peace of the Lord
be with you always. People:
And also with you.
Priest: The peace of
the Lord
be with you always. People:
And with your spirit.
Invitation to Communion
Priest: This is
the Lamb of God
who takes away
the sins of the world.
Happy are those
who are called
to his supper.
All: Lord, I am not worthy
to receive you,
but only say the word
and I shall be healed.
Priest: Behold
the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes
away
the sins of the world.
Blessed are those
called
to the supper of the Lamb.
All: Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
Concluding Rites
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And also
with you.
Priest: The Lord be with you.
People: And with
your spirit.
Excerpts from the
English translation of The Roman Missal
Reading I - A reading from the book
of Genesis (Genesis 9:8-15):
God said to Noah and to his sons
with him:
"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."
God added:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
When I bring clouds over the earth,
and the bow appears in the clouds,
I will recall the covenant I have made
between me and you and all living beings,
so that the waters shall never again become a flood
to destroy all mortal beings."
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9):
R. (cf. 10) Your ways, O
Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to
those who keep your covenant.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to
those who keep your covenant.
Good and upright is the LORD,
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and he teaches the humble his way.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and
truth to those who keep your covenant.
Reading II - A reading
from the first epistle of St. Peter (1 Peter 3:18-22):
Beloved:
Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,
who had once been disobedient
while God patiently waited in the days of Noah
during the building of the ark,
in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water.
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
It is not a removal of dirt from the body
but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 1:12-15):
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the
desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."
--------------------
02/26/2012 - Fifteen
Promises of Mary the mother of God to St. Dominic For Those Who Faithfully
Recite the Rosary): Though I
have only prayed the rosary once in my life (at the wake of a neighbor down the
street from me a couple of decades ago), I do endeavor to recite it often before
I die.
1. To all those who shall pray my
Rosary devoutly, I promise my special protection and great graces.
What a consoling thought, having the
Queen of Heaven and earth's special protection.
2
Rosary Promises
2.
Those who shall persevere in the recitation of my Rosary will receive some
special grace.
As you can see, you must persevere
and say the Rosary daily to receive these promises.
3
Rosary Promises
3.
The Rosary will be a very powerful armor against hell; it will destroy vice,
deliver from sin and dispel heresy.
Just imagine the serenity and peace
that comes from knowing for certain you are going to heaven. Sin hurts your
soul and in the long run makes you unhappy.
Being a slave to your vices is
unbearable. Mary will keep you safe from your own bad habits.
How reassuring to know you will be
free from falling for false teachings especially during these times when as
St. Paul says in his second letter to Timothy,
"For there shall be a time, when
they will not endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires,
they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears"
-2 Timothy 4:3
4.
The Rosary will make virtue and good works flourish, and will obtain for
souls the most abundant divine mercies. It will draw the hearts of men from
the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of
eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
Divine mercies describe the mercy of
Jesus. When you die He will bestow His boundless mercy upon you.
Knowing that you will be treated
with the utmost love and forgiveness can bring much comfort when reviewing
your mistakes and shortcomings.
Mary greatly desires that we become
more holy by praying the Rosary everyday. This promise complements what St.
Paul says in Romans 12:3.
"And be not conformed to this world;
but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the
good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God."
-Romans 12:3
5.
Those who trust themselves to me through the Rosary will not perish.
6
Rosary Promises
6.
Whoever recites my Rosary devoutly reflecting on the mysteries, shall never
be overwhelmed by misfortune. He will not experience the anger of God nor
will he perish by an unprovided death. The sinner will be converted; the
just will persevere in grace and merit eternal life.
You may experience misfortune but
you can rest assured that you will never be overwhelmed by it.
By "unprovided death" the promise
means that your soul will be prepared for the final judgement before you
die.
7. Those truly devoted to
my Rosary shall not die without the sacraments of the Church.
This is truly a wonderful promise.
Last Rites is one of the seven sacraments.
When a person is sick or injured and
in danger of dying they receive this sacrament. It involves the certain
prayers and anointing with holy oil by a priest.
Sometimes the recipient's health is
regained. But even if they do not get well they will experience an increase
of grace and they will be strengthened against temptation.
The most important benefit of
receiving this sacrament is that it prepares you to enter into heaven by
forgiving your sins and cleaning your soul which has been stained due to the
effects of sin.
"Is any one among you sick? Let him
bring in the presbyters of the Church, and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the
sick man, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he be in sins, they shall
be forgiven him."
-James 5:14-15
By this promise, you can be
confident and rest assured that you will receive this very important and
beneficial sacrament before you die.
8
Rosary Promises
8.
Those who are faithful to recite my Rosary shall have during their life and
at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces and will
share in the merits of the blessed.
Nothing can be more reassuring than
this promise that give the hope of spending a life and particularly at the
moment of death, being showered with God's grace and receiving the prayers
of the saints already in heaven.
9
Rosary Promises
9. I will deliver promptly from
purgatory souls devoted to my Rosary.
Purgatory is a place of cleansing.
It is God's mudroom.
Here you will be cleansed of all the
effects that sin has caused in your soul.
The most horrible thing about
purgatory is the fact that you know God, but you cannot be with Him.
This longing is agonizing...
Yet it is very joyful because you
know that you will eventually go to heaven, it's just a matter of time.
Here Mary promises that your time
there will be brief.
13. I have obtained from my Son that
all the members of the Rosary Confraternity shall have as their
intercessors, in life and in death, the entire celestial court.
Because Mary is our Advocate, she
assists us during our life and at our death.
The Celestial Court is better known
as the Communion of Saints.
The Saints already in heaven pray
for us on earth.
All the Saints will ask God to
supply for your needs if you become a member of the Rosary Confraternity.
The Rosary Confraternity [new window
will open] is a world-wide group whose members pray the fifteen decade
Rosary at least once a week.
It is entrusted to the Dominican
order, the order of priests founded by St. Dominic.
Since the Holy Father has recently
added the five luminous mysteries, we encourage members of the Confraternity
to include that extra weekly Rosary.
However, we have as yet received no
official statement regarding this matter.
Those who recite only the fifteen
traditional mysteries will continue to share in the benefits of the
Confraternity until some official source declares the contrary.
"Whenever a
person fulfills his obligation of reciting the Rosary according to the rule
of the Confraternity, he includes in his intentions all its members, and
they in turn render him the same service many times over."
-Pope Leo XIII
Each member includes deceased fellow
members as well; and thus he knows that in turn he will be included in the
prayers of hundreds of thousands both now and hereafter.
This led the Cure of Ars to say:
"If anyone has
the happiness of being in the Confraternity of the Rosary, he has in all
corners of the world brothers and sisters who pray for him."
-Cure of Ars
14. Those who recite my Rosary
faithfully are my beloved children, the brothers and sisters of Jesus
Christ.
15
Rosary Promises
15. Devotion to my Rosary is a
special sign of predestination.
Predestination in this context means
that, by the sign which is present to a person from the action of devoutly
praying the Rosary, God has pre-ordained your salvation.
Absolute certainty of salvation can
only be truly known if God reveals it to a person because, although we are
given sufficient Grace during life, our salvation depends upon our response
to said Grace.
Said another way, if God has
guaranteed a person's salvation but has not revealed it to Him, God would
want that person to pray the Rosary because of all the benefits and Graces
obtained.
Therefore the person gets a hint by
devotion to the Rosary.
This is not to say that praying the
Rosary guarantees salvation - by no means.
In looking at promises #3 and #4
above, praying the Rosary helps one to live a holy life...
which is itself a great sign that a
soul is on the road to salvation.
"Who hath predestinated us unto the
adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto himself: according to the
purpose of his will: Unto the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he
hath graced us in his beloved son. In whom we also are called by lot, being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things
according to the counsel of his will."
-Ephesians 1:5-6,11-12
Wednesday, February 22, 2012: (ASH
WEDNESDAY)
Readings for today: Joel 2:12-18 / 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
/ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18:
Reading I - A reading from the book
of the Prophet Joel (Joel 2:12-18):
Even now,
says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.
Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, "Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
'Where is their God?'"
Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13. 14. and 17):
R. (see 3a) Be merciful,
O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord,
for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
"Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight."
R. Be merciful, O Lord,
for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord,
for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord,
for we have sinned.
Reading II - A reading
from the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2):
Brothers and sisters:
We are ambassadors for Christ,
as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God.
For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Working together, then,
we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
For he says:
In an acceptable time I heard you,
and on the day of salvation I helped you.
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18):
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
"When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
"When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you."
--------------------
02/22/2012 - What is Ash
Wednesday in Catholic culture?:
Our observance of Lent begins
on Ash Wednesday, a day of fast and abstinence for Catholics. At Mass on Ash
Wednesday, the imposition of ashes replicates an ancient penitential
practice and symbolizes our dependence upon God's mercy and forgiveness.
During Lent, the baptized are
called to renew their baptismal commitment as others prepare to be baptized
through the
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults,
a period of learning and discernment for individuals who have declared their
desire to become Catholics.
The three traditional pillars
of Lenten observance are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. The Church asks us
to surrender ourselves to prayer and to the reading of Scripture, to fasting
and to giving alms. The fasting that all do together on Fridays is but a
sign of the daily Lenten discipline of individuals and households: fasting
for certain periods of time, fasting from certain foods, but also fasting
from other things and activities. Likewise, the giving of alms is some
effort to share this world equally—not only through the distribution of
money, but through the sharing of our time and talents.
The key to fruitful observance
of these practices is to recognize their link to baptismal renewal. We are
called not just to abstain from sin during Lent, but to true conversion of
our hearts and minds as followers of Christ. We recall those waters in which
we were baptized into Christ's death, died to sin and evil, and began new
life in Christ.
At this site, you will find a
variety of suggestions and resources to support your Lenten practice,
enhance your prayer, and embrace your baptismal commitment.
Reading I - A reading from the book
of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24b-25):
Thus says
the LORD:
Remember not the events of the past,
the things of long ago consider not;
see, I am doing something new!
Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
In the desert I make a way,
in the wasteland, rivers.
The people I formed for myself,
that they might announce my praise.
Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob,
for you grew weary of me, O Israel.
You burdened me with your sins,
and wearied me with your crimes.
It is I, I, who wipe out,
for my own sake, your offenses;
your sins I remember no more.
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 41:2-3, 4-5, 13-14):
R. (5b) Lord,
heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Blessed is the one who has regard for the lowly and the poor;
in the day of misfortune the LORD will deliver him.
The LORD will keep and preserve him;
and make him blessed on earth,
and not give him over to the will of his enemies.
R. Lord, heal my
soul, for I have sinned against you.
The LORD will help him on his sickbed,
he will take away all his ailment when he is ill.
Once I said, "O LORD, have pity on me;
heal me, though I have sinned against you."
R. Lord, heal my
soul, for I have sinned against you.
But because of my integrity you sustain me
and let me stand before you forever.
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
from all eternity. Amen. Amen.
R. Lord, heal my soul, for I have sinned against you.
Reading II - A reading
from the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 1:18-22):
Brothers and
sisters:
As God is faithful,
our word to you is not "yes" and "no."
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ,
who was proclaimed to you by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me,
was not "yes" and "no, " but "yes" has been in him.
For however many are the promises of God, their Yes is in him;
therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God for glory.
But the one who gives us security with you in Christ
and who anointed us is God;
he has also put his seal upon us
and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 2:1-12):
When Jesus
returned to Capernaum after some days,
it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them,
not even around the door,
and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd,
they opened up the roof above him.
After they had broken through,
they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
"Child, your sins are forgiven."
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
"Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming.
Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus immediately knew in his mind
what they were thinking to themselves,
so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic,
'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk?'
But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"
-he said to the paralytic,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."
He rose, picked up his mat at once,
and went away in the sight of everyone.
They were all astounded
and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."
----------------------
02/19/2012 - What is Lent
in Catholic culture? Let's take a look:
Although today is the Seventh Sunday in
Ordinary Time, this coming Wednesday is Ash Wednesday (the day AFTER Fat Tuesday
to most everyone else) which marks the beginning of Lent for Catholics.
So, here's what it means to them, just so non-Catholic Christians and
non-Christians can understand this Catholic-cultural season.
An explanation of the history and
significance of Lent to our spiritual lives.
What Is Lent? Lent is the
penitential season of approximately 40 days set aside by the Church in order
for the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Death
and Resurrection. During this holy season, inextricably connected to
the Paschal Mystery, the Catechumens prepare for Christian initiation, and
current Church members prepare for Easter by a recalling of Baptism and by
works of penance, that is, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Even in the early Church, Lent
was the season for prayerful and penitential preparation for the feast of
Easter. Though the obligation of penance was originally only imposed
on those who had committed public sins and crimes, by medieval times all the
faithful voluntarily performed acts of penance to repair for their sins.
Ash Wednesday is the clarion
call to “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mk 1:15). For the next forty days,
the faithful willingly submit to fasting and self-denial in imitation of Our
Lord’s forty-day fast in the desert. It is in these dark and still
nights, these desert-times, that the soul experiences its greatest growth.
There, in the inner arena, the soul battles the world, the flesh and the
devil just as Our Lord battled Satan's triple temptation in the desert.
His battle was external, for Jesus could not sin; our battle is interior,
but with a hope sustained by the knowledge of Christ’s Easter victory over
sin and death.
His victory is our renewal, our
“spring” — which is the meaning of the Anglo-Saxon word, “lengten” or Lent.
In this penitential season we have the opportunity to make an annual
spiritual “tune-up”, a 40-day retreat with Our Lord. Have we allowed worldly
cares and the “daily drama” to obscure our call to holiness? Have
self-love and materialism eroded our relationship with God? Then let
us renew our efforts, and through our Lenten observance, discipline the body
and master it as we “follow in the footsteps of the poor and crucified
Christ” (St. Francis of Assisi).
Activity Source: Original Text (JGM & MG) by
Jennifer Gregory Miller and Margaret Gregory
Sunday,
February 12, 2012: (SIXTH SUNDAY
IN ORDINARY TIME)
Readings for today: Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 / 1 Corinthians
10:31-11:1 / Mark 1:40-45:
Reading I - A reading from the book
of Leviticus (Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46):
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,
"If someone has on his skin a scab or pustule or blotch
which appears to be the sore of leprosy,
he shall be brought to Aaron, the priest,
or to one of the priests among his descendants.
If the man is leprous and unclean,
the priest shall declare him unclean
by reason of the sore on his head.
"The one who bears the sore of leprosy
shall keep his garments rent and his head bare,
and shall muffle his beard;
he shall cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!'
As long as the sore is on him he shall declare himself unclean,
since he is in fact unclean.
He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp."
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 32:1-2, 5, 11):
R. (7) I turn to you, Lord,
in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble,
and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, "I confess my faults to the LORD,"
and you took away the guilt of my sin.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble,
and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart.
R. I turn to you, Lord, in time of
trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1):
Brothers and sisters,
Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,
do everything for the glory of God.
Avoid giving offense, whether to the Jews or Greeks or
the church of God,
just as I try to please everyone in every way,
not seeking my own benefit but that of the many,
that they may be saved.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 1:40-45):
A leper came to Jesus and kneeling
down begged him and said,
"If you wish, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched him, and said to him,
"I do will it. Be made clean."
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
He said to him, "See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them."
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.
--------------------
02/12/2012 - Promises of
the Lord to those that have a devotion to the "Way of the Cross":
At the age of 18, a young Spaniard
entered the Novitiate of The Brothers of the Christian Schools at Bugedo,
Spain. He took the Vow of Regularity, Perfection and Pure Love. In October
1926, he offered himself to Jesus through Mary. Soon after this heroic
donation, he fell ill. Within several months he died saintly in March 1927.
He was according to the Master of Novices, a Privileged Soul, who received
Messages from Heaven. Confessors and Theologians recognized these
Supernatural facts. His Director asked him to write
the Promises made by Our Lord to those who have devotion to The Way Of The
Cross:
“I will grant everything that’s
asked of Me with Faith when making The Way of The Cross”.
“I promise Eternal Life to those
who pray from time to time, The Way of The Cross”.
“I will follow them everywhere
in life and I will help them, especially at the hour of death”.
“Even if they have more sins
than blades of grass in the fields, and grains of sand in the sea, all
of them will be erased by The Way of The Cross”. Note:
This promise does not eliminate the obligation to confess all mortal
sins before we receive Holy Communion).
“Those who pray The Way of The
Cross often, will have a special glory in Heaven”.
“I will deliver them from
Purgatory, indeed if they go there at all, the first Tuesday or Friday
after their death”.
“I will bless them at each Way
of The Cross, and My blessing will follow them everywhere on earth and,
after their death, in Heaven for all Eternity”.
“At the hour of their death I
will not permit the devil to tempt them; I will lift all power from him
in order that they will repose tranquilly in My Arms”.
“If they pray it [The Way of The
Cross] with true love, I will make each one of them a living Ciborium in
which it will please Me to pour My grace”.
“I will fix My Eyes on those who
pray The Way of The Cross often; My hands will always be open to protect
them”.
“As I am nailed to the Cross, so
also will I always be with those who honor Me in making The Way of The
Cross frequently”.
“They will never be able to
separate themselves from Me, for I will give them the grace never again
to commit a Mortal sin”.
“At the hour of death I will
console them with My Presence and we will go together to Heaven. Death
will be sweet to all those who have honored Me during their lives by
praying The Way of The Cross”.
“My Soul will be a protective
shield for them, and will always help them, whenever they have
recourse”.
The Stations of the Cross
First Station Jesus is Condemned to Death O Jesus! So meek and uncomplaining, teach me resignation in trials and
tribulations.
Second Station Jesus Carries His
Cross Jesus help me to also carry my cross.
Third Station Our Lord Falls the First Time O Jesus! by this first fall, help me when I fall.
Fourth Station Jesus Meets His
Mother O Jesus! may no human tie, however dear, keep me from following the road
of the Cross.
Fifth Station Simon the Cyrenean Helps
Jesus Carry His Cross Simon unwillingly assisted You; may I also assist You.
Sixth Station Veronica Wipes the Face of
Jesus O Jesus! You imprinted Your sacred features upon Veronica’s veil; stamp
them also indelibly upon my heart.
Seventh Station The Second Fall of
Jesus By Thy second fall, preserve me, dear Lord, from relapse into sin.
Eighth Station Jesus Consoles the
Women of Jerusalem My greatest consolation would be to hear You say: “Many sins are
forgiven thee, because thou hast loved much”.
Ninth Station The Third Fall of Jesus O Jesus! when weary upon life’s long journey, be my strength and my
perseverance.
Tenth Station Jesus is Stripped of His
Garments My soul has been robbed of its robe of innocence; clothe me, dear Jesus,
with the garb of penance and contrition.
Eleventh Station Jesus is Nailed to
The Cross You forgave Your enemies and continue to forgive; my God, teach me to
forgive all those who have injured me or who I have injured.
Twelfth Station Jesus Dies on the
Cross You are dying, my Jesus, but Your Sacred Heart still throbs with love
for all of God’s children.
Thirteenth Station Jesus is Taken Down
From the Cross Receive me into your arms, O Sorrowful Mother; and obtain for me
contrition for my sins.
Fourteenth Station Jesus is Laid in the
Sepulcher When I receive You into my heart in Holy Communion, O Jesus, make it a
fit abiding place for Thy adorable Body.
Amen
Note:
These beautiful hand-carved Stations of the Cross where rescued from
an antique dealer in the streets of New York City. They are about 100 years
old. For many decades they remained in an abandoned hospital/nursing home.
We have decided to keep them just as
they are. In our humble opinion these 14 Wounded Stations of the Cross are
perhaps even more reflective of Our Wounded Lord and His Mother, especially
during the times we are presently living through. It seems that no one
escapes from this earthly Valley of Tears.
We invite you to spend some time
uniting your sufferings with those of Jesus and Mary as you make the Way of
the Cross. May the time you spend in prayer and meditation lead you to the
Stations of the Cross that await your presence within your Church.
Reading I - A reading from the book
of Job (Job 7:1-4, 6-7):
Job spoke, saying:
Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?
Are not his days those of hirelings?
He is a slave who longs for the shade,
a hireling who waits for his wages.
So I have been assigned months of misery,
and troubled nights have been allotted to me.
If in bed I say, "When shall I arise?"
then the night drags on;
I am filled with restlessness until the dawn.
My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle;
they come to an end without hope.
Remember that my life is like the wind;
I shall not see happiness again.
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 147:1-2,
3-4, 5-6:
R. (cf. 3a) Praise the Lord,
who heals the brokenhearted.
Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the
brokenhearted.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the
brokenhearted.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the
brokenhearted.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 9: 16-19,
22-23):
Brothers and sisters:
If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach,
I offer the gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the gospel,
so that I too may have a share in it.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 1:29-39):
On leaving the synagogue
Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever.
They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up.
Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
When it was evening, after sunset,
they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases,
and he drove out many demons,
not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
Rising very early before dawn, he left
and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.
Simon and those who were with him pursued him
and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you."
He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages
that I may preach there also.
For this purpose have I come."
So he went into their synagogues,
preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.
----------------------
02/05/2012 - Short Way of
the Cross: Video of the Short Way of the Cross as practiced by Franciscan
missionaries.
Reading I - A reading from the book
of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 18:15-20):
Moses spoke to all the people,
saying:
"A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen.
This is exactly what you requested of the LORD, your God, at Horeb
on the day of the assembly, when you said,
'Let us not again hear the voice of the LORD, our God,
nor see this great fire any more, lest we die.'
And the LORD said to me, 'This was well said.
I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kin,
and will put my words into his mouth;
he shall tell them all that I command him.
Whoever will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name,
I myself will make him answer for it.
But if a prophet presumes to speak in my name
an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak,
or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die.'"
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9):
R. (8) If today you hear his
voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not
your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden
not your hearts.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 7:32-35):
Brothers and sisters:
I should like you to be free of anxieties.
An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord,
how he may please the Lord.
But a married man is anxious about the things of the world,
how he may please his wife, and he is divided.
An unmarried woman or a virgin is anxious about the things of the Lord,
so that she may be holy in both body and spirit.
A married woman, on the other hand,
is anxious about the things of the world,
how she may please her husband.
I am telling you this for your own benefit,
not to impose a restraint upon you,
but for the sake of propriety
and adherence to the Lord without distraction.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 1:21-28):
Then they came to Capernaum,
and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.
The people were astonished at his teaching,
for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;
he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are, the Holy One of God!"
Jesus rebuked him and said,
"Quiet! Come out of him!"
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
"What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy,
catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
---------------------
01/29/2012 - Original
Nicene Creed (Catholic Profession of Faith):
Reading I - A reading from the book
of the Prophet Jonah (Jonah 3:1-5, 10):
The word of the LORD came to Jonah,
saying:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD'S bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed, "
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast
and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9):
R. (4a) Teach me your ways,
O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice
and teaches the humble his way.
R. Teach me your ways, O Lord.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 7:29-31):
I tell you, brothers and sisters,
the time is running out.
From now on, let those having wives act as not having them,
those weeping as not weeping,
those rejoicing as not rejoicing,
those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully.
For the world in its present form is passing away.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Mark (Mark 1:14-20):
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;
they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them,
"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther
and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them.
So they left their father Zebedee in the boat
along with the hired men and followed him.
---------------------
01/22/2012- Prayer- "The
Golden Arrow": In 1843 the
Lord Jesus Christ revealed this prayer to a Carmelite Nun, Sr. Mary of St. Peter
of Tours, as a means of healing blasphemy. He said, "This Golden Arrow
will wound My Heart delightfully, and heal the wounds inflicted by blasphemy."
The website below also states that "After
receiving this prayer, Sister Mary of St. Peter was given a vision in which she
saw the Sacred Heart of Jesus delightfully wounded by this "Golden Arrow" as
torrents of graces streamed from It for the conversion of sinners."
MAY THE MOST HOLY, MOST SACRED, MOST
ADORABLE, MOST INCOMPREHENSIBLE AND UNUTTERABLE NAME OF GOD BE ALWAYS
PRAISED, BLESSED, LOVED, ADORED AND GLORIFIED, IN HEAVEN, ON EARTH AND UNDER
THE EARTH, BY ALL THE CREATURES OF GOD, AND BY THE SACRED HEART OF OUR LORD
JESUS CHRIST, IN THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE ALTAR. AMEN.
Reading I - A reading from the first
book of the Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19):
Samuel was sleeping in the temple of
the LORD
where the ark of God was.
The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am."
Samuel ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me."
"I did not call you, " Eli said. "Go back to sleep."
So he went back to sleep.
Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli.
"Here I am, " he said. "You called me."
But Eli answered, "I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep."
At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD,
because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.
The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time.
Getting up and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am. You called me."
Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth.
So he said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply,
Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening."
When Samuel went to sleep in his place,
the LORD came and revealed his presence,
calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!"
Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him,
not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
R. (8a and 9a) Here am I,
Lord; I come to do your will.
I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your
will.
Reading II - A reading
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a,
17-20):
Brothers and sisters:
The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord,
and the Lord is for the body;
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him.
Avoid immorality.
Every other sin a person commits is outside the body,
but the immoral person sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been purchased at a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. John (John 1:35-42):
John was standing with two of his
disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God."
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
"What are you looking for?"
They said to him, "Rabbi" - which translated means Teacher -,
"where are you staying?"
He said to them, "Come, and you will see."
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
"We have found the Messiah" - which is translated Christ -.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
"You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas" - which is translated Peter.
Reading I - A reading from the book
of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 60:1-6):
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your
light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
R. (cf. 11) Lord, every
nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will
adore you.
(Responsorial Psalm
for 2012 Epiphany of the Lord from:
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians (Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6):
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Gospel - A reading from
the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew (Matthew 2:1-12):
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
Sunday,
January 1, 2012: (THE OCTAVE DAY
OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD / SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD)
Readings for today: Numbers 6:22-27 / Galatians 4:4-7 /
Luke 2:16-21:
Reading I - A reading from
the book of Numbers (Numbers 6:22-27):
The LORD said to Moses:
"Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,
and I will bless them."
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8):
R. (2a) May God bless us in
his mercy.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians (Galatians 4:4-7):
Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under the law,
to ransom those under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying out, "Abba, Father!"
So you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son then also an heir, through God.
Gospel - A reading
from the holy Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 2:16-21):
The shepherds went in haste to
Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.
When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
--------------------
01/01/2012 - Prayer to
Mary, "The Memoraré":
The prayer to read, and 2 videos to
watch...the first is 43 seconds, just read along with the words onscreen.
The second one's a bit longer, but only because it repeats several times...more
visually interesting and has background music to keep your interest, and again
it's just reading the prayer onscreen a little bit at a time.
Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone
who fled to your protection,
implored your help,
or sought your intercession was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, we turn to you,
O Virgin of virgins, our Mother.
To you we come, before you we stand,
sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
do not despise our petitions,
but in your mercy hear us and answer us. Amen.
And here's a quick video
you to which you can pray along:
Sunday,
December 25, 2011: (SOLEMNITY OF
THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD (CHRISTMAS) MASS AT MIDNIGHT)
Readings for today: Isaiah 9:1-6 / Titus 2:11-14 /
Luke 2:1-14:
Reading I - A reading from the book
of the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 9:1-6):
The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them abundant joy
and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as people make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,
the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster
you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast
and forever peaceful,
from David's throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
by judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
R. (Lk 2:11)Today is born
our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Announce his salvation, day after day.
Tell his glory among the nations;
among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;
let the sea and what fills it resound;
let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!
Then shall all the trees of the forest exult.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the Lord.
They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;
for he comes to rule the earth.
He shall rule the world with justice
and the peoples with his constancy.
R. Today is born our Savior, Christ the
Lord.
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to Titus (Titus 2:11-14):
Beloved:
The grace of God has appeared, saving all
and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires
and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,
as we await the blessed hope,
the appearance of the glory of our great God
and savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness
and to cleanse for himself a people as his own,
eager to do what is good.
Gospel - A reading from
the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 2:1-14):
In those days a decree went out from
Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
--------------------
12/25/11- The Fab
Four Sing "Joy to the World":
Merry Christmas everybody! Enjoy
this nice twist to Christmas classics...a Beatles cover band, The Fab Four.
Enjoy...
Sunday,
December 18, 2011: (FOURTH SUNDAY
OF ADVENT)
Readings for today: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 / Romans
16:25-27 / Luke 1:26-38:
Reading I - A reading from the book
of the Prophet Samuel (2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16):
When King David was settled in his
palace,
and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,
he said to Nathan the prophet,
"Here I am living in a house of cedar,
while the ark of God dwells in a tent!"
Nathan answered the king,
"Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the LORD is with you."
But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
"Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD:
Should you build me a house to dwell in?'
"'It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock
to be commander of my people Israel.
I have been with you wherever you went,
and I have destroyed all your enemies before you.
And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.
I will fix a place for my people Israel;
I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place
without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel.
I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The LORD also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you.
And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever."
Responsorial Psalm -
(Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29):
R. (2a) For ever I will sing
the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the
Lord.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of the
Lord.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. For ever I will sing the goodness of
the Lord.
Reading II - A reading
from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans (Romans 16:25-27):
Brothers and sisters:
To him who can strengthen you,
according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen
Gospel - A reading from
the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 1:26-38):
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
"Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
--------------------
12/18/11 - Memorial of St.
Lucy the Virgin & Martyr (Feast Day December 13):
Sunday,
December 11, 2011: (THIRD SUNDAY
OF ADVENT)
Readings for today: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 / 1 Thessalonians
5:16-24 / John 1:6-8, 19-28:
Reading I - A reading from the book of the Prophet
Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11):
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon
me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.
I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
Reading II - A reading from the first
letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24):
Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful,
and he will also accomplish it.
Gospel - A reading from the Holy Gospel
according to St. John (John 1:6-8, 19-28):
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, "Who are you?"
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, "I am not the Christ."
So they asked him,
"What are you then? Are you Elijah?"
And he said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
So they said to him,
"Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?"
He said:
"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
'make straight the way of the Lord,'"
as Isaiah the prophet said."
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
"Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"
John answered them,
"I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
Thursday,
December 8, 2011: (SOLEMNITY OF
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY)
Readings for today: Genesis 3:9-15, 20 / Ephesians 1:3-6,
11-12 / Luke 1:26-38:
Reading I - A reading from the book of Genesis
(Genesis 3:9-15, 20):
After the man, Adam, had eaten of
the tree,
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."
Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"
The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with me
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it."
The LORD God then asked the woman,
"Why did you do such a thing?"
The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it."
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
"Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
on your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel."
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
Responsorial Psalm - (Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab,
3cd-4):
R. (1) Sing to the Lord a
new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has
done marvelous deeds.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has
done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he
has done marvelous deeds.
Reading II - A reading from the letter of
St. Paul to the Ephesians (Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12):
Brothers and sisters:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
in accord with the favor of his will,
for the praise of the glory of his grace
that he granted us in the beloved.
In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
Gospel - A reading from the Holy Gospel
according to St. Luke (Luke 1:26-38):
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
--------------------
12/08/11- Prayer to Mary
by Berthe Petit (Franciscan Tertiary):
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of
Mary, dwelling pure and holy,
cover my soul with thy maternal protection so that being ever
faithful to the voice of Jesus, it responds to His love and
obeys His Divine Will.
I wish, O, my Mother, to keep
unceasingly before me thy
co-redemption in order to live intimately with thy Heart
that is totally united to the Heart of thy Divine Son.
Fasten me to this Heart by thine own
virtues and sorrows.
Protect me always.
Amen.
THIS MESSAGE WAS CONFIDED BY OUR
LORD TO
BERTHE PETIT, A HUMBLE FRANCISCAN
TERTIARY,
BORN JANUARY 23, 1870 IN BELGIUM:
"Teach souls to love the Heart of
Mary pierced by the very sorrows
which pierced Mine." [Dec. 25, 1909]
AT THE HOLY HOUR [MARCH 25, 1912]
THE BLESSED VIRGIN SPOKE THUS:
"I have called myself the Immaculate
Conception. To you I call myself
Mother of the Sorrowful Heart. This
title willed by my Son is dear to me
above all others. According as it is
spread everywhere, there will be granted
graces of mercy, spiritual renewal
and salvation."
Reading I - A reading from the book of the Prophet
Isaiah (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11):
Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her service is at an end,
her guilt is expiated;
indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD
double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.
Go up on to a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.
R. (8) Lord, let us see your
kindness, and grant us your salvation.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD--for he proclaims peace to his people.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant
us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant
us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and
grant us your salvation.
Reading II - A reading from the second
epistle of St. Peter (2 Peter 3:8-14):
Do not ignore this one fact,
beloved,
that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years like one day.
The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay,"
but he is patient with you,
not wishing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar
and the elements will be dissolved by fire,
and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.
Since everything is to be dissolved in this way,
what sort of persons ought you to be,
conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion,
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames
and the elements melted by fire.
But according to his promise
we await new heavens and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,
be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.
Gospel - A reading from the Holy Gospel
according to St. Mark (Mark 1: 1-8):
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus
Christ the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
"Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths." John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
John was clothed in camel's hair,
with a leather belt around his waist.
He fed on locusts and wild honey.
And this is what he proclaimed:
"One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Mary
died on Pentecost morning, May 24, 1667, at nine o’clock, at the time the
Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles and when the “Veni, Creator Spiritus,
Come, Holy Ghost Creator!” was being recited in the canonical hours.
Dominic
accompanied his holy bishop in 1203 to the Marches of France, in the Languedoc
region, because of a royal wedding. It was there that they were struck by the
spread of falsehood. People were adopting Albigensianism which considered all
material things to be evil. While at Toulouse, Dominic stayed up all night
until he had persuaded the innkeeper to accept the true faith. About that time,
the pope had called upon the Cistercian abbots to preach against this heresy.
At Montpellier, Bishop Diego convinced them to abandon their ostentatious
retinues. He himself put on the Cistercian habit and joined the mission, taking
Dominic with him. From then on, the subprior was called "Brother Dominic."
(Photograph
on the left is a closeup of the actual Crucifix that came alive during
the miraculous vision related at the top of this article) .
(Picture
on the left is a image of Gemma embracing Jesus as occured in several of
her visions) Our Lord took infinite delight in such great generosity and
heroism, and by open proofs of tenderness, showed His great joy and
happiness at having chosen a spouse so entirely according to His Heart.
Thus, on one of many occasions, making His presence felt in her soul, He
asked her if she had suffered much in a long trial that she was still
undergoing. Gemma's answer: "With Thee,
oh Jesus, one suffers so well! What is it to suffer thus for many days,
if afterwards You come quickly and console?" And Jesus replied:
"Know that when you were suffering, I
was always at your side. I beheld your distress and I was gratified by
it." 
